The anti-household charges campaign has set 18 July as a date for national protest. It is inviting other organisations who are fighting the cuts to march with it to the Dáil. On 19 July, Dáil Eireann will close for a long summer break. But before they head for their holidays, they need to hear the voice of anger that is growing across Ireland.

During the referendum on the Fiscal Treaty, the government deliberately hid bad news to help swing a Yes vote. But now they have returned to their bully boy tactics as they follow orders from the Troika.

Health Minister James Reilly sits in a cabinet that decided to make that bond payment. But the day before, he was calling for immediate action to deal with the ‘overspending’ of €200 million in the heath service. He, apparently, wants workers to do without double pay on Sundays.
Reilly lives in a stately home and has claimed a tax break for its refurbishment. So naturally, he think nothing of paying off rich people so that they can continue to live in the manner they are accustomed to. This at the same time as Reilly is on a debt list and is at the same time as running down public care homes the part owner of a private one!

Any decent, sensible working class person knows that we should stop paying off bondholders and start looking after people who are suffering. Yet this is not on the agenda of this right wing Fine Gael led government.

Labour are not far behind when it comes to kicking working class people in the teeth with caps on rent allowance and more welfare cuts to follow.

Threats and intimidation

They are about to mount a major campaign to intimidate people to pay the household charge. Personalised letters will soon come through the doors of non-payers reminding them that they are acting ‘illegally’. They hope to frighten more people into paying.

The government is also about to launch a major attack on public sector workers. They are working with their friends in Independent Group of Newspapers to whip up a campaign against workers who get paid for overtime or who receive increments.

After they have done their propaganda preparations, they will move on what they term ‘non-core payments’ and cut allowances.

Their other target is social welfare recipients. The Labour Minister Brendan Howlin has said that more cuts ‘cannot be ruled out’ even though Labour promised to protect social welfare in its election manifesto.

Instead of fighting these issues separately, we need to come together in a big, people’s movement against austerity. 18 July is an important start and Socialist Worker urges all its readers to actively build for it. Specifically, you can

• Take up a petition in your workplace to garner support for the demonstration.
• Distribute leaflets to your friends and neighbours.
• Get any organisation which is opposed to health cuts or school closures to back this march

MARCH TO THE DAIL 18 JULY

ASSEMBLE AT CENTRAL BANK PLAZA 5pm.