Goodbye Liz Whittaker ; storyteller ( 1944 -2015) R.I. P

( a post prompted by my partner Jane, this is effectively her post.)

Sad to say goodbye to Liz Whittaker, friend, author, playwright, creative advocate of the arts scene here in Wales. A magical weaver of words, who touched many peoples lifes. A dear friend to my partner, who were able to bring great comfort and joy to one another. I personally grew to respect her immensely, this  passionate individual, who touched the lives of many, with her supportive manner, passion and kindness. Whose appreciative comments and thoughts  will be missed by all who encountered her. My community has lost a creative spark.
My heart goes out to her family and her many friends.

For Palestine with Love

(today the Palestinian flag will be raised at the the United Nations for the first time, a proud and emotional day.)

I have never been to Palestine

But it is a country I have grown to love 

The scent of its soil so close

Even though as I write  it is in chains 

And its cities daily bleed, voices weeping

I cannot afford to grief, because its future cry's out

Where faces shine with hope and trust

The land from the rivers to the sea, free again 

With one soul, hand in hand, the end of occupation 

The lands fragrance, penetrates awareness

A homeland restored, to how  it used to be 

Thousands return from exile 

With kindness, humbleness and respect

Refusing to surrender ever again 

Allowed to snatch a few moments of joy 

Watch olive trees blossom, vineyards flourish

No longer uprooted or denied 

From,the desert earth, insistence grows 

Oppression banished, the people awake again to laughter

No more babies maimed, no more crying 

Air around discharge vapours of peace 

Iinfectious smiles again released 

As  suffocating walls of apartheid are destroyed

Until this freedom is returned,

I will continue to speak out 

With my pen, try to transform  darkness into light 

Keep delivering messages, for Palestine with love.
but it is a country I have grown to love
the scent of its soil so close
even though as I write  it is in chains
and its cities daily bleed, voices weeping.
I cannot afford to grief, because its future cry's out
where faces shine with hope and trust
the land from the rivers to the sea, free again 
with one soul, hand in hand, the end of occupation
the lands fragrance, penetrates awareness,
a homeland restored, to how  it used to be. 
Thousands return from exile
with kindness, humbleness and respect
refusing to surrender ever again
allowed to snatch a few moments of joy
watch olive trees blossom, vineyards flourish
no longer uprooted, or  denied 

from the desert earth, insistence grows
oppression banished, the people awake again to laughter.
No more babies maimed, no more crying
air around , breathes in peace, infectious smiles again released
as the suffocating walls of apartheid destroyed
until this freedom is returned, I will continue to speak out
with my pen, try to transform  darkness into light,
keep delivering messages, for Palestine with love.

Under the influence of a blood red moon.

Last night I witnessed a  phenomenom, 
as the moon passed through earth's shadow, 
turning a deep bright, red, 
shining crimson, dancing over tears,
under the spell of autumn's return.

It kept me captured, intoxicated ,
like the color of the wine I sipped,
in the blossom of the afternoon,
flowers for thought, as autumn returned,
under the  influence I swayed and danced.

Shadows, turned to eclipse the mind,
visions lulled the darkness away,
as the the hazy day continued to play,
floating hypnotised, as evening called, 
silhouettes of truth revived,
in time's reflection,
to catch dreams again,
from the underground.

Hands of our NHS

Our NHS is currently under attack, facing a massive threat from the Tories and is in grave danger. Ihave seen the impact daily as I've been visiting my partner in Glangwili, West Wales General Hospital. Dedicated, compassionate staff under increased pressure, leading to low moral. Recent figures have emerged that 2/4s of hospitals have been warned about dangerous staff shortages.
This combined with creeping privatisation, major budget cuts and attacks on staff pay and pensions, and the ominous threat from the Health and Social Care Act and the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) among other things.
Have recently  discovered that an £80 million contract to run cancer scans  for the NHS has been given to  a private health care firm with a Tory M.P  on board, despite a rival NHS consortium offering to carry out the work for £7 million less. Specialists of 11 Royal colleges have also witten to the health secretary warning that proposed  contracts for junior doctors represented  too, a real and immediate threat the current stated priorities of the NHS.
We should however be proud, that since 1948 that we actually have one of the best health systems in the world, regardless of age, social status, ethnic background or belief. It is ours, and belongs to us,  from the cradle to the grave. We own it and pay for it,providing local medical cover, available free to all, but slowly the Tory's are ripping it from our grasp. In the long term those that need it most, the chronically ill, people with mental health problems,the vulnerable and those from lower socio economic groups and older people losing out.
We must defend  and protect it with all our might, so that it can  continue to care for us,that puts people first not profit.
I would urge people to support or join the  protest "NHS NOT FOR SALE"" part of a National Week of action taking place 3-7 October, Manchester at the time of the Tory Conference.
Details here :-
http://www.thepeoplesassembly.org.uk/demonstrate_at_tory_party_conference

Remember it our NHS the Tory's must be told to keep their bloody hands of it and give David Cameron all the contempt that he deserves. We must stop this valuable resource from being plundered in front of our eyes.
In the words of Nye Bevan " It will last as long as there are folk left with faith to fight for it."

James Kier Hardie (15/8/1856 -26/9/15) - Man of the people.

I remember today James Kier Hardie, on the 100th anniversary of his death. This giant of the socialist movement, who rose from coalminer to become the first Labour Party leader, and one of the greatest evangelists for the ideas of socialism.
His life was deep-rooted in the hard lot of the poor, for whom he fought so sturdily  and from whom he never turned away. He was born Agust 15, 1856, in a single room cottage near Newarthill, in the heart of the Lanarkshire coalfield, and was the eldest of a family of seven sons and two daughters.
He would derive from his mum, many  of his good qualities. She was a woman of marked individuality and strength of character, nothing could daunt her, or dampen her convictions.
At the age of ten, he went to work in a local mine, where through self-education he would learn the lessons of solidarity and comradeship. This would help him as he used his voice to speak of a world where woman and man were born equal. Denouncing the rich, the politicians and the establishment, all exploiters, and would see him calling for the destruction of the capitalist system. He was one of the greatest agitators of his day. ( who reminds me of another bearded teetotaller, another frugal person with their diet and advocate of passion currently spreading his message, Mr Jeremy Corbyn)
He was to help found the Independent Labour Party in 1893, and was one of the first 2 Labour M.Ps elected to the UK Parliament. He was to mark himself out as  a radical both by his dress - he wore a tweed suit and a cloth cap, whilst  most other members of Parliament wore more formal dress - and the subjects that he advocated - the nationalisation of the coalmines, for the unemployed, womens rights, republicanism and free education. Stuff that still echoes strongly today . 
For over twenty years he tirelessly addressed meeting after meeting, nearly every day and night, travelling long distances, ,to be known for his powerful oratory negating meals, and continuing to carry on  spreading ideas with comrades long into the night. Never to forget his working class roots,  these people he completely understood,  he realised their plight, never deserting them, with his untarnished devotion and faith in their cause.
his first constituency was in West Ham (London, 1892 ) and then Merthyr Tydfil, here in Wales. He would spend  the rest of his life devoted to the causes he believed in, publicy defending general strikes, syndicalism and militancy. He was one of the first  people also to call for equality between the races of South Africa, and because he was a lifelong pacifist and humanist, this led him to believe that the interests of the working classes were inseperable from peace,and when the First World War  broke out in 1914, he was to oppose it, and was to go on to address countless anti-war demonstrations up and down the country and to support conscientious objectors.
Sadly his dreams of peace were not realised , and after a series of strokes he died in Glasgow on 21 September 1915, a true man of the people, no richer when he died than when he began his political career having never surrendered his primary beliefs. Long may his deeds and words be respected.

  

Shaker Aamer to be released

Just returned home from Carmarthen, visiting partner in hospital, a bit of an ordeal, but nothing in comparison to the one the  man pictured above. has had to endure. So fantastic to hear the  news that Shaker Aamer the last British resident of Guantanamo Bay is to be returned to the UK according to the UK Government. Wondrous, had been thinking of his case only this morning, and members of my local Amnesty international will be jubilant, I know those who have personally campaigned and battled for this day.
The earliest date that Mr Aamer could be released to the UK is 25 October. Yes it is good news, but sadly has arrived 13 years too late, does not account for the terrible ordeals he has been through and the absolute travesty of justice that has been reaped upon him. May he get the help and treatment he deserves for all the trauma inflicted, and allow his story to be told without any whitewash.
Lets hope he can be with his family and friends as soon as possible and not forget more than 100 other detainees who will be left behind in Guantanamo Bay. So as we celebrate time now  for Guantanamo to be closed once and for all..

Song for Shaker - Four Feathers

This roots reggae song by the band Four Feathers  featuring the journalist Andy Worthington is now available as a download, 25% of sales going to Shaker Aamer's family.
It calls for Shaker's release from Guantanamo and his return to his family here in the UK. It starts and ends with Shaker's voice. Shaker Aamer,a charismatic figure  was born in Saudi Arabia, and has four children with his British wife. He has been twice  approved for release from Guantanamo. The first time was in 2007 under George W Bush then in 2010 by Barak Obama. Even David Cameron has personally asked Obama for his safe return to the UK. 
Now 45 he has spent nearly 13 years behind cars, detained without charge - apparently indefinitely, in these years Shaker, who is said to be riddled with arthritis and other medical problems, has claimed to have been tortured, and  in addition to his own torture has witnessed the torture of others.
He is still contained because certain  people are more afraid of what he might say upon his release than the continuing injustice of his case.
No more excuses time to bring  Shaker Aamer  home now.


More details on his case here :-

http://westandwithshaker.org/ 

Link to earlier post  which includes poem  for Shaker penned by me.:-

http://teifidancer-teifidancer.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/raise-your-voice-for-shaker-aamer.html

Happy birthday John Coltrane ( 23/09/26 -17/7/67) - FOR TRANE (Breathing upon)

" My music is the spiritual expression of what I am - my faith, my knowledge, my being. When you begin to see the possibilities of music, you desire to do something really good for people, to help humanity free itself from its hangups. I want to speak to their souls " - - John Coltrane

Remembering the great John Coltrane who was born on this day in 1926. One of the most influential musicians in the history of jazz, Coltrane helped pioneer the use of modes and was at the forefront of the free jazz movement.  His style encompassed the modal jazz first explored with Miles Davis, the complex chord structures of his own compositions, and ultimately the extremes of timbre, dynamics, and register associated with free jazz. Coltrane’s total mastery of the tenor and soprano saxophones, the rich harmonic density of his compositions, and his clear projection of emotion enabled him to reconcile technical virtuosity with an often spiritual profundity  who bought  new innovations to a constantly innovative musical form. Born today on the autumn equinox. The quality of his music still  continues to inspire me,  reminding me that the root of the word inspiration is ' Breathing upon.'  Happy birthday John Coltrane.

FOR TRANE ( Breathing upon )

Gone now, but in the shadows of time, his music remains, still gathering attention, saving us from high above, poet of the infinite,seeker, priest, his timbre still flying high,  through time and space, releasing a music that testifies to life's force, that recognises the power and spirit of our breath, strong enough still, to give back the power that renews, a sustenance of tenderness, fills days of anxiety, anticipation and separation, with eternal rhythms of presence, knocking on doors, from one border to the next, a moving force of affirmation, releasing a love supreme that forever sings, from his  impulse spirit soars, as stars blaze across the sky.

Blessed be, John Coltrane 

John Coltrane - Equinox

Love Supreme - John Coltrane

(one of my favourite LP's)

I didn't have sexual relations with that pig - David Cameron

It has been alleged that while Jeremy Corbyn was protesting against apartheid in South Africa, David Cameron was smoking dope,  burning money in front of down and outs, smashing up restaurants and having sexual relations with a severed pigs head. According to a new book by Tony Donor Lord Ashcroft.
Even if it proves to be untrue it does present us a golden opportunity to take the piss out of this sanctimonious Tory. One has to have a laugh from time to time. Have not heard calls for the hide of the author, or signs that he will sue. One thing is for sure, he ***** the poor everyday.


First Cameron ****** a pig,but I did not speak out, because I am not a pig,
then Cameron******  the unemployed, but I did not speak out because I was not unemployed,
then Cameron ***** the NHS, and I did not speak out because I am not sick,
then Cameron ***** the Trade Unions, and I did not speak out,because I am not a member,
then Cameron came and ***** me but there was no one left to speak for me.


Cassette Boy vs David Cameron - Getting' piggy with it.

Gratitude

( a poem for the Autumn Equinox)

As summer fades, and autumn returns,
time to pause, reflect,
give thanks to loved ones,
family and friends,
to bless and be blessed.

As leaves turn gold,
and apples fall to ground,
follow paths of passion,
release gentle laughter,
overcome obstacles,
within and outside.

Gratitude and love,
are such beautiful seeds,
stitching the horizon,
regenerating the light of tomorrow,
spreading hope and love,
that never surrenders. 

Support the Love Bank 5

This week dedicated activists  were sentenced to 10 weeks imprisonment. Their crime?
Daring to provide a sanctuary for damaged and vulnerable people in our society, after occupying an unoccupied former Bank of England building, and use it to set up a support center to shelter and feed  the city of Liverpool's homeless, also providing help for people on benefits, a clothes bank and a library. 
This is not justice. This is a system abusing the power handed to it.War has been declared on Homeless activists
The real criminals are those in power who allow people to die on our streets  and children to go hungry.

Free the Love Bank 5.
Please send messages of support to the above addresses.

https://www.facebook.com/loveactivistsmerseyside

Mikhail Bakunin (18/5/1814 - 1/7/1876) - State and Government

Though welcoming Jeremy Corbyn's victory last Sunday and recognising his passion and peoples  genuine hunger for change here in the UK. and how clearly people can be mobilised and really hoping that these forces can continue to be garnered against the evils of capitalism, exploitation and austerity, igniting the struggle that I feel that is needed in the coming days and months ahead. I truly feel that a new better society cannot be forged if the capitalist state is still in place.
I might be naive but believe that the Labour Party is still a party political machine, that is l used as an instrument to prop up the state, one that I am not particularly fond of,  tied in with the usual bureaucracy and compromises that bind it together, so I really do have mixed feelings.
Anyway here is a pertinent and still convincing message from the past from Russian Revolutionary Anarchist and founder of collectivist anarchism Mikhail Bakunin.


State and Government

" I have no hesitation in saying that the State is an evil, albeit a historically necessary evil,  as necessary in the past as its utter extinction will sooner or later prove to be, as necessary as were men's primitive brutishness and theological meanderings. Historically, in every land it was born of the marriage of violence, rapine and pillage - in short, of war and conquest - with the gods successively invented by nations' theological fantasies.  From its inception, it has been and remains to this day a divine sanction upon brute force and triumphant iniquity.
Revolt against the state is a much easier undertaking because there is in the very nature of the State something that is an incitement to revolt. The State is authority, force, the display of and fascination with force. It does not wheedle and does not seek converts: and every time it dabbles in these,  it does so with very bad grace: for persuasion is not in its nature which is rather to impose and compel. To what lengths it goes to conceal its nature as the lawful trespasser against men's wills,  as the standing negation  of their freedom. Even when it serves the good, it does it disservice and spoils it, precisely because it commands good, and any command provokes and inspires freedom to righteous  revolt: and because the good, once it is commanded becomes from the vantage point of true morality, human ( though not, of course, divine morality, and in terms of human respect and liberty, the bad.
Exploitation and government, the first affording the means whereby to govern, and representing the pre-requisite as well as the object of all government, which, in turn, guarantees and legalises the power to exploit, are the two indivisible terms of all that goes by the name of politics. Since the beginning of history, they have indeed constituted the stuff of the life of States, theocratic, monarchial, aristocratic and even democratic. Previously and up until the great Revolution at the end of the 18th century, the intimacy between them has been disguised by the fictions of religion, loyalty and chivalry: but ever since  the rough hand of  the bourgeoisie tore away all the veils, which had in any case become fairly transparent, and ever since its blast of revolution scattered all the empty concrete under cover of which Church and State, theocracy, monarchy and aristocracy had for so long managed, undisturbed, to perpetrate their historical vileness; ever since the bourgeoisie, wearying of being the anvil, took its turn at being the hammer; ever since it ushered in the modern State - in short, that necessary connection has turned into a revealed truth, indeed, an incontrovertible truth as far as everyone is concerned.
Exploitation is the visible body and government the soul of the  bourgeois rule. And as we have seen, the one and the other in such intimacy, are, in theoretical as well as practical terms, the necessary and faithful representative of metaphysical idealism, the inescapable consequence of that bourgeois doctrine that looks outside of social solidarity for the morality of the individual. That teaching results in exploitative government by a tiny number of the fortunate or elect, in exploitative  slavery for the greater number, and for all and sundry, in negation of all morality and all liberty."

Reprinted from :-

No Gods, No Masters; An anthology of Anarchism - Daniel Guerin,

AK Press 2005

Time for something new

This is how our government respects war veterans - it abandons  them to a life on the streets. No wonder some people refuse to sing in praise of Queen and Country. A generation of brave men and women fought fascism so that people could live in a society witm to have forgotten this. There are may people in this land who as  republicans and non-believers  it would  be totally insincere to sing the national anthem God Save the Queen. Surely in the twenty first centurys why would anyone want to cow-tow to an outdated concept like this. It is such a breath of fresh air to see some people resisting the consensus, we need to embrace this wind of changeThe increasing societal compulsion to do as we are told , should be resisted at all costs. For republicans and atheists and anyone with good taste God Save the Queen is an awful song set to a funereal dirge.No one should be forced to sing it. Surely a national anthem is one that unites, not divides and should be about country maybe, but surely no need for God or Queens.  Do we not live in a country unlike somewhere like North Korea where individual  beliefs are allowed not to be expressed.
Time to scrap the privy council too while where at it, and the demeaning tradition of kneeling before the Queen,it is time for change. There is nothing disgraceful I believe in any of the above, but there is something extremely disturbing about living in a country where the rise of poverty and austerity goes unchecked.Now that is something that should be daily challenged.

https://republic.org.uk/

Sex Pistols - God Save the Queen

 

A Nations Hero :- An Ode to Owain Glyn Dwr ( 1354- 1416)

Not a lot of people know this but September 16th marks Dydd Owain Glyn Dwr/Owain Glyn Dwr,Welsh/Cymry natonal hero, known in English as Owen Glendower in honor of the uprising that began on this day, that sparked his stand against the English crown. The following is a poem in his honor

Hail Owain, a nation's hero
heir to Cadwalder the blessed
for years he wandered among his brethren
resurrected the feeling of pride and love of country
defender of the common people, never to be betrayed
hatched and fed our fledgling dreams 
to this day his inspiration fires.
He saw the people of his land
writhing under, tyranny and misrule
until one fair day in September 1400
Glyndwr attacked the town of Ruthin,
raised his standard high, left it in flames
took possession of the lands of Lord Grey

the slumbering Welsh dragon awoke to breathe it's fire.

Welshmen hastened from all parts of the country to join him
and in short time he had a huge rebel army under his command,
over the coming years, great victories were heralded
churches followed towns into flames,
the castles of Abergavenny and Crickhowel,
Caerphilly and other castles fell,
and the Bishops palace at Llandaff raised.

panic and fear  gripped  the Englshman's heart

Henry IV sent his army to Owain's home at Sycarth
and in revenge burned it  down to the ground,
but this saw Owain's  army cutting of their supplies
and saw them scuttling back to England in rapid haste.

At Machynlleth he created a Welsh Parliament

and here was crowned Prince of Wales,
he gallantly told the Parliament gathered
of his plans to build and create great Universities,
and promised to restore the old laws of Howell the Good
King Henry though managed to stop him in his tracks
And in 1405  took mighty vengeance,
saw many Welsh rebels brutally slain
for Owain, sadly came defeat after defeat,
but faithful friends clung to him to the end
until he simply disappeared  became a myth and legend.
To this day his resting place remains unknown
Centuries have passed, but his name forever honored
by us Cymry, because he was the peoples champion,
his ideals continue to inspire his beloved nation
still haunted by his lightning vision, fight for freedom  
yonder his light shines on all who believe in his cause
hoping  one  day will rise again  to liberate his people.  

The Bogus Woman - Kay Adshead

The Bogus Woman by Kay Adshead is curently touring England and Wales. An African woman arrives in a strange country fleeing for her life, seeking safety and asylum. Having committed no crime she is indefinitely confined, interrogated, humiliated and abused. She witnesses the cruelty of the authorities and their casual disregard for an individuals  human rights. This strange country is England.

' a passionate story about the experience of one African woman arriving on these inhospitable shores... Adshead tells it with such spare poetry and blistering rage.' - The Guardian, Lyn Gardner

In 2008, the Bogus Woman played to over 3,500 people during a sell ot run at Theatre by the Lake - in the Lake District.It was evident that this powerful and poetic one-woman play should be shared with a wider audience.
Tragically, seven years on, the asylum debate still remains at the centre of British politics and the play continues to be just as relevant and challenging. Krissi Bohn (Coronation Street) once again delivers Kay Adshead's outstanding monologue-bringing to life the 51 sharply etched characters who retell the experience of this young woman.
My local Amnesty International Group will have a stand in the foyer at tomorrow's performance here in Aberteifi/Cardigan.

For tour dates and bookings click here :-

http://theboguswoman.com/tourdates

Congratulations Jeremy Corbyn, hope has returned

Well done Jeremy Corbyn, a new day has dawned. It is so good to see this country alive again with passion, people talking about values, integrity, going against mainstream consensus, despite the propoganda of the right wing media.
It is obvious that a mighty shift has occurred across the land of Britain, as we witness this historic victory, a party has elected an individual with a clear radical alternative voice. About bloody time. A new kind of politics has emerged, just what the country needed, standing against austerity, capitalism, giving power back to the people. I have noticed in the last few weeks how his voice has invigorated people turned off by the political machine, that crushes hope.
I do not endorse any political party by the way, but I think that the chances of a better, fairer, stronger Britain are greater now with Corbyn as leader of the Labour party. Now we continue, on the road to a more positive future,  for fairness, against injustice, planting seeds of resistance.
Time to celebrate, as hope is returned,  time now to garner strength, to continue our endeavours in kicking the bloody Tory's out of power.  Creating a brand new system, that cares for the unemployed, the disabled and the sick, that serves the real needs of the people.
A revolution of the mind is being sown.

Lets welcome refugees not arms dealers

On the weekend before the appalling arms fair begins in London, lets not forget that the arms trade is a new form of intervention, that maintains and develops dominance-dependent relationships, that encourages repression and violation of human rights. Militarism leads to massive allocation of human and material resources to research and production in the military sector in all countries.. 
It is truly shameful that the arms fair is allowed to return to the shores of Britain every year to plough its deadly obscene trade. An event that should be condemned for the crimes against humanity that it causes. How is it that regimes criticised for appalling human rights abuses can  be given  official invitations by the  Government to attend  this sickening arms and security fair in London. Counties welcomed like Azerbaiijan, Kazaksthan, Thailand and Egypt, despite gross infringements of civil liberties.
A fair that fuels and profits from the current refugee crisis. It is bloody shameful and disgusting that the UK Government welcomes arms dealers with open arms -  fuelling helping conflicts across the globe- while at the same time refusing entry to refugees fleeing these wars.
A truly sickening spectacle in which arms dealers that are complicit in slaughter all over the world are allowed to set up stall here, whilst being promoted as a supposedly legitimate trade event.
The DSEI arms fair is a sickening global  display and showroom for bloodshed and profit, and should not be allowed to return to Britain again.
Today many people will be protesting in a big day of action against this immoral arms fair. Marching and blockading  saying refugees not arms dealers.

Lets welcome refugees not arms dealers - reading out messages to David Cameron.

9/11 Never forget

On this day a US backed coup killed  60,000 people to install a dictatorship in Chile over the democratically elected President Allende. Yes the events of the other September 11, were tragic and criminal, but the overthrow  of the democratic elected government of Hile on September 11, 1973 was a terrible watershed too.
Hundreds of real and suspected Allende supporters were gunned down in Santiago soccer stadium, that had been fashioned into  a torture center and concentration camp. Across the nation, in the streets and military detention centers, Pinochet's fascist regime murdered and tortured tortured thousands in the first few months after 9/11/73.
1 milllion  Chileans were forced into exile. To this day for Chileans this day is remembered as the day that marked the beginning of a 17 year reign of terror, when a dark shadow was cast upon the nation.A day that still has a profound resonance in daily life.
What was to follow was years of  dictatorship,repression, torture, forced disappearances and fear.
We should never forget.

Love's cry.

(for Jane)

Love's cry occupies waves of thought,
follows sky, earth, sun and moon,
more powerful than any government,
weaves a sweet fabric, sings freedoms tune.

In a darkening world, awakens senses,
dances alongside, curves of existence,
with skin and bone, we gratefully receive,
as she embraces all, across the globe.

Consists of magic and understanding,
is often watered down and diluted,
by forces of hatred and division,
but continues to fill silenced voices.

A touch that's near in any impossible season,
with her kiss rescues, feeds, everlasting reason,
there are moments when she will be very quiet,
but most of the time, you will hear her mighty roar.

Difficult to see, when the whole world is screaming,
when humanity is  daily being battered and broken,
but unregulated when darkness draws near
it's light is never far from returning clear.

Will sprinkle it's light, among the degradation,
among the suffering poverty and hunger of the world,
beyond debates in parliament or the United Nations,
it's heartfelt reason will be forever released.

Ancient and modern is it's tribal pulse,
in the night and day in her power exults,
it's spark could unite us all, if we were not too blinkered,
I think it is the only good thing that can hold us together.

In desperate times, we all need something to cling too,
something clear, like in the morning when the sun rises ,
or when time, awakes you from sleepless dark nights,
love's cry can't stay away, can be the safest feeling in our hearts. 

It's patience is finite, and it's fuse is quick to ignite,
with it's power can overcome any regime,
can  build and grow, overthrow times of burden,

with wings of desire, allows us to stay human.

love like every beautiful poem is an act of resistance,
can break through walls, and levels of understanding,
trust it, guard its essence well, hold it close.

can change everything that you have known.

A poem for Liz ( on the anniversary of her reign)

( The reality is that the Queen has succeeded only in serving the monarchy and the status quo. It is now time for the country to look to the future and to choose a successor through free and fair elections, one who can genuinely represent the nation https://republic.org.uk/what-we-do/news-and-updates/long-reign-reason-reform-not-celebration-republic )

The world is run by a cadre of  fools,
in this country Queen Liz rules,
today we remember 63 years,
seven months and two days, of her reign
but her majesty, did not want any fuss,
I couldn't agree more, how about you?

For me, just a representative of a monolithic institution,
what is her value, what is her contribution?
for some a strong figurehead as our head of state,
steadfast, constant, dutiful, regal, wise and respectful,
an image  carefully orchestrated by PR and media,
for others an undemocratically elected parasite, 
with vestiges of power and privilege, more than a tad outdated.

The Queen has survived this long, as head of state for one reason,
she has never had to face election, or to be held to account,
so for me, today is not the day for celebration,
but could be a good  one to press for radical reform,
time for Liz and co to embrace the modern world,
allow her loyal  subjects to debate and decide,
this gesture would indeed fill my heart with pride.

Maybe she could consider retiring,
move to a more modest little home,
her gilded palaces could be set aside,
to house refugees and the homeless,
now that would be a splendid idea.

Meanwhile outside her gates,
we wake again to disturbed reality,
empty hearts and broken dreams,
on roads of austerity, feeling too much sorrow,
our seasons garments lay tattered at our feet,
among the ruins, some of us refuse to bow,
we will not remain loyal to the crown no more.


( Viva La republic)

A life in pieces

( a found poem, I had been working on, where I have written a poem made from titles contained within my bookshelves, but following blog, it seems already had the idea too:-
 http://preselimountains.blogspot.co.uk/2015/09/the-book-shelf-poem.html
Nevertheless a fun experimental piece to do.)

A life in pieces, no logo,
small is beautiful, the shadows know,
beyond good and evil, sleepers awake,
in wildness the preservation of the world,
No, I'm not afraid.

Mi Revalueshanary friend,
you are therefore I am,
infinite justice, brighter than a thousand suns,
to care for the earth, lady sings the blues.

Welsh landscapes, concentric circles,
Axe handles, left out in the rain,
chasing black rainbows, facing demons,
out of the dust, to bedlam and half way back.

The dark stuff, a riot of our own,
beautiful losers, under the volcano,
prick up your ears, smiling in slow motion,
downriver, lipstick traces, let it come down,
up above the word, demanding the impossible.

A socialist faith, no gods no masters,
solidarity forever, the hill of dreams,
man's search for meaning, the quickening maze,
sunbathing in the rain, dancing on stones,
how late it was how late, rip it up and start again,
the days run away like wild horses over the hills.




( do you recognise any of the titles?)

War criminals not welcome here - No to Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to Britain.

Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly manipulated Israel into supporting ferocious and strategically meaningless slaughter in Gaza. Implicated in mass murder,and the cause of so much misery and desperation in the Middle East, despite of this on September 9th he will be greeted and welcomed by David Cameron as our good friend.When he should be calling foran imposition of sanctions and an arms embargo against Israel.
This is a man who in the summer of 2014 was responsible for Israel's barbaric assault on Gaza, in which over 2,200 Palestinians were killed, most of them civilians, including more than 500 children and much of Gaza left in rubble.
Under international law he can be detained when he comes over to visit. A petition calling for him to be arrested for war crimes when he visits the UK has already got close to 100,000 signatures.
There is a protest being called on September 9th from 11am to 1 pm, at Downing Street called  by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign and the Stop the War  Coalition.
I do not feel we should be offering him any hands of friendship, I believe he should be arrested.
Please sign  the following, that Netanyahu is not welcome in Britain, and that we regret our Government's support for the leader of an apartheid state.:-

http://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/105446


 .

Tell me about it

Imagine someone suffering from depression or anxiety and being told constantly to snap out of it, or just to smile. It is not as simple as that. Life can often  be too unbearable, time does not always have a magic formula. Can cause severe disturbances in mood, perception and behaviour. These can effect a persons ability to cope with life's demands and routines. Sometimes all we actually need is a bit of patience and understanding. Some sensitivity, some kindness.
It is not something that can be quickly overcome, and is not a sign of emotional weakness. Generally not a lot of people are that informed about mental illnesses, and come out with ill-informed, uneducated statements, that do not help one bit. The stigma that we can suffer from can be immense, we need to confront these stigmas, and keep challenging the fears, myths, and stigmas that still surround mental illnesses. Each source of stigma, is a barrier that is difficult to overcome, that can shatter hopes of recovery, leaving an individual  feeling devastated and isolated.
There are so many misconceptions that we have to unlearn, I for one have witnessed, that it is never an easy road, that anyone, regardless of their personality, lifestyle or background can suffer from.

The Sun Newspaper, not fit for the rubbish bin.

The above words remained active on the Sun's website  for months after it was rightly condemned by a UN human rights adviser. Though taken down, in the light of recent events, it is a typical, dehumanising thought from the rancid Sun newspaper.
I have long been disgusted by what is printed within it's pages., but at the end of the day, people do care, we don't want Britain to be the kind of country that turns it's backs as people drown in desperation trying to flee places like Syria or elsewhere.
The Sun newspaper and Katie Hopkins are a disgrace, as are any media outlet that continues to use words like this. 
The only good place for the Sun newspaper and Katie Hopkins voice is the bin. They together are a disgrace and should hang their heads in shame. In the mists of all the horror, that we are witnessing, sentiments of coldness,nastiness are cruel, inflammatory and unacceptable. At the end of the day, desperate people fleeing terror, rape and oppression across Africa and the Middle East,and risking death in ramshackle boats to make it to Europe across the mediterranean. Keep complaining and boycotting. Don't read her column, watch her T.V shows, or buy the Sun Newspaper.
When we are silent, we remain culpable.

Food for thought.

When you go to bed tonight - think about this. Think about the Daily Mail hate filled headlines.  Remember that migrants and refugees are just like you and me - people wanting the best for those they love - children, mum and dads, grandparents. If the above image  does not change the world. I'm really not  sure what will. History is going to judge us very harshly, and rightly so.He symbolises the desperation of many, he should be lying safe in bed tonight, cosy and warm, but Europe would not let him pass.
So heartbreaking, so harrowing. Only 216 Syrian refugees have been allowed into the uk so far. Are they really such a  burden. We should put our common humanity first and not blame those feeing war and perecution, but those that instigate and facilitate it. The bodies of the wealthy elite, propped up and prioritised and privileged,  over human beings not lucky enough to be born in the right place at the right time.
My voice,gets swept away in this torrent of tears, I do not blame the sea, I blame humanity. 
The British Government needs to do much more for the refugess fleeing Syria and elsewhere. I would encourage everyone to sign the e petition to the UK Government which last  night had 27,000 signatures and now has  over 112,000, making it eligible for a Parliamentary debate. Please keep signing. Refugess are humans in distress. They need santcuary. They should be welcomed here.
No one is illegal.

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/105991

The truth about Tibet.

At the moment the citizens of Tibet do not have anything that resembles  any form of basic human rights. Children and adults can dissapear at anytime.
To practice their religion, means they will face prison, torture and death.Many of their ancient Bhuddist temples and monastries destroyed to be replaced with Chines Government Propoganda centres.
Tibetans must be allowed to to retain their right to protest and alllow their struggle and discontent  with China, and it's illegal occupation and continued mistreatment of Tibetans to be recognised.
Today the Chinese Government is celebrating 51 years of the so-called Tibet Autonomous Region ( The TAR). But Tibetans know that the TAR is just half of hstoric Tibet and that today's anniversary marks 50 years  of oppression and exploitation. Here is a  10 minute film to counter China's propoganda  and expose the reality of Tibet under China's rule today. Please watch and share.
I would hope that the world would expect and recognise that China's  repressive policies against the defiant people of Tibet must stop. We must seek the restoration of the Tibetan people's basic human rights, and the  enjoyment of basic freedoms that have been denied.
The struggle for Tibetan freedom continues.

http://freetibet.org