***ALL THINGS IRISH WATER/WATER CHARGE RELATED POST HERE***

Creative Juices

Glad I attended protest but my reasons differ to most and annoyed that SF seemed to be hijacking agenda. One speakers called for the end of FG, Lab and FF govt. News to me that FF in govt.

suicide_circus

I support metered billing for water but have a big problem with pretty much every aspect of Irish Water. Would have attended a protest but as far as I can see they are purely "anti water charges" which I am not and I don't want my presence to be used in that manner

John.Icy

Streetwalker wrote: »

Big numbers in town today. Easily over the 100k mark already and others on the way.

Christ....does every in this country have the counting ability of Fr. Dougal from Father Ted, remember the quote, something along the lines of ''sure there must be 2 million of them out there''.....will we ever get an accurate enough number regards protest.

That webcam of O'Connel bridge currently doesn't even look like they're near the last protest yet. Place just looks like a busy shopping day on Henry/Grafton street right now. But I'm hoping to be proved wrong as the hours pass.

dubrov

Organisers are estimating 1.8 billion turned out on O'Connell street alone.

MadYaker

Kind of ironic that its raining during the water protests?

BoJack Horseman

dubrov wrote: »

Organisers are estimating 1.8 billion turned out on O'Connell street alone.

So, nearly as many who fought there in the GPO 98 years ago.

GoldFour4

Buses are running down O'Connell street as far as i can tell from the CCTV. No way there's 100k there.

Highflyer13

Maybe not 100k there on O'Connell Street, it does look more scarce than the Oct 11th protests, but you only have to look through tweets at the protests across the country to realise how big this national day of protest is.

Phoebas

Looks like a decent turnout in Cork, upwards of 10,000.
The expected big numbers in Dublin haven't materialised.

Phoebas

malistheman wrote: »

Buses are running down O'Connell street as far as i can tell from the CCTV. No way there's 100k there.

Gardai have just tweeted that they've now closed it to traffic.

GoldFour4

Highflyer13 wrote: »

Maybe not 100k there on O'Connell Street, it does look more scarce than the Oct 11th protests, but you only have to look through tweets at the protests across the country to realise how big this national day of protest is.

Some of them look well populated but i think a lot of them have been a disaster. There's something like 90 odd protests taking place but I've only seen photos on twitter from half of them (being generous saying half, not sure of how many).

I think a lot of the protests in towns throughout the country are being organised by people trying to give themselves a boost ahead of GE16. I know of a couple of protests taking place in towns that are a 10min drive away from each other. If the organisers co-ordinated and focused on a specific town they'd assemble a far larger crowd, but no, they want to be seen organising their own protest and pushing their own agenda.

Fred Swanson

This post has been deleted.

UCDVet

Phoebas wrote: »

Apart from the tax decreases just announced in the budget...

That implies that the tax decrease is the direct result of Irish Water. I haven't seen anything to suggest that. For starters, IW began charging for water before the reduction in taxes would come into effect.

Correct me if I'm wrong - but I thought water services was currently paid for from income tax. If that's true, it'd be awfully hard to convince me that a reduction in the USC is the result of Irish Water.

The income tax reduction - from 41% to 40% and the band adjustment - even if was attribute 100% of that to Irish Water (and again, I don't see any reason to do that) - it's not going to cover the cost of water except for the highest of earners.

tayto lover

Huge crowd at the Dundalk march today. Plenty of water too.

How Soon Is Now

Phoebas wrote: »

Looks like a decent turnout in Cork, upwards of 10,000.
The expected big numbers in Dublin haven't materialised.

Liverpool where playing at the same time......

Rightwing

The Government hace scored a spectacular og with this water fiasco

Curly Judge

MadYaker wrote: »

Kind of ironic that its raining during the water protests?

Headline in tomorrow's Sunday World?:
Pitiful Protesters Pissed on by Precipitation.

Phoebas

UCDVet wrote: »

That implies that the tax decrease is the direct result of Irish Water. I haven't seen anything to suggest that. For starters, IW began charging for water before the reduction in taxes would come into effect.

Correct me if I'm wrong - but I thought water services was currently paid for from income tax. If that's true, it'd be awfully hard to convince me that a reduction in the USC is the result of Irish Water.

The income tax reduction - from 41% to 40% and the band adjustment - even if was attribute 100% of that to Irish Water (and again, I don't see any reason to do that) - it's not going to cover the cost of water except for the highest of earners.

IW haven't sent any bills out for water yet. They begin in January, just when the tax decreases come into effect.

I think its absolutely clear to all that if the money to be raised next year through water bills had to come instead from the central exchequer, we wouldn't have been able to afford the same tax decreases we got.

gladrags

Phoebas wrote: »

Looks like a decent turnout in Cork, upwards of 10,000.
The expected big numbers in Dublin haven't materialised.

Says he begrudgingly and bitterly,scrooge like.

Great to see people from so many walks of life,particularly the old and the disabled,who came to make their point,
in the heavy rain.

VinLieger

gladrags wrote: »

Says he begrudgingly and bitterly,scrooge like.

Great to see people from so many walks of life,particularly the old and the disabled,who came to make their point, in
the heavy rain.

Which then get's completely hijacked by the socialist's and SF by all accounts

hju6

How Soon Is Now wrote: »

Liverpool where playing at the same time......

I'm a lifelong Newcastle fan as is my wife, but we went to our local protest in the rain and missed the second half

More than worth it to stand in solidarity with thousands of fellow like minded citizens against this unjust charge

BoJack Horseman

UCDVet wrote: »

Correct me if I'm wrong - but I thought water services was currently paid for from income tax.

No, specifically 30 years ago it was 5% of motor tax & 2% on VAT.

it'd be awfully hard to convince me that a reduction in the USC is the result of Irish Water.

I don't think they are related either, but looking at it overall, its beneficial

it's not going to cover the cost of water except for the highest of earners.

The net annual IW cost for a couple & their kids is €178
Every worker benefited by more than that in the last budget.

gladrags

VinLieger wrote: »

Which then get's completely hijacked by the socialist's and SF by all accounts

Thats a lie,and an ignorant smear on the vast majority of people who were there.

donvito99

Doing other protesters a level of disservice.

How Soon Is Now

hju6 wrote: »

I'm a lifelong Newcastle fan as is my wife, but we went to our local protest in the rain and missed the second half

More than worth it to stand in solidarity with thousands of fellow like minded citizens against this unjust charge

I'd say there where loads of mouths who looked out there window this morning and taught ehh I'll continue my protests on Facebook!

The reason I mentioned Liverpool is because I have one these water meter protest pages on Facebook and lot people on it seem be Liverpool fans. There one the biggest supported clubs in working class areas around Dublin where a lot the mouths will be living.

But ya I'd imagine most the people who went went cause they actually believe in what there standing up for not just cause it's "In fashion" to hate the government.

hju6

VinLieger wrote: »

Which then get's completely hijacked by the socialist's and SF by all accounts

Not at the one I was at, so wrong again

Fred Swanson

This post has been deleted.

cajonlardo

Lovely walk with the family on a soft day here in Bray.

Many, many more than I expected at our meeting point and then we realised there were another two marches from other meeting points meeting us in the town. Good mix of people from differing socio-economic backgrounds. Great atmosphere. Honestly couldn't put a number on it because there were hundreds already around the town office buildings before we got into the car park.

I'd have gone along for the atmosphere alone!

VinLieger

gladrags wrote: »

Thats a lie,and an ignorant smear on the vast majority of people who were there.

Hardly a smear against the people there, I was simply saying from what I have heard SF and other socialists have placed banners at the forefront of several protests in a cheap attempt to make themselves look like they are at the head of the protests.

Also unless you can prove no SF or socialists were involved it's not a lie either, calm down a bit yeah?

BoJack Horseman

Fred Swanson wrote: »

So you are denying that SF were not part of the protests?

Sinn "We will fund services by IW privatisation" Fein?

Where there is a bandwagon, SF will be there.