Workers Solidarity Movement

Most people will be aware that Irish troops are being sent to Africa as part of an EU 'peace-keeping' mission to Chad and Central African Republic (CAR), but many will be relatively unaware of the background to the conflict and the reasons for the mission. Chad and Central African Republic are both resource rich (oil, gold and uranium in Chad, gold, diamonds and uranium in CAR) but economically underdeveloped former colonies of France.

Every year we celebrate International Women’s Day on March 8th. This goes back to 1910, when an international conference of socialist women decided that 'women the world over set aside a particular day each year to remember women and their struggles.'

For decades they sold the concept of ‘freedom’ and talked about a ‘socialist republic’ but now, with Martin McGuinness chuckling around the world with Ian Paisley, it’s clear that Sinn Fein’s concept of ‘freedom’ and their supposed vision of a ‘32-County Socialist Republic’ was at best an illusion.

Chairman of Louth County Council Cllr Jimmy Mulroy, speaking in a debate about the abuse of workers by some employment agencies, said that while Irish people, "need €12.50 an hour, people from Lithuania are doing very well on €8.50 an hour." Mulroy, the owner of an electrical firm, later defended his remarks, arguing that many migrant workers were "very happy” with lower pay. Fianna Fail head office “disassociated” the party from the councillor's comments, but there was no suggestion of him being disciplined or deselected as a candidate.

The tragedies, the mistakes and the disputes roll on. Mary Harney and the HSE merrily proceed with their agenda of privatisation. They continue to run down the public health service while creating opportunities for profit-driven healthcare, business opportunities for their already rich friends. They ignore the misery and anger of patients and health workers while trying to divert our attention from the real causes of the problems in Irish healthcare.

MFebruary saw many of the newer members meet up at a day long session for discussions about anarchist ideas, why we talk about class, how we fight women’s oppression, anarchist organisation, anarchist history, the Spanish Revolution, Russia: revolution and counter revolution and practical organising in our unions & communities.

Anarchism has traditionally been hostile to all religions because by their very nature they tend to be authoritarian. A supernatural creator who sets the rules is naturally considered to be the ultimate source of authority. And its authority means humanity’s obedience. If there is a god, it would, in the words of Bakunin, be necessary to abolish him. But a creator doesn’t exist, so we are left with the more mundane task of spreading the good news that values aren’t handed down from on high, but emerge from human society.

As many people know May Day is international workers day. Across the world it’s a day of protest and struggle. It’s also a day to celebrate solidarity. In Cork a new May Day Committee that includes the Independent Workers Union is meeting regularly to make May Day in Cork even bigger and better. We need you! If you are interested in helping to organise events, or if you have ideas or you just want to meet and help out, we’d love to see you along. The May Day Committee meets every fortnight at the IWU offices on North Main Street.

A quick article following on from the publication of 'The Lie of the Land' by the Irish Psychiatric Association looks at the dealings of the HSE recently in terms of some land dealings.

Sometimes along comes a story – and it surprises you because even though you have a jaded view of this corrupt society, they go and do something that jars you.

I find myself using the elongated version of un******believable. They are not going to steal this from the most vulnerable in society so that they can give some of their friends in property development a nice new project to work on. Yes they are! Who are they? The Health Service Executive is who they are.

The issues of the Irish anarchist paper Workers Solidarity published in 2008