Hon. Presidents

Joe Higgins is a Member of the European  (TD) for the Socialist Party in Dublin, Ireland. He is a long-standing activist in the labour and trade union movements. He was first elected in 1991 to Dublin County Council, after leading a victorious battle against water charges. Later he was elected to the Dáil (Irish Parliament) in 1997 and for the next ten years was a leading opponent of the right-wing policies of the government. In 2003 Joe Higgins was sent to Mountjoy Jail for a month over his opposition to the proposed bin tax, a new stealth tax on Dublin householders. In 2005, with the Socialist Party, he exposed the horrific abuse of migrant workers by Gama Construction and struck a major blow against the ‘race to the bottom’ when that company was forced to pay unpaid wages of around €30 million to its workers. (See Documentary “The GAMA Strike” here).

Joe Higgins has a longstanding record of defending the right of the Tamils and all oppressed people in Sri Lanka. He has visited Sri Lanka in the past and was horrified by the mass killing and horrific treatment of poor Tamils by the chauvinist Sri Lankan government. He wrote about his anger in national newspapers, organised protests and spoke in public meetings. He continues to fight for the right of the poor and working masses in Sri Lanka.

Dave Nellist has been a member of Coventry Council since 1998. He was a member of the West Midlands County Council from 1982 to 1986, and a Member of Parliament 1983-1992. He has a longstanding record of defending the right of workers around the world. Dave is the chair of the Campaign for a New Workers’ Party (CNWP). He was a No2EU candidate for Coventry in the last European election. No2EU was the only national electoral alliance to cal for international solidarity of working people.

Dave helped to organise several protests against the slaughter of the Tamil people and campaigns in the Coventry area. He is a vociferous critique of the warmongering Rajapakse government. He has spoken out against the war in the council and at the many meetings he has attended.

Siritunga Jayasuria is the general secretary of the United Socialist Party and is Sri Lanka’s most trusted and respected politician. He has a long history of fighting for the rights of the Tamil-speaking people in the country. In the last presidential election he came third, a major victory for those who fight for the rights of the oppressed masses. He is the only well-known politician now standing for the right to self determination of the Tamil people. Siri is a founding member and chairman of the civil monitoring commission (CMC) which exposes the details of the number of ordinary people who went missing during current government. He risked his life to campaign against the horrific war.

In Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India Siritunga spoke at mass meetings, gave interviews to the media and pledged that Tamil people’s rights will be defended. He is also a founding member of Tamil Solidarity (previously Stop the Slaughter of Tamils) and campaigning against the horrible treatment of Tamil refugees in the so-called welfare camps. His name is included on the list of people to be assassinated which was recently issued by the communal right-wing forces. Despite receiving numerous death threats every single day he continues to champion the rights of the suffering masses.