We must see events in Dublin in recent weeks for what they are – a clear statement by a very small group of people that they refuse to obey the law requiring the payment of their waste charges. Perhaps even more alarmingly, they are an indication that the people involved also refuse to accept the consequences of their actions, which are provided for in law and passed through the democratic process, as well as refusing to abide by orders of the courts. To have the authority of the Executive, the Legislature and the courts challenged in this way is unacceptable in any democratic society. The law is the law and must be upheld.