Along with other socialist groups the WSM has launched the 1% Network, a coalition that aims to highlight the gross inequality in Irish society where the richest 1% of the population own 34% of the wealth.  The network will be carrying out a number of activities in the run up to the budget including a walking tour of the private mansions, corporate headquarters, secret meeting spots and private banks on October 9th.

The rich remain rich and the rest of us are supposed to keep them that way. That’s why we get pay cuts, health cuts, education cuts, job cuts. It’s not as if dipping into the pockets of PAYE workers is the only way to foot bills.

Just 1% of the population owns 34% of the wealth in the 26 counties (excluding the value of residential housing). That’s according to the Bank of Ireland report ‘The Wealth of the Nation’.

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May saw absolutely no job losses announced. May was also the month of the Dail election. Did Fianna Fail ask their business pals to hold off any bad news? In June things got back to ‘normal’ with job losses at Eircom, Dell, Lapple, Wrapite, Molex, the ESB and Hovid.

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