A decision by An Bord Pleanala on the planning application by Indaver Ireland to build a 240,000 tonne hazardous and municipal waste incinerator at Ringaskiddy Co Cork has been extended again with the case now scheduled for a decision by 24 January 2017.

Following a month long Oral Hearing at the Carrigaline Court Hotel (19 April – 17 May 2016), the decision deadline was originally set for 12 July 2016 to meet Strategic Infrastructure Application guidelines, but was extended by An Bord Pleanala in July to 26 October 2016 on the grounds of the complexity of the case.
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The confirmation by the courts that the Edenderry Power plant permission should have considered the indirect impacts of the extraction of 1.2 million tons of peat a year vindicated environmentalists’ legal challenges to the continued operation of the plant. read full story / add a comment

On Thursday, 27th October the Dáil will discuss the Prohibition of the Exploration and Extraction of Onshore Petroleum Bill 2016. This article highlights the issues surrounding the bill and traces the history of community action against fracking in Ireland. read full story / add a comment

This press release was reported on the 3rd but it has only come to our attention recently and it is likely did not receive much coverage. Therefore we are posting it here.

In a frankly shocking move, the Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign (IPSC) had its bank accounts closed last week by Bank of Ireland without any proper explanation other than we no longer met their “risk appetite”.

It is a move which appears to be part of a campaign orchestrated by the Israeli government to silence organisations which support the global boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) campaign which aims to pressure Israel until it ends its occupation of Palestine and adheres fully to international law ensuring freedom, justice and equality for the Palestinian people. read full story / add a comment

US capitalism has had a century of relative political stability through the domination of its politics by its two capitalist parties. This is now coming to an end. A new era in US and world politics is opening up.Sean Throne read full story / add a comment

This article has been presented and discussed by the leadership and organizers of the Partido Lakas ng Masa (Party of the Laboring Masses - PLM) to mark the coming 100-day anniversary of the Duterte administration. It is a contribution to the discussion among the Left and progressive forces on how to view this administration and the tasks ahead.

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ESB does not patrol power lines or check transformers and only change them when the horrendous gales force the ESB to do so read full story / add a comment

On Saturday, 24 September, LASC and the Mexico-Ireland Solidarity Collective organised a vigil at the Mexican embassy to remember and to call for justice for the 43 missing students of Ayotzinapa and the thousands more like them who have been disappeared in Mexico.
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Some observations on infrastructure in Ireland in relation to western European standards. Also, a case for a national path system. read full story / add a comment

There is more than a whiff of corruption arising from NAMA. The most obvious case has already been highlighted with Project Eagle in Northern Ireland.

Here a giant US company Cerberus paid a €7 million fixer fee to secure assets originally worth €6.5 billion for just €1.34 billion. Even though Michael Noonan was informed that another company had withdrawn from the bidding after it was asked for a ‘fixer fee’, he still allowed the sale to go ahead.

The main fixer was Frank Cushnihan, a well connected insider among the Northern political elite. It is alleged that Peter Robinson and his son Garret stood to benefit from this fee. Astoundingly, Cushnihan was also acting as an advisor for 58% of NAMA’s Northern debtors. read full story / add a comment

The Irish government's attempt to introduce domestic water charges in Ireland is not going well. In fact, for them it's been a disaster because it's sparked off a huge upsurge in working class self organisation and direct action. Last Saturday 17th Sept, saw thousands of anti-water charges campaigners flooding the streets of Dublin o to again voice their opposition to Irish Water & water charges and as a show of strength for the movement. read full story / add a comment

On Monday 5th Sept at Dublin District Court, Shell were fined EUR1,000 after pleading guilty to causing light and noise pollution from gas flaring at Bellanaboy refinery last New Years Eve. The prosecution was brought by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) following complaints from people living around the Bellanaboy refinery.[1] read full story / add a comment

The political establishment have been left reeling by the size of the award made against Apple. They have launched an all-out propaganda war to try to recover ground.

Here are some of the lies and half truths:

‘The EU is attacking Ireland’s sovereignity’ . The same politicians who meekly accepted orders from the European Central Bank to pay out €64 billion in bank bail-outs have suddenly discovered nationalism.

When it comes to water charges or the privatisation of Aer Lingus they tell us to obey the Brussels bureaucracy. But it is a different story when there is a threat to the ‘tax planning’ industry that is staffed full of accountants and lawyers. Then all of a sudden it is time for the green jersey.

The global elite are under pressure and this is leading to splits and divisions. When this happens they spill the beans on how their system really works. read full story / add a comment

September 17th sees the next major national march against the 'we can't believe they are not dead already' water charges. We respect that many anarchists will be marching with their local groups but for those who are not we thought it would be good to have an anarchist bloc and march together, everyone can then meet up at the end. read full story / add a comment

A few months after the defeat of Bill to ban hare coursing in Ireland’s parliament, an extraordinary statement from the Greyhound Owners and Breeders Federation (IGOBF) has come to light.

The IGBOF is the main body representing those involved in greyhound racing and hare coursing in Ireland.

The statement claims that Ireland's greyhound industry is a "failure", with rising debts and plummeting attendance and sponsorship - and that the decline looks set to continue.
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The cancellation of a planned balloon releases this Sunday by the Cork Autism Society has been welcomed by the environmental lobby group Friends of the Irish Environment. Balloons released into the environment will burst and the fragments can become lethal 'marine debris', a hazard for sea turtles, dolphins, whales, fish, and seabirds who mistake them for jellyfish or other natural prey.
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The Department of Transport Tourism and Sport has been accused of ‘mocking’ the Paris Accord in ignoring national policy and legislation on climate change.

‘Just as two superpowers agree to the Paris Accord, our country is manifestly not on track to meet those targets’, a statement from the group said, ‘as the main elements of expenditure identified in the strategy will all lead to increased - not decreased - emissions’. read full story / add a comment

DDCI Calls for Oireachtas Debate; Full Review of Tax Ruling Practices by the Revenue Commissioners Following Today’s EC Apple State Aid Ruling

Following today’s decision by the European Commission that Apple was granted illegal state aid, Debt and Development Coalition Ireland (DDCI) is calling for a full Oireachtas debate to take place before any decision is made to contest the ruling in the European Courts.

The details of the revenue seemingly voluntarily foregone by the Irish state are truly astonishing, with Apple paying an effective tax rate of 0.005% in 2014 and reports of 13 billion EUR foregone in the period 2003-2014. This is particularly remarkable given the austerity policies ordinary Irish citizens were facing during much of this period. read full story / add a comment

Dalradian Gold, the Canadian based mining firm, are planning to set up a gold mine and processing plant in the beautiful Sperrin Mountains, County Tyrone. Described as a potential “gold rush”, Dalradian claim their survey shows there are up to four million ounces of gold in the Sperrins. Officials claim it could produce 120,000 ounces per year for decades and tens of millions in profits. Michael Arthur reports.

However, to remove the gold, Cyanide will be pumped into the mountains. This process is extremely dangerous for the public health of people living in the area and the local ecosystem, the nearby Owenkillew River is the home of the protected Freshwater Pearl Mussel. read full story / add a comment

#ANTIFA : - Whilst Gaelic Football is the sport of those who oppose discrimination, football (soccer) in Ireland is inhabited by the racist and homophobic far right who glorify assaults on LGBT men and women, and foreigners, following a recruitment campaign by the openly national socialist Ireland First, represented on Twitter by Futboi (i) Adam @futboiadam and Futbol (l) Andrew @futbolandrew. Adam's Twitter timeline openly tweets about murdering black people, and Alan tweets to incite the burning of mosques, all fully aware Ireland's rightwing police force do not police internet hate crimes, not even blatant incitement to murder, nor do Twitter remove most racist accounts.

Following the demise of Pegida Ireland, the miserable failure that it was, Ireland First have copied the EDL in gathering both young and middle aged football hooligans from Ireland's soccer scene, aiming for a menacing political band of thugs who are prepared to use violence on minorities. Many of their trolling Twitter accounts masquerade under the premise of pseudo-parody, while tweeting out language designed to spur-on violent hate crimes, even murder.

Ireland First's Twitter Account (far worse than Britain First): - https://twitter.com/irelandaboveall

Cork's football casuals have heeded the messages of hate from Andrew and Adam, joined by newcomers like Alan, who seems to think that hanging around a gymnasium makes him invincible, and pretending to be "not serious" frees them from all responsibility for their actions.

Bonehill himself, pretended to be parody, when calling for Jewish people to be murdered, but the judge dismissed his conjecture, and quite rightly took his violent anti-Semitic words at face value. read full story / add a comment