At its recent meeting in January the International Executive Committee of the IMT discussed the situation in Europe, highlighting the growing level of class struggle on the continent as the effects of the austerity measures being applied everywhere begin to be felt by the workers and youth. We are publishing the second part of a slightly edited version of the points raised in the discussion.
The National Basketball Arena in Tallaght has 2,500 seats. All these were filled earlier this week for the 24/7 Frontline Alliance National Rally, not to mention that more than 1,000 other people were standing in the aisles and around the doors. The mood from the rally was clear; no more pay cuts.
At its recent meeting in January the International Executive Committee of the IMT discussed the situation in Europe, highlighting the growing level of class struggle on the continent as the effects of the austerity measures being applied everywhere begin to be felt by the workers and youth. We are publishing a slightly edited version of the points raised in the discussion.
While the opening skirmishes in the renegotiation of the Croke Park Agreement have played out behind closed doors, the battle lines have been drawn for some time. Within months of the General Election, Fine Gael TD’s were baying for Croke Park to be torn up or at least savaged. The employers organisations, and of course all the fine ladies and gentleman of the press have all weighed in. Tony Healy reports.
Once again Irish workers, faced with redundancy have been forced to take action to fight for what is due to them. HMV staff in Limerick, Cork and Dublin occupied their workplaces in an effort to ensure that they receive pay owed to them by the company. These are but the latest example of workers with their backs to the wall taking sit in action. After discussions with the Administrators the occupations in Limerick have now ended and the workers will receive their back pay. Why? Because they disobeyed their master’s voice.
It is now some six weeks since protestant demonstrations began after Belfast City Council decided to fly the Union flag over Belfast City Hall only on specific days, rather than on every day of the year. Last night and again today loyalists clashed with catholics near the Short Strand, a catholic area in East Belfast that has been subjected to many sectarian attacks over the years. Tony Healy reports on the latest conflicts in Ireland.
British Prime Minister, David Cameron uses words such as “shocking” to refer to the activities of his own security forces then you know something is up. He was responding to the publication of the de Silva report, a review of the papers accumulated from different investigations carried out by different agencies of the British state into the death of Pat Finucane, which show that there was indeed collusion between the British state and those who murdered him back in 1989.
Events in Greece are once again in the
headlines, after another day of militant strike action and the new
‘deal’ agreed by the EU today (Tuesday 27 Nov). This deal to reduce Greece’s debt is
completely inadequate to solve the problem and is an insult to the Greek
working class, who have now endured years of brutal cuts whilst the EU
dithers. The only real solution to Greece’s problems is for the debt to
be cancelled and for the expropriation of capitalism in Greece and
Europe.
News that Enda Kenny has been chosen as “European of the year” by a
group of German Magazine Publishers makes sense only in the context that
recently the European Union itself recently won the Nobel peace prize.
We would have to ask the question “European what of the year?”
Ireland: The decision of the Workers and Unemployed Action Group to withdraw
from the United Left Alliance is an unwelcome symptom of the growing
impasse within the ULA, previously reflected in the controversy over
Mick Wallace and the departure of Clare Daly from the Socialist Party.
The WUAG has a long standing base in South Tipperary and its departure
will have an influence on the development of the ULA at a national
level.
Across Europe it is the sick the old and especially the young that
are being forced to pay for the economic crisis. In Spain and Greece
youth unemployment stands at over 50%. In Ireland although that figure
is somewhat lower at 17.9% but this still means nearly 1 in 5 youth are
workless.
Many politically active workers and young people in Ireland and beyond will be scratching
their heads over this weekend’s spat between the leadership of the
Socialist Party and former Socialist Party TD Clare Daly. A series of
statements and counter statements have done little to clarify what are
the real political differences between the SP and Daly who is widely
acknowledged as a hard working and respected TD. Unfortunately, the issues
aren’t going away easily, the right wing press will make sure of
that.