There I am sitting among my three or four neighbours, and the talk turns to property. Their property. This topic has bothered me for some time, as it brings out the nastiest prejudices in my neighbours: condemning suspected “welfare cheats,” bothersome tenants, and everything else. Now one of these neighbours, […]
Article
Pete Seeger on his 100th birthday
There are few people more famous in the political song movement than Pete Seeger. Along with his contemporaries Paul Robeson and Woody Guthrie, Seeger represented the might of song in highlighting the common cause, strengthening courage, and inspiring resistance. Song was their weapon in this struggle for a fair, equal […]
Book: Living in an armed patriarchy
Living in an Armed Patriarchy: Public Protest, Domestic AcquiescenceLynda Walker This booklet takes its reader back in time to the years from the late 1960s to the early 1980s, years that shook the North of Ireland profoundly in many ways. It is an example of the kind of writing about […]
Workers in struggle
Lloyd’s refuse to attend the Labour Court At the Labour Court on 26 April the employees’ union, Mandate, presented the case for all Lloyd’s Pharmacy workers to receive improvements to their terms and conditions of employment. Mandate’s submission includes demands for: A pay increase of 3.4 per cent, backdated to […]
A victory for pro-Venezuela activists
A group of determined American activists forced Juan Guaidó’s shadow ambassador, Carlos Vecchio, to flee from a rally that was supposed to mark his triumphant entry into the Venezuelan embassy in Washington. It was supposed to be a day of triumph for the Venezuelan coup leader Juan Guaidó and his […]
Venezuela: A timeline of struggle
This is an edited version of a document supplied by the Venezuela-Ireland Network In our media the economic and political difficulties in Venezuela are usually presented as recent developments. In most reports, all blame is laid on the alleged failure of the Bolivarian Revolution. Absent from the narrative are any […]
Vote left!
This month we face a number of electoral choices: local elections, elections for the EU Parliament, and a proposed amendment to the Constitution. The local elections have produced a staggering number of small parties and independents, hoping to be elected to what is in fact powerless local government. Real power […]
Political statement
National Executive Committee, Communist Party of Ireland16 March 2019 At its regular meeting on 16 March 2019 the National Executive Committee of the Communist Party of Ireland discussed the current situation in relation to the continuing debate about Brexit and also the decision of the Public Prosecution Service in regard […]
James Connolly Festival, 2019 7–12 May
This year’s James Connolly Festival, running from Tuesday 7 May to Sunday 12 May, will build on the great success of previous incarnations. The programme will include contributions on a wide range of topics, continuing the commitment to exploring left-wing politics and ideas through discussion, arts, and culture. While the […]
Towards a united Ireland
The recent formation of Trade Unionists for a New and United Ireland should be considered a positive development, providing an opportunity for a debate among those committed to ending the imperialist domination of our people and on what that new Ireland should be like. We must reclaim the vision for […]
Irish unity: When, not if
Irish unity is now a question of when, not if. The British-EU border debacle illustrates the imperialist domination of the 32 counties. Regardless of how the inter-imperialist rivalry plays out, the needs and interests of the Irish working class will not be the main topic of discussion, whether it be […]
National reunification: Entering new and uncharted waters
After listening to Olivia O’Leary speaking about a united Ireland on “Drivetime” (RTE) last month, a Dublin republican remarked that something significant must be happening when this subject was being aired on the national broadcaster by one of its more cautious commentators. Curious, I downloaded the podcast. It was indeed […]
International Working Women’s Day, 2019 Speech by Ghada Abdalkeem (Sudan)
Good evening, everybody. My thanks to the Communist Party of Ireland for inviting me to speak today. First of all let me send my greetings to all the communist parties, workers’ parties and the democratic organisations for their support and solidarity for the people of Sudan in their ongoing revolution […]
St Patrick and the heritage of Christianity
The Sunday Times in its editorial of 17 March declared that “St Patrick’s Day is fast becoming the springtime equivalent of Halloween: a low-key Irish holy day that has been exported, processed, repackaged, repurposed and flogged back to us by the Americans.” There is little doubt that this is true. […]
A history of working-class writing
■ Michael Pierse (ed.), A History of Irish Working-Class Writing (Cambridge University Press, 2018). This is a book to be welcomed. It is the first study of such scope, attempting, as it does, to present and analyse the entire body of Irish working-class literature. It begins with the first writings […]
Challenging anti-union legislation
On Saturday 23 March the Trade Union Left Forum held its first event of 2019. Under the heading “Let us arise: Has anti-union legislation got workers on their knees?” the workshop at the Connect hall in Gardiner Street, Dublin, attracted workers from throughout the trade union movement, reflecting the small […]