A day of nationwide demonstrations is to be held across the country on this Saturday, January 31st.
The people of Kerry are being urged to support the protests planned in Tralee, Listowel and in neighbouring Abbeyfeale.
The Tralee demonstration kicks off at12 noon at the Brandon Hotel car park while Listowel will hold its first Right2Water protest of the new year from McKenna’s Corner at 1pm.
Right2water Kerry is asking the people of Killarney to support fellow protesters in Abbeyfeale at 2:30 pm from the town park.
These protests are part of an agreed schedule of action being put together by anti-water charge groups from across Kerry.
“As part of the schedule, members of Right2water Kerry will have meetings with concerned citizens in towns across the county. We have had great success with a protest march in Castleisland on January 17th. Since then a community action group has been formed in the town.
We will be using this model to establish groups in Kenmare, Killorglin and beyond,” said Right2Water Kerry PRO, Kevin Murphy.
“From the start of February, concerned citizens from the various anti-water charge groups will be canvassing their areas informing the people on issues such as: their rights and the injustice of the water charges;
– the obscene waste of tax payers’ money on Irish Water; metering, consultants’ fees, massive wages and bonuses and the blatant breaches of contract, environmental and constitutional law by Irish Water Ltd and this government,” said Mr. Murphy.
“In 1977, the then Fianna Fail government increased income tax and V.A.T to fund the upkeep of our water supply. Since 1997, under the Local Government Services Act, a further €27.2 Billion has been collected in general taxation for the upkeep and investment in our water supply. We continue to pay €1.6 billion a year for our water.
For the previous three years, this government has spent €40 million per annum on replacing pipes. Under Irish Water’s investment plan this will only rise to €51 million. Readers will remember that the government and Irish Water have spent €86 million on consultants’ fees already – they continue to pay €81,000 a week on legal fees. The people of Roscommon, and 21 other areas, will be on ‘Boil Water’ notices for years to come under Irish Water,” Mr. Murphy claims. “A total of €490 million has been taken from the Local Property tax fund and a further €500 million from the Pension Reserve Fund to set up Irish Water and install meters. Meters that Bord Gáis said it did not need, meters that no one in this country wants, and that block-metering and pressure tests make obsolete. It is estimated that the cost of meter installation will be €750 million.
That is €100,000,000 for every child homeless in Dublin last Christmas.
We would ask the people of Castleisland and South Kerry to support the demonstrations in Tralee, Listowel and Abbeyfeale next Saturday. Go raibh míle maith agaibh,” Mr. Murphy concluded.
