The Arrogant Face of the Conservative Party

This  is the true face of Boris Johnson's Conservative Party. Arrogant, smug, entitled, complacent. Rees-Mogg is such a clear example of the British Establishment, that the Torys truly represent at work at play, with absolute no care in the world or concern about protecting workers jobs, or our living  and environmental standards. He and his chums have absolutely no plan, and simply left to their own devices, they'll leave Britain barreling towards chaotic no-deal Brexit, that will  only serve to benefit the richest 1%. They are jumped up, self serving egoistical scum, the Conservatives with their feelings of self entitlement believe they are born to rule. Unconcerned by any principles except their maintenance of power, but in just two days Boris' I'd rather die in a ditch   Johnson ' has become the first prime minister since 1894 to lose his first parliamentary vote, and has managed to transform his majority of one into minus 43 by sacking 21 rebels. And then on Thursday his own brother resigned from his government and anounced  he  was also stepping down as an MP. Jo Johnson, who backed Remain in the 2016 election and favours a second referendum, said  he could no longer reconcile" family loyalty and the "national interest". This has let incumbent Bo Jo suspended  in mid- air unable to govern, and in absolute chaos, with a general election, imminent, possibly within the next two weeks.
As Jeremy Corbyn has said, this is a government with no "mandate, no morals and no majority." Despite their utter conceit, they have no authority to govern, the current implosion of the government, has has  managed to galvanise opposition forces, and at least given a reason to cheer for the millions of people who have been treated with contempt and  forced to suffer a relentless diet miserable Tory diet of Tory austerity for over a decade. 
As a direct result of their policies we have got the growth of foodbanks, rising homelessness, the rise of racist hate crime, dodgy benefit assessments, the trebling of university tuition fees, a boom in xero hours contracts, while anti-democratically forcing fracking on people who have clearly stated they don't want it, while at the same time passing new laws to ensure the wealthy stay wealthy, taking the side of big business while eradicating workers rights and continuing their attacks on young people, single parents, maintaining a hostile environment to refugees, slashing education and social security budgets, persecuting the poor for simply being poor .while  at same time they give their friends the millionaires tax breaks and award themselves pay rises.
There is irrefutable evidence that the policies of the Conservative government have caused people to actually die. They have not changed policy in the face of this, and the deaths and suffering continue. In a time where everything is about Brexit, it is vital that we as a country stop and reflect. Is it okay that we live in a country where we accept this. Can we as a nation really avoid the victims much longer? Over seventeen thousand others cruelly lost due to Tory conscious cruelty and ideology. 
The Conservatives have their blood on their hands and, with a General Election looming, we must do everything we can to ensure the  arrogant, pernicious faces of Rees-Mogg, Johnson and the rest of this cabinet don’t find a way to stay in government, it is time to kick them out of parliament,  before they inflict any further damage to this country, and confine them to the dustbins of history where they all truly deserve to belong.

E. F. (Fritz) Schumacher's Small is Beautiful and it's continuing relevance today.

Ernst Friedrich Schumacher was born in Bonn, Germany on the 16th of August 1911 and grew up in Bremen and would become one of the most influential economic thinkers of the 20^th Century. Often seen as ‘a prophet who stood against the tide’, Schumacher pioneered the ideas of environmental awareness, sustainable development, and human scale organisation and technology in the 1960s and 1970s.
He studied economics in Berlin, then at Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar, and later at Columbia University in New York. He returned to Germany, but disgusted with the Nazis,and his hatred of Adolf Hitler, Schumacher moved to England before the beginning of the Second World War  After the outbreak of war he worked for a time as an agricultural labourer, before being offered a job as an economist at the 'Oxford Institute of Statistics' which had connections with Royal Institute of International Affairs at Chatam House. He wrote articles for the Observer and other papers, and worked with William Beveridge on plans for the welfare state,  he would  remain in Britain for the remainder of his life.
Forty two years after his death, the ideas of E.F. Schumacher still resonate through the environmental movement. With his deep spiritual vision and rejection of Western materialism and economic exploitation, Schumacher saw the need to give societies, communities and individuals practical tools for change, and argued that Earth could not afford the cultural and environmental costs accompanying large-scale capitalism. Known as a great thinker he warned the world that bigness, specifically large industries and large cities, and continued over-consumption of oil would bring higher living standards at the cost of deteriorating culture and depletion of natural resources.
Schumacher’s subsequent career, given his later views on economics, was one of considerable contradiction, surprisingly, for someone we see as an environmentalist, he was a strong advocate of continued coal production in the UK. He served  as Chief Economic Advisor to the UK National Coal Board for two decades. At its height the NCB controlled over 1,600 mines, possessed more than a million acres of land and employed 700,000 people. Much of Britain’s industry relied on coal, so the NCB and hence the Government were at the very heart of the country’s economy. In terms of scale, importance and (literally) power, the NCB was big. Very big. Schumacher stressed the importance of both producing and conserving the coal (at a time when oil production elsewhere in the world had led many to suggest that coal production could be scaled down significantly). He was also an opponent of nuclear energy, because of the issue of dealing with nuclear waste. Schumacher came to believe that the state had a central role to play in directing and planning a nation’s economy. Schumacher was convinced that such planning would address the instability and inequality of capitalism while also using the vast concentration of resources and power available to governments to deliver a more efficient and innovative economy. With such convictions Schumacher was perfectly placed to take on the chief economist role at the NCB.
However, around this  Schumacher broke with the script. To the utter bewilderment of his colleagues and friends, this man brimming with intellectual self-confidence began to question the very principles around which he had built his career and which underpinned the economic policy and business practice of the time. Schumacher was discovering that the great things promised by big government and big corporations amounted to far less in reality. When he finally summarised all of his thoughts in Small Is Beautiful: A Study of Economics As If People Mattered,in 1973 he found a world enormously receptive to his ideas.,and it was hailed as an “eco-bible” by Time magazine, and one the 100 most influential books published since World War II  by The Times Literary Supplement. This riveting, richly researched statement on sustainability has become more relevant and vital with each passing year since its initial groundbreaking publication during the 1973 energy crisis.

The phrase “small is beautiful” became a counterculture slogan against the industrial threat to the environment and the scarcity of resources. Arguing against excessive materialism and meaningless growth, he promoted the use of small-scale technology to benefit both humankind and the environment. As an economist trained in a market-oriented discipline, his thinking evolved from believing that large-scale technology could be salvation for industrial civilization to believing that large-scale technology is the root of degrading human beings and the environment.

The title of his book was coined by Schumacher’s teacher, Leopold Kohr. Leopold described himself as a philosophical anarchist (someone who believes that the State has no legitimacy and we should not be required to obey it or its laws). He argued against the “cult of bigness” and centralisation, while promoting the ideal of small community life. In his own words: “…there seems to be only one cause behind all forms of social misery: bigness”

What made Schumacher’s  book unique, as it’s subtitle suggests, was Schumacher’s appeal for a move away from technological gigantism to smaller and more human scale technologies and economies. He was also concerned that the environment be regarded as precious resource to be conserved rather than exploited. “Infinite growth of material consumption in a finite world is an impossibility,” he wrote. This is now a common refrain, but when published in 1973 it was radical stuff.

In Small Is Beautiful, he argued that although capitalism brought higher living standards, the cost was environmental and cultural degradation. Large cities and large industries caused correspondingly large problems, and raised their cost beyond what Earth could bear. Small, decentralized, energy-efficient production units would better serve human needs.He thought that traditional economics is based on the fallacy that commodities and goods, and money and materialism, are all more important than people and the good things that people can do and create. In that sense, his was a people-centred economist. He particularly applied it to developing countries, suggesting an alternative to the dominant modernisation theory of the period, that suggested that all countries should follow a path through industrialisation to eventually become based on mass consumption.. Instead, economics and technology should ensure that people have enough - there is no need to create excess and deplete resources beyond what is actually required. Developing world economics should be self-reliant and use the appropriate technology for their society (what he called intermediate technology). His ideas about the developing world were partly based on his personal observations on a trip to Myanmar (then Burma).
Influenced by people as diverse as Keynes, Marx and Gandhi, it is Schumacher's work on the finite nature of resources that has had the greatest impact on environmentalism. The economic orthodoxy of the 20th century was one that would lead to us running out of the natural resources upon which our economy was based: a sustainable economy needed to be based on quite different principles.
To pursue his ideas he established the Intermediate Technology Development Group in London in 1966.Complementary to Intermediate Technology was his involvement with sustainable agriculture; he spent much time on his organic garden and became President of The Soil Association. He spent the last few remaining years of his life basking in the reflected glory of his best-selling book, secure in the knowledge that he had radically changed the outlook of millions of people. By 1977 his views had become so popular that he was invited by President Carter for a half-hour talk in the White House and the President was keen to be photographed holding a copy of Small is Beautiful.
Hugely overworked through endless travel, lectures and meetings with the powerful, Fritz Schumacher died suddenly on September 4, 1977whilst travelling on a train through Switzerland on yet another speaking tour. He was 66. His ideas though are just as relevant today, and continue to be influential and attract new adherents. After his death the Schumacher Circle was formed in his memory and to help continue his work.
Although I don’t necessarily agree with everything he wrote,  many of  his prophetic warnings have come to pass, but he bought a profound wisdom and humanity on  the practical  challenges of our time , his ideas are well worth considering as we struggle to deal with the worlds continuing environmental problems, such as global warming, and the recognition that oil (upon which so much of modern civilisation depends ) is a finite resource, and we struggle to balance economic growth with the human costs of globalization. We should remember EF Schumacher’s advice: “Do not break down problems into isolated compartments, but look at the world and see it whole”. Had we acted on this advice when it was first given, we might be better equipped to deal with the many inter-locking financial, environmental, security and social problems which we face today, and it just about conceivable that  if our leaders over many years had acted more intelligently to address some of the concerns he expressed, we would perhaps be in less dire straits today.
Schumacher also suggested we “widen the concept of violence beyond human warfare”, and include the environment and social wellbeing as well. The loss of community and of place should be included, alongside the loss of biodiversity and environmental degradation. If the march of industrial society is towards ever-bigger size, complexity, capital intensity, and violence, “then it would seem to follow” said Schumacher, “that the cure must be sought in the opposite direction.” What with the continuing concern about the influence of corporate wealth on culture and politics, his  message of extraordinary universality,and  exploration of a socially and environmentally just way of living is as relevant today as it was in 1973, when his seminal book was first published, still, speaking clearly today to all those working for a better future for our planet.His thinking can help turn our present crisis into a more kind, just and ecolofgically sustainable society.where surely the planet matters more than profit.
 

National Welsh Rarebit Day.

Happy National Welsh Rarebi tDay! No, I didn't just make it up - September 3 really is National Welsh Rarebit Day. A famous dish, although it can’t be officially proven, it’s widely accepted that the venerable dish known as Welsh rarebit originated in  the South Wales Valleys, where it was the staple diet of Welsh men and women .The word 'rarebit' is a corruption of 'rabbit' 

The first written narrative of  'Welsh rabbit'  appears in 1725 in Literary Remains, the diary of an impoverished  poet by the name of  John Byrom, who wrote : ‘I did not eat of cold beef, but of Welsh rabbit and stewed cheese.’
Described by some as a kind of ‘posh cheese on toast’, ingredients vary but mostly include Welsh cheese, ale and mustard mixed up and served on toast. It's an old favourite of mine, and I don't really do posh, but today when its cold and wet outside and well as usual the kitchen cupboards aren't overflowing,  most of the ingredients for this rather nice comfort food can be found to quickly tantalize my taste buds.
It is thought that the dish was attributed to the Welsh because of their historic passionate fondness for cheese,which was used as a substitute for meat as a source of protein by poor peasants.It has been popular since at least the 1500s under the name of caws pobi, which is Welsh for toasted cheese. Indeed, according to a 16th-century joke, the Welsh were famous for their love of toasted cheese – St Peter was said to have got rid of a troublesome "company of Welchman" who were troubling the peace of heaven by going outside and shouting caws pobi –  "that is as moche as to say 'Rosty'd ches!' Which thynge the Welchman herying ran out of heven a grete pace".
St Peter was said to have got rid of a troublesome "company of Welchman" who were troubling the peace of heaven by going outside and shouting caws pobi – "that is as moche as to say 'Rosty'd ches!' Which thynge the Welchman herying ran out of heven a grete pace". Probably all this seemed far much funnier back then.
Anyway according to many sources, the name Welsh Rabbit came about as an ethnic slur against the Welsh by the English, part of an age-old British tradition - having a dig at the Welsh.It was used to describe something as 'foreign.' The English also used the adjective Welsh to describe an item of inferior quality. A Welsh pearl, for instance, might have a low grade or even be counterfeit, and using a Welsh comb meant brushing your hair with your fingers. By this reasoning, Welsh rarebit was used condescendingly by the English  towards their Welsh neighbors who saw it as a main dish for people who couldn't  put real meat on the table. the idea being that the impoverished and uncouth Welsh had to eat this melted cheese on toast instead of the rabbit they couldn't afford, and though rabbits ran wild in Britain, the Welsh  people couldn't even manage to put one on their table.
Also, there may have been another connotation: that  the Welsh, in their uncivilized state, thought the dish was fine dining, and as good as eating rabbit, which, if you get my drift, means that they didn't even know what fine dining was. As the dish gained in popularity, the name rarebit became more common. The name change was probably an attempt to make the name more fitting to the dish and drop some of the more patronizing overtones.
Edgar Allen Poe (1809 - 1763) wrote about the dish in Some words with a mummy (1845):
' I am exceedingly fond of Welsh rabbit. More than a pound at once, however, may not at all times be advisable. Still, there can be no material objection to two. And really between two and three, there is merely a single unit of difference. I ventured, perhaps, upon four. My wife will have it five; — but, clearly, she has confounded two very distinct affairs. The abstract number, five, I am willing to admit; but, concretely, it has reference to bottles of Brown Stout, without which, in the way of condiment, Welsh rabbit is to be eschewed. Having thus concluded a frugal meal, and donned my night-cap, with the serene hope of enjoying it till noon the next day, I placed my head upon the pillow, and, through the aid of a capital conscience, fell into a profound slumber forthwith.' 
Wherever it originally came from, the Welsh's love of cheese has ensured that Welsh rarebit has become a staple throughout  the centuries and today it is enjoyed  throughout the country, holding a special position in Wales due to its status as a traditional dish, and today even has its own national day, Welsh Rarebit Day, so if you've never had it  before, today is a great opportunity to try it for the first time!.It's's certainly sustained me over the years. The French have a fondness for it too,which they sometimes called ' lapin gallois' and sometimes simply ' le welsh'.

The following recipe is one I use. It should be able to serve two people. Delicious, incredibly comforting and quite easy to make. Their are many others. with more variety out there online, some add spring onions to it, chopped leeks, sauteed shallots,some versions add a poached egg, tomatoes or local bacon, but traditionally did not have any of those additions so I tend to use  just the basics, most recipes  call for cheddar, but there are other options:and if you want to keep it truly Welsh in flavor there are  lots of Welsh cheeses about, caerphilly is a wonderful option. If you've never had Welsh rarebit before, National Welsh Rarebit Day is a great opportunity to try it for the first time. Go forth and toast that cheese...

Ingrediants 

350g (12oz) mature Cheddar
2 eggs, lightly beaten 
2 tbsp beer (preferably stout) or milk 
Worcestershire sauce 
1 tsp English mustard 
 black pepper (preferably freshly ground)
dash or two  of cayenne pepper or paprika
2/4 thick slices brown or white bread, 

Method

Grate the cheese, mix  with the egg, beer or milk, Worcestershire sauce, mustard and cayenne to form a paste
Preheat the grill to high and toast 1 side of the bread on the grill.
Spread the cheese mixture onto the non-toasted side of the bread and add a few drops of Worcestershire sauce on top.
Place the toast back on the grill until bubbling and golden brown.
Serve immediately.
Enjoy.

Jack Monroe - Niemoller Updated

 

Martin Niemöller (1892–1984) was a prominent Protestant pastor who emerged as an outspoken public foe of Adolf Hitler and spent the last seven years of Nazi rule in concentration camps.. Niemöller is perhaps best remembered for the following quotation:

First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Socialist.
 
Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.
 
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Jew.
 
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.

The following is  it updated by food writer Jack Monroe. I thought it deserved a wide audience.

                                                   Niemoller Updated - Jack Monroe

First they came for the socialists
But you did not speak out
Because you were definitely not a socialist
Those mad bastards campaigning for decent wages
and universal healthcare
Waving their hand painted placards through
Westminster
You were definitely not a socialist.
Then they came for the Trade Unionists
And you did not speak out
Because Unions are awful
The Daily Mail said so
Those people representing ordinary workers
And fighting for decent pay
And human working conditions
And maternity and paternity leave
And adequate rest between shifts
And making sure people have a voice
They’re definitely terrible self-aggrandising egotists
And they get paid to represent people
And you had to get a bus to work once because of a
strike you didn’t bother to research beyond a
screaming scheming headline
So you are not a Trade Unionist.

Then they came for the Muslims
and the refugees
And you did not speak out
Because they are not your people
Coming over here
Why can’t they integrate?
Religion causes all the problems, right?
All the wars
Leave them to it
Close the borders
We’re full up
Can’t take any more
Of this PC multicultural bullshit
Who do they think they are?
You spoke over
And you spat and you raged
in hatred and fear
But you did not speak out
Because you were not a Muslim
nor a refugee.

And then they came for the poor
and the unemployed
the single parents on benefits
the workless
And you did not speak out
Because you thought they were lazy
Loads of jobs out there innit?
Easy to eat cheaply on the dole, you claim
Having never had to make £71 last a week
with a broken refrigerator
or holes in the bottom of a pair of school  shoes
Bet they’ve all got Sky TV and iPhones
and how did she pay for her tattoos?
And you saw someone smoking outside a food bank  once
So you did not speak out.
Then they came for the disabled
Shame, you thought, but you did not speak out
Most of them could probably work, you thought
You saw that chronically depressed woman smiIe  once
And the guy in the disabled parking space
looks young and healthy to you
We all get down sometimes, you shout
What’s wrong with you anyway?
Bunch of fucking scroungers, you thought
So you did not speak out.

  
Then they came for the teachers
And the doctors
And the nurses
And the fire-fighters
And the domestic abuse workers
And the rubbish collections
And the rape crisis centres
And the social workers
And the children’s centres
And the education funding
And by the time they come for you
By the time they fucking come for you
There will be nobody left to speak out for you
Nobody left at all.

-Jack Monroe

So please  remember to defend and speak out with all your might.

Pink Floyd's Roger Waters to perform Wish You Were Here London in solidarity with Julian Assange

Roger Waters, bassist and vocalist for Pink Floyd, will reportedly perform his iconic song Wish You Were Here in front of the British Home Office, in solidarity with Julian Assange. Award- winning journalist and filmmaker  John Pilger who is a guiding light in the struggle for Human Rights Press Freedom and a personal friend of Julian Assange. will also speak ' on solidarity with Britains political prisoner.'
Waters is a vocal supporter of Assange, and said he was “ashamed to be an Englishman” after the UK arrested the whistleblower in April. He has used his concerts to draw attention to Assange’s case, and recently took aim at Twitter, calling it “Big Brother” after it suspended a prominent account supporting the WikiLeaks founder. 
According to WikiLeaks on Twitter, the performance by the famous musician, also known for his political activism, will be on Monday at 18:00 local time, as part of a campaign for freedom of expression, and against the eventual extradition of the founder of Wikileaks to the United States.
 Assange was arrested last April 11 at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, after the government of that country withdrew the political asylum he was granted seven years ago.
 Expeditiously tried by a British court, the Australian cyberactivist is now serving a 50-week prison sentence in Belmarsh Maximum Security Prison for violating bail granted in 2012 in connection with alleged sexual offences committed in Sweden.
 In addition to being requested by the Swedish justice system, Assange is facing an extradition order issued by the United States government, which seeks to hold him accountable for the disclosure on Wikileaks of hundreds of thousands of documents and secret files of US diplomacy and the US Army. The 17 charges filed by the US Attorney's Office, including conspiracy to commit espionage, carry a total sentence of 175 years in prison.

 Last February, when Assange was still in the Ecuadorian diplomatic mission, Waters was among those who urged the Australian government to take action on the case.

Free Julian Assange, before it's too late. Sign to stop the USA  Extradition

http://chng.it/VTZJ7ZXmnS

(Post script  3/09/19 Roger Waters Sings Wish You Were Here In Support of Julian Assange )

Alistair Hulet (1951-2010) - Dictatorship of Capital

Alistair Hulet was an acclaimed Scottish acoustic folk singer, revolutionary socialist and committed political activist, who was  committed to fighting for a better world, a world based on the principles of justice, equality, love and respect for all of humanity.
Born in Glasgow, in 1968 he and his family moved to New Zealand, where he established a reputation on the folk circuit, with a large repertoire of ballads and other songs. In 1971 he moved to Australia, and sang in many festivals and folk clubs. In the early 1980s he founded the folk punk group, Roaring Jack, which combined  Celtic reels with radical and revolutionary lyrics, they  opened for international acts such as Billy Bragg and The Pogues and The Men They Couldn't Hang.
In 1991, the Gulf War led Hulett to join the International Socialist Organisation, and, in 1995, he co-founded the Australian Trotskyist organisation, Socialist Alternative, often playing political benefits and rallies with Roaring Jack.
Hulett wrote songs in support of Indigenous Australians, the BLF (Builders Labourers Federation), the Maritime Union of Australia and former Labor Prime Minister, Bob Hawke.
Hulett's first solo CD, Dance of the Underclass (1991), was completely acoustic, with contributions from other members of Roaring Jack, the album was instantly hailed as a folk classic and proved to be the turning point in Alistair's return to the folk fold, establishing Hulett as a key contemporary songwriter and underlined his significance as a documenter of social issues. His position as one of the most influential musicians on the Australian scene was now beyond dispute.
In the UK his song, "He Fades Away", was picked up by Roy Bailey and by June Tabor and later by Andy Irvine. All three performers recorded uniquely different but thoroughly compelling interpretations of the song. established Hulett as a key contemporary songwriter and underlined his significance as a documenter of social issues.
In 1995 he met  the late great fiddle player Dave Swarbrick, who was living in Australia, and they became a duo. Hulett and Swarbrick made two fine albums together, Saturday Johnny and Jimmy the Rat (1996) and The Cold Grey Light of Dawn (1998) after making another fine solo album, In Sleepy Scotland, he worked with Swarbrick on perhaps his crowning achievement, Red Clydeside. Hulett's song suite told the story of the Glasgow workers' revolt and their attempts to form a republic in response to conscription in 1914.
After returning to his native Glasgow in the late 1990s, Alistair was an active member of the Socialist Workers Party. Hulett became acutely ill on New Year’s Day 2010 and was hospitalised on 5 January with suspected food poisoning.Liver failure was later diagnosed and it was hoped that he could receive a liver transplant, but further investigation revealed a very aggressive metastatic cancer which had already spread to his lungs and stomach. Hulett died on 28 January 2010 at the Southern General Hospital in Glasgow.
Following his  untimely death,  two memorial funds were established in his name; one in the UK and one in Australia. Both funds were established with the aim of honouring and upholding Alistair’s legacy of actively campaigning through his music and his songwriting on behalf of the poor, the oppressed and the disadvantaged.
The following song of his from Dance of the Underclass  still holds much resonance today. as  out of control  dark forces undermine us with their'smash and grabs for power, it reminds us that for a  long time now we been under the dictatorship of capital 

 Alistair Hulet - Dictatorship of Capital

You're trying to tell me capital has won at last
And anyone who's not convinced is just being shown the door
You're trying to tell me competition turns the wheels
Smart money never deals in welfare any more
Survival of the fittest keeps the species strong
Change is always painful but it doesn't last too long

Excuse me friend,
I think you could be wrong.
When some of us are free to rise and some are free to fall,
All of us are under the dictatorship of capital.

You're trying to tell me profit is the bottom line
Cancer is sometimes benign, it eats the cells that leave themselves defenceless
You're trying to tell me market forces must prevail
Some succeed while others fail
Failure has to face the consequences
Weeding out the weak is mother nature's song
 Existence is a game like chess, Monopoly or Mahjong.

Excuse me friend, I think you could be wrong.
And it did not take me by surprise when the revolution from above began to cave in.
Like a New Town built by an architect, a concrete wasteland no-one wants to live in.
When some of us are free to rise and some are free to fall,
All of us are under the dictatorship of capital.

You're trying to tell me I'm living in democracy, everyone is always free
To either live with ugliness or beauty
You're trying to tell me that undermining revolutions
When they threaten institutions is a major power's democratic duty
With Batista, Marcos, Pinochet you got along
But not with the Sandinistas and not with the Viet Kong

Excuse me friend,
I think you've got it wrong.
Because when some of us are free to rise and some are free to fall,
All of us are under the dictatorship of capital.
All of us are under the dictatorship of capital.
All of us are under the dictatorship of capital.

 http://www.alistairhulett.com

As Boris Johnson treats the people of Britain with contempt with his decision to proroque Parliament, now is the time to stop the Torys misrule

Like many I am currently completely dismayed by oafish  Prime Minister Boris Johnson's decision to  prorogue Parliament. The Queen  having approved his request at such a critical time for the UK. has sparked outrage across Britain. It's really so hard to believe that the Government could even contemplate closing the door of Parliamentary democracy (which has for a long time  not exactly been a shining example,and in serious need of reform, but that's another story) for a period of 5 weeks, in order to guarantee a No-Deal Brexit, with no time for alternative plans, debate or opposition, in what is just another example of their utter contempt for the people. We should not be held to ransom  by Johnson with his attempt at a coup, that will only end with the continuing right wing onslaught on our lives, with the result  that many are left in misery.
At end of the day Johnson and the Torys do not represent us, but just carry on with their own vested interests,to big business, and the capitalist elite, at a time that millions of people are being driven into poverty. Trump wannabe Johnson  is now acting in  such a brazen tyrannical manner, even though he  does not even have a parliamentary majority. In fact he barely has a parliamentary mandate at all. He does not have a popular mandate either, and was not chosen in a general election, but was nominated, instead, by a mere 93,000 members of the Conservative Party. Without Parliament, without the public, without any real legitimacy, he nevertheless believes he has to make Brexit happen by the deadline, Oct 31, because that is what he promised during his leadership campaign , because otherwise his party might not survive to the end of this decade. To be frank he's playing a dangerous game and is simply taking the piss out of us all.
As a friend has made clear ' his decision will ensure millions are pushed further into poverty, leading to the loss of our NHS, social services  and our human rights will be cut to shreds. As always, the most vulnerable within our society will suffer the most.' Johnson wants to distract us from other news, the growth of foodbanks, rising homelessness, the destruction of the NHS and the figures that emerged earlier this year from the Department of Work and Pensions, that showed more than 17,000 people had died waiting for Personal independence Payments after registering between 2013 and 2018.
And in May, the UN's rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights concluded a series of reports on the UK by repeating that the country is "failing to uphold human rights". It confirmed that disabled people had been hardest hit by austerity. These policies it concluded, "continue largely unabated, despite the tragic social consequences. At the time, the DWP denied  the UN's findings, describing it report as a "barely recognisable" picture of the UK".but  the evidence and the personal testimony have kept on mounting up. The reports findings are now irrefutable.
 Brexit was meant to return 'sovereignty ' to the Brtish Parliament, instead it has made us a laughing stock all over the world. For those that can't remember the last time their was a constitutional crisis of this magnitude was in the 17th century when Britain  had a bloody civil war. While they scheme and distract  lets not forget  their economic  murder of  the poor and vulnerable with  their systematic conscious ideological cruelty in what amounts as a true testament to the last 10 years of this abhorrent government.
We should all be outraged and do everything that is possible to thwart the Tory's misrule,so that generations to come can be protected from their harm. Protests have been called across the country, in an effort to stop the Tories before they unleash any further damage, it is time to end the relentless suffering bought to millions by their vicious  austerity driven policies, it is time for the government to fall. If Johnson really is so sure, that he is in line with the will of the people, there' is a very easy way for him to find out, and that is for him to call a general election, one that many commentators are saying he is not guaranteed to win, in the current unstable political climate that he has helped stir up.