Maire Devine (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

It is apt timing that this representative of "wasters.com" throughout this country will raise the issue of Ireland’s water and the water commission which continues to sit in session today to discuss its report on the future of our water. Over the past few years, hundreds of thousands of people have marched through our capital, as well as various cities, towns and villages, demanding domestic water charges be abolished, never to return, including charges for group schemes, the metering programme to be scrapped as soon as possible, and the assurance we need for our children’s children's inheritance, namely, a referendum to guarantee public ownership of our water.

The adage "a week is a long time in politics" is also apt. A few short days ago, the majority of the 20-member water committee, including the flip-flop Fianna Fáil Party, which was the bright original spark for the water charges, indicated contentment with the draft report. Lo and behold, however, just yesterday supposed fresh legal advice from the same senior counsel - I do not know how that happened - allowed a U-turn. The U-turn will put the emphasis on its own interpretation of the European Union's Water Framework Directive.