New Events

National

no events posted in last week

Blog Feeds

Anti-Empire

Anti-Empire

offsite link North Korea Increases Aid to Russia, Mos... Tue Nov 19, 2024 12:29 | Marko Marjanovi?

offsite link Trump Assembles a War Cabinet Sat Nov 16, 2024 10:29 | Marko Marjanovi?

offsite link Slavgrinder Ramps Up Into Overdrive Tue Nov 12, 2024 10:29 | Marko Marjanovi?

offsite link ?Existential? Culling to Continue on Com... Mon Nov 11, 2024 10:28 | Marko Marjanovi?

offsite link US to Deploy Military Contractors to Ukr... Sun Nov 10, 2024 02:37 | Field Empty

Anti-Empire >>

The Saker
A bird's eye view of the vineyard

offsite link Alternative Copy of thesaker.is site is available Thu May 25, 2023 14:38 | Ice-Saker-V6bKu3nz
Alternative site: https://thesaker.si/saker-a... Site was created using the downloads provided Regards Herb

offsite link The Saker blog is now frozen Tue Feb 28, 2023 23:55 | The Saker
Dear friends As I have previously announced, we are now “freezing” the blog.? We are also making archives of the blog available for free download in various formats (see below).?

offsite link What do you make of the Russia and China Partnership? Tue Feb 28, 2023 16:26 | The Saker
by Mr. Allen for the Saker blog Over the last few years, we hear leaders from both Russia and China pronouncing that they have formed a relationship where there are

offsite link Moveable Feast Cafe 2023/02/27 ? Open Thread Mon Feb 27, 2023 19:00 | cafe-uploader
2023/02/27 19:00:02Welcome to the ‘Moveable Feast Cafe’. The ‘Moveable Feast’ is an open thread where readers can post wide ranging observations, articles, rants, off topic and have animate discussions of

offsite link The stage is set for Hybrid World War III Mon Feb 27, 2023 15:50 | The Saker
Pepe Escobar for the Saker blog A powerful feeling rhythms your skin and drums up your soul as you?re immersed in a long walk under persistent snow flurries, pinpointed by

The Saker >>

Lockdown Skeptics

The Daily Sceptic

offsite link White British Students Not Allowed to Apply for Security Services Internship Sat Dec 07, 2024 17:00 | Richard Eldred
If you're black, asian, mixed heritage or from an ethnic minority, MI5, MI6 and GCHQ are offering a paid summer internship ? but if you're a white British student, you're out of luck.
The post White British Students Not Allowed to Apply for Security Services Internship appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link Israeli Author ?Subjected to Antisemitic Abuse by Security? at Luton Airport Sat Dec 07, 2024 15:00 | Richard Eldred
An Israeli author is suing for antisemitism after being detained at Luton Airport for wearing an "End Jew Hatred" T-shirt and carrying a poster promoting a talk on the October 7th attacks.
The post Israeli Author ?Subjected to Antisemitic Abuse by Security? at Luton Airport appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link Why Doesn?t the Education Secretary Have a Word of Praise for Michaela, the Best School in the Count... Sat Dec 07, 2024 13:00 | Toby Young
The Michaela Community School, a free school set up by Katharine Birbalsingh, has been ranked the best school in the country for the third year in a row. Why not even a smidgen of praise from the Education Secretary?
The post Why Doesn?t the Education Secretary Have a Word of Praise for Michaela, the Best School in the Country? appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link University Free Speech Law Set to be Brought in Next Year Sat Dec 07, 2024 11:00 | Toby Young
In today's Times, the Govt has trailed the fact that it intends to part-commence the Freedom of Speech Act. Even though we haven't go everything we wanted, this is a solid win for those groups campaigning to save the Act.
The post University Free Speech Law Set to be Brought in Next Year appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link How to Stop Cows Farting ??Although You?ll Probably go Broke! Sat Dec 07, 2024 09:00 | Toby Young
Veteran Daily Mail correspondent Robert Hardman has written a brilliant piece about the absurd lengths farmers are expected to go to to stop cows farting.
The post How to Stop Cows Farting ??Although You?ll Probably go Broke! appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

Lockdown Skeptics >>

Voltaire Network
Voltaire, international edition

offsite link Voltaire, International Newsletter N?111 Fri Dec 06, 2024 12:25 | en

offsite link Attempted coup d'?tat in South Korea Fri Dec 06, 2024 12:17 | en

offsite link What is changing in the Middle East , by Thierry Meyssan Tue Dec 03, 2024 07:08 | en

offsite link Voltaire, International Newsletter N?110 Fri Nov 29, 2024 15:01 | en

offsite link Verbal ceasefire in Lebanon Fri Nov 29, 2024 14:52 | en

Voltaire Network >>

Water Commission a trick to leave the door open for water charges – Attempt to let Fianna Fail off the hook

category national | bin tax / household tax / water tax | press release author Wednesday November 30, 2016 22:58author by pbp Report this post to the editors

Any ‘Bertie-Style stroke’ by Michael Martin to replace water charges with a new tax will be opposed

Press Release - 30th Nov 2016

At a press conference this morning on the Dail Plinth, AAA-PBP TDs reacted to the findings of the Expert Commission on Water Charges.

Paul Murphy TD said “The report by the Expert Commission is a political fudge to allow Fine Gael to claim water charges are still in place and for Fianna Fail to say that water charges are gone.

“The report acts as a Trojan Horse to allow for the future re-introduction of water charges. The idea of ‘excessive usage’ and a free allowance keeps the principle of paying for water in place.
aaa_pbp_outside_dail.jpg

“It makes no financial sense to keep a charging regime in place if it is only for a tiny minority of people unless they intend to charge a broader layer of people in future through reducing the allowance and increasing charges as happened with the bin charges.

“The water metering programme should now be halted immediately. It has been a waste of half a billion which could have been invested in fixing pipes or locating leaks on a district level.

“The anti-water charges movement demanded the full abolition of charges not their amendment. If they accept this report Fianna Fail will have broken their election pledge, people should get ready for further protests.”

Bríd Smith said, “The expert commission report is merely a method to try to get water charges in the back door. It is a scam that the Irish people will not accept.

“90 TDs were elected on a mandate of scrapping water charges. Fianna Fail made a commitment in their election manifesto to scrap water charges and this commission is designed to let them off the hook.

“The Right2Water parties and unions will be meeting to discuss preparations for a big mobilisation on the streets in the New Year to remind the government and Fianna Fail that water charges are to go in their entirety.

“On the same day that we receive this report we have also found out that Ceribus paid €1,900in tax. If we have applied the 12.5% tax rate we would have collected €9 million.”

Mick Barry TD said “It is incredible for Fianna Fail to try to claim that they have abolished water charges while at the same time Michael Martin is reported to be proposing a sneaky plan to roll it into the property tax. Rather than abolishing the charge it amounts to a ‘we will get you one way or the other approach’ – a Bertie style stroke.

“Any attempt to impose a new ‘dedicated tax’ on working class people will be opposed by the movement. Fianna Fail will put themselves in the cross-hairs of the anti-water charges movement if they try to do anything like this – simply replacing one tax with another.

“Minister Simon Coveney has said that he plans to pursue non-payers – that will pit him against 73% of the population who boycotted the last bill. Rather than staging a last stand, he should instead reimburse people who paid.

“A national demonstration in the New Year is already being discussed to maximise the pressure on Fianna Fail to fully abolish the charge and to back off on any plans for a new tax.”

Richard Boyd Barrett said “There is nothing expert about this report it is just an enormous political fudge- the role of which is to save the political blushes of Fianna Fail and Fine Gael and allow for the return of water charges at some point in the future.

“People should not be fooled by this con trick or the spin and media management of this issue that we have seen for the last couple of days. The early leaking of the report was a deliberate ploy by Fianna Fail and Fine Gael to manipulate opinion and make it appear the whole issue was done and dusted.

“We have been down this road with water charges where there were promises of waivers and keeping charges low. The waivers soon disappeared and charges rocketed. We will not be fooled again.

“We will be urging people to take to the streets again early in the new year to say to Fine Gael and Fianna Fail that water charges must go.

“What we need is a major investment programme in actually fixing the water infrastructure and encouraging real conservation.”

Related Link: http://www.peoplebeforeprofit.ie/2016/11/water-commission-a-trick-to-leave-the-door-open-for-water-charges-attempt-to-let-fianna-fail-off-the-hook/
© 2001-2024 Independent Media Centre Ireland. Unless otherwise stated by the author, all content is free for non-commercial reuse, reprint, and rebroadcast, on the net and elsewhere. Opinions are those of the contributors and are not necessarily endorsed by Independent Media Centre Ireland. Disclaimer | Privacy