On the 23rd of January 2025, The Ditch published a story detailing how the Department of Defence was keeping its interactions with lobbyists for arms manufacturers “confidential”[1]. The lobby group involved is the Irish Defence and Security Association (IDSA) – who count among its members genocidaires Lockheed Martin and Patria. […]
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To Further the case for Public Monopolies: Democratising the Economy
Investigating an Economic Alternative Part 2 Following on from last month’s article[1] we delve deeper into the transformative potential of public monopolies[2] and the role of cross-subsidisation in building an economy for the common good. The ideological dogma of free-market capitalism has long upheld private enterprise as the pinnacle of […]
Trump Election: A triumph for corporate USA
In spite of the extensive coverage of Trump’s storming arrival in the Oval Office, there remains a certain complacency in Ireland and elsewhere about what this presidency means. With the balance of power in the world changing away from the USA’s total control, there is now a question as to […]
Lies, damned lies and surveys
This year’s Holocaust Memorial Day in Dublin was a memorable one, with President, Michael D Higgins accused of antisemitism by the Ambassador for Genocide, Dana Ehrlich and by members of “the Irish Jewish community”. The accusations were made because Higgins dared to say that the phrase “never again” also included […]
Hotel Lux: An Intimate History of Communism’s Forgotten: Book Review
Hotel Lux: An Intimate History of Communism’s Forgotten, by Maurice J Casey – review Richard Mullen The blurb on the back cover of Hotel Lux reads: “A series of romances wrapped in a detective story, disguised as a narrative history of international communism, Hotel Lux uncovers a world of forgotten […]
Financiliasation of Housing & Elections – Where Do We Go From Here?
The airways and newspapers have been full of discussion around the “housing crisis”, its nature and possible causes and effects. What was clear from the recent local election results is that the majority of those who voted did so for parties who support the status quo, who support the economic […]
The Economics and Politics of Unity
With Sinn Féin recently securing a hat trick of seats, their border poll call has escalated. In this article, unity economics are engaged to strengthen preparation for such prospects and likely aftermath. In doing so, I assume that the economics of unity will be settled between the British and Irish […]
Building Beyond Electoralism
In the June issue of the Socialist Voice I wrote an opinion piece intended to stimulate a debate on what I thought was the best strategy in the electoral arena, specifically looking at the upcoming General Elections in the 26 counties. That article has indeed sparked discussion and it has […]
An Electoral Transformative Strategy
The following article is presented to offer up for debate a potential transformative electoral strategy in the wake of the recent local and EU elections. There is a wider and more important debate and strategy to be formulated over the coming months and years on how to deepen and broaden […]
Report from Bohemian FC vs Palestine, 15th May 2024 in Dalymount Park
Formal recognition by Ireland of the Palestinian state is expected to happen before the end of the month. To all intents and purposes, it occurred at Dalymount Park in Dublin on Wednesday, May 15. The first game of a Palestinian national team on European soil was always going to be […]
May Day 2024 Statement
The Communist Party of Ireland sends May Day greetings to the Irish working class, to all anti-imperialist and progressive organisations, to the international Communist movement, to all those struggling against imperialism, colonialism, and native capitalism, and to those actively struggling to build socialism. In particular, we send greetings to the […]
Lord Alderdice and the North
Two rival positions are circulating regarding the British and the North. The first is the British have no interest in maintaining the North. Lord Alderdice recently revived this argument in an interview online, claiming the Irish government, not the British, block unity. The second is that the British want to […]
On the need for a Popular Front
In March I wrote a piece suggesting it is time for a new Popular Front, given the many multifaceted and related crisis humanity faces, but one that must be both eco-socialist and anti-capitalist given ecological and military developments since the 1930s. In our 26th Congress document we have already called […]
Triple-Lock – The betrayal of a solemn promise to the Irish People
In one of the most disturbing recent Irish government announcements, Mícheál Martin has repeated his administration’s intention to press ahead with legislation to get rid of the triple-lock dealing with Irish military involvement abroad. Designed to protect this country’s neutrality, the triple-lock curtails the unrestricted deployment of Irish troops in […]
The cause of Labour is the cause of Ireland, the cause of Ireland is the cause of Labour
The trade union movement, north and south, is at a significant crossroads where it can choose to struggle, fight, grow and raise the expectations and consciousness of our class and with our class, or it can choose to be further incorporated into the structures of Imperialism. With changing demographics and […]
The Essence of Imperialism
Ireland suffered under the weight of imperialism in the past for the longest time and today continues to bear the oppression of the triple-lock of imperialism. People who are acquainted with Irish history know well the destruction and damage caused by imperialism on the population, the economy, culture, language, nature, […]