Article by Buncrana Together
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,.