Rent allowance slashed

Below is an article written by the sister section of the Socialist Party in the US, Socialist Alternative. A tremendous struggle in the US resulted in the historic Roe vs. Wade ruling in 1973 that legalised abortion. In the light of the restricting of abortion rights in a whole number of US states in recent years, as well as the current growing mood and movement for abortion rights in Ireland, the lessons from this struggle are really relevant, as well it being a timely moment to ask how the right to choose can be won permanently for women.

One hundred people attended a meeting on the Household Tax in Galway, 700 in Donegal, over 80 in limerick. And all these before the government’s legislation was passed and the issue came centre stage in the media. Already in January, 120 attended a meeting in Gorey, Wexford. 400 met to discuss the Septic Tank Tax and the Household Tax in County Limerick. 90 people protested outside Galway City Council in early January.

Across Europe, working people are being hammered with hundreds of billions of euros of cutbacks. The result is a slashing of living standards, deteriorating public services, lower wages and over 23 million unemployed in the eurozone. To help build a unified fight back across Europe the Socialist Party together with other left groups in Ireland have endorsed the European Wide week of action initiated by Joe Higgins MEP and 15 other left wing MEPs. Here we post the text of the joint leaflet.

The last months have seen a disgusting campaign of stigmatisation and vilification of prostitutes in Limerick. Local business owners, such as rugby star Jerry Flannery, have taken to local and social media attacking prostitutes in the most vile of language, whilst the Gardai have begun a new policy of taking those selling sex to court to get civil orders banning them from parts of the city associated with on-street prostitution.