Dwyer, right, working for Shell in Mayo.

The Irish media has not been objective in its coverage of the killing of an Irish man in Santa Cruz Bolivia last week. By choosing to largely critique the left wing Government of Evo Morales, they have played into the hands of a racist elite in Santa Cruz determind to impede the process of social change in this country.

Related Links:
The Bolivian Solidarity Campaign say 'Bolivian People need help to gather information and support'
Article claiming that 'Dwyer worked for Shell Security Company in Mayo'

THERE has been much coverage in the Irish media this past week on the killing of Irishman Michael Dwyer in Bolivia on 16 April. Dwyer, who was shot by police along with two other men in a hotel room in the city of Santa Cruz, was thought to have been a member of an illegal armed group who had received funding from opposition groups to assassinate the President of Bolivia, Evo Morales. An official, and if necessary an international, investigation will do much to clarify the circumstances surrounding the killing of the three men and whether the Bolivian Police acted illegally or in self-defence.

Our Problems Stem from our Acceptance
of this Filthy Rotten System

Sometime during the second decade of the sorrowful mysteries, I had a sense we were not alone. Martin, Katrina and I were sat alone in a small East London park facing the Excel Centre where the G20 of the most powerful government leaders were gathered to rearrange deckchairs on their sinking ship. Thousands of police had been deployed around the Excel Centre keeping the few hundreds of protesters who gathered a quarter of a mile from the site. A case of overcatering evidently.

Related Links:
The personal blog of Ciaron O'Reilly.
Previous writings of Ciaron O'Reilly on Indymedia.ie.
The website of London Catholic Worker.
G20 Summit Special from The Guardian.

Governments tax plan for all PAYE workers

Our government has become more and more open about their plans for us. Cowan wants to drive down our living standards 12% and has already cut all our wages through the tax levy and slashed the wages of workers in the public sector further through the so called ‘pensions levy’.

He openly talks of “four more years of even steeper cuts”. He is so confident of us taking this lying down that he had the cheek to announce his intention to drive down our living standards at what even RTE referred to as the “Dublin Chamber of Commerce's lavish AGM dinner which cost €160” a head.

Related Links:
• Public Sector worker responds to calls for a pay cut.
• Unions Close Down France: Where Are The Irish Unions?
• Whatever happened to the Celtic Tiger?

Ashanti Alston

The Anarchist Bookfair 2009 is being held in Liberty Hall on March 7th. This year, the Workers Solidarity Movement are proud to announce US Anarchist Ashanti Alston will be speaking. Ashanti was a member of the Black Panther Party in the 1960's and early 1970's. As a political prisoner he spent over a decade in US prisons. Ashanti has since become an anarchist while still drawing on many of his experiences and ideas that spurred him on as a Black Panther activist. In this interview Ashanti talks about his past, how he came to join the Panthers, what they achieved and how he views the current struggle. Audio links are highlighted and are bold.

Related Links:
• The Black Panther Party for Self Defence
• Ashanti Alston's Personal Site - AnarchistPanther.net
• Workers Solidarity Movement - an Irish Anarchist Organisation

Playing Monopoly without going to Jail

The Irish government has called in as financial adviser Henrietta Baldock of the remarkable loss making machine that is Merrill Lynch

The Irish Times has reported that the government has taken on two outside advisers, Pádraig Ó Ríordáin of Arthur Cox solicitors and Henrietta Baldock of Merrill Lynch. Arthur Cox are one of Ireland’s premier firms of corporate lawyers. Merrill Lynch, formerly one of the big five Wall Street investment banks, is a much bigger fish. In 2008, however, they became a global laughing stock due to their regular quarterly announcements of billions of euros in loses.

Related Links:
US Finance and Global Capitalism
Financial Weapons of Mass Destruction
What's Behind The Global Finance Crisis?