Plant operator Seán Ó Gríofa explaining the filtration system to Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív, Minister of State Seán Kyne and Deputy Catherine Connolly at Irish Water’s open day in the newly upgraded Carraroe Water Treatment Plant to demonstrate the €1 million that has been invested by the utility at the plant. Also pictured is Irish Water Regional Information Specialist Seán Corrigan (centre). Photo:xposure

Steering the water crisis away from boiling point

Harry McGee

Connacht Tribune

World of Politics with Harry McGee

If you drill down as to how Fine Gael and Fianna Fail fell out over water charges, you can’t help feeling it came down to the old adage: ‘for want of a nail the shoe was lost’.

Both parties had a deal and then suddenly, one of them pushed a little bit too hard seeking clarity – so the other blew back a little too forcefully.

And within minutes, what looked like a sure thing turned into an also ran.

For a little while, it looked like everything was going to fall asunder – but by Sunday afternoon, it was also clear neither party wanted to bet the house on its hand.

Strategists for both parties agreed it was time for the protagonists to step back a little and cool their heels and see what can be salvaged.

At the weekend, Fine Gael’s Patrick O’Donovan repeated Michael Noonan’s memorable phrase that the “dead cat” of water charges needed to be taken off the agenda.

But not quite yet. The report passed on Tuesday had all the Fine Gael elements removed after the spectacular row that erupted.

The report was debated in the Dáil this week. And the Minister responsible, Simon Coveney, will now have to legislate for a new Bill on water services, based on a report that offends his political core beliefs. He has no choice but to proceed with the legislation, otherwise the confidence and supply agreement with Fianna Fáil will be breached.

A fortnight ago, we seemed to be within a hair’s breadth of a historic deal on the water issue – a week later the fissure is so deep and wide there are genuine fears of an early election.

What caused it? Was it Fianna Fáil doing a volte face and cynically tearing up a deal? Or was it a mysterious hardening of attitude from Fine Gael over the course of a weekend, driven by criticism by Leo Varadkar that Simon Coveney’s proxies on the committee had struck a poor deal?

What is indisputable is that, within moments of the committee reconvening that Tuesday, the tentative deal between the two big parties was in shreds.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.