Month: September 2011
The British Poll Tax: When mass non-payment defeated Thatcher
The following article is from Socialist View, the journal of the Socialist Party. It outlines the history and key lessons of the mass campaign against the Poll Tax that was led by members of Militant in Britain, the forerunner of the Socialist Party. This campaign succeeded in organising mass non-payment of the hated poll tax, with 18 million refusing to pay it thus forced it's abolition and the resignation of Thatcher herself. There are many important lessons that can drawn from this campaign, most notably that it was organised on a national basis and with a clear understanding of the kind of strategy and tactics necessary to defeat the attack. The Socialist Party in Ireland is committed to help build such a campaign to defeat the introduction of the household charges in January of next year.
Protest Against Cuts to SNAs
A protest is being organised by the Alliance Against Cuts in Education (ACE) on September 14th at 4pm outside the Dail, to protest the cuts in SNAs and Resource Teachers.
Mortgage Crisis: Government blaming the victim
With hundreds of thousands of people in negative equity and struggling to pay their mortgages, the issue of revaluing peoples mortgages, or 'debt forgiveness' as the government have tried to brand it, has come up. Here Joe Higgins TD looks at the issues involved from a socialist perspective.
Don’t pay the Household Tax
The government’s proposed Household Charge of €100 is the forerunner for water charges and a property tax on every home. A pensioner or low paid worker pays the same as a millionaire. How rotten! This new tax has absolutely nothing to do with improving council services – the proceeds go towards the bailout of wealthy gamblers and bankers, for which ordinary people are being bled dry.
