A bird's eye view of the vineyard
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
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).?
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
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
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 >>
Interested in maladministration. Estd. 2005
RTEs Sarah McInerney ? Fianna Fail?supporter? Anthony
Joe Duffy is dishonest and untrustworthy Anthony
Robert Watt complaint: Time for decision by SIPO Anthony
RTE in breach of its own editorial principles Anthony
Waiting for SIPO Anthony Public Inquiry >>
Promoting Human Rights in IrelandHuman Rights in Ireland >>
Transgender Players Banned from Women?s Football in England Thu May 01, 2025 11:00 | Will Jones Transgender women are to be banned from playing women?s football in England following the Supreme Court ruling that trans women are legally men, as the FA follows its Scottish counterpart in bringing in a ban.
The post Transgender Players Banned from Women’s Football in England appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
Trump is Not to Blame for Carney?s Win Thu May 01, 2025 09:00 | Dr James Allan The media are wrong to pin the blame for the Canadian Conservatives' loss on Trump, says Prof James Allan. In truth, the Tories' vote was sky high ? but the Left-wing vote coalesced around Carney.
The post Trump is Not to Blame for Carney’s Win appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
Ed Miliband?s Ongoing Fight with Reality (and Now Tony Blair) Thu May 01, 2025 07:00 | Ben Pile Has Tony Blair really turned on Net Zero? A close reading reveals the master of spin speaking out of both sides of his mouth, green fanaticism undimmed. Tony Blair will never be the solution to Ed Miliband, says Ben Pile.
The post Ed Miliband’s Ongoing Fight with Reality (and Now Tony Blair) appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
News Round-Up Thu May 01, 2025 01:37 | Richard Eldred 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.
The Faux-Radicalism of Kneecap Wed Apr 30, 2025 19:00 | Andrew Doyle Kneecap's vocal support for Hamas and call for fans to murder Tory MPs is obviously reprehensible. But it's just for show, says Andrew Doyle. The police shouldn't waste their time investigating rappers.
The post The Faux-Radicalism of Kneecap appeared first on The Daily Sceptic. Lockdown Skeptics >>
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Dublin protest to force the government to back down and scrap water charges sees 1000s on streets
The Irish government's attempt to introduce domestic water charges in Ireland is not going well. In fact, for them it's been a disaster because it's sparked off a huge upsurge in working class self organisation and direct action. Last Saturday 17th Sept, saw thousands of anti-water charges campaigners flooding the streets of Dublin o to again voice their opposition to Irish Water & water charges and as a show of strength for the movement.
 It has been fully understood since the very beginning of this campaign that Irish Water was simply a vehicle to be used for the privatisation of water services and infrastructure in Ireland. The right wing, neo-liberal political establishment wished to gift the most vital of all resources to capitalist interests who would squeeze as much profit out of commodified water as possible, while cutting off the water supply to anyone who couldn't pay their extortionate charges. However, due to a huge effort on the part of working class organisers, the water charges appear on course to be abolished. The significance of this campaign in laying down a milestone for working class self organisation will be felt for years.
WSM had initated an anachist meet up for the march at 70 Sir John Rogerson Quay where Apple (evading €13Bn tax) is registered in a filing cabinet along with about 700 other companies. As it set off we reported
"We are matching toward Capel St. bridge, where we'll meet contingents from Stephen's Green, Heuston Station, & Connolly Station. Massive, consistent direct action & mobilisation has left Irish Water clinging on by the tips of its fingers, suspended, waiting to fall. But 'suspension' of water charges is just a dirty trick designed to make us go home and forget, stop organising, only to find our water privatised and double charged in the near future. But we're not falling for this sleight of hand, and are pushing to deliver the finishing blow to the Irish Water heist. We haven't gone home and are still working to defend our very basic right to clean publicly funded water."
From the stage at the end point of the rally at St. Stephen's green, assembled campaigners heard from a number of speakers and it was notable that most were not the usual faces from political parties that normally bore people quite quickly by telling them what they already know. Instead, the end of the march proved to be quite interesting with input from mental health and tax justice campaigners, along with some great music.
A man described the difficulty he and his family face as hidden homeless, having to move back in with his mother, with his wife and 3 kids (she having to bear the brunt of the situation while he's at work), but noting that 'this is a movement of hope'.
A letter was read out on behalf of one of the young people who are in court today relating to charges of 'false imprisonment' relating to the Jobstown protest earlier in the campaign, the speaker encouraged attendance at the court today to show solidarity and support.
From the large screen beside the platform a video was played giving a brief account of the Standing Rock pipeline protests that are ongoing in North Dakota in the US.
Apple's thirteen billion euro tax evasion was of course to the forefront of the discussion, as was the fact that Ireland has paid 42% of the cost of the banking crisis even through we are less than 1% of the EU population.
Vicki Donnelly, a speaker touching on these topics, ended her speech by echoing the North Dakota indigenous anti-pipeline campaigners in saying that "We are not water protesters, we are water defenders".
There are now active and highly experienced local anti-water charge campaign groups all over the country who have built a 73% boycott of the water charges and are on course to defeat the government on this issue.
While most of these groups row in behind the national Right2Water campaign (which is composed of left wing political parties and trade unions) when they announce a national demonstration, the week-to-week organisation of the campaign is handled autonomously at a local level.
The Right2Water umbrella group does not direct local organising, though it can support it by providing large scale leaflet production for national demonstrations. The most recent Right2Water organised demonstration in Dublin gave an indication of the vitality and confidence of the national campaign as it presses forward, determined to force the government to back down and scrap water charges.
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