Workers Solidarity Movement

The talk on the Campaign Against Home and Water Taxes (CAHWT) at the Anarchist Bookfair 2013 in the Main Hall was relatively sombre in tone to say the least.  The echoing clamour of the Main Hall only served to highlight the strange impasse which the campaign has found itself in of late. The assembled survivors could have fitted easily into Room 2, which was packed to capacity by speakers on issues which would seemingly be less of a political immediacy.

Guest review by Ciara

Campaigners against the property tax have condemned government “spin and intimidation aimed at trying to force people to pay the property tax” and said that it is clear that huge numbers of people are prepared to resist the threats and refuse to pay the tax.

This article was prompted by a number of recent events.  Firstly, the Irish Refugee Council (IRC) organised a meeting on April 3rd to organise a campaign aimed at ending the inhumane system known as Direct Provision . And secondly, ADI (Anti-Deportation Ireland) held a workshop at Dublin’s Anarchist Bookfair on April 6th, followed by an ADI public meeting in Dublin on April 11th.  Both ADI events aimed to build a campaign against deportations in Ireland.

hell has admitted that on Monday, the 8th April, they had to vent all the nitrogen currently in the gas pipes at the Bellanaboy refinery, after they mistakenly cut a gas pipe. Shell claim the reason for this was the gas pipe was mistaken for a water pipe in the refinery and was cut.  The gas pipes on the refinery site are currently filled with nitrogen to inhibit corrosion.   The incident only came to light because a local resident contacted Midwest Radio with details of the incident.   Shell confirmed the incident took place one week after the event. 

Since the foundation of the Campaign Against Household & Water Taxes, WSM members have been pushing for a strengthening of grassroots democracy in the campaign, and we believe that the more democratic the campaign is the more likely it is to succeed. In this article, Brian A., a WSM member involved in the campaign in Kildare, outlines his experience of being involved in building the campaign in his local area.

This is the latest bulletin from the Rossport Solidarity Camp about the struggle against Shell in Erris.  For the background and history to this stuggle see our huge archive of articles tagged Rossport.

Thousands took part in the CAHWT march yesterday on the EU Finance ministers march in Dublin castle.  You can see more photos of the protest in our Facebook  album of march on EU ministers.

Five years into an austerity program that is only working to make the rich richer, most of us are very unhappy about the lack of resistance from the unions. During the Croke Park campaign the SIPTU National Executive Council released a statement that included: "There is, of course, a wider issue of fairness in the Country as a whole because the wealthy are not contributing to the degree that they can or should. This is a consequence of the political choices made by the voters at election time.”

At a public meeting of the Campaign Against Home and Water Taxes (CAHWT) in Kildare last month, a query was raised from a woman anxious about the upcoming local elections. She explained her complete frustration with the austerity policies of the Fine Gael-Labour Government, and described her despair at not having the power to challenge policies that were ravaging her community, stating there “really is no one legitimate left to vote for.”

Kevin Doyle (a supporter of the WSM) and Alan Gibson, both of whom have been actively involved in helping to build the Campaign Against Home And Water Taxes, talked about the lessons learnt from the fight thus far against the household and property taxes and explored what type of campaign and campaigning is needed for the fight against the property tax (and the forthcoming water tax) to be successful.