Theresa
May is preparing to abandon plans for a British Bill of Rights after
Britain leaves the European Union, Government sources have suggested.
Ministers have confirmed that the Government's plans to scrap the Human Rights Act have been shelved until after Brexit. However sources say that the plans may
now be abandoned entirely because Brexit will significantly strengthen
the sovereignty of British courts. This could have huge implications for rights protections in the UK and across Europe, Theresa May plans to take the UK out of the European Convention on Human Rights.The Prime Minister plans to fight the 2020
election on a platform of leaving the European Convention on Human
Rights (ECHR). The PM plans to “lift and shift” rights protections so
people in the UK can only seek rights protections in UK courts. If
correct, this would be the first time that any major party has promised
to take the UK out of the ECHR altogether. The ECHR is an international treaty which the United Kingdom signed
up to after World War II. It contains a list of human rights and
fundamental freedoms necessary to live a dignified life. The UK was instrumental in drafting the treaty and was amongst the first signatories in 1950. It came into force in 1953. The government had promised to replace the Human Rights Act with a
“British Bill of Rights”, but those plans appear to have been put on the
back burner since the UK voted to leave the European Union earlier this
year. The Telegraph reports that May “has decided that she cannot start
that fight with the prospect of negotiating Britain’s exit from the
European Union set to dominate Parliament over the next few years.” The report goes on: A senior Government source said: “We would have been
looking at having a huge row with a Parliament to get through the
Cameron plan and we might even have failed. A clean break is by far the
best option and, if we put it in the manifesto, even those Tory MPs who
are squeamish about the idea will have to get behind it. A manifesto
pledge also means the Lords will have to let it through eventually. All
the signs are that the Prime Minister is up for this.”
The 2020 Election is still just
under four years away, and much could happen between now and then –
particularly given the uncertain politics of Brexit. This report could
be no more than a “balloon” being raised to see how people react. It
could also be no more than an attempt to address concerns to the right
of the Tory Party that the Bill of Rights plans seem likely to be
seriously delayed.
However, May has advocated ECHR-withdrawal before,
so this would be a consistent move. If it is true, then it could signal
a very significant change to UK human rights protections, as well as a
potential major blow to the Convention system which the UK helped
create.
Human rights do exactly what they say, they are rights that belong to all people by virtue of being human. We must continue to stand together for the protection of human rights, for the protection of all.
On December 8, 1987, 16 year old Palestinian schoolboy protestor,Hatem Abu Sissah is killed by Israeli soldiers, he had simply gone to join with hundreds of others, demonstrating against their ongoing occupation. On December 9th an Israeli truck crashed into two vans carrying Palestinian workers, killing 4 inhabitants. It would act as a final straw and catalyst for the days of rage that were to follow. It would ignite the first intifada in Israeli-occupied Palestine, a popular uprising that would see many Palestinians uniting in a campaign of resistance against the Israeli occupation. Spreading initially from the Jabaila refugee camp, throughout the occupied territories, the Gaza strip, the West Bank and East Jerusalem. It would lead to a general strike, refusal to pay taxes, a boycott of Israeli institutions and riots which lasted until the early 1990s. In Arabic intifada means to rise up or to shake off. It would embody the struggle of the Palestinians to win basic freedoms long denied by Israel, against policies of exclusion and domination, against a background of oppression.and the denial of basic freedoms. In the days and years that followed, almost daily clashes with Israeli soldiers would occur and would catapult the Palestinian cause onto the international stage and into the hearts of millions of television viewers across the globe as they resisted a colonial military power that had been occupying their land by force since 1967. While the First Intifada is largely reduced to images of Palestinian boys throwing stones at Israeli tanks, women were at the helm of resistance. It would result in a total of 1,489 Palestinian lives being lost along with 185 Israelis. Some years later on September 13, 1993, the uprising would end with the Oslo Peace agreement between the PLO and Israel, that would bring the Palestinians dream of Independence in the West Bank, and Gaza one step closer, but was followed again in September 2000, with a second intifada.
The intifada transformed relations between occupiers and occupied. As the resistance went on month after month . year after year, the Israelis came to realise that they could neither dominate nor expel the Palestinians.
This was not the first time that Palestinians rose up in protest, In 1935, when Palestine was still under British colonial rule, it was British forces that killed, injured and arrested thousands of Palestinians fed up with colonialism and occupation. And it was British colonial lawmakers who instituted practices such as administrative detention, detaining people without charge or trial a practice which was then adopted Israeli policy, that is still being used against Palestinians today.
Palestinians still have to take principled methods of non-violent civil disobedience, that includes general strikes, boycotts of Israeli products, refusal to pay taxes, hunger strikes, along with graffiti, and spontaneous demonstrations to allow their plight to be recognised by the world.
Many believe that it wont be long until a third intifada comes to call. How many more intifada's must be fought until real justice for the Palestinian people prevails and the world finally witnesses an end of illegal Israeli military occupation of the Palestinian territories.?
Datblygu a favourite band of mine , seminal Welsh post-punk legends, have just released their latest album. It is called Porwr Trallford ( Tribulation Browser) A continuing journey of the magical force that is Pat Morgan and David Rupert Edwards, delivering again a smouldering sound of truth. Dave like a lot of us has unfortunatley has over the years had to battle and endure mental illness, but despite it all, with this record, he keeps delivering a poetical depth of beauty and raw honesty. I confess now that I personally know Dave,and over the years and so have witnessed his strength, his friendship and love, that has carried and lifted me, kept me afloat in my own periods of darkness. But at the end of the day, if you want hear some truth. switch off the mainstream news, seek out this record full of lyrical beauty, of musical depth, and emotion, carried in the medium of the Welsh ,a message that will also enable you to fall in love with this rich language. When the lights continue to go on and off, here is a light that delivers truth and soul. So if your into christmas, I can think of nothing better to send than this wonderful record, that truly deserves a much wider audience, with messages of hope, taking in Jack Kerouac, Richard Burton, broken britain, alcohol ,lust, life and loss, a passionate voice from here in West Wales, a clear ember from the soul, that will leave you blinded with beauty as the world's dark shadows drift. All in the beautiful medium of the Welsh language. This is truly a beautiful gift of a much needed poetical genius. So diolch yn fawr, thank you very much Pat and Dave, I continue to love your journey and gift immensely, I will end with a quote from Mr Edwards - "there's no need to analyse, feelings so pure." Seek this record out I guarantee it will not offer you any disappointment. I for one will continue to love Datblygu's music ureservedly. a band that almost stopped me going completely insane.
Some musical respite among the darkness. Full of cold at moment, but I keep looking, and at the end of the day another world is possible, we should not allow fear to rob us of this potential. Politicians are leading us currently in the wrong direction, they can be averted though by building on the struggle for a different kind of world. Lets not be puppets attached to their strings, seek new possibilities, keep on longing for a more beautiful world, abandon their shackles, their greed and need for war, overcome their barriers, yes truly another world is possible. All the best heddwch/peace
On this day December 4, 1969, Chicago Black Panther Party Chairman, revolutionary and activist was assasinated by the Chicago Ploice Department in collusion with the F.B.I.
Just 21 years old Hampton was a dynamic young activist and one of the founders of the Chicago Rainbow Coalition, that sought to unite the Black Panthers, and the American Indian Movement in one common struggle.
Fred Allen Hampton was born. on the 30th of August 1948 in Summit ,Illinois to Francis and Iberia Hampton two factory workers who had migrated north as part of the Great Migration of Black Americans out of the south.Fred Hampton was key in forming links between the Panthers and working-class people of all races.
Hampton grew up with an older brother and sister. His family was friendly with the family of Emmett Till before Till's 1955 murder. Hampton's family moved to Maywood, another Chicago suburb when Hampton was 10. Hampton attended Irving Elementary School and Proviso East High School. In high school, he led the school's Interracial Committee. He also protested the school only nominating white girls to run for homecoming queen, which resulted in the inclusion of Black girls.
After graduating with honors from Proviso East High School, Hampton studied pre-law at Triton Junior College. He also attended Crane Junior College (later Malcolm X College) and the University of Illinois at Chicago Circle.
Hampton became involved in the civil rights movement, and led the Youth Council of the NAACP's West Suburban chapter, growing membership to more than 500. He advocated for a community pool in his hometown of Maywood, which led to an arrest for "mob action."
In November 1968, Hampton helped found the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party. From his base in Chicago, he served as chairman of this local chapter. Though Hampton was just 20, he became a respected leader in the Party, aided by his talent for public speaking and experience in community organising,
Many saw him as the next possible Martin Luther King or the next Malcolm X, or perhaps the next great leader of Black Americans. He combined a huge personality with a brilliant, critical mind and became a charismatic educator and speaker. His public statements on capitalism, racism, politics, Marxism and socialism were peppered with slang and profanity that refused to bow to the rules of the system. He sought to unite people through socialism, against the capitalist system, fighting against racism and discrimination through practice and deeds, seeking to find solutions that would improve poor and working peoples lives, through struggle, without getting bogged down in watered down reformity.
He sought to do this through observation and practice. Such interracial working class organizing and open criticism of the capitalist economic system made him dangerous. It was one thing to organize along racial lines. It was another to try to unite the white, Black and Hispanic workers together in working class solidarity! A dangerous message then, still is today I guess.
Fred Hampton was a dedicated revolutionary who studied theory and carried this through into everyday action. Throughout 1969, he maintained a demanding speaking schedule; he organised weekly rallies in support of BPP members in jail or on trial.
His organisation provided breakfasts for poor school children and a free medical clinic for those that needed it. Hampton himself also taught political education classes. He also managed to persuade two of Chicago's most powerful street gangs to stop fighting one another. His attempt at unification of different peoples struggles bought him to the attention of J.Edgar Hover and the F.B.I. From the 1950s until the 1970s, the FBI’s Counterintelligence Program (COINTELPRO) had already been targeting leaders of activist organizations like Fred Hampton. The program served to undermine, infiltrate, and spread misinformation (often through extrajudicial means) about political groups and the activists who belonged to them. COINTELPRO targeted civil rights leaders such as the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. as well as radical groups like the Black Panther Party, the American Indian Movement among others. As Hampton’s influence in the Black Panthers grew, the FBI began to focus on his activities, opening a file on him in 1967.
The FBI enlisted a man named William O'Neal to infiltrate and sabotage the Black Panthers Party. O'Neal, who had been previously arrested for car theft and impersonating a federal officer, agreed to the task because the federal agency promised to drop the felony charges against him. O’Neal quickly gained access to Hampton by becoming both his bodyguard and a security director in Hampton’s Black Panther Party chapter.
During an early morning police raid,on December 4, 1969, he and fellow Black Panther Mark Clark were assassinated in a hail of bullets by the FBI and Chicago police. Hampton who was only 21.had been asleep when first hit, and, as he lay prone on the floor, was shot twice at point-blank range in the head. His body was then dragged into the doorway in a pool of blood.
The police opened fire on the remaining bedroom, hitting several Panthers repeatedly. The survivors were beaten, dragged into the street, and arrested on a charge of the attempted murder of the police officers who had carried out the raid, and aggravated assault. Many in the Chicago African American community were outraged over the raid and what they saw as the unnecessary deaths of Hampton and Clark.in what was seen as a serious attempt to undermine the Black Panthers powerful message, his death was an act of police brutality. His death was government-sanctioned murder. His death was an assassination. His death was an execution. 5,000 people attended Hampton’s funeral where Reverends Ralph Abernathy and Jesse Jackson eulogized the slain activist.
It is tempting to look back at the raid as a singular example of law enforcement run amok; a violent and inexcusable governmental reaction to the political climate of the time. And yet, so much of what happened in the aftermath is familiar to anyone who has studied systematic police violence ever since. today..
The official investigation into the shootings was a farce, and it was left up to the survivors and the BPP to pursue a civil case against the SPU and the FBI. Finally, in 1983, it was acknowledged that there “had in fact been an active governmental conspiracy to deny Hampton, Clark and the BPP plaintiffs their civil rights”.
Damages of $1.85m were awarded to the survivors and the families of the deceased.
In 1990, and later in 2004, the Chicago City Council passed resolutions commemorating December 4 as Fred Hampton Day.
The saying most often associated with Fred Hampton is: “You can kill a revolutionary, but you cannot kill a revolution. You can jail a liberation fighter, but you cannot jail liberation.”
Fred Hampton Jnr was born a few months after his father’s murder. He, too, is active in the African-American revolutionary movement and has spent almost nine years in jail on politically-related charges..
While he met a tragic and untimely end, it is important to remember that he was killed for his ideas, because those ideas carried so much weight and . they still do. Although many years have since gone since his passing, the peoples love for this man remains strong. His powerful message remains strong. People still fighting discrimination and ongoing racism.Fred Hampton is a hero in the struggle for Black liberation, revolution and socialism. He should be remembered and his example should be followed by all progressive and revolutionary people.In 2004 the Chicago City Council passed a resolution commemorating December 4 as Fred Hampton Day.
In the courtroom at a 1969 trial for a trumped up robbery charge, only months before he was killed, the 21 year old gave an amazing speech defending himself and all Black people, while at the same time calling on all working people to unite in revolutionary solidarity. There is no better way to end this article than with his words, passionately explaining the beliefs that he died for.
" We got to face some facts. That the masses are poor, that the masses belong to what you call the lower classes, and I talk about the masses, I'm talking about the white masses, I'm talking about the black masses, and the brown masses, and the yellow masses.
We've got to face the fact that some people say you fight fire best with fire, but we say you put fire out best with water. We say you don't fight racism with racism. We're going to fight racism with solidarity.
We say don't fight capitalism with no black capitalism, you fight capitalism with socialism. "
Fred Hampton - Political Prisoner
Although many years have since gone since his passing, the peoples love for this man remains strong. His powerful message remains strong. People still fighting discrimination and ongoing racism. In 2004 the Chicago City Council passed a resolution commemorating December 4 as Fred Hampton Day.
A brother who fought the oppressor, who attacked the suppressor, people continue his fight, discrimination has not ended, nor has the struggle. the dream of freedom is kept alive, some people pay the price, when they try to fight back, you can kill a revolutionary, but you cant kill the revolution. the spirit, lives on. I am a revolutionary - Fred Hampton
Yesterday in a mad rush for war, we saw reason crushed, after a peacemakers son, ** made the case for air-strikes in Syria, saw the house of commons applauding, exploiting issues of terror for political gain, deciding to send hawks of war, instead of peaceful wings of doves. Men and women in London, once again drawing maps, to serve their own interests, instead of yours and mine, actions that can't be unmade, allowing the odour of death, to be cast upon foreign land. Not in our names people cry, they dont support this government, and are not sympathetic to terrorists, simply don't want more bad news, in the coming months after December, will continue to work for peace's endurance, for friendly shadows to be shared among us all.
David Cameron recently said that those who oppose bombing in Syria as terrorist sympathisers, he has since refused to apologise. Power has simply gone to the head of this Typical Eton bully boy, he shows utter contempt for many people in Britain who simply do not want the bloodshed of innocents to be shed. It seems that he is incapable of listening to those that do not share his illogical point of view. He is clearly a laughing stock, worrying though with such a dangerous level of power. It makes him out as contemptible and desperate as he makes this awful slur on those trying to deliver peace. We should not be enslaved by this horrible hypocrite, we should carry on being human, and working for peace, if they ignore us later as I fear M.Ps will, we must strive to beat them with a more reasoned response. In this present time his marks unhelpful and deeply offensive. Follow people of principle instead of those who continue to unleash their arrogance and wilful disdain for others opinion. Does he not realize or has he just turned blind, started listening to outside agendas, that the bombing of innocents is what most reasonable people would consider to be acts of terrorism. Scapegoating people is not a way to win an argument, it is simply name calling of the worst order, he should be treated with all the contempt that he deserves. Please tell me what is so wrong about standing up for the values of peace and justice? What about the terror Mr Cameron that you have unleashed on the poor, homeless, diadvantaged here in Great Britain?
Today is the 11th anniversary of one of my favourite singer songwriters death. On the eve of a possible drawn out war, remember to keep love in your hearts. Blessed are the peacemakers.
I wanted to start December with a happy optimistic post, but as the UK prepares to exercise its historic role on the people of Syria, and warmongerering M.Ps join in to push us into committing itself to airstrikes here's this post instead. The conflict in Syria is already 4 years old, the revolutionary Kurds have been fighting against Isis all this time have been ignored time and time again, as they make their stand in places like Kobane and Rojava on the Turkish border. If we want to take sides, if any at all, why are we not backing the PKK, who want a future that is not dictated by either fundamentalists or imperialists, or anonymous who are taking on Isils propoganda wing. Furthermore in the past two months alone Israels armed forces and armed civilians have killed 108 Palestinians, the vast majority simply executed, and also over 2,000 Palestinians have been arrested, at least 350 of them being children. No emergency debates about this in our great Houses of Parliament. Politicians however like to start wars, and are quite prepared to ignore chaos and misery elsewhere, perhaps it serves their warped objectives. While I understand that the brutality of Isil and Assad must be stopped, I feel we must try and find peaceful solutions that challenge too the UK/NATO imperialist policy of supporting Turkey/Saudi Arabia etc etc.that will not mean the loss of innocent lives, allowing us to enter into another drawn out grubby little war, that will have terrible consequences, that will probably act as a recruitment call to Isis's death cult, they do not care who is killed, what terror is wrought, it will just serve their twisted purpose. Lets stop their supply of arms yes, by stopping all arms and munition sales to the region, and cut of their supply of money by stopping Turkey and surrounding states bringing them oil.This is how we can truly help the Syrian people, after all it they that we are supposed to be helping. It is these people in the region that truly matter, if we are to deliver them from the evils of both Assad and Isis. Oh yes their a lot of oil in this region, oil of course means profit, that's why Cameron perhaps forgets about Erdogen's violent suppressions, Israels illegal occupation of the Golan heights on the Syrian border. The whiff of hypocrisy abounds. Do we simply forget the tragedies of Iraq, Serbia, Afghanistan, Libya. Does history has to repeat itself, I don't think Cameron's call is a considered one at all, as for terrorism it will certainly increase the likelihood of it coming here to Britain. I do not see how it can possibly have any positive contribution to our national security. Lets not forget how Cameron was in a similar rush to lead us to war in Syria in 2013, that time on the side of ISIS or whatever they were called then. Thousands have taken to the streets in recent days voicing their objections, clearly saying no to the imminent threat of war, but the peoples wishes are wilfully ignored by Cameron and his allies, surprise, surprise. We have no money for welfare, but suddenly have more than ample for another deadly war, but Cameron and his allies do not seem to give a damn, as they continue to press forward with their deadly plans, that will only serve to endanger Syrian civilians, already in a perilous situation.. Who in their right minds can support Cameron's plans, propping up a multinational imperialist agenda. leading us into a probable unwinnable war Said it before, I guess (but the world does this to me unfortunately) my mind truly boggles at the moment, it truly does. heddwch/peace. Black Sabbath - War Pigs
Today marks the 80th anniversary of Fernando Pessoa's death the great Portugese, poet, writer, philosopher. Just recently rediscovered his book The Book of Disquiet courtesy of my dear friend Dave Datblygu,a book I have read in many different versions,various translations a timeless tome to loneliness, melancholy, failure and the human condition I am often drawn to these subject matters. Like many of us, he spent much of his time in isolation, seemingly talking to himself. Living in a series of rented rooms in Lisbon, chain smoking, drinking heavily,mainly writing, reading and leading an introspective life, with a keen interest in the occult, he had a correspondence with the magician Aleister Crowley.Fernando considered himself as an outsider looking in on life in Lisbon.
In the opening lines of one of his best known poems, The Tobacco Shop, he wrote :- I'm nothing, I'll always be nothing, I can't wait to be something, But I have in me all the dreams of the world.
When Pessoa died in 1935 a few years short of 50 he left behind lots of unpublished writings. The Book of Disquiet is undoubtedly his masterwork. He worked on it over three decades, in the end their was no definite order of its 500 or so sections, no order achieved or even hinted at, a random note to self. In the book he took on many identities and personalities, eradicating any traces of autobiographical feeling and experience, he seemed to be possessed by different characters and fragments of personae that he found within himself. Significantly one name soars above the rest a ' Bernardo Soares' an assistant bookeeper in Lisbon.
It is a self depreciating reflection on the sheer distance between the loftiness of feeling and the humdrum reality of life,meandering in sequences of unpredictablity, this book is a classic of existentialist literature. Many people are still discovering this wonderful melancholic writer, conjurer of deep imagination.
So thanks /diolch Dave and if like me you are of a contemplative disposition, then this book I heartily recommend. It will truly change the way you see things.A beautiful journey nevertheless...
In the meantime here's an extract :-
" It's one of those days when the monotony of everything oppresses me like being thrown into jail. The monotomy of myself, however. Each face, even if seen just yesterday, is different today, because today isn't yesterday. Each day is the day it is, and there was never another one like it in the world. Only our soul makes the identification - a genuinely felt but erroneous identification - by which everything becomes similar and simplified. The world is a set of distinct things with varied edges, but if we're near-sighted, it's a continual and indecipherable fog. I feel like fleeing. Like fleeing from what I know, fleeing from what's mine, fleeing from what I love. I want to depart, not for impossible Indias or for the great islands south of everything, but for any place at all - village or wilderness - that isn't this place. I want to stop seeing these unchanging faces, this routine, these days. I want to rest, far removed, from my inveterate feigning. I want to feel sleep come to me as life, not as rest. A cabin on the seashore or even a cave in a rocky mountainside could give me this, but my will unfortunately, cannot. Slavery is the law of life, and it is the only law, for it must be observed, there is no revolt possible, no way to escape it. Some are born slaves, others become slaves, and still others are forced to accept slavery. Our faint-hearted love of freedom - which, if we had it, we would all reject, unable to get used to it - is proof of how ingrained our slavery is. I myself, having just said that I'd like a cabin or a cave where I could be free from the monotomy of everything, which is the monotomy of me - would I dare set out for this cabin or cave, knowing from experience that the monotomy, since it stems from me, will always be with me? I myself, suffocating from where I am and because I am - where would I breathe easier, if the sickness is in my lungs rather than in the things that surround me, I myself who long for pure-sunlight and open country, for the ocean in plain view, and the unbroken horizon - could I get used to my new bed, the food not having to descend eight flights of stairs in the streets and entering the tobacco shop on the corner, not saying good morning to the barber standing outside his shop. Evdeerything that surrounds us becomes part of us, infiltrating our physical sensations and our feelings of life, and like spittle of the great spider, it subtley binds us to whatever is close, tucking us into a soft bed of slow death which is rocked by the world. Everything is us, and we are everything but what good is this, if everything is nothing? A ray of sunlight, a clud whose shadow tells us it is passing, a breeze that rises, the silence that follows when it rises, ceases, one or another for a few voices, the incidental laughter of the girls who are talking, and then night with the meaningless, fractured hieroglyphs of the stars."
In 1977, the United Nations General Assembly called for this day the 29th of November to be an annual observance of International Solidarity with the Palestinian people. An observance I mark daily. I acknowledge too, all those who have struggled for the Palestinians cause and all the Palestinians who have had to live and endure life under occupation, as refugees and in exile. A solidarity that sadly is still so much needed because Israel continues to daily violate their basic human rights with impunity. In the last few weeks alone we have seen more Palestinians shot down and killed ( young and old) the continuation of home demolitions, the seizure of their land, and the continued seige of Gaza and the West Bank. This injustice and suffering must cease. I passionately believe it is a moral and humanitarian responsibility to share their burden. As individuals we should pressure our governments to compel Israel, the occupying power to abide by International law to put an end to its daily violations and illegal aggressive destructive practices that disregard international law. The occupation of Palestinian territory ( the West Bank, including East Jerusalem and the open prison of the Gaza strip ) must cease, along with the punitive arrests, unfair treatment and excessive use of force. It is our duty to support their struggle through boycott, divestment and sanctions, to continue to share their story's, about these proud people who refuse to lie down, whose spirit refuses to be defeated, whose pain must end. With solidarity and humanity, and pain in our hearts we must keep trying to bring an end of their collective punishment. I realise that their are wars and turmoil all around us at the moment, in places like Syria and the recent terrorist atrocity in Paris but we must not allow them to distract our attentions from the Palestinians. The human tragedy of Palestine is ever so real, we cannot be deaf and blind to their plight.
Black Friday, people in such a rush like the world is suddenly going to end, the heat is on to buy more and more crowds pushing, shoving for deals galore cash registers flashing, money overflowing as people grab things they don't really need. Black Friday, black bloody night with the tories daily stalking our lives, creating consumer madness people driven to despair, fighting for a bargain instead of for their lives. Black Sunday, Black Monday, Black Tuesday on and on as they push us to breaking point; turn our days dark in the middle of the day I see red, but carry on walking, I have no time for over consumption bottle open still have to be careful. I really do not understand this joyless frenzy given over to the temple of greed and hopelessness fighting for brands that I've never heard of I prefer to spend my days following love, will ignore this nightmarish capitalist rush wake up when all over, with some spare change
Currently the warmongerers are gathering planning to bomb Syria. Tomorrow though will see thousands on the streets in towns and cities across Britain urging David Cameron not to bomb Syria, and try to prevent him from leading us into another dangerous war. Partner ill in hospital at moment otherwise I would be marching too as I did with millions of others against the Iraq war, we must not forget that the UK has been bombing other countries for a decade and a half, the cost millions of innocent lives. Doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results meets Albert Einsteins definition of madness, Air strikes in Syria could risk devastating consequences. Let us remember this is not te only country facing evil at the present time, we cannot afford to allow innocents to be collectively punished. War is an act of terrorism too, only on a bigger budget. Do we stoke and inflame an already perilous situation that could result in Isis's disease spreading further, acting as a recruitment to this death cult. Here is John Pilger, a man I have admired for a long time, who always has the courage to speak the truth as he sees it. A true inspiration. Here he speaks on Isis, Syria, the press and Jeremy Corbyn. Blessed are the peacemakers. You can lobby your own M.P here :- http://stopwar.org.uk/resources/petitions/stop-the-bombing-of-syria-now-lobby-your-mp-now
Golden brown and silver foil, took some dear friends far away, a deadly seducer of illusion, freezing and numbing souls forever, sending senses into endless sleep, sweet brothers to run out of steam, having released poison into veins, voices left eternally in disarray.
In the morning and dusk, lights went out, compasses lost, in cold sweats, demons vapour called, sadness became a pleading cry riding on waves of oblivion, spreading sorrow and tears, shooting up deadly obsession, instead of love, destruction called, navigating kinsmen to goodbye's door. I remember now as November rain falls, how their breathes slipped away, memories that still run deep, seduced and taken into infinite depths, crying inside, but lost outside, innocents who pushed too hard, who speak to me now only in dream. May perilous journeys act as warnings, because Mr Brown is such bad company, a negator of life a creator of ruin, leaving to many holes of emptiness, a beautiful flower when grown in the wild, but on the streets, spreads to much hurt.
In the present climate our lives are currently being saturated by round the clock fear. Scaremongering headlines fill our homes and our public spaces. The fear of war, the fear of terror, the fear of this and that, your neigbours, your community. Crisis and panic is all we seem to talk or care about. Horror after horror, catastrophe after disaster, cruelty and tragedy impose on all or waking days. It seems to be the new order of the day. Perpetrated and spread by the media, the usual suspects the Daily Fail, the Scum, the Daily Express etc etc, CNN, Fox, the BBC, most of Murdochs outposts of bile. We should not forget about Paris, Syria, Palestine ( replace with any random country) whatever stirs our hearts, what has happened cannot be simply wiped out, but surely it is time now to start losing our fears. We must remember that in reality , in everyday our everyday lives are remarkably safe, but the threat of terror abounds and is cultivated, a fear that does us no good. It is important to reflect of course, but we should not get fixated, we should try to carry on doing what we normally do, here I am again in the library, later might have a cold beer, go for a walk, smoke a joint, have a nap, maintain my inner being, will try not to be consumed by fear. Give it a try and while your at it, stop spreading it. Remember that fear is a lucrative business, and that people are daily getting richer from it, don't allow it to take control, that enables the terrorists and dirty politicians to win. Do not lose your resolve, your convictions and faith, refuse to stigmatise, do not allow the good to become the bad, this enables the bad to become even more powerful. It is time though for the start the war coalition to be stopped. Remember when we lose our fear, they lose their power.
( a rather silly ode, composed this morning) Oh Jeremy Hunt, I'll be rather blunt you really are a complete Tory c***t it is not junior doctors that are a threat to patients the true danger lies with you and your friends cutting funds and asset stripping, tearing apart our beloved NHS because your conning us, letting this essential service to be broken carving it up, allowing its put upon workers to carry on choking your laugh is like bad medicine, poison for our soul you refuse to face our questions, your simply out of control you continue to use damaging words against health professionals won't meet demands, reach out and find some concessions but we will keep pleading for more consistency as we rage and rally against your toxicity cos Jeremy Hunt, you really are a stupid runt I hope the people of this land give you a shunt.
Writer and poet Benjamin Zepaniah, who I've always considered one of the good guys, Anarchist or not he always speaks from the heart, and like George Orwell, the more he understands and continues to inspire, as he rejects a society that rejects people, and dehumanises along the way, I will agree with him, in the sense that those that those against mutli-culturalism here In Britain, are truly the most anti-British among us. Long may he help us and inspire, with his revolutionary attitudes and passion and long continue being a poet of the people, his words nurturing people from all walks of life . We need men like this, in days like these, I for one am grateful for his attitudes and beliefs, his words. He is certainly not mellowing with age, respect to him always, long may he release his inner rage.
This is Syria, this poem bears witness, to all that suffer upon it's land, muslims,Shiites, Druze, Kurds, Circassion, Sunni, Ismaili, Alawites, Mershdis, Sufi, Christian, brothers and sisters, fathers and mothers, sons and daughters,sharing a common burden, all in need of our tears, and deepest sympathy. deliverance from both Assad and Isis Syria is their land, their shared identity, whose people carry a fierce pride, in ancient traditions and culture, their history and tales, now lost in misery, because the scent of their homeland, is stained now with tears and blood, souls daily carried on voyages of weariness. Not all these people are extremists, neither should we call then terrorists these are labels given by the the media, that feeds us daily with fear and hate, do you seek the truth, or do you look away? turn your backs, forget their situation? disregard these compromised states of existence, as the smell of death encases their land. Do we carry on walking, with our eyes shut, pass the tragedy and misery of their struggle, do we allow these proud spirits to be subdued, as they plead for their shared pain to end, as their world implodes, and darkness engulfs, let us deliver to them peaceful solutions, no more bombs allowed to fall on innocents, let jasmines soft sweetness bloom again, to shower this land with everlasting peace.
I have written of the great Joe Hill before, he is a great inspiration, so on the centenary of his judicial execution, it gives me the opportunity to write about him once more. Swedish born ( his actual name was Joel Emmanuel Haggland ), he emigrated to New York aged 23, with his brother Paul, after the death of his parents, spending his time as a wandering itinerant and musical troubadour, engaging in the struggles of his time, hopping from one freight train to the next, working as a labourer, washer of dishes, sweeper of floors, moving cargo on docks, picking crops and working in construction. He was later to adopt the name Joe Hill after being blacklisted after trying to start a union in Chicago, he was to become a legend in in his own lifetime because of his actions and deeds. He also wrote satirical songs to be sung by the people, songs about struggles that he was actively engaged in, using his songs as weapons in the class war that he was engaged in such as There is Power in the Union, The Preacher and the Slave and The Rebel Girl along with hundreds more. He also became a senior organiser of the Industrial Workers of the World (the IWW) most commonly known as the wobblies . His aim along with hundreds of other fellow workers and revolutionaries was to emancipate the working classes, creating unity and solidarity under one big union. He would go to Mexico at the time of the revolution in 1911, fighting with his comrades under a red flag like the true rebel that he was. trying to overthrow the dictator Porfirio Diaz. Next stop onto San Diego in 1912 to support fellow workers protesting against police banning of street meetings. Then onto British Colombia helping organise a national construction strike, then on to San Pedro to help dockworkers. This would lead to the first recorded encounter with the police who arrested him on the charge of vagrancy. He would inspire many, his fellow workers and comrades, but to the bosses saw him as someone to be feared, someone they considered dangerous, he was in their eyes a marked man. On the evening of 10th January 1914 in Utah he sought medical treatment for gunshot wounds, he claimed they had been inflicted upon him after quarrel with a man over a woman, and refused to elaborate anymore, earlier that evening in another part of town, a grocer and his son had been shot and killed. One of the assailants was wounded, so Hill's injury implicated him in the incident. Yet despite the uncertainty of witnesses, no one coming forward to identify him as one of the assailants at the scene of the crime no blood of Hills found at the scene a local jury was convinced of his guilt. No physical evidence linking him to the murder he was accused of. He was scheduled to be shot by firing squad, this caused outrage across the world. an international campaign to exonerate him was launched, from Britain to other European countries and even President Woodrow Wilson calling for a retrial. Those looking at the case eventually declared its willingness to hear testimony from the woman's husband, but Hill loyally refused to identify his alleged assailant in case it damaged the reputation of the lady involved. Sadly the eventual day came and he was executed and shot down by firing squad on this day 19th November 1915. Whilst waiting his execution he wrote the following words which were later turned into song :- My will is easy to decide for I have nothing to divide My kin don't need to weep and moan Moss does not cling to a rolling stone My body? oh, If I could choose I would to ashes it reduce And let the merry breeze blow My dust to where some flowers grow Perhaps some fading flower then Would soon grow up and grow green again This is my last and final will Good luck to all of you, Joe Hill
Among his final words were " Don't mourn , organise " and just before he was assassinated in reply to a question if he had anything further to say he answered "Fire" unfortunately they did. Up to 30,000 people would attend his funeral, he was subsequently cremated and his ashes divided into 600 envelopes, that were sent to IWW branches across the globe. Scenes of Joe Hill's funeral cortege
He would become a martyr for the Labour Movement across the world, who is forever remembered today and tomorrow because he planted a seed upon the earth that still makes the parasites shake, in every place where people organise together his legacy still spins, his power still resonates, as we remember that " an injury to one is an injury to all." You can't kill the spirit of Joe Hill, this spirit lives on in his songs and in the deeds of men and women across the globe who carries his message forward, in unity and strength, in solidarity forever. Paul Robeson sings the song Joe Hill
Joe Hill's Preacher and the Slave as sung by Utah Philips
The late great Tony Benn, spot on as usual , check out the following video where he talks about arms sales to the middle east, make you think. It should be noted that serving in Egypt during Britain's colonial days he witnessed the cruel effects of the British Empire. The speech I post below that he delivered to the house of commons in November 1992 sadly still has so much relevance to us today. At the moment the profiteers of pain and sorrow, the arms manufacturers are seeing their deadly trade boom. It should also be noted that ISIS strength in power arose after the destruction of Iraq and Syria, largely funded by selling oil on the black market and by using weapons left by Americans in the Iraq war, and then in Syria used to fight Bashar al- assad. I do not understand how more violence will help the situation, but sadly the ones clamouring for war seem to have the loudest voices at the moment.We should not succumb to fear being stirred up at moment but must keep pushing for peaceful solutions to the massive problems we are currently facing. Tony Benn - Arms sales to Iraq
This is what Jeremy Corbyn actually said about the shoot to kill policy regarding a terrorist situation,that he has now been forced to accept, but don't expect to read it in the right wing corporate mainstream media. - " We live in dark and dangerous times and the shoot-to-kill-policy is specifically aimed at terrorists in a hostage situation, is the right policy given the emergency situation that members of the special services will find themselves in" he said . " It is the right thing to do in those circumstances and we have given that power to those responsible to make that decision." Corbyn has also long been opposed to a wider military campaign and said this morning that French strikes would "probably not" make a difference. Once again only saying what a lot of people genuinely feel. Do we really feel it necessary to spread more danger that could end up highly counterproductive. I have little sympathy for Hilary Benn, and other Labour dinosaurs rushing out to condemn. loved his father, but have the utmost respect for straight talking Jeremy Corbyn holding on to his principles along with his friends at Stop the War. Are we not allowed to question things anymore? Let us not forget that the last time that guns and high adrenaline got together in London, an innocent Brazilian electrician named Jean Charles De Menzies was executed in cold blood in error. Of course we must continue to be on guardin the aftermath of the Paris terror attack and carry on opposing the cycle of war, terror and racism, not forgetting either that it was Western interventions in the Middle East that have been partially responsible for many terrorist attacks taking place.
I admit I suffer from depression, anxiety too, but if you bumped into me in the street, could give you a misconception, as I release my smiley face, offer you a firm handshake, as the weight of the world, brings me down. A constant war inside myself, mind in constant rearrangement, feelings lift from time to time, clouds depart, to provide glimmers of hope, from the darkest of nights, to bright days awakening. I chase dreams, vapors of positivity, never feel that I'm losing the fight, it might be hard, but often I win, find some dignity stored, some self respect, but depression can be such a lonely thing, often grateful for the friends who have called.
I've got better at coping nowadays, but should avoid the internet and the daily news, guess that's just a pattern of my behaviour, sit in the library within the confines of knowledge, found in moments of waking, this is my confession.
To people currently blaming refugees for attack in Paris yesterday, do these people not realise that it is these people that the refugees are trying to flee from. "Who mourns for whom? Whose gaze and who speaks for whom? Who names whom and, who are the perpetrators or the victims? Who speaks the truth? Who cares ? Who?" - Anon Do we forget the people of Lebanon, Iraq, Afghanistan, Turkey, Syria,Kenya, Beirut, Palestine, etc etc ? We all share one commonality, that we are all human. Is compassion limited only to those we identify with? Should we not find outrage and sadness for all victims of war and terrorism? Should we not be trying to stop all wars, that help feed terrorism? Western powers should be reminded of their part in ongoing terrorism. Should we not be praying for the whole world? Lets hope we can continue to spread some simple messages of truth and restraint.Let not our collective guilt be moulded into hate, with dignity and respect lets try and foster peace. Sadly I feel that this crappy world will keep on delivering more shame, let us cry together not in our names.. Remember too that the perpetrators of yesterdays attacks weren't Muslims they were cowards using religion as a vindication for their cowardice. We are one world and family it is time we started showing one another respect. We must stand together, this after all is how we will grow. Lets continue to show our solidarity with people rather than nation states. " Whoever kills an innocent person it is as if he has killed all of humanity." - The Koran 5:32
(for victims of Paris Terror attack)
Terrorism is hate
it cannot win,
love must triumph
because this vein of brutality is sick,
chaotic warped voices
breeding messages of darkness,
with futile redundant deadly intention
on blood splattered streets,
the music falls silent
darkness dances with senselessness,
tears drop onto pavements
paths of destruction carry fear,
contaminated ideology
lies polluted and poisoned,
confused and twisted
against humanity sows
rampant seeds of disregard,
but peace love and compassion
will never surrender,
as heartbreak's pain throbs
and hate arrives in Paris,
spread by deluded stalkers of death
let us pray,that terror won't win,
let us plead for peace, again and again
even though we don't know who the enemy is.
This post dedicated to Boris Johnson, who has just had to cut his Middle East trip short because of stupid disrespectful remarks he made on the Israel-Palestine conflict. He has spread misinformation on the situation, and has consciously displayed denial of the occupation that continues daily to oppress the Palestinians. Daily confiscating land, destroying homes, detaining children and violating international and humanitarian law on a daily basis. His dismissal of BDS (Boycott divestment sanctions) tactics simply displays an arrogance and dismissal of the Palestinian people. It should not be a great surprise to him that he did not get a great welcome from them.. This is what occupation, looks and sounds like.
" You ask me how it is That I dare take a side You say I loathe myself For pointing out that you have lied You say it's tribal warfare But I disagree For the dynamics of the situation Are not difficult to see On one side is the fighter jet On the other side the stone On one side is the slave On the other is the throne For the many there are checkpoints While foreign soldiers rule the streets For one side there is victory But the people don't accept defeat (CHORUS) The word you need to know is occupation The very definition of a land without a nation And if peace is what you're after then let us not deceive it will come on the day the tanks return to Tel Aviv On one side there is hunger And bulldozed olive trees On the other is the Army Ruling by decrees Caterpillers maul the streets And destroy entire city blocks While children swallow shrapnel For the crime of throwing rocks Fences are erected Around the towns they flatten And Herzi's own fanatics Sleep on sheets of satin And they water their plantations Drilling ever-deeper wells While the displaced children of the hopeless Are filled with bullet shells (Chorus) ... It will come on the day the settlers return to Tel Aviv On one side there is the Mossad Rounding up the men Thrown in jail without trial Being tortured once again On the other there is rage Helplessness and fear And a growing realization That another holocaust is near On the outside there are prisons Inside detainees Being stripped of their humanity Beaten naked to their knees Outside ghetto prison walls There are stormtroopers all around While inside the hungry people Yearn for liberated ground (Chorus) .... it will come on the day the jailguards return to Tel Aviv All across the world You can hear the people say The children of Jerusalem Will be free one day In overcrowded camps Amidst the stench of death and flies To the suburbs of Detroit You can hear the extinguished cries While in the land of Israel With God ever on their side Walls and fences are constructed And papers are denied People fight for their existence While the world turns a blinded eye And those who should know better Insist on asking why.
Multi millionaire man of the people has admitted being a clueless idiot he has just written to his local council to complain about the obvious disastrous consequences of his own chancellors destructive ideological austerity agenda. A man whose party is committed to make significant cuts to our frontline services from our elderly day centres, to our libraries and our museums. His ignorance would be funny, if it was not for the fact that his and the tory's toxic policies are currently causing untold misery to many. He is clearly out of touch. This mans judgement already called into question many times, as he and his party carry on inflicting pain across the land. From the outset Cameron's strategic blunders, confused demeanor and errors of judgement have been plain to see, as he spreads discontent and misery across the nation, with his bluster and belligerance and his damaging array of economic policies. As a result of his austerity measures according to Oxfam 800,000 British children will be plunged into poverty over the next ten years, over the same period 1.5 million working age adults will fall into poverty as well, by 2018, 900,000 public sector workers will have lost their jobs, and the bottom 10% of British earners seeing their income fall 38% over this Governments 5 year term. His austerity measures serve no purpose than to cut the welfare state so that can reduce taxes on the rich, to the cost of the vulnerable , the marginalised and the less better off. Combined with tax redit cuts shambles, and ongoing plans to cut public spending by £30 billion including £12 billion in welfare cuts the mind truly boggles. It is obvious that David Cameron is an idiot, so tell me where are the mass marches, riots of uncaged emotion? It seems that, like it or not , (as he fills a lot of us with feeling of loathing )he still finds lots of supporters and commands respect from people who are still not convinced that austerity is a lie, that austerity is a con. Who would probably still carry on voting Tory even if Cameron killed, and dismembered a baby live on T.V. For God's sake lets stop him in his tracks he is clearly not fit to run the country. Vote no confidence in David Cameron :- https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/104471
If you stand for nothing. You fall for everything. Make your stand today. There's a lot of injustice spreading across this land ( and most others too) don't just stand by. Do something. Join others and fight injustice together. In life things change, imagine for a minute if everything stayed the same, month after month, year after year. We should always be determined to stand firm, stand strong, in order to make a better world. Never be afraid to use your voice for honesty and compassion, use it to speak out against injustices, lying and greed, that is daily spread but not in our names. Be a weapon of good. Now is the time to make your stand, because if we don't the rot will continue. Don't remain silent, speak out against injustice, large or small, and share the voices of those who continue to expose them. Do not be discouraged, be a force for change. It is too easy to sit back and do nothing, we can't afford to keep quiet, for a more equitable society to be achieved, we have to lend our voices to the invisible. Hail all that make a stand against injustice. So stand up, speak out, and I will stand together with you. They will try to make you falter, try to make you fall, but we will strive forward because there is no other way.
for all those who have died fighting for the wealth of a few
On 11 November and the days around it, many people choose to wear a
red poppy as a symbol for those who have given their lives in battle.
The
red paper poppy was initially adopted as a symbol for those who fought
in the First World War, and was introduced by the American Legion in
1921. Today it is more commonly used in the UK, Australia, Canada and
New Zealand.
The flower was chosen because it grows wild in many
fields in northern France and Belgium - where some of the deadliest
battles of World War One took place.
When
it was first adopted, it represented mourning and served as a pledge
that war must never happen again. Indeed, the words “never again” were
emblazoned on the original design.
The red poppy appeal,
organised by the Royal British Legion (RBL), specifically represents
remembrance associated with the British Armed Forces.
However, a number of issues have caused people to feel uncomfortable with it , with many believing the red poppy symbolises
remembrance of British armed forces and its allies rather than enemies
and civilians who also died in wars.
Others feel the red poppy has become politicised over time,in Northern Ireland, for example, it became regarded as a Protestant
Loyalist symbol because of its connection with British patriotism, and that politicians use it to help justify war,and has become a symbol of death.
Personally speaking people have the right to wear a red Poppy if they choose to, but I am put off by the red poppy, to much association for me, with the glorification of war, and all its bloodshed, a mere marketing brand, used as a tool to promote current wars, but do acknowledge that many people choose to wear them to remember lives lost in conflict.
But there are alternatives, to this mass imposed red flower, that acknowledges the many civilian lives too. It is called the white poppy. Designed by the Co-operative
Women's Guild in 1933 and adopted the following year by the Peace Pledge Union (PPU) as a symbol of anti-war and pacifist sentiment. There
are three elements to the meaning of white poppies: they represent
remembrance for all victims of war, a commitment to peace and a
challenge to attempts to glamorise or celebrate war, the PPU website
says. White poppies symbolise the conviction that there are better ways to
resolve conflict than through the use of violence. They embody values
that reject killing fellow human beings for whatever reason. The white poppy recalls all
victims of all wars – both combatants and civilians of all nationalities
– seeking to bring to an end "the exclusion of civilians from
mainstream Remembrance events".It
aims to promote the idea that there are different ways to avoid
conflict than through violent means, with the PPU stating: "The best way
to represent the victims of war is to work to prevent war in the
present and future."
To wear one is not to be unpatriotic or anti British, or disloyal, it is I guess just a badge of pride. The White poppy not just on show for one day. but bought and sold all year round, used to remember all victims of war, acknowledge that over 85% of casualties and deaths are civilian. This year alone has seen the rise in childrens deaths, with thousands of others made homeless.
We who choose to wear the white poppy do not claim that the lives of servicemen and women are of any less value than those of others. After all, all life is sacred.
I also acknowledge too all those conscientious objectors who chose not to fight and kill and truly honor their choice. I refuse to accept the current narratives, refuse to join in with jingoism but will continue to show my respect. The greatest tribute to those who have sacrificed all is to carry on working for peace, remembering all the victims.
There incidentally is also a black poppy, that remembers all those who who died in, and all those who resisted and
continue to resist, the capitalists’ wars. To those who mutinied, went
on strike, shirked, refused to kill. For all those they executed for
deserting.
Rememberance was intended to be a pledge that war must never happen again, not to be used to glorify or sanitise war. Arms dealers are currently still make profits out of war, from slaughter and mass misery, not sparing a thought to the carnage they’ve brought, but they'll still wear their red poppies with pride. On November 1I I will wear a white poppy with peaceful intent.
