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A bird's eye view of the vineyard

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international / eu Thursday February 19, 2004 21:44 by dapse(r)

From the Newswire: 'This Friday a little-known body of the European Union will make a low-profile visit to Dublin Castle. There will be no media spotlight, no fanfare, and the anonymous civil servants who work in it will come and go unnoticed. Their work however, could have profound implications for the lives of millions of people – both within the EU and beyond. The name of this secretive body is the Article 133 Committee.

The Article 133 Committee is the body of the EU where member states discuss trade deals. The 133 Committee is currently formulating the EU’s policy for the controversial GATS negotiations at the WTO. These negotiations aim to bring about the “liberalisation” of trade in all services, including health and education services.

Ireland and other EU states are deciding what services they want to see “liberalised” and open to commercial competition - both within Europe and in the developing world. But neither the Irish Government nor the EU will tell us what they are planning to do – information on trade deals is not published until after the deals are concluded.

This is why a cross-party group of twenty one TDs have called on the Government for full transparency in the operation of the Article 133 Committee. In a letter delivered to Minister Mary Harney on Wednesday 19th February, the TDs stated:

“We, as concerned citizens and elected public representatives are disturbed that matters of public interest – including the EU and Irish government’s proposals on the opening of international trade in public services like health and education, and on trade in goods and services with developing countries – are being discussed in secret at the EU Article 133 Committee meeting in Dublin on Feb 20”

They went on to make the following request:

“In the spirit of openness, transparency and accountability, we request the right to observe at this Article 133 Committee meeting; and to have access to documents being presented by the Irish government to the meeting.”

So far, there has been no information forthcoming in response to this request.'

Further Information and Background
Details of 'Another Europe' Dublin Castle Protest - 20th Feb - 1pm
'Of particular concern is that the deliberations of the Article 133 Committee are not made public.'
Why Does Article 133 Matter?
Health and Education as a Business Opportunity: DAPSE Information
The EU Constitution, Gats and Education
How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the GATS
Background From Article 133 Info Group

national / rights, freedoms and repression Tuesday February 17, 2004 19:37 by Indymedia Ireland Editorial Group

Protect Irish Emigration but Keep the 'Illegal' Immigrants Out?
"I graduated from UCD in 1989 in a class of forty. Thirty- seven of us left Ireland before that Summer was out. We went to Berlin. We went to Boston. And we went all over the World to where there was work at a time when in Ireland there was very little work. We received a welcome in those countries - we were accepted as equals. [....] It must be the ultimate irony that at the same time [Minister for Justice, Michael McDowell, TD] is sending people away from Ireland other members of his cabinet are still making appeals to the US government and to the Australian government to let the Irish stay. Surely, this is the ultimate two-faced policy of this government.
- Ciaran Cuffe, TD speaks to Residents Against Racism Deportation Protest...

[download mp3]
In the largest raid on illegal immigrants in the history of the Republic of Ireland, Gardai swept up 65 people from Counties Dublin, Wicklow, Meath and Westmeath and escorted them by a chartered aircraft to Romania and Moldova. The deported included small children that may have been born in Ireland.

Rosanna Flynn of Residents Against Racism remarked "We are having great difficulty in getting any information about who these people were. We know that some of them had children, whether there were Irish born children we do not know. We just don't know."

According to Joe Costello, TD (Labour) three of the families may not have been served with deportation orders previously. "That would be a breach of the procedures, they would have had 15 days to respond on humanitarian grounds." Costello added, "It's going to be very hard to deal with that now because they are outside the Country and are now banned from returning to Ireland"

Commenting further at the Friday the 13th Residents Against Racism protest in front of Dáil Éireann, Costello said "The way [Minister for Justice, Michael McDowell (Progressive Democrat)] acted is unacceptable, it's just unacceptable. This is effectively a mass deportation. Gardai came along - stood over people while they packed their bags and then took them away - a clandestine dawn raid on people's homes and lives."

Ciaran Cuffe, TD (Green) put the morning raids in a broader European context. Many of the deportees were from Romania, an accession country due to join the European Union in 2007. "Today, you saw pictures of Silvio Berlusconi embraced by Bertie Ahern, that's a fair reflection of the kind of agenda that has been pursured by the Irish Presidency." Rather than welcoming future EU citizens, "It looks as though McDowell is more interested in running a charter airline to get people out of Ireland than in putting human rights on to the agenda." Cuffe also tabled questions in the Dail this week requesting information about the deported children in an effort to establish whether or not they were Irish-born.

Finian McGrath, TD (Independent) notes the irony that Ireland needs migrant workers more than ever just as it is deporting them: "People have always moved away from areas where there was less economic growth to areas where there is more wealth and more resources ... there are many hospitals tonight in Dublin that would not be able to operate without the support of immigrant workers."

"Its sad." said Costello, "Its almost like going back to the time of Jim Larkin. So many of these workers have no right to join a trade union, virtually no rights at all ... Ireland is a country that brought in 50,000 migrants to work last year - we want to get cheap labor but we want it under such restrictive conditions that they effectively have no rights. They are bonded servants of the employers."

Also at the protest to express her support for the deported was Mary Kelly, known for putting an axe into a US Navy plane parked at Shannon a year ago. Kelly linked the issues of war and civil liberties: "It is sad but understandable why so few non-EU nationals came to this protest. It is fear. The Irish State currently has Eoin Rice in Limerick Prison for speaking his mind. There is fear in the anti-war community, too. The Irish State's racist policies and support for war have affected the civil liberties of us all."

In the weeks ahead, Rosanna Flynn of Residents Against Racism expects more mass-deportations and hopes to see renewed street activism to bring attention to this issue. "They now say that this will be the first of many such operations. We have to make our voices heard and really take to the streets and get more people out. I dont think Irish people want this to happen. This is like having a secret police force in Ireland - shades of the KGB."


More News & Links:
Michael McDowell 'Monstered' in UCD - Indymedia Account
Protesters jostle McDowell at University College Dublin - Irish Examiner
Hypocritical McDowell unfit to guide immigration policies - Politics.ie
Irish Refugee Council
The National Network of Refugee, Asylum & Immigrant Support Groups
KnowRacism.ie
No Border Network
Another Europe Is Possible
No To Fortress Europe
'No Borders, No Nations' - street theatre against Fortress Europe: Thursday March 4th
national / politics / elections Monday February 16, 2004 02:58 by 1 of IMC IRL / Des Derwin

With 250,000 members or 1 in 6 workers in ireland SIPTU is by far the largest irish trade union. SIPTU is currently electing it's vice president through a ballot of all members. It can be easily argued that as the official who sanctions strike action by the largest union in the state the new vice president will be one of the most powerful men in the country.

There are two candidates in the election, Brendan Hayes, a paid senior official of the union, and Des Derwin who is a factory worker and union activist. Hayes would support union policy on partnership while Derwin states: 'The unions should not be in partnership with the rich and powerful.' in an interview with 1 of IMC IRL conducted by email.

Des is a regular contributor to Indymedia
Siptu - The home page
Indymedia mentions

national / anti-war / imperialism Saturday February 14, 2004 19:55 by Indymedia Ireland Editorial Group

"It is great that so many people took the time to express their opposition to the proposed escalation of the killing of Iraqi people.

But I worry.

I worry that a large number of people will feel that they have "done their bit". They've done a hell of a lot more than the other people that didn't even bother to turn out for the march. They've expressed their opinion, the leaders should listen and do what the people want, shouldn't they?

I worry that if/when the assault on Iraq continues and the corrupt fools in government do nothing, then a lot of people will feel betrayed and will never vote for Bertie or other representatives again. Instead they'll vote for some other representative, someone "anti-war" from Fianna Fail, or Labour, or the Greens. Then when the next crisis comes they'll be betrayed again.

And again.

On the other hand, maybe most of those people were so pissed off with the government that they realise that they have to show the way and that appealing to or reasoning with or threatening any government is a waste of time and that they, the people that care and that are moral, will have to shut down Shannon to US troops.

That can be done."

Author: 'Worried'
IMC IRL Comment: Feb 17th 2003

Links:
Iraq Body Count
IMC IRL Archive: Ireland Says No To War As Over 130,000 Protest
Bush Pimps For Bertie
Coalition Military Deaths
Government Abandoned Neutrality - Greens

national / anti-war / imperialism Friday February 13, 2004 01:26 by Fintan Lane: PRO of Irish Anti-War Movement

From The Newswire: "A Dublin-based anti-war activist, Eoin Rice (35), has this afternoon (12th Feb) been sent to Limerick Prison for refusing to accept a ban from the entire county of Clare as part of his bail conditions.

At a sitting of Shannon District Court, Judge Joseph Mangan told Mr Rice, who was arrested in the aftermath of the December 6th Irish Anti-War Movememt (IAWM) blockade at Shannon airport, that he was adding a ban from County Clare to his bail conditions, which had previously involved a payment of just E5.00. Mr Rice is charged with alleged motoring offences.

Eoin Rice was then taken into custody following his refusal to accept such a ban. His solicitor has been instructed to challenge the ban in the High Court tomorrow, but if that fails Mr Rice will remain in prison until his next hearing, which is on March 18th.

Refusing to accept the new condition, Mr Rice said, as he was being brought away to Limerick Prison: "Judge Mangan sought to augment my bail, previously with no conditions, by banning me from Clare. He would offer no reason or argument for this action. I refused to accept this ridiculous imposition and stated frankly that it was illegal and beyond all law."

Commenting on the jailing of Mr Rice, Dr Fintan Lane, spokesperson for the Irish Anti-War Movement, said: "This particular judge has fallen into the habit of banning all anti-war activists from County Clare, no matter how minor the offence. I suspect the man thinks he's presiding in Stalinist Russia where internal exile was regularly deployed against political dissidents. The attempt to ban Eoin Rice, while on bail for a minor motoring offence, is ludicrous. Mr Rice has our full support and we believe that the course of action that he has taken is an honourable one. The banning of peaceful anti-war protesters from Shannon must stop - it is not Judge Mangan's role to protect the US war machine from peace activists."

Dr Lane, who was himself banned from County Clare for two years by Judge Mangan last April, concluded: "We applaud the stance taken by Eoin Rice and demand his immediate and unconditional release from Limerick Prison. His jailing is an outrage."


RELATED LINKS
Court report
Eoin Has Quite a Recent History With the Gardai
His Appearances in Judge Mangan's Court Have Never Gone Smoothly
Maybe Heckling Bertie, Willie and Biffo Can Get You Into Trouble
Maybe Going To The Press Rather Than The Garda Complaints Board Can Get You Into Trouble
Maybe A Determination To Protest At Shannon Airport Can Get You Locked Up
Context 1
Context 2

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