Rusty Guns Retreats Under Fire!
Since coming to power last year Fine Gael and the Labour Party have been quick to impose every diktat of the Troika, with scant regard for the suffering resulting from their actions. They justify their slash and burn policies by claiming they have no choice but to follow the commands of their paymasters in Berlin, Brussels and New York.
Most of the time these so-called leaders get away with this pitiful ‘only following orders’ excuse – but not always. Last Saturday (May 12) shoppers on Dublin’s Henry Street witnessed one such occasion, when leading members of the Labour Party were directly challenged on their record in office.
When Joe Costello TD, former MEP Proinsias De Rossa and a handful of other Labour hacks first started handing out leaflets supporting a Yes vote the response they received from passing pedestrians was lukewarm at best. But if their canvassing got off to a bad start things got a whole lot worse when one of those some pedestrians put a phone call through to a member of Éirígí.
Within fifteen minutes a rapidly arranged counter canvass was in place with Éirígí activists handing out leaflets encouraging people to vote No in the Austerity Treaty referendum on May 31st. At the same time other activists held large NO posters aloft and shouted slogans such as ‘Don’t believe the lies of the Labour Party’, ‘Where are the Lisbon Treaty Jobs?’ and ‘Austerity cannot create jobs’. When members of the public started to join in with less politically correct slogans of their own it became clear which team of canvassers was winning the battle for hearts and minds.
The look on De Rossa’s face said it all; his plans for a quiet afternoon’s canvass were now in tatters. But in fairness to a man who has been in more parties than Paris Hilton he for once showed a bit of sticking power and tried to keep the canvass going. This was admittedly a little more difficult to do with a large Éirígí Vote NO poster hovering over his head.
De Rossa’s determination was not, however, shared by his new comrades in the Labour Party who one-by-one slipped away until the former Sinn Féin/Sinn Féin The Workers’ Party/The Workers’ Party/New Agenda/ Democratic Left man was left all on his own. Finally realising that the rest of the rats had deserted the sinking ship Rusty Guns then beat a hasty retreat into the Ilac Shopping Centre.
In a little over two weeks time voters in the Twenty-Six Counties will be asked to endorse a European Treaty which will lead to years more austerity for working people across Europe. During that time Éirígí will continue to directly challenge and expose the lies and threats of the political establishment. If you are interested in helping out with Éirígí’s campaign for a NO vote please email info@eirigi.org today.