The late great Tony Benn on the Middle East

The late great Tony Benn, spot on as usual , check out the following video where he talks about arms sales to the middle east, make you think.
It should be noted that serving in Egypt during Britain's colonial days he witnessed the cruel effects of the British Empire. The speech  I post below that he delivered to the house of commons in November 1992 sadly still has so much relevance to us today. At the moment the profiteers of  pain and sorrow, the arms manufacturers are seeing their deadly trade boom. 
It should also be noted that ISIS  strength in power arose after the destruction of Iraq and Syria, largely funded by selling oil on the black market and by using weapons left by Americans in the Iraq war, and then in Syria used to fight Bashar al- assad.
I do not understand how more violence will help the situation, but sadly the ones clamouring for war seem to have the loudest voices at the  moment.We should not succumb to fear being stirred up at moment  but must keep pushing for peaceful solutions to the massive problems we are currently facing. 

Tony Benn - Arms sales to Iraq

What Jeremy Corbyn actually said about the shoot to kill policy

This is what Jeremy Corbyn actually said about the shoot to kill policy regarding a terrorist situation,that he has now been forced to accept,  but don't expect to read it in the right wing corporate mainstream media.

- " We live in dark and dangerous times and the shoot-to-kill-policy is specifically aimed at terrorists in a hostage situation, is the right policy given the emergency situation that members of the special services will find themselves in" he said .
" It is the right thing to do in those circumstances and  we have given that power to those responsible to make that decision."

Corbyn has also long been opposed to a wider military campaign and said this morning that French strikes would "probably not" make a difference. Once again only saying what a lot of people genuinely feel. Do we really  feel it necessary to spread more danger  that could end up highly counterproductive. I have little sympathy for Hilary Benn, and other Labour dinosaurs rushing out to condemn.  loved his father,  but have the utmost respect for straight talking Jeremy Corbyn holding on to his principles along with his friends at Stop the War.
Are we not allowed to question things anymore?
Let us not forget that the last time that guns and high adrenaline got together in London, an innocent Brazilian electrician named  Jean Charles De Menzies was executed in cold blood in error. 
Of  course we must continue to be on guard in the aftermath of the Paris terror attack and carry on opposing the cycle of war, terror and racism, not forgetting either that it was Western interventions in the Middle East that have been partially responsible for many  terrorist attacks taking place.

Confession

I admit I suffer from depression, anxiety too,
but if you bumped into me in the street, 
could give you a misconception,
as I release my smiley face,
offer you a firm handshake,
as the weight of the world,
brings me down.

A constant war inside myself,
mind in constant rearrangement,
feelings lift from  time to time,
clouds depart, to provide glimmers of hope,
from the darkest of nights,
to bright days awakening.

I chase dreams, vapors of positivity,
never feel that I'm losing the fight,
it might be hard, but often I win,
find some dignity stored, some self respect,
but depression can be such a lonely thing,
often grateful for the friends who have called.

I've got better at coping nowadays,
but should avoid the internet and the daily news,
guess that's just a pattern of my behaviour,
sit in  the library within the confines of knowledge,
found in moments of waking, this is my confession.


  

Paris Aftermath, some further thoughts

To people currently blaming refugees for attack in Paris yesterday, do these people not realise that it is these people that the refugees are trying to flee from.
"Who mourns for whom? Whose gaze and who speaks for whom? Who names whom and, who are the perpetrators or the victims? Who speaks the truth? Who cares ? Who?" - Anon
Do we forget the people of Lebanon, Iraq, Afghanistan, Turkey, Syria,Kenya, Beirut, Palestine, etc etc ?
We all share one commonality, that we are all human. Is compassion limited only to those we identify  with? Should we not find outrage and sadness for all victims of war and terrorism?
Should we not be trying to stop all wars, that help feed terrorism? Western powers should be reminded of their part in ongoing terrorism. Should we not be praying for the whole world? Lets hope we can continue to spread some simple messages of truth and restraint.Let not our collective guilt be moulded into hate, with dignity and respect lets try and foster peace. Sadly I feel that this crappy world will keep on delivering more shame, let us cry together not in our names..
Remember too that the perpetrators of yesterdays attacks weren't Muslims they were cowards using religion as a vindication for their cowardice. We are one world and family it is time we started  showing one another respect. We must stand together, this after all is how we will grow.
Lets continue to show our solidarity with  people rather than nation states.

" Whoever  kills  an innocent person it is as if he has killed all of humanity."

- The Koran 5:32

Auguries of doom

(for victims of Paris Terror attack)

Terrorism is hate
it cannot win,
love must triumph
because this vein of brutality is sick,
chaotic warped voices
breeding messages of darkness,
with futile redundant deadly intention
on blood splattered streets,
the music falls silent
darkness dances with senselessness,
tears drop onto pavements
paths of destruction carry fear,
contaminated ideology
lies polluted and poisoned,
confused and twisted
against humanity sows
rampant seeds of disregard,
but peace love and compassion
will never surrender,
as heartbreak's pain throbs
and hate arrives in Paris,
spread by deluded stalkers of death
let us pray,that terror won't win,
let us  plead for peace, again and again
even though we don't know who the enemy is.

Street art of Banksy in Palestine with David Rovics singing "Occupation"...

This post dedicated  to Boris Johnson, who has just had  to cut his Middle East trip short because of stupid  disrespectful  remarks he made on the Israel-Palestine conflict. He has spread misinformation on the situation, and has consciously displayed  denial of the occupation that continues daily  to oppress the Palestinians. Daily confiscating land, destroying homes, detaining children and violating international and humanitarian law on a daily basis.  His dismissal of BDS (Boycott divestment sanctions) tactics simply displays an arrogance and dismissal of the Palestinian people. It should not be a great surprise to him that he did not  get a great welcome from them.. This is what occupation, looks and sounds like.

" You ask me how  it is
That I dare take a side
You say I loathe myself
For pointing out that you have lied
You say it's tribal warfare
But I disagree
For the dynamics of the situation
Are not difficult to see
On one  side is the fighter jet
On the other side the stone
On one side is the slave
On the other is the throne
For the many there are checkpoints
While foreign soldiers rule the streets
For one side there is victory
But the people don't accept defeat

(CHORUS)

The word you need to know is occupation
The very definition of a land without a nation
And if  peace is what you're after then let us not deceive
it will  come on the day the tanks return to Tel Aviv

On one side there is hunger
And  bulldozed olive trees
On  the other is the Army
Ruling by decrees
Caterpillers  maul the streets
And destroy entire city blocks
While children swallow shrapnel
For the crime of throwing rocks
Fences are erected
Around the towns they flatten
And Herzi's own fanatics
Sleep on  sheets of satin
And they water their plantations
Drilling  ever-deeper wells
While the displaced children of the hopeless
Are filled with bullet shells

(Chorus)

... It will come on the day the settlers return to Tel Aviv

On one side there is the Mossad
Rounding up the men
Thrown in jail without trial
Being tortured once again
On the other there is rage
Helplessness and fear
And a growing realization
That another holocaust is near
On the outside there are prisons
Inside detainees
Being stripped of their humanity
Beaten naked to their knees
Outside ghetto prison walls
There are stormtroopers all around
While inside the hungry people
Yearn for liberated  ground

(Chorus)

.... it will come on the day the jailguards return to Tel Aviv

All across the world
You can hear the people say
The children  of Jerusalem
Will be free one day
In overcrowded camps
Amidst  the stench  of death and flies
To the suburbs of Detroit
You can hear the extinguished cries
While in the land of Israel
With God ever on their side
Walls and fences are constructed
And papers are denied
People fight for their existence
While the world turns a blinded eye
And  those who should know better
Insist on asking why.

David Cameron admits to being a cluless idiot

Multi millionaire man of the people has admitted being a clueless idiot  he has just written to his local council to complain about the obvious disastrous consequences of his own chancellors destructive ideological austerity agenda. A man whose party is committed to make significant cuts to our frontline services from our elderly day centres, to our libraries and our museums. His ignorance would be funny, if it was not for the fact that  his and the tory's toxic  policies are currently causing untold misery to many. He is clearly out of touch.
This mans judgement already called into question many times, as he and his party carry on inflicting pain across the land. From the outset Cameron's strategic blunders, confused demeanor and errors of judgement have been plain to see, as he spreads discontent and misery across the nation, with his bluster and belligerance and his damaging array of economic policies. As a result of his austerity measures according to Oxfam 800,000 British children will be plunged into poverty over the next ten years, over the same period 1.5 million working age adults will fall into poverty as well, by 2018, 900,000 public sector workers will have lost their jobs, and the bottom 10% of British earners seeing their income fall 38% over this Governments 5 year term. His austerity measures serve no purpose than to cut the welfare state  so that can reduce taxes on the rich, to the cost of the vulnerable , the marginalised and the less better off. Combined  with tax redit cuts shambles, and ongoing plans  to cut public spending by £30 billion including £12 billion in welfare cuts the mind truly boggles.
It is obvious that David Cameron is an idiot, so tell me  where are the mass marches, riots of uncaged emotion? It seems  that, like it or not , (as he fills a lot of us with  feeling of loathing )he still finds lots of supporters  and commands respect from people  who  are still not convinced that austerity is a lie, that austerity is a con. Who would probably still carry on voting Tory even if Cameron killed, and dismembered a baby live on T.V.
For God's sake lets stop him in his tracks he is clearly not fit to run the country.

Vote no confidence in David Cameron :-

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/104471