please see the press statement i issued asking people to support the march and where i have clearly stated in the first line that SF did not organise the march on saturday. At no point does it state that. : “Firstly I wish to commend the organisers of the campaign group that are working to stop water charges and it is great to see the great support that the group is continuing to receive. “People are already paying for water by general taxation and by other taxes such as the Road tax which was apportioned to pay for water when it was introduced by Brendan Howlin in the 1990’s. The introduction of water charges is therefore a stealth tax or what some people call a double tax. Sinn Féin believes that citizens should not be forced to pay twice for services they have already paid for through general taxation “I fear that the introduction of water meters opens the door for the pursuit of neo-liberal politics to privatise the service. The introduction of water charges is not about water conservation, it is just another way of taking money from people who are already to the pin of their collar. “The current government has continued to make choices that are not in the interests of the people. They have continued the legacy of political strokes which benefit no-one but themselves. The water charges are yet another regressive move. “Sinn Féin is the only political party that offers a realistic alternative to the water charges. Our alternative budget for 2015 details necessary adjustments that can be made without charging households for water. It was a Sinn Féin Minister in the North who stopped the introduction of water charges. “Sinn Féin is centrally involved in the Right2Water campaign which is committed to abolishing domestic water charges. It is a national campaign that includes trade unions, political parties and campaign groups. The more people that get involved in the campaign, the sooner we might see an end to these unfair charges. Sinn Féin is committed to working with others to end these charges for ordinary families throughout Ireland. “I urge everyone join a national march on Saturday, November 1st in Longford, Mullingar and Athlone to highlight the campaign. Everyone who opposes this charge should join with us on the march.
Posted on: Thu, 30 Oct 2014 16:26:25 +0000
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