for lefties too stubborn to quit
As always, following on Dr. X’s suggestion, it’s all yours, “announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose”, feel free.
[I’ve corrected the title — Tomboktu]
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worldbystorm2014ATgmailDOTcom
The Cedar Lounge Revolution
RDE is a ghoul.
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I’m out of the country, what has she said now? Here’s a question, was she ever okay? Do you recall her Atlas of Ireland, I haven’t read it since I was a lot younger but that seemed okay.
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I have it too, and it’s from her genuine academic period. In some ways it foreshadows the cherrypicking activities of the Trinity set, later to find full flower with Fitzpatrick and Hart.
As to what she’s up to now, it’s a non-stop barrage across right-wing media of ‘my friend Lyra’ crocodile tears about political violence.
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“Despite the outcry and widespread revulsion radiating out from Derry, homicidal republicanism has probably not inflicted its last atrocity, merely its latest….
Lyra McKee, sadly, is highly unlikely to be the final victim of the malevolent militarism that remains both arrogantly indifferent and haughtily impervious to the twin concept that others have rights and that there is no right to practice homicide…
It is all very well for Gerry Adams to wring his hands in a gesture of faux republican piety and assert that the killers of Lyra McKee are not the IRA. They are not his preferred IRA, but the IRA being a tradition rather than a property, they are the IRA and they draw on a logic created by all of us who were in the ranks of the Provisional IRA, including Mr Adams….
Our IRA needs to tell their IRA that we failed outright on the defining republican question of expunging Britain from Ireland and that they will do the same….
While we did not realise it back in the day, caught up in the maelstrom of the times, doing what was done to Lyra McKee writ large, we made the wrong call in going to war in pursuit of the unwinnable….
The New IRA leadership, Saoradh’s cringingly embarrassing statement notwithstanding, shamefully stands alone in the dock.”
-Anthony McIntyre.
https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/exprovos-excoriating-message-for-lyra-mckees-new-ira-killers-38040640.html
“President Michael D Higgins and Taoiseach Leo Varadkar are among a number of political leaders who will join the family and friends of murdered journalist Lyra McKee at her funeral in Belfast.”
https://www.rte.ie/news/ireland/2019/0424/1045280-lyra-mckee/
“Prime Minister Theresa May and Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn are set to travel to Belfast on Wednesday for the funeral of Lyra McKee….
Her family has also invited members of the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) to provide a guard of honour for her cortege.”
https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/prime-minister-may-and-corbyn-to-attend-funeral-of-lyra-mckee-in-belfast-38045297.html
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Indyref 2 to be called in two years if Brexit is complete by then:
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Not looking good for the Chukky Changies.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/change-uk-joseph-russo-twitter-eu-elections-candidate-racism-a8884041.html
At least there’s not anti-semitism problem for the former comrades. Just animus against people with funny tinges, romanians, black women and cryptic threats of immolation.
I think I’ll stick with Jez, lads, if you don’t mind.
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At least there’s not anti-semitism problem for the former comrades.
Not yet.
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Only a matter of time at this rate.
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I had reason to check out some secondary schools recently and came across this to my astonishment:
‘Mount Temple is a school based on diverse Protestant traditions and a spirit of inclusiveness and welcome for those of different, particularly minority, religious traditions and those of no religious tradition. Since its foundation, teaching and learning in Mount Temple has been influenced by the philosophy of Comprehensive education – the belief that diversity in learning enriches us all.
“From each according to their ability, to each according to their need.” Karl Marx’
https://www.mounttemple.ie/about-mount-temple/
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Ah c’mon. You’re not serious? Mount Temple is a Protestant school?
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It sure is. An unusual quote though for the context.
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It is a Protestant Comprehensive School but it could well be(and probably is) that the majority of students are not protestants-they just have first refusal for places. I would not be surprised if the majority of students at Mount Temple were nowadays non denominational!!
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Ah, Mount Temple …. I was once in a room where the then principal walked in to find some his pupils on the mitch… at the launch of an anti-bullying campaign by the junior minister for education.
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Some pieces from the recent commemorations and memories of Colin Barker:
Gareth Dale in the Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/education/2019/feb/14/colin-barker-obituary
Phil Gasper for socialistworker.org https://socialistworker.org/2019/02/08/a-teacher-and-student-of-revolution
Ian Birchall for RS21 https://www.rs21.org.uk/2019/02/09/obituary-colin-barker/
John Charlton in ISJ http://isj.org.uk/colin-barker-1939-2019/
“Snowball” on Histomatist https://www.blogger.com/profile/00019207537450855316
Video of the Alternative Futures and Popular Protest (Manchester) celebration of his life and work (Mike Tyldesley, Madelaine Moore, Ian Allinson, Trevor Ngwane, Gareth Dale, Laurence Cox) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WpXWt1gJqg&feature=youtu.be
Some real treasures on Colin’s own website which collects pretty much everything he published except the books: https://sites.google.com/site/colinbarkersite/
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Pure sense from Michael Tracey here:
Journalism is now dominated by 20-and-30-somethings who are incredibly neurotic, paranoid, entitled, and constantly demanding “safety” for themselves when journalism necessarily entails confronting uncomfortable facts, evidence, and arguments. Babies.
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Though I should add the disclaimer that Tracey’s comment applies more to US journalists than the ones in Europe.
It would not apply to the late Lyra McKee , for example.
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Peter Foster covers a Vox rally in Spain:
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😦 That’s depressing.
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I see an Australian politician has borrowed an idea from our own Tommy Broughan
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I think most people know that the 4 in the Independents4Change refers to the 4 provinces, the four green fields, of our beloved country.
However, I’ve heard whispers of some serious political developments within that grouping. Some serious analysis and internal discussions on the national question, apparently.
So what could the 2 in their slogan Right2Change refer to? Some commentators have noticed that, on their election posters, the 2 is placed slap bang in the middle of a green island of Ireland. The speculation is that this is a reference to ‘two nations’ and that a majority faction within the Independents4Change is coalescing around support for a version of the two nations, one island theory.
Anyone else hear whispers about this?
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“In the Creggan estate, where last week’s rioting occurred, almost two-thirds of children are born into poverty.
And unemployment is rife: while the UK employment rate sits at 74 per cent, this drops to 69 per cent in Northern Ireland and further still to just 55 per cent in Derry.”
https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/northern-ireland/2019/04/northern-ireland-new-ira-gaining-foothold-younger-generations
The responsibility for this deprivation in working class areas rests with the British government.
The MP for Staffordshire Moorlands, Karen Bradley, is the Secretary of State for NI.
“Seamus Mallon, veteran political leader of the peace process, tells @MiriamOCal we have seen too many false dawns to be optimistic about latest NI talks & that Karen Bradley isn’t the right SoS to drive progress: “She has proved she hasn’t a clue what she’s doing here”.
https://www.rte.ie/news/ireland/2019/0426/1045796-north-government-meeting/
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“Because of the links between the DUP and the government in Westminster “I fail to see how a DUP Secretary of State can properly chair these negotiations.”-Seamus Mallon
https://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/ireland/seamus-mallon-karen-bradley-not-the-right-person-for-ni-secretary-of-state-job-920236.html
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I’m not sure if someone has already linked to this:
https://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/election-historian-unapologetic-in-his-defence-of-posters-1.3871686
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‘According to Alan Kinsella: “They’re very important, I think. They tell people there’s an election on. Not everyone knows, you know.”’.
A point well made. It also makes me more likely to consider the order of voting preferences, instead of sticking to one or two candidates as I used to do.
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“It also makes me more likely to consider the order of voting preferences, instead of sticking to one or two candidates as I used to do.”
Interesting point Alibaba. I usually vote WP1 and then preference to SP, SWN, (if I have those options) then maybe Labour or an independent. And stop at that – 5 or maybe 6 would be the furthest I’d go..
What about others on here – how far do they go?
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What’s crucial for me is what does the candidate stand for? I choose the most left-leaning one for my first preference and drill down eventually to a Labour candidate depending on their record. I strive to judge candidates not on their personal merits or even their purported policy beliefs, but on what contributes to holding them accountable and the context in which they exist. If they show support for a campaign struggle that is the issue of the moment or another issue of significance and courage to be dealt with, that candidate tops my list.
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Boom And Bust? Michael Roberts Marxist Economist
Michael Roberts-Stock markets may be booming in North America but economic prosperity in many parts of the world is disappearing like water in a desert. And in some parts, a sand storm is fast approaching- South Korea, Turkey, Argentina, Pakistan. But Trend real (World) GDP growth and business investment remains well down from the rate before 2007
New Crash on the Way https://wp.me/pKzXa-ua
This financial market rally is founded on the decision of many central banks to hold their policy interest rates at very low levels. But the biggest driver of the US stock market has been the major companies using this cheap finance to buy back their own shares to drive up the price and increase the ‘market value’ of the company
Behind the fantasy of financial markets, global (economic) growth has been slowing. And worse, there are now several economies that appear to heading into outright recession-South Korea, Turkey, Argentina, Pakistan
Trend real (World) GDP growth and business investment remains well down from the rate before 2007
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Will RED C Be AS Far OUT In This Election as it Was in Euro 2014 Election-Let Us SEE!!
Red C European Election Poll 2019 April
FG 33 FF 21 Sf 16 Ind 18 Others 12
The poll ratings give Fine Gael a strong chance of retaining two seats in the five-seater Ireland South constituency, where sitting MEPs Deirdre Clune and Seán Kelly are running with Minister of State Andrew Doyle
RED C Were Way Out in Euro Election 2014
Sinn Féin won 3 seats in the 26-counties heading the poll in Dublin
Euro Dublin Constituency Outcome SF 23.6% Lab 7.4%; Red C Prediction SF 15% Lab 13%
RED C Final Pre-Election Poll and Prediction 16/05/2014
Richard Colwell “Are Sinn Fein going to win seats in all constituencies?
While Sinn Fein poll relatively well in the three constituencies, it is not well enough to guarantee seats in any of the three constituencies. The main reason is that while first preference support for the Sinn Fein candidates is pretty much in line with their national standing, this is not enough to secure seats on its own, and the candidates are not as transfer friendly as other candidates they are competing with”—Red C Website
Sinn Féin headed the poll in Dublin and won seats in the other two constituencies
Euro Dublin Constituency Outcome SF 23.6% Lab 7.4%; Red C Prediction SF 15% Lab 13%
Euro Election 2014 Overall Outcome FG 22.28% SF 19.5%
FF 22.31 % Lab 5.3% All Others 30
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We are expected to believe that FG will get 10% more than it got in 2014 when it elected 4 MEPS!!!
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Sunday Independent:Gene Kerrigan: ‘No level playing field against Greed United’ It’s not just that the Government as referee is making the odd bad decision. The referee is playing for the other side.!!!
“Two separate streams of activities, within the same timeline, led us to where we are. One: a policy of the State persistently taking emergency action at our expense when misfortune afflicts private enterprises. At the same time, Government refuse us the emergency action required to counter the social effects of market failure (such as declaring a national housing emergency by Law to enable it to interfere with private property of landlords)) Two: a policy of ignoring the criminality of a wide swathe of rich people, helping them transfer unlawful assets from outside the system to inside it, legitimising the gains from blatant illegality.
We’ve been the fall guys, financing the consequences of incompetence, deceit and greed.”
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“Millions of Americans rely on Europe’s tough new privacy laws to safeguard their data, but the law’s chief enforcer-Ireland- is in bed with the companies it regulates…
Ireland’s willingness to crack down on the companies that dominate its economy has long been questionable,…
Ireland’s failure to safeguard huge stores of personal information looms larger now that the country is the primary regulator responsible for protecting the health information, email addresses, financial records, relationship statuses, search histories and friend lists of hundreds of millions of Americans, Europeans and other users around the globe….
The story of how a country known for poetry and dark ale ended up in the unlikely role of global tech policeman stretches back to the aftermath of World War II….
Spurred on by an economist and central banker named Thomas Kenneth Whitaker, Ireland’s leaders oversaw an economic transformation starting in the late 1950s — away from protectionism, toward free trade and encouraging foreign investment. The most obvious partner was the United States,..
So began Ireland’s epic and enduring courtship of U.S. corporations.”
https://www.politico.eu/interactive/ireland-blocks-the-world-on-data-privacy/
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Labour Party Crisis Looms after Probable Euro Wipeout!
Though RED C normally exaggerates Labour Support the Euro Poll has Labour at 4%, one quarter of the Sinn Féin score. As in 2014, complete wipeout of Labour is very probable https://wp.me/pKzXa-jh
Local Elections Labour Party Fields Less Candidates than in 2014-There are 137 electoral areas across the state
2019 The Labour Party has launched 111 candidates for the local elections: 2014 189 Labour candidates are contesting these City and County Council elections for the Labour Party
Labour Party currently has 51 seats, having lost 81 in the last election
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RUC to Get Rid of Senior Gardaí???
A source said: “The (former PSNI) officer underwent a full interview scenario in the recruitment phase – he was selected because of his background in difficult policing situations
“One of the key areas for the appointee will be the proposed strategy of offering a severance package to senior officers.” Garda HQ Statement
Getting Rid of Senior Gardaí????
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Shifting Demographics in the 6 Counties
Figures Here Nationalists to Become a Majority https://wp.me/pKzXa-1hW
Wm Considine : In NI, religion is more than religion. These figures show how the plantation of Ulster is unraveling.
Jim O’Donnell Will this be basis for the New Republic?
Paddy Healy: William Considine is correct. Religion and even religious background in the six counties is a badge of ethnicity and political allegiance. The British maintained the Protestant/Unionists as an upper caste to control that part of the empire for them and to prevent the emergence of a strong united Ireland next door.. To do this under the cloak of democracy the upper caste had to be a local majority. That is why 3 Ulster counties were excluded from “Northern Ireland” in the Treaty Settlement. These school going figures are regarded as extremely serious by the ruling elites in UK and the 26-cuunties. In an Irish Times article which called for a”calm debate” some years ago, it also pointed out:”In total, therefore in 2010, at third level there are 20,995 students (59.3 per cent) from a Catholic background and 14,410 (40.7 per cent) from a Protestant background. This is in addition to the figures above. Nationalists/Catholics are in a majority in Queens and New University of Ulster. Many Unionist/Protestant 3rd level students are studying in Scotland and UK. A significant portion are not returning. Jim O’Donnell asks “will this be the basis for a United Ireland?” For to-day, i will just comment that it was the mainly Catholic Irish Rich who crushed the risen people in the civil war!
See My Blog piece Lessons of the War Of Independence and the Civil War for To-Day paddyhealywordpress
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