The Communist Party of Ireland today called on Pat Cox to come clean on
his relationship with powerful corporate interests on whose behalf he
lobbies at the EU level. It is farcical that he continues to present
himself as an outsider and above the fray, as some objective voice in
relation to EU matters in general and in particular to the debate on the
Lisbon Treaty.
It is clear to any objective observer that Pat Cox is not outside the
establishment but in fact is part and parcel of it and that his
interests lie with corporate Europe—the driving force behind the
drafting of the Lisbon Treaty. With his red and yellow cards he wants to
be both a referee and a player at the same time. He will decide who is
telling the truth. This is an Alice in Wonderland type argument: that
the contents of the treaty are what he wants them to be.
It is clear that the Yes side will discuss everything but the content of
the treaty itself. Statement ends
Saturday, August 22, 2009
The mask is beginning to slip
The Communist Party of Ireland, asked workers to take note of the forces
now gathering to push for a Yes vote on the Lisbon Treaty.
Intel Corporation and previously the American Chamber of Commerce in
Ireland—the mouthpiece of American corporations in Ireland—have called
for a Yes vote. These are the same people who actively block workers
from joining a trade union, who refuse their workers the right to be
represented by a trade union of their democratic choice.
Intel’s announcement that it may spend up to €200,000 in promoting a Yes
vote - possibly more than the combined total being spend by the various
no campaigns - should send a clear message to all workers that big
corporations, those that deny workers the right to join a trade union,
are the driving force behind the Lisbon Treaty, both here in Ireland and
throughout the European Union.
Based on the provisions of previous treaties, institutions such as the
EU Court of Justice have already delivered rulings in the Laval, Rüffert
and Luxembourg cases against workers’ rights, making them subservient to
the rights of corporate Europe.
The Communist Party of Ireland went on to state that the Charter of
Fundamental Rights would not give workers any additional rights, workers
rights are in fact conditional on what the “market” requires. This is
the real reason that USA corporations and big business support the
Lisbon Treaty as it copper fastens this central approach at the very
heart of ever deeper EU integration.
Communist Party of Ireland
now gathering to push for a Yes vote on the Lisbon Treaty.
Intel Corporation and previously the American Chamber of Commerce in
Ireland—the mouthpiece of American corporations in Ireland—have called
for a Yes vote. These are the same people who actively block workers
from joining a trade union, who refuse their workers the right to be
represented by a trade union of their democratic choice.
Intel’s announcement that it may spend up to €200,000 in promoting a Yes
vote - possibly more than the combined total being spend by the various
no campaigns - should send a clear message to all workers that big
corporations, those that deny workers the right to join a trade union,
are the driving force behind the Lisbon Treaty, both here in Ireland and
throughout the European Union.
Based on the provisions of previous treaties, institutions such as the
EU Court of Justice have already delivered rulings in the Laval, Rüffert
and Luxembourg cases against workers’ rights, making them subservient to
the rights of corporate Europe.
The Communist Party of Ireland went on to state that the Charter of
Fundamental Rights would not give workers any additional rights, workers
rights are in fact conditional on what the “market” requires. This is
the real reason that USA corporations and big business support the
Lisbon Treaty as it copper fastens this central approach at the very
heart of ever deeper EU integration.
Communist Party of Ireland
Friday, August 7, 2009
*A failed strategy by a bankrupt Government and a failed system*
The growing ranks of the unemployed are clear testimony to the failure of this Government and its economic strategy.
Their only hope is that they can once again get the emigration boats and planes going to disperse the growing surplus population to the four corners of the globe.
Unemployment is now at 1995 levels, standing at 423,400 or 12 per cent, an increase of 10,500 over the previous month and 87 per cent over that of July last year. The number is being swelled as unemployment spreads far beyond those employed in the building industry.
This Government have no clear strategy for job creation other than some vague talk about a “green economy.” They clearly believe that the people are green and will believe and accept what this Government peddles and spins.
The numbers of unemployed will only grow as this Government, like its counterparts throughout the developed capitalist world, have clearly only a strategy for bailing out banks and financial institutions.
They are prepared to squander billions to bail out their financial backers in property and construction in the form of NAMA.
It is time for a new direction for our country and our people.
It is time to harness the natural resources and the intellectual talents of our people and to concentrate capital under our own control and focus on building a sustainable economy for the common good.
Their only hope is that they can once again get the emigration boats and planes going to disperse the growing surplus population to the four corners of the globe.
Unemployment is now at 1995 levels, standing at 423,400 or 12 per cent, an increase of 10,500 over the previous month and 87 per cent over that of July last year. The number is being swelled as unemployment spreads far beyond those employed in the building industry.
This Government have no clear strategy for job creation other than some vague talk about a “green economy.” They clearly believe that the people are green and will believe and accept what this Government peddles and spins.
The numbers of unemployed will only grow as this Government, like its counterparts throughout the developed capitalist world, have clearly only a strategy for bailing out banks and financial institutions.
They are prepared to squander billions to bail out their financial backers in property and construction in the form of NAMA.
It is time for a new direction for our country and our people.
It is time to harness the natural resources and the intellectual talents of our people and to concentrate capital under our own control and focus on building a sustainable economy for the common good.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
CPI Statement on Thomas Cook workers
The Communist Party of Ireland condemns the arrest and detention of about twenty former employees of Thomas Cook Ltd, along with a number of officials of their union, the Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association, in a dawn raid raid on the premises that the workers had been occupying since Friday 31 July.
These detentions mark a new low in the Irish legal and court system and expose once again the true nature of those institutions. There is clearly one law for the rich, for employers and corporate interests and one for workers, their trade unions, their families, and their communities.
We are living in a society in which people at the very top have been engaged in various dubious and illegal activities. We have banks and property speculators, who in the eyes of many workers should be in jail, walking the streets, appearing in the mass media, lecturing workers about having to take cuts in wages and terms of conditions, telling us that we have “priced ourselves” out of jobs. Yet nothing is done to bring these people before the courts.
The Communist Party calls on the whole of the trade union movement to stand up and defend the rights of these workers and the TSSA. It is symptomatic of how far out of touch elements of the ICTU and the leadership of the Labour Party are with working people that they have yet to speak out on this outrageous attack on a group of workers.
These detentions mark a new low in the Irish legal and court system and expose once again the true nature of those institutions. There is clearly one law for the rich, for employers and corporate interests and one for workers, their trade unions, their families, and their communities.
We are living in a society in which people at the very top have been engaged in various dubious and illegal activities. We have banks and property speculators, who in the eyes of many workers should be in jail, walking the streets, appearing in the mass media, lecturing workers about having to take cuts in wages and terms of conditions, telling us that we have “priced ourselves” out of jobs. Yet nothing is done to bring these people before the courts.
The Communist Party calls on the whole of the trade union movement to stand up and defend the rights of these workers and the TSSA. It is symptomatic of how far out of touch elements of the ICTU and the leadership of the Labour Party are with working people that they have yet to speak out on this outrageous attack on a group of workers.
Friday, July 31, 2009
CPI and KKE Joint Statement
Bi-lateral Statement
29 July 2009
During a visit to Ireland by a delegation of the Communist Party of Greece, a meeting was held with representatives of the Communist Party of Ireland. The Greek delegation also held a series of meetings with a number of Irish trade unions and social organisations.
Under discussion at the bilateral meeting was the necessity for both parties to continue to work for greater unity of the world communist movement in the struggle against imperialism. Also discussed was the importance of working together to build a greater ideological and political unity of communist forces and to struggle against opportunism.
The two parties have a common understanding of the nature of the global crisis now affecting the imperialist system, sharing the view that this crisis is part of the crisis of capitalism. During the discussions it was agreed that both the Greek government and the Irish government are attempting to compel the working class of their countries to pay for this crisis of capitalism, which is reflected in the growing attacks on public services and on workers’ wages, conditions and social insurance rights and in the growing ranks of unemployed workers.
The parties agreed on the need for workers’ organisations to resist these attacks through their class-oriented struggle. They pointed out that the communist parties need to defend the socialist perspective and vision as the only sure way forward in the building of socially just societies.
In their evaluation of the nature of the European Union the two parties agreed that the workers’ movement throughout Europe must continue to resist this imperialist bloc and its strengthening. They struggle against the approach being taken by the Party of the European Left as a capitulation to the interests of imperialism and big corporate interests, its role being to undermine the revolutionary ideology of the communist movement, leading to a strengthening of the forces of class collaboration within the workers’ movement.
The parties reiterated their criticism of the Irish government and of all the establishment parties—Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, the Labour Party, and the Green Party—for bowing to pressure from the European Union to subvert the democratically expressed rejection of the Lisbon Treaty by the Irish people. The Communist Party of Greece expressed its support for the democratic forces in Ireland struggling to deliver once again a rebuff to the imposition of this so-called Reform Treaty.
Both parties expressed their solidarity with the heroic Palestinian people in their struggle for a homeland and for a just and lasting settlement. They also expressed their solidarity with the Cuban people and join with them in celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of their revolution. The two parties pledged their continued solidarity and support for the forces bringing about radical social transformations in Latin America, and in particular they condemned the interference by the United States in the overthrow of President Zelaya of Honduras. The parties expressed their solidarity with all those forces struggling against imperialism and those who struggle for socialism in very difficult and extremely hostile conditions.
Finally, the Communist Party of Ireland and the Communist Party of Greece pledged to continue to share their experiences and to further strengthen their co-operation.
29 July 2009
During a visit to Ireland by a delegation of the Communist Party of Greece, a meeting was held with representatives of the Communist Party of Ireland. The Greek delegation also held a series of meetings with a number of Irish trade unions and social organisations.
Under discussion at the bilateral meeting was the necessity for both parties to continue to work for greater unity of the world communist movement in the struggle against imperialism. Also discussed was the importance of working together to build a greater ideological and political unity of communist forces and to struggle against opportunism.
The two parties have a common understanding of the nature of the global crisis now affecting the imperialist system, sharing the view that this crisis is part of the crisis of capitalism. During the discussions it was agreed that both the Greek government and the Irish government are attempting to compel the working class of their countries to pay for this crisis of capitalism, which is reflected in the growing attacks on public services and on workers’ wages, conditions and social insurance rights and in the growing ranks of unemployed workers.
The parties agreed on the need for workers’ organisations to resist these attacks through their class-oriented struggle. They pointed out that the communist parties need to defend the socialist perspective and vision as the only sure way forward in the building of socially just societies.
In their evaluation of the nature of the European Union the two parties agreed that the workers’ movement throughout Europe must continue to resist this imperialist bloc and its strengthening. They struggle against the approach being taken by the Party of the European Left as a capitulation to the interests of imperialism and big corporate interests, its role being to undermine the revolutionary ideology of the communist movement, leading to a strengthening of the forces of class collaboration within the workers’ movement.
The parties reiterated their criticism of the Irish government and of all the establishment parties—Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, the Labour Party, and the Green Party—for bowing to pressure from the European Union to subvert the democratically expressed rejection of the Lisbon Treaty by the Irish people. The Communist Party of Greece expressed its support for the democratic forces in Ireland struggling to deliver once again a rebuff to the imposition of this so-called Reform Treaty.
Both parties expressed their solidarity with the heroic Palestinian people in their struggle for a homeland and for a just and lasting settlement. They also expressed their solidarity with the Cuban people and join with them in celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of their revolution. The two parties pledged their continued solidarity and support for the forces bringing about radical social transformations in Latin America, and in particular they condemned the interference by the United States in the overthrow of President Zelaya of Honduras. The parties expressed their solidarity with all those forces struggling against imperialism and those who struggle for socialism in very difficult and extremely hostile conditions.
Finally, the Communist Party of Ireland and the Communist Party of Greece pledged to continue to share their experiences and to further strengthen their co-operation.
Monday, July 27, 2009
And some say the EU hasnt an army!
See at the below link the EU army raise the EU flag and note its size!!
http://www.people.ie/english1.html
http://www.people.ie/english1.html
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Pat Cox, Corporate Lobbyist leads the Yes to Lisbon Campaign
Pat Cox, former European Parliament President, among the least transparent lobbyists ... Item from Corporate Europe Observatory forwarded for your information
On 23 June 2008 the European Commission launched the first ever EU lobbying transparency register. But will this voluntary mechanism end the secrecy surrounding much of lobbying in Brussels?
An estimated 15,000+ lobbyists try to influence EU decision-making, most of them representing Big Business. The Brussels Sunshine blog, written by members of the Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO) team, tracks who registers and who doesn't, what is disclosed and what isn't.
http://blog.brusselssunshine.eu/2009/06/former-parliament-president-among-least.html
Tuesday, 2 June 2009 Article
Former Parliament President among the least transparent lobbyists
In previous posts we highlighted examples of former MEPs who have gone through the revolving door to become corporate lobbyists. Pat Cox, an MEP for fifteen years (1989 - 2004) and president of the European Parliament for two years (2002 -2004), is another astonishing example.
After stepping down as an MEP he became a lobbying consultant for several bodies, including public affairs giant APCO, the corporations Microsoft, Pfizer and Michelin, as well as corporate front groups and think- tanks like Friends of Europe.
He is also the director of two smaller lobby firms: Strategic Consulting firm CAPA Ltd and European Integration Solutions. Neither of these firms have joined the Commission's register. Nor do they apply even the most basic standards of transparency:
- Neither of them has a website
- Searching online, there is an EIS address in Brussels as well as a Cyprus phone number. The address seems to be for a private apartment.
Pat Cox has also been hired by Consumer Commissioner Meglena Kuneva as a Special Adviser. The documents published on the Commission's web page of Special Advisers, however, fail to demonstrate an absence of conflicts of interest as demanded by the Rules on Special Advisers.
There are legitimate concerns that there could be a potential conflict of interest given that Mr Cox works directly (Microsoft, Pfizer and Michelin) and indirectly (through APCO and EIS) for large corporations with significant interests in EU consumer policies.
Corporate Europe Observatory wrote to Commissioner Kuneva last month and asked her to clarify the situation.
On 23 June 2008 the European Commission launched the first ever EU lobbying transparency register. But will this voluntary mechanism end the secrecy surrounding much of lobbying in Brussels?
An estimated 15,000+ lobbyists try to influence EU decision-making, most of them representing Big Business. The Brussels Sunshine blog, written by members of the Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO) team, tracks who registers and who doesn't, what is disclosed and what isn't.
http://blog.brusselssunshine.eu/2009/06/former-parliament-president-among-least.html
Tuesday, 2 June 2009 Article
Former Parliament President among the least transparent lobbyists
In previous posts we highlighted examples of former MEPs who have gone through the revolving door to become corporate lobbyists. Pat Cox, an MEP for fifteen years (1989 - 2004) and president of the European Parliament for two years (2002 -2004), is another astonishing example.
After stepping down as an MEP he became a lobbying consultant for several bodies, including public affairs giant APCO, the corporations Microsoft, Pfizer and Michelin, as well as corporate front groups and think- tanks like Friends of Europe.
He is also the director of two smaller lobby firms: Strategic Consulting firm CAPA Ltd and European Integration Solutions. Neither of these firms have joined the Commission's register. Nor do they apply even the most basic standards of transparency:
- Neither of them has a website
- Searching online, there is an EIS address in Brussels as well as a Cyprus phone number. The address seems to be for a private apartment.
Pat Cox has also been hired by Consumer Commissioner Meglena Kuneva as a Special Adviser. The documents published on the Commission's web page of Special Advisers, however, fail to demonstrate an absence of conflicts of interest as demanded by the Rules on Special Advisers.
There are legitimate concerns that there could be a potential conflict of interest given that Mr Cox works directly (Microsoft, Pfizer and Michelin) and indirectly (through APCO and EIS) for large corporations with significant interests in EU consumer policies.
Corporate Europe Observatory wrote to Commissioner Kuneva last month and asked her to clarify the situation.
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