James Quigley & Enda Craig writing in Buncrana Together put forward:
New Evidence bombshell - Sinn Féin spearheaded water charges in Europe while campaigning for abolition at home
New evidence was posted on the Facebook page by Michael Mooney, Letterkenny, last week. The evidence shows Lynn Boylan, Sinn Féin MEP, proposing a progressive water charge in the European Parliament in Strasbourg on the 8th September 2015.
This new evidence contradicts denials by Ms Boylan which appeared on RTE News on 9th Sept 2015: ‘Boylan denies Sinn Féin backed water charges in European Parliament’. At the time anti water activists took the explanation at face value because the accusation came from a Fine Gael MEP. However, what this irrefutable evidence now shows is that while Sinn Féin was campaigning for the abolition of water charges and metering in Ireland they were the driving force for them in Europe.
The video shows Ms Boylan’s attempting to amend paragraph 92 of the European Citizen's Initiative Right2Water A8-0228/2015. Ms Boylan was the main rapporteur of the original report and as such was responsible for preparing and presenting it to parliament. Her amendment was not successful. However, her original report including paragraph 92 was accepted.
This new evidence contradicts denials by Ms Boylan which appeared on RTE News on 9th Sept 2015: ‘Boylan denies Sinn Féin backed water charges in European Parliament’. At the time anti water activists took the explanation at face value because the accusation came from a Fine Gael MEP. However, what this irrefutable evidence now shows is that while Sinn Féin was campaigning for the abolition of water charges and metering in Ireland they were the driving force for them in Europe.
The video shows Ms Boylan’s attempting to amend paragraph 92 of the European Citizen's Initiative Right2Water A8-0228/2015. Ms Boylan was the main rapporteur of the original report and as such was responsible for preparing and presenting it to parliament. Her amendment was not successful. However, her original report including paragraph 92 was accepted.
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| Sinn Féin MEPs at the European Citizens' Initiative Right2Water vote in Strasbourg 8th Sept, 2015 |
Ms Boylan’s proposed amendment was:
Mr President, I just have said to the Tabling Committee that we want to put forward an oral amendment for paragraph 92 and the amendment is; calls on the Member States to introduce, in accordance with World Health Organisation guidelines, a pricing policy by the application of a progressive charge that safeguards people’s right to access a minimum quantity of water for living and reduces waste.
Paragraph 92 of original report that was passed states:
Calls on the Member States to introduce, in accordance with World Health Organisation guidelines, a pricing policy that respects people’s right to a minimum quantity of water for living and cracks down on waste, providing for the application of a progressive charge that is proportional to the amount of water used.
The Smoking Gun
Michael Mooney, provided a link to the full European Parliament vote and included the following statement.
WE presented it in black & white, now we present it in colour. This makes for a horrendous 35 seconds of viewing. Now we have the chief suspect NAILED for planting the bomb on our exemption from water charges. But she has many accomplices that didn't expect our investigations to uncover their cunning plan of deceit and betrayal on their own people. Firstly she denied knowledge of this paragraph. Secondly she was caught lying about having no knowledge as she tried to have it amended. Thirdly she and her accomplices still voted for it!
Sources: Michael Mooney facebook
Lynn Boylan amendment and links to European Citizens' Initiative
Buncrana Together
Based on this evidence we would say that if the Oireachtas Committee on Funding Domestic Water was a court of law we would be entitled to call a mistrial and sack the anti-water charges representatives who comprised 25% of it's members. With representatives like this it's no wonder we got the result we did. Now it looks like the Oireachtas Committee was hobbled before it even got started, possibly preordained and prearranged by political parties.
What sticks out a mile was the omission of Article 9.4 of the Water Framework Directive known as 'the Irish Exemption' in the final report of Oireachtas Committee. This was what Mr Mooney referred to as 'planting a bomb on our exemption'. Sinn Féin's support for water charges in Europe and the 9.4 Exemption is mutually exclusive.
A very good piece from the boys and fair play for putting their heads above the parapet on this issue - for which they are being routinely vilified by the usual cowardly suspects. We all know their form, sadly...
ReplyDeleteSean,
ReplyDeletewell said.
It is a good piece for which the writers should be lauded not smeared.
The smearing fails every time the smeared speak up and doe not retreat into silence.
Small details matter, but once she changed her name from the Gaelic version to the Anglo version in order to stand as an MEP said it all for me. A chancer and a charlatan were principles don't matter. She'll fit right in with SF.
ReplyDeleteI was at a Media Press Freedom event in Dublin last year which she spoke at. She was good on the matter.
ReplyDeleteWell done to James and Enda for spotting this. I imagine you won’t be getting any thanks from Sinn Féin for highlighting their inconsistency.
ReplyDeleteThe problem Sinn Féin, and other Right2Water campaigners, have when they try to position themselves as part of an international water activist movement is that the parameters of the debate are very different in every other country. Global water activists usually campaign against water commodification and privatisation due, among other concerns, to the fear that water bills will rise and unfairly affect the poor. The notion of water free at the point of use for all is not something that is taken seriously however, except in Ireland due to our unique history. The European Citizens Initiative on the human right to water that calls for publicly owned services and “affordable domestic charges” is typical of the goals of the global water activist movement.
From my perspective of believing in domestic water charges, I found it extremely frustrating when Sinn Féin, Solidarity et al. would cite these international examples in media interviews, and indeed in the Oireachtas Committee, as allegedly backing their case when they did nothing of the sort. Irish interviewers and political figures for the most part failed to do any research on any of this and just allowed them to cite without challenge. Indeed, it was this failure that prompted me to start writing about the issue.
Parallel Universe and parasites
ReplyDeleteThe image of Adam and Eve comes to mind. An able Lynn spoke and then we had water charges. Next her partner in Sinn Féin Eoin spoke ‘No alternative to Irish Water’ and Irish Water was established. On and on they went their appetite growing until they emerged and called ‘Victory’.
You know what bugs me? It’s not the mainstream media, after all they are only doing their job. It’s the progressives and ‘Left’ aiding Sinn Féin to use the movement for party political gain. Time and time again we listen to an illusory ‘Unity’, a united front against lies and corruption.
Another bug is the praise bestowed on politicians, befitting gods For what? Doing their job (or not) and getting buckets of spondulicks for it. You know what’s funny too, they themselves believe it too.