Joe Higgins MEP on why he'll be campaigning against the rerun of the Lisbon Treaty and how this provides a real challenge and opportunity for the left.

Less than two weeks after the Euro Election campaign a Euro related charade is about to be visited on the Irish people. We are now being told that the FiannaFail/Green Party Coalition Government will present us with the Lisbon Treaty for a vote in late September or early October as soon as the EU Heads of State agree ‘legal guarantees’ apparently clarifying what the Treaty really means.

Lest anybody forgot, we voted on this Treaty in June of last year and by a convincing majority the Irish electorate rejected it. However, that did not please the Euro elite which was shocked at our insolence in daring to take a view different to what it has determined in our interests.

The Iranian government’s campaign to mold ‘model’ Islamic citizens has not only fashioned a profound crisis of loyalty to the religious ‘ideals of the revolution’, it has nurtured action that many have silently prayed for - as the public sphere, the last bastion of the religious elite's grip on power, was shot open by their own guns Sunday.

Related Links: Secret Police Open Fire At Opposition Demo In Tehran | Support the Mass Stuggles in Iran | Iran: Leader Remains Supreme | Hands off the People of Iran -www.hopoi.org

Legacy of martyred flowers committed me to life,
Legacy of martyred flowers,
Don’t you see?
--Forough Farokhzad, Only the Sound Will Last

Since the close of polling late Friday, and the hasty confirmation of Mahmoud Ahmedinejad’s second term in office, protests have broken out across Iran. Many Iranians, who consider the landslide victory for Ahmadinejad a symbol of their country’s deeply corrupt political system, have endeavoured to force the government to nullify the results and hold another election.

In what can only be considered a classic case of state-repression, police and Revolutionary Guards have soaked the streets in blood; shooting into crowds of peaceful protestors, arresting scores of demonstrators, and targeting constituencies known for their criticism of the government. Just yesterday, the Guardian conservatively reported that as many as twelve students from universities throughout the country lost their lives as they courageously and openly opposed state forces.

We wish to announce the formation of IFPAL, Irish Friends of Palestine Against Lisbon. We are a group of concerned citizens from all over Ireland who support the political and human rights of the Palestinian people, and believe that the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) of the European Union is inherently inimical to those rights.

Related Links
Irish Friends of Palestine Against Lisbon - www.ifpal.ie

In order to free up frontpage space, we have moved the "Related Links" for this story to THIS RELATED STORY as the same links are being used.

- One of IMC Ireland.

At 2am on Thursday morning, Pat O'Donnell's boat the 'Iona Isle' was boarded by four masked men and sunk out at sea, near where Mr. O'Donnell lays his fishing pots off Erris, North Mayo. Mr. O'Donnell and crewman Martin McDonnell were attacked and held down by some of the men, while others went below deck, where they proceeded to sink the boat. Both local men have been taken to Castlebar General Hospital, where they are recovering.

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Shell in Mayo from the Indymedia.ie Archives

Related Links outside of Indymedia.ie
The website of Shell-to-Sea - CorribSOS.com
Keep the pressure up: Contact ALL TDs, Senators, and MEPs in Ireland and let them know how you feel about Shell in Rossport - Contact.ie

The election of Joe Higgins as the third MEP elected from Dublin has marked a significant shift in Irish politics. With the Greens now wiped out clinging desperately to a dying government the election results have shown there is an alternative and hope for another Ireland.

Related Links:
Irish Left Review: Looking at the Transfers: The Dublin Count in the Local and European Elections | IrishElection.com: Libertas - in hindsight | Indymedia.ie: Former Greens call on the Green Party to withdraw from Government

Higgins victory reclaims the No to Lisbon vote as a left wing vote and diminishes the ability of the media to pin that on Ganley and Libertas and undermine the next leftwing not to Lisbon Treaty Campaign- that's if the government would dare to re run that referendum.

The first result out of the RDS was the Dublin South Bye-election. The tally's clearly showed a run away success for George Lee, which had probably been reflected in the unrealistic polls of 38% for Fine Gael in previous weeks. Sinn Féin just didn't have the trust. But it had been clear on the doors that Labour would clean up.