Dublin Commemoration - Sean Crowe's speech.

The excellent Cedar Lounge Revolution blog has Seán Crowe's Easter speech up in full. Its reproduced below.

Sean highlights that whats happened in the the southern state has been a wholesale protecting of the rich at the expense of the poor. Its been socialism for the rich and capitalism for the poor - the rich have all the protection the state can offer but the ordinary people must make their own way and devil take the hindmost.

The Sindo rich list published recently which shows that the richest 300 people in the southern state have a combined wealth of €50 billion just shows how successsful Fianna Fail golden circle socialism has been for the small circle. Its definitely time for an alternative.

Táim brod agus go hán sasta ag caint sa an ait seo i Baile Ath Cliath le an comoradh Eiri na Casc naoi deag is a se deag.

Easter for republicans is a time for reflection, remembering and celebrating what has been achieved in the past.

We remember those who gave the ultimate sacrifice, laying down their lives that we would have the opportunity as a people and a nation to be free and independent.

A time when we honour and remember friends and comrades who have died.

I would like now to remember a friend and life-long republican, Chrissy Heffernan, who passed away on Thursday. We extend our deepest sympathy to her husband Vinnie, her children, grandchildren and to her extended family

Ar Dheis De go raibh a Anam.

Easter is also a time of pride in our heritage.

From the start of the First World War, Liberty Hall displayed a banner draper across the front of the building stating “We serve neither King nor Kaiser, we serve Ireland.”

It was under this slogan that a small band of Irish men and Irish women marched out on Easter Sunday to take on the might of the British Empire.

The 1916 Easter Rising was a beacon of hope for oppressed people all over the world. Both Ho Chi Minh and Mahatma Gandhi refer to our Easter Rising as the start of the inspiration for their own liberation struggles.

The leaders of 1916 had a clear vision that their rebellion was not only about achieving Irish freedom but was also about creating a more equal and just society. It was James Connolly who said:

“The national movement must demonstrate to the people of Ireland that our nationalism is not merely a morbid idealising of the past but is also capable of formulating a distinct and definite answer to the problems of the present and a political economic creed capable of adjustment to the wants of the future.”

That is still true today, more than 100 years later.

Our political philosophy cannot be about solely idealising the past. It has to about tackling the economic problems of today and building a equal and just society.

Dublin was the catalyst of the revolution that was the Easter Rising and the Tan War that was to follow.

Dublin was the centre of trade union resistance during the 1913 Lock-Out.

O’Connell Street where we stand today, has been the scene of the biggest public protests in Ireland, including the trade union PAYE tax marches of the 1980s, the hunger strike protests and the protests against the Iraq War in 2003.

Dublin can be the catalyst for social revolution in 2010

The revolution that is needed to right the wrongs and the decimation of our public services.

Th wrongs including the ongoing attempts to divide workers in to public and private, union and non-union.

A social revolution that will halt the utter waste of talented workers thrown on the scrap heap of unemployment.

It is utterly wrong that ordinary working families and future generations who will have to pay for the casino banking and property speculation of the wealthy.

Do the super rich, the golden circle, the developers, the speculators always have to stay rich while a large proportion of our population always have to stay poorer?

The super-rich get NAMA, bail-out Tuesdays, and billions of taxpayers’ money.

They get the cosy benefits – they keep the villas and hideaways in Spain, the million euro bonuses, the golden handshakes.

Ordinary workers get their P45s and, if they are lucky, a cheque from Social Welfare.

***

Large flagship industries such as Ryanair and Quinn discourage the formation of unions in their industries. When things are going well it is okay but when things go sour who is there to represent the workers?

It is quite correct to express concern at the potentially huge job losses in Quinn, but it is the workers, not Anglo Irish Bank or the Quinn family, who will suffer yet again.

Who now speaks for the workers?

***

The Proclamation promised a Republic that would cherish all the children of the nation equally.

The actions of this government has only applied this equality to the bankers.

They have promised to bail them all out equally, even if they have no positive role to play in the Irish economy.

Yes, they treat them all equally

***

Brian Cowen and his cronies say there is no alternative.

We say here today he is wrong – just as wrong as when he was Minister for Finance.

There is an alternative to the gombeenism that has wrought so much pain on hard-working families.

There are always alternatives.

Sinn Féin has different priorities. Sinn Féin offers a fairer and better solution.

And answering James Connolly’s call, Sinn Féin is the national movement that has the potential, the will and the policies capable of formulating a distinct and definite answer to the problems of the present and a political economic creed capable of adjustment to the wants of the future.

We would start by giving people hope again, by getting people back to work, through capital investment in much-needed schools, public transport and hospitals.

Investing in a jobs stimulus package.

Taking 50,000 young people off the dole

Working together, out of this despair, out of this recession.

Rebuilding people’s shattered pride and confidence.

Building unity in the workplace – in the public sector and in the private sector.

It is about working for Ireland.

Working for all its people, not just the chosen few.

Let’s stop the media dividing workers.

Let’s put Fianna Fáil out of government.

Let’s keep Enda Kenny and Fine Gael out of government.

Let us rededicate ourselves today to build an ‘Alliance for Change’.

Let us recommit ourselves today to building a truly inclusive Republic and making the 1916 Proclamation a reality for all our citizens.