@Roy Dowling:
But the local councils would have just got on with the job and fixed the leaks instead of getting up on a soapbox about the issue.

@David Sinclair: Yea because the councils did a great job in the decades they were in charge. they were just as useless as Irish water.

@David Sinclair: Putting public money into private pockets is their sole purpose. they could easily have a referendum on keeping IW in public ownership in may. that is why we can never trust FG/FF.

@MK76: Amazing that they could find millions and millions for the installation of metres and all that money rotting in the ground now. I know loads of households that remove theirs and dumped them. IW is nothing but an overstaffed overpaid quango that the government tries to justify their existence by insisting they be given airtime on RTE and such to brainwash gullible that these boyo’s are doing a great job. All the while they just ring up the CO. Co. and tell them to get on with fixing leaks. A total sham just to sell our water to some billionaire just like our oil and gas.

@David Sinclair: public run bodies would have managed this better, local run bodies by local people because there is only private Irish water now, we are at the whim of the gentlemen of leisure sitting on their asses waiting for their ROI. Its our tax billions fine geal propped up by fianna fail, soak into golden parachutes for retiring Irish waters CEOs and to inflate the irish water bubble. Im raging that they sell off our public water rather than investing it in our water infrastructure which is worth 10s of billions they cant give it to the private market quick enough. The only reason its breaking is the money that should be invested in the pipes is going to sending out bills and leos pr stunts

@David Sinclair: Get on to Paul Murphy. He will sort out the water supply in jig time.

@Matthew O’Kane:

So we are paying retiring IW CEO’s billions in a pension. Funny how I missed that in the media. If 2Bn was invested in IW then where is the funding coming from from the pension payments?

@Nick Allen: Yea you obviously did miss that, Hubert Kearns is one example!

@wacker macker: You should report those people to the gardai, as destruction of public property is a crime.

@MK76: you do realise of course that FG under the stewardship of Enda Kenny withheld required funding for councils for years. That was to ensure a failure of service delivery & inadequate funding for necessary maintenance/ improvements concerning water infrastructure. Talk of tin hats is well wide of the mark from someone as blinkered and wilfully ignorant as you and your idiotic pro FG pals on the subject.

@Setrakian: Please provide proof of this or are you now saying that the recession was one big play, so we could ram WC down people’s throats.

Not enough tin foil in the world for you I’m afraid.

@MK76: Not a chance.

@MK76: one big play ? Did I state that in my previous post ? You’re unquestionably an idiot of the highest order. What I stated is a fact & well known at that. I get the distinct impression given your commitment to multiple comments on the journal all day – every day – you contribute nothing to society of any value. You don’t work – you seem incapable of reason & are undoubtedly a trolling twerp,who when not talking $hite here is a sad, lonely, pathetic weak creature, with no friends or redeeming features. A one boy army of cliched rebuke wrapped up in a puny frame & topped off with a repulsive visage!! Typical FG trolling fanboy. Lol !

@Setrakian Brilliant diagnosis Setrakian of the Wexford FG troll. Note the only words in the english language he knows are tin foil hat, amateur dramatics, LLA etc. He has been very upset since the Mayo moron was ousted as taoiseach. Very sad really.

@Stephen Grehan: cheers Stephen. It’s a pleasure really. To be honest I don’t blame him for his perpetual ranting nonsensical bile. The problem with him is that HQ are not giving him his meds at the allotted times throughout his long days trolling on the journal & he’s become extremely unhinged. I’m sure he misses Enda deeply but his itchy piles probably keep the memory of the gombeen man front & centre most of the time!! Imagine how sad his life is ! Lol!

@The Risen:

Would that be the 13Bn judgement against Apple and not the over exaggerated 19Bn judgement?

@Nick Allen: http://www.irishtimes.com/business/technology/apple-s-irish-tax-bill-may-hit-19bn-including-interest-experts-say-1.2772984

“Apple may ultimately be hit by a €19 billion bill in Ireland on foot of a landmark EU ruling that the US technology giant received selective tax treatment in the Republic, according to Grant Thornton.”

@The Risen:

Maybe read the article you just posted. It clearly states that the judgement is 13Bn and not 19Bn. It further argues that accrued interest ‘MAY’ push this higher but regardless of the level of interest the judgement is still 13Bn as of the date of the judgement, I also argues that is MAY not. Even if interest is added it doesn’t change the amount Apple would pay as of the date of the judgement as they will have earned the interest on the funds themselves.

I appreciate it is difficult to stick to the facts when you continually try to editorialize them to suit your agenda but if you tried to demonstrate a little critical thinking your argument may gain a little credibility

@The Risen: which apple are also appealing so don’t expect any of that money anytime soon

@The Risen: Plus:1)”Cost to state of fighting Apple Judgement rises above €4.6M”IT 18/1/18
2)Ireland referred to ECJ for failure in setting up escrow account re Apple’s monies in October,how much will that cost& what fines.
3) 2 days ago announcement of who will manage escrow account re (2)& ready in Q2’18,15 mts after deadline.
4)Media reported previously that escrow services fees could cost €15m a year and European process may LA’s up to 4 years.
So considerable sums of money that could be used to benefit Irish citizens and services instead!

@Nick Allen: Don’t expect a response any time soon. Jammin’s level of thought and analysis rarely stands up to any form of scrutiny or fact.

@MK76:

The new article from the journal on this very subject was perfectly timed. I notice that TheRisen hasn’t commented on that

@Nuala Mc Namara:

If Ireland wins then judgement then the monies we are awarded must be paid off the national debt.

@Nick Allen: According to Margarethe Vestager “Ireland NOT obligated to use Apple tax cash for National debt”:” no legal obligation”!

@Nuala Mc Namara:

Interesting, the Irish times say the opposite. It will be interesting to see how it unfolds and it would be nice Ireland gets a financial benefit from it

@Nick Allen: No doubt Ireland may be advised to pay it off debt if successful but Ireland not LEGALLY obligated so we need a Government with backbone to actually put the plight of those affected by homelessness housing health emergencies etc first!

@Nuala Mc Namara: And how much of the €13BN do you think will come Ireland’s way Nuala.

Also, I’d love to hear your thoughts on the impact this will have on FDI and how it would impact Ireland’s attempts to defend our low CTR, which is one of the few competitive advantages we have.

@MK76: Well just read today that if Apple lose their case they’ll have to give US $5.76B as a US tax credit.
Read Nobel prize winning economist Stigtz comments in 2016&2017 re Ireland/Apple ruling!

@The Risen:

Have you anything to support that 2Bn would have fixed ‘major’ leaks’ and ‘infrastructure’ or are you just making that up ?

@The Risen: What about the Sinnfeinologists embarrassing flip-flop on the matter?

“We’ll pay….oh hang, the populist winds are blowing a different direction…we won’t pay”

@Nick Allen: Well, considering wastewater treatment plants can be built for something like €20-30m I’m going to take a wild guess that 2 billion would be an excellent start.

@The Risen:

2Bn would be about a 9% dent in the cost of fixing the water network but as you are well aware that does not include any costs for ongoing maintenance and repair

@Nick Allen: Just wondering if you can post to the source for your figure please.

@The Risen: I’d love to see his link to that claim also. That extremely vague claim. He pulls people up constantly when they express unsupported opinions.

@MK76: What about the flip flopping of FF?
SF didn’t flip flop after GE’16& that’s the important point that their voters will be pleased with!

@The Risen: Who told them they didn’t need meters? The We Won’t Pay Brigade?

@Fred Joyson: The welfare class has no representation in the dail. this country is run by neo libreal conservatives for their own greed. who are not prepared to pay for IW through taxation.

@Fred Joyson: It’s so easy and lazy to say that something isn’t good enough so we should pay for it separately.
For example, the state of pavements is terrible in Ireland. Should we start “Irish Pavements” to resolve the issue? (Actually I may have just given your lot another idea there to screw even more taxes out of us)

@paddlingAlong: BS. The Won’t Pay Brigade will come up with some other bogus excuse.

Ya’ll are happy to keep getting the other guy to pay. Protecting against privatization is a big old red herring.

@MK76: Yes, we should all just do as we are told by FFFG and stop being such a hindrance to their never ending quest to tax the living daylights out of us to pay back banking debt that was never ours in the first place.

@Shakka1244: So no one in Ireland borrowed money they couldn’t afford to pay back, to purchase assets that were built on proverbial quick-sand?

Interesting.

@MK76: you are something else, Fg have me paying for everything due to its mismanagement. 3k+ on health insurance alone p.a.!

500,000 homes in Ireland do not Yet have broadband due to the eircom privatisation. Note its 2018!!

We own our water. FG ideological and corrupt attempt to hand our water supply to their cronies will be resisted by all. Shame on FG.

Me and mine will ever again even give FG a preference due to this attempted betrayal of the Irish people.

@MK76:
1)IW themselves said this would have happened even if IW charges paid!
2) Maynooth Uni research into water protests showed that majority of water protesters worked.
3)How are private company IW going to pay for the €11B of water infrastructure assets transferred to IW from LAs as Eurostat said “for free”& queried same?!

@MK76: MK, since you are only 42 you will not remember paying rates.
My parents and relatives struggled to pay rates which paid for the ‘ash man’ (Bin Collection) and for the provision of water.
When the FFFG Political Grouping removed the rates for political point scoring those rates were paid through general taxation.
Now I know you will not remember this but that was a relief for people at that time.
Now we pay for Bin Collection and Water but we pay for Bin Collection on the double.
A line has been drawn now to protect our water supply from privatisation and if this line is crossed then the FFFG will not see government again.

What happened to honesty in Government and the ‘social contract’ ?

So now for the same FFFG to say that ‘we do not pay’ is really rejecting the truth of the situation.

@MK76: 1)Eurostat said ” privatisation is envisaged”& they also queried how IW private company got €11B of water infrastructure “FOR FREE” which they now call their assets!
2)Amazingly despite getting €11B of water infrastructure assets and IW continued to be given considerable public funds re water services and infrastructure…..IW not put under jurisdiction of PAC or C &AG.
3)Both Dail Committees specially set up to give recommendations to Dail re water issues …recommended a Referendum &majority of Dail agreed so where is that Referendum?Why didn’t FF press Government on this Referendum?
4Why was JoanCollins Ref Bill stalled re same even though it had gone to 2nd stage…was it to get the RBAP published before it?

@Nuala Mc Namara: Thanks Nuala. Your point on the protesters working is a crucial one and supports my view that this was a victory for the brainless.

Given the ADDITIONAL funding will now come from taxpayers, folks are in effect paying WC through increased or reductions forgone, in taxation.

The big difference here however, is we will end up paying more and over a shorter period of time, because we have no revenue to leverage.

@Nuala Mc Namara: RBMP!

@Nuala Mc Namara: Because it was a BS red herring and the Won’t Pay Brigade would have come up with some other tripe in order to avoid paying.

@MK76: 1)Strange 1st paragraph!
2)Stephen Donnelly did a breakdown of the €271m a year IW revenue through IW domestic charges would have only covered costs involved in collecting same,etc,look it up!
Actually contrary to spin re most people paid the figure of water refunds came to €173m(+€5m fees) whereas if all people paid figure for IW charges would have come to €338.75m!
IW CONTINUED to be paid through taxation measures& Government have ring fenced adequate funding re IW plans!

@MK76: So the opinions of the Expert Water Committee, Committee on FutureFunding of Water,and majority democratic consensus in the Dail,concerns of 2/3rds voters re Referendum is “BS red herring” &”tripe”….that’s not just undemocratic but disgraceful disrespect for those democratic processes and people with concerns!

@Nick Allen: Your argument shot to pieces by the fact that Maynooth Uni research into water protests showed that majority working!

@Nuala Mc Namara: Do you understand the concept of financial leverage, borrowing and long term capital investment Nuala?

If not, then your comment above is only telling a small part of the story, while ignoring crucial elements.

@Nuala Mc Namara: Em, expert committee of turkeys who were hardly going to vote for Christmas.

And may I remind you that a MAJORITY of people were paying their WC.

@MK76: you are incredible.
Yes infrastructure improvements have to come from taxes, but at least the Irish people don’t have to pay for ‘investors profit’ and the costs of our water supply being flipped repeatedly as assets .

@MK76: I)IW received finance from taxation measures re water services plus IW expected revenue for 5 IW bills should have been €338.75m but refunds only came to €173m!
2)Silly comment re expert committee etc!

@MK76: According to Government IW has SIGNIFICANT funding until 2027!
Do you understand what a DAC is & debatures using assets as security:note €11B of water infrastructure assets transferred to IW from Councils for FREE according to Eurostat!