Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Anti-Austerity Alliance) | Oireachtas source

The Anti-Austerity Alliance-People Before Profit group is very happy to co-sign this motion alongside Sinn Féin, Independents4Change, Social Democrats and the other political forces and Independents associated with Right2Water. This is not a matter of us supporting a Sinn Féin motion but it is a joint motion tabled in Sinn Féin time. We are grateful that Sinn Féin uses its time in that way.

I want to start with a quote from the ghost of politics past. The contrast between the demeanour of the previous Minister and this Minister is striking. There is no difference in the content but in terms of tone it reflects the movement and the knock-back the Government has witnessed. Over a year ago, the former Minister, Deputy Alan Kelly, said about the movement of non-payment that "Ruth Coppinger and her band of people [that is the Anti-Austerity Alliance] will lead people up to the top of the hill and then abandon them". How did that work out for Deputy Kelly? Deputy Kelly was abandoned on top of the hill by his people. The people who participated in the mass movement of non-payment have forced a massive climb down of the political establishment and the biggest defeat for the 1% in this country since the beginning of the austerity era. Deputy Alan Kelly was not alone in thinking that; he was at one with the entire political establishment and most of the media establishment that the movement of non-payment would be defeated and that everybody would have to pay in the end. None of them predicted that this would be the key sticking point in the negotiations between Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil, least of all Fianna Fáil.

What changed? Who is to be thanked for this, to answer the question that Deputy Cassells asked? Clearly, Fianna Fáil is not to be thanked. Fianna Fáil, which introduced water charges into this country, supported water charges and has betrayed its election commitment to end water charges and Irish Water, is clearly not to be thanked. I also think, to be blunt, that Sinn Féin is not to be thanked - a party that less than two years ago said it was not a red line issue for it while its Deputies were paying the charges.

Who is to be thanked? The answer does not lie in this Chamber. To be thanked is the mass movement of protests that forced fundamental change on a number of political parties and forced suspension of water charges - the mass protests, the electoral expression of those protests in the by-election in October 2014 and the general election and, centrally, the non-payment and the fact that a significant majority of people are now boycotting the water charges. The lessons are so devastating and clear that it has to be of concern to the Denis O'Briens, the bankers, the bondholders and their political representatives here that when we mobilise together we can win, that the biggest, scariest threats and propaganda from the Government and Irish Water can be faced down and defeated and that mass civil disobedience can work. It represents a fundamental turning point in Irish politics and the entry of a more confident, more organised, more politicised working class as a part of a broader left and socialist politics.

As a movement, we now have to secure victory on the water charges. There is a forced tactical retreat at play here. That is all the commission is about, to maintain the entity of Irish Water and the return in the future of the project of commodification of our water. We have to make sure there cannot be any return, by achieving the abolition of water charges and Irish Water. I encourage people to mobilise tomorrow at 5 p.m. outside the Dáil to demand that Fianna Fáil, Deputies McGrath, Halligan, Zappone and the others stick to their election promises and the mandate upon which they were elected and vote with the motion to abolish water charges and Irish Water.

It is vital that water metering is now stopped in its tracks. The only purpose of water metering is linked to the commodification and privatisation agenda. It should be stopped in here but if Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil conspire that it is not stopped, protest outside will have to stop water metering in its tracks.

The next point is to demand investment in water infrastructure. The Government's motion refers to €550 million to be invested in 2016, which is about the average since 2000. The Government will deliberately under fund water investment so it can come back to us in three or four years' time and say that it told us we needed water charges, to look at the crisis that exists because we have not invested and to demand investment.

We need to say that nobody should be victimised, criminalised or imprisoned for protesting against water charges. I welcome the fact that Sean Doyle and Eamonn McGrath were released from prison today but I understand that Anna Harvey is still in prison. We have a vindictive ruling class that is smarting under the impact of a mass movement and a defeat for it. It is out to get revenge. There is still very heavy-handed policing of anti-water meter protests taking place. We also have a ruling class and a 1% that is looking at an era of struggle opening up, not just on water charges but on housing, the repeal of the eighth amendment and the question of wages. As a result it is seeking to enhance the power of the State and normalise the idea of protesters being imprisoned for being engaged in peaceful protest. An injury to one is an injury to all. It is in the interest of everybody to demand that all protesters linked to water charges are released and to demand that all criminal charges relating to anti-water charges protests should now be dropped.

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