Non Payment Network Demonstration Success in the Sunshine

The march passed off peacefully with marchers clearly enjoying themselves chanting slogans all along the route, such as 'Enda Enda Enda Out Out Out', 'No Way, We Won't Pay',  Ruth Coppinger TD told the people that this was the start of the next phase of the campaign, non payment.  She said that the Non Payment Network will be holding many more demonstrations throughout the country.  There was  a symbolic binning of Irish Water bills at Leinster House.  According to Ruth Coppinger, many people had still not received irish Water bills.

Demonstration against Irish Water and Water Charges Dublin Saturday April 18, 2015

Non Payment Network, organisers of the national demonstration against Irish Water and the water charges were delighted with the massive turnout. Demonstrators gathered in lovely sunshine at the Garden of Remembrance, Parnell Square and then marched to Dail Eireann, Leinster House where they were addressed by several speakers including Ruth Coppinger and Paul Murphy of the Anti Austerity Alliance.

Well done everybody involved massive turnout bin your bills dublin 18 / 4 / 15

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A Thirst For Privitisation

If one recognises water as a basic human right - a concept endorsed last year by the United nations, then the decision to allow it be taken out of public control and given to private interests is reprehensible, writes Frank Groome.

The recent government decision to introduce household water meters and charges, as mandated by the terms of the EU-IMF bailout, is the second crucial step towards the full privatisation of water services and resources in the country. The first step was taken almost a year ago at a United Nations General Assembly vote on a resolution recognising the human right to water – a vote on which the last Irish government abstained.

In this historic vote, the United Nations declared “the right to safe and clean drinking water and sanitation as a human right that is essential for the full enjoyment of the right to life." The resolution was passed with 122 nations in favour, none against and 41 abstentions. It is interesting to note that most of the abstaining countries - which included a majority of developed countries - argued that the resolution would impose expensive obligations on wealthier countries to meet the provisions in the resolution and could undermine a process in the UN's Human Rights Council in Geneva to build a consensus on water rights - a multilateral process that many commentators argue is unlikely to produce an outcome anytime soon.

On the face of it, this explanation of the vote might appear somewhat reasonable; however, a cursory examination of the events preceding the UN vote reveals a more telling motive. The recent resolution at the UN was introduced by Bolivia, a country that has extensive frontline experience in defending public ownership of water resources and services. Indeed, Bolivia is probably the best-known example of the grassroots global resistance to water privatisation. In 1999, the World Bank recommended the full privatisation of Cochabamba’s water supply company and even threatened to withhold $600 million in international debt relief if the Bolivian government refused. Not long after the government took the decision to privatise water, bills started rising - ultimately reaching almost twenty dollars a month (in a city where the minimum wage - at the time - was around a hundred dollars a month). Eventually through massive grassroots mobilisation and mass strikes this perverse decision was reversed - but not before a number of citizens were killed during the street protests.

The Dark Experience of Privatisation
This dark experience with water privatisation has encouraged successive Bolivian governments to continue the push for the UN to recognise water as a human right; a position not recognised in the 1948 United Nations Declaration of Human Rights, but a position most governments -especially most established democracies - would be hard pressed to explain to their electorate if they openly refused to recognise it. However, in the diplomatic negotiations that preceded last year’s vote, it was clear that most of those UN members that abstained
would have voted in favour had the resolution explicitly recognised “access” to water as a human right. The reason: governments would be able to continue their efforts to hollow out core government services and privatise water. After all, governments would only be required to provide citizens with “access” to water - which they would achieve through private companies offering water services to households - but governments would have no obligation to ensure citizens could afford to pay for water. It is also telling to discover that many of those abstaining countries have already or have plans underway to privatise water.

Uploaded by OireachtasRetortTV on 2014-12-10.

Dec 2014 Former Junior Minister  Fergus O’Dowd, one the people involved in setting up Irish Water, said he felt that there were “forces at work” with “agendas” to privatise the utility company.  He said he remains “deeply concerned at other agendas, they may be European… I don’t know where they are coming from…” and said we have “real reason to be concerned” about the possibility of Irish Water being privatised.
Responding to the Fine Gael TD’s comments, Environment Minister Alan Kelly told reporters this morning: “ I don’t really know what Fergus O’Dowd is talking about, to be frank. I haven’t a clue.  thejournal.ie

Pressure of the IMF in Ireland
The pressure from the International Monetary Fund and World Bank to replace public (collective) ownership of water services with corporate control in Ireland is being realised by the government’s recent decision to introduce water meters, and ultimately charges, for usage. However, the legal imprimatur to proceed with this decision was based on the decision of the previous government to abstain from recognising water as a human right.
The lasting importance of this decision to abstain on the UN vote is significant. It represents the acquiescence of a hollow government to the fanatical principles of a neoliberal capitalism that aims to commodify everything, without regard to the consequence or outcome on citizens.
The lasting importance of this decision to abstain on the UN vote is significant. It represents the acquiescence of a hollow government to the fanatical principles of a neoliberal capitalism that aims to commodify everything, without regard to the consequence or outcome on citizens.

From Politico

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International Monetary Fund  chief Christine Lagarde meeting Taoiseach Enda Kenny, Government Buildings, Dublin. May 2013 journal.ie

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Buncrana Against Irish Water Say Stand Firm Don't Pay Irish Water Bills

Stand Firm, Do Not Pay Don't Take the Bait
 

What to do with bills

Irish Water bills have been sent out to quite a few houses in the Buncrana area since the start of April.   These bills are for the periodJanuary to March.  You will be getting the bills every 3 months, 4 times per year.  

Buncrana Against Irish Water's position on water charges and Irish Water has not changed one iota.  We are strongly opposed to both. We will be handing out leaflets in the next week which will ask people to stand strong with the rest of the country and boycott Irish Water bills.   Do not pay.  You can destroy the bills, you can hold on to them or you can return to sender.  It is up to you.  If you choose return to sender you can get a sticker on our web page buncranatogether.com  or facebook page, no stamp required.

If we can get enough people not to pay then Irish Water will not be viable.  Remember we are not only fighting for ourselves but for our children, our future generation.  We understand that bills are frightening and that people can be intimidated but we can hold out at least until the next general election.

NO Panic

There is no need to panic about your bills.  We have plenty of time to decide what to do.  We have 15 months from the time you receive your bill before you get penalised.  The following is from Irish Water's own
site.
" All customers who have unpaid arrears of at least the annual capped charge and haven’t entered into a payment plan with Irish Water, will attract an automatic late payment penalty of €30 (1 adult household) or €60 (all other households) for each year that the charges remain unpaid. This will be added to bills three months following a year of non-payment." 
15 months in black and white. 

Your water can not turned off.  The Council can not take the charge through rent.  Private landlords can not take it through rent.  Charges can not be taken from your wages or social welfare.  We have nothing to worry about other than Alan Kelly reneging on all previous agreements
and changes legislation again.

Do not accept Perks

Irish Water is offering you their product cheap at the moment and the government is handing out perks, €100 per annum until 2018, to join up. Their product is the cheapest in Europe.  There is a reason for this? It is because Irish Water and the Government want to trick you into signing up with them.  They need to get the numbers quickly.  These perks and low charges may last until 2018.  After 2018, all the handouts will be gone, Irish Water will be firmly established and your bills will increase dramatically.  Your water and waste-water bill will be
equivalent to electric prices, if not more.   The Commission for Energy Regulation (CER) has already given Irish Water permission to raise it's prices each year.  

End goal Privatisation

 Irish Water will be consuming billions more of tax payer's money to get the water system to such an economic profitable  business level for what we believe is the inevitable end product.  Full privatisation.  Whoever buys Irish Water controls all the water resources in Ireland.  Do you want this?  We certainly don't think that this is right for the good of our country.

Do Not Accept a Contract

If you pay the Irish Water bill you will be accepting a  contract with the company.  This is the reason why we say not to pay and not to have any contact with them.  We do not recognise Irish Water.  Neither do we accept that we signed any contract with them. Irish Water state that the Water Services Acts 2007 and 2013 give them
the right to treat all users of public water supply as customers.  The Buncrana Against Irish Water group along with all the groups throughout Ireland do not accept this and we state  that these Acts do not
supersedes all other prior laws and our legal rights

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