Irish Water resistance is met with force in Ayrfield, Dublin 13 at 7.30 this morning.
Bewildering.
Earlier: The Tide Turns
Previously: Bringing Communities Together
Thanks Mark Malone
Meanwhile…
(LtoR) People Before Profit Clr Dierdre Wadding, Sinn Fein’s Daithi Doolan, Unite Trade Union’s Brendan Ogle and Clr Thomas Redmond.
The announcement this morning outside Leinster House of a National Demonstration on October 11 calling for water charges to be reversed.
(Sam Boal/Photocall Ireland)
Sponsored Link
Fine Gael trolls enter stage left…
This
http://oireachtasretort.tumblr.com/post/98830312120/some-notes-on-introduction-of-water-charges
This :
http://degreeofuncertainty.wordpress.com/2014/09/27/irish-water-its-for-your-own-good-now-shut-up-and-eat-your-cereal/
Smasb their heads in.
The fake outrage from some of them in that video is brilliant.
The state has abandoned its duty of care to the ‘common good’, and thus it has made itself illegitimate. It is now a rogue state destroying the value of its own people.
Haha I see so many of these posts on Facebook. Moronic in the extreme.
What’s Moronic about the truth?
Are you planning a coup against this illegitimate Government. Who gets to decide if they are illegitimate? Are you a Democrat?
Are you telling your friends on facebook you think they’re morons?
It’s not nice to call your ‘friends’ morons.
He’s not calling his friends morons. He’s calling the freemen morons.
Did I ask you a question?
Butt out.
Lol, that your best argument?
In fairness, I don’t think she intended that as an argument per se. Rather, she was just telling you to pi$$ off.
So to translate, you want me to keep paying for stuff for you, right? Just ask nicely.
I’d like you to pay my share of
Bertie Ahern, Mary Harney and Brian Cowans etc. €140K+ pensions. Thanks.
+1
+3 overpaid former TDs
+165
Probably the only time knackers like them have been up that early.
I’ll back the Guards anytime against those scumbags.
All right Mr Bigot, calm down now.
Mods: ^__^ This is a vile comment, offensive in the extreme. I suggest you remove it.
* I, Diddley’s comment
Would you say it’s more offensive or less offensive than a comment denying the holocaust, dickhead?
More offensive than, say, a comment denying the holocaust?
Echo!
Logical fallacy Mani; you can’t insult the fictitious dead.
Yeah…
I don’t suppose your comment was ghostwritten then.
I second that.
Here’s more of it –
https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=786698761353046
Two of the boys in blue on top of a woman, twisting her arm, hurting her, and they can’t tell her what section she’s being arrested under.
It is very bewildering, but why are they out in force assisting a private company?
Ummm. Upholding the laws of our state? The same way the guards will arrest someone shoplifting from a “private” shop. It’s not legitimate to block anyone going about their lawful business whether personal or professional. End of.
Why wouldn’t they be assisting a private company? That’s they do when people break laws to the detriment of others.
To protest unfair or unjust laws is not to the detriment of others but to everyone’s benefit
Riiiiiiight. So we all pick and choose whatever laws we feel like depending on whether they are like, just or not!
Riiiiiiight so you didn’t understand what I wrote. We don’t pick and choose what laws we like and don’t like, but, to take a hyperbolic example, if tomorrow the Irish Government called for the blood of the first born of each house would you still complain that people are picking and choosing the laws they feel like if they protested?
Protesting unjust laws is not a right, it is a social responsibility.
Is this an unjust or unfair law? Isn’t making people pay for what they use better than charging everyone a flat rate?
Without any adjustment in income tax which was previously used to cover water costs. See my comment below.
I would agree with you if not for the country being broke thanks to FF’s bankers’ and builders’ bailout deal which means the income tax collected is not sufficient to cover the repair and maintenance of the water as well as the massive debt. Of course there’s every possibility that the improving economic situation will see a reduction of tax in the budget in a attempt by FG/Lab to buy the next election.
+1 munkifisht.
“Protesting unjust laws is not a right, it is a social responsibility.”
Couldn’t agree more.
Those repeating the mantra ‘it’s da law’ seem particularly brain dead to me.
And to give a more recent example, a government decide they’re going to take 10% of your savings directly out of your bank account to prop up failing banks and their gambling investors.
Protesting is absolutely a social responsibility.
@ReproBertie
But that’s exactly what anyone who doesn’t have a meter installed will be paying – a flat rate.
I live in an exorbitantly priced one bedroom apartment with my partner, how is it fair that I pay the same unmetered charge that 2 people living in a 4 bedroom house would pay – with garden, bath etc. If a meter is eventually installed I won’t see the benefit of a refund from the estimated period, but someone living in a house would.
I’d gladly have a meter installed, but I don’t have that choice.
Quote the exact laws they’re breaking please..
Section 12 of the Water Services Act 2007:Obstruction.
12.— (1) A person who obstructs or interferes with—
(a) the exercise by a water services authority or any other prescribed person of powers vested in it or him or her under, or by virtue of, this Act,
commits an offence.
This could be the first time ever something has been emphatically answered on the internet.
Excellent reply.
Again, I wasn’t talking to you.
I don’t see any obstruction.
They keep repeating that.
They’re not breaking any laws.
Public forum Anne.
No, you don’t see the protestors blocking the road to prevent the workers going about their work as obstruction. Nor do the protestors. The guards do. If any of it ends up in court then the court will decide who’s right. That’s how the legal system works.
“The guards do”
Hmm. Says it all.
Look, I’d prefer not to interact with you, as it was a waste of time on that Amish thread, if that’s ok with you. Thanks.
I can’t be any nicer about it now.
I would suggest, for your own good to leave it at that.
Yes, the guards do and that’s what we train and pay them to do.
In response to the rest of your comment, in particular the “I would suggest, for your own good to leave it at that.” part I can only urge you to grow up. Keyboard warrior threats? Really? If you can’t handle adult conversation go back to the children’s table.
Yeah.. and we pay politicians to run the country.
You are repeating moot points – what we train the Gardaí for and “a court decides who’s right”
Yeah, that’s what courts do.
They decide who’s right and they decide who’s wrong.
You’re seriously tedious to me, and I’ve asked you nicely to kindly f*** off.
This is the type of comedy Broadsheet should be encouraging.
I love uneven fights.
Anne, If you don’t want to interact with bertie, might i suggest you don’t reply to him rather than telling him to feck off just because you don’t like the fact he’s right?
* I’m referring to this ridiculous, little squabble, not the original post.
Because there are no drug deals/violent phone & bicycle thefts going on in broad daylight on in the centre of Dublin. What else would they be doing?
I’m no expert but I’m pretty sure that’s not all the guards.
Ah the oul whataboutery dice, rolled when you’re talking out your arse and can’t come up with a coherent point.
Because there are no drug deals/violent phone & bicycle thefts going on in broad daylight on in the centre of Dublin. What else would they be doing?
Because groups are threatening the workers. This is actually part of their job.
Will expect to see Gardai outside EVERY nightclub/pub and shop from now on assisting private security staff who are being threatened.
Will ya? Do you always have unrealistic expectations or is that the norm with you?
Nothing bewildering about it really. The two Gardaí were very calm, the video kicks in as she is resisting arrest, and all the struggle and the hurt she got was her own doing. The gardai handled that very well.
The video is edited to not show the start, and so the reason for the gardai having to act, rather than ask her to move is missing. I’d say that is left out on purpose.
So really, no one knows what went on prior to that…. and there’s nothing in that video that shows the gardai in a bad light, in fairness Anne.
Well done to the Gardai involved. Very restrained despite some very obvious abuse and provocation. Has anyone noticed that before the local and European elections there were a load of these protests then absolutely nothing and a huge spike
Bloody phone. … A huge spike before next weeks bye elections and I’ll bet the shinners will return to sleeping in til lunchtime.
You’ll notice the Gardai didn’t get heavily entangled with the water protests before the elections either. Of course, the Shatter-shambles and the now-forgotten Garda corruption revelations were still fresh, and barbershop was still popular.
Those poor guards. What an awful job to have to put with level of abuse (and ignorance of the law). There’s intimidation there alright, but it’s not from any one member of the gardaí shown on that film.
+1000000000000000000000
+1
More video in portrait mode. My God, people are idiots!
That’s the real crime in all of this.
It is. I’m outraged!
…look, there’s not much real crime happening here. A lot of handbags at dawn
+ 16:9
Tea came out my nose towards the end where everyone got out of the way to let the ESB van pass :-)
p.s.
Its ok with me, if those demonstrators continue to protest peacefully, if they really feel that strongly , there were a few who were very edgy at times, I didnt like that. I also understand that tempers may boil over from time to time, so I dont expect said protestors to be enthusiastically prosecuted
The Gardai as trained professionals , I expect them to hold themselves to a higher standard , and as this is a emotive issue , I expect them to use best practice with that in mind.
Daily planner for Shinner/Socialist Wurker/AntiAusterity types
1 p.m. Get up ourra da scratcher.
2 p.m. Buy bag o’ cans
3 p.m. Protest latest heart breaking eviction of returning holidaymakers (see Sunnybank hotel for details)
7p.m.- Annoy Mr Diddley on the internet
You’re everything that’s wrong with everything. Don’t let Youth Defence know about your existence, if they found out they’d disband the next day with the revelation that if abortion was legal there’s a hope, a slim chance, that you may never have even existed.
I’ll happily bet my remaing testicle that that you love protesting about the water charges even though you have an exemption from paying them.
Bet away, it’ll be the end of your failed genes
Ha ha ha!
Ye gotta laugh, there’s some truth in there.
From Richard at hiredknaves.wordpress.com always a voice of sanity
“The reality of Ireland, right now, is that the people who are actually maintaining the kind of democratic resistance that gave Ireland some semblance of democratic institutions in the first place, are being criminalised by the government.
What is more, they are ignored, when not bitterly condemned, by middle class liberals who dribble on interminably about standards in public life but take fright whenever the public actually materialises on the streets. It is ordinary people in estates across Dublin and beyond who are acting to restore some element of democracy to life in Ireland, whereas conventional wisdom would be happy to see it flushed down the toilet. For a reasonable fee, of course: these things have to be paid for, after all.”
Sounds about right.
Dunno What’s Democratic about them, they are obviously a minority which makes them decidedly undemocratic in my book
Believe it or not, protecting the rights of minorities to represent themselves through protest etc is a fundamental necessity for a functioning democracy.
Diddles is spot on. Welfare, sinn fein or similar free stuff for everyone party, anti eviction for the rich (I know) and water meter protests. All the same people.
Ordinarily you’d be right, and I was of the same opinion for a long time. But I went to the meeting in Coolock on Tuesday which as an area is working class but is fairly representative of the full specturm. The meeting was mainly students, workers who can’t cover another cut or charge, parents in the same position, professionals who are taking a moral stand. The reality is very far removed from Diddles journey through stereotypes. As comforting as that position is. There isn’t anything democratic about privatising a public resource for profit. in areas like coolock people just can’t afford another expense, every cut is felt, finances have to be rearranged these things don’t pass unnoticed. Rather than seeing these as anti-water meter they should be seen as what they are, anti-austerity protests.
I wonder how many of them are actually from the area. A few of them mentioned they ran into the same guards in the different place!
Could be 8 protesters with an agenda trying to get as much self publicity as possible.
Personally I feel there’s nothing inherently wrong with water charges. It benefits those who reduce their usage and panellises those who are wasteful. Water is not an unlimited resource and our water system is crumbling. That said I do have issue with the fact that income tax has not been adjusted to take account of this increased tax so in my view the protesters are absolutely right in their views.
Yeah income tax in Ireland is ridiculous!!
A higher tax bracket (48%) for people who earn over €32K!! HIGHER TAX??!! WTF?? Try and get a mortgage on 32K
In the UK you can earn up to £65K (Sterling) before a higher tax bracket is applied!! Thats maybe €90
You can earn almost triple in the UK before you’re shackled
That’s the real crime worth protesting over.
The Irish Government are a load of Pig F*****s!
You’re pulling figures out of your hole
https://www.gov.uk/income-tax-rates/income-tax-rates
+ motor tax and VAT – though they will be drastically affected when people’s spending power is obliterated.
I meant the equivalent in the UK is €90K, not €90 ha ha
The water service network needs to be updated in Ireland, and lots of people needlessly waste it, but the Government has a Tax surplus from last year of a couple of billion or something. Couldn’t they have fixed up the water services with that? And softened the blow on the working class at the same time?
..or maybe made the water actually drinkable in places like Waterford, Galway, and other counties where the tap water is not currently drinkable.
Last I checked we’re still running a large deficit. Care to back that claim of a surplus up with some figures?
munkifisht, the country is broke.
The point of water charges is to get the charges largely off the state books so we can use tax income to spend on things we need, like a functioning health service, public health projects, rural schools, social housing and appropriate homeless accommodation, a more equitable social welfare system, or any amount of expensive shit that we can’t afford now but we could sure have a stab at if we werent spending obnoxious amounts supplying water to people.
And when the FF/SF government sits down after the next election, there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that they will be happy to have offset a lot of the cost of water supply.
What I’m meandering towards is, tax pays for the country, not water. I currently do not pay for water, I pay taxes, the state pays the DOE the DOE pays councils and some of the money the councils get goes on water. Having water sort of off the books (I don’t believe it is, Irish Water won’t be “washing their own face” for a while ) means there is money to spend on other stuff.
It would make no sense at all to cut taxes in line because then the state would remain as financially fecked in the long term.
‘to spend on things we need’ Do you mean like bailing out bondholders? Fcuk that sh!t.
You’re a gobshite.
Obnoxious amounts supplying WATER as opposed to things we actually NEED!!!! Really?
Can you imagine trying to police that lot?
They should put their energy into finding a job.
I’m from Ayrfield, the road they are driving down. I dont recognise any of those people in this video. They have a right to peacefully protest but they are blocking a meter going into my house. I live with my wife, Id prefer not to pay the Assessed charge becuase we are out at work all day and I am pretty sure our actual usage is below the assessed. These protesters are costing me money – literally.
Obviously, as a matter of principle, you are paying for every drop of water you use while out of your home!
I bet all the people demonising these protestors are the same people who are voting FF again. Do you not realise that we were never in receipt of free water. We have being paying taxes for supply of water all the time. This Irish Water bullshit is a shakedown, pure and simple.
Can people not see alternatives beyond FF/FG/Lab?
If you’re worried that the alternatives don’t have the experience, don’t worry, they’re advised by civil servants who are experienced.
Think outside of the box. You have the power to make real change.
We all know it’s a shakedown. The government have been open about this from day one. Before the were even in power. It’s a much better way of raising taxable income rather than penalising the average worker.
The ‘government’ we have wants to have us in fear, thinking about our own welfare before the common good.
.
The well-to-do are oblivious. (And they’re mates too! Let’s leave them out of this.)
The majority are trying to keep their heads above water. (And they’re scared!) [PUN INTENDED!]
The disenfranchised don’t matter.. They never matter. They just keep paying.
This ‘Water Charge’ is just the current stroke. – If we don’t fight back, another one is on the way..
We’ve done bin-collections…that worked out great.
We have bin-bags all over the place now, a noticeable increase in flies and other vermin EVERYWHERE…
-The whole country is now a dump.
We’re doing water now…
I understand it’s totally unrelated, and it will be f’ed up completely differently.
I wonder what will happen though.
I shudder to think.
Councils may not have done the best job of it in the past.
The councillors had junkets to finance.
Water-supply was never a big issue, or very localised,, especially in rural areas
Fix the councils is the answer..
Give them the money they need from the taxes we already pay for these services.
-DON’T hire in contractors to overcharge people who simply CANNOT afford it..
The whole thing is absurd.
Let’s make it the last mistake this Lego government makes.
The gardai are showing incredible restraint. And the protestors obviously aren’t all local residents, at 7:43 one of the idiots tells the garda that he has him on video from a protest in a different area a few days ago. This parasite is obviously a ‘professional protestor’.
This is pathetic.
And let me admit…
I don’t do anything more than the rest of you.
I do nothing, same as most of you.
I’m not a member of any gang, (I mean political party.)
If you could afford the amount of alcohol I consume you’d agree with me.
And you’d DO NOTHING.
And we all can keep doing nothing…
Eventually we’ll grow to hate each other…
I have two young earlyteen kids.
The day they qualify they’re getting a cake, a card, a ticket and a passport.
-Their 18th birthday.
They’re going to Canada whether they like it or not.
This place is way too complicated.
That video is freaking hilarious.
How can they think it furthers their cause?
They look like complete muppets!
Right 2 water? Sure, everyone’s got the right to water – the water that falls from the sky into gutters and puddles. However, I don’t see how anybody has the right to drinkable water being collected in reservoirs for them, cleaned and filtered for them, and provided to them via an underground network of pipes.
Pure self-righteous ignorance.
Obesity crisis. The small elephant in the room.
They should hire a PR firm, try to drop the scanger accents, and lose a few pounds. This isn’t going to connect with the coping classes, who simply can’t wait for the water charges to come in.
You mis-spelles sangre. You must be an uneducated buffoon who’s opinion is worthless. You should hire a P.R. firm, learn to spell, and lose the bigotry.
” who’s”- might want to learn to spell yourself