Low and middle income workers who are members of trade union would have been horrified as the salaries of many senior trade union leaders were publicised in the past week. Workers struggling to make ends meet on anything from a yearly income of €20,000 up to the €38,000 or so before tax, that is the [...]
New programme for government – More Green betrayal
On October - 20 - 2009
When it comes to cynical posturing in Irish political life, there are no more shameless practitioners than the leaders of the Green Party. Once the Lisbon Treaty results were in and digested, the Greens took to the public stage with gusto to trumpet the renegotiation of their Programme for Government with Fianna Fail. Indeed, it [...]
Water Charges Will Spark A Water War
On October - 19 - 2009
PAYE workers and hard pressed families will be outraged to see that the Green Party and Fianna Fail have agreed to reintroduce water charges. The revised Programme for Government is clearly a continuation of Government policy of landing the price of the crash in the capitalist economy squarely on the shoulders of working people. Minister [...]
Joe Higgins: After Lisbon Yes result – what does it mean?
On October - 12 - 2009
The Irish people were showered with promises of economic recovery, investment and jobs if they voted ‘Yes’ to the Lisbon Treaty. These lavish promises will come back to haunt the current Government in particular. However, it wasn’t just the government – whose survival depended on the outcome of the vote – that was involved. Fine [...]
Speech in Euro Parliament on Lisbon Result & Aer Lingus Job Cuts
On October - 8 - 2009
Yesterday Joe Higgins spoke in the European Parliament, reacting to the Lisbon result and raising the disgusting decision by Aer Lingus to sack 700 employees. Here is the video and transcript of his speech. Chairman, I opposed the Lisbon referendum from a left and socialist perspective and reject the intervention of xenophobes and right wing [...]
Aer Lingus: After Lisbon, the Job Massacre Continues
On October - 8 - 2009
Merely days after the Lisbon referendum was passed, Aer Lingus have announced plans to cut almost 700 jobs and implement wage cuts of up to 30%. Here Joe Higgins & Socialist Party councillor and Aer Lingus Shop Steward Clare Daly respond. Last week CEO Christoph Mueller cynically circulated an e-mail to all staff promoting the [...]
Lisbon vote not endorsement for hated government
On October - 6 - 2009
A significant 2/1 majority, on a higher turnout, passed the Lisbon Treaty overturning the decision of June 2008. It is clear that the economic crisis served to shift opinion across the board to a yes vote because people felt that passing the Treaty might boost Ireland’s prospects for economic recovery. Last year Lisbon was rejected [...]
