The Cedar Lounge Revolution

Using Radical Collections: Challenges and Opportunities June 30, 2020

Thanks to JH for forwarding the link to this:

More unease…and when would you return to pubs/restaurants gigs and events? June 30, 2020

These figures from the CSO do not suggest a population chafing under the restrictions and eager to return to life as ‘normal’.

People are still nervous about going out to pubs and restaurants while a big majority is uncomfortable about taking an international trip either by plane or ferry.

These are just some of the findings in the latest survey on the social impact of Covid-19 by the Central Statistics Office. The survey was carried out between June 10 and June 17.

It found that 57% of people surveyed feel either “uncomfortable” or “very uncomfortable” with going to pubs, even with two metre social distancing. That percentage rises to 67% when social distancing is reduced to one metre.

The figure for restaurants is slightly lower at 41% but rises to 55.8% when social distancing is reduced to a metre.

82% of people said they would feel uncomfortable or very uncomfortable at an outdoor event with a large crowd and no social distancing.

I’m not surprised.

But here’s a question or two for the week that is in it with pubs and other businesses reopening in a strange sort of a way. At what point would people here feel comfortable in returning to pubs and restaurants, events and so on?

Some of us have to brave public transport. Others cycle (social distancing there isn’t great as I see for myself every day particularly early in the morning). Office spaces so far seem okay in the main, but I’m sure some of us have seen problematic aspects. What about schools, colleges and educational insitutions, when do people feel they will be comfortable working in or sending their offspring there?

UK polling… June 30, 2020

Perhaps not entirely surprising:

Labour leader Keir Starmer has overtaken Boris Johnson as the public preferred choice for Prime Minister, according to the latest Opinium poll for The Observer.

Starmer is preferred to lead the country by 37% of voters polled on Thursday and Friday last week, compared with 35% who say Johnson would be the best Prime Minister.

Though:

While the Tories remain four points ahead of Starmer’s party on 43% to Labour’s 39%, the gap has closed from over 20% in February and early March when the Tories enjoyed a regular commanding lead as the country rallied behind the government, and Jeremy Corbyn was reaching the end of his time as Labour leader.

Which makes the events at the weekend in relation to the sacking of Rebecca Long-Bailey seem both contrived and cynical and part of a broader push to reposition the image of the BLP. But perhaps worse, they seem unnecessary even in that most cynical of calculations.

A telling omission June 29, 2020

The Seanad reconvenes today in all its glory. But RTÉ picks up on one aspect of the Taoiseach’s nominees which is telling:

Meanwhile, the new government has also been criticised for not appointing a Senator from Northern Ireland with a Unionist background.

Former Senator Ian Marshall told the BBC he was “astonished” at this failure, and dismissed a policy commitment by the Government to a “shared island” as a “farce”.

A Government source replied that there would be a “major new focus” by the new Coalition on north/south relations, with the establishment of a new unit in the Department of the Taoiseach.

Mr Marshall, a dairy farmer from Markethill in Co Armagh, and an anti-Brexit campaigner, won a seat on the Agricultural Panel between 2018 and 2020.

Of course a single Senator is but a single Senator, yet even putting aside what some of us would say was a necessity to have voices from the North in the Oireachtas, it seems doubly curious given that Brexit continues and so on.

Economist Professor Bill Mitchell – Europe and the EU after Brexit June 28, 2020

Economist Professor Bill Mitchell – Europe and the EU after Brexit, Reclaiming the State.
Wynne’s Hotel Dublin, Saturday February 15th, 2020.
Sponsored by the Desmond Greaves School and the People’s Movement.

Bill Mitchell was co – author with Thomas Fazi of the influential book: Reclaiming the State: A Progressive Vision of Sovereignty for a Post-Neoliberal World “re-conceptualises the nation state as a vehicle for progressive change. They show how despite the ravages of neoliberalism, the state still contains resources for democratic control of a nation’s economy and finances.

The populist turn provides an opening to develop an ambitious but feasible left political strategy. It offers an urgent, provocative and prescient political analysis of our current predicament, and lays out a comprehensive strategy for revitalising progressive economics in the 21st century.”

Episode 3 of the Podcast -Christian Principles Party and the Christian Centrist Party June 28, 2020

The rss feed is https://anchor.fm/s/2431404c/podcast/rss

Alan Kinsella · The Others The Alan Kinsella Podcast -Episode 3 -Christian Principles Christian Centrist

Statements in the media… good, bad and indifferent… June 28, 2020

In today’s SBP a columnist frets over the centre ground… [behind a paywall]

Is it in the national interest to permanently contract the centre ground of Irish politics? Is it in the national interest to clear the way for Sinn Féin to become the only effective voice of opposition in Ireland? Is it in the national interest to form a coalition based on a big spending programme for government which is simply undeliverable in a global recession? Is it in the national interest to ignore the prospect of a no-trade deal end to Britain’s transition period on December 31 – and not even factor it into this programme for government?

The rational answer to all of these questions is no, but they have barely entered the public debate on this coalition deal in recent weeks.

In a way didn’t the voters at the last number of elections do that job as regards ‘contracting’ the supposed ‘centre ground’? Though she’s not wrong about the broader dynamic re opposition.

From the IT (natch!), surprise expressed that the GPNI has a right to vote on the programme for government and that members of the GP might have a variety of views, some of which encompass socio-economic issues:

In recent weeks, the Greens in the Republic have raised some eyebrows with some very public spats and increasingly snarky tones that seem a tweet away from defection to People Before Profit in the case of some nearly-electeds. Climate justice – as distinct from climate emergency – is the sweeping canvass that may be a surprise package to some new Green voters…
It took a lot of new Green voters to help a lot of new Green TDs to squeak in after late counts. Their leaders are taking a hellish risk.

But they have put their stamp on a programme for government that however inadequate, can only be a force for good. It’s up to us to support them when the fracking turns real.

Good piece from Diarmuid Ferriter on the same issue.

This, from a scandal in the UK…

Newly released documents show exchanges between Robert Jenrick, the housing secretary, and Richard Desmond, a property developer and Tory donor, as well as other documents relating to a £1bn development in east London.

Text message from Desmond: “Your efficient PA has arranged a meeting for 19 December at 10.30am for meet and site visit. Good news finally the inspectors reports have gone to you today, we appreciate the speed as we don’t want to give Marxists loads of doe [sic] for nothing! We all want to go with the scheme and the social housing we have proposed and spent a month at the Marxist town hall debating, thanks again, all my best, Richard.”

Text message from Jenrick: “Richard. As Secretary of State it is important not to give any appearance of being influenced by applicants of cases that I may have a role in or to have predetermined them and so I think it is best that we don’t meet until after the matter has been decided …”

Richard Desmond. Ah, this Richard Desmond, who owns Northern and Shell which was famous amongst other things for it’s portfolio of ‘soft porn’ magazines.

Humiliating? June 28, 2020

I know Vibes and Scribes bookshop in Cork pretty well, but the response to their requests that customers don masks when entering the shop is bizarre.

Joan Lucey, who owns Vibes and Scribes on Lavitt’s Quay in Cork city centre, re-opened her shop on Tuesday and asked customers to wear a mask and, if they didn’t have one with them, the shop was happy to provide one.
“We asked people to wear masks for the safety of our staff and our customers and if they didn’t have one, we were happy to provide them with one and they could make a donation to the Cork Sexual Violence Centre, ” said Ms Lucey.

One comment said:

“Compulsory masks and sanitizers [sic] are my reasons for blacklisting the shops. It’s not Covid that kills small business, it’s those shops’ own policies.”

And…

Another posted a message stating, “Great way to stop customers coming to your shop – nobody should be made to wear face masks, we all have free choice “ while another vowed not to visit “under these humiliating conditions.”

Huh? Free choice?

Interestingly though:

It appears some of those expressing strong opposition to Vibes and Scribes policy have links to the anti-vaccinations but Ms Lucey said she was simply following HSE advice on masks out of concern for her staff and customers.

And note this:

“We’re asking people to wear masks simply to protect our staff and customers and if for whatever reason, people refuse to wear a mask, we ask them to limit their visit to 10 minutes – again out of concern for our staff and customers.”

It seems to me that protection of workers and other customers, or if one prefers the blanket term humans, would be the key thing, not whether people feel momentary ‘humiliation’.

And the actual advice?

The latest official advice from the HSE, updated on June 15th, states that face coverings should be worn in situations where it is difficult to practice social distancing, such as in shops and on public transport.

100 years after the Mutiny of the Connaught Rangers June 27, 2020

From Conor Kostick…

I’m giving a talk on Sunday 28 June at 9pm on the mutiny of the Connaught Rangers exactly one hundred years ago on that date. All welcome, just click this link at the time: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84717118556

Also, our post on the history of that event has been updated with these details and a haiku from Gabriel Rosenstock: https://independentleft.ie/connaught-rangers-mutiny-1920/