Let’s be honest here. Irish Water isn’t going away nor the water charges until people truly understand why Irish Water and the water charges exist in the first place. You are asking yourself why they continue to push for charges when the people have, many times, voiced their outright opposition to both IW and the charges. So why are they committing political suicide to push through the most unpopular issue in decades?
They can’t blame the EU for forcing these charges considering Slovenia’s plan to ensure their water is a public good so why are they so adamant? Why are they wasting yet another quarter of a million euros setting up a committee to deliver a report that will eventually recommend water charges?
To find the answer, you have to go back to 2008 and the economic collapse caused by the banks and financial institutions. The Government, at the time, rushed to bail out these banks and financial institutions in order to preserve the status quo, to preserve the “Golden Circle” that ran this country for decades.
In order to get the funding to bail out these banks and by extension, the developers that were caught up in the collapse, they had to get a bailout from the Troika because our bonds had skyrocketed due to bailing out failing banks and putting the finances of the country in felonious jeopardy causing our borrowings to also skyrocket to the point that our only avenue for cash was the Troika. The Troika consisted of three entities: The European Commission (EC), the European Central Bank (ECB) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
As part of the deal to bail out the State, a Memorandum of Understanding had to be agreed to and signed by the then Finance Minister, Brian Lenihan and the Central Bank Governor, Patrick Honohan. They signed this deal in 2010. Remember that date because it is important.
Click to access euimfrevised.pdf
This Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was essentially a promise to NeoLiberalise the whole of Irish Society through the privatisation of public services right across the board by execution of the “National Recovery Plan” as outlined in the MoU. The main aim was to turn our society from people-centric society into a market-centric society.
That is the foundation by which the NeoLiberal economic agenda operates.
As part of this agreement, our public services were to be repackaged and sold off piece by piece by way of Fine Gael’s “NewERA” plan. From Gas, Electricity to water and other essential public entities, all of them had to become market based utilities so that eventually they could be carved up and sold off. Bord Gais being the most recent casualty of this NewERA plan.
Click to access 14108505_Ervia_Information_Booklet.pdf
Water was also part of this deal. This is why the Government created Irish Water and put control of that utility under the same parent company responsible for the sale of Bord Gais Energy to Centrica, Eriva (The National Treasury Management Agency) was created on the back of NewERA to repackage our assets into saleable assets and to created markets for gas, electricity and water. Markets that can then be opened up to competition as per EU market rules.
Why was this measure taken? Because under the MoU, Fianna Fail promised to set up Irish Water with a view to start charging for water and Fine Gael took it to the next level by putting in place a market creating entity to ensure that the promise to set up a fully commercial space for water would be realised. The Troika expect Irish Water to turn our water into a commercial concern, as per the Price Waterhouse Cooper’s report, that envisioned an opening of the market to competition in the future, just like what was done to our Electricity and Gas in the past.
One would be naive if one didn’t get the impression from all of this that the two main parties responsible for introducing and then implementing Irish Water were both party to the process and knew full well where this was leading!
What’s even more shocking is that Fine Gael already envisioned Irish Water in 2009, a YEAR BEFORE the Memorandum was agreed to and they even chose the NAME of the utility!
http://michaelpidgeon.com/manifestos/docs/fg/Fine%20Gael%20LE%202009.pdf
Fine Gael’s NewERA Plan 2009.
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/attachment.php?attachmentid=97488&d=1259413305
After all, how hypocritical it would be for either of them to disavow Irish Water after being responsible for its introduction in the first place?
Would YOU TRUST them to tell you the truth after all they have done so far or are you willing to accept that they can’t blame the EU for any of this and that Irish Water was an Irish invention thought up by opportunist politicians desperate to protect the “Golden Circle” #1percent and to push for commercialisation of yet another of our resources?
So the important factor you need to absorb is that Irish Water is a means to an end and not the end in itself. It was set up to create a market for water so that competition could be introduced. That is the ultimate plan. Not conservation nor modest charges or any other hair-brained suggestion. It is all about #MONEY.
They won’t let Irish Water go until you begin to understand why Irish Water exists in the first place.
You must now be prepared, as the sovereign majority that you are prepared to stand up to the #GoldenCircle, the #1percent and to back that up you will take all necessary measures to STOP #IrishWater.
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