January 2009

Photos from the Palastine Solidarity March in Dublin

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It was a freezing cold Saturday, yet hundreds still marched in solidarity with the people of Palastine.

Ideas & Action - A new movement magazine

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In the world today there is no body of revolutionary theory that provides a fully convincing picture of where we are or a program for the future. The left is trapped in a cycle of state ideology and reactions to state ideology.

TV REVIEW - Generation Kill and the reality of war

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In Workers Solidarity 105 we reviewed David Simon's 'The Wire'. His follow on project 'Generation Kill' which features some of the same actors is a 7 episode series following the United States Marine Corps' 1st Reconnaissance Battalion during the invasion of Iraq . It's based on the book published by Rolling Stone journalist Evan Wright.

Public sector - Lower pay, less jobs - Whose National Interest

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WSM member Joe King, a clerical officer in the public sector, responds to the calls for pay cuts and redundancies.

Loansharks prey on 40,000 across Northern Ireland

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A major financial company with 40,000 customers in the North has admitted that it charges 183.2% interest. This is no backstreet loanshark operation, Provident Financial is a completely legal and government regulated firm.

A Quick Guide to Social Welfare for the Newly Jobless

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Workers Solidarity’s Vincent O’Malley spoke to his local Citizens Information Centre about some of the obstacles facing people who have lost their jobs.

The Selfish Gene?

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Anarchists want to change the world. Instead of the present order – capitalism – with its focus on inequality and profits for a few, we want to build a new society based around the principles of participatory democracy, freedom and production for need not profit. For anarchists the type of society we want to build is best summed up by the slogan: ‘To each according to their needs, from each according to their ability’.

Free-market entrepreneurs created the crash

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Billionaire investor Warren Buffett commented on the US financial crisis that “it’s only when the tide goes out that you learn who’s been swimming naked, and Wall Street now looks like a nudist beach.” Well when it comes to Ireland, the receding tide of the global economy has revealed that not only were our business and political elites swimming naked, they were engaged in a great big orgy as well.

Grassroots Gathering held in Cork - Organising In Challenging Times

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The Grassroots Gathering is a twice-yearly coming together of anarchists and libertarian socialists who are active in political groups and campaigns up and down the island of Ireland. The second of 2008's Gatherings was held in Cork on 14th-16th November. The 90 or so attending, combined with the quality of the discussions, left its organisers very pleased with the weekend. It showed that there's a lot of life left in the Grassroots Gathering as a show-case for trends and thinking among Ireland's libertarian left.

Education cuts - Moving from Protest to Success

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The Education Cuts announced in October’s Budget have unleashed a wave of protest across the country. During the months of November and December approximately 120,000 people took to the streets of Dublin, Galway, Tullamore, Cork and Donegal to register their anger at the government’s attempts to make schoolchildren pay for the financial crisis. Cowen, Lenihan and O’Keefe have been left in no doubt about the level of popular opposition to these cutbacks. In addition thousands of 3rd level students have also taken to the streets and participated in marches, pickets and blockades to protest at the proposed re-introduction of fees.

That's Capitalism - WS107

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One child in eight in less developed countries gets no primary schooling, according to UNESCO. Of the approximately 75 million children who receive no primary schooling, about 55% are girls. In sub-Saharan Africa one-third of all children receive no schooling.

Poverty in the north = You Can't Eat a Flag

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A recent report produced by ‘Belfast Healthy Cities’ into the direct link between wealth and class confirms what most of us already know - class pervades every aspect of our lives from the cradle to grave. According to the report, if you live in the Shankill or Ardoyne, for example, you can expect to live several years less than someone from affluent areas just a few miles away. So much for the new era!

Seomra Spraoi - What the hell is a ‘social centre’?

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Mark Malone spoke to Workers Solidarity about Dublin’s social centre. He is a member of the WSM and also of the Seomra Spraoi Collective.

Anarchism and the WSM

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November saw WSM public meetings about anarchism in Cork and Dublin, with 40 people at one and about 60 at the other. With the crisis and a growing employers’ offensive on wages there is a greater openness to radical ideas, and we will be holding more meetings around the country over the next couple of months.

Obama - a carrot as well as a stick

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The election of Barrack Obama created a buzz all over the world. Some commentators even lost the run of themselves and tried to convince us that the one of the most important events in human history had just happened.

Gaza Protest Belfast

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Gaza Protest March

WSM articles on Palestine, religion and the middle east

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This is a collection of articles published in Workers Solidarity Movement publications about Palestine over the last decade, articles written by our members for publication elsewhere and material re-published elsewhere in publications our members edited. Together they provide the start of an anarchist analysis of the roots of the conflict and paths out of it.

Cork Protest - Stop The Slaughter In Gaza

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Cork march and protest details

Dublin Demonstration against Slaughter in Gaza

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The Irish Anti War Movement has called for a national demonstration against the Israeli attack on Palestinians in Gaza. The demonstration begins at Central Bank at 1pm for speeches followed by a march to the Israeli embassy at Pembroke Broad, Dublin 4 and more speeches.

Dublin Anarchist Bookfair 2009

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The Workers Solidarity Movement proudly presents the 4th annual Anarchist Bookfair which will take place on weekend of the 7th of March in Liberty Hall. The Bookfair this will host workshops, stalls from campaigning groups and book stalls.