Unfinished Business: Larkin 1913-2013

ICTU March Live Blog

In Blog, Politicsby Fedayn7 Comments

Unfinished Business: Larkin 1913-2013

Unfinished Business: Larkin 1913-2013

Tens of thousands are expected on the streets of Dublin, as well as thousands more around the country for an ICTU prompter ‘March against Austerity’

As is often the case there are so many divergent views it has become almost impossible to explain to the neutral what the hell the march signifies or what, if anything, it hopes to achieve. The cynical, they would say realist, amongst us point to years of ineffectual Union leadership as cut after cut occurs; these marches become a sop or distraction, a small vent for the voiceless who can go home deluded that they have made a change.

Others will say the counter argument stands that we are showing, by our numbers, that we won’t stand for Government cutbacks etc. The move in the last few days following the extension of the promissory notes to become a state bond with long-term repayments seems to be one of backing the government against malodorous foreign types (namely Germans and possibly French). This is the impression being given by the unions as far as we can see.

We’ll update here with photographs as we cover the march.

  crowds gathering at Christchurch

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Next year’s Findus Lasagna

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It just got tasty as gardai forced protesters off the street. Stand off now at Dame st.

 

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We had a comms breakdown and unfortunately the liveblog crashed. We’re publishing more photos below and a video later.

While the numbers game is being played between the usual right-wing stooges like Marc Coleman of Newstalk and Union leaders. We are initially calling it at 12,800 (Socialist Party count) 25,000 (Garda count) and 50,000 (lads here drinking) – massive row around the table here in Toner’s beer garden.

The march finished at Merrion Square where a large stage had been erected. Union stewards would not let rabble reporter or some other press photographers into the press area without ‘the proper pass’ so we walked back along the north side of Merrion Sq where the crowd filtered out quickly. Some light relief from Barry Murphy and some tunes from Temper-Mental MissElayneous and Jinx Lennon. We left as Mundy was being heckled by the remaining couple of dozen people.

A quiet crowd overall, rabble further back in the crowd report that the only passion seemed to be amongst the nurses organisation INMO and Frontline.

The analysis of what this was, and more importantly as the Irish Times would say ‘the Why’ will go on.

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