Article from the Sept. 2006 issue of the Socialist
newspaper of the Socialist Party, Irish section of the CWI

Water Charges: Getting ready for non-payment

By Ciaran Mulholland, (Acting Chair, We Won't Pay Campaign)

WATER CHARGES are now only six months away. The We Won't Pay Campaign (WWPC) continues to build support and has campaigned vigorously over the summer across Northern Ireland.

Members have gone door to door in the Lower Ormeau Road and Ballynafeigh areas of South Belfast, for example. Over 1,000 householders, or 93% of those who answered their doors, signed our non-payment pledge. Very few of those who didn't sign were clearly against non-payment. In most cases they were "still thinking about it" and can yet be persuaded to join the non-payment majority. The Campaign now plans a meeting in the area to consolidate this support.

The response received in South Belfast is typical of the mood everywhere. There is mass opposition to water charges. The vast majority of people, especially in working class areas, see non-payment as the only way to defeat these charges and do not intend to pay. Nearly 60,000 people have now signed the WWPC non-payment pledge.

The key now is to translate this sentiment into an organised campaign and to give confidence to all those who plan to make a stand on this issue. Isolated individuals can be picked off. A mass organised campaign can win. The bedrock of a properly organised campaign is a network of WWPC organisers in every area, linked together through democratic structures.

The WWPC is holding a meeting in Belfast for all members on 30 September to discuss the way forward. If you aren't a member already, come along and join on the day. Encourage your workmates, neighbours and family to attend. The meeting will discuss and vote on proposals for building the WWPC in the crucial months in the run up to 1 April 2007. Take part in the discussion and commit yourself to building a strong group in your area.