February 2006

Communism: What's In A Word?

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This article opens by looking at how the meaning of communism as opposed to socialism evolved in the late nineteenth century and closes with a look at how this applies to the free software movement today. The terms socialism and communism appear in England around the 1820s as terms adopted by members of the cooperative movement who were sick of hearing their politics referred to as "Owenism". Originally the two terms were undifferentiated but by the 1840s communism was used by revolutionaries to differentiate themselves from reformists such as J.S.Mill who had adopted socialism to cover an indigestible mess of reformisms.

A New Direction For The Zapatistas

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Over the summer of 2005 the Zapatistas surprised their supporters by suddenly declaring a Red Alert out of the blue. After a couple of days of near panic it emerged that this was just because they were undergoing a consulta (a discussion and referendum) which would decide on a new path for the movement. This new path is to once more turn outwards and to aim to build a new alliance across Mexico and beyond

Looking back on the battle of the Bins & the Lessons Learnt - Interview

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The campaign against the bin charges was one of the largest organised mass movements of resistance to the state in recent years. Local organising groups popped up across the city. It climaxed in the winter of 2003, with the jailings of numerous activists in quick succession. Here we talk to Dermot Sreenan, a member of the WSM who has been a prominent activist in the campaign from the off.

Environmentalism, Class and Community

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The economic boom in Ireland and the construction boom that has come alongside it has led to a growth in the importance of environmental campaigns. There has frequently been a large gap between the environmentalists involved in such campaigns and the left - including anarchists. Sean, one of the 'Carrickminders' and now a member of the WSM gives his view on what can be learnt from the recent struggles. Capitalism in Ireland is certainly booming. The country in profit based terms has seen unprecedented growth. This growth is illustrated on the great barometer of Capitalism- GDP (Gross domestic product) which has increased each year since 1991.

Anarchy's Cossak Nestor Makhno - Review

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The Makhnovists were a libertarian movement, deeply rooted in the traditions of anarchist-communism, that developed an experience of revolutionary changes in the economic and political structures of the backwarded Ukrainian society.

Workers Solidarity 90 - 2006

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Issue 90 if the Irish anarchist paper Workers Solidarity  for Jan/Feb of 2006

Issues 1 to 10 of Red & Black Revolution

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Links to issues 1-10 of Red and Black Revolution from No1 published 1994 - 2005 . Includes links to PDF files of each issue.

Index of all issues of Workers Solidarity

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This is an index linking to every issue of Workers Solidarity for which there are articles on online

The full index page for all issues of Workers Solidarity is at
http://www.wsm.ie/workers-solidarity
Please update links to point to this page,
you will find issue 95 onwards on that page.

Workers Solidarity's from 2005

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A full index of all articles published in Workers Solidarity in 2005 (issues 84-89)

Why are they still running our schools?

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It's taken decades for the mask of evil to finally be fully exposed. The report by the inquiry into child sexual abuse by pervert priests in the Ferns diocese has at last exposed the suffering endured by huge numbers for people. Now all across the country the truth is finally being told. One of the principal reasons why priests were able to get away with their rape and abuse of children for so long was because the state abdicated its responsibility to protect children. This is most obvious in relation to control of education.

Pushers Out! - The inside story of Dublin's anti-drugs movement

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Walk five minutes from O'Connell St, Dublin's main thoroughfare, or five minutes from Christ Church Cathedral, an important tourist attraction, and you will find yourself in a very different world from that depicted in the tourist brochures. Pushers Out tells the story of how people living in the North Inner City and the South Inner City (and later the suburbs, and some small towns) organised to save their communities from heroin. Not relying on the state to solve their problems, they started to organise themselves. One such working class organisation is Coalition of Communities Against Drugs (COCAD).

Elections in Haiti - What about Democracy?

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The 30th of September (2005) marked a new anniversary of the first coup against Aristide in Haiti. That day, activists in 47 cities around the world, held an international day of solidarity with Haitian people who, once again, are suffering from the effects of a coup and a bloody occupation under the command of the UN. In Dublin, we were visited by a Haitian activist, Obed Alexis, who gave a conference and we participated in the picket organised by the Latin American Solidarity Centre, joining this international protest. We showed Haitian people that they are not on their own and that there are plenty of hands ready to help them in their struggle against the occupation and Latortue's dictatorship.

Irish Ferries: Time to break the law

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The dispute at Irish Ferries is about greedy bosses, very greedy bosses who want to replace their staff with modern day galley slaves. Eamonn Rothwell, Managing Director of Irish Ferries, plans to get rid of 543 workers and replace them with migrants on e3.50 per hour. Rothwell earned e687,000 last year. That's e338.00 an hour. But there is no talk about replacing him with a yellow pack boss from Eastern Europe!

Bad things happen: Tales from the frontline in Iraq - James Massey ex US Marine interview

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James Massey is a tall well built man, aged 34. At the age of 19 he joined the US Marines. In Iraq he saw his first combat. He has left the army and has written an account of his experiences entitled "Kill, Kill, Kill". He visited Dublin to give evidence at the trial of the Pitstop Ploughshares and during this time Dermot Screenan interviewed him.

Anarchism and human nature

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It is a very sincerely held belief by many people, that we are "naturally" greedy, rotten feckers and, in the absence of government, some mad form of capitalism would be inevitable

Swedish and Finnish Commuters Take Direct Action for Free Public Transport

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In Stockholm, Gothenburg and Helsinki commuters are taking the initiative in the fight for decent, free public transportation. Here Oisín Mac Giollamóir interviews Anna from the planka.nu campaign.

2 Years In Jail For Criticising Islam

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Text of a letter recieved by the WSM from the Workers Communist Party

Possible Deportation/Anti Deportation Demo

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Residents Against Racism are calling a demonstration outside the GNIB 16th Feb for 1.30pm to protest the deportation of asylum seekers.

Interview with Dublin anarchist bookfair organiser

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The first Dublin anarchist bookfair is being held by the WSM in St Nicholas of Myra Hall in the heart of the Liberties, just off Francis Street on March 3rd and 4th. We interviewed Dermot, one of the organisers of the bookfair.