Declaration from the Athens Conference on Debt and Austerity
Afri – Action from Ireland – is one of the groups that has signed the declaration below –
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.
Keep Sunday Pay and Overtime Rates! Support Dáil Motion, Wednesday June 22, 6.30pm
The United Left Alliance will be putting a motion to the Dáil on Wednesday 22nd June. Come to the protest at the Dáil during the debate and vote at 6:30pm
Kenny-Gilmore Government Robs the Poor
UNITED LEFT ALLIANCE
Keep Sunday Pay and Overtime Rates!
RESIST MINISTER BRUTON’S ATTACKS!
Protest at the Dáil 6:30pm Wed 22nd June
The Fine Gael Minister, Richard Bruton, is planning to attack the earnings and conditions of low-paid workers. Read the rest of this entry »
Watch Out! – Dodgy Survey Suggests “Most Northern Ireland Catholics want to remain in UK”
Elizabethan Fun - Opinion Poll shows there are 12 million republicans in Great Britain
This Irish News headline caught my eye on the way to work this morning – “Most Catholics Want to Stay in the UK : Poll”.
A table on page 7 suggests a huge swing against a United Ireland among Catholics between the years 1998 and 2010 –
support for “staying part of the UK” rose from 19 to 52 per cent, while “Reunify with the Rest of Ireland” slumped from 49 per cent to 33 per cent.
Readers of this site know that we respect polls based on credible scientific research – how does this poll stand up?
Very badly is the blunt answer. Read the rest of this entry »
Resistance to the Cuts : News from the Irish Times and RTÉ’s Liveline Radio Show
The Irish Times of Wednesday June 15 was very unusual –
it carried two useful news reports about campaigns against Government-inspired cutbacks.
Dublin Bus is cutting services.
While the newspaper story headline is a bland
Dublin Bus plans further route changes
the story offers a different perspective from :
Save Our Bus Services, which says the changes are in fact cuts to services, which will hurt the old, the disabled and schoolchildren most. Read the rest of this entry »
Irish Soccer Players Won’t Play for Prodestan (aka Northern Ireland) – but Will Tog Out for Trapattoni’s Boys in Green – Let’s Discuss the Elephant in the Room
Irish Soccer Players Won’t Play for Prodestan (aka Northern Ireland) – but Will Tog Out for Trapattoni’s Boys in Green – Let’s Discuss the Elephant in the Room
Prodiban
Protestant Christian Fundamentalists of the North of Ireland’s Bible belt. Often claim that the world is only 6000 years old. This belief is founded on the work of James Ussher. Many also believe that the Giant’s Causeway of North Antrim was formed after the biblical flood experienced by Noah in the bible. Many of the prodiban also believe that Catholics on grounds of their Popery should not be allowed the right to vote.
Followers of the Free Presbyterian Church are members of the Prodiban
Prodestan
An imagined community/nation/country/province, soccer team of the Prodiban.i Under pressure because many young players are declaring their allegiance to international near-neighbour and rival team, the Republic of Ireland.
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Fans of the Splintered Sunrise blog know all about Mullah Jim and the Prodiban – Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV) leader Jim Allister. Mullah Jim Rallies the Prodiban Troops
That blog also features hard-to-believe-but-true stories about Ian Parsley – a party-hopping Alliance/Conservative/UCUNF/Unionist candidate who unsuccessfully sought the votes of dyslexic Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) faithful, unaware that Ian Paisley (Senior)’s name is no longer on Euro-Parliament ballot papers.
Ian (not Paisley) Parsley of North Down
Not-Paisley-Parsley did not run in the recent Stormont Assembly poll – he seems to have run out of Unionist-lite parties which will nominate him for yet another electoral defeat. Ian is now examining sporting failure on his chosen home patch – the Norn Iron soccer team is doing badly, and their prospects are darkened by the decision of a magnificent seven – Barton, Duffy, Ferguson, George, Gibson, Kearns and Wilson – to pledge their international allegiance to the Republic of Ireland team and refuse a call-up from Prodestan manager Nigel Worthington. Read the rest of this entry »
The United Left Alliance in Dublin Central
The United Left Alliance (ULA) has held a series of launch meetings since the February 25 General Election.
This is a report of the Dublin Central Gathering, held on Monday May 30 in the Teachers Club, 36 Parnell Square.
About 34 people attended. 
The meeting was chaired by Eddie Conlon of the ULA A Steering Committee and the speakers were :
Joan Collins TD ULA/People Before Profit (PBP) Dublin South-Central.
Paul Murphy Member of the European Parliament (MEP) ULA/Socialist Party (SP) –
[Paul took over the seat vacated by Joe Higgins, who is now a TD for Dublin West]
Colm Stephens PBP/Socialist Workers’ Party (SWP) Dublin Central.
Joan Collins opened the meeting with fresh news that an actor who shares the socialist TD’s name was recently hit by the property crash – Read the rest of this entry »
Eamon Gilmore – Are You telling the Truth, or Is that what you are telling the American Embassy?
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 »
Water Privatisation Protest – Croke Park Conference Centre, Tuesday May 31, 8.30am
Water Privatisation is Coming – the five United Left Alliance TD’s have called a Protest at 8.30am, Tuesday May 31, Croke Park Conference Centre, Dublin 1 – Primary Privateer is Phil Hogan, Minister for the Environment
http://www.eventznet.com/evx/acs/iquest/watersummit11/Speakers.aspx
No to Water Tax! No to Meters! Keep Water Public!
Protest at during Minister’s speech at big business conference organised
to prepare for water meter installation – Supported by the United Left
Alliance
www.unitedleftalliance.org
For more info tel Michael @ 0872400331, Eddie @ 0876775468 or Sinéad @ 0877712160This
week a senior engineer told Cork City Councillors that 60% of that
city’s water supply leaked out of the system. This situation is repeated
up and down the country to one degree or another.However
instead of investing the resources needed to repair our water supply as
a matter of urgency this government is determined to press on with the
crazy strategy of installing water meters in homes that don’t already
have one. This is estimated to cost €600 million. The government
intends to fund this by introducing a flat rate ‘utility charge’ next
year and then once meters are installed to begin charging people based
on their use of water. Read the rest of this entry »
Alternative to Bank Bailouts And Cutbacks – United Left Alliance Public Meeting, May 30, Teachers’ Club, 36 Parnell Square
The Alternative to
Bank Bailouts
And Cutbacks
8.00pm, Monday May 30
Teachers’ Club, 36 Parnell Square, Dublin 1 Read the rest of this entry »
“Be advised, my passport’s green / No glass of ours was ever raised / To toast The Queen.”
“Be advised, my passport’s green / No glass of ours was ever raised / To toast The Queen.”
Séamus Heaney wrote those marvellous lines in 1983, but he has changed his mind :
“• Another day of triumph for the Queen in Dublin. Who could fail to be seduced by her charm and poise these days? Certainly not Seamus Heaney, for there he was at the Dublin Castle banquet, raising a glass to toast the lady herself. There he was, feted with the top people at the top table, placed between Big Dave and Prince Philip. Not a care in the world and not a thought for the poem he published in 1983. Let us remind ourselves of An Open Letter. “Be advised, my passport’s green / No glass of ours was ever raised / To toast The Queen.” One-nil to Liz, we think.”
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2011/may/20/hugh-muir-diary-lars-von-trier
Sadly, Heaney has lots of company among the masters of the Leinster House Universe and their toadies :
As Raymond Deane says :
“Hugh Muir in The Guardian points out an irony that the Irish embedded media chose to miss.”
One segment of the Irish embedded media also noticed the poet’s changed mind :
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/weekend/2011/0521/1224297441669.html?via=mr
Perhaps Heaney will now be included in the ranks of (West) British Poets :
Tomás Ó Flatharta 