Tomás Ó Flatharta

Looking at Things from the Left

Posts Tagged ‘openish-border

“5 Takeaways from the Elections” by Paul Murphy and Diarmaid Flood, Rupture Magazine

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This is a recommended article. It is part of a very important discussion.

Link :
5 takeaways from the elections

With the final tallies counted and remaining seats filled, People Before Profits (PBP) Dublin South West and RISE members Diarmuid Flood and Paul Murphy review the deeply polarised Local and European Elections and outline five key takeaways.

For the second election in a row, dramatic political changes took place in the course of the local and European elections. Sinn Féin started the year polling around 30% and yet ended up with less than 12% nationally in the local Elections. Independents and Others started the year with around 15%, but won close to 25% on June 6th. Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael both hit 23%, coming from the high teens and around 20% respectively. In many ways, these appear to be the opposite political trends to what we saw in the General Election of 2020. Back then, Sinn Féin grew dramatically as hope for an end to 100 years of Fianna Fail and Fine Gael rule propelled them to be the biggest party in vote share for the first time ever. Volatility is clearly in the air.

However, what we saw in the five weeks of the election campaign did not come from nowhere. The election catalysed and accelerated existing processes. In the absence of major progressive social struggles, with the exception of the Palestine solidarity movement, the political terrain has undoubtedly shifted rightwards. Ireland has caught up with most of the rest of Europe and the Global North, with the emergence of a reactionary social movement in opposition to asylum seekers and the growth of a racist, climate denialist, anti-LGBTQ, and sexist far-right.

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“Sinn Féin’s disaster was the standout story of the weekend’s count” – Cedar Lounge Revolution Blog starts important discussion

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Overall, the June 7 2024 Local and European elections in the 26 County bit of Ireland were good news for the ruling coalition elected in February 2020. The Fianna Fáil-Fine Gael-Greens plus Gombeens (FFFGGG) combination scored an important victory, setting them up for a possible return to the seat of government in Dublin’s Leinster House in less than 12 months, when a new general election must happen.

Even worse, due to ominous rising support for Gombeen currents (primarily the Independent Ireland [II]) party and extreme racists, FFFG might be able to dump the Greens and rule on their own – or coalesce with the II gombeens and other toxic racist-right populists.

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Ireland : Government and opposition ‘giving in to far-right playbook’ – Hope and Courage Collective Speaks Out

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Source : https://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/government-and-opposition-giving-in-to-far-right-playbook-1632880.html

Government and opposition politicians are “giving in to the far-right playbook”, while anti-immigration demonstrations have become more aggressive since the Dublin riots, according to the director of the Hope and Courage Collective.

The Hope and Courage Collective, previously the Far Right Observatory, is a national civil society organisation “that works with community groups, advocacy groups, trade unions, activists and academics to stop hate organising in our communities and workplaces”.

The group works to “support communities and civil society to stay grounded, caring and resilient in the face of far-right hate, bigotry and extremism”.

Speaking at a recent Joint Policing Committee, Garda Assistant Commissioner Angela Willis said there has been a fall in anti-immigrant protests in Dublin. However, she noted the level of aggression at demonstrations has increased.

Director of Advocacy and Community Engagement at the Hope and Courage Collective Niamh McDonald told BreakingNews.ie that the group has noticed this trend, adding that anti-immigration demonstrations have become more organised.

Changed Racist Tactics – Blockades Outside Buildings Housing Immigrants

“We have noticed a change since the Dublin riots. It’s a change in the dynamics of the activity around these protests. We would concur that there is a drop in the numbers of people coming out, but the tactics have changed. We see the likes of blockades or encampments outside centres that have been copied across the country since January.

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Rory Hearne accuses Ciaran Mullooly of ‘hypocrisy’ in scathing attack on the “Independent Ireland” racist party – a wolf in Blueshirt clothes

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This is an Irish Independent Story, June 3 2024.

A few ex Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael Dáil Deputies formed Independent Ireland (IIP) recently, led by a man with a famous name, Michael Collins TD (Cork South-West).  The 1922 pro-treaty inheritors of the dead Michael Collins legacy went on to establish the failed fascist Blueshirts in the 1930’s led by Fine Gael’s first president Eoin O’Duffy.

The IIP is running two well known broadcasters (Ciarán  Mullooly and Niall Boylan) in the European elections.

Social Democrat Euro-Parliament candidate Rory Hearne presents a convincing left-wing anti-racist case against the IIP wolf in Blueshirt clothes.


Rory Hearne accuses Ciaran Mullooly of ‘hypocrisy’ in scathing attack on Independent Ireland

Rory Hearne. Social Democrat Candidate. Euro-Parliament. Ireland North-West


“Why won’t Mullooly and others call for tougher action against the real causes of the housing and homelessness crisis – the vulture funds and corporate landlords locking people out of a home, evicting people and raising the rents?”

Mr Hearn said Independent Ireland offers “no solutions” for the problems that have been caused due to a lack of accommodation.

“The election next week will set the course of Ireland and Europe for many years to come. Are we to turn into a divided society?

“Or are we going to come together and address the real causes of the ­crises, work on solutions together, and treat migrants and asylum-seekers with the dignity every human being deserves, and see migrants for how they positively contribute to and ­enrich our country.”

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Ireland’s Open(ish) Border – Sinn Féin on the Warpath

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Ireland’s Open(ish) Border – Sinn Féin on the Warpath

Sinn Féin’s is warning Irish voters about “Open Borders”.

The party is promoting relentless propaganda in the run-up to the June 7 2024 European and local elections in Ireland.

This leaflet from Balbrigggan (Dublin) is a local version of statewide propaganda.

Let’s ask ourselves a question : What’s wrong with Open Borders?

Andrew Flood calls the border in Ireland Open(ish) – and he is spot on. Here is why :

I say Open(ish) because for two decades black or brown people crossing that border have been stopped and told to produce ‘papers’ by the Garda (claiming to be doing random checks). Maybe they want such checks stepped up, if not what is the demand here?

The border between the EU and the rest of the world is so closed that 3,000 people died trying to sneak across it last year. Over 20 times the number of people killed crossing the Berlin Wall in the 28 years it existed. The border with the 6 counties is Open(ish) – is it that?

OK we all know this is a response to the far right working with FFFGGP to blame Sinn Féin on the government’s failure to plan & communicate for large number of Ukrainian refugees. But this shite is just going to underline that Sinn Féin are no more principled that the rest.

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