Workers Solidarity Movement

Dublin Saturday 27th November 100,000 on ICTU march. I was there and I heard the booing.

Got back to Cork late Saturday, after an icy drive down the motorway. Visiting a friends house after coming back , relating the story from the day. "Did you boo Jack O'Connor then?" says one.

Many of the hundred thousand plus people who took part in Saturday's demonstration against the IMF/ECB four year plan would be disturbed to know that mixed among them were a number of secret police disguised as protesters. And it appears these Special Branch operatives were among the small breakaway march to the Dail that occurred after the main protest and which some media outlets seized on as 'proof' of the violence the Garda and that section of the media had been hyping in advance of the protest. 

Despite freezing temperatures, an estimated one hundred thousand people were on the streets of Dublin today to take part in the ICTU demonstration against the draconian four year plan, which is raising taxes on low paid workers, slashing wages, social services and cutting social welfare.  The WSM took part in the demonstration with the 1% Network, highlighting the wealthy 1% of the population who own 34% of the wealth, and pointing out that only a general strike can force them to back down from making us pay the full costs of the crisis.

Anarkismo.net has announced that a demonstration is being held in Paris, France tomorrow to coincide with the ICTU demonstration in Dublin under the slogan of 'Solidarity with the Irish people'.  The demonstrations called by 8 French organisations will be taking place at the European Union offices of bld Saint Germain, the organisers include the WSM's sister Anarkismo group in France, Alternative Libertaire.

Recently bond holders in Anglo Irish Banks agreed to a voluntary reduction to 20% of face value on 2017 junior bonds.  This morning the ISDA Determiniation Comittee (International Swaps and Derivatives Association) announced that this constituted a restructuring credit event, triggering CDSs (Credit Default Swaps) on Anglo Irish Bank.  Restructuring credit events trigger what is known as the "Small Bang Protocol" for CDSs which cover some events which are not complete defaults.

The 1% Network has called on all workers to attend the march organised by the Irish Congress of Trade Unions on Saturday morning next to “show their opposition to the anti-people policies of the Irish government, the European Central Bank and the IMF”.

In a further escalation of police repression against anti-bailout protesters, a motorbike Garda attacked at least two Sinn Féin TDs (elected members of the Irish parliament) in front of the world's TV cameras today.  The TDs were attempting to push back a small number of demonstrators who had pushed through the gates of government buildings.  From TV footage the demonstration seems to have been mostly composed of fellow members of Sinn Féin.

The government is to launch an all out attack on the living standards of the working class. The four year plan outlines a cut in the minimum wage, water charges, a household tax, a 5% cut in welfare payments, taxing of low wage workers, an €1000 increase in college fees, and cutting of 20,000 jobs.

Technical, Engineering & Electrical Union (TEEU) call for a campaign of civil disobedience. Union members overwhelmingly endorsed the emergency motion at their conference this morning.