This article is from page 11 of the 2012-10-09 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 11 JPG
THE Socialist Workers Party (SWP) are planning a major protest in the Clare area to oppose the septic tank registration charge.
Latest figures have confirmed that more than 8,000 people in Clare have registered their septic tanks with the Local Government Management Agency – less than 50 per cent of the total estimated number of septic tanks in the county.
Ennistymon representative for the Socialist Workers Party, Keith Cargill, says people believe that the charge is unfair on rural dwellers.
“There is no sense of fairness in this. People in Clare have already paid for these septic tanks so this is a double payment for something that people in urban areas get for free,” said Mr Cargill.
“We have a strong SWP presence in parts of Clare and plans are already in motion for a major protest to take place in the next few weeks. I’m not sure at this stage how it might work out, we may organise a combined protect with the SWP in Limerick but people are not happy with this and they do want something to be done.
“I think most people appreciate that the Social Workers Party is a very small organisation nationally, but we are growing. We have some members in Clare and the membership is growing all the time. It is growing slowly but it is growing.
“I think that we are the only party out there who are putting forward a counter-economic argument than everybody else. I think a lot of people are very bitter with the politics at the moment.
“There was a hope for change but that has proved to be more of the same. It now seems like there really is nothing between Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael except what happened in the Civil War.
“Services are being cut, not just in rural areas but in urban areas as well, and people are not happy with it. There is a lot of disgruntlement out there and people are starting to voice there annoyance at what is going on.”