The Wholesome Photo of the Month Thu May 09, 2024 11:01 | Anti-Empire
In 3 War Years Russia Will Have Spent $3... Thu May 09, 2024 02:17 | Anti-Empire
UK Sending Missiles to Be Fired Into Rus... Tue May 07, 2024 14:17 | Marko Marjanović
US Gives Weapons to Taiwan for Free, The... Fri May 03, 2024 03:55 | Anti-Empire
Russia Has 17 Percent More Defense Jobs ... Tue Apr 30, 2024 11:56 | Marko Marjanović
Anti-Empire >>
A bird's eye view of the vineyard
Alternative Copy of thesaker.is site is available Thu May 25, 2023 14:38 | Ice-Saker-V6bKu3nz
Alternative site: https://thesaker.si/saker-a... Site was created using the downloads provided Regards Herb
The Saker blog is now frozen Tue Feb 28, 2023 23:55 | The Saker
Dear friends As I have previously announced, we are now “freezing” the blog. We are also making archives of the blog available for free download in various formats (see below).
What do you make of the Russia and China Partnership? Tue Feb 28, 2023 16:26 | The Saker
by Mr. Allen for the Saker blog Over the last few years, we hear leaders from both Russia and China pronouncing that they have formed a relationship where there are
Moveable Feast Cafe 2023/02/27 ? Open Thread Mon Feb 27, 2023 19:00 | cafe-uploader
2023/02/27 19:00:02Welcome to the ‘Moveable Feast Cafe’. The ‘Moveable Feast’ is an open thread where readers can post wide ranging observations, articles, rants, off topic and have animate discussions of
The stage is set for Hybrid World War III Mon Feb 27, 2023 15:50 | The Saker
Pepe Escobar for the Saker blog A powerful feeling rhythms your skin and drums up your soul as you?re immersed in a long walk under persistent snow flurries, pinpointed by
The Saker >>
Judges Told to Avoid Saying ?Asylum Seekers? and ?Immigrants? Fri Jul 26, 2024 17:00 | Toby Young
A new edition of the Equal Treatment Bench Book instructs judges to avoid terms such as 'asylum seekers', 'immigrant' and 'gays', which it says can be 'dehumanising'.
The post Judges Told to Avoid Saying ?Asylum Seekers? and ?Immigrants? appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
The Intersectional Feminist Rewriting the National Curriculum Fri Jul 26, 2024 15:00 | Toby Young
Labour has appointed Becky Francis, an intersectional feminist, to rewrite the national curriculum, which it will then force all schools to teach. Prepare for even more woke claptrap to be shoehorned into the classroom.
The post The Intersectional Feminist Rewriting the National Curriculum appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
Government Has Just Declared War on Free Speech Fri Jul 26, 2024 13:03 | Toby Young
The Government has just announced it intends to block the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act, effectively declaring war on free speech. It's time to join the Free Speech Union and fight back.
The post Government Has Just Declared War on Free Speech appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
I Wrote an Article for Forbes Defending J.D. Vance From Accusations of ?Climate Denialism?. Forty Ei... Fri Jul 26, 2024 11:00 | Tilak Doshi
On July 18th, Dr Tilak Doshi wrote an article for Forbes defending J.D. Vance from accusations of 'climate denialism'. 48 hours later, Forbes un-published the article. Read the article on the Daily Sceptic.
The post I Wrote an Article for Forbes Defending J.D. Vance From Accusations of ?Climate Denialism?. Forty Eight Hours Later, Forbes Un-Published the Article and Sacked Me as a Contributor appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
Come and See Nick Dixon and me Recording the Weekly Sceptic at the Hippodrome on Monday Fri Jul 26, 2024 09:00 | Toby Young
Tickets are still available to a live recording of the Weekly Sceptic, Britain's only podcast to break into the top five of Apple's podcast chart. It?s at Lola's, the downstairs bar of the Hippodrome on Monday July 29th.
The post Come and See Nick Dixon and me Recording the Weekly Sceptic at the Hippodrome on Monday appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
Lockdown Skeptics >>
Voltaire, international edition
Netanyahu soon to appear before the US Congress? It will be decisive for the suc... Thu Jul 04, 2024 04:44 | en
Voltaire, International Newsletter N°93 Fri Jun 28, 2024 14:49 | en
Will Israel succeed in attacking Lebanon and pushing the United States to nuke I... Fri Jun 28, 2024 14:40 | en
Will Netanyahu launch tactical nuclear bombs (sic) against Hezbollah, with US su... Thu Jun 27, 2024 12:09 | en
Will Israel provoke a cataclysm?, by Thierry Meyssan Tue Jun 25, 2024 06:59 | en
Voltaire Network >>
national |
anti-capitalism |
other press
Tuesday April 18, 2006 18:04
by Republican
printable version
Digg this
del.icio.us
Furl
Reddit
Technorati
Facebook
Gab
Twitter
View Comments Titles Only
save preference
Comments (9 of 9)
Jump To Comment: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9This is interesting stuff, but I'm not sure if it could really fly. The various parties and independents are lumped together as part of a vague 'left' which is never defined.
Is Labour still a left party? Were SF and the Greens ever left parties? As for the Socialist Party, they're the Trotskyites it's OK to like, and therein lies both their strength and their weakness. Joe Higgins does some very good work and the SP members I've met over my years as an armchair socialist have been pretty decent people. But like all followers of Lev Davidovich, they remain trapped in a ghetto of their own making. Could they break out of it to join a broad coalition of progessive forces?
One thing's for sure - such coalition is needed. Every single successful political movement on the island of Ireland since Dan O'Connell's time has been a coalition of some sort or another, even when it was united under one single party banner ('Big house' Unionism was a good example of this, bringing social classes whose common interests were questionable at best together via an appeal to ethnoreligious identity). I don't see any real change in Ireland until such a coalition can be built on the left - but do the raw materials for such a coalition really exist?
This guy obviously donesn't know his stuff. He calls Joe Higgins Jim and says he's an independent. Not only that he thinks that Labour, Sinn Féin and the Greens are progresive. They are far from it and would not be part of a left alliance.
Here are some home truths:
Labour support- immigration controls, deportations, partnership deals, anti-union laws, FG coalition, the EU, the UN, ...
SF support- the Euro, the EU, Bin Tax (outside Dublin), water tax (in North), DUP and FF coalition, religious sectarianism, ...
Greens supprt- bin tax, more tax on feuls, anti-working class policies dressed in 'environmental' language ....
Labour, Greens and Sinn Fein are rotten parties that are right-wing on many matters. Anyone wanting a deal with these people are not left-wing. Disgusting Horrible anti-working class politics. F**king animals.
"Disgusting Horrible anti-working class politics. F**king animals"
i really think thats a bit harsh!! also obviously the jim higgins rather than joe higgins is a typo and that does not ruin the rets of his argument.
What is supposed to happen then? Are we in Ireland going to be almost the only people in Europe who will NEVER have a left of centre government in power. EVER. thats what the logic of your argument.
also the left in power, even a watered down social democratic left government is better than the right, can we agree on that?
and it is also better for the far left because it shows what these guys actually do in power.
Everyone who cares about progressive politcs in Ireland unless they are a rapid sectarian have to support a SF/;Lab/Green and whoever alliance.
'If I was going to Dublin, I wouldn't start from here'.
A realism that starts from an unrealistic assessment of the progressive nature of parties like Labour, SF etc., can only end in tears. Look at what's happened to the left in the US, after decades of whoring after the so-called Democratic party.
Sometimes I'm afraid it's only some kind of world economic crisis (coming out of the oil peak thing?) that will unblock progressive politics in Ireland. But such a crisis might just as easily lead to the rise of some kind of far-right national-chauvinist party instead.
to marxist:
You're michael mcdowell stirring up trouble arent you?
A watered down left HAS to be better than what we have.
C'mon folks , lets have a left / indie / green coalition. Everyone I talk to is in favour of it. The alternative is another 4 years of fianna fail / PD hell. Nobody really wants that. Except perhaps Marxist!!
The problem with your idea is not so much the smaller groups as the leadership of the
Irish Labour Party. I don't think much will get off the ground while Pat Rabitte is leader &
along with some of his key aides who strangle debate in that party. I agree that ther are a
number of Labour candidates in a few areas around the country that are worth voting for &
as for a selection of the best from availabe of Sinn Fein Green and smaller groups sure theres
no reason why one can't defy the official pacts and vote in what ever pattern you choose.I could go
on at more length if you had the time and interest about a list of the least bad candidates likely to
stand in different parts of the country next year in the election
I know for a fact there are many Labour members unhappy with Rabbitte leadership. I think most Lab member sin favour of some sort of SF/Green/Leftist Indp alliance. How could anyone on the left currently not be considering the option on offer. ie the flippin Mullingar Accord!!!
The call for a left coalition in the 26 counties should be put into action. The principles of agreement and the support of candidates for a push for the next election can only benefit those people who the Celtic tiger has mauled and scare those who have been milking workers for generations.
It would also give us in the six counties the hope that the politics of re unification will be met by new and fresh political thinking in the twenty six..lets get this coalition for change on the road.
Has anybody considered the possibility that what Sinn Fein may be about is a definite coalition with the largest 'Republican', 'Nationalist', 'Socialist' and 'Capitalist' party...yes the be all, to all, trick of all trickster parties..Fianna Fail. And this grand coalition created for one thing and one thing only, to get into the room, pull the carpet from under their feet and hang up new curtains!
It would take a long time, but I think what Sinn Fein are about is to do to Fianna Fail what they did to the SDLP, put them on the slow roaster. Themselves alone?