Interested in maladministration. Estd. 2005
RTEs Sarah McInerney ? Fianna Fail supporter? Anthony
Joe Duffy is dishonest and untrustworthy Anthony
Robert Watt complaint: Time for decision by SIPO Anthony
RTE in breach of its own editorial principles Anthony
Waiting for SIPO Anthony Public Inquiry >>
Indymedia Ireland is a volunteer-run non-commercial open publishing website for local and international news, opinion & analysis, press releases and events. Its main objective is to enable the public to participate in reporting and analysis of the news and other important events and aspects of our daily lives and thereby give a voice to people.
Julian Assange is finally free ! Tue Jun 25, 2024 21:11 | indy
Stand With Palestine: Workplace Day of Action on Naksa Day Thu May 30, 2024 21:55 | indy
It is Chemtrails Month and Time to Visit this Topic Thu May 30, 2024 00:01 | indy
Hamburg 14.05. "Rote" Flora Reoccupied By Internationalists Wed May 15, 2024 15:49 | Internationalist left
Eddie Hobbs Breaks the Silence Exposing the Hidden Agenda Behind the WHO Treaty Sat May 11, 2024 22:41 | indy Human Rights in Ireland >>
News Round-Up Wed Jul 31, 2024 01:30 | Richard Eldred A summary of the most interesting stories in the past 24 hours that challenge the prevailing orthodoxy about the ?climate emergency?, public health ?crises? and the supposed moral defects of Western civilisation.
The post News Round-Up appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
Biden Proposes Sweeping Supreme Court Reforms as He Attacks ?Extreme? Judges Tue Jul 30, 2024 19:00 | Will Jones Joe Biden has proposed sweeping reforms to the U.S. Supreme Court accusing it of making "dangerous and extreme decisions" and losing the public?s trust.
The post Biden Proposes Sweeping Supreme Court Reforms as He Attacks “Extreme” Judges appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
Reeves Scraps Winter Fuel Payments for 10 Million Pensioners to Fund Public Sector Wage Rise Tue Jul 30, 2024 17:00 | Will Jones Rachel Reeves is to scrap winter fuel payments for 10 million pensioners and ditch a cap on social care costs to fund a public sector wage rise, it has been announced.
The post Reeves Scraps Winter Fuel Payments for 10 Million Pensioners to Fund Public Sector Wage Rise appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
A Summary of Why the Czech Republic Vaccine Data are So Devastating to the ?Safe and Effective? Narr... Tue Jul 30, 2024 15:00 | Will Jones The Czech Republic record-level vaccine data are devastating to the "safe and effective" narrative, says Steve Kirsch, as he provides a new overview that explains why.
The post A Summary of Why the Czech Republic Vaccine Data are So Devastating to the “Safe and Effective” Narrative appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
Keir Starmer?s Anti-Israel Policies Are Now No Different to Jeremy Corbyn?s Tue Jul 30, 2024 13:00 | Will Jones Unlike Jeremy Corbyn, Keir Starmer has never described Hezbollah as his friends. But other than that, when it comes to Israel there is now little of consequence to differentiate them, says Stephen Pollard.
The post Keir Starmer’s Anti-Israel Policies Are Now No Different to Jeremy Corbyn’s 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 >>
|
The occupational failure, where to now for USI
Much debate has been taking place over the last few days regarding the success, or not, of the occupation of the department of education on Tuesday. By engaging in an occupation we are taking a particular stance. It is a form of direct action which means that the action has a direct effect on the people involved. You take a stance, issue demands, and do not move until those demands are met or you are forcibly removed. If your demands are met you have been victorious if you are removed the fight moves to another day but the victory lies in the fact that you have shown an unflinching belief in your tactics and what you stand for and a commitment to continue to bring the fight to the powers that be. Anything less is a failure. As such the occupation of Tuesday last was, in this regard a failure. This is not to deny that the decision to occupy a government building and the fact that so many people were willing to do so was very positive, and certainly a move in the right direction for USI.
The organisation however, must now stand back and honestly and critically asses the events and desist from the self important back patting and victorious rhetoric which followed the demonstration last Tuesday. It is an unfortunate reality that the student movement now looks weak in the eyes of the government. In a vain attempt to be respectable, through engaging in negotiations and undermining those participating in the occupation, certain members of USI officer board have now made a mockery of occupations as a form of direct action. Instead they have turned them into nothing more then another opportunity for a photo shoot and some quick sound bites on the radio. If those involved in the “occupation” can see through the empty threats of a sustained campaign it is unlikely that the minister is quaking in his boots at the prospect of a USI style sustained campaign of photo shoots and drinking coffee. It is only through action which directly attacks the state and brings those in power down from the pedestals they have placed themselves upon that we as a collective unit can hope for victory. The idea of an occupation and the success of taking over so many rooms should be acknowledged. I myself could even be found eating humble pie at one point early on in the day. However what had the prospect of being one of the most successful USI demos in many years and genuinely giving the government something to worry about finished with the “backbone” of USI campaigning force voluntarily leaving a building they had occupied only 5 hours before hand despite having vowed not to leave until the minister HIMSELF came to address them. We must now learn from the mistakes made on Tuesday and move forward. So where to now for the campaign?
First of all we must be clear what exactly it is we are campaigning for. We must part with tired slogans of “we don’t wana pay no fees, we just wana get degrees”. We have lost the battle if we can’t see past our own selfish interests. We merely come across as pretentious middle class spoilt upstarts who don’t want to part with drinking money so cynically disguise this as a campaign calling for equality in education. If we as a collective unit are serious about tackling inequality and injustice in the Irish education system we must fight for a complete overhaul of the system from top to bottom. Our demands must be clear and stretch far beyond our own self interest. This issues that breed inequality from the day a child is born, that ensure the prospect of reaching third level education is a non reality for many, must be challenged. This cannot be done if we focus our energies and channel our resources to a campaign that will change little or nothing for most. If the fee was abolished and we could get on with “getting our degrees” the system that produces the problems of access and inequality still exists. We must call for the resources to be put in place to ensure a truly free education system not one that simply makes life easier for a small few lucky ones. If we are to succeed we must stand back and genuinely analyse what we are fighting for and why? Did people occupy the department of education because its soo like cool to be radical and stuff, because their elected and sorta feel that its what you do when you’re a sabat, because they don’t want to pay an extra 80 euro, or because they feel sickened by the vast and obvious inequalities in education in Ireland and the broad effects this has on society at large, and particularly those living on the margins.
We must fight the state and the people who run the system as a strong united group. If we take a stance on an issue or make a political point, either through marches, sit-downs, occupations or all out war we must be unflinching in our commitment to follow through on our actions and face the consequences. Its time to seriously re address our strategies & aims, and what we hope to achieve before we get too caught up in our own self interest and self importance and delusions of success.
This is not meant as a personal criticism of any individuals but of decisions that were made and tactics adopted. I look forward to seeing if this can create a much needed debate within USI and other SUs about where we must take this campaign in order to be victorious and the tactics we use to do so.
|
View Full Comment Text
save preference
Comments (30 of 30)