Independent Media Centre Ireland     http://www.indymedia.ie

while the bins pile up in Fingal

category dublin | bin tax / household tax / water tax | news report author Wednesday October 01, 2003 10:21author by conor (wsm personal capacity)

slow start in Dun Laghaire

tailing bin trucks through out Dun Laoghaire suburbs - collection continues

Meet and Greet Nonsense continues

About a dozen off us tailed a truck in Bayview/Cool even this morning. The bin men where quite friendly and said they didn’t know what was going on but had been instructed to pick up all bins. They believe that the grabbing of bins of non collectors would begin from 10th October. We are meeting next Wednesday at Tesco at 7.30 and hopefully this will grow in size !

Meantime the council have put it about that they are collecting all bins because they have been “flooded with calls” from people desperate to pay.
My own view is that 2 brief but well organised blockades in Ballaly and Dundrum are what has stopped them for now. And that further effective blockades would further slow them
– For now I am the only person with this view !

I did give out leaflets on the Grange gorman blockade (Thursday night 5 pm Grange Gorman depot) and people thought it was a good idea though I doubt any one will make the trip.

There were a similar number of people “tailing” trucks in a couple of other parts of Ballybrack at the same time and there are more organised from 11 today. As I was coming into work I noticed a small group following the truck in Sallynoggin as well

There was also a rumour that bins of non payers will be swept up in that small part of Bray that stretches into the Dun Laoghaire Rathdown area – so there will be people trying to grab the bins back – Garda intervention also seems likely

Conor

Related Link: http://www.stopthebintax.com

Comments (9 of 9)

Jump To Comment: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
author by blockerpublication date Wed Oct 01, 2003 11:09author address author phone

Whether or not the council in DLR are collecting bins we should still blockade trucks for two reasons.

1. Bins are being uncollected in every other council area in Dublin, if we are to defeat the councils the campiagn must show solidarity and act in a coordinated and decisive way. If one bin is left uncollected in Balbriggen we should stop the service in Glencullen. All Bins or no bins needs to be extended beyond council boundaries.

2. It sends a clear message to the DLR co. co. that the campaign is on the ground and that we are willing to blockade trucks when they implement non collection.

All this indecisive shite about 'meet and greet' needs to end, there IS a mood for blockades so lets blockade in DLR!!

author by confused anti bin taxerpublication date Wed Oct 01, 2003 12:01author address author phone

whats the craic with the 'meet & greet" idea -obvoiusly not too popular with the above two posters?? can someone explain? Cheers

author by Blanchardstownpublication date Wed Oct 01, 2003 13:17author address author phone

Check out the survey for the truth

Related Link: http://www.west15.com/survey.html
author by Terrypublication date Wed Oct 01, 2003 13:23author address author phone

And check out some of the replies already received to this 'news' moments ago elsewhere on Indymedia.

http://www.indymedia.ie/newswire.php?story_id=61406

author by PEARSON68 - swppublication date Wed Oct 01, 2003 15:17author address author phone

Conor

I was down at Rathsalagh(Shankhill) this morning, where we met the bin lorry.
Before being allowed entrance to the Shanganagh Cliffs estate, the men on the trucks were asked if they were going to collect "all the bins", to which they replied:"yes".

This course of action was decided by residents after some discussion. Initially we believed that there was going to be a confiscation of wheelie bins (i.e. the non-payers). This was not the case, but it is expected to happen in 2 weeks time, if not sooner. Of course if this does happen we won't be "meeting and greeting" or trailing bin-lorries.
But tactics have to be agreed on at ground level. To me this is consistent with what the people did in Fingal where the slogan is "1 bin all bins". In Shankhill the bin-men were willing to collect all bins so they were allowed to do so.
I don't think this is a "ridiculous strategy" as surely the campaign is not about alienating local people or, for that matter, council workers, who have to think seriously about the threat privitisation poses to their livelihoods, and can therefore be won to the campaign.

Yours fraternally,
Mark

author by Bins bins binspublication date Wed Oct 01, 2003 16:07author address author phone

"Meeting and Greeting" the bin men is a waste of time and energy.

We already knew that all bins were going to be collected today in DL/R.

A few people standing at the entrance of their estate to explain to the bin men yet again that the bin tax is bad and that they should refuse to implement non-collection doesn't change that either way.

The bin men are already familiar with the arguments. Most of them are opposed to the bin tax.

When push comes to shove though, the immediate threat of sacking from the Council will result in them implementing non-collection. Their own unions have already instructed them to do so. This has already happened in Fingal and on the routes in the City and South Dublin where the Councils have begun leaving bins behind. DL/R will be no different.

For all the difference it makes we might as well stay in bed for an extra hour before work rather than going to "meet and greet".

The only thing that will stop non-collection is blockading. That's a fact. The bin men aren't in a position to do it for us.

Can somebody, anybody tell me one useful thing that "meeting and greeting" is supposed to achieve?

What the SWP are arguing is that DL/R residents should effectively do nothing until non-collection arrives in their own area. In other words, stay out of the struggle until it comes to your own door.

This is exactly what the Council's want. They are very deliberately trying to pick us off area by area. If we go along with that and leave the areas they choose (Fingal and some small bits of the City and Dublin South) to fight alone until they are ground down, then we could lose the fight before it even begins.

There is no chance of DL/R succesfully resisting non-collection if the resistance has already been defeated in Fingal or elsewhere. No chance at all.

That means that even in terms of our own self interest we need to be doing something now - and that means blockades.

There has been one blockade so far in Dundrum. There will be others during this week. The SWP have two choices: they can try their best to contribute to the struggle or they can try to demobilise it.

author by Conor (wsm personal capacity)publication date Wed Oct 01, 2003 16:26author address author phone

I don't think this is a "ridiculous strategy" as surely the campaign is not about alienating local people or, for that matter, council workers, who have to think seriously about the threat privitisation poses to their livelihoods, and can therefore be won to the campaign.

Yours fraternally,
Mark

Me: Bins are still being collected in Cabra, Stoneybatter, East Wall, Finglas, the Liberties, Crumlin, Ringsend and Harold's Cross,
Dundrum and Ballaly

- but people there had no problem taking the decision to blockade.

This is because they had a good understanding of a simple word.

That word is solidarity.

You are of course correct - we're in a grand position in Dun Laoghaire perfect BUT IF WE SIT AND WAIT IT WILL BE TOO LATE.
I don't want to alienate bin workers or anyone. I appreciate, unfortunately, that I am in a minority on this but if we want to win WE HAVE TO ACT.

There are areas in Finagal that havn't been collected in 4 weeks. Our slapping ourselves on the backs in Dun Loaghaire is cold comfort to them.If Dun Laoghaire Rathdown are prepared to stand back until Fingal are licked. Who'll defend us then.
Can't nobody appreciate this simple logic ??

I will continue to argue for blockades (in the nicest fashion possible) and hope that's what "meet and greet" will become

as we build up with regular weekly protests.



MEAN TIME Get down to Grange Gorman
on Thursday 5 pm

we can still win

if we actually

start to UNITE and fight

lets earn some respect

lets end the weasal words

time for some Dublin wide solidarity

http://www.indymedia.ie/newswire.php?story_id=61405

equaly fraternally back to Mark who's certainly put in the work over the past few years in Dun Laoghaire

Conor

Related Link: http://www.stopthebintax.com
author by Binning the bin taxpublication date Thu Oct 02, 2003 02:02author address author phone

At the public meeting in Churchtown tonight there was almost unanimous support for the idea of solidarity blockades in Rathdown. The only people to vote against were two SWP members.

The night before last Ballogan residents made a similar decision.

author by Barrypublication date Thu Oct 02, 2003 11:34author address author phone

I see the SWP's record of 'socialism lite' is still carrying on.

All of the slogans, none of the action!


http://www.indymedia.ie/article/61402

Indymedia Ireland is a media collective. We are independent volunteer citizen journalists producing and distributing the authentic voices of the people. Indymedia Ireland is an open news project where anyone can post their own news, comment, videos or photos about Ireland or related matters.