Israel has ceded the mantle of modernity to the Arab Spring May 31, 2011

Pro-democracy protestors -Tahrir Square, Cairo, January 2011

Surely we should look at the idea of a Jewish state in the same way we look at the idea of an Islamic state? And therein lies the true anti-cosmopolitan nature of Israel. The Arab Spring has thrown on a spotlight on the Jewish State’s backwardness. As we know now from historians such as Benny Norris, the plan for an ethnically cleansed religious state was Israel’s aim from the very outset. When global evolution started to make an undisguised policy of transfer troublesome in image terms, we learnt from the likes of Baruch Kimmerling that the more subtle but equally evil policy of ‘politicide’ was adopted.

Although predictably reported from the wrong angle – Palestinian Authority Prepared to Sell Their People Short – the Palestine Papers proved what was demonstrably obvious: the Palestinians were prepared to bend over backwards for a peace deal. Yet still they got nothing. And the world was spun the standard fallacious rehash of the Palestinians “never missing an opportunity to miss an opportunity.”

Then Benjamin Netanyahu gets a flurry of standing ovation in congress whilst rejecting Obama’s call for ‘67 based peace deal – a plan which Israel’s continuing policy of creating fact on the ground has rendered near redundant. Instead we get a paean to old-fashioned greed and territorial aggrandisement which, if uttered by the little bearded man in Tehran, would make many an Iranian blush. Benny, blinded by dreams of lebensraum, can’t even hear the supposed ‘sense’ of the Israeli left as they currently shout that a ‘67 plan is the best modernity will offer for that ultimately appalling concept: a religious state.

Israel – like all religious states – should adopt a mantra of “Keep It Medieval.”

You can lay siege to Gaza but, as has been noticed in Israel itself, you can’t keep the demands of modernity at bay.

“More and more Palestinians are uninterested in a negotiated, two-state solution, because they want to change the essence of the conflict from an Algerian paradigm to a South African one. From a struggle against ‘occupation,’ in their parlance, to a struggle for one-man-one-vote. That is, of course, a much cleaner struggle, a much more popular struggle – and ultimately a much more powerful one. For us, it would mean the end of the Jewish state.” That’s Haaretz interviewing Ehud Olmert 8 years ago.

One man/one vote is an appalling vista for Israel. As it is for the rulers of many of Israel’s neighbours. But the citizens of those neighbouring countries are out on the streets screaming: ‘enough.’

The interview with Olmert – vice prime minister in Ariel Sharon’s then government – continues:

Olmert’s “formula for the parameters of a unilateral solution are: To maximize the number of Jews; to minimize the number of Palestinians; not to withdraw to the 1967 border and not to divide Jerusalem.” Large settlements such as Ariel would “obviously” be carved into Israel.

“Maximum Jews, minimum Palestinians” – this harks back to the language of long ago. And indeed, Olmert hankers unabashedly for those more hopeful times. “Twenty-three years ago,” he says, “Moshe Dayan proposed unilateral autonomy. On the same wavelength, we may have to espouse unilateral separation. We won’t need the Palestinians’ support for that. What we would need is to pull ourselves together, to determine where the line should run.”

We are told the language “harks back to long ago”. But such language should always be the sound of long “long ago.” Because when it comes to a simple choice of “human rights” or “religion” – the answer should be quite simple.

When pursuing one means the complete abnegation of the other, it ceases even to be a question.

Kevin Barrington 31.5.2011

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‘Time to make a stand, Time to roar’, Anois ‘Réabhlóid na hEorpa! European Revolution now May 26, 2011

Well. Andrew’s me name and like many people me age I don’t want much from life, just to get a good job when I graduate in doing something I like. However, it’s madness atm. Look, I know a lot of you like me don’t read the newspapers. We don’t watch RTE’s bullshit or TV3 news etc. save for the sanity of VB/Vincent Browne on occasion but we know things are getting out of hand with college fees too high, and your parents mortgages crippling their lives. The ECB is going to hike interest rates again, which without being intentionally boring, is why we need to leave the euro so we can protect homeowners via low interest rates and a near halving of the debt on their homes through outright devaluation of a punt nua. I know many people tune out and just watch Jedward and get on with their lives as best they can, because hey what else can ye do, right?

But I just want to say that it doesn’t have to be like this. You don’t have to agree with my politics to feel injusticed atm. I mean grants are being cut very heavily, many of you probably can’t afford health insurance or the dentist, can’t get a medical card and have to help family members pay their bills with any spare cash you find. Yes we had an election, but apart from a few dozen helpul or semi-helpful opposition TD’s everything is still the same. Politicians still fly in jets, live on 6 figure wages and expenses at our expense driven round in bloody chariots to boot whilst you and I, future workers hopefully, see increases in suicides, depression, drug usage, domestic violence, health problems, mental health problems, youth drug usage due to poverty etc. Official and unofficial figures have previously stated 5’000 Irish people die every year from inequality and suicides are over double what they were three years ago.

But we can change this. A little country less than 1’000 miles north of us called Iceland protested for 10 months a few years back and got a referendum on the unfair and cruel bank bailout forced on them. Then when the ubers who lied to get elected(sound familiar anyone?) tried to do a Lisbon 2(for you non Irish folk google the ‘Yes for Jobs slogan’ which was akin to ‘yes or Starve’ regarding Official Ireland’s second Lisbon treaty campaign in 2009) on them, they voted no again. Spain has more unemployed people than the whole of Ireland’s population. Ireland has more people out of work than the whole of Iceland’s population. We all face the same problems, and as we speak Spain and Italy and Greece are fighting back via revolution.

Now just to finish I know it’s not always easy to take things seriously as Irish people naturally probably all hate politicians-at least thats my view of the problem. But we don’t need politicians to make our own choices. And the choice we now face is do we let the Gardai and the taxmen kill innocent people (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nM04…ature=youtu.be) and traitors get away with(literally) murder or do we stand up for our rights with our friends from Spain, Greece, Portugal, Italy and Iceland etc.? There is a demonstration next Saturday organized by the European Revolutionary movement in Dublin, with no party banners or party leaflets allowed(though I think things like the non party Anti War movement and Enough campaign may be allowed-email one of the others to confirm) and everyone is welcome. It’s on from 2-5 p.m. at the Spire, the heart of our capital by the GPO and Jim Larkins statue, which could be the next best thing to an Irish Tahrir square/Puerta Del Sol for us as it’s in the middle of the country’s three busiest streets. I am willing to give what money I can spare to ensure a sustained democratic campaign of protest is held until we have our referendum, justice, equality, and our country back. The choice is yours. Please stand with me.

Now since then the protest has had 60 confirmed attendees. See the top of the page for the FB details. Also here’s an interesting video of the Spanish-Irish solidarity demo at the Spire from last saturday:
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TtcyHZKBEGE&NR=1) . Some of the best signs at the event, and I have photos which I am struggling to upload, included ‘Govts and Banks the Real Piiigs’ ‘Spain, Ireland-Piiigs must stick together!’, ‘Muerte al capitalismo!’, “Start the Irish Revolution now!’ whilst the crowd chanted ‘Don’t look at us, join us!’. My own placard, courtesy of 4 star pizza, read ‘Ireland, Iceland, Spain, Greece, Italy, Portugal, France, Germany, Poland, Malta, etc. European socialist revolution now!’. All going well, I’ll have two of them stapled to me hurley for the next day.

Since then the world has found out a few things. Firstly, Iceland did what Ireland should’ve done. http:// www.directdemocracyireland.org/news/international/economics-a-finance/204-iceland-exits-recession.html It is recovering since last Autumn after doing the right thing and letting banks fail, thanks to the people who campaigned 10 months for their first referendum and had their second a month or so ago. Spain is having a revolution(see http://twitter.com/#!/democraciareal and #spanishrevolution and #yeswecamp to start with). Italy has since started as well:
(http://www.facebook.com/italianrevolution?ref=ts&sk=wall) You can show your support for the Spanish Revolution on politicalworld.org which is Ireland’s fastest growing forum by joining and contributing to this thread which many hope will soon contain regular Irish demonstrations for the need for a referendum on the diktat, no more cuts, fair taxation and justice for our people: (http://www.politicalworld.org/showthread.php?t=8159) and their huge arab spring thread is as follows: (http://www.politicalworld.org/showthread.php?t=6297&highlight=arab+revolution)
Marches have also been taking place in Holland, France and England with sit ins in Paris by both the French and Spanish at the Bastille.
Twitter: @SpainatDam , @_globalcamp , @Acampadaparis, @Acamapdalyon, #m25gr just for tasters.

We don’t have to keep beating ourselves up or mocking protesters, which some of us in Ireland take too easily to doing. We can change our country. It’s not the fecking troika’s country, or the vichy govt.‘s country, it’s yours and mine! So, please come to the Spire Saturday at 2 p.m. for an assembly styled protest, which the movement hopes to organize in spirit of the successful Egyptian, Tunisian and Spanish commissions and Street assemblies, weather permitting of course. The revolution does not come from androids or Ipad’s, it comes from FB, blogs, youtube and twitter which are the incredible mass mobilization tools of our time.

I’d like to read you with a lovely poem by Irish poet David Shelton  which I found insightful, inspiring, polemic and not a tad provocative:

Eireann go brea (Lovely Ireland/The lovely Irish/Ireland me love).

Well now we’re truly broke,the party’s done.
All who had great riches, now have none.
Those who dreamed the dream can only weep,
And slosh around in debt a fathom deep.
Our discourse laden down with gloom and strife.
The doom so thick you’d cut it with a knife.
Zombie banks are feeding on our flesh,
Insatiable, each day they start a fresh.
The great and good have many things to hide
The old,the poor,the sick are cast aside.
Corrupted by their greed our leaders lie,
Transfixed we watch our childern’s futures die.
We’ll whinge ourselves to death but never act,
As former friends devise some new attack.
The irish lemmings racing to the cliff,
The cute hoors(common Irish phrase for a populist gombeen) holding
back to bag a spiff.
And experts chart another good way out.
Some say head for north,some say south.
Despondency is giving way to dread,
Our self regard is hanging from a thread.
If talk could cure our ills we’d never ail.
The only thing we’ve learned is how to fail.
Debate won’t cut the mustard any more,
It’s time to take a stand
It’s time to roar,

david shelton

Please see: FB: ‘Protest for a true Democracy Now’, ‘For a true democracy now Dublin!’ ‘True Democracy Now! #SpanishRevolution in Cork’, ‘Spanish Revolution’, ‘Dutch Revolution for real democracy’,  ‘Operation Revolution France’, ‘Real Democracy Now UK!’, ‘UK Revolution 2011, Real Democracy Now’, ‘Italian Revolution, Democrazia  Reala Ora’,  and Andy Purf if you wish to contact your truly-any friend of any nation welcome. Please twitter #the name of the country, then revolution. For Greece, it’s #m25gr

And for information on this and other matters regarding the Dublin Democratic Revolutionary movement, you can email me at apjpisared@gmail.com(although I must stress that I am not to credit for the start of this movement, I am just offering to assist in any way I can-the Spanish people living in Ireland started this movement with protests last Saturday in Dublin, Cork and Galway), fediko@hotmail.com and <leticiaillescas@gmail.com> I am seeking to merge the rapidly growing FB page and smaller Twitter I set up last Saturday with the Dublin Revolutionary movement so I am not going to bother promoting it here again as it will probably be done together for solidarity purposes soon, all going well.

Andrew Purlfield (apjp) 26. 5. 11

The Transition Towns Network Goes to the Daíl May 25, 2011

I first became aware of transition towns almost 5 years ago when concern about climate change and my children’s future led me to investigate what I could do. Somehow I felt recycling just wasn’t enough and reading an article on Transition Towns in the Sunday paper prompted me to make enquiries. I joined FADA Newbridge which was one of a handful of Irish Transition initiatives. While I knew climate change had to be addressed I had never heard of peak oil and in all honesty I didn’t think it bore any relevance to my life – I didn’t drive and had gas fired heating.I soon discovered that oil is much more than transport and heating. It underpins practically everything in our society today. We are completely dependent on it for pretty much everything. If it is not an ingredient in something, plastic and chemicals for example, it is used to produce and supply us with the rest. Economic growth, healthcare, infrastructure and transport all depend on oil. It’s role in our food chain is phenomenal. From the moment the seed is delivered, the land prepared, sown, fertilised, pesticides, harvesting, cleaning, packing and distributed it has consumed up to ten times as much energy as is in the food itself. Life without oil is a whole different world and with the rising cost it has a knock on affect on the price of everything it provides us with – food in particular, which is also affected directly by the changing climate.

Originating in Kinsale, Co Cork, the Transition Network helps communities deal with climate change and peak oil in as positive a way as possible. The key is creating a shared vision of a thriving community without oil. It represents the “transition” to a lower carbon community. There are now Transition Initiatives all over the globe – something we Irish should be very proud of. Each one is unique to the community that creates it but all are part of a network of communities supporting and sharing sustainable ideas and resources.

The biggest hurdle is lack of awareness and understanding. It is widespread but it also exists among our political figures and policy makers. Just as I had dismissed peak oil as irrelevant so too do a lot of people – our level of dependence upon it is completely overlooked. I make a point of calling into TDs and asking them what it means to them. They are usually oblivious to the impacts – which are now playing out as “Morticia” eloquently points out here.
I approached a local TDs last year and he invited us into Leinster House to brief members on it. While it does pass by their desks occasionally it really takes the personal touch to explain how urgent moving to life without fossil fuel is. It is a whole new war of independence.

So, why “transition”?
Not only is the situation we find ourselves in exposing our dependencies and lack of foresight, it highlights our need to make the move from fossil fuel as soon as possible. Expecting that to happen overnight is delusional but visioning a future without it and planning that journey leads us on an energy descent as we slowly wean ourselves off something that has played such a massive role in our lives. This is the transition, a more gentle move away from oil than cutting off supply in one go – one I fear an IMF/ECB default would bring about as talk of the financial situation goes on. To plunge ourselves into a situation that cuts us off from oil overnight would be a lot harder than many people imagine.

We now have a date for Leinster House – Wednesday May 25th.  I have realised that the personal approach is more powerful than any email or telephone call so I am hoping that we can reach all members in person. As well as promoting understanding we will be asking that national government advises local government and policy makers that peak oil and climate change can be dealt with together by supporting communities transition to a lower carbon dependency. Strong, resilient local economies will make for a strong resilient country.

Theresa  24.5.2011

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Invites and info – http://transitiontownsireland.ning.com/profiles/blogs/dail-date-may-25th

Here is a link to the chief economist of the International Energy Agency declaring Crude Oil peaked in 2006 – http://www.abc.net.au/catalyst/oilcrunch/

Here is the Times piece on it – http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/world/2011/0429/1224295673147.html

This is a brief film/documentary – In Transition, explains a lot about the process –  http://vimeo.com/8029815

The Queen’s Visit – As Tacky as its Organisers. May 20, 2011

The Queen’s Visit – As Tacky as its Organisers.

Over the last few years, the Irish nation and its people have hit a great many low points but nothing could prepare us for the depths of desperation into which the visit of Queen Elizabeth would plunge us.

Or maybe not.

Yes, it’s true, Ireland has already been forced to hand over its financial and political sovereignty and even a fleeting glance at the ‘Royal Visit’ would have convinced the world that we were hell bent on surrendering our cultural independence too.

Joe Duffy on RTE Radio 1, spoke about ‘the rest of the empire’ in what was the crowning monarchist pinnacle of his downright creepy, fawning adulation of the German dynasty and he allowed no serious balance in the debate.

Outside, what passes for a police force, already detached from any true political control or restraint flexed its unaccountable muscle with little or no regard to the law, the nation, its symbols and least of all, its citizens.

All the little piggies at the troughs, both past and present, gathered for photo opportunities where they could, pontificating on the new start, belittling any protest and congratulating Ireland for finally having matured.  All down of course, (miraculously) to the gracing of our soil by one disinterested octogenarian with poor dress sense and her racist husband.

Crawling out from their revisionist bunkers, emboldened commentators who stymied truth for decades, spewed effervescently to whoever would listen with wilder and wilder excitement about what it all means and where it will all lead.  Myers spent the entirety of day 1 as some surreal court jester on Radio Ulster where every blue blooded, Anglo-Irish aspect of society was lauded and any hint of Celtic pride derided as subversive, this would only be the beginning of the GAA’s road to decency.

Denis Murray required new underpants on live TV as he predicted a further visit from the happy couple of a few weeks back which would see even bigger crowds…………

……..Hang on a fucking minute, there were no crowds Denis, the whole scene looked like a screen grab from the terraces at Dundella versus Comber Rec in the Steel & Sons Cup.

And there you have the crux of it. It’s all a lie. Nobody wanted this ridiculous and outdated figurehead to visit Ireland outside of the political elite on either side of the Irish Sea, huge sections of the media and a rump of little Engirelanders who will never let go of empire.

You can also add, if you wish, the mild interest of tabloid reading, Manchester United supporting, x-factor watching types who would be as impressed by a visit from the cast of Emmerdale.  But that’s as far as it goes, typically throughout Ireland, whether opposed in principle to the visit or not, the disloyal man, woman and child in the street paid little lasting attention to the charade save the annoyance at disruption and the sickening police overtime bill accrued.

Ireland may be fairly near the bottom on a lot of levels but those that wield political power, corrupt security and poison our airwaves with their selfish bile have passed that point long ago and show no signs of wanting to stop.

But hey, if there’s one good thing about revisionism, it’s that it’s cyclical and before long, people will see these parasites for what they are and Ireland, imperfect as it will always be, might just have the chance of groping its way back to something akin to self-respect.

5intheface 20-05-2011

The IMF – Part 1: Indirect causes of stress from the IMF’s presence. How the Neo liberal tallymen wreck our health May 13, 2011

The IMF’s role in intervening in indebted nations is more than controversial. I am absolutely sure from the research I’ve carried out that its’ intervention directly increases poverty in virtually every stated case of ‘aid’.   And I intend to prove it.    Source 1 (http://www.globalissues.org/article/…use-of-poverty) from Globalissues.org, a major international anti-poverty research organization and think tank states the following(to paraphrase): ‘Many developing nations are in debt and poverty partly due to the policies of institutions like the IMF and the World Bank. The way the IMF goes about its policies directly reduces spending on state services. In effect, the IMF and the World Bank have demanded that poor nations lower the standards of living of their people’ .On Saturday last, May 7th, Morgan Kelly released what was an almost historic article criticizing the Central Bank of Ireland Governor Patrick Honohan, but that was not the main theme of it. Source 2 (http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/…296372123.html) is titled ‘Ireland’s future depends on breaking free from bailout’ from that day’s issue of the Irish Times.   It has since being quoted internationally as proof of our impending default.   In it, he states that (despite claiming the IMF were very lenient compared to the ECB and EU on being pro-partial default/’restructuring’) the Troika are ‘loan sharks’ and that the obligations of pandering to such tally men are so austere that bridging the government debt between tax and spending straight away is a must for us to have any future long term and that even though this would be more immediately austere, it is preferable to the Troika’s permanent neo liberal clutches.  He makes a compelling argument. And thus, deriving from my anti-troika approach, this respected economics lecturer in UCD has laid the basis for my argument.  How could an organization be so evil, so hideous and so impoverishing of third world and now, ‘developed’ societies, that immediate ‘total fiscal adjustment’ or to speak English, to make finding as much of 17.6 bn euros overnight as possible through immediate taxation, capital controls and cuts, be  a preferable alternative ?A recent study carried out by the Irish Pharmacy Union (Source 3: http://www.politicalworld.org/showth…pharmacy+union) certainly supports the well professed notion that the IMF causes health deterioration. For example, one of its’ main findings was that there have been major rises in Irish stress levels this year. The IMF came to town last November. The aforementioned source leads on to a discussion derived from Source 4 who broke the news. The excellent breaking news.ie(Source 4: http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/s…#ixzz1LiQ1uB3c) was first out as it always is with this story. ‘The survey found that more people are telling chemists/pharmacies that they are experiencing stress related symptoms. There has been a 75% increase in sleeplessness and 60% more have experienced stomach problems’ – than this time last year – both of these things are directly related to higher stress problems for Irish people.

These problems are related to other factors.  Source 5(http://www.politicalworld.org/showth…t=Credit+union) shows the findings and public discussion of a recent study by the Irish League of Credit Unions which found the following: ‘One in five people have just €70 disposable income each month after monthly bills are paid, a survey by the Irish League of Credit Unions has found. The ILCU’s ”
What’s Left Tracker” also found that 80% of families are worried they will not cope if an unforeseen expense arose.

Revealing an increasingly pressurised and cash- strapped population, the survey also found more than a third of the people questioned also see no future in Ireland for themselves or their family.

Carried out across Ireland, the ILCU report also found that despite suggestions that saving levels have increased in recent years, almost half of those surveyed did not have enough money to save.

Other statistics from the survey included:

* As many as 735,000 Irish adults have just between 1% and 5% of their income left after paying essential bills.

* For 6%, or 210,000, Irish adults, income doesn’t even cover essential bills.

* A further 7% of those surveyed said they have nothing left to live on after paying essential bills.

* Just one-in-five of the people surveyed said they have enough to enjoy themselves each month.’

What this shows is that at least 935’000 people are financially pressured in this country.  Now when one considers that the maximum limit of having in a credit union account is 23 thousand euro, you can see this is predominantly the class of low paid working people, students, possibly some of the recently unemployed’s redundancy payments, part time workers and pensioners. Financial pressure is directly the main cause of stress for ordinary Irish people.  Stress causes illness and depression.  Since the IMF came in, we’ve had 6 billion euro more taken out of the economy, unemployment is already 14.7%(well above what the IMF forecasted as the maximum for this year).  Austerity increases poverty which increases health problems. There you have it-in Ireland’s case alone poverty has been increased since last November’s first visit by the IMF and health problems subsequently deteoriate.  Unsurprisingly, hospital waiting lists for a bed and numbers on trolleys are also ever rising. Ireland needs to tear loose these vultures.If our govt. wont, we should do it ourselves. Oh, and I too hold a credit union account. Stress…Watch this space.
Next day I will move onto Abstract 2: Direct causes of Death: How the IMF’s support of dictatorships and overthrowing of Marxist Governments with the CIA and the White House led to mass executions.

Andrew Purlfield 14.5.2011

Sources:

Source 1 (http://www.globalissues.org/article/…use-of-poverty)

Source 2 (http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/…296372123.html)

Source 3: (http://www.politicalworld.org/showth…pharmacy+union)

Source 4: (http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/s…#ixzz1LiQ1uB3c)

Source 5: (http://www.politicalworld.org/showth…t=Credit+union)