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

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The Saker
A bird's eye view of the vineyard

offsite link Alternative Copy of thesaker.is site is available Thu May 25, 2023 14:38 | Ice-Saker-V6bKu3nz
Alternative site: https://thesaker.si/saker-a... Site was created using the downloads provided Regards Herb

offsite link The Saker blog is now frozen Tue Feb 28, 2023 23:55 | The Saker
Dear friends As I have previously announced, we are now “freezing” the blog.? We are also making archives of the blog available for free download in various formats (see below).?

offsite link What do you make of the Russia and China Partnership? Tue Feb 28, 2023 16:26 | The Saker
by Mr. Allen for the Saker blog Over the last few years, we hear leaders from both Russia and China pronouncing that they have formed a relationship where there are

offsite link Moveable Feast Cafe 2023/02/27 ? Open Thread Mon Feb 27, 2023 19:00 | cafe-uploader
2023/02/27 19:00:02Welcome to the ‘Moveable Feast Cafe’. The ‘Moveable Feast’ is an open thread where readers can post wide ranging observations, articles, rants, off topic and have animate discussions of

offsite link The stage is set for Hybrid World War III Mon Feb 27, 2023 15:50 | The Saker
Pepe Escobar for the Saker blog A powerful feeling rhythms your skin and drums up your soul as you?re immersed in a long walk under persistent snow flurries, pinpointed by

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Public Inquiry
Interested in maladministration. Estd. 2005

offsite link RTEs Sarah McInerney ? Fianna Fail?supporter? Anthony

offsite link Joe Duffy is dishonest and untrustworthy Anthony

offsite link Robert Watt complaint: Time for decision by SIPO Anthony

offsite link RTE in breach of its own editorial principles Anthony

offsite link Waiting for SIPO Anthony

Public Inquiry >>

Human Rights in Ireland
Promoting Human Rights in Ireland

Human Rights in Ireland >>

international / miscellaneous Friday January 23, 2009 23:37 by anarchaeologist
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Bob Doyle

The death has occurred in London of Bob Doyle, the last surviving Irish soldier of the XV International Brigade of the Spanish Republican Army. Bob, whose health had been failing for some time had survived a recent double heart attack, before passing peacefully last night surrounded by his family. He was a few weeks short of his 93rd birthday.

Bob's career as an political activist has been recorded in his book Brigadista, which recounted his early life in Dublin as a Republican volunteer and later as a member of the Republican Congress, prior to his abortive first attempt to fight against Franco in July 1937, which saw him stow away on a ship to Valencia.

On his return to London (which he was to make his home for the remainder of his life) Bob contacted the CP and arrived in Spain by the more usual route, walking over the Pyrenees in a group of 15 volunteers, including the writer Laurie Lee. Bob was given basic military training and promoted quickly due to his aptitude and experience. Assigned to a training base behind the lines, Bob disobeyed orders and left with a detachment of British volunteers to take part in the second battle of Belchite in February 1938. He was captured at Calaciete with Frank Ryan and survived the concentration camp of San Pedro, before being released in a prisoner exchange in February 1939.

Bob joined the merchant navy on the outbreak of the second world war, where he received a medical discharge for an ulcer. He spent the remainder of the war as a firewatcher on the roof of the CP offices in central London.

He threw himself into political activity after the war and was one of the Communist leaders of a major printworkers' strike in 1959 and the fight for a 40 hour week. Bob was also undertaking more dangerous work, frequently travelling to Franco's Spain helping to organise the underground unions there.

Bob was an unusual Communist. This writer first encountered him in London during a Poll Tax demonstration, dressed in a top hat and tails. Bob was to be seen on many demonstrations in London throughout this period for a variety of causes and was not shy of confrontation with the bosses or the police. Bob was also a firm advocate of the legalisation of cannabis and was an enthusiastic grower of the herb in his north London greenhouse.


Bob Doyles last Interview from DCTV on Vimeo.

More recently, Bob has been in involved with Spanish Civil War commemorations both here in Ireland and in Spain and he was due to accept honorary Spanish citizenship in the coming months. He hadn't taken up an offer extended several years ago from the Zapatero government as it would have required giving up his Irish citizenship in exchange. Under a new law, however, non-Spaniards are entitled to retain their original citizenship.

Bob attended his last commemoration at Jarama last February where he delivered a a speech fired with passion and anger attacking global capital and the hold it still has on the world.

Bob's funeral arrangements are to be announced next week.

No Pasarán

'I am here to make you boil with anger; the powers that supported Franco in Spain are still active, and today their reach is global': Report on Speech by Bob Doyle - September 2006

Some History of Irish Involvement in the International Brigades is Here.
Previous Indymedia Obituary of International Brigades Veteran James Maley.
Homage to an Anti-Fascist: Michael O'Riordan RIP.
Indymedia Article Marking 70th Anniversary of the Connolly Column

NOTE: Indymedia Ireland invite those with memories of, or reminiscences about, Bob Doyle to use this page as a virtual tribute. We will endeavour to, after a period, print the page out and present it to his family.

national / anti-war / imperialism Friday January 23, 2009 22:18 by Harry Wells
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'Birds of a feather warmonger together' sez Wag

The recent attacks on Gaza by the Israeli state have brought some strange bedfellows out of the Irish woodwork, marching together in lock-step. Almost to a man, and woman, those who were vitriolic in opposition to the Irish Peace Process have been four-square behind the slaughter in Gaza. Eoghan Harris, Kevin Myers, Tom Carew, and Ruth Dudley Edwards - please take a bow.

For Edwards, Myers, Harris and Carew - Sinn Féin equals Hamas (or previously, Sinn Féin equals PLO, when the PLO were the international right’s bad guys) . It is good copy for right wing politics. Unfortunately for the Gaza warmongers, ignorance of strange sounding foreigners in far away places has been replaced by pictures of slaughter in every living room in the country. We can see who is suffering and who is killing. Israel’s Irish friends would like us to focus on Hamas rockets, the ones Hamas started firing again when Israel deliberately broke a ceasefire that was working, in order to provoke the rocket firing, in order to provoke an excuse for the slaughter. It’s not rocket science.

Below is a short but sharp report on the recent role they played in support of the Israeli Defence Forces, and how that role relates to their Irish politics.

mayo / environment Friday January 23, 2009 18:55 by S2S
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'We Will Fight Them On The Beaches'

Yesterday (January 22nd), Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin stated that it is "extraordinary" that gas from the Corrib field has not yet been brought onshore. Shell to Sea feels that what is really "extraordinary" is that the Government is still trying to force this experimental project through given the local community concerns regarding their health, safety and local environment.

Shell to Sea feel that the only way that this situation can be moved forward positively, is for Shell to halt their current operations in the area so that the Corrib debacle can be settled for once and for all. It is high time that the Government started taking the concerns of communities seriously and stops acting just in the interest of big business and banks.

In referring to the recent gas dispute between Russia and the Ukraine, Minister Martin failed to raise the most crucial point that this episode highlighted, which is that Russia has control of its gas supply, Ireland on the other hand doesn't and won't under the current terms.

Responding to Minister Martin's comments, Shell to Sea spokesperson Maura Harrington stated "Micheál Martin spoke of our need for energy security, but seeing as we will have to buy our own gas back from Shell, the real question is, in these dark economic times where is the 'security of finance' going to come from so that we can get 'security of supply'?".

international / anti-war / imperialism Thursday January 22, 2009 20:00 by Footage: Al J / Edit: C&C Group
Irish Artists Fire Back At The Israeli Embassy:
'World War III will be a guerrilla information war with
      no division between military and civilian participation."
                   - Marshall McLuhan

This video is made up of a list of the signatories of an open letter compiled to support the demand that the Israeli ambassador to Ireland be expelled 'until such time as there is a complete end to Israel's war on Gaza and its continued slaughter of the Palestinian people.'

The list is combined with Creative Commons footage from Gaza released onto the web by Al Jazeera. The Al Jazeera TV channel continues to update their Creative Commons page with more recent footage from Gaza.

It was projected onto the exterior of the Israeli embassy in Dublin on the evening of the 19th of January as a response to a 'PR attack' on Ireland by an Israeli Minister fresh over here from overseeing the slaughter in Gaza.

Those involved in the collection of signatories, the action at the Israeli embassy, and the production of the video would appreciate any efforts made by others who support this action to spread this video through their blogs, websites and online social networks.

Text of Letter

12-18 January 2009

We, the undersigned, are united in seeking the immediate expulsion of the Israeli ambassador to Ireland, Dr Zion Evrony. We believe the ambassador must leave Ireland until such time as there is a complete end to Israel's war on Gaza and its continued slaughter of the Palestinian people.

How (And Why) To Sign
People Are Still Signing

international / crime and justice Thursday January 22, 2009 18:18 by Edward Horgan
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A New Strategy for the
Irish Anti-War Movement?
(upper and lower case.)

The Irish Peace and Neutrality Alliance has called on the newly inaugurated 44th President of the United States to respect international law with regard to Irish neutrality by taking steps to terminate the transit through Shannon airport of US troops, military material and CIA associated aircraft engaged in extraordinary rendition with immediate effect.

I was invited to Washington by the Cape Cod support group for Barack Obama, and through the good offices of Congressman William Delahunt of Massachusetts, to attend the celebrations surrounding the inauguration of Barack Obama as 44th President of the United States. Given the historic change of direction that this President is likely to initiate in many policy areas especially in the area of international peace, I decided to accept this invitation. However, my initial attempts to enter the US were frustrated by the US Homeland Security Department, who refused me permission to enter the US under the electronic system now being enforced since 12 Jan 2009.

While I received no explanation for this refusal, it became clear later that I am on a special list in Homeland Security due to my peace activist activities, particularly the fact that I played a role in exposing the CIA torture rendition programme that includes the use of Shannon airport by CIA rendition planes. I then had to apply for a visa, which is an expensive process, involving a visa application fee of €104, which in non-returnable even if the a visa is refused, and also requires a visit to the US embassy in Dublin for an interview. Even this visa application was initially unsuccessful as the US embassy in Dublin could not issue the visa on their own authority and had to refer the matter to the US State Department in Washington.....

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textTel Aviv sur Seine/Promotion of bloody Israeli occupation of Palestine Aug 15 by Astrid Essed 0 comments

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