Cork Workers’ Party Councillor Ted Tynan has said that reports that Irish Water is seeking an extra €300 million to offset water charges income during the 9 month suspension are a clear indication that the government has no intention of abolishing water charges or the “failed utility”.
Cllr. Ted Tynan
Cllr. Tynan said that the independent TDs who had agreed to prop up the Fine Gael minority government on the basis of the suspension of water charges had been “led up the garden path” but he warned that community based opponents of water charges would not so easily be deceived.
He said, “The latest financial shortfall at Irish Water and the comments attributed to Minister Simon Coveney that the government is committed to water charges are the clearest indicators yet that the so called Expert Water Commission is a red herring. This follows the revelation that Irish Water earlier this year signed a 10 year deal worth €6 million for parking spaces near its Dublin headquarters”.
“The best the Water Commission will come up will be a fudge which will support the status quo and suggest only cosmetic changes to Irish Water”, said Cllr. Tynan.
The Workers’ Party city councillor has called on those independent deputies who support the government on the basis of a promise to review Irish Water to “wake up and cop on to the fact that they have been duped”.
Cllr. Tynan stated in conclusion: “The majority of anti-water charges campaigners have never let up and will never let up on their campaign for the complete abolition of water charges and of Irish water. The government will see that its ruse has failed when tens of thousands of people once again take to the streets of Dublin on September 17th in the next Right 2 Water march.