Brian Greene Budget comment

From this week the latest bitter austerity pill will be administered to our hard pressed low and middle income earners as letters arrive in every home from the Revenue Commissioners demanding the new property tax.

MEP and Dublin West candidate for the general election Joe Higgins commented:

"This weekend the annual conference of the Socialist Party takes place against the political and economic backdrop that points towards years of savage cutbacks, high unemployment and mass emigration of our youth unless a serious political challenge to the establishment consensus is built allied to a fightback in the form of mass protests and strike action.

AS EVERY day goes by, tens of thousands of householders continue to be the victim of unregulated management companies.

Ten years ago, on 21 July, 2001, as many as 300,000 workers and young people marched angrily through the streets of Genoa. It was the culmination of a week of protest against the G8 summit held in the city and presided over by George Bush. Their numbers had been swelled by outrage against the killing on the previous day of a young protester – Carlo Giuliano – in Alimonda Square by the forces of the Italian state. This demonstration was also attacked and broken up by police using tear-gas and wielding batons indiscriminately.