Brave New World and Why Irish Water must be stopped

Article by Buncrana Together - Edited

Ireland has a chance to abolish Irish Water Ltd along with all the related oppressive legislation and relegate them to the toxic scrapheap of history, cover it with a ten inch thick leaded dome, never to surface again.

We then should turn our attention to it's inventors and those who enthusiastically helped in it's creation and development, like Dracula's controlled helpers.  We must strike a stake through their greedy hearts, bury them and never allow them to do such a thing again.

In the case of Irish Water's and Government minister's insatiable thirst for power and profit, sucking dry Ireland's life force, this sarcophagus is a necessity.  It must be done now before there is no going back. 

Control and ownership is the weapon.  This essential natural resource, our water, our lakes, seas, rivers, reservoirs and infrastructure must be given back to the people of Ireland. To ensure this, it's day to day running should be undertaken by much needed reformed local authorities where representatives and ordinary citizens have more say and control.  This time, however, the water authorities must be properly funded, have proper long term plans to satisfy the needs of the people and the infrastructure must not be allowed to be neglected, underfunded as it has been.

Control must not be centralised but must be as close to our citizens as possible. This is the only way to ensure our continual ownership and to ensure it will never fall into the hands of unknown, worldwide private investors and speculators.

Control of this resource involves costs and how it is funded.  Water can not be allowed to be turned into a commodity. This is the present plan of the Government and Irish Water. The principle of turning our natural resource into a commodity is wrong. Part and parcel of turning it into a money making operation is the idea of meters, especially smart meters which determine how much you use and so will determine how much you pay. Every person should have the fundamental right to good, clean, hygienic water. It is a natural right, an amenity and it is a health necessity.

Not only that but water is a resource which has immense importance for our economy. The only way to ensure that it is not turned into a commodity is by funding it through taxation.

Central control whether by government or especially by the private sector is dangerous especially when dealing with this valuable resource. Not only because of the potential for extortion and exploitation but also for corruption.

Corruption has one master, power and a lot of disciples.

The old saying power corrupts is very apt in this context. We see Irish Water and it's faceless bureaucratic apparatus splashing billions of euro about, cosying up to Ministers, and European magnates such as the ECB and the international IMF and working hand in hand with billionaires like Denis O'Brien. Sometimes it is difficult to see who is controlling who. Is it Irish Water controlling the Government or is it the other way about? Maybe it is all one and the same. Lately we see Irish Water has developed plans to extract 330 of water a day from the Shannon and pipe it all the way to Dublin, costing they say 1 billion euro. We heard that before. 600 landowners are going to get their palms greased to facilitate this.  See this article 'Irish Water Ltd presents controversial plan'.   Butterring up the locals seems to be the way of doing business. This was done in the Corrib gas controversy in County Mayo. We even had Shell spokespersons saying they made mistakes at the start and they should have buttered up the locals from the start.

Brave New World

It was this revelation by Fliuch'Smart Metering Project Phase 3 Public Consultation' which sparked off this article. CER, Commission For Energy Regulations. Another bureaucratic body is going through the consultation motions but in the end will give their full steam ahead approval for 'Smart Meter'. You can find out all about these meters in Fliuch.org.

People are of the opinion that it wouldn't happen, that it is not as sinister as that, that our government and regulators will protect our health and freedom. If this article does not make you site up and take notice nothing will.

Big brother, mind control is coming and it's coming with a vengeance.



CER Smart Metering Project – Phase 3 – Public Consultation

Fliuch members constantly look out for news about smart meters yet none of us saw this announced in any newspaper or on any radio or TV station – did you?

Putting a call out for public opinion during storms and flooding and so close to Christmas makes us suspect that the timing was deliberate and cynical.

We’ve looked through the five documents on the CER website (38 pages, 44 pages, 50 pages, 38 pages and 4 pages) and even though we have technically minded people even we found it difficult to see how a ‘regular’ member of the public could make an informed submission about this.

The CER has already made huge decisions that will affect all of us yet with extremely little input from the citizenry. Such big decisions that have economic, health and privacy implications for all of us should involve forums where people can physically attend, ask questions and make ‘amateur’ submissions (submissions that don’t involve getting a degree in electromechanics, communications or economics etc.).

We would encourage everyone to follow the smart meters link on this website and browse through other posts relating to smart meters.

Published: 8/Dec/2015

Response Deadline: 22/Jan/2016

Consultation Open – Responses to: smartmetering@cer.ie

CER has today, Tuesday 8 December 2015, published decisions relating to the rollout of Time of Use Tariffs (ToU) and Smart Pay-As-You-Go, to be facilitated by smart meters.

CER also invites views from members of the public and industry on proposed decisions relating to regulation of transition activities for market participants and consumer protection.

Closing date for responses is the 22nd of January 2016.

More: http://www.cer.ie/document-detail/SmartMeteringProject-Phase3/1021


Buncrana Together and the 2016 Irish General Election

Article by Buncrana Together

The 2016 Irish general election must take place no later than April 8th.

The 2016 Irish general election must take place no later than April 8th.

 

Buncrana Together, a local non-aligned anti Irish Water group, would like to inform the public that we will not canvass for any independent or party candidate prior to and during the run up to the elections. We will leave that to the public to decide. However, we do ask the public to question all candidates and not to vote for any who supports Irish Water, Water Charges and their relevant legislation. These would include Fine Gael, Fianna Fail and the Labour Party. Our reasons are given below. We will assess all Independent candidates in due course. We invite all candidates to let us know their positions on these issues.

We also like to state that we are part of the Right2Water movement but we are not part of Right2Change. There is an important difference between the two and for anyone wishing to find out please read our web page at buncranatogether.com . In short we believe that Right2Change principles have ostracised some very capable candidates and parties.

We do not require candidates to have signed up to Right2Change principles. Any candidate who genuinely opposes Irish Water and it's privatisation will include these issues in their manifesto and we believe that if they are genuine they will also support our boycott campaign.

Fianna Fail, Fine Gael, Labour Party, Green Party

It is a fact that the process towards Water Charges and Irish Water started in 2000 when Fianna Fail introduced the Planning and Development Act 2000.  It was this Act that stated all new property was to have meter ready boxes. 

In 2007 the Fianna Fáil/Green coalition enacted the Water Services Act, 2007.  This put in placeregulations for a water service authority. 

In 2009, Brian Lenihan mentions the introduction of water charges in a budget statement'The Renewed Programme'.  It contained a commitment to introduce a system of water metering for homes.

Fine Gael in their 2009 manifesto 'Local Strength, National Recovery' said
"A new national Irish Water company will have responsibility for new investment in water infrastructure. As described in Fine Gael’s March 2009 Job Creation Strategy, Rebuilding Ireland, we would set up a new semi State company called ‘Irish Water’ to take over responsibility for investment in new water infrastructure. This will ensure access to secure and safe water supplies which is core to sustainable national economic recovery and the development of key growth centres in Ireland over the next decade."

In November 2010, Fianna Fáil/Green coalition government publishes a memorandum of understanding on the conditions of the €85 billion EU-IMF bailout which says water charges will be introduced in 2012 or 2013, by which time metering is to have been installed across the State.

In 2011 Fine Gael/Labour government confirms a procurement process for the installation of water meters was entered into with the intention of having the necessary infrastructure in place early in 2012. 

April 2012, Phil Hogan confirms "The Government also announced the contract to run the company has been awarded to Bord Gáis Éireann, of which Irish Water will become a subsidiary. Irish Water will gradually become responsible for supplying all public water in the State, taking over the role currently performed by the 34 local authorities. Mr Hogan says charges would be introduced in 2014 and Irish Water would have 90-95 per cent of the meters installed by the end of that year. 

2013, Irish Water was incorporated as a semi-state company under the Water Services Act.


“If you vote, and you elect dishonest, incompetent politicians, and they get into office and screw everything up, you are responsible for what they have done. You voted them in.” George Carlin.

However, you can be hoodwinked, of course. Remember a famous Irish politicians recently said on Vincent Brown show, “Isn’t that what you do during an election?” while discussing Labour’s pledge to maintain child benefit rates,.