Anger at Dáil failure to respect voter’s wishes
Cllr. Séamie Morris of Sinn Féin has spoken of his anger at the undemocratic way that the Dáil failed to respect and act on the majority of voters concerns on Thursday 10th. The majority of TDs in the current Dáil have stated they are opposed to water taxes.
Cllr Morris said: “Sinn Féin sought to recognise and respect the will of the voters by having a debate on the scrapping of Uisce Éireann added to the agenda for the next Dáil sitting. It isn’t a surprise to anyone that Fine Gael and Labour were against this.”
“Pearse Doherty insisted on this, despite the Ceann Comhairle seeking to follow the line laid down by An Taoiseach Sealadach, Enda Kenny. A division was forced, meaning that a full vote had to be taken of the elected TDs.”
“Fianna Fáil immediately thereafter showed their true colours and voted with their Fine Gael and Labour friends. Some are impressed that Fianna Fáil took as long as they did to break their election promises, which view of their honesty I can well understand.”
“Yet this wasn’t a vote to abolish Uisce Éireann, merely an attempt to have a debate on that question. Even so, Fianna Fáil sided with their establishment colleagues rather than act on their promises, or to permit discussion of them. Tipperary TDs Jackie Cahill – who said he was against the water charges – and Alan Kelly did likewise, which isn’t unusual.”
“But we’re disappointed that Tipperary’s Mattie McGrath – a former member of Fianna Fáil – took the side of this temporary Government. It cannot have slipped Mr McGrath’s attention that anti-water taxes protests were as fiercely determined in the south of our county as they were anywhere else in the land.”
“So much for him being a TD for all of the people of Tipperary.”
