Kevin Callan, the Mayor for Drogheda, has today resigned from the Fine Gael party over the ongoing controversy surrounding the water charges and the way his party has handled the setting up of Irish Water.
In a statement, Callan said he ‘feels he must resign’, and that the water charges are ‘a bridge too far.’ He also added that ‘the people involved in putting this together must now consider their position.’
Callan said that this included former minister Fergus O’Dowd, who indeed contributed to the initial set up of the company.
Mayor Callan handed in his resignation to the party Secretary General Tom Curran today, though he said he had been considering resigning for some time.
He will now become an independent member of Louth County Council. Over 8,000 people marched through Drogheda yesterday to show their opposition to the water charges.
‘The Irish Water project is politically toxic,’ Callan added.
Callan’s resignation comes at a time of internal turmoil within the coalition government. This very morning it was reported that support for Fine Gael is at an all-time low, and that the Labour faction will almost certainly face elimination at the next election, as its support rating has plummeted to just 7%.
The chaotic fiasco of Irish Water is rapidly snowballing into a major political crisis for the coalition, and many believe the water charges will signify the coup-de-grace for Enda Kenny’s Cabinet.