The Workers’ Party have accused Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney of prioritising Donald Trump’s foreign policy ahead of Irish neutrality. Cllr. Éilis Ryan, the Workers’ Party candidate in May’s European Parliament elections, said:

“Simon Coveney has, for the first time in our history, given formal backing to United States overseas aggression. Successive governments under Fianna Fáil, Labour and the Green Party have facilitated US overseas aggression by allowing the use of Shannon Airport, but this move marks a new departure, leaving behind even the facade of neutrality.

“It flies in the face of the values of anti-colonialism and sovereignty which Irish people are so rightly proud of.”

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Former world bank employee Peter Koenig gives his perspective on Venezuela situation |Medialink analysis of biased Venezuela coverage by BBC, Guardian and others |the making of Guaido - Max Blumenthal interview |Why must Venezuela be destroyed? |What the Press Hides From You About Venezuela — A Case of News-Suppression |The Saker interviews Jorge Valero, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela | Trump’s Venezuela gamble is turning out to be a beaten docket by Finian Cunningham

The National Transport Agency (NTA) wants to redesign all Dublin Bus routes. They promise a faster, more efficient bus service with more buses and better frequency for Dubliners. They also promise a more environmentally friendly transport system for the capital. If this was delivered it would mark a major step forward for life in the city. But the reality is not that simple. The plan hinges on 16 new radial bus corridors on the busiest routes – primarily linking outer suburbs with the city centre. At a future (non-defined) date, they also promise orbital routes to link the outer parts of the city together.

Related Links: Government campaign to sabotage Dublin Bus and Bus Eireann bus services through privatisation has begun | The Privatisation Agenda of Bus Connects Will Lead To Bus Disconnects>/a> | Dublin Bus Area Network Redesign
Submission details to NTA to object to Bus Connects do not rely on the online survey. It will be ignored. Make a postal submission

Lets be clear the chemical attack last week was not done by Syria. It would make absolutely no sense. They have already more or less beaten the US/Uk/France (via Saudi proxies) backed ISIS terrorist group with the great help of Russia. Besides Syria destroyed all their chemical weapons a few years back under the watchful eyes of international agencies. So why on Earth would they bring the wrath of the world upon themselves. They are not that stupid. No this chemical attack like the other ones, is done via the terrorist cells (-trained, financed and armed by Western powers through local proxies) - against the "moderate terrorists" and ultimately arranged by their sponsors which is as US, UK & France, the very same states crying crocodile tears about human rights when they regularly bomb countries and people for "human rights". Even now as they screech in unison about this staged attack by them blaming it on the Syrians they have absolutely zero interests in the lives of the people in question. Even the most unobservable person can see it is used merely as a pretext to their agenda. That agenda however is not just to take action and drop bombs as always but something bigger and it is brilliantly outlined in the article written back before this latest fiasco where intelligence had already revealed that the US/UK were planning this latest attack. In short the agenda is to link the clumsy chemical poisoning of Skripal with the Syria chemical attack. The plan was simple. Russia is a monster for using chemical poisoning (except they didn't) and so is Syria too (except they didn't) and they are friends. Therefore Russia should be expelled from the 5 member UN security council and if that could be pulled off then the US/UK & France could safely ignore China and the "Western Free World" would have a free hand to bomb and intimidate who they like. You see the problem is the USA is in debt and technically should be insolvent but because the dollar is the global reserve currency backed by threat of US military, special forces and colour revolutions no-one dares challenge it except of course the Russia-China axis. Nevertheless USA had it's day in the sun and their power is declining. The UK think they can re-establish their colonial relationship and presumably they would be the dominant partner and need to hang on the coat tails of the USA to achieve their aims. Even though the USA is clearly the bigger of the two, the UK are much better at this game than the US could ever hope to be, hence the confidence they can successfully use them.

Related Links: Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov: Swiss lab says ‘BZ toxin’ used in Salisbury, NOT produced in Russia, was in US & UK service | A Curious Incident Part IX: Preliminary findings of OPCW Report on poisoning |Chief of the Main Operational Directorate of the Russian General Staff Colonel General Sergei Rudskoy holds briefing for mass media | War, lies and censorship | US massacre of Syrian troops threatens to unleash wider war |Turkey publishes the whereabouts of five secret military bases in Syria that belong to France |Double Life of White Helmets: Volunteers by Day, Terrorists by Night (Photos) |BBC Caught Staging FAKE News Chemical Attack (2016) To Drag Britain into Syrian War |Libya, seven years of misfortune Nato |US-backed Saudi war and blockade puts millions of lives at risk in Yemen | US massacring hundreds of Syrian civilians every week in Raqqa | The abandonment of the CIA’s Syrian “rebels” and the pseudo-left accomplices of US imperialism | ISIS leader a confirmed CIA puppet
Jeremy Corbyn Diplomacy, and not bombing, is the way to end Syria’s agony

Looks like we have blindly picked Empire

We are publishing this piece by PANA explaining what PESCO is about and how it means the loss of our neutrality. Unfortunately since then on Dec 7th the Dail voted by 75 to 42 to join PESCO. Some key points are:
:
1) PESCO is a binding agreement because it says so. The government claims it is not. It is.
2) PESCO commits us to spending 2% of GDP on military spending by 2022. This is a figure of € 5.5 billion. We currently spend 1/10th of that on defense. This makes a mockery of "fiscal space"
3) PESCO in the event of crisis places under NATO's command. Therefore we are no longer neutral.
4) PESCO is the side door to Ireland joining a EU Army / NATO and would have us involved in "humanitarian" bombing and "peace making" -in other words imposing the demands of the corporate interests that rule above all else.

The Irish Government is considering joining PESCO. This will be one of the most important decisions this FG/Independeny Alliance will ever make. There needs at the very least a serious debate on the issue, and in any genuine debate form all sides in the corporate media. On the evidence so far this is highly improbable, as is their total lack of coverage of the use of Shannon Airport by US troops

Related Links: Government Ramming Through PESCO To Drag Us Into EU Army |Public Meeting - No EU Army Oppose PESCO -Mon 18th Dec |Germany Foreign Policy wonks gush about building EU Army | RTE report with appropriate spin on Dáil votes to join European defence organisation |EU Democray or Empire PDF or here

Aerial view of Hellfire and remains of passage tombs in front

Monday the 24th of September at 5pm is the deadline for making submissions to An Bord Pleanála on the South Dublin County Council & Coillte plans for what is known as the Dublin Mountains Project for the Hellfire Club & Masseys Wood nearby. The plan is one dreamed up by the council and will cost € 19 million of taxpayer money i.e. collected property tax etc for what is basically a bit of a white-elephant project that will damage the environment, limit public access and charge a fee for what is now free and is expected to run at a loss for at least first 3 years, but yet the private contractors running it will be "insulated" from losses. In essence the project will put an valuable amenity that is in public hands effectively into private hands and give them a license to milk the public forever on it. If this gets through, it will be replicated all over the country in that arrogant and greed driven way we are all familiar with from the Celtic Tiger days and again today.

Related Links: Public Meeting: Save Hellfire Club and Massey's Wood in Dublin Mts |SaveTheHellfire.com |Friends of Massey's Wood Facebook