This is Southend Beach, England hundreds of people yesterday crowded on beaches to bask in the sun on the hottest day of the year. It's allowed, coming after the UK Government announced an easing of lockdown restrictions on May 10, new rules in England allow people to enjoy unlimited exercise, sunbathe, picnic and drive to beauty spots in the country as long as they respect social distancing guidance and return home the same day, so everyone in the photo has a right to travel to the beach for a day out. So this was kind of inevitable, but 2m distancing, fat chance. Bloody imbeciles! This is so risky, there's 'easing ' the lockdown. Then there's just reverting back to normal. It beggars belief, it's simply crazy,
Meanwhile thanks to the Welsh Government/ Senedd Cymru, people are staying at home and saving lives. Take a look at the contrasting photo below taken on the same day in Barry Island, Wales.The lockdown restrictions were in place across the UK for a reason to try and stop the spread of coronavirus,This makes it a health matter, and in Wales, health is a devolved issue , and is therefore a matter for the Welsh Government to decide on, not the UK Government. Welsh Government First Minister of Wales Mark Drakeford has previously voiced concerns about the transmission rate of Covid-19 in Wales.
At a recent press conference he cited projections which showed that if the rate of infection increased above the 1% mark in Wales, it would lead to hundreds more lives lost and further strain on NHS resources. So for now Wales will continue with strict lockdown measures for at least another three weeks. I much prefer this more cautious approach compared to our blustery Prime Minister Bojo the clown who has put his faith into the 'common sense' of the British public, more concerned about saving the economy than saving lives. His actions are those of a man convinced that he, and by extension, the country he leads possesses the magical ability to escape a disease that has brought much of the world, including neigbors like France, Spain and Italy, to its knees.Under him 62,000 UK citizens have died The mind truly boggles at times. We can only hope there is not a second wave because Europe's top World Health Organisation official Dr Hans Kluge has warned that a more deadly spike arriving in the winter could coincide with outbreaks of other infectious diseases. Speaking to the Telegraph https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/05/21/second-wave-uk-coronavirus-europe-winter/ he warned that now was the time for preparation, not celebration." I guess Johnson has not heard him, strange because it's one of his favourite papers,he used to have his own column. I personally know who I would trust, oh and where is Johnson hiding we don't see much of him nowadays,.
This week marks Mental Health Awareness Week (18-20 May 2020). MHAW, first started in 2020 and is hosted by the Mental Health Foundation annually, Over the years it has become incredibly successful in raising awareness of the scale of mental illness amongst the population and removing the stigma about talking about mental health and aims to support communities, families and individuals in driving change towards a mentally healthy society for all.
The event raises awareness of particular issues by focusing on a different theme each year.
From depression, to anxiety, to eating disorders, one in four of us
will experience a mental health problem each year. Many of us
increasingly experiencing daily life as a battle. Emotionally, our heads
are only just above water. Mental illness scares us and shames us. Those who suffer are often, like
me, ashamed to speak of it. Those who are lucky enough to be free of
mental illness are terrified of it. When it comes to mental illness, we
still don't quite get how it all works. Our treatments, while sometimes
effective, often are not. And the symptoms, involving a fundamental
breakdown of our perceived reality, are existentially terrifying. There
is something almost random about physical illness, in how it comes upon
us , a physical illness can strike anyone – and that is almost
comforting. Were mental illness to fall into that same category, then it
too could strike any of us, without warning. And that is terrifying.
But more than simple fear, mental illness brings out a judgmental streak
that would be unthinkably grotesque when applied to physical illness.
Imagine telling someone with a broken leg to "snap out of it." Imagine
that a death by cancer was accompanied by the same smug head shaking that
so often greets death by suicide. Mental illness is so qualitatively
different that we feel it permissible to be judgmental. We might even go
so far as to blame the sufferer. Because of the stigma involved it
often leaves us much sicker.
Mental ill health is a real and important thing in the exact same way as
physical illness, trauma and inherited conditions. It is however to say
that in a better organised world our lives would be less pressured into
brokeness, despair and ill health. Our minds, like our limbs, break
under stress. Our lives within the capitalist system are harmed by the
system, often we medicate not to make ourselves well, but very often we
medicate in order to continue to function in a broken society, and capitalist system where our only immediate value is in how they exploit us. It should be noted that many people believe that our Governments
policies are actually fuelling the current mental health crisis. Budget
cuts to mental health services combined with no genuine support are
driving many people to the edge. As a result many young people and
adults are left isolated facing long waiting lists for mental health
therapies and diagnostic assessments.
This is a MHAW with a difference , with many of us worried about coronavirus and how it will affect us and those we love, with experts saying the months spent under
lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic could have a ‘devastating’ and
long-lasting impact on our mental health.
According to organisers Mental Health Foundation: ‘We think it could be
the most important week we’ve hosted, not least because our own research
shows that protecting our mental health is going to be central to us
coping with and recovering from the coronavirus pandemic – with the
psychological and social impacts likely to outlast the physical symptoms
of the virus. ‘
The Covid-19 pandemic is the prime environment for anxiety to rear its head, and it is no surprise that rates of depression, and anxiety have increased significantly. The crisis has turned up the volume on mental heaalth issues for so many people.The theme of Mental Health Awareness Week 2020
was intially set to be sleep. However, the focus of the event was
changed by the Mental Health Foundation to kindness in response to the
coronavirus pandemic on 9 April, with the organisation saying it would
return to its original theme at a later time.
Mark Rowland, Chief Executive of the Mental Health Foundation, wrote on the event's website:
"We have chosen kindness because of its singular ability to unlock our
shared humanity. Kindness strengthens relationships, develops community
and deepens solidarity.
"It
is a cornerstone of our individual and collective mental health. Wisdom
from every culture across history recognises that kindness is something
that all human beings need to experience and practise to be fully
alive."
One thing that we have seen all
over the world is that kindness is prevailing in uncertain times. We have learnt that amid the fear, there is also community, support and hope. The added benefit of helping others is that it is good for our own
mental health and wellbeing. It can help reduce stress and improve your
emotional wellbeing.
Beyond ourselves, the Mental Health Foundation's report reveals howinequality is rising in our societyand its harmful effects on our health.Life expectancy is falling for the poorest for the first time in 100
years. As child poverty rises, children and young people in the poorest
parts of our country are two to three times more likely to experience poor mental health than those in the richest.
After the 2008 credit crunch, it was the most vulnerable in our
communities who experienced the severest consequences of austerity, with
devastating effects on their mental and physical health. This not the
hallmark of a kind society.We must not make the same mistakes after this pandemic.
Poor mental health is very much part of everyone’s life. If it’s not
ourselves directly affected then then it’s our friends, our family, or
our work colleagues who suffer. So in this Mental Health Awareness week
it feels important to say that we have a problem with mental health, and
it’s serious.
Meanwhile, Mental Health UK recommends (among other things) starting
each day of the week by sending an inspirational quote to someone to
start their day.
These are tough times, if your struggling with your mental health, remember you are not alone, reach out to loved ones for support. In the meantime also try be kind to one another, share our vulnerabilities, our struggles, keep strong, take care and keep safe, the world is still full of hope, and what better way of spreading fairness and making kindness matters, than after the current crisis ends, to continue to rage against injustice and a time that we must build a better society, a new system that gives us
a healthy context in which individuals might thrive and our mental health can flourish, in a society
where we are free from economic and social fear, and we can develop into
our own best selves. Remember no act of kindness is ever wasted, solidarity and mutual aid are acts of kindness too, long may they give us strength. ,
"Be patient and tough, some day this pain, will be useful to you " - Ovid
' Not until we are lost, do we begin to understand ourselves .; - Henry David Thoreau
Dabke (Arabic: دبكة also spelled as Dabka or Debka) is a modern Levantine Arab folk circle dance of
possible Canaanite or Phoenician origin..
When first created, the Dabke dance was practiced by people of the
villages and towns of Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, Jordan, Iraq, and some
Quasi-Bedouin tribes that were in nearby territories. It has been reported that people in
these regions built houses with tree branches and mud. Anytime the
weather would change, the mud would crack and community or family
members would come and patch it up by forming a line and joining hands,
stomping the mud into place. In colder months, they would sing to stay
warm. As roof building technology developed, this tradition was passed
as a work and dance song through generations as a reminder of the
importance of family, community, and tradition. Dabke signifies
aspirations, struggles, and history of the Palestinian people, making it
one of the most important cultural forms of art in their culture. The dabke is a participatory dance in which people form a line that can
be expanded as new dancers join the moving chorus. The movements of the
line are led by a lawith, a dancer who leads and initiates
changes in the line formation, and who is followed by a chorus. The
dance involves movements up and down in space, and includes rhythmic
stomping, clapping, and changes of pace. There are breaks created by
individual dancers performing solos and the group response to them. The dance has been celebrated for years
and in recent times has more closely been tied to the Palestinian
identity, especially within the context of social, political, and
national aspirations.
It was performed at the Great March of Return protests in Gaza, which were launched on March 30, 2018 to peacefully demand the right for
Palestinian people to return to their homes in what is now Israel.Some
of the dancers wore Keffiyeh scarves, inspired by the late Palestinian
resistance leader Yasser Arafat, to protect themselves from tear gas
shelling. The dabke, which was traditionally performed at joyous
occasions like weddings and celebrations, has now become a symbol of
Palestinian resistance .
Dabke is just one way in which Palestinians have protested human rights violations while celebrating their equality and dignity. To use this dance as a form of not only protest through artistic
expression is really significant in regards to fighting for what you
believe in. The point of the dance is to tell a story. A certain
narrative that will solidify Palestinian identity and experiences. A
simple message of locking arms together, stomping to the ground, and
singing or chanting in unison, can send a tsunami of feeling and empathy
towards a certain cause. Although the purpose of dabke originated from
just repairing the roof of a neighbor’s house, it has revolutionized
into a symbol of love, life, solidarity, cooperation, steadfastness, and determination. It is a form of art
through which Palestinians express joy and gratitude to each other, and
also to their land. and struggle. It is a dance that tells the story of a striving but persistent and united community. The Asayil Watan Band for Palestinian Hertage and the Palestinian dabke from Gaza , are a team of competent, motivated & committed people of all ages and genders , eager to deliver the Palestinian narrative. Their aim is to unify two
million Palestinian ; to reach out to the outside world and raise
awareness about the Palestinian Cause — their cause, their struggles, pain,
past, futures, and indeed their triumphs in the face of adversity.Here is a link to a video of them performing.
All members of this organisation are vehemently opposed to all forms of
prejudice and racism and any form of discrimination on the basis of
ability, gender persuasion, religion, race or skin colour.For members of the dance group, their art is also a
form of resistance. It is a way for them to share stories and express their
frustrations and emotions about the occupation in creative and non-violent
ways. Please consider helping them continue to talk about the Palestinian issue by preserving the Palestinian Dabke and spreading Palestinian heritage after their team headquarters were bombed by the occupation in Palestine. You can take a look at their story and what is their goal now via the link below, it certainly inspires me.Stand up for Palestine culture. Cheers, solidarity.
Today, across the world, Palestinians will be marking Nakba
Day, ( the Arabic word for catastrophe or cataclysm ) commemorating the events of 1948 that saw over 750,000
Palestinians forced to flee from their homes,and over 450 Palestinian towns and villages wiped off the map in which Zionist forces used a terror campaign to expel Palestinians
from their land. The Nakba was a deliberate and systematic crime of ethnic cleansing,to make room for a racially
supremacist settler-colony.
The date was chosen to follow immediately after the Gregorian
calendar date of Israeli Independence Day – 14 May 1948 – although,
since Israel uses the Hebrew calendar to mark time, the days rarely
align. The two anniversaries might be observed weeks apart or coincide
on the same day, as they did in 2005. This year Israeli Independence Day
occurred on 28 April.
Nakba Day commemorations typically take the form of rallies and
speeches in cities around Israel, the West Bank and Gaza, with
Palestinian marchers commonly brandishing placards, flags and house
keys, the latter symbols of the homes and still-deserted villages their
families have not been allowed to return to, mourning their dispossession, expulsion and replacement, which continues unabated. Many still cling to the keys of their homes which they long to return to.
The rupture of 1948 and the ‘ethnic cleansing’ of the Nakba are central
to both the Palestinian society of today and Palestinian social history
and collective identity. Remember 72 years after the Nabka, Palestinians still have no
state and no equality. Refugee camps still exist all over the world and a
majority of Palestinians live in the diaspora. Against their will, the
Nabka has divided the Palestinian people between Palestine and diaspora,
between Gaza and the West Bank, between those who hold a refugee
identification card and who don't. The vast
majority of Palestinian refugees, both those outside the 1949 armistice
lines at the wars' conclusion and those internally displaced, were
barred by the newly declared state of Israel from their right to return
to their homes or the reclaiming of their property, and in doing so
Israel violated international law. The Palestininian diaspora has since become the largest in the world.The injustice continues.
Every Palestinian family is impacted by those events.Every
Palestinian lives with the reality of the continuing Nakba, the
unresolved injustice that leaves refugees trapped in an ongoing exile,
that sees Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank
and East Jerusalem living under siege and military occupation, and
Palestinian citizens within the state of Israel treated as second
class, subject to a barrage of discriminatory laws and policies. The catastrophes of the Nakba continue through ongoing land theft and
expulsion. Israel’s regime of military occupation, settler-colonialism and
apartheid is more vicious than ever in grabbing as much ancestral
land as possible. We are also just weeks away from the likely threat of annexation,
which would mean even more deeply entrenched apartheid, more home and
village demolitions, and the further loss
of Palestinian land, livelihoods, and connections.
We must refuse to be a part of this plan and put pressure on governments, diplomats, and NGOs to use their power to stop
annexation, we must also help build a stronger global movement.The message to the Palestinian people today and every day is this: “we have seen the injustice you suffer and you do not stand alone.”
This year amid the coronavirus
pandemic, Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas has officially authorised
digital activities to observe the anniversary, with many planning to
join virtual reality tours and Zoom video chats.As as part of the Week
of Palestinian Struggle, various organizations and campaigns have urged Palestinians and
supporters of Palestine to join a twitter storm today and use the hashtags #KeyToJustice and #NakbaDay, in order to focus on Palestinian
refugees’ right to return to their original homes and lands throughout historic Palestine.
Tonight at 7pm UK time their is also a global
rally with an an amazing line up of speakers and performers where we will reaffirm our commitment to spread solidarity and to
campaign for justice.
If
you have not registered then please do so.
Don't worry though - you
can still join by watching the livestream on facebook if you are
unable to get into the zoom rally room.
The rally will be livestreamed on the facebook pages of all organising partners:
Palestine Solidarity Campaign UK /
Jewish Voice For Peace /
BDS Movement /
South African BDS Coalition
With the fundamental rights of the Palestinian people still under
unprecedented attack, we must make our collective voice
louder in calling for freedom, justice and equality for our Palestinian
brothers and sisters.As they fight to halt annexation their struggle continues, with hope and meaningful solidarity we must continue to insist on the Palestinian peoples right to freedom, justice, equality and dignity and right to return. From the rivers to the sea one day they will be free.
James Connolly was an Irish republican and socialist leader. He was a
member of the Industrial Workers of the World and founder of the Irish
Socialist Republican Party. For a man so linked to Irish history,
Connolly was actually born in
the Cowgate Area of Edinburgh, Scotland. The area he lived in was
nicknamed ' Little
Ireland' and was one of the city's slum areas. He subsequently spoke
with a Scottish accent throughout his life. His parents were originally
from County Monaghan and their life in Edinburgh was hard. He left
school for working life at the age of 11, but became one of the leading
revolutionary theorists of his day.
James Connolly joined the British Military at age 14 to escape his
extreme poverty. Seven years later at the age of 21, Connolly left
military life and eventually settled in Dublin in 1896. In 1903 Connolly emigrated to the United States, living for a brief
period in Troy New York with a relative, and worked for an insurance
firm as a salesman. But by 1905 he left Troy to persue his ideals of
organizing a militant working class movement and soon joined the newly
formed IWW ( Industrial Workers of the World ) as a member and
full-time organizer.
Connolly came back to Ireland at the
invitation of a small socialist group.
Here he soon made his mark as a talented organiser, speaker and writer.
It was James Connolly above all who was responsible for the alignment
between
working class organisations and the goal of irish independence.Connolly wrote brilliantly on the necessity of socialism to the cause of
Irish independence, as well as all manners of topics relevant to the
world socialist movement. He
believed it was the working class who could shake the foundations of
the British empire, for the benefit of all the oppressed of the world.
James Connoly addressed meetings in north Wales, after which the celebrated Welsh socialist and local Independent Labour Party leader Silyn Roberts recalled :
"Gyda Larkib ym 1911 y cyfarum ag ef ac y dysfgais ei edmygud a'i garu. Un o drysorau gwerthfawrocaf fy llufrgell yw copi o'i gyfrol Labour in Irish history, a roddwyd i mi ganddo a Larkin i gofio am eu hymweliad a Chymru". "I met him with Larkin in 1911, and learnt to admire him and love him. One of the greatest treasures in my library is a copu of his volume Labour in Irish history, which he and Larkin gabe me as a momento of their visit to Wales", With James Larkin, he was centrally involved in the Dublin lock-out of 1913, that paralyzed commerce
and transport for many weeks. During the general strike Connolly
organized the Irish Citizen Army amongst striking workers, in a self
defense response to wide spread beatings of striking workers by the
Irish police and British military. The Irish Citizen Army became the
nucleus of the Dublin Division of the Army of the Republic during the
1916 Easter Rebellion against British rule of Ireland.
With the outbreak of war, Connolly became increasingly committed to
formenting an insurrection against British rule in Ireland; he had
gradually changed from labour organiser and agitator into military
commandant and theorist. In mid-January 1916 he reached agreement with
the Irish Republican Brotherhood Military Council to co-operate in an
insurrection the following Easter. He joined the Council, and on the
day before the Rising its members appointed him vice-president of the
Irish Republic and Commandant-General, Dublin Division, Irish Army.
Connolly proved himself to be the most effective and inspirational of
the rebel leaders during the insurrection. On Easter Monday, 24th April,
he led the Headquarters Battalion from Liberty Hall to the General Post
Office and commanded military operations there throughout the week –
supervising the construction of defences, determining and adjusting
strategy, summoning reinforcements and deciding on the disposition of
his forces. That only nine volunteers in the post office garrison died
during the fighting is testimony to his talents. He himself took
constant risks with his own safety but even after being severely wounded
on 27th April, he remained, as Patrick Pearse said, "still the guiding
brain of our resistance".
At noon on Saturday 29th April Connolly supported the majority view of the leaders that they should surrender as he 'could not bear to see his brave boys burnt to death'. His expectation was that the Risin's organisers would be shot and the rest set free. Under military escort, Connolly was carried to the Red Cross Hospital at Dublin Castle where hours later he signed Pearse's surrender order on behalf f the Irish Citizen Army. He was court-martialled there, propped up in his bed, on 9th May. At his trial he read the following brief hand -written statement which said :
“Believing
that the British Government has no right in Ireland, never had any
right in Ireland, and never can have any right in Ireland, the presence,
in any one generation of Irishmen, of even a respectable minority,
ready to die to affirm that truth, makes the Government forever a
usurpation and a crime against human progress. I personally thank God
that I have lived to see the day when thousands of Irishmen and boys,
and hundreds of women and girls, were ready to affirm that truth, and to
attest to it with their lives if need be.”
As spring was turning
to summer, a city still coming to terms with the death and destruction
of the Easter Rising was being forced to accept yet more blood-letting.
Despite
his severe wounds, on 12 May 1916 he was transported by military
ambulance to
Kilmainham Gaol, carried to a prison courtyard on a stretcher, tied to a
chair and executed by the British
military by firing squad to the outrage of many people
in Ireland and across the world. It certainly significantly contributed
to the mood of bitterness in Ireland. His body (along with those of the
other rebels)
was put in a mass grave without a coffin. The executions of the rebels
deeply angered the majority of the Irish population, most of whom had
shown no support during the rebellion. It was Connolly's execution,
however, that caused the most controversy. Historians have pointed to
the manner of execution of Connolly and similar rebels, along with their
actions, as being factors that caused public awareness of their desires
and goals and gathered support for the movements that they had died
fighting for. It was the death of their leaders, and particularly of
Connolly, that sparked the flame of Irish
republicanism across this island, launched a mass rebellion, and
ultimately led to the creation of an Irish republic. Of all the executions carried out during the 1916 Easter Rising, none
raised as much public anger then or since as the execution of James Connolly
Though considered by many historians to be an " Irish Nationalist ",
Connolly did not believe in ignoring class divisions in the name of
nationalism. That Ireland could not be free until the working class of
Ireland was free.
In the aftermath of his death Kerry journalist Liam MacGabhann penned The Poem of James Connolly in
1933.
MacGabhann, who was born on Valentia Island in 1908, wrote the stirring
piece from the view of a soldier in the firing party ordered to shoot
Connolly.
In 1916 a Welsh regiment on its way to the Western Front was
diverted to Ireland as backup for troops trying to crush the rebellion
in Dublin. MacGabhann heard a story about a young soldier, a son of a
Welsh miner, who was part of that regiment and was included in the
firing squad for Connollys execution and felt utter guilt and shame
because of it.
In the aftermath of the ghastly deed this unnamed
Welsh solider tracked down Connolly’s widow and children to ask for
their forgiveness. as she later recalled, he told Lily:
" I am a miner. My father was a miner, and my grandfather was a miner -they were both very busy in the tade union. How can I go back home? They would know about James Connolly even if I didn't. I haven't been home onleave. I can't go home. I'd let something slip, and they'd know I'd killed James Connolly.Oh,why was I chosen tokill a man like that?"
Lily replied : James Connolly has already forgiven you. He realised yu were being forced, he realised you were only a working class boy".
MacGabhann took this anonymous Welsh soldier as the
voice for his poem who reflects on his participation in the execution of
Connolly with heavy regret.
The Poem of James Connolly - Liam MacGabhann
The man was all shot through that came today
Into the barrack square;
A soldier I – I am not proud to say
We killed him there;
They brought him from the prison hospital;
To see him in that chair
I thought his smile would far more quickly call
A man to prayer.
Maybe we cannot understand this thing
That makes these rebels die;
And yet all things love freedom – and the Spring
Clear in the sky;
I think I would not do this deed again
For all that I hold by;
Gaze down my rifle at his breast – but then
A soldier I.
They say that he was kindly – different too,
Apart from all the rest;
A lover of the poor; and all shot through,
His wounds ill drest,
He came before us, faced us like a man,
He knew a deeper pain
Than blows or bullets – ere the world began;
Died he in vain?
Ready – present; And he just smiling – God!
I felt my rifle shake
His wounds were opened out and round that chair
Was one red lake;
I swear his lips said ‘Fire!’ when all was still
Before my rifle spat
That cursed lead – and I was picked to kill
A man like that!
Today,
James Connolly is regarded as one of Ireland's greatest heroes. He was a
revolutionary socialist and militant unionist who dedicated his life not
just to the cause of Irish liberation, but also to international
socialism. He inspired not only the republican and socialist tradition in Ireland but
anti-colonial & anti-imperialist movements around the world.
In the history of the international working class movement we should
remember James Connolly as a hero and martyr who acted on his
beliefs.
Today, a statue of James Connolly stands in pride of place at
the centre
of Dublin. A brass engraving of the Proclamation of the Irish Republic
also sits at pride of place in the window of the General Post Office
headquarters, where Connolly made his stand for the liberty of his
nation and the working class during four fateful days in April 1916. .
I
will end with this final quote from him :-
"A revolution will only be achieved when the ordinary people of the
world, us, the working class, get up off our knees and take back what is
rightfully ours."
Palpable is a word often used to describe things that usually can't be handled, such as emotions or sensations. You probably wont see palpable being used to describe, say an egg or a doorknob or a motorcycle. Palpable is usually reserved for situations in which something becomes invisible becomes so intense that it feels as though it has substance or weight. When the towers came down, the sense of sadness, it was palpable. Loneliness, longing and loss can be palpable too, and currently because of the coronavirus we are facing it has created a real atmosphere of palpable fear and worry that is currently being felt globally. We feel that the world has changed , and it has. The loss of normalcy, the fear of economic toll, the loss of connection.This is hitting us all and we are all grieving. Collectively, we are simply not used to this kind of collective grief in the air. Personally I feel a palpable rage at this present time.
Palpable adj:- capable of being perceived, especially capable of being handled or touched or felt. ( of a feeling or atmosphere) so intense as to seem almost tangible.
" a barely palpable dust"
"felt sudden anger in a palpable wave."
" the air was warm and close - palpable as cotton"
"a palpable lie" " Popular opinions, on subjects not palpable to sense, are often true , but seldom or never the whole truth " - John Stuart Mill I personally have a palpable distrust for politicians, who often release words of palpable nonsense. Take our Prime minister Boris Johnson for instance who publicly thanked Britain’s beloved National Health
Service for successfully treating him for Covid-19 over a seven-day
period in early April. “It’s hard to find words to express my debt,” the
prime minister said, naming several nurses, and thanking two in
particular for standing by his bedside for 48 hours when “things
could’ve gone either way.” Johnson’s speech, which he might have hoped would be lauded for its
graciousness, served instead as a reminder that the NHS is a success
despite him. When the first cases of Covid-19 in the U.K. were confirmed
in late January, Johnson’s Conservative Party government claimed that
it was prepared for any eventuality. That turns out to have been a lie. The government’s failure to
provide sufficient protective gear, which has so far contributed to the
deaths of at least 114 health
care workers in Britain, was preventable. Moreover, two separate
investigations have now revealed high-level attempts to cover it up. Recently the BBC’s Panorama
showed that the British government’s pandemic stockpile lacked key
equipment, such as gowns, visors, swabs, and body bags. The government
was of course aware of this deficit and yet, even after the pandemic hit
the country’s shores, U.K. leaders refused multiple opportunities to
bulk-buy PPE. When the lack of supplies became obvious to the public,
the government tried to hide the problem by inflating PPE numbers, counting one pair of gloves as two items of PPE. Another investigation,
by the Sunday Times, a decidedly right-leaning newspaper owned by
Rupert Murdoch that has previously swooned over Johnson, calling him a
“rockstar,” showed just how casually the prime minister confronted the
pandemic. Johnson had skipped five high-level emergency meetings to
discuss the virus, the newspaper reported. He insisted, in a manner
reminiscent of U.S. President Donald Trump, that briefing reports be as
short as possible. He went on holiday to a country estate, refused to
work weekends, and attended a fundraising ball. After his thank-you speech, Johnson retired to Chequers, the lavish 16th
century, 1,500-acre manor house used by British prime ministers, where
he was photographed strolling the grounds with his pregnant fiancée and
their Jack Russell terrier. The world was in the grip of an unprecedented crisis, but the U.K. was without a leader. Johnson’s NHS caregivers, meanwhile, returned to work immediately,
and every day, reports stream in of front-line health workers like them
who are forced to combat the highly contagious virus in clinical waste bags and plastic aprons. They were asking schools to donate science goggles. They were adapting snorkels as respirator masks. When UNISON, the U.K.’s largest public services union, opened a PPE alert hotline, it was flooded with calls from health care workers who talked about having to buy their own equipment. Of the health care providers who have died so far, one, Abdul Mabud
Chowdhury, a consultant urologist in London, had written a Facebook post
appealing to Johnson to protect him and his co-workers. “I hope we are
by default entitled to get this minimal support,” he wrote on March 18, five days before he was hospitalized. Johnson is responsible for his death, and for the death of every other health care worker in the country. Johnson also after recovering from Covid-19 and the birth of his son said he "bitterly" regrets the Covid-19 crisis in care homes and expressed frustration about problems supplying personal protective equipment. He will be making a statement on the route out of lockdown at 7pm conveniently following from the 75th anniversary of VE day. But quick fixes and crowd pleasing politics will not save us in an emergency. We should not forget that the Tories have been in government for ten years prior to the pandemic and had consistently run down the NHS and the Public Health Service. They were willing to contemplate millions of deaths in order to achieve 'herd immunity' and their focus was more on Brexit than any wish to save lives. The late great Aneurin Bevan once said that he could not get the hate for the Tories out of his heart and that he thought that they were lower than vermin, I am quite clear now as to why he held that view. The Tories initially opposed the establishment of the NHS and every time they have been in power have sought to undermine it, in their recent current response to our needs they have given massive contracts to the likes of SERCO to provide public health services, a company renowned for failing at all other services provided to the public sector. There is a palpable sense that people are increasingly hungry for new political approaches. We now have at least the time to pause and reflect upon the palpable sense of urgency in changing some fundamentals about our society. This crisis is a wake up call to us all. The virus has no respect for borders, and demonstrates fundamentally, that we live in an interconnected world, that we need nations to work together in times of crisis, and above all we need serious, sensible politicians of good intent at the helm. There will certainly be a palpable sense of relief when this crisis is over, hopefully united by a common purpose, newer approaches and new behaviors and a renewed sense of community that will hopefully not see us going back to our old ways, and when we eventually come out of this catastrophe , people must remember the shocking behaviour of Boris Johnson. As we eventually reconnect let us all continue to feel the palpable waves of love,
The days are getting longer now
For Mr death this means more business,
He respects no borders, or governmental orders
Religious faith or political affiliation,
Brings a dark plague on all our houses
Daily stalks, until he makes that final call,
By the light of a barking dog
Never gets thrown off course,
The exterminating angel
Sits at the end of our beds,
Diligently slips through praying fingers
Cancels out all dreams and hopes,
Mercilessly zapping both the young and old
The meek and the mild, the quiet and bold,
The fierce ones, the angry and defiant
Free or in isolation, abandoned or in confinement,
No one goes gently, there are no happy endings
Will catch you, trap you and take you away,
The truth is, there's no escaping his power
One day we will take the fragile flight into light,
Nothing though is ever lost or completely erased
Haunting the world,we leave memories and shadows,
The world is like a raging sea, and we are all drowning
Seeds of grief always flowering, fertilising the earth.
On this day May 4, 1970, members of the Ohio National Guard fired into a crowd of unarmed anti-war protestors at Kent State
University in Ohio, killing four students and wounding nine others peacefully protesting against President Richard Nixon's bombing of Cambodia as part of the Vietnam
War. On April 30, 1970, President Richard Nixon gave a nationalised, televised address
and said “attacks are being launched this week to clean out major
sanctuaries on the Cambodian-Vietnam border.” The announcement came 10
days after Nixon announced the withdrawal of 150,000 troops from
Vietnam, and controversially, the president made his decision without notifying his
Secretary of State William Rogers or Defense Secretary Melvin Laird. .
The decision sparked unrest at college campuses nationally,
including Kent State, which had a small, militant chapter of Students
for a Democratic Society.In Kent, there was a violent confrontation between protestors and local police
on Friday, May 1. Bonfires were built downtown, bottles were thrown at
police cars, and rocks were thrown through glass windows.
The mayor of Kent Leroy Satrom "heard
rumors of a radical plot, declared a state of emergency, and telephoned
the governor in Columbus for assistance." Bars were closed, and those
in the street were tear-gassed by riot police. On May 2, the mayor made
the decision to call in the National Guard to help keep the peace after hearing about threats
to local businesses and rumors of radical protestors trying to destroy the city. That evening, there
was a large demonstration happening on campus, and the Reserve Officers'
Training Corps (ROTC) building was set on fire. Another demonstration
on campus occurred on May 3, where tear gas was fired. As part of the protest, they buried a copy of the Constitution, a symbol
of their outrage that Congress had never formally declared war on
Vietnam or Cambodia.
Though resentful of the heavy handedness used by law enforcement the night before, many Kent students assist with the downtowb cleanup. Some view Kent Mayor Leroy Satrom’s declaration of a state of emergency exaggerated. With no way to dispel circulating rumours about radicals intent on destroying the town, all students are forced to obey a day long curfew though plans are in motion for a second student protest that evening. With Nuxon calling them "Bums", the students show the world they deserve respect and cannot be silenced.
The
new presence of 1,000 National Guard soldiers on campus is an unwelcome
attempt at intimidation, as is Ohio Governor James A. Rhodes’s inflammatary speech in which he declared that the protesters were "worse
than the brown shirts and the communist element and also the night
riders and the vigilantes .. the worst type of people that we harbor in
America. I think that we're up against the strongest, well-trained,
militant, revolutionary group that has ever assembled in America." The
authorities purposely lumped all student protestors together with
radicals.
On Monday, May 4, 1970 feeling like Kent State had become a war zone, some 2,000 antagonized students gather
to protest both the National Guard and Vietnam War, as well as Nixon’s Cambodia invasion. But
with the guard in control of the campus, the university announced the
rally was prohibited. The students gathered anyway, facing off across a
hilly green against a phalanx of guard soldiers.
Initially peaceful,
the rally quickly turns violent and then deadly shortly after noon, when protestors, hit with tear gas, are set upon by
77 Guards marching at them with fixed bayonets. Twenty-eight of the
Guards suddenly, with no warning, open fire into the crowd of innocent, unarmed students protesting against an immoral, unjust war. unleashing 60-70 rounds in 13 horrific seconds, leaving 4 students dead, and wounding 9 others . One individual Dean Kahler, was shot
in the back and left permanently paralyzed from the waist down. in what came to be known as the Kent State Massacre.
The victims were Jeffrey Miller and Sandra Scheuer, both 20, and
Allison Krause and William Schroeder, both 19.
John Paul Filo's Pulitzer Prize-winning photo below of the incident is
considered one of the historically most significant images of the era.
It hauntingly shows Mary Ann Vecchio kneeling over the body of one of the victims,
Jeffrey Miller.
.
The students shot on May 4, all white, became martyrs; most people have
forgotten that less than two weeks later, Phillip Lafayette Gibbs and
James Earl Green, two students in Missisippi
were killed by police officers in the wake of a false rumor about the
death of a civil rights leader. And while Kent State stands out as an
exception , National Guardsmen killing white college students , over the
years, state authorities have killed far more African-American
protesters than whites.
The Scranton Commission in October 1970 found that “The indiscriminate
firing of rifles into a crowd of students and the deaths that followed
were unnecessary, unwarranted, and inexcusable,"and that the shootings at
Kent State were unjustified, and excessive as there had been no order to fire and the
danger the Guardsmen faced did not call for lethal force. It was welcomed at the time but would not bring back the lives of the
four murdered students , nor were these facts enough to convict the Guardsmen. For the supporters of those murdered, this acquittal stifled justice.
The killings shocked the nation and the incident had a great impact on the political atmosphere both in the
U.S. and internationally, becomng a benchmark in American history, radicalizing the opposition to the military
engagement in the Vietnam conflict. Following the event, about 8 million
students took part in a national student strike, closing down hundreds
of universities and schools across the United States. and
within five days a protest of 100,000 in Washington DC which saw
significant rioting forcing Nixon to flee the city to Camp David.
Nixon's speechwriter later said that "The mobs were smashing
windows, slashing tires, dragging parked cars into intersections, even
throwing bedsprings off overpasses into the traffic down below. This was
the quote, student protest. That's not student protest, that’s civil
war." Back in Kent the
state prosecuted 24 students and one member of staff although charges
were eventually dropped.
The various protests drew to an end as President Richard Nixon, who
served from 1969-1974, began to withdraw U.S. soldiers from North and
South Vietnam. With the signing of the Paris Peace Accords in 1973,
which basically ended U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War, the protests
drew to a formal close. Still, the Kent State Shootings continue to
reverberate through U.S. society and culture.The anniversary
of the shootings, is a time to reflect on the willingness of the state to use force to crush dissent..The tragedy inspired Neil Young to write the following epic social commentary "Ohio" for his band Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.
Today World Press Freedom Day provides an opportunity for people around the world to celebrate the
fundamental human right to freedom of expression. Every day,
journalists around the world face the threat of intimidation,
censorship, imprisonment and violence, including torture, for their
efforts to report on human rights violations.
The press acts as a medium of communication between the government
and the people. The free press has a huge responsibility of reporting
the truth and shaping people's opinions. Hence to mark the importance of
the press, World Press Freedom Day is celebrated every year.
World
Press Freedom Day popularly known as World Press Day is one of the
calendar events planned, organised and promoted by the United Nations,
observed annually on May 3.
The day is celebrated to raise
awareness regarding the importance of freedom of the press. The day is
reflection among media professionals about issues of press freedom and
professional ethics.
"A free press
can, of course, be good or bad, but, most certainly without freedom, the
press will never be anything but bad." - Albert Camus
May
3 the World Press Freedom Day is a day of support for media and the reporters right to hold the powerful to account, It is also a
day of remembrance for those journalists who lost their lives in the
pursuit of a story. As
per UNESCO, on May 3, national and local celebrations for World Press
Freedom Day will take place around the world, which includes online
debates and workshops.
As we all know that the entire world is going through COVID-19 pandemic, this year the theme of world press freedom day 2020 is Journalism without Fear or Favour. The UN Secretary-General António Guterres, in a statement, gave a message to the entire world, saying-
"As
the [COVID-19] pandemic spreads, it has also given rise to a second
pandemic of misinformation, from harmful health advice to wild
conspiracy theories. The press provides the antidote: verified,
scientific, fact-based news and analysis". -UN Secretary-General António
Guterres
World
Press Freedom Day was first proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in December
1993, following the recommendation of UNESCO's General Conference.
Since then, 3 May, is celebrated as World Press Freedom Day.
World Press Freedom Day acts as a reminder to governments of the need to respect their commitment to press freedom. That the importance of a
free press in a functioning and safe society and serves to commemorate
the journalists who have lost their lives in support of free press. In a
time when media coverage is prone to fear-mongering and sensationalism,
taking the time to appreciate and seek out journalism with integrity
has never been more important. Freedom of expression is a fundamental human right as stated in Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Apart from the theme of world press freedom day in 2020 Journalism
without Fear or Favour, there are also certain sub-themes this year
which include.
1. Safety of Women and Men Journalists and Media Workers
2.Independent and Professional Journalism free from Political and Commercial Influence
3. Gender Equality in All Aspect of the Media
The day May 3 also marks the anniversary of Windhoek Declaration.A
statement of press freedom principles put together by African
journalists in 1991 to promote an independent and pluralistic African
press.
Media Worldwide is facing crises on multiple fronts, exacerbated by
the COVID19 pandemic. Reporters without Borders released its 2020 World
Press Freedom Index on April 21st, noting that the Coronavirus is being
used by authoritarian governments to implement “shock doctrine” measures
that would be impossible in normal times.
The index shows a “clear correlation between suppression of media
freedom in response to the Coronavirus pandemic, and a country’s ranking
in the Index.” Of the 180 countries and territories in the index, Iran
(ranked at 173) censored their Coronavirus outbreaks extensively. Iraq,
at 162, punished Reuters for an article that questioned official
pandemic figures, and Hungary (ranked at 89) has just passed a coercive
Coronavirus Law.
The long-term risks of suppressing press freedoms have been exposed
by the pandemic. As the death toll mounts amidst an economic crisis of
unprecedented proportions, promoting transparent reporting is a global
necessity. Yet, several countries stand accused of acting too late in
warning the world about the timing and extent of the threat.
The World Press Freedom Index illustrates the oppression of
journalists from North to South and a pandemic in its own right seems to
have fomented.
There are currently 231 journalists imprisoned around the world, and since the start of the year, at least 10 have been murdered because of their activities as journalists.Iin Myanmar, Voice of Myanmar’s editor was arrested recently and
charged with terrorism for interviewing a representative of the Arakan
Army, a rebel group fighting for regional autonomy.
Even the president of the world’s most powerful democracy has described the press as “the enemy of the people.”
Ultimately, the freedom of the press can only be guaranteed by a
coordinated global effort, public awareness and a focus on the long-term
advantages of a more critical world.
In the midst of the rising pandemic of misinformation - may today remind
us of how vital press freedom is in ensuring that people have access to
verified, fact-based, and unbiased info, both on or offline.
Also to mark World Press Freedom Day , the One
Free Press coalition that stands up for journalists under attack for pursuing the truth worldwide.
has called for the immediate release of all
imprisoned journalists amid increasing threats to press freedom
worldwide during the coronavirus pandemic.
Each month, the coalition, which comprises prominent news organisations and publishers, brings
to the public's attention the 10 "most urgent" cases of journalists
whose freedoms are being suppressed or whose cases are seeking justice.
Throughout the years, the campaign has
highlighted the plight of Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist who was
killed inside the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul in 2018, as well as
Mahmoud Hussein, an Al Jazeera journalist who has been held without any
formal charges in Egypt since December 2016.
At least half of the journalists on the latest list published on May 1
are currently behind bars and at heightened risk of exposure to the
coronavirus.
Here is a link to the full list https://www.onefreepresscoalition.com/list
Finally on this occasion, I would once again
like to draw attention to the case of Julian Assange, a journalist
persecuted for doing his job, who has become a symbol of the right to
information in the eyes of a growing international public opinion.
In April 2019, shortly after his arrest at the Ecuadorian embassy in
London, the United States, seeking his extradition, announced 18 charges
against him, including 17 related to espionage for which he would face
up to 170 years in prison.
Attacking a journalist by equating his work with espionage is a real
threat to press freedom. For if Assange is extradited, he will be
convicted and with him the right of investigative journalists to publish
freely.
Julian Assange’s health is currently very weakened as a result of the deleterious effects of prolonged
psychological torture on him: cognitive and neurological deficiencies,
altered thought processes, permanent anxiety, agitation, lack of
concentration and coordination, insomnia, accompanied by feelings of
total arbitrariness, loss of control and powerlessness, despair with an
acute risk of suicide.
However, on Monday 27 April 2020, supported by the prosecution
because of the current health situation, the lawyers defending Julian
Assange finally obtained from the Westminster Magistrates Court an
adjournment of the second part of his previously announced extradition
trial for 18 May. The parties will meet again on 4 May to agree on a new
date, either in July or November.
This postponement is good news for the preparation of the defense,
but it should not, however, be allowed to prolong Julian Assange’s
imprisonment any further, since he has not committed or been prosecuted
for any crime, if it had to be reminded again, and is therefore
imprisoned in London only pending these proceedings, his life being more
than ever at risk in the high-security prison of Belmarsh, which is hit
by the covid-19 epidemic.This situation further stimulates the determination to have him released immediately.
On this World Press Freedom Day, lets express our support for Julian Assange and join
the call for his immediate release, because.one of the hallmarks of repression anywhere is a sustained attack on journalism.
"Freedom of the Press, if it means anything at all, means the freedom to criticize and oppose." - George Orwell.
Remembering pioneering Nigerian drumming legend and composer Tony Oladipo Allen who has died in Paris, aged 79.The news was first broken by Sahara Reporters,
though a cause of death is not yet publicly known. Early reports, since
confirmed by his manager, Eric Trosset, said that Allen died suddenly
in Paris on Thursday (April 30).
“We don’t know the exact cause of death,” Trosset said, adding that
it was not linked to the coronavirus. “He was in great shape, it was
quite sudden. I spoke to him at 1pm then two hours later he was sick and
taken to Pompidou hospital, where he died.”
Born in Lagos in 1940, he taught himself how to play the drums at 18-years-old and
learned his technique by listening to American jazz drummers Art Blakely
and Max Roach.
He developed his own unique style and in the early 1960s he became a regular on the
Lagos club circuit which was dominated by the West African highlife
sound.
Fela and
the Afrika 70 had developed a new sound called “Afrobeat” with strong
jazz roots, African highlife based on the signature syncopated funk
drumming Allen perfected over arguably Fela’s most prolific artistic
period.Allen’s distinctive drumming sound can be heard on hits like “Colonial Mentality”, “Zombie” and “Gentleman” among others.
Allen was able
to play four different beats with each of his limbs, and his distinctive
drum pattern is what made his music so unique. His work came to define the rhythmic foundations of Afrobeat as
musical director of Africa '70, the band of Fela Kuti. Fela once said
that "without Tony Allen, there would be no Afrobeat." This statement has never been in doubt
But
while this period was artistically fulfilling for both Fela and Allen,
it was also one of much turmoil and upheaval as the increasingly
political lyrics of many of these songs meant Fela and the band become a
target of the military government of the day. Police raids at the
band’s Lagos nightclub, The Shrine, became a regular, disruptive feature
even as their hits grew in popularity.
Regarded as one of the greatest drummers of all time, Allen was able
to play four different beats with each of his limbs, and his distinctive
drum pattern is what made his music so unique. His work came to define the rhythmic foundations of Afrobeat as
musical director of Africa '70, the band of Fela Kuti. Allen in a blazing run would go on to record 30 albums with Fela through the 1970s, while also leading his own records such as 1975's Jealousy, 1977's Progress and 1979's No Accommodation For ,that revolutionized African music in the 1970s—and
the music of other continents for decades to come.
Allen taught himself how to play the drums at 18-years-old and
learned his technique by listening to American jazz drummers Art Blakely
and Max Roach. Allen was able
to play four different beats with each of his limbs, and his distinctive
drum pattern is what makes his music so unique. Defined as a
combination of West African musical style with American funk and jazz
influences, Allen pioneered the Afrobeat genre. Additionally, many
fellow musicians have paid their respects for Allen, as he was a
significant influence on their music. Brian Eno described Allen as
“perhaps the greatest drummer who has ever lived.” calling him “one of the great musicians of the 20th, ,and the 21st, actually.”
This trailblazing musician, also experimented with other musical styles, bringing
his innovative flair to several projects in the latter half of his
career. He was an artist who boasted unique versatility. He developed a
hybrid sound known as "afrofunk" in his early post-Fela years, and later
dabbled in electronica and dub. He went on to produce rock-inflected
tracks with the likes of Damon Albarn andFleaof the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Most recently, he collaborated with the late South African jazz legend Hugh Masekala on their joint album Rejoice. An album that captured Allen’s unusual integration of rhythms across
the history of the African Diaspora—from pre-industrial villages to
post-industrial studios, from Lagos dancehalls to New York jazz clubs.
No
matter how far beyond Afrobeat he explored, Allen managed to put his
one-of-a-kind musical stamp on every record he blessed with his drums.The
artist's musical contribution is far-reaching. Allen's career spanned over six decades, throughout which he continued to
deliver innovative productions, ensuring that his music will live well
into the future. Following Fela Kuti's death in 1997, Tony Allen began to delve more and
more into other genres of music, collaborating with groups and musicians
of diverse musical influence. He had begun to delve into dub,
electronica, and more, however his reputation as an Afrobeat pioneer
still preceded him. A longtime fan of Afrobeat, in 2006 singer Damon
Albarn enlisted Allen for his supergroup, The Good, the Bad & the Queen,
also featuring Clash's Paul Simonon on the bass guitar. Together, the
newly formed band released their self-titled debut album in 2007 and
another in 2018. Allen's contribution added to the band's, polyrhythmic
appeal, proving that Allen, even in his later years, was never scared to
experiment.
In 2008, Tony Allen, Damon Albarn and Flea of Red Hot Chili Peppers came together to form yet another supergroup, named Rocket Juice and the Moon.
They began working on their first project in the same year, however due
to various other projects by the band members recording was repeatedly
delayed. They ended up dropping their self-titled debut album in 2012,
18 tracks with Damon on guitar, keys, and vocals, Allen on drums, Flea
on bass, and a host of guest musicians including Erykah Badu,
Thundercat, Ghanaian rapper M.anifest, and Ghanaian rapper M3nsa. It's a mighty fine stew indeed.
In 2017, Allen released the EP A Tribute to Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers.
He paid homage to the groundbreaking American jazz drummer, who he
named as one of his earliest musical influences. He delivered a more
classic jazz performance in the style of his hero on the track
"Moanin'—further highlighting his undeniable range.
At the time of writing, the cause of death is unknown. While tributes have been pouring in, Gorillaz have released ‘How Far?’
which came in collaboration with Allen and Skepta. “The track was
written and recorded with Skepta in London just before lockdown and is
being shared immediately as a tribute to the spirit of a great man, Tony
Allen,” Gorillaz said in a statement.
Rest in peace Tony Allen , whose influence will continue be felt around the world, on every continent and in nearly every genre of popular music. Even in normal circumstances finding time to mourn can be difficult; and
as we ride out this sombre melancholy we’re collectively in with
COVID-19, moments of brevity and joy are more important than ever. Tony
Allen’s music was joy packaged up and conveyed to us through his
drumming. It’s warming to know that until the end, Allen was heavily
invested in championing the next generation: “I never get satisfied and
I’m still learning from others. The musical world is very spiritual, and
I don’t think there’s an end to it. As musicians, it’s our mission to
keep going.”
