A savage critique of the simple nature of Fianna Fail voters. 
Timing. It was seen in the context of austerity and not in the context of our crumbling water infrastructure.
If it had been set up 10 years ago it would have passed by fairly smoothly. But that’s the most interesting thing about the whole situation. They didn’t do it 10 years ago, at the height of the boom, because the political establishment didn’t really give a fuck about it.
Irish Water didn’t come about because the water system suddenly got worse. It was in an awful state 10 years ago as well. It came about because of the troika’s ideological slant towards the privatisation of publicly held resources. The IMF have a long record of demanding that an indebted nation’s water infrastructure is first transferred to a public utility and then privatised over time. That’s what the core rationale always was.
So while the left were opportunistic their analysis was correct. Irish Water was a product of the troika’s asset stripping philosophy and was imposed upon the country by their willing servants in Fine Gael. This is what makes it such a messy issue. It was arguably the right move but it was being made for all the wrong reasons.
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That’s a damn fine post pal.
Simple solution - a referendum to make sure it can’t be privatised.
It would be passed by a huge majority.
But Fianna Fail and Brid Smith etc don’t want a referendum. They want to return to the funding and administration model that has seen chronic under-investment in the system and will again if it is returned to.
Then in ten years’ time people will be asking why sewage is still being pumped into the public water supply and why there are still problems with cryptosporidium, boil water notices and why there is still 45-48% leakage from the system.
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You’re right in saying that a referendum guarantee would have addressed a lot of concerns, and yet despite the quagmire they found themselves in they wouldn’t offer it. FG began by flat out refusing the possibility of a referendum on the privatisation of Irish Water, then were evasive about it, and by the end were flat out lying about their position.
It’s a well-established play. First set up the utility. Then scandalise the public though the billionaire owned media outlets with stories of waste and inefficiency. And finally present ‘partnerships’ and all out privatisation as the only rational choice. FG knew that’s where it was headed and that’s why they wouldn’t guarantee a referendum. They were dancing to the IMF’s tune. Enda Kenny told the electorate they could have election promises instead.
Don’t disagree with any of that.
I’ve always felt that privatisation was the ultimate goal.
It’s just depressing that there are two sides which are both wrong and the obvious solution which is staring people in the face is barely even talked about because the aim of both sides is not to come to a sensible solution but to humiliate the other.
It’s a terrible reflection on politics in this country.
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The biggest issue with the previous investments is not that it was an “under-investment”, but rather how the investment was planned and managed.
As an example, back in the late '00s Leitrim County Council procured the construction of 10 waste water treatment plants under a Design / Build / Operate Contract (with a 20 year Operate phase) with a private contractor. The capital investment alone was worth over €10 million because the designs were done based on boom-time population projections. A few miles down the road you had Roscommon County Council with thousands of people drinking heavily chlorinated fecal matter. That’s the system that is being touted as the answer to our prayers here, according to Richard Boyd Barrett.
Yup…the same model that sees local authority staff regularly rotated from Roads, to Housing, to Environment, to Water Services. That’s what’ll sort us out! 
→ 
So water charges are gone and the people who paid them can go and fuck 
What a country
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Way to go @ChocolateMice you did it!!!
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Between this, and Hillsborough yesterday the anti establishment @ChocolateMice has absolutely smashed it. Kudos buddy.
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2 years of getting out of the scratcher to save €200
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The Labour Party who spent the past few years getting hammered on the topic of water charges must be pretty p’d off 
Fuck em
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The ordinary working man and working class communities have mugged off the spineless lickspittles who would look down on them and pass comment on their accents and clothing.
The ordinary decent people of this country have paid enough for the exploits of corrupt bankers and politicians. They have stood up to cronyism. They’ve stood up to a rotten elite.
They deserve this.
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2 months to form a government held up over 1 issue which is half the households in Ireland paying 50 cents a week to help pay to upgrade a decrepit water infrastructure. While 50 people a week go homeless and we have a third world healthcare system.
I fucking hate this country sometimes.
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I don’t like the term “ordinary people”, pal.
We’re all extraordinary people with wonderful talents and gifts.
I love you all.
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NO @ChocolateMice FF DID IT
Chocolate Mice is very ordinary
The ordinary perosn in political terms, pal… They’ve proved that they are extraordinary time after time.
No - FF have simply latched onto the water issue as a way of getting power, mate. They were for Irish Water up until the election… they were the ones that originally recommended setting it up ffs.
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