Smash Water Tax (NEW Irish anarchist organisation)
Al S | 06.12.2003 18:08 | Social Struggles
WORKING CLASS RESISTANCE
What is 'Working Class Resistance'?
Welcome to Working Class Resistance (WCR!)! WCR! is a new eight page anarchist paper which will be appearing six times a year from this point on. The next edition will be ready by early February 2004.
Who are involved with 'Working Class Resistance'?
The appearance of this publication marks the coming together of the Anarcho-Syndicalist Federation, Anarchist Federation (Ireland), Anarchist Prisoner Support and a number of other individuals to create a more effective and better resourced class struggle anarchist organisation across Ireland. Together we have created a new organisation, Organise!, with local groups and individual members throughout the country.
What is 'Working Class Resistance'?
Welcome to Working Class Resistance (WCR!)! WCR! is a new eight page anarchist paper which will be appearing six times a year from this point on. The next edition will be ready by early February 2004.
Who are involved with 'Working Class Resistance'?
The appearance of this publication marks the coming together of the Anarcho-Syndicalist Federation, Anarchist Federation (Ireland), Anarchist Prisoner Support and a number of other individuals to create a more effective and better resourced class struggle anarchist organisation across Ireland. Together we have created a new organisation, Organise!, with local groups and individual members throughout the country.
Some background.
The ASF and AF in Ireland had already collaborated on two previous publications, called Wildcat, which presented agreed positions on the trades unions and the ‘north’. The impetus for the creation of this organisation goes back to a proposal made earlier this year asking anarchists to look seriously at building more effective organisation across Ireland. The response to this proposal was mixed, but discussion on moving things forward took place between those who were most interested in pursuing it and who felt they had most in common. Our attitude to those class struggle anarchists outside our organisation is comradely and co-operative; while we may have differences, we seek to work to overcome these where possible and to build stronger links and more effect methods of working together as part of the process of building a broad libertarian movement in Ireland. We will not, on the other hand, shy away from debate and discussion of differences, but attempt to deal with these in an open and comradely fashion.
Most importantly, we seek through our activity and propaganda, through discussion and practical solidarity with our fellow workers, to show the relevance of anarchist methods of organising and ultimately the benefits of a future libertarian communist revolution for workers everywhere.
A new website should be online in the very near future.
If you would like more information, to get in touch with Organise! members in your area, or distribute WCR!, contact us at:
ORGANISE!
P.O. BOX 505,
BELFAST,
BT12 6BQ
Email:
organiseireland@yahoo.ie
*******************************************************
THE VOTE CHANGES NOTHING - THE STRUGGLE CONTINUES - SMASH THE WATER TAX
We go to print with one of the greatest political non-events taking place across the north - the Stormont Assembly elections. For the past number of weeks we’ve been treated to all the hype and self importance you’d expect from those looking to secure a ‘basic wage’ of £41,321 plus around £50,000 on top of that again in expenses. The Chairs and Deputy Chairs of Assembly committees can treat themselves to an additional £10,290.
Whether the candidate is Unionist or Nationalist, Pro-Agreement or Anti-agreement, Women's Coalition or Alliance, even if they claim to be Socialist, the same attacks will be carried out on our standard of living. Low pay, poverty, increased job insecurity, lack of decent housing, privatisation, profiteering in the NHS and our schools (where PFI’s and PPP’s are introduced and implemented with impunity), cut backs, redundancies, the massive growth in ‘flexible’ working practises (we’re expected to bend over backwards for the boss) and the introduction of water charges.
None of the parties are willing or able to present any economic alternatives to the globally inspired and directed attack on working people. This attack has gone under many names; Thatcherism, Reganism, Neo-liberalism, Globalisation, it is simply aggressive capitalism engaged in the stripping back of the gains working class people have made over the past decades in order to feed market greed.
The peace dividend has been an illusion for the majority in Northern Ireland, over the last 15 years the rich have got richer and the poor poorer. Poverty is consistently higher than in the Republic of Ireland and Britain with over 1/2 million living in poverty including over a 1/3 of our children. 64% of the population have an income below the national average while those in the top four income groups, a tiny percentage of the population, possess 67% of the total household income! Not only do we face greater poverty but the cost of living is higher while wages are 22% lower.
Remember, no matter who you vote for, Government wins. Only by organising, fighting back and practising solidarity where we live and work can we really change things. Despite the opposition to water charges claimed in the run up to the election all the main parties had agreed to water charges prior to the suspension of the Assembly. There can be no doubt that after the election ‘economic reality’ will see them implement the charges no matter their election promises.
Only direct action will defeat the water tax. A campaign based on non-payment of charges must be built in order to smash this charge on a fundamental human right. Let's show the politicians where the real power lies.
The ASF and AF in Ireland had already collaborated on two previous publications, called Wildcat, which presented agreed positions on the trades unions and the ‘north’. The impetus for the creation of this organisation goes back to a proposal made earlier this year asking anarchists to look seriously at building more effective organisation across Ireland. The response to this proposal was mixed, but discussion on moving things forward took place between those who were most interested in pursuing it and who felt they had most in common. Our attitude to those class struggle anarchists outside our organisation is comradely and co-operative; while we may have differences, we seek to work to overcome these where possible and to build stronger links and more effect methods of working together as part of the process of building a broad libertarian movement in Ireland. We will not, on the other hand, shy away from debate and discussion of differences, but attempt to deal with these in an open and comradely fashion.
Most importantly, we seek through our activity and propaganda, through discussion and practical solidarity with our fellow workers, to show the relevance of anarchist methods of organising and ultimately the benefits of a future libertarian communist revolution for workers everywhere.
A new website should be online in the very near future.
If you would like more information, to get in touch with Organise! members in your area, or distribute WCR!, contact us at:
ORGANISE!
P.O. BOX 505,
BELFAST,
BT12 6BQ
Email:
organiseireland@yahoo.ie *******************************************************
THE VOTE CHANGES NOTHING - THE STRUGGLE CONTINUES - SMASH THE WATER TAX
We go to print with one of the greatest political non-events taking place across the north - the Stormont Assembly elections. For the past number of weeks we’ve been treated to all the hype and self importance you’d expect from those looking to secure a ‘basic wage’ of £41,321 plus around £50,000 on top of that again in expenses. The Chairs and Deputy Chairs of Assembly committees can treat themselves to an additional £10,290.
Whether the candidate is Unionist or Nationalist, Pro-Agreement or Anti-agreement, Women's Coalition or Alliance, even if they claim to be Socialist, the same attacks will be carried out on our standard of living. Low pay, poverty, increased job insecurity, lack of decent housing, privatisation, profiteering in the NHS and our schools (where PFI’s and PPP’s are introduced and implemented with impunity), cut backs, redundancies, the massive growth in ‘flexible’ working practises (we’re expected to bend over backwards for the boss) and the introduction of water charges.
None of the parties are willing or able to present any economic alternatives to the globally inspired and directed attack on working people. This attack has gone under many names; Thatcherism, Reganism, Neo-liberalism, Globalisation, it is simply aggressive capitalism engaged in the stripping back of the gains working class people have made over the past decades in order to feed market greed.
The peace dividend has been an illusion for the majority in Northern Ireland, over the last 15 years the rich have got richer and the poor poorer. Poverty is consistently higher than in the Republic of Ireland and Britain with over 1/2 million living in poverty including over a 1/3 of our children. 64% of the population have an income below the national average while those in the top four income groups, a tiny percentage of the population, possess 67% of the total household income! Not only do we face greater poverty but the cost of living is higher while wages are 22% lower.
Remember, no matter who you vote for, Government wins. Only by organising, fighting back and practising solidarity where we live and work can we really change things. Despite the opposition to water charges claimed in the run up to the election all the main parties had agreed to water charges prior to the suspension of the Assembly. There can be no doubt that after the election ‘economic reality’ will see them implement the charges no matter their election promises.
Only direct action will defeat the water tax. A campaign based on non-payment of charges must be built in order to smash this charge on a fundamental human right. Let's show the politicians where the real power lies.
Al S
e-mail:
organiseireland@yahoo.ie