My early release was on the promise that I stay in Mullingar but there was no way I wez missin the Right2Water march and Peig was also gaggin to go. So we loaded up Saoirse’s wheelchair in the van and all three of us were off to the Big Smoke. I had me knuckleduster in my pocket for the gobshite who tried to start. This was a peaceful protest, and the first Shinner who stepped out of line was going to get it. And to give credit, the crowd was grand, probably cos it was too feckin cold to do anything else. The only misbehaving was by a couple of guards in Merrion Square who was chirping some of the lads. I also saw a plainclothes detective – with “Guard is Good” tattooed on his arm – pushing and shoving some wenches on one of the barriers – feckin eejit.

Dis was all about the means of production and the masters of capital taking more and more and leaving the ordinary folks – the lumpen proleteriat – with feck all. Dats according to Richie Boyd-Barrett and ah Jeez, he was grand altogether, with aul Damien churning out the choons. Gerry and the boyos gave it some welly but we’ve heard it before. Richie was the star of the show, along with the organiser of the whole caboodle, Brendan Oogle – good man himself.

And Richie is dead right – this abortion of a government is all about piling away the cash, for themselves and their big business brothers, as quick as they can. It is about feckin-over the ordinary folk, the rural folk, the elderly, the disabled, the youth – you name it, this government has screwed it, like some huge hungry whore. It is about the money paid to wind farms, and the money paid to bankers and bond holders, and about the money paid to your man for his water meters and his pylons. The water charge is just the latest of a long list of money paid by blocklayers like me, out of work for two years now, but still paying and paying, until there is just no more.

While we were singing along with Glen Hansard I was chattin to your wan who was telling me that she can’t even buy bags of sweets for her chissellers this Christmas cos she’s already saving her pennies to buy them new school shoes for next year. Jesus H Christ on a stick – is this what we’ve come to?

How many? Your blondy wan Sharon on the 6 o’clock news on His Masters Voice tried to say 30 000. Feck off yer slag. The guards were stopping people from going into Merrion Square cos they said it was at capacity of 60 000. And that was just after 12.30 with loads of people still streaming in off the buses, so feck off with yer 30 000. Youze did the same with the anti-pylon / windfarm march when you estimated less than half of what we knew was there. Your ‘30 000’ in truth means well more than 60 000. Maybe not quite the 100 000 but close enough, given that it was a work day and feckin brass monkeys.

The lies you have told us – first Fat Pat Rabbitte, then Herr Hogan, now Belly Kelly – with Bent Enda and Croan Joan conducting the choir. You lied about the energy, about the electricity, about the renewables, about the banks, about the HSE, about our schools, and now about the water. And christalmighty we are sick of it. So stick it up your arse cos sure as green apples we will do it for you given half the chance. Youse have taken a great country and a proud people just too much for granted whilst you’ve piled away the cash – but no more. It stops here.