Over 30 years of anarchist writing from Ireland listed under hundreds of topics
Austerity referendum
Opinions & Analysis of the Fiscal Compact / Stability Treaty / Austerity referendum of May 31 2012 in which the WSM is saying It doesn’t matter how you vote… what matters is whether you're willing to resist their austerity
Resisting Austerity - Beyond the Ballot Box of the Fiscal Compact Treaty
Date: Thu, 2012-05-17 13:46
On the 31st May, the Irish people will be asked to vote in a referendum on the Treaty on Stability, Coordination and Governance in the Economic and Monetary Union, commonly known as the Fiscal Compact Treaty. The YES side in the campaign argue that this is necessary in order to maintain stability across the EU, and the NO side argue that this treaty represents an enshrinement and continuation of the austerity we have faced since 2008. However, both sides, either through ignorance, cynicism or malice, portray the limitations of people's agency and power as the ticking of a box on a piece of paper.
What is the Fiscal Compact: Smoke & Mirrors
Date: Tue, 2012-03-20 17:22
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.
Majority refuse to choose flavour of austerity in referendum - huge boycott is something to build on
Date: Fri, 2012-06-01 13:06
With votes still being counted it has become clear that the largest block of potential voters refused to take part in the fiscal compact referendum, rejecting the arguments that they could either vote for 'stability' or against 'austerity'. Quite possibly more people chose to boycott the referendum then the combined Yes and No voters. On top of this some 17% of the population who live and pay tax in Ireland were excluded from voting at all in the referendum. This means as many as 2/3 of the adult population did not vote in the referendum.
WSM & SP MEP Paul Murphy debate fiscal treaty & what the left should say - DABF2012 Audio
Date: Tue, 2012-05-29 10:55
Mark Hoskins of the WSM debates MEP Paul Murphy on what positions the left should take on the Fiscal Compact to be voted on in Ireland May 31st. The SP is arguing for a No vote, the WSM argues that the vote doesn't matter, what matters is resistance to austerity. This debate took place at the 2012 Dublin Anarchist Bookfair in Liberty Hall.
Dublin Community TV interviews Gregor Kerr WSM PRO on the forthcoming referendum
Date: Mon, 2012-05-28 14:38
Interview carried out by Donal Higgins for Dublin Community TV
Socialist Party MEP to debate whether voting in the referendum is “a waste of time” at Anarchist Bookfair this weekend - Press Statement
Date: Thu, 2012-05-24 10:39
“Is voting in the referendum on the Fiscal Compact Treaty a waste of time?” This will be one of the items to be discussed at the Dublin Anarchist Bookfair which takes place this Saturday (26th May) in Liberty Hall.
"They'll just ignore our vote anyway" - Press Statement:
Date: Mon, 2012-05-21 09:50
Anarchist organisation, Workers Solidarity Movement (WSM), has claimed that voting in the Fiscal Compact Treaty referendum “will not make one whit of difference”.
“The pro-side are calling it a Stability Treaty but if it’s passed does anyone seriously think that we are going to get financial stability?”, asked Gregor Kerr, WSM PRO. “On the other hand the anti-side are calling it an Austerity Treaty, but everyone knows that even if we vote no the austerity agenda will continue.”
The Referendum: It doesn’t matter whether you vote… what matters is whether you're willing to resist their austerity
Date: Wed, 2012-05-02 13:05
The government parties are billing it as the ‘Stability Treaty’, the left opposition – most notably the United Left Alliance – are calling it the ‘Austerity Treaty’. For the next few weeks we can expect the airwaves to be clogged with the pros and cons in the lead-up to the 31stMay referendum on the “Treaty on Stability, Coordination and Governance in the Economic and Monetary Union” to give it its official title.
But despite all that we will hear between now and the end of the month, does anyone seriously think that how we vote will make one whit of difference?
Opinion: Is the 'austerity referendum' where the real battleground is?
Date: Thu, 2012-03-01 16:21
Ireland is to have a referendum after all on the EU austerity treaty and a lot of the left is getting unreasonably excited about this. I say unreasonably because my opinion is that the referendum will not really, as the likes of the ULA claim, be a meaningful ballot on austerity. Austerity is not something simply being imposed on us by Europe through this referendum but something our domestic ruling class are already imposing and have been for a few years. Of course they have used the ECB/IMF as the 'bad cop' to scare us with and when passed will use the EU austerity treaty in the same way. But we need to recognize and organize around the fact that our local politicians and capitalist class are not really a 'good cop' eager to help us avoid the attentions of the 'bad cop' making threatening gestures at us across the room.
The Austerity Treaty: Is the call for a referendum a sensible strategy?
Date: Thu, 2012-02-16 17:17
The fiscal treaty, as agreed by EU governments, is clearly an austerity treaty and will impose serious levels of economic and financial pain on Irish workers for years to come. In his blog ‘Notes On The Front’ Unite economist Michael Taft says “The Government, in signing the Fiscal Treaty, has effectively committed itself to introducing up to €6 billion more in tax increases and spending cuts in the medium-term, over and above what it has already planned”.[1]
