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News Features
Essential but unprotected
Despite upwards of one thousand deaths as a result of COVID-19, some employers continue to operate while completely snubbing public health guidelines. One essential worker employed in a Dublin warehouse told LookLeft that social distancing and personal protective equipment (PPE) are “non-existent” in his workplace. Explaining the lack of PPE,
We asked our TDs some very reasonable questions about fee-paying schools
Trying to keep their students away from the rabble fighting climate change, this week fee-paying schools reminded the rest of the country of the ‘tad infuriating’ fact of their very existence. There are 51 fee-paying schools, two-thirds of which have a Catholic ethos. Last year, they were subsidised by the public to the tune of €90m. Most of this went on teacher salaries, as well as capital expenditure, grants for computer equipment, and sports facilities. Those 51 schools represent 7%
World
Is the Uprising in the United States a Revolutionary Moment?
On May 25, 2020, George Floyd was murdered by police in Minneapolis, Minnesota, while calling out, “I can’t breathe!” The next day, a popular uprising swept the country. It is impossible to give numbers and statistics to fully communicate the extent of this resistance. Protests are taking place coast to
Spanish tenant unions call for a rent strike
Tenant unions in Spain have called for a rent strike from 1 April due to the Coronavirus. As originally reported in eldiario.es, the call is for those economically affected by the crisis, small businesses and the self-employed / freelancers, to withhold rent payments until the Spanish Government agrees to suspend
Internet connection “a basic citizen right”, says Kerala’s Finance Minister
Kerala is to provide free high-speed internet access to two million families living below the poverty line. The announcement was made on Wednesday, with Kerala’s Finance Minister Dr. T. M. Thomas Isaac of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) saying on Twitter that “Internet connection made a basic a citizen right. Kerala cabinet gives final nod for ₹1548 crores Kerala Fibre
Opinion
Greening Ireland Inc.
Éilis Ryan assesses how the Programme for Government protects ‘business as usual’ in a shaky Irish economy. On Sunday, 14th June, negotiators from Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Green Party announced they had succeeded in agreeing a 126-page Programme for Government, “Our Shared Future.” The document came just over
A ‘just transition’ needs an abrupt rupture with neoliberal orthodoxy, not eco-platitudes and a recipe for austerity
Michael Rafferty calls for the Green Party to demand a break from economic and political orthodoxy. “Any proposal must be transformative on climate action and commit to strong progress towards a more sustainable and fairer society,” the Green Party said when it entered talks with Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael
Reframing the Recovery Debate
Progressives need to reframe the discussion on recovering from the pandemic around a new, public-driven business model, writes Michael Taft. The public debate is being limited to a very narrow space – reducing the policy options to increasing taxation or reducing public spending (or both), because as we all know:
Interviews
Ajamu Baraka: Race, Class & Protest in the United States Today
American anti-war activist Ajamu Baraka has urged the public to stay vigilant against US “attempts to control the narrative” of the Black Lives Matter movement. Speaking at an event organised by the Workers’ Party, the national organiser of the Black Alliance for Peace and the 2016 Green Party candidate for
Defending the frontline: protecting nurses, protecting patients
The pandemic has stretched and stressed our already under-resourced healthcare system. Eoghan Gardiner talks to Phil Ní Sheaghda to learn about how the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation is fighting to protect the workers at the frontline. The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) represents upwards of thirty thousand nurses
History
When Labour called for a Workers’ Republic
David Worth looks back to when Labour’s radical words put them in the clerical firing line. After the 1933 election, Labour was left with its lowest number of seats ever. Their spell in government as the junior partners of Fianna Fáil had seen much of their programme implemented. When Fianna
On the 50th anniversary of the Falls Curfew
Liam McAnoy looks back on the largest single engagement between armed Irish republicans and the British Army since 1916 and on the women who broke the Falls Curfew. July 3rd 2020 marks the 50th anniversary of the Falls Curfew, the largest single engagement between armed Irish republicans and the British
William Drennan and Martial Law in Dublin
From historian and author Fergus Whelan, May Tyrants Tremble is a new and comprehensive biography of Society of United Irishmen founder and leader William Drennan. In an exclusive extract, British authorities close in on the leadership of the Society of United Irishmen and martial law is proclaimed in Dublin. The
Sport
Seagulls on strike: Bray Wanderers players on strike over non-paid wages
Bray Wanderers players announced yesterday their intention to go on strike over not receiving their wages for almost two months. The club, who haven’t paid their players since May 25th, stated last week that the players were free leave and play at other clubs, as they claimed they couldn’t guarantee
Sport See No Colour
From organising soccer tournaments for Dublin’s African comunity, Sport Against Racism Ireland has developed into an organisation confronting all forms of discrimination through many different games. Ricahrd O’Hara talked to SARI co-founder Ken McCue.