Cork North Central: Mick Barry

It is a human response to be sad when somebody dies. But many working class people will be celebrating the death of Margaret Thatcher because of the absolutely destructive and long lasting effect she had on the lives of millions of working class and poor people.

Since the privatisation of the household bin collection system within the functional area of Dublin City Council kicked in last month, it has been one shambolic controversy after another. The threat this week by Greyhound Waste, which was handed the service by Dublin City Council, that it would not collect the bins of up to 18,000 householders who had not paid a fee in full and upfront is but the latest issue to emerge.

In March the Revenue Commissioners will post property tax demands to 1.9 million homes.  People will be asked under threat of penalty to register by 7 May (forms) or electronically by May 28. The Campaign Against Household and Water Taxes (CAHWT) is calling on householders to ignore the forms and to refuse to register.

Seldom before has an idea spread so quickly across the world. Within days tens of millions watched Invisible Children’s “KONY 2012” video as it went viral across the internet and social media. Shocked at the story of killing, rape and child soldiers, demands multiplied that “something must be done” against Joseph Kony and the brutal Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) he leads in eastern and central Africa.