THE NEWS was heartbreaking: 20 children, all aged 6 and 7, shot and killed, along with four teachers, a principal and a school psychologist at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. The gunman, Adam Lanza, killed his mother earlier in the day, before later killing himself.

In the wake of co-ordinated strikes across Europe Socialist Workers speaks to the Kieran Allen, National Secretary of the SWP, about the steps needed to achieve a General Strike in Ireland.

Question- At the 24 November anti-austerity protest, there was a cry for a general strike. When an Irish Congress of Trade Unions representative was introduced, he was met with boos and calls for ‘Strike, Strike, Strike’. What do you think this all signifies?

Tory Chancellor George Osborne’s ‘autumn statement’ means even further cuts to the living standards of working class people. He announced a 1% cap on increases to benefits and tax credits over the next two years.

But the cost of living is rising at an alarming rate, with the cost of food alone increasing by 32 per cent since 2007. Even Westminster’s own figures say that food costs are likely to rise by 4% every year between now and 2020. So, how are families supposed to feed their children?

The decision of the Labour Party to vote for the Social Welfare Bill today and on the property tax next week is a turning point.

The Social Welfare Bill will cut child benefit; raise an extra €264 a year on all PAYE workers by abolishing the PRSI allowance; slash the respite care allowance by €325; and reduce the Back to School Clothing and Footwear allowance.

The property tax will charge the average person between €300 and €400 just to live in their own home.

Over 3,000 people marched through Cork against the property tax this weekend. The size of the crowds an indication of the opposition to both the household charge and the property tax.

Various speakers from the campaign addressed the crowd and the call for a General Strike was received with massive enthusiasm.

There really is the potential in the country to build up to a massive day of civil disobedience where all campaigns come together to shut the country down and take action against the cuts and charges.

250 carers were forced to protest outside the Dail today against the cuts announced by Labour and Fine Gael in the Budget.

The protest was called at short notice for noon today. Many of those on the demo saying they had been affected by the cut of €325 to the annual €1,700 respite care grant announced in Wednesday’s Budget.

There will be a protest against the budget called by People before profit and many other groups outside the Dail next Weds at 5.30pm.

‘Protect Child Benefit: Vote Labour’. This was the slogan that Labour used in the last election. They argued that Labour was needed in government to soften the right wing policies of Fine Gael.

Budget 2013 shows what a lie they told. In a savage move, child benefit for 600,000 families will be cut by €10 a month for the first two children, €18 for the third child and €20 for all subsequent children.

This is the third cut in child benefit since 2008. A family of two children, for example, will be down €864 in cuts to child benefit alone.

About 1,000 people gathered at the Dail yesterday to protest against the budget.

The Campaign against the household and Water charges assembled at the Central Bank before marching up to the Dail to join with the Dublin Council of Trade Unions.

In the open mic that followed speaker after speaker emphasised the regressive nature of the budget and the need for an alternative.

The next step for the movement has to be to build a mass assembly of all campaigns that gathers in January to plan a massive national day of action against the cuts.