Heatwave flashback

Been busy helping someone move today, gosh it was rather sweltering. But if I think its been hot this week, I recall the summer of 1976, the year of the national Eisteddfod coming home to us here in Cardigan/Aberteifi. Throughout the summer the entire country sweltered under the heat, for most of its duration, the therometers tipped 26c,  at least I was not stuck in the confines of school. 
Rivers ground to a trickle, while some even stopped flowing. Without water,  companies were forced to cut the working week, while vans patrolled the streets to make sure the hosepipe bans were strictly enforced. Today at least I had  the relief of a bit of rain, thank goodness for that.Ah days of youthful adventures by the seaside on the West Wales coast, and the dawning of the musical explosion of Punk.



The 1976 Punk explosion

Gaza bound flotilla seized by Israeli navy.

Following my last post, news  has reached me that Israel has boarded and taken over a vessel attempting to break the blockade of the Gaza strip, officials have said.
In a statement the Israeli army on Monday  said that it did not use force in redirecting, the main boat Marianne to the  Israeli city of Ashdod. 
Petros Stergiou, a spokesperson for the flotilla told Al Zazeera that organisers lost contact with the ship at around 2 am time on Monday morning as the military boats approached. Once again the Israeli government and its military has acted like state pirates and attacked in international waters. We must continue to respond and react against this injustice, as we will until the port of Gaza is open and the seize and occupation is ended.
I hop all on board will be safe.


http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/06/gaza-bound-flotilla-seized-israeli-navy-150629032943407.html

Breaking the Siege Freedom Flotilla III

Today a flotilla of at least 3 ships with supporters from over 20 countries, will try to set out across the Mediterranean Sea, bound for the Gaza strip. The aim being to confront Israels maritime blockade of the Palestinian people, and deliver symbolic  humanitarian aid to those imprisoned there.
Dismissed by Israel as a publicity stunt,and a threat, unauthorised, but serves to remind the world that the blockade is another war crime. A continuous violation of international law. A collective punishment of more than 1.8 million Palestinians.. The flotilla's journey will seek to highlight  the impact of Israel's 8 year imposed,inhumane land , air and sea blockade.
Setting sail to what is known as the worlds largest open-air prisons by many different human rights groups. The blockade having already bought a solitary confinement to Gaza's people by further restricting their movement outside the territory and curtailing  the amount of items that can be bought in.

Activists on these ships will attempt to deliver much needed medical supplies and solar panels, to people  living in disgraceful conditions, in an act of peaceful civil disobedience and solidarity. I hope we will not see a repeat of what occurred 5 years ago when a previous Gaza Freedom flotilla of 6 ships, the first including Turkish and Greek vessels, made nine attempts to break the siege. These ships  were also carrying humanitarian aid and building materials, activists and journalists and aid workers. It resulted in Israeli commanders boarding a ship called  the Mavi Marmama in international waters, in horrifying scenes it resulted in 8 activists being killed, dozens injured, in an act of piracy that also saw dozens  injured.
Since then, others have attempted to land supplies in Gaza, or even sail from Gaza to rendezvous offshore. All have sadly failed, with ships impounded and destroyed.
The journey will be a tough one, but I hope the latest attempt will succeed, that they reach Gazas port, without any fatalities or injury and bring attention to the international community the Palestinians plight and send a message of hope to the Gazans who have to endure such a punishing daily life of struggle.
This blockade must be lifted

Allright for some

Campaigners are demanding an immediate review  into the Royal families contribution to Government austerity measures. It seems the Queen will not face any cuts to Royal finances for at least another 2 years - despite an 11% increase in her income. In the 2 years since the Civil list was replaced by the Sovereign Grant, the Queens taxpayer funded income has shot up from £36.1 million to more than £40 mililon, which seems obscene to me, especially in today's uncertain economic climate. They are simply outdated and  in serious need of reform.
Surely  its time to auction of the crown jewels, give her homes to the homeless, as they line their pockets through strict nepotism and strategic alliances. The Royal  family is more than just an international embarassment, it is a crime against the British public. We should give thanks to those who have earned  it, than to those who were born to rule, simply  because they have the right last name.
The rule one for the rich and another rule for everybody else, obviously springs to mind. The cost is not the only reason I would  like to see the  back of ther monarchy ( and I can assure you that is my wish) - I would want them gone, even if they were free. But this latest abuse  of public money and their lack of concern  for the taxpayer is a symptom of an institution that cannot be held into account.
It surely is absurd that we still have them in this modern age. They are not elected, just inheritors of a status that is so outdated. Maybe having a King or Queen reminds the people of the old days, when Britannia  ruled the waves, along  with much of the world's land mass. The reality today is rather different though,  they simply serve  little purpose, other than  to perpetuate a divisive class system, at a time when Britain is the most unequal society it has  been in Queenies 60 year reign. I for one  hope their reign does not endure.
Is it not time  they were served an eviction  notice from Buckingham Palace and offered a council  house in return. But mind you they would have to wait around 8 years  for one to turn up, on the current waiting list from Westminster City Council.
Surely we must have sufficient  grounds by now for pressing for the dissolution of the monarchy.Time for them to give their palaces and silver and gold  back to the nation.  I long for the day when instead of singing God save the Queen or King, we cry out loud Viva Republic.


https://republic.org.uk/

After Austerity Demo - Time to Keep fighting

Went up from Wales yesterday to the Peoples Assembly Demo in London, one of the biggest I've attended for years. It saw as many as 250,000 people taking to the streets to protest against austerity. 
Masses of Trade Union banners mingling with  placards from the Peoples Assembly, the Green Party, a myriad of political groups, Anarchists, Autonomists, Quakers, Hari Krishnas, all religious faiths, Class War dancing in the streets, Hunt Sabs, CND, Stop the War, you name it, they were there, a broad church clamoring for change.
Amazing too to bump randomly bump into several people from various parts of the country, which was pretty amazing considering the amount of people.
Not once did I feel unsafe, people in masks did not bother me, the only time I felt uncomfortable was the sight of policemen in uniform, carrying out governmental orders, but that's another story.
The message of the day, was "This Far, No further" to the government and their cuts. The feeling I left with was one of solidarity, celebration, a largely peaceful affair, but nevertheless saw people managing to get their different messages out. Linking us all to the economic and political struggles coming ahead. As the government agrees £12 billion welfare cuts- hours after this brilliant swell of people, just adds insult to injury.
It is  not the end. We cannot allow ourselves to be distracted by rich politicians, bleeting  on about immigration  or aspiration or  EU referrendums. We must  unite against a system that seeks to oppress us all. After this big demo, we keep faith, keep fighting,  when  you see this many people marching together, it does release a good feeling, however much some speeches, being a tad lackluste . As a movement, we will keep on fighting, gaining momentum, with each step.

Peter Tosh - Equal Rights

Everyone is crying out for peace, yes,

No one is crying out for justice,

Everyone is crying out for peace , yes,

No one is crying out for justice.

( Happy Solstice, blessed be, solidarity)

Fela Kuti - Sorrow Tears and Blood

Dedicated to victims of Charleston shooting

"We fear for the things we no see

We fear for the air around us

We fear to fight for freedom

We fear to fight  for liberty

We fear to fight for justice

We fear to fight for happiness

We always get reason to fear

We no want die

We no want wound

them leave Sorrow,Tears and Blood "

No to Austerity : National Demonstration 20 June 2015

We  have to say no to the lie of austerity. Say no to the £12 billion in benefit cuts the Tory's are planning. No to the 4.5 billion new cuts  just announced. No to a Government that has no actual mandate to govern. No to a Government that  only 25% of the population bothered to vote for.
We must loudly say no to the vicious cuts, that will hit public services hard, including education, transport and local government. Making it even harder for councils to deliver key services such as social care.The NHS under threat too, as are our libraries. Things that matter a lot to ordinary people across the land.
This combined with the attack on the workers and the poor, the marginalised and the disadvantaged. We cannot afford to sit back and wait for their savage plans to unfold. Cameron and co have shown to us their  true intentions, their intent to go on a rampage with our lives. In July will deliver a budget with  £12 billion of cuts to welfare hitting the most vulnerable the hardest.
We need to stop them  in their tracks show them our resistance, our strong opposition. Counter their extreme ideology, as they threaten  to take away our freedoms and privileges and economic futures.That is why I will be joining others and travelling up from West Wales, a attend a demonstration in  the heart of London, the belly of the beast, on the doorstep of the very people who caused the crisis in the first  place, the bankers and their friends in government. We will demand that the bankers and the elite should  pay for this  crisis and not the vast majority who had nothing to do with it. I will support all that  release their justified anger, joining  the growing mood  of angry defiance to the capitalist system that is now emerging. We should not forget either the richest 1,000 people in this country who doubled their wealth  during the last parliament. How much more will they gain in the new one.
What will we achieve, we will have  loudly shown our opposition, stood in solidarity, find some strength  as we build our resistance, as we try to keep Britain tidy and kick out the Tory's. Their lies can be combatted, they can be defeated

I Am ( a poem to mark refugee week 15-21 June)

                                                         

                                                    
I am everyman, I am every woman
every current, every breeze,
I am in exile, looking for home
I am universal, a citizen of the world,
I am no trespasser, I come in peace
I am the colour of rainbows,
I drift among a mass of people
seeking refuge, carried on storms,
I am a witness of a world of poverty and war
I was born into revolution, turmoil and strife,
in rubble to the sound of bullets and explosions
my neighbours are dead, my friends are lost,
my homes have been  plundered, my wells emptied
I have escaped persecution and oppression,
I am in search of freedom and hope
but I am refused, and given no welcome,
I am vilified and abused, told to shut my mouth
I ride waves of persistence, move in many directions,
I am the blood and soil of humanity
I carry the kiss of different languages tonque,
I arrive with the weight of dignity
I have fled sleepless and anquished nights,
I am a world of belief and struggle
moving onwards with  memory and survival,
my voice  rings out on all continents
I am an endless  river, releasing the flow of endurance,
I am tired, but will  not be silenced or confined anymore
I am a dream that never ever fades.
                                                  

Refugee Week; 15-21 June 2015; No one is illegal

It is refugee week here in the UK a week to celebrate the rich contribution refugees bring to the UK and promote a better understanding of why people seek sanctuary, sadly however, we are currently witnessing the worst crisis since World War 11.
 One million refugees  still desperately in need of resettlement, some sanctuary, safe harbour.  Currently there are 4 million Syrian refugees struggling to survive in Turkey, Lebanon, Iraq and Egypt. More than 3 million  refugees in Sub-Sahara Africa and  only a small fraction being offered resettlement. Since 2013, 3,500 people have drowned trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea in  2014, 1,865 so far  this year. People daily dying, due to drowning, starvation or dehydration.
World leaders are condemning millions of refugees to an unbearable existence and thousands to death by failing to provide essential humanitarian protection, because they pursue selfish political interests  instead of showing some human compassion.
Amnesty International have published today a new  briefing today in Beirut, ahead of World Refugee Day on June 20th




The Global Refugee Crisis; a conspiracy of neglect


https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/pol40/1796/2015/en/


Governments across the world have a duty to ensure  people do not die trying to reach safety, after managing to escape, persecution, torture, oppression, poverty, etc. Our own Government has not yet joined the United Nations High Commission for Refugees - a resettlement  programme, but has instead set up its own programme providing minimal assistance. Unlike Germany who have pledged to take 11,000 Syrian refugees as part of a UN initiative. Even much smaller countries with respect, like Sweden and Norway have agreed to take in a significant number,  to Britain's shame.
We must continue to counter the element of  persecution of migrants and refugees, who have been scapegoated for no fault of their own. That has been fuelled  by the rise of the racist UKIP party.
On the 25th  of June European leaders  will have the chance to take decisive action to save lives  and stop smugglers in their tracks  by offering refugees another route to safety.  We must resettle more people  bringing them directly and safely to  European Countries. Please act now and call on the Prime Minister David Cameron to protect refugees in the Mediterranean.


http://act.refugeecouncil.org.uk/lobby/medcrisis


It is  essential that we offer a safe have for desperate refugees, offering them protection and dignity, lets steer away from the mindset of Fortress Europe. To be welcomed and  accepted , to be treated with respect, no one is illegal, no one should be caged, imprisoned, quarantined, denied access, abused and vilified for simply seeking freedom. In  these uncertain times, we must offer them hope, and a means of survival.We must end the detentions and deportations. Let us stand together against racism and for international  solidarity with migrants and refugees the world over.
No one is lllegal, we are all human.