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The Saker
A bird's eye view of the vineyard

offsite link Alternative Copy of thesaker.is site is available Thu May 25, 2023 14:38 | Ice-Saker-V6bKu3nz
Alternative site: https://thesaker.si/saker-a... Site was created using the downloads provided Regards Herb

offsite link The Saker blog is now frozen Tue Feb 28, 2023 23:55 | The Saker
Dear friends As I have previously announced, we are now “freezing” the blog.? We are also making archives of the blog available for free download in various formats (see below).?

offsite link What do you make of the Russia and China Partnership? Tue Feb 28, 2023 16:26 | The Saker
by Mr. Allen for the Saker blog Over the last few years, we hear leaders from both Russia and China pronouncing that they have formed a relationship where there are

offsite link Moveable Feast Cafe 2023/02/27 ? Open Thread Mon Feb 27, 2023 19:00 | cafe-uploader
2023/02/27 19:00:02Welcome to the ‘Moveable Feast Cafe’. The ‘Moveable Feast’ is an open thread where readers can post wide ranging observations, articles, rants, off topic and have animate discussions of

offsite link The stage is set for Hybrid World War III Mon Feb 27, 2023 15:50 | The Saker
Pepe Escobar for the Saker blog A powerful feeling rhythms your skin and drums up your soul as you?re immersed in a long walk under persistent snow flurries, pinpointed by

The Saker >>

Public Inquiry
Interested in maladministration. Estd. 2005

offsite link RTEs Sarah McInerney ? Fianna Fail?supporter? Anthony

offsite link Joe Duffy is dishonest and untrustworthy Anthony

offsite link Robert Watt complaint: Time for decision by SIPO Anthony

offsite link RTE in breach of its own editorial principles Anthony

offsite link Waiting for SIPO Anthony

Public Inquiry >>

Human Rights in Ireland
Promoting Human Rights in Ireland

Human Rights in Ireland >>

Lockdown Skeptics

The Daily Sceptic

offsite link Declined: Chapter 12: Theo Sat Mar 15, 2025 11:00 | Molly Kingsley
Chapter 12 of Declined is here ? a dystopian satire by Molly Kingsley about the emergence of a social credit system in the UK. This week: amid threats to have their children removed, Poppy goes missing from school.
The post Declined: Chapter 12: Theo appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link There?s a Whole Lotta Political Engineering Goin? On Sat Mar 15, 2025 09:00 | James Alexander
There's something distinctly illiberal about what goes under the name 'Political Science', says Prof James Alexander. Half its practitioners want to control our thoughts and the rest wonder why no one trusts government.
The post There’s a Whole Lotta Political Engineering Goin’ On appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link Visit Rotherham ? Children?s Capital of Culture 2025! Sat Mar 15, 2025 07:00 | Steven Tucker
Rotherham is Children's Capital of Culture 2025! With workshops on diversity and being queer, it's every child's idea of fun, and the ideal tonic for unnamed traumas that definitely had nothing to do with diversity.
The post Visit Rotherham ? Children’s Capital of Culture 2025! appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link News Round-Up Sat Mar 15, 2025 00:33 | Toby Young
A summary of the most interesting stories in the past 24 hours that challenge the prevailing orthodoxy about the ?climate emergency?, public health ?crises? and the supposed moral defects of Western civilisation.
The post News Round-Up appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link Don?t Expect Abolishing NHS England to Change Anything Fri Mar 14, 2025 17:05 | In-house doctor
Keir Starmer dramatically announced the closure of NHS England this week. But don't expect anything to change, says the Daily Sceptic's in-house doctor. It's returning us to the NHS pre-2012, which was no better.
The post Don’t Expect Abolishing NHS England to Change Anything appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

Lockdown Skeptics >>

Debate Needed on Ireland Joining EU's Permanent Structured Cooperation on security and defence (PESCO)

category international | anti-war / imperialism | press release author Tuesday December 05, 2017 22:50author by sw - ShannonWatch Report this post to the editors

Press Release ShannonWatch - 3rd Dec 2017

The Fine Gael / Independents government is to propose to the Dail this coming week that Ireland join the EU's Permanent Structured Cooperation on security and defence (PESCO). This will mean a new EU Defence budget starting at over €1.5 billion a year (up from €590 million). Each participating EU state, including Ireland, will be required to reach an average of 2% of its GDP to ensure that the EU becomes a global military power.

As a result, Ireland will have to increase its military expenditure by 2020. According to the Phoenix Magazine (1/12/17) the Government is seeking a leap in defence spending from the current €946 million in 2018 to around €3 billion plus by 2020. This is likely to result in major cuts in other areas such as the health sector.

Shannonwatch supports calls by PANA and other organisations to have a serious and open debate before this decision is made. Despite the rhetoric coming from supporters of PESCO, increased spending on weapons and military affairs will not improve our security. Indeed it has little to do with fighting terrorism or extremism, and more to do with the emergence of a military-industrial complex within the EU. Its stated aim is to “jointly develop defense capabilities, invest in shared projects and enhance the operational readiness and contribution of their armed forces.” As such it is a significant step towards the formation of an EU army.

As noted by Afri earlier this week, the single greatest action that Ireland can take in order to combat terrorism is to withdraw the facilities of Shannon Airport from the US military for use in wars of aggression, wars which have played a major part in increasing the global terrorist threat in the first place.

If Ireland signs up to PESCO it will further erode our long-standing and valued policy of neutrality. But the government appear intent on pushing this through without giving the Irish people an opportunity to consider the consequences. And they are likely to do so with the support of the Fianna Fail party.

Shannonwatch opposes Ireland's integration into all EU/US/NATO military structures. Joining PESCO is a very major step in that integration.

Related Link: http://www.shannonwatch.org/blog/debate-needed-pesco
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