Grassroots Gathering in Galway

by Jolly Green Giant Wed Oct 29, 2003 11:20

Anyone on for some direct action against the Galway Green Party? We could highlight their support for Bin Tax, although that might gain them even more votes from their middle class support base. A practical workshop session could make effigies of Niall O'Brollachain in bed with PD TD Noel Grealish.

by Sylvia Pankhurst - Eco Soc Wed Oct 29, 2003 13:05

I have seen this on other threads (also pertaining to grassroots gathering), be aware that people are trolling to promote bad feeling amongst different groups. As on the organisers of the next Grassroots Gathering I have to say (in a personal capacity) on the subject of the Green party - I love the sinners!!!!! Indeed I would expect members of the Green party to be helping out on the day and I know some have been invited to speak, likewise with the Irish Anti-War Movement (see other thread)

by Jolly Green Giant Wed Oct 29, 2003 13:58

Brollachain openly supports the Bin Tax, he has aggressively defended the GP position on Indymedia. It is appropriate to raise this issue. Who appointed you as GG censor? The Green Party on this issue is anti working class and deserve to be criticised.

Are you afraid that your cosy relationship with the Galway GP will be upset? Be a real Anarchist and confront them on the Bin Tax.

by lish Wed Oct 29, 2003 16:32

get all sides along to the gathering & have it out there, find a workable alternative. environmentalists are needed alongside the bin campaigners to fight privatisation & waste & get recycling facilities.

the last gg gathering rocked. expecting the same from this. come on down.

by Sylvia Pankhurst - Eco Soc Thu Oct 30, 2003 13:34

Latest update on Grassroots Gathering:
Latest update on Grassroots Gathering:

New confirmed workshops:

Self organisation of refugee communities,
Women organising against war and occupation,
Give up Activism? A discussion.
International Solidarity (1): Iraq and Palestine.
International Solidarity (2): Latin America (we hope to have a Columbian
Union activist speak at this).

Plenary meetings on Shannon and the EU Summit.

A historical walking tour of Galway taking in food riots, the resistance history of
the fisher folk of the Claddagh and lots of other stuff I had no idea about.

Venue: The central hub is ‘The Hub’ in the Sports Centre of NUI Galway –
with workshops going on elsewhere on campus.

Venue: For Friday night social – Richardsons on Eyre Square – just up from
the bus station and very convenient.

We are planning on a Friday and Saturday night socials with a variety of music!

Creche – one is available for Saturday (if you need it please send details,
age and such like, to room101ucg@yahoo.co.uk asap) – we hope to
have a self organised kids space on Sunday.

Food: Meat-free food will be supplied on Saturday and Sunday.

Volunteers: We need your help and participation and co-operation to
Make everything work smoothly. Thank You.

More details here:

http://www.indymedia.ie/newswire.php?story_id=61864&PHPSESSID=b3750cc0ae7f32260939a5cee3b64364

by Niall Ó Brolcháin - Galway Greens Thu Oct 30, 2003 15:47 niallob at esatclear dot ie

The Galway Greens would be delighted to offer our support to this event. A number of our members have been involved in the past.

As for our friend Jolly Green Giant (presumably from Dublin) and his silly suggestion that to be an environmentalist one must also be an Anarchist.

I'd suggest you support this event too rather than simply using it as another opportunity to spread misinformation.

Thankfully in Galway all groups on the broad left are prepared to work with each other. That is why we have the best recycling scheme in the country (even though there is huge room for improvement) and that is why we are achieving a lot more in real terms than our colleagues in other parts of the country.

by Andrew Thu Oct 30, 2003 15:59

Niall before the Green Party offer the Gathering support you might want to consider that the aim of the Gahtering is to make your party redundant. The statement which defines the Gathering is on the web site , Ieporduce it below as well

The Grassroots Gathering aims towards a network which would:

- Be based on the principle that people should control their own lives and work together as equals, as part of how we work as well as what we are working towards.

- Within the network this means rejecting top-down and state-centred forms of organisation (hierarchical, authoritarian, expert-based, Leninist etc.) We need a network that's open, decentralised, and really democratic.

- Call for solutions that involve ordinary people controlling their own lives and having the resources to do so: the abolition, not reform, of global bodies like the World Bank and WTO, and a challenge to underlying structures of power and inequality.

- Organise for the control of the workplace by those who work there.

- Call for the control of communities by the people who live there.

- Argue for a sustainable environmental, economic and social system, agreed by the people of the planet.

- Working together in ways which are accessible to ordinary people, particularly women and working-class people, rather than reproducing feelings of disempowerment and alienation within our own network.

by Terry Thu Oct 30, 2003 16:02

Niall,
Glad to see the GP is providing support...

Anyway I have a few quick questions, even though they are a bit off-thread, but do they recycle plastic bottles in Galway?

And two, who were the main groups behind the push to push for greater recycling. I stand to be corrected, but I heard the Galway Safe Waste Alliance or one of those groups played quite a big role.

And I heard compost bins are provided too -is this true?

by Niall Ó Brolcháin - Greens Thu Oct 30, 2003 17:14

To Andrew
I agree with the aims of the Grass Roots Gathering and I sincerely hope that the Green Party does become redundant. I would especially like to see the back of the world bank.
However, that is not the world we live in at present and I chose to fight where I can. Sometimes I end up getting stuck between a rock and a hard place but I always try to stick up for what I believe in.

To Terry
We have three bins in Galway. A brown bin for compost, a green bin for dry recyclables including plastic bottles, cans, newspapers etc. and a grey bin for whatever is left.
We also have bring banks for glass, clothes etc. It is possible to recycle bulky items and white goods such as fridges but there is currently no collection system for these. We are working on that.
The main groups behind the push for recycling are, Galway for a Safe Environment (GSE also anti-incineration), Galway Safe Waste Alliance (includes GSE and anti superdump groups) and Galway Environmental Alliance (an alliance of all environmental groups in Galway).
It may surprise you to know that all major political parties have been involved in the committees of these groups.
We have achieved as high as 77% collection and the rate of actual recycling is currently averaging out at over 50%. More than half of this is compost.

by Jolly Green Giant Fri Oct 31, 2003 11:36

"As for our friend Jolly Green Giant (presumably from Dublin) and his silly suggestion that to be an environmentalist one must also be an Anarchist."

The Green Gauletier of Galway, NOB, is misquoting me. I said that SYLVIA should be a true Anarchist by standing up to those Galway Green Party members who support the Bin Tax. GG is of course non exclusive, but those who support the State against ordinary people are unlikely to get a warm welcome.

by .. Fri Oct 31, 2003 13:41

I would like to take part in galway and i would like to know how do i register? Is there a registration fee (i imagine there are costs to cover) and will there be anywhere available to stay for people who are from outside galway?

by Sylvia Pankhurst - Eco Soc Fri Oct 31, 2003 14:24

"Is there a registration fee (i imagine there are costs to cover)"

No but you can donate!!

"and will there be anywhere available to stay for people who are from outside galway?"

Yes - but places are limited, (thus far). More people are needed in Galway to volunteer floor space.

I find calling people gaulitiers not to be useful way of convincing them of the error of their ways.

by Jolly Green Giant Fri Oct 31, 2003 16:02

Attack the Nobber not me, hes the one who is the enemy of working class people. His arrogance in both lieing about the Green Partys support for a Flat Bin Tax and simultaneously defending a Flat Pay By Weight (Regardless Of Income)Tax has earned him the name Gauletier.

Sylvia, you should recognise who your friends are and your enemies. The Green Party could be in Government after the next election, it might well be a Green Party Minister for Justice who will be setting the Special Branch dogs on us.

by Niall Ó Brolcháin - Greens Thu Nov 06, 2003 11:12

Dear Mr. Green Giant,
You have never met me as far as I know, you clearly have no idea where I stand on various issues and as for a comparison between myself and Gauletier I really think that is going a bit too far.
I am very tired of being pilloried on indymedia by people who clearly have no respect whatsoever for environmental issues and who hide behind the cloak of anonymity.
Perhaps you'd care to come to the grassroots gathering this weekend and debate with me properly face to face or perhaphs you'd prefer to hide behind some silly pseudonym.
Regards,
Niall.