After years hidden away, Oldham’s memorial to six local volunteers who died fighting fascism in the Spanish civil war has been restored to public view, marking both a victory for campaigners and a renewed tribute to the town’s proud International Brigade heritage, says ROB HARGREAVES
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Decades of church and state repression of women
The COMMUNIST PARTY of IRELAND on the release of a report into the deaths of 9,000 children in institutions for unmarried mothers and their babies
POIGNANT: Protesters wear baby shoes, to signify the children who died in mother and baby homes in Ireland
While pretending to seek peace, Europe is heading toward a collision course with Russia – using security guarantees, troop deployments, expropriation and censorship as tools, writes SEVIM DAGDELEN
Alba party leader KENNY MacASKILL makes some suggestions on how to save our pubs and reduce irresponsible drinking
The catastrophe unfolding in Gaza – where Palestinians are freezing to death in tents – is not a natural disaster but a calculated outcome of Israel’s ongoing blockade, aid restrictions and continued violence, argues CLAUDIA WEBBE
Opinion polls point to electoral collapse, parliamentary rebellion and a looming leadership challenge as Starmer’s Labour haemorrhages working-class support and the far right exploits the vacuum left by a hollowed-out party, says NICK WRIGHT
The long-term effects of chemical weapons such as Agent Orange mean that the impact of war lasts well beyond a ceasefire
THE publication of the report of the Mother and Baby Homes Commission of Investigation, cataloguing the horrendous abuse and exploitation handed out to tens of thousands of women over the decades by religious institutions — of both main religious faiths — lays bare the violence and repressive attitudes that have been inflicted on women in general here in Ireland.
Those forces that secured their victory and established the Irish Free State were more than willing to hand over many critical services that the people needed to religious orders, including health and education and much more, creating a culture of dependence and fear.
The state and the Establishment parties of Fine Gael and Fianna Fail built a close relationship with the Catholic Church in particular to ensure the social and political stability of the state and to maintain the economic and political status quo.
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