SWP and Dun Laoghaire baths

by Schnews Sat Jul 16, 2005 21:23

The following link is an interesting analysis of how SWP tried to ijack the anti-globalisation movement. Well worth the read....

http://www.schnews.org.uk/monopresist/monopoliseresistance/index.htm

by Note Sat Jul 16, 2005 21:24

...Before you pass judgement!!

by eeekkkkk Sat Jul 16, 2005 21:54

Conserve Dun Laoghaire’s secretary, Paul Barnes, told Southside People he had been involved in various campaigns to preserve the seafront long before Mr Boyd Barrett and the SWP “hijacked the campaign”.
“I’ve been campaigning for the redevelopment of the baths for 10 years, and against marinas for 18-20 years,” he said. “I also did most of the work with SOS, handing out pamphlets and collecting signatures, and now the SWP want the credit. We don’t want to make this into a party political thing. People don’t want the SWP involved.”
Another Conserve Dun Laoghaire member added that a large group of people left the meeting “in disgust” when members of the SWP were allegedly rude to a local lady: “A woman from Dun Laoghaire turned up and didn’t agree with them and they gave her a hard time.”
“That is absolutely not true,” Boyd Barret exclaimed when asked by Southside People about the alleged incident of rudeness.
Mr Boyd Barrett admitted, however, that some people at the meeting had taken exception to the SWP’s membership.
“There were a few people who were moaning about SWP involvement”, he said while denying the rift was serious.
“It’s a storm in a teacup. There was no ‘walk-out’. That’s just not true. There were a small number of people who were very new to the campaign who tried to disrupt the meeting.
“The group of people you are referring to arrived in the group a few weeks ago, with the exception of Mr Barnes. They’re not a breakaway group because most of them weren’t even part of SOS anyway.”
He added that the SOS committee was composed of the same people who have been on it since the beginning, most of whom he describes as “non-SWP members”, including secretary Nicola Sarratt and committee members Bob Waddell of Sandycove & Glasthule Residents’ Association, along with local Labour party activist Gearóid Kilfallon.
Mr Boyd Barrett pointed out that SOS has always been a ‘rainbow coalition’ of people from various political parties as well as those with no political allegiance.
“At our first meeting we had Patricia McKenna of the Greens, John De Courcy Ireland, members of An Taisce and local residents’ groups,” he said.
“SOS is a broad and open alliance of residents from many backgrounds. This is why it has been so successful in mobilising the two biggest protests Dun Laoghaire has ever seen.”

Only three out of 25 people attending a recent meeting of SOS admitted to being members of the SWP when asked by Southside People.
They were indignant that the breakaway group had singled their party out as having taken over the group.
“It’s a witch-hunt,” SWP and SOS member Christopher Potts told Southside People.
A woman attending for the first time said she was not a SWP member but congratulated the party for having publicised the protests.
“I wouldn’t have known about this campaign if it hadn’t been for the SWP’s leaflets,” she said.
Members of the public who contacted this newspaper separately said they were considering joining the SWP because of Mr Boyd Barrett’s leadership of SOS.
One woman said she was asking her friends in an active retirement group to consider joining the party as well as the campaign.
“We live on the other side of the city but we like to go for day-trips to Dun Laoghaire seafront,” she said. “It’s beautiful.”
Mr Boyd Barrett said his group had invited all the local TDs to attend the last big rally, and they had been quick to agree to take part.
“We had Eamon Gilmore speaking for the second time,” he said. “The PDs’ Fiona O’Malley also joined the Greens’ Ciaran Cuffe on the platform.”
They also received a message of support from Mary Hanafin, who couldn’t take part, Mr Boyd Barrett added.
He admitted he had not contacted the Minister for the Environment, Dick Roche, but said the Minister ought to oppose the development.  “He should use his influence in his own party,” the SOS leader said.
The Minister’s office told Southside People that he is prohibited from interfering in local matters.

by Kev Sun Jul 17, 2005 12:31

Pack tthe meetings and destroy another campaign.

by . Sun Jul 17, 2005 15:23

Jeez, the SWP are really stretching the Marxist concept of a united front. They invited the PDs to speak at the demo!! Even the Stalinist popular front concept would exclude the PDs. And this is the same RBB who wouldn't allow direct action people like the Pitstop Ploughshares to speak at the February 15th anti-war march in 2003!

I'm taking bets now on RBB leaving the SWP and joining, say, the Labour Party (or some reformist party) within the next five years. Might take longer, but that's clearly the direction he's heading.

The SWP should hang their heads in shame. Any price popularity?

by Paddy Sun Jul 17, 2005 15:53

"I'm taking bets now on RBB leaving the SWP and joining, say, the Labour Party (or some reformist party) within the next five years."

Some would argue that he already is in a reformist party.

by .. Sun Jul 17, 2005 16:06

Lest we forget: the PDs are a government party.

The PDs have supported the use of Shannon airport by the US killing machine. Or is this irrelevant when the SWP wants their support on the Dun Laoighaire baths issue?

The Minister for Injustice, Michael McDowell, is a PD and is busy deporting refugees from this country. But, again, is this irrelevant when the SWP want the PDs support on the baths issue?

What price popularity?

by Patrick FitzGerald - Save Our Seafront Sun Aug 14, 2005 21:51

As an SOS member I can safely inform everyone that the SWP has NOT hijacked the campaign. This so called "split" only involved 4 or 5 people, and they had already been involved in arguments with the rest of the committee because they, several times, went against the democratic desicions taken by the SOS committee. Richard is, like the rest of us, a concerned local resident, and I don't understand why people keep trying to discredit him.

As for the "hijacking" claims, there are 2 SWP members on the SoS committee, including richard, and they havent tried to "hijack" anything. SWP has helped to organize and sponsor some of the public meetings, which is why, naturally they attended them.

Look at the latest update on the Dun Laoghaire Baths situation. You'll notice that, since that one southside people article, Conserve has just disappeared, while we are currently planning another march and rally. Anyone can write an article and make unfounded accusations, but it takes more than that to mobilize 5,000 people to march on such a sensitive issue for local residents.