Show Notes

With the issue kicked down the road for the time being, you would have to be pretty naive to think that the battle over water charges and ownership is at any stage further than half-time. This week on The Suss, Glenn sits down with Dave Gibney of Mandate Trade Union and the national #Right2Water campaign to go through a chronological timeline of the attempt to introduce a water charges regime in Ireland. Why the need to railroad legislation through the Dáil? This episode offers an explainer on why the politics of water matter and why we all have a stake in keeping it in public ownership. Dave also provides a unique insight into the coming together of community groups, workers and some parties/politicians to form an effective opposition and indeed play a role in rupturing the political landscape at the 2016 General Election. When all is taken into account, government reasoning such as the conservation argument simply don’t stand up to scrutiny. Globally, the fight is on for the provision of water services with it having overtaken oil as the most profitable resource out there. The #Right2Water movement is a hugely significant part of our recent history that has been downplayed and denied legitimacy. It successfully fought off a charging regime once. It may be needed to do it again soon. Closing track – Never Miss the Water by Chaka Chan