Passing Christmas lights

Passing colors glowing, tinsel hung high 
Christmas lights, shimmering and sparkling
the smell of food, enticing on tongue
another world lingers though
a different reality resides
in the corner of our eyes
beyond the tragedy of hunger
the waste of consumerism
austerity that daily bites.

For some now the air drips with sadness
as the cold season blows again
people on long and tiresome journeys 
drifting among thrift stores
food banks and charity shops
as the sky above turns dark and grey
citizens left wanting, running on empty
struggling on, feeding on misery and decay.

Perhaps some small acts of kindness
will be sufficient to keep some gladness alight
against buffeting winds, strength can grow
allow people to decorate hearts with hope
fill glasses full of reason and some cheer
with little things, perhaps time will heal
abandon the past, infiltrate the future 
share some sustenance of survival.

Trump: Hands of Jerusalem

Today  a lot of us are  absorbing the  outrageous news  to declare Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Far right organisations  that oppose the two state solution  will now congratulate the retard, this dangerous sower of division, and most pro- IsraeL President in American history.
A consequence of this will be the American embassy being relocated from Tel Aviv to the Holy City. This is the first time that a president of the United States has gone against precedence of American foreign policy on the Palestinian - Israeli issue.According to the United Nations, Jerusalem, one of the most oldest and fought over cities in the world, has international status; no peoples has full legal authority over it. This has been respected until now.
Trump has claimed the move is part of the Middle East peace process; a series of failed talks facilitated by the United States that have left the Palestinians disappointed. Recognising Jerusalem as Israel's capital will be disastrous to any mediation talks between the Palestinians and Israelis. Not only does Trump's decision legitimise the illegal Israeli occupation of Palestinian land and disregards Israel's violations of international law, but it also endangers the Palestinian's right to self determination. Creating more blood in the process which will cost many lives, exposing te lie tat he wants peace in our times. This change in policy not only flaunts international law  but is a barrer to peace that  flouts an international consensus that a future  that a future Palestinian state  would have its capital in East Jerusalem.
Nikolay Mladenov, United Nations Special Coordinator he Middle East Peace Process, had argued in the past that Jerusalem should be negotiated between both the Israelis and Palestinians. However, Trump's decision, which is based solely on Israel's national interests, implies that the Palestinians are not allowed to decide or have a say on their own affairs, and that they have no other choice than to watch the further disintegration of their land and their fundamental human rights.
This move will not help Israel or ultimately the Palestinian people, just another reckless sprouting of a very dangerous individual. It just has to be stopped as he inflames tensions in the region and provoke anger among radical groups across the world.
As I write , travel warnings for Jerusalem from the State Department are in place, and embassies across the globe are on alert because of this politically motivated announcement., violence is erupting in the West Bank and Gaza.
Hands of Jerusalem, it is imperative now to work fast to reach a final status solution and work fast to reach a final status solution  and a peace solution between Palestinians and Israelis that Trump  has now recklessly damaged, that allows the Palestinians to establish an independent state  side by side . with Israel  and its capital in East Jerusalem. Please write to your MP's urging them to sign Early Day motion 665 protesting the US recognition of Jerusalem as capital of Israel http://www.parliament.uk/edm/2017-19/665
Evil triumphs when good people do nothing.

Counting ones blessings

The poor man counts his blessings
the rich man counts his gold,
comforts and privilege  he has many
while the poor shiver in the cold,
looking for a brighter tomorrow
for some good health, good friends and cheer
that's surely better than the rich mans crock of gold,
they say that everyone is born equal
but that's not a true reflection of society,
the gap between rich and poor gets bigger every day
but a  just and fair society  must surely be on its way,'
we must always appreciate the blessings in life
yet  should take nothing ever for granted
keep on fighting for justice, a better world for all.
.

Please share if you think the Tories should be tried at the court in the Hague for human rights abuses within Great Britain.

Then hung.

" It  was once said that the moral test of government is how that government treats those who are in the dawn of life, the children, those who are in the twilight of life, the elderly. and those who are in the shadows of life, the sick , the needy and the handicapped."

-  Hubert H.Humphrey

Since all the Brexit chaos, the plight of the most vulnerble members in our society, including disabled people and the low paid seems to be increasingly overlooked. This is one of the greatest social injustices of our time, which  has meant an additional 400,000 children in the UK being pushed into benefit changes, including the roll out of Unversal Credit.( earlier post on this can be found here https://teifidancer-teifidancer.blogspot.co.uk/2017/12/stop-roll-out-of-universal-credit-day.html )  Since the Conservatives have been in power with their ideological policies of austerity we have seen them intentionally diminish the rights of its own citizens. Their policies such as the bedroom tax, benefit sanctions and now UC have also  diproportianally affected the disabled.
Research commissioned by Salford Council suggests that a sudden loss of income by removing benefits could damage mental health, create tensions within family relationships and cause individuals to commit crimes. This clearly has implications for claimants’ human rights, especially as the Government has admitted sanctions were applied wrongly in 30% of cases.
The United Nations have recently slammed the government too over its treatment of migrant workers, in tems of exploitation, low pay and health care access, specifically citing the fact that the Tories ignored its last set of recommendations. The Tories have also faced a barrage of criticism about their policies that have directly impacted on the vulnerable, disadvantaged and marginalsed that do not respect their rights. Concerning the treatment of disabled people the UN inguiry stated  that the UK government have committed "grave"  and "systematic" violations of human rights.
https://www.thecanary.co/uk/2017/08/24/breaking-un-just-accused-tories-creating-human-catastrophe-uk/
The inquiry was triggered by the grassroots campaigning organisation Disabled People Against Cuts ,https://dpac.uk.net/ which had grown increasingly concerned by the disproportionate impact of the coalition’s cuts on disabled people. Surely If you have mental health conditions and legitimate physical disabilities, you should be looked after not made to feel like you're worthless. What has this country become?
The Government of the UK is  currently now in chaos and its future leadership is uncertain. Sadly it is unlikely that any immediate change in leadership will lead to the recognition of the UK's human rights obligations.With increased reliance on foodbanks, unemployment rates, the housing crisis, mental health care austerity cuts to welfare and services which are causing unnecessary deaths and misery. and discrimination against migrants,  it is more than time for something to change and for to the heartless Tories to be held account for their shameful flagrant abuses , mistreatment  and their systematic violations of peoples human rights.We must continue to seek an end to Austerity and to the mounting injustice we've been seen over the past six years or so  and  continue to work with groups or organisations who seek to advance justice, human rights and respect for all human beings - in all our diversity.
In the meantime I would urge you to take action at least on Universal Credit

Pause the roll out of Universal Credit

https://speakout.38degrees.org.uk/campaigns/2687


 

Stop the roll out of Universal Credit day of action

Deep concerns about the roll out and impact of Universal Credit will be highlighted this coming weekend, because this Christmas will be cancelled  for thousands of families claiming the new benefit UC. Despite knowng UC causes serious problems for claimants. Theresa May's toxic Tory government is pressing ahead and rolling it out to thousands of people who will have to wait weeks to receive any money.
Claimants are descending into debt,relying on food banks, getting into rent arrears and in many cases getting evicted from their homes because of in-built problems with UC. People with disabilities will be among the hardest hit of these cruel welfare reforms.
UC replaces five benefits - child tax credit, housing benefit, income support, income based jobseekers allowance, income related employment and support allowance and working tax credit. Seven million households will be affected, including one million low paid part-time workers. For the first time ever people actually in work could face being sanctioned, having their benefits stopped if they are unable to prove to the job centre that there searching for better paid work or more hours, in a completely illogical measure by our current out of control government.
The government is imposing UC, despite losing a parliamentary vote on its extension to millions more people. On October 18, Parliament voted by 299 votes to zeros to temporarily halt the introduction of UC. Opposition  parties in Parliament led by Labour, passed a motion calling for the government to pause the rollout of UC. The vote was allowed as part of an Opposition Day Debate.
In the face  of mounting anger in the population, Theresa May's crisis ridden government instructed its ministers and MPs to abstain. This was due to their fear of a rebellion by at least 12 Tories as well as MPS from its governing partner, the DUP, who were prepared to back Labour. The government responded to the vote by declaring it was not binding, and with no regard to the mounting anger will continue to roll out UC regardless. For fucks sake.
This is why tomorrow Saturday 2 December 2017 I will be supporting Unite Community's national day of action against it, to send a message to the Tory government that they must stop and fix UC before rolling it out to thousands of families who will face a cold hungry Christmas and the threat of losing their homes.
Personally do not believe it can be fixed, or modified it needs to be stopped and scrapped completely. It is crucial that we carry on campaigning against its implementation to defend those on the receiving end of brutal cuts and to push for the complete abolition of these policies that will hurt those who are already the most disadvantaged in our society who are merely being treated as collateral damage. We must continue to resist these devastating policies, an end to this cruel austerity measure and give support to all those that currently need it. Remember no one is immune to becoming ill or losing their jobs.I will be tomorrow joining a demo in my home town of Cardigan, at 1 o clock outside the Guildhall,lets make our voices be heard and tell the government that we wont simply stand back and let this happen. Many , more events will be happening across the country the following story gives more reasons if needed why everybody should be protesting against Universal Credit this Saturday.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/long_reads/universal-credit-single-parent-stories-a8060451.html

My thoughts have been replaced by moving images...

I can no longer think what I want to think. My thoughts have been replaced by moving images.”

-George Duhamel, Scenes de la vie future (1930)

 A Situationist International detourned poster representing the society of the spectacle.

The Duhamel quote above was also used in Walter Benjamin's book Illuminations [1968]. It refers to people who have their own thoughts replaced by those introduced by mass media.
The idea of détourning existing comics with often ironic sayings came about in the 60s Pop Art movement but was also used by French Situationists in the late 60s.
The Situationist International was formed in 1957 as a merger between the international movement for an Imaginist Bauhaus, headed by Asger Jorn and the Lettrist International headed by Guy Debord.
The Situationists were highly politicised at a time when it was fashionable for avant-gardes to separate from social revolt.
Guy Debord’s (1931–1994) best-known work, La société du spectacle (The Society of the Spectacle) (1967),https://teifidancer-teifidancer.blogspot.com/2018/03/the-society-of-spectacle-guy-debord.html is a polemical and prescient indictment of our image-saturated consumer culture. The book examines the “Spectacle,” Debord’s term for the everyday manifestation of capitalist-driven phenomena; advertising, television, film, and celebrity.
Debord defines the spectacle as the “autocratic reign of the market economy.” Though the term “mass media” is often used to describe the spectacle’s form, Debord derides its neutrality. “Rather than talk of the spectacle, people often prefer to use the term ‘media,’” he writes, “and by this they mean to describe a mere instrument, a kind of public service.” Instead, Debord describes the spectacle as capitalism’s instrument for distracting and pacifying the masses. The spectacle takes on many more forms today than it did during Debord’s lifetime. It can be found on every screen that you look at. It is the advertisements plastered on the subway and the pop-up ads that appear in your browser. It is the lists telling you “10 things you need to know about ‘x.’” The spectacle reduces reality to an endless supply of commodifiable fragments. For Debord, this constituted an unacceptable “degradation” of our lives.
We all like to think we’re in control of our perceptions and decisions. but every day we are unconsciously being .manipulated.  Because we’re human, the very things that make us human in the first place, like empathy, emotion, and exhaustion to name a few, give those who are unscrupulous, desperate, or egotistical an edge when it comes to distorting our thoughts and judgments, especially by governments.
And in certain ways the problem is getting worse. Information overload is one reason we’ve grown more vulnerable to manipulation. Research .suggests that we receive five times more information now than we did 30 years ago, and daily we are bombarded. This is the Spectacle that Debord  warned us about. Hitler himself said, “By the skillful and sustained use of propaganda, one can make a people see even heaven as hell or an extremely wretched life as paradise.” We must discriminately keep awake and aware. Be careful and beware. Be weary  of your thoughts being replaced and dominated by moving images, that dull and passify you, best to stay awake, with your life in your own hands, move away from the spectacle that seeks to control you.

Yesterday was hell, still searching for heaven

Yesterday I searched for something
some hope I guess, but could not find it,
what  else was  bloody needed
so I begged ,prayed and pleaded,
mind in array, how could I actually tell
no answers came all seemed like hell,
as politicians pillaged and clouds turned dark
left their truly horrible inedible mark,
I searched for solutions ever so far away
but lacked religion a God that could rearrange,
found some power on the streets instead
friends like me still hungry for change,
fighting, struggling for an end to this mess
releasing  thoughts of another world instead,
as this planet whirled on the path of destruction
searching for that elusive place called heaven,
a place where we could all find salvation
a kinder place that can't be broken or stolen.


This can now also be found now here :- https://iamnotasilentpoet.wordpress.com/2017/12/01/yesterday-was-hell-still-searching-for-heaven-by-dave-rendle/