Contents: Chairperson’s Address Area Reports Misneach in Aimsir na n-Éigeandálaí End Direct Provision Water Apartheid in Palestine
Seoladh an Chathaoir ligh
the pulpit had on the development of working class political consciousness in Ireland cannot be underestimated. And the possibilities of building such consciousness within a post-Catholic Church Ireland should also not be underestimated.
“It is now just over a month since the
historic referendum to Repeal the 8th Amendment in the Twenty-Six Counties. The scale of the YES vote, particularly among younger voters, provides further evidence of the changing nature of Irish society. The days of the Catholic Church being able to dictate social and other government policies in the Twenty-Six Counties are now effectively over. This dramatic reduction in the power of the Catholic Church is a hugely important and positive development. For centuries the Catholic Church has used its powerful position to impose a fiercely conservative political, economic and social ideology, with devastating consequences for the Nation generally and women in particular. At no point in modern history have socialists, republicans, or even moderate progressives, been able to politically organise without attracting the ire of the all-powerful Catholic Church. The chilling effect that lectures from
This generation of political activists are now operating in a new and dynamic space, where a section of the old order is crumbling and a new order is being constructed. This flux presents a unique opportunity that must not be squandered; a unique opportunity to advance towards a new secular Republic. The 1867 Proclamation of The Irish Republic declared the Republic to be “...in favour of absolute liberty of conscience, and complete separation of Church and State.”, a core republican principle which many self-proclaimed ‘republicans’ have conveniently ignored for the last 150 years. Over the coming weeks, months and years genuine republican activists must position themselves at the leading edge of the fight for full separation of Church and State in both the Six and Twenty-Six Counties. In practical terms that means campaigning for the provision of same-sex marriage and abortion services in the Six Counties and the removal of all Church influence in education, healthcare and other essential public services on both sides of the border. Building a grassroots demand for separation of Church and State will pay dividends in the short term by improving the quality of lives of our citizens. And in the longer term it will ensure that secu-
larism will be the default backdrop for the negotiations that will precede the creation of a single unified Irish state. I couldn’t write this month’s contribution to Nuacht Éirígí without acknowledging the amazing work of our activists and supporters during the referendum campaign. Our decision some years ago to push for a collective coherent party position on abortion rights has been vindicated. Unlike most other political parties we faced the issue head-on long before a referendum was on the horizon and adopted a full pro-choice position before it was deemed politically or electorally safe to do so. This principled position allowed our party activists to play full and central roles in their local Together For Yes campaigns, a reality which undoubtedly strengthened those campaigns and increased the YES vote. Great work comrades. We are on the right side of history.”
“...in favour of absolute liberty of conscience, and complete separation of Church and State.”
The past number of weeks have seen Éirígí members in Galway active on a number of issues. On May 13th, the Peadar O'Donnell Socialist Republican Forum held a 'Connolly Sun-
day' commemoration. As one of the constituent organisations in the forum, Éirígí were involved in organising what proved to be a very successful event. Our local organiser Ian Ó Dálaigh chaired the event, and spoke of the significance of holding a Connolly-themed 1916 commemoration at the Liam Mellows statue, given that Mellows was the leader of the Rising in Galway, and
a follower of Connolly. Eoin Ó Murchú gave the main oration. He pointed out that the Ireland of today bears no resemblance to the Ireland envisioned by Connolly and others. Ó Murchú gave the
housing and health crises as but two examples of this. He also said that Connolly's famous "Neither King nor Kaiser" rallying cry remains relevant today, because Ireland should not have to choose between British imperialism or EU domination, but should instead stand on its own feet as a sovereign republic. Wreaths were laid on behalf of the PODSRF and Mandate, by Niall
Farrell and Eoghan Fox respectively. The event concluded with a minute's silence in memory of Connolly and all those who gave their lives in the name of an indepen dent Irish Republic.
of events having been organised since the rally. Our own Ian Ó Dálaigh will be giving a public talk in September on his visit to Palestine last year. Full details to follow shortly.
Following this, our members attended a rally organised by the Galway Palestine Solidarity Campaign. The event was organised to express solidarity with the people of Gaza, scores of whom were recently murdered by the Israeli Occupation Forces. Plans are in place to relaunch the GPSC, with a number
Our members have also been tying with the Galway Anti-Racism Network, who have organised some very successful events recently. First up was an event on World Refugee Day, where almost 100 people gathered to spell out the word 'Fáilte' on Salthill beach. A few days later, GARN held a rally in Eyre Square in response to the
treatment of migrants at the US-Mexican border. The idea was to join the dots between the treatment of migrants there, and the treatment of asylum seekers in the Twenty-Six County state's direct
provision system.
Campaign For Public Housing/ Public Housing For All: Information stalls have been held regularly in The Bullring, Wexford Town with our activists over the past year actively engaging with the community,
es constitutes a lick of paint! Quote Gary O’ Brien “The Housing Crisis might not be an issue for everyone but it affects your brothers, sisters, daughters, sons and friends. Vulture Funds and banks are given free reign to evict families from
leafleting, providing information on our objectives, campaign goals, how ‘Public Housing’ as opposed to ‘Social Housing’ works and the necessity for meeting people’s needs rather than government led failed policy in relying on the private market to provide housing units. With landlords racing to catch up with market prices and rent rates, Wexford’s urban districts averaging €850-€1,000 on a 3 Bed House (2 Bedroom apartments also in the same rent bracket) economic evictions are being enforced. Contracts ended under false pretences either with the landlord informing tenants they’re selling up or renovating, which in many cas-
their homes thus pushing them back into the rental sector feeding into the vicious cycle of privatisation. Property prices are sky-rocketing, the cost of living and wages are being driven down along with zero-hour contracts which makes it impossible for first time buyers to purchase a house or even raise the 20 percent deposit demanded by banks. These are common occurrences we’ve been hearing from local people on the street. We need a sensible housing policy, a ‘right to housing’ enshrined in the constitution, the end to economic evictions and Public Housing units purchased and built on a massive scale” Repeal the 8th: Our activists
canvassed, leafleted and campaigned in Wexford holding regular stalls with Wexford Together 4 Yes. Wexford People Helping People: Gary (Chairperson) and Nikki involved in a local volunteer community group. We recently set up a one day ‘popup’ shop in The Talbot Hotel, Wexford Town in March which provided free communion and confirmation dresses and suits. More events to be held over the coming months including our annual Christmas Day community dinner which will begin to be organised soon. The group is also continuing to help those who are struggling or in a current crisis by provid-
ing clothing, food and call outs for furniture and other household essentials. Palestine: Local activists in conjunction with the IPSC organized a demonstration and march in the Bullring, Wexford Town on Saturday 9th June. Over 50 people turned up and a book of condolence was on
Activists in our midlands ciorcal, as in all our ciorcail were very active in Together for Yes. Westmeath Together for Yes was an extremely positive experience, the
Westmeath Together for Yes group grew out of Athlone Parents for Choice and Athlone Repeal, both groups had our members in them from the outset, and we were exteremly happy to lend our expertise, time, transport, ladders etc to the campaign. The Midlands, and Athlone in particular has never been known as a hotbed of socialist activ-
display with various speakers. Going forward We plan to do a newsletter encompassing local issues, housing, mental health in the south east (lack of services).
ity, but the group that came together around WTFY made some great contacts with each other and many of us involved, who are both affiliated to organisations and not, now meet
regularly to discuss issues both local and international, and attempt to ensure we have an avenue for the enthusiasim of the TFY campaign to be channeled in to. Some of the people involved in TFY helped us found the Athlone Palestinian Solidarity campaign, and a well
attended vigil was held to mark the murders of all the protesters killed by the Israeli Offence Forces, this is the first time a Palestinian solidarity event has being held in the town, and
are now looking towards Direct Provision as the next campaign that they want to throw their energies into. There is a very Large Direct Provision centre in Athlone and Éirígí will be throwing
plans are already underway for a film evening and discussion around the occupation of Palestine and how we can do our part in the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement locally.
ourselves into the campaign locally. It is vital that any discussions around Direct Provision do not descend into liberal handwringing and we must ensure a clear and substantive link is made between Direct Provision, EU Imperialism and Irelands role in the creation of the conditions that force people
As has seemed to happen organically around the 26 counties, a lot of people involved in TFY
to flee their home in the first place. With the hectic pace of the Together for Yes campaign over, we will also be directing our energies massively into the Campaign for Public Housing, a topic that is just as urgent. We have street stalls
“Our activists in DSC have been involved in a number of local campaigns recently, mostly focused on housing and related issues. In the Rialto area, we are part of a push for a Local Area Development Plan to be put in place. The intention would be to expand this to include further areas, such as Mount Brown and Basin Street. There has been an initial meeting with Dublin City Council where we had professional support from an urban planner. The Four Terraces Tenants Association is the driving force behind this initiative, and we are having a lot of positive engagement with a broad spectrum of Rialto residents on the issue. The Basin Street Matters group meet regularly with Dublin City Council, and holds internal and public meetings. The group conducts surveys and distributes leaflets regularly. The group has achieved many successes so far, for example courtyard resurfacing, new CCTV, various maintenance issues resolved, and has secured a commitment for the provision of playground improvements in the near future. Grand Canal Harbour Development Residents Alliance is
planned for the coming month as well as a public talk at the end of August.
an alliance of residents from Westcourt (AHB Complex), and Grand Canal Place/James Ave West. The main function of the group is monitoring the current building works as per planning conditions, and also pursuing community gain for the residents and wider community. The developer has recently applied to change planning, drastically increasing the height of the blocks to 13 storeys, and also changing the unit use to all student accommodation and “aparthotel” (Airbnb) to a total of 1,400 beds. The group has completed and filed an objection to this. Save our Park Rialto is a broad group, established on Facebook to spread public awareness of Dublin City Council’s plan to allow BAM, the main contractors on the new children’s hospital, to intake part of the public park as a construction depot, expanding the site boundary beyond the permitted area. The group has been successful in extracting a commitment from Dublin City Council to use a participatory planning process with representation from the residents for any future plans for the park.
D8HAC is an outlet for housing issues and policies. It is currently dealing mainly in individual issues, but these serve to raise awareness of general housing issues. There is good engagement with the Facebook page. It is affiliated to the Irish Housing Network. There is regular work preparing food/clothes/toiletries etc for people who present seeking help, and we provide links with accommodation and addiction services. “
Repeal the 8th Campaign The local Ciorcal in Dundrum tied into the Rathdown Together For Yes Group covering the constituency. From the beginning it was a fast paced campaign and quickly gathered energy and momentum. Éirígí members played an important role in the campaign, displaying our hard-working ethic, commitment and integrity throughout. Brian Leeson became instrumental the Rathdown group and brought his considerable organizational skills to bear on the campaign. This was recognized and commended even by other political parties. Brian and Éirígí emerged from this highly successful campaign locally even stronger, establishing new connections and increasing our visible support.
This was a very important campaign for us to be centrally involved with, as equality is at the core of our republican beliefs. Campaign for Public Housing The Ciorcal has been active on the housing issue for last two years. Having run several successful housing meetings and recognising a demand from the community, a Co-Operative housing group was established. Formed by locals affected by the housing disaster it focused on a proposal for the Central Mental Hospital Site. Soon after the group was set up canvassing began to gauge opinion and to building support for the project. This activity took a slight backseat for the duration of the Repeal campaign, but is now happily back in full swing.
Due to the large attendances at the public meetings on housing a local group called to Dundrum Housing Action was formed. It held several protests at the local PTSB branch in Dundrum in response to handing over of mortgages to vulture funds. As well as protests, the group is also researching the market locally in regards to available public lands, and their current status as regards zoning. The Rathdown Public Lands Plan that is being proposed for the area was unveiled at a public meeting that was organized on Tuesday 3rd July in Mill Theatre, Dundrum. Housing is obviously going to be a major element of Éirígí’s campaigning over the next year, and we are hoping the work we are currently putting in will reap dividends, both in terms of growing the party, and putting forward real solutions to the housing crisis. Liz Gillis Talk – From Suffrage to Self-Government 27th march With the Dublin South 1916 Centenary Committee a great meeting was held in St. Enda’s discussing the rich history of those female activists of the period fought both for women’s rights and the fight for Irish Freedom. The meeting was very well attended with a lot of engagement.
Patrick Pearse Wreath Laying 3rd May A dignified wreath-laying ceremony took place at St. Enda’s by a small group of the local members. A quiet but solemn tribute to one of Ireland’s great patriots - Life springs from death; and from the graves of patriot men and women spring living nations. The Defenders of this Realm have worked well in secret and in the open. They think that they have pacified Ireland. They think that they have purchased half of us and intimidated the other half. They think that they have foreseen everything, think that they have provided against ev-
erything; but the fools, the fools, the fools! — they have left us our Fenian dead, and while Ireland holds these graves, Ireland unfree shall never be at peace.” Local Elections Brian Leeson was selected by our local Ciorcal and declared publicly that he would be running in the Dundrum Ward of Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council. It will be the first time in a very long time that the people of Dundrum will have a strong socialist republican voice in the area offering a real alternative. Speaking on the day of his announcement Brian outlined his political philosophy and reasons for running.
Local elections Ciaran Heaphey was selected to stand in the 2019 local elections by local ciorcal at a recent meeting. Quote: ‘’I’m delighted to be selected to stand for Éirígí in the upcoming local elections. Elections are one tactic in the building of a people’s movement for radical change. Every tool available to ordinary working people needs to be employed
Classes Irish language classes are run weekly in the Coolock area for the past 2 years. They are free and open to all. September will see us relaunch the classes with a new teacher and plan for the year. We intend launching a new fb page and Coolock umbrella group for the language, expanding out our activities
in the building of a credible alternative to the establishment – North and South.
and making contact with groups like Misneach and Conradh na Gaeilge.
Campaign for Public Housing Campaign was launched in the area in March with some pickets and protests at the local PTSB in Coolock. We are also promoting our own Public Housing For All campaign with 14,000 housing special newsletters distributed up to March. We are also involved in numerous local housing issues, involving representation to the council and advising citizens in difficulty.
Repeal the 8th We were part of local Together For Yes campaign. Members were canvassing, leafleting and postering the general Dublin Northeast area in the weeks running up to the referendum. We also had our newsletter with the Repeal issue the back page headline.
An Teanga/Irish language
Local burglary problem Members are also heavily involved in the combating of local burglary problem with the helping out in estates and es-
tablishing whats app and text alerts. Publicity/literature We have just finished putting out 16,000 newsletters, covering issues like local election, healthcare, housing, Irish language, remembering our revolutionary past and local anti social problems.
Dublin northeast Remembers We have had a hugely successful 3 years in partnership with the local Coolock library and funding from Dublin City Council. We received an award from the council for our contribution to the decade of remembrance 1913-1923. Meetings have been well attended in the library, with prominent historians, Liz Gillis, Lorac Collins and Donal Fallon speaking to packed meetings on subject from Women of 1916 to the Russian Revolution. Meeti ng on 9th June dealt with Irish America and it’s role in the
Irish Freedon Struggle. Lorcan gave an excellent account of the contribution Irish America made to the republican cause down through the years. Going forward The local ciorcal are in the process of putting on a local meeting for September on Éirígí’s Democratic Progamme document. We plan on putting out posters and leaflets to advertise the meeting. We have a progamme of activity for the autumn involving local issues and campaigns.
Misneach in Aimsir na n-Éigeandálaí Sé an caipitleachas atá ag marú na Gaeilge oir cuireann an córas sin leas lucht an rachmais i dtús áite ar leas na cosmhuintire, sa Ghaeltacht agus taobh amuigh di. Agus, ar ndóiche, ‘sé an córas eacnamaíochta céanna seo atá ag cruthú an iliomad éigeandálaí eile atá ag bagairt orainn sa lá atá inniu ann – ó thaobh na timpeallachta de ach go háirithe de bharr an tsíor-fháis gan srian atá mar chuid riachtanach den chaipitleachas. Sin an fáth gur chóir dúinn cloí le ráiteas Mháirtín Uí Chadhain gur “dulagas lucht na Gaeilge é bheith ina sóisialaigh”. Is maith atá fhios againn go bhfuil stát an deiscirt ar nós cuma liom faoin teanga agus go bhfuil rialtas Shasana sa tuaisceart, agus na haontachtóirí, dubh glan ina héadan agus mar sin caithfidh muidinne amháin, cosmhuintir na tíre, ar ár gconlán féin, an obair a dhéanamh. Caithfear pobal na Gaeilge a neartú agus caithfear troid ar son ár gcearta, ach caithfear tuiscint fosta gur ar scáth a chéile a mhaireann na daoine agus ar an ábhar sin níl dabht ar bith ann gur ghá beith ag obair as lámh a chéile le dreamanna forásacha eile ar mhaithe le saol níos fearr do chách. Tá tábhacht as cuimse le rannpháirtíocht i ngluaiseacht na Gaeilge a bheith ar fáil ag an ghnáthdhuine cá bith áit a bhfuil sé. Tá ról faoi leith le himirt ag gach uile dhuine sa ghluaiseacht athneartaithe agus athbheocha-
na. Is mithid dúinne, na gnáthdhaoine, seilbh a ghlacadh athuair ar an athbheochan teanga, ar chaomhnú na Gaeltachta, is seasamh a dhéanamh in aghaidh polasaithe atá ag cur le bánú na tuaithe. Is ón bhun aníos a chaithfeas muid seo a dhéanamh in gach cearn den tír. Is chuige sin a athbhunaíodh Misneach i 2012. Oibríonn Misneach ar thrí mhór-dhóigh: an fheachtasaíocht, an t-oideachas agus an tógáil pobail. I dtaca leis an oideachas agus an mhúscailt feasachta de is é atá i gceist againn go bhfuil sé mar aidhm againn aird a tharraingt ar an Ghaeilge sa tsaol chomhaimseartha. Déanann muid sin fríd chainteanna agus díospóireachtaí poiblí a eagrú ina mbíonn béim ar an dearcadh réabhlóideach den eite chlé. Scaipeann muid an tuiscint i measc an phobail go bhfuil an Ghaeilge de dhíth orainn mar chuid den streachailt dí-choilínithe. Ag díriú ar lucht na Gaeilge a bhíonn muid ar mhaithe le muid a chur ag caint le chéile agus ag forbairt ár gcuid smaointí ar an bhealach chun tosaigh dúinn mar phobal. Ach chomh maith leis sin, agus nuair a bhíonn na hacmhainní ar fáil ag an leibhéal áitiúil, cuireann muid ranganna Gaeilge ar fáil do chomrádaithe atá báúil le cúis s’againn. Maidir leis an fheachtasaíocht, ní call domh a rá is dóiche go bhfuil
droch-bhail ar Éirinn an lae inniu ar mhórán dóigheanna. Idir costas tithíochta ag méadú gan stad agus ag cur go mór le líon na ndaoine gan dídean, caimiléireacht i measc na nGardaí agus lucht na cumhachta, an córas sláinte ina phraiseach, an chríochdheighilt atá go fóill i bhfeidhm sa tír, agus ar ndóiche an easpa ceart atá ag pobal na Gaeilge ó cheann ceann na tíre, níl an dara rogha againn ach dul i ngleic leis na fadhbanna seo fríd fheachtais a ghríosfas an pobal ar fad agus tá muid i ndiaidh a bheith ag dul don obair sin gan stad ó athbhunaíodh an eagraíocht. Ní thig le Misneach an obair seo ar fad a dhéanamh inár n-aonar, ach is cinnte go gcaithfidh muid tionchar a imirt ar shaol na Gaeilge agus ar an tír ar fad ar mhaithe le gluaiseacht mhór a chothú a throidfeas ar son saol níos fearr do chách. Chuige seo tá muid ag triail leis na Gaeil a radacú agus grúpaí radacacha a ghaelú! Tuigeann muid fosta gurb í an chloch is mó a ba cheart a bheith ar ár bpaidrín an pobal féin a neartú, nó mura bhfuil bun maith faoin phobal cainteoirí ní bheidh a dhath i ndán do theanga s’againn. Níl feidhm dúinn a inse daoibh ach tá an teanga faoi bhrú uafásach agus tchítear dúinn gur cheart fuinneamh agus díograis a chothú sa phobal i gceantracha fríd an tír uilig. Déanann muid sin fríd imeachtaí sóisialta do lucht na Gaeilge a
eagrú ina mbíonn béim ar an cheol, an spórt agus gnéithe eile de chultúr na hóige agus den chultúr Gaelach. Caithfidh muid a bheith préamhaithe i bpobail fríd an tír uilig agus caithfidh muid an dlúthpháirtíocht agus an chomhbhá a chothú idir na Gaeil agus pobal ar bith eile atá faoi chois ag an chóras caipitlíoch. Chomh maith leis sin caithfear an tuigbheáil a chur chun cinn go bhfuil freagracht orainn uilig mar chainteoirí Gaeilge an fód a sheasamh ar son na teanga ar bhonn laethúil, rud a chiallaíonn gur cheart do gach uile dhuine againn a bheith gníomhach chun an teanga a neartú. Creideann muid go láidir gur chóir do Ghaeil ár seacht ndícheall a dhéanamh chun todhchaí na Gaeltachta a chinntiú mar chéadtosaíocht ghluaiseacht na teanga. Ach leis sin a dhéanamh teastaíonn iarrachtaí láidre anois – beidh sé ródheireanach má fhanann muid deich mbliana eile. Tá béim faoi leith á cur againn ar an streachailt seo, agus chuige sin shocraigh muid ar ainm dár bhfeachtasaíocht ar son na Gaeltachta ag Meitheal Misneach (ardfheis s’againn) in
2017: An Ghaeltacht Bheo, anois is go deo! Mar chuid den fheachtas seo tá muid i ndiaidh a bheith ag troid le bliain nó dhó anuas le seirbhísí taistil a chinntiú do na hOileáin Árainn, áit a bhfuil raic ann i gcónaí faoin tseirbhís aeir, agus ag seasamh gualainn le gualainn le muintir Thoraí atá ag troid leis an stát ag iarraidh bád fóirsteanach a fháil dá n-oileán. Tá na hoileáin seo i measc na bpobal Gaeltachta is láidre dá bhfuil fágtha agus tá sé ina scannal dearg nach bhfuil an daorstáit sásta acmhainní a chur ar fáil daofa chun seirbhísí sásúla taistil a chur ar fáil. Chomh maith leis an ágóidíocht sin, tá muid ag obair le cuid de na grúpaí pleanála teanga atá ag iarraidh tacaíochtaí fóirsteanacha a fháil dá gcuid oibre ag cosaint na teanga sa nGaeltachta. Beidh an scáthghrúpa nua seo ag obair chun brú a chur ar an stát agus leas na Gaeltachta a chur chun cinn. Is faoi achan uile dhuine againn atá sé an réabhlóid shóisialta, an réabhlóid intinne agus réabhlóid anama a chur i gcrích. Níl ceannairí ná polaiteoirí ar
bith ann a dhéanfas obair an dí-choilínithe ar ár son. Is ar ár gcrann-na a thiteann sé an beart seo a dhéanamh cá bith áit a bhfuil muid lonnaithe. Mar sin, bígí i dteagmháil le Misneach agus tosaígí craobh in bhur gceantar féin. Gabhaigí amach agus tosaígí ar an obair seo le bhur gcuid cairde agus bígí ag pleanáil agus ag cumadh tograí agus seifteanna sa cheantar máguaird leis an dí-choilíniú a chur i gcrích! Ba mhaith linn malairt saoil a bhaint amach do gach duine ar domhan, ach ceapann muid go bhfuil sé chomh maith againn tosú ar lucht labhartha ár dteanga dhúchais féin ar dtús. Stróicfidh muid linn, agus bíodh misneach againn!
Misneach in Times of Emergency Capitalism is killing the Irish language – the stark reality is that it prioritises the demands of the ultra-rich to the detriment of the ordinary people, both inside and outside of the Gaeltacht. And, of course, it is the same economic system that has created the numerous crises which we are faced with globally today – especially with regards the environment where capitalism demands infinite and chaotic growth. This is why Irish speakers must essentially seize on the words of Máirtín Ó Cadhain who stated that “it is the duty of Irish speakers to be socialists”. We know full well that the southern state shows blatant disregard for the language and that the English government in the north, along with the unionists, are completely opposed to it. Therefore, it is up to us, the ordinary people of the country, to do the work of our own accord. We must strengthen the Irish language community and fight for our rights, but we must also understand that such work cannot be undertaken alone and that we need to work with other progressive groups to build a better future for all. What we really need among the Irish language movement is a wide participation by the ordinary
person, regardless of where they live. Everyone has a role to play in the movement to rebuild and revive the language. It is necessary for us, the ordinary people, to recapture the revival movement, to work to conserve the Gaeltachtaí, and to stand in opposition to policies which decimate the fabric of rural Ireland. This needs to be a bottom up process which takes place in every corner of the country. It is for this purpose that Misneach was re-established in 2012. Misneach work in three main areas: campaigning, education, and community building. In relation to education and awareness, we seek to draw attention to the place of Irish in contemporary society. We achieve this through organising public debates and talks which emphasise a revolutionary left-wing analysis. We spread the message among the public that the Irish language is the integral tool in any struggle for de-colonisation. Our focus is on Irish language speakers so that we can stir discussion among them and develop our ideas on the best routes forward for us as a community. But, as well as that, and when we have the time and resources, we offer Irish language classes to comrades who support our cause.
In regards to campaigning, it does not need to be said that the Ireland of today is in a bad way for numerous reasons. Between sky-rocketing property prices which force people into homelessness, the corruption which is rife among Gardaí and those in power, a health service which is in crisis, and partition which is still imposed upon us, as well as the lack of rights afforded to the Irish language community throughout the country, we have no other choice but to engage in campaigns that will mobilise the public, something which we have been attempting to do consistently since our foundation. Misneach cannot do this work alone, but we can have a meaningful impact on the Irish language community and the country as a whole in an effort to build a broad movement which will build a better life for all. To this end we attempt to radicalise Irish language speakers and to infuse an understanding of Irish language issues, and indeed the language itself, into other radical groups. We understand also that the most important work is in strengthening of the community itself, as if there is not a strong foundation of Irish speakers then there will be no future for
the language. The language is under immense pressure and it is vital that energy and enthusiasm is fostered in the community to counteract this. We do this through organising social events that emphasise music, sport and other aspects of youth and Irish culture. It is imperative that we are rooted in communities throughout the country and that we foster solidarity between Irish speakers and any other groups who are oppressed by the capitalist system. Another thing of great importance is that as Irish speakers we must stand our ground and defend the language on a daily basis, a fact which means that everyone can, and should, be active in strengthening the language. We believe strongly that as Irish speakers we must make every effort to ensure the future of the Gaeltachtaí and that the movement for the language ought to adopt this as its priority also. However, to do that we need strong efforts immediately – it will be too late if we wait another ten years. We are giving this a particular emphasis, and there-
fore at Meitheal Misneach (our ardfheis) last year in 2017 we decided that this campaigning should fall under the title of An Ghaeltacht Bheo, anois is go deo! As part of this campaign we have been busy in the last number of years fighting to maintain transport services for the Aran Islands, where there is currently controversy around their air service, as well as standing shoulder to shoulder with the people of Tory Island who are fighting the state in demanding an adequate ferry service for their island. These islands remain the strongest surviving Gaeltacht communities and it is an utter disgrace that the state does not see fit to provide them with the proper resources to run a decent transportation service. As well as these protests, we work with language planning groups in order to support them in their work of protecting the language in the Gaeltachtaí. An umbrella group of the various Language Planning Committees has recently been set up to pressurise the state and work
towards the betterment of the Gaeltacht. It is up to everyone to bring to fruition the social, intellectual and spiritual revolution. No leaders or politicians will carry out the work of de-colonisation on our behalves. It is us who must carry out the necessary actions to see the process through. Therefore we should go out and plan projects and campaigns in our areas which assist in this process of decolonisation and make a serious effort to acquire Irish. We want to improve the lives of oppressed peoples, or what Fanon called ‘the wretched of the earth’, everywhere, but we believe it is as well to start with our own community of native Irish speakers. We’ll continue then agus bíodh misneach againn!
Water Apartheid in Palestine On walking around Beit Jala, an area in Bethlehem in the West Bank, I was curious as to why nearly every single house or apartment block I seen had bulbous, black barrels on top of their roofs; some had just one, others had several. On further enquiry I was told that these barrels are used to hold water. In a region in which fresh water resources aren’t so numerous I should’ve guessed it, but when passing houses in the illegal Israeli settlements I could see no unsightly black barrels, all I could see were flat, white roofs blemished only by the presence of Israeli flags. The reason Palestinians must store their water in barrels and the reason Israelis occupiers don’t is simple, Apartheid! In 1993, The Oslo I Accord officially called the “Declaration of Principles on Interim SelfGovernment Arrangements”, an attempt to set up a framework that would lead to the resolution of the ongoing Israeli–Palestinian ‘conflict’. It was the first face-to-face agreement between the apartheid government of ‘Israel’ and the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO). Negotiations concerning the agreement were conducted secretly in Oslo, Norway, hosted by the Fafo institute, and completed on the 20 th August 1993. The Oslo Accords, as they’re now known were officially signed at a public ceremony in Washington, D.C, on the 13 th September 1993, in the presence of PLO chairperson Yasser Arafat, ‘Israeli’ Prime
Minister Yitzhak Rabin and U.S. President Bill Clinton. The documents themselves were signed by Mahmoud Abbas for the PLO, Foreign Minister Shimon Peres for ‘Israel’, U.S. Secretary of State Warren Christopher for the United States and Foreign Minister Andrei Kozyrev for Russia. With the signing of Oslo I came the creation of the ‘Israeli-Palestinian Joint water committee’. Its purpose was to manage water and sewage related infrastructure in the West Bank (excluding the water resources of the river Jordan), mainly taking decisions on maintenance of existing infrastructure and the approval of new projects. This was meant to be a temporary organ for a first year interim period but as of 2018 it still exists. All decisions of the JWC must be reached by consensus, which means that each side has a veto, but the power asymmetry between the two parties effectively gives ‘Israel’ the upper hand in decisions with regard to the implementation of the agreements. Palestinians must obtain JWC approval for any project involving water extraction from the mountain aquifer, the main natural source of water, and for all other water related projects, in the ‘Israeli’ controlled area C (60% of the West Bank). This also affects Areas A and B, which exist as a sort of scattering of enclaves within Area C.
The ‘Israeli’ Authorities not only determine the quantity of water that the Palestinians can extract from the mountain aquifer, but also control the small quantities of rain water villagers collect; the Palestinian Authority has no power or means to monitor ‘Israel’s’ theft of water resources, still less to actually stop or limit its theft. Using the records of the JWC, Sussex University’s professor Ian Selby demonstrated that ‘Israel’ made consent of improvements to Palestinian water supplies conditional upon PA approval of new water facilities for illegal ‘Israeli’ settlements. (Water storage tanks on Palestinian houses in East Jerusalem) Palestinians face serious water shortages and an underdeveloped supply system but have given their approval in almost every case. Settlements are not only illegal under international law but are one of the major impediments to Palestinian statehood. Swimming pools, evergreen lawns and large irrigated farms in ‘Israeli’ settlements stand in stark contrast to Palestinian villages whose inhabitants struggle even to meet their essential domestic water needs. In parts of the West Bank ‘Israeli’ settlers use up to 20 times more water than neighbouring Palestinians who survive on barely 20 litres of water per capita a day, the minimum amount recommended by the World Health Organisation for emergency situations response.
As well as the theft of these water resources, Palestinians also face a further embarrassment in having to pay for their own stolen water off ‘Israeli’ companies, who sell it back at extortionate prices. Water is supplied to Palestinians through a variety of local resources, but the most prominent supplier is the ‘Israeli’ company ‘Mekerot’. Of all water supplied to Palestinians in the West Bank, 65% was purchased from Mekerot and Haghihon, another ‘Israeli’ company. As well as the forced purchase of their own resources, Palestinians also have to pay significantly higher than ‘Israeli’ citizens and their satellite settlers, with one litre of water coming in at 1 shekel (25 cent) for those in ‘Israel’ and the settlements, and the same amount of water for Palestinians costing two shekels (50 cent), twice as much. This blatant exploitation is also paired with various ‘Israeli’ water companies forcefully selling unneeded water filters to the PA, Palestinian companies and Palestinian citizens at highly inflated prices. The ‘Israeli’ state encourages this exploitation, mainly by way of land grabbing and walling off land over the mountain aquifer and the aquifers’ run-off or storage areas. The West Banks aquifer system underlies the West Bank, and is mainly recharged from rainfall, the main recharge areas fall along the upper mountain slopes and ridges. But the water from the rainfall flows in three main directions; and the aquifer system is classified into three main groundwater aquifers; the Western Aquifer, the North-eastern Aquifer, and the Eastern Aquifer. 80% of the recharge
area is located within West Bank borders, but over 80% of the storage area is located within ‘Israeli’ borders. The aquifer produces around 483 million cubic metres of water annually, but Palestinians only obtain 7.5% of this water. This is the desperate reality Palestinians are forced to face, on one hand they have ‘Israeli’ forcefully and blatantly impeding access to clean and secure sources of water, while on the other hand they have to deal with the corruption and impotence of a Palestinian Authority run much like a mini fiefdom where nepotism and back-handers are expected. Water is life, that is why the ‘Israeli’ State are stealing it from the Palestinians. (Information with thanks to Shatha Alazzah)
ENd DIrect PRovision The recent stories of children being separated from their parents at the USMexican border caused outrage across the world – and rightly so. These images brought home the horrific realities of the Trump Administration’s immigration laws, which themselves are a continuation of the policies enacted by previous administrations (the Democratic Party should not be allowed to wash their hands of their complicity in US imperialism). These images were met with outrage by many in Ireland – again, rightly so. However, here in Ireland, the Twenty-Six County state presides over a direct provision system that dehumanises asylum seekers as much as the US system does. Initially intended as an interim system, direct provision has been in place since 2000. The idea was that would asylum seekers would be housed in direct provision centres for up to six months, while awaiting an outcome on their application. The reality has been very dif-
ferent. By the end of 2017 – 17 years after the introduction of the system – there were 5,096 people living in direct provision. The total capacity for all centres is 5,503 people, meaning centres were 93 per cent full by the end of last year. By that stage, the average time spent in direct provision was 23 months, while 432 people had been in the system for five years or more. The centres themselves are mostly privately run with management, catering and security contracted out to private operators. As a result a very profitable privately operated Direct Provision industry has developed over the last 17 years . However, they are not so beneficial to those who are forced to live in them – insofar as one can ‘live’ in what amounts to indefinite incarceration. Only a handful of centres provide fully self-catering accommodation, while some allow residents to cook on hobs in a communal area. The rest of the centres provide canteen style
food over a counter. In his report into the direct provision system, Twenty-Six County Ombudsman and Information Commissioner, Peter Tyndall, said he had received many complaints about the quality of food and the way it is prepared and presented in centres. He also noted that residents come from different countries, backgrounds and religions and flagged the installation of cooking facilities at all centres as the “single most important issue for residents”. The food is badly prepared and lacks any taste in many cases and in at least one centre there have been reports of out of date food being sold regularly at the shop on site at a centre with selfcatering accommodation. This is totally unacceptable and degrading. As well as this obvious cultural insensitivity, access to work and third level education is severely restricted for asylum seekers. Again, this is incredibly dehumanising. Some progress has been made
with regard to the right to work, as in 2017, when the Supreme Court struck down a ban preventing asylum seekers from working. While this sounds like a major step in the right direction, not one asylum seeker who has applied for a work permit has been successful. It is also highly restrictive with the bar set too high to enable those in Direct Provision to take up employment. Applicants will have to pay between €500 to €1,000 for a six to 12 month employment permit. Applicants must also secure a job that pays a starting salary of at least €30,000 per annum and are unable to apply for a job in more than 60 different areas including positions in hospitality, healthcare, social work, childcare, general care services, marketing, sales, administration, textiles, printing, housekeeping, food and construction. There is another conversation to be had around the nature of
employment for the vast majority of immigrants. We must be careful to say that the Right to Work is not simply an economic one. It is about affording those in Direct Provision the ability to earn a living, make choices about in their lives and gain control and independence over their lives, while making their own contribution to Ireland. Those in Direct Provision seeking work are not there to serve the needs of greedy employers searching for cheap labour. Many migrants end up in low paid, precarious employment with little chance of advancement. Irish emmigrants more than most could relate to the discrimination faced in their destination countries. That asylum seekers in direct provision can’t even access this type of employment says a lot. For our part, we in Éirígí believe that all those currently in Direct Provision who are seeking asylum in Ireland
should be granted the unconditional Right to Work, without restriction, immediately, and given that same rights and protection under the law as all Irish citizens. In our position paper Imperialism – Ireland and Britain, published in 2007, we stated that: “... we [in Ireland] are simultaneously the victim of imperialism, through the British occupation, and the direct beneficiaries of imperialism, by our location within the rich world. The joint system of twenty-first century imperialism and capitalism relies upon a passive acceptance of a racially-based exploitation. Much of the material wealth that the people of Ireland enjoy comes at a cost of human suffering that we would be unwilling to pay if the victims were Irish, or indeed white.”
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