Historical revisionism is a great tool for the bourgeoisie. It shows no nuance when demonising those who fought for the workers, and it can be used to either ignore or heavily downplay the fact a person was a socialist or communist. Frank Ryan is a victim of this, as although […]
Previous Articles
Venezuela Fighting On
Once again, the Venezuelan opposition has refused to accept the electoral victory of Chavismo. Since the first victory of Hugo Chavez in 1999, the Venezuelan extreme right have used fascistic methods to try and break the Bolivarian Revolution. These include attempted coups, terrorist attacks against public health and education centres, […]
Sinn Fein and Electoralism: A Reply
Recent articles in Socialist Voice by Comrades O’Neill, McGoldrick, and Murphy explore whether the left should support Sinn Féin in the upcoming election. While both sets of authors present persuasive arguments, the debate may be misplaced. It’s unlikely that Sinn Féin is particularly concerned with the socialist left or its […]
Neutrality Under The Axe
The CPI warned that the Irish government’s decision to recognise the State of Palestine would remain no more than a gesture unless it was backed up by action. Unfortunately, not only did the government not give substance to its declaration, but it has since been revealed that it has allowed […]
The Rent Strike: Film Review
Produced by Azzy O’Connor, Fiadh Tubridy and Declan Mallon, The Rent Strike (2024) documentary was shown in the Irish Film Institute in August. Screening across Ireland are being scheduled at the moment, with a growing public interest across all generations. The Rent Strike uses archive footage, newspaper articles, personal archives […]
John Mayall (The Bluesbreakers) 1933-2024
John Mayall died on the 22, July 2024, aged 90 years, at his home in Los Angeles. He was not concerned with fame or celebrity status, and was content performing clubs and smaller venues. He continued to perform until his last live performance in March 2022, at The Coach House, […]
Caspar David Friedrich – On his 250th Birthday
The French Revolution sparked great hopes for the rise of the bourgeoisie, the abolition of feudal structures, and the establishment of a capitalist society. Napoleon centralised power in his person, established an authoritarian regime, and crowned himself emperor in 1804. His wars in Europe served both territorial expansion and the […]
Elections in the Republic
The rumour mill is suggesting that a General Election in the Republic is perhaps closer than previously indicated by the Taoiseach. Tensions between the coalition partners over issues such as taxation of zoned farmland may cause the government to fall, forcing the incumbents to go to the country. Fuelling this […]
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 […]
Serbia and Rio Tinto
Rising from €120M in 2021 to €700M in 2023, investments in mining in Serbia are on trajectory to surpass all other areas of foreign direct investment dominating the Serbian economy. While Rio Tinto, the British-Australian multinational mining company, is not the only corporation in the game for resources in Serbia, […]
Marx and the Founding of International Working Men’s Association
On September 28th 1864, a public meeting was summoned by George Odger, president of the London Council of Trade Unions, and Randal Cremer, secretary of the Mason’s Union. The meeting took place at St. Martin’s Hall, now Queen’s Theatre, which had a capacity for 4,000 people. In a letter to […]
Ireland and Gaza: Rhetoric vs Complicity
When Ireland formally recognised the state of Palestine in May, Taoiseach Simon Harris urged countries to “use every lever at their disposal” to bring about a ceasefire. When the official figure of Palestinian deaths topped 40,000 in mid-August the lever he invoked was an “urgent review” of the EU-Israel Association […]
The August Revolution
On 19th August 1945 the Viet Minh, led by the Indochinese Communist Party, which would later become the Communist Party of Vietnam, took over the capital city of Vietnam, Hanoi. Within two weeks, Viet Minh forces liberated most of the villages and rural towns across north and central Vietnam. Describing […]
James Baldwin
James Baldwin was born one hundred years ago in Harlem, New York, 2 August 1924. Baldwin’s stepfather David, a Pentecostal preacher, was a factory worker, earning too little to provide for his family of nine children. His mother Berdis, a migrant from the South, worked in domestic service. The young […]
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 […]
Capitalist Democracy
Election coverage has become a dominant part of the entertainment/propaganda sector that passes for news coverage in Ireland and the rest of the capitalist world. The soap opera that is the US Presidential election has become prime-time viewing with its twists and turns, the latest being the attempted assasination of […]