This past weekend, as the nation celebrated International Women’s Day and Mother’s Day, an Irish Maternity Hospital initiated an invasive procedure on a pregnant woman against her will. ‘Mother A’ was denied patient autonomy and the right to informed refusal when the drastic and unprecedented measure of an emergency High Court sitting was called in order to compel her to undergo a Caesarian section. The risk of uterine rupture was cited as one of the main reasons for the urgency in this case but this risk is widely reported as being 0.1% or 1/1000. This is what Dr. Michael Turner, Obstetrician at the Coombe Hospital has called: “exaggerated, professional scaremongering...and it must stop”. (VBAC Conference, 2012) ... read full story / add a comment

A Celebration for Naill Harnett

I wanted to let you know about an upcoming event we are holding for our dear friend Niall Harnett who passed away on 17 January 2013.
Niall was a great activist, he was a great musician, a great human being, but most of all a great friend. He is greatly missed by his countless friends.
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All the worry about Global Warming has tended to focus on carbon dioxide emissions but the real threat may be methane emissions.... In the past 5 years there have been major changes happening up in the Arctic. The annual summer melt of the sea ice floating on the Arctic Ocean has greatly increased, exposing a much larger area to heating during the summer months which in turn has warmed the ocean enough that the frozen methane hydrates on and below the seabed are beginning to melt, causing methane gas to bubble to the surface. The trouble is methane is up to 100 times (over initial 20 year period of release) more effective than carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas and the estimated quantity of methane hydrates suggests the amount of carbon contained in them exceeds all the coal, oil and gas burned so far. And should the tundra melt in Siberia then the huge area of peatland will resume decomposing thereby emitting a very large quantity of carbon dioxide. This scenario would take us past extinction danger point which is reckoned for a rise of 6oCelsius or more would be close to certainty. ... read full story / add a comment

Statement from participants in the No Fracking Ireland Network on the EPA ‘public consultation’ process with regard to ‘Proposed terms of reference for EPA/DCENR/NIEA Research Programme on Environmental Impacts of Unconventional Gas Exploration & Extraction (UGEE)’
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This was originally published by Gluaiseacht in a publication released at the time of the 2012 Grassroots Gathering in Galway. ... read full story / add a comment

Dublin Alternative G8

Dear Comrades and Friends

The 2013 G8 Summit is to be held in Fermanagh, Ireland on 17th-18th June. ... read full story / add a comment

Another analysis of the dangers posed by an FSA armed with chemical weapons and a timely reminder of the monster that is the Saudi Regime. Full text at link.

While Senator Kirsten Gillibrand was questioning the former Nebraska Senator Chuck Hagel, during his Secretary of Defense nomination hearing, she mentioned chemical weapons and Syria. I think that the good Senator should be aware that the so-called Free Syrian Army is a real threat with their chemical weapons too. They have been backed by disreputable American allies such as Saudi Arabia and Qatar that are Wahhabi states that repress women, have terrible civil liberties, and no democratic rights whatsoever for their people. They are antediluvian states that are ripe for Arab Springs, and having genuine democracy sprout up in them. Saudi Arabia has invaded neighboring Bahrain, and continually worked to repress a grassroots democratic movement/revolution there as well. [1] ... read full story / add a comment

The Commandante is dead but the Revolution continues. If there is an afterlife then Chavez is in Valhalla.

He wrote, he read, and mostly he spoke. Hugo Chávez, whose death has been announced, was devoted to the word. He spoke publicly an average of 40 hours per week. As president, he didn't hold regular cabinet meetings; he'd bring the many to a weekly meeting, broadcast live on radio and television. Aló, Presidente, the programme in which policies were outlined and discussed, had no time limits, no script and no teleprompter. One session included an open discussion of healthcare in the slums of Caracas, rap, a self-critical examination of Venezuelans being accustomed to the politics of oil money and expecting the president to be a magician, a friendly exchange with a delegation from Nicaragua and a less friendly one with a foreign journalist.

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The Irish government is giving away our natural resources. Oil and Gas exploration licences have been handed out to big multi nationals under terms that mean the Irish people do not gain jobs, a revenue stream or security of supply. Practices with serious environmental consequences, such as fracking,are not ruled out under law. Our water is about to be sold off too and our fisheries have been damaged and given away to the EU. ... read full story / add a comment

Dendermonde, 12th February 2013. Today the court of Dendermonde convicted 11 activists of 'gang formation'. In doing so, the judge has criminalised their participation in the non violent direct action and debate on May 29th, 2011, which brought attention to the need for a sustainable agriculture system. ... read full story / add a comment

Colm Olwell (!Kaboogie / Gramopgone Disco)

Richie !K (!Kaboogie)

Dr. Ed (Suadade Afrobeats & Breaks)

Antrophe (Soundtracksforthem / Punky Reggae Party)

9pm - late , March 29th 2013. Seomra Spraoi, 10 Belvedre Court. BYOB
... read full story / add a comment

First of two talks on aspects of the Basque Struggle:
Speaker from Ahaztuak, Basque organisation working in this field. 7.30pm, Wednesday 6th March, Teachers' Club, 36, Parnell Square (West), D1. ... read full story / add a comment

Anti Property Tax Campaigners occupy headquarters of International financial company.
Sending out message of "It's not our debt, and we're not paying".

Members of the Campaign Against Home And Water Taxes ( CAHWT) are currently occupying the headquarters of Price Waterhouse Coopers in Dublin's Docklands.

This is the first occupation of this type held by the campaign, and represents a significant escalation of our protest activity . It is designed to draw attention to the financial institutions that have avoided the effects of the economic crisis while ordinary workers and their families are made to suffer. ... read full story / add a comment

In the recent elections in Italy the new movement M5S led by the former Italian comedian Beppo Grillo has gained 108 seats in the lower Chamber of Deputies and 54 in the Senate. It is hard to get an accurate picture of who he is and what he wants from the mainstream media since they see him as a challenge to the system and will gladly misrepresent him. In this article it reports on the account given at The Automatic Earth blog where Nicole Foss met Beppo Grillo in Italy and gives her view on him, his movement and what they are trying to achieve.

"The internet is central to Grillo's ideas. Not only as a tool to reach out to people, but even more as a way to conduct direct democracy. Because that is what he seeks to create: a system where people can participate directly. Grillo wants to bring (back) democracy, the real thing, and he's long since understood that the internet is a brilliant tool with which to achieve that goal." ... read full story / add a comment

Abstract: There is an overwhelming failure to recognize human rights in birth in Ireland. In December 2011 the Fine Gael and Labour Government passed legislation, called The Nurses and Midwives Act, 2011, which governs the way midwives are insured to attend homebirth in Ireland. Midwives who make an individual assessment, that the mother and baby are safer birthing at home than in a hospital setting, desite falling outside generalized guidelines, are punishable by law with a €60,000 fine and/or a 10 year prision sentence. Women who make an informed decision, against the uninformed terms, are threatened with having their midwife barred from attending them in childbirth and having their baby taken into State custody at birth.

... read full story / add a comment

The Al Mahmoud vessel has now left Waterford loaded with Cattle to make the 10-day trip to Tripoli in Libya.We know they tried to avoid the media and our VIGIL held on TUESDAY resulted in the ship leaving early to ‘avoid trouble at the dock’. Five security manned the checkpoint and even RTE were refused access to the ship.
Two Irish firms Murphy Hunter International and Quinn International are partnering with Syrian business Al Mahmoud to export the cattle to Libya.
We want to stop this trade and we ASK your help .
... read full story / add a comment

Republican Sinn Féin will be holding an Irish Anti-Imperialist Forum as a counter to the G8 Summit in June. The Anti-Imperialist Forum/Republican Alternative to the G8 will take place in Belfast on June 14 and 15. The forum will discuss all aspects of imperialism both in terms of British imperialism in Ireland as well as the new imperialism of the EU, ECB and IMF as experienced by the people of the 26 Counties. Delegates from international anti-imperialist organisations will provide a world perspective. ... read full story / add a comment

Award winning scientist, Jessica Ernst, a 55 year old Canadian with 30 years oil and gas industry experience, is suing the Alberta government, Alberta energy regulator, the Energy Resources Conservation Board (ERCB), and EnCana for negligence and unlawful activities related to hydraulic fracturing. The technology has become the subject of serious government investigations throughout North America due to surface and groundwater contamination.

Jessica is giving a series of talks on fracking around Ireland and England from March 2nd to March 11th, Taking in Leitrim, Clare, Belfast, Maynooth, Dublin, Lancs, London ... read full story / add a comment

Award winning scientist, Jessica Ernst, a 55 year old Canadian with 30 years oil and gas industry experience, is suing the Alberta government, Alberta energy regulator, the Energy Resources Conservation Board (ERCB), and EnCana for negligence and unlawful activities related to hydraulic fracturing. The technology has become the subject of serious government investigations throughout North America due to surface and groundwater contamination.

Jessica is giving a series of talks on fracking around Ireland and England from March 2nd to March 11th, Taking in Leitrim, Clare, Belfast, Maynooth, Dublin, Lancs, London ... read full story / add a comment

Award winning scientist, Jessica Ernst, a 55 year old Canadian with 30 years oil and gas industry experience, is suing the Alberta government, Alberta energy regulator, the Energy Resources Conservation Board (ERCB), and EnCana for negligence and unlawful activities related to hydraulic fracturing. The technology has become the subject of serious government investigations throughout North America due to surface and groundwater contamination.

Jessica is giving a series of talks on fracking around Ireland and England from March 2nd to March 11th, Taking in Leitrim, Clare, Belfast, Maynooth, Dublin, Lancs, London ... read full story / add a comment