As we draw towards the end of the hottest summer on record, the effects of climate change are becoming rapidly more evident. From the uncontrollable fires in the Arctic circle to the devastating floods in Kathmandu, from the rapid melting of the Greenland ice sheet to the scorching heat waves being experienced around the world, it is clear that a climate emergency is no longer a future catastrophe to guard against but a reality that must be faced up to right now. read full story / add a comment

Richard Boyd Barrett TD has said he and People Before Profit are fully behind the protests by the Beef Plan movement over the last number of weeks and says the protests will be a key factor in winning a victory for small farmers in Ireland.

Talks between representatives from the Irish Farmers Association, Meat Industry Ireland, the Beef Plan movement and Bord Bia began yesterday at the Department of Agriculture and Boyd Barrett says these talks have been forced by the determination of the Beef Plan farmers. read full story / add a comment

In a statement this morning, People Before Profit announced that there will be a protest tomorrow outtside head office of vulture fund, Val Issuer Dac, against the mass eviction of tenants in Portobello.

People Before Profit rep, Siomha ní Aonghusa, is working with the tenants and the Dublin Renters Union to protect the over 50 tenancies at Sth Richmond Street and Rosedale Terrace that are threatened with eviction. read full story / add a comment

On Thursday 8th August, the Belfast Branch of the Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign is proud to host our annual Palestine Day as part of Féile an Phobail 2019. As usual, the day will take place in St. Mary’s University College on the Falls Road in Belfast and will run from 12 noon until 9pm. read full story / add a comment

The Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) has released a report outlining “serious and urgent concerns” regarding the state’s attitude towards the democratic right to protest. After consultations with protest groups from across the country, the ICCL reports “severe misuse” of the Public Order Act by Gardai, in the form of arrests without charge, harassment of protesters and imposing limits on where people can protest, seemingly in order to punish and discourage such action. read full story / add a comment

Environmental and transport campaigners have set a plan in motion to liberate Dublin’s South William Street from cars for the day.

As the above photograph, provide by the group shows, South William Street is currently closed to through motor traffic. IrishCycle.com understands that the group of protesters will not get in the way of local access, including cars exiting from the Brown Thomas Car Park. read full story / add a comment

From 1 July, Irish Water is seeking to implement excessive-use water charges of up to €500 per year. This will come as no great surprise to those of us who highlighted the programme for government agreed between Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael back in 2016. The Socialist Party opposed and warned about this element of the legislation at the time, as we knew that is could be used as a back door to the re-introduction of full water charges in the future. The legislation allows the government to lower the amount of water that is considered normal usage over time. Just like with tuition fees and bin charges, the amounts will be increased incrementally until the idea of direct payment for water becomes normalised, or at least this is their hope. read full story / add a comment

Vetaran fo Peace Tarak Kauff wrote the following introduction to a piece by Ken Mayers on the refusal of the High Court to allow them to return to the US while awaiting trial. Ken and Tarak are being charged as a result of their attempt to inspect a US contracted military place at Shannon Airport in March. read full story / add a comment

Feile An Phobail / The Peoples Festival 2019

On the 70th Anniversary of the formation of NATO, The Peace And Neutrality Alliance (PANA)
wishes to invite you to an evening of protest and solidarity.

Guest Speaker: Dr Ed Horgan, Fomer UN Peacekeeper and Irish Veterans for Peace. read full story / add a comment

We are facing a huge crisis over our climate. But the Government is not allowing the Dail to vote on a People Before Profit sponsored Climate Emergency Bill that would keep fossil fuels in the ground.

The main mechanism they are using is a little known and obscure legal measure known as a ‘money message’. When any law imposes a financial cost on the state, the government can attach this ‘money message’ to stop debate.

However, this Fine Gael led government are totally missing this measure. How, for example could a bill to stop the issuing of future licences for oil and gas exploration impose a cost on the state?

Fine Gael have killed 55 opposition bills by using this way. read full story / add a comment

In solidarity with our friends in Queer Action Ireland, who have always invited IPSC to be part of their radical anti-pinkwashing bloc at Pride down the years, we are supporting their Pride Alternative action. QAI, for a myriad of reasons, feel they can no longer march in the official pride parade. read full story / add a comment

At the end of May, The Irish Times released a survey of young people between the ages of 16 and 21 conducted by Young Social Innovators. Sixty percent of those surveyed described their generation as stressed, anxious and depressed, while a mere 11% described it as motivated. With the housing crisis (which currently sees over 10,000 people in homelessness services), precarious work and the constant threat of climate change forever looming over them, it’s not surprising that the majority of young people are not exactly as hopeful about their future as they may once have been. read full story / add a comment

I know, you may think I am deluded. How could life in an Embassy with a cat and a skateboard ever amount to torture? That’s exactly what I thought, too, when Assange first appealed to my office for protection. Like most of the public, I had been subconsciously poisoned by the relentless smear campaign, which had been disseminated over the years. So it took a second knock on my door to get my reluctant attention. But once I looked into the facts of this case, what I found filled me with repulsion and disbelief. read full story / add a comment

A draft of Cork’s transport plan for the next 20 years includes policies which would decrease the percentage of people who cycle in the “the real capital” from 2.8% in 2016 to 1.3% in 2036.

“Hard not to look at this figures and wince,” the Cork Cycling Campaign said on Twitter. ( https://twitter.com/CorkCyclingCrew/status/1142116392466100224?s=20 ) “#CMATS ‘idealised’ scenario wants to see cycling modal share fall to 1.3% in Cork.”

The public consultation for the plan, the Cork Metropolitan Area Transport Strategy, runs until Friday.
https://www.nationaltransport.ie/consultations/consultation-on-cork-metropolitan-area-draft-transport-strategy-2040/ read full story / add a comment

Indaver has advised CHASE by letter of plans to apply to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for an industrial emissions licence for their Ringaskiddy incinerator in the coming weeks, even though a decision has not yet been delivered following the CHASE High Court challenge to planning which closed on Monday 27 May 2019. (letter below) read full story / add a comment

Deputy Boyd Barrett says: “truly appalling and unacceptable” to have two-tier health facilitated in flagship children’s hospital

In a new twist in the National Children’s Hospital debacle today, the Minister for Health has confirmed to Deputy Boyd Barrett that the publicly funded hospital will contain a wing for private patients.

The private section of the hospital will have 8 consultation rooms, a play area and a feeding room as well as a reception and waiting area. read full story / add a comment

In an open letter, over 340 civil society organisations are demanding that the European Union immediately halt free trade agreement negotiations with the Mercosur bloc (Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay) on the grounds of deteriorating human rights and environmental conditions in Brazil. The letter is addressed to presidents of the EU institutions ahead of the ministerial-level meeting next week in Brussels where EU and Mercosur foreign ministers aim to finalise the negotiations. read full story / add a comment

This short interview from the Socialist Party of the National Ambulance Service Representative Assocation branch secretary is about the background to the ambulance strike and what the issues are about and gives the Union a chance to present their case.
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These local elections on Fri 24th May are more important than ever. The reason is that up and down the country Fine Gael with help from Fianna Fail have allowed corporate vulture funds through various government breaks to them to buy up valuable tracts of land and to buy up thousands and thousands of apartments and homes. And the result is they are screwing people for rent. read full story / add a comment

The European elections are this Friday on May 24th and there are good reasons to consider your vote very carefully because it does make a difference because practically every bit of law passed in the EU has to be adopted by Ireland at some point. It is a great way for politicans here to say the "EU forced us to..."
They said that one about the attempt to privatise water during that campaign.

It can be safely assumed that most people are for internet freedom, protection of the environment and in particular to live in places with unpolluted water, clean air and safe from exposure to toxic chemicals. These are all no brainers. In the area of military we have seen how years of bringing democracy to the Middle East by bombing them has resulted in devastation and huge waves of human refugees and immigration and time and time again the nefarious activities of the intellegence agencies of the big powers like USA, UK, France and NATO show them to be heavily linked to the various terrorist groups, via training, funding and weapons supply through third party countries like Saudi Arabia and Qatar in order to disrupt and overthrown regimes they don't like. So do people really want Ireland to drop it's neutrality and get aboard these very costly military adventures and volunteer it's soldiers for basically ordained mass murder? At a guess, the answer is probably no. read full story / add a comment