Shane de Rís | Contributing Writer
Trinity College Sinn Féin have called on TCDSU to hold a referendum on the issue of Water Charges, claiming to have collected the mandatory number of signatures for holding a referendum on long-term policy, two hundred and fifty. The wording of the referendum will ask: “Do you believe water is a fundamental human right and seek Trinity College Student Union to campaign for equal, free and universal access to water? And in turn, adopt this as a long-term policy and lobby & campaign in support of the position of the student body with respect to the result of this referendum.”
This call comes following months of debate and protest over the issue, most recently manifesting in the form of a mass demonstration, which saw reported figures of up to 32,000 take to the streets in opposition to the water charges. In an e-mail to The University Times, Thomas Hanlon, Chair of Trinity Sinn Féin, commented on the protest saying: “a giant elephant marched by the building today in the form of water protesters, the student body has noticed this and has subsequently responded”.
Hanlon says that the student voice is one which needs to be heard in relation to the issue: “Thousands of people from every segment of society have marched on the streets over the issue, however the voice of one particular segment of society has remained unheard. That of students of which it effects as much as any man, women or child outside of Trinity walls.” Trinity Sinn Féin claim to have collected the required number of signatures to hold this referendum. This comes after a motion was declined at SU Council last week to raise the number of signatures to hold a referendum on long-term policy from two hundred and fifty to seven hundred and fifty.
The petition must now be submitted to the Electoral Commission (EC), and a referendum must be held no earlier than two and no later than five teaching weeks after it is called by the EC. If passed, the policy will become a part of the SU Policy Manual, and the Union will be compelled to campaign against water charges in the future. The Union has previously adopted stances on issues such as Abortion Information, USI Membership, and the boycott on the sale of Nestlé and Nescafé products in SU shops. Long term policy, once adopted by means of referendum, can only be changed or removed from Union policy by another referendum.
