Date: Sat, 19 Apr 1997 22:32:23 +1000
From: sjwright-AT-vaxc.cc.monash.edu.au (Steve Wright)
Subject: self-managed space in Dublin


Subject: (en) News from GoD [Dublin]
From: Struggle in Ireland <irl_strug-AT-geocities.com>
Reply-To: <a-infos-d-AT-tao.ca>
Date: Fri, 18 Apr 1997 14:27:55 +0000
Organization: http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/4716


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GoD says
April 1997

Bulletin of the 
Garden of Delight, 
Radical Cafe/Bookshop, 5 Castle St., Dublin 2
Phone: 4751233

News from GoD

The Garden of Delight re-opened as a self-managed space 
in January.  After a couple of months of getting our act 
together we are now ready to reach out a bit more.  
Hopefully this publication will be the first of many.  An 
agreed statement of what we are about makes up the 
centre of this bulletin.

GOD now has about 38 members, all working on a 
voluntary basis to create a space in which a wide variety 
of events can happen.  Right now our home is 5 Castle 
St. (across the road from Christ Church Cathedral) but it 
is likely that over the summer we will be moving to a 
larger space. 

Most of our members are involved in activity outside 
GOD from Pirate Radio to Trade Unions to Mail Art to 
the Anti- Water Charges Federation to whatever.  The 
wide range of activities and exhibitions planned and 
held so far reflect this and hopefully will break down 
some of the barriers that exist amongst radical people in 
Dublin by providing a meeting point.  GOD is in part 
inspired by the experiences of some of its members in 
the Berlin and London squatting movements, the social 
centres of Italy and Spain or even the armed rebellion of 
the Zapatistas in Mexico.  Alongside this people from 
France, Germany, Italy, England, Finland, USA and the 
various parts of the Spanish state have or are working in 
GOD.  And of course we've had our visit by the Special 
Branch who sent an armed squad into the bookshop in 
response to the hanging of a banner proclaiming 
"Europe 2000 = Fourth Reich" on the roof of the 
building during the European summit.

This month in what could be seen as an exploration of 
the differences between the 'European Unity' favoured 
by the Special Branch the rest of us we're staging an 
exhibition  of photographs from the "1st 
Intercontinental Gathering against Neo-Liberalism and 
for Humanity" .  This was held by the rebel army known 
as the EZLN in Chiapas, Mexico last year.  Two GOD 
members attended this (along with 4,000 people from 43 
countries) and its hoped to get a good delegation from 
Ireland along to the one in the Spainish state this year.

All that remains to be said is 'call in an see us' if you 
haven't already.  If you have an idea for using the space 
contact the events committee.  If you love the general 
idea of GOD then ask at the counter about getting 
involved.


Our Friends at DARC

The Dublin Alternative Radio Collective is a group 
dedicated to the establishing and maintenance of an 
alternative to mainstream and commercial radio. We 
believe that everybody should have free uncensored 
access to that airwaves and that pirate radio is a 
legitimate expression of that right. DARC has been 
broadcasting on 99FM and 107.9FM mono since February 
17th. 

At the moment of writing (first week of April) 
broadcasting is somewhat disrupted for technical and 
security reasons (although we are still broadcasting on 
99Fm). However two of our stated aims, firstly to 
broadcast a 6 week season, and secondly, to be in a 
position after that time to upgrade the quality of our 
transmission, have been successful. Upgrading the 
quality of our transmission is still an ongoing concern of 
DARC and equipment remains a major drain on our 
resources. Because we are totally opposed to commercial 
media DARC refuses to accept advertising or 
sponsorship of any kind.

Income comes from a weekly membership subs and 
>from benefits. Currently we are organising gigs in 
Charlies on Georges St. - the Slippies, Blackbelt Jones 
and Jackbeast on Wednesday 9th - and open mic 
Kaberetts in the Garden of Delights on the 1st Friday of 
every month. In the background somebody has just 
qualified all of our attempts at manifestos by stating that 
the primary aim of Darc is to promote French noise 
hardcore. Which of course is true. More generally 
though we wish to try and get as diverse a 
representation of music and ideas on the air as possible. 
We'll be putting out a new schedule before the end of 
April so ideas and contributions are more than 
welcome.

In particular we are interested in hearing from groups 
who feel that they could use the airtime. Although the 
schedule of the first 6 weeks consisted primarily of 
music shows it did include shows by the Garden of 
Delight, the Hope Collective, an open mic mail show 
and a somewhat erratic DARC show which among other 
things included interviews with Amnesty, various 
writers and a native of East Timor. It is this side of the 
schedule, i.e. talk and info. based programmes that we 
wish to develop in the next schedule and we would love 
to hear from people interested in helping produce such 
shows, do interviews, contact groups, etc., etc.

Finally DARC is collectively owned and run. All 
decisions concerning policy and the running of the 
station are made collectively. Members simply have to 
share a committment to running the station collectively, 
to getting as many ideas on the air as possible, to the 
d.i.y. ethic and to the ultimate goal of creating a true 
alternative to the mindless vacuum that is commercial 
radio.

DARC - PO BOX 3327, DUBLIN 8.
-  e-mail:  darc_-AT-hotmail.com.

Scheme Workers Alliance
European March against Unemployment

Over 40,000 people are employed on FAS Community 
Employment schemes in Ireland (land of the Celtic 
tiger).   The rate of pay on these schemes is miserable 
just above that paid on the dole.

  A single person on CE earns =A381.30 for a 20 hour week 
(though tax and PRSI usually bring this down to about 
=A378).  The government recently introduced the full class 
A insurance stamp for CE workers but, despite this, they 
still do not receive the full rights and entitlements.  For 
example they can only receive one weeks sick leave, no 
paid maternity leave (you can get 14 weeks unpaid but 
what are you supposed to survive on?) and often work 
under extremely poor conditions.  There is supposed to 
be a training element involved in schemes but this is 
limited to schemes with 11 participants.

The Scheme Worker's Alliance has been in operation 
since 1989 to establish and maintain rights for workers 
on schemes.  They have been active in many schemes 
and have won several cases for unfair dismissal off 
schemes.  At present they are involved in a major 
campaign for an immediate pay increase of ten pounds a 
week.  This tenner was whipped off shortly after the 
schemes were first introduced as Social Employment.  
The SWA views an immediate restoration of this 
money as a first step towards equitable pay for the 
massive contribution of scheme workers. to arts and 
community projects throughout Ireland.

Further down the line they are pledged to fight the 
massive cut backs in schemes expected after Ireland's EU 
money is cut in 1999.  The SWA is also extremely 
concerned about the idea of work fare where people 
would be forced onto schemes.  This is already in 
operation with the Job Seekers Allowance in England 
where you have to accept a shit job or lose your dole.  
The SWA is also active in trying to encourage scheme 
workers to join a union.  One Irish Union the 
Amalgamated Transport and General worker's Union 
has over 300 members in it's scheme Worker's Branch.

The SWA is also co-ordinating with the Irish National 
Organisation of the Unemployed (INOU) to send a 
delegation  of marchers to  European March Against 
Unemployment.  This is to set out from Belfast on June 
1st and travel down through the country with rallies in 
various towns and leave Cork on June 5th to arrive in 
Roscoff by June 6th.  The Irish section will travel 
through France and Belgium to reach Amsterdam by 
June 12th.  Up to 30,000 people are expected to converge 
for this final stage in Amsterdam.

Krossphader

The SWA can be contacted by writing to the secretary 
Martin Walsh at 55 Middle Abbey St., Dublin 1 or 
telephoning: 8734577 or 8734023.

Free Ro=EDs=EDn McAliskey

GOD members in Derry for the Bloody Sunday 
commeration helped prepare and carry a banner 
demanding "Justice for Ro=EDs=EDn McAliskey". The young 
Tyrone woman has been imprisoned for five months 
without charge by British authorities on foot of a 
German extradition warrant. Both governments have 
jointly claimed she took part in an IRA attack on a 
British Army base near Osnabruck. McAliskey is eight 
months pregnant and in frail health but has been 
continually denied bail despite an obvious lack of 
evidence against her. 

In Scotland on Friday 4 April, the German consulate in 
Edinburgh and the Lufthansa office in Glasgow were 
picketed by supporters of the Roisin McAliskey Justice 
Group there.   Human Rights Watch-Helsinki, The 
International League for Human Rights, and Amnesty 
International have also protested Ro=EDs=EDn's treatment.

Write to Ro=EDs=EDn McAliskey at: 
TE 2456 HMP Holloway 
Parkhurst Road, Holloway 
London, England N70NY 

[Also included a poster with the following text]
What is GOD

The Garden of Delight beyond being a cafe and book 
shop is an example.  We function without a boss or a 
profit motive, everyone working here is unpaid.  We 
exist as a self-managed space or centre, the book shop 
and cafe provide an anchor on which space and funds 
are provided for cultural, political and social projects 
that might not otherwise happen.

The space is not intended to be passive and reproducing 
the values of a sick society but rather radical and based 
on action.  It is intended to bring different people 
together and to be open to other organisations that 
operate in a similar fashion, particularly those in the 
local community.  It arose not as a set of abstract ideas 
but because a space became available to fulfil a need 
many people already felt.  The exact use of this space is 
an area for discussion and experimentation with and 
between those who are creating and working in it.

Our project is also an experiment, in working together 
for a greater good, in maximising potential, in the 
breaking of new ground.  The success of our project will 
be determined in the long term by its existence in the 
collective memory, in the short term by its ability to 
attract and inspire others.  We want the challenge of this 
space and its alternative way of organisation (self-
management against leaders/bosses) and motivation 
(solidarity against greed/charity) to say ENOUGH! to 
those who tell us that there is no alternative to 
hierarchy and exploitation.

-- 
()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()
            Struggle in Ireland
http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/4716

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Steve

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