“Cost-rental model” is the flavour of the month as a way of solving the housing emergency and making the provision of shelter more affordable and sustainable. The cost-rental model is a system whereby the total cost of a housing development (land, design, construction, property management and maintenance) is divided by […]
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Repealed! Another democratic step forward for women and our country
The Irish people have passed judgement on the thirty-five years’ experience of the implementation of the 8th Amendment to the Constitution. The electorate voted by a substantial majority to abolish the controversial amendment that gave equal legal status to the lives of a foetus and of the mother. Our people […]
The harassment of women is no joke
Capitalism exploits the working class, and in particular women. This is done through the devaluation of women’s labour in the home—that is, the necessary work of reproducing and maintaining workers for the capitalist machine—and the devaluation of work done by women outside the home: the pay gap.* Neither of these […]
Capitalist automation and job loss
Don’t believe the hype! The current narrative about automation is well known. Weekly, if not daily, commentaries and reports emerge that forecast the potential for the mass displacement of workers as a result of impending automation. To a degree this is new wine in old bottles. Automation manias have been […]
Robbing Peter to pay Paul
The sleek intercity train connecting Amsterdam to Rotterdam zips between the two cities in a mere forty minutes and, with a fare of only €15.40 (£13.50), puts our fares to shame. The Dutch railways are still nationally owned, operated by Nederlandse Spoorwegen, and the route between the two cities claims […]
Letter: Will the circle be unbroken?
Comrades, So far, the issue of the fodder shortage does not seem to have troubled the pages of SV, and I’m hoping that this letter may be a first. Briefly, for those of you who have not been following the “crisis,” it seems that the prolonged wet winter has meant […]
Saluting the creator of political photomontage
John Heartfield died fifty years ago, on 26 April 1968. He was the creator of political photomontage, a fearless communist and activist. Helmut Herzfeld was born on 19 June 1891 in Berlin. In 1899 his parents abandoned Herzfeld, his brother and two sisters at a very young age. The children […]
Mandate conference: Building for the future
At the end of April, Mandate held its biennial conference, with more than three hundred delegates from the retail and bar sectors in attendance, under the theme “Organise! Organise!! Organise!!!” The conference was opened by the general secretary, John Douglas. His remarks were not “grandstanding” or throwing shapes but instead […]
Bombs away!
In 1985 a delegation of women from the United States held a press conference in Managua, Nicaragua. This was at a time when Nicaragua was suffering a terrorist campaign, waged by the United States. The women assumed—correctly—that the site of the conference would attract more attention to their plight. All […]
Mayday, mayday!
If the workers take a notion They can stop all speeding trains; Every ship upon the ocean They can tie with mighty chains. Every wheel in the creation, Every mine and every mill, Fleets and armies of the nation, Will at their command stand still. —Joe Hill The trade […]
The capitalist illusion Part 3: Poverty thriving
Over two issues of Socialist Voice (January and March 2018) there were two articles that explained the capitalist illusion that perpetuates the class division in society. A great deception has allowed a tiny minority of the world’s population to own and control the vast majority of wealth that is created, […]
Seán Joseph Clancy
We regret to inform readers of Socialist Voice of the death of one of our regular contributors, Seán Joseph Clancy, who wrote regularly on events in his adopted homeland, Cuba. Seán was born and raised in the suburb of Raheny in Dublin. He first went to Cuba in 1999 on […]
Time to examine the American connection
Some years ago an American friend had a nasty accident while visiting Belfast. Looking to his left, he stepped into the roadway, was struck by a car, and suffered a broken leg. This man was a responsible adult, but his lived experience in New York had caused him to look […]
European integration versus democracy
The European Union continues to push forward with deeper integration, as that is the economic and political imperative of European big business. The EU Commission continues to promote its strategy of deepening integration. It has proposed a finance minister for the euro zone and transforming the European Stability Mechanism, which […]
Laos: Building the foundations of socialism
The Lao People’s Democratic Republic is a country of less than 7 million people in south-east Asia. It has been officially under the leadership of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party since 1975. Article 13 of the country’s constitution states that “all types of enterprises are equal before the law and […]
For equality and democracy — Vote Repeal
On the 25th of May the Irish people will face a major democratic challenge: to vote for the repeal of the 8th Amendment to the Constitution and remove, once and for all, the constitutional restrictions placed on women seeking to avail of essential medical treatment. Safe and legal access to […]