Watching the latest Hunger Games movie, one could be forgiven for thinking, have I seen this movie before? President Snow sits upon his throne in the Capital, maintaining that all he does is for the better of Panam, helping to restore order and maintain an ideal civilisation. Then the lightbulb dings above your head and you realise you have seen this sort of carry on before…..except it was on RTE News, and the leader was not a grey haired, vindictive character from the Hunger Games, but a ginger little gobshite from Mayo.
The introduction of the water charges was boasted by the Irish Government as a necessary evil, but as people line the streets of Ireland in protest each week, it would seem we are not in agreement. The different districts of Ireland uniting to rebel against the capital. In the Hunger Games, they have bombs and the protagonist Katniss Everdeen. In Ireland, we have water balloons and Vincent Browne.
What Ireland lacks is a Mockingjay, someone who can be the voice of the people and take a stance strong enough to make the government take notice. While “you can shove your water metres up your arse” is quite the catchy tune, it is not likely to make the Irish government lose any sleep. Similarly, protesting is futile when after marching along the streets of Dublin, Galway and Cork, we return home to register for the very water charges we are so adamantly against. Then again, if we do not register, the ‘capital’ will respond by punishing those who rebel. In the Hunger Games, they obliviated District 12; in Dublin, if the same were to happen, I think the majority would suggest starting with District 4…
It would appear when it comes to standing up against our government the odds are never in our favour, just like in the Hunger Games. If we vote no in an election, they decide to hold another one so we can vote yes. If they introduce charges for a basic human right, they tell us we have no right objecting to same. The Hunger Games may be a movie based on a fictional novel but the prevalent underlying themes are true. People in power are fuelled by corruption and greed and the only way to defy it is to unite and stand up against it, which in Ireland usually means ringing into the Joe Duffy show….
Water charges – down with that sort of thing!
Amy Malloy