File spoon-archives/aut-op-sy.archive/aut-op-sy_1997/97-02-01.064, message 23


Date: Fri, 24 Jan 1997 16:01:16 +0000 (GMT)
From: Andrew Flood <ANFLOOD-AT-macollamh.ucd.ie>
Subject: Irish anarchists report victory


Anarchists report victory in Ireland

WATER CHARGES ABOLISHED
A VICTORY FOR PEOPLE POWER!!!

by Gregor Kerr  (Secretary, Federation of Dublin Anti-Water Charge Campaigns)

On Thursday December 19th Minister for the Environment Brendan Howlin
finally announced the abolition of water and sewerage charges.  He had been
left with no option but to surrender to a massive campaign of people power
which rocked the political establishment to its core.  Long before the
formal announcement, however, it was clear that water charges were dead.

They were dead because they were uncollectable.  They were uncollectable
because of a two and a half year long campaign which scared the hell out of
politicians of all political parties, a campaign which withstood bribes,
threats and intimidation from the Councils and which proved that solidarity
is indeed strength.

Those of you who have been involved in this campaign or who have followed
its progress in the pages of Workers Solidarity  or elsewhere do not need
to be reminded of its highpoints.  From the early morning patrols to
prevent water disconnections through protests outside courts in
Rathfarnham, Swords and elsewhere and on to the latest round of protests
outside Council estimates meetings, thousands of people have taken to the
streets and shown their opposition to double taxation.

Tens of thousands of PAYE taxpayers and householders have refused to pay
the charges and the membership and other financial contributions made by
them have enabled the campaign to successfully defend court cases taken by
the Councils.  (It was certainly not a campaign ever likely to receive
funding from Ben Dunne, Larry Goodman or any of the other "entrepreneurs"
in whose interests the political and taxation systems are run).

Despite the introduction of special legislation by the government to allow
the Councils the right to disconnect water, not one single disconnection
happened.  When the Councils became frustrated at their inability to push
disconnection cases through the courts, they turned to the "Civil Process
for Recovery of a Debt" and when the first of these cases hit the courts
late last year the story was the same - protests, legal objections, refusal
to bow to intimidation and frustration for the Councils.

Just as a few short years before massive street protests had ensured that
the Court decision to refuse the girl at the centre of the 'X' case the
right to travel to England for an abortion had to be overturned, the vision
of people power and communities standing together left the courts and the
judges with no alternative but to find in our favour.

In my capacity as Secretary of the Federation of Dublin Anti Water Charge
Campaigns (FDAWCC) one of the most ironic events of the campaign was the
scurrying of politicians during late November/early December to jump on the
bandwagon of opposition to the charges.

Treating us all with the contempt which so many people have come to expect
>from politicians, they expect us to forget that members of all political
parties set these charges and that the water tax in Dublin was presided
over by two governments consisting of Fine Gael, Fianna Fail, Labour
(twice) and Democratic Left.  Let us not forget - politicians were
responsible for imposing this unjust tax upon us.  The working class people
of Dublin and around the country who have resisted the tax are responsible
for its end.

Now that the charges have eventually been abolished, all involved in the
campaign should certainly take all the plaudits due to us.  However, we
must remember that our work is not over yet.  Many of the people who have
been on the frontline still have court cases pending against them.  Tens of
thousands of people have bills of several hundred pounds each against their
property - bills which may be called in in the future if these people
attempt to sell their houses.

The two demands of an amnesty for all non-payers and an end to court cases
must be fought for with the same vigour with which we have defeated the
charges.  In addition we must fight for the abolition of refuse collection
charges where they exist and be prepared to resist their imposition in
other areas.  Any attempts by local authorities to increase motor tax must
also be resisted.

The essential message to be taken from the campaign against water charges
must be that the sight of tens of thousands of working-class people
organising to defend our own interests led to the surrender of a
government.

We did not depend on anyone to fight on our behalf, self-organisation and
direct action were our primary weapons.  Every single person who put a
leaflet into someone else's hand, who attended a meeting or protest, who
refused to pay the charges played his/her part in our eventual victory.

We showed the powers-that-be a glimpse of our potential power when we stand
together.  It is a lesson that we ourselves must not forget.  It is a
lesson which we must ensure the politicians are never allowed to forget.

Congratulations to all involved in the Campaign.  Here's to our next victory!!

*****

Gregor Kerr is secretary of the 17,000 strong anti-water charges federation
in Dublin which spearheaded the successful direct action campaign against
the charges.  He is also a member of the anarchist organisation, Workers
Solidarity Movement.

*****

This article was first printed in Workers Solidarity no.50

*****

http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/2419/
      ***************************
About me -> http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/2419/andrew.html

Anarchism-> http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/2419
Platformism-> http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/6170/
Zapatista-> http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/3102/



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