West Belfast Anti War meeting

by Trotwatch Thu Jan 23, 2003 17:41

Wont they share a platform with SF in Belfast?

by J Thu Jan 23, 2003 17:55

Didn't know they existed the other side of the border.

by K Thu Jan 23, 2003 18:24

They are called Her Majestys Socialist Party.
Peter Hadden got a knighthood in the new years honoups list.

by Brian Cahill - Socialist Party Thu Jan 23, 2003 18:31

The Socialist Party does indeed exist North of the border. Like most of the left we are organised on a 32 County basis.

The Socialist Party's main strength in the North is in the unions - for instance an SP member recently got 40% of the vote in the elections for NIPSA (the biggest union in the North) General Secretary, there are members on the executives of NIPSA, INTO, FBU and more.

Socialist Youth also has a good profile, with branches across the North.

As for why we don't have a platform speaker at that particular meeting, you would have to take that up with the organisers and with our local branch. We have no problem speaking from the same platform as Sinn Fein - although we strongly disagree with them - in the North or anywhere else.

by Joe Soap - none Thu Jan 23, 2003 18:35

Give a night up to listen to the hippocras such as an sectarians priest, two right wing fascist and one swp, telling us that Bush and Blair are wrong to attack Iraq, but it is ok to support the GFA and British imperialism in Ireland.( who privatised the NHS?) SF.
Me thinks not.

by L Thu Jan 23, 2003 18:42

You wont speak from the same platform because it would upset the loyalists who are the majority of your members up North.

by WONDERING? Fri Jan 24, 2003 12:13

SY Branches acroos the North, excutative members in Nipsa Fbu into and more? were are they. for the last six months three full timers stand on their own at miserable stall in belfast city and maybe two on a sy stall AS for the swimmers it is widely known that their members were the leading organisors for the falls shankill march and put feet on the steet from west belfast with members also marching from the shankill rd and we all know in belfast that swimmers are the main organisors behind the anti war stuff, all stuff, and i see always their members wfeatured and writting regulary in all the main press. They can hold a meeting in west belfast as some of their meember their have a lot of respect but maybe it is their left republican politics. i disagree with both of them but in belfast people only really know the swimmers in communities because they can see them there doing things and because they have far more members and because they are not afraid of direct action which i like.

by Karrie H Fri Jan 24, 2003 20:01

As an American, I've been amazed at the ability of various US anti-war groups to join in a unified voice of "no war on Iraq". Everyone from far left civil rights groups, to Palestinian supporters, to business men worried about their money, to Organised Labour, to mothers from suburbia, to old veterans of WW II, to Quakers and various other religious organisations -- Each group arriving at the conclusion that war is a bad idea from their own path, yet, in a remarkable feat for Americans, we have so far managed to focus on the message that we all agree on - No War.

Even we here in the land of propaganda can let a single message unify us without letting other divisions come between the "segments" of the movement.

If you allow "infighting" to decrease focus on the single message that people from any polital party can share, then your effectiveness is killed already.

by dmck Fri Jan 24, 2003 20:26 dmck at hotmail dot com

i was so pleased to see that some folks from about these parts are trying to organise a demo for the 15th feb in belfast. if the people's front of judea don't manage to annihilate the popular people's front of judea, and a time, start point and secret handshake are organised, is there somewhere that this information could be found so i could go along?

by Frank Mon Jan 27, 2003 15:14

Don't know if there's anything happening in Belfast on the 15 Feb but there is a non-political* demo organised for the 8 February from 12 to 4pm. Can't remember where it is taking place but the poster is up in Giro's Cafe and it is likely to be around the city centre:)

*means not called by a political party