The country is in the grip of Covid-19 fear. The public have been frightened using manipulative figures and by emphasis on case numbers which are meaningless. Many are very concerned and know we face economic ruin and worry about the future. Mental health issues are widespread and critical. People are only reluctantly agreeing to any of this out of fear and want the whole thing to end. The media, politicians, and the medical bureaucrats with conflicts of interest have been criminal in their actions and the Left has attempted to hijack the fear to shamelessly pretend they are protecting workers when they are simply acting as shrills for multi-national Pharmaceutical & vaccine industry and thereby pushing the agenda of the Great Reset promoted by the World Economic Forum (WEF) who are the voice of the global capitalist oligarchy. Not only that anyone with a different opinion is accused as being right-wing and racist and while indeed elements on the right are have taken an position against the official narrative, it is disingenuous and arrogant of the Left to label people as being somehow misled as well as anti-science when the official narrative is being blatantly fraudulent in the way they try to wear the cloak of scientific respectively but instead are tarnishing it's reputation. We have been hearing for the last two or three weeks that cases are rising exponentially and it all seems out of control. It appears the number of deaths is rising and the media seem to be reporting the country's hospital ICU capacity is about to be over run. The government's own figures show this is not actually the case.

As we speak the government cabinet is due to meet to decide whether to put the whole country in lockdown for a massive 6 weeks at Level 5 which is basically a full lockdown. NPHET have been strongly advising for this to happen for the last two or three weeks and when the government refused to put the country in lockdown a week or two ago, NPHET were furious that their minions in the government did not follow their orders. It remains to be seen whether government ministers will like bold children repent and obey NPHET orders.

In this brief report we take the government's or rather the Health Preventive Surveillance Centre, HPSC, figures to show that the impression of out of control Covid and soaring death rate is not actually happening and there is no need for heightened fear or lockdown.

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Analyzing the economic crisis spurred by the coronavirus, the International Monetary Fund released the Global Financial Stability Report and the 2020 World Economic Outlook Report, "A Long and Difficult Ascent." The economic outlook report projects global economic growth to contract 4.4%. read full story / add a comment

IMF head Kristalina Georgieva warned that developing countries could face a second wave of economic crises just as they are recovering from the coronavirus pandemic. "... There is a need to reform the international debt 'architecture' ... to provide speedy and sufficiently deep debt relief to countries that need it, benefitting not only these countries but the system as a whole," wrote Georgieva and other top IMF officials in a Fund blog published Thursday. read full story / add a comment

Chief Pfizer Scientific Officer of 16 years: "more than half of the positives are likely to be false, potentially all of them"

In a stunning development, a former Chief Science Officer for the pharmaceutical giant Pfizer says “there is no science to suggest a second wave should happen.” The “Big Pharma” insider asserts that false positive results from inherently unreliable COVID tests are being used to manufacture a “second wave” based on “new cases.”

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A high-level United Nations panel report says global policies are needed to prevent trillions of dollars escaping developing countries through tax abuse and corruption. The UN group includes former heads of state, past central bank governors, business leaders and prominent academics. read full story / add a comment

On August 27 and 28, the US Federal Reserve and other government central banks meet for their annual retreat. read full story / add a comment

Over the weekend, Tropical Storm Laura pummeled Haiti and the Dominican Republic leaving at least 13 dead, infrastructure decimated and towns isolated by landslides. read full story / add a comment

Student debt relief is now included in round the clock stimulus package negotiations on Capitol Hill. On Thursday, President Trump indicated that student debt relief measures passed in the Spring could be extended in the final Congressional package. read full story / add a comment

Religious leaders representing over 95% of Puerto Rico's population wrote Congress urging that the island be included in the next stimulus plan. Job creation, disaster relief and protections for the vulnerable were lifted in a letter signed by leaders of the Catholic, Methodist, Lutheran, Christian (Disciples) and Evangelical Churches. The Puerto Rico Council of Churches, Catholic Charities (Caritas) and the General Bible Society also added their names to the letter to Congress. read full story / add a comment

Comparing similarities of the Political Governance in Ireland to that of China.
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The Irish health system is entering the Covid-19 crisis in a very poor position. Before the virus hit, it was already at breaking point. This is a result of chronic underfunding by successive governments stretching back decades and made worse in the last decade of austerity. Despite the spin from the government, the Irish state is actually one of the lowest spenders on healthcare in the OECD.

An estimated 1.9 million people could contract the Covid-19 virus in the State. A feature of the infection for some is respiratory difficulties. It is estimated that 5%-10% will need more intensive treatment in hospitals and up to half of them will need access to ventilation equipment. There is a real fear on the part of working class people generally and of course healthcare staff of the impact of COVID-19 in the context of an underfunded and overstretched health system. read full story / add a comment

In the aftermath of the election that cemented their historically poor results of four years ago, Labour leader Brendan Howlin resigned, triggering a leadership race. The race will pit Alan Kelly, the most prominent figure remaining from the 2011-16 cabinet, against Aodhán Ó Ríordáin. read full story / add a comment

General Election 2020 was historic. It was only the second time that the combined vote of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael went below 50%. 2016 was the first, when it dipped just below 50% by 0.2%. However, this time it plunged to just 43.4% — an historic low.

The election unfolded around the desire that emerged from below for “real change” and included the widespread understanding that this could only be achieved by a rejection of Fianna Fáil or Fine Gael.

Sinn Féin were the winners, receiving the biggest share of the popular vote at 24.53%, but Fianna Fáil have taken the most seats, as Sinn Féin didn’t stand enough candidates to maximise the full value of its surge in support. read full story / add a comment

James Coughlan, the Workers’ Party candidate in Cork North Central has accused Fianna Fáil’s Micheál Martin of trying to sell an impossible dream of home ownership to people on the housing waiting lists which would merely make their situations worst by steering them into the arms of banks and vulture funds. read full story / add a comment

Bill Mitchell, co - author of 'Reclaiming the State – a Progressive Vision of Sovereignty for a Post-Neoliberal World', will be speaking in Wynne’s Hotel Dublin at a meeting co - sponsored by the People's Movement on February Sat 15th next at 2:00 pm. read full story / add a comment

The Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign is asking our members and supporters to make justice for the Palestinian people an issue in the 2020 Irish General Election.

We have produced a short handout with three important issues to raise with canvassers on the doorsteps, or to contact candidates about, and have initiated a campaign asking the candidates to take our three #PalestinePledges in support of the Palestinian people’s struggle for freedom, justice and equality. read full story / add a comment

Slavoj Zizek writes an interesting Op Ed for RT.com about the massive Labour defeat in the UK elections outlining some of the main factors but also highlighting how big Capital has gone to great lengths to completely discredit Corbyn

What is not realized is that while traditional Left concepts like the class war and actual socialism have been removed off the agenda by all the media and the Left itself has largely be redirected into identify politics which offers no real resistance to big Capital, big Capital themselves are still very much fighting the class war and making sure the central ideas of socialism don't get an airing nor come remotely close to be fulfilled and hence people like Corbyn have to be discredited by any and all means read full story / add a comment

On Wednesday a Solidarity- People Before Profit Dáil motion will be debated to unblock over 50 opposition bills currently stuck in limbo because of the governments use of what is called ‘The Money Message’.

The motion which will be debated in the Dáil on November 6th would change current standing orders that govern the progress of opposition bills.

This motion will recognise the right of the Government of the day to have control, over the appropriation of public monies but it will stop the misuse of the constitutional clause that standing orders is based on. It will remove the use of incidental expenses and indirect costs of implementing a Bill from the reasons that the Government can impose a ‘Money Message’. read full story / add a comment

After a year-long debate within the Socialist Party, we have decided to leave and to establish a new democratic socialist political group, RISE. The four letters of RISE give a picture of the politics we stand for: Radical, Internationalist, Socialist and Environmentalist. read full story / add a comment

Puerto Rico Governor Ricardo Rosselló resigned Wednesday. Protests engulfed the island for nearly two weeks after Rosselló drew criticism for offensive language in leaked communications and the FBI arrested former members of his administration on corruption charges. read full story / add a comment