Workers Solidarity Movement

Earlier this year two Irish anarchists delivered talk at Jura books in Sydney regarding the history of anarchism in Ireland, the politics of the WSM and how it organises. The speakers also referred to its ongoing involvement in campaigns and struggles from shell to sea, anti-war activity and involvement in the CAHWT.

The WSM has always argued that the X-Case legislation was not enough but even so we were shocked to finally see the details of the bill Fine Gael and Labour are preparing.  We expected it to be a small but almost insignificant step foward.  Instead there is a clear danger that women with unwanted pregnancies will be worse off than before if the final bill resembles what has been presented so far.

This is a glimpse into a process of investigation into ourselves and each other. It’s neither the beginning nor the end and so it’s open to change. It’s never static. For now, at least, it’s the culmination of a year of conversations around what it might look like to be part of a movement that cultivates an environment of collective and self-care, support, revolutionary love and self-determination. The opinions that will follow are my own but i will use the word ‘we’ throughout this piece to reflect that these ideas were inspired by others and created through conversation and dialogue. I take responsibility for them but am open to suggestions and the possibility that they will change where better versions replace them.

The massive vote by union members to reject the 'Croke Park Extension' proposals was a clear and unambiguous rejection of government attempts to impose yet another 1billion of austerity cuts on public service workers.  It was also a clear statement of opposition to the trade union leadership's decision to enter talks on the basis of these cuts in the first place.

Ever wondered why the lexicon of global finance seems so complicated?  Why so much of what passes for economic debate seems impenetrable?  Do your eyes glaze over as commentators wander into discursive mazes comprised of derivatives, subprime lenders, credit default swaps, and toxic assets?  Does talk of liquidity, quantitative easing, or collaterised debt obligations send you reaching for the remote control or the off-switch?  Is it possible we are just too economically illiterate to understand anything about the world of global finance?

Facing Deportations – speakers from the 2013 Dublin anarchist bookfair on how we can organise to prevent deportations, the session aimed to share the direct practical actions that need to be done and to raise awareness, unveil truths and correct misconceptions surrounding the issue of asylum application and deportation.

This article was prompted by a number of recent events.  Firstly, the Irish Refugee Council (IRC) organised a meeting on April 3rd to organise a campaign aimed at ending the inhumane system known as Direct Provision . And secondly, ADI (Anti-Deportation Ireland) held a workshop at Dublin’s Anarchist Bookfair on April 6th, followed by an ADI public meeting in Dublin on April 11th.  Both ADI events aimed to build a campaign against deportations in Ireland.

The decision of the 3 teacher unions to conduct a ballot for industrial action ups the ante in the battle against government attempts to impose a new round of paycuts on public sector workers.  The unions have announced a decision to “conduct a ballot of members for industrial action, up to and including strike action”, and that industrial action “will be triggered in the event of government proceeding unilaterally to impose salary cuts or to worsen working conditions.”

Since the foundation of the Campaign Against Household & Water Taxes, WSM members have been pushing for a strengthening of grassroots democracy in the campaign, and we believe that the more democratic the campaign is the more likely it is to succeed. In this article, Brian A., a WSM member involved in the campaign in Kildare, outlines his experience of being involved in building the campaign in his local area.

I remember when I was 13 trying to work out my view on abortion. Abortion was in the news, a pro-life referendum had just been passed. Most of my friends’ mothers had campaigned on the ‘pro-life’ side. Abortion was in the classrooms. I remember a teacher, walking between our desks, saying ‘abortion, abortion’, rolling the rrrs, making the word stretch. “Aborrrrrrtion - even the word is ugly”. I remember sitting there, too afraid to question.