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water bill payment strike |
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The Auckland based Water Pressure Group, which recently had several members arrested at Manukau City during a protest over wastewater charges in that suburb, is calling for an Auckland-wide boycott of all water bills. Previously, it called for the boycotting only of wastewater charges, so this latest move represents an upping of the ante on the part of the WPG. The WPG is a very interesting group. It is a very active and popular working class community based group which advocates - and practices - direct action against water privatisation. For example, the WPG often turns on water supplies to households that have been disconnected when they have refused to pay their charges. Importantly, the WPG is showing, yet again, that working class politics should not be solely organised around the workplace. As resistance to things like the Poll Tax in Britain shows, working class politics need also to be organised at the local community level to be successful.
If anybody can help out with the WPG, the WPG would be only too happy to hear from you, especially as they seem to be strapped for cash at the moment. You can e-mail them at enquires@water-pressure-group.org.nz or mail them at PO Box 19764 Avondale Auckland. The Water Pressure website is at: www.water-pressure-group.org.nz/
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As well, the resistance against water privatisation is often seen on the traditional left as a simple choice between state control ("public" ownership) and private control (capitalist ownership). In this case, this view is a little simplistic. The WPG group is not only attacking privatisation but is defending one of the last remnants of communism in our capitalist society. In Auckland water used to be provided for free, and people could take as they needed. This, as a famous dead anarchist Peter Kropotkin always pointed out, was (and still is in the majority of New Zealand/Aotearoa) a living example of communism within our exploitative society. Kropotkin thought anarchist communism was a living trend within our society, and viewed from this perspective, the current fight against capitalist control of water takes on new meanings. We need to defend - and expand - communist practices in our society to show an anarchist communist society is possible, feasible and desirable! Imagine if not only water but everything was for free...