Water charges should be funded through general taxation – FF September 12, 2016
Posted by WorldbyStorm in Uncategorized.trackback
Comes the news this morning that:
Fianna Fáil has proposed that the water system be paid for through general taxation and that the principle of charging for usage should be abolished for good. The party made the proposals in a statement to the commission on how water services should be funded.
But as interesting is the political calculation by FF itself in coming to this decision. Is their sense that attempting to impose water charges is now impossible, that too many people in the state are antagonistic to the current (suspended) model? And if so what are the implications of that both for FF and for matters more broadly?
The Cedar Lounge Revolution 
The main thing is that they intend taking credit for the abolition …..
A move like this takes some wind out of SF and the far left … and probably most important for FF it also shows Labour up. FF are going for the ex Labour voters and trying to get them in Dublin especially.
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I think it will impact SF far more than the far left. Sinn Fein steadfastly eschewed the boycott tactic and it is mass non-payment that pushed this to the top of the political agenda. The far left were consistent and insistent proponents of non-payment. Of course, that fact will not be acknowledged by FF or SF but matters are pretty clear. If I had a fiver for every time a SF representative sneered at mass non-payment as a tactic (‘there are people still paying fines from the bin charges in the early 2000s’) I’d have a enough for a decent holiday.
If SF’s tactic were followed, and R2W as well, payment rates would be 80-85% and water charges would be yesterday’s issue.
I listened to Martin on this morning’s ‘Morning Ireland’ and when he was outlining FF’s new position of funding water through general taxation he was pretty inarticulate and stumbled over this words. There’s not a iota of sincerity to their change but it is interesting nonetheless.
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By the logic of the Sindo, though, this means that FF is now far left party, and therefore unelectable.
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I’m sure they are proposing this in the full knowledge thst it won’t happen; ideally, the current government will get to come up with a compromise that keeps the EU onside but nobody else happy, FF will sweep to power (of a sort – still dependent on motley others) and will, regretfully, conclude that they can do nothing about the situation now.
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Extremely difficult situation (boo hoo) for Fine Gael now. Their excuse (which could be seen coming from the minute water charges were introduced) that the “EU made me do it” looks a bit lame in the face of the Apple debacle. For any Fine Gaeler (looking at you Alan Kelly) trotting out that excuse, do they really think it going to wash (pun intended) with people now?
Post Brexit, do they really think that blaming everything on the Big Bad European Union is a good tactic to employ?
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FF will continue to slime on as usual like the bloated yellow-speckled green slugs they are. Gardeners will know the ones I mean. But…
That FF felt obliged to do so is surely a success for all those who put so much effort into the anti-water charges campaign and those who refused to pay despite the threats.
And it is an encouragement for further such campaigns.
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