After five years of Fianna Fail and Progressive Democrat budgets, the poorest 10% in 26-County society are nearly Euro10 a week better off, the top 10% are Euro120 a week better off. During the same time, the level of poverty of the poorest 20% in society remained unchanged, proving once again that not only is this a state of rich and poor; it is one where the gap between the wealthy and the disadvantaged has grown, despite years of boom and huge wealth creation. Free article

The setting reminded everyone of the events of 1973 in Chile. At the time, strikes organised by the Chilean elite marked the beginning of the end for the democratically elected government of socialist president Salvador Allende and facilitated one of the bloodiest dictatorships worldwide. For the last few months, the same strategy has been applied step by step in Venezuela. But this time it did not work, as citizens took to the streets of Venezuela to demonstrate against the interim government put in place after a military coup ousted their elected president, Hugo Chavez. Amazingly, this mass action succeeded in restoring Chavez to power. Venezuelan people have shown the world what democracy is about. Free article

The Ard Fheis of Conradh na Gaeilge took place last weekend in Furbo, County Galway. An Phoblacht's DRAOI RUA was there. Free article