Saturday 20th - ULA Meeting - Syriza Speaker

[Dr. FIVE]

say nuttin

[antiestablishmentarian]

What's wrong with the hammer and sickle anyway?

It'd frighten away voters.

[unspecific]

Well it's not a SYRIZA meeting, it's a ULA meeting on the situation in Greece. I'm sure the speaker will address the KKE who find themselves in said situation.

And if photoshopping out a hammer and sickle does bring a few more people to the meeting - but doesn't alter the content of the meeting - then that's great.

Shame I can't make it. I hope clips are put up online.

[Captain Con O'Sullivan]

First it was editing photos, then editing people ... they can't help themselves can they? The bloody slivers on the left in Ireland are hopeless and running some sort of soviet fantasy in their heads when they should be gathering massive support now.

In the middle of a default and mass unemployment these buggers would be at each other's throats instead of the real enemy- IBEC.

Come the day .... clowns to the left of us, jokers to the right.

[DCon]

say nuttin

Did Wallace commission that painting?

[Captain Con O'Sullivan]

The Irish left is a political ghetto and this sort of shyte only reinforces it. Anything that approaches opposition in a crisis tailormade for collecting support and the WP and SWP regard it as grist to their peculiar little university-theory mill.

Wankers- both.

[fluffybiscuits]

Well it's not a SYRIZA meeting, it's a ULA meeting on the situation in Greece. I'm sure the speaker will address the KKE who find themselves in said situation.

And if photoshopping out a hammer and sickle does bring a few more people to the meeting - but doesn't alter the content of the meeting - then that's great.

Shame I can't make it. I hope clips are put up online.

Its a discussion of the situation that Syriza are in and how it reflects back on Ireland and the lessons that can be learnt for Ireland. The image is iconic but there was no intention in the use of the image other than to entice people to the meeting. The fact people know what the original image is shows there is a lot of cop on in the left here in Ireland and in the spirit of solidarity people should over look such minor issues as photoshopped image and come together. We need to take the fight to the establishment so for once in a while (this is not aimed at you unspecific just quoted your post as I felt it relevant) we need to be united. Whether the post is photoshopped or not is like arguing over semanitcs, its irrelevant.

[unspecific]

Its a discussion of the situation that Syriza are in and how it reflects back on Ireland and the lessons that can be learnt for Ireland. The image is iconic but there was no intention in the use of the image other than to entice people to the meeting. The fact people know what the original image is shows there is a lot of cop on in the left here in Ireland and in the spirit of solidarity people should over look such minor issues as photoshopped image and come together. We need to take the fight to the establishment so for once in a while (this is not aimed at you unspecific just quoted your post as I felt it relevant) we need to be united. Whether the post is photoshopped or not is like arguing over semanitcs, its irrelevant.

Exactly.This is the internet - where moaning keyboard warriors have a go at something they don't have a clue about. Don't get me wrong, I often find it fun myself, but it can get tiresome when the only resistance in town in such a serious situation is perpetually the target. If the resistance is weak its not the fault of the people out there doing it - it's the fault of the people on PW and elsewhere with their heads in the sand, telly remote in hand and Sunday Independent headlines being regurgitated undigested from the mouth.

[Apjp]

Exactly.This is the internet - where moaning keyboard warriors have a go at something they don't have a clue about. Don't get me wrong, I often find it fun myself, but it can get tiresome when the only resistance in town in such a serious situation is perpetually the target. If the resistance is weak its not the fault of the people out there doing it - it's the fault of the people on PW and elsewhere with their heads in the sand, telly remote in hand and Sunday Independent headlines being regurgitated undigested from the mouth.

It might be argued that people like Saoirse in SF, if the younger members of that party can try and get an EU/eurozone withdrawal strategy going, it would offer a far more long term strategy for change than all these ineffectual campaigns coming from an organisation which is about to fall apart. Will the ULA even be there in 2014?

[unspecific]

It might be argued that people like Saoirse in SF, if the younger members of that party can try and get an EU/eurozone withdrawal strategy going, it would offer a far more long term strategy for change than all these ineffectual campaigns coming from an organisation which is about to fall apart. Will the ULA even be there in 2014?

Let us know how progressive a SF-FF government works out for you. I think Marty McGuinness is about to secure 12.5% corp tax rate for the North and they'll soon veto the right to choose too under pressure from the Church. They'll be well used to implementing austerity so it'll come natural to them when they start down here.

[fluffybiscuits]

It might be argued that people like Saoirse in SF, if the younger members of that party can try and get an EU/eurozone withdrawal strategy going, it would offer a far more long term strategy for change than all these ineffectual campaigns coming from an organisation which is about to fall apart. Will the ULA even be there in 2014?

Why would Shinners do that? If they did it would be riding on the wave of populism that they created. It wouldnt come to anything...

[fluffybiscuits]

Let us know how progressive a SF-FF government works out for you. I think Marty McGuinness is about to secure 12.5% corp tax rate for the North and they'll soon veto the right to choose too under pressure from the Church. They'll be well used to implementing austerity so it'll come natural to them when they start down here.

When SF came out with their statement as being against pro choicers it gave people the conclusion the bishops had a lot more clout than they should have. I would have told Marty to stick that policy up the bishops ring...

[Sam Lord]

Let us know how progressive a SF-FF government works out for you. I think Marty McGuinness is about to secure 12.5% corp tax rate for the North and they'll soon veto the right to choose too under pressure from the Church. They'll be well used to implementing austerity so it'll come natural to them when they start down here.

Well actually I suspect it is the ULA that will be in coalition with FF in the near future opposing property taxes

Apjp's essential point is a very good one. Outlining a radical path forward (outside the euro and EU for example) would serve the country better than engaging in a myriad of campaigns against various aspects of "austerity".

And with regard to Syriza I'm far from impressed with their position on the euro and the EU. Very establishment.

[Garibaldy]

Exactly.This is the internet - where moaning keyboard warriors have a go at something they don't have a clue about. Don't get me wrong, I often find it fun myself, but it can get tiresome when the only resistance in town in such a serious situation is perpetually the target. If the resistance is weak its not the fault of the people out there doing it - it's the fault of the people on PW and elsewhere with their heads in the sand, telly remote in hand and Sunday Independent headlines being regurgitated undigested from the mouth.

It was me who confirmed C.Flower's suspicion that the KKE had held this protest and who mentioned that the photo had been doctored. I confess that I regularly regurgitate material from the Sunday Independent, but not from my mouth, only on the internet, and far from undigested.

I must have missed the point, however, where the only resistance in town became the SWP, who have done this twice now. And the point where not being in the SWP or the ULA - an entity that doesn't even exist over the entire island - makes one an ill-informed moaning keyboard warrior.

As for the politics of this whole thing. Syriza is dominated by an organisation that began life as a Eurocommunist organisation and that is essentially old-fashioned social democrat, including being committed to the continuation of the EU and to the renegotiation of the "bailout" (and not its rejection, having switched its policy between the first and second elections). It is not an organisation advocating revolutionary change, unlike the KKE.

[fluffybiscuits]

Well actually I suspect it is the ULA that will be in coalition with FF in the near future opposing property taxes

Apjp's essential point is a very good one. Outlining a radical path forward (outside the euro and EU for example) would serve the country better than engaging in a myriad of campaigns against various aspects of "austerity".

And with regard to Syriza I'm far from impressed with their position on the euro and the EU. Very establishment.

The ULA could lay a path and plot a position to a destination where we are radical but this is lost on a lot of us in the ULA at the moment. SP and SWP going in different directions and the whole in fighting over Wallace etc only serves to undermine any efforts that the ULA would make to progress against things. ULA would never align themselves with FF, we may want to move into govt but we would never sell ourselves short. Perhaps a Shinners / ULA coalition if we were to further on down the line but it remains to be seen.