Press Release: Campaigners call for large turnout for health march

by Kremlinwatcher Fri Mar 28, 2008 16:22

In the old days, the order that Communist Party leaders stood in on the Red Square plinth on May Day rallies was watched closely for hints as to where the real power was, and who was actually in control.

This statement gives priority to Rory Hearne, an unsuccessful SWP election candidate, over Des Derwin, who is actually involved in the DCTU and in organising this march. The order looks perverse, until you ask yourself who are actually in the People Before Profit driving seat, and who are only there for show.

BTW, did anyone else see the posters around Rathmines? Not content with putting up the DCTU posters, the SWP have photocopied them and put 'People Before Profit Alliance supports' above them. Now is that designed to get more people to the march? Or to raise People Before Profit's profile?

On this life and death issue, you would think people would put the cause before their own group's agenda. Get to the march, and drown out chancers like these!

by PBPA - People Before Profit Alliance Fri Mar 28, 2008 21:51

1. "This statement gives priority to Rory Hearne, an unsuccessful SWP election candidate, over Des Derwin, who is actually involved in the DCTU and in organising this march. "

Actually the quotes were added in order of when they were received by the writer of the press release.
So wrong on that count!

2. "Posters around Rathmines? Not content with putting up the DCTU posters, the SWP have photocopied them and put 'People Before Profit Alliance supports' above them. Now is that designed to get more people to the march? Or to raise People Before Profit's profile?"

If you were someone who is actually involved in helping organise for the demo you'd know about the problems with poster supply and actually People Before Profit contacted th DCTU and suggested producing our own and that was fine. As other organisations have done- labour party and wsm.

So wrong on that count too!

Would be good if you had a clue to begin with.

So please do get down to the march cause Kremlin watcher will be stuck on his computer trying to stir.

So get to the march, and drown out chancers like him/her!

www.peoplebeforeprofitdse.wordpress.com

by Kremlinwatcher Sat Mar 29, 2008 10:52

You put the quotes together in the order they were received! Have you not managed to master the basics of word processing? With the wonders of modern technology, it's now possible to put a quote at the end of the press release even though you got it at the start! Of course, maybe it depends on the order in which you asked people for quotes. And maybe it depends on whether you, the person writing the press release, are one of those quoted in it.

There was a shortage of posters! Of course there was. The easy thing to do would have been to do a staright photocopy of the poster. This would have been the simple approach for someone who finds it impossible to rearrange paragraphs on a press release. You didn't design a better, more eye-catching poster, you just put an advert for yourselves on top of it. And you are using the opportunism of Labour etc to justify your own attempt to exploit the march for publicity.

Will this PBPA press release bring one single extra person out to the march today? I doubt it. But I also doubt if that was the point of putting it out. Hopefully a good turnout will marginalise these chancers.

by PBPA - People Before Profit Alliance Sat Mar 29, 2008 13:08

1.
"You put the quotes together in the order they were received!"

Yes- because unlike yourself I've been busy helping to build for the march. My priority isn't petty squabbling.

2.
"The easy thing to do would have been to do a staright photocopy of the poster."

Well a straight photocopy of the poster is what was done. Don't know what you mean by a staright photocopy.
Look you stick to picking fights with people who are out doing stuff on your arse on front of the pc and the rest of us will get on with the job in hand.

Well done to DCTU, ordinary union members, labour, swp, pbp, wsm and others who have worked hard (unlike some) to build for the march with dctu and their own material. See you all there.

www.peoplebeforeprofitdse.wordpress.com

by Kremlinwatcher Sat Mar 29, 2008 17:49

You say your priority was building for the march, yet you had time to put out a press release the day before to publicise your political party. You say your priority was building for the march, and yet you had time to do up a special version of the poster with an advert for yourself on it. I think it's fairly clear what your priority is.

Taking a couple of minutes out to expose what your crowd is up to didn't stop me building for the march. I'd say I distributed at least as many leaflets and put up at least as many posters as you did. And they were the leaflets and posters put out by the march organisers, not ones with an advert tacked on to them.

I'm just back from the march, and I think it could be the basis for a really effective campaign. Everyone of us who worked for it has done a good job. As for those who were working for something else, I think most people on the march can see through them.

by PBPA - People Before Profit Alliance Sun Mar 30, 2008 10:48

Well done to all who came out yesterday. It was a good example of the left working together on an important issue and mobilising a significant number of people. It lays the basis for a good future campaign on the health service. The movement's strength is in its diversity: unions, patients groups and a wide variety of left organisations. A very positive development. Well done Des and the DCTU for taking the initiative. Hope to see you all on the 26th.

www.peoplebeforeprofitdse.wordpress.com

by Kremlinwatcher Sun Mar 30, 2008 12:09

The strength of the march was those people who acted together in a common cause, rather than putting themselves or their own organisations first. Long may it continue.