No privatisation – Tax the super-rich & invest
The Alliance Party – through its infrastructure spokesperson, Andrew Muir – has once again called for the introduction of separate household water bills, following a report which suggests NI Water faces a financial crisis.
Stop privatisation!
Introducing water charges here has been on the wishlist of the political establishment for twenty years. The sole purpose of this is to pave the way for wholesale privatisation of our water service. Experience in Britain shows that this would see bills skyrocket.
Access to water is a fundamental necessity. NI Water should be brought back fully into public hands and – like other public services – funded through progressive taxation, based upon ability to pay.
Make the super-rich pay
Yes, our water infrastructure is in dire need of investment. But that is not the responsibility of ordinary people. It is the responsibility of the politicians at Westminster and Stormont, who have left a decade of underinvestment, while giving handouts to big business. The bosses and billionaires should shoulder the costs.
Non-payment can win
In 2007, the threat of mass non-payment forced the scrapping on planned water charges in Northern Ireland. A decade later, the same tactic defeated water charges in the South. In both of these campaigns, the Socialist Party played a central role. The same tactic should again be used if this threat is put back on the table.
We need an anti-sectarian, socialist alternative
This call from Alliance shows their completely pro-capitalist, neoliberal economic agenda. Many people have voted for them in recent years to express their opposition to sectarian politics. But we need an alternative which aims to unite working-class people by fighting for our common interests.
If you agree, join the socialists!
