Communist Party of Ireland members took part today (Saturday 18th) in numerous protests that took place across Ireland, from Belfast to Cork.
Thousands of working people took to the streets today in protest at the spiralling cost of living.
While the political establishment are attempting to blame the spiralling costs on Russia.
It is clear that rising fuel, rents and other commodity prices increases have been increasing over the course of 2021.
It is clear there is massive profit gouging taking place by both the global energy giants and global food and retail corporations. As energy and food prices have soared, so too have corporate profits.
Workers in Ireland are trapped in an economic and industrial strategy promoted by the Irish government and the European Union over many decades, one of low wages, precarious employment and restricted rights.
In addition, the EU strategy of escalating the war in Ukraine is fully supported by a subservient Irish Government. A war that increasingly bears all the hallmarks of a proxy conflict, fought by NATO, over a growing pile of Ukrainian bodies.
We need to apply the lessons from the water struggles: real people’s power, organising community by community is the only way to force real change. Not allowing people’s genuine anger to be channeled into opportunistic electoralism.
We need the Irish government to pursue a peace strategy of de-escalation in Ukraine.
At home we need:
- Free public transport.
- Pay increases to match inflation.
- An increase in social welfare and pensions to match inflation.
- An end to poverty wages.
- A cap on rent amounts.
- A massive national public housing building programme.
The government is and will always attempt to make working people pay for the deepening crisis of the system.
Resistance is the only way forward.
