Tomás Ó Flatharta

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Archive for the ‘Elected Left for Ukraine’ Category

Rory Hearne: Tackling Housing Crisis & Far-Right in Ireland | European Elections

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Link : Rory Hearne – We need Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael to be decimated

“We Need Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael to be Decimated”

Readers can note a welcome statement here in solidarity with Ukraine against the Russian imperialist far-right invaders :

In terms of the broader issues facing Europe, the EU has largely gone for a containment strategy against Russia in the Ukrainian war. It’s difficult to see too any other viable approach, given that the continent is faced with such a dangerous – not to mention nuclear-armed – adversary in Vladimir Putin. It truly is an absolute nightmare.

“It is,” nods Hearne. “Europe has responded in the best way it could. We rightfully absolutely opposed the horrific invasion of Ukraine. There’s no question the Russian invasion is imperialist, and it was horrific watching it. I would support how the EU has responded, and I’m proud of Ireland taking in Ukrainian refugees. What I’d say is we have to continue to support Ukraine. I think we also need to find ways of peace, and ways of not creating a permanent war there.”

See also : Ukraine and Palestine: building real solidarity is hard work

The left in Ireland needs to commit itself to a policy of no governmental coalition with the political right in any circumstances. See here : Vote left transfer pact June 7 2024 – positive PBP proposal

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Bizarre Things that American Con Artists and Clare Daly MEP Believe or Don’t Believe

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Joan McKiernan, who has been a socialist activist in both the United States and Ireland, reports. Joan also writes for Against the Current https://againstthecurrent.org/joan-mckiernan/

When I was teaching college sociology, I used to do a session on the bizarre things that Americans believe or don’t believe. Like, only 60% of Americans believe in evolution. 10% believe that chocolate milk comes from brown cows, to mention a few notable examples. Long ago, Mark Twain remarked, “It is easier to trick the average person, than it is to convince them that they have been tricked.”  

I should not have been surprised then during the Trump era and the pandemic, we saw so many Americans accepting untruths, refusing masks and vaccines, refusing to believe that Covid was real, even as they went to their deaths. And during these years after Trump’s defeat, so many still refuse to accept facts, electoral counts, data. We are told there are alternative versions of facts! 

So now we have the same lack of truth applied to support for Ukrainians resistance against the Russian invasion and destruction of their country. Recently, this was seen in this article, The Con Artists Who Blame Ukraine Aid for America’s Social Problems, in which independent presidential candidate and anti-vaxxer, RFK Jr., Green Party candidate Cornel West, Glenn Greenwald, and other Putin apologists are making disingenuous, pseudo-populist arguments against U.S. support for Ukraine. Rather than looking at capitalist exploitation, the Trump tax cuts, unemployment and low wages for the majority, they are blaming the Ukrainian support for all of the US social problems.  
https://newrepublic.com/article/173902/ukraine-war-cost-russian-propaganda-rfk-jr-greenwald  

The Con Artists Who Blame Ukraine Aid for America’s Social Problems

The reliance on untruths, twisted thinking and re-writing of history is no longer just an American characteristic. This week Irish member of the European Parliament, Clare Daly, came out with her own bizarre explanation of how to deal with the Ukraine war. She says, “The US sat down with the Taliban.” praised the role of United States in the Irish Good Friday Peace Agreement and said the international community should try and do something similar in Ukraine.  She accuses the West of giving arms in order to keep the war in Ukraine going! 

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The war unleashed by Putin’s regime threatens its stability. Why? Because of Ukrainian Resistance

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Andrew Murray, a leading spokesperson of the British Stop the War Campaign, has attempted to write an explanation of the Prigozhin Coup.

A Ceasefire is more important than ever

A schoolchild can demolish this writer’s approach :

My comments are in bold italics and red.

John Meehan (JM)

I deploy a technique well known to effective teachers. One of those teachers explained that, even when you are dealing with the brightest pupils, you need to repeatedly state necessary concrete practical action and analysis so it gets through to the listeners and readers.

Andrew Murray (AM) :

“The case for a ceasefire in the Ukraine conflict is made all the more compelling by the events in Russia.”

John Meehan (JM)

The “events in Russia” have been caused by Ukrainian resistance. There is a “compelling” case to continue and deepen this resistance.

AM :

“The mercenary Wagner group launched an armed insurrection to depose the leadership of the Russian military. Had it been successful, Russia’s military, including its vast nuclear arsenal, could have fallen into the hands of an enraged oligarch.”

JM:

Russia’s “vast nuclear arsenal” is already in the hands of an enraged oligarch – Vladimir Putin.


“The adventure is a product of the failure of Russia’s war to achieve its objectives in Ukraine. Indeed, Wagner boss Prigozhin has belatedly declared that the whole invasion last year was unnecessary and predicated on lies.”

JM:

Precisely. The co-leader of the invasion has declared – unlike Stop The War (Britain) – that there was no threat to Russia from NATO, and no plans by Ukraine to invade Russia.

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Delegates Give Standing Ovation to Speakers from the Trade Union of Education and Science Workers of Ukraine – Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (INTO) Conference 2023

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Gregor Kerr reports : “Very powerful address to INTO Congress by 2 reps of TU of Education and Science Workers of Ukraine. 2 standing ovations.”. Well done Kateryna Maliuta-Osaulova and Olga Chabaniuk.

Delegates at #INTOCongress23 were moved by the addresses of Kateryna Maliuta-Osaulova and Olha Chabaniuk of the Trade Union of Education and Science Workers of Ukraine this afternoon, giving them a standing ovation. Delegates heard there is no person in Ukraine who hasn’t felt the effects of war. In education, 3,120 educational institutions have been damaged.

One of the most painful consequences of teaching in the war is seeing the psychological breakdown of children and students, Congress heard.

After the speech, Ukrainian pupils from St Oliver’s NS Killarney, joined INTO President John Driscoll on stage, while guest speakers, Kateryna and Olha displayed the Ukrainian flag. #StandwithUkraine

Link Here : https://www.facebook.com/INTOnews

International Women’s Day 2023 in Ireland – Show Solidarity With the Women of Ukraine – Wednesday March 8, The Spire, O’Connell Street, Dublin

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On 8 March, Wednesday, #IWD an International Women’s Day march assembles 17.30 at The Spire, Dublin.

The Irish Left with Ukraine, part of the European Network with Ukraine will attend will attend to show our solidarity with the Ukrainian resistance and the Ukrainian feminist resistance.

. #IWD2023March

Links : https://www.facebook.com/groups/irishleftwithukraine @EuropeanWith https://ukraine-solidarity.eu/

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The Irish Left’s response to Russia’s war on Ukraine – Debate on the letters page of the Irish Times – Part Two

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We published a post covering the Irish left’s response to Russia’s imperialist invasion of Ukraine on February 25 :

https://tomasoflatharta.com/2023/02/25/russias-imperialist-genocidal-and-ethnic-cleansing-invasion-appeasing-putins-aggression-will-not-bring-peace/

We included references to an Irish Times letter signed by 12 Oireachtas public representatives ((TD’s and Senators) – which prompted several critical replies. One of the original Oireachtas 12, Senator Tom Clonan, responded positively to the critics.

On Wednesday March Ivana Bacik TD (Labour Party Leader) joined the discussion – robustly stating

We believe that it is misguided for anyone on the left in Ireland to call for a ceasefire, without making any reference to the need for Russian withdrawal from this illegal and barbaric occupation

Ivana Bacik TD, Irish Labour Party Leader
Ivana Bacik TD (Irish Labour Party Leader) and others discuss the Irish left’s response to Russia’s imperialist invasion of Ukraine

Ivana Bacik’s letter is below, along with a number of other letters.

Left’s response to Russia’s war on Ukraine

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The first anniversary of the imperialist military invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation on 24 February 2022 – Statement by Irish Left With Ukraine (ILWU)

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The Ukrainian people are foremost on our minds as they suffer under and resist the Russian invasion. Anyone who considers themselves an opponent of imperialism should be in support of their resistance.   

We in the ILWU — socialists, anarchists, feminists, trade unionists, anti-imperialists — have watched with dismay, however, as many on the Western left who have campaigned vigorously against US imperialism have failed to recognise the need to do the same with respect to Russian imperialism. If Ukraine has the right to self-determination and to resist the dismemberment and partition of their state then Irish socialists should expend their energy on seeking out practical means of supporting the Ukrainian people’s struggle. This struggle echoes the same fight Ireland undertook over a century ago.

Some left-wing organisations oppose deliveries of weapons to Ukraine. They are fast becoming isolated in the international labour movement. Trade unions, social movements, and organised left-wing parties across the European continent are mobilising in support of the Ukrainian right to self determination.

Indeed some left-wing organisations oppose deliveries of weapons to Ukraine. They are fast becoming isolated in the international labour movement. Trade unions, social movements, and organised left-wing parties across the European continent are mobilising in support of the Ukrainian right to self determination.

Support Irish State Mine Clearance in Ukraine

The ILWU makes this statement to publicly register our support for Irish assistance, by the Irish Defence Forces, with mine clearance in Ukraine. Mine clearance is humanitarian work that will save lives, will clear land to enable farming, and will make towns and villages habitable once again. Defence Forces personnel will use their specialist demining skills to train Ukrainians in this activity.

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Elected Left for Ukraine Launched

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Left-Wing elected representatives launch global solidarity network with Ukraine

Declaration [English, Deutsch, Polski, Español, Catalá, Ελληνικά, Italiano, Français]

List of signatures here.For more information: representatives@ukraine-solidarity.eu

“Without the mobilisation of the working people of Ukraine in their millions, the country would never have withstood Vladimir Putin’s criminal invasion one year ago. Now they need solidarity from working people everywhere to help win their country’s definitive liberation.”

“Without the mobilisation of the working people of Ukraine in their millions, the country would never have withstood Vladimir Putin’s criminal invasion one year ago. Now they need solidarity from working people everywhere to help win their country’s definitive liberation.”

With these words, Stéfanie Prezioso, deputy for Ensemble a Gauche in the Swiss Parliament, announced the formation of the global network Elected Left for Ukraine.

Prezioso said that the network will build support for Ukraine’s military and civil resistance among left and progressive elected officials from all levels of government.

One of the first signatories is John McDonnell, British MP for the Labour Party, and a founder member of his country’s Ukraine Solidarity Campaign. He is joined by Argentine MP Juan Carlos Giordano (Labour and Left Front) who recently visited Ukraine with material aid for Ukrainian trade unions, and to learn more from feminist and left groups resisting the Russian invasion. They are joined by more than 50 representatives from Germany, Denmark, Ireland, Switzerland, France, Spain, Italy, the UK, Argentina, Brazil and Peru, elected at municipal, regional and national level, and in the European Parliament.

Søren Søndergaard, deputy for the Red-Green Alliance in the Danish parliament, who joined Prezioso in announcing the initiative, explained that the Elected Left for Ukraine network will mobilise political solidarity and material aid to Ukraine’s trade union, feminist, environmental and human rights organisations.

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