Morning Star.png Irish Workers Urge Vote to Leave EU James Tweedie, the Morning Star, London, 18 June 2016 Irish trade unionists and communists urged have urged workers to defy the Establishment and vote Leave next week. Former Irish Congress of Trade Unions Northern Ireland Committee (NIC-ICTU) chair Joe Bowers went head-to-head with ICTU assistant general secretary Peter Bunting in a debate organised by Craigavon Trades Council on Thursday night. Mr Bowers criticised the support of ICTU and the British TUC for the Remain campaign. He pointed out that it was at odds with the TUC’s 2015 Congress resolutions deploring the imposition of Brussels’s austerity agenda on Ireland, Greece, Portugal and Italy, “as well as refugees like those fleeing oppression and war on Europe’s southern borders.” “The negligence in not fully explaining existing trade union policy is contributing to a vacuum which is being filled by shrill xenophobic voices,” Mr Bowers said. Mr Bunting conceded that ICTU does not fully support the EU, but he characterised the debate as a leadership contest between British Prime Minister David Cameron and Tory Leave campaign leader Boris Johnson — claiming the latter would be worse than the former. Communist Party of Ireland Statement Meanwhile the Communist Party of Ireland (CPI) slammed Fine Gael Taoiseach Enda Kenny and Irish Labour Party leader Brendan Howlin and several of his TDs ahead of their trip to Britain to persuade Irish nationals in the country to vote Remain [see the full statement, below]. CPI general secretary Eugene McCartan said their intervention in British affairs “at the behest of the Cameron government” exposed “their subservient relation to the EU and the big business Establishment.” Mr McCartan said the Irish citizens Mr Kenny and Mr Howlin were appealing to “were forced out of their own country by the very policies imposed by the EU and implemented by the internal troika of Fine Gael, the Labour Party and Fianna Fail.” “This resulted in savage austerity, the cutting of public services, a growing housing crisis, with the threatened privatisation of water and turning our people into permanent debt slaves,” he said. Mr McCartan urged Irish people in Britain to “ignore them as they have ignored you,” saying a Leave vote was “an act of solidarity with working people across Europe.” From: http://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/a-96b1-Irish-workers-urge-vote-to-leave-E U#.V2UMbvl9601 Ireland, CPOI.png Communist Party of Ireland, 16 June 2016 "Ruling by fooling..." In a clear demonstration of how bankrupt the Irish political establishment is, the Taoiseach Enda Kenny, and a number of his government ministers, as well as the leader of the increasingly irrelevant Irish Labour Party, Brendan Howlin and other Labour Party TDs are about to spend a number of days canvassing among Irish citizens in Britain, those who were forced out of their own country by the very policies imposed by the EU and implemented by the internal troika of Fine Gael, the Labour Party and Fianna Fáil. Their intervention in the internal affairs of Britain by actively campaigning for a “remain” vote in the forthcoming referendum exposes their subservient relation to the EU and the big business establishment in Britain. They will do and say whatever their masters' bidding demands. They are intervening at the behest of the Cameron Government to bolster the "remain" campaign. Generations of Irish people have been forced out of this country, finding work and a future in Britain, because of the continuing imperialist domination of our country, and because of the failed economic and social policies of the Irish establishment, including their promotion of backward cultural and moral values to maintain their political control. This is the same Irish establishment who have ignored those Irish people living in Britain, who have consistently denied them any possibility of influencing affairs back in their homeland; an establishment who accepted the wholesale harassment and surveillance of Irish people living in Britain over many decades. They have only become interested in how they vote now because the interests of the Irish establishment and their EU masters are facing a serious challenge. They wish the people to ignore the fact that the Irish people were forced by the European Union to take on board 40% of all EU banking debt to save German, French and British banks and finance houses. They want the people to forget that, rather than make a stand against the "Programme for Ireland" imposed upon our people by the troika, Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and Labour obediently implemented that programme. This resulted in savage austerity, the cutting of public services, a growing housing crisis, with the threatened privatisation of water, and turning our people into permanent debt slaves. Forcing another generation of Irish youth to leave their homeland to seek work and a future denied them at home. To our fellow citizens living in Britain, ignore the calls by the Irish establishment to vote to remain in the EU. Ignore them as they have ignored you. You have an opportunity to stand up for democracy, national sovereignty and workers' rights throughout Europe – in defiance of the EU institutions. A vote to leave is potentially an act of solidarity with working people across Europe. Eugene Mc Cartan General Secretary 087 752 5051 -- -- You are subscribed. This footer can help you. Please POST your comments to [email protected] or reply to this message. You can visit the group WEB SITE at http://groups.google.com/group/yclsa-eom-forum for different delivery options, pages, files and membership. To UNSUBSCRIBE, please email [email protected] . You don't have to put anything in the "Subject:" field. You don't have to put anything in the message part. All you have to do is to send an e-mail to this address (repeat): [email protected] . --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "YCLSA Discussion Forum" group. 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