Inishowen's Unwanted Irish Water Meters. What Can We Do With Them?

If water meters are installed against your will & without a contract.

If the Irish Government disrespects us by forcing the establishment of Irish Water Ltd and  metered water charges and in the process employ,  questionable and as yet untested laws, squander billions of euro in legal fees, consultants, public relations, squads of contractors and An Garda Siochána,  to do this then we have nothing left but civil disobedience. Throughout the country protesters, despite what the government and media have said, despite the heavy handedness of Irish Water contractors and an Garda Siochána, despite arrests, legal actions, intimidation and imprisonment,  have remained amazingly resolute and peaceful.

Irish Water Lies and GMC Sierra Stealth Tactics
Buncrana Against Irish Water, a local non affiliated group of people who oppose Irish Water and the intended metered charges have documented evidence that we have tried all avenues to talk to Irish Water and their water metering contractor GMC Sierra in order to try to reach a sensible, non violent compromise.  Our efforts it seems were in vain.  Not only did Irish Water tell us they haven't the resources to meet with us but GMC Sierra did not even reply to us.
Last week In Muff, Inishowen, what only could be described as a stealth outfit of two technicians, came in an unmarked van, with no indentification and proceeded to install meters in meter ready estates such as Ard Ban.  It was so secret, most people got no notice, that no one knew they had a smart meter until the job was done.  Each meter can be installed in a few minutes.  See our article on this page Irish Water Insulting Inishowen People. 

It is believed that Sierra will be continuing this type of operation along the east side of Inishowen, then to Moville, Greencastle etc.  However, there is no way of knowing for sure.  Some residents are getting the required notice but the majority are not.  Buncrana Together ask all residents who have received notices to contact us 0874652485.  You can make enquiries through the buncranatogether.com web page or email buncranatogether@gmail.com  You can contact Inishowen Against Water Charges contact details on their web page,  http://www.inishowenawc.org/contact.html.

So What Can People Do? 
Most people by now have a good idea of the issues and what protesters are doing throughout the country.  Buncrana Together has a lot of articles and downloadable resources on their site and on it's facebook page.  The group says
" The main thing to do is get up of your behinds and do something.  Before any meter goes in you can stop them.  Put up notices, go out and tell them you don't want one.  Stop contractors  coming into your estate, put a car over the meter box/stopcock.  If asked to move it by gardai you can do so.  Then stand or sit on it and don't move.  If barriers go up, get inside and don't move.  There is a resource on their web page 'A-Z of Objectors' download that."

So You Have An Unwanted Meter What Do You Do?

A water meter is dangerous it emits electromagnetic radiation and microwaves  stopsmartmeters.org and can be dangerous and unreliabe,  www.fairsociety.ie.  The public will be used as guinea pigs.  Smart meters will be read remotely  to collect your private data.  In the future smart meters will be used remotely to control your water connection, cutting it off if you can't pay.  The principle applies, if you have money you can use more water but if you are poor you will use less.  This is not a fair system.  In the very near future immediately after 2018 Irish Water will be fully privatised and it will become like any utility company where profit is the be all and end all. 
There is no need for meters.  They are a waste of money.  The reason for them is to get as much money out of you as possible.  It is control.

Government Lost Credibility
The government has lost the credibility of the electorate.  It is unjust and corrupt.  Irish Water is a quango led by government hand-picked, over paid executives set up at the behest of the IMF.  What with numerous scandals in the past number of years and the increasingly hard approach to peaceful water protesters by An Garda Siochána a sizeable public is loosing confidence in the rule of law.   This public is barred by  exorbitant costs from addressing their legal rights in courts of laws.   Everything is stacked against.  Maybe it's time for civil disobedience, it is a duty.  

Kildare Anti-charges campaigners to remove water meters


ANTI water charge campaigners in Co Kildare are to step up their campaign and plan to start removing water meters around the county.

This stepping up of the campaign coincides with the issuing of water bills according to The Free Water Tap Kildare spokesman Eamon Broughan.

“This group is made up of members from other groups around County Kildare who are planning to step up the water charges protests. We are under the right2water umbrella and we are stepping up the campaign to coincide with the issuing of bills.  We are calling for a mass non payment of the charge.,” he said.

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Civil disobedience becomes a sacred duty when the state has become lawless or corrupt. And a citizen who barters with such a state shares in its corruption and lawlessness...Every citizen is responsible for every act of his government...There is only one sovereign remedy, namely, non-violent non-cooperation.  Whether we advertise the fact or not, the moment we cease to support the government it dies a nature death.... There have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time they can seem invincible, but in the end they always fall, always..

Cllr Deirdre Wadding, People Before Profit,  Wexford  County Council

Cllr Deirdre Wadding, People Before Profit,  Wexford  County Council

Wadding willing to go to jail after removing water meter

Wexford People

Cllr Deirdre Wadding said she is willing to go to jail after she removed her water meter and returned it to Irish Water.
Cllr Wadding returned the water meter to the company last Monday when officials were at Wexford County Council to meet with councillors.
'I received correspondence with Irish Water on Thursday, January 15, and they said that removing the meter was 'an offence under Section 74 of the Water Services Act 2007 which is punishable by a fine of up €5,000, three months imprisonment or both. They said they are currently deciding what to do.'
Cllr Wadding would have to be found guilty in court of the offence before any of the above sanctions could be applied.

'If they bring me to court and I'm fined I certainly won't be paying one cent of that fine. They can send me to jail if they want. I will happily, willingly and knowingly go to jail over this because I think the whole fiasco has to change.
'If it takes me going to prison I will do that. If I have to put my neck on the block I will. I owe that to the people who voted for me and the people I represent. If Irish Water want to use me as a test case they can.'

Update
Buncrana Together received an update form Deirdre who said  "I got a follow up email saying that it was an offence under section 74  of the 2007 Water Service Act. The penalty apparently is €5000 fine or 3 months in prison. They said they are considering which option to pursue. I ignored them and haven't heard anything since"

Video; Councillor Deirdre Wadding comments returning her water meter to Irish Water. 12 Jan 2015 #Wexford County Council #Ireland Photos @ https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.540639816073079.1073741830.515545525249175&type=1 Watch on YouTube; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wu6hlzrF-3w&feature=youtu.be - - - - - - - - - - - On Monday 12th Jan 2015 Irish Water representatives were in Wexford County Council to answer questions from Councillors.

Cllr Deirdre Wadding at Wexford County Council to give Irish Water back their water meter, January 2015

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The proposal to remove water meters is one which has been considered before, according to Mr Broughan. “We thought about it before and when I put it up on Facebook I got an overwhelming response. If we had done it at the time I would have been taking out water meter faster than Irish Water were putting them in. If people contact us through our The Free Tap Kildare Facebook page to remove their meter we will get in contact with them. We will private message people and ask them if they will come with us when we go to Kildare Co Council to hand in the meters to be collected by Irish Water.”
Mr Broughan admitted that he has no authority to remove the meters but he went on to add; “It’s a bit like stopping traffic during a protest, it’s an act of civil disobedience. We will not be doing this at night, we will be very open about what we are doing.”

Mr Broughan said there will be no attempts made to remove water meters at the request of a tenant, unless the permission of the home owner has been given.

“We don’t want tenants contacting us unless they have the permission of the home owner to have the meter removed.”

The anti charges campaign is also organising a tap push throughout the county to raise awareness of the campaign.

A large tap, which was created for the St Patrick’s Day parade in Athy will be the focal poinht,

“We will start in Enfield and Kilcock and make our way to Maynooth, Leixlip, Cellbridge, Clane, Sallins, Naas, Newbridge and Kildare. We will stop there and then head over to Kilcullen and make our way from there to Athy. We are planning the tap push for next week and our message to people is that there is nothing to be afraid of and nothing will happen to you if you don’t pay,” said Mr Broughan.

Kildare Nationalist, April 1, 2015

This video shows a few individuals who have decided to remove the water meters from their properties. IMPORTANT: all featuring in the video have sent correspondance to Irish Water expressing their discontent and informing them about their action PRIOR to remove the meters.

Meath Against Water Charges Group removing meters.  This video shows a few individuals who have decided to remove the water meters from their properties.  All featuring in the video have sent correspondence to Irish Water expressing their discontent and informing them about their action prior to removing the meters.

Water Giant Suez Successfully Sues Argentina for Reversing Privitisation Water Supply

TTIP won't stop public services being run for ordinary people? Tell that to Argentina

A 2009 protest in Argentina's Santa Fe province against water privatization to Suez

A 2009 protest in Argentina's Santa Fe province against water privatization to Suez

Now it's Argentina's turn to be sued in a secret 'free trade' court run by the World Bank, writes Nick Dearden. After bringing a profiteering water company that was missing all its service and quality targets back into public ownership, the country has been ordered to pay $405 million 'compensation'.

Another week, another victory for big business over a government in a secret pseudo-court.
This time it's the turn of private water giant Suez, who successfully sued Argentina for reversing the privatisation of Buenos Aires's water supply.
No matter that the country was in a state of economic crisis when the nationalisation took place, and the government didn't want water prices to rise by 60%.
No matter that the company time and again failed to meet its performance targets. In the world of corporate courts, nothing matters except an investor's 'right' to profit.
Yet it is exactly this system of so-called Investor State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) that we will be signing up to if the US-EU trade deal known as TTIP goes ahead.

Last time I wrote about this it was Canada in the firing line - successfully sued for turning down a large quarry which would have caused severe environmental damage in Nova Scotia, threatening a whale haven with dynamite blasts and heavy shipping. Taxpayers may have to pay as much as $300 million in compensation.

The 'free trade emperors' have no clothes

Yet again and again government ministers tell us there's nothing to fear. Nothing in TTIP will prevent us running public services in the way we choose, they insist, or from regulating business in the public interest.
Try telling that to Argentina, which now 'owes' $405 million, according to one such corporate court, this one based in the World Bank - which just happened to also be a shareholder in the Suez-run private water scheme.
The story began when a free market government in Argentina privatised Buenos Aires's water supply back in 1993,egged on by the World Bank.

Click image to Download. The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) is a comprehensive free trade and investment treaty currently being negotiated – in secret – between the European Union and the USA. As officials from both sides…

Click image to Download. 
The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) is a comprehensive free trade and investment treaty currently being negotiated – in secret – between the European Union and the USA. As officials from both sides acknowledge, the main goal of TTIP is to remove regulatory ‘barriers’ which restrict the potential profits to be made by transnational corporations on both sides of the Atlantic.

The story began when a free market government in Argentina privatised Buenos Aires's water supply back in 1993,egged on by the World Bank. A 30-year concession was given to a group headed by Suez, which promised to make water access universal and improve the water quality to meet international standards, all while maintaining reasonable tariffs.
From the start, targets were repeatedly not met, while tariffs increased, and the performance indicators were renegotiated. By 2002, average residential tariffs had increased by 88%, while inflation had only increased by 7%. Investment was below what had been promised, debt ballooned, but the profits kept rolling in.

In 2001-2, Argentina went through a dramatic crisis, exacerbated by international lenders like the International Monetary Fund, which caused mass impoverishment. As the country was rebuilt, emergency laws were passed to save Argentina's people from further deprivation.
With the private water company threatening another massive price rise, the government of Nestor Kirchner passed an emergency law to bring the company into public ownership.

When putting human rights before profit is a 'trade crime'

Argentina has been hounded by cases like this ever since its economic crisis. That's because the Argentinian government at the time took serious action to place human rights before corporate interests, telling big business they couldn't profit from misery.
Some of these cases have seen Argentina paying out, others have been resisted, turning into odious debts which hedge funds (known as vultures) use to threaten the country to this day.
This particular case has been brought under a bilateral trade agreement between Argentina and France. But the central mechanism is the same as that which is being proposed under TTIP and a separate treaty which the EU is about to ratify with Canada (known as CETA).
These agreements will allow tens of thousands of corporations access to these secret pseudo-courts to take exactly this type of action against European governments.
Argentina has at least 20 more cases like this pending, arising mostly from the government trying to regulate energy and water prices, which is exactly what the Labour Party is promising to do in the upcoming general election.

Chilling democracy

What's more, the threat of these corporate courts is having a much wider impact on governments' willingness to even try to represent their people. As senior barrister Toby Landau says:
"No state wants to be brought under a treaty to an international process. It has an impact upon diplomatic relations, it may have an impact upon a state's credit standing ...
"As a practitioner I can tell you that there are states who are now seeking advice from counsel in advance of promulgating particular policies in order to know whether or not there is a risk of an investor-state claim."
The European Parliament has a vote on TTIP in June. This case should make absolutely clear to MEPs that the ISDS system must be a red line not to be crossed by any political party that cares about democracy.

What has all this to do with Irish Water

Section 5 Name and Share Capital of Subsidiary is the most important section, relevant to this article,  in the Water Services Act 2013.  In it Board means Bórd Gáis Éireann (Ervia).  It states:
(4) One share in the company shall be issued to the Board, and, of the remaining shares in the company, half shall be issued to the Minister and half shall be issued to the Minister for Finance.
(5) No voting rights in the company shall attach to any of the shares issued to the Minister or the Minister for Finance in accordance with subsection (4).
(6) The Board shall not, without the consent of the Minister and the Minister for Finance, alienate the share issued to it in accordance with subsection (4).
 

Everything Set up for Privitisation

Everything is set up to privatise Uisce Éireann (Irish Water).  All that it would take are two signatures, one from the Minister for Environment and the other from the Minister for Finance.   We have seen in the past number of years a proliferation of our state's assets being sold off. So why not Uisce Éireann, especially when the IMF are involved.     See Vincent Browne on privatisation of Irish Water in buncranatogether.  When the TTIP,  EU-US trade deal is signed up to, then everything will be complete and like Argentina whoever is in control of Uisce Éireann could and would sue the Irish Government.

Article by Jason Coffey 

in response to this journal.ie article Sinn Féin say they’d abolish your water charges.

Irish Water is a private company limited by shares. It is a legal entity that cannot be simply abolished. Reason why it cannot be abolished is because the Irish Government does not own it. We own 99% of it. Bord Gáis (Ervia) own a single share. But this is the most important share. It is the share that controls how the company operates. When setting up the company, it was carefully worded so that the other 99 shares have no voting power on how the company is run. See Water Services Act 2013: http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/pdf/2013/en.act.2013.0006.pdf

Government Planning For Privitisation
As soon as Bord Gais got this very important share/windfall, they split it up and put Bord Gáis Energy on the market.   Bord Gáis Energy was splintered off from semi-state Bord Gáis Éireann  and sold to a consortium including Centrica and two partners for €1.1 billion.  The rest of Bord Gáis was rebranded Bord Gáis Éireann and then this name was changed to Ervia.  While Irish Water claims to be run by Bord Gáis, the Bord Gáis name was transferred to Centrica.  Basically Enda Kenny doesn’t want to tell the Irish people that his government has no control whatsoever in the way Irish water conducts itself even though we own 99% of the shares. Irish Water is a legal entity that cannot be abolished because we do not own all of it.

Sinn Féin wants To abolish Irish Water

If Sinn Féin or any other party wanted to abolish Irish Water, they would first have to buy back that 1% share. Ervia (Bord Gáis Éireann) can charge whatever they like for that share, and don't need to sell it if they don't want to. Ervia has the legal right to run Irish Water as it sees fit. Companies are entities with the sole purpose of making profit. Just because Irish Water was originally set up to provide water services, in the future Ervia may decide to sell its share to a less ethical international organization who may if they see fit decide to sell your private personal data to marketing companies (as this may see a faster and much more profitable income).


Buncrana Together will follow this up with some articles on TTIP EU-US trade agreement

    

 

 

 

 

Alan Kelly Lab, Minister for Environment

Alan Kelly Lab, Minister for Environment

Michael Noonan, Fine Gael, Minister for Finance

Michael Noonan, Fine Gael, Minister for Finance

Best thing to counter Irish Water

The best thing that can be done is limit the amount of people that have no option but sign up to irish water. More Private group Schemes, Private Wells and personal harvesting of water needs to happen. This would change the monopoly of the market Irish Water currently has. Regardless of what Enda Kenny tells you, if you do not use Irish Water Services, and there is no contract that you signed, they cannot charge you. They cannot make an illegal estimate of your usage unless they can prove that you use their services solely. They cannot force you legally to provide them with this information. They have no legal entitlement to know who resides at your residence. They have no right to your pps details or any other information that cannot be obtained via the public record. Private Personal Data is your Information, not Enda Kennys.

Mary Lou Honest Comment

Mary Lou’s comment (Journal.ie)that some opposition parties are trying to take out of context  “If a scenario arises where we are in a position to reverse them, we will reverse them — that is our commitment.”   It is a very honest comment. She is not lying with this promise. If Sinn Féin were in government and the opportunity arose were it possible to undue the damage caused by Enda Kenny, and buy back the single share owned by Ervia, it is their promise that they would do this.
But it is cock and bull to say that they would just simply abolish something that isn’t theirs as some of the others are claiming. No political party has the power to destroy a legal company they don’t own. Best thing to do with Irish Water is give them as little information as possible. The less information they have, the less attractive our information is for marketing purposes, and the cheaper it will be for us to buy back our 1% share.