As the water charges have been scrapped, Hannah Lemass found that the movement represents far more at the most recent Right2Water demonstration
Tag: irish water
-
Water charges: the story trickles on…
Whatever the ongoing Irish Water debacle may yet throw up, it has so far provided some memorable quotes.
Still not happy, the protest goes on. Photo: Charlie Heasman Tánaiste Joan Burton was first off the mark when, at the beginning of October, she made her infamous statement in the Dáil condemning protesters who filmed Garda handling of demonstrations on their “expensive phones, tablets and video cameras.”
Given the circumstances it probably ranks as one of the most ill-advised comments ever made by a serving Irish politician, and her opponents fell upon it gleefully. She might not have actually said that if they can afford iphones they can afford to pay for water, but this was the meaning inferred from her words and her tone. It immediately appeared to turn her into a figure of hate for the anti-water movement.
Since then she has been booed and heckled wherever she goes, with protesters sharing and mobilising through social media in order to keep track of her movements.
The culmination of all this so far was the fracas in Jobstown, Dublin.
Allegations and counter-allegations have been made as to who did what and who was to blame for it, whether it was a peaceful protest or a riot, who should apologise and on what basis to who, but what is not disputed is that Burton was trapped in her ministerial car for two hours by angry demonstrators.
This led to Enda Kenny bitterly complaining in the Dáil that the protesters had “descended on her like hounds after a fox”. One organisation responded immediately. Sensing an opportunity, The Irish Council Against Blood Sports stated that if Mr Kenny felt that strongly on the subject he should…
… Ban fox hunting.
Meanwhile as far as the demonstrators are concerned it is still open season on politicians.
At the Rochestown Park Hotel in Cork, Fine Gael citing “security fears”, pulled out of a planned regional meeting which Mr Kenny was due to attend. Perhaps in part because Enda himself attended a function in Dublin where he was confronted outside the Mansion House by a group of some 50 protesters.
When asked to comment on their concerns he replied: “Well it’s not about water, is it?”
His response might have been off the cuff but nevertheless it happens to be the most succinct and insightful comment he has made so far. It is not just about water any more; it is about the Irish people saying enough is enough, and a significant portion of them bringing the Government to account.
Unfortunately Enda’s moment of lucidity did not last long. Two days later, appearing on RTE’s Nine News to discuss changes to the water charges, he managed to iterate “The average worker, a single worker on the minimum wage of €35,000 is going to get back €400 in the income tax returns starting in January…”
Once again the mob bayed for blood; the man’s so out of touch with the people he thinks the minimum wage is twice what it actually is. No wonder himself and Joan think that people can afford to own mobile phones and pay water charges.
To be fair to Enda, it was probably simply a slip of the tongue, which is something we are all occasionally prone to. The difference is that when we suffer one it is invariably either ignored or immediately forgotten; a politician, and a Taoiseach at that, must always be on his guard or regret it. Like Joan Burton’s faux pas earlier, this one did him no favours.
Meanwhile the Government has been forced into a massive climb-down. PPS numbers are gone, a €100 Water Conservation Grant promised to every household that signs up, rates reduced and capped until 2018. Opposition TDs are accusing the Government of “buying votes for the next election”, and in a way they are correct in saying so.
But the simple fact is that the Government had no choice. To carry on regardless against the will of the people would have been political suicide at the next election. For the time being at least the situation has been defused, but there is still a long way to go.
What happens after 2018? Will charges inevitably go up? People still remember the introduction of the Bin Tax: recyclables free and “You only pay for what you throw away.” The service was to be Local Authority run and not to be privatised.
What happened to all those promises then? Can we expect the ones we are getting now to be broken in the same manner in three year’s time?
-
Wat-er you on about? Talking charges with your housemates
Photo: Conor McMahon The first water charges will gush in early next January, so its a good idea to consider how much responsibility lies with the landlord and how much trickles down to you?
If you are a student living in rented accommodation, here are a few quick talking points you should run by your housemates when it comes to thinking about next year’s bill.
Who pays – us or the landlord?
Landlords should have received application packs from Irish Water, which they should have forwarded on to you. The Water Services legislation says “It shall be presumed, unless the contrary is proved, that the owner of a premises is also the occupier of that premises”, so it is their job to pass the application on to you unless they want to foot the bill. It is your responsibility to submit the form by October 31 (or apply online using your PPS number). Your landlord is only responsible for any unoccupied properties they own. If Irish Water doesn’t know that you are renting, then the pack will be addressed to you as ‘The Occupier’.
We live in an apartment, so how will we be metered?
Metering properties with a shared water supply (like an apartment complex) is a bit tricky. For now, apartments will not be metered, so renters will be issued a set unmetered bill in January. After that, the official line is: “Irish Water is looking at metering options for further phrases of the metering programme and apartments will be a part of this analysis process.” In other words, they don’t know how to monitor your water consumption just yet.
We’re students. Don’t we get some sort of deduction?
Probably not – especially since students are the most likely to own an iPhone, much to Joan Burton’s disgust. The Budget is rumoured to include a €100 per annum payment to long term unemployed people and some sort of tax relief for homeowners. No mention of broke ass students.
If we don’t return the form, can Irish Water still charge us?
Yes. If you don’t return the form, you’ll be billed as ‘The Occupier’ and Irish Water will base your bills on a “default unmetered charge”. In other words, they will assume you are a household with two adults and you will not be able to avail of the allowance of 30,000 litres of water that you won’t be charged for (worth 48c per litre).
If I don’t pay, will my water be shut off?
No, Irish Water doesn’t have the authority to do that. But they can restrict your allowance (a last resort, they say). So if you go down that route, get used to having Electric Picnic “showers” – a quick baby wipe under the pits followed by a douse of Lynx.
Are we being charged for that leaky tap in the kitchen?
Yes, but it is your landlord’s responsibility to get it fixed. Pipework past the property boundary is the responsibility of the landlord to maintain and repair at their own expense. The government has promised €51m to pay for fixing certain leaks on private property for “free”. The details have yet to emerge.
If we move in to a place just as the first bills come in, will we have to pay charges racked up by the previous occupant?
Nope. Irish Water should have their PPS number, so they can pursue them for any outstanding charges.
And what should we do when we’re moving out?
If the apartment becomes vacant, it is up to both you and your landlord to let Irish Water know. Any outstanding charges will be charged to your new account.
Why does Irish Water need our PPS numbers?
They said they need them to validate eligibility for water allowances (the 30,000 free litres). Irish Water is likely to share your PPS number with the Department of Social Protection to validate it. You have the right to request your personal data from Irish Water.
How can we save money?
The average Joe consumes 150 litres a day – two bathtubs full. That’s 54,750 litres per person a year. So how might you cut down this figure?
- Never let the water run: Brushing your teeth with the tap on can use up to six litres of water per minute. Don’t say Barney didn’t tell you so.
- Cut your shower time: Unsurprisingly, showers are big guzzlers of water, and power showers use up way more than electric showers. See if you can manage a three-minute shower (yes, it is possible). Seven minutes is now a luxury.
- Pull the plug on baths: The average bath uses 80 litres of water compared to an average shower using 49 litres.
- Tea for two, not four: Only fill the kettle with the amount of water you want to use.
- Kill two birds with the one stone: We know that showers use a lot of water, but so too do toilets. One toilet flush equals about 10 litres of water a day. So you could try Go with the Flow’s idea: pee while having your shower (your housemates might not be impressed). Or if you’re not feeling adventurous, put a displacement device into the cistern – it can cut the volume of water per flush by three litres.
You must be logged in to post a comment.