The Kerryman (South Kerry Edition)
Water charge protesters will burn bills at Tralee demonstration
ANTI water charge protesters from across Kerry are planning to burn their water bills in a public show of defiance in Tralee next week.
The bill burning protest has been organised by the Kerry branches of the Right2Water movement led by the members of the Tralee branch.
At 7pm on Wednesday August 12 protesters will gather in Tralee Town Square when the bill burning ceremony will take place.
Kerry Right2Water will also be organising buses from the Kerry to Dublin for the next national protest against the charges which is set to take place in the capital on August 29.
PRO of the Tralee Right2Water group Michael O’Gorman said that two years on from its establishment Irish Water has proven to be a massive failure.
How big of a farce has Irish Water become? This time last year, Minister for the Environment Phil Hogan was threatening people that their water would be turned off if they did not pay. A year on Irish Water has failed the Eurostat test. From the start Irish Water was set up to fail. The government made it the biggest Quango in the history of the state, hand picking board members with the promise of bonuses,” said Mr O’Gorman.
Mr O’Gorman said the recent ruling by Eurostat on Irish Water proved the Government’s failings and had provided a major boost to the anti water charge protest movement across the country.
“The Eurostat test was a complete fail for the government and Irish Water, findings in the report were that the setup, operations and charging system just does not work. Eurostat said the Government has too much input, that they heavily subsidised Irish water, that the charges are far too low and that no grants should have been given. Irish Water now stays on the government books,” said Mr O’Gorman.
“It could not have being a bigger failure if they (The Government) had tried. Still the government will not back down and they will try to play it down hoping that they will get in after the next general election,” Mr O’Gorman said.
Mr O’Gorman said a huge turnout is now expected at the next national protest with a large contingent from Kerry likely to take part.
“We will be organizing buses to Dublin on August 29 for the next protest which looks like it will be the biggest protest yet. It will be a day to say ‘no’ to Irish Water and ‘no’ to the privatisation of our water,” he said.