A Good Start To 2025 | Let the Music Keep Your Spirits High | Sanctions Must be applied.

 

A Good Start To 2025. 

 

On Saturday last leading tradeunion activists from across the island of Ireland came together in Newry for apacked Ireland’s Future event in the Thomas Davis Hub. It was a wet wintermorning and i was pleasantly uplifted by the turn out. 

The panel included ICTU assistantgeneral secretary Gerry Murphy, Unison regional general secretary PatriciaMcKeown, Phil Ni Sheaghdha, general secretary of the Nurses and MidwivesOrganisation, Katie Morgan of FORSA, Greg Ennis of SIPTU and Gerry McCormack ofthe ICTU. It was a lively and informative debate which pointed to a much betterfuture for workers in a united Ireland.

Ireland’s Future is for holdingthe referendums by 2030 and Saturday’s public sectoral meeting is part of aconsultation for what it believes is the ‘crucial five-year period’ ahead ofus.

Niall Murphy, who is thesecretary of Ireland’s Future explained that it seeks “to continue to inform,educate and stimulate the conversation on constitutional change in the yearspreceding a referendum. The pace of change has quickened and we are firmly of abelief that a referendum will take place around the year 2030, therefore it isincumbent upon the political administrations in Dublin, Belfast and London toprepare, and it is also imperative that civil society, including the tradeunion movement, recognises the constitutional space we are now entering.”

This month will also see furthermeetings in the USA organised by Friends of Sinn Féin modelled on the work ofthe party’s Commission on the Future of Ireland. Following two very successfulevents late last year in Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio two more public eventsare planned before the end of this month. The first will take place inWashington on 27 January and the second in Rockland County, New York on 30January. North Belfast MP John Finucane will address both meetings.

In addition, the Commission alsohas plans well advanced for a series of sectoral and People’s Assembly eventsin Ireland in the first six months of this year.

A few weeks ago Uachtarán ShinnFéin Mary Lou McDonald announced that Conor Murphy is one of six Sinn Féincandidates the party is running in the elections to Seanad Éireann. Conor hasbeen at the forefront of republican politics for decades as a Councillor, anMP, MLA and Minister. He is an experienced activist and a vocal and determinedunited Irelander and has been a key negotiator for the party from the time ofthe Good Friday Agreement. If elected Conor will use his place in the Seanad topromote the all-Ireland economy and agenda as well as being a strong voice forthe North in that institution.

Finally, the Financial Times rana recent story claiming that a united Ireland could cost the South betweenan initial €2.5bn to €20bn a year for two decades. The €20 billion claim firstmade last summer has been firmly rejected by most economists and in responseformer Executive Finance Minister Máirtín Ó Muilleoir took the paper to task.

Máirtín reminded the FT that the‘block grant’ “contains expenditure for the UK debt, UK museums, thecolonial holdover that is the Northern Ireland Office, UK defence, militarymaterial and much more. And then of course, here in the ‘wee North’ we do paytaxes: VAT, corporation tax, income tax, capital gains tax, duties etc. to HMG– all of which should be netted off the block grant.

That being the case, atransfer from Dublin of €20 billion each year for the next two decades wouldmake us one the wealthiest regions in these islands.

Moving the North of Irelandfrom its status as a poor cousin of Great Britain to a vibrant economy, viareunification and readmission to the EU, adds up. |No doubt there will be aninitial cost to Dublin (to whom our taxes would flow) but the benefits would beincalculable.”

Well done Máirtín for thisnail-on-the-head rebuttal to this daft analysis.

 

Let the Music Keep Your Spirits High

I am not a big watcher of television. When Ihave my way – which is usually when everyone else is out – the TV goes on onlywhen there is something I want to watch. Other times it is a constantbackground noise. An intrusion. Like white noise.

Sometimes I just like the silence. Or somegood music.

Alexia and I have become friends. I like tolisten to music when I’m writing. So Radio Na Gaeltachta, Radio Fáilte, Lyric,Radio Ulster and RTE Radio1 are my broadcasters of choice. I also have tons oftunes on my phone. And an IPod loaded up with thousands of songs from SeamusDrumm who has the most expansive reservoir of ceol of anyone I know. Myambition is to listen to all Seamie’s collection before I die. Listening tomusic on these various devices wraps me in a melodious comfort blanket ofuplifting sounds. Sometimes I will even join in.

If I’m not working, if I’m relaxing with a bookor chilling out then I find that playing LPs is a different listeningexperience. I also have cassette tapes from long ago. And hundreds of CDs. WhenI play my LPS, CDs or LPs then that is a session dedicated to the tunes Iselect. It is different from music in the background while I do other things.

Playing LPS is a particular pleasure.Selecting the album. Placing it on the turntable. Setting down the needle onthe record. The initial sizzle and scratch of needle on vinyl. And then theglorious melodious vocals of  your chosen singer or the rich instrumentalfrom your selected musician or musicians. Nothing beats it. Except a livesession or a concert. But that’s another story.

I started to put down a list of my favouriteperformers. But I scrapped that after I got to twenty. It depends on my mood.But one thing is for sure. A world without music or without the creative folkwho provide it is not worth contemplating. Which is why we sing even quietly toourselves. Or collectively at special times of mourning or celebration. And whyI listen to music so much.

My tastes are very wide ranging but I find Iusually come back to ceol I have grown up with. That includes popular as wellas folk and rock music. I am also very conscious that we Irish are blessed witha vibrant living music tradition. There is a special connection, a comfortingacoustic from singing, playing or listening to music which is hundreds of yearsold. We are very lucky.  

So whatever you are doing take time to sing asong or to listen to someone else doing so. Let good tunes take you out ofyourself.  Let the music carry you away. Let it keep your spirits high.

 

Sanctions Must be applied

The Irish government has formallyjoined South Africa’s genocide case against Israel. The South Africangovernment took its case to the ICJ in December 23. In its historic AdvisoryOpinion issued last July the Court established that the occupation of Palestineis illegal and that states are under an obligation not to engage in trade whichentrenches the occupation.

Confirmation that the Irishgovernment has now joined the South African case is welcome. The governmentshould go further and insist on a full oral hearing before the InternationalCourt. It must also move urgently to enact the Occupied Territories Bill whichFine Gael and Fianna Fáil have frustrated for over five years. There is also aneed for sanctions to be imposed.

This becomes even more urgent inlight of last week’s report from The Lancet medical journal which believes thatthe number of Palestinian dead is significantly higher than current officialestimates.

The delaying tactics of thegovernment parties has to end. Every effort must now be made to quickly enactthe Occupied Territories Bill and to introduce strong sanctions againstIsrael. The genocide has been going on for 16 month. A ceasefire is needed now.