Water campaigners hold Nicholastown meeting

About 25 people turned out for a 'Street Meeting' on Nicholastown Green last night, organised by the Right2Water campaign, writes Brian Byrne.

The meeting was addressed by Cllr Joanne Pender of the Newbridge-Kildare Municipal District, and by local campaigners.

In addition to the familiar arguments on how water should be paid for, and the 'real agenda' of privatisation, claims of media bias against the campaign were aired.

The Right2Water campaign is organising a national demonstration in Dublin on Saturday 29 August, and Cllr Pender — an independent — asked those present to get their friends to attend.

The street meeting followed a leafleting campaign in Avondale, Nicholastown and other nearby estates in previous evenings. Cllr Pender said they had now held about six of these in the Newbridge area and were getting a consistent support of around 40 people.

She said they had organised the Kilcullen one because Kilcullen campaigners had supported the Newbridge-Kildare meetings. As to why there were no councillors present from the Naas MD to which Kilcullen belongs, she said 'there are other councillors who support us, but they don't come out'.