The Socialist, June 2019 by Socialist Party

thesocialist

PAPER OF THE SOCIALIST PARTY

ISSUE 123

JUNE 2019

UN report: 12 years to save the planet! INSIDE

ORGANISE FOR AN

EARTH STRIKE AGAINST CAPITALISM

Local & Euro election review & analysis

Eyewitness report from revolution in Sudan

50 years since the Stonewall uprising

p11

Join the Socialist Party Text ‘Join’ to 087 3141986

socialistpartyireland

WWW.SOCIALISTPARTY.IE

NEWS THE SOCIALIST

Make a mint from misery: The housing provision profiteers modation is increasingly out of reach of domestic and international low- and middle-income students. This is why the student movement has been such a strong component of many of the recent housing protests.

The vultures picking at the carcass So-called “Vulture Funds” were encouraged to enter the Irish property market through massive tax breaks by the Fine Gael/Labour government. These funds buy non-performing loans and then “flip” them quickly for a massive profit. Residents in Strand Apartments in Limerick and Leeside Apartments in Cork had to engage in a struggle to stop their homes being “flipped” when mass eviction notices were served. The campaign by Leeside residents saw their apartment block being bought off the vulture fund by a housing association in order to retain tenants and to provide social housing. An important victory, but it is estimated that 100,000 mortgages are in serious arrears and housing analysts say the housing crisis may not have peaked yet as vulture funds could still pursue mass evictions of Celtic Tiger-era mortgage holders.

Cuckoo funds In order to boost their profits, some developers have started selling houses en masse to so-called “Cuckoo Funds.” They represent a logical extension of the vulture fund model where, rather than buying distressed mortgages or properties, these funds buy up hundreds of houses in one go. They are called cuckoo funds because they deny aspiring home-buyers of a chance to buy a home, in the way that cuckoos elbow fledgling birds from their nest.

The “financialisation of housing”

Corporate investors known as 'cuckoo funds' have spent over €1.1 billion on nearly 3,000 residential properties in Ireland last year

The corporate landlords Cairn Homes have put 282 properties still under construction in Citywest up for sale in one go at a price of €90 million, or just under €320,000 per home on average. The biggest corporate landlord in the State, Ires Reit, snapped up 118 homes in the Dublin suburbs in a single deal from the builder Glenveagh. Selling homes to big funds which then rent them out en masse has become increasingly common as the housing crisis continues to spiral. The UN says these types of fund “have changed the global housing landscape. Pouring unprecedented amounts of capital into housing, they have converted homes into financial instruments and investments.”

The UN special rapporteur for housing, Leilani Farha, wrote to the Irish Government accusing it of facilitating the “financialisation of housing” through preferential tax laws and through weak tenant protections, among other measures. Ireland was one of five countries singled out by the UN.

By David Vallely

A global crisis This indicates that the housing crisis is a global one. A small 60 square metre flat in Hong Kong now costs 20 times the annual income of someone working in the highly skilled services sector. A similar sized flat in London will cost 16 times the annual income of a skilled service sector worker. To avoid this outcome we must break with the mad logic of capitalism and housing for profit. The emerging housing movement must have socialist policies to the fore, including nationalisation under democratic working class control of the banks, construction industry and hoarded land.

Commodifying student accommodation A further example of this commodification of housing is indicated by a report commissioned from Ernst and Young by Dublin City Council, in which it was revealed that 79% of existing student residents in purpose-built student accommodation are international students. Eighty percent of them are from outside the EU and so are paying massive five figure fees, and many are the sons and daughters of very wealthy people. These international fees are spoken of as a form of Foreign Direct Investment by the Irish Universities Association, confirming that colleges are increasingly profit-driven. This purpose-built student accom-

Direct Provision = Institutionalised state racism By Fiona Ryan

ecent documents leaked from the Department of Justice exposed the rotten politics at the heart of the continued Direct Provision (DP) Asylum system. Despite minor reforms it remains one of the most restrictive in europe. Officials claimed a recommended doubling of the weekly payment to asylum seekers from €21.60 to €40.85 would create the “most generous” system in EU. This is categorically untrue. In addition, for most of those in DP access to work is a major logistical barrier. The European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI), an establishment body known for its conservatism which monitors racism, has criticised the racist practices of the Irish State when it comes to the provision of homes. This is particularly true of asylum seekers and members of the Traveller community.

Disgusting profiteering In the context of a rise in violent hate crimes against migrants, the DP system is a graphic illustration of institutional state racism. Its purpose is to divide communities and prevent solidarity between asylum seekers and the public, who may organize to resist brutal deportations. A poll taken in November 2018 showed 70% of those surveyed would be in favour of birthplace citizenship rights, which were removed in 2004 via a referendum. A movement to challenge racism and bigotry in all its forms must reject the privatised Direct Provision system and seek a reversal of the 2004 attack on citizenship rights. €1.2 billion has been paid since 2018 to businesses to provide substandard housing and care, making asylum a commodity to profit from rather than a basic democratic right to uphold. With the inevitable attempt to squeeze every cent of profit from state funding they can, DP centres have seen conditions and supports deteriorate.

DP must go! The Oireachtas Justice Committee heard last month that women who experienced sexual violence and trafficking had been asked to leave centres after 60 days. Quoted in The Examiner, Brian Killoran of the Immigrant Council of Ireland stated that the 60 days “were the upper limit of their responsibility to supporting victims of trafficking.” Additionally, no separate facilities are available for victims of sexual violence and many centres provide no counselling or supports. The existence of a system that upholds terrible inequality to facilitate profit of private business is a disgrace and must be abolished now. We need investment in public housing, health and education to meet the needs of all. We need to combat the divide-and-rule politics which protects capitalism’s interests and which cuts across the potential for a united movement of all working class and oppressed people in our society. Direct Provision is a brutal system designed to atomise asylum seekers

NEWS

THE SOCIALIST

Housing: End the rule of the capitalist market ents, council tenants living in substandard or overcrowded conditions, HAP tenants, the homeless and those at risk of homelessness. Such a movement must popularise an alternative to the capitalist economic status quo. Sporadic protests and piecemeal reforms are not enough. The trade

By Diana O’Dwyer

ith eveRy passing day, the housing crisis worsens. Latest Department of housing figures show 10,378 people in emergency homeless accommodation. in Dublin, average rents have surpassed €2,000 a month, while the housing Minister, eoghan Murphy, thinks young people should be ‘excited’ to pay €1,300 a month for a bedroom smaller than a disabled parking space in new ‘coliving’ developments. Failure of the market Yet still the government bleats that ‘the market will provide’ – all we have do is wait (and wait and wait) and the irresistible forces of demand and supply will ensure enough houses for everyone! They just might cost you nine times the average wage or over half your income in rent, as ‘cuckoo funds’ snap up new builds and vulture funds continue feasting on the remains of the last housing crash. On the eve of the local elections, Minister Regina Doherty predicted that voters wouldn’t punish Fine Gael for the housing crisis. Unfortunately, although the housing crisis was a major issue on the doorsteps,

Housing movement must fights the profiteering of landlords, developers & vulture funds

the working class wasn’t convinced to turn out in sufficient numbers on the ICTU-backed #RaiseTheRoof protest the Saturday before polling day or to vote for left candidates as a way of ending it. Notwithstanding the severity of this crisis there is not a developed confidence in an alternative to the rule of the capitalist

market when it comes to housing provision. Break with capitalism needed We need to build a powerful movement of the millions affected by the housing crisis, including private renters, the ‘locked out generation’ stuck living at home with their par-

Free public transport – not BusConnects By Kieran Mahon

unions must use their resources and mobilise their membership to build a mass housing movement. This should include the use of industrial action. A clear strategy must be developed to force major concessions from the government and the capitalist interests they represent, based on a radical socialist programme:

l Housing is a human right – so make public housing a universal benefit. Abolish income limits and deposits for social and affordable housing. Base rents and mortgages on income, not current market prices or construction costs.

them into democratic public ownership with no compensation – this would immediately slash rents and add 10,000 homes to the social housing stock. The movement in Berlin to expropriate corporate landlords shows the way.

l Stop privatising public land: the state owns enough land to build 124,000 homes, including over 71,000 in Dublin. 100% should be public housing with councils obliged to buy back affordable housing when the original owners move on to prevent it falling into the hands of private landlords.

l Seize accommodation vacant for over a year for public housing (other than in exceptional circumstances).

l Climate-proof our homes: build to passive standard with proper amenities including free and expanded public transport. l Outlaw vulture and cuckoo funds and seize their properties by taking

l Ban evictions into homelessness. Cap private rents and house prices based on incomes not ‘market prices’ or profits. No one should pay more than 20% of their income on rent – impose rent controls to ensure this. l Nationalise the construction and banking industries under democratic working-class control to end profiteering on the right to a home and provide housing and finance on a not-for-profit basis.

Like a “warzone”: Crisis in University Hospital Limerick

ith the overdue second round of proposed Bus connects route changes due out in September the emphasis will again come on workers and communities to organise and defend jobs and public transport services. The initial Bus Connects proposals received short shrift in working-class communities across Dublin. It was correctly identified as a fast track to more privatisations, with the re-allocation of existing resources into radial routes, core routes and local feeder routes being little more than an effort to extract profit at the expense of community services. Working class opposition Meetings and protests of hundreds were held in many parts of Dublin. With the victory against water charges still fresh, the Bus Connects project was pushed back. Access for older people, impositions on the physically challenged, linkage between working-class communities, the loss of direct routes to the city centre and potential attacks on “free” travel were all highlighted. Speakers from the National Bus and Rail Union, garnering public support, showed the potential for a successful defence of services, but this inevitably also points to the potential for a more offensive approach. Unions are well placed to lead on this and, given the strong public support, could come out con-

We need mass investment in free public transport now

fidently with demands around jobs and public services. They could raise demands for the full re-instatement of Public Sector Obligation funding and increased investment in an expanded, environmentally-friendlier fleet, with no loss of earnings for workers. This could find initial political expression through a significant public demo, including all transport workers, when the plans resurface later this year. Invest in public transport Workers must demand the scrapping of Bus Connects, to be replaced with a plan that guarantees keeping transport in public ownership. Against a

historically weak government, stopping the cuts to services outlined in Bus Connects is a very winnable battle, with the right approach in workplaces and communities. But workers must go further. Failing to tackle these attacks fully on the industrial front will inevitably open the door to further attacks. Defending public services inevitably poses the question of where wealth exists and who controls it. Re-developing a socialist approach to free public transport, linked to the need for dramatic action on the climate catastrophe, can bring organised and unorganised workers together in a way in which their power becomes clear.

By Mary Cahilliane

for the number of people on trolleys.

AT THE start of April of this year, University Hospital Limerick recorded its highest number of patients ever on trolleys (92) in an Irish hospital, surpassing all nine Dublin hospitals put together. In what can only be described as battlefield-like conditions nurses, doctors and other hospital workers try their best to treat the rows and rows of patients on trolleys, squashed together in appalling overcrowded conditions. The situation, which has many times been described as a “warzone” by nurses working there, is also a fire risk according to a fire safety assessment report as it keeps exceeding the fire safety threshold

Callous disregard The Accident and Emergency Department has also reported shortages of food, blankets and pillows and in one instance a 92-year-old patient lay waiting on a trolley for 105 hours. The callous disregard for patient safety, health, and dignity is breathtaking. It is estimated that 300 extra beds are needed in Limerick to cope with the demand. On 4 May, Solidarity and the Socialist Party organised a demonstration on the situation at UHL which saw up to 350 people marching through Limerick demanding an end to the trolley crisis, and for a national health service that is free at the point use.

ANALYSIS THE SOCIALIST

Local Elections 2019

Greens up, Sinn Féin down & political establishment stagnate t

he LocAL elections in May produced a Green surge, huge losses for Sinn Fein and a setback for the Left. Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil barely managed to win more than 50% of the vote and neither party was decisively strengthened for the run in to a General election. Low mood, low turnout Turnout was barely over 50% nationally and was significantly lower in most working class communities. Five years previously higher turnouts were recorded in these communities as voters came out to register opposition to austerity and to hammer the Labour Party. This time around the mood was flat, people were disillusioned and few saw the poll as an opportunity to change things. Green Party success The exception was a cohort of people, many of them young, who decided to register concern at the climate crisis by voting Green. The Greens increased their number of councillors from 12 to 49. This vote was, in large measure, a protest against the lack of action on the climate crisis by the political establishment. But the Greens are a neoliberal Party and have now done deals with Fianna Fáil on all four Dublin Councils which is probably a prelude to a Dail deal with an establishment party after the next General Election.

Sinn Fein lose out Sinn Fein’s Council representation plummeted from 159 to 81. While Sinn Fein were victims of the high levels of working class abstention in this election they also helped to cause it. Many people in 2014 had voted Sinn Fein for a radical pro-working class alternative. But the party didn’t give it to them. On the Councils they voted for the privatisation of public land and on the national stage they opened the door to coalition with Fine Gael or Fianna Fáil after the next General Election. They didn’t inspire working class people to vote for them and suffered badly as a result. No ringing endorsement for FG / FF Neither Fine Gael nor Fianna Fáil will be either delighted or devastated by their result but the elections provided a serious medium to long term warning for the two key parties of the political establishment. These parties used to win 85%+ of votes cast in elections within living memory. If they can barely manage to muster 50%+ now when the economy has “recovered” what future faces them when the next economic crisis strikes? The centre is holding – for now, but only just. Setback for the Left The Left were not sufficiently strong to overturn the mood of disillusionment in working class communities and paid the price. Ten Solidarity councillors contested the election but we only came back with 4. People Be-

No “new leader” boost for Varadkar and McDonald in first elections: FG behind FF and SF lose half of council seats

fore Profit were reduced from 11 councillors to seven. Independents4Change and the Workers’ Party also lost councillors. It could have been very different if a fight back were taking place in society. For example if the nurses strike had not been sold short but had formed the backdrop to the election. Or if the unions had invested

more effort in launching a credible campaign on Housing. Opportunities ahead Fresh challenges, however, await the Left after this election. A new generation is being awakened to politics by the climate crisis – a crisis that cannot be resolved by capitalism or any Green Party that works within its

framework. A new capitalist downturn is on the way whether that hits home in months or a couple of years. Working class people will have no alternative but to fight to defend our interests and to question a system which threatens us. Building the socialist Left in preparation for these events is the task that faces us after this vote.

Dublin Euro Election: Putting socialism on the map OF COURSE we would have liked Rita Harrold's vote to be higher in the Dublin Euro Election – Rita got 4,967 or 1.4% – but Rita's campaign, despite very limited resources, had a definite impact. Whether through Rita's strong performance in the Claire Byrne TV Debate, or that a strong socialist alternative went into over 230,000 homes in the form of our leaflet, or through the vibrant actions and street theatre held in the city centre. Rita's campaign was consciously geared towards young people with a view to building support for socialist ideas, and more than 150 people gave their names seeking more information on our stall activities. Our poster and the slogan on it, “A Socialist Feminist Voice – For Workers, Women and the Planet” was different than all other posters and was attractive to young people, being a factor in why many came up to our stalls. “This is the best poster of the

elections”, was a common remark from passers-by, especially school students. There was much more support than the vote indicated. Many who supported Rita may not have turned out, as the vote was down significantly among key sections of the working class. Crucially, there was a late surge to the Greens, as young people in particular decided the clearest message they could deliver was for action on climate change. A poll two weeks before the election put Rita on 3% and the Red C poll a week before the election put Rita on an excellent 4%. At that stage the Green candidate was on 11%. However, on the basis of a late surge, Ciaran Cuffe got 17.5% and so we were squeezed. Crucially, on top of the great points Rita was able to make in the RTE ONE debate, where she put senior political figures in the shade, our leaflet will help introduce many to a fighting, socialist alternative. Some

quotes from it include: “The water charges and repeal movements show things can change. Rita Harrold and the Socialist Party were in the front-line of those victories. The nurses have also shown the way!” “We need a mass movement of the unions and communities on housing and pay; but this time we must go further. We must take on the main political parties and the capitalist market so that people’s needs and the planet are safeguarded.” “Break with the capitalist market and the rigged economy”, “Democratic public ownership of the key sectors of the economy to ensure a rapid transition to environmental sustainability and that society’s wealth and resources are used to meet the needs of all, not the profits of a few.”

WORKPLACE

THE SOCIALIST

“Our union, Our Choice” Interview with Tony Gregg, NASRA branch secretary have a right to join our union. Employer and government have stonewalled us. Essentially they have used a union-busting tactic, by refusing to continue to deduct our union dues at source as they have done over the last nine years. This happened when it became clear that we were the majority union in terms of membership in the ambulance service. We actually feel a specific responsibility towards a new generation of workers, who are now starting to join the trade union movement. We need to protect their democratic rights and we are particularly motivated to make sure they aren’t sold out.”

NASRA workers have taken a defiant stance against union busting

Thanks for talking to The Socialist, Tony. On the 31 May we saw the seventh day of strike action of ambulance workers organised by NASRA. What is the dispute about and what is its significance? “The dispute is essentially about workers’ right to choose the union

that represents them rather than the bosses or employers choosing their representation for them. Up to now, the ambulance service, HSE and the government have chosen the unions who they think will best represent us. Obviously, people have a right to join those unions, but equally we

The government has tried to dismiss this dispute as an inter-union dispute, but you have repeatedly explained this is a misrepresentation of the facts. What is really going on? “The PNA have been representing workers in the health service for the past 49 years. NASRA is a branch of the PNA. The PNA is recognised within the HSE, there is no reason why they couldn’t represent us. These days, many unions are run from the top down. One of the things we like about the PNA is that is it members’ driven, it is run from the bottom up.”

Non-medical support staff vote for strike action A

Growing workload Hospital workers in recent years have faced huge increases in paperwork, higher workloads, and an increase in technical and computer skills requirements, all of which have been recognised by the official re-

Solidarity TDs and Socialist Party members have raised this issue repeatedly in the Dáil, and ambulance workers have been no stranger to the Dáil gallery to put pressure on the political establishment. What are your plans to ratchet up the pressure on the HSE and the government in the next few weeks? “We have extended our industrial action from 10-hour strikes to 24-

hour strikes and are not afraid to intensify our strike action further if needed, to rolling 24-hour strikes. This puts real pressure onto the employer. As well as further strike action in the next few weeks, we are planning another protest outside Dáil Eireann to put pressure on government to tell the HSE to engage with us. TDs from across the political spectrum have not dared to speak out against our claim, as we are standing up for our basic democratic right to choose our representation, a right that has widespread public support. Now we need the HSE to be instructed to recognize the PNA as the union of our choice.”

Join the NASRA lobby outside the Dáil

4 July, 12.30-2PM Kildare Street Dublin 2

Fórsa Civil Divisional Conference 2019 By Sean Malone This year’s conference heard many delegates express their anger at the snail’s pace of pay ‘recovery’ and deteriorating working conditions. There was dissatisfaction from members with the new union Fórsa, from which many believe they did not get what was promised from amalgamation. Solidarity with workers fighting for pay equality and getting hours back that were lost under the Haddington Road agreement were key features of conference. Sharp criticism was made of the Fórsa leadership for not supporting the nurses and midwives’ strike, which with a more clear-cut outcome could have strengthened the basis of other pay claims. What is clear from many contributions from ordinary members is that they are far more militant than the leadership and that any significant change will only come from the rank-and-file base.

By Carol Brogan S We go to press, SiPtU have announced 20 June as the day for 24 hour strike by 10,000 non-medical support staff. Health Support Staff voted by 94% in favour of strike action, while separately 97% of HSE hospital chefs also voted in favour of strike action. Porters, healthcare assistants, cleaners, laboratory aides, surgical instrument technicians, etc have been faced with government inaction on the result of an official review of the work of 6,000 non-medical support staff under a job evaluation scheme set up as part of the 2015 Lansdowne Road Public Service Agreement. So far, the HSE and the Department of Public Expenditure have failed to observe their obligation to acknowledge pay increases ranging from €1,600 to €3,200.

You have emphasised the message again and again that this is a seminal dispute for all trade unionists. What concrete support are you asking your trade union comrades to extend? “We are not writing to the unions, we are asking workers to raise from the shop floor up through the structures of their unions the need to support our struggle. This dispute has garnered support internationally, as far as Boston and New York. Now workers in trade unions here need to demand of their union leaders solidarity and practical support. Stand in protest with us, join our picket lines and swell them. Send a clear message to other unions and the employers that the unions belong to the workers and that their strength lies in their membership. Trade unions are nothing without the workers, and we want to demonstrate that to those in power.”

TUI Conference 2019

view. For example, hospital chefs who have obtained qualifications and must consistently meet standards of ever-changing workplace inspections are seeking a craft worker grade. One Healthcare Assistant from the Dublin area said that a 'Cold War' situation existed between SIPTU members and the Dept. of Public Expenditure. "While the HSE hasn't come out against the job evaluation scheme, Minister Paschal Donohue won't sign off on it. Unlike the situa-

tion with strike action by the INMO there is no dispute here, the work has been done." A recently retired hospital support worker said "this goes further back than the 2015 Lansdowne Rd agreement, this issue was pushed back as long ago as 2009 due to the financial crisis." This Fine Gael government flaunts its indifference to workers without whose skills our already floundering healthcare system could very well grind to a halt altogether.

The Teachers Union of Ireland (TUI) Congress 2019 was a lacklustre gathering of delegates. The mood reflected by delegate speakers was that the TUI had missed a real opportunity through a lack of leadership to deliver on equal pay at a time when the supply and retention of teachers in urban areas has become a crisis. The TUI Grassroots fringe meeting, as usual, pointed a way forward through direct action as outlined by a New Entrant Teacher. A paramedic from NASRA also spoke on why they are forced to strike to establish the right of workers to choose their own union.

6 SPECIAL FEATURE

THE SOC

THE FIRST half of 2019 has been characterised by the eruption of a huge movement around climate change, sparked by protests and walkouts of millions of school students internationally, writes MONIKA JANAS. This reflects the growing understanding of the peril which our planet is in and the need for urgent and radical action to reverse this.

n ReALity the term “climate change” is an understatement of what is happening to our planet — we are now faced with a climate catastrophe. erratic and abnormal weather is becoming normalised. As we go to print, India is entering the second week of a heatwave that has seen temperatures sore to 50 degrees celsius. Life in many cities has ground to a halt, with millions unable to leave their homes at day because of the devastating heat. Since 2004, the country has experienced 11 of its 15 hottest summers since records began. Profit: the root of the problem The UN’s climate report of October 2018 concluded that we have just 12 years to limit the impact of climate change, before the planet is plunged into environmental chaos, reaching a point from which we can’t return. So it’s clear; something’s got to give. The decisive question is posed, what is needed to save the planet? Simple regulations won’t do. In a world where the richest people can be exposed for vast and blatant international tax dodging — as they were with the Panama papers — and suffer no consequences, introducing taxes and rules is simply not good enough. Capitalists regularly get away with murder, and with their armies of corporate lawyers and lobbyists to defend their profits, they will murder the planet too. Profit making is, of course, the raison d’etre of capitalism. The bosses will always look for shortcuts to widen the profit margins, regardless of how it affects not only the present but also the world to come. The truth is that the capitalist system is too shortsighted and too unconscionable to deal with a crisis of this scale.

End the waste! A clear example of this can be seen in the system’s use of planned obsolescence — calculated waste — with the production of goods such as mobile phones and computers. These products are consciously designed to fall apart, or to last just long enough to cover the insurance. This in turn results in the extraction and use of more and more rare earth metals and chemicals, which results in the further pollution of waters and the soil. It is estimated that 55 billion tons of “e-waste” is cre-

THE GREEN M NEEDS TO

ated each year as a result of this process. This waste ends up in the poorest countries, such as Ghana, where it is then burnt — emitting highly toxic fumes and damaging both the natural environment and the health of those who work and reside there. The drive for competition between different capitalist companies results in the further waste of resources through duplication. The companies that make up the self care industry, those that produce shampoo, body lotions etc. all compete to produce virtually the same products, and this $500 billion a year industry is completely reliant on the use of plastic. Public need not private greed It is impossible for a system as irrational as capitalism to create a sustainable future. Let’s not forget that it’s just 100 companies that are responsible for 71% of greenhouse gas emissions since 1988. To organise an economy that is truly environmentally sustainable we must end the private ownership of the planet’s resources and wealth by the major capitalist companies and banks that dominate it. On the basis of democratic public ownership of the world’s energy companies, we could rapidly transition to renewable energy and genuinely end the use of fossil fuels. This would include massive investment public transport, making it free and fully accessable; re-tooling and re-skilling the auto industry to build trains, buses and trams rather than gas-guzzling vehicles; ending the unnecessary duplication of goods throughout the economy; and our reliance on plastic that is destroying our seas and eco-system.

REAL CLIMATE ACTION

“Keep it in the ground”: Fighting By Darragh O’Dwyer

ASt yeAR, the Un’s intergovernmental Panel on climate change warned that we have a mere 12 years to keep global warming to 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels, after which point the more catastrophic effects of climate change – floods, droughts, heatwaves – will greatly worsen. Such a goal can only be achieved through a drastic reduction in the greenhouse gasses responsible for this rise in temperature. Globally, CO2 emissions are by far the most significant, making up 76% of all greenhouse gasses caused by human activity. The vast majority of these are a result of the burning of fossil fuels – coal, crude oil and natural gas. For this reason, a key demand of a recently energized global climate movement is to ‘keep it in the ground.’ An immediate halt to the extraction of fossil fuels and a transition to renew-

able energy is absolutely essential if we hope to avert climate disaster. Investments in fossil fuels Under pressure from below and increasingly stark warnings by the science community, much of the ruling class pay lip service to the idea of tackling climate change. Yet there remains a gaping abyss between the solutions we actually need and what the representatives of capitalism are willing to offer. Even the limited targets set by the Paris Climate Agreement look increasingly unlikely. After a plateau in recent years, 2018 saw global carbon emission jump back to a rate of growth of 2.7 percent and 2019 looks to follow a similar path. The maintenance and even growth of the fossil fuel industry has the full backing of the capitalist class. According to a new report, Banking on Climate Change, the world’s top 33 banks in the world have, since 2016, collectively invested $1.9 trillion in

the industry. $600 billion of this has gone to 100 companies that are seeking to aggressively expand their endeavors in coal, gas and oil projects. Hollow rhetoric from Ireland Similarly, Ireland is set to fall short of curbing greenhouse emissions below the 2030 targets set by the EU. While Leo Varadkar claimed he was “inspired and enthused” by school students’ strike for climate action, the FG/FF government have no real interest in taking the measures necessary to move away from fossil fuels. Last year the government lost a vote on a Solidarity-PBP bill to ban the extraction fossil fuels in Ireland. Now, just weeks after a “green wave” in local and euro elections, which reflected a desire for climate action particularly amongst younger layers of society, they are using parliamentary maneuvers to kill the bill at the committee stage. In reality the Irish ruling class is reluctant to offend the interests of

SPECIAL FEATURE 7

CIALIST

MOVEMENT O BE RED!

What was behind the Green Party “surge”?

At the European election count, new MEP Ciaran Cuffe refused to answer questions about the Greens going into coalition with Fianna Fáil or Fine Gael

FOR A section of workers, and primarily for young people, the recent local and European election overwhelmingly became an opportunity to register a point on the question of the environmental crisis. It’s a very important positive that this has occurred and the environment and climate crisis is now recognised as a vital question. This sentiment resulted in a boost in the vote of the Green Party. Part of the “Green surge” was stronger in more affluent sections and could be analysed as a shift from Fine Gael representing a somewhat conservative vote.

N IS SOCIALIST ACTION

g fossil fuels multinational fossil fuel companies which, as in the case of the corrib oil fields, saw the likes of Shell make millions. Despite their rhetoric, we should be under no illusion that the establishment will go to the necessary lengths to move away from the economy’s dependence on fossil fuels, as they are wedded to a system that puts short-term profit before all else. Socialist policies Only by taking the energy sector and financial institutions into democratic public ownership can we guarantee the funding and planning of a just and rapid transfer away from fossil fuels to renewable energy. A dramatically expanded free public transport system under worker and community control would also greatly reduce the number of cars on the road and thus CO2 emissions. Only a break with the logic of capitalism can place us on the road to tackling climate change on the basis of the needs of people and the planet.

Record in power Amongst the youth who voted Green, there is little to no memory of the Party’s role in government between 2007 and 2011, and in the main, the Green surge represents a majorly positive indication of a desire for action on the climate crisis and a hope that the Greens will deliver on this question. Unfortunately during the Green’s previous governmental spell they not only implemented policies that saw the banks bailed out to the tune of €64 billion at the expense of workingclass people, but also allowed Shell to refine its gas in Mayo in direct opposition to the local community, implemented cuts to public transport and oversaw the building of Ireland’s first waste incinerator in Dublin Bay. The aspiration for a rapid and just transition to renewable energy is something that cannot be achieved on the basis of a “for-profit” centred approach. The “system change”, which in reality needs to challenge capitalism, that so many young people have demanded on the recent protests and school strikes, are in contrast to the actual policies of the Green Party. Accepting the status quo When Socialist Party member Rita Harrold questioned Ciaran Cuffe of the Greens, now an MEP, in the Euro Elections debate on RTE, it was clear that he was unwilling to even stand clearly in support of a measure to bring in free public transport in Dublin, let alone wider measures that will challenge the rule of a capitalist system that is destroying our planet in the interests of private and short-term profit. The Greens have now pulled together coalitions with Fianna Fail on all four Dublin Councils, in line with the lead from the national leadership, and in

33 banks have invested $1.9 trillion in the fossil fuel industry since 2016

contradiction to comments from young Green candidate, Saoirse McHugh (who polled very well while failing to take a seat in the Euro Midlands North-West constituency), that opposed coalition with right-wing parties. As a Party, the Greens have been committed to neo-liberal policies that pass as “environmental taxes”, such as water charges and the carbon tax. These are regressive charges that will further undermine the living standards of working-class people that do nothing to challenge the rule of the top 100 companies that are responsible for 70% of CO2 emissions. This is the sword that the Green surge could fall on – the Party’s plans to act on climate and the environment will be massively restricted by its pro-market economic policies. Socialism and the environment Unless that is broken, and a real commitment to implementing a just, green transition that does not harm workingclass living standards, its surge will be curbed. The youth who’ve voted for the Greens, and who are energised by the fight for climate justice, are not fixed supporters of the Green Party and the building of an environmental struggle that necessitates putting questions of public ownership of wealth and resources front and centre, can bring these youth into play in the building of a working-class orientated, left, pro-environment struggle and movement. If the Greens in any way become a vehicle for such youth to organise for a period, that can create tensions within the Party and will be an important development for socialists to connect with, as we aim to win workers and youth to a socialist programme that points to the need for investment in free public transport, a rapid and just transition to a zero carbon economy, and democratic public ownership of energy companies and the wider sections of the economy. More likely, there will be explosions of struggles on environmental questions that the Greens will not be in a position to fully reflect, struggles that the socialist left must aid to build and organise, including bringing them into the trade union movement. This includes now helping to build for a mass school student strike on 20 September in schools, colleges, and with workers pressing their own unions to support and join the action.

INTERNATIONAL THE SOCIALIST

Eyewitness report: Sudanese military aim to repress revolution A

t the end of last year Sudan was convulsed with protests that began a revolutionary process that culminated in the overthrow its President omar al-Bashir in April. the end of May witnessed a successful 48 hour general strike in the country. this was quickly followed by a brutal repression by the country’s military. Below we carry an eyewitness report from a member of our sister organisation in Sudan, Socialist Alternative. At the beginning of June, the remnants of the old regime, through the use of heavily armed militias and security forces, have attempted to break the mass popular sit-in in front of the Sudanese army command in Khartoum with violence and live ammunition. This could be followed by attempts to disband sitins in other towns and cities in the coming hours or days. Several protesters have been killed and dozens wounded, and tents at the sit-in have been set on fire. This crackdown has extended to shooting live bullets inside homes, as well as incursions into hospitals where the injured were being treated, and the exercise of brutal violence inside hospital compounds. A number of protesters and activists from inside

the sit-in have also been arrested. The troops of “Dagalo”, the head of the ‘Rapid Support Forces’, have been reported raiding shops to loot across the city and brutalising people on the streets. Reports are now coming in that some of the bodies of those killed at the sit-in could not be taken out of the area by protesters, and that bloody mercenaries have taken them with cars and thrown them in the Nile. No negotiations with the regime It is clear that this move is the practical execution of orders coming straight from the generals ruling the Transitional Military Council (TMC), who have been preparing to break the sit-in for days by claims that the latter had become “a threat to the country and its protesters”. Rumours of banditry, rioting and drug smuggling were spread around to that effect. Last Thursday already, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had warned the staff of foreign embassies and missions not to visit the sit-in area, as the old guard was planning its counter-revolutionary move, in an attempted retaliation to the successful two-day general strike that took place on Tuesday and Wednesday of last week. The recent repression is not simply accepted by the Sudanese people. On the contrary, the revolutionary

The masses have fought against the rule of the military and poverty

people and youth have heroically fought back and closed most of the streets of the capital with barricades. The SPA (Sudan Professionals Association- a federation of trade unions) has called for mass civil disobedience and strike actions, a call Socialist Alternative Sudan wholeheartedly supports. Last week’s strike already showed what decisive action by the working class can achieve, by paralysing the whole country and leaving the generals’ power hanging in the air.

New assault on abortion rights in the US cases reached historic lows, as many working-class people see nothing on offer for them at the ballot box.

By Lucy Marron

n MAy, the Alabama legislature passed a near total ban on abortion, the most restrictive state law in the US since the Roe v. Wade ruling made access to terminations a federal right in 1973. This bill makes abortion illegal at any stage of pregnancy, except when the pregnant person's life is at risk, and it threatens abortion providers with 99 years in prison. However, this is not an isolated incident. In reality, the US has seen an attack on abortion rights across the country, with “heartbeat” bills passed in Kentucky, Mississippi, Georgia and Ohio, which ban abortions after a foetal heartbeat can be detected. This is normally at 6-8 weeks, which is often before a woman or pregnant person even knows she/they are pregnant. Attacking Roe v Wade These bills challenge federal law in America, and that is exactly their purpose - the aim of the Christian right in pushing these bills is to put pressure on the Supreme Court to remove Roe v. Wade. The right to choose has been consistently undermined in the US over the last num-

ber of decades. There are now seven states where there exists only one abortion clinic. Trump’s administration has also overseen tightening immigration control, tax cuts for the wealthy, the tearing down of environmental regulations, and transphobic policies. Global capitalism in crisis has seen a political polarisation, including towards right-wing populist figures such as Trump, as support dissolves for figures of the traditional establishment. Voter turnouts have in some

Mass struggle needed The broad anger at the anti-choice legislation in Alabama, Georgia, and other states, and real fear about their implications, must translate into organised action. In Poland, massive “black” protests have halted two attempts to impose total abortion bans, providing an example of how these manoeuvres by state legislatures can be defeated. A grassroots movement, like the one that repealed the anti-choice Eighth Amendment in the south of Ireland, can pressurise the US government and judiciary and can strike down the new restrictive bills. Women have often been at the forefront of the fightback against Trump in the US, and of the recent strikes of teachers, nurses and hotel workers. Trade unions must take up the struggle for free, legal, and safe abortion on request, unapologetically standing against women’s oppression, bringing the working class into the struggle and forging a movement for free public healthcare and services, housing, and jobs, as part of the struggle to transform society along socialist lines.

Such actions should be replicated and extended up until the fall of the TMC. No negotiations in our name can take place with the bloodthirsty generals anymore. The SPA should break immediately with the pro-capitalist leaders and parties in the Declaration of Freedom and Change, like the Umma and the Congress Party, who are shamelessly advocating the acceptation of any kind of agreement with the junta because they are, like the latter, petrified of the mass movement.

For a revolutionary govenrment The local revolutionary and strike committees should take charge of organising collective self-defence against the threat of the counter-revolution and the militias’ violence, and link up with revolutionary soldiers. Let’s continue the fight, until a revolutionary government genuinely representing the aspirations of the Sudanese people, workers and youth, democratically elected and overseen through their committees, is established. To proceed to the thoroughgoing change necessary, such a government would need to take over the wealth, land and other means of production off the hands of the corrupt ruling elite, and put it into public ownership and planning in order to satisfy the needs of the majority. Our demands: l General strike and complete civil disobedience until the fall of the Military Council l No negotiation with the killers! Build defence committees everywhere to resist the counter-revolutionary threat l For a government of workers and poor – for a free, democratic and socialist Sudan l International solidarity with the revolution in Sudan!

Stop state harassment of socialists in Nigeria

ON THURSDAY 6 June, Socialist Party members organised a picket outside the Nigerian Embassy in Dublin to protest against repression and harassment of members of our sister organisation, the Socialist Party of Nigeria, Abiodun Bamigboye and Azeez Arowosegbe. They are assisting workers in the Sumal Food Company to organise for their rights, and the harassment of these two working-class activists is being carried out the company's behest. We handed in a letter signed by six TDs and we have made it clear that we will raise this issue in the Dáil, as well within the wider trade union movement here in Ireland.

NEWS

THE SOCIALIST

No Contact Order Bill:

Taking a stand against gender-based violence By Harper Cleaves

neW report put out by the United nations on homicide reveals that 87,000 women were murdered globally in 2017, and that over half of these women were killed by intimate partners or family members. this means that every hour, six women across the world are killed by a person they know. In this context, a new bill has been put forward by Solidarity and Socialist Party TD Ruth Coppinger attempting to address these issues called the No Contact Order Bill. This bill would amend a prior law passed in 2018 on domestic violence, broadening some of the definitions of harassment to include any sort of unwanted attention, be that physical contact, or unwanted messages or gifts. Preventative measure It also expands who can be targeted in a “no contact order” situation, rather than referring only to (current or former) intimate partners or fam-

Solidarity TD Ruth Coppinger launches bill and calls for mass movement to oppose gender based violence

ily members. With growing awareness about different forms of harassment, including coercion, this bill could act as a preventative measure, allowing women to exit abusive situations before physical violence becomes an issue.

Ban fur farming now!

This bill is championed by Jessica Bowes, a woman who won a €150,000 settlement after being brutally beaten by a former partner in public. She is still contacted by this man and his social circle on social media. While this bill is an im-

portant step towards giving women and vulnerable people the autonomy to cut off abusers and also setting a precedent to have different forms of abuse recognised, the Socialist Party has no illusions that this bill alone is enough.

No confidence in courts Many women have limited access to courts, or lack the confidence to come forward to authorities about sexual assault or domestic violence. This fear is exemplified in the case accusing rugby player Paddy Jackson last year, in which his accuser’s reputation was publicly dragged through the mud and her choice of underwear was posited as evidence of consensual sex. Furthermore, in the context of a housing crisis, women and abused people find themselves putting up with horrific assault because the alternative is homelessness. We need an economy that is not based on exploitation and the blind drive for profit – which disproportionately affects women and LGBTQ+ people – and instead centres on human need. This should include a massive expansion of and investment in affordable public housing and the creation of a national health service that is free at the point of use. We need to end the rule of a capitalist patriarchal system and workers’ exploitation that leaves six women dead every hour at the hands of someone they know.

A generation faced with stress & anxiety By Heather O’Callaghan

By Oisín Kelly FUR FARMING is widely recognised a cruel and barbaric practice, with Veterinary Ireland recently joining the call for a ban on fur farming in Ireland. Fur farming is inherently cruel as it involves keeping wild animals such as mink in cages despite them being naturally solo hunters and semi-aquatic. Solidarity TDs and Socialist Party members will have a Bill before the Dáil in early July banning fur farming. Profit motive fuels cruelty Capitalism will relentlessly exploit working people and our environment in pursuit of profit. While in Europe the fur industry has been in decline due to increased awareness of the reality of fur farming, it is still a profitable enterprise for the farms that exist. While we have the profit motive driving the economy, animal welfare will always come second to profit. Opinion polls show 80% support for a ban, yet the political establishment remain supportive of fur farming because a ban draws into question the cost of the profit motive in agriculture. Fur farming should be ended, as

should the fur trade. The Socialist Party stands for State investment in alternative industry for the three farms that still exist in Ireland. While there are limited numbers of workers in this industry, there still needs to be a strong guarantee from the State to develop alternative agriculture for those employed. Hypocrisy of establishment While opponents of a ban will say State investment in alternative industry is not possible, it has been revealed that the State has been subsiding fur farming. Údáras na Gaeltachta has given €200,000 over the past ten years to a Donegal fur farm. The political establishment have had an inconsistent record on fur farming. In 2005 Fine Gael and Labour supported a ban, while Fianna Fáil opposed it. In 2009 fur farming was to be wound down and banned. This was reversed by the Labour/Fine Gael government in 2011 when this decision was reversed. There can be no faith placed in establishment political parties. Active campaigning pressure is needed to secure progression of a ban on fur farming and to end the profit-driven cruelty in aspects of agriculture.

t 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. Bleak future For teenagers there is a constant pressure to perform well in school as their entire college career hangs on one exam, which is nothing short of “tell me everything you’ve learnt in 5 years, go!” For young adults there’s the added stress of high college fees and high rent for very limited accommodation which forces many either to live with their parents all through university and for many years afterwards, or not attend the university they received a place in if it's away from home. As well as this, there is the issue of precarious work, low wages and zero-hour contracts to contend with. Pretty bleak, right? Inspiring movements However there is a silver lining to this: in the past year we have seen mass movements surrounding housing and climate change that have ei-

60% of 16-21 year olds described their generation’s mood as ‘stressed, anxious & depressed’

ther been organised in part or fully by young people. If we take the climate change protests for example, we’ve seen thousands of school students striking and calling for action on climate change not just in Ireland but all over the world. Many people in Ireland would have seen how the government caves when under pressure from the public; you can see this if you look at movements such as repeal, marriage equality and the water charges movement. This proves that there is potential for systemic change

when young and working-class people get organised. If 88% of young people feel that they aren’t being listened to by the government now, this will only create the basis for resentment. Young people and the working class need to organise for change now. This means fighting to tear down the capitalist regime and replacing it with complete public ownership of natural resources, public service, businesses and healthcare, and implementing socialism in the place of capitalism.

NORTH

THE SOCIALIST

Socialist elected in Enniskillen

Breakthrough for working class politics in the North ple in both communities will be important in uniting workers in a spirit of solidarity, compromise and mutual respect when sectarianism rears its head.

By Sean Burns

he eLection of crosscommunity Labour Alternative candidate Donal o’cofaigh to Fermanagh and omagh district council represents a significant breakthrough for anti-sectarian, socialist politics in northern ireland. this was a hard-won victory reflecting years of campaigning work from the Socialist Party and other activists. Socialist in the council Within days of Donal being elected to the council the threat of “fracking”in Fermanagh was being posed. A consultation was announced about the handing out of exploratory drilling licenses to Tamboran UK. We will not fight this development solely in the council chambers; to do so with one individual councillor, surrounded by establishment politicians, would prove to be a futile exercise. Instead we will look to utilise the council seat to build the strongest possible mobilisation of local communities to defeat the drilling. Hav-

Donal O'Cofaigh's election shows the potential for an anti-sectarian socialist alternative

ing an orientation to struggle both inside and outside the council is the most effective way to win victories for working-class people. Having a worker’s representative inside the council will be a tremendous boost in

confidence for workers and young people looking to fight. The Council seat will also, crucially, give a platform to genuine cross-community & socialist politics. Unlike others on the left we fight to

put forward an independent, working-class position on the issues relating to sectarianism and the national question. Having a Socialist voice at the council that can account for the genuine fears and aspirations of peo-

New party for the working class This is a victory that we intend to build upon. Years of a local executive dominated by Sinn Fein and the DUP implementing austerity, wage restraint, undermining our public services and holding back progress on abortion rights and marriage equality will find its expression. All the frustration and anger at the inability of capitalism and its representatives to deliver will not lie dormant. As class struggle comes more to the fore, the lessons of the successful campaign in Enniskillen, and the demonstration in practice of what even one socialist councillor can achieve, will be invaluable. An elected representative can play a vital role in linking up trade union and community campaigns, and drawing together socialist activists, in the struggle to create a mass nonsectarian, working-class party.

The Ballymurphy Massacre:

Families deserve truth & justice By Kevin Henry

ix MonthS before Bloody Sunday – when the infamous Parachute Regiment (Paras) killed 14 unarmed protesters at a civil rights march in Derry – eleven people were killed in Ballymurphy by the same regiment. For over 48 years, the families of these victims have been denied justice by the British state. now, an inquest is finally highlighting the reality of what went on.

What happened in Ballymurphy? On 9 August 1971, the British government launched Operation Demetrius to introduce internment. That day, six civilians were killed by the Paras. Some of the stories illustrate the brutality involved. Fr Hugh Mullan was shot while going to the aid of a wounded man. Joan Connolly was shot by three soldiers, opposite the army base, and lay injured in a field for several hours before dying. Joseph Murphy was shot and subsequently taken into army custody, where he said he was beaten and shot again. When his body was exhumed in October 2015, a second bullet was discovered in his body, which corroborated his claim. On 10

and 11 August 1971, five more people were shot dead. A former Para told the inquest that a ‘sweepstake’ was run by his unit to reward soldiers who “got a kill.” The same man has even claimed that a colleague recovered part of the skull of a 28-year-old man killed in the area, Henry Thornton, and used it as an ashtray. A general in charge of operations has confirmed that no soldier was disciplined after the massacre and that no debrief took place. When questioned about this General Mike Jackson, then a Captain responsible for dealing with the media, claimed there was no cover up and that "the British Army don’t do conspiracies." Yet the main argument put out by Jackson, that the victims were IRA members, has been proved to be false. State repression The violence inflicted by the Paras on working-class communities was not completely confined to the Catholic population. Two workers were also killed on the Shankill Road in 1972, with the Secretary of State, William Whitelaw, justifying it by blaming “Protestant extremists” indulging in “un-British behaviour.” Socialists support measures that can provide truth for the victims of

the Troubles and their families. We believe a real accounting with the past would be beneficial in providing people a real assessment of the role played by the contending forces during the conflict. However, we have no faith in the sectarian parties or the capitalist state to make this happen. Dealing with the past Despite the claims of the British state that it was a neutral arbitrator in the Troubles, the events of Ballymurphy and other actions of the Paras are testament to the reality that, alongside the sectarian paramilitaries, the state was an important actor in the Troubles. Today, the various sectarian parties push their own narrative on this dark period. Yet the contending forces are unable to provide truth or justice for the conflict’s many victims. How can the British state be trusted to provide justice to the victims of massacres by the army, or of state collusion with paramilitaries? How can Sinn Féin be trusted to provide the truth to victims of the IRA? Or the DUP to victims of loyalist violence? While we can have no faith in the sectarian parties or state to provide the truth, we do have confidence in ordinary working-class people bringing to light the truth and exposing

Families of Ballymurphy atrocity are still fighting for justice

those forces to real scrutiny. This could mean some form of wide-ranging enquiry into the Troubles, which would not be in the hands of the state or establishment parties but

made up of respected trade unionists and those with a record of campaigning on these issues from the standpoint of ordinary people, including human rights groups.

LGBTQ+

THE SOCIALIST

LGBTQ+ liberation

50 years since the Stonewall uprising Trans people face high rates of violence and job discrimination which the trade union movement must organise against. Fifty years after Stonewall, Rainbow Capitalism hasn’t given the queer community the freedom many had fought for in the past. Queer liberation will never be achieved under capitalism; what we need is a new socialist society that puts queer people’s needs above the profit motive that drives their oppression and fosters a real sense of human solidarity. The building of a united working-class movement that unites all workers and the oppressed will be key to achieving this.

By Ollie Bell

ith the commercialisation of Pride, it is important to remember that the modern LGBtQ+ movement started off as a radical, grassroots liberation movement. it has been 50 years since the Stonewall Uprising. this began as a demonstration against a police raid that started during the early morning of June 28, 1969 in the Stonewall inn in new york city. Gay bars were the only place that was considered safe for the LGBTQ+ community. It was illegal to be gay in 49 states and many trans people were arrested by police for not wearing at least three items of “gender appropriate” clothing. “I got my civil rights” Two events that reportedly sparked the uprising were when Stormé DeLarverie was hit over the head by police officers and yelled at the crowd “Why don’t you guys do something?” Marsha P Johnson, a trans woman and drag queen of colour, picked up a shot glass or brick, threw it at a mirror and shouted at the police, “I got my civil rights!” This was the first time the LGBTQ+ community had fought back against police raids and the police had to barricade themselves in the bar after they were hit by bottles, bricks and coins (to symbolise that

The radical roots of Pride cannot be forgotten

the police were paid off by the mafia). Many refused to show their IDs as a form of protest. Wider context Stonewall happened during the wider context of other political movements such as the abortion and civil rights movements and resistance against the Vietnam War. Stonewall impacted the broader LGBTQ+ movement by showing that solidarity and disobedience could be used against police raids. Marsha P Johnson cofounded the Gay Liberation Front and Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR). Johnson and Sylvia Rivera fought for LGBTQ+

rights, meaning not just formal legal equality, but full queer liberation. The name Gay Liberation Front (GLF) was clearly inspired by the emerging anti-colonial movements in Vietnam and Algeria. Their demands included freedom for the most marginalised parts of the LGBTQ+ community, including the right to self-determination, free education, healthcare and social services for all. Due to their radical politics, they were pushed out from the mainstream LGBTQ+ rights movement who focused mostly on gaining rights for gay men and women within framework of the existing capitalist system.

Capitalism: an oppressive system Capitalism has a way of co-opting movements from the people they oppress the most. Budweiser has recently come out with LGBTQ+ themed beer cups despite the fact the levels of alcoholism within the queer community are higher than the general population. The likes of Caitlyn Jenner and Leo Varadkar don’t represent the growing radicalisation of the queer community, particularly amongst its working class and young section. Marriage Equality and Gender Recognition were won through grassroots movements from below, but these achievements haven’t given the queer community true equality.

Trans Pride Dublin 2019 2PM Sat 6 July Parnell Square

#TeachDontPreach: Protests demand proper sex education By Andrea Murray

n MAy 28, parents of children who attend castleknock educate together national School staged a protest at the school's continuing use of catholic marriage agency Accord to deliver Relationship and Sexuality education (RSe) to fifth and sixth class students. Accord was set up in 1962 by catholic bishops and is clearly biased in their direction.

Educate together The school has been using the agency to deliver the RSE programme for a number of years despite the objections of parents. Parents were joined by Socialist Party member and Solidarity TD Ruth Coppinger who said Accord is the wrong agency to deliver sex education classes in the school, in particular to any LGBTQ+ pupils. "This simply shouldn't be happening, that an Educate Together school is bringing in a Catholic agency to teach RSE - sex education," she said. Educate Together (ET) operates a national network of 84 primary and

13 second-level schools catering for 25,000 students, offering schools that are "child-centred in their approach to education, democratically run, with active participation by parents in the daily life of the school." However ET leave it up to boards of management of individual schools to make sure core values and ethos are adhered to. Most parents choose ET schools so their children aren't subjected to education which favours one particular religious ethos over another or atheism. Sex Ed Bill Recent court cases which have been prominent in the media such as the Belfast rape trial and #ThisIsNotConsent, the rise in sexual assaults and physical attacks on young women and LGBTQ+ people, the increase in STI diagnoses, show that a consent-led, objective, inclusive RSE programme is necessary in all schools. In April 2018 Solidarity tabled a Private Member's Bill in the Dáil. The Provision of Objective Sex Education Bill 2018 passed the second stage despite objections from Fianna Fáil and conservative independents. The Bill argues for a consent-led, ob-

Parents and students of CETNS stage a protest at school against Catholic group Accord being invited to teach sex education

jective, secular, scientific programme that offers non-preaching, non-biased lessons in sexual and reproductive health that are inclusive of gender and sexuality. The Bill remains at the third stage with the Government cynically using a “money order” (this is when the Government claims there are no resources to fund a bill) in order to

block its enactment. Parents, students and teachers’ unions need to put mass pressure on TDs and senators to ensure it is enacted into law. Separate Church and State We need a truly secular education system where the boards of schools are elected from the parents, stu-

dents and staff as only through the democratic running of schools can we really ensure that every young person is catered for equally, regardless of ethnicity, background, gender, sexuality. There is no place for the Catholic Church in education or healthcare. A full separation of church and state is needed desperately.

thesocialist

PAPER OF THE SOCIALIST PARTY

ISSUE 123

JUNE 2019

profiteering from the housing crisis:

BAN VULTURE & CUCKOO FUNDS

JOIN THE SOCIALIST PARTY!

Text ‘JOIN’ to 087 3141986