Time for something new

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 Surely in the twenty first centurys why would anyone want to cow-tow to an outdated concept like this.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

https://republic.org.uk/

Sex Pistols - God Save the Queen

 

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

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

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

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

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

Panic and fear  gripped  the Englishman's heart

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

At Machynlleth he created a Welsh Parliament

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

The Bogus Woman - Kay Adshead

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

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

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

For tour dates and bookings click here :-

http://theboguswoman.com/tourdates

Congratulations Jeremy Corbyn, hope has returned

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

Lets welcome refugees not arms dealers

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

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

9/11 Never forget

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

Love's cry.

(for Jane)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

with wings of desire, allows us to stay human.

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

can change everything that you have known.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


( Viva La republic)

A life in pieces

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

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

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

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

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

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




( do you recognise any of the titles?)

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

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

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


 .

Tell me about it

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

The Sun Newspaper, not fit for the rubbish bin.

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

Food for thought.

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

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

The truth about Tibet.

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

http://freetibet.org

Alice in Wonderland Politics

(Alice in Wonderland politics from the man, that led us down the rabbit hole  in search of Weapons of Mass Destruction. A mad  war criminal, who is wanted dead or alive.The following poem is dedicated to Jeremy Corbyn)

I'd rather be with Alice, in wonderland
Wandering in another world,
Where the mad hatter's chatter
Is more benign than those that rule outside.

Lost in a landscape of discovery
Beyond the paths of conformity,
Away from lifeless ideology
The cynical power political game.

After all life is but a dream
I'm  on the road to somewhere else,
Sailing on the unblemished glitter of sea,
With beautiful visions, that could set us free.

Reinventing the earth
Is a task that we must face,
Quelling this flame with hope
Is most important challenge of our time.

Developing different realities
Looking for something better,
A sudden and Trembling  yearning
For peace and justice, for us down below. 

The shame of Fortress Europe

( dedicated to all anti-immigration voices of anti-cultural diversity who spend their lives spreading lies about migrants and refugees. )

Despite, the Walls of shame,
people carry on, walking proud,
fear cannot contain a peoples will,
behind razor wires, dreams survive,
but some  people still afraid to let them pass,
allow purposes to be left unfulfilled and unknown,
left empty, tired, unfed, broken and abandoned,
ancient voices scattered on the wind.

The pain in their eyes moves my heart,
as they tumble forwards to sanctuary,
ending up with nothing, but pain and hurt,
their time  spent in sorrow,
the chaos that roams, in pursuit of liberty,
the scarred, patterns of the earth,
the shameful shadows shaped like stone,
all this we must feel.

                                   European union - Banksy

How to start each day with a positive outlook.

Feeling good today, because it's my birthday, off to hospital in minute  to share this with partner, in the meantime, thought I'd share some here.

1. Create a new file on your computer

2. Name it " David Cameron "

3. Send it to recycle bin.

4. Empty the recycle bin.

5. Your computer will ask you "Do you really want to get rid of David Cameron?

6. Firmly click "Yes".

Feel better, good. Keep going, delete the rest of his cronies.  

Poem for Ian Duncan Smith

(This week has seen the release of figures that show that 2,650 people died between Dec 2011 and Feb 2014, after being declared Fit for work by the DWP. Almost half of those who died were appealing the decision.
Over 2,500 peoples lives were  made unbearable as a direct result of Ian Duncan Smith's decision of withdrawing the very money that would have made their lives a little more bearable towards the end of their days.I can't say this is my best work, but I believe IDS deserves it. probably deserves far worse)  https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/456359/mortality-statistics-esa-ib-sda.pdf Shocking figures that reveal the human cost of this Government's punishing benefits regime.

Ian Duncan Smith, is surely a bit unstable,
what kind of  real work has he ever done,
living for the moment, cracking the whip,
driving the poor, the disabled and vulnerable,
to their untimely deaths, because they were fragile.

Ian Duncan Smith, his eyes betray the feeling of joylessness,
a disregard for peoples feelings, with an arrogant air, an ugly streak,
he can be found where  dark shadows crawl and nightmares lurk,
releasing the pain of nastiness, without pang of regret or care,
making life unbearable, giving life to misery, from his hollow lair.

Ian Duncan Smith does not listen, as faraway winds howl,
and the tears keep on falling, as he goes on the prowl, 
pouring spite on broken spirits, releasing platitudes of austerity,
cut and cut, is a manouevre he has long practiced, as we scream and cry,
a liar of the first order, having lied about his education, and his army career.

Ian Duncan Smith plays the devil's tune,
as he blames us, and shames us with his words,
we must find the strength to fight against his ideas,
carry on, resisting, pushing back, against his verbal diarrheas, 
until  his empty gestures, disappears in the clarity of light.

Asian Dub Foundation - Fortress Europe

In the news today, Hungarian police tear gas refugees while Nazis try to attack and burn down asylum centres in Germany. The above song ' Fortress Europe' may have been written in 2001, it was a rediction of the future. Amazingly prophetic. That future has now arrived. This is a 21st Century exodus. This generation has no nation. No borders, only true connection. Keep banging on the walls of Fortress Europe.

Problematic friends?

It has been pointed out to me by a few people that Jeremy Corbyn seems to have problematic friendships. But his challenge to austerity still seems to be winning  the hearts and minds of the people.
The right wing press bang on about him being photographed with Gerry Adams, and with people from Hamas and Hezbullah, but this  what you have to do sometimes to try and find peaceful compromises.I really wish that people in his own party would have the guts to attack the Tory's with as much enthusiasm as they do on Jeremy.It is David Cameron and his ilk who are more than dodgy. The people of this country need to be rescued from them not from Jeremy's hope filled policies. The Tory's know that their austerity cuts are actually killing people.
Jeremy's motives  I believe to be  honest and genuine and pales compared to some of the politicians pictured above, who have used their positions and influence to cosy up to despots, tyrants, bullies, in order to increase their bank accounts/wealth or to sell weapons.
At the end of the day, the more people that line up to attack Jeremy's person and policies, the stronger it is, he becomes.
John Pilger summed up my thoughts recently -

' Ordinary people are so frustrated all over the world, that their views are not reflected by their politicians. Suddenly up comes a man who, first of all, is completely incorruptible. He's decent, he doesn't abuse people, he doesn't play games, he doesn't want to go to war with countries, he doesn't want to bomb countries,he doesn't want to see people impoverished and he doesn't want to see extremely rich interest make of with billions of pounds... he's cheered people up and given them a sense that maybe change is possible. '

Where has our humanity gone?

I was watching a Channel 4 report from the Macedonian border yesterday. Scenes of chaos as people try to  passing their children and their babies forward, to get them to safety. Families seperated, children left in tears. Treated inhumanely as riot police beat them with batons.
These people have managed to escape Assad's barrel bombs, the horror of Isis, and wrongly believe people will show them some humanity. How shameful it is that Fortress Europe cannot offer them  a safe haven. We have funded and armed their oppressors, and now some people are pissed off, because they want to escape and live. Let us not forget that more than 220,000 Syrians have been killed since the start of the war in their country. Plus 7.6 million displaced, roaming from town to town, looking for safety. But still have this incredible will to survive. Today I thank my lucky stars that I can  go and visit a dear friend and soul mate, and feel safe in her company.
Where has our humanity gone? Wherever it lies, I think it has failed. Does it not have a duty in helping vulnerable people, play our part in helping them finding homes and allow them to rebuild their lives. We must protect those fleeing conflict and persecution.

Do we even really care?  - Tjeerd Rowlands

Time traveller

( following poem, written  after daily visits from Cardigan to Glangwili hospital, Carmarthen, to visit partner. Now nearly into fourth week )

Time traveller

I awake in a jumble of tiredness,
the hands of the clock, don't seem to be working,
the flowers in the vase,though, are still looking thirsty,
time is getting blurred, everything now, runs in slow motion.

tick tock, tick tock.

I have lost sense  of borders, never recognised them anyway!
I slip slowly into the world, watch the planets far away circling,
a million light years away, keep on searching,keep on talking,
forseeing the future, looking back upon the past.

tick tock, tick tock.

On long journeys, in the company of friends,
hours allow us to reveal ourselves, exactly as we are,
as we travel along the same lines, carried in the right direction,
to take some reflection and thought, back and forth.

tick tock, tick tock.

Everyday we ride on the flip side of existence,
I feel neither safe nor threatened,it is just a question of time,
on familiar routes,that take me away from here,
ask questions, pause for moments.

tick tock, tick tock.

As the afternoon crawls, and the evening calls,
visiting time over, one last kiss,
two hearts beating say goodbye,
feel the throb of the moment,
precious as the day that rolls on by.

tick tock, tick tock.

When we get lost, we often get found,
between the cement of here and now,
memories sigh, but there is no going back to yesterday,
we can only keep on moving, towards tomorrow,
everything changes, outside dawn is breaking.

tick tock, tick tock.

Let us be grateful for the people who make us happy - Marcel Proust (10/7/1871 - 18/11-22)

                                     image by Klint.

"Let us be grateful to the people that make us happy:

They are the gardeners who make our souls blossom. "


For Jane, who makes so many other souls blossom, and  all her friends , that continue to be.

heddwch/peace.

This is not journalism, this is trash!

What an absolute ridiculous headline. This is not news!  Who cares whether he used to eat cold beans. The tabloid press are really trying to scrape the barrel, clutching at straws they are, trying so hard to get some dirt on our Jeremy, but nowt a dicky bird. Watch out for Tony Blair too, as he comes out of his cocoon, looking for  Jeremy's weapons of mass destruction.
Give me an honest politician who happens to be committed to the causes he loves and happens to like cats and cold  baked beans anyday, the Daily Mail can simply **** off.

Anyway the late great Tony Benn sums up my feelings on old Jeremy.

"In politics there are weathercocks and signposts. Weathercocks will spin in whatever direction the wind of public opinion may blow them, no matter what principle they compromise.
Then  there are signposts -signposts that  stand true and tall, and principled.
They point in a direction, and they say ' this is the way to a better society, and it is my job to convince you why.'

The Daily Mail and the establishment  irked by someone who presents alernative policies that loudly and clearly oppose austerity and doomed Tory policies, so  Jeremy, carry on regardless, onwards and forwards. 

Peterloo massacre remembered

The Peterloo massacre is the term given to an attack by Yeomanry cavalry on a pro-parliamentary reform demonstration which had  converged on  St Peters Field  in Manchester on 16th August 1819, since renamed St Peters Square. Where over 60,000 peaceful pro-democracy and anti- poverty protestors had gathered, amid a time of growing poverty  and unemployment, mainly caused by the Corn Laws that artificially inflated bread prices at a time when only 2% could vote. According to contemporary accounts  those that assembled carried themselves  with dignity and discipline, the majority dressed in their sunday best.
The key speaker was a famed orator by the name of Henry Hunt, the platform consisted of a simple cart, and the space was filled with banners - Reform, universal suffrage, equal representation, and love. Many of the banners poles were topped with red  cap of liberty- a powerful symbol at the time.
Local magistrates panicked at the  sheer size of the crowd and read out the riot act, and ordered in the military to arrest the speaker. The cavalry hussars charged and attacked the meeting, riding their horses into the crowd. The end result left at least 15 dead and up to 700 seriously injured. It is not known how many of the injured died later  from wounds inflicted by sabre wielding cavalry. The massacre was named Peterloo in an ironic comparison to the Battle of Waterloo which had taken place 4 years earlier
It would  lead to  the suppression of public expression of opinion, debate, gathering and dissent, which unleashed a wave of public anger and protests, which eventually was to lead to the Great Reform Act of 1832, which led  to limited suffrage, and todays still limited parliamentary democracy. It also gave rise to the Chartist movement, and the strength of the Trade Union movement.
We should never forget on whose shoulders  we stand. It also was marked shortly after by Percy Bysshe Shelley's powerful 91 verse epic The Masque of Anarchy.
A reminder  today that such rights that we have today were hard one, but are  slowly being taken away by this current vicious Tory Government. All roads lead to Manchester where the Tory's will be having their winter conference in October, we must continue to display our defiance. 

" Shake your chains to earth like dew,
 ye are many -they are few " - Percy Bysshe Shelley

Link to Masque of Anarchy

http://knarf.english.upenn.edu/PShelley/anarchy.html

Never give up hope ( for the children of Gaza and Palestine)

(despite my partner currently being very ill in hospital I can  never give up hope)

The two pictures included here are of Children playing on the beach in Gaza and on the streets of Palestine.
There are close  to 800,000 children currently living in Gaza, they make up more than half the population. 
Despite  the heartbreak they have suffered, it is amazing that these children can still find time to play, smile  and flash peace signs despite of the terror and hatred that no child should ever have to face. They and the people of Gaza, continue  to give us hope and will be forever remembered for their courage and resilience theyhave shown the world in the most trying of times.
Increasingly isolated by a blockade that prevents  anyone rebuilding their homes and their lives.
They remind me, that we should never give up hope.

Hope and Play is an organisation that helps to provide the children in occupied Palestinian territories and refugee camps the chance to  play, live and learn.
You will find a link here:- http://www.hopeandplay.org/

We need to talk about Jeremy

Today  is the last chance to vote  for Jeremy Corbyn as leader of the Labour Party,  a person that I believe to  be one  of the  most honest people to have emerged  in Britains  frontline politics. A hard working, conscientious  M.P, veteran trade unionist and anti-war activist, a figure  of the real proper left.
A strong voice in opposing Tory austerity, the 2003 Iraq war,  freedom for the Palestinian people,  supporting my views of hope, strongly supporting the causes of the environment, peace and social justice.
constantly standing against the senseless wastes of human life  that have  plagued this country. Genuinely saying it how it is.
It is only £3  to sign up as a supporter, or free if you are  a unison or unite member.  We should not believe  the media's relentless attacks on Jeremy,  they are not watching out for us, Jeremy is a threat to the elite and needs all the support he can get.
On the other hand I have long believed the Labour Party to be dead,  so will not be rushing to rejoin, I left  in the 1980's as they were expelling friends and comrades from it's  ranks, and  turning into  New Labour, under the treacherous direction of the likes of Tony Blair, and that spineless traitor Neil Kinnock.
If Jeremy changes the Labour Party's direction, turns it into a fighting party again, defending the poor, the weak and vulnerable that will be good.  If  he enables  us to keep challenging the status quo, then all will not be lost, if he  allows us  to keep saying no to austerity , by spreading good words of solidarity and hope, that fuel our rightful anger, then  possibly all will not be lost. Hopefully Jeremy will allow us to  restore some faith,  in our minds and hearts.
We must start building alternatives, build a strong social movement , that changes society into a force of good and change, instead of one that is cruel and divided.
Good luck Jeremy Corbyn.  

Gaza Art: Remembering 400 dead children

Palestinian artist Majdal Nateel, painted the following images to commemorate 400 of the  children who died in Gaza last summer - but she is not even permitted  to leave Gaza to see them currently on display in London's King Cross, after they were bought  back by the journalist Jon Snow last month.
Powerful stuff drawn  on cement bag fragments, used to to deliver limited supplies  of cement to families whose homes were bombed. Imaging the dreams and aspirations of the children who died. Ongoing restrictions of cement and other materials means that many children who survived the conflict are still without homes.l I hope the people  of the UK will get to see these pictures and understand the terrible suffering that Israel has inflicted on  innocent  children.
The artist Majdal Nateel is 29. the mother of two young daughters, and lives in Gaza city. This exhibition gives her a rare chance to showcase her work outside Gaza. Respect to Jon Snow for bringing them over. 

Si Mohammed Bel Hassan el Soudani - B, 1959, Rec. by Paul Bowles

In my opinion, a rather wonderful musical interval.
Bye for now..... heddwch/peace.

Remembering Hiroshima

70 years ago  today at 8.15, August 6th, 1945, the city of Hiroshima was destroyed with an atomic bomb. In a  matter of a few minutes, hundreds of thousands of  innocent people lost their lives in this  cowardly attack. Three days later the city of Nagasaki met the same fate. Combined it resulted in the deaths of over 400,000 people.
Today I cry,  no more Hiroshimas, no more Nagasakis, Ban nuclear weapons.
As people across Wales and all over the world will be remembering this devastation.
Sending clear messages to the Welsh government and to governments across the world that nuclear weapons are not needed, here, or anywhere. We should remember that it is a crime to prepare for mass murder. Trident is a crime, it is a criminal weapon.
It should be unthinkable today that the horrors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki should ever be repeated. Let us remember today, and continue on our journey today towards peaceful change.
Lets forever give peace a chance.
Heddwch/peace.

No time for tears

another poem for  my  dear Jane.
holding on,  not letting go.

No times for tears, they can wait,
because under it's weight you can sink,
time now to muster some strength,
allow friends to release silent prayers,
powerful chants, in times of distress,
to  lend a hand, of faithfulness,
to  break down and open doors of light.

The brilliance of friendship,
in this present time  is good,
stitches together the continuity of hope,
sprinkles some light among the branches,
into this distracting world of thought,
giving comfort to current spaces of meaning ,
a friendly pulse, a force of good in time's struggle.

Solidarity is  love, gives us strength,
let 's keep on  delivering, it's message,
allow it to run free,
pumping adrenalin into the veins,
of all  those still grappling,
allow it to rescue and restore,
all vestiges of hope.

When then sun goes down,
and the night is long,
solidarity's breath is the master of dreams,
gives us love, harbours strength ,
so keep it protected, with all your hearts,
allow it's presence, to light  the world with change,
to serve and protect every persistent day.

Solidarity with humanity.

At a time  when people should be rising up in solidarity  about the rotten establishment, the reckless bankers, the corrupt politicians, and the greedy, people are  pointing the  finger of blame at those  that don't deserve to be attacked,  people like the unemployed, the underpaid, and  currently  receiving  much vitriol migrants.
The  language of  racism and xenophobia  on full display,  politicians daily  speaking  and inflaming the situation, with voices completely devoid of compassion, using the language of division  and hate on those most undeserving.  The spectre of fascism, once again  is on open display across Europe .
The freedom of movement is a universal  right recognised by international law, but politicians, apart from a few  do not seem to be taking this right seriously.
The crisis in Calais happening right now is a humanitarian crisis, people fleeing injustices in desperation,  we should  not be blaming  them,  or treating them like criminals, or as less than human, we should be treating  them with tolerance and dignity, offering them our hands of friendship.
It is not  by chance  that so many desperate  people try to enter the UK, as well as other rich countries, we must remember  that in their own homelands, they do  not even have  the basic conditions that dives them a means of survival. At the end of the day , they have no choice to try and escape, and try to reach Europe every day.
Collectively we must  oppose migrant detention  and removal measures to protect  these  people's human rights. The continual struggle of migrants, which they have determined  for themselves, must be supported against the daily oppression that they face. It should encourage us to  be more more active, to give  solidarity with all struggling migrants  everywhere.
David Cameron should  be condemned for playing politics  with the situation in Calais, trying to whip up fear and hostility to those that are seeking refuge, start looking  for a more  humanitarian solution to the situation. In the meantime there are thousands  of people across the  continent  who are filling the void left by politicians,  urging them to take responsibility  and solidarity in taking in more migrants.  We should also  be following the   example of   other countries, with a reasonable response,  take Sweden for example, who  are currently  allowing anyone from Syria into their country, who last year alone accepted 30,000 asylum seekers, compared to the UK's meagre pathetic 10,000.
Europe must belong to everyone, not just  profiteers,  we must continue to protect  desperate people trying to flee  imperialist wars, repression and poverty, following dangerous routes across land and sea.
No one is illegal, but solidarity is love.

When the siege is broken; A poem for Gaza

One year after the 2014 war that killed more than 2,000 Palestinians and destroyed thousands of homes, people in Gaza are still struggling to survive under awful living conditions and a crippling blockade.
A place of daily struggle for the 1.6 million living here under Israeli siege, in the tiny Gaza strip, one of the most densely populated paces on the planet, that has since 2007 suffered under the brutal Israel Land, air and sea blockade.
After the latest assault, entire neighbourhoods are inaccessible,  medical and medical disposables in shortage. The blockade has caused increased unemployment, loss of agricultural land, decline in incomes from fishing due  to restrictions imposed  by the Israeli Navy and daily problems obtaining raw materials, and everyday manufactured products. With health impaired by  a population impoverished, together with psychological problems, caused by the ordeal of confinement, to this open prison.
Lifting the blockade would enable Gaza to trade again. And if this happened the economy could grow by almost $4 billion. Local businesses and farmers could earn decent livings again. People could afford to feed their families and put their children through school or college and get access to safe water. We must be able to give some hope of a better future for the people of Gaza, it is more than enough time that they are given their dignity back to be allowed an economic life that has been denied to them for years,  to be allowed to travel and trade again.
Yes it is more than time that the blockade is lifted, for people to be connected with friends and family in the West Bank again,  the blockade of human rights and international law, an obstacle to freedom and peace.
The following a poem, that looks forward to a time when the siege and blockade is over.


When the siege is broken

From a dream within a dream,
freedom's breath kept calling,
the degradation just had to end,
a change needed to be delivered,
between the wall and sea,
the keys of promise allowed to return,
allow the struggling bird, to trace some light.

The future blossoms again,
green on the land,the dawn wakes to song,
instead of the rattle of gunfire and missiles,
the morning  moves with softness,
as cypresses sway, under the shade of oak trees,
jasmines scent floats, the smell of oranges, 
                                              sweet on the breeze.

Beyond the rubble of the past,
children play in jubilation,
farmers toil in the afternoon sun,
the fruit of their soil alive again,
a paradise is regained from oppression,
though weeping tears will never cease,
olive branches now glisten with hope,
fishermen go far out to cast  their nets,
smiling sharing salted bread,
to bring back home  a rich harvest.

Safe from captivity, no longer in a living hell,
hearts again, existing in peace,
the dream continues,
lights a path away from the dark,
as speakers ring out, a familiar call for prayer,
a conflagration of new beginnings,
returns some mercy.   

poem written last week before I became aware of extent of  my partners illness, a cause that we both share  together.                                    

Holding on

a poem, written for my wonderful friend, soul mate, partner, Jane, currently seriously ill in hospital.

Holding on

We break, get torn,
 this makes our living spaces so blue,
so we fall apart, to start again,
to shake dark shadows of our skin,
wait for calming thoughts to return,
to burn bright again,
feel the tug of another's heart,
holding on and not letting go,
souls are strong, the wind can't blow them away,
still like air, the morning she rises,
with touch and breath, smiles again,
by moonflowers and sunflowers,
we will continue to walk and talk,
allow our nights and days,
to be imbued with love.

Jeff Buckley - Hallelujah

" Love is not a victory march, it's cold and it's broken.


Hallelujah."

I have returned sooner than expected, time on my hand's,
for Alison Croydon  ( Ali) my beloved cousin, who  is being  laid to rest today,

aged 58, R.I..P.


Dear soul,

Stonehenge veteran,

intrepid traveller ,

inner and beyond, 
we light a brief candle,

both ends burning,

as we remember,

and her journey continues,
hallelujah

No to Beijing 2022

In a weeks time, on July 31, the IOC ( the International Olympics Committee will decide whether to award Beijing a second Olympic games. When China last hosted the Olympics there was a violent crackdown in Tibet and since then the repression  has only worsened. The 2008 Olympics did nothing to alleviate human rights abuses or enhance freedom, in fact since then China has become more aggressive in its attitudes to human rights in Tibet, and less willing to engage in  dialogue regarding a lasting resolution with reports of armed police attacking and beating peaceful protestors and seriously injuring many more, Tibetans imprisoned for simply singing a song, things are significantly worse than they were before. In the last few weeks over 2 human rights lawyers have been jailed in large numbers, many of which are still detained or still missing and entire communities can be punished for the act of one person.
Others too suffering, the arbitrary arrest torture, and disappearance of those they consider a threat, like the Ulghurs, southern Mongolians and Hans Chinese.
More than 175 Tibetan groups  have backed the call  for the IOC to reject China's bid. By granting China these games again, the IOC will be putting their international stamp of approval on China's continuing military occupation of Tibet. Combined with  its continuing restrictions on  civil and  political liberties this surely makes it an  unfit candidate to host these games because of it's clear contempt of human rights.

Please sign and share the following  petition. Tell the IOC that China does not deserve another Olympics


https://www.change.org/p/international-olympic-committee-ioc-don-t-reward-china-s-worsening-oppression-with-another-olympic-games

A poem for Tony Blair

Mr Blair's heart is running on empty
his soul containing only darkness,
he comes and go's as he pleases
adds nothing of value,no hidden depth
just likes to stir and pontificate
count his stockpiles of cash,
profits soaked in blood and tears
basking again today in the limelight,
showering humanity with his dismal grin
a joke that's beginning to wear very thin,
distracting us, with his vanity and deceit
can't this man be brought to account?
accept some responsibility, for all the lives he wasted
for all the pain and ruins that he created,
continues unrelentling, carries on unashamed
telling us little things,shouting down our cries,
I have become weary and unsympathetic
of this shameless charlatan, power mad junky.

"I would swim through vomit to vote against this welfare bill - John McDonnell

The Welfare and Work Bill passed its second reading in the House of Commons yesterday by 308 votes to 124, nearly  half  of  the house voting for greater social exclusion and aggressive social cleansing, more homelessness, bigger child poverty, increased attacks on the poor and vulnerable. Sadly most  Labour Party MPs have forgotten that they are supposed to be in opposition, a bunch of gutless spineless individuals, a party fast becoming devoid of principles and integrity.  Only 48 Labour MP's decided to take a stand against austerity though, among them leadership candidate Jeremy Corbyn, who with the above seems to care a lot, keeps showing himself  as a human being, despite the rest of the modern Labour Party acting like traitors to the people they should be representing. But we should not really be handing out congratulations either, surely this is why we have something called  opposition. When we live in a land of no opposition, we live in a scary place indeed.When those inside Westminsters walls carry on not listening, we must outside, carry on fighting and resisting , for the survival of us all.

The Queen's embarrasmment at old footage of her giving Nazi salute.

The Queen is said to be furious and embarrassed after footage was released recently by the Sun newspaper, showing her delivering a mock  Nazi salute in 1933. Unfortunately, this is what happens when Royalty tries to bury it's past.
The actions of a naive young girl maybe, aged only 5 or 7, who did not know what she was doing, and the full implications of her actions, under the influence of others So it's a case of blaming the adults I guess. In the black and white film footage she his shown with  her mum, the Queen mother, her Uncle Prince Edward and her younger sister Princess Margaret.
Many will say, it is time to move on, and in the hearts and minds of some of her subjects she will always remain as a dignified role model. But Republic which campaigns for a democratic alternative to the monarchy said the palace should stop  dodging responsibility. Others are saying you cannot bury history, because if you try to do this, it has a habit of coming back to haunt you.
In 1933, the fact is, due to Nazism, anti-semitism was on the rise. Hitler was  already known as  the leader of the National Socialist Working Party (the Nazis) had already started rounding up Communists, Socialists and Liberals, purging as many political opponents as possible - giving him one man dictatorial powers. Already talking of the master race, building roads on the outskirts of towns that would carry millions away to their deaths. Already they saw Jews, Roma (Gypsies) and the handicapped as a serous biological threat to the purity of the German (Aryan) race. Jews became the principal target of Nazi hatred. The Nazi salute, was already seen by many as a symbol of fear.
It could be said that the Queen, was hoodwinked, by her uncle Prince Edward, later Edward V111,  it is known he was a sympathiser of Hitler's Nazi regime, he admired Hitler's economic and social reforms as the Nazis swept to power, and wanted  Britain to offer them their hands of friendship. Later after his abdication, he visited Germany with the idea of discussing becoming a figurehead for an international movement for peace on Hitler's terms. And later on in his life his view of Hitler remained undimmed declaring him to be "not a bad chap."
Thankfully Hitler was defeated, but despite all the vestiges of privilege, this story,  will act not just as  a painful reminder of the historical past. It also serves  as a warning, an echoe to our present times, when the dangers of fascism still lurk, and governments with undemocratic mandates, run amok. Lest us forget either the Nazi sympathetic 'tendencies'  at the heart of the British establishment. At the end of the day this information should have been  in the public domain 50 years  ago, what was to hide, just an innocent secret, an honest simple mistake?

Worthless - Agnes Török

Powerful poem  on the news of a new Conservative budget, based  on the experience of living in Britain under austerity as a young, queer, unemployed female immigrant student - and not taking it any more.
Already gone viral, with thousands already having viewed this three minute call to arms, a blasting riposte to a system that glorifies the rich and its economic policies whilst telling the rest of us we are 'worthless.'




http://agnestorok.org/