Tell me I’m not the only one to find the following statement from a Romanian political analyst, in the wake of the PDL centrist party PM Emil Boc’s resignation, a bit disturbing. “It’s very likely that the next prime minister will be a technocrat, probably from the central bank or even someone from the central [...]

The third issue of Starry Plough magazine is out now. The magazine is available from all sections of the Irish Republican Socialist Party. Price is £1/€1.50 Email: starryplough@gmail.com for details of how to get the Starry Plough where you are. www.starryplough.net Contents this issue include: -The Occupy Movement in North America and an analysis of [...]

To download the above document please click on the following link: PD & FASCIST This document from People Democracy is perhaps indicative of the shift in the thinking in that organisation that took place in the early to mid 1970s, and particularly in the wake of the Ulster Workers’ Council strike. This shift was indicated [...]

A timely guest post from Therese Caherty, Feminist Open Forum, on behalf of the Action on X Today marks the date in 1992 when the parents of a pregnant 14-year-old took their daughter to England for an abortion. She had been raped by a friend of the family. That same day in the High Court, [...]

Drugs have obviously long been an issue for the left in Ireland, due to the effect they have on working class communities. Interesting to see the following account of protests by Greek Communists on the KKE international pages against the proposed legalisation of drugs. Mass and militant youth demonstration of KNE in Athens, yesterday, against [...]

Today, the Sindo offers us the wailing of the NAMA-oppressed developers. Hilarious. Marc Coleman stands up for Catholic morality in the face of those who would lay it low with their greed. Funny also how Eamon Gilmore solemnly told us that we need to “honour agreements” with public sector unions. Just after tearing up agreements [...]

People’s News latest issue containing articles on: Permanent Austerity Treaty; Final Nail in coffin of economy; Re-writing history; ETUC opposes austerity treaty; A referendum now!; Ireland - austerity’s poster child; Leitrim’s gas could yield €30 billion profit for foreign company; Merkel demands more ‘integration’; German Green euro-bully at it still; EU funds may plug gaps in member states’ military spending; Varadkar changes his tune; British campaign for EU [...]

With the IFSC now central to the government’s growth plans, some figures which may be of interest. The only figure I can find for how much corporation tax the IFSC contributed is the figure for 2010. it’s €1.4 billion - Dept. of the Taoiseach last July, ( citing a private report, not Revenue, which is interesting in [...]

The IFSC, where Irish wealth is given tax breaks to bet AGAINST the Euro. The image is from a brochure for Dolmen Securities’ Split Deposit Security Bond VI, explaining why the Euro may weaken, and why it’s best to bet against it. Dolmen Securities are based in the IFSC and were Ruairi Quinn’s partners in [...]

In October 2011 Pat Rabbtte gave out thirteen licenses to twelve companies (press release here). The amount of blocks left around Ireland can be seen in this PDF map here, and the way it is done in the UK and other countries is explained in this SIPTU document from last year, available here (see pages [...]

The positive outcome of the 2011 Atlantic Margin Licensing Round will help bring a new momentum to the level of exploration activity in our offshore. Ireland must continue to communicate the message to international exploration companies that Ireland is open for business and that the Irish offshore has real potential.” So said Pat Rabbitte, Minister for [...]