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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 Forget Labour?s Industrial Strategy Waffle. This is What Young People Need Right Now Wed Jun 25, 2025 17:44 | Joanna Gray
Forget Keir Starmer's Modern Industrial Strategy waffle, says Joanna Gray. As someone who works with young people, this is what they need right now ? and it's not AI, 'green jobs' and even more imported workers.
The post Forget Labour’s Industrial Strategy Waffle. This is What Young People Need Right Now appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link Miliband Failing to Cut Household Energy Bills, Says Climate Change Committee Wed Jun 25, 2025 15:24 | Will Jones
Ed Miliband?has failed to make progress on cutting household energy bills, the Climate Change Committee has warned, as it also called on ministers to curb the public's use of air travel?and ban new homes from using gas.
The post Miliband Failing to Cut Household Energy Bills, Says Climate Change Committee appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link An Australian Sceptical Note on COVID-19 Vaccine Effectiveness Wed Jun 25, 2025 13:33 | Ramesh Thakur
As Australia finally withdraws Covid vaccines for children, Ramesh Thakur says the fact that 99% of one country's Covid deaths occurred after 75% were vaccinated should have made it obvious the benefits were illusory.
The post An Australian Sceptical Note on COVID-19 Vaccine Effectiveness appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link Why Are Footballers Being Forced to Promote Pride? Wed Jun 25, 2025 11:09 | Will Jones
Free expression is under attack in football as an increasing number of players are punished for refusing to wear the rainbow symbol. Why are footballers being forced to promote Pride, asks Freddie Attenborough in Spiked.
The post Why Are Footballers Being Forced to Promote Pride? appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link Trees Get Bigger Around the World Thanks to Higher CO2 Levels Wed Jun 25, 2025 09:00 | Chris Morrison
Trees are getting bigger around the world thanks to higher CO2 levels, scientists have found. Little wonder, says Chris Morrison: they evolved to thrive in CO2 levels three times higher than they are today.
The post Trees Get Bigger Around the World Thanks to Higher CO2 Levels appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

Lockdown Skeptics >>

Bord Snip targets workers and pensioners

category national | consumer issues | opinion/analysis author Sunday September 06, 2009 14:28author by Vincent O'Malley - WSM - WS111author email wsm_ireland at yahoo dot com Report this post to the editors

The McCarthy or “Bord Snip Nua” report on public spending outlined a range of proposed cuts in government expenditure. Of the €5.3b in possible savings, it can be safely said that at least €4b of this (and probably more) targets the working class. Indeed, a full third of the cuts are aimed at pensioners and unemployed. In the private sector, attacks on our class continue in the form of pay cuts, short time and lay-offs.
bordsnip.jpg

Different strategies have been proposed to tackle this onslaught on working people and the unemployed. Jack O’Connor, president of SIPTU, has suggested that social provisions be built into the National Assets Management Agency (NAMA) legislation so that property acquired by the state from the banks can be put to socially beneficial use. The Irish Congress of Trade Unions has proposed a ‘social solidarity pact’ to deal with the problem,

These proposed solutions, while perhaps having some marginal effect, ignore the fundamental problem that capitalism, by it’s very nature, always involves crises. So, we will always face these arguments for combating the worst excesses of the beast, when in fact it needs to be slain.

We need an economy and a society built around anarchist principles of co-operation and mutual aid, whereby working people have direct democratic control of their workplaces and communities. Such a society will provide for all and not be subject to the vagaries of capitalism and the market.

However, this is not to say that, short of this goal, our class cannot make gains. At the time of writing, action by workers at the Element Six plant in Shannon is ongoing in an effort to improve redundancy terms. Dublin port workers, employees of Marine Terminals Limited have been on strike since the beginning of July as their employer has tried to cut pay and break the union. To broaden the struggle there have been marches and blockades of the terminal entrance, with support from other trade unionists and the local communities of East Wall and Ringsend.

These are examples of workers taking the initiative themselves through direct action, rather than passively relying on union leaders and their proposed solutions outlined above. This is the direction that our class must take if we are to successfully combat the attacks on everything we won over the last 15 years.

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