Last Thursday’s by election in Dublin
West came down to a three horse race between Councillor Patrick Nulty of
Labour who won and Councillor Ruth Coppinger of the Socialist Party who
came third, while Fianna Fáil (FF) squeezed into second place after a
tie for second and third place – on the basis that they had more first
preference votes.
The decision of the Secretary Of
State to revoke Marian Price’s release from prison has been met with
widespread opposition from the Republican movement. The justification
given was that the threat that she poses has “significantly increased”
and that she had been encouraging support for an illegal organisation
based on her involvement in an Easter comm
The 24 hour strike by UNISON members to defend Health and
Education Services in Northern Ireland is an indication of the scale of the
crisis in the public sector. But its also the most significant trade
union struggle to hit the North since the onset of the current economic
crisis.
Back at the start of this year, Socialist Appeal (Issue 193) published a
little item in its ‘Left and Right’ about the so-called Ghost Estates
of Ireland
According to press reports the Fine Gael and Labour
parliamentary “think ins” this week were upbeat and confident. Although
the Irish Times reports that both parties were warned “to brace
themselves for the bumpy ride ahead”. There has been talk
about Enda’s “honeymoon period” over the last few months. Although in
large measure the new coalition is benefitting from not being Fianna Fáil or the Green Party, while Enda Kenny is doing well in the polls for being neither Brian Cowen nor Brian Lenihan.
Last weekend in Ireland, a Labour minister used the Sunday press to launch an attack on unemployed youth. Readers here will recognise the same arguements she makes as those which have been made over the years by assorted Tories and Blairites in our own movement. They must be opposed. Fightback, the Irish Marxist voice, reports on this disgraceful attack.
PSNI sources as saying that
there was no “paramilitary” involvement in Friday night’s rioting in
Belfast’s Castlereagh Street and Albertbridge Road, but it’s
clear also that events a couple of weeks ago in the Short Strand have
contributed to what looks like an explosive situation moving into the
marching season, no matter whether the loyalists were there or not.
Ireland: There have been a number of reports in today’s media that the
Irish economy has grown by 1.3%. Although this is no bad thing, as it
will help to rebuild the confidence of working people, the real picture
is somewhat more complicated than the headlines might indicate on the
first examination. Certainly any economic perspective that doesn’t make a
sober assessment taking into account everything that is happening in
Europe and particularly Greece just now will not stand up to much
challenge.
The UVF
attacks on the Short Strand area of Belfast over the last days and the
clashes between Catholic and Protestant youth demonstrate that despite
the claims of the various ministers at Stormont, the underlying tensions
and conflicts in the North have neither been resolved nor overcom
IRELAND: The scenes broadcast from
Athens will have sent a shiver down the spine of An Taoiseach, An
Tánaiste and their counterparts throughout Europe. The reaction of the
Greek workers to the meltdown in the Greek economy will be of particular
concern in Leinster House. Ireland is not so far behind Greece and
sooner or later Ireland will become the tail ender in the bond markets
again, that is unless the Greek Government defaults and then all bets
are off.
IRELAND: It’s now almost 100 days
since Enda Kenny took office at the head on the FG/Labour Coalition. The
election result was heralded as an historic defeat for Fianna Fáil, a
victory for Fine Gael and a major breakthrough for Labour. But despite the Independent description of Enda’s “ageing
matinee idol looks and good manners”, the election was no beauty
contest. The Irish economy and the Irish working class have been put
through the wringer over the last 3 or more years and it was the serious
impasse in the economy and within society also that defeated Brian
Cowen and the late Brian Lenihan.
Within the last couple of weeks there has
been yet another outbreak of youth protest internationally with the huge
movement in Spain which encompasses some 80 cities and now a new
movement in Greece has erupted. Meanwhile in North Africa and the Middle
East new waves of struggle are being prepared. However, if the Irish
press are to believed the waves of struggle that are affecting
everywhere else will barely cause a ripple in good ould Ireland. After
all, with the royal and presidential distractions of the last few weeks,
the only revolting youth to get any coverage in Ireland were Jedward.