The people of Ireland should consider a Boycott in relation the upcoming Census in April 2011. The reason I say this is that the company contracted to carry out the Census is CACI UK who are a subsidiary of CACI international which through its various outsourcing has been accused of contributing to the torture of prisoners in Abu Ghraib in Iraq, something I myself am not happy about, and it will be one of the reason's why I will not be completing the Census form this time.

Related Links:
CACI's website
Graphic Video Displaying CACI Crimes (Irish Census Contractors)
Cencus Alerts - UK
This Lockheed Martin contract tarnishes the census - from The Guardian
Lockheed Martin Awarded £150M Contract to Support 2011 Census for England and Wales, and Northern Ireland

Apologies the related links are to stories about the English census (and Lockheed Martin), but the Irish media seem to have missed the relevance of CACI in getting the contract to develop the software for the Irish cencus

Nazly Hussein speaks from outside the military courts which this afternoon (Friday 12th March) was supposed to address the people the army harrassed and arrested last Wednesday during a brutal attack on those occupying Tahrir Square. Nazly describes how several hundred plain clothes thugs was deployed against people in the square on Wednesday, who set about pulling down tents and beating people up. The army, under the pretence of ‘protecting’ those remaining in the Tahrir then began beating, arresting and electrocuting people within the the pro democracy movement. Over 170 people where arrested, most of whom where later released without charge. Many had been beaten and tortured with electrocution.

An interview with Nazly Hussien:

Interview with Nazly Hussien 27.6 Mb

Soundmigration's Blog
Ongoing protests in Dublin in solidarity with the Egyptian people

Rosaleen McDonagh is contesting the Seanad Election in the Dublin University Constituency. She is a well known Traveller activist, feminist and writer.

Related Links:
Rosaleen McDonagh's website |
Review of Trinity College Seanad Candidates - 2007 |

The 1% Network has claimed that the results of Friday’s election will “do nothing to impact on the huge wealth divide in Irish society”.

The Network has erected a series of posters in Dublin city centre which state “1% own 34% of the Wealth. Make Them Pay”

Related Links:
Press Release: Dáil Vote will not give IMF/ECB deal political legitimacy – 1% Network | Beware the Zombie Developers and Vampire Bankers. Beware the myth that the wealth has disappeared! | Final preparations under way for “Political Walking Tour through the Heartland of the Golden Circle” | Ireland & The Bailout and Prospects for Recovery. | Why going Dutch is going for broke | 26-County election will not deliver a New Ireland | Send Fine Gael Running this Friday | A Bleak Electoral Landscape For The Irish Left | Irish Elections 2011: Ciaron O'Reilly, Christian @narchist - Address to the Irish People! | Back the Staghunt Ban |

Proportional Representation System: How To Use Your Vote

1% Network's Website

Given it is just days away from the election and a new government, most likely to be led by Fine Gael, many are probably wondering what exactly is the current state of Ireland and what are the prospects for recovery. In short, things are bad and a recovery is very unlikely. There are also wider and bigger global issues and we are unprepared and should be doing something about it now.

Related Links: Committee of Public Accounts on Bank Bailout | Additional document list | IEA acknowledges Peak Oil

The only hope is that we have is that there is a public awakening to try and understand what has happened, where we are and the future we are hurtling towards. Only then, is there any possibility of some kind of social revolution to enable us to have any chance of coping with the challenges and by our actions, hopefully we may even trigger an European wide social transformation. But frankly the prospects of this positive development happening are zilch.

When the global credit boom came to a halt and hit Ireland on that fateful day in Sept 2008, Brian Lenihan, at the behest of the bankers made a fatal mistake with the bank guarantee that ensured no (large) debtor would be left behind. It might have seemed like a good idea at the time, but it would only have worked if the global economy bounced back and it was clear it was not going to unless like many mainstream economists who propagate the dominant capitalist ideology of our time, they assumed it was just going to be another small recession in the usual business cycle. But anyone who had been following events without their ideological blinkers on, would have realized this was going to be of seismic proportions.