Water, water everywhere, and not a drop for free

On a freezing cold day, near on a hundred thousand protestors opposed to the introduction of water charges in Ireland surrounded the country’s parliament bringing Dublin to a near standstill by blocking O’Connell bridge, leading to Dublin’s main thoroughfare.

The government have already lowered the water rates, which will cost €1.15 (£0.90) a week for a single household or €3 for a multiple-person household. Mary Lou McDonald, told the crowd that the revised charges were not enough to end public anger over the issue. “They thought that by giving minor concessions that the people of this country would be bought off. They were wrong.”

Ireland used to pay for its water from the central taxation. The government want to introduce meters which were paid for from pension funds. Despite already paying increased taxes for water, they're now going to have to pay an additional water charge. Meter installation will cost a billion and 4200 staff have been hired to administer the system. The new centralised water company was created with 10m shares, and is being primed for privatisation. The Irish will soon have to pay a privatised company extortionate amounts of money for water and the government will get a few billion euros to cover short term debt caused by bankers. The conclusion is the average person is screwed yet again.

The Anti-Austerity Alliance are calling for a campaign of non-payment of water charges when the first bills arrive in April.

Years of austerity budgets is enough to drive people to the streets to protest. This is about much more than water, this represents absolute discontent towards a government and an establishment that favours multinationals and millionaires much more than its ordinary citizens. Seeing old people making their way to Dublin from all over the country and marching on the coldest day of the year says it all. Capitalism and its defenders and propagators (and that includes the despicable Irish Labour Party), have gone a step too far in attacking the working class.

We are minded by Nestles CEO Peter Brabck who said "Access to water shouldn't be a public right" The demonstration was timed to coincide with the International Day of Human Rights, which marks the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948. The United Nations officially recognizes water and sanitation as a human right.