Features
Last Sunday night, the Irish men’s football team played Israel. This was the first of two fixtures against Israel in the European Nations League, the least prestigious of the three regular international football tournaments Ireland participates in. Although it was an official home game for the Israeli team, the
Culture
Dolly Parton died on 25 August, at the age of 80, after a brief battle with cancer. It is genuinely hard to think of another figure in American popular culture who commanded such near-universal affection, cutting across almost every fault line in a bitterly polarised country – country music traditionalists
Ecosocialism
The reformist left play an irresponsible game. They claim to support progressive social change, but they often throw their weight behind policies that are regressive and shortsighted. The carbon tax is a good example. In Ireland, carbon taxes currently increase the price of a litre of petrol by 20 cents
Culture
We live in paradoxical times. You don’t have to convince many that Trump is terrible or the planet is burning or about the gross inequality in the world. Yet there is often a fatalism, a feeling that we cannot do much about it. How often have socialists heard the
Features
by Marnie Holborow What is Social Reproduction Theory? It is a Marxist feminist term which covers how capitalism depends on unpaid care in the home for the ongoing reproduction of human life and labour. Because this work is mainly done by women, taken for granted and free for the system,
Features
Millions watched the World Cup but behind the scenes are governing bodies who engage in shady deals. As opposition grows to the Ireland-Israel match, Andy Storey looks at the corruption of some governing bodies and how fans are resisting. “This has not just been… the greatest… World Cup of
Features
On August 4th this year, RTE reported that 322,298 households are in arrears on their electricity bills. This represents 14% of all domestic customers, and is the highest level on record. This is yet another indicator of the hardships people are facing in the ongoing cost of living crisis.
Features
Jim O'Callaghan wants to sound tough on immigration. So, he is proposing a new citizenship law, which he hopes will propel him into the leadership of Fianna Fáil. It is not just personal ambition. Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael are in decline – and want to regain popularity by
Features
At the state elections in Saxony-Anhalt, the Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) achieved a record result of 43.8 per cent. The AfD benefited from the deep unpopularity of the federal government and, in particular, Chancellor Friedrich Merz. And it builds on the racism of the bourgeois parties. The AfD
Features
The DUP was set up as a rightwing party, with a fundamentalist approach to evangelical Protestantism. For the first decade after its founder Rev Ian Paisley decided to power-share with Sinn Fein in Stormont, most of its Ministerial appointments were members of the Caleb Foundation. Caleb was set up
Features
The cost of living remains the single biggest issue for workers. A poll in July found "cost of living and housing remain the biggest issues for the country, at 66% and 58% respectively". Corporate profits for supermarkets, energy companies and the financial markets continue to soar. Reuters report
Features
Washington’s plan to consolidate control of the Persian Gulf has gone disastrously wrong and they now find themselves stuck in a war they cannot win. Worse than that, the closure of the Strait of Hormuz is starting to have a huge impact on the global economy. The assumption in