Speaking this morning, the People Before Profit representative asserted that the level of public anger about water charges is ‘unprecedented.’ He went on to say that ‘these are the most nationwide protests that we have seen in the recent history of the State.’
Also speaking this morning, former minister Pat Rabbite TD said that the public mood is being ‘exploited’ by those who are opposed to water charges.
Mr. Rabbite said that the claims about Irish Water’s privatisation are a ‘red herring’, and added that, in some parts of the country, water is ‘unfit to drink’ and services are ‘derelict’, and that these issues would need at least €1bn per year to fix.
While he admitted that mistakes had been made during the setup of Irish Water, he argued that the company is needed to manage all these water-related issues and borrow money on the markets to sort things out, adding that the rushed nature of the company’s setup was due to pressure from the Troika.
But Mr. Boyd countered that Mr. Rabbitte was ‘completely disingenuous’ on the matter, arguing that the Troika would be just as happy with an alternative source of return on their investments in Ireland, putting forward that a wealth tax would be just as profitable, and fairer on the people of Ireland.