Léargas

Immigrants are not the enemy.  Divide and conquer is an age old tactic. It is often utilised by conservative elements to advance their regressive agendas. This is true of the Irish as it is of any other nation. In fact historically some Irish people have acted against the interests of Ireland and supported imperialistic and other colonial or domestic adventurers.  Nonetheless the vast majority of Irish people are fair minded, decent and progressive.  At this time conservative and right wing elements are exploiting the issue of asylum seekers and immigrants or race to advance their own agenda. They deliberately heighten the mistaken belief by some that ‘outsiders’ are responsible for too few jobs, low wages, or a lack of housing, All of the ills of society are blamed on these ‘others’ who are of a different ethnicity or race or religion, colour or language or customs. Northern society suffers to this day from divisions supposedly based on religious belief. Nowadays ho...

  Solidarity to Student Protesters In the late 1960s the major national and international issues of the day that helped shape my politics were the anti-Vietnam War movement, the anti-apartheid struggle against the racist South African government and the civil rights movement in the North.  In all three the activism of students was central to raising public awareness and opposition to injustice. Today students are again at the heart of an ant-war movement. In the USA students at over 100 university campuses have taken a stand against the genocidal war of the Israeli government against the Palestinian people. In scenes reminiscent of anti-war demonstrations almost 60 years ago the images of riot-clad and armed police brutally arresting over 2,000 students, college professors and academics on US campuses has shocked many. Film footage and photographs from 4 May 1970 of the shooting dead of four students at Ohio Kent State University have been replayed again and again on socia...

  A successful conference in support of Moore St. Last week The Moore Street Preservation Trust and Uachtarán Shinn Féin Mary Lou McDonald organised a conference to support the development of a Historical 1916 Cultural Quarter in Dublin City centre with Moore Street at its heart. The conference was uniquely held in the GPO in Dublin on 24 April, the date on which the Rising commenced in 1916. It was from that location at the end of Easter Week that several hundred Volunteers, led by five of the leaders, evacuated the burning GPO to Moore St. This area is at the heart of our fight for freedom. 16 Moore Street was the last HQ of the 1916 government of the Irish Republic. It was in the buildings, streets and laneways surrounding Moore Street that the Irish Republic was born and where it was defended for six days by heroic patriots who believed in a better future. The packed meeting of business and retail people, local traders and Save Moore St activists, as well as R...

  It time to recognise the State of Palestine  In 2014 Sinn Féin brought forward a Dáil motion calling on the government to “officially recognise the State of Palestine, on the basis of the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as the capital …” I was part of this initiative. It got support from other TDs from other parties and none. It was not opposed by the Government at that time.  Following a two day debate the motion  was  passed. This meant that ten years ago both Houses of the Oireachtas supported the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination - to a Palestinian state. This was a positive development.  The Government should have acted on this imperative. It refused to do so. I raised this refusal regularly with successive Taoisigh.  Every Taoiseach since then refused to deliver on the will and direction of  the Oireachtas. They would not   act on this i mperative .  Instead they argued that rec...

  Expanding the debate on Unity A recent report -  " Northern Ireland Subvention: Possible Unification Effects"  - published by the Institute of International and European Affairs (IIEA)  caught the headlines. It contained the startling claim that Irish Unity could cost the South up to €20 billion annually. It was grist to the mill of those who oppose unity. Before the day was out contrary and critical opinions of the report began to emerge with other senior economists criticising it for its failure to acknowledge that a united Ireland will not have responsibility for much of the subvention and that the amounts involved are significantly smaller.  Whatever one’s view of the merits of the IIEA report it succeeded in creating a debate around the shape of a future economy for the island of Ireland and that is a good thing. It highlighted the absence of any planning by the Irish government and reinforced the call for a Citizens’ Assembly to discuss future cons...