The Minister, Sex Work and Asylum Seekers in direct provision centres in Ireland

Minister Frances Fitzgerald claimed to be shocked at reports that some women in direct provision centres felt compelled into sex work by the poverty they are kept in. How can that be, its Minister Frances Fitzgerald who actually operates this direct provision system that creates such circumstances. As the Minister she does not allow asylum seekers […]

Legalise Cannabis protest marches through Dublin August 2014

Saturday evening August 23 saw over a 1000 people take part in a demonstration in Dublin demanding the legalisation of Cannabis organised by Legalise Cannabis Ireland. The front banner read ‘Medication – Taxation – Industrialisation – Civil Liberties’ and “We will raise awareness and demand change to Irish legislation for the benefit of every person […]

Migrant X refused an abortion and forced to have a C-section in Ireland – a story of abuse at the hands of a racist, sexist authoritarian state

This is as complete a story about what happened to ‘Migrant X’ that we are aware of.  Migrant X is a young migrant women who it emerged was refused an abortion by the Irish state despite apparently meeting the grounds of the X-case legislation and instead forced to carry the pregnancy and agree to a […]

The Warsaw Ghetto and the assault on Gaza – is there anything in the comparison?

The text below is translated from the poster at the centre of this image of the destruction of Gaza by the Israeli state. But it refers not to this horror but another in 1943 when the Nazis crushed the Warsaw ghetto, wiping out the poorly armed organised resistance that operated out of a warren of […]

Siberian craters – Yet another reason that we need action to stop Climate Change

Rather worrying news about those mysterious sink holes that have appeared in Siberia. It now appears they were giant methane releases – long forecast by climate change scientists as a likely positive feedback occurrence as permafrost in Siberia melted and released trapped methane. Worrying because methane is a 20 times more potent climate change gas […]

If Ireland was treated like Palestine – An alternate history

 For the size of its population Ireland has seen very large Gaza solidarity demonstrations. It is also one of the few places in the world outside the USA where there has been public displays of support for the Israeli military assault. Internationally there are many variations of this map where activists present to their population […]

Ireland, Expelling the Israel Ambassador (not) and abstaining on UN War Crime investigation

 People in Ireland have been protesting the Israeli assault on Gaza in every city and many towns across the country. Online polls show a majority want the government to take action through expelling the Israeli ambassador. Yet the southern government abstained on a crucial UN vote to set up an investigation into Israeli war crimes. […]