Workers Solidarity Movement

We are the crisis of Irish Water! We do not want to have our water commodified, metered, and privatised. We know why this is happening – to increase the wealth and privilege of a global financial capitalist class and their political servants in the EU and Ireland.

We refuse to bow to them. We have gotten up before dawn to stop water meter installation on our streets. We have organised meetings in our communities. We have marched in our thousands and in our hundreds of thousands, shouting “Enough!” and “No way, we won’t pay!” and “Shove your meters up your arse!” We are not just angry, we are determined. 

We have forced this government into climb-downs and concessions, and we will do the same to the next one. We have decided to boycott Irish Water. We are encouraging our friends, co-workers and neighbours to do the same. Our community of communities is strong and growing stronger. We will keep on growing. When we break Irish Water, we will clear the rubble and grow real solidarity, real co-operation and real community in its place.

“It is in our homes with the decision not to pay and in the streets through public protest that water charges will be abolished, not within the walls of Dáil Éireann - no matter who is in government”.
-Gregor Kerr, Dun Laoghaire's Not Paying *

"When they came for our water they stepped into our homes and our children's futures. It was time to fight and let No be the defining chant of this generation. I will not be a pawn for foolish men anymore."
-Rachael O’Sullivan, Mahon Says No *

"The water struggle has brought people together through communities fighting back. The housing struggles should also be the same but with direct action as it revolves around family life. Direct action allows those to have a voice and be heard as ordinary people stand together in order to find a solution to the housing crisis".
-Aisling Hedderman, North Dublin Bay Housing Crisis Committee *

*(all activists quoted speaking in a personal capacity)

WE MARCH FOR CHOICE

Approximately 12 women with addresses in the Republic of Ireland travel to access abortion abroad per day. Each woman must carry the entire financial, practical and emotional burdens of doing so. Practically, Irish women travelling abroad are likely to avail of the more invasive surgical rather than medical abortions as they cannot afford to remain near the clinic for 3-4 days. Irish women are also less likely to receive pre- and post-abortion medical and psychological care due to the time limitations and stigma. Increasingly, women are ordering medication online to self-induce abortions. These burdens fall most heavily on minors, women on low incomes, and women who cannot travel freely to another state.

Public opinion supports the amendment of Irish abortion laws. A recent poll found that 81% of people polled were in favour of widening the grounds for abortion, 66% of people surveyed believed the Government should decriminalise abortion and, just 7% were opposed to abortion in all circumstances. Unsettlingly, however, the same poll found that popular awareness of abortion legislation was low. Only 1 in 10 surveyed were aware that the penalty for an unlawful abortion in Ireland is up to 14 years imprisonment.

An anarchist society is one in which all people are free to make choices about their own lives. This includes the option of whether or not to become pregnant, remain pregnant or to have children by any means.

We support the 4th Annual March for Choice. It will take place in Dublin on Saturday September 26th marking the Global Day of Action for Access to Safe and Legal Abortion.
More info at www.abortionrightscampaign.ie.

IRISH WATER FAILS – WE ADVANCE

Why is the Eurostat decision significant for our Water War? It suggests we are winning.

In July, Eurostat, the EU statistics agency, announced that the Irish State’s spending on Irish Water will stay on the exchequer balance sheet. The government has consistently argued that Irish Water would pass the Eurostat test and - through an accounting trick - keep the costs off the books. Now, thanks to all our boycott actions, it turns out that the government was wrong. Less than half of Irish Water’s revenue comes from customers. Charges collected in the first three months of the year suggested, at best, a compliance rate of 43%.

WATER METER FAIRIES OUTFOX THE DARK OUL’ BOY

The Gardaí have started to chase the 'water meter fairies' but have failed to catch the slippery folk. According to ancient legend these fearsome foes of the monster known only as the Dark Oul’ Boy (or DOB for short) emerge at night to scoop up the nastiness dropped in housing estates all over the country by his hirelings. The DOB is said to be in a terrible rage and the screams of his Goblin Kenny have been heard echoing way beyond the gates of the Dáil. It's said that at midnight last night the hounds of Garda were dispatched to run slavering all over Co. Louth but the fairies were faster and long gone before they arrived.

WE SQUAT TO CREATE NEW HOMES

Squatting could be a way to solve the housing problem in the short term and would help to reducing the levels of homelessness. The people that are homeless due to the financial crash could be using the 270,000 houses, flats and apartments which now lie vacant.

Increasingly, homeless people and those affected by the housing problem are starting to take the situation into their own hands. All over Dublin, people have come together for advice and support to change the housing problem within their communities. On May 5th, homeless families and homeless individuals led an occupation of the Dublin City Council offices. They were supported by other housing and homeless groups, which included North Dublin Bay Housing Crisis Community, the Hub, the Barricade Inn, An Spréach and Housing Action Now. Many of these groups were later involved in squatting the Bolt Hostel on Bolton Street.

Housing demonstrations will take place on 6th September, 2.00PM in Darndale and on the 22nd September at the Dáil.

THE WORKERS SOLIDARITY MOVEMENT – WHAT WE ARE FIGHTING FOR

We argue for anarchism and for a revolutionary change in society. Like most socialists, we share a fundamental belief that capitalism is the problem. We believe that as a system it must be ended, that the wealth of society should be commonly owned and that its resources should be used to serve the needs of humanity as a whole and not those of a small greedy minority.

Just as importantly, we see this struggle against capitalism as also being a struggle for freedom. We believe that socialism and freedom must go together, that we cannot have one without the other. Anarchism has always stood for individual freedom – freedom from oppression in all guises, including on the grounds of gender, race, ethnicity and sexual orientation.

Anarchism stands for democracy. We believe in democratising the workplace, in workers taking control of all industry and communities taking control of their localities and environments.

Capitalism will continue to destroy the world’s ecology and to foster hierarchy, exploitation and oppression in people’s lives. It doesn’t have to be this way. We believe that by actively growing, organising and resisting through social movements - like the fight against Irish Water - we can really change our communities and our lives.

So: - Organise! Organise! Organise! We have a world to win!

This four page A4 booklet was produced for the August 29th 2015 anti-water charges demo in Dublin.
Download and print off copes for distribution.