Europe

Spies and Spooks: The same old story

11th November 2015 Socialist Action 0

British Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Teresa Villiers used a recent report to lay a series of unsubstantiated allegations against Sinn Féin. The purpose of the report was to act as a smokescreen providing cover for a Unionist walk-out from the Assembly. But the report itself was actually written by MI5, one of the many arms of the British state that were parties to the military conflict. In one case alone MI5 is itself under official investigation for its involvement in up to 40 murders.

In the article below Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams places the latest report and the most recent allegations in the context of Britain’s long and bloody interference in Ireland. It is republished from Léargas.

Poland lurches to the right

31st October 2015 Socialist Action 0

The following article by Gavin Rae, on the elections to Poland’s parliament, was originally published by transform!

The recent parliamentary elections in Poland were historic, although unfortunately for all the wrong reasons. For the first time since 1989 a political party in Poland has won an overall majority in parliament, with the conservative nationalist Law and Justice Party (Prawo i Sprawiedliwość – PiS) winning over 37 per cent of the vote. Also for the first time in history, the left will have no representatives in parliament, meaning that Poland is presently the only country inside the European Union where there are no left MPs.

British Government’s partisan approach to the Stormont talks

9th October 2015 Socialist Action 0

The following article, by Declan Kearney Sinn Féin’s National Chairperson, originally was published by An Phoblacht. It explains the negative intervention Britain’s Conservative government are making into the current Stormont talks, including seeking to renege on Britain’s obligation to disclose its role in the conflict as part of the agreed process of dealing with the past. Sinn Féin’s efforts to defend the Good Friday Agreement and block the imposition of austerity should be supported.

1981 Hunger Strike – inflicted a historic defeat on the Thatcher government

26th August 2015 Socialist Action 0

The following speech, by Sinn Féin’s Gerry Adams, was made to the 2015 National Hunger Strike march and rally in Dundalk.

The election in 1981 of Irish republicans on hunger strike, to the British parliament and Irish Dáil, proved to the world, beyond doubt, that the political prisoners had immense popular support.

Prime Minister Thatcher’s criminalisation policy, supported by the Irish government, was discredited by election victories that transformed the struggle for a united Ireland.

 

A defeat for anti-austerity. This is a coup

15th July 2015 Socialist Action 0


The Troika of the ECB/EU/IMF have imposed a harsh defeat on Syriza and all the anti-austerity forces in Europe. At every stage the concessions agreed by the Syriza leadership were not enough. The Troika, led by Germany, sought a political solution to the economic crisis; the complete rout of the anti-austerity forces and the humiliation of their first government.