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I have recently joined the Socialist Party. I am a self employed wall and floor tiler and like many in the construction industry, I am finding things very difficult at the moment.

The government statement that householders would have to pay for the installation of water meters to their own homes is outrageous.

"Get a life" is Minister Shatter's message to those fighting the household tax. Labour has also tried to put the boot in but clearly they are nervous that this movement can decisively damage its base in working class areas up and down the country.

On 18 – 19 April the Dail will discuss the Medical Treatment (Termination of Pregnancy in Case of Risk to Life of Pregnant Woman) Bill 2012. This is the first time that a positive proposal to legalise abortion in Ireland has been initiated and in that sense it is a truly historic step forward. Of course it is long overdue and we fully recognise that it is merely a very tiny first step, but it is important nonetheless.

The depiction of a deranged dystopian realm is not an un familiar one to cinema goers. Last year there was the chilling Never Let Me Go with Kiera Knightly and Carey Mulligan, and the re-discovery of V for Vendetta (2006) by the “Indignados” and “Occupy” protesters. The Hunger Games, a film adaption of the first novel of a bestselling teenage trilogy by Suzanne Collins, in that sense is not groundbreaking or exceptional. However, with the captivating appeal of its feisty heroine, Katniss Everdeen, played with subtlety and intelligence by Jennifer Lawrence, and its portrayal of themes such as extreme inequality, lack of democracy, dictatorship, the depravity of the tabloid media and reality television that echo many of the themes of the ‘Occupy’ movement, mean that ‘Hunger Games’  packs quite a punch.

“Opposition to the tax is raising questions about Dublin’s ability to implement a further €9 billion in promised austerity measures over the next four years” - Financial Times, 2 April 2012.

Registration for, and payment of, the Household Tax has collapsed since the Government deadline on March 31.

The 2011 Census and an analysis by a Maynooth academic clearly show that more than 1.8 million households must register for the Household Tax and not 1.6 million as the government is spinning.

Saturday 31 March was the deadline set by the Irish government for 1.86 million households in the south of Ireland to register for their new household tax. The €100 tax is an interim charge before the introduction of a new property and water taxes in 2013 and 2014. People were told that if they did not register and pay it by the time of the deadline they would face penalties and threat of court appearances and substantial fines of up to €2,500 and €100 for every day that this is not paid.

The Local Government Agency which is collecting the Household Tax and Minister for the Environment Hogan are tonight furiously spinning the registration figures to try and put a positive spin on what is a disaster for the government in terms of the huge opposition that exists in society to their new tax.