Friday, 31 December 2021

Happy New Year : For a Brand New Tomorrow


Happy New Year everyone for tomorrow. I'ts been another tough year for us all. and as Covid cases have now reached almost 190,000 and over 300 dead, Boris  wants us to take a  test and remember the importance of ventilation while keeping the pubs open. Do not forget that he alongside Priti Patel and other senior Conservatives helped some of their friends got very wealthy off the pandemic. It's a scandal that demands answers.  This is corruption of the highest order and and all involved should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. In the meantime let's do something  really good for each other tonight, Stay home and  keep safe.
Meanwhile  a year in, there is growing evidence that Brexit has taken a toll on the British economy, despite Johnson’s claim,otherwise.According to a study conducted by John Springford, an economics researcher at the Centre for European Reform, British goods trade in September 2021 was 11.2 percent, or 8.5 billion pounds, lower than it would have been had the United Kingdom stayed in the EU’s single market and customs union. But the post-Brexit period is also beginning to have political consequences. There are signs that the pro-Leave coalition that swept Johnson to power in December 2019 just might be less stable than many initially assumed.
Let's keep building the resistance and get this corrupt shambles of a government out for good, while putting public need before corporate greed. Together we can remain strong  don't give up the fight, steady and slow a fairer society will come, darkness turning into light, our eyes in spring, summer, autumn, winter will glisten with rainbows and laughter, hope returning with no ending, we will smell the color of the clouds, feel the howling, taste the wind, in all awareness, our rich diversity, can thread us together.
Lets also keep fighting for social  justice, a profoundly different future, where the human rights of all will be fully realized, a future of life and of decent lives for all.highlighting injustices done to those fleeing persecution and war and those living in the UK who are denied means to protect their health. All the very best, love, rage, solidarity, heddwch/peace. Here's to making real and positive change  in 2022'xxx. Free Palestine, Kurdistan, Julian Assange, Nazanin Zaghari Ratcliffe , Abolish the Monarchy
 
" So hope for a great sea-change
On the far side of revenge.
Believe that a farther shore
Is reachable from here.
Believe in miracles
And cures and healing wells." - Seamus Heaney

" Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness." -Archbishop Desmond Tutu

Wednesday, 29 December 2021

Tribute to Archbishop Desmond Tutu: Relentless defender of Human Rights who used his voice to speak truth to power (1931 --2021)


 “If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.” These words by Archbishop Desmond  Mpilo Tutu are truly profound and among the many sagacious sentiments expressed.
The Nobel Peace laureate passed away on Sunday at the age of 90, stripping the world of a towering moral figure and bringing the curtain down on a heroic South African era.beginning a week of mourning for the revered anti-apartheid fighter.
 The death of Archbishop Desmond Mpilo Tutu leaves a big void in the struggle for human rights and freedom around the world. He dedicated his entire life to the fight to create a world where people could be free to claim and exercise their freedoms, without being prejudiced or persecuted for who they are.
Tutu is best remembered for his active involvement in the struggle against South African apartheid, whose overthrow was one of the great historic achievements of the twentieth century. He used his positions first as the secretary general of the South African Council of Churches and later as the first Black Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town (hence his nickname, ‘the Arch’) to promote non-violent opposition to apartheid.
His funeral will be held on New Year's Day at Cape Town's St George's Cathedral, his former parish, his foundation said, although ceremonies are likely to be muted because of Covid restrictions.
In a statement issued by the South African government, the country’s president, Cyril Ramaphosa, confirmed the death and sent his condolences to the Tutu family.
The death of Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu is another chapter of loss in our nation’s farewell to a generation of prominent South Africans who bequeathed us a South Africa liberated“,
The president has described Tutu as a “peerless patriot“and a” man of extraordinary intellect “who maintained his integrity in the fight against the” forces of apartheid.
Even in a democracy, Ramaphosa has stressed, Tutu maintained the “vigor” and “vigilance” of the leadership to demand responsibilities to institutions.
The widow of South Africa's first black president Nelson Mandela, Graca Machel, on Monday mourned "the loss of a brother".
Tutu "is the last of an extraordinarily outstanding generation of leaders that Africa birthed and gifted to the world", she said in a statement.
He masterfully used his position as a cleric to mobilise South Africans, Africans, and the global community against the brutalities and immorality of the apartheid government," she said.
 "He stood resolute and fearless, leading demonstrations cloaked in his flowing clerical robe with his cross as his shield — the embodiment of humankind's moral conscience."
The bells of St George's will ring for 10 minutes from noon each day until Friday. The church has asked those who hear the sound to pause in their daily work and think of Tutu.
A memorial service will be held in the capital Pretoria on Wednesday. Family and friends will gather on Thursday evening around Tutu's widow, "Mama Leah".
On Friday, his remains will be placed in the cathedral on the eve of the funeral, although attendance for his farewell will be capped at 100, according to the archbishop of Cape Town, Thabo Makgoba.
"Only a fraction of those who want to be there can be accommodated in the Cathedral. So please don't get on a bus to Cape Town," he said in a statement following a press conference. Due to Covid, singing and music at the ceremony will also have to be moderated, officials said.
Diminutive, crackling with humour and warmth, Tutu will be most remembered for fearlessly speaking against white minority rule, although he campaigned against injustice of any kind.
Ordained at the age of 30 and appointed archbishop in 1986, he used his position to advocate tirelessly for international sanctions against apartheid.
He coined the term "Rainbow Nation" to describe South Africa when Mandela became the country's first black president in 1994.
He retired in 1996 to lead a harrowing journey into South Africa's past as head of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which exposed the horrors of apartheid in terrible detail.This commission, established in 1996 to uncover human-rights abuses during Apartheid, called on Apartheid-era perpetrators to publicly apologise for their crimes to victims, who were given the opportunity to share their stories. The result was that the perpetrators of some truly heinous crimes were forgiven. The idea was that, after Apartheid, South Africa could reconcile itself with its past and move on.
But Tutu’s embrace of both abusers and the abused, while an act of true Christian belief, was of immense political significance. In his book, No Future Without Forgiveness, he argued all parties who committed abuses should be treated equally, ‘whether they had been upholders of Apartheid or had sought to overthrow it’. He argued that this would be fair ‘because the perpetrator’s political affiliation was irrelevant in determining whether a certain act or offence was a gross violation or not’. But by equating those who took up arms against Apartheid with those who upheld it, he and the commission tarnished the struggle against Apartheid.
Some South African activists blamed the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, for not “doing enough” to punish some of the worst murderers of the apartheid regime. Dome killed thousands of blacks during, and many black South Africans feel that mere “confessions” and “expressions of regret” should not have gained exculpation (more or less) for such brutes.
Among the apartheid crimes most resented were those by secret security forces personnel, who killed blacks and camouflaged their murders as “black-on-black violence”.
Also resented was the fact that the Truth and Reconciliation Commission remitted to an ordinary court, the trial of a notorious white doctor (nicknamed “Dr Death”) who had specialised in developing drugs that would kill “only blacks”. That Dr Death” (Dr Wouter Basson) was allowed to be tried by an ordinary court, which allowed him to exercise the rights of normal defence, and is currently still practising medicine, has left a sour taste in the mouths of many.
But maybe it was not Archbishop Desmond Tutu's fault so much as the fault of the euphoric atmosphere under which blacks were tasting power in South Africa for the first time, and were persuaded by the white-owned media that “forgiveness” had to be “the order of the day”.
Whatever one thinks, one must remember that Archbishop Desmond Tutu truly believed that one must never allow oneself to “behave as one's enemy would!”
He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984 for his central role in the fight against apartheid, The citation read:
“The Prize was awarded to Desmond Tutu for his role as a unifying leader figure in the non-violent campaign to resolve the problem of apartheid in South Africa....The means by which this campaign is conducted is of vital importance for the whole of the continent of Africa and for the cause of peace in the world.”.
The citation added that the Nobel Peace Prize had been “awarded to a South African once before, in 1960, when it was awarded to the former president of the African National Congress, [Chief] Albert Tulip.” The 1984 award “should be seen as a renewed recognition of the courage and heroism shown by black South Africans in their use of peaceful methods in the struggle against apartheid. This recognition is also directed to all who, throughout the world, use such methods to stand in the vanguard of the campaign for racial equality as a human right.” 
It was the Committee’s wish that the Peace Prize now awarded to Desmond Tutu “should be regarded not only as a gesture of support to him and to the South African Council of Churches, of which he is leader, but also to all individuals and groups in South Africa who, with their concern for human dignity, fraternity and democracy, incite the admiration of the world”.
 Archbishop Tutu, remembered around the world for his  tireless fight against injustice, was also an outspoken supporter of the Palestinian cause, often comparing Israel's treatment of Palestinians in the occupied territories to apartheid. 
 "I have witnessed the systemic humiliation of Palestinian men, women and children by members of the Israeli security forces," he told the South African news outlet News 24 in 2014.
"Their humiliation is familiar to all black South Africans who were corralled and harassed and insulted and assaulted by the security forces of the apartheid government."
In an interview with Sir David Frost on the Al Jazeera English channel in 2012, Tutu said that the situation in the occupied West Bank was "in many instances worse" than in apartheid South Africa, referring to Israel's construction of the West Bank separation wall and its systematic  demolition of Palestinian homes 
 "Israeli politicians are aware that they can get away with almost anything because the West feels guilty about what they didn't do when the Holocaust happened," he said.
Tutu visited the Palestinian territories several times, leading a UN fact-finding mission to investigate an Israeli attack on the Beit Hanoun area of the Gaza Strip which killed 19 civilians in November 2006.
He also endorsed the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS( movement once saying: "I wish I could keep quiet about the plight of Palestinians, I can't!"
While outspoken in his criticism of Israeli violence against Palestinians, Tutu also condemned Palestinian rocket attacks on Israel, but noted that the Israeli response to these incidents was "disproportionately brutal".
Following the Archbishop's death, Palestinians from across the political spectrum praised him for his long-standing advocacy of their cause. 
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas called Tutu "a hero for serving humanity and its causes, a fighter against apartheid, a global human rights activist, and a defender of the oppressed".
"The Palestinian people will remember with loyalty and gratitude his positions in support of our people's legitimate struggle against the occupation and its racist policy," he said. 
The Hamas movement  which controls the Gaza Strip, issued a statement saying: "Like South Africa, Palestine has lost a true patriot, a great human rights defender, an opponent of racism, and a staunch defender of the Palestinian cause in many international forums and arenas." 
Hanan Ashrawi, an independent Palestinian politician and former minister who was closely involved in early peace negotiations with Israel said on Twitter that Tutu's "humanity and compassion were equalled only by his courage and principled commitment in our shared struggle for justice and freedom". 
"His support for Palestine was an embrace of love and empathy," she added.
Among the millions who mourned his passing, President Cyril Ramaphosa called Tutu a man of "extraordinary intellect, integrity and invincibility against the forces of apartheid".
The Nelson Mandela Foundation called Tutu "an extraordinary human being. A thinker. A leader. A shepherd."
"He was larger than life, and for so many in South Africa and around the world his life has been a blessing," it said in a statement.
Queen Elizabeth II, Pope Francis, French President Emmanuel Macron were among those who paid tribute to him.
Barack Obama, the United States' first black president, hailed Tutu as a "moral compass" who was "concerned with injustice everywhere".
Tutu was "a towering global figure for peace and an inspiration to generations across the world," said UN chief Antonio Guterres.
However Keir Starmer has been shredded for his hypocrisy in paying tribute to human rights giant Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who wrote
"Desmond Tutu was a tower of a man, and a leader of moral activism. He dedicated his life to tackling injustice and standing up for the oppressed. His impact on the world crosses borders and echoes through generations. May he rest in peace."
But if Tutu had been a Labour member, Starmer would probably have expelled him, at least if he had the spine to do it, for comments in support of Palestinians and of boycotts and sanctions against Israel for its treatment of them.
Tutu, who had, earlier in his life, not been much impressed by a Christian religion whose officials and leaders often acted in silent concert with the racist rulers, was alerted to different approaches to Christianity by the actions of one man, a white cleric called Trevor Huddlestone, whom Tutu and his mother met one day whilst walking along the streets of Johannesburg.
Huddlestone took off his hat and smiled in greeting to Tutu's mother. In a South Africa where black women were looked upon by whites as “inferior domestics”, Huddlestone's unusual attitude moved Tutu greatly. So although his father was a Methodist, it was into the Anglican Church that Tutu enlisted himself. He eventually got appointed him to the highest Anglican position in South Africa, Archbishop of Cape Town.
Tutu was born in Klerksdorp, about 100 miles south-west of Johannesburg, on 7th October 1931. His father was headteacher of a local Methodist school. Later on in life, when Tutu was hospitalised with tuberculosis, he was pleasantly surprised to find that one of his most regular visitors was a man he recognised as the same Anglican priest who had taken off his hat for Tutu's mother in the street, Father Trevor Huddlestone!
In appreciation of Trevor Huddlestone's doings, Tutu actually named a son, Trevor, after Huddlestone. Huddlestone, humble though he was, achieved great fame by publishing a fierce book – Naught For Your Comfort – which was one of the first books to tell the world, in lurid detail, about the horrors that apartheid represented to South Africa's black population.
Tutu trained initially  as a teacher before anger at the inferior education system set up for black children prompted him to become a priest. He lived for a while in Britain. Tutu relentlessly challenged the status quo on issues like race, homosexuality, religious doctrine, a woman’s right to terminate a pregnancy, and for the shunned and excluded victims of AIDS. Nor was he afraid to call out ANC corruption and their reneging on promises to the Black poor and working class.  President Ronald Reagan of the United States and  Margaret Thatcher of Britain were also some of the leaders he berated most often. 
 Bishop Tutu's proudest moment occurred when on 11 February 1990, Nelson Mandela was released from prison, and stayed with Bishop Tutu's family in Cape Town before making his way to Johannesburg. His relations with Mr Mandela remained warm, though they disagreed on some important issues, such as Nelson's divorce from Winnie Mandela.
He also gave his pioneering support for the assisted dying movement."I do not wish to be kept alive at all costs," he said in The Washington Post in 2016."I hope I am treated with compassion and allowed to pass on to the next phase of life's journey in the manner of my choice."
The archbishop had been diagnosed with prostate cancer in 1997 and repeatedly underwent treatment. After he retired from public life he continued speak out on social justice, freedom and human rights. In September 2012, he called for former US president George W. Bush and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair to be tried for their role in the Iraqi war by the International Criminal Court. Since his retirement, Tutu has worked as a global activist on issues pertaining to democracy, freedom and human rights.
 In his final years, his public appearances became rarer. This year, he emerged from hospital in a wheelchair to get a Covid vaccine, waving but not offering comment.He had been in a weakened state for several months and died peacefully at 7am (0500 GMT) on Sunday, according to several of his relatives.
Tutu was a true hero. His courage, particularly during the turbulent struggle against Apartheid, should be acknowledged and exalted. He was an exemplar of his Christian faith and of the human spirit. He acted as a moral compass in the face of man’s inhumanity to man. Despite facing immense personal risk, he defiantly and consistently gave a voice to the voiceless and spoke truth to power.
What makes Tutu’s death so poignant is that his quest for justice and human dignity ultimately ended in failure. Apartheid might be gone, but greed, corruption and inequality are worse problems in today’s South Africa than in the darkest days of white-minority rule. 
Despite this Desmond Tutu should be remembered for is his faith and his trust in ordinary people. He was a man who firmly identified with ordinary people, rather than those who falsely claimed to represent them. ‘The resilience of those we arrogantly dismissed as “the ordinary people”‘, he wrote in No Future Without Forgiveness, ‘in the face of daunting challenges and harassment that would have been the undoing of lesser mortals, was in the end quite breathtaking’.
Desmond Tutu’s great gift to the ordinary people he loved was his willingness to speak truth to power, whatever the consequences. His unshakeable belief in the power of ideas and the human spirit, especially the will to overcome oppression and adversity, should remind us that there are some things worth living and dying for. With Tutu’s passing, South Africa and humanity have lost a much-needed moral compass. He will be  mourned across Africa and the world.This iconic priest  leaves behind indelible footprints in the sands of time, a man of deep principle and moral ardor. 
 Along with his words of wisdom were actions of compassion and kindness. One of his many quotes may be the manual for a better world, "Do your little bit of good where you are; it's those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world." Rest in Peace Desmond Tutu

Tuesday, 28 December 2021

Finding Compassion


Every day can be beautiful
So could each  night,;
Allowing us to thrive
Uncompromised in belief,,
Releasing the gift of solidarity
As friends  make things seem right,
All of our struggles together pulsating
In times  of darkness, strength keeps calling,
In every heartbeat the pulse of defiance
Let's carry on, standing strong,,
Following Rainbow flags of diversity
The beat of freedoms awakening call,
The love we share allowing us to overcome
Tory neglect and stupidity,.
Grimy ideology that hurts us all
Drowning us with cruelty and pain,
With compassion a plenty.
Let's deliver tyranny's end,
For the lives of the many
Not the hands of. the few,
Garlanded around us all
Red roses of hope and resilience,
We can build a society of  kindness
Where our scars begin to heal,
Hope abiding, keeping us alive,
Holding on to precious sustenance
Beyond  the soreness  of today,
Abandoning greed that, ensnares
The profiteers that ruin us,
Tomorrow can deliver fairness
That  all of us can daily share,

Thursday, 23 December 2021

Seasons Greetings

 

                                Peter Kropotkin 

It's come round again, the time some of us celebrate  the Festival of Yuletide, others the Birth of the Sun and, for Christians, the birth of Jesus Christ. The last two years have been difficult and unsettling for most of us. and as the country falls apart, everything doubling in price, from electric to food to trains and  Omicon infects last person and the worst government disintegates, while the prime minister still recklessly gambles with the lives of  every man, woman and child in  Britain, we certainly need some respite, if only for a short while
Christmas is a mixture of both ancient and modern traditions adapted through the ages to meet the needs of the ruling class of the time, be it Roman aristocrat, feudal lord or modern capitalist, ts roots go back into the dawn of the human experience of winter in the Northern hemisphere. People gathering around the fire to keep warm, and feasting to raise their spirits in the cold and dark; and looking forward to the return of the sun and the spring. is also the time to be generous to those less fortunate. This may be one reason why Dickens’ Christmas Carol is so popular. Nasty mean Scrooge is transformed and bestows good things on poor Bob Cratchett and his disabled son. Readers feel a warm glow. But that old chap Scrooge had a word which aptly describes  Christmas as well as the delusions of capitalism, its cynicism and its hypocrisy. Humbug.
Personally I do find this time of year  quite baffling, the usual suspects.,the misery that  explodes, The fact is that Christmas is in some ways a time for people to show their less attractive side—and for the massed forces of commercialism to cash in on the situation, ruthlessly and to the full, with the only justification they need—in the end they have more profit than if they had not played up to peoples’ snobbery, their insecurity and their distorted conception of the world in which they struggle to live.the annual artificial need to guzzle and consume vast amounts, whilst people commodify and profiteer from our faked jollity. Santa the manufactured symbol that resides right next to the sick heart of capitalism and consumerism, christmas at the foodbank the new order of the day. Tolerating neighbours stupid light displays and crappy Christmas carols. Reflecting on life and loss in general. The list goes on and bloody on.
We sing about peace and good will, while people caught up in war zones, and  countries are fractured by division. Our natural  impulse is to give, share and support others, feelings of solidarity and mutual aid,  these qualities find their form in the midwinter festival that in this part of the world, is now known as Christmas.Today, as the tentacles of the capitalist market reach into every part of our lives, those feelings are commodified, as we are encouraged to pay for the convenience of expressing our feelings for our fellow beings through gift giving. We fret about our purchases, are they good enough? Will the person like them? Presents are purchased by people who are really stretched for money and have therefore wasted their limited funds on presents that are not wanted or not appreciated. Some presents simply find their way to the bin. Clothes may be worn once and then jettisoned. Rubbish bags overflow, the contents on the way to landfill. Huge quantities of plastic are involved.
But, as well as all this, people across the world think of those who have less and donate food, clothes, toys and money.It is worth remembering that these acts of solidarity are part of our nature, that the impulse towards mutual aid is not just a once in a year anomoly, that it was a deciding factor in our evolution and is something we need to nurture, that   Peter Kropotkin wrote in Mutual Aid, is a factor of evolution. that we need in order to survive. 
 Blessed Saturnalia, roast chestnuts underneath the pagan tree, the children love it I suppose , this shindig of excess.  Their  sun will rise anyway, rudolph will leave eat all the carrots and someone will have bamdoozled the sherry.
I suppose it is is a time when many do genuinely take  some time out  to celebrate their faith, fair enough. but the original meaning seems to have got lost a long time ago now, and  for many  this time of the year is a time of immense difficulty, fear and uncertainty, people left in isolation, feeling alone, left cold, hungry and without support, in a downward spiral. People who feel they do not belong, who are discredited and denied their status as human beings.
We can use the time to reflect ,and offer the gift of solidarity to those that need it.Whatever you do, try  take it easy out there, and  hope  you have a good time, follow your dreams, your currents, each according to your need. We don't have to take what our leaders want to deliver, we can still make a difference.May we continue to support those that seek to overcome the inequality and injustice they are facing,However and whatever you are celebrating, for now wishing love, light and hope this holiday season, may the new year bring peace, change and possibility ,listening, talking, keep rising like the birds without borders anywhere,  take care, stay safe.
 




Santa Claus says Free  Palestine



Sunday, 19 December 2021

The Santa Clause Army - Commoners Choir

 

Commoners Choir sing a Christmas song of festive hope, seasonal joy, and communal action against pig-ignorant authority. A song based on the loveable story of the 'Santa Claus Army' members of the radical Danish  Solvognen theatre group (“The Sun Chariot,” an allusion to Norse mythology). During the 1970s, the collective performed many large-scale actions intended to make bourgeois Danish society “act itself out as theater.” 
In  the the lead-up to Christmas 1974 they paraded through the city of Copenhagen, singing carols, handing out sweets and hot chocolate, and asking everyone what they wanted for Christmas. After spending a few days cementing the good image of Santa Claus, their generosity became increasingly radical.
Among other things, the Santas climbed a barbed wire fence surrounding the recently shutte red General Motors assembly plant with the purpose of giving jobs back to “their rightful owners.” The week-long performance reached its crescendo inside one of Copenhagen’s biggest department stores, the Magasin, when the Santas started handing out presents to customers directly off the shelves.  The Santas said: “Merry Christmas! Today, no-one has to pay.” They justified their actions, saying they were returning gifts to the workers who had made them. 
The shoppers were thrilled, thanking the Santas and wishing them well. Children stared, amazed. Then the police came. Magasin officials grabbed at the white Santa beards, trying to pull them off the actors’ faces, as police handcuffed the Santas and hauled them out of the store. The children cried. The actors were thrilled because all the roles were performed accordingly – the generous and good Santas, representing hope at Christmas, were being arrested and hauled away by the police against the will of the people.
The performance exposed the radical implications of the myth of Santa Claus’ boundless generosity, demonstrating that true generosity is impossible within the narrow terms of capitalist society.
 Solvognen’s spectacles were powerful, among other reasons because they appropriated images from popular culture and ascribed these images a new meaning: Father Christmas handing out gifts to children became a critique of hypocrisy in consumerist society. The well-known imagery drew the audience quickly into the performances and, further, equipped them with a key to interpret what was going on
A debate raged in Copenhagen newspapers for weeks following the arrest of the Santas. It focused on the treatment of the Santas during the arrest, as well as the freedom of speech and democracy. The political theatre of Solvognen was successful: it got people talking about the issues of the day through humour and spectacle, not to mention Christmas cheer.
 Most of Solvognen’s actions were surprise performances for unsuspecting audiences in unlikely public spaces. Through performances that were playful, bold and easy to understand, Solvognen managed to spread its political ideas beyond the circle of true believers: most Danes knew about Solvognen and its activities. Legend has it that people even started seeing them when they weren’t there: at a public viewing of an American F-16 jet fighter, three real security guards were arrested on suspicion of being members of Solvognen!
The film  above was premiered as part of Mark Thomas' Christmas Show. If you enjoy this video and are able to contribute to helping people eat over the winter period, please follow this link: https://www.trusselltrust.org/ 
 
 The Santa Clause Army  -  Commoners Choir
 
Intro  
SANTA 1: Have you been good this year? 
SANTA 2: Radically good? 
 
 Verse 1 
 
The year that no-one wished for 
Is drawing to a close 
The year when all our ho ho ho’s
Turned into oh oh ohs – 
 
This time of fear and misery 
Of loss and excess death
Of blood and sweat and many tears
It isn’t over yet 
 
Chorus
 
So we dance and we sing 
Bringing cheer to the neighbourhood
And we do, oh we do 
Acts of radical good 
 
And we sing and we dance 
We’re a modern-day Robin Hood 
And we do, oh we do 
Acts of radical good 
 
Verse 2 
 
This year has been a big one 
For ostentatious gifts 
A badly-broken Track & Trace 
And faulty drive-through tests 
 
A privatised economy 
A holly jolly spend
As contracts in their millions 
Are gifted to their friends 
 
Chorus 
 
Verse 3(Child solo)
 
Hark the herald populists 
Despots in disguise 
U-turn after U-turn 
From men who aren’t that wise 
 
They weaken and fragment us 
They shit on all our dreams 
Confusing and dividing us 
Hear the angels scream – 
Aaaaagh!
 
Chorus
 
Interlude 
SANTA 1: Joy to the world? We’ll see what we can do.
SANTA 2: Goodwill to all! Not just for the few.
SANTA 1: We know who's been bad and we know who's been good – we come with a message of peace.
SANTA 2: We're the Santa Claus Army, we always have the last laugh – and we know which chimneys to miss!
SANTA: And to be clear: we do not support fizzy drinks companies, nor do we ever ride on their transportation.
SANTA 2: All together now –
BOTH SANTAS: ho ho ho! 
 
Verse 4 
 
For the givers and the carers 
And those who were born in barns 
Gather round We'll turn that crown 
Upside down 
 
The elite have taken over
It’s time for us to act 
Steal from the rich Give to the poor 
We're taking Christmas back
 
Chorus repeat to fade with clapping, laughing, ho-ho-ho-inghhhhh 
 
 

Saturday, 18 December 2021

International Migrants Day 2021: Harnessing the potential of human mobility


 International Migrants Day is observed on 18 December throughout the world, and aims to raise awareness about the challenges and difficulties faced by people on the move, as well as their contributions to their communities and to their host countries.
The United Nations General Assembly in the year 1999 created the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families.
But on December 04, 2000, keeping an account of the large and increasing migrants across the globe, December 18 was decided as International Migrants’ Day.
Later, based on the previous concerns on December 14 and 15, 2006, 132 member states shared a high-level dialogue on the migration issues proposed by the General Assembly.
International Migrants Day was created to commemorate the importance of strengthening international cooperation and migration bilaterally, regionally, and globally.
The theme for the year 2021 is ‘Harnessing the potential of human mobility’.Migrants contribute with their knowledge, networks, and skills to build stronger, more resilient communities. The global social and economic landscape can be shaped through impactful decisions to address the challenges and opportunities presented by global mobility and people on the move.
Migration is a global phenomenon where a wide range of factors determine the movement of people which can either be voluntary or forced movements because of disasters, economic challenges and extreme poverty or conflict. Hope and aspiration for dignity, safety and peace often prompt people to leave their homes in search of a better life. Approximately 281 million people were international migrants in 2020, representing 3.6 per cent of the global population.
All these will significantly affect the characteristics and scale of migration in the future, and determine the strategies and policies countries must develop in order to harness the potential of migration while ensuring the fundamental human rights of migrants are protected. 
 In a message just ahead of International Migrants Day,  the United Nations Secretary-General  Antonio Guterres has said that expressing solidarity with migrants on the move, “has never been more urgent.”
 Today, more people than ever live in a country other than the one where they were born. While many individuals migrate out of choice, many others leave home out of necessity.
 So far, since the beginning of this year, at least 1,340 people have lost their life in the Mediterranean Sea. This is the worst figure since 2017. It is an endless tragedy.
In his message, António Guterres said those on the move “continue to face widespread stigmatization, inequalities, xenophobia, and racism.”
“Migrant women and girls face heightened risk of gender-based violence and have fewer options to seek support”, he added.
With borders closed because of the pandemic, Mr. Guterres remembered that many migrants are stranded without income or shelter, unable to return home, separated from their families, and facing an uncertain future.
“Yet throughout the pandemic, migrants have enriched societies everywhere and are often on the frontlines of the pandemic response, as scientists, healthcare professionals and essential workers”, he said.
For the UN chief, the world needs more effective international cooperation and a more compassionate approach to accomplish that goal.
“This means managing borders humanely, fully respecting the human rights and humanitarian needs of everyone and ensuring that migrants are included in national COVID-19 vaccination plans”, he explained.
It also means recognizing pathways for regular entry and addressing the drivers of migration, such as deep inequalities and human trafficking.
Next year, the International Migration Review Forum will take stock of progress in implementing the milestone Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration.
For the UN chief, this “is an opportunity to advance efforts to ensure the full inclusion of migrants as we seek to build more resilient, just and sustainable societies.”
Mr. Guterres also welcomed the pledging campaign launched by the United Nations Migration Network to strengthen the Global Compact and encourage Member States and others to get involved.
This year, International Migrants Day falls almost exactly 70 years since the historic Brussels conference that led to the establishment of the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
 The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has assisted millions of migrants since it emerged 70 years ago to assist the vast number of Europeans displaced by the Second World War and continues to lead the way in promoting a humane and orderly management of migration for the benefit of all, including the communities of origin, transit and destination.
In his message, IOM Director General, António Vitorino, recalled the stark images of closed borders and separated families, amidst COVID-driven economic disarray, that have become more common in recent years.
According to him, the global pandemic has also spawned a new wave of anti-migrant sentiment and the increasing instrumentalization of migrants as political pawns.
“Both are unacceptable”, Mr. Vitorino said.
For him, the response to the pandemic has also underlined the importance of migrant workers in keeping everyone safe.
“The positive social and economic impact in the countries where they reside, and the $540 billion remitted last year to communities in lower and middle-income countries, are measures of the industry, entrepreneurship and community from which we all benefit”, he explained.
 
 

 
The IOM chief argued that, in order to realize the full potential of human mobility, two things must happen.
First, governments must move from words to action and include migrants regardless of their legal status, in their social and economic recovery plans.
Second, they must reinforce legal channels for migration that respect national sovereignty and the human rights of people on the move.
“A comprehensive approach requires that we leave aside the defensive posturing that too often victimizes people along their migratory journeys”, Mr. Vitorino said.
For Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO, the need to stop the circulation of the virus should not jeopardize access to a better life.
She remembered that the factors leading to forced migration are becoming more pronounced, with increased conflict, growing food insecurity and the climate emergency.
Ms. Azoulay pointed to a report  published in November by the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) showing that the number of forced displacements had doubled in ten years. For her, this shows “how urgent it is to take action to protect these vulnerable populations.”
Stressing that these people are “often” victims of discrimination and racism, she said UNESCO was developing a new approach, following the Global Call against Racism  launched by Member States last year.
Ms. Azoulay also highlighted the findings of a UNESCO report, Migration, Displacement and Education: Building Bridges, Not Walls, saying that education is “often the first step towards other, more stable horizons.”
All over the world, millions of migrants, including women and children, continue to be detained because of their status.
In a statement released on Friday, independent human rights experts urged Member States to ultimately end this practice, and to immediately stop detaining migrant children.
“People should not be treated as criminals merely for irregular crossing a State border or lacking proper documentation. Mass detention of these people cannot be considered as just a casual measure of immigration control”, they said.  
According to the experts, there has been a significant increase in the use of immigration detention since the 1990s, although it is forbidden by international law.
Detention has a significant impact on the health and personal integrity of migrants, including on their mental health, including anxiety, depression, exclusion and post-traumatic stress disorder, and even risk of suicide.
Special Rapporteurs and independent experts are appointed by the Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council to examine and report back on a specific human rights theme or a country situation. The positions are honorary and the experts are not paid for their work.
On the occasion of International Migrants Day, we should  call on policymakers to facilitate human mobility instead of treating migrants as a threat or weapons. People on the move are human beings, crossing borders for different reasons – to seek protection, work, study, reunite with family members, among others.
Migrants and those defending their rights are facing a particularly challenging moment in Europe, where policies of panic and reject dominate and too often kill. Fatal shipwrecks in the English Channel and the Mediterranean Sea, people used as pawns at the border with Belarus and left dying in frozen woods at the EU’s doorstep, countless pushbacks and refoulement in Greece and along the Balkan route are just a few examples.
 We must continue to provide a vibrant welcome to refugees among us, and to encourage our country to respond to the world's crisis by offering hospitality to vulnerable refugees now more than ever.
Women, men and children around the world are fleeing war, persecution and torture.They have been forced into the hands of smugglers and onto dangerous journeys across the sea in rickety old boats and dinghies. Many have lost their lives. Those who have made it often find themselves stranded in makeshift camps in train stations, ports or by the roadside. And still, politicians across Europe fail to provide safe and legal routes for people to seek asylum.
Meanwhile though ordinary people have responded with extraordinary displays of humanity and generosity. They've been moved to act after seeing thousands of people drowning in the Mediterranean, the continuing misery of camps in places like Calais, and images of the brutal conflicts across the world. 
People however are still dying in  numbers in the Mediterranean, on the way to Europe and its borders. In Calais the population of the slum is over 10,000 people in more and more appalling living conditions, thousands trapped in Greece without running water or baby formula. Here as elsewhere in Europe, the situation gets worse day by day for migrants, showing the ineffectiveness and the murderous character of current policies combined  with.the continuing the injustices and inefficiencies of Britain's own asylum system.
The  UK government should be leading  the way towards a more human global response to the millions fleeing conflict. and do more to help refugees in the UK rebuild their lives  People have always crossed borders, be it to find peace, love or better opportunities, and this will not stop, regardless of how high the fences are. We meed a drastic shift of migration policies:, safe regular pathways to Europe rather than higher walls and militarised borders.
The appalling treatment of refugees across Europe and the staggering rise in anti-Muslim hate crimes must be challenged too. Let’s send a message that drives back the tide of racism, fascism, Islamophobia, and the scapegoating of migrants and refugees  and continue to loudly say refugees are welcome here.
In the meantime  you could find your local migrant and refugee community organisation and if you can, donate to their work.You can support the Migrants Organise Winter Solidarity Appeal here: It's members—migrants and refugees trapped in a hostile immigration system—are facing destitution, isolation & increasing hostility. There casework team is working with 500+ people & their families and are building a Solidarity Fund to provide essential items for its members including essential clothes, food and educational items for children. Find out more and support.

Friday, 17 December 2021

William S. Burroughs - The Junky's Christmas.

 

  In 1989, the iconic Beat writer William S. Burroughs created The Junky's Christmas, a short story that originally appeared in the collection Interzone and in the 1993 recording Sparse Ass Annie and Other Tales.
Following  Burroughs’  reading on that occasion , it was adapted into  a film from the same year (directed by Nick Donkin and Melodie McDaniel and produced by the great Francis Ford Coppola), essentially claymation, but Burroughs appears in live-action footage and the beginning (with a book – those haunting facial close-ups!) and at the “banquet scene” at the end. It’s a small masterpiece read.brilliantly by a genius writer that I watch evety year around this time.
 “The Junky’s Christmas” begins with William Burroughs, seated by a Christmas tree and fireplace, who takes down a book and with his unmistakeable voice reads us the sad story of Danny the Carwiper, a heroin addicted hustler who spends Christmas Day trying to score a fix, but finds the Christmas spirit instead and discovers his last remains of selflessness and humanity despite his urgent physical predicament..
The black-and-white live action gives way to beautiful animation, showing junk-sick Danny trying to break into a car. If you tend to associate claymation with goofy features for kids, you quickly realize you’re in a different element with this film. The earthiness of the materials perfectly conveys the grit of the story. By the time Danny gives away his hard-earned shot to a stranger suffering from kidney stones, blunting the “algebra of need” with an unanticipated act of altruism.,
Christmas can be a bit of a downer and a dark time for many of us, but in this moving and magical  piece of work  Burroughs not only alludes to the festive period in a way that  only this Beat bastion could, but also showcases the beating soul of his artistry. A timeless film that needs to be preserved and watched by future generations. Remember that tragically there are literally hundreds of people living this story  right now. Watch and enjoy, then go dry your tears.
Merry Christmas / Nadolig lawen!

Tuesday, 14 December 2021

Musical Highlights: 2021


  Eleven years of the Tories, Jesus Christ, is it any wonder, we're all poor depressed  on top of the pandemic, that  continues to impact our lives. Despite all the strangeness music  at least has continually arrived to give much needed respite.Music acting as a lifeline.helping many of us cope with the stress of the pandemic, whilst having a positive impact on our lives,.It felt like every other week was a wave of new records being released, of genuine emotion and depth, dark, joyful, heartbreaking and celebratory, a reminder of the pull and power of music.
The year saw the release of albums featuring new directions that artists devised during the lockdowns as well as albums postponed from their 2020 release due to COVID-19. Proper live music of course remained very thin on the ground, let's hope things gradually improve, guess for now we just have to remain ever cautious.
.To all those who’ve struggled  or lost sleep not knowing how they would be able to protect and care for their loved ones in these uncertain times, I sincerely  hope  music has at least comforted your life as much as mine.Despite the lack of gigs music consumption has remained robust.
Bandcamp by the way, an artist-focussed platform that allows people to support their favorite musicians and labels continues to support musicians  and artists who have been hit especially hard .Lets  continue to try and support those that continue to enrich our lives.  Every day is a good day to directly support artists on Bandcamp!” Fuck Amazon.
Seasons greetings, and much love, stay safe, stay alert. heddwch/peace. As Boris Johnson remains in a deep hole, let's hope more stable days arrive soon for the rest of us.The following in no particular order are some of my musical highlights that have guided me through another strange  year. Included are a smattering of reissues.
1.Afro Cluster - The Reach

2. Nick Cave and Warren Ellis - Carnage

3.Sleaford Mods - Spare Ribs


4.Idles- Crawler


5.Manic Street Preachers -  Ultra Vivid Lament

6.Datblygu - Cwm Gwagle

7.Gruff Rhys - Seeking New Gods

8.Superfjord - For The Moment Volume 1

 

9.Sendelica - And Man Created God


10.Matt Berry - The Blue Elephant



11,Sons of Kemet- Black to the future


12.Floating Points, Pharoah Sanders  and the London Symphony Orchestra - Promises


 13.Tibetan  Miracle Seeds - Inca Missiles  


 14. Bob Vylan -We  Live Here


15.Sadder Bazaar - Seventh Valley

 

16. Shining Tonques - Milk of God


17.Andrew Lile's - It's Only Pain


18.Nathan Hall  and the Sinister locals - Pointing Paw

19. Andy T - Clinging onto Sanity with a Broken Fingernail

20.Richard Dawson  & Circle - Henki


 21.  John Coltrane - Love Supreme, Live in Seattle


22.Leslie Winer - When I Hit  You, You'll Feel It 


23.Arthur Russell - Another Thought


24. Nik Turner- I Do What I like


25. Marianne Faithful - She Walks in Beauty