GREECE: Yesterday, hundreds of thousands of workers and youth participated in a
24-hour general strike called by the GSEE and ADEDY (private and public
sector trade union confederations), marching in demonstrations to the
main squares in seventy cities and towns across Greece. From early
morning the participation in a mass gathering to encircle the Houses
of Parliament was enormous.
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.
Greece: From early
this morning (Wednesday), hundreds of thousands of workers and youth participated in
the mass rallies during today’s 24-hour general strike, encircling the
Houses of Parliament. There is no doubt that had it not been for the
outbreak of rioting, with such a huge level of participation the numbers
concentrating on Syntagma Square would have exceeded one million.
Recent opinion polls show that a majority of Hungarians find life so
miserable that they would like to live somewhere else. Many consider
that life was much better before 1989 when people enjoyed full
employment and an advanced welfare system. Capitalism has destroyed all
that. However, as our correspondent points outs, what existed before was
not genuine socialism, but a Stalinist regime that people rose up
against. What is required is state ownership and planning, but under the
democratic control of the workers themselves.
Further to the earlier appeal for
solidarity, we are publishing an account of the anti-union activities
at Dangote Pasta which led to the victimisation of the union organisers
at the plant, including the firing of 200 workers who refused to leave
the union.
We call on all our readers to support
the Public Campaign in defence of over 200 workers of Dangote Pasta at
Ikorodu, Lagos (Nigeria) sacked for refusing to resign their membership
of the in-house workers’ union since August 2010. We underline the fact
that the main trade union organisers were severely beaten in the process
and the families of these workers are suffering terribly as a
consequence of these actions on the part of management.
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.
Here are some videos so you can have a better feel of what is going on
in Athens. As you can see the struggle is continuing to develop!
Yesterday a
milestone was passed in the social and political situation in Greece and
throughout Europe. Impressive mobilizations rolled across the country:
half a million in Athens and rallies of thousands of people gathered in
Thessaloniki, Patras, Larissa, Volos, Heraklion, etc. This places
Greece on the threshold of a revolutionary situation. It means that, for
the first time in decades the developed capitalist countries of Europe
are faced with the prospect of a revolution with continental dimensions.
The ferocity
of irregularly regular terrorist attacks in Pakistan has become a
festering wound on the body politic of the country. Malaise and despair
stalk the land. Yet for the masses at large the ever-raging futile
debate amongst the dominant intelligentsia on this issue has only served
to confuse rather than clarify this curse. It is, therefore, crucial to
separate the essential from the inessential and grasp the core of the
problem.
On May 28th,
Mel Zelaya, the Honduran president removed by a coup in June 2009
returned to Honduras where he was met by a massive crowd. On June 1, the
Organisation of American States voted to readmit Honduras as a member,
with only Ecuador voting against. The agreements that made this possible
have provoked a lot of discussion amongst Honduran revolutionaries in
the Resistance Front (FNRP) and throughout Latin America.
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.