Workers Solidarity Movement

July - August 2009 Edition of the Workers Solidarity freesheet.

PDF of Workers Solidarity 110 Southern Web Edition 1.6 Mb
PDF of Workers Solidarity 110 Northern Web Edition 2.7 Mb

Click on one of the links below for a PDF version of the northern or southern edition of Workers Solidarity 109.

PDF of Workers Solidarity 110 Southern Web Edition 1.6 Mb
PDF of Workers Solidarity 110 Northern Web Edition 2.7 Mb
 

In This Issue

The Battle Against Shell in Mayo
1. The Corrib Gas field is worth over 30 billion euro. Enough to get Ireland working again. 2. Under the deal signed by the corrupt Minister, Fianna Fail’s Ray Burke, the taxpayer has no stake in the gas field and gets no royalties.

The War on Youth
On RTE news on 18/5/09, Mary Hanafin stated, in her usual Orwellian fashion, that the Department of Social and Family Affairs (DSFA) had now provided a financial incentive to encourage those under 20 to go into training or education. This ’financial incentive’ involved cutting the dole to €100 per week for new claimants under the age of 20.

Seize Their Assets - Break Up the Criminal Gangs
PAYE taxpayers are only not being forced to bail out bankers and speculators, we are told that we also will have to meet the compensation and legal bills of a giant paedophile network. And we should be grateful that the child abusers are throwing in a few bob towards the cost!

Surprise, Surprise, More Government Lies
From the outset of the financial mess the Irish Government currently find themselves is, they have tried pinning the blame on anyone but themselves and their big business buddies. They have been quite willing to perpetuate lies and untruths in order to deflect public ire away from themselves.

Mayo and Bolivia: The Fascist Link
For the last eight years the local communities in Rossport and Glengad, County Mayo have been resisting petro-chemical giant Shell’s plans for a high-pressure gas pipeline from the offshore gas fields to an online refinery at Bellanaboy. The project is a significant health and safety risk in the medium term, as admitted by Shells own engineers at a recent local forum examining the project. It already has caused high levels of aluminum pollution of the local water supply.

Direct Action Gets the Goods: Visteon Occupation Pays Off
The occupation of the Visteon motor parts factory in Belfast ended on May 3rd when the company gave in and agreed pay extra compensation of between six month’s and nearly two year’s money to the workforce for the loss of their jobs.

Thinking About Anarchism: The Politics of Climate Change
In recent years climate change has loomed large in the public imagination. Scientifically, there is little doubt that it is a real threat to the future of human civilisation. The greenhouse effect has been known about since the early 19th century - gases in the atmosphere such as carbon dioxide, methane and water vapour trap heat from the sun, causing the climate of the planet to heat up over time. Probably the most spectacular known example of this effect in action is on Venus.

Film Review: Looking For Eric
Born of a Catalan mother whose family fought Franco’s forces in the Spanish Civil War and a father who juggled a nursing career and a passionate interest in painting, Cantona’s humble lineage portrays a character quite different to the one we should have expected from the one on the field, with his upturned collar and puffed out chest, his air always suggested that of a French nobleman; that and his football eventually led to him to be known as King.

Snouts in the Trough
Elections have passed, faces change but the corrupt political class remains. MPs of all parties made common cause in attempting to delay and minimise the disclosure of their fraudulent behaviour and life of grandeur and wealth, subsidised by the taxpayer.

That's Capitalism
Local DUP councillor, Adrian McQuillan seemed less than outraged at the sectarian murder of Kevin McDaid in Coleraine. He wrote it off as “tit for tat” and went on to excuse the killers: “What reason can you see for there being tricolours up yesterday afternoon, a Sunday afternoon? None other than for to get a reaction from the loyalist community…”

Race Hate Attacks in Belfast
At the time of going to press, only 14 of the 115 Romanians targeted in racist attacks in Belfast earlier this month have decided to remain in the country. The rest are returning home.

WSM activity in the Spring of 2009