Dublin: Cost Of Water For Some Families Could Be Near €800 or €900

The Government is preparing an additional package of “comprehensive” changes to the water charging system, to be announced in the coming weeks, in an effort to blunt the political damage to Fine Gael and Labour. 

Speaking in Brussels yesterday, Taoiseach Enda Kenny said the Government would provide clarity “in the next few weeks”, while Tánaiste Joan Burton told the Dáil the original timeline for water charges was “too ambitious”.

With the Government set to cap water bills at a fixed rate in order to provide certainty – with speculation the freeze could be in place until late 2016, when the majority of meters have been installed – TDs and Senators have raised the issue of families with adult children living at home.

There is concern among Government TDs that some families fear they will face annual bills running towards €800 or €900.

The issue was raised at parliamentary party meetings earlier this week.

Assessed charges – a fixed rate based on the number of occupants per home – apply in homes where meters have yet to be installed. But all homes will have their bills capped at the assessed rate until next summer, even those with meters.

Exact usage

The mooted freeze would extend this cap out for a number of years while still showing those with meters their exact water usage so they can get used to full metering.

The assessed charge is set at €176 for the first adult, with an extra €102 per additional adult in the home. This would mean a family with two dependent adult children would face an annual bill of €482. Children under 18 will not be charged for water, as per Government commitments made earlier this year.

Discussions have already taken place at the Economic Management Council (EMC) on additional water charges measures, with an announcement expected in the coming weeks.

While changes for parents of dependent children still living in the home are in play, sources stressed no details or measures have been finalised. However, any changes are likely to focus on the €102 rate for additional adults rather than any additional tax or welfare proposals.

Wider reductions

While there have been suggestions there could be wider reductions to the assessed rates, a number of sources said such a move is unlikely.

Discussions are still at an early stage, with various ideas being tested to ensure they are financially viable and do not threaten the current arrangement whereby most of Irish Water’s spending and borrowing is kept off State balance sheets for the purpose of judging EU targets.

However, Ministers say they will not be bounced into any new moves by another planned water charge protest. The scale of the water protest earlier this month, which an estimated 50,000 people attended, shocked Government figures and another march is planned for November 1st.

“They know they only have one shot at it, and have to get it right,” a Minister said. “There is a feeling they are not going to rush it.”

A senior Minister also said work on the package was ongoing, adding it could be announced after the protest. 

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Dublin: Over 50,000 March Against Water Charges: *UPDATED

Upwards of 50,000 people marched against water charges in Dublin today in one of the largest demonstrations seen in the capital in years.

*http://www.irishtimes.com/news/environment/policing-of-water-protest-criticised-by-south-dublin-county-council-1.1962213

(Editor's comment: To be fair to the Gardai, the policing of the water protest was a low-key affair, with (for example, just two uniformed Gardai on duty at the gates of Leinster House on Kildare Street) and also a slim Garda presence along the entire route of the march. In all such events, there has to be a certain (SAFE) number of Gardaí on duty for PUBLIC SAFETY reasons. J. Anderson, editor).

www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/ireland/organisers-claim-100000-attended-anti-water-charges-protest-644984.html 
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By Conor Humphries

*DUBLIN (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of people rallied against new water bills in Dublin on Saturday in Ireland's biggest anti-austerity protest for years as a candidate calling for a boycott of the charges was elected to parliament in a by-election.

After years of free water services, the centre-right coalition has decided to charge households hundreds of euros from the start of next year, an unpopular move just 18 months before the next election where the government parties hope to be rewarded by voters for an economic upturn.

Ireland has seen relatively few protests compared to other bailed-out euro zone members such as Greece and Portugal, but Saturday's protesters said the water charges were a step too far.

"There is absolute fury against what the government has imposed on the people," said Martin Kelly, 50, a rail worker holding a placard calling for the government to "stop the great water heist". "They say this is the last bit, but it's the hardest. People can't take any more," he said.

Since completing an international bailout last year, Ireland has been bucking the trend in Europe's stalled economic recovery, with the government forecasting gross domestic product to grow by 4.7 percent this year.

The improvement has allowed the government to promise its first budget without any new austerity measures in seven years on Tuesday, but opposition groups say working people are not feeling the upturn.

More than one in 10 are unemployed and more than 100,000 mortgage holders in arrears in a population of 4.6 million.

RECOVERY FOR THE RICH:

Paul Murphy from the Anti-Austerity Alliance, whose campaign was dominated by a call to boycott the water charges, won the parliamentary seat in the Dublin South West constituency that was vacated by a member of the governing Fine Gael party who was elected to the European Parliament.

Murphy, told supporters: "Recovery is for the rich, it's for the 1 percent ... it's not for the working class people." His supporters chanted: "No way, we won't pay."

Bookmakers had put left-wing nationalists Sinn Fein as heavy favourites for the seat and they were initially ahead, but lost by just under 600 votes.

(Photo: (Left) A disabled teenager confined to his wheelchair and his brother protesting in Dublin's O'Connell Street against water charges).
 
Fifty-seven percent voted for candidates opposed to the water charges, while only 17 percent for the coalition parties.

But Dublin South West is among the most left-wing in the country, and the governing centre-right Fine Gael has topped most opinion polls this year, with support of 20-30 percent of voters.
Independent candidate Michael Fitzmaurice won a second by-election in the Roscommon–South Leitrim constituency, narrowly beating a candidate from centre-right opposition Fianna Fail.

The Dublin rally organised by trade unions, anti-austerity groups and opposition parties snaked for miles around the centre of Dublin in the biggest show of force by anti-austerity groups in at least four years.

Organisers said up to 100,000 took part. State broadcasater RTE cited a police estimate of 30,000.

(Editing by Stephen Powell and Robin Pomeroy)
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The marchers took one hour and twenty minutes to pass the Spire in O’Connell Street as they made their way from Parnell Square, around the city finishing at the GPO in O’Connell Street.

While the Garda press office could not give a figure for the numbers in attendance, one garda observing the march estimated they could be as high as 100,000.

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Banners could be seen from communities across Dublin, including Crumlin, Ayrfield, Clarehall, Brookvale, Donaghmede, Ballyogan, Finglas, Ballymun, Edenmore, Coolock, Tallaght, Clondalkin while others from outside Dublin came included ones from Carlow, Cork, Galway, Limerick, Offaly, Wicklow, Athlone, Ballyphehane, Co Cork, Letterkenny, Leitrim and Mayo. There banners from trade unions Mandate, Unite, the CPSU, the Communication Workers Union and the plasterers’ union, OPATSI.

 LINK To Photo Album:
https://picasaweb.google.com/100853986949465414816/dublin_protest_march_against_water_charges_1

There was huge anger directed at Taoiseach Enda Kenny, as well as the Labour Party and at Tánaiste Joan Burton in particular for her comments during the week that anti-water charges protesters all seemed to have expensive mobile phones. A number of people carried placards with pairs of tin cans strung together attached, with slogans such as “My little phoney, Joaney” while one man was dressed as an iPhone. Other placards said:“Sold out by our own Government”; “Stick your water meters up your arse” and “Can’t pay, won’t pay”.

A number who spoke to The Irish Times, said the water charge was “the last straw”.

“Enough is enough,” said Kathleen McWilliams, a woman in her 50s from Artane.

“The property tax was bad enough but I have nothing left to give.”

There was also anger directed at the media which many protesters said had been agnoring anti-water meter protests around the country. 

Among the chants were, “Enda in your ivory tower, this is called people power” and “From the rivers to the sea, Irish water will be free”.

One man was distributing plastic water meter hub caps which he said could be used to ensure a household’s water supply while others were handing out leaflets advising people that Irish Water did not have a legal right to force people to sign a contract with them, could not pursue money from people’s wages and could not cut off people’s water supply.

The Garda presence was low key, with small numbers standing some distance back from the march mainly on streets adjacent to the route.

Before the main speakers, the Resistance Choir sang from the platform and performed their song Now Is The Time For Rage.

Among the speakers was Audrey Clancy, of the Edenmore Says No campaign who urged people neither to fill in their ‘welcome packs’ from Irish Water nor to pay bills when they start arriving.

“We have to have mass non-compliance when these bills start coming in January. No contract, no consent.. We can beat this. We have to stick together. The power of the people is greater than the people in power. Stand up to them,” she said to enormous cheers.

People Before Profit TD Richard Boyd Barrett urged everyone to take selfies and email their photo to Tánaiste Joan Burton.

“Let her wallpaper her office with all the photos of people here. Will we pay the water charges?,” he asked, to which the crowd responded loudly, “No, no, no.” He urged people to take part in planned demonstrations around the State on November 1st. 

“Today we brought Dublin to a standstill. On November 1st we will bring the country to a standstill.”

Independent TD Clare Daly said there were historic days from which point nothing would be the same, and this was one of them.

“The people are here with our mobile phones and our tablets and we’re saying, ‘You are not getting any more blood from these stones’.”

The crowd was also addressed by councillor Daithi Doolan (Sinn Féin), Jimmy Kelly of Unite and community activist John Bisset.
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