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More cuts to education for children, yet more bailouts for bondholders
Last week thousands of parents, teachers and pupils staged a passionate demonstration at the Department of Education in Dublin. They were from schools benefiting from the programme known as ‘Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools’ or DEIS which was designed to counter the many ill effects on children living in areas of high unemployment and poverty.
There is an alternative to the chaos of the market system
Roger Altman was the Deputy Finance Minister in the government of US President Bill Clinton in 1993/’94. He is now an investment banker and a member of the international big business think tank, The Bilderberg Group . Not a radical socialist then.
Budget will only serve to hammer the poor and vulnerable
It’s said that when the Chairman of a major football club vows that an under-pressure manager has his full confidence and protection, the Manager should prepare for a hit. Sadly in the cynical world of the Irish political establishment we have an equivalent phenomenon.
Budget will expose Labour Party dishonesty
Budget Day looms for the Fine Gael/Labour Government. On Tuesday, December 6, it will be clear for all to see how this government lives up to the claims of its leaders upon taking office in March, that it was the product of a ‘democratic revolution’ and represented a fundamental break with the cynical establishment politics of the past.
The Markets rule in Europe
As recently as a year ago when I and others on the Left wrote and spoke about ‘the dictatorship of the financial markets’ many people thought we were exaggerating. However after the events of the past few weeks, can there be any doubt but that we are witnessing a full frontal assault on democratic rights by European bondholders, bankers and speculators facilitated by the leadership of the European Union?
Paul Murphy MEP visiting Gaza
Socialist Party MEP, Paul Murphy, is currently visiting Gaza as part of a delegation of parliamentarians, to see the conditions first hand. Paul will be keeping a diary of the events and reflections, and you can read them on his blog. Here we post his report from the first day there.
Paul Murphy MEP speaks out at end of seven days detention in Israel
- Lie after lie told by Israeli regime
- Length and conditions of detention clearly an attempt to intimidate activists – will not be successful
- Thanks to activists internationally for solidarity protests
Labour has cravenly capitulated to all the demands for savage cuts
Winning the Presidential and Dublin West By elections was hailed as a great day for the Labour Party. While these victories undoubtedly took some of the pressure off the party and its leader, Eamon Gilmore, a sober assessment will conclude that these amount to a small upward blip on a graph that will soon be seen to be on a consistent downward trajectory.
Paul Murphy MEP and other peace activists detained in Israel
Socialist Party and United Left Alliance MEP, Paul Murphy, has been detained by the Israeli military, along with other activists from the MV Saoirse and the Canadian boat the Tahrir.
Further savage cuts to Blanchardstown Hospital
The dedicated staff at all levels in Connolly Hospital, Blanchardstown, should be forgiven if they are in a state of some confusion and great anger this morning. As a result of a huge effort by them involving innovation, imagination, dedication and cooperation, the hospital was recently rated by the Health Services Executive as having among the highest clinical standards in the country. Furthermore it is not only reaching its service targets for 2011, but is 4% over.
