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TAOISEACH ENDA KENNY has said that nothing has been “signed off on” following the Cabinet meeting on water charges this morning.
Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin asked Kenny if a deal was not reached because the Labour party “angrily raised” the fact that a circular was released to the media before they were fully consulted.
Kenny denied this was the case.
Martin said that “the public are being treated with absolute contempt” by the Government’s lack of transparency regarding the cost of water meters and standing charges.
He slammed the “extravagant” €180 million set-up of Irish Water.
In a robust debate Kenny hit back: “I take very little notice of opportunist hypocrites of which you are the leader” before reading from a previous Fianna Fáil four-year plan which stated that the party would introduce water charges at an annual cost of €400 per household.
Kenny confirmed that the Government expected the annual bill for houses to be around €240, with a standing charge of around €50.
He said a two-week public consultation process on Irish Water would begin tomorrow, during which allowances for vulnerable groups would be looked at.
Kenny also noted that the Department of the Environment and the CSO were engaged in “intensive” negotiations to ensure the water charges are in line with Eurostat rules.
Martin replied that the public did not care about European targets, rather “what bill they will receive in the last quarter of this year”.
The Ceann Comhairle had to ask for order to be restored on a number of occasions, once stating:
“Would you stay quiet for God’s sake” and telling Kenny “I’ll have to ask you to finish because they’re not listening to you”.
Kenny said that both Fine Gael and Labour were “united” in ensuring that water charges were “fair, equitable and as affordable as possible”.
He added that Irish Water had to be set up to deal with the “completely inferior infrastructure” currently in place.
When Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams criticised the Government’s handling of the issue, Kenny said that Adams had welcomed the €980 annual household charge in Northern Ireland “with open arms”.
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Probably the most fascinating serial killer in modern times. I must refamiliarise myself with this.. one wonders did he ever leave anything that today can be tested for DNA. With such amazing advances and how they nailed the EAR aka originally night stalker they (the authorities) don’t even need the suspects own DNA to get results. Hope one day we know for sure.
@William Cecil: Had he been caught he obviously wouldn’t hold the fascination he does today especially give the low number of victims attributed to him in relation to those serial killers who came after him. I think the movie established him in the modern public’s mind. He’d been pretty much forgotten before then. The ones I find horribly fascinating are Edmund Kemper, Jeffrey Dahmer and Ted Bundy all of whom had very high I.Q.’s but most definitely had something awry personality wise and were driven by a compulsion to rape and kill. Ted Kaczynski had an even higher I.Q. but was driven by a different compulsion. These are just the ones that get the most publicity. There have been many with even more gruesome crimes to their name before and since those mentioned.
@William Tallon: Kaczynski was prone to telling porkies about his exploits
@William Tallon: lol and after all the resources put into tracking the unibomber it was his brother who figured out it was ted.
I find those with exceptionally high IQ have very low EQ and lack social skills. But very interesting how it manifests Ted Bundy had charm but no empathy, most people are balanced but when you have have high something you lose other traits
@William Cecil: I think they got at least a partial profile from saliva on the back of postage stamps used to mail his letters. But they didn’t go very far with it. It’s more than 50 years after all…
That is of course assumes it’s him who mailed the letters…
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