Don't Just 'rock the vote' : 'ROCK THE ESTABLISHMENT' !MAKE YOUR VOTE COUNT - SPOIL IT !
This coming May 24th a 'general election' will take place in this 26-County State to elect and/or re-elect 165 time-serving place-seekers who will sit in a plush building in Kildare Street in Dublin city centre , pay themselves a basic salary of €2013 a week (...whilst , at the same time [in some cases], paying themselves up to €1572 a week 'expenses' on top of their salary!) and wash their manicured hands of responsibility for their continued and repeated failures to those voters that previously would have considered them 'worthy' enough to sit in that institution .
In this election we encourage those of our readers who are entitled to vote to SPOIL THAT VOTE ! Go to your polling station , claim your vote and deliberately and purposely SPOIL IT ! We ourselves , from this blog , will be writing - " Release All Political Prisoners!" on our voting ballot , but any message you decide to write on your ballot will have the same effect ie that vote will be deemed 'spoiled' .
A 'spoiled vote' is the only proper option open to those of us who wish to declare that we view the whole political system , as it now stands , as a corrupt , money-grabbing 'mé féin' and morally bankrupt system , run , operated , controlled and maintained by useless self-servers .
IF YOU HAVE A VOTE THIS MAY 2007 , USE IT TO MAKE A PROTEST. SPOIL IT !
'INTIMIDATION BY FORCE OF ARMS.......' From 'The United Irishman' newspaper, January 1958 .
' In the court , which was presided over by two Resident Magistrates , a number of young people were fined for having copies of 'The United Irishman' newspaper in their possession ! The whole 'security' show was put on in an attempt to intimidate the people and show them the reserves at the disposal of the Occupation authorities .
Susan Connolly , Aghanashammer , Roslea , and John Murray of Drummerinte, Roslea , were fined £5 each . Theresa Goodwin of Lakeview , Roslea , was fined £3 , and a similar charge against John Goodwin , Lakeview , was dismissed . One of the Resident Magistrates , Mr. T. Elliott , said that other persons found in possession of 'documents' such as 'The United Irishman' newspaper would not get off so lightly . He said that these penalties should be taken as a warning : people should not have 'The United Irishman' in their possession . The RUC District Inspector joined in the warning ' .
('1169...' Comment : British 'law and order' on public display - 'possession' of a newspaper deemed an 'illegal' act ! That attitude remains prevalent to this day , but the 'Resident Magistrates' and their type have learned not to express it publicly.)
(Next - from the same source : 'INSIDE THE CURRAGH CONCENTRATION CAMP')
THE YOUNG BLOODS : CLARE DALY....... Swords (Dublin) councillor , Clare Daly , wiped a tear from her eye in the (State) High Court after being sentenced to one month in Mountjoy Prison for contempt of Court in defying an injunction on her blockading bin lorries.
From 'The Phoenix' magazine, September 2003 .
As if it weren't enough that Clare Daly is associated with one big anti-privatisation issue of the day , she is also the champion of the Dublin Airport workers as part of the Dublin Airport Workers Network (DAWN) . She has worked in the catering division of Aer Lingus since the mid-nineties and has been 'causing trouble' on behalf of the workers all the while ! In December 2002 , she had to undertake in the (State) High Court not to trespass on or obstruct premises belonging to Cityjet at Dublin Airport during a dispute over union recognition , pay and conditions .
In April 2003 , she stated there would be industrial action throughout Aer Lingus if company boss , Willie Walsh, went ahead with a plan to jettison its 300 catering workers and she has accused Seamus Brennan of priming Aer Rianta for privatisation by splitting it into three , earlier this year . She has clashed with the SIPTU leadership too , and in 2001 she and Brendan Leech were suspended as branch trustees for refusing to sign blank cheques for cabin crew expenses arising from union activity . Clare Daly claimed these were excessive as , despite making up only 10 per cent of the membership , cabin crew were accounting for 80 per cent of expenses - that's a lot of Ballygowan! She and Brendan Leech were later reinstated after a (State) High Court challenge .......
(MORE LATER).
DEATH AND MYSTERY . John O Shea was a small farmer and republican . He died at his Kerry home in October 2001 within hours of being released from Garda custody . The inquest into his death raised more questions than it answered and now Kerry County Council has backed calls for a public inquiry . Did John O Shea die from natural causes or is there a more sinister explanation ?
By Mairead Carey.
From 'MAGILL' magazine, May 2003 .
The motion to Kerry County Council sat uncomfortably between calls for the retention of existing bin lorries and resurfacing graveyards . It sought backing for a public inquiry into the death of Castlemaine republican John O' Shea, who was found dead at his home in October 2001 , just hours after being released from Garda custody .
The motion also called for new legislation governing the conduct of inquests which would be compatible with the European Convention on Human Rights: the motion was passed unanimously . For Michael O' Shea (43) , sitting in the public gallery of the county council chamber in Tralee , this at last offered some recognition that all was not right with the Garda investigation into the death of his younger brother . Eighteen months after John was found in a pool of blood outside his home , Michael still isn't sure how or why he died . The inquest into his death raised more questions than it answered .
The State pathologist , Dr. John Harbison, had originally said John O' Shea died from hypothermia but later withdrew his findings . He had based his verdict on information given to him by gardai that O' Shea had been left semi-naked in the cold for hours . The gardai denied they ever said this . John O' Shea had a slightly enlarged heart , the pathologist said , and offered 'heart failure' as a possible cause of death together with acute alcohol intoxication . He couldn't explain why John O' Shea had so many marks on his body , face and neck . The jury weren't convinced by the explanation and returned an open verdict.......
(MORE LATER).
Between the years 1917 and 1981 , 22 Irish men died on hunger strike in their fight for Irish Freedom . That same fight continues today , as six Irish counties remain under the jurisdictional control of Westminster , which enforces that control with military occupation . The annual Hunger-Strike Commemoration -organised by the Republican Movement - will be held this year on Saturday , 5 May , when a picket and rally will be held on the traffic isle facing the GPO in Dublin's O'Connell Street , beginning at 1(one) P.M. ALL WELCOME!
