The Socialist Nov / Dec 2016

PaPer of the SocialiSt Party

iSSue 104

NO TO TRUMP!

november / december 2016

INSIDE

Justice for Jobstown

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US Presidential Election analysis

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L A E R a r o F Political n o i t u l o v e R

Industrial action can end wage restraint

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November / December 2016

THE SOCIALIST

­news

Socialists in the Dáil – challenging the parties of the 1%

votes against Hypocrite: Minister Zappone marches for repeal but

“Brake on progress” “Nothing is granted by the Dáil. Rights are never granted: rights are fought for and won.

The lesson from today's debate is that the Dáil is now a conservative brake on progress. Even the so-called liberals who people might have thought would bring forward the repeal movement have not brought it forward.”

– ruth coppinger td after the supposedly ‘prochoice’ enda-pendents vote down aaa-pBp Bill to repeal the 8th, ruth Coppinger TD calls for a movement to fight for repeal.

“Pro-hypocrisy position” “The State does not have a pro-life position. It has a prohypocrisy position, which in its implementation means an anti-woman position. We have a constitutional hypocrisy whereby women have the constitutional right to travel to access abortions yet are

denied abortions here. Those who avail of safe abortions here through the use of abortion pills face draconian penalties of up to 14 years in prison.”

– Paul murphy td paul Murphy highlights the hypocrisy of the government’s position in voting against the aaa-pBp Bill to repeal the 8th & the draconian laws in Ireland.

Calling Trump out?

“Last year the Taoiseach said that when he got to meet Donald Trump face to face, he would tell him that he had racist views and that he was a racist. When does he think that will happen?”

– ruth coppinger td ruth Coppinger TD calls out Taoiseach enda Kenny on his commitment to tell Donald Trump he’s a racist.

Not in our name “We now have a racist, sexist, bigoted billionaire in the

White House or at least he will be in the White House.

The Taoiseach said he is offering congratulations on behalf of the people of Ireland. He is not offering them in my name or in the name of AAA-PBP. I am sure many people will support me on this.”

– mick barry td

way, we won't pay" and he momentarily stood in Deputy Joan Burton's way and asked her to talk to him. That is it.

He was protesting, not kidnapping… The question is whether protest is to be allowed anymore or is to be banned and deemed as false imprisonment.”

– Paul murphy td

Mick Barry TD takes on enda Kenny for his business as usual approach with Donald Trump’s regime.

paul Murphy TD in Leader’s Questions on the guilty verdict against a 17 year old for the false imprisonment of Joan Burton.

Solidarity with antiTrump protesters “Rather than sending congratulations to Donald Trump, this Parliament and the people of this country would prefer if we expressed sympathy and support for every single person of colour, every immigrant, every LGBT person, every Muslim and, of course, every woman in America who is in danger of Donald Trump acting out some of his policies.”

– ruth coppinger td

By Dave Murphy 2019 or 2020; effectively, it should be done now. Second, the cost of living has increased for these workers in recent years. I could point to motor insurance premiums and many other factors, but what about mortgage and rent payments, the second of which affects young public servants, in particular?

Not only should there be full pay restoration, but claims should be submitted to address cost of living increases….

If strikes and battles are necessary to win the justified increases, it is right to do so and we will be prepared to stand alongside public servants every inch of the way as they battle for pay justice.”

– mick barry td

“Nothing is granted by the Dáil. Rights are never granted: rights are fought for & won”

Demanding pay restoration “Two things are necessary, the first being full restoration of all of the money taken from the back pockets of public sector workers during the austerity crisis years. This should not be done in 2018,

Mick Barry TD offering support to workers who decide to take action to win pay increases, such as aSTI teachers and nurses.

ruth Coppinger TD calls for messages of support to those who will be affected

by Trumps’s policies rather than grovelling messages of congratulations.

#JobstownNotGuilty “He was found guilty of false imprisonment because he sat in front of a car and encouraged others to do so, he participated in a slow march, he used a megaphone to chant "No

Unlike socialist TDs, Gerry Adams & Sinn Fein congratulated Trump

Shameful inaction as housing crisis deteriorates

By Eleni Vetsika

D

espite government promises pre- and postelection, the scale of the housing crisis has only become sharper in the last few months. the most recent official figures show that a record total of 6,709 people are now homeless nationwide, which means about 1,173 families, and a shocking 2,426 children.

In July of this year, the government published Rebuilding Ireland - Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness a document that was supposed to provide a clear guide to their plans to expedite the delivery of social housing and improve the rental market among other things. Yet, six months later we can see that they are nowhere near their targets and more and more families are faced with homelessness this winter.

No investment in council homes One of their targets was that by mid-2017 emergency accommodation (hostels, B&Bs, hotels) for families would only be used in extreme circumstances. Yet, the situation has clearly exacerbated, in 2015 on average 60 families per month were becoming homeless,

in 2016 however this shot up to 81 per month, according to figures

by Focus Ireland. Including prefabs –which of course do not constitute a long-term solution- in the first six months of the year only 117 local authority homes were built.

The government seems more determined to drop people off their housing lists (through housing needs assessment) or putting them on HAP (Housing Assistance Payments) rather than building real houses. HAP, similar to other housing schemes introduced by the government does not seem to be working either as most landlords wouldn’t rent their properties within its limits. In September in Limerick city, for instance, there were 35 properties available to rent none of which within HAP limits. This is linked to the massive increase in rents we have seen in the last year which are now on average 9.3% higher than during the peak of 2008.

Emergency accommodation The sad reality remains that over 2,400 children will spend Christmas in emergency accommodation, or crammed in overcrowded houses with their extended families, or couch surfing or in cars. The government has

The worsening homelessness crisis can be seen on the streets of the countries cities

provided no serious solutions and seems determined to still heavily rely on the private sector, trying to create incentives for developers and big landlords who are the

biggest part of the problem, not the solution.

There needs to be a break with market based solutions and an end to profiteering on rents, put-

ting people’s needs to the forefront of their plans instead of using this crippling housing crisis to help developers and landlords increase their profits.

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November / December 2016

THE SOCIALIST

Jobstown trial:

t

By Katia Hacke

wo years ago, many working class communities ravaged by austerity demonstrated enough was enough and got out on the streets against water charges. one such community was Jobstown in tallaght, where a spontaneous protest inconvenienced Joan Burton for a few hours. the establishment media jumped on this and tried to demonise those involved as a “dangerous fringe”.

Fast forward two years and 19 people who were at the protest that day still have court cases with very serious charges hanging over them. The first of those was concluded last month and found a 17 year old guilty of “false imprisonment” – simply because he took part in an anti-water charges protest!

A­humiliated­establishment­ If anyone still had illusions that surely something as simple as a sit down protest could not be construed to be “false imprisonment”, this guilty verdict should be a wake up call for us all - the political establishment is deadly serious about using the Jobstown trials to criminalise protest.

The water charges movement delivered a humiliating blow to the establishment and has had far reaching consequences, both political and in terms of giving workers the confidence to fight for better pay and conditions. The elections reduced the traditional political hegemony of FG and FF to the dust bin and forced the establishment to come up with a creative version of a “grand coalition” as the only way to keep control. The Labour Party was annihilated. Their climb down on water charges showed up how weak this government is and

Defending #JobstownNotGuilty

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Our first and straight forward argument against such slanders is simple – the FACTS. No matter how they try to portray the protest, the fact of the matter is that the judge in the children’s court found a 17 year old guilty of false imprisonment based on just three pieces of “evidence” – holding a phone asking Joan Burton to speak to him, using a megaphone and taking part in a sit down protest. This guilty verdict was essential to the establishment to be able to push through the cases against the 18 adults – no matter how absurd the evidence.

This politically motivated trial is an attack on democratic rights

how movements on the street can force further concessions out of them and put them under ferocious pressure.

The Jobstown trials have to be seen in the context of all this. They are an attack on the entire water charges movement, the act of a vengeful establishment that can’t accept that people power put manners on them. Therefore we need to stand shoulder to shoulder with the 19 activists singled out.

An­attack­on­our­rights Even more ominously, this is about strengthening the state’s hand in future protest movements. If we let them away with defining a sit down protest as false imprisonment, it will have far reaching consequences for the democratic right to protest and effectively picket.

This is also clearly a politically motivated attack – against the most radical and effective wing of the water charges movement, against those who clearly advocated a mass boycott campaign of the charge,

namely the Anti-Austerity Alliance.

At heart, it is an attempt to halt the growing support for an anti-capitalist alternative that challenges the interests of the 1% and stands for an independent anti-capitalist voice for working class people.

In order to get away with this blatant attack on our civil rights, the judicial, political and media establishment will combine to try and isolate and criminalise the Jobstown protesters.

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Our second argument has to be to point out the political context of this trial. This is a stitch up that should incense every one of us. The workers’ movement, here and internationally, has had to face harsh repression before – as far back as striking workers 100 years ago to the miners’ strike in 1980s and the people jailed for protesting against the bin tax 12 years ago. The IWW, in the face of such repression over 100 years ago, coined the powerful slogan “an injury to one is an injury to all”. Let’s take heed, get organised and prevent the establishment from isolating our fellow protesters in Jobstown. Spread the truth and through workers’ solidarity ensure we stand up for our democratic right to protest.

What YOU can do: n Become of “friend of Jobstown” – take a sponsorship card, talk to friends, family and colleagues about this injustice and look for their support n Bring up the issue in your trade union branch/community organisation and pass a motion in support of Jobstown Not Guilty n Contact 0857221120 for further information on the campaign and help us get out the real facts in your community

15 November 2014 Spontaneous protest of hundreds of people against Joan Burton. Sit-down protest and slow march take place.

February 2015 Dawn raids for two weeks with six, eight, or ten Garda arresting protesters, including a 16 year old.

Separately, four people jailed over water meter protest.

12 August 2015 RTE Crime Correspondent breaks story based on leaks from Gardai that protesters will be charged with false imprisonment of Joan Burton and her assistant.

28 August 2015 Existence of Operation Mizen, a Garda surveillance operation against anti-water charges protesters, including Paul Murphy, revealed.

30 August 2015 AAA denied fundraising permit in Dublin South West

by Garda Chief Superintendent on grounds that the money would be used to encourage “the commission of an unlawful act.”

14 September 2015 Summonses delivered by Gardai. #JobstownNotGuilty campaign formed at meeting of accused.

Letter of Solidarity from Ricky Tomlinson

2 November 2015 Judge at District Court moves case to Circuit Criminal Court as prosecution is trying charges 'on indictment', which means maximum sentence of life in prison.

Brothers and Sisters,

F

orty years ago myself and Dessie warren were sentenced to two years and three years in jail.

We were guilty for organising building workers; we were guilty for organising for better pay and for better health and safety; but most of all we were guilty of saying ENOUGH IS ENOUGH! Working conditions on building sites were second only to coal mines for fatalities and serious injuries. Facilities were non existent, no toilets or wash basins. Pay was terrible £20 per week for a skilled worker and £17 for labourers, this for a 40 hour week.

Me and Dessie organised workers to strike, we organised workers for better pay and conditions and we won! But the bosses and the Tories came after us and used the law to punish us and to punish other building workers – but we

19 September 2016 Trial of 17 year old charged with false imprisonment commences.

26 October 2016 17 year old is found guilty of false imprisonment..

Ricky Tomlinson: “Better to break the law than to break the poor”

stood strong.

It is an absolute insult to find that a politician trapped in the comfort of (a) car is deemed to be in prison. As Jim Royle would say – "Imprisonment my arse!"

Dublin is a great city - Liverpool is a great city - but solidarity and unity of the working class is the most important.

I want to send greetings to the people of Jobstown for standing up

against water charges - it is better to break the law than to break the poor.

You'll Never Walk Alone, Ricky Tomlinson.

24 April 2017 First group of adult defendants' trial starts in the Circuit Criminal Court.

justice

Organise to oppose criminalisation of protest

Timeline of a stitch-up

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November / December 2016

THE SOCIALIST

Neo-liberalism & globalisation mean...

analysis

The political “centre” cannot hold o

By Stephen Boyd

ver 35 years ago, margaret thatcher and ronald reagan took up the ideas of neo-libearlism and used them as the foundation of what they saw as a new era for capitalism.

“The market would discover a natural hierarchy of winners and losers, creating a more efficient system than could ever be devised through planning or by design.

Anything that impeded this process, such as significant tax, regulation, trade union activity or state provision, was counter-productive. Unrestricted entrepreneurs would create the wealth that would trickle down to everyone.” – George Monbiot (The Guardian, 14 November 2016) Neo-liberalism­&­globalisation Three decades later Trump is elected, Marine Le Pen has a chance of winning the French presidency and far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ) candidate Norbert Hofer might become the president of Austria. From the left we saw the momentous movement around Bernie Sanders in the US this year and Jeremy Corbyn being propelled to the leadership of the Labour Party in Britain in September 2015.

Politics has been fundamentally shaken up since the global financial crisis and the failure of neo-lib-

eralism is at the heart of these dramatic changes.

Neo-liberalism opened up the way for the development of globalisation a process by which the multinationals aided by their political kin have driven a race to the bottom in wages and conditions of the working class resulting in an unprecedented transfer of wealth from the 99% to the 1% ruling elite.

In this maelstrom of attacks on workers’ rights, the welfare state and the social wage the leaders of social democracy such as Tony Blair and the trade unions. They abandoned even the pretence of aspiring to socialism and breaking with the capitalist profit system – taking the next logical step and adapted to this new “reality” by embracing neo-liberalism. In turn they joined with the parties of the right in making working class and middle class people pay for the ongoing crisis in capitalism.

Right-wing­populism­offers­no solutions The destruction of industry in whole regions of the UK and the US has devastated millions of lives. The failure of Thatcherism, Reaganism and Blairism has resulted in widespread alienation amongst the working class from the political establishment and created a vacuum into which right-wing populism as grown.

As well as attacking and scape-

goating migrants and seeking to stir up racism, Trump, Marine LePen, and the Little Englanders of UKIP have been able to gain support among working class people by using populist language of opposing de-industrialisation and the other effects of neoliberalism.

We are on the brink of a new race to the bottom. Trump has promised to cut US corporation tax from 35 to 15% in order to attract back the jobs which have gone to Mexico, Europe and the Far-East.

Theresa May has threated to cut the UK tax rate to 10% if Britain doesn’t get access to the EU single market.

Tax cuts for the 1% of this magnitude will result in further cuts in public spending and a further driving down of wages and conditions for working class people. The new right wing populists such as Trump and May are in reality ultra neo-liberalists who will disappoint their millions of voters.

Real­potential­for­the­Left­ The alienation of working class people from politics is highlighted by the growing numbers who don’t vote. Millions who believe that there is no political party that will meet the needs of their families. The growth in support for left figures such as Corbyn and Sanders show the potential that exists to build new parties of the working class that can oppose

Le Pen above Corbyn below: Right & Left leaders of growing movements

austerity and the racism being fermented by the likes of Trump.

The last forty years has shown clearly that capitalism is a failed system. We need to build new

political parties committed to getting rid of this failed system and replacing it with a democratic socialist society that can meet the real needs of the 99%.

Rising support for the radical left

By Adam Dudley

t

he sunDay Business post red C poll, published at the end of october, put aaa - pBp on 9%. the poll marks is illustrative of an upward trend since the general election. From 4%, 5%, 6% and now 9%. since the election, that poll share has more than doubled. Labour down to 5% and sinn Fein down two points to 13% are struggling to convince those looking for a fight back that they can represent a real left alternative to Fine gael and Fianna Fáil. aaa-pBp is now well placed to be a key part of a new mass left party.

It's more than two years since Michael Noonan heralded the "end of austerity" but the much touted recovery has brought no relief to the majority of working class people. This recovery for the superrich has only increased the share of the wealth in the hands of a tiny minority of corporations and super rich individuals, while millions struggle with the day to day reality of crises in housing, health and the cost of living.

Growing­anger We live in a deeply unequal society. Workers striking for wage restoration are told the money isn't there, while the super-rich have consistently increased their wealth and profits since 2010.

Apple are told to keep hold of the €19 billion they owe, while up to 5,000 homeless people will strug-

gle through winter. That inequality and desire for real change lies behind the increased support for the left.

The poll represents a significant breakthrough but not a ceiling.

Polls can go up or down and only represent a snapshot in support, but it's clear that more and more people are themselves drawing the conclusion that a radical alter-

native is necessary and when we fight, we can win. The Red C poll in particular showed AAA - PBP gaining support amongst women and young people as its bill to repeal the 8th went through the Dail. Poll after poll shows growing support for repealing the 8th yet the main establishment parties refuse to support this.

Labour’s­betrayal Labour's rhetoric around workers’ rights, job creation and pay increases ring hollow after four years helping to oversee an enormous transfer of wealth to the richest, through austerity. Equally, after failing to support calls for repeal while in government, Labour won't be able to paint themselves as a progressive alternative anymore.

Sinn Fein's support can continue to recede as they shift to the right to prove to the capitalist establishment, their readiness for government as well as refusing to support a woman’s right to choose. A huge vacuum exists.

With workers and communities, women and young people pushing for their own recovery and social progress, the establishment will be rightfully fearful of the left filling that vacuum. The Anti-Austerity Alliance and Socialist Party activists believe a new mass left party can be built, uniting workers, women and young people to challenge the establishment parties and fight for a left government and socialist policies to combat the inequality and injustice on offer from Irish capitalism.

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November / December 2016

THE SOCIALIST

Join the socialists

By Cillian Gillespie

2016 in numbers

2016­hAS been­a­tumultuous year.­­Every­day­we­have been­reminded­of­the­horrors and­injustices­that­exist­on our­planet.­ In April, the Panama papers lifted the lid of the web of tax fraud that the super-rich and corporations internationally are engaged in. Closer to home the tax dodging by highly profitable multinationals came to public attention in September, with the revelation that Apple owed €13 billion plus interest to the Irish state.

Growing inequality Meanwhile, the yawning and obscene wealth gap between the super-rich and the rest of humanity is growing at an ever greater speed. A report commissioned by Oxfam in January revealed that the richest 1% now have amassed a greater sum of wealth than the 99% of our planet.

It has become even more so apparent this year that there is a lack of any meaningful economic recovery for working class people. Rising rents, lack of affordable homes, and low paid temporary jobs are becoming increasingly the norm of life for a growing number today in Ireland.

The government, if it wished could take the €13 billion owed to it by Apple and build 130,000 council homes, consequently clearing the housing

n The­richest­62­people have­wealth­equal­to­that of­the­poorest­3.5­billion­ n Global­debt­now­stands at­$152­trillion­ n Spending­on­arms­trade is­now­$1.7­trillion n US­Fortune­500­firms use­tax­havens­to­avoid $717.8­billion­in­taxes Refugee camp in Calais, France, is burnt down by French authorities amidst protest by migrants who want to stay

waiting list. But of course they won’t! They represent, support and defend the brutal logic of the capitalist system we live under, a system based upon the blind and thoroughly ruthless pursuit of private profit by the super-rich of our society.

War and refugee crisis On a global scale the rule of the 1% is piling misery upon misery.

October marked the 15th anniversary of the commencement of the “war on terror” which spurned a decade and a half of wars for oil, power and profit in the Middle East, North Africa and Afghanistan.

The refugee crisis is a direct, shameful and tragic consequence of these wars. As of the

end of October the UNHCR published the grim and horrendous statistic that 3,740 refugees had lost their lives crossing the Mediterranean in 2016.

Now we have Donald Trump, a dangerous and racist billionaire bigot as President of the world’s most powerful country.

This has shocked and horrified young people, women, LGBTQ people and working class people generally. As explained elsewhere in this paper, Trump’s victory was far from inevitable, it was the absence of a strong left-wing alternative.

October 15 marked the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Black Panther Party in the US, a courageous black libera-

tion group whose anti-racist and anti-capitalist politics stands in stark contrast to that of the Trump’s, or indeed Hillary Clinton’s of this world. What propelled its founding was the understanding that, as articulated by one of its leaders, Bobby Seale, “we are not outnumbered, we are only out organised”. This has never been truer.

For a socialist future The tiny big business oligarchy that dominate our lives are organised. They control of vast swathes of the media, all the political parties of the establishment defend their interests and the Jobstown trial has illustrated that the forces of the state do likewise. But they can be

Review: I, Daniel Blake

By Andrea Murray

i

n what has been dubbed Ken Loach's swansong “i, Daniel Blake” is a hard-hitting, blunt and moving film. it's based on research and interviews carried out by screenwriter paul Laverty.

It tells the story of Daniel Blake, played by Dave Johns, a widower in his 50s from Newcastle in the North East of England. Daniel, a carpenter by trade can't work after having a near fatal heart attack. His NHS doctor has told him he's not fit for work and has advised him to avoid stress and manual labour.

He's trapped in a Catch-22 situation as by honestly box-ticking an assessment in the Department for Work and Pensions he has been refused sickness benefits. The only option left open to him is to apply for Jobseeker’s Allowance for which to earn he has to attend CV workshops and prove he has exhausted every avenue in looking for work.

He has to apply online. Daniel

analysis

Capitalism: A future of horror & injustice

Fine Gael & “Fit to Work”

doesn't own a smartphone and isn't computer literate. He depends on help from strangers in a library and a kindly woman in DWP who is reprimanded by her superiors for offering a little assistance. He is frustrated in his endeavours by computers freezing and not feeling competent. He is labelled a scrounger because he has to turn down work due to not being well enough to perform the job.

Realities of Tory Britain The film also tells the story of Katie (Hayley Squires) a single mother of two children, one of whom is autistic. Katie and her children lived in a homeless shelter in London. They were unable to find housing there due to social cleansing. When she's offered housing in Newcastle, Katie accepts it so she and her children can make a home even if it is hundreds of miles away from their family, friends and any support network they had in London. She wants to return to college and is quite hopeful about her and her

defeated.

The suspension of the water charges after a 74% boycott of the last bill and the gains made

by Luas and Bus drivers after taking industrial action provided a glimpse of the power we have when we organise.

We need to go a step further and organise around the socialist ideas of James Connolly and Jim Larkin. This means organising to fight against the rule of capitalism in our world. It means organising to popularise the idea of a democratic socialist society based on matching society’s resources with real human needs.

Join the Socialist Party today and help to organise for fundamental change.

The­programme­for government­here­also includes­a­so­called­“fit­to work”­programme­which­is the­same­name­given­to­the regime­in­Britain­where medically­unqualified people­can­overrule doctors­and­specialists­in terms­of­deeming­people fit­to­work.

Fit to Work scheme turns people into statistics

children's future. Daniel and Katie meet in the DWP office and befriend each other. He becomes a kind of grandfather figure to her children and helps her fix up her dilapidated flat.

Loach is unapologetic in his depiction of the coldness and stark reality of the Jobcentre where the lives of sick, infirm, poor people are in the hands of the “decision maker” and sanctions. He has said

in interviews that he had seen many people in a lot worse circumstances but that if he'd put them in the film, audiences would not find their situation believable.This is not a work of Orwellian fiction. It is a very real portrait of the struggle of working class people in Tory run Britain.

In Britain about 14,000 people have died since the “Fit For Work” scheme was rolled out. A similar

scheme of the same name is being put in place here. Private companies like Seetec are being brought in and are placing people in totally unsuitable training courses and job initiatives. We have to stop this before we’re all Daniel Blake.

If you haven't seen it, see it now!

Recommend it to your family and friends. This film should at least make everyone more socially aware if nothing else. There is hope.

November / December 2016

THE SO

Q&a: What’s behind the uS presidential results?

special­feature

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W

ITh ThE election of Donald Trump, a racist, misogynistic, ignorant, demagogic billionaire occupies the most powerful office in the world. here CONOR PAYNE and EDDIE MCCABE look at some of the most pressing issues and questions that arise as a result.

how could Trump have won if he was one of the most hated candidate in US history? this was a bizarre election, where the second most hated candidate ever managed to lose to the most hated ever. hence, trump’s election does not signal majority support for him or his politics. he won with under 26% of the electorate and lost the popular vote – by as many as two million votes. in fact he received less votes than mitt romney in 2012 or John mcCain in 2008.

But 99 million people, 43% of the electorate, particularly the working class and poor, simply didn’t vote at all. This particularly affected the Democratic Party, whose vote collapsed by about nine million votes compared to Obama in 2008. This reflects lower turnout among black people, young people and other key parts of the Democratic base who were not enthused by Clinton’s candidacy.

Trump on the other hand was able to win in many working-class areas in the “Rustbelt” which were won by Obama in 2012. These are towns hit enormously by de-industrialisation and neo-liberal trade deals such as NAFTA. While there is no doubt that racist and sexist attitudes played a part, deeply ingrained as they are in the very structure of US capitalism, the support for Trump among a section of mainly white working-class people reflects a desperation and willingness to vote for anyone who seems to offer change or an opposition to the establishment.

Trump capitalised on this mood with his attacks on trade deals like TPP, his talk of a “rigged system” and appeals to the “forgotten man and woman.” Trump’s victory underlines the crisis and decay of US capitalism and its political parties. The Republican establishment was unable to defeat him in the primaries, and the Democrats in the General Election, these facts speak to the undermining of the authority and support base of both parties as discontent in US society grows.

Why did hillary Clinton do so badly? as an alternative to trump, the Democratic party offered Clinton: the epitome of the status quo and the establishment, a candidate of wall street and war. her paid speeches to wall street banks, her record as a warmonger as secretary of state and the leaked emails from wikileaks which showed, among other things, that Clinton admits to having a ‘public’ and ‘private’ position on issues, all contributed to this view of her.

During the Democratic Party primaries, the party machine fought hard to ensure that Clinton was nominated and the campaign of Bernie Sanders was defeated. Sanders won huge support for his calls for single payer health care, free college tuition, a $15 minimum wage and a “political revolution against the billionaire class.”

This campaign had the potential to cut across Trump’s right populism. A poll taken the week of the election showed that Sanders would have defeated Trump 56% to 44%. By rigging the primaries in Clinton’s favour, the Democratic Party bears a huge degree of responsibility for Trump’s victory. Were they not so out of touch

Building a wall of resistance to the Trump regime ImmEdIaTEly aFTER Trump’s election, Socialist alternative (US sister organisation of the Socialist Party) put out a call for mass protests across the US, as the start of the fightback against Trump and the right-wing. Within 24 hours, tens of thousands have responded to this call around the country. 10,000 protested in New york, 6,000 in Philadelphia, 10,000 in Boston and 6,000 in Seattle.

These protests were overwhelmingly of young people and are a promising start for the grassroots, social movements which are necessary to challenge the Trump regime. The protests received widespread media attention in the US and internationally. Socialist Alternative have put out a call for mass protests at Trump’s inauguration on 20 January and nationwide protests on the same day.

with the mood of the struggling mass of the population, they could have made gestures towards the Sanders campaign and adopted some of his polices, but they didn’t. Instead Clinton responded to Trump’s slogan, “make America great again” with the delusional “America is already great.” They presented people with a choice between the status quo or Trump, and got their answer.

A discredited political establishment could not defeat Trump. To defeat his agenda in office, social movements of workers, women, immigrants, LGBTQ people and all others targeted by the Republican right need to be built in the US. There needs to be a break from the Democratic Party straitjacket and the building of a new political alternative – a party for the working class.

What will a Trump presidency mean? it remains to be seen which promises trump will try to keep and which he’ll try to forget about. he is a populist fundamentally, not somebody with any firm principles or convictions, as his flip-flopping demonstrates. he immediately rowed back on his vow to “jail” hilary Clinton over the scandal with her emails, for example.

The capitalist establishment who overwhelmingly backed Clinton, their safest bet, will do their utmost to reign Trump in on the policies and rhetoric that go against their interests, like his protectionist policies that threaten corporate trade deals such as TTIP and NAFTA. The Republican right who he has surrounded himself with will see to this.

But there are three things we can be sure of: 1) Trump will be a president of and for the billionaire class. His plans to scrap the meager regulations for banks is a gift to Wall Street, his plans for increased military spending suits the arms industry and his abhorrent anti-climate change stance is music to the ears of the energy companies. His $5.5 trillion tax plan is set to benefit the superwealthy with 83% going to the richest 20% of the population and 50% going to the top 0.1%.

2) Trump offers nothing to the working class, including those poor white voters in Wisconsin, Iowa, Indiana and Pennsylvania who swung from the Democrats to the Republicans in this election, giving Trump the Electoral College votes he needed to win. Rights and benefits, including programmes like Medicaid and Medicare, won through struggle over decades are all under serious threat, as are abortion rights and LGBTQ rights.

3) Trump’s presidency will provoke significant social convulsions.

His regime is set to proceed with its right-wing and reactionary offensive against workers, women, people of colour and other minorities. Without question there will be a backlash against it, with mass protests, strikes and other forms of resistance. Farright and racist forces, including racist police officers, will be emboldened by his win and the need to organise against these groups will become all the more urgent. Already we’ve seen glimpses of this and he hasn’t even started yet.

Political in

November / December 2016

OCIALIST

7

The Sanders Campaign:

l Earthquake the US A racist, right-wing & regressive regime

By James McCabe

D

uring trump’s first meeting with obama, Clinton supporters such as oprah winfrey tweeted, “#hopelives”. new york times journalist, nicholas Kristof pleaded with readers to, “give trump a chance”. obama articulated the hopes of much of the establishment that given trump’s inexperience, he may be more measured and tempered in his new role, “campaigning is different from governing. i think he recognises that.”

This wishful thinking flies in the face of reality. Trump has not at all reneged on his plans to build a wall across the Mexican border, to attack abortion rights and to deport up to three million undocumented immigrants over the next two years. One look at his transition team demolishes the idea that his administration will act as a check on his wild ambitions.

What­is­the­alt-right?­ Most alarmingly Trump has appointed the deranged white supremist, Steve Bannon, as his chief strategist.

White supremist, Steve Bannon, Trump’s chief strategist

Bannon once described his Breitbart News website as “the platform of the alt-right”. The alt-right or alternative right movement is a brand of farright conservatism that generally embraces and promotes white supremicism, anti-Semitism, sexism, homophobia and transphobia. The neo-Nazi website, Daily Stormer, referred to Bannon as “our man in the White House”.

In line with Trump’s deep misogyny, Bannon’s website published an article with the headline, “birth con-

trol makes women unattractive and crazy”. Bannon was once charged with crimes related to the abuse of his ex-wife: domestic violence, battery and dissuading a witness.

Trump has also appointed Myron Ebell to transition the Environmental Protection Agency for his administration. Like Trump, Ebell is a longtime climate change denier who helps chair the Cooler Heads Coalition, a group which describes its mission as “dispelling the myths of Global Warming.”

By Fiona O’Loughlin “WhEN­ my­ presidential­ campaign­ came­ to­ an­ end,­ I pledged­to­my­supporters­that the­ political­ revolution­ would continue.­ And­ now,­ more­ than ever,­that­must­happen.”

– Bernie Sanders, New York Times, 11 November 2016.

This is exactly what Sanders should have said and done when he lost the rigged Democratic nomination contest to Hillary Clinton and consequently he should have run as an independent.

This election cycle, more than any other in recent history, saw a revolt by working-class Americans against the political establishment and the disastrous effects of their neo-liberal agenda and globalisation. This was reflected on the right with the victory of Trump, but a light was shone on what was possible for the left with the Sanders campaign in the first half of this year.

Opposing­the­billionaire­class Many young and working-class people were radicalised by Sanders’ call for “a political revolution against the billionaire class.” Hundreds of thousands attended his campaign rallies and a record amount of small donations flowed into the campaign totalling $220 million. A movement developed for change but the opportunity was squandered because, instead of building on this momentum, after losing the undemocratic primary, Sanders stood down the movement and said, “I strongly support Hillary Clinton”. This left his supporters with no real choice and many who could have been radicalised were left open to the right-wing populism of Donald Trump.

Sanders could quite possibly have beaten Trump had he secured the Democratic nomination, most polls now back this up.

However the big business leadership of the Democratic Party ensured that the chosen one was a disciple of Wall Street and the

status quo, Clinton.

No­choice­election That decision left the U.S electorate with a choice between two of the most hated Presidential candidates of all time, exit polls show that 61% had an unfavourable view of Trump but 54% had an unfavourable view of Clinton, hardly a staggering endorsement.

With no left alternative to articulate and fight for a better life for them and their families the US working class were faced with the choice of the devil you know or the devil you don’t.

The lessons of the movement around Sanders and the ensuing Trump victory are lost on the liberal media as they struggle to come to terms with what happened.

Sanders is now calling for the Democrats to become a grass roots party and to break its corporate links, with little or no understanding that the Democrats are organically a party of Wall Street, and indeed of a party of slavery and segregation in the past.

A­party­of­the­99% A left-wing presidential campaign linked with the movement that was developing based on the demands of $15 minimum wage, free college tuition, free healthcare, ending environmental destruction, to name a few, would have built on the already established movement and mobilised hundreds of thousands of more working class-people, young people, women, people of colour and other minorities to work for real change.

A clear programme for the working class to fight for those demands would have had an electrifying effect on workers and young people and would have cut across the development of rightwing populism from the Trump campaign.

It would have undermined the two-party system with a viable and real alternative which could then have been used to launch a new party of the working class.

­special­feature­

Potential revealed, opportunity squandered

November / December 2016

THE SOCIALIST

#NoDAPL: Solidarity with Standing Rock

international

8

t

shows how widespread the sympathy with Standing Rock has been.

We should all hope that Standing Rock becomes a key moment in the struggle against capitalism’s destruction of the environment and brutal treatment of indigenous people.

By Manus Lenihan

he DaKota access pipeline (DapL) is at the centre of a massive protest movement among native americans and environmentalists. this $3 billion project to move half a million barrels of crude oil daily through four states threatens pollution and spills, guaranteeing massive carbon emissions. it also threatens the burial grounds and lands of the standing rock sioux.

The risk of an oil spill is very real, even if the route is changed – there have been over 2,000 pipeline incidents resulting in 347 fatalities since 1995 alone (data from the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration).

There’s the massive carbon emissions that will be created as a product of the pipeline. a beacon of hope These protests provide a beacon of hope amid the horror of a climatesceptic Trump presidency. As well as claiming in the past that climate change was a hoax, Trump is set to appoint Myron Ebell – who claims that climate change is “nothing to worry about” – to a key environmental post.

Standing Rock shows up how hollow the ruling class’ lip service

DAPL: What did Trump & Clinton say?

Heavily militarised police state used against activists

to the environment really is, even leaving aside Trump’s election. On the one hand, Obama would jet off to climate summits and make pious speeches; on the other hand, DAPL, the Keystone XL pipeline and fracking would all continue.

Not only this, but the forces of the state came down like a tonne of bricks on Standing Rock, creating horrible scenes of brutality.

All over the US, reservations and treaty-protected areas have been the dumping-ground for nuclear

Spain: historic school student strike

testing and fossil-fuel extraction.

The Standing Rock protests have resonated across and beyond the US, particularly among indigenous people where in many cases their own communities have been struck by the illnesses, hazards and ruined natural resources that come with being a “sacrifice zone” for corporate profit extraction.

Growing solidarity Solidarity with Standing Rock has been extremely widespread. The

protests camps have populations in their thousands, many having travelled very long distances to be there. A long list of trade unions have come out against the pipeline (even if the national federation, the AFL-CIO, disgracefully supports it).

By 31 October, 1 million people globally had “checked in” at Standing Rock. Some reports claim that this has disrupted police efforts to track protesters using social media. Whether it actually succeeded in doing so or not, it

n Of all candidates in the uS presidential election, only the Green party’s Jill Stein attended the protests – for her trouble, she got an arrest warrant. n unsurprisingly, presidentelect Trump has not breathed a word about the DapL, and in fact stands to profit from its completion. n Clinton, who receives funding from energy companies, said nothing except a coded appeal for construction to continue: “all voices should be heard and all views considered... [we must] find a path forward that serves the broadest public interest…[upholding] demonstrators’ rights to protest peacefully, and workers’ rights to do their jobs safely.”

Turkey: Erdoğan steps up repression

By Sarah Zanchetta on 24 october, school students across Spain took strike action against austerity cuts and a government measure which is reminiscent of the country’s former right-wing franco dictatorship. in all, two million students participated in the strike organised by Sindicato de estudiantes (Spanish Students’ union). the education sector has lost €6.4 billion since 2010 – 20,000 teachers have been let go, and facilities have been cut substantially. the main focus of the protests is the planned attack of the sector by the government of mariano rajoy.

Mass protest in South Korea

By Sarah Zanchetta on 14 november, protests with a crowd estimated at 50,000 took place in Seoul, South Korea, against the president and conservative government’s labour policy which the Korean confederation of trade unions says benefits big businesses by keeping wages low and making it easier to fire activists or trade union members, as well as against the government’s drive for state-issued history textbooks. 20,000 riot police were mobilised since protests have begun.

By Sami El-Sayed

o

n 4 november, the erdoğan regime issued the arrest of ten members of the people's Democratic party (hDp), a left wing “pro-Kurdish” party which has thus far blocked the way to total domination of the turkish parliament by erdoğan's Justice and Development party (aKp). along with eight others, the cochairs of the hDp, selahattin Demirtas and Figen yuksekdag have been arrested and currently are detained in a maximum security prison. on top of that, their legal defence has also been arrested for attempting to communicate with their clients.

This is part of the broader attack on democratic rights and on the left in particular since the abortive 15 July coup attempt. The repression by the Turkish state has thus far seen over 6,000 HDP members arrested with 2,000 others imprisoned, along with the banning of various elements of HDP party propaganda. This is very much in step with the history of the Turkish state, which has taken every opportunity to viciously attack the left and has seen the HDP's predecessor organisations banned under the charges of “promoting separatism and terror”. The response of the HDP so far has been to begin a boycott of the parliament, but other than the occasional street demonstrations, viciously attacked by police forces, their response seems to have been limited.

Suffereing of people in Kurdistan goes unheard

Post-coup clampdown Concurrently, there is an ongoing siege of various Kurdish towns in the South East of Turkey, with the town of Sirnak being under military curfew since March resulting in widespread destruction and misery, as the Turkish state wages a brutal war on its ethnic minority populations and Kurdish people in particular.

It is clear that the Erdoğan regime has sought to capitalise on

the chaos in the aftermath of the coup attempt in order to consolidate near dictatorial powers into the hands of Erdoğan himself, with the firing of tens of thousands of public sector workers and the purging of potential political opponents from state institutions. The attacks on the left are a clear extension of these repressive measures, despite the fact the HDP clearly opposed the coup attempt.

Sosyalist­Alternatif,­the­sister­party­of­the­Socialist­Party­in Turkey,­is­demanding­the­following:­ n Free all hDp Mps and leaders immediately n reinstate the democratically-elected mayors n end the state of emergency and all persecutions against dissenting voices n For full democratic rights, including the right to organise and protest n For freedom of expression, of the press and media n No to new wars and occupations, bring the troops home n For united protests across Turkey and internationally, as a starting point to build the fightback against erdoğan's rule n Down with erdogan and the capitalist aKp regime

9

November / December 2016

THE SOCIALIST

Repeal & Abortion Rights...

By Laura Fitzgerald

i

n oCtoBer, the government refused to give the aaa-pBp bill for a repeal the 8th referendum, proposed by socialist party member, ruth Coppinger tD, a second reading. it elucidated its interminable time-table for a referendum, namely six months for the Citizens’ assembly to report, and another six months for the special oireachtas committee to report to the Dáil – at least a year before the issue begins even initial debate at Dáil level. delay-tactics The pro-repeal Government Independents fell pathetically into line. First to stand by Kenny was Katherine Zappone, whose wrestling with her conscience was less than momentary. Kate O’Connell, token Fine Gael prochoice TD and darling of those in the pro-choice movement who employ a lobbying strategy, used her Dáil speaking time to launch a vicious and slanderous attack on the Left before voting against the repeal bill.

Sinn Féin supported the AAAPBP’s bill, but used their speaking time to clarify that it supports very limited legislation, namely the status quo (abortion allowed if life is in danger, including through suicide), plus fatal foetal abnormalities, rape and incest.

Building a powerful movement All this serves to reinforce the need to build a growing, active, powerful movement outside the Dáil to force through change. Part of this is educating abortion rights activists about the necessity to make it unacceptable now, that any future proposal for a referendum would be linked with continuing some sort of constitutional restriction on women’s bodies.

David Quinn, key strategist of the anti-choice brigade, who himself opposes any referendum, has mooted the possibility of a constitutional clause that necessitates a referendum before any legislation on abortion can be changed. This is precisely the sort of rotten compromise that the political establishment may propose in an attempt to continue to block prochoice legislation.

As arch-right winger, Quinn himself raises if the 8th is repealed and nothing else is put into the constitution, all it would take is the election of a left-wing government for restrictive legislation to be replaced with pro-choice legislation!

Tone Police have it wrong “Repeal activists would lose referendum” (Examiner, 8 October 2016), “Moderate voices needed in the abortion debate” (Sunday Business Post editorial, 3 October 2016), “Has one tyranny been replaced with another?” (Irish

women

We won’t “tone it down”

Tone policing is part of conservative effort to limit abortion rights movement

Times 1 Nov 2016), “Silence of centrists kills decent debate” (2 October 2016).... Just a taste of the mainly pro-repeal print media’s ‘tone policing’ of the pro-choice movement – as the saying goes, with friends like these, who needs enemies?

We need to learn a lesson from Poland – the unapologetically radical movement that organised an audacious and brilliant 100,000 strong women’s strike to block the government’s attempt to bring in a full abortion ban, was not seeking

Women rising around the world INEqUALITy­UNdER the­capitalist system­has­accelerated­in­recent years­and­sees­the­top­1%­own­more wealth­than­the­99%.­Neoliberalism means­privatisation­and­underfunding­of­public­services­which­particularly­affects­women­in­areas­of health,­education,­maternity­leave and­low­pay.­It’s­in­this­context­that across­the­world­we­are­seeing­a new­generation­of­women­and LGBTq­people­challenging­oppression­and­inequality­through­radical actions­and­movements.

Iceland: Women’s strike against pay gap In Iceland, to protest against the gender pay gap, thousands of women left their workplace 2 hours and 22 minutes (30% of the day) early to illustrate that

cross-party support, nor “toning it down”. What has the movement achieved? Not only was the Government pushed back, but as a Polish anti-choice website conceded, opinion polls have shown an increase in pro-choice sentiment in the broad population since the movement erupted! In poll after poll, two-thirds want increased abortion rights.

Once there’s a recognition that abortion is a difficult but necessary decision for women in certain circumstances, it’s more than pos-

By Aprille Scully

if they were men they would have made their wage by then. Together they gathered in public squares to demand “OUT” to sexism, mirroring the same action taken in 1974 where an incredible 90% of women in Iceland participated in a walkout.

people in Argentina alone took to the streets against machismo.

The enormous movement has pushed 15 countries in Latin America to pass harsher criminal sentences for femicide.

But it is also a call for an improvement for women’s lives in Latin America – that is abortion rights, equal pay, contraception and an end to trafficking.

Explosive movement in Poland In Poland, an extremely right-wing government attempting to bring in a full abortion ban, provoked a grassroots movement to oppose it. This inspiring new movement was fuelled by an anger so intense, it called not just for a typical protest, but for women to go on strike!

On 3 October, tens of thousands of women demonstrated across the country.

There was a clear rallying call: any move to push back women, to strip away our rights cannot be negotiated or compromised with, it must be shut down in the most complete way by the most powerful method we know – to withdraw our labour. It knocked the conservatives in power back in their plans. The protests also connected with broad layers of the Polish working class who saw the truth in such a genuine movement with more people in Poland identifying pro-choice than before the protests happened.

Challenging femicide In Latin America too, an explosive movement of women from below has knocked back the state. Thousands of women are

sible to win people over to the notion that, as opposed to the church or state, whether or not to continue with a pregnancy has to be the woman’s own decision. A bold pro-choice movement, especially a movement that is also raising about the need for public housing, for massive investment in state childcare, and for equality generally, will be greeted with solidarity and support from the majority of people.

Global solidarity

killed by men every year in Latin America in acts of ‘revenge’ and hate, usually by ex-male partners or men in her family. In Brazil alone, 15 women a day are killed by men. This misogyny is perpetuated by the state; by the politicians and judicial system – very few murderers appear in court and are usually handed light sentences.

In 2015, the President of Argentina, Mauricio Macri, boasted in a radio interview about how women “deep down” enjoy lewd comments being directed at them in the street. “I don’t believe those who say they don’t”, he said. One year later, a teenage girl was gang raped by 33 men in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Dismissed and ridiculed by the police when she reported it, her abuse was filmed and posted on social media.

In response, huge mobilisations of women occurred, with over 200,000

The repeal movement in Ireland is part of this process. A global solidarity day has been called for on social media for 25 November, by women activists in Latin America and Poland under the slogan, “Solidarity is our weapon”, in an important development that should be built upon.

10

November / December 2016

THE SOCIALIST

Decisive industrial action can…

workplace­news

End wage restraint t

By Mick Barry TD

he government have been forced to retreat on their pay policy by a wave of strikes. Luas drivers, bus workers and teachers have all taken to the picket lines to oppose wage restraint.

The mere threat of strike action

by Gardai caused extreme jitters at the Cabinet table. The government were forced to make more than €40 million worth of concessions to try to avert industrial action by the police.

The result of the Garda ballot will be known by 28 November and is far from guaranteed to be for accepting terms.

Balloting­for­wage­increases­ Nurses, doctors, low paid civil servants and others have stepped forward to seek similar increases.

The Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) are balloting non consultant hospital doctors for industrial action in support of full restoration of a €3,000 allowance.

The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) are balloting their 37,000 members for industrial action for pay restoration.

SIPTU have indicated that they will ballot their 60,000 public sector members for industrial action if the government don't announce plans for pay talks in February.

Many of the trade union leaders would like to use this opportunity

to re-establish a social partnership process.

Social partnership dominated the Irish industrial relations scene from the late 1980s to the start of the crisis years.

It involved the government, the bosses, the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) and “civil society” organisations hammering out agreements (usually every three years) on pay and general economic policy.

Bosses­are­not­our­partners There should be no return to social partnership.

Social partnership ties the workers' movement in with the economic policies of right-wing governments for years at a time. It usually trades off modest pay increases and tax cuts for massive cuts in the social wage, ie health, education, other services.

It severely undermines union activity by concentrating all power in the hands of the negotiators, ie the union leadership.

The bosses and their governments are not our partners.

Instead, the public sector unions should submit bold wage claims in defence of their members' living standards.

These claims should be aimed at immediate full pay restoration including an end to two-tier wage rates which place new recruits, overwhelmingly younger workers, on lower wage rates than others

the prelude to a standoff; a standoff that can only be resolved favourably for workers by strong and determined strike action.

Luas and Bus strikes show gains to be made with action

performing the same tasks.

They should also provide for cost of living increases which take into account the rent rises which have eaten into the pay packets of so many in recent times.

There should be no illusions that

a right-wing government operating within the European fiscal rules and ideologically opposed to seriously taxing the rich to improve the lot of working people will willingly concede such claims.

Negotiations will inevitably be

Tax­the­super-rich­ The trade union movement will also need to take action to prevent the government successfully pursuing a policy of divide and conquer.

They will attempt to divide private sector workers from public.

They will also attempt to divide the general public from the public sector workforce. They will do this by arguing that pay increases can only be paid for by cutting public services.

The unions must argue for improved wages AND improved services and for both to be paid for by increased taxation of the superrich.

For example: a 2% millionaire’s tax would raise €2.9 billion. Full public sector pay restoration would cost €2.1 billion.

Alongside the claims for public sector pay increases, the trade union movement should submit a wave of private sector pay increase claims. Appeals should also be made for private sector workers to join trade unions.

In this way the interests of public sector workers, private sector workers and the broad mass of ordinary people can be bound more tightly together and real progress made in securing a recovery for working people.

Poverty income & temporary contracts ShORTCUTS Interview with a young teacher michael­ O’Brien­ spoke­ to manus­Lenihan­who­teaches­in County­Galway­about­the­conditions­ faced­ by­ young­ teachers­ that­ spurred­ them­ on­ to industrial­action.

“I graduated as a secondary school teacher in 2014.

Subsequent to that I could not find any classroom hours so ended up in at least four low paid non-teaching jobs to make ends meet. In that time I obtained one seven month contract with 11 hours per week and currently I’m on a three month contract with full time hours.

“What I have gone through is absolutely typical for people entering the teacheing profession.

It can take years to obtain a permanent position and until then you most definitely don’t get the paid summer holidays the media are quick to go on about. Many of those I studied alongside, seeing the writing on the wall, emigrated to Britain or the Middle East where steady secure full time work was available.

“The poverty income many young teachers and I have to endure from low hours and short term contracts is then compounded by us being on a lower tier of pay compared to our senior colleagues. Fair play to them by the way for coming out in support of our plight. I’d say to those parents representatives who have been given a media platform to criticise

by finghin Kelly

INMO ballot to reverse cuts yearS of austerity has devastated our health service. nurses have been papering over the cracks and have had enough. many are voting with the feet; with record numbers emigrating to secure better pay and job security abroad.

The Irish Nurses & Midwives Organisation (INMO) is currently balloting for industrial action which is likely to get a massive Yes vote.

The INMO are right to fight for a restoration of staffing levels and for incentives to recruit and retain staff. The INMO should now take the dispute beyond the confines of the Lansdowne Road agreement. Victories for other workers have shown pay rises can be won with determined action.

Teachers need dignified pay & conditions

us that their kids have a stake in successful action by us and all public service workers to restore equal pay and pay restoration as it will be many of them in five or six years’ time entering the same jobs!

“I fully backed the action taken by my union the ASTI. I see our current union leadership as miles better than what was there before in terms of putting up a fight over pay equality. Yet there was a feeling of disappointment on my part and among other members over the manner in which the action was suspended with no concrete gains.

There is not really room for com-

promise over the issues we came out over so we have to see what comes from the talks.

“The only direct communication we have had throughout this has been on the two days of strike action when a member of the Central Executive Committee visited our picket. We need more communication and meetings to discuss the course of the dispute.

Some of the social media groups for teachers especially Fightback have been good but we need face to face discussion among members so that we have some control over the dispute.”

Opposing the race to the bottom buS Éireann management, backed by the government, are attempting to separate expressway from the rest of bus Éireann and to cut the pay and conditions of its workers. the plan is clearly a step towards privatisation. this would be a disaster for passengers, communities that depend on the service and the 800 workers in expressway itself.

Unlike other public services Expressway receives no public subvention. It is also in competition with ruthless anti-union companies that are undercutting pay and conditions; resulting in an annual loss for the service.

The answer is not to further speed up the race to the bottom by turning Expressway into a low pay service. The answer is public investment for a decent transport system. The NBRU and SIPTU have balloted for strike action. They should be fully supported in their stand against privatisation and in defence of workers’ rights in the sector.

November / December 2016

11

THE SOCIALIST

Institutionalised state racism

o

By Councillor Fiona Ryan

n tuesDay 15 november, after a gruelling 35 day hunger strike, a Kurdish resident of Direct provision resisting a deportation order to iran emerged victorious, with the state rescinding the order after his health began to decline upon refusing water in addition to food.

This is just one story of many within the system who live their lives in constant fear of deportation and the lack of protection afforded to them or their families.

Due to the remote location of these centres it provides a means to viciously tear families apart through deportation. The toxic environment where mental health suffers to extremes and where child protection laws are irrelevant to the children that reside there.

It has been 17 months since the publication of the McMahon report, which was compiled with the assistance of the much hated “Working Group”. It was comprised mainly of NGO officials and which excluded individuals who actually resided within the system, and conditions for many within the Direct Provision centres continue to deteriorate. minimal­recommendations not­implemented­ The working group, established in 2014 largely to curtail the rising grassroots protest movements that were being established within the centres themselves, was extraordinarily limited in its scope. As such,

Nomaxabiso Maye, an activist who resided in Direct Provision

news

Direct Provision must go “Direct provision must be seen for what it is; segregation. It is a system that promotes racism within Irish society and fuels division.

The pretence of the Irish government in its concerns for the human beings that reside within such a system is no more than tokenism.”

Asad Masmud, who resides in Direct Provision

Companies profit while people are left in miserable limbo

the recommendations provided were minimal at best, excluding key issues such as the right to work, increased protection for children and educational opportunities for adults within the system.

This year, Minister Francis Fitzgerald was questioned about the implementation of even the minimal recommendations put forward by the group. Upon investigation it was discovered that the McMahon report largely remains cast aside. It was a mechanism by the Labour Party that sought to stifle debate in society during the most active periods of self-mobilisation within the system by giving the benefit of the doubt to a process that was largely rejected by the residents themselves.

Additionally, it has been reported that the progress that was hard won by residents in the Kinsale Road Direct Provision Centre in Cork, where in 2014 up to 300 individuals mounted daily protests from 5am and prevented staff from gaining entry until their demands were met, have begun to be rolled back as the key organisers involved were granted residency or transferred to other centres.

Oppose­state­racism­ The profit driven model of the Direct Provision system is clear.

Between 2010 and 2015, nine private companies were paid over €10 million each by providing services such as catering to Direct Provision centres. The provision of

profit to private business continues to spur on the degrading and inhumane treatment of those within the system.

Direct Provision, a system that was designed not to meet the needs of asylum seekers but to facilitate easier deportations, must go. It cannot be reformed into a better model when its primary purpose is to assist institutional state racism and profit for a groups of select private businesses.

We must defend the democratic right to asylum and oppose any attempts to divide Irish and migrant people living here. There must be investment in public services and an affordable homes plan so that all our needs can be met.

“The DP system is a lengthy system. The procedure is purposefully complicated. The type of system can only be endured for a short time.

Some people have been in the system for more than ten years. You are not allowed to work, have no right to higher education, all you are allowed to do is stay and eat. That’s life. If you have any kind qualification, you begin to forget the skills you could use to benefit society if you were given the opportunity to work.

In this scenario, many people get depressed and get tired of the system, get into depression, feel anxiety, and even contemplate suicide”

10,000 march to oppose...

Shackling students with debt

By Carah Daniel

u

p to 10,000 students took to the streets in october in Dublin from all over the country in a protest organised by usi demanding an increase in investment in publically funded education. the protest was also against the proposed introduction of an income- contingent loan scheme, similar to schemes in places like australia, the netherlands and the united Kingdom.

Student loan scheme This scheme would mean that students would have to pay over €20,000 back to the state once they reach a particular income after graduation. There was an objection to the idea that students would have to pay for education and that students should be supported through their education as opposed to being plunged into student loan debt, as well as the fact that fees are constantly increasing, when Ireland already has the second highest education fees In Europe.

This proposal, if passed, would create a two tiered education system, completely separating those who can and can’t afford to pay for

education, making the entire scheme grossly unfair to lower income students. It’s unacceptable that students would be expected to pay for a public service for up to 30 years after they’ve completed their third level education. With student debt increasing, and the estimated cost of living in Dublin being an estimated €10,000 per year there needs to be an increase in state funding, a decent grant for those students who need it and investment in affordable homes.

A­failed­scheme­ We only need to look at other countries with similar income- contingent loan schemes to see the unfairness of it. In Australia, some students will not earn enough in their entire life time to pay back their student loan debt.If we look to the United States, student debt is also extremely serious. There is nearly $1.3 trillion in student loan debt at the moment, with 44 million borrowers. The average class in 2016 graduate will have $37,172 in student loan debt, which is up 6% from last year.

While student debt is increasing in many countries around the world, so is the radicalisation of students. In South Africa last year,

Students come out to resist increased commodification of education

students protested and got active when the government announced that they weren’t going to give free education to all. This led to the police clamping down heavily on student protesters with the shocking use of stun grenades, rubber bullets and tear gas.

A­right­not­a­privilege­ Nonetheless, the protests hit more than half of South Africa’s universities. This was linked with the general anger in society that even after apartheid South Africa remains extremely unequal, with 10% of the population owning at least 90

to 95% of all assets.

Education should be an option for all, and shouldn’t mean being plunged into debt for a lot of one’s adult life. We need an end to student loan debt and to make education free and accessible to students of all incomes.

PaPer of the SocialiSt Party

iSSue 104

november / december 2016

Citizens’ Assembly Talking Shop Denying Our Rights Has to Stop!

Repeal 8th Now!

Emilia Krysztofiak Rua Photography 2016

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