I have now got to the stage that, whenever a discussion about what to do with the water network in Ireland comes on radio or television I immediately either switch over or turn off.
Proper preservation and care for the vital resource of water is essential; with climate change accelerating, and large areas of the world turning into desert, before long water will become a matter of life or death for many millions of people.
We know that our water infrastructure in this country is seriously in need of repair and improvement. Massive amounts of water are being wasted through leakage. In order to have a properly functioning water service a great deal of money has to be spent. We, the people, will have to pay for this, one way or another. It has to be done, and quickly.
But our political discourse on this subject does not take any of these basic facts seriously. It appears that none of our political groupings and parties actually care at all about preserving water.
At a recent Fine Gael meeting, Michael Noonan is reported to have said that the party needs to get this “dead cat” out of the room before the next election. The clear implication of this statement is that winning the next election is more important than care for our crucial natural resource.
Fianna Fail are wavering all over the place, depending on what might be the most politically advantageous position at the time. They seem to have no principle on the matter except political expediency.
The left-wing groups, AAA, PBP and others have for some years shamelessly used this issue as a way of promoting themselves. There is no indication that any of them have any care at all for our water.
Sinn Fein are against all charges, which is the standard position adopted by all irresponsible oppositions.
The one person in the whole Dail that I think has a real concern for the good of the country in this matter, and who is not speaking out of political expediency, is Alan Kelly. (Those who know me and my background will know that I have no flag to fly for Labour.) Alan seems to actually care about what is the best thing to do. So he is the only person that I don’t turn off, when there is a debate on the matter.
This is a very sad situation. If our politicians are so obsessed with self or party promotion that they have no fixed policies or principles on anything, we as a nation are in serious trouble.
Is this new politics? If it is, then let me have the old ways, bad and all as they were.
