Thursday January 01 1970
Time for a real left alternative-Public Conference
dublin |
miscellaneous |
event notice 
Tuesday November 07, 2006 16:58
by rory - PBPA
Time for a real left alternative
Public Conference
Speakers Include:
Vincent McGrath (Shell to Sea/Rossport 5)
Catherine Connolly (Galway City Cllr),
Joan Collins (Indp Socialist Cllr and Campaign for Indp Left, candidate for Dublin South Central),
Eamonn McCann (Raytheon 9, Journalist)
Catherine Murphy (Indp. TD)
Richard Boyd Barrett (People Before Profit), Prof Kathleen Lynch (UCD), Carmel McKenna, Dr. Abdullah Sayed, Ailbhe Smyth, Kieran Allen, Rory Hearne
When: Fri 24th & Sat 25th Nov.
Where: Central Hotel, Exchequer St, Dublin 2
Conference Registration: Waged €5 Unwaged €2
This conference is bringing together individuals, groups, political organisations, campaigns, and unions who want to create an Ireland and a world based on what people need rather than the needs of corporations. Come along to discuss and listen to issues such as war, globalisation, privatisation of public services and the creation of alternatives. We believe a radical alternative to the establishment political parties is necessary; one that represents working people and all those currently alienated by the consensus politics that prioritises the needs of corporations, developers, and the wealthy elite over the needs of workers, local communities and ordinary people.
Timetable
Friday Nov. 24th:
6pm Education & Privatisation for Profit - the dangers for public education
Prof. Kathleen Lynch (UCD), Niall Smyth (Campaign for Commercial Free Education), Dr. David Carey, Froebel College, Blackrock, Coordinator of Special Education and Programme Development at the Froebel College of Education
7.30pm War, globalisation and Ireland
Dr Abdullah Sayed (Irish-Lebanese Community), Richard Boyd Barrett (Chair, Irish Anti War Movement & PBPA Candidate Dun Laoghaire), Ailbhe Smyth (UCD), Eamon McCann (Journalist & Raytheon 9)
Saturday November 25th:
10.30am Privatisation & neoliberalism: the future for our public services?
Catherine Murphy (Indp TD), Catherine Connolly (Cllr. Galway), Kieran Allen (UCD)
12pm People power and strategies of resistance
Vincent Mcgrath (Rossport 5), Frances Corr (Combined Residents Against Incineration), Rory Hearne (People Before Profit Alliance)
2.30pm People before profit: time for a new left alternative
Joan Collins (Indp Cllr), Carmel Mckenna (People Before Profit Alliance Candidate Wicklow), Richard Boyd Barrett, Catherine Connolly
Org. by People Before Profit Alliance/Davitt League Contact 086 1523542/086 0566290
www.people-before-profit.org
Comments (9 of 9)
Jump To Comment: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9Niall Smyth is representing the Campaign for Commercial Free Education . I find the title confusing , could somebody please explain what the campaign is about. Is it a campaign for education free of commercialism or one for commercially sponsored free education ? Or something else entirely ?
I think the piece below explains what Niall is about:
The Campaign for Commercial Free Education has called on schools and parents to boycott the Super Valu ‘Kids in Action’ scheme whereby schoolchildren collect vouchers for each €10 spent at Super Valu in order to resource their school.
Launching its new website www.commercialfreeeducation.com , in Dublin on Wednesday night, Campaign chairperson Joseph Fogarty condemned this scheme as “the latest example of exploitative marketing in our children’s classrooms”. He said “the quality of physical education offered to Irish schoolchildren should not depend on where their parent’s shop”.
With childhood obesity levels rising and government’s PE grant suspended since 2002, Campaign Vice-Chairperson Niall Smyth said that “schools are left touting for Tesco tokens in Autumn, Super Valu tokens in Spring and pressuring parents to direct their purchases.”
A Gaelic football with a retail price of €18 requires schoolchildren to generate €3,950 worth of sales at Super Valu. “What we are seeing here are Kids in Advertising as opposed to Kids in Action,” remarked Mr. Smyth.
The site is the first dedicated resource, for Irish parents, teachers and students concerned about advertising and marketing in education. Speaking at the meeting Kieran Allen, Head of the Department of Sociology at UCD said: “Today, we face a growing threat from corporations who want to turn every aspect of our lives into a marketplace. Children should not be turned into captive customers.”
maybe a hyphen would suffice?????????
There will also be a speaker from Labour Youth at the Conference
Speakers from many parties and groups are on the programme which is good. However I note that there is no one representing the Socialist Workers Party. Why is this proud campaigning party being overlooked? Surely someone from the Trotskyist tradition should be allowed to speak?
I suggest that followers of the Trotskyist left should shun this conference unless a prominent member of the SWP is put on the programme.
Saw posters today for this conference and they also do not mention the Socialist Workers Party. I think this censorship should be brought to the attention of a wider audience!
Are not Kieran Allen and Richard Boyd Barrett, both in the SWP?
also in SWP.
Looks like it could be a great conference. Looking forward to seeing Mc Cann actually. And Catherine Connolly in Galway too should be interesting. She has just made an announcement re the elections- see http://www.indymedia.ie/article/79755.
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