Solidarity is the Key to the Survival of this Community

Already the signs of social destruction are visible and audible on the streets of Dublin, and no doubt the same throughout the country. Stress has taken its toll on the national psyche to the extent that the integrity of the fabric of our society has been seriously undermined. As the weather worsens, and people grow ever more impatient of the cold and snow which has compounded the dire economic conditions, the tension is beginning to show on faces and in voices over the city. Over the past number of days there has been an increase in the frequency of racist comments, the radio has returned it favoured scapegoats of the 1980s; single mothers, benefit fraudsters and foreigners. These are without doubt the first definite signs of societal fragmentation under the stress of government violence. People over this land feel powerless before the relentless assault on their security by the wealthy and powerful decision makers in Leinster House, and thus are beginning to cannibalise one another; paying particular attention to those groups which are already the most marginalised and powerless. We must not be surprised with this prevailing reality, as it is certainly the intention of the government that their victims turn on one another rather than focus their righteous indignation on the real causes of their shared suffering.

This is not the time for fragmentation; this is a time for togetherness and unity. Any response other than solidarity at this time will ensure that the whole of the community of Ireland lies vulnerable before the oppressors in government. Everyone is tired. The news that our nation is teetering over the edge of complete ruin, the realisation that our elected officials have mislead us and lied to us, and the cold and miserable weather have all taken their toll. We are a people exhausted.

“Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you that have no money, come buy and eat. Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labour for that which does not satisfy (Isaiah 55:1-2)?”

There are other ways to defeat this enemy of the people. We in Ireland are now offered the opportunity to revisit the foundations upon which we have erected our society and our prosperity. If we have learned anything at all from the entire process of economic destabilisation and the subsequent savaging of the working class, it is that we are at our most exposed when we lack unity and tear ourselves to pieces. There are alternatives that this society can take and now is the time that we must begin to explore them together and help others to explore them with us. There are other markets from which we can purchase the necessities of life. One of the greatest arguments against black marketeering is that it funds crime; people, our VAT is already funding criminals. There are so many alternatives to the current economy. Now is the time to come together, help one another and explore new ways of building a lasting future of common wealth.

Jason Michael

About these ads