Month: January 2013
The truth about the deficit
The following letter was sent by Paul Murphy MEP to Minister Varadkar, to clarify the facts made on the 27 January episode of The Week in Politics. Below is a link to the program for any who missed it,
People of the Sahel caught between right-wing regimes & terror groups
The ‘butterfly effect’ is used to explain a complicated theory touching on mathematics and meteorology. It posits that the flap of the slender wings of a butterfly could create minuscule changes in the atmosphere that might ultimately be sufficiently enhanced to accelerate or delay a faraway tornado or alter its path. The idea might help explain recent dramatic events in the Sahel region of north Africa, notably the French military intervention in Mali and the murderous events at the In Amenas energy plant in south east Algeria.
Property Tax: A new low for Labour & Fine Gael
The planned Property Tax is a new low for this Labour / Fine Gael government. It amounts to straightforward robbery of working class people, as well as a huge attack on people’s civil liberties.
The ULA, the fight against austerity & building a new party of the working class
The Socialist Party has ended its membership of the ULA. We do so with regret as we initiated the negotiations that led to the ULA and are genuine in our preparedness to work with others on the left in a respectful, democratic and principled fashion.
Ireland & the presidency of the EU – Instability, unemployment, recession
The Irish political establishment will no doubt use its presidency of the EU to paint a rosy picture of a ‘social' European Union. But such a picture will jar dramatically with the reality of an EU that is the driving force in the austerity destroying lives in Ireland and elsewhere in Europe.
Government to privatise pensions?
Joan Burton’s announcement that a universal pension scheme will be established for private sector workers on the surface can be seen to be a step in dealing with the crisis many workers without pensions will face on retirement.
Film Review: Lincoln
The theatrical release of Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln is situated between important events and anniversaries. This past 22 September marked the 150th anniversary of the preliminary draft of the Emancipation Proclamation, 6 November saw the re-election of the first black president, Barack Obama, to a second term and 1 January, 2013 is the 150th anniversary of the final implementation of the Emancipation Proclamation.
Richest 100 earned enough in 2012 to end global poverty four times over
So, it turns out Bob Geldoff, Bono, and countless charity organisations have been wrong this whole time. Making poverty history doesn't require the generosity of all, just the mountains of cash hoarded by the top 100 richest people in the world.
How to fight the Property Tax
The household tax was fought to a standstill by a campaign which involved perhaps 20,000 - 30,000 people taking some kind of action linked to 700,000 people who simply didn't register and didn't pay.
Crucial juncture in struggle for abortion rights
Savita Halappanavar’s death prompted the vast majority of ordinary women and men in this country to ask the same question as Savita’s husband Praveen: “How can this happen in a country like Ireland in the 21st century?”