Latest news with #LibertyHall
Irish Times
4 hours ago
- Business
- Irish Times
There's never been a better time for a left alliance - if they don't fall out first
A left government led by Mary Lou McDonald , Holly Cairns and Ivana Bacik would represent practical politics. The biggest obstacle to success is a split. But there is a mountain to climb electorally and the next general election, likely to happen in 2029, is some way over the horizon. Sinn Féin , the Social Democrats and Labour understand that as opposition, they failed to offer an alternative before the last election, with the result that an unloved Government limps on. Ironically, it was the Government that unified the opposition. Allowing backbench Regional Group TDs to simultaneously enjoy the opportunities of opposition and the privileges of Government was a stunt too far. Their instant unity was more surprising given the Seanad election which had just concluded. That particular election was a tale of some deals done, other offers rebuffed, and promises broken among the larger left parties and the Greens. But that's politics. It is always tomorrow that counts. READ MORE The result is that we have a more focused opposition and that will matter for the Government. The Robert Tressell Festival in Dublin's Liberty Hall last month was a platform for left unity. Robert Tressell was the pen name of the real-life Irish house painter Robert Noonan, who wrote the great book The Ragged-Trousered Philanthropists. At the festival, there were positive expressions of intent about forging a closer bond. McDonald said the left can take the Government on and offer a 'real alternative'. Labour's Marie Sherlock said the general election had been a kind of own goal for the left, adding that a common left platform was needed to oust a 'semi-permanent centre-right government'. Sinéad Gibney had more to say on the same theme for the Social Democrats. But it was Socialist TD Ruth Coppinger who talked about alternative politics, not just an alternative government, when she said 'a common left platform has to be a challenge to capitalism and the ideas of capitalism'. She was on her own on that. The centre has not held since 2020 because neither Fianna Fáil nor Fine Gael are an alternative government to the other None of Sinn Féin, Social Democrats or Labour have ruled out going into government with Fianna Fáil or Fine Gael. They want the Government parties out, of course, but a test of mettle will be their willingness to burn the bridge to coalition with what passes for centre-right politics in Ireland. The ambient lighting on the left is redder now, but the mood remains tentative. Before the last election, Davy, the stockbroker group, told its clients that Sinn Féin was ' more New Labour than Corbyn Labour '. In fact, it's a populist, nationalist party. It might, if it sticks to its new script, be the centre of a left-wing coalition. This is because, to the discomfort of some in Labour, the Social Democrats are prepared to stand in the picture with Sinn Féin. The Social Democrats are a party of mainly new TDs, who know they don't really like Labour but have forgotten why. Their founding identity was based on not being a mudguard for Fine Gael and its cohort of younger voters were never inoculated against Sinn Féin. By exercising their agency, they have weakened Labour's natural preference for a Labour–Social Democrats–Green alliance without Sinn Féin. The Social Democrats' willingness to stand in with Sinn Féin means Labour has less scope to stand out. A new mix on the left is giving a different flavour. It is a big deal for Labour to accept they now share a franchise, but they are. McDonald stated a plain truth when she said the days of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael 'controlling both government and opposition at the same time are over'. The centre has not held since 2020 because neither Fianna Fáil nor Fine Gael are an alternative government to the other. If they can't muster the numbers together, one or the other may be able to form a government with some left parties, where the left is more prominent than ever before. Alternatively, they lose decisively, the left alliance holds and forms a government in a historic departure of sorts. [ Gerry Adams defamation verdict won't have a chilling effect on journalism - and here's why Opens in new window ] [ Who really owns the music festival you're heading to this summer? Opens in new window ] Coppinger's views on the need for the left to challenge capitalism will never be taken up by the soft left. The left generally, and Sinn Féin particularly, are allergic to the broader tax base that would fund the more active state they demand. The slow bicycle race towards the next election has begun. For Sinn Féin, the Social Democrats and Labour, their mutual relations sway between coalition, colonisation and cannibalism. They have the makings of an alternative government, however. Housing at home, Trump abroad and diminishing traditional political loyalties mean that anything is possible, including a left government in Ireland.
BreakingNews.ie
25-05-2025
- Politics
- BreakingNews.ie
Bernie Sanders uses Dublin speech to urge workers to prevail in ‘war with oligarchy'
Bernie Sanders has urged working people in Ireland and across the world to unite to stop the rise of oligarchy as he delivered a keynote speech in Dublin. The 83-year-old Vermont senator used an address at the Robert Tressell Festival at Liberty Hall to criticise what he characterised as a new generation of billionaires who do not believe in government or democracy. Advertisement He also expressed concern that artificial intelligence and new technology were being used against working people, to take their jobs, rather than being harnessed to benefit workers and generate wealth across society. He denounced President Donald Trump, describing his administration as a 'government of the billionaires, by the billionaires and for the billionaires'. The independent senator, who lost out to Hillary Clinton in a bid to become the Democratic presidential candidate in 2016, also accused the party of cutting ties with the working class people of the US. 'Why did he (President Trump) win the support of the majority of the American people? The answer is everything to do with the fact that working class people believe that the Democratic Party no longer represents them,' Mr Sanders told the event on Saturday night. Advertisement 'And by the way, this is not just an American phenomenon, it is happening to social democratic parties all over the world. And these parties have to make a choice – if they think they are going to survive defending a status quo which is destroying the lives of millions of workers in America and around the world, they are dead wrong.' He added: 'All over this world is an understanding that we are at war with an oligarchy that couldn't care less about the people in Palestine, care less about the people in Ireland, or care less about the people in the United States of America. Donald Trump (Alex Brandon/AP) 'These oligarchs are not like the rich (of the past) – I'm not a historian, but my impression is they are not like the wealthy of past generations. 'The rich have always wanted tax breaks. The rich have always wanted to break unions, anti-unionism. (But) these guys are different. And the difference is they do not believe in the concept of government. They do not believe in democracy. Advertisement 'You know, 150 years ago there was this divine (right), the kings in Europe, the tsar in Russia, they told their the constituents that they had the right to rule, the divine right to rule.' The senator said many leading billionaires of the present day subscribed to the same theory. 'They believe they are high IQ people who have developed these big technology companies, they are so smart they have created billion-dollar companies, they have the right to rule, and they don't want you or democracy or government or unions or consumer groups to get in the way,' he said. 'I will tell you that they are moving very, very rapidly, (with) this artificial intelligence and robotics. What they did to (US) federal employees (cutting jobs), and we're seeing right now, literally, what they did to federal employees is a signal to every corporation in America – 'Hey, we did it. You can do it. And if your workers stand up, you tell them, they got machinery coming in, we got AI coming in, we got robotics coming, we don't need that any more'. Advertisement 'So if we do not get our act together, if we do not raise a class consciousness which understands that that technology must be used to benefit working people, not just to make the billionaires even richer, if we don't raise the consciousness to understand that in the world we live today, there is no reason why we should be experiencing the kind of poverty and economic misery that we are. 'Economic rights, as I think most people in this room know, are human rights. 'People have a right to proper health care. They have a right to decent housing. They have a right to good quality education. They have a right to decent incomes. This is not a utopian vision. We're not living in the 1850s any more. 'We have the technology to know how to create the wealth that we need to create a decent life for every man, woman and child. We can do it. But we can't do it unless we come together globally, unless the working class stands up and says 'enough is enough' to the oligarchs, they are not going to have it all. Advertisement 'It is our world, and we're going to take power and create a society that works for all of us.'
Axios
19-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Axios
Beachland Ballroom celebrates 25 years of legendary concerts
It's getting to the point where Cleveland's Beachland Ballroom & Tavern is older than some of its workers. "Some of our staff wasn't even born when we first opened," says co-owner Cindy Barber. "It makes you look around and say, 'Wow!'" Why it matters: The Beachland, which turns 25 years old this month, has become a hallmark of the Northeast Ohio arts and music scenes. It's also been the building block for the Waterloo Arts District that now houses various art studios, record stores and restaurants. Flashback: Barber and business partner Mark Leddy opened the venue in the old Croatian Liberty Hall on Waterloo Road on March 2, 2000. Leddy was a local musician and former booker at legendary Pat's in the Flats. Barber was a journalist at Free Times who wanted to help revitalize the North Collinwood neighborhood. "I felt like having a destination music venue would be key to turning the area around," Barber says. "Developing the neighborhood is still my No. 1 priority." Between the lines: Along the way, the Beachland has hosted several acts that went on to have legendary careers, including The White Stripes, The Cramps and Guided by Voices. Akron's The Black Keys played their first-ever concert in the tavern on March 31, 2002. What they're saying: It isn't always easy operating a music venue, especially during the COVID pandemic that decimated locally owned performance spaces. "It's sometimes overwhelmingly difficult," says Barber. "But it's also very rewarding when people tell you they had an amazing experience, or you see someone in Germany wearing a Beachland T-shirt. That really keeps us going."
