Analysis

The story of the Citizen Army

Date:

The playwrite Sean O'Casey was the first secretary of the Irish Citizen Army and in 1914 had drafted its constitution . He wrote this history of the Citizen Army in the period after the 1916 rising. By the time of the rising he had resigned from the ICA in protest at its decision to allow joint membership with the Irish Volunteers. O'Casey played no part in the rising although with other civilian men he was interned in the course of the rising.

Consultants: "Gimme, gimme, gimme ... more, more, more"

Date:

The greedy consultants are taking advantage of the current crisis in the health system to help line their own pockets. They're not going on strike in solidarity with the nurses' justified industrial action. Instead, they've recognised the opportunity to make the health service unworkable and so increase the pressure on the Health Services Executive (HSE) and the Department of Health to make their new contracts even sweeter and grab some more cash in the process. They're delaying the much needed reforms in the health service and the increases in consultant numbers, that would benefit all of Irish society, for their own selfish reasons.

Review of the Galway water scandal and analysis of the reasons

Date:

A story about how a Government who could see the winning line suddenly got side tracked by the issue of poisoning the very people they were hoping would elect them again.

Galway city has grown by over a quarter since 1996. Its major source of water is the big lake, Lough Corrib North of the city. This is the same water source which deals with sewage from two plants, and has its water treated by a plant which was built in the 1940’s. The planners and the gombeens at the Ministry for the Environment do not appear to be aware of the dangers of that old saying ‘don’t shit where you eat’.

In Defence of Electoral Apathy

Date:

People's apathy, particularly young people's, towards elections is normally presented as some sort of failing in civic responsibility. However, indifference towards the outcomes of elections is actually a sensible position to have - it recognises that the emperor has no clothes.

History of the early People's Democracy (1970)

Date:

The No6 edition of the British "Anarchy" magazine published in 1970 was largely given over to articles written by members of 'Peoples Democracy'. This article gives a PD view of the history of the north from 1960 to 1970 including the formation of the Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association (NICRA) and the origins of People's Democracy.

Las Ideas de James Connolly

Date:

James Connolly es probablemente la figura más importante en la historia de la izquierda irlandesa. Fue un dirigente de la IWW en los EEUU, pero en Irlanda es más conocido por su rol en la construcción del movimiento sindical irlandés, en su fase sindicalista, y por involucrar al cuerpo de defensa armada del sindicalismo, el Ejército de los Ciudadanos Irlandeses, en la insurrección nacionalista de 1916. Esto dejó tras de sí un legado que, a veces, puede ser reclamado no solamente por todos los partidos de izquierda de Irlanda, sino que además por los partidos nacionalistas Fianna Fáil y Sinn Fein.

Sinn Fein Learn to Love the Police

Date:

There was no surprise when Sinn Fein voted to support the PSNI, the republican leadership does not usually put anything to a vote unless they are already pretty sure of the result. This does not mean they found it easy, it was a bitter pill for them to swallow. The IRA used to shoot cops and the cops used to shoot them. Now they have to ask their supporters to assist the PSNI, even join them.

What is Exploitation? Thinking about Anarchism

Date:

Exploitation is an easy enough concept to grasp. It is essentially, when someone does not receive the full returns to their labour. That is when they do not receive the full benefit from their activities.

Cronic state of Irish health system

Date:

In January 2005, Michael X, a courier driver, went to see his GP complaining of recurrent diarrhoea and passing some blood. Following an examination, his GP sent a letter to arrange for an appointment with a gastro-enterologist for specialist assessment. His appointment arrived in the post - he could see the consultant in July, six months later.

Early Irish communist - William Thompson - audio

Date:

William Thompson was one of the of the first people to critically engage with political economy and attempt to turn it around to defend the improvement of the condition of the working class and rural poor. He was from a Anglo- Irish landowning family from West Cork and was to become a leading figure in the early Co-operative movement. In this talk from the 2007 Dublin anarchist bookfair Paul Bowman talks about the importance of Thompson and the relevance of his ideas today

Syndicate content