Not everyone will be supporting the EU presidency. For some on the left, itis an opportunity for street protests against the EU's "privatisation,militarism and racism", reports Joe Humphreys.
Neo-liberalism is a concept we will all be more familiar with in six month's time if a coalition of mainly left-wing protesters to the European road show has its way. The "Another Europe is Possible Alliance", drawing together socialist activists, trade unionists and public sector workers, among others, is hoping to make the issue a major talking point of the EU presidency.
More specifically, says Alliance facilitator Mr Rory Hearne, "we want to raise awareness in Irish people's minds about the hidden neo-liberal aspects of the EU constitution".
Rallying points include public spending cutbacks, increased privatisation of public services, changes to pension rights and the proliferation of services charges - all measures opponents trace back to the neo-liberal politics of Thatcher and Reagan in the 1980s.
"Every government in the world since has mimicked those policies, believing that public services should only play a minor role, and that the market should be left to sort things out.
"Charlie McCreevy is the best example. He doesn't question the theory that public is bad and private is good," says Mr Hearne, who is doing a PhD in "neo-liberalism and privatisation" at Trinity College, Dublin.
A member of the Socialist Workers' Party, who was spurred into activism by the 1999 World Trade Organisation "Battle of Seattle", he believes Irish people will turn out in their thousands to demonstrate during the presidency.
Among those to attend a meeting of the Alliance in mid-December were Green Party, Sinn Féin and Socialist politicians, members of community employment schemes affected by Government cutbacks, and representatives of the civil aviation branch of SIPTU and the ASTI teachers' union. Bus and rail workers affected by public transport privatisation plans are also due to join the coalition, which, according to Hearne, will target three aspects of the neo-liberal EU, "privatisation, militarism and racism".
A major demonstration is planned for Dublin on May 1st when the presidency is marking the enlargement of the union.
"This is the day all the EU heads of State are coming together to pat themselves on the back. They are taking a day which is traditionally used to uphold workers' rights, and defend people who are exploited, and they are turning it into a celebration of neo-liberalism.
"We are not opposed to expansion of Europe but we are calling for a different type of Europe. Bringing these countries into Europe is going to do nothing for their people. It is only going to empoverish them more," stresses Mr Hearne.
Those who interpret the protest as an objection to enlargement "want to avoid the argument about where Europe is going", he adds. "We are neither against Europe nor xenophobic."
Several other protests are planned to coincide with Ministerial meetings, starting next month in Galway and Dublin for the employment and justice summits.
February 20th will see protesters convening outside a scheduled meeting of the Article 133 Co-ordinating Group where European civil servants are due to discuss privatisation and competition law in the EU.
Anti-war demonstrations calling for an end to the "US occupation" of Iraq and Palestine are planned for March 20th, International Anti-War Day, while a left-wing "counter-summit" is scheduled for April 2nd and 3rd, when EU Finance ministers are meeting in Punchestown, Co Kildare. The protest summit is due to tie into a "European Day of Action Against Neo-Liberalism", which will be marked by affiliates of the left-wing European Social Forum throughout the EU.
Mr Hearne notes there has been "talk" of some public service unions taking industrial action to coincide with the protests, and already SIPTU-represented taxi drivers have signalled their intention to demonstrate.
SIPTU official Mr Jerry Brennan remarks: "We would be very remiss if we did not concentrate on the EU presidency. Is there any union or lobby group who won't be focusing on it?"
The anti-car environmental group Reclaim the Streets, whose May bank holiday street rally in 2002 led to clashes with gardaí, is also planning civil disobedience actions during the presidency.
Mr Hearne predicts most protesters at street events will come from Ireland. "If Bush had come it would definitely have attracted more people from abroad.
"The approach we are taking is mass peaceful demonstrations. We are not going out in any way to be confrontational to anyone but to show in terms of sheer numbers that we do not agree with Government policy."
As to whether there may be clashes, similar to those seen at previous EU summits in other countries, he says: "I don't envisage it happening but I wouldn't rule it out completely if the State or the gardaí try to harass people or use tactics of fear or intimidation."
His view is echoed by Mr Joe Carolan, spokesman for Globalise Resistance, which is also to play a part in the protests. "If there is a big security operation, with police officers coming out in full riot gear, there may be tension. But I don't think anyone will want to react to provocation."
Time will tell whether the movement against neo-liberalism will capture the imagination of the Irish public, or become an irrelevant side-show to the presidency.
The Alliance is nothing but optimistic, however. Of the May 1st demonstration, Mr Hearne says: "We hope it will be bigger than the anti-war protest in Dublin last February. There is huge anger over the Celtic Tiger, the Government, and the direction Europe is taking, and we believe we can direct that in a positive way."