As the dust recedes from the ballot box and the parties alternately lick their wounds and rest on their laurels it’s worth having a think about its consequences for the left in general and the radical left in particular...Sinking a lot of work into achieving an especially high soapbox isn’t that much use when people aren’t listening. If we want our arguments to be heard we need to make them from the furnace where our politics have been forged, the heart of the struggles of the people.

The small parties generally got a drubbing this time around, and of course, the left wing parties are all very much on the small side. The only winners are the centre right civil war parties of Fianna Fail and Fine Gael, if one is to judge political mood by elections then the left wing is in a sorry state all around. Despite anarchists talking up electoral non-participation this was one of the biggest turn outs in years, people turned up and turned right.

Related Links: Drop in Green First Preferences | Post Election '07 Eirig and Dublin PSF | Indymedia Election Blog | Adams Takes A Dive To The Right | Remember the vote to give away our gas? | Captain Moonlight Discusses Voting Irish Anarchists Launch Campaign To Encourage Democracy | Has Bertie's Begging Bowl Exposed The Emptiness Of The Opposition?

'Voices of Republicanism' is a documentary on the current state of the Republican movement. Through discourse with activists from a wide range of political backgrounds and of varying ages we attempt to provide a small insight into the movement. This is a documentary through the words of people who were there and have seen it, those who still carry the torch of Republicanism and those who have made a break with the movement entirely.

We interviewed members of Republican Sinn Fein, The Workers Party, Workers Solidarity Movement and Eirigi about their past involvement in Republicanism and opinions on where the movement is headed. Dan Keating's interview (courtesy of Carmel Whelan) is worth listening to alone considering his life as a republican spans almost a century (Dan is 105) and he fought in the war of independence, was interned many times in the Curragh and was involved in the 1940's mainland bombing campaign.

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Shell to Sea Campaign moves to Dublin and the Hague

The Shell to Sea campaign has been streching beyond Rossport, with two successfull blockades of Shell corporate headquarters in Dublin on 18th May and 27th April and a presence at the Shell AGM in the Hague. The second blockade in Dublin saw a more measured Garda response - doubtless nervous of the publicity that could be generated during the election season. On this day only four Shell employees were pushed through as all three entrances were blockaded.

50 shares in Shell were donated to the Shell to Sea campaign giving the campaigners the right to attend the AGM in the Hague. John Monaghan delivered a statement to Shell:

We call on Shell to stop the current development... it will never be accepted by the indigenous people, because of project mis-management on every level. It is a risk to the area's primary drinking-water supply, lying in the catchment of Carrowmore Lake, which is also a Special Area of Conservation. It is to discharge waste products into our air, and through Sruth Fada Conn, an estuary of historical importance in Irish legend and a Special Protected Area; and proceed through Broadhaven Bay, another Special Area of Conservation, a breeding ground for whales and dolphins and waters of vital importance to the local fishing and recreation industries.

Alternative development options have never been fully explored, and this fact has been well documented. Meaningful community consultation has never existed. Community concern has never been addressed. The proposed expanding in-land refinery complex will never be acceptable.

Milieu Defensie preparing for their Shell action in Amsterdam 0.11 Mb The AGM venue, aptly named Circus Theatre 0.1 Mb MD's banner highlighting Nigerian flaring 0.13 Mb Shareholders hurry into the venue 0.16 Mb

As the wank of the Primetime party leader's debate recedes behind us and the main parties continue to slit each others throats each and every day in a pantomime scramble to the centre, these days it seems, finding even a morsel of inspiration in mainstream Irish politics is as hopeless as expecting coherence from Trevor Sergeant. Thankfully there is one man desperate to avoid the Primetime approach to politics. Ladies and gentlemen, enter Kilkenny's Captain Moonlight...

In this interview the Captain discusses voting, musical influences, Shannon, Shell to Sea and the relationship of Hurling to the anti-capitalist movement. He's also responding to comments and discussing the article.

MP3 download 'Keep to the left there lads...'

Related Links: Previous story on the Captain. | Alec Empire Feature | Captain Moonlight events on Indymedia | Indymedia Election Stories |

Experts had warned for years that the M3 should never have been routed through the Gabhra (Tara-Skreen) Valley.
What we refer to today as a “henge” are two related architectural forms that come from the late Neolithic and the early Bronze age. They date from about 2500 to 1800BC and may consist of banks, earth enclosures and also timber circles and that is what we have in this case. Rath Medb at is an example of the earthen enclosure. The best known henge is of course Stonehenge.

Related Links: Tara Watch submits DVD on Tara to Government. | Roestown national monument at Tara removed | Press statement from Campaign to Save Tara | Tara; The Inconvenient Truth by Martin Hogan, NUI Senate Candidate | Tara; The Inconvenient Truth by Martin Hogan, NUI Senate Candidate | Corruption Watch at Tara - Lets do some digging of our own

Lismullin site with Rath Lugh in the background 0.06 Mb Closer view of the area 0.05 Mb Details of the henge site 0.02 Mb Geophysical detail in context 0.03 Mb Lismullin on the map 0.03 Mb