Austerity Kills – the clear message sent out by the ‘Spectacle of Defiance & Hope’ display in front of last Saturday’s Dublin Council of Trade Unions march against another austerity budget. The march itself was poorly attended, under 1000 people, and there was some really silly ‘get our flags/ banners upfront’ stuff going on from a few group both during the march and the speeches at the end.
Austerity Kills – the clear message sent out by the ‘Spectacle of Defiance & Hope’ display in front of last Saturday’s Dublin Council of Trade Unions march against another austerity budget. The march itself was poorly attended, under 1000 people, and there was some really silly ‘get our flags/ banners upfront’ stuff going on from a few group both during the march and the speeches at the end.
There was quite a bit of anger with the union leadership expressed by sections of those who marched including prolonged heckling of Mick O’Reilly who would generally be considered one of the few left union leaders. It’s possible he was misidentified as Jack O’Connor though but if so that perhaps highlights the scale of the gap that has opened between some anti-austerity protesters and the more oppositional currents in the unions since 2010/11.
From where I was standing, right side facing the stage, just by the half dozen Republican Voice guys it appeared to be more than just them heckling, it also involving the self styled Independent Protester group and perhaps a few more. I’d have thought that second group might have had a more nuanced understanding of differences within the unions (Ind. Protesters seem to be people coming from PbP, Occupy & CAHWT) remembering that in the case of Occupy working with DCTU was blocked by only half a dozen or so people. Which (along with a post to FB by one of them) is why I thought they had Mick confused with Jack O’Conner (both having beards I guess!).
Another banner at the DCTU march expressing anger at the Labour Party and their defence of bankers over ordinary working people. The question is whether anything else should ever have been expected of a party for whom getting into office had been the main and indeed almost sole activity for so long.
WORDS & IMAGES: @Andrew Flood