Tue 15 Dec, 17:23

Launch Of Farmed Salmon Boycott 2015 Dec 14 23:20 by foie 0 comments

‘I will not touch farmed salmon because it is a totally unnatural product.’

Eamon O’Cuiv, TD, Committee on Agriculture Fisheries and Food, 1 December 2015

Representatives from 12 organisations opposing open pen salmon farms across Ireland have joined together to support the 2015 BOYCOTT FARMED SALMON FOR CHRISTMAS campaign, launched today.

The campaign has as its theme - GIVE A GIFT TO THE ENVIRONMENT THIS CHRISTMAS – DON’T BUY FARMED SALMON.

The campaign website www.wildfish.ie provides information on the dangers of farmed salmon and downloadable stickers for supporters to use to spread the message.

Pentagon rejects that Turkey supports ISIS despite comprehensive proof of them helping sel... Dec 13 23:43 by T 0 comments

For the past year, there have been numerous reports that ISIS have been transporting the oil they have stolen from Iraq and Syria, to Turkey and this has been greatly facilitated by the Turkish state at the highest levels. It is widely known the oil was being sold and exported by BMZ Ltd owned by Bilal Erdogan, President Erodgan's son. It is extremely unlikely that they are doing this for nothing and tens of millions have probably been siphoned off by the Erdogan family and other key officials and the Turkish economy has no doubt benefitted from an injection of cheap stolen oil sold below world market rates. The Russian Defense Ministry on Dec 2nd revealed the vast scale of the oil smuggling operation which somehow was missed by the NATO/US in the past 2 years.

Young Publishers Tackle Homelessness/ROPES Literary Journal Seeks Crowdfunding Support Dec 13 22:27 by M Garvey 0 comments

ROPES is a literary journal produced by the students of the MA in Literature and
Publishing at NUI Galway. The theme of the journal this year is independence, and
the ROPES team is seeking poetry, prose and artwork submissions that explore
gaining, losing, rejecting and sustaining independence. ROPES 2016 will be the
journal?s 24th volume and is due out in spring 2016.The journal is entirely
self-funded, and to cover the production costs the young publishers behind ROPES are
seeking to raise €1,500 through the Ireland-based crowdfunding website Fund It.

Philippines: Climate Focus - Time to act is now on energy transformation Dec 10 04:59 by Gerry Arances (PMCJ) 0 comments

What could possibly be so urgent and life-threatening to drive leaders of people from a small and barely reachable island off the coast of Mindoro to leave their homes and travel 285 kilometers by land and sea over the period of five days just to reach Metro Manila? On November 27, a day before the biggest climate justice march in the country, they have reach the Presidential Palace.

Shannonwatch Demands the Immediate Release of Mick Wallace TD Dec 09 22:50 by shannonwatch 0 comments

Mick Wallace, an independent, democratically elected public representative in Ireland's first house of Parliament, has been arrested and will be brought to Limerick Prison. The reason for his arrest was his attempt, along with Clare Daly TD, to inspect US military planes at Shannon. As his actions were undertaken entirely in the pursuit of peace, Shannonwatch calls for his immediate release.

[Update] TD Mick Wallace has since been granted temporary release from Limerick Prison this afternoon. However TD Clare Daly has now driven to Limerick the prison in an unmarked Garda over her non-payment of a fine in relation to a protest at Shannon Airport.

The Empire scores two victories in South America - Venezuela and Argentina Dec 09 01:00 by 1 of Indymedia 1 comments

In the recent elections in Venezuela the right wing opposition long backed by Washington has secured a majority by winning 107 out of 167 seats. This is the first time since the early days of deceased former president Chavez rose to power that the right has had control of the parliament.

This allows them to to remove ministers from the presidential cabinet. Had they won 111 seats, they would have been enough power in the legislative body to dismiss Supreme Court Judges, reform the Constitution and convoke a recall referendum of the national executive without having collected the minimum quota of signatures required by the Bolivarian Constitution. It is likely they will try this anyhow.

In the second victory for the empire, the neo-liberal right wing got back into power in Argentina just two weeks ago in late November with the election of right-wing candidate Mauricio Macri from one of the country's richest families

A Comment on the Right2Change Policy Document Dec 08 20:39 by Paddy Hackett 1 comments

The piece is a brief criticism of the policy document of the Right2Change movement. It highlights its anti-working class nature and its effort to save capitalism by reforming it.

Indymedia UK Servers Down Dec 06 16:29 by Indymedia Uk User 0 comments

ADMINS: - Indymedia UK has been offline since yesterday.

Please let them know, so they can get it fixed.

WikiLeaks Press Release on Trade in Services Agreement (TiSA) Dec 06 01:24 by 1 of Indymedia 0 comments

Thursday, December 3, 10am EST, WikiLeaks releases new secret documents from the huge Trade in Services Agreement (TiSA) which is being negotiated by the US, EU and 22 other countries that account for 2/3rds of global GDP. Coinciding with the ongoing climate talks in Paris, the publication touches on issues of crucial relevance including the regulation of energy, industrial development, workers' rights and the natural environment. WikiLeaks is also publishing expert analyses of the documents.

People's News - November 2015 Dec 03 21:58 by pm 0 comments

The current edition of People's News, dated 22 November 2015, is available for download. The opening lead article discusses "The Myth of Social Europe" documenting the continue attack on workers rights and conditions.

Later one of the more important articles in this newsletter discusses how the CETA is probably more dangerous than the TTIP agreement.

....Importantly, it doesn't matter who has the highest standards to start with: what matters is how the corporations from both sides of the Atlantic will use the regulatory co-operation and ISDS provisions of CETA to lower standards across the board. Also, in both Canada and Europe there are internal processes already deeply committed to the deregulation of environmental, health and labour standards, as well as the privatisation of public services. CETA will speed up the pace of this process in both Europe and Canada....

Irish government wastes over 1 million euro on pointless and biased study of fracking Dec 03 07:37 by Frackture 0 comments

Irish government wastes over 1 million euro on biased fracking study
in spite of world oil prices rendering fracking itself as nothing
but a major loss making and pointless exercise.

New booklet: Shannon Airport and 21st Century War Nov 24 21:47 by sw 0 comments

We are delighted to announce a new publication entitled Shannon Airport and 21st Century War, edited by Shannonwatch's John Lannon and PANA's Roger Cole. Printed copies of the 48 page booklet are available for €10 by contacting Shannonwatch or PANA. You can also download a PDF version of the booklet

Okay for Industrial Peat Extraction But not Okay for Individuals to do so Nov 24 21:35 by foie 0 comments

Last year we had alot of coverage in the Irish mainstream news about farmers and individuals being stopped from extracting peat -the reason is because most of our bogs which are wonderful habitats are almost completely destroyed. However we never heard or was it mentioned that there was no attempt to stop the industrial extraction of peat by large private companies yet this does infinitely more damage. It seems there is one law for the people and no law for business interests. If we are going to save our bogs we should at least make the laws applicable to ALL parties. Peat extraction to be exempted from planning permission Press Release - 23 November, 2015 Friends of the Irish Environment The industrial extraction of peat is to be removed from planning controls, according to statements by horticultural peat extraction companies Bulrush and Westland in the High Court on Friday.

SIPTU and TEEU local authority water workers vote for industrial action Nov 22 22:43 by siptu 0 comments

SIPTU and TEEU local authority members working under the management of Irish Water have today (Friday, 20th November) overwhelmingly voted for industrial action to prevent the privatisation of the public water service. Last month, Irish Water said that it intended reduce the local authority workforce in the company by up to 1500 by 2021. The unilateral announcement was in breach of the Service Level Agreement reached with trade union representatives in 2013 which obliged the company to consult with them in relation to any proposed changes in staffing numbers

Plenty of blame to go around. Role of the revolutionary left. Nov 22 19:34 by john throne 7 comments

This article deals with how much left sectarianism has damaged the workers struggle in Ireland.

The Paris Attacks -What's Going On ? Nov 22 02:25 by T 5 comments

It is over a week since the Paris Attack and the slaughter of innocent people. Europe is now suffering the spillover of the terrorism and wars launched by Western powers including France on the Middle East and Arab world for over a decade now and it seems the war is being brought home.

Looking at the actual efforts on not just French society but Europe, it just so happens to serve the creeping totalitarian state and the 0.1% and corporate power. This article tries to put together some context and background to see if it is possible to figure out whether this appalling carnage was simply blowback of French foreign policy and or even some kind of black operation. Don't expect clear cut answers to any thing.

The French Republic taken hostage Nov 18 23:10 by 1 of Indymedia 14 comments

In light of the butchery that took place in Paris on Fri 13th by Terrorists largely financed, supported, trained and armed by Western powers and corporate entities directly and through Gulf state and Turkish state intermediaries and the totally inadequate analysis from the mainstream media, we reproduce here in full this article from Voltaire Net.

The French Republic taken hostage by Thierry Meyssan

The war which has now spread to Paris is incomprehensible for those French citizens who are ignorant of practically all the secret activities of their government in the Arab world, of its unnatural alliances with the Gulf dictators, and its active participation in international terrorism. These policies have never been discussed in Parliament, and the major media have rarely dared to take an interest in them.

Budget 2016 won't tackle rising inequalities Nov 13 23:43 by anon 0 comments

TASC today released an equality analysis of Budget 2016, which analysed both the tax and spending changes. It shows that the tax cuts announced will give the greatest benefit to a single person earning €70,000, which is the same “sweet spot” as last year’s budget.

The report notes that changes announced in the Budget have to be considered in light of the fact that three-quarters of the pre-tax income gains in the last five years have gone those earning €70,000 and above

Anti Austerity Alliance: Press Statement on Government Claims to Have Built Thousands of C... Nov 13 23:28 by AAA 0 comments

AAA responds to government claims of ‘grossly out of date’ figures: “Has the government built thousands of new council homes in the last 3 weeks?”

Government should clarify latest up to date figures since October 22nd

The Anti-Austerity Alliance has responded to government claims that figures which show that only 20 council houses have been built this year and zero in the second quarter of the year are ‘grossly out of date’ despite being published by the Department of the Environment on October 22nd.

Commemorating the 20th Anniversary of the Extra Judicial Death of Ken Saro-Wiwa & all the ... Nov 13 00:13 by DD 0 comments

Shell to Sea Activists and AFRI commemorated the 20th Anniversary of the deaths of Ken Saro-Wiwa and the Ogoni Nine outside “Corrib House:” Shell’s Irish Headquarters in Dublin. The activists carried crosses bearing the names of each of the men executed by the corrupt Nigerian Government on 10 November 1995. Many sources believe that these executions were done at the behest of Shell. Ken Saro-Wiwa and the Ogoni people, had been actively leading successful civil society actions and demonstrations thwarting Shell’s development of oil on the land of these indigenous farmers and fishermen. Even though it hasn’t been explicitly proven that Shell ordered the killing… they did benefit from the outcome and later paid reparations to the families. (In 2009 Shell settled out of court to the tune of 15.5 million dollars to the families of the victims to avoid going to court in the USA.)

Media Release: A year on from LuxLeaks Stop Tax Dodging report shows a long way to travel Nov 12 23:40 by DDCI 0 comments

One year after the LuxLeaks scandal, a new report Fifty Shades of Tax Dodging finds that most EU countries continue to uphold secretive tax systems that are riddled with loopholes. The 2015 Stop Tax Dodging report, released in Ireland on 4th November by Debt & Development Coalition Ireland (DDCI) scrutinises the role of the EU in the global tax crisis. The Irish chapter of the report details how Ireland announced a gradual phase-out of rules that allowed the controversial ‘Double Irish’ tax avoidance scheme, but continues to allow corporate structures operate systems for tax rulings, transfer pricing and intellectual property that allow multinational corporations to avoid taxes on an enormous scale.

Did The 1916 Easter Rising Serve The Interests Of Workers? Nov 11 14:07 by Patrick Hackett 0 comments

The hullabaloo over the commeroration of the 1916 Rising is merely another device intended to perpetuate the deception of the southern Irish working class. It forms a part of the overall ideological paradigm under which southern Irish workers are to be oppressed and divided from much of the working class in the North.

Philippines: Unions decry deceptive, vague ‘labor agenda’ of APEC Nov 08 02:25 by Sentro 0 comments

ORGANIZED workers sneered at the so-called labor agenda in the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Manila next month by describing it as deceptive and vague, which merely reaffirms APEC’s ideology based on the primacy of corporate power and profits over labor and trade union rights.

Clonmel based Irish Coursing Club reeling from loss of advertising revenue as anti blood s... Nov 05 19:56 by Ban hare coursing in Ireland 0 comments

In the latest blow to Ireland's cruel hare coursing, an Australian company has pulled an advertisement from the Irish Coursing Club website. The move came after the Irish Council Against Blood Sports highlighted the animal cruelty involved in coursing.

People Before Profit condemn lobbying activities of US firm on rent controls Nov 04 23:27 by pbp 0 comments

The lobbying activity of major corporations like Kennedy Wilson on rent controls should not be tolerated, according to Annette Mooney, the People Before Profit representative in Dublin Bay South.

‘There is a large rental sector in this constituency and we have already come across countless cases where people are being effectively evicted because they cannot pay exorbitant demands for rent rises.

‘Rent controls are clearly needed but we now discover that the global real estate company Kennedy Wilson is using economic leverage to influence Irish state policy.

Kennedy Wilson is a huge US company that has become one of the biggest property owners in Ireland since the crash.

Senators and TDs in State of Shock after meeting REGRET Parents in Dáil Éireann. Nov 03 10:18 by regret 3 comments

On the 6th October, parents representing the Irish Support Group REGRET met with a group of 15 TDs and Senators at the Irish Parliament ('The Dáil') . Maureen O'Sullivan T.D. organized the cross-party meeting to bring attention to the serious adverse reactions suffered by Irish schoolgirls after taking the HPV vaccine 'Gardasil'. R.E.G.R.E.T stands for "Reactions and Effects of Gardasil Resulting in Extreme Trauma"

Secrecy Surrounds Attempts to Kill Free Speech on University of California Campuses Nov 02 23:19 by Citizen Sane 1 comments

Herein we will focus on what seems to be a somewhat elaborate, albeit loosely organized, conspiracy (one hesitates to use the word as arguments are quickly dismissed as conspiracy theories) in the making in which a relatively large number of pro-Israeli factions (both students attending American campuses as well as outside organizations as well as outside monies)are attempting to manipulate and intimidate people so Americans relinquish their right to free speech on American campuses—that is the right to say critical things about peoples and organizations including Jews, Zionists and Israelis.

Political Trial Against Water Protestors Begins Today Nov 02 22:58 by aaa 0 comments

The political trial of 18 people who delayed Joan Burton in her car began today. It is an escalation in the attempt to demonise and vilify an entire community for rejecting the Labour Party.

Four AAA members were present in court, as part of the targeting of our own organisation by the Gardai and the establishment. On top of these charges, we have had permission to collect money door to door refused in two Garda districts, including Tallaght and there has been the revelations around Operation Mizen which has seen Gardai carry out surveillance on water charge activists including Paul Murphy TD.

Syrian Refugees, ISIS / Al Nursa Butchers and Their Not So Secret Backing by Western Power... Nov 01 01:27 by T 6 comments

In the last two months, the dramatic and sad photographs of 3 year old Aylan Kurdi, and his brother lying dead on the shores on a beach in Turkey have finally opened the curtain very slightly on the horrors and terror of war in Syria. It is hard to conceive the trauma of this family first seeing one of their other brothers beheaded by ISIS jihadists, then to flee and then for this man's wife and two remaining young children to drown in the sea whilst attempting to escape. If you were to listen to politicans from the UK all the way up to the present prime minister, you would think they were doing this so they could scab off the social welfare but as anyone knows, this was the act of a family desperate to flee the terror in their home country and get to safety at all costs. However Aylan Kurdi and his brother and mother aren't the only ones to drown or being killed in war, there are tens of thousands dead.

State Budgets Can Never Serve The Class Interests of Workers Oct 29 23:41 by Paddy Hackett 2 comments

The annual budget statement is a bourgeois matter. It is the obligation of communists to highlight the latter rather than getting exclusively immersed in its details. No matter how popularly appealing a budget appears it can never serve the class interests of workers. Sections of the Left relate to state budgets as if they are pliable and can consequently meet workers' needs.