Kicking the can one more time: Water charges — what penalties?

THE Government will, it seems, do anything it can to avoid speaking about, much less finally defining, the penalties that might be imposed on those who choose not to pay water charges before the election.

On the face of it this may seem a prudent kick-the-can-down-the-road dodge but that policy runs the profound risk of alienating the 1.3m or so homeowners who have registered and seem willing to pay their water charges.

Suggesting that non-payment will not bean issue until four bills have been ignored hardly seems reasonable or fair to those who comply.

They will ask the obvious question — “why should I pay when so many others do not?” It is a valid question and one that the Government should muster the courage to answer.

The water charges issue continues to expose bluster standing where there should be a well-thought-out policy.

Sinn Féin’s Mary Lou MacDonald was the latest in a long line of politicians unable to support her position with a feasible alternative to water charges yesterday.

Speaking on RTÉ radio she failed utterly to show how her party might finance water services if water charges were scrapped.

This suggests that rather than have a real policy on developing water services Sinn Féin are, as they are in so many other instances, happy to use the issue to cause maximum discomfort for the Government and other parties standing between them and power.

A viable alternative indeed.