Campaign welcomes unanimous Oireachtas Committee endorsement of referendum
Complete abolition of charges and metering remain bottom line
At a press conference held this morning (Thursday March 9th), the Right2Water campaign announced that its 9th National Demonstration will be held on Saturday April 8th. The Press Conference was addressed by Right2Water Co-Ordinator Brendan Ogle, Oireachtas Committee member Jonathan O’Brien and Maeve Curtis of Dundalk Right2Water, a non- party community activist, Wife, Mother and Grandmother
Commenting, Unite official and Right2Water Coordinator Brendan Ogle said:
“Without the sustained pressure exerted by the public through the Right2Water campaign since 2014, we would not be where we are now with charges nearly abolished and an Oireachtas Committee largely reflecting the views of hundreds of thousands of people who came onto the streets of our towns and cities to assert our human right to water, as well as the electorate in Election 2016.
“We welcome the unanimous view of the Committee that a referendum should be held to enshrine our water services in public ownership.
“The demonstration on April 8th will allow the public to demonstrate that this issue is not an issue of political opportunism but is, and always has been, about vindication of our human Right2Water by paying for our water and sanitation through the exemplary model of progressive taxation. I would like to reiterate our view that charges should be abolished in their entirety and that water metering, which is an enabler of charges, should also be abolished and the associated funds invested instead in our antiquated and leaking water infrastructure”, Mr Ogle said.
In addition Right2Water responded to arguments about ‘excessive use’ by calling on Minister Simon Coveney to enact a ‘swimming pool tax’ and have committed to supporting such a simple and direct tax to assuage ministerial and other concerns about excessive use linked to swimming pool ownership.
The demonstration on April 8th will be in Dublin City Centre with route and assembly to be announced closer to the date.