Updates from ICTU March, 21st February 2009

by Alan M. Sat Feb 21, 2009 13:00

12:57 - Numbers continue to flow up O'Connell Street. Blue sky. Sun is out :)

by Alan M. Sat Feb 21, 2009 13:28

13:16 - 300 strong Waterford Crystal block have marched up. Standing ovation from public. Dozens of uniformed guards around O'Connell Street. Angry mood in the city today.

by Aragon Sat Feb 21, 2009 14:33

That means it's almost certainly at least double that.

by Ado Sat Feb 21, 2009 14:43

When will the government get the message to leave our money alone?

Take this money off someone else, not us! Anyone else! But not us!

Power to the march!

by Alan M. Sat Feb 21, 2009 15:01

14:58 - Left at 13.50. Still going strong. Bigger than Irish Ferries and Anti-War march.

RTE have revised their estimate up to 50,000 - at this rate it'll be 250,000 by the 6-one news ;)

by a proud viking Sat Feb 21, 2009 17:07

& then they got the first openly lesbian prime minister in the world Mrs Johanna Sigurdottir who just to top it off was the first prime minister who is legally married to a same sex partner as well - so she is a missus. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J%C3%B3hanna_Sigur%C3%B0ar...3ttir For as we know just because you're married to a homosexual or hetrosexual doesn't mean you are one or are likely to have queer or straight kids. It doesn't work that way now nor has it ever.

Iceland is very like Ireland in many ways.

Except of course for Bjork, geysers, free heating, having no surnames and that terrible business with the whale hunting. But once you leave aside pretty much everything which makes Iceland the unique home of the Icelander the one thing in common with Ireland was the utterly fucked up trust put in the global banking system of neo-liberal economics and most particularly derivitative trading and so-called "knowledge based financialy service" model for economic development. But at least the Irish got a tram which they called Luas. The Icelanders may have lost their SUV's but they still have health care.

BBC says 100,000
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7903518.stm

by Séamus Sat Feb 21, 2009 18:23

As of 17:20, the RTÉ story also states that "Up to 100,000 people gathered in Dublin today to protest over the impact of the economic recession on workers."

by Conor. M Sat Feb 21, 2009 18:29

Between 100,000 and 120,000. ICTU says more than 120,000!

by Séamus Sat Feb 21, 2009 18:34

"Up to 120,000 people have marched in Dublin in protest at how the Government is handling the economic crisis. The march, which was organised by the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (Ictu), took nearly one a half hours to make its way from Parnell Square to Merrion Square."

by Peader Sat Feb 21, 2009 19:10

great turnout, now STRIKE STRIKE STRIKE

by aunty pd Sat Feb 21, 2009 19:18

No to talks between ictu and the ibec partners. keep marching and striking, spit on them, shout them down, boycott their businessess and go to newry and bankrupt the corrupt bastards.

by James - The Irish People Sat Feb 21, 2009 19:40 jmcaccount at hotmail dot com

It's time to do what every other European peoples would do. If they don't look for a new mandate lets give them ours and throw them out.

Cowen, Harney and Ibec should be prosecuted as the traitors they are. Not a word out of Turlough O'Sullivan was since he dipped his slimey hands into the pockets of low paid public servants. Not a word about the fat-bastards in Anglo-Irish.

by Bronterre O'Brien Sat Feb 21, 2009 20:50

"The pattern is clear: governments that respond to a crisis created by free-market ideology with an acceleration of that same discredited agenda will not survive to tell the tale."-Naomi Klein.
http://www.naomiklein.org/articles/2009/02/all-them-must-go

by margaret Sat Feb 21, 2009 21:13

It would be too easy to let this Government walk away from the mess they have created.They must first explain and show us THE GAS DEAL .That deal must be re-negotiated to the benefit of the Irish people.Looks like our national natural resources are the only assets we have left .We as a people must protect our future.No more giveaways.

by Ciarán Sat Feb 21, 2009 23:26

Tuairisc TG4 ar an agóid

Caption: Video Id: BrCiIE_TL_4 Type: Youtube Video
Embedded video Youtube Video

by Arm-a -Gedden Sat Feb 21, 2009 23:48

Looks like our national natural resources are the only assets we have left .We as a people must protect our future.No more giveaways.

They will all be given away and have no doubt about it, if the citizens of this bannana republic that has now gone completly pear shaped as well, dont wake up and begin to realise that what has happened in Mayo will happen again, an act of Ecenomic Treason, commited by rotten, corrupt so called politicians, these actions can be best described as that of a Rouge State.

Should we have the revenue from the Corrib gas which now belongs to $hell, our economic predicament to put it mildly would be just a horrible thought.

But the reality is that the rotten deal was done, and not only are the people of North Mayo suffering as a result of this, that is those who were not bought off by the old Rule of divide and conquer, and who are still campaiging not only for their community, and their enviorement, but also for that of all the citizens of Ireland to ensure that we get what is rightfully ours, our childrens, and that of our G/childrens inheritance has been given away, and no matter what spin that $hell puts out, this is the stark reality of it for Irish citizens.

For stealing a loaf of bread in Ireland you will got to jail, but yet if you are one of the Golden Circle, or one of its lackeys, you can steal Billions and get away with it and they have the audacity to call this a demoracy.

This is the long fellahs legacy now at the tip of the iceberg, however it still has to go back down the other side, and that should be very interesting indeed.

Shame on them for hijacking our Country.