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SINN FÉIN ARE no fans of water charges — members have been voicing their opposition to the contentious plan to levy households for water use ever since it was announced by Government.
And, after accusations from rival candidates in the Dublin South West by-election this week that the party had changed its stance on the issue for electoral gain, the party chose this morning to unveil its vision for the country’s water services.
Cathal King, Sinn Féin’s candidate in that Dáil vote, stated unequivocally on election literature that his party had given and “absolute commitment” to reverse water charges, if in power.
That led to claims from Ex-MEP Paul Murphy, running in the by-election under the Anti-Austerity Alliance banner, that the party had changed its position. Labour candidate Pamela Kearns also accused them of making “contradictory statements”.
Speaking at a press conference at a Dublin hotel this morning, Sinn Féin deputy leader Mary Lou McDonald insisted there was no uncertainty about her party’s position.
Asked whether water changes would stay or go, if her party were given a majority in the Dáil, the TD replied.
They’re going.
She added:
“We’re opposed as a matter of principle to charging people for their domestic water supply.
“We’re also fully aware of the fact that there are households up and down the State who simply do not have that money in their domestic budget to pay this charge.
“Those are the realities… So our commitment is to campaign against these charges.
If a scenario arises where we are in a position to reverse them, we will reverse them — that is our commitment.
Mary Lou McDonald, flanked by Environment spokesperson Brian Stanley (right) and by-election candidate Cathal King (left).
Outlining her party’s plan ‘The Future of our Water Services’ McDonald explained that Sinn Féín wasn’t proposing that Irish Water as an entity be scrapped. It would, instead be funded from elsewhere in the tax system.
“That has always been the case.
I mean, we’re all grown-ups — and we know water has to be paid for. There’s absolutely no dispute there that the service has to be paid for, but it has always been paid through general taxation, through exchequer funding, through the local government fund and then through non-domestic water charges.
“That’s the established funding mix,” McDonald insisted.
[There's] no argument for shifting the burden of that onto households and people who are already paying for the service in question.
Asked several times by reporters how the costs would be covered, and whether there would be a rise in taxation elsewhere as a result, McDonald and the party’s Environment spokesperson Brian Stanley declined to give detail — but said more would be provided in their pre-Budget submission, due out in the next fortnight.
“We’re not making any pie-in-the-sky argument that services can be provided for free,” McDonald said, stressing that she believed basic services like water should be paid for through the general tax system.
As Brian has said we’re working on our current budgetary submission [...] so we’ll set out our more general stall then [...] in regards to taxation.
Meanwhile Moscow Mick, Kremlin Clare and Rostov Richard are criticizing putting pressure on Russia to stop this war. Embarrassments the lot of them. Every single Ukrainian could be killed and they’d still be crying ranting like lunatics because some Russian lad can no longer buy Big Macs.
@Seán Ó Briain: they’re a disgrace to this country. J cringe when I think of them representing Ireland in Brussels. What are people thinking when they vote for their likes ? Baffles me
@Declan Moran: big disgrace. I was mortified when I found out two out of 13 were Irish…I used to think that all those trolls who are flooding social media are actually russian trolls hiding behind Irish names but I started having doubts now.. Sad….:(
@Declan Moran: any politician that stands by Russia in the west should automatically lose their seat.
It’s your either with us, or your against us.
Clare daily and mick Kremlin Wallace should be removed as MEP.
They disgrace every single one of us.
They represent Ireland at the EU level,
What must the other EU member states think of us, when we have these baboons in power?
Did the PBP numpties applaud this time?
@Bri Lyons: nope. Shower of wasters
Everyone option is important. Some might suggest our 1916 leaders should have followed a neutrality policy and wait for home rule to materialise. Same people might assume that neutrality is in our constitution. Then after reading it want a referendum to validate their point without any embarrassment.
Feb 24th 2022 was a day that changed europe. From Sweden and Finland to Germany and France. Every European state awoken to war in Europe. For the most outrageous reasons possible. A European state was invaded illegally by Russia who denied it was possible less than 24hrs earlier. As commenters on RT media joked which country President Zelenskyy had fled with suitcases of cash like other americians puppet leaders. Russian leaders joked about sanctions being unless as a war chest of 600 billion was at their disposal. British intelligence believed that the Ukraine’s had about 72 hours before a Russian victory.
Now after 42 days of war, untold suffering and evidence of civilian torture, Ukraine is still fighting. Sanction are hurting Putin and this oligarchs. People who have little regard of ordinary Russian. Imprisoning Russians who speak out and criminalizing media outlets for doing their jobs.
Yet People Before Profit members have a right to their option. All war mongers are wrong. It’s is a blinkered option that is unhelpful to Ukraine’s fighting to stop genocide within their borders.
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