36 thoughts on “The Burning Question

    1. Clampers Outside!

      Precisely.

      And if you read the letter, no where in it does it pose the question of social responsibility at the protests, but it does level the question somewhat at the Irish media, twice.

  1. Talismania!

    Disperse to your homes. Your bills will be mailed in January, plus a punitive charge for briefly daring to defy authority.

    1. Neilo

      Not allowing people freedom of association/right to protest is socially disruptive and I say that as an ardent non-protester: if the introduction of USC and property tax didn’t make me string the Govt off the nearest lamp post, there was no way I was going to the mat over water charges.

  2. Happy Molloy

    in a way yes, as it the money still needs to come from somewhere, given that we’re borrowing a billion every couple of months, so it will come from Paye on workers.

    funny how the “working class ” parties seem to take better care of the non-working classes, if they did care about workers they wouldn’t tolerate the Paye workers shouldering all the expenses in the country.

    Irish water is still a crap organisation but that doesn’t make what I’ve said any less true.

    who wants to be first to Call me a shill?

        1. Clampers Outside!

          What I mean there is the question above is posed by Newstalk, and is not what the letter is looking at.
          The letter asks the question of the Irish media, not the people.

          Newstalk just twisted it.

  3. ahjayzis

    For a laugh listen back to the Sunday Show on their player.

    The bias and disdain for protests or any kind of, even reasonable, dissent is hilarious. But that’s Shane Coleman, he’s not even incisive enough to be called conservative, he’s just following someone’s lead. Dreadful ‘journalist’

    In fairness the Breakfast show seem fairly pro-protest…

    1. Medium Sized C

      The breakfast show were acting like the entire country razed the city of Dublin in protest on Saturday.

  4. Clampers Outside!

    The letter assumes all who protest won’t pay.

    Bullcrap.

    I’ve protested, I’ll pay.
    But I’m not paying those rates, I’m not paying a for-profit company either, and I’m going to make sure that the Greens get as much support as possible to have it enshrined in our constitution that IW can never be privatised.
    That’s why I’ve protested and there are a lot more like myself, not everyone is saying ‘no’ outright.

    1. Am I Still on this Island?

      You do know that it was the Green Party who signed up to water charges in the first place?
      In 2008, the Minister for the Environment, John Gormley, Green Party leader and former Lord Mayor of Dublin from 1994–1995 during the water charges conflict, said that domestic water charges will not be introduced during the lifetime of the government. He also said water shortages will be a key issue that Ireland will have to grapple with in the future. The Minister said there were other ways of tackling potential shortages which have already left some larger urban areas – particularly Dublin – struggling to meet demand during prolonged dry spells. The main focus of government policy would be to reduce the leakages from main water supply pipes.[34]

      In October 2009, however, Fianna Fáil and the Green Party agreed on a Renewed Programme for Government, which pledged to introduce domestic water charges based on a system of a free allowance per household, with charges only on usage in excess of the allowance. In October 2010, the administration’s ‘National Recovery Plan 2010-2014’ pledged that metering would form part of charges. Metering was to be introduced by 2014. As part of the EC-ECB-IMF Programme of Assistance to Ireland, agreed in November 2010, the Coalition agreed to the introduction of domestic water charges in 2012/2013.

      1. Clampers Outside!

        Well you see, I said I’ll pay, just not to the set up that is there now, nor the prices, so yes I know the Greens signed up for water charges. Why wouldn’t they, and they also want to enshrine IW in the constitution which is of the utmost importance in my book.

        But thanks for the reminders.

      2. Nigel

        Yes, the Greens support charges. I’ll bet a significant percentage of protestors support charges. Square the circle yourself.

  5. Kolmo

    Newstalk and the Irish Independent – extensions of the Fine Gael Press office, nothing more.

    Any protest or labour strike in Ireland is regarded by nearly all media commentators as extremist and baffling, every nuance betrays a contempt and misunderstanding toward anyone who decides to protest against anything, every strike is portrayed as a thuggish affront to humanity

    1. Medium Sized C

      If Newstalk are an extension of the Fine Gael press office then either the Fine Gael press office are grossly incompetent, someone in the Fine Gael press office is a Fianna Fail plant trying to maximise the anti-Fine Gael news coverage, or you are another one of those idiots who thinks that anything other than baying for blood at the mere mention of Enda constitutes an expression of unwavering support.

      1. pissedasanewt

        The Fine Gael press office is grossly incompetent.

        But I think newstalk does give out a fair bit about the government, although they are in favor of water charges. But the whole setup of Irish water has been grossly incompetent with a distinct arrogance toward public opinion and concerns. Which is unfortunately is how senior civil servants and politicians of all parties look down upon the rest of us. Just noisy rabble getting in the way..

  6. Soft like

    Can’t stand snoozetalk stopped listening altogether when they bought the plank and they brought back ger knowitall gilroy on off the ball.

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