Tomás Ó Flatharta

Looking at Things from the Left

Archive for the ‘Ernest Mandel’ Category

Declaration from the Athens Conference on Debt and Austerity

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Afri – Action from Ireland –  is one of the groups that has signed the declaration below –

http://www.afri.ie/

Source :

http://www.internationalviewpoint.org/spip.php?article2173

The attempt to make working people and the poor bear the costs of the crisis, while the very rich escape, will be opposed by those in the firing line. The people of Greece, Ireland and Portugal, but also Poland, Hungary, Slovenia and elsewhere in Central and Eastern Europe, challenge the austerity policies of the EU and the IMF, oppose international financial power, and reject the slavery of debt. We call on people across the world to show solidarity with movements in these countries struggling against debt and the pernicious policies it brings in its wake.

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Written by tomasoflatharta

Jun 17, 2011 at 10:56 pm

Posted in European Union, Financial Crisis (September 2008 onwards), Greece, Hungary, Poland, Slovenia

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Eamon Gilmore – Are You telling the Truth, or Is that what you are telling the American Embassy?

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Labour Party Leader Eamon Gilmore, lord-lieutenant to King Kenny in the Dublin Government, is having a difficult time.

Did he have one policy in opposition, and is he following an opposite line in government?

Yes,  we will come to that – but first something completely different –

Gene Kerrigan  reports on the Labour Party leader’s reaction to the defeat of the first Lisbon treaty referendum in 2008: Read the rest of this entry »

Written by tomasoflatharta

Jun 6, 2011 at 9:54 pm

Posted in European Union, General Election 2011, Ireland, Labour Party (Ireland), Referendums, United Left Alliance, USA

Six County Referendum on May 5 – Alternative Vote or First Past the Post?

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Gavin Stamp has published what appears to be an accurate summary of party political opinions about the Alternative Vote Versus First Past the Post Referendum on the BBC website

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-11609887

The six-county summary is interesting – I do not know if People Before Profit has a position – I hope Socialist Workers’ Party members declare a mini unilateral declaration of independence from the London mother-ship – judging from Mark P’s comment

https://tomasoflatharta.com/2011/04/26/do-most-british-far-left-groups-understand-proportional-voting-systems/#comments

the Socialist Party is a lost cause, this chip will not stray too far from its block! Read the rest of this entry »

Written by tomasoflatharta

Apr 30, 2011 at 12:51 pm

Posted in Britain, European Union, General Election 2011, Ireland, People Before Profit, Referendums, Six County Elections 2011, Socialist Party

Do Most British Far-Left Groups Understand Proportional Voting Systems?

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The answer appears to be a resounding NO!

In Ireland – both sides of the border – we are used to the Proportional Representation (PR) Voting System – it is used for all state elections in the part of Ireland ruled from Dublin – the other bit, ruled from Belfast, uses PR for assembly and local elections, but is lumbered with the First Past the Post method in Westminster polls.

The system is not perfect by any means – but it does mean seats are won more or less in proportion to votes cast – it would be even more proportional if constituencies were larger than the current five seat limit which applies in 26 County Dáil elections, or if we used a list system, as is used in the German State. Read the rest of this entry »

Written by tomasoflatharta

Apr 26, 2011 at 1:59 pm

Posted in Britain, European Union, Ireland, People Before Profit, Referendums, Sinn Féin, Six County Elections 2011, Socialist Party

Should Irish Times ex-Trot Journalists Throw Stones in their Glass-House?

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This is a fascinating article about the far-left history of many new TD’s.

Left Lineages

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2011/0304/1224291281717.html

where the talented author Patrick Smyth observes “Today the majority of them, now firmly in the bosom of Labour, have rejected revolution, embrace wholeheartedly its centrist social democratic values, and are politically indistinguishable from their Old Labour colleagues.”

Absolutely right.

Ex-comrade Patrick Smyth advises his current fellow-thinkers not to get too alarmed by the growth of the real fighting left “Although the ULA should work as an informal marriage of convenience, attempts to create a party out of its constituent elements may prove more difficult. Ideological purity on the hard left comes easier than the much-desired oxymoron that is “left unity”. Read the rest of this entry »

Written by tomasoflatharta

Mar 5, 2011 at 4:06 pm

Posted in European Union, General Election 2011, Ireland, Labour Party (Ireland), People Before Profit, Socialist Party, United Left Alliance

Joan Collins to Offer Radical Alternative – RTE’s Frontline Programme, Monday February 21

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Message from the Joan Collins Site :

“I have agreed to go on panel on Frontline on Monday evening. It’s on after the  9pm news. Also last Friday I had a BBC Panorama crew with me for the afternoon in Drimnagh. They are doing an election special on Ireland, also on Monday evening.”

http://joan-collins.org/2011/02/19/appearing-on-panel-on-frontlines-rte-monday-night/

Joan’s campaign was featured in the Irish Times, Thursday February 17 :

Collins aims to offer radical alternative

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2011/0217/1224290025041.html

Joan Collins Flyer :

http://irishelectionliterature.wordpress.com/2011/02/09/flyer-from-joan-collins-people-before-profit-united-left-alliance-dublin-south-central/

500 Words from Joan Collins :

http://www.drimnaghisgood.com/2011/02/16/500-words-from-joan-collins-people-before-profit-canidate-for-dublin-south-central/

United Left Alliance Prospects? Read the rest of this entry »

Written by tomasoflatharta

Feb 20, 2011 at 3:42 pm

Posted in European Union, Fianna Fáil, Financial Crisis (September 2008 onwards), Fine Gael, General Election 2011, Green Party, Ireland, Labour Party (Ireland), Opinion Polls, People Before Profit, Sinn Féin, Socialist Party, United Left Alliance

Lunch Discussion with Susan George: ‘Global Crises Coming Home’ – Tues 18th Jan 1pm, Central Hotel, Dublin

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Lunch Discussion with Susan George: ‘Global Crises Coming Home’ – Tues 18th Jan 1pm, Central Hotel, Dublin

More Information  on the event Here :

http://www.irishleftreview.org/2011/01/13/lunch-discussion-susan-george-global-crises-coming-home-tues-18th-jan-1pm-central-hotel-dublin/

More About Susan here :

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Written by tomasoflatharta

Jan 13, 2011 at 7:39 pm

Posted in European Union, Financial Crisis (September 2008 onwards), Ireland

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