The Right to Water protest will assemble at 1pm at the Merrion Road side of the Dail and part of the proceedings will last until 4pm. Those who wish to stay after that will do so and are expected to be joined by others coming out of work.
The aim of the protest is to display the anger and contempt which many feel for the concessions offered by environment Minister, Alan Kelly. These were clearly designed to get people off the streets and to win some breathing space for the government. Their real purpose was to win acceptance of the principle of paying for water. Once they were ‘bedded down’, they could be increased in the future. The protestors who arrive at the Dail will show that they have not fallen for this little scam.
The Irish Independent has once again tried to dissuade people from coming by running stories about threats from ‘anarchists and dissident republicans’ who they claim will seek to ‘hi-jack’ the protest and cause trouble.
Strangely enough, this paper has failed to focus on one of the key stories to emerge about Irish Water –namely, the manner in which Denis O'Brien’s company Sierra won a contract to install water meters.
Here is part of a transcript of a speech that Catherine Murphy TD gave to the Dail recently:
Next we have got to get answers to the questions regarding the awarding of the contract. There is a key date here and that is June 2013. In a Parliamentary Question reply on June 12th 2013, Minister Hogan confirmed that the 30th of June 2013 would be the closing date for bidders to apply to be considered for the metering contract. GMC/SIERRA (Company Registration number 530230) was one of the successful bidders. GMC/SIERRA was awarded a metering contract. But, and this is key, that same company, registration number 530230 did not come into existence, legally, until the 15th of July 2013. 15 days after the closing date for bids. How is it that an entity that did not exist when the deadline closed was awarded a contract? GMC/SIERRA – a company with Denis O’Brien as a vested party – was somehow awarded a contract before it even existed.”
“Even to tender for the contract requires, under both EU and Irish Law, a certificate of tax compliance. How could an entity that did not exist in law, get a tax clearance certificate? These questions need answering.
No answer was forthcoming to how a company that was not even registered won a €60 million contract. Yet the Irish Independent – which is owned by the same individual who owns Sierra – did not chose to investigate.
Given this extraordinary state of affairs, we should treat any of their stories about the water protests with contempt.
December 10th will be a day of peaceful mass civil disobedience. We hope that the numbers are so large that the Dail is surrounded – even if the police decide to extend a blockade around its perimeter.
Many of those inside the Dail were elected on a promise that they would oppose water charges. These include the assembled ranks of the Labour Party who made this explicit promise.
Their endorsement of water charges today and their clear attempt to force private tenants to pay up against their will by changing the law on deposits raises serious questions about the nature of our so called democracy.
In such a situation, people have every right to engage in peaceful mass civil disobedience. That is why we say: Make December 10th the day you have your say on why we must scrap water charges.
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People Before Profit