“The member states whose currency is the euro may establish a stability mechanism to be activated if indispensable to safeguard the stability of the euro area as a whole. The granting of any required financial assistance under the mechanism will be made subject to strict conditionality.”

- Amendment to Article 136 of the EU Treaties (TFEU) which was decided on by the 27 EU Member States at the March European Council summit and which licensed the 17 Eurozone States to sign the European Stability Mechanism Treaty on yesterday week, 11 July.

This ESM Treaty would establish a permanent EU bailout fund from 2013. The ESM Treaty and the Art.136 EU Treaty amendment which authorises it now go around for ratification by the Member States. The Government has decided not to put it to referendum here even though it means more power to the EU. The ESM Treaty can be downloaded from the internet.

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Two previous articles, 'Of Cups, Rings and Cultural Heritage' & 'Cultural Heritage and the Economy'  (Indymedia, August 1, 2011) dealt with recent research on the Hill of Tara and Bend in the Boyne that could open a new chapter in their history, as well as that of hundreds of additional archaeological sites throughout Ireland, the UK and other Atlantic/Mediterranean European countries.  More importantly, they discussed the apathy on the part of the politicians, government agencies and archaeologists in Ireland towards that research, and its potential cultural and economic benefits.  In all fairness though to the aforementioned, what of the European Union and UNESCO World Heritage Centre, who are just as responsible for protecting the cultural heritage and economies of countries within the Euro Zone.

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Considering the dismal economic state of a growing number of EU nations, it is more important than ever for them to protect their cultural heritage, as it is firmly linked to their economies in the form of tourism.  Though one tends to think of cultural heritage as something taught in schools and preserved in museums, it goes well beyond that, as evidenced by the attraction of archaeological and cultural World Heritage Sites to millions around the world. Though sites such as the Bend in the Boyne and Stonehenge play a significant role in our understanding of who we are and where we came from, every site, however small, is just as important, and they deserve to be indentified, excavated, restored and preserved for future generations.

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The following is the first of three articles regarding cultural heritage and its potential benefits to the economies of Ireland, England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and other Atlantic/Mediterranean European countries, which given the ever growing number of EU nations seeking bailouts, canʼt be ignored any longer. There are those whoʼve questioned why the cultural heritage of Ireland for example, is of such importance to someone who is a 4th generation Irish-American. The bigger question is why those whoʼve been ʻchargedʼ with protecting the cultural heritage of a nation; the archaeologists, politicians, government agencies, EU and UNESCO, have turned a blind eye to the issue.

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With the Fine Gael / Labour government now annoucing that Carbon Tax will probably be increased in December 2011 budget is it not now time to revisted the whole "Humans are heating planet" nonsense in greater detail?

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Somehow as the sounds around us get stronger our voices get weaker and no-one wants to listen.  If we speak out people around us feel uncomfortable and threatened.

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Following the surrender of the Labour Party in Cabinet on JLCs, SIPTU has described the proposals as “relatively positive” on RTE Television News, July 28 and has given the government plan “a cautious welcome” (Martin Wall, Irish Times July 29).

This is a dark day for Irelands biggest union which was built by Larkin and Connolly

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Labour's Shame on Low Pay-Labour Party has capitulated to Fine Gael by agreeing to cut low pay

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Forget so-called conspiracy theories. Instead look at reality. Dare ask yourselves who actually seems to have benefited from the 9-11 calamity. In light of the debt ceiling debates and continuous politics as usual of Washington D.C., it is time for the American people and individual states of this federation to look at a troubling set of facts. There seems to have been “several” beneficiaries of 9-11 that don’t exactly fit the story line we were constantly fed by the propaganda machine and mainstream media as to how to connect the dots (which we were rhetorically asked to do). ... read full story / add a comment

Anarchist Organisation Workers Solidarity Movement has issued a statement supporting the demands of the Maghaberry prisoners for their Rights and Dignity to be respected ... read full story / add a comment

I remember a few years ago seeing, as eveyone else did, the signs on the road sides around Ireland stating that a particular road project was 'Funded by the EU' which everyone, including myself though was great. ... read full story / add a comment

In contrast much of the radical Left falsely posit the source of the current capitalist contradictions as existing within the process of circulation of capital. This is why they persistently confine themselves to solutions that are grounded in the process of circulation of capital. They focus on money, credit, spending, taxation and commodities. Each one of these forgoing forms are necessarily confined to the sphere of circulation. Consequently they cannot provide the key to the solution of the the current world capitalist crises. ... read full story / add a comment

Geraldine McNamara PRO of Republican Sinn Fein said that Martin McGuinness has shown his true colours in his statement in the Belfast Telegraph in which he is seeking legislation to make it easier for Irish people to get British citizenship and passports. ... read full story / add a comment

Throwing more debt, in the short or long run, at the problem will not solve
the problem. This is precisely because the source of the problem does not
lie within the process of circulation (i.e. money and credit spheres). It is
contained within the production process.

Forgive the publication of this second draft. The first draft was rough with some errors in it. This draft is a more presentable version. But still not perfect. The first draft may be discarded.

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Throwing more debt, in the short or long run, at the problem will not solve the problem. This is precisely because the source of the problem does not lie within the process of circulation (i.e. money and credit spheres). It is lodged within the production process.

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Financialisation is a universal scam dressed up as a sophisticated exercise designed to create the illusion that the economic system is faring well. But at the end of the day it is just a paper generator with no authentic exchange value. It just postpones the day when the law of the tendency of the general rate of profit manifests itself in the form of an economic crisis.

Marx's Capital has not lost its value as a means to a correct understanding of the nature of capitalism today. The law of value is every bit as relevant today as it was in the past. ... read full story / add a comment

Marx by producing the materialist conception of history was also producing the materialist conception of alienation. The materialist conception of history is the only genuine, comprehensive and consistent materialism. It laid the basis for identifying the real nature of capitalist alienation together with the historical process that dissolves it. Hegel never succeeded in finding the limits preventing humanity from transcending its alienation. Hegel shares this fundamental inability to understand both the nature of alienation and the means whereby it can be abolished with the Young Hegelians; Feuerbach; the philosophical materialism of the Enlightenment and the Classical School of Political Economy. ... read full story / add a comment

Marx by producing the materialist conception of history was also producing the materialist conception of alienation. The materialist conception of history is the only genuine, comprehensive and consistent materialism. It laid the basis for identifying the real nature of capitalist alienation together with the historical process that dissolves it. Hegel never succeeded in finding the limits preventing humanity from transcending its alienation. Hegel shares this fundamental inability to understand both the nature of alienation and the means whereby it can be abolished with the Young Hegelians; Feuerbach; the philosophical materialism of the Enlightenment and the Classical School of Political Economy.
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On May 23, 2011, the Israeli Special Ministry of Welfare and Social Affairs Task Force on minority religious groups presented a 48-page report to the Minister of Welfare. The Report has been described as being "a blueprint for systematic, government-fuelled intolerance directed at minority religious communities throughout Israel". ... read full story / add a comment

It is central tenet of any adversarial system that a defendant has the right to challenge any fact alleged against him. The right to mount such a challenge must be exercised in a way that is meaningful. At the heart of the common law system is the right to confront ones accusers and challenge them by way of cross examination as outlined by Judge Orie at the International Criminal Court in Le Hague in June 2011. This right had been set at nought in the Omagh civil case and resulted in the second miscarriage of justice against Michael McKevitt. ... read full story / add a comment