Trinity
The Left Unity Blogging Network has this post today:
comment on wall from H. Silke : “Not one but two different component parts of the ULA organised public meetings clashing with the ULA’s Dublin city branch meeting (at the same time and place). Hardly driving confidence in joined up thinking never mind revolution? :-/”
and asks, “Can anyone shed any light on the matter?”
Well yes, and it all sheds light on the Babel that is the ULA and the need concentrate on the ULA as an organisation. Last night the Dublin Central Branch held its (well attended) monthly meeting in the Teachers Club, Parnell Square, Dublin. I was astonished to see posters in town for a Socialist Party public meeting at the same time in the Teachers Club on the Fiscal Treaty. Wait, we have a troika of our own. Socialst Democracy, an informal component of the ULA, had a public meeting at the same time in the Teachers Club, with Conor McCabe speaking on the economy. This seems to have been reasonably well-attended too.
Now all three meetings were very worthy of attention and attendance. And no doubt it was all the kind of mix up that we all do on occasion, and was no disrespect to the Dublin Central ULA trying to gather all ULA members and sympathisers in the area for a Branch meeting. But it was also a symptom of disengagement by the components from the ULA itself, of everybody doing their own thing and of little reference into the organisation and schedules of the ULA. And, all three meetings could have been held under the banner of the ULA, and why not. And all three may even have been combined in some way, to cut down on all the subdivision of action and multiplication of energy that is a feature of the left – and the broad social response to austerity too – at the moment.
Des Derwin
Nonaligned ULA members (a few) meet in Dublin
A small meeting for nonaligned ULA members was held in Dublin on Saturday. The short notice and confined notification obviously affected the attendance.
This turned out to be the Dublin leg of a series of meetings, others being in Cork and Galway.
A fair and friendly discussion took place.
It was agreed to pencil in 18th February for a national nonaligned meeting. An email will go out to nonaligned members through the ULA mailing list (hopefully).
Time to legislate for life-saving abortion – 20th Anniversary of the Infamous X Case, February 1992
Time to legislate for life-saving abortion
Irish State Tries to Intern a 14 Year Old Raped Suicidal Girl Seeking An Abortion
Where to now for the ULA?: Eddie Conlon & Brendan Young
Where to now for the ULA?
Eddie Conlon, Brendan Young.
Repostedfrom the Cedar Lounge:
http://cedarlounge.wordpress.com/2012/01/24/talking-about-your-ula/#comment-113748
We offer the following as a contribution to the developing debate about the future of the ULA. As a conferences has now been called for April 21 we would hope that a wide ranging debate would take place about the future of the ULA. Members and branches should also submit ideas to the sub-committee that has been established to look at the ULA’s structures.
The establishment of the ULA was a big step forward for the left particularly for those of us who have promoted the idea of left unity as the basis for the establishment of a new mass workers party. The ULA must be nurtured and developed and allowed to grow at a pace that maintains the unity that has been established while at the same time creating a forward momentum based on united work, real and respectful internal debate and discussion and an acknowledgement that it will take time for the ULA to move beyond being an alliance to some kind of unitary formation that will from the nucleus of a new party. Read the rest of this entry »
ULA News: Household and Water Tax; Mortgage and debt; April Conference
ULA news update
[ULA email 1st february 2012]:
1) Household Tax
During the last three weeks the Campaign Against the Household and Water Taxes has been organising meetings all over the country. The feedback from the meetings and the campaign’s low cost phone line have been positive and encouraging. Many members of the ULA are already involved in this campaign in one way or another.
It is very important that every member gets involved now as the campaign is entering an intense phase of activity as it tries to consolidate mass non registration and non payment at the same time as building active campaigns everywhere. In doing this members will be positively profiling the ULA on a vital issue. Read the rest of this entry »
Enda Kenny Grins For The Gintry – But Can He Stop A Referendum on the new EU Fiscal Treaty?
Enda Kenny was one of the courtly mummers in the presence of her britannic majesty in 2011 – good practice for 2012!
See Also :
Old Kenny Apologises For Ireland to the Gintry
http://www.irishleftreview.org/2012/01/27/kenny-apologises-ireland-gintry/
UPDATE :
Enda told Nicolas he would stop an Irish Referendum on the new European Union fiscal treaty – has the Taoiseach broken another promise?
The ruling class discreetly applauds the Fine Gael leader’s broken promises to the little people – such as when he went back on a pre-election pledge to stop the closure of Roscommon Hospital.
http://www.endakenny.com/?p=213
But Enda won’t get any ear-grabs for letting down the big people – a much more serious mistake!
Article 27 and the Independent TDs
A group of Independent TDs who want Europe’s new fiscal treaty put to a referendum will seek to use a little known constitutional provision to petition the President to do so, it has emerged.
Under Article 27 of the Constitution, a Bill can be referred to a referendum if requested by at least one third of the Dáil, and a majority of the Seanad.
Donegal South West TD Thomas Pringle said he was “hopeful of achieving that requirement.”
http://cedarlounge.wordpress.com/2012/02/01/article-27-and-the-independent-tds/
ULA Conference: April 21st
Tomás is reliably informed that the ULA conference postponed from early February for ‘a month’ will take place in April (Saturday 21st). Apparently the Campaign Against Household And Water Charges will be full steam ahead in March (St Patrick’s day being judgement day on the level of registration, begorragh). Eggs in baskets? Eggs hidden deep in the nest?
Tomás Ó Flatharta 