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ireland / britain / community struggles / opinion / analysis Thursday April 21, 2022 19:59 byZaher Baher
 1 comment (last - wednesday july 05, 2023 16:04)
We can contact other local groups wherever they are and make our campaign bigger and nationwide. We can win the price war. Nowadays, organising ourselves and creating campaigns are much easier than thirty years ago during the poll tax era. New technology and social media platforms have given us more opportunities to call and contact people, whilst providing more and better skills to plan and organise. When Covid-19 came along, it was a time to organise ourselves to fight back against the state and the corporations while both sets of organisations were confused in dealing with Covid and were weak. It really did not matter whether the pandemic was “made up”, as some people believed, or was not, for a couple of reasons. Firstly, many of us agree it was not made directly but certainly it was made indirectly. Secondly whether deliberate or not, states and corporations used it very well to achieve what they could not achieve in a time without Covid. The pandemic caused the death of millions of people, frustrated oppositional movements around the world and created opportunities for the sacking of thousands and thousands of workers and later rehiring some of them with new terrible contracts. They increased the price of everything and the cost of living has gone up dramatically. As a consequence, states have re-energised themselves, justifying their existence. We have heard so many lies whilst witnessing widespread corruption and scandals.We in Haringey Solidarity Group (HSG), based in north London, felt we needed to do something positive to stop attacks from the UK state and corporations. Some of us got together and contacted many anarchist groups, individuals and anti-authoritarian radical groups in the UK to come together to discuss the situation. While we managed to have three meetings, unfortunately it was not very fruitful. In the meantime, hundreds of new, local mutual aid groups were established, whilst many left-wing and trade unionist tried to support workers' health and safety concerns and other demands. Additionally, there was the massive Black Lives Matter movement. On reflection, we could have done much more but the majority of us were just happy with what we did and listened to state misinformation and propaganda broadcast by mainstream media. We were told that to stay at home and the state will look after us. The current attacks, including the cost of living crisis, will damage us more than Covid-19 did. We are facing a terrible situation which, in some ways, have not been seen in fifty years in addition to the damage, vulnerability and injury caused by Covid. Before Covid erupted, prices were already rising as a result of the UK leaving the EU. Similarly, imports of many products increased with further shortages likely as a result of the war in Ukraine and 500,000 job vacancies, as of August 2021, resulting from the combined impacts of Covid and Brexit The huge labour shortages in the food industry have led to unharvested crops being left to rot in fields with food and farming businesses particularly badly hit by a lack of workers. Many overseas workers went home during the pandemic, and Brexit has limited the number of EU temporary workers who can travel to the UK on the seasonal worker visa scheme. The government kept the number of seasonal worker permits – for those who come to the UK to pick crops – at 30,000 in 2021. The prices of fuel and energy, even before the war in Ukraine, were increased by fossil fuel companies. The price of gas has surged and, as of April 1st the household energy price cap has increased by 54%, rising from £1,277 to £1,971 per year and is predicted to soar much higher when the price cap is reset in October. While the price of everything else depends is, in part, determined by fuel and energy costs, then essentials including food, drink, clothes and rent will increase. As the war continues, with Russia and Ukraine being the main exporters of wheat, the price of bread, pastries, cereal and cooking oil will increase. Vegetable oil now costs £1.30 a litre at the supermarket, up 22%, compared to one year ago. Sunflower oil – of which Ukraine and Russia are major producers – is up sharply too, by 17p to £1.34 a litre, according to NielsenIQ Scantrack data. The report by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) published in early April, said that British households were set to be £900 worse off this year in a “historic fall” in living standards. The lowest earners face a £1,300 drop in income, which could get even worse if the Russian invasion of Ukraine drags on. In short, life will be harder and people will struggle for very basic survival. Increased poverty, unemployment, eviction, homelessness, mental illness, suicide and crime are all inevitable outcomes. So what needs to be done? The war impacts on everybody whether they be worker, unemployed, pensioner, student, or benefit claimant; it is unavoidable. It will hit hard, without recognising borders including those of class. The worst thing is this cannot be solved this alone. It cannot be survived for any length of time with only the help of the community, relatives, other people or food banks. Price increases are the killer; they will never come back down. We know that from the past experience. As a comrade from HSG recently said, "It is discrimination; people are discriminated against by depriving them of their basic needs". When Covid came along, we were restricted in acting collectively but now that restrictions have been lifted, it is easier for people to get together, to meet, protest and demonstrate. In other words, resisting collectively to reverse this situation is much easier than during Covid. We have only one choice which is to organise ourselves in resisting the price war imposed on us by the state and corporations. This is not a revolution and does not require an uprising as it is certainly far away from that. Unfortunately, in the UK, they are not on the horizon due to the absence of a revolutionary culture which is important as important as class consciousness. However, while we all feel the pain of the rising cost of living, we can do a lot of things. We can start from talking to people around us, to workers, small shop owners, people in community centres, groups in local area anybody who is really concerned about the issue. We can set up workshops, call for urgent meetings to discuss the matter and make decisions collectively to run a campaign in the neighbourhood and in the community, locally. We can contact other local groups wherever they are and make our campaign bigger and nationwide. We can win the price war. Nowadays, organising ourselves and creating campaigns are much easier than thirty years ago during the poll tax era. New technology and social media platforms have given us more opportunities to call and contact people, whilst providing more and better skills to plan and organise. It is time now. This time we are not starting from scratch, we are starting with experience: If not now, we wait for a long time. So do not wait. .
ireland / britain / imperialism / war / review Sunday August 22, 2021 21:24 byLAMA
A review of a movie about a whistleblower in the lead up to the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Spy movies are popular. The James Bond series for example, has been going for decades. It provides escapism, but little to do with reality. Non-fiction spy movies are less in number and less popular. Within this category there is a sub-genre of movies that look at whistleblowers. One well known example is about Edward Snowden (Snowden 2016). A more recent film looking at a little known yet topically related case, is Official Secrets (2019).This movie charts the actions of Katherine Gun. She was a young language expert who had grown up in Taiwan and had taught in Japan. Upon moving to England, she initially struggled to find a job that would use her linguistic skills. Then by chance she noticed a position working for an organisation she had little idea about. They were called GCHQ and had a job, so she signed on. GCHQ are based in a big metal doughnut in Cheltenham, a town mostly known for its horse race and an elite girls school. Their function? On its current website they describe themselves briefly and with a large dose of chutzpah as “We are the UK’s intelligence and cyber agency. Our mission is to help keep the country safe”. Katherine naively bought into this description. That is until she received an email in 2003 from somebody at the National Security Agency (NSA), the US equivalent to the GCHQ. The email was asking the UK government to spy on diplomats from uncommitted countries at the United Nations on behalf of the US at a time when the Bush administration was trying to gain support for an illegal invasion of Iraq. Katherine felt uneasy. She copied the email and leaked it to the media via a peace movement activist. Soon she caved into the internal investigation and admitted to being the source of the leak. There followed a potential prosecution and efforts to gain legal representation. The movie’s portrayal of the case is refreshingly straight forward. Both in the sense of taking a (mostly) linear narrative approach and eschewing any fancy effects. There are no flashbacks or elaborate time jumps, a limited soundtrack, simple but professional camera work and a drained colour palette. Whether these are stylistic choices and/or a sign of financial constraints, this combination of factors works in the story’s favour. Apparently the personnel attached to the project changed significantly over time, so the fact it got made at all is a minor miracle. Though the strong writing and ongoing interest in the subject, mean it perhaps had a better than average chance of winning the game of roulette that movie making often is. The lead is taken by Keira Knightley. The actress has been around a long time and proven herself more than just a pouty sidekick to male leads (Pirates of the Caribbean series). Here Knightley does an excellent job of showing that Katherine (who she looks nothing like, by the way) was motivated by a simple sense of conscience. The actress gets a chance to slowly simmer at times, to show vulnerability and even in a few instances to get angry but in an oh-so British and non-hammy way. Her performance keeps you engaged. Kudos also goes to Matt Smith (Dr Who, The Crown) who plays the likeable journalist who helps Katherine and Ralph Fiennes (Schindler’s List, The English Patient) as the lawyer who takes her case. The latter is able to blend chameleon-like into the role, with an attractive energy that doesn’t over-power Knightley’s central character. One potential weakness of movies like this, is that they can devolve into a series of boxed in scenes in crowded offices. Characters spew forth lots of expository dialogue that can make the drama drag in places, for example, All the President’s Men (1976). However, if you want to avoid the 007 end of the spectrum, you have to keep things grounded in reality while looking for moments of ‘thrill’. This is hard when the main protagonist is a keyboard nerd. However, Official Secrets does manage to tease out a few such scenes. Without giving vital details, one is a brilliantly calibrated sequence in a newspaper office that shows how the smallest of things, in this case a spelling issue, can have massive consequences. Another is a race against time in a car, one that thankfully doesn’t involve a car chase or guns. Lastly, the initial moments of the court case take a surprising twist. These combined with the acting and steady pacing, add just the right amount of spice to avoid the stodginess that the story could easily veer into. Official Secrets and the case of Katherine Gun deserves wider attention. This is especially true as the war in Iraq recedes into history. An entire generation has been born and grown up since the events depicted. They are the potential victims, working people, soldiers and whistleblowers of the future. Hopefully this movie may play a small part (it is just a movie, after all) in reducing the number of victims and soldiers in times to come, while boosting the knowledge of workers and the resolve of whistleblowers.
ireland / britain / community struggles / press release Friday May 21, 2021 17:56 byHaringey Solidarity Group
30 years Haringey Solidarity Group: A Celebration of 30 years of radical ideas May 11th 2021 was the 30th anniversary of the Haringey Solidarity Group in North London. To celebrate we held a special online event looking at of some of the activities and struggles the group has been involved in over the 3 decades since its foundation. Those attending contributed some memories and reflections, and some views on what lessons and inspiration we have taken from the past. You can watch the recording of the 90 minutes meeting here: http://haringey.org.uk/video-of-30th-anniversary-zoom-celebration/ You can also read our detailed review of the history of the group’s activities, and the wide range of local struggles we have been involved with and supported: 1990-2005: http://haringey.org.uk/haringey-solidarity-group-some-activities-1990-2005/' 2005-2020: http://haringey.org.uk/haringey-solidarity-group-some-activities-2005-to-2020/' Note: We are also planning a face-to-face celebration event in the Hub in Lordship Rec, N17, on Sunday afternoon 27th June - with films, food, stalls and an exhibition. Details to be firmed up.
ireland / britain / history / review Thursday May 06, 2021 16:26 byLAMA
A review of a movie about Britain on the eve of World War II Every country has a set of myths that enable its rulers to promote its existence and their own position. In England, there is a strong sense of exceptionalism. Recently Brexit has fed into some of that. Another myth concerns the position of the island prior to and during the early stages of World War II. The idea is that everyone was on board with resistance to the Nazi regime. From Halifax to Mosley and for a variety of motivations, this wasn’t so.‘Six Minutes to Midnight’ touches tangentially on this reality. It is set in a private girls school in Bexhill-on-Sea in the week prior to the outbreak of the war. What provides the spark of interest is that the attendees of the institution are some of the daughters of the Nazi elite. On first consideration, it seems to be pushing credibility to breaking point to expect us to believe this. Why would the Nazi grandees risk putting their precious offspring in the hands of a possible enemy as late as the middle of 1939!? The amazing thing is, this turns out to be a historical fact. Perhaps it was because they were aware of the sympathetic elements in the British establishment, and thought it was a calculated risk. Whatever the case, it forms the setting of the movie. The lead character is Mr. Miller (Eddie Izzard) who arrives as a new teacher at the school. He barely passes the interview but manages to clinch it when he reveals to the headmistress Miss Rochill (an underused Judi Dench) he has a German parent. She is a well-meaning but naive individual whose only concern is a matronly protectiveness towards “her girls”. This extends to the point of joining in their collective arm raising and chanting of “Sieg heil” and weakly justifying it as an apolitical admiration for people expressing their national identity. Miller doesn’t approve for the reason that he is in fact a spy working on behalf of the British government. He has been planted there to expose an attempt to clandestinely expatriate the girls and to find out what happened to a dead predecessor. This is an interesting starting point to springboard off. Unfortunately, the story takes this promising start and fails to develop it in a rich or thrilling way. A large reason for this failure has to be put on the shoulders of Izzard. Apparently, the project germinated from her interest in the historical facts, due to growing up in Bexhill and she co-wrote the script. It’s a vanity project to some extent. Finding another actor to fill the role of Miller might have better served the intentions of the work a bit better. Izzard doesn’t give poor line readings but there’s something about her Miller that just falls a bit flat. The basics of the Nazi plot are revealed in a way reminiscent of a French farce, with little suspense. There follows a series of chases (conveniently Izzard herself is a serial marathon runner). One of these takes place at the pier and is handled nicely in a Hitchcock-like way. The remaining escapades are more pedestrian. There is a delightful turn along the way by Jim Broadbent as an animated plot device who helps the beleaguered Miller and an earnest opponent in the shape of Captain Drey (James D’Arcy) who is pursuing Izzard’s character. The resolution is signposted pretty clearly, again robbing the story of suspense. The camerawork (not by Izzard) is good, with occasionally very well-constructed compositions. So summing all this up, it is really a mixed bag. Six Minutes to Midnight is not a terrible movie, though it is not a particularly memorable one either. It has worthwhile elements and there are worse ways to spend a rainy afternoon. It brings to light a curious historical episode but defangs any in-depth political insights in preference to a lighter emphasis on only semi-successful suspense.
ireland / britain / repression / prisoners / press release Monday May 03, 2021 18:09 byA few members of Haringey Solidarity Group
Haringey Solidarity Group supports this campaign Kill the Bill# and all struggles everywhere that seek to bring about more equality, autonomy, self- determination, and freedom for all people, we want to build a better world that liberates all. Since March had been started in London and in the UK a campaign called Kill the Bill against the Government’s "Police Crime Sentencing and Courts Bill", which criminalises protests and thereby attempts to undermine people's ability for fight for their rights and needs against those who control our lives and society.The Bill contains enhanced police powers to deal with public order and wider offences and increased sentences for breaching conditions imposed on assemblies and processions by the police. These proposals have significant implications for the right to protest, and aspect of the rights to free speech and free assembly. A clause called "Serious Violence Reduction Orders (SVROs) gives police the legal right to stop and search anyone, legally, without having any reason for suspicion. If the bill is passed, racial bias would be excusable by the law and discrimination that people may face, especially against ethnic minorities and black people. The heavy-handed police response to a vigil in memory of Sarah Everard and the protest in Bristol against the new Police and Crime Bill have again drawn attention to the role of the police in society as it exists today, once again Kill the Bill demonstrations have seen police violence, most notably in Bristol where police officers attacked protesters with dogs, shields and batons and in London, which saw a mass arrest of over 100 protesters.* All over the globe, the pandemic has sharpened class divisions. In societies divided against themselves, the fight against the deadly virus has also become an opportunity for states to introduce and test out new measures aimed at curtailing certain freedoms previously held dear. Haringey Solidarity Group supports this campaign Kill the Bill# and all struggles everywhere that seek to bring about more equality, autonomy, self- determination, and freedom for all people, we want to build a better world that liberates all. "We must kill this bill. We must take the streets. We demand the rights to organise together. We demand the right to be out at night. We are here, we are together, and we are not afraid.” In solidarity A few members of Haringey Solidarity Group * Please Support Fundraiser: For Bristol Legal Support in the Streets and the Courts: www.gofundme.com/killthebill-bristol-legal-support-in-the-streets If you would like to get in touch with us: Haringey Solidarity Group Email: infoharingey.org.uk or hsg-discussion@haringey.org.uk Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/haringey.solidaritygroup Website: http://www.haringey.org.uk/content/?view=featured Twitter: Twitter/@__hsg__ |
Fri 19 Apr, 10:38
We can contact other local groups wherever they are and make our campaign bigger and nationwide. We can win the price war. Nowadays, organising ourselves and creating campaigns are much easier than thirty years ago during the poll tax era. New technology and social media platforms have given us more opportunities to call and contact people, whilst providing more and better skills to plan and organise. A review of a movie about a whistleblower in the lead up to the 2003 invasion of Iraq. 30 years Haringey Solidarity Group: A Celebration of 30 years of radical ideas A review of a movie about Britain on the eve of World War II Haringey Solidarity Group supports this campaign Kill the Bill# and all struggles everywhere that seek to bring about more equality, autonomy, self- determination, and freedom for all people, we want to build a better world that liberates all.
KSL: Bulletin of the Kate Sharpley Library No. 102, September 2020 has just been posted on our site.
The anarchist and author of bestselling books on capitalism and bureaucracy died in a Venice hospital on Wednesday. Η απειλή της θανατικής ποινης με την garotte και η εικοσαετής, τελικά, ποινή του, επέστησαν τη διεθνή προσοχή στην αντίσταση στο καθεστώς του Φράνκο. Στη φυλακή ο Christie σχημάτισε μόνιμες φιλίες με αναρχικούς μαχητές της δικής του αλλά και παλαιότερων γενεών. Επέστρεψε από την Ισπανία το 1967, μεγαλύτερος και σοφότερος, αλλά εξίσου αποφασισμένος να συνεχίσει τον αγώνα και να χρησιμοποιήσει τη φήμη του για να βοηθήσει τους συντρόφους που άφησε πίσω του. This is a very tiny contribution about the factors that caused the weakness of anarchism and the anarchist movement. Once we establish our weakness perhaps it won’t be difficult to overcome our problems. This article covers only three of our weak areas. We might all have our own campaigns. Some may see disability rights as most important; some housing; others refugees. All are equally important. We don’t want a hierarchy of needs. Fight for your particular cause yes – but link up with others. An injury to one is an injury to all. The state always tries to divide us. Too often we fight amongst ourselves and miss the real enemy. We need to stick together because once Covid-19 is over the state will come for us like they have never done before. And we need to be ready and supporting each other. We need to politicise the struggle with a clear internationalist response that unifies all of us, our work, our mutual aid and our care. For as long as profit rules, there can be no peace. We need to requisition all health, manufacturing and transport sectors and provide all workers, currently unpaid or paid with fair wages and safe working conditions. This is not a public relations crisis with seemingly unfortunate logistical difficulties, this is an emergency stoked by the greed of those for whom our deaths are only a motivation for the accumulation of their capital. This is a statement from some activists from Haringey Solidarity Croup express its support and solidarity to UK National Health Service (NHS) and other workers. In the meantime expresses its anger about that people been asked to pay the money to NHS while the health system is being suffered for almost two decades on the hands of the current government of conservative party and the former one of Labour. The demand is unreasonable while the UK is 3rd richest country in Europe and 6th richest country the world. The statement clarifies the current position of NHS and treatment of the government to NHS.
It is within times of crisis when the thin veil of neoliberalism slips to reveal the emperor is not wearing any clothes. It exposes the sheer inefficacy of capitalism to cope with human crises and cater for the most basic human needs. In these times, when the capitalist state is left reeling, we see glimpses of community, solidarity and interdependence emerge once again - the very ideals neoliberalism has for the last 40 odd years attempted to erode and eradicate. It exposes that the ‘common sense’ manner of organising our lives, work and economy is entirely at odds with the will of the people but also, very importantly, it provides us with the opportunity to imagine a transformed world
The Covid-19 global health crisis is one that required a global response led by health workers but with the consensus of almost everyone. Instead we face a piecemeal response, often in the form of repressive policing solutions that are not even particularly effective and where the borders between the states have undermined collective action and allowed the virus to multiply in the gaps.
The vilification of the leader of the UK Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn, as an antisemite has intensified in the run up to the December 12 election in Britain. What makes this especially troubling, not to say bizarre, is that since he first became a member of parliament in 1983 Corbyn has been the most consistent campaigner against all forms of racism. Μια σύντομη αναφορά στους Ισπανούς ανθρακωρύχους στη Νότια Ουαλία και τη σχέση τους -ορισμένες φορές θετική, μερικές φορές τεταμένη- με τον πληθυσμό των τοπικών ορυχείων. Ακριβώς όπως ο Γαλλο-ιταλός αναρχικός ανθρακωρύχος Lawrence Storione εισήγαγε επαναστατικές ιδέες στην περιοχή Fife της Σκωτίας, έτσι έκαναν και οι Ισπανοί αναρχικοί και σοσιαλιστές ανθρακωρύχοι και χαλυβουργοί στη Νότια Ουαλία σε ελάχιστα γνωστές συνθήκες. Eimhéar Ní Fhearóir responds to the election analysis offered by Sinn Fein's Natalie Treacy. Eimhéar Ní Fhearóir is an anarchist who was previously involved with republican activism. We are happy to present you our interview with the Anarchist Communist Group (ACG) from Great Britain. The organization is relatively new. They are active in four regions: West Yorshire, Leicestershire, Surry and London. To connect internationally with other organizations is an important part of our current work to establish our Federation. An interview of the ACG with us is also already in planning. For now we wish you a pleasant lecture with this one. Είμαστε στην ευχάριστη θέση να σας παρουσιάσουμε μια συνέντευξή μας με την Αναρχική Κομμουνιστική Ομάδα (ACG) από τη Μεγάλη Βρετανία. Η οργάνωση είναι σχετικά νέα. Δραστηριοποιείται σε τέσσερις περιοχές: το Δυτικό Yorshire, το Leicestershire, το Surry και το Λονδίνο. Η σύνδεση σε διεθνές επίπεδο με άλλες οργανώσεις αποτελεί σημαντικό μέρος της παρούσας δράσης μας για την ίδρυση της Ομοσπονδίας μας. Μια συνέντευξη της ACG από μας είναι ήδη προγραμματισμένη. Προς το παρόν σας ευχόμαστε μια ευχάριστη ανάγνωση με αυτό. English | Deutsch Wir freuen uns euch dieses Interview präsentieren zu können, welches wir im April 2019 mit der “Anarchist Communist Group” (ACG) aus Großbritannien geführt haben. Die Organisation ist vergleichsweise neu und ist aktuell mit West Yorkshire, Leicestershire, Surrey und London in 4 Regionen aktiv. Auch das Knüpfen von internationalen Kontakten ist ein wichtiger Bestandteil unserer aktuellen Aufbauarbeit. Die Genoss*innen werden andersherum auch ein Interview mit uns führen, Aber nun wünschen wir euch erst einmal viel Freude mit dem bereits vorhandenen und – wie wir finden – spannenden Interview mit der ACG. Gemeinsam vorwärts zum anarchistischen Kommunismus! The MACG thus defends Julian Assange, not because of his politics, which have curdled and are now quite suspect, nor because we consider him innocent of the Swedish accusations. The US ruling class has no objection to his politics, because they are riddled with the sort of people with whom he has been collaborating. And neither do they have any objection to sexual assault – if they did, Donald Trump would not be President. The United States wants to punish him, not for any crimes he might have committed, but for his good deeds. The MACG defend Assange for those same good deeds.
It’s the changing nature of class and capital that’s caused this split – and should shape the Left’s response to it. But discussing class meaningfully is the last media taboo. Rob Ray’s book begins with the disarming confession that he imagined writing a ‘relatively short pamphlet’ (p3). 300 pages later you’ve been given a whistle-stop tour of Freedom’s history (both newspaper and publishing house). Thankfully, while he draws on previous histories, he includes some new accounts and comments from other people connected with Freedom Press.
Anarchism in the UK is a joke. Once symbolising hard-fought struggles for freedom, the word has been stripped bare to make way for narrow-minded, separatist and hateful identity politics by middle class activists keen to protect their own privileges. We write this leaflet to reclaim anarchism from these identity politicians. El 5 de Diciembre nos embargó un dolor inmenso al escuchar de la inesperada muerte de Alan MacSimóin, veterano anarquista, sindicalista y luchador infatigable de Irlanda. El 13 de Diciembre le despedimos en el cementerio de Glasnevin en Dublín, donde yacen muchos otros revolucionarios que lo precedieron. Será recordado, sin lugar a dudas, como una de las figuras más influyentes en la izquierda irlandesa de las últimas décadas. Fue parte de un puñado de personas que comenzaron a hablar de anarquismo en Irlanda en la década de 1970 y 1980. Su trabajo para crear un espacio para la izquierda libertaria en un país dominado por el conservadurismo político y religioso, cambió por siempre la cara de la política irlandesa por siempre. Ya no sería más un asunto exclusivo de los partidos tradicionales. Si la sociedad irlandesa ha avanzado, en algún grado, durante las últimas décadas, en gran medida se lo debemos a los esfuerzos de personas como Alan. On December 5th we were pained to hear about the untimely death of Alan MacSimóin, veteran anarchist, trade unionist and tireless organiser in Ireland. Today we said farewell to him at Glasnevin cemetery in Dublin, where many other revolutionaries before him have been put to rest. Many friends and comrades from all parties and movements of the left joined his family to bid farewell to this exceptional man. SIPTU, his trade union, had arranged a guard of honour for him. The previous night, the wake at the Teachers’ Club was equally well attended by comrades of all persuasions: from the Communist Party, the Socialist Party and the Socialist Workers Party, Sinn Féin, Workers Solidarity Movement, Workers’ Party, even Labour. He, as a true non-sectarian, had friends in every single left-wing party, a friendship nurtured in decades of activism. Η αυτοοργάνωση είναι το πρώτο και κύριο βήμα προς τον στόχο μας We learned at lunchtime today of the tragic news that Alan MacSimóin has died. It was sudden and hit us hard. Alan was a social historian, political activist, trade unionist and great supporter of the Come Here To Me! project from day one. The WSM are shocked and deeply saddened to learn of the death of Alan MacSimóin, one of our founder members, a friend, and a key central figure in building the anarchist movement in Ireland for over four decades. Alan had not been a member of WSM for some years but remained politically active right to the end. His last Facebook post on November 29th was supporting the locked out bricklayers at Mary’s Mansions. Alan will be sorely missed by all in the WSM and we offer our heartfelt condolences to his family and friends. The WSM took some time out from our future directions discussions session at Cloughjordan eco village over the week to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. more >> |
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