For the first time in the history of the state, socialist lawyers are organising. Trainee solicitors in the Law School in Dublin have formed the Blackhall Society of Socialist Lawyers, and they are looking for barristers, solicitors, legal academics and law students to join a national network of radical lawyers. […]
Month: December 2022
Three tanka by a radical American writer
Three bilingual tanka (5-7-5-7-7 syllables) by Gabriel Rosenstock “Kerouac 1” was written in response to a seldom-cited socialist manifesto by Jack Kerouac (1922–1969), novelist and haiku master: “Shorter hours will provide the labourer with a new desire to live, not to be a productive animal, but to have time to […]
Modern McCarthyism and anti-Palestinian racism
In an open letter, 170 British artists reacted angrily to the withdrawal of the European Drama Prize from Caryl Churchill: We are appalled that the Lifetime Achievement Prize awarded to playwright Caryl Churchill for the European Drama Prize 2022 has been rescinded by the jury of the Schauspiel Stuttgart, on […]
The state has failed the homeless
As we approach the middle of winter the number of homeless people in Ireland climbs above 10,000, more than 3,000 of whom are children. The number of homeless people has grown by 2,593 since august 2021 and by 237 since July this year. In whose interest is it to […]
Writers salute the legacy of Tomás Mac Síomóin
Tribute was paid to the life and work of the late comrade and writer Tomás Mac Síomóin at a commemorative event organised by Aontas na Scríbhneoirí in conjunction with the festival IMRAM in the Writers’ Centre, Dublin, last month. The evening was themed “File agus Fear Conspóide / Poet […]
Trouble for tech capitalism
Last month the social media giants Twitter and Meta (Facebook) announced widespread layoffs. They join Coinbase, which fired 18 per cent of its staff in June, part of a trend of technology companies freezing the hiring or sacking of employees. The technology industry is in dire straits. However, these […]
Seeing the achievements of the Cuban Revolution
Last month the 22nd International Meeting of Communist and Workers’ Parties was held in Havana. During the week, exchanges were made between 73 different communist and workers’ parties from 53 countries and a unified plan of action and resolution were agreed, including a unanimous call to action against and condemnation […]
Wrongful imprisonment of an Irish communist
In November 2022 it was fifty years since the wrongful imprisonment of Noel Jenkinson, an Irish communist sentenced to life imprisonment, with little or no evidence against him other than his left-wing political beliefs. The charge against him was the Official IRA bomb explosion at the headquarters of the […]
How the Left fared in Denmark’s general election
An assessment of how Denmark’s three left-wing parties—the Red-Green Alliance (Enhedslisten), founded in 1989, the Alternative (Alternativet), founded in 2013, and the Independent Greens (Frie Gronne), founded in 2020—fared in the election of 1 November 2022. In brief: The Red-Green Alliance¹ lost four mandates, winning 9 seats; the Alternative² gained […]
Ninety years of Connolly Books
Since the 1930s, New Books and Connolly Books have been publishing the writings of James Connolly (1868–1916), Ireland’s Marxist pioneer and martyr. Thousands of people first encountered Connolly through the re-publication of his writings in pamphlet and book form by New Books, including Labour in Irish History, Erin’s Hope and […]
Problems in farming today
■ This article is by a family farmer actively trying to bring people together in the Westmeath-Roscommon region. Socialist Voice welcomes contributions to this important and necessary debate. The true issue in farming today is the lack of awareness of the crisis they are now in. The Dutch farmers, alongside […]
Partition running out of road
The continuing stalemate in northern Irish politics is not simply due to the Brexit protocol or tendentious rumours of joint Dublin–London authority: the underlying cause of chronic political deadlock is the result of unionist anxiety. There is a growing realisation throughout the region that the future of the Six-County […]
Price increases and the rise of fascism
Inflation is an increase in the price of goods and services. When the quantity of money in an economy exceeds the quantity of commodities it will cause “demand pull” inflation. When the cost of raw materials or an increase in wages causes price increases it is “cost push” inflation. The […]
A new British Army memorial
A chairde, Dublin City Council does indeed think that Ireland, and specifically Dublin, needs more British army WWI Memorials. Apparently the concept of Irish neutrality, not to speak of the concreting of public green areas and destruction of public spaces, does not trouble Dublin City Council. The councillors, led […]
The “democracy” fairytale
In October the British prime minister, Liz Truss, resigned. The capitalist media informed us that her economic policies did not find favour with the financial markets, and as a result she had to go. Once Truss had been removed, the Tories selected a new prime minister, and the media moved […]