Photographer: Peter Morrison/AP Photo
Water tax protesters congregate close to government buildings in Dublin city centre, Ireland, on Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2014.
The Irish have stoically endured six years of austerity. But they’re drawing the line at having to pay for water.
Tens of thousands of people poured into the streets of
Dublin and other Irish cities on Wednesday in an angry protest against
the government’s plan to start billing for water and sewer service.
Ireland is one of only two countries in the world (Turkmenistan is the
other) that provide free water to residents, according to Global Water
Intelligence, a British research outfit.The demonstration capped an emotional campaign by labor unions, human rights advocates, and others who contend that access to water is a God-given right. “Water is so potent, even St. Patrick didn’t mess with it,” playwright and novelist Michael Harding wrote this week in the Irish Times, in a column evoking images of holy water and springs with miraculous healing powers. “And now our masters want the water.”
READ MORE:http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-12-10/irish-want-to-keep-their-water-free
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