The missile destroyer USS Donald Cook has berthed in Cobh Harbour, County Cork. Given the history and purpose of the US military, such visits must be opposed. If Ireland’s neutrality were genuine, the government would not legitimise or celebrate US militarism by allowing warships to dock in Irish ports. Militarisation of societies, with different levels…
Why we should support the Bus Éireann drivers
Originally published by the Evening Echo, 6 March 2017. With any industrial dispute and the threat of a strike, the general public will be polarised about which side they are on. We are presented with a simple choice: either we side with the management who are trying to impose pay cuts and harsher working conditions,…
‘This is a blueprint for the race to the bottom in the state sector’: PBP interviews NBRU member on Bus Éireann dispute
John Houlihan has been a bus driver in Cork since 1988 and is a member of the National Rail and Bus Union (NBRU). Below is an interview in which he outlines the reasons for the ongoing dispute and provides insight into the scale of the threat to working conditions and the policy decisions that have led to the…
Bus Éireann drivers deserve the support of the general public
With any industrial dispute and the threat of a strike, the general public will be polarised about which side they are on. We are presented with a simple choice: either we side with the management who are trying to impose pay cuts and harsher working conditions, or we side with the workers who are using…
Shane Ross’s policies will only worsen Ireland’s public transport crisis
Originally published by the Evening Echo, 16 February 2017. It has been clear for some time that the Independent TDs propping up Fine Gael in The Dáil are independent in name only. Ideologically, many of them match their Fine Gael counterparts, as is exemplified well by Minister for Transport (and former Fine Gael councillor) Shane Ross….
Why Enda Kenny should cancel his St Patrick’s Day visit to Donald Trump
Originally published by the Evening Echo, 6 February 2017. Over the last two weeks, we might have asked ourselves: what does Donald Trump have to do in order for Enda Kenny to be ashamed of the idea of visiting him for St Patrick’s Day? The following actions by Trump, all of which were taken in…
Cork protest against Donald Trump’s Travel Ban
Over 350 people attended a demonstration organised by People Before Profit at Daunt Square in Cork on 2 February to express solidarity with those communities affected by Donald Trump’s policies and call on the Irish government to cancel the St Patrick’s Day visit to the White House. The demonstration gathered at 17:30 and after a…
Cork housing must be based on human need – not private profit
Originally published by the Evening Echo, 2 February 2017 Cork housing provision came back on the agenda last week with news that Cork County Council had passed a motion to fast-track the construction of a proposed new town at Monard. As it stands, it is proposed that the construction of the new town will be…
A Hard Winter of the Bones
For almost 50 years now I’ve suffered from a debilitating, often crippling and painful condition called Still’s Disease, a form of Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis which strikes childre
Cork County Council passes Monard housing motion following PBP campaign
The Irish Examiner reported on 24 January that a motion has been passed regarding the planned new town at Monard, County Cork. The motion calls for the council to fast-track construction and for the public sector to lead development. This motion follows a public campaign by People Before Profit (PBP) in Cork. Cork PBP welcome the motion…