Saturday, 1 November 2014 will be a day for the record books of Mullingar and Westmeath.
In what was the largest street protest ever witnessed in Mullingar, over three thousand people joined almost one hundred nationwide protests and took to the streets of the town in protest at the government’s plans for introducing household water charges.
In a march which brought together a broad range of people, from shopkeepers to teachers, the crowds voiced their anger amid what was the worst day of weather so far this year.
Organised by the Right2Water group, the march commenced at 2pm at the car park of the Fairgreen Shopping Centre, continuing on through the spine of the town, arriving thirty minutes later at the Market Square where a group of speakers spoke to the masses who gathered.
INSPIRED
“You’re a credit to this town,” said Barry Carr to the crowds who gathered on the Market Square. Barry is member of the Mullingar March Against Water Charges group and one of the chief organisers of last Saturday’s protest. “I was so inspired when I went to the Dublin protest a few weeks ago, that a group of us got together as one voice, and formed our own movement.”
Mr. Carr spoke of the decision made by Mullingar March Against Water Charges not to have any political involvement with last Saturday’s protest.
“As a group, we made a conscientious decision that no political party, councillors or unions be involved in our movement. Personally I’m sick of having politicians up on top of lorries looking down on me. This is a people’s parade and we’re here as one to say ‘enough is enough’ As a family man, I can’t take any more of this.”
MEDIA BIAS
“We’re all here to turn the tide,” said speaker Mary Walsh, who gave a personal account of her experience with Irish Water.
“Irish water violated my rights. I wrote about fifty letters stating I did not wish to have a meter installed. They waited until I left work to install the meter. If they can do that, what will they do when it’s privatised?” she asked
Miss Walsh gave her view on the coverage some of the mainstream Irish media give to Irish Water.
“I’d like to thank our esteemed government, present and past, for bringing to us Irish Water. Without Irish Water, we would not see the corruption and abuse of power that has been inflicted upon us. We have started to take back our power, just like the people of Iceland, a country which we hear nothing about in the mainstream Irish media, media including our state broadcaster, RTÉ, as well as media controlled by businessman, Denis O’Brien,” she said.
BULLYING
Representing Killucan/Rathwire and Raharney, Jimmy Duffy spoke briefly on the cause he’s fighting for. “Members of our community feel bullied. I don’t have a legal qualification, but I work within the law, he said.
INSULT TO ORDINARY WORKER
Following last Satuday’s protest, spokesperson for the Spirit of Eire Group, Rathowen-based Peter Rogers, who was one of the speakers at Saturday’s Mullingar demonstration said: “These claims by Enda Kenny and Jack O’Connor are a real insult to ordinary working people, as up to now, all the talk around the creation of Irish Water was about the conservation and investment in the infrastructure of Ireland’s water supply but now it’s all about raising tax revenue.”
“People who have been opposed to Irish Water and the use of the Property Tax money to create it, have always stated that there was not going to be a dividend for ordinary people in the end. It was just about raising revenue in the short term to pay off bank debt and then the company would be sold off for a pittance to maybe help buy another election with the proceeds in a give-away budget in a year or two,” he claimed.
