People before profit to run election candidate in longford westmeath

The People Before Profit Alliance has announced that it intends to run a candidate in Longford Westmeath in next year's general election.

The left wing group will hold a launch meeting in the Newbury Hotel, Mullingar on Monday May 11 at 8pm. The meeting will be addressed by Richarch Boyd Barrett TD and local activist Chris Wakefield.

Boyd Barrett, who is one of the founders of the Right2Water Campaign, has urged the people of Westmeath to boycott Irish Water's first round of bills.

"Bills for water charges are being sent out by Irish Water but People Before Profit is urging people to boycott them. The Fine Gael-Labour government is threatening new legislation but, so far, there is nothing they can do to non-payers before April 2016.

"The massive protests have forced them to back down on their threat to reduce the water supplies to a trickle. By 2016, they should be driven out of office and a new government will be able to abolish the charges. But this will only happen if we stay strong now is if there is a strong boycott campaign."