BY MARK McKELVEY
THE announcement that water charges have been put on hold until the new power-sharing Executive is established has been hailed widely; however, there is still a belief this could be a false optimism.
Warnings came from Anton McCabe of the Omagh We Wont Pay Campaign who welcomed Monday's announcement with reservations, emphasising the need for the campaign to continue.
Water bills were set to be delivered to householders across the North this week until the historic harmonious coming together of the DUP and Sinn Féin on Monday.
It is widely believed that Secretary of State Peter Hain has been using the widespread community objection to water charges as a political tool to influence the return to devolution. For four years, direct rule ministers insisted there was no alternative to household water charges, now Mr Hain has done a complete U-turn stating "water charges can be suspended - or even abolished by the new executive".
Yet Mr McCabe said this is definitely humiliating for the government; the ease with which they can change such important decisions, illustrates the unfairness of these charges.
"We totally welcome Monday's decision," said the Omagh protester. "It shows to the people in the streets and housing estates in the Omagh district that, if you are doing things here on a local level, you can act get results quite high up.
"We think this definitely gives the campaign a major boost. It says to people that all their threats about taking court action against people who choose not to pay were fruitless. It says that the local political parties have been forced to recognise the groundswell of opposition from below."
However, Mr McCabe highlighted the false sense of optimism amongst the people that this issue has now gone away because of the devolution of power, stressing the campaign must continue until these assurances are made permanent.
"I think unless or until we receive a final abolition of these charges, the 'We won't pay campaign' is still going and is still keeping its powder dry," he declared.
"If the pressure isn't kept on, I think there is a strong danger that water charges will still be introduced. This really shows that pressure works and that campaigning works. People have to keep campaigning to make it clear that water charges are unacceptable.
"What we need to see is water charges definitely going off the agenda. We already pay for our water through our rates; this is about double taxation and moving towards privatisation."
The new charging system, linked to the value of homes, was due to start in April. The parties are now seeking further discussions with Gordon Brown to increase the financial package on offer so they can scrap the water charges without having to dip into finances set aside for other sectors such as education and health.
