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LEFLEFTT TRIBUNE THE MAGAZINE OF LABOUR YOUTH IN IRELAND VOL 3 ISSUE III 2008 Pow! Zapp! Bam! Here Comes ObamaObama ManMan Also in this Issue >>>> Free Fees Campaign, $hell 2 Sea, Same Sex Marriage, Super Prison @ Thornton Hall, Afghanistan, David Norris for President >>>>> 2 The Left Tribune Making the Right Choice With the economic downturn the government were quick to suggest cost cutting measures aimed at our educational institutions. Hinting very strongly that there may be a reintroduction of university and college fees, the Fianna Fail/Green government are quite simply using this opportunity to push their own agenda. Under the guise of saving the economy and thus Ireland, the FF/Green government have found the excuse they have been searching for and university and college Presidents/ Provosts are doing little to discourage the government. They are in fact rubbing their hands with glee at the thought of charging every student upwards of €3000 per year. Left Tribune is the magazine of Yet, this is the time our government should be investing more and more in Irish edu- Labour Youth in Ireland. We operate cation, and it will be down to future, current and past students stop the government in on the basis of a sustainable and its tracks. So, keep an eye out for proposed legislation and start writing to the Union democratic socialist ethos. of Students in Ireland (USI) demanding that they run a strong campaign against the reintroduction of fees and write to your local TD's and Cllr's telling them that 'cost cut- As such, Left Tribune is printed on ting' in education is unacceptable and very damaging in the long run. paper which is 50% recycled and 50% from sustainable forests. If you Very recently Labour Youth joined the demonstration outside the WRC on Upper are finished reading, we would ask Dorset Street. The WRC is a rouge crisis pregnancy agency operating under false that you pass this issue on to some- pretences and ultimately putting women's life in danger. It has been in operation for one else - or recycle it. over a decade under different names but the practice remains the same. Nearly all other crisis pregnancy agencies offer non-directive counselling. Non-directive means All articles are copyleft - this means offering support for the client encouraging them to come to their own definite decision. that we encourage the sharing of WRC bully women away from considering terminations and playing on fears, tell them these articles and anyone is free to that abortion causes caner, depression, suicide, promiscuity, and infertility and ulti- reproduce them. However we would mately impeding their ability to make an informed choice. The WRC have also been ask that in the interests of those known to inform family members without consent that a woman is pregnant and may who took their time to write and edit be considering an abortion, giving a woman's contact details to priests who then this publication, that you would con- approach and intimidate women, and posing as a boyfriend to try and persuade a clin- tact us at the details below to let us ic to cancel an appointment for abortion. know if you are doing so. The WRC (or whatever name they choose to operate under) must be stopped. The We welcome articles and comments only way to protect ourselves from rouge agencies is through government regulation from all readers to of all groups that offer care and support. Whether we support free safe and legal abor- [email protected] tion is irrelevant. Women should have access to unbiased information free from tor- ment and intimidation. The only right choice is an informed choice. The opinions expressed in Left Tribune are those of its contributors For more information check out www.choiceireland.blogspot.com and are not necessarily the policies or views of Labour Youth or the Labour Party. Editorial Staff Editor: Christina Mc Sorley Contents Page 3 The Glastonbury Beat Deputy Editor: Laura Buttigieg Page 4 Shell 2 Sea Page 5 Free Fees Campaign Contributors: Padraic Lamb, Gary Honer, Eoghan Fox, Laura Buttigieg, Page 6 Tom Johnson revisited Paul Dillon, Paul Mulville, James Page 7 Rising Food Prices Humphrys, David Kitching, Daragh Page 8 Votes @ 16 McGreal, Conor Tanam, Adnan Khan, Fintain Hastings, Colum Page 10 Obama-Mania! Lawless, Seamus De Faoite, Cian Page 12 Swing to the Conservatives in the UK O’Callaghan and Neil Ward. Page 13 Super-Prison @ Thornton Hall With thanks to: Cian ‘the legend’ Page 14 Afghanistan in Focus O'Callaghan Page 16 Labour in the West Printed by: Grehan Print, Brunswick Page 17 The Revival of the Irish Language House, Dublin 2 Page 18 David Norris for President! Page 19 Cian O’Callaghan under the LT spotlight Page 20 Same-Sex Marriage; Not Good Enough! The Left Tribune 3 The Beat Goes On... Laura Buttigieg explores why there's more to Glastonbury than mud, music and cider. The tag line for Glastonbury this year was "Love the farm- always had a special place at Glastonbury. Most of the Leave no trace." Despite this, the thousands of revellers bars are run by the Workers' Beer Company (a fact easi- who attended the festival probably did leave some trace ly betrayed by many of the names such as the 'Solidarity behind on the fields of Worthy Farm, but perhaps Bar') and the Left Field Stage has for many years provid- Glastonbury left a deeper, more lasting mark on them, ed a centre for social justice campaigns with its combina- and I'm not talking hangovers, or dried in mud. tion of musicians and political speakers. From its beginning Glastonbury has been a supporter of The Levellers' performance on Thursday night attracted hundreds of campaigns and causes. Since 2000 alone, thousands of early arrivers to the festival despite the tor- the festival has raised more than £11 million for charities rential rain. The Miscarriages of Justice Organisation and around the world. Most of the staff are unpaid volunteers, Rock Against Racism welcomed big audiences on Friday working to raise money for their organisations. and Saturday night, and Tony Benn as always spoke to a big crowd on Sunday afternoon. As Electric Picnic contin- The three main charities, Oxfam, Greenpeace ues to grow, I can't help hoping that one day we will be and Water Aid have an extremely strong able to hold something similar there. presence; in between every act, the mas- sive screens along side the stages show At the heart of Glastonbury is a real sense of messages designed to raise aware- community spirit; one that extents well ness of big campaigns like "Make beyond caring about the people in the next Trade Fair" and "Drop the Debt." With tent or the field you're standing in. As sen- activists everywhere, it's virtually timental as it sounds, it has not lost its impossible for anyone to go the whole hippy roots. Glastonbury is an opportunity weekend without signing at least one for people to be who they really are and act petition or learning more about at least as they really want to. one cause. Many of the organisations at Glastonbury are incredibly inspiring For some that is simply the chance to wear and have a huge impact on festival goers. outrageous clothing or carry around their life-size zebra for the weekend. For others it is a chance to The Little Burmese Tea Shop recreated the Burmese stop and take in what's really going on in the world and try tradition of discussing politics over a cup of tea. Sadly, in to do something to help. the country itself this simple pastime we often take for granted is enough to land its people in jail. Many of the Since 2000 alone, the festival has volunteers running the teashop were one time political raised more than £11 million for prisoners of the military junta currently in command. They bravely shared their moving stories with visitors and charities around the world would have inspired anyone to take a stand against the injustices Burma's people face. If you want to become an active campaigner, there is no Perhaps the one thing people moan about at festivals are better place to start than Glastonbury where information the toilets. Water Aid raised awareness with their "I Love on campaigns from Killer Coke to Climate Camp are just My Loo" campaign that over 2.6 billion people world wide around the corner. While some people will go home and have no safe, sanitary place to go, putting using the por- drop their new found interest in politics, the environment, taloos well into perspective. Living in a tent, walking and ending world poverty as soon as they wash off the across the campsite for water and facilities for just one mud and bin the purple wig, most will take away a greater weekend reminds people how lucky they are in compari- sense of being a part of a world wide community and will son to a large percentage of the world's population, and act on it. encourages festival goers to lend their support to Water Aid's campaigns. Long after the final notes have died out and the last tent has been packed away, the Glastonbury festival contin- ues to leave a positive mark on the world around it. Left wing politics and the Trade Union movement have 4 The Left Tribune SEND $HELL TO SEA Eoghan Fox, Labour Youth, calls on the Labour Party to show bravery and leadership and help send $hell to Sea Reliance on fossil fuels will exist for served on Rossport Solidarity Camp some time yet, at least until we radi- by Mayo County Council, sighting a calise our policy with regard to court ordered eviction and disman- renewable energy.