eirigi

éirígí announce further protests in response to UDA’s invitation to Dublin ceremony

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on May 14, 2011, 7:51 pm | Readers 61

Eamonn Mallie blogged earlier today revealing that UDA brigadiers and representatives have been invited down to Dublin next week. The UDA’s five brigadiers and 4/5 representatives of their respective districts have been extended invitations to a wreath laying ceremony by Queen Elizabeth at Islandbridge in honour of the war dead. President Mary McAleese’s husband Martin has been involved with UDA leaders in community work for several years. South Belfast brigadier Jackie McDonald regularly visits Aras an Uachtarain. Confirming the invitations …

West Belfast: Eaten bread soon forgotten #ae11 #belw11

Blank on April 19, 2011, 7:59 pm | Readers 24

In 2007 it was impossible for anyone that follows local elections to be anything but impressed with Sinn Féin’s vote management in West Belfast; 4.9 quotas returning 5 candidates when one of them (Gerry Adams TD) was exceptionally high profile seemed to be delivered effortlessly (those that have worked campaign trails know it will have been anything but). This time round SF are attempting the same feat with slightly different circumstance – Adams is gone so their vote management strategy …

Catching up with éirígí’s John McCusker – starting “a community fight back”

Alan Meban (Alan in Belfast) on April 16, 2011, 10:26 pm | Readers 212

éirígí won’t be everyone’s cup of tea on Slugger – but then name one political party that is. And in the spirit of exploring the smaller parties standing in the Assembly and local government elections, éirígí replied to the email that a number of other parties received but ignored. I spoke to John McCusker at length a week or so ago. He’s éirígí’s West Belfast chairman and standing as the party’s candidate in Lower Falls for Belfast City Council in …

Off with her head?

Blank on April 15, 2011, 8:09 pm | Readers 454

UPDATE – video of the ‘execution’: It has variously been described as tasteless, juvenile, pathetic, street theatre and much more – tomorrow éirígí intend to chop Elizabeth Windsor’s head off in the centre of Dublin. Blank

An honest broker?

Blank on April 12, 2011, 7:38 pm | Readers 27

Gerry Adams TD has been calling for talks with those that killed PSNI Constable Ronan Kerr. He, like his entire party, have been absolute and unambiguous in their comdemnation of those involved but Adams at least has now expanded his party’s attack to other groups that clearly have no connection to the death. One of these groups, éirígí, has responded and as a result revealed while SF claim a willingness to have discussions on republicanism with those currently and actively engaged in armed actions they …

There are more than two shades of Green

Blank on April 10, 2011, 8:53 pm | Readers 65

Chris has provided a very useful analysis of what he sees as the main electoral battleground between the two forms of constitutional nationalism. One of the main areas of growth he suggested for SF was at council level. However, he overlooked that at this election SF will be facing numerous challenges across multiple councils from Republicans of various hues. In January I suggested 22 Council seats that dissenting Republicans could consider running in. While I didn’t get them all right, republicans will have a non-SF option …

éirígí: they’re not an intervention – they’re aiming for 0.3% at best

Blank on February 2, 2011, 10:30 pm | Readers 25

As we noted, at éirígí’s last Ard Fheis, they stated they would be making an ‘intervention’ in northern electoral politics. I recently suggested 22 council areas dissenting republicans considering electoral intervention could look at. Today, éirígí announced their candidates. A full two and it seems unlikely they will announce more. Two candidates, across 582 seats. That’s contesting 0.3% of the game at council level Some electoral ‘intervention’. Blank

So, every Monday that ever comes along, I get up early and sing this little song

Blank on January 31, 2011, 9:12 pm | Readers 33

With éirígí having declared they will be engaging in electoralism at council level while rejecting it at Stormont (on grounds of ideology, not because they’d get totally tanked) and the IRSP expected to announce a similar return to council level electoralism in the north (also ignoring Stormont for ideological reasons, not fear of getting spanked) and expectations of an independent republican council candidate in Newry and the odd two in Fermanagh – I thought I’d run my eye over the …

Éirígí Candidates to Stand in Northern Ireland Local Government Elections

Pete Baker on January 24, 2011, 2:00 pm | Readers 30

The Irish Times reports that the “republican socialist political grouping” éirígí has announced that they will contest the forthcoming local government elections in Northern Ireland. From the Irish Times report About 140 members from across Ireland attended the conference in the Culturlann centre on Falls Road, where delegates voted in favour of running candidates in the council elections. Éirígí, which was formed in April 2006, has yet to decide in how many of the North’s 26 local government areas it …

Butchering more English than….

Blank on December 1, 2010, 6:28 pm | Readers 19

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIL2iNvoCsM&feature=player_embedded#! The X-Factor ‘Hope for Heroes’ single makes a return after a year off (are those cheering masses I hear?), this time the RNU are the republican group to take up the challenge of creating a ‘parody’ video (it won’t last long on Youtube). éirígí orginiated the mock X-Factor video idea in 2008 and despite their version of ‘Hero’ being removed from most streaming sites it is still available on their website The Republican Network for Unity effort certainly won’t …

Face it. The ‘lines’ were lies.

Blank on October 1, 2010, 9:07 pm | Readers 13

I found Rusty’s blog on the execution of Joe O’Connor personally challenging and greatly appreciate it for that alone. While revisiting the events leading up to his death and reactions after in such detail was worthwhile of itself, the final paragraph lays down a much harder question to many of those that dissented from SF republicanism post ‘Agreement’. “The hatred engendered during that time still runs deep; to acknowledge that McIntyre and Gorman were right, and not just about the …

“No one in this small, enclosed biosphere ever told them this project was never going to work in the first place…”

Pete Baker on August 17, 2010, 4:10 pm | Readers 29

In the Belfast Telegraph, Henry McDonald analyses the logically consistent, if callous, recent comments by independent councillor Martin Connolly. From the Belfast Telegraph article No matter how repulsive you might find his response to what could have been a double-murder of a woman and a child, Connolly’s position reflects traditional republicanism and its attitude towards the security forces. It also, paradoxically, illuminates the central problem facing mainstream republicans, particularly Sinn Fein: the durability of ideology. Last Tuesday evening, the other …

What a difference 5 years make

Blank on July 13, 2010, 6:35 pm | Readers 19

In 2005 Ardoyne had exactly the same problems surrounding the 12th of July parade as those that transpired last night (and it has been going on a lot longer than that). Back then, a full five years ago, 80 police officers were injured during what Gerry Kelly described as control being lost for for a time. In that distant almost forgotten, for some, era he fully blamed the Orange Order for creating the conditions that resulted in the violence: The …

A farce within a force

Blank on June 26, 2010, 7:44 pm | Readers 27

With today’s protest against DUP/SF proposed legislation to restrict the right to public assembly the PSNI earlier demonstrated how they will try and curb the current right to legal Public Assembly anyhow. Last year the PSNI successfully prevented éirígí’s protest against Armed Forces Day in Belfast by blocking protestors as they made their way to the assembly point. This year éirígí got around that by assembling directly at City Hall and not travelling there as a group. This meant their …

Belfast – a tale of three protests

Blank on June 25, 2010, 8:51 pm | Readers 6

Belfast is protest central tomorrow – for the leftie, libertarian, socialist, republican or just plain serial moaner you are positively spoilt for choice. In the best traditions of protest, you will have to choose because three protests take place separately and are essentially competing. You could join the protest against the DUP/SF drafted bill that would restrict the right to public assembly – Stop the Public Assemblies Bill, leaving the Arts College at 12pm heading towards the City Hall. You …