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offsite link North Korea Increases Aid to Russia, Mos... Tue Nov 19, 2024 12:29 | Marko Marjanovi?

offsite link Trump Assembles a War Cabinet Sat Nov 16, 2024 10:29 | Marko Marjanovi?

offsite link Slavgrinder Ramps Up Into Overdrive Tue Nov 12, 2024 10:29 | Marko Marjanovi?

offsite link ?Existential? Culling to Continue on Com... Mon Nov 11, 2024 10:28 | Marko Marjanovi?

offsite link US to Deploy Military Contractors to Ukr... Sun Nov 10, 2024 02:37 | Field Empty

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Human Rights in Ireland
Promoting Human Rights in Ireland

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Lockdown Skeptics

The Daily Sceptic

offsite link GCSE Pass Rate For English and Maths Lowest in Decade Thu Aug 21, 2025 17:00 | Toby Young
Just 58.3% of all pupils across the UK passed their maths GCSE this year, down from 59.5% last year and the lowest since 2013. But the percentage of students getting the highest grades was higher in free schools than other schools.
The post GCSE Pass Rate For English and Maths Lowest in Decade appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link The Truth About Britain?s Wildfires Thu Aug 21, 2025 15:00 | Paul Homewood
It is simplistic to blame the recent spike in wildfires on climate change, writes Paul Homewood. A more likely cause is the rewilding of uplands, supposedly to cut carbon emissions, and poor management of forested land.
The post The Truth About Britain?s Wildfires appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link Lucy Connolly and Ricky Jones: the System Worked as Intended Thu Aug 21, 2025 13:00 | Nick Rendell
Lucy Connolly's jail sentence versus Ricky Jones's acquittal shows not two-tier justice but two-tier laws ? the system worked as intended, says Nick Rendell.
The post Lucy Connolly and Ricky Jones: the System Worked as Intended appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link Dramatic Slowdown in Melting of Arctic Sea Ice Surprises Scientists (But Not Climate Sceptics) Thu Aug 21, 2025 11:00 | Toby Young
The Guardian, of all papers, has acknowledged that predictions about the disappearance of Arctic sea ice may ? just may ? have been exaggerated. Paging Gore Vidal: Can we have that prize back please?
The post Dramatic Slowdown in Melting of Arctic Sea Ice Surprises Scientists (But Not Climate Sceptics) appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link Starmer Accused of Hypocrisy Over Lucy Connolly Prosecution Thu Aug 21, 2025 09:00 | Toby Young
As Director of Public Prosecutions, Keir Starmer urged restraint when it came to prosecuting people for social media posts. Why, then, was the book thrown at Lucy Connolly?
The post Starmer Accused of Hypocrisy Over Lucy Connolly Prosecution appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

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Voltaire Network
Voltaire, international edition

offsite link Will intergovernmental institutions withstand the end of the "American Empire"?,... Sat Apr 05, 2025 07:15 | en

offsite link Voltaire, International Newsletter N?127 Sat Apr 05, 2025 06:38 | en

offsite link Disintegration of Western democracy begins in France Sat Apr 05, 2025 06:00 | en

offsite link Voltaire, International Newsletter N?126 Fri Mar 28, 2025 11:39 | en

offsite link The International Conference on Combating Anti-Semitism by Amichai Chikli and Na... Fri Mar 28, 2025 11:31 | en

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Don't Pay The Water Tax

category national | anti-capitalism | opinion/analysis author Tuesday October 13, 2009 16:44author by Gavin Gleeson - WSM (personal capacity) Report this post to the editors

The Greens and Fianna Fáil have "negotiated" a deal whereby a €225 flat tax will be levied on every household, regardless of income. The levy is expected to generate nearly €300 million a year in revenue.

For families which are just barely scraping by, a levy of €225 a year is a serious attack. Coupled with a proposed 20% reduction in the per-child allowance, decreases in rent allowance, and increasing unemployment, many families will be making decisions about what how much food they can put on the table and how they will clothe their children.

The Celtic Tiger was enormously beneficial to those at the top. Huge increases in income were gained for the top 10%, while the vast majority of us saw either modest increases in income, stagnation and even a decrease in real living standards for some.

Now that the boom has stopped and the rich see their value decreasing due to the capitalist crisis, they want us to step up to the plate and agree to lower our income so they can avoid sinking. In 2007 the 10 highest earners made €7 billion in a single year. A 4% levy on that years income for just those 10 people would be enough to avoid charging the rest of us. The rich were happy enough reaping the benefits of capitalism. If they think capitalism works so well that it needs to be kept, they can pay for it themselves. We wont pay their regressive tax, and we wont support their system of exploitation.

And in fact, we don't have to pay for it. If nobody pays, the tax will be impossible to collect. When the Government in the South attempted to institute water charges in 1994, we didn't pay. By the Summer of 1997, the water tax had been defeated. We won then, and we can win again. Don't pay the water tax!

Related Link: http://struggle.ws/wsm/water.html
author by paul o toolepublication date Wed Oct 21, 2009 14:18author email pauljotoole at eircom dot netauthor address author phone Report this post to the editors

The water charges are a disgrace. Theyr not here yet but their introducing them by telling us that they are not introducing them this time.....but at a later date. Preparing the way for the charges to be implimented. The national media propaganda network RTE have run several interviews and radio shows on the subject, Kenny, Duffy, ant Ryan....further prepairing us for this charge. Conditioning us.

Eamon Ryan said that it would take massive cAPITAL EXPENSE to install the meters....the work is already done throughout most of dublin and are ready to install meters outside on the public pathwayas feeding water into houses.

The French poured concrete into their access shores after the meters went in and defeated the measure....Im Not Suggesting that Anyone Do Such a tHING hERE IN iRELAND.....BUT...I do have a shovel... and i just picked up a lovley cheap bucket in lidl when i went in for bread.
Whens the campaign starting...

author by Tracy wpublication date Tue Oct 27, 2009 13:20author address author phone Report this post to the editors

yes I too have heard of the concrete idea and hear it worked well over in England too.....
so now not only are we getting industrial waste products added to our water and told it is for our own good, we are going to be expected to pay for being slowly poisoned too? feck off, this system needs a good hard and swift kick in their arses

author by Ex-Taxman.publication date Tue Oct 27, 2009 13:42author address author phone Report this post to the editors

You already pay.

You just don't notice.
.

 
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