Support Water Ownership Bill

Next week, on Wednesday, 9th November,

Joan Collins TD will move a Bill to hold a referendum to insert into the Constitution an amendment which would rule out any future privatisation of water, or water services.

Forty TDs have signed the Bill including Independents4Change, Sinn Fein, AAA/PBP and a number of independent TD’s. A number of others including the Green Party, the Labour Party and the Social Democrats have said publicly that they would support a referendum on public ownership of our water, so the Bill has a real chance of passing.

Put simply, this Bill will only pass if supported by Fianna Fail. Therefore we are asking everybody concerned about the ownership of our water to use every means they can to contact their local TDs, especially Fianna Fail, by email, letter, phone call or direct lobbying and demand they support the Bill.

We expect the Government (and possibly Fianna Fail) to argue that they are waiting for the Expert Commission on Domestic Water Charges to present their report to the Oireachtas – but public ownership of water is not in the Terms of Reference for the Commission, so this is a smokescreen.

The government deliberately omitted public ownership from the terms of reference in full knowledge that the Commission might actually make a recommendation to enshrine ownership in the hands of the public. This is something they clearly don’t want.

At this very moment in time, any government, including the current one, could legislate to sell off our public water system. Furthermore, even if a government did not want to sell off our water, the EU, IMF or ECB could force the sale in the future – like they did in Greece and Portugal – so we have to protect our vital public water system now!

The devastating impacts of water privatization have been felt all around the world. In the UK, one in four people are now experiencing water poverty. In the US, Rome and parts of France, tens of thousands are having their water shut off. We can prevent much of this by putting ownership of our water in the Constitution.

There are no TD’s in the Dail, even in Fine Gael, who will come out and argue openly for privatisation. But can you take their word on this? If they don’t want water privatisation, they can prove it by simply supporting this Bill next Wednesday.

Here are the details of Fianna Fail TD’s (full list available here at http://www.right2water.ie/blog/we-only-have-one-week-protect-our-water)

Carlow/Kilkenny
Bobby Aylward
056 7764726

Carlow/Kilkenny
John McGuinness
056 7770672
087 2855834

Cavan/Monaghan
Brendan Smith
049 4362366

Cavan/Monaghan
Niamh Smyth
042 9666666
087 9982222

Clare
Timmy Dooley
065 6891115

Cork East
Kevin O Keefe
022 25320

Cork North Central
Billy Kelleher
021 4502289

Cork North West
Aindrias Moynihan
026 45828

Cork North West
Michael Moynihan
029 51299

Cork South Central
Michael McGrath
021 4376699

Cork South Central
Micheal Martin
021 4320088

Cork South West
Margaret Murphy O’Mahony
086 8529275

Donegal
Charlie McConalogue
074 9373131/074 9177282

Donegal
Pat The Cope Gallagher
074 95 21364
087 2238925

Dublin Bay North
Sean Haughey
01 6183695
087 3494888

Dublin Bay South
Jim O Callaghan
01 4758943

Dublin Fingal
Darragh O Brien
01 6183802

Dublin Midwest
John Curran
01 6183792

Dublin South West
John Lahart
01 4939608

Dublin West
Jack Chambers
086 4177335

Galway East
Anne Rabbitte
087 2424704

Galway West
Eamon O Cuiv
091 562846

Kerry
John Brassil
066 7133112
087 2362330

Kildare North
Frank O Rourke
087 2555257

Kildare North
James Lawless
086 8348869

Kildare South
Fiona O Loughlin
045 436792
087 2345160

Laois
Sean Fleming
057 8732692

Limerick City
Willie O Dea
061 454488/ 061 454522

Limerick County
Niall Collins
061 300149
087 2749659

Longford/Westmeath
Robert Troy
044 9334857

Louth
Declan Breathnach
087 2697638

Mayo
Dara Calleary
096 77613

Mayo
Lisa Chambers
094 9250577

Meath East
Thomas Byrne
01 6183310

Meath West
Shane Cassells
086 3399198

Offaly
Barry Cowen
057 9321976

Roscommon/Galway
Eugene Murphy
071 963 3000

Sligo/Leitrim
Eamon Scanlon
071 9197903/ 071 9302537

Sligo/Leitrim
Marc Mac Sharry
086 2674764

Tipperary
Jackie Cahill
087 2820663

Waterford
Mary Butler
087 7425020

Wexford
James Browne
086 8575387

Wicklow
Pat Casey
086 2649483