Down the hill, take a left and round the houses

First of my weekly roundups, thanks to all who forwarded links. This one will have some old material to catch stories previously missed. If you think I’ve omitted something you’d have liked included drop me a mail in futureéirígí’s all too often updated Workers in Struggle topic shows more job losses and calls for child benefit cuts in the south

An old press release from August I’ve been sent that surprised me says the Republican Network for Unity (RNU) have met with young loyalists from East Belfast:

“Four members of RNU met with a group of 20 young men and loyalist ex-prisoners from East Belfast on 29 August. They took the group into the Bogside where they took part in a guided tour of the ‘Bloody Sunday’ Memorial and Museum, ‘Free Derry Corner’, and the ‘H-Block Memorial’. Issues such as the civil rights campaign and the Battle of the Bogside were discussed as well as other events at the genesis of the conflict”

The RNU members and young people then engaged in an exploration of unionist and nationalist cultural identity and the current political situation.”

The RNU also attack Sinn Fein over an increase in repression from the Sinn Féin endorsed PSNI and claim a Community Activist has been attacked by a ‘Provisional’ Sinn Féin Executive Member.

The IRSP has an interesting discussion with some supporters teasing out their difficulties in supporting the recent INLA announcement on armed struggle.

Pretty much alone Republican Sinn Féin attack Clinton’s visit and the US. (something people would have been queuing up to do just over a year ago)

No reviews online yet but Indymedia trailed what may have been a fascinating talk from Tarek El-Diwany – ‘The Credit Crunch: An Islamic perspective’

I’m happy to take links on forthcoming events like the now sold out Chomsky lecture during the Queen’s festival. (I’m still looking someone to share a pint before this btw)

The Socialist Party flags its intention to run in South and East Belfast during the general election

The SWP carries a debate between them and SF over the latter’s decision to meet with the Israeli Ambassador

The Workers’ Party held their NI conference last week. Dawn Purvis managed to get along after her own party conference

And to finish I’ll cast the net a bit further afield with Alex Callinicos’ article in the Socialist Voice examining challenges for the Left which states ‘It would be simply criminal to allow the Tories and the fascist and populist right to benefit from the decrepitude of Labourism.’

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