Cllr plans campaign of civil disobedience
NEW WATER CHARGES TO BE OPPOSED WITH VIGOUR
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A CAMPAIGN of civil disobedience similar to the protests that landed a local councillor in jail in 2003 is to be mounted in opposition to the introduction of water charges in 2011, announced in last week's Budget.
Cllr Clare Daly (SP), who went to jail for her part in a similar campaign against the bin tax in 2003, is ready to tackle the proposed domestic water charges with the same vigour.
She told the Fingal Independent: ' We will immediately launch a campaign of civil disobedience against the imposition of water charges.
'They may think they will derail the opposition by making the decision now, but leaving the
until implementation 2011.
'However, it seems clear that they intend to begin installing meters and charging householders for the privilege straight away.'
Cllr Daly, who was also involved in a successful campaign urging householders not to pay a previous attempt at imposing water charges back in the mid-1990s, said: 'This will be resisted by communities. Water charges are nothing more than a cynical new tax and will be vigorously opposed. We defeated it before and will do so again.'
The Socialist Party councillor described last week's budget as 'one of the most vicious in the history of the State'.
She said: ' The brass neck of this government in proclaiming that the worst is over and then going on to inflict the most savage cuts ever on the living standards of low to middle income public sector workers and the unemployed in the budget, while hitting all working people with tax on fuel and cuts in child benefit, is an absolute disgrace.'
Cllr Daly added: 'It is a lie to say that the pain is being shared. The whole thrust of the measures announced is to fall on the shoulders of workers and social welfare recipients.
There was a ruse to pretend that the Government was also attacking the rich by a minor imposition on multimillionaire tax exiles.
'But with brazen arrogance, Minister Lenihan stated baldly in the course of his speech that the 12.5% tax on corporate profits would not change and was here to stay.'
She called for workers in both the public and private sectors to unite to mount a 'massive campaign of opposition to this savage attack, kick this Government out and open a discussion on a fundamental and radical alternative way of organising our society'.
- John MANNING
