FANTASY FOOTBALL – THE IRISH LEFT AND FORMING A ‘LEFT GOVERNMENT’

This article, originally posted by Socialist Democracy (Ireland) looks at the attempts by People before Profit and RISE to form a ‘Left government’ in Ireland with Sinn Fein.    FANTASY FOOTBALL – THE IRISH LEFT AND FORMING A ‘LEFT GOVERNMENT’     Recently People before Profit reopened talks with Sinn Fein about building an alternative…

CRISIS AND THE NEED FOR CONFLICT

Mike Macnair makes the case for seeing current political developments in the world as a move from neo-liberalism proper to nationalist rivalry. This is similar to the case Allan Armstrong has made on this blog about the switch from neo–liberal hegemony to Right populist ascendancy.   CRISIS AND THE NEED FOR CONFLICT   What we…

FIGHTING COVID19 – FROM A NURSE IN NEW YORK CITY

This article is about workers on the frontline of the Covid19 pandemic in the USA.  It was written  by Jillian Primiano, a New York City nurse. and was first posted by Left Voice.   FROM ONE ESSENTIAL WORKER TO ANOTHER: DEMANDING SAFE WORKING CONDITIONS COULD SAVE MY LIFE     The walk-outs, die-ins, and strikes…

BREXIT HASN’T GONE AWAY – THE VIEW FROM IRELAND

This article first posted by Socialist Democracy (Ireland)  highlights the continuing relevance of Brexit to the British ruling class national populist strategy to attack the working class, and to continued inability of the the British Labour leadership now under Sir Keith Starmer to counter this.     BREXIT HASN’T GONE AWAY – A pandemic of repression is…

JOE BIDEN – RACIST AND SEXIST

We are posting these two articles which challenge those following Bernie Sanders in giving their support to Joe Biden as the Democratic presidential candidate. The first article, by Daniel Lazare, takes up Biden’s appalling record of racism; the second by Tatiana Cozzarelli, his record of sexism. 1. THE BIDEN DISASTER – Daniel Lazare (https://daniellazare.com/about/) 2.…

THE DEFEAT OF THE SANDERS CAMPAIGN

  This article explaining the politics and consequences of the defeat of Bernie Sanders’ bid to become the Democratic Party US presidential candidate was posted by Socialist Democracy (Ireland). ________________   THE DEFEAT OF THE SANDERS CAMPAIGN   The claim about history repeating itself is often thrown around loosely but in the case of Bernie…

CAPITALISM IS A VIRUS – VALUE CHAINS

Following our earlier posting, Capitalism and Health – Plus Ca Change, we are posting this edited article from Left Voice in the USA.     CAPITALISM IS A VIRUS – VALUE CHAINS Belokamenka is a rural community in the Russian arctic with a permanent population of just 85 people. The locality is hundreds of miles…

THE GREENS IN GOVERNMENT? – Ireland has seen this movie before

The formation of a new government in Ireland is proving to be a tortuous process. Following Sinn Fein’s electoral  surge to first place, even a Fine Gael/Fianna Fail coalition can not provide a new government. Their Framework for Government document was designed to act as a bait for other parties. This article from Socialist Democracy…

KEVIN KEATING – An Appreciation

It was with great sadness I learned of the death of Kevin Keating.  I first met Kevin and his partner, Anne Conway, at the Socialist Democracy (Ireland) weekend schools held near Kippure, in the upper Liffey Valley in the Wicklow Mountains, from 2007-9. The political debates  were of a very high standard, and the camaraderie…

TWO RESPONSES TO THE COVID19 PANDEMIC

Following from our earlier postings from Trade unionists, health workers, independence supporters and community activists and from Socialist Democracy (Ireland) (http://republicancommunist.org/blog/2020/03/26/fighting-the-covid-19-pandemic/), we are posting two further statements on the Covid19  pandemic, the first from Dumfries TUC , the second from SNP Socialists.     1. Dumfries TUC Co19 Statement