I ask the two main political parties to stop acting the maggot about water charges. It is a complete and utter farce and members of the public are fed up to their back teeth with it. There is a lot of posturing by Fianna Fáil. Let those in that party remember it was they who started the idea of introducing water charges in the first instance. Fine Gael has softened its approach down to charging only for water that is wasted. There is a clear area for agreement, unless Deputy Barry Cowen goes charging in like a bull in a china shop and causes an election. We have to pay for water. What amazes me is that there was no such protest about property tax. Property tax is utterly iniquitous. I do not care if every other country in the EU has it. It is wrong in this country to charge people on their homes. It goes right back to the 19th century when the Land League campaigned against rack-renting. The property tax is rack-renting by another name.

No.

Will the Senator allow me to speak or will he make a real interruption instead of grunting? I like intelligent interruptions, but grunts I can do without. If one is in an area where the Luas arrives, one's property value, and property charges, goes rocketing up. If one's area becomes fashionable and gentrified, the property charges increase. I bought my house 40 years ago for £25,000. I have spent a couple of million euro on it. I am punished for that. One of the objectives of Dublin City Council is to restore the Georgian core of Dublin, yet one is punished for doing so. I call for a campaign against property charges. The party that introduces it in the next general election will do bloody well, and will get my vote.

It is a clear intention.

Sinn Féin?

Now that they have stopped murdering people, they are fine.

The election has not started yet.