Workers told to share pain

national | anti-capitalism | other press

Monday February 16, 2009 10:40

by Anne McShane

As the Irish economy goes into free-fall, the government has turned on the working class.

The best way for those who call themselves socialists and communists to really defend the working class is to break out of their ghettoised thinking on the question of party. There is a glaring need for a united working class party based on the politics of Marxism. The forces of the existing left cannot in themselves produce such a party, but their unification, combined with the struggle for theory, could provide a much needed impetus. It would be a central rallying point for those advanced workers who are looking for a real alternative to the nauseating politics of the Fianna Fáil-Green Party coalition government.

In the midst of major job losses, wage cuts and house repossessions, we are being told to make even more sacrifices ‘for the good of Ireland’.

With Cowens popularity ratings plummeting, his spin doctors decided to try out a little bit of ‘can do’ rhetoric on the population. In an address on February 5 to the Dublin Chamber of Commerce, Cowan made an impassioned plea for the nation to cease its petty grumbling and instead come together in positive self-belief - “If we decide to wallow in the sea of doubt, do not be surprised if we remain in the turbulent waters that we are in today.”

Although media pundits waxed lyrical about Brian’s apparently high-flown, poetic language, it did not do much to rally those at sharp end of the recession. Unsurprising really, as he had announced massive pay cuts in the public services just two days before. Public employees are to pay an additional ‘pension levy’, which will mean at they will be at least €50 a week worse off. Low and middle income workers will be hit particularly hard. The money is being clawed in to help fund a second big refinance of the two major banks, AIB and Bank of Ireland, to the tune of at least €7 billion. €2 billion of this will come from the pension levy. Not that this will make workers’ retirement secure. The last banking bail-out in December drew heavily on the reserve pension fund, and there are plans to dip in again for the present refinance.

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Workers told to share pain