The opening of the Dail on Tuesday 30 September (2203) after the long, long holidays the TD’s get saw a somewhat disappointing bin tax protest on the streets outside. Disappointing because while 4,000 or so marched last week only 10% of this number turned up for the Dail protest.
Pic: protest with Dail in the background
The opening of the Dail on Tuesday 30 September (2203) after the long, long holidays the TD’s get saw a somewhat disappointing bin tax protest on the streets outside. Disappointing because while 4,000 or so marched last week only 10% of this number turned up for the Dail protest.
Pic: protest with Dail in the background
However although many did not see the point in another protest so soon after the last one blockades have continued and if anything spread across the city area. Its harder to know what is happening in Fingal but it appears there the campaign had been forced to retreat for now from a general blockade of all trucks to blockades in the estates where the campaign is strongest. Victory in Fingal is thus dependent on what happens in the other three city areas as non-collection is introduced there.
So far the Dublin city area appears to be the best organised and most militant with many solidarity blockades across the city, a couple are in progress as I write. However a lack of co-ordination remains the major problem which is preventing escalation beyond local solidarity blockades of an hour or so. Moves are afoot to sort this problem out and in any case with the introduction of non-collection in the city area objective circumstances should force people to get their act together.
The Dublin Council of Trade Unions is holding a special delegate conference to discuss a co-ordinated campaign of action to oppose bin charges. Proposals include a trade union rally outside Mountjoy prison on October 11. Union bosses like ICTU leader David Begg have been busy stabbing the campaign in the back on the media. No surprise there, their pay, conditions and lifestyle are that of the boss class and two decades of social partnership have killed any radical instinct they might once have had. Most unions on the ground have policy in opposition to the bin tax, that Begg can get way with ignoring this demonstrates that it is the structures of the union that must be changed, radical resolutions are ignored or contradicted by those at the top with the current structures.
Thursday afternoon is to see a protest at the Grangegormon depot in Stoneybatter. The trucks from here are the ones that collect the commercial rubbish from the city centre, if a large protest stops this collection then it is business interests rather then residents that will face the rubbish pilling up. This protest starts at 5pm at Grangegorman.
Pic: Gardai block the route to the Dail
Below Conor writes on the build up of the campaign in Dun Laoghaire
Pic: banner from Ringsend arrives at Dail protest
WORDS Andrew Flood (Follow Andrew on Twitter )