Socialist Voice

The February issue of Socialist Voice is now available online at: https://socialistvoice.ie/category/article/latest/

Contents: 

Ulster Says No <https://socialistvoice.ie/2024/01/ulster-says-no/> 

On 18th January 2024, 150,000 public sector workers joined together in a wave of strikes across the North. The main reason for this strike was pay. Workers were demanding pay increases that match inflation.  Public sector workers’ pay has been falling behind inflation for more than a decade: more than […] 

The imperialist march to war  <https://socialistvoice.ie/2024/01/the-imperialist-march-to-war/> 

Mythology refers to Helen’s “beautiful face that launched a thousand ships”. This, according to legend, was the cause of the Trojan war. Whether true or not, what we can say in the modern era is that the face of major war is now the ugly face of capitalism at its […] 

NATO killed peace in Ukraine  <https://socialistvoice.ie/2024/01/nato-killed-peace-in-ukraine/> 

In early May 2022, Ukrayinska Pravda broke the story that March 2022 peace talks between Ukraine and Russia held in Istanbul were derailed by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Right after the Ukrainian and Russian negotiators agreed on the design of a future possible agreement based on the outcome of […] 

The slow decline of radical republicanism  <https://socialistvoice.ie/2024/01/the-slow-decline-of-radical-republicanism/> 

The Business Post of 14th January 2024 claimed that Sinn Féin had been on “an outreach programme” with big business to reassure them that Sinn Féin in government would not “rock any boats.”17 As the entrance fee to government under capitalism is to support the system, this “revelation” comes as […] 

Public Sector Strikes and Union Strategy  <https://socialistvoice.ie/2024/01/public-sector-strikes-and-union-strategy/> 

150,000 public sector workers recently undertook a 24-hour strike across the North. The demand was principally in relation to pay. Adding fuel to worker discontent are strained public services, which impact labour effort via intensification but also relativity of pay. Northern Irish workers’ salaries compare unfavourably to equivalents in Britain. […] 

Forced and Mass displacement of the Palestinian people: An essential pillar of the Zionist project  <https://socialistvoice.ie/2024/01/forced-and-mass-displacement-of-the-palestinian-people-an-essential-pillar-of-the-zionist-project/> 

Statement by the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP)  It is not possible to talk about the emergence of the Israeli entity outside the framework of the doctrine of the massacres it committed since 1948, as the Israeli occupation sought, with direct support from the colonial Western countries, […] 

How prices can rise while a market slows down  <https://socialistvoice.ie/2024/01/how-prices-can-rise-while-a-market-slows-down/> 

The European Central Bank interest rate has been set as high as 4% which is a record interest rate since the 2007/8 credit crisis. The premise justifying this high interest rate is that the previous practice of setting the interest rate at zero, if not negative, rates caused a massive […] 

Climate breakdown and capitalism  <https://socialistvoice.ie/2024/01/climate-breakdown-and-capitalism/>

In his book Biology as Ideology, famous American biologist Richard Lewontin tackles some of the ideological prejudices of science, using his dialectical lens already well-developed in his previous book, The Dialectical Biologist. Here we recall one of the examples from his writing, lessons from which are easily applied to many […] 

Capitalism’s “good name” is being damaged!  <https://socialistvoice.ie/2024/01/capitalisms-good-name-is-being-damaged/> 

The Tory Housing Secretary Michael Gove has said that Kingspan Insulation in Cavan is “giving capitalism a bad name.” (Irish News, Sat 20th January 2024). Really!  He went on to say that Kingspan is trying to “minimise their involvement” in regards to their insulation materials being used in the cladding […] 

An Insider and Outsider View on Gaeilge  <https://socialistvoice.ie/2024/01/an-insider-and-outsider-view-on-gaeilge/> 

Over the years, the Socialist Voice has had some great articles advocating for the Irish language, seen from an anti-capitalist lens which are definitely worth re-reading. I didn’t go to school in Ireland so I don’t have any experience with learning Irish in that setting, but I did grow up […] 

The Invisible Crisis of Written Irish  <https://socialistvoice.ie/2024/01/the-invisible-crisis-of-written-irish/>

There’s a saying on the Isle of Man, “Cha jean oo cosney ping lesh y Ghailick”, which roughly translates as “You won’t make a penny with Manx”.   This perfectly illustrates how every minority language struggles to financially justify its existence.   It’s hard enough to make a living as a writer […] 

Krupskaya: Her revolutionary ideas and actions  <https://socialistvoice.ie/2024/01/krupskaya-her-revolutionary-ideas-and-actions/> 

Nadezhda Krupskaya and her accomplishments are often forgotten about and overshadowed by her husband, Vladimir Lenin. Krupskaya was a feminist, teacher and revolutionary who participated in the October Revolution and the building of socialism in the USSR. This year is the centenary of Lenin’s death, but while we celebrate him […] 

Centenary of the death of V.I. Lenin <https://socialistvoice.ie/2024/01/centenary-of-the-death-of-v-i-lenin/>

Vladimir Ilyich Lenin, born in 1870, died 100 years ago on the 21st of January 1924. Lenin stands as an indomitable figure whose invaluable contributions to communist praxis, of putting theory into practice, remains an enduring cornerstone of revolutionary thought within the workers’ movement internationally. His profound insights, articulated in […] 

Women’s Art Against War – Part 1  <https://socialistvoice.ie/2024/01/womens-art-against-war-part-1/> 

From its outset, International Women’s Day was characterised by the fight for peace, against militarism and war. At the Second International Conference of Socialist Women at Copenhagen in 1910, resolutions concerning the “maintenance of peace” and “to combat internationally militarism and secure peace” were tabled in response to the growing […] 

Letters to the editor: COP28 <https://socialistvoice.ie/2024/01/letters-to-the-editor-cop28/> 

Writing in March this year the leading climate scientist Kevin Anderson of the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research stated ”to not exceed 1.5°C of warming requires 11% year-on-year cuts in emissions, falling to nearer 5% for 2°C. However, these global average rates ignore the core concept of equity, central […] 

On Thomas Sankara  <https://socialistvoice.ie/2024/01/on-thomas-sankara/> 

Thomas Sankara was born on 21st December 1949 in Upper Volta, which was a French colony, and like all African colonies at the time, the white colonisers exploited the natives by forcing them to build infrastructure so that they could more efficiently exploit the resources of the nation. Upper Volta […] 

Séamas Ó Brógáin 1945 – 2024  <https://socialistvoice.ie/2024/01/seamas-o-brogain-1945-2024/> 

It is with deep regret that the Communist Party of Ireland announces the passing of our comrade and friend Séamas Ó Brógáin: a member of our party for almost 50 years and a central figure in the Editorial Group of Socialist Voice.  Séamas served our party at every level, from […] 

Lenin 100 years on: a revolutionary life fulfilled  <https://socialistvoice.ie/2024/01/lenin-100-years-on-a-revolutionary-life-fulfilled/> 

A hundred years have passed since the death of Lenin, the name used by Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov since 1901. A hundred years is not a long period in historical sense, but a lot of water has flowed under the bridge in the meantime. The Russian Revolution, anti-colonial struggles, the rise […]