Month: June 2010
Ireland & the EU: Austerity programmes provoke general strikes and struggles
According to some Greek protesters Ireland is not like Greece - one banner on a demonstration read, “This is not Ireland, we will fight”. Finance Minister, Brian Lenihan, says the same but from a different stand point. He keeps repeating that Ireland is not like Greece in the hope that such an economic collapse won't happen here, precisely because he is afraid of a similar revolt of the Irish working class.
MEPs discuss protests across Europe this week
Following an appeal signed by 16 MEPs from the Left Group in the European Parliament (GUE/NGL), this week (21 to 26 June) has been designated as a "Week of Protest & Solidarity" across Europe - in opposition to the attacks on working people across Europe and in solidarity with the struggle in Greece.
Northern Ireland: Fight the Public Assemblies Bill
The Assembly Executive is preparing an act that will criminalise the right to protest. The “Public Assemblies Bill” proposed by the working group on parades after the Hillsborough Agreement will mean all protests of 50 or more people will be illegal acts unless they ask permission 37 days before hand!
Prison reform urgently needed
The resignation of Governor of the Women’s Prison, the Dochas Centre, Kathleen McMahon at the end of April, followed by the announcement of John Lonregan, Mountjoy Governor that he is stepping down from his position has given a glimpse of the massive problems in the Irish prison service.
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What you can do
Across Europe, the bosses and right-wing governments are trying to make ordinary people pay the price for their crisis. Workers and young people need to link up the many struggles taking place into co-ordinated, united action against attacks on our wages, conditions and futures. The 21-26 June will see a Europe-Wide week of Protest and Solidarity against the bosses’ onslaught with protests, pickets and public meetings being organised in Spain, Portugal, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Britain, Greece, Denmark, Cyprus, Italy & Sweden.
The need for a united European response of workers against the attacks
Attacks on working people are mounting right across Europe. The so-called PIGS (Portugal, Ireland & Italy, Greece, Spain) countries have been to the forefront of these attacks. In Ireland, we have seen €7 billion of cutbacks, seriously damaging public services, including health and education. In Greece, there has been a 10% cut in wages and spending in the public sector, together with an increased retirement age, VAT increases and the freezing of pensions. Portugal has a plan to cut its deficit by €11bn over four years through a crisis tax on wages and cutbacks in public services. The Spanish Parliament has passed cutbacks worth €15bn on top of €50bn already agreed. Italy is due to implement "emergency-cutbacks" of €24 bn.
Saville Inquiry – Role of army chiefs and establishment in killings and cover-up remains unanswered
The publication of the Report of the Bloody Sunday Inquiry, more commonly known as the Saville Inquiry, has brought to light, once again, the murderous and brutal lengths the British capitalist state is prepared to go to defend its interests. The Saville Inquiry, which cost nearly £200 million and lasted 12 years, has officially confirmed what everyone has known all along - that those who were murdered by the British Army on Bloody Sunday were innocent. What the inquiry has failed to expose or even attempt to explain, is what was the role of the Edward Heath Tory government in 1972 and the British army chiefs, in the events of Bloody Sunday and in the subsequent cover-up. On these crucial questions, the Saville Inquiry is silent and has failed. In that respect, it is another form of an official cover-up of the role of the British state in the events of that day and their aftermath.
Press Conference for Week of Protest & Solidarity
A joint press conference of different left groups building for the June 26th protest as part of the Europe-Wide week of protest was organised earlier this week. Here we report on the key points raised.
Pensions face axe as Cowen orders €3 billion cuts!
Angela Merkel and the major EU governments are taking an interest in making sure Irish working class people pay up for the economic crisis. They are going to check Brian Lenihan’s budgets from now on, just to make sure they contain enough cuts. And to pacify their “European partners”, Brian Cowen has ordered his Ministers to come up with €3 billion in cuts by the end of the month.