Welcome to 2014, not much has changed I’m afraid, the scandals continue.

On January 1st our water services were handed over to Irish Water, we are to be charged for it from October next.  John Tierney, CEO has said that anyone who doesn’t pay will have their supply “disrupted“, whatever that means.

We hear that of the €100 million cost to setup Irish Water (paid for by Property Tax) a massive €50 million was spent on “consultants“.  But, Irish Water are exempted from the Freedom of Information Act so we can’t find out what the money was spent on.  NAMA is also exempt and doesn’t have to answer for itself either, it is now the biggest property company in the world!

Since this news broke the figures involved have increased, the setup costs have reached €180 million!  Now also it is revealed that 29 member of staff at Irish water are being paid over €100,000 in salaries.  Government Ministers have tried to justify these outrageous salaries,  and also the system of guaranteed bonus pay for Irish Water staff – while they impose the water charges on hard-pressed families.

Families are threatened with prosecution and water cut-off, and no one needs to account for it.

Is this the democracy that we are entitled to? should we accept this from Government?

Year after year, successive Governments have imposed policy on us, it matters little which Political Party is involved.  A drama is acted out in Dáil Éireann and in Local Government, like a Punch and Judy show.  We are supposed to think there is a tough battle taking place on our behalf, however, the drama is an illusion.

We are not being represented, we are never consulted – the Parties look after themselves.

We will continue to have scandals so long as private clubs, in the name of Parties, rule over us.

Politics in Ireland needs to change, we must stop handing over our mandate to any Party.  The people must be represented, not any Party… let’s work together to achieve that.

by Diarmaid Ó Cadhla, @GraTire, mobile 086-3805005