GLOBAL INVITATION -First International Conference Against US/NATO Military Bases November 16-18, 2018, Dublin, Ireland Add Your Support and Join Us Dear Friends of Peace Around the World, We are deeply concerned, and frightened, by the threat of war that permeates the present Global atmosphere. The increasingly aggressive and expansionist actions of US/NATO forces in violation of international law and the sovereign rights of all nations, the raging wars in the Middle East, the burgeoning arms race devastating the national treasuries, the bellicose language replacing diplomatic negotiations, the economic difficulties facing country after country, and the destruction of global environment through war and unfettered exploitation, and their impact on public health, have all created crises that, unless checked by popular opposition, can lead to unimaginable catastrophe and war. ... read full story / add a comment

Indirect support to burning peat through a Public Service Obligation (PSO) levy to support electricity generation from three peat powered plants when co-fired with biomass has been challenged as it is leading to significant increases in greenhouse gas emissions and increasing the price of biomass to home users, forcing them to use more fossil fuels. ... read full story / add a comment

The National Transport Agency (NTA) wants to redesign all Dublin Bus routes. They promise a faster, more efficient bus service with more buses and better frequency for Dubliners. They also promise a more environmentally friendly transport system for the capital. If this was delivered it would mark a major step forward for life in the city. But the reality is not that simple. The plan hinges on 16 new radial bus corridors on the busiest routes – primarily linking outer suburbs with the city centre. At a future (non-defined) date, they also promise orbital routes to link the outer parts of the city together. ... read full story / add a comment

This is story is being reposted as it is considered to be of noteworthy interest to the issue of Brexit since it will probably have a significant impact on Ireland

Remainers claim that Brexit will be an economic apocalypse. But it provides the opportunity for a radical break with neoliberalism.

Nothing better reflects the muddled thinking of the mainstream European left than its stance on Brexit. Each week seems to produce a new chapter for the Brexit scare story: withdrawing from the EU will be an economic disaster for the UK; tens of thousands of jobs will be lost; human rights will be eviscerated; the principles of fair trials, free speech, and decent labour standards will all be compromised. In short, Brexit will transform Britain into a dystopia, a failed state ? or worse, an international pariah ? cut off from the civilized world. Against this backdrop it?s easy to see why Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn is often criticized for his unwillingness to adopt a pro-Remain agenda. ... read full story / add a comment

On May 25th we in Ireland finally get to vote to Repeal the hated 8th amendment. Here we present the 8 reasons WSM members are voting Yes to Repeal along with many of the articles we have published on the issue in recent months. ... read full story / add a comment

n response to Israel’s horrific massacre of some 60 unarmed Palestinians, and wounding of thousands, yesterday in Gaza, the Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign (IPSC) has organised a series of protests around Ireland to take place today. Protests are expected to continue in Gaza, and casualties are expected to mount. ... read full story / add a comment

The Peace and Neutrality Alliance along with World Beyond War condemns unreservedly the overnight attacks carried out by Western powers on the Syrian Arab Republic.

The pretext for this offensive is that a chemical weapons attack has allegedly been carried out by the Syrian Government and that international law banning prohibiting chemical weapons must be upheld. Given that the bombing of a sovereign state is itself a violation of international law, we are being asked to believe that international law must be broken in order that it be upheld -- a manifest absurdity. ... read full story / add a comment

As the government is set to spend BILLIONS on signing us up to PESCO the Irish Ant-War Movement has decided to support the Housing Is A Human Right Day of Action on Sat 7th April 2018. If we can spend money on weapons we can provide affordable housing. ... read full story / add a comment

We are publishing this piece by PANA explaining what PESCO is about and how it means the loss of our neutrality. Unfortunately since then on Dec 7th the Dail voted by 75 to 42 to join PESCO.
Some key points are:
1) PESCO is a binding agreement because it says so. The government claims it is not. It is.
2) PESCO commits us to spending 2% of GDP on military spending by 2022. This is a figure of € 5.5 billion. We currently spend 1/10th of that on defense. This makes a mockery of "fiscal space"
3) PESCO in the event of crisis places under NATO's command. Therefore we are no longer neutral.
4) PESCO is the side door to Ireland joining a EU Army / NATO and would have us involved in "humanitarian" bombing and "peace making" -in other words imposing the demands of the corporate interests that rule above all else.
The Irish Government is considering joining PESCO. This will be one of the most important decisions this FG/Independeny Alliance will ever make. There needs at the very least a serious debate on the issue, and in any genuine debate form all sides in the corporate media. On the evidence so far this is highly improbable, as is their total lack of coverage of the use of Shannon Airport by US troops ... read full story / add a comment

Richard Boyd Barrett TD, has condemned the government with the support of Fianna Fail for tabling a Dail motion this Thursday for Ireland to join the EU PESCO agreement on advanced military and defence cooperation. ... read full story / add a comment

This week in the Oireachtas workers on insecure hour contracts became collateral damage in a cynical game of power play politics by the government. A disgraceful ploy to block the David Cullinane TD sponsored Banded Hours Contract Bill was concocted by raising a spurious money message mechanism which government conveniently uses to halt the progress of opposition bills that have a genuine chance of succeeding in the Dail. ... read full story / add a comment

Ireland has become the fourth European country to ban hydraulic fracturing (after France, Bulgaria and Germany). On June 28, the Petroleum and Other Minerals Development (Prohibition of Onshore Hydraulic Fracturing) Bill passed the final legislative stages in the Seanad.

The session included the committee, report, and final stages that took place in the Seanad chamber, where the gallery was full of supporters of the ban. It now requires only the signature of President Michael D. Higgins to become law. This is expected in the coming days. ... read full story / add a comment

Minister Dennis Naughton, TD, Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment, has been urged to support a United Nations Convention’s ruling requiring suspension of work on the new Hinkley Point UK nuclear reactor until a transboundary Environmental Impact Assessment [EIA] is completed.

The first new nuclear station to be constructed in the UK since 1995, Hinkley C is a 3.2GW nuclear power plant composed of two reactors. The power plant will generate 7% of UK's electricity if constructed. The UK position is that “the likely impacts determined through a thorough EIA do not extend beyond the county of Somerset and the Severn Estuary”.

The Espoo Convention, signed by Ireland in 1991, requires that the opportunity for comment provided to the public of potentially affected Parties is ‘equivalent to that provided to the public of the Party of origin’. ... read full story / add a comment

This is opinion & analysis piece comes from Integrity Ireland who are attempting to fight corruption in the legal system and face an uphill struggle in their task and this piece illustrates well what they are up against.
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Well, it has been an interesting few weeks again, with reports of increasingly odd and bizarre ‘developments’ – especially regarding decisions being made by Gardaí, by Courts Service Staff and by senior personnel at the DPP’s Office. ... read full story / add a comment

To help highlight the case of the Jobstown 18 we are republishing an open letter by Irish Writers.

We write as writers concerned with the impact of proposed jury restrictions in the case of the Jobstown 18 on freedom of expression in Ireland. ... read full story / add a comment

Still Waiting Ireland Health Campaign are holding nationwide vigils to highlight the ongoing crisis within our health service on April 14th @ 5pm

Locations: Donegal, Sligo, Galway, Mayo, Roscommon, Kildare, Kilkenny, Kerry, Cork, Louth:, Waterford, Dublin, Wexford
... read full story / add a comment

The Strike for Repeal is a direct action that will take place on the 8th March 2017.

Our demand is that the Irish government call a referendum to repeal the 8th Amendment by the 8th of March. If not, we will strike. ... read full story / add a comment

Celebrating 13 years! Israeli Apartheid Week is an annual international series of events (including rallies, lectures, performances, films, multimedia displays and protest actions) held in cities and campuses across the globe.

Each year, Israeli Apartheid Week takes place across more than 150 universities and cities. It aims to raise awareness about Israel’s ongoing settler-colonial project and apartheid policies over the Palestinian people. IAW aims to raise awareness about Israel’s apartheid policies towards the Palestinians and to build support for the growing campaign of Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) against Israel. Please join us in making the the 13th Israeli Apartheid Week one of the biggest yet. ... read full story / add a comment

BRU TO ENGAGE IN ALL OUT INDEFINITE STRIKE FROM MONDAY 6TH MARCH

General Secretary Dermot O’Leary said:

“Bus Éireann Management are determined to steer a course towards conflict by issuing ultimatums to staff, before they have had the opportunity to digest, never mind analyse the detail contained in this latest missive. Placing an emphasis on, as it were, parking the race to the bottom agenda for now, and replacing it with broad sweeping generalisations under insider specific language, is obviously designed to create an impression that there has been a major shift in policy, away from raiding workers’ pay packets to plug the policy induced financial gap at Expressway.” ... read full story / add a comment

The latest issue of People's News -for 15th Feb carries a lead article on the current housing bubble.

The free movement of capital has become one of the maxims of global capitalism. Along with the free movement of people, goods and services it is also one of the “four freedoms” of the EU’s single market.

But the removal of the policy instrument of capital controls has probably contributed to a succession of financial crises. Three decades ago, many people in the EU invested their hopes in a combination of free trade, free mobility of capital, a fixed exchange rate, and an independent monetary policy — dubbed an “inconsistent quartet.” ... read full story / add a comment