'Labour and Fine Gael have no democratic mandate to implement Water Charges'

MARY LOU McDONALD says the huge anti-Water Charges protest at the weekend demonstrated to the Fine Gael Labour Government that anger across the state to their unfair charges is still palpable and that people want an election sooner rather than later.

Asked whether she believed those refusing to pay water charges – or those advocating non-payment – were irresponsible, the Dublin Central TD said:

"It's utterly irresponsible where people are under huge pressure to pay their bills and get children back to school, for the Government to land another bill on their mat. People have a perfect right, and are quite correct, to take a stand against that," she said.

Commenting on the huge Right2Water rally on Sunday, at which she spoke to a crowd of more than 85,000 people, Mary Lou McDonald said:

"It has been phenomenal and unprecedented just how the level of protest has been sustained. The crowds at the weekend were extraordinary. For many it was their first protest."

She said the sensible thing for the Government to do would be to scrap water charges, noting that it would be effectively cost-neutral to do so:

"The Fine Gael and Labour Government should accept they have no democratic buy-in from people for their unfair water charge. It's time to scrap it."