Sir, – Fine Gael continues to fail to acknowledge why Irish Water remains a huge issue. It promised reform and instead, under the Coalition’s watch, it approved a completely mismanaged approach to setting up Irish Water.
Did it expect people to accept the tens of millions of euro spent on consulting fees, an employee bonus plan, a costly meter installation, and all before anyone had figured out what to charge for water?
People decided they were not going to buy into Irish Water. It is narrow-minded of those who lost seats in the general election to think that non-payment of a water charge is connected solely to people who don’t want to pay for services. It ignores the voter who thinks “we deserve better than this”. An annual flat fee without the costly gravy train would have resulted in more seats and more revenue. – Yours, etc,
CATHERINE MURPHY,
Dublin 4.
Sir, – This Fine Gael/Fianna Fáil arrangement is like a lot of products whose instructions read “Just add water to the mixture and it will dissolve”. – Yours, etc,
DAVID MURNANE,
Dunshaughlin,
Co Meath.
Sir, – Will anybody ever be held to account for stoking up opposition to perfectly reasonable policy? Is democracy fair game for every kind of opportunism and cynicism? But then, we voted the way we voted. Irresponsibility is shared equally. Maybe we should hold ourselves to account. – Yours, etc,
JOSEPH McDONNELL,
Churchtown,
Dublin 14.
Sir , – After many years of resisting the temptation to join the ranks of the political cynics, I have given in due to the ongoing circus by our elected members . – Yours, etc,
MG STOREY,
Glenupper,
Co Sligo.
Sir, – It seems to me that Fianna Fáil has water on the brain. – Yours, etc,
ANNE O’MAHONY,
Bishopstown,
Cork.
Sir, – If the TDs abolish the pay-per-user water charges that we have now, how will Irish Water pay for the supply of clean water to, and the processing of waste from, our homes?
It’s not as if we won’t be paying for our water services. Could they please estimate by how much our taxes will increase to foot this bill? – Yours, etc,
MAIRSILE HOURIHANE,
Blackrock,
Co Dublin.
Sir, – In England, water bills have increased ahead of inflation, and a parliamentary investigation concluded in January 2016 that overcharging has added to the hundreds of millions of pounds in profits that companies make from the sale of water.
The same investigation found that water bills represent a significant outlay for households with smaller salaries.
The consistent refusal of the Government here to hold a referendum on ownership and control of our water resources has provided much of the fuel against the project known as Irish Water.
Another component of opposition has been the amount of public money expended in setting up what has been accurately labelled a gold-plated, bonus-driven quango.
The third and arguably the main motive power against the undertaking are the many citizens disproportionately affected by the imposition of an additional regressive layer of charges. This last element loops back to the fear of water for sale and for profit and privatisation. If that argument has no validity then put it to a referendum and let us have a balanced and informed debate.
JOHN SULLIVAN,
Rathmines, Dublin 6.
Sir, – Patrick O’Byrne (April 27th) asks “what on earth did we do to deserve this lot?”. Dare I suggest “We elected them”? – Yours, etc,
LOUIS O’BYRNE,
Foxrock, Dublin 18.
Sir, – If Leo Varadkar is so vehemently opposed to the suspension of water charges, he should do the honourable thing and refuse to serve in a Fianna Fáil “facilitated” Fine Gael-led minority government. – Yours, etc,
PAUL DELANEY,
Dalkey,
Co Wicklow.
Sir, – The electorate has made its decision and the politicians have to live with that. If that’s populist, then so be it. I’d prefer to think it is democracy in action. Democracy must be more than two wolves and a sheep deciding on what to have for dinner, after all. – Yours, etc,
BRÍD MILLER,
Castlecoote,
Co Roscommon.
A chara, – Never-ending talk of Uisce Éireann. A new form of water torture? – Is mise,
SIOBHÁN
NÍ CHÚLACHÁIN,
Dublin 7.
Sir, – Kicking the watering can down the road? – Yours, etc,
JOHN O’CONNELL,
Letterkenny,
Co Donegal.
Sir, – The issue is not whether there will be a charge for water. It is how to charge, and which party is going to bring the news to the electorate!– Yours, etc,
PETER LYDON,
Clondalkin,
Dublin 22.
Sir, – The forgotten victim of the current debacle surrounding water charges is a government’s capacity to raise revenue.
The collection of future charges has been fatally undermined by the way hundreds of thousands of law-abiding citizens that paid their water charges have been insulted. A compliance rate of 50 per cent for the next charge imposed by a government is little more than a pipe-dream. – Yours, etc,
BRIAN KELLEHER,
Ballinteer,
Dublin 16.