A democratic structure involving all activists

One immediate campaign of action:

Close Irish Water Now! 

What’s happening to the campaign against water charges?

We advance a movement of the tens of thousands. We keep the pressure up both in Dublin and around the state. We confront meter installation and make life a misery for our political leaders wherever they appear.

The government counters with a few pawns; no meters now, a cap on charges, a bribe if you register.

The campaign acts as if we face checkmate – a nonthreatening carnival in Dublin, a holiday over Xmas, then a small steering committee meets in January and agrees – A period of consultation!

The fact is the Trade Union left are taking a big step back from confronting the government.  That decision shows up a big weakness of the campaign – it has no democratic structure able to involve everyone in debate and argue out a way forward.

That way forward should be very clear – we need to close Irish Water now. Government strategy has boiled down to saving the company with the simple reasoning that if it survives privatisation is inevitable. Behind the government stands the Troika, absolutely committed to the privatisation of all public services and the transformation of basic life needs to commodities.

The way we can close down Irish Water should be very clear also: Mass civil disobedience to close down government if they continue to defy the people. Alongside this should go class action.  We should stop being diplomatic with Union leaders, pretending that they have no members, that we do not need industrial action to win our corner or that Irish water would not close tomorrow if they issued a withdrawal call to the council workers inside the company.

All of this needs a democratic movement to enforce it.  That why we ask other militants to join us in mounting a national petition for an open right2water conference meant to build a fighting movement under the control of the participants.