A report arising from a statement by the Restaurant Association of Ireland was carried on several RTE news bulletins to-day and was also discussed on Morning Ireland on which a spokesperson was interviewed. The content of the statement is totally misleading. The news item and the interview provide examples of the uncritical broadcasting by RTE of employer propaganda.

The RAI had claimed that the Irish restaurant sector had created 490 new jobs in the months of July and August and that 164 of these had been due to the abolition of JLC/ERO system by the courts on July 7. It went on to argue that the JLC/ERO system should not be restored as it was an obstacle to job creation.

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This open Letter of Acceptance of Contract was sent to Michael Noonan T.D. Minister for Finance and copies have been sent to all TDs and media outlets, We the People of Ireland will take the responsibility that the stooges in the Dáil are afraid to take. We accept the contract to resolve the financial crisis and the mortgage scandal, we can and will remedy the situation, we are not paid by big business or shadowy power brokers, We accept this challenge because our political leaders have shown themselves to be impotent, we stand willing and able to take all actions necessary to get us out of the hole that the politicians have put us in.
Minister Noonan You have [10] Ten days to reply to this acceptance of contract after which time we will deem it as binding. read full story / add a comment

The people of Kurdistan in the frontier region of Iran, Turkey and Iraq have been under the Iranian artillery fire and the Turkish jet fighters’ attacks during the past month, on the pretext of fighting the armed forces of two organisations: PKK and Pejak.

These bombardments were accompanied by cannons and artillery from the two bordering countries of Iraqi Kurdistan and military attacks on villages, as a result of which many people were killed, wounded, displaced and a great deal of casualties was caused. In just one day, on August 21st, seven civilians from a family, including a child, lost their lives as a result of the Turkish air raid. Kurdistan Regional Government’s authorities and the Kurdish media in Iraq stated that the inhabitants of 35 villages have been forced from their homes due to these attacks.
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TG4 to show documentary of War of Independence veteran and Vietnam War protester. read full story / add a comment

It is seen by the Fine Gael-Labour Government, as well as by its Fianna Fail predecessor, as a way round the restrictions on ratifying new EU Treaties without constitutional referendums here which were laid down by the Supreme Court in its 1987 Crotty judgement.

There is still a little time left for Ireland to foil this power grab by the Eurozone elite if our political leaders can summon the courage to serve the Irish people rather than themselves. read full story / add a comment

AFTER 40 years, internment without charge or trial has returned to the occupied North of Ireland. read full story / add a comment

Padraig Mannion, EU spokesperson of the Workers' Party, has slated the Merkel-Sarkozy plan for the Euro as economically incompetent and politically disastrous, and said it must be rejected out of hand by the government

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A second solidarity vigil/protest will take place this Wednesday 17th Aug at 5pm for Brendan Lillis at Daunt Sq in Cork City, all anti imperialists socialists humanitarians etc welcome

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Your article in the summer 2011 edition of ‘Emma’ entitled ‘A Black Spring’ expresses concern about the possibility of a Muslim Brotherhood dominated government in Egypt in the future after the transition period. You conclude that the easiest aspect of the fight is with the violent jihadists; and whilst Bin laden is dead, the doctrine of jihad lives on. In another article*   you say: “...the gradualist approach is far more likely to win the prize of state power. All that Khomeini did before he came to power in Iran was to preach the merits of a society based on Islamic law. He did not engage in terrorism. Yet he and his followers took over Iran – a feat far greater than bin Laden ever achieved. In Iran the violence came later.” 

In reality, however, ‘doctrine’ alone was not the reason behind the brutal Islamic movement’s rise to political power. In Iran, for example, the rise of Islamism was aided by the US-led foreign policy of creating a green or Islamic belt around the then Soviet Union during the Cold War. At a conference in Guadeloupe, Western powers decided to back Islamism at the expense of a left-leaning revolution that was crushed in order for the Islamic Republic of Iran to establish itself. In fact, to secure power, the regime slaughtered an entire generation. As a result, we have witnessed the rise of the political Islamic movement for several decades.

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A fuller report from today’s Irish Independent on the Labour capitulation on Low Pay is carried below.

Not alone has the Labour Party agreed to the scrapping of the Sunday premium for low paid workers, it has also agreed to allow employers to claim inability to pay and ,if successful, to pay a lesser rate for normal working days. In circumstances in which demand is being continuously removed from the economy by government, this can only lead to continuous reduction in the direction of the minimum wage and the effective collapse of the system. Compliant employers will be progressively undermined by those paying a lower rate.

The scrapping of the Sunday premium will simply add to the profits of highly successful multi-national retail chains at the expense of their employees.

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On 88th anniversary of Lausanne Treaty which divided Kurdistan into four parts, Kurds in Ireland launched a 3-days hunger strike today outside European Union House. read full story / add a comment

"The Republican POWs in Maghaberry jail have once again been forced into a situation of confrontation with the British prison regime. From the top down, the administrations involved in the running of Maghaberry jail have again failed the POWs," said Josephine Hayden. POW Department, Republican Sinn Féin. read full story / add a comment

REPUBLICAN NETWORK FOR UNITY (RNU) CATHAOIRLEACH/ CHAIRPERSON, CARL REILLY slams the Parades Commission for their inaction and recent decisions on contentious Orange Order parades. read full story / add a comment

Carlow Republican Sinn Féin held a very successful picket at the Liberty Tree 1798 monument in Carlow Town today (Saturday July 9) from 1.00pm to 2.30pm. The picket was held to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the 1981 Hunger Strike in the H Blocks of Long Kesh in which Bobby Sands and nine other Republican prisoners died. The picket was also to highlight the present campaign of the Republican prisoners in Maghaberry prison for the right to political status. read full story / add a comment

DES Dalton, President of Republican Sinn Féin was arrested outside Lurgan, Co Armagh on tonight, Wednesday, July 6 at around 8pm. He was on his way to speak at a protest march in support of the Maghaberry POWs in the Drumbeg Estate in Lurgan. read full story / add a comment

INNOCENT ON ALL CHARGES BUT DENIED THE RIGHT TO PROSECUTE THE WRONGDOERS BEFORE A JUDGE AND jURY

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Speaking at a commemoration marking the 90th anniversary of the murder by British forces of John and Thomas O’Reilly, Peter McGennity and Patrick Quinn in Killeen, Co Armagh the President of Republican Sinn Féin Des Dalton said: read full story / add a comment

Call for poetry, short-stories, photography and art work read full story / add a comment

At 8am on Thursday June 30 five members of the 26-County Special Branch carried out a search on the home of Geraldine McNamara National PRO of Republican Sinn Fein. read full story / add a comment

A national internship scheme has been launched today in an effort to bring people off the unemployment register and back into the workforce.

This sounds great Geraldine McNamara Republican Sinn Fein PRO said, but when we are told that the person on the scheme will receive a mere fifty euro per week on top of their existing payment then we should start to worry. read full story / add a comment