One night I was woken up by a Garda, by him booting me in the ribs, because, he said, `I can't be arsed bending down and I don't like touching shit with my hands!'

My name is David and I am homeless. I was asked to write a piece on the reason for my situation and my experiences of being homeless. This is it. I am sorry if it comes across as a sob story, it isn't meant to and I am not looking for sympathy or for people to feel sorry for me. As it is things are looking up for me at last but it probably does come across that way because after a long time spent thinking about it, there aren?t many good things that I can say about it.

Contrary to popular belief homeless people haven't brought the situation on themselves and do not choose to live that way, as is the case with me. After my mother passed on, I decided that I wanted to get away from Liverpool and go back to my home country of Ireland, (having left when I was six or seven because my Mum and Dad split up, my Mum being from Liverpool she took me back to be with her parents.) as I had no family left there, being born an only child and late on in my parents life (my Father had passed on two years earlier and I had no family in Ireland either.) I had nothing to keep me there and I felt I needed a change.

Continue to the rest of the story.

Threshold has some good resources which indicate that if David were to wait for "social housing" he could wait as long as 12 years. More of this research is at Focus Ireland calls into question (pg. 126) the role that land speculation and the planning process in the provision of "social housing". As part of a response to the situation the evangelical Dominican Friars run the Merchant's Quay Project and the Simon Community and St. Vincent de Paul undertake similar work. However David can rest assured that the proper authorities have the problem in hand. As long ago as the 21st of January 2002, Minister Bobby Molloy, in a criticism of a Focus Ireland report said "[...]There is no escaping the fact that there are far too many people homeless and this Government is totally committed to dealing with the problem of homelessness. We have made considerable improvements in the way we are addressing the problem."

"On May 14, the various Irish groups campaigning on trade issues invite you to join in a public lobby of the Dail. We will meet at the Dail, and collectively lobby our TDs. Under the banner of the newly formed Trade Justice Ireland coalition, we will present our elected representatives with four simple questions about clear injustices:

"1. Why do trade rules allow the economies of third world countries to be undermined both by unfair barriers to products from poor countries, and by unfair practices of export subsidies and dumping?

"2. The new trade agreements that Ireland is currently involved in negotiating are unlikely to benefit developing countries. Poor countries do not have the negotiating capacity to protect their interests in new areas, and their concerns with existing agreement are being ignored. Why is there still a push to create even more trade rules?

"3. Why, in Ireland and within Europe, is there so little transparency and democracy in the negotiation of trade rules?

"4.Why do the rules of international trade, negotiated and enforced through the World Trade Organization, take precedence over all other international agreements on human rights, labour rights, and the environment, and why are the negative effects of trade on social, gender and workers' issues still being ignored by trade agreements?".

Full newswire article

Trade Justice Ireland / Comhlamh / Oxfam Ireland / Trocaire / ActionAid Ireland

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"And at times what a brilliant party, a mellow Police presence, a bizzare eclectic mix of music (Cyndi Lauper!)which went down a storm with the crowd. Best of all to me was the crowd. Kids, teenagers, locals, and members of the areas growing immigrant community came together. It was everything an RTS should be - peaceful, joyous, and a celebration of what a city community could be".

Continue to full newswire report here or analysis here.

RTS Photos (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9) (10) (11) (12) (13) (14)
RTS Video (1) (2)
Critical Mass Photos and Reports (1) (2) (3) (4)

Greg Palast is coming to Ireland for the Easter Weekend to give talks in Galway and Dublin on the new and updated edition of his contemporary classic of Investigative Journalism - The Best Democracy Money Can Buy. The talks are being hosted by Indymedia Ireland and ATTAC Ireland.

Palast is best known for his series of exposes of George W. Bush's radical coup d'etat. The last time he was in Dublin in early 2002 he predicted with unnerving accuracy the Coup against Chavez in Venezuala. He also pointed the finger at the IMF as having it's fingerprints on the smoking gun that killed off the Argentinian Economy . He in writing and in person confirms every fear and suspicion held by activists who oppose the IMF / World Bank and their actions in the name of Neoliberalism throughout the World.

For more you can see him on Video messing with some US IMC heads here or check out his own website here.

Whilst doing their bit for the global antiwar movement, the Irish West Papua campaigns are stepping up a gear for justice in forgotten West Papua. West Papua, rich in resources like Iraq, has been the victim of colonial greed for decades. First occupied by the Dutch, it was then invaded by the Indonesians in 60s as the UN watched on. Western consumerism's material demand has encouraged global mining giants such as BP and Freeport McMoran to exploit the country's resources, causing widespread human rights and environmental abuses. The U.S has also renewed funding to the Indonesian military despite the horrors of East Timor.

A recent Dail debate saw the Greens spokesperson for foreign affairs, John Gormley challenge the government's position on the discredited UN Act of Free Choice, which legitimised Indonesia's invasion. Up to 300,000 (approx 20%) have since died. The Minister, Mr Cowan claimed that there is no significant international support for reviewing the act.

However Irish activists intend to step up their pressure on the government and will continue to expose the human rights, corporate, environmental and cultural abuses in West Papua. This weekend will see Papuan tribesman Sem Karoba lead the One Big Tribe festival in Maynooth which seeks to raise awareness and encourage action for Papuan and global justice.

Also in attendance will be The Hothouse Flowers, Sampari Papuan dancers and speakers from the Catholic Worker movement and other activist groups.

One Big Tribe festival
West Papua Support Group
West Papua Action
Friends of People Close to Nature
New Internationalist - West Papua edition

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