Public Meeting: OUR WATER IS NOT FOR SALE!

cork | rights, freedoms and repression | event notice Wednesday April 02, 2014 19:23 by Jim O'Connell - People Before Profit Cork

Discussion on the Politics, Selling and Privatisation of Water

OUR WATER IS NOT FOR SALE!
Public Meeting
Featuring:
Bolivian Water Campaigner
MARCELLA OLIVERA
Maldron Hotel
John Redmond St. Cork
Thurs 3rd April 8pm

OUR WATER IS NOT FOR SALE!

free PUBLIC MEETING with
Bolivian water campaigner Marcella Olivera

MALDRON HOTEL
(fmr. Shandon Court)
John Redmond Street
THURS 3rd APRIL 8 pm
more info: 086 3556482
http://www.peoplebeforeprofit.ie


Our Water Is Not for Sale
Discussion on the Politics, Selling and Privatisation of Water
Thursday 3rd April 8pm
MALDRON HOTEL John Redmond St. Cork


Water is a basic human need and therefore ought to be a basic human right. Yet, those who profit from its overuse and abuse are determining the future of one of the earth’s most vital resources. A handful of multinational corporations, backed by the World Bank and the European Union, are aggressively taking over the management of public water services around the world, dramatically increasing the price of water to the local residents and profiting from the people’s search for solutions to the water crisis.

The corporate agenda is clear: water should be treated like any other tradeable good, with its use determined by market principles. At the same time, governments are signing away their control over domestic water supplies by participating in trade agreements and institutions that effectively give private corporations unprecedented access to the water of signatory countries.

Irish people have long resisted the introduction of water charges and following a sustained three-year campaign succeeded in abolishing water charges in 1997. Now under the guise of EU imposed austerity water charges of €300 plus per year are being imposed. Water charges are just the latest burden the Government plans to impose on the Irish people -- after bin charges, the Universal Social Charge and the Property Tax along with wage cuts and welfare cuts of austerity -- all designed to keep the banks and our European paymasters sweet.

Featured Speaker: Marcella Olivera: a water commons organizer.  After graduating from the Catholic University in Cochabamba, Bolivia, Marcella worked for four years in Cochabamba as the key international liaison for the Coalition for the Defense of Water and Life, the organization that fought and defeated water privatisation in Bolivia. Since 2004 she has been developing and consolidating an inter-American citizens’ network on water justice named  “Red VIDA” as part of her work at the Water for All Campaign for Food and Water Watch.

This is an outreach event in association with “Our Water Not For Sale”, a National Conference in The Gresham Hotel Dublin on Sat 5th April sponsored by: Unite the Union and convened by Brid Smith, PBP candidate for Europe

For details on the Dublin event on Sat 5th see: http://www.indymedia.ie/article/104573