Workers Solidarity Movement

Following a series of 4 public meetings across the area (attended by a total of about 100 people), the following activity is planned by the Dun Laoghaire Campaign Against Household And Water Taxes in the next couple of weeks:

Cork continues to organise against the household tax. Fermoy, Hollyhill, Macroom, Douglas and Mallow all had successful meetings this week with groups established in each area. Mallow was the biggest meeting with 250 people crowding into the town's Hibernian Hotel. Tonight the campaign rolls on with meetings in Charleville, Gurranabraher, Carrigaline and Bishopstown.

Seventy campaigners from all around Ireland this morning blockaded Shell's Aghoos compound in Erris, Co. Mayo. The 7am protest is intended to demonstrate support for the local community whose lives are being increasingly disrupted by Shell's haulage and construction works.  Last week Shell began hauling materials along this road in convoys (usually 4 or 5 large trucks together) in order to setup the Glengad compound. The convoys have so far all been heavily escorted by Gardaí, usually with 2 Garda cars infront and 2 behind along with another Garda van bringing up the rear. The roads are extremely unsuitable for this haulage but Shell and the Gardaí seem intent on trying to use brute force to get Shell's job done.

Following on the successful meeting in the Imperial hotel in January the CAHWT in Cork has been running a series of local meetings around the city and county. Turnout has been positive at the these meetings and local groups have got up and running distributing literature, running stalls and organising for protests.  On Tuesday 7th meetings saw over 80 people attending in Blarney, 70 plus in Carrigtwohill and 30 in Passage West. On Wednesday 80 people packed a meeting in Ballyvolane on Corks' northside, on thursday over 60 people gathered in Ballyphehane Community centre and 90 in Glanmire.  Every meeting saw dozens sign up as members and pledge support for activity.

About fifty people attended a Campaign Against the Household and Water Charges meeting in the Donore Avenue Community Centre in the Dublin 8 area on the 8th of February. Two speakers who have been involved in building the national campaign addressed the attendees, providing important information about the campaign and the need for community resistance.

Over 100 people took part in a picket at City Hall in Dublin last night to protest the Household tax.  The protest was timed to  coincide with a motion opposing the household tax proposed by Cllrs Louise Minihan, Cieran Perry, Pat Dunne and Brid Smith.

Rossport Solidarity Camp reports that Shell has begun the work on the Landfall Valve Installation at Glengad beach where the off-shore pipe coming from the Corrib gasfield will be connected to the onshore pipe in the tunnel that is being dug under the estuary.

Cork city and county Anti-Household Tax Campaign rounded off an excellent eight days' work by holding protests in Ballincollig and outside Cork's City Hall this Friday to coincide with taoiseach Enda Kenny's visit to the south. Following on from the massively successful public meeting in the city last Thursday 26^th January, 200 people spent well over 2 hours noisily picketing a Chamber of Commerce banquet at City Hall yesterday evening to let Mr. Kenny know the depth of opposition to the Household Tax in the city. Earlier in the day, another 50 people picketed the Oriel House hotel in the commuter belt town of Ballincollig, where he attended another gathering of business people.

On Tuesday January 31^st 2011 a public meeting took place in the Hotel Keadeen in Newbridge, Co. Kildare. The meeting was organised by the Campaign Against Household and Water Taxes and with around 200 local people in attendance, many having to stand at the back and sides, the meeting was a great start for the local campaign. The video below was recorded just before 8pm when the meeting was scheduled to commence and does not capture the people that continued to file into the hall after it was taken.

On a chilly 1st February evening, in Fine Gael’s heartland of Castlebar, over 140 people turned out for the first public meeting of the Campaign Against Household and Water Taxes (CAHWT) in Mayo. Although the meeting was scheduled for 7:30, by 7:15 the room in the Welcome Inn was quietly filling up, much to the surprise of those of us who had been there to organise things since 7:00.