By Anthony Sheridan
Adrian Weckler is a self-confessed idiot. And in fairness it’s difficult to disagree with his assessment as he openly admits he is going to continue paying his water bills despite the fact that Irish Water is likely to be abolished and he will not receive any refund.
Mr. Weckler’s idiocy is based on ignorance. This becomes clear when we analyse his principal reason for paying his water bill.
I paid up because I thought it was the law.
It is indeed the law but some laws are unjust, even oppressive. Throughout history there are countless examples of citizens rebelling against what they see as unfair laws and in particular unfair tax laws.
Civil disobedience in response to such perceived unjust laws is a fully accepted and legitimate aspect of democracy.
Mr. Weckler also seems to be ignorant of the fact that the refusal to pay water bills represents just the tip of an iceberg of dissatisfaction about how our country is governed.
A significant percentage of citizens have lost faith in the political/administrative system. This loss of trust did not begin with the introduction of water charges; it did not begin with the collapse of the economy in 2008. It began in the late1980s when our political system first became infected with the disease of corruption.
The imposition of what many see as a water tax was simply the last straw that triggered a mass movement of citizens who are determined to rid the country of corrupt politics and replace it with a properly accountable democracy.
When that happens, and I have no doubt it will, Mr. Weckler will live in a country where he will not feel like an idiot when paying taxes because he will know that such taxes are just and are used for the good of all citizens and not just the privileged few.
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Adrian Weckler