March 2012

Hundreds attend Belfast public meeting to demand the release of Marian Price

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Hundreds of people packed Conway Mill in West Belfast last Thursday in one of the largest gatherings in years to mark International Women’s Day against the continuing internment of Marion Price who has been held captive by the British state because of her political beliefs.

Primark workers strike this weekend - Don’t cross picket lines!

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Workers at Primark stores in Northern Ireland are to strike this weekend. USDAW union members voted overwhelmingly for industrial action in protest at the company’s decision to impose a two-year pay freeze. Union representatives at Primark met last week to confirm industrial action by staff following a ballot which showed 88% of members in favour of going on strike.

Breaking News : the picket has been postponed due to management offer.

The Networked Individual in Why its Kicking Off Everywhere - audio of discussion on Paul Mason's book

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Andrew Flood looks at Paul Mason's recently published book 'Why its kicking off everywhere' and in particular what Mason has to say about the internet and the emergance of the 'Networked Individual'.   The recording is of a WSM supporters meeting in Dublin and the 20 minute presentation is followed by 30 minutes of discussion on the ideas outlined, roughly as summarised below.

The talk was part of the preparation for an 18,000 word review & discussion of 'Why its kicking off everywhere'.

Creating Solidarity in the slums of Santiago

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In September last year, we held an interview with a comrade from the OCL, a Chilean anarcho-communist (platformist) organisation with a presence in the biggest cities of that country - Santiago, Valpara’so and Concepcion. This organisation has a policy of building up the movement amongst the popular rank and file, organising Frentes (Fronts or Networks) among the traditional popular factors in revolutionary struggle in Chile: workers, students and neighbours from the slums of the cities.

Building Democracy: All Cork Delegate Meeting Against the Household Tax

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The Campaign Against the Household and Water Tax (CAHWT) is on the cusp of a very significant victory – as indicated by the recent announcement that less than 20% of households in the Republic had registered with the Government to pay the new unjust tax.  This low level of compliance with Government orders is clear evidence that the Campaign has managed to tap into a rich seam of discontent.  Admittedly these are early days and the struggle has a while to go yet, but nonetheless it is an important and notable success.

Transgender liberation, class politics & anarchism

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Trans (or transgender) is a term for people whose gender identity and gender expression are different from the sex assigned to them at birth. Trans people have a history of receiving bigoted responses from some sections of the left, of the lesbian and gay community and some strands of feminism. One attack on transgender people has been based on the idea that trans people, by “changing gender”, reinforce existing rigid gender roles. Moving across borders of perceived gender does not reinforce existing gender-roles, any more than migration across borders of nation states reinforces the system of nation states. Many trans people are actively involved in fighting current, sexist gender stereotypes.

What is the Workers Solidarity Movement?

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The Workers Solidarity Movement (WSM) is an anarchist organisation in Ireland. We have branches and members throughout the country and are involved in many different groups and struggles.

Occupation of former bank building in Belfast

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The liberation of the former Bank of Ireland building in Belfast city centre by “Occupy” provides a glimpse of what is possible if we organise and fight together using the power of direct action and solidarity. It is about sending out a political message to our local green and orange tories that enough is enough and it is up to us as working class people to take action and organise a fightback because no politician will do it for us.

Anti-Household Tax Campaign Gathers Momentum

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Over the past two months the Campaign against the Household and Water Taxes has grown from strength to strength. Since the start of government registration in January, campaign meetings across the country have been packed out. 500 attended a meeting in Cork city, only to be surpassed by a meeting of 700 in Waterford city a week later. Likewise, across Dublin dozens of meetings have been held in parish halls and community centres, all with the clear message of “Don’t Register, Don’t Pay”. Building on this support, the campaign has now distributed nearly 750,000 leaflets explaining the tax and why we must refuse to pay it.

Stormont healthcare cuts to blame for tragic death of hospital patient

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The tragic death of a 77 year old man who died alone and unnoticed waiting for treatment on a hospital trolley for 22 hours in Belfast’s main A&E ward in the Royal Hospital, is the result of savage healthcare cuts and the reduction of A&E services such as the closing down the ward in the Belfast city hospital last November.

What is the Fiscal Compact: Smoke & Mirrors

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As the flames from the latest round of rioting in Greece die down, the incapacity of the mainstream media to tell the story of the current Eurozone crisis leaves us as much in the dark as before the Molotov’s lit up the nightly news.

How the DEIS cuts were reversed in primary schools

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Following his announcement that many of his proposed cuts to teacher numbers in schools serving areas of social disadvantage (“DEIS schools”) are to be reversed, Minister for Education and Skills, Ruairi Quinn, has admitted that protests work and that he made the decision because of the huge protests faced by himself and his colleagues on the government backbenches. “[I]n relation to the area where all the pressure was coming from and all the protests was [sic] coming from …. I reflected on the impact on those schools…. and I reversed that decision,” he said.

The La Senza and Vita Cortex Occupations Making the Boss Pay

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“When you ain’t got nothing, you got nothing to lose’  - Bob Dylan

Last year the word and action, “Occupy”, was imprinted on our minds, from Tahrir Square in Cairo to Zucotti Park in New York. This year Occupy has come home to us in Ireland. Sure, we’ve had the valiant efforts of people bringing attention to the great injustice being visited on us all by camping outside the Central Bank, but the amoral character of the boss class is never better displayed than when you get made redundant.

Workers Solidarity 126

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Issue 126 of Ireland's anarchist paper Workers Solidarity  March / April 2012.

What next for Occupy Belfast?

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The forcible eviction of Occupy Dame Street has once again shifted the spotlight on Occupy Belfast who have moved from their original camp at Writers Square to an iconic and listed vacant former bank building in the heart of the city centre. WSM member and Occupy Belfast activist Sean Matthews asks what next for Occupy Belfast and whether it has reached a critical mass.

Dub: CAHWT - National Rally

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Campaign Against Household And Water Taxes - National Rally

National Boxing Stadium, South Circular Road, Dublin 

Saturday 24th March, 1:00p.m.

Interview & report from packed National rally against Household tax - with photo slideshow

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Saturday's National Rally against the Household Tax in the National Stadium was literally filled to overflowing. As well as nearly 3,000 people crammed into every possible space in the Stadium another 4 to 500 were in the car park at the side, unable to fit into the building. And the thousands who attended were angry, energized and expectant of victory. The National Stadium normally hosts boxing marches but the atmosphere on Saturday topped that of watching a home fighter coming out on top in a close fought bout.

Occupy Belfast hold its first public meeting in the 'Peoples Bank'

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Occupy Belfast held its first public meeting in the occupied building on Saturday explaining why it decided to take the building and outlining future plans for the self-managed space. Around 20 people listened to two speakers from Occupy who provided an up-to date account of work underway including the building of a stage, meeting space and a library.

Cork: Cinema Night - Double-bill – Killing Us Softly & Mother Jones @solidaritybooks

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Join us Thursday, 29th March at Solidarity Books for a double-bill screening of “Killing Us Softly 4: Advertising’s Image of Women (2010) – Jean Kilbourne”, followed by “Mother Jones: America’s Most Dangerous Woman (2007) – Rosemary Feurer and Laura Vazquez” (details of film below).

Start time is 8pm.

All welcome, donations appreciated.

Dub: Unlock NAMA public meeting

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Economist Michael Taft and author Conor McCabe will be among the speakers lifting the lid on the notorious secrecy of NAMA at a public meeting in Dublin this Thursday evening, March 29th. The event will take a hard-hitting look at Ireland’s ‘bad bank’ and give the public a chance to discuss democratic and fair alternatives to it.

Unlock NAMA was launched on January 28th when 100 people occupied a NAMA building in Dublin city centre. This was the first clear challenge to NAMA, successfully identifying and occupying one of the many buildings under the agency. The occupation came to an end after Gardaí threatened to arrest 70 people in the building.

What: Public meeting
When: Thursday March 29th, 2012
Time: 7pm
Where: Wynn’s Hotel, Abbey St, Dublin 1