The various groups across Westmeath who have been involved in opposing the introduction of water meters and of water charges, and who consider it a double-tax, claiming that people have been paying for their water supplies, in what they paid to local authorities, told Topic this week that they have come together under a “We Won’t Pay” banner, and are disgusted at the way elected representatives can be overruled by the Council executive.
Topic also learned this week that an overflow attendance at a Dublin meeting on Saturday last, which the Westmeath representatives attended, had decided on future plans for public campaigning. We understand there will be further national protests, including a major one in Dublin on Saturday, 31 January, and leaflets will be distributed countrywide, outlining the opposition to water charges and meters. About 50 areas nationwide had representation at Saturday’s meeting, and upwards of thirty speakers from across the country voiced their views.
When Topic met representatives of anti-water charges groups from Mullingar, Rochfortbridge and Killucan areas last Friday, including Jimmy Duffy (Killucan), Chris Wakefield and Nicoe Lonican (Rochfortbridge) and Barry Carr (Mullingar), all were keen to make it known that they are very disappointed with the elected representatives in Westmeath, for an apparent unwillingness to follow up on their recent decision, at a public meeting, to vote for the abolition of Irish Water. “We wanted help from them to make a presentation to the Council about data protection issues,” Barry Carr told us.
Nicole Lonican and Chris Wakefield from Rochfortbridge told us that subsequent to the decision by Westmeath Co. Council members to vote unanimously to abolish Irish Water, their group wrote, asking for permission to make a presentation to a Council meeting. This was in order to highlight breaches of data protection, which were in train, through sending Council tenants’ data to Irish Water. Their application to the Council was for a hearing regarding the data protection issue.
“The data of tenants was being sent off, as we understood, but the upshot of our efforts was not getting permission to address the Council. What was being conveyed was that we just wanted to repeat what we had already raised, but this was not so, yet we found that the elected representatives seemed to consider they had done their bit and could do no more for us,” Christ Wakefield said. “As we saw this plan for collection of tenants’ data, it was an attack on marginalised people, but no action is being taken by those who voted against Irish Water a month ago,” Nicole Lonican said.
The group said they were seeking information as to what had been passed on by Council officials, and were eventually told that the information had not yet gone to Irish Water from the Council.
“We made it clear beforehand that we were raising a separate issue, but the Council ruled us out and refused to hear us,” Nicole Lonican said.
“WILL NOT PAY”
The representatives of the various groups who spoke with Topic on Friday last said they are united under a “We Won’t Pay” banner and will be explaining to people everywhere why the water charges, as set out, should not be paid.
“There’s going to be a massive “We Won’t Pay” campaign organised nationally,” Topic was told. “All the protests will be peaceful and without any breaches of public order, even if it seems efforts are being made to provoke protesters into reacting.”
RAINWATER CHARGES?
Topic was also told that there’s plans, to be seen in the Irish Water data, to charge people for the rainwater that comes from their roofs.
Chris Wakefield remarked that, as he saw it, tenants could be stabbed in the back once they were signed up by Irish Water.
