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From Famine to Free Zones and Economic Resistance

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Ever since the Famine, Ireland has wrestled with issues of economic dependency and exploitation. The Celtic Tiger economy had served to provide more jobs, but those who benefited most from it were already rich. Although the Ireland we have inherited has all kinds of resources and great potential for national achievement, it is far from realising that potential. Ireland is marked by underdevelopment, unemployment, emigration, housing crisis and poverty on a large scale. These problems, serious enough in themselves, are magnified by the continuing British occupation of the Six Counties, which also has its origins in Ireland’s colonial history. The struggle for a 32 county all Ireland democratic socialist republic has always been intertwined with economic justice and resistance. The system outlined in Sinn Féin Poblachtach Éire Nua programme, which provides for a strong provincial and local government in a federation of the four provinces in Ireland. So, what is today's economic growt...
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Will the peasants revolt? Or will the ‘Wellies for Wealth’ charlatans save the day?

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The peasants’ who have toiled the land for paltry sums on behalf of the long established British ruling elites have never been seen wanting when it comes to revolting.   As far back as 1381, peasants rebelled against a newly-installed British King Richard II over poll tax and greater rights. Anarchy was the outcome. It was also recorded in the British history books that, by-and-large, the peasants’ achieved some changes, but not the intended results.  Fast forward to today’s situation where we have witnessed something similar — thousands of farmers protesting against a tax. Only this time to do with inheritance. This situation has come about, due to the British ruling class making policy changes.  However, many farmers argue that while they are asset rich, for example in terms of their land and livestock, they are cash poor and the changes would mean they would have to sell up to be able to pay the tax.  The farming community has been described as neither being...
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Cosplay Republicanism

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It can only be a welcomed sign that the Occupied Six Counties is witnessing a breath of fresh air into the Irish language — along with hip hop music, Irish culture and the not so subtle ‘Kneecap’ with their social rebellion status: while pontificating, every word of Irish spoken is a bullet for Irish freedom.   A trio of Irish language enthusiasts: namely ‘Kneecap’ has been entrusted by youthful Ireland to revolutionise a sleepy soul by bringing a new spirit to Gaeilge. Music has always been an important part of the Irish cultural landscape. For many generations, music has been the medium through which stories of war, religion, mythological creatures and resistance have been shared. Irish revolutionary Pádraig Pearse was famously quoted as saying, “tír gan teanga, tír gan anam” or “a country without a language is a country without a soul."   According to linguistic sources one indigenous language dies every 40 days.    A long way from th...
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