Sir, – In the years ahead the Irish Water system will deteriorate further. Less clean water for our citizens, further pollution of lakes, rivers and our sea. Fianna Fáil, once more in pursuit of the populist agenda, has damaged our country. Why are we surprised? – Yours, etc,
DAVID HARDING,
Drogheda,
Co Louth.
Sir, – Though I have often joined with those who in this paper have expressed their distaste at the inefficacy of our elected representatives and their failed attempts to coalesce in the national interest, our 60 days or so without a government needs to be put in perspective.
On the date of our general election on February 26th, Spanish politicians had already spent more than two months attempting to form a government, with a caretaker administration in office longer than our own one finds itself now. Four months without a government following elections before Christmas, the country has today resigned itself to the inevitable return to the polls.
Though our political system is revealing signs of weakness, it has become clear with the approaching agreement between the two main parties for a minority administration that, unlike the frequent single-party majorities that have formed “stable” governments in Spain, our politicians have become accustomed to the process of coalition and compromise. We are used to making political sacrifices to try to produce some degree of governmental efficacy, something that will always be useful in a fractious and diverse society. – Yours, etc,
CHRISTOPHER
McMAHON,
Castleknock,
Dublin 15.
A chara, – People must see that Micheál Martin’s stance on Irish Water and water charges is pure political expediency. Was it a good idea to abolish household rates all those years ago? Was it a good idea to throw money at everybody prior to the financial crash? Everybody knows that apart from winning votes, such measures ruined our country for years. Fianna Fáil talking like this again is scary. We have to have good water, we have to pay for it, and while we need to fix Irish Water, to scrap it would be lunacy. Every country pays for water, so what makes us so special? Beware of vote-fishing anti-Irish Water and anti-water charges politicians! – Is mise,
GEAROID TIMONEY,
Rathfarnham,
Dublin 16.
Sir, – Is it possible that the Irish electorate is now so smitten with populism that it will no longer support sensible policy? – Yours, etc,
JOSEPH McDONNELL,
Churchtown,
Dublin 14.
A chara, – The Fine Gael-Fianna Fáil talks on Irish Water may result in an external advisory board being set up to improve that utility’s transparency and accountability. I hope there will be an external advisory board for the external advisory board to improve the former’s transparency and accountability. On second thoughts, that is a stupid idea that only creates another quango. Only one external advisory board will do.
But, of course, all of that is separate to the proposed independent commission on funding and conservation matters. – Is mise,
GARETH CLIFFORD,
Stillorgan, Co Dublin.
Sir, – It is shortsighted to accuse people of being obsessed with Irish water to the detriment of the “real issues”. The truth is that I also care deeply about the homeless, education, healthcare, social housing and social justice, but I know that if we do not protect water we will lose our rights to our own supply and another revenue stream will be handed over to the private sector.
Water goes beyond mere infrastructure – it is a life source we must all own. As the Proclamation states, “we declare the right of the people of Ireland to the ownership of Ireland”. – Yours, etc,
PATRICIA O’DWYER,
Naas,
Co Kildare.
Sir, – That abundant clean and safe water should be available to all is self-evident. That the provision of such water requires infrastructure management and investment is also self-evident. That in a small country this should be done by one utility, rather than in a fragmented way that is susceptible to politically driven compromise at a local level, seems sensible. We now have this utility, albeit after a difficult birth. It is called Irish Water.
Of course, the provision of a service such as water supply is separate from the question of who pays for it. When a service relates to provision of consumable resource, it seems entirely logical that this should be paid for by individuals primarily on a usage basis, subject of course to appropriate safeguards for a threshold usage and for those with special needs or those who cannot afford it.
We have already had a supine compromise on water charges that has resulted in a regressive system in which usage is not the primary basis for charging. Now our politicians look set to deliver another purely political compromise involving some form of suspension of charges, perhaps coupled with changing or abolishing the utility it has cost so much to establish.
There can, of course, be no suspension of cost and therefore those who have already paid their bills will pay for water again through central taxation for the duration of any period of suspension. And change or abolition of the utility will carry an enormous wasted establishment cost, an incalculable loss of knowledge and initiative, and an enormous new cost to establish whatever replacement compromise entity is devised.
To my mind, such a political embrace of populist sentiment and mythology over rational analysis and leadership is worthy of Donald Trump. – Yours, etc,
DECLAN BLACK,
Donnybrook,
Dublin 4.