"Posters are a vital political tool"

In a blatant and outrageous act of political censorship Dublin City Council is attempting to impose an unprecedented ban on posters advertising political protests. This poster ban represents a very real attack on the right to political expression, the right to organise politically and the right to assembly.

The ban is due to come into effect from May 15th to May 25th, during which time both the 'British Queen' and US president Barack Obama are to visit Dublin. Those applying for permission to erect posters have been sent the following email by the council: 'I wish to advise you that your application has been refused. This decision has been taken on the basis that no postering applications for events between 15th and 25th May are being granted in the interest of promoting a clean environment for Dublin City during forthcoming State visits.'

Related Links: These links relate to when the change occured so that you had to get permission to put up a poster. Before that you did not need permission. -i.e another bit of our basic democratic rights were lost then.
Joan Collins Puts Virus Into Protocol For Ban On Public Notices | Motion on Poster Ban passed at DCC | The poster ban That Never Went Away is Back Again | Dublin City Council officials ban anti-war poster Leafleting Ban?

CACI - Providing Software for the Irish Cencus
(and lots of other "defence software")

The people of Ireland should consider a Boycott in relation the upcoming Census in April 2011. The reason I say this is that the company contracted to carry out the Census is CACI UK who are a subsidiary of CACI international which through its various outsourcing has been accused of contributing to the torture of prisoners in Abu Ghraib in Iraq, something I myself am not happy about, and it will be one of the reason's why I will not be completing the Census form this time.

Related Links:
CACI's website
Graphic Video Displaying CACI Crimes (Irish Census Contractors)
Cencus Alerts - UK
This Lockheed Martin contract tarnishes the census - from The Guardian
Lockheed Martin Awarded £150M Contract to Support 2011 Census for England and Wales, and Northern Ireland

Apologies the related links are to stories about the English census (and Lockheed Martin), but the Irish media seem to have missed the relevance of CACI in getting the contract to develop the software for the Irish cencus

Tarhrii Square, Egypt

Nazly Hussein speaks from outside the military courts which this afternoon (Friday 12th March) was supposed to address the people the army harrassed and arrested last Wednesday during a brutal attack on those occupying Tahrir Square. Nazly describes how several hundred plain clothes thugs was deployed against people in the square on Wednesday, who set about pulling down tents and beating people up. The army, under the pretence of ‘protecting’ those remaining in the Tahrir then began beating, arresting and electrocuting people within the the pro democracy movement. Over 170 people where arrested, most of whom where later released without charge. Many had been beaten and tortured with electrocution.

An interview with Nazly Hussien:

Interview with Nazly Hussien 27.6 Mb

Soundmigration's Blog
Ongoing protests in Dublin in solidarity with the Egyptian people

€540 BILLION Euro - What Could the Country do with That?

Today members and supporters of Dublin Shell to Sea gathered the top of Grafton Street to distribute €540 billion ‘commemorative bank notes’ to members of the public, symbolising the cost to the exchequer of the extraordinary giveaway of Ireland’s oil and gas reserves. This was part of a national Shell to Sea day that saw leafletting in 8 other towns and cities around Ireland as well as Dublin.

Related Links:
Questions for Politicians | Non Violent Direct Action Training 5-6th March | shell granted planning permission in mayo | shell To sea Solidarity Action Ghent ( Belgium). | Review of the Corrib Gas Project Oral Hearing | Joe higgins interviewed on RT. By contrast, Vincent brown sneers at him and screws shell to sea | Budget Day drama on Kildare Street | People's Alliance march in Tullamore | Four years since baton charge on peaceful protestors

Shell to Sea - Official Website
Rossport Solidarity Camp - Official Website

Egyptians aware of the deep involvement
of US govt for 30 yrs of barbaric rule

Egypt's on Fire: The winds for democratic change are strongly blowing in that country to dislodge US/Israeli backed traitor Hosni Mubarak and his Obama picked replacement, Omar Suleiman (also, "Israel's favourite Egyptian", Robert Fisk). Yesterday afternoon in Dublin, Egyptians, Arabs, internationals and Irish people of conscience assembled outside the Egyptian Embassy in Clyde Road, Ballsbridge to give the ambassador and all who care to listen a strong message that Mubarak and Suleiman will no longer be endured or tolerated and both have to go and be replaced with true democracy. Judging from the shuttered and closed blinds of the Embassy windows, denial held sway and the blind eye and deaf ear was being turned to the trumpeting elephant inside.?

Live Coverage: Latest audio from Democracy Now | Feb 11th blog Al-Jazeera | Egyptian Blog Aggregation: http://www.omraneya.net/ | Crowd sourcing coverage | Global Voice Online: Egypt protests 2011 | Asmaa Mahfouz & the YouTube Video that Helped Spark the Egyptian Uprising
Solidarity Demos: Dublin Demo 3:30pm in Solidarity with the Egyptian People | Demo in Galway tomorrow 2pm (11th Feb) in solidarity with the Egyptian uprising Background & Analysis & Commentary: Omar Suleiman—longtime collaborator with Israel and US | Strikes and demonstrations spread across Egypt | The Egyptian working class moves to the forefront | The Arab world is on fire: dialogue with a Syrian anarchist| Arabic version | Johh Pilger: The Egyptian Revolt is Coming Home | US Cables: FBI Trained Egypt’s State Security ‘Torturers’ | Sibel Edmonds: US Material Support to Dictators Who Inflict Terror | CIA Watch | Environment factors: How Banks and Investors are Starving The Third World -food prices was one trigger | From The OilDrum website: What's Behind Egypt's Problems?
Other revolutions in history: Spanish Revolution 1936 | Russian Revolution | The Nasser Revolution | The Gains of Past Revolutions | Revolution in Portugal and here and here