From: ANFLOOD-AT-iveagh.ucd.ie
Date: Wed, 22 Jan 1997 16:15:37 +0000 (GMT)
Subject: Victory in Ireland


It's always good to be able to report good news, even if 
this announcement is somewhat delayed.  As any of you 
who will have been reading Workers Solidarity will be 
aware the last three years in Dublin have seen a major 
community based struggle against a flat rate local tax 
known as the Water Charge.  The main tactic of the 
campaign was to encourage mass non-payment of the 
and charge to help non-payers organise local groups to 
resist cut offs.  It also raised money to pay legal fees of 
those summonsed to court.

Faced with the failure to cut off any of the non-payers, a 
non payment rate of over 50%, courts clogged with cases 
and over 17,000 households organised in the campaign 
the state was forced earlier in the month to bow to the 
inevitable and abolish the charges.  This struggle is not 
over yet as we know need to win an amnesty for non-
payers.  You can find more information about this 
victory at
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/2724/an13.html, 
older information about the campaign can be found at
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/2724/anindx.html

Anarchists were heavily involved in the campaign with 
two anarchists including the campaign secretary on the 
co-ordinating committee.  We argued throughout for the 
campaign to bass itself on the self-organised direct action 
of as many non-payers as possible and we would hope 
that many of the thousands of individuals involved at 
some level in this fight will have gained confidence and 
experience they will put into use in many other 
struggles.  In many ways this long term effect will prove 
more important then the short term inspiration 
provided by defeating the state on this issue.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
     Anarchism and Irish Politics
http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/2419

 The Bolsheviks and Workers Control is on the web at
http://www.geocities.com/WestHollywood/2163/bolintro.html


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