I'm opposed to the proposed water meters/water charges. For two reasons: (1) no one is ever going to have their water cut off and (2) some people will not have to pay no matter how much they use.
Let's start with number two. You know and I know that if we have water charges some people will get free water. That's just the way with these things. There are always people who "can't afford" heat/electricity/food/garbage collection charges/household charge/whatever. Water will slot right in here. Only water will be free. There won't be concessions or whatever it's going to just be free. Those who don't have to pay for water will be able to use as much as they like while my family cuts back on washing the car, washing the dishes, washing the children, flushing the toilet, etc.
How do I know these folks will have unlimited free water? Because of (1) above—nobody will ever be cut off. Now I know Enda 'Macho Camacho' Kenny is talking tough, saying people will be cut off if they don't pay, but that's the kind of talk aimed at people like me – weak-kneed, lily-livered law-abiders.
He knows, all of Fine Gael knows, everyone in the Dáil knows, everyone in Ireland knows that there's not a chance in hell that they'll cut off anyone's water. Can't you see RTE showing some mother taking her children door-to-door asking people for glasses of water? Or the gritty scenes when TV cameras show us the unflushed toiled in someone's house?
Never gonna happen. NEVER. So, let's have no more of the sort of faux machismo that we got from the Taoiseach this morning or from Phil Hogan regularly. Just tells us straight: "The EU says we gotta charge for water even though water's about as finite here as sand is in Arabia. It's stupid, but we gotta do it. Oh, and you suckers who paid the Household Charge, you we will pursue for non-payment of water charges. The others are too much trouble."
