i think there was a nun at the direct action workshop

national | public consultation / irish social forum | opinion/analysis Tuesday October 21, 2003 18:50 by lish

all of the above

isf dublin 2003
it's amazing to sit with people of many political hues & experience, people who've worked on & thought about all these issues & hammer out actual alternatives, without party political broadcasts & with genuine respect for other viewpoints. cos you might learn something.

the bottom line is everybody's right but only partly. it became clear over the weekend that our opportunity lies in diversity because we need all the input from the whole spectrum all over the world cos otherwise we're missing information.all of the above is generally a good solution.

take the bin tax as an eg. the blockaders are highlighting creeping taxes,incoming privatization & the chance to take control back.
the environmentalists are pointing to personal responsibility & the need to reduce, reuse & recycle which is unlikely if not pushed, add the need for glass, paper & plastic recycling facilities here,re-open ringsend for starters, state-run or co-ops i reckon,creating jobs instead of shipping our waste abroad.

we have the beginnings of a solution. all parts of the puzzle, rather than a source of division.

a documentary from peru of a village trying to stay united in the face of a mercury-spill, mining co. machinations & misinformation shows how easy it is to be split while the guys get on with the business of selling our world - their goal is simple, maximum profit by any means necessary, all they have to do is lie to us till it's too late. ours is more complex due to ethical considerations & diversity of opinion but also longterm & viable.

we don't need one group,leader, steering committee, direction or goal. this is a movement about autonomy, & tolerance for other actions, priorities & tactics. no one way. one no many yeses as the book says. no to neoliberalism & yes to ideas, none of which will work alone. we're way past the grand ism that'll give us utopia, worker or otherwise & this may never have been tried before.

our govt is all it's ever going to be, or was designed to be & there is no viable opposition so we're it.
system bypass. why wait for the solutions that can't happen cos we're not involved?

many great ideas for democratising our political process by the way. imagine, just as an eg. if all elected officials had to form a government together & work by concensus? ( yes this does work, surprisingly well cos it gives a voice to the people who know something and don't say much, as evidenced at sun.s plenary).
all delegates regularly reporting back to their constituents, openly publishing all votes & minutes, lack of attempt to fulfill election promises being an impeachable offence & a certain number of citizen signatures bringing about new elections.

as in the forum such suggestions are not made to be shot down but improved upon. why disregard anything , even from a political rival when the good points can be incorporated? why hone in only on the flaws? no-one's keeping score.

yeah well what's the alternative will be a cry of the past if & when those interested in the various areas get together, come up with workable alternatives , publicise & demand them.& it's started.

yaay! a gatts group is meeting soon to go over the nastier points of the eu constitution, like taking primacy over national government decisions, the privatisation of health & education etc. which can be plastered all over the country. there'll probably be a referendum & winning it'll take huge outreach. want to get involved?

eu-us summit is coming up in may or june & with a bit of luck george'll pop over for a visit. much to organise for this one & there's so much more.

links with groups in the south where the fight against neoliberalism started cos it's not academic,it's about land & survival & our govt's helping to fill the body bags.
they know how to fight it , we need tactics, they need pressure exerted. got to show their connection to us before ireland is also carved up piece by piece, each step sounding kind of reasonable until we don't have any rights we can't afford & don't remember what public services were like & how much less they cost.

does this sound naive? about to say middle-class, reformist ,red, hippy, anarchist trots? count to 10, take a deep breath, say i will not judge i will merely, think, critiqe & offer useful advice & suggestions.
ya basta,