We are delighted to confirm that the motion in favour of Neutrality was passed by 39 votes for, 9 against (4 abstained) at Dublin City Council tonight.
A great result and a great turnout tonight.
Congratulations to Forward Ireland member Cllr Cieran Perry for bringing this motion forward, those who campaigned to ensure it passed and all the councillors who supported the motion.
Dublin City stands for peace and neutrality!
Spain is the only country to have openly condemned the US and Israel’s military intervention, as the Pedro Sánchez-led government emerges as the strongest critic of Trump’s foreign policy in Europe. Sánchez’s counterparts have largely avoided public comment on the intervention, for which no legal assessment has been provided.
Speaking to Europe Today earlier this morning, Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares said that “the unilateral action from the US and Israel doesn’t have a backing from the UN charter, from international law.”
Albares also condemned what he described as “clearly unjustified” retaliatory attacks from Iran targeting other countries in the region. He described Spain’s voice as the “voice of reason” as it calls for “de-escalation” and a return to the negotiating table.
Notable too that so many reports miss what Sanchez also said: Sánchez went further in his criticism, but he also condemned the Iranian government and its Revolutionary Guard, calling for “immediate de-escalation” and “full respect for international law.”
Please click here to go the Left Archive.
Many thanks to Joan Collins who forwarded these to the Archive.
These join the documents produced by the Campaign Against Home and Water Taxes placed in the Archive last week.
Perhaps most notable is the leaflet advertising a giant demonstration outside the Fine Gael Ard Fhéis.
All contributions welcome.
Away this weekend but here’s a few examples from the last few days.
That by-election and a bit of bothsidesism:
A much more interesting question is what it means. Superficially, Gorton and Denton looks like a victory for radicalism; Luke Tryl of More in Common suggested this morning that it was “the parties that offer the greatest change from the status quo” that are riding the wave.
I’m not sure that’s right. Yes, both Farage and Zack Polanski talk a radical-sounding game on various subjects. But a much more plausible explanation for both parties’ success is that they offer implausible but attractive ways of retaining the bits of the status quo their voters actually like.
If we are capable of designing wastewater systems with care, why not the rest of our infrastructure? Data centres dominate our energy debates, shape regional development and draw heavily on the national grid, but they are built as if Ireland were merely a convenient socket.
From the Independent during the week.
Yet, questions are asked about her role in the appalling Andrew saga…you hear people now saying: “I blame the queen”.
Didn’t she know what was going on when Andrew was cavorting around the world as a trade envoy?
Was she not briefed by British intelligence about the links with dubious Chinese officials, probably spies? She, who had been so shrewd in clocking her art curator Anthony Blunt’s espionage role for the Soviets?
Not according to this she wasn’t.
Bono has the unique ability to scramble the minds of otherwise sensible people – who hold him aloft as both a risible loser and a malign elitist. Since his more explicitly political turn, the right find Bono to be a preachy establishment shill in bed with pointless supranationals like the World Health Organisation and “Bill Gates”. The left find his bland liberalism as insulting – as dangerous – as any of the “fascism” they detect elsewhere in the political culture. For now, everyone else has got over the sneering and the centre is ready to give Bono a chance. And what’s less cool than that?
gregtimo proposed in comments some while back the idea of a Culture Thread.
It’s a great idea. Currently culture is a bit strange, but people read, listen to music, watch television and film and so on – spread the net wide, sports, activities, interests, all relevant – and any pointers are always welcome. And it’s not just those areas but many more. Suggestions as to new or old things, events that might have been missed, literally anything.
The Cedar Lounge Revolution 