Des Geraghty and his SIPTU members to show hospitality to 120,000 more US child killers in Shannon
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news report 
Saturday March 29, 2003 12:35
by trade unionist
These Labour party/SIPTU hypocrites are worse than Bertie and Harney, who after all dont claim to be 'socialists' or even to be anti war.
These Labour and SIPTU Leaders will make a few 'radical' sounding soundbites at the SWP anti war march today, while the US killers get kindness and hospitality from SIPTU members down in Shannon. And they wonder why young people wont vote for the so called labour party.
I ask the question the SWP are afraid to ask in their pandering to Des Geraghty and Pat Rabbitt: why dont SIPTU close Shannon?
Comments (6 of 6)
Jump To Comment: 1 2 3 4 5 6the partnership process put them to the sword years ago
'A Strike in Shannon would not be legal under the industrial Relations Act' is one thing they will say.
What about Nuremburg Charter? Would it be legal under that?
Fat, middle-class stalinists like Rabitte and Geraghty who now control the Labour movement are as much a part of the system as Ahern, Harney. They are part of the problem. Why people who are anti-war have to listen to these people is a mystery. But using stalinist tactics they clearly wan't to control the anti-war movement, which is potentially a threat to their privileges.
Geraghty and Rabitte form part of the carefully groomed "token opposition" within comprador/gombeen class whose economic and political policy is to integrate Ireland, North and South, fully into Anglo-American imperialism.
The reason SIPTU hasn't brought shannon to a close is not because the leaders are puppets of the neo-liberal agenda, nor do any of the above contributors come accross as rational or clear thinking.
Certainly I have witnessed tokenism at the demonstrations against the war, with some unimpressive token politicians speaking, from the prominent left and green parties, as well as the unions. I always wonder how necessary this is, yet always remind myself that it is democratic, representative, and in want of a more pluralistic and truely democratic measure, the best solution we have to the problem of fair representation. What would they rather? I think the anti-war movement has been as fair as is possible in representing as many diverse interests as possible.
Because the leaders of the unions and the labour party are not as radical as some, does not mean it is fair to tarnish them as being hypocritical and self-motivated. This attitude does not speak well for those that echo it, and the lack of dissent is more disturbing. Are the motivations of each protestor at the demonstration as under scrutiny? or is it just that honour is lost in the act of becoming a public servant? Surely these individuals are worthy of as much respect as you or I.
As to shannon, the reason the unions have not gone on strike is very simply that there has been, nor is there likely to be, no mandate from the workers, who really run the unions, to strike.
I believe that genuine anti war activists and trade unionists should ignore statements like the above (issued by "Trade Unionist".
It is clear that "Trade Unionist" is neither a trade unionist or an anti war activist.
Beware of anonymous pro Bush elements attemting to divide and conquer.
United we stand against Bush's war.
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