Mayday in Dublin - going through the motions.

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This year May Day fell on a Saturday, meaning that the Dublin march would take place on the day itself. Almost a wash-out (owing to two hours of quite heavy rain right before the demonstration) the march was essentially going through the motions of a Dublin May Day from beginning to end.

This year May Day fell on a Saturday, meaning that the Dublin march would take place on the day itself. Almost a wash-out (owing to two hours of quite heavy rain right before the demonstration) the march was essentially going through the motions of a Dublin May Day from beginning to end.

Owing to very poor advertisement that led to much of the promotion in advance of the march being Facebook led, and thus the whole event going over the heads of most working people, the turnout was something in the region of 400 individuals, with a contingent of WSM members and other anarchists present. A particular banner, which has begun making regular appearances at trade-union demonstrations, called for NO NAMA, NO CUTS AND NO ICTU SELL OUT. From talking to trade union members on the day, two things were clear. Firstly, a belief that May Day should be a large show of strength from our movement and isn't at present, and secondly that a huge gap has emerged between the trade union leadership and the rank and file membership, with many feeling sold-out by the decisions of leadership in recent weeks, not least owing to the 'Croke Park Deal'.

While Arthur Scargill (President of the British National Union of Miners during their year long strike in 1984) is such a larger than life presence, another speaker received a wonderful response yesterday. A speaker from the Migrant Rights Centre spoke of the terrible employment conditions that migrant workers endure in this country, and the need for our movement not to stand for any divisions on the ground of race or background. In the midst of an economic recession that has handed lifelines to the far-right in many European countries, there is an urgent truth in this.

In 2007, a large May Day march in Dublin was followed by a bookfair at the Custom House and a day of Trade Union events. All this happened as a result of a large push in advance of the rally. Like many European cities, where May Day can bring out thousands of workers, we need to push for the Dublin demonstration to be a show of Union strength, and a day when ordinary workers come out behind their Union banners and demand that our Unions fight on our behalf.

 



Created with flickr slideshow.


"As we walked down O' Connell Street, I commented that it's not often that I walk behind the police- they usually follow me!" -Arthur Scargill.

This audio recording from the Dublin 2010 Mayday opens with some comments from those present on the organisation of this Mayday followed by Arthur Scargill's address. He concentrates on the need for the unions to be ready to break the law and giving the example of the Pentonville 5 who defied the laws and forced the British queen to pardon them after 2 million workers went on strike after they were jailed.  The audio ends with an introduction to the anarchist history of Mayday. Listen to the audio