Sir, – I realise that in a democracy people get the politicians they deserve, but what on earth did we do to deserve this lot? – Yours, etc,
PATRICK O’BYRNE,
Phibsborough,
Dublin 7.
Sir, – After all the splashing about, we’ll probably get a water park. – Yours, etc,
BRIAN AHERN,
Clonsilla,
Dublin 15.
Sir, – I find the stance of Fianna Fáil, Sinn Féin and various Independents on this issue quite sickening and hypocritical. The dogs in the street know that if we abolish Irish Water then we’ll simply have to raise the money in some other way to pay to overhaul the antiquated system, most likely through general taxation, which means of course that some other aspect of society is going to have to suffer to satisfy Fianna Fáil’s populist whims. – Yours, etc,
COLIN MURPHY,
Terenure, Dublin 6.
Sir, – ArchimEnda’s principle states that the pressure that is exerted on a political leader submerged in water is equal to the volume of votes that can be got or displaced in order to become taoiseach. – Yours, etc,
DAVID SALMON,
Bray, Co Wicklow.
Sir, – Fianna Fáil says, “No!” Well okay. But why does it have to take so long? – Yours, etc,
JIM HOLOHAN,
Stranorlar, Co Donegal.
Sir, – The “right to waste water campaign” has been so vocal that the sizeable minority of citizens who believe water should be metered and conserved have not been represented in the media. The way in which Irish water was set up was doubtless a fiasco but the principle of charging people for wasting water is right. The mistake was to try to appease those who wish to pay for nothing. – Yours, etc,
BERNIE O’CALLAGHAN ,
Galway.
Sir, – It seems to me there are three options: do nothing; pay water charges and invest in water infrastructure; or invest in our water infrastructure by either raising taxes or diverting expenditure from other areas such as health or education.
Surely water charges at €3 a week is the least worst option. – Yours, etc,
PAUL LYNAM
Stillorgan, Co Dublin.
Sir, – I would predict that every politician and pundit calling for the abolition of Irish Water and the suspension or abolition of water charges is equally adamant that we will never return to the auction politics that led to the death of the “Celtic Tiger” – but not just yet.
The division over Irish Water is really about whether you believe in “voodoo economics” or not. This is the first real test of our troika-induced conversion to good governance and, thanks to our populist friends who are glued to the Opposition benches, it looks like we are going to fail with distinction.
A general election fought on economic realism is something that Fine Gael should not be afraid of. – Yours, etc,
PJ O’MEARA,
Cahir, Co Tipperary.
Sir, – Where are the statesmen, the men of vision, to take a broad, long-term view for the nation? Instead we have discussions between two leaders who are both good at being cute, and trying to make the other look bad. We are too small-minded to be even a small nation; we are only a big parish. – Yours, etc,
MARTIN SWORDS,
Ashford,
Co Wicklow.
A chara, – Enda Kenny must now realise that he has been taken for a ride by Fianna Fáil, whose negotiators never had any intention of budging on the suspension of water charges. Fianna Fáil, as usual, has orchestrated the negotiations beautifully. Fine Gael has been cast as the villain. It is time for a fresh election. – Is mise,
GREG SCANLON,
Shannon, Co Clare.
Sir, – The current political impasse could be resolved by installing good old-fashioned parish pumps to provide water free of charge to all. Those who march to them will not have to pay anything for the water, and those who choose to have it delivered directly to their houses can pay a distribution charge, and Irish politics will be back to its normal way of operating. – Yours, etc,
SEAMUS O’CALLAGHAN,
Carlow.
Sir, – The position of Fianna Fáil on the abolition of Irish Water and a moratorium on water charges is absurd. The suggestion that, in future, no further charges will be levied but that arrears will be pursued is, at best, disingenuous. This company, with some 4,000 employees, has failed to recover arrears of those who have refused to pay for the last year, yet we are expected to believe that after its abolition it will pursue these arrears with a renewed vigour. – Yours, etc,
BRENDAN McMAHON,
Naas, Co Kildare.