It would appear that, one way or another, humans have always been trying to find a better way to live and survive in the world, particularly from a materialist viewpoint, to meet their needs and develop their capacities—not always with success—by their own volition or as they would want it […]
Author: Barry Murray
Liam O’Brien (1945-2022)
On behalf of the Communist Party of Ireland I would like to express our deepest sorrow at the loss of a great comrade and friend, Liam O’Brien, who died on 6 April. To his children, Aaron, Jason, Tanya, Cain, and Corinna, we can only guess the deep sense of loss […]
Long live the May Day martyrs!
August Spies, one of the Haymarket Martyrs who fought for an-eight-hour working day, said, “You can stamp out the spark, but the ground on which you stand is on fire.” May Day is the festival of the working class—the only day the whole world celebrates beyond boundaries of religion, caste, […]
EU on the decline
Geopolitically and militarily, the EU has never been a big player. Contrary to some great-power fantasies in the Brussels political bubble, it is merely an appendage of the USA. Economically, too, the cartel of states is barely getting off the ground in the face of fundamentally conflicting national capital interests. […]
Housing and the Irish state
The recent announcement that the state plans to allow local councils to buy homes in order to house refugees from Ukraine is another example of the class interests responsible for the present housing “crisis.” In reality there are more than enough housing units—90,158 vacant dwellings in 2021, according to the […]
Profits, lies, and the fog of war in Ukraine
As the conflict in Ukraine drags on into its fourth month, it has never been more important for us to champion the cause of cease-fire, peace, and diplomacy. Unfortunately, voices aiming to do so are ever more marginalised in Western media and political discourse, adding another shameful chapter to the […]
Notes on the ideology of the Cuban Revolution
Part 2 ■ Part 1 was published in the April issue; read it here Cuba’s nature as a “privileged satellite” within the US imperialist expansion created an aspiration in its bourgeoisie and sectors of its middle class, linked to the symbolic dominance and prevalence, in many, of the so-called American […]
James Connolly Conversations, 2022
This year’s James Connolly Conversations return as face-to-face meetings. At the same time we will provide an opportunity for others to join in the conversation on line. The sessions will take place on four consecutive Saturdays, from 28 May to 18 June, at 11 a.m. The meetings are designed to […]
Build working-class power
The Trade Union Left Forum announced on May Day that it is near to completing a draft bill to restore rights lost to workers as a result of anti-union legislation dating from the 1940s. The TULF has been campaigning against the Industrial Relations Act (1990) and also anti-worker legislation in […]
Marlene Dietrich: An outspoken enemy of her Nazi homeland
Marlene Dietrich, who died thirty years ago on 6 May 1992, must be remembered not only for her importance as a role model for emancipation but also for her outspoken and active stand against her Nazi homeland. Born in Berlin on 27 December 1901, she became one of the most […]
The importance of science
Comrade Carroll (Socialist Voice, April) provides an excellent analysis of the role of theory. However, a few points of addition. The concern with Marxism is perhaps not so much theory but science. A central claim of Marxism is that it is scientific. Characterising science is its method: the systematic study […]
The wretched state of the Irish media
The despicable treatment of Clare Daly and Mick Wallace by the Irish Times in its Easter Saturday edition is more than simply evidence of the wretched state of the Irish mainstream media: it is also a reflection of concerns gripping the 26-County establishment. The sanctimonious piece by Naomi O’Leary was […]
Housing must be a public good
On Wednesday 13 April residents of the Devanny housing estates held a protest in their area and expressed their continued anger at Dublin City Council and the planners involved in this quango as these bodies seek to privatise more public lands. There was a good turn-out by residents, local political […]
The importance of political theory
Part 2 Last month I wrote an article on the importance of political theory. In that article I explained that it is not enough to read the Communist Manifesto to learn about Marxism properly but that you must examine different points of Marxism. In this article I will examine the […]
The future of Latin America
Latin America entered the twenty-first century dominated by neoliberal governments. It was the region of the world with the most neoliberal and the most radical governments. Neoliberalism arrived in Latin America through the “Chicago Boys” during the Pinochet dictatorship. As a result, it was the region where the greatest manifestations […]
James Connolly Festival 2022
The James Connolly Festival is an annual, week-long series of events in radical arts, culture, and politics. It is a community-centred celebration of music, film, discussion and debate that brings together the ideas and thoughts of progressive and radical thinkers and organisations from around Ireland and beyond. Since the festival’s […]