On March 11, 2011, at 2.46 pm Japan Time, a 9.0 magitude earthquake struck the Tohoku region of Honshsho Japan. It was the strongest tremor to hit the country and one of the strongest in the history of the world. The tremors lasted six minutes. Some 20 minutes after the earthquake hit, a assive massie tsunami swept across coastal
towns from the northern island of Hokkaido to the southern island of
Okinawa, destroying more than 400,000 buildings and homes, and killing
15,891people.
A nuclear disaster compounded the horror when tsunami waves reached
the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, with power out,the emergency cooling generators weren’t functional,
and explosions began in the reactor containment buildings; this in turn
caused nuclear material to leak out of the plant. causing the worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl in 1986. In addition too those already lost more than 3,700 people mostly from Fukushima, died from illness or suicide in the aftermath of the tragedy.
In addition, more than
3,700 people—most of them from Fukushima—died from illness or suicide
linked to the aftermath of the tragedy, according to government data
Unsurprisingly, critics of nuclear power seized upon the accident
to argue that because nature is unpredictable, nuclear power is simply
too risky. Following the nuclear meltdown, Japan's entire stable of nuclear reactors
were gradually switched off. But almost half a decade on, Japan is
considering whether it should recommence its pursuit of nuclear energy
- especially given its continued struggle to decommission the Fukushima
reactors that are still inundated by contaminated water.
Nuclear reactor facilities, which need a reliable source of water for
cooling purposes, are usually located near the ocean or alongside a
large lake or river.That's a somewhat fraught positioning from the lens of climate
science, particularly since the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change report from 2007 found that ocean levels are rising roughly 1.2
inches each decade, with some scientists predicting that water levels
could rise by as much as a meter by the end of the century.
That
may not sound like much, with most nuclear power plants a full 20 to 30
feet above sea level, but each additional inch of water increases the
risk of flooding and heightens storm surges, two of the more significant
threats of a warmer planet.
The
potential risks of tsunamis to nuclear power plants are well understood
and a set of international standards has been developed to mitigate
those risks. Yet,
despite Japan’s history of tsunamis, the Nuclear and Industrial Safety
Agency, Japan’s nuclear regulator, did not apply those standards. It
failed to review studies of tsunami risks performed by the plant’s
owner, Tokyo Electric Power, known as Tepco. It also failed to ensure
the development of tsunami-modeling tools compliant with international
standards.
Tepco
was also negligent. It knew of geological evidence that the region
surrounding the plant had been periodically flooded about once every
thousand years. In 2008, it performed computer simulations suggesting
that a repeat of the devastating earthquake of 869 would lead to a
tsunami that would inundate the plant. Yet it did not adequately follow
up on either of these leads.
Many people still do not trust Tokyo Electric because of its bungled response to the disaster..Around 12,000 people who fled their homes for fear of radiation have since
filed dozens of lawsuits against the government and the Tokyo Electric
Power Company (TEPCO), the operator of the stricken nuclear plant. And eight years later, radioactive water is continuing to flow into the Pacific Ocean from the crippled No ,1 plant, while thee radiation levels at the crippled plant are now at unimaginable levels.
As memorial services for the thousands killed in the Great East Japan
Earthquake are held across Japan despite the billions poured into reconstruction efforts by the Japanese
government, scars on the landscape remain visible and the tragedy
continues to wreak misery for many, more than 50,000 people still remain
displaced, living in shelters, and the country is spending more on power eight years after
the disaster.
Roughly one in two
Japanese voters think the reconstruction of the disaster-hit area "is
not making progress" despite the rebuilding of infrastructure such as
railways and houses for people who lost their homes in the disaster.According to the poll, 72.9 percent of voters think the Japanese
government should halt its policy of exporting nuclear technology,
compared to 14.7 percent who support the policy.
Today outside the Japanese Embassy, 101 Piccadilly, London W11 17:30 – 19:30 there will be silence and prayer, poetry, speeches, songs https://www.facebook.com/events/1212004702282409/
And on Saturday there will be a march on Parliament outside Japanese Embassy, 101 Piccadilly, London W1 12:00 for start at 12:30 Fancy dress/bright colours welcome – especially yellow! follpwed by a rally at Old Palace Yard opposite Parliament 14:00 – approx 16:00
Where there will be a one-minutes silence in remembrance of the victims of the continuing Fukushima disaster plus all victims of nuclear power generation https://www.facebook.com/events/355574691936367/
After
Chinas newly established communist government took over Tibet in
1949- 50, in an invasion of unprovoked aggression a treaty was imposed on the Tibetan government acknowledging
sovereignty over Tibet but recognising the Tibetan governments
autonomy with respect to Tibets internal affairs. But as the Chinese
consolidated their control, they repeatedly violated the treaty, nut since it was signed under duress anyway the agreement was already in violation of international law. In open
resistance and with simmering resentment growing it led to the first major popular uprising against Chinses rule. On 10 March - in Lhasa in 1959, the Dalai Lama was supposed to attend a dance troupe performance, but he was told he could not bring his bodyguards.Fearing his abduction to Beijing soon thousands of Tibetans surrounded the Norbulinka summer palace of their spiritual leader, in order to protect him from being taken away by the Chinese army. From Tibet then aged 23 he reached the safety of India having escaped on foot disguised as a soldier in a 15- day journey over the Himalayan mountains, traveling by night and hiding by day. where he has maintained a government-in-exile in the foothills of the Himalayas ever since. Tibetan rebels launched an attack on March 19, but Chinese troops captured the city on March 25.The uprising was vastly outnumbered and met with extreme force, and brutal suppression, some 87,000 Tibetans were killed, and some 100,000 fled as refugees.resulting in the beginning of increasingly harsh Chinese rule over Tibet. The Chinese government dissolved the Tibetan government headed by the Dalai Lama on March 28, 1959, and the Panchen Lama assumed control of the Tibetan government on April , 1959. The Malayan government condemned the Chinese governments use of military force against the Tibetans on March 20, 1959, and Prime Minister Nehru of India expressed support for the Tibetan rebels on March 30, 1959. Prior to its invasion, Tibet had a theocratic government of which the Dalai Lama was the supreme religious and temporal head. The Chinese media routinely try to illustrate a narrative of oppression being commonplace in Tibet before their invasion and painting the Dalai Lama as a terrorist and dangerous seperatist to justify their occupation, stating they freed the prople of Tibet from "misery" and " slavery" under a feudal serfdom controlled by the Dalai Lama and his followers to try and distract us from the human rights abuses that China committed.Though it was no Shangri-La like paradise not only are their contradictions in this false narrative of serfdom and oppression that China likes to portray, most scholars have soundly rejected it and are moving away from this idea. Tibetans since the invasion were treated as second-class citizens in their own country. They are routinely kicked
out of their homes and sent to townships so the government can ‘develop’
occupied spaces '. Over 6,000 monasteries have been destroyed and those that have survived are not being used by monks, but ironically, are used as
spiritual attractions for – mostly Chinese – tourists while they tighten
Tibetans’ religious freedom. Areas that were once spiritual spots and
pure nature are used as nuclear waste sites. Worst of all, Tibetans do
not have freedom of speech, religion or movement. Many passports have
been recalled and the borders are closed, trapping Tibetans in the
country as their culture and land diminishes.Chines replaced Tibetan as the official language, Despite official pronouncements, there has been no practical change in this policy. Secondary school children are taught all classes in Chinese. Athough English is a requirement for most university courses, Tibetan school children cannot learn English unless they forfeit stdy of their own language. In addition the Dalai Lama says 1.2 million people have been killed under Chinese rule, though China disputes this.
The international community has since reacted with shock to the events that have ocurred in Tibet. The question of Tibet was raised at the U.N General Assembly between 199 and 1967. Three resolutions have been passed by the General Assembly condemning China's iolations of human rights in Tibet andcallung uponChina to resect their rightsincluding their right toself determination. The following website www.tibetuprising.orgis a useful one to view a timeline of Tibetan resistance over the decades. Large scale protests across Tibet took place in the 1980s and in 2008, as Beijing prepared to host the Olympic Games. China's response left 227 dead, over 1,000 injured and 6,810 in prison.
Some have since been released. Some are still behind bars. Some
didn’t live to tell the tale. A few not only survived until release but
then evaded surveillance and managed to escape into exile.Some 150 Tibetans, young and old, monks and nuns, have self immolated aince 2009 calling for the freedom of Tibet and the return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.– Tibetans light themselves on fire as an individual form of non-violent protest against oppression. It is regretable too that the Chinese authorities have placed a ban on foreign travellers from entering Tibet during the 60th anniversary period, restrictions on access to Tibet are not new since Tibet is almost entrely closed to foreign hournalists, diplomats and UN experts, thus adding to its isolation from the outside world. Recent evidence shows that there has been a significant increase of Tibetan political prisoners since the protests, and torture has become more widespread than ever. In 2015, Tibet Watch put the testimony of seven torture survivors in
front of the UN. Voices that China tried to silence now told tales of
barbaric cruelty and incredible bravery. They told of the unbreakable
spirit of Tibetan resistance.Please see the following link for more detailswww.tibetwatch.org/blood-on-the-snows
Whilst Tibetans are preparing to pay tribute to the courage of generations both past and present, China is preparing to befuddle the UN Human Rights Council in response to last Novembers Universal Periodic Review.
As previously, China has rejected most of the Tibet-related
recommendations, including basic requests for UN officials
to visit, calling them “inconsistent with China’s national conditions,
contradictory with Chinese laws, politically biased or untruthful.”
Bizarrely, China claims to have "already implemented" a recommendation
to restart dialogue on Tibet, when in fact there
has been no acknowledged formal contact with the Dalai Lama's
representatives since 2010. At the moment the citizens of Tibet do not have anything that resembles any form of basic human rights. Children and adults can dissapear at any time. To practice their religion means they will face prison, torture and death. The people are prevented from displaying their banned flag, or in joining mass protests, but Tibetans still assert their desire for freedom in the face of severe repression. Today this struggle is being carried forward by a generation of Tibetans whose parents and even grandparents do not remember a life free of Chinese rule. Tibetans’ spiritual leader has
pleaded with the Chinese government to make Tibet truly autonomous so
people can have freedom of speech, religion, and movement. The Tibetan people should be allowed to retain their right to protest and allow their struggle and dscontent with China and its illegal occupation and continued mistreatment of Tibetans to be recognised.Even though the plight of the Tibetans does not seem to garner the media attention it once recieved todays anniversary still marks years of oppression and exploitation.The fact remains that China still occupies Tibet in much the same way that Western empires of the nineteenth and twentieth century occcupied large parts of Africa and Asia. Chinas claims to have ' liberated 'Tibet rings hollow,and the continuing Tibetan resistance represents a legitimate important call for self-determination. As Tibetans and their supporters look back over the 60 long years since their first uprising,let's remember the bravery and determined spirit of those who fought and gave their lives, and we recommit to securing the promise of human rights and religious freedom for the people of Tibet and support their ongoing struggle, not forgetting the thousands upon thousands of arrests, dissapearances, cases of torture, arbitrary detention and forced political indoctrination, and recommit to securing the promise of human rights and religious
freedom for the people of Tibet and support their ongoing struggle. .
On March 8, International Women’s Day, around the world women organize
rallies, marches and gatherings of all kinds to assert their claim as
women to a say and control over all the affairs of society. Their
struggle to affirm their collective rights is part and parcel of the
fight to defend the rights of all.Today I celebrate International Women's Day with the recognition
that it's not simply one day a year, but it is every day that women take the
lead in protecting our communities, and our rights.
I also do not forget the radical history of the day itself. Ever since women fought for the right to vote in the late 19th and early
20th centuries, the essence of their fight has been political. They
have put forward their claims on society as a matter of right, facing
all kinds of state-inspired discrimination and violence against them and
state-sanctioned attempts to relegate them to second, third and fourth
grade citizenship based on brutal identity politics and exploitation.
Women, however, speak in their own name and refuse to accept any
limitations on their right to decide all matters which affect their
lives. Their courage and determination in the front ranks of the
struggle for a society which recognizes everyone as equal members of the
body politic with equal rights and duties inspires everyone to also
fight for the rights of all.
In 1909 the Socialist Party of America organized a New York City
march commemorating a garment workers’ strike the previous year when hundreds of women workers in the New York needle trades demonstrated in
Rutgers Square in Manhattan’s Lower East Side to form their own union
and to demand the right to vote. This historic demonstration took place
on March 8th. It led, in the following year to the ‘uprising’
of 30,000 women shirtwaist makers which resulted in the first permanent
trade unions for women workers in the USA. The famous slogan bread and roses made its debut at this protest . The Socialist Party of America declared National Woman's Day, to be celebrated on February calling for better pay and working conditions as well as the right to vote.
It was at the second annual meeting of the International Conference of
Working Women in Copenhagen in 1910, that Clara Zetkin, a prominent Marxist
activist from Germany’s Social Democratic Party, proposed the following motion at the Copenhagen
Conference of the Second International: “The Socialist women of all
countries will hold each year a Women’s Day, whose foremost purpose it
must be to aid the attainment of women’s suffrage. This demand must be
handled in conjunction with the entire women’s question according to
Socialist precepts. The Women’s Day must have an international character
and is to be prepared carefully.” The conference agreed.
During the First World War, she along with Karl Liebnecht, Rosa
Luxemburg, and other International SPD politicians, had rejected the party's
policy of Burgfrieden , which was a call to refrain from strikes during
the war. Among other anti-war activities she also
organised an international socialist womens anti-war conference in
Berlin, 1915. She however was not just an organiser, but also a great
writer and thinker. That still remains an inspiration today.
Because
of her anti-war opinions, she was arrested several times, during the
war and in 1916 was taken into 'protective custody'.She
also held the view that still holds much resonance today, that the
source of women's oppression was in capitalism, and that any form of
liberation, could only be served with the self-emancipation of the
working class.
IWD, consequently, was celebrated for the first time in Austria,
Denmark, Germany and Switzerland on March 19, 1911. Women in these
countries demanded the right to vote, to hold public office and the
right to work. Russian women began celebrating IWD in 1913, and on IWD 1914, across Europe there were marches against the impeding imperialist war and for a women's right to vote.
In 1917 in Russia, International Women’s Day acquired great significance
, it was the flashpoint for the Russian Revolution. On March 8th
women workers in Petrograd held a mass strike and
demonstration demanding Peace and Bread in protest at the deaths of more
than 2 million Russian soldiers in the war. The strike movement spread
from
factory to factory and effectively became an insurrection. After the Russian Revolution, in 1922, in
honour of the women’s role in 1917, Lenin declared that March 8th should be designated officially as women’s day in the Soviet Union.
From there, it was primarily celebrated in
communist countries such as China. But on the heels of the U.S civil
rights movement in the 1960s, as women fought sex discrimination in the
1960s
and ’70s, the United Nations declared 1975 as International Women’s
Year. In 1977 the U.N. officially marked IWD by inviting member
countries to celebrate women’s rights and world peace on March 8. It has since been celebrated in more than 100 countries, and has been made an official holiday in more than 25. Ever since, International Women’s Day celebrations have been held on
March 8 in countries across the globe — serving as an annual reminder of
the revolutionary potential of working women. Over the years though, these celebrations have drifted far away from the day's political roots.
Is a sad fact that for many women in the present day, little if anything has improved, since all those years ago when women initially marched. Many women are still not paid equally to that of their male
counterparts, women still are not present in equal numbers in business
or politics, and globally women's education, health and the violence
against them is worse than that of men. This day then is also an appropriate occasion to remember the too many gaps
hindering, sometimes in a brutal and cruel manner, the process towards
the full recognition and protection of women’s rights as universal
human rights. In times of war, women as well as children are those that have to bear
the major brunt of the abuses and human rights violations committed, in conflict zones across the globe.Wars and
famine also means that tens of millions of women are on the move and homeless
as refugees. Across the world, they suffer sexual exploitation, rape,
violence and murder from people they know as well from strangers.Many ordinary women still struggling to put food on the table.
We must continue to stand in unity and solidarity on March the 8th
with all all those internationally who are still fighting sexism and the
inequality, exploitation and hardship that is still rife under the combination of capitalism and patriarchy and keep celebrating the social, political and other achievements of women, who continue to try and promote gender equality and political justice, who still try to make this world of ours a better place for everyone.
( This post dedicated to all my sisters whose every day is steeped in struggle )
HSBC is a major shareholder in companies selling weapons and military
technology to Israel and also provides those companies with the loans
they need to operate. There is clear evidence that
these companies are contributing to human rights violations against
Palestinians and to Israel’s illegal occupation.
In a move though cheered by BDS (Boycott, Diestment Sanctions) supporters, the London-based international
financial giant bank said it will divest from Israeli defense
contractor Elbit. followng immense pressure following 24,000 petitioners emailing the bank while monthly protests were held outside more than 40 branches. The mammoth effort involved co-ordination between War on Want, the
Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) and the Campaign Against the Arms
Trade (Caat). But the campaign continues HSBC are continuing all of their operations, including banking, in Israel, and have stated that they reject boycotts of Israel so now we must ask the they must cut ties with ALL companies that proft from the violent repession of the Palestinian people. The bank is still a major shareholder in companies supplying weapons to
Israel, including Caterpillar Inc., which sells bulldozers to the Israeli military. These bulldozers are used to destroy Palestinian homes and infrastructure. Other equipment provided by Caterpillar is used to construct apartheid
walls and build illegal settlements on occupied Palestinian territory.
We can’t allow banks on our high streets to continue lending support
to Israel’s militarised repression of Palestinians. Together, we can
break the chain of complicity. It isn’t just Israel that acts with impunity. Banks, ministers and even
councils are accustomed to doing what they please regardless of what we
think. Every occasion when we force them to stop and listen through
people power is a win for our democractic values.
Take action https://palestinecampaign.eaction.online/HSBC-End-your-complicity?fbclid=IwAR1iGbKA4bzJWr85aSeU4221hBxG99r-hKEY6qzQXiVYMUoYJ6bR0C-RmJY
The first few weeks of March will be a time of deep reflection for
hundreds of thousands of people across the UK and here in Wales who will recall what they
were doing when the 1984/85 coal miners’ strike began and ended. On this day, the UK Miners’ Strike of 1984-85 ended in defeat for Arthur
Scargill and the National Union of Mineworkers when miners reluctantly
and bitterly voted to return to work, after just two days
short of a year on strike in what was Britain’s longest and largest industrial dispute.In what was a turning point for the working class in Britain, after an iconic but bitter strike that came to define the decade.
The National Coal Board’s (NCB) announcement in March, 1984, of the
imminent closure of Cortonwood colliery, Yorkshire, and Polmaise
colliery, Scotland, together with 20 other planned pit closures and the
loss of 20,000 jobs led to a swift response from the National Union of
Mineworkers (NUM).NUM national president, Arthur Scargill said the plan would lead to 80,000 job losses. Scargill's prediction proved to be was correct
Yorkshire and Scottish miners came out on strike,
swiftly followed by Durham and Kent. On March 8, ,
Arthur Scargill, announced that the strikes were official under Rule 41
of the union’s constitution and called on the other NUM Area coalfields
to support the action.
Support in Wales was initially confused with the
Executive Committee (EC) of the South Wales National Union of
Mineworkers (SWNUM) recommending strike action during their conference
of March 9, and local NUM lodges in South Wales voting 18 to 13 to stay
in while respecting any picket lines, by 12th March, half of Britain’s 187,000
miners had downed tools becoming one of the most inspiring but bitter class struggles in British history.
But Tory Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher – riding high from her victory in
the Falklands – had secretly and cynically prepared for battle by
stockpiling two years’ worth of coal before announcing the closures. And
she was hellbent on defeating “the enemy within” by any means
necessary, even if it meant turning the full force of the state against
its own people. For the first time in a postwar national strike, British
police were openly used as a political weapon.Paramilitary riot police placed mining communities under total siege. A scab
workforce was organised to break the strike, and billions were spent to
keep the power stations running without coal. The full weight of the
courts was used to sequestrate the funds of the miners' union and break
its resolve. Civil liberties were
forgotten as miners were beaten and arrested even when standing still.
Agent provocateurs and spies were deployed. State benefits were withheld
in order to starve the miners back to work. And the media was used to churn out a Niagara of lies against the miners.What had begun as an industrial dispute
degenerated into a clash of ideologies and civil class war.
For twelve months, the miners and their families held out against
unprecedented onslaughts and unimaginable hardships in order to save jobs and preserve communities.The South Wales miners alone would prove to be obdurate, solid and immovable throughout the long year of hardship and deprivation. Their heroism, determination and courage alongside striking miners across the UK astonished the world, and would charge and inspire the political consciousness of
hundreds of thousands of people, as it did for me, aged 16 and a half at
the start of the strike as they demonstrated their
unconquerable will to fight.
Miners on picket lines were brutalised and attacked by baton-wielding
police in full riot gear. For me at the time this was to be a year of
great awakenings, seeing their fight, I started to see connections with
other peoples struggles. The plight of the poor and unemployed,
Nicuragua and Apartheid South Africa, people being daily attacked by
Margaret Thatchers rabid Government. I decided to take sides with with those who decided to take on the right wing policies of Thatchers government.
The rights and wrongs of whether the miners should have had a national
ballot has been widely discussed, but like many others at the time I
believed that once the miners were out, it was our duty to support and
work for them. Within weeks of the strike starting 80% of miners
supported the strike, standing against what they saw as the
unjustifiable attacks on their right to existence and resistance.
Later at Orgreave it became apparent, of the true intentions of
Thatchers government, with the full collusion of the police ,it was
noticed that they had no intention of finding reconciliation or
settlement to this industrial dispute. The sole intention was an
ideological one, to mortally wound the National Union of Mineworkers, to
defeat it with military force and with naked violence ,by any means
necessary.
As the miners attempted to blockade the Orgreave coking plant. The police
showed the lengths they would go to break the strike with violent
attacks, mass arrests and deliberate but fortunately unsuccessful
attempts to fabricate evidence and frame miners. The insult was added to
by the BBC reversing footage of miners defending themselves from police
attacks to try and make out that the police were attacked first.
It was one of the most brutal attacks by the state on its own citizens
of the last 20th Century.It saw the police going berserk under state
orders, repeatedly
attacking individuals wherever they sought refuge, as they fled into a
nearby Wheatfield and into the community of Orgreave, where the police
carried on their pursuit through the streets. A scene of ugliness, fear
and menace, as all concepts of Law and order that the constabulary
were supposed to withhold abandoned all its basic principles.
At the end the day over 100 people were arrested, for no crime
whatever, with many more being injured along with the Miners leader
Arthur Scargill. Following Orgreave, the police conducted a deliberate
and co-ordinated attempt to frame arrested miners for one of the most
serious events on the statute book - the offence of Riot. No police
officer has ever been prosecuted or even disciplined for their role in
the terrible events that occurred.Campaigners have long been calling for a public inquiry into the horrendous events that occurred on 18 June 1984, simply asking for an apology to the victims who suffered in this bloody confrontation. More details here .https://otjc.org.uk/
Despite increasing hardships the miners fought on with determination and
bravery. During the course of the strike over 6,000 were arrested, with
over 20,000 miners being injured in acts of state violence.
Throughout the strike I would witness, how the right wing media was used to
vilify and undermine. The media being used to lie, and used as a political weapon
to crush the miners resiliance, the media also enabling to
misrepresent, and divide the movement, churning out a Niagra of lies against the miners .The propoganda part of Thatchers
assault, was being pushed out everyday. At her so called enemy within.
Psychological pressure was also used, with the police encouraged to
wave wads of cash at pickets, designed to undermine and demoralise, the
use of scabs increased, bussing them through picket lines in a
determined effort to break the will of the striking miners.
Throughout the country, groups emerged, either as individuals or part of
miners support groups, raising money and awareness, standing in
solidarity. Disparate groups found common ground, from the Unemployed,
the Peace Movement, students, other Trade Unions, all standing firmly
behind the miners in their great struggle. The women from the mining
communities in particular acted as bulmarks of strength, organising
welfare and support, collecting food and money and giving much needed
moral energy. Lesbian and Gay support groups also played a vital role
and consequently the NUM led the pride demonstration in London in 1985.The chant of the miners’ support groups was: “The miners united will never be defeated”.
It was an energising time, new friends were made, the camerardie that
emerged was simply amazing.
Sadly eventually some miners started drifting back there will broken, and the increasing hardsgips they faced, but it should be noted that 63% of the miners stayed out to the bitter
end.
Sadly despite the strikers being pitted against the full force of the
ruling class, they were betrayed by the Trades Union Congress and the
Labour Party’s refusal to mobilise support, especially their
spineless leader Welsh 'windbag' and class traitor Neil Kinnock, who refused to attend picket lines or
events supporting the miners, in effect helping Thatchers dirty war of
attrition. In fairness the Party rank and file were with the miners. Labour Party
activists, premises and equipment were involved in the miners' strike to
a degree probably not seen in any dispute since the 1920s. The National
Executive Committee backed the miners and called for a levy to support
them. Conference condemned police violence and defied Kinnock's request
to condemn pickets' violence.
But what most people saw, courtesy of TV, was the public weaseling of
Kinnock, Hattersley and others. We should not underestimate the role
played by this in dampening the spirits of the labour movement.
On 3rd March 1985, an NUM
delegate conference narrowly voted to end the strike. The miners marched
back to work together, brokenhearted but their heads held high in
defiance. Thatcher was graceless in victory. “There is no such thing as
society,” she infamously declared. Her neo-liberal blueprint would
result not only in the selling off and selling out of the coal industry,
but also the decimation of Britain’s manufacturing industry, the
subjugation of all trade unions, and the doubling of unemployment and
inflation.
Though the heroic struggle ended in defeat, the proud and dignified nature
of the return to work, like the Maerdy miners of South Wales who marched back to work behind colliery bands and banners who thus robbed Thatcher
of the "total" victory she and her class sought. Nevertheless, the Tory
government subsequently closed over 100 pits and more than 100,000 were
made redundant. The pit closure programme was carried through
remorselessly. It tore the guts out of the industry and out of the
mining communities. The mining industry was decimated.
The
strike may have been defeated but years later I remember the courage and sacrifice made during this
bitter struggle and the spirit of revolt they unleashed, and those who
remained defiant to the end, and acknowledge the miners who were
arrested and locked up on trumped up charges.The communities that never
fully recovered from the financial blow of the strike. Those who fought
for the survival of a humane society here in Wales and across Britain,
and a vile government who used the powers of the state in almost all its entirety to
defeat the miners and to teach the whole working class a
lesson.
Miners and their families will remember those miners and their strike
supporters who will have passed away since, and in particular those who
were killed either by reckless lorry drivers at picket lines at the time
or from the “death by malice” of someone hurling a brick at a striking
miner, as was the case with David Jones outside Thorseby Colliery in the
Nottingham coalfield and Joe Green who was killed on the picket line.
Passions remain unwaned, and I feel the miners strike has left
us with a legacy that we should be proud of, of a people and community
standing together in solidarity in the face of adversity. The fighting spirit of the miners lives on , It
has left behind a tradition of courageous struggle, which can still be
seen among us today with people fighting for their lives and what they believe in, today as then solidarity is needed more than ever, as we continue our own for jobs, social justice and
welfare. in our opposition to the current Tory Government,
who are carrying on where Thatcher left off.
Test Department and the South Wales Miners Striking Choir - Comrades in Arms
Ambling down the path of irrevocable memories
Nostalgias breath pervades my lungs,
Seismic segments of time fermenting and erupting
Intoxicatingly redolent of a turbulent storm,
My effervecent dream flat and fizzed out
Bubbles burst and evaporated,
Leaving my yearning taste buds dry and shrivelled
Bittersweet emptiness and a jaded palate.
The torturous syncopated rhythm of yesteryears melodies
Blast out their discordant notes in my ripened golden years,
The bells of bygone days ring out evocations of a decadent past
Every chime churns out an echo of a shattered dream,
Each jarring vibration plunges into my embittered soul
As spiralling silhouettes dance in unison,
Acerbic assailants from the springtide of my life
Seemingly oblivious to my former fragile naive spirit.
When Theresa May was gifted the role of Prime Minister from a
disgraced and departing David Cameron, she stood outside Downing Street
and delivered the following message:
“I would like to pay tribute to David Cameron for the leadership he has shown our part and our country… We need to unite our country and we need a strong new positive vision for the future of our country. A vision of a country that works not for the privileged few but that works for every one of us. And that’s how together we will build a better
Britain.”
What we’ve seen, however, is quite the opposite. Rising rents and
prices. Falling wages in real terms. Unprecedented levels of
homelessness and child poverty. The return of Victorian illnesses caused
by malnutrition. Crippling household and personal debt
directly attributable to austerity policies.
Despite Theresa May's announcement that austerity is over, the realities for millions of people is quite the opposite. The Government shows no sign of stopping austerity. Every section of society is at breaking point from our underfunded NHS, schools without supplies, councils unable to provide even basic services, and millions on poverty wages unable to provide for their families.
The government has repeatedly stated that they are committed to building a country that works for everyone, but the truth of the matter is they simply could not give a damn, as they continue to show their complete and utter contempt for the poor, the disabled and the vulnerable. At the same time the gap between the very rich and the rest is wider in Britain than in any other large country in Europe, and society is the most unequal it has been since shortly after the First World War.
We cannot let this go on. As the Tories actions continue to be marked by incompetance and farce, it is time for all of them to go as soon as possible for the greater good of all. Theresa May and co should not be left to cause even more irreplaceable harm to our country.
As a result of all of this on 2 March, the People’s Assembly Against Austerity has organised a mass rally in Haverfordwest called: Britain Is Broken – We can’t Afford The Tories. This is the latest in a UK-wide ‘tour’ to highlight the devastating effects of Tory austerity.which they say is now cutting deep into every layer of society. Goodwick based Jim Scott, of Pembrokeshire People’s Assembly, one of the main organisers of the rally, says :"Tory
austerity has been an utter disaster. It has always been an ideological
and economically illiterate policy. After nearly a decade of savage
cuts to every layer of society, working-class people are suffering under
the heavy weight of austerity while the wealth of a privileged few has
tripled." Because, as Scott continued: " The Tories are engaged in a shameless and cynical
agenda; transferring wealth from the public purse into the pockets of
the super rich. The Tories are literally picking the bones of our
society and it is time for them to go. We need a general election now! Here in Pembrokeshire there is no way that Crabb will not survive at the ballot box, it's time for him and Hart to go
too" Ahead of the rally, the People’s Assembly has been touring around
Pembrokeshire, Wales, with ‘Sanctioned Steve’. Steve is “the Tory’s
skeleton in the closet”.
So far, Sanctioned Steve has visited the Job Centre to ask them why they were fulfilling sanctioning targets over people's welfare and causing soo many people to suffer. The Tories brutal sanctioning regime has forced thousands to go without
any form of income for 100 days or longer in some cases. Creating
homelessness, poverty and destitution. Universal Credit roll out is
making this problem even worse.
The local PATCH charity food bank to show his solidarity with the victims of Tory austerity in Pembrokeshire who have been forced to collect a total of 3,500 'five-day' food parcels in the last year alone.
Steve also wonders how his Tory MP Stephen Crabb has the audacity to pose for photos at the foodbank but keeps voting for austerity every chance he gets. He’ll also visit Welsh Citizens Advice Bureaux, to question them about £51m
the DWP “gave them to run a benefits support service and ask them if they can really run an impartial service while taking backhanders from the Tories! Steve isn't so
sure! Also a trip to Crabb's Office (to ask him why he always votes for cuts) You can follow Sanctioned Steve’s tour on Facebook.
Preseli Pembrokeshire has been Conservative
since MP Stephen Crabb was first elected to parliament in 2005. In
2015, he held the seat with a majority of almost 5,000. By 2017, that
majority had crashed to just 314. As a crowdfunder to raise money for the rally says, the former DWP secretary “is universally disliked”. Pembrokeshire
People’s Assembly has “campaigned tirelessly” for six years “to
highlight” the impact of austerity “and cuts” which Crabb has voted for. In 2017 huge crowds gathered for a similar event to #UnSeatCrabb. Just "one last push" is needed to remove him from his seat in any future General Election.
Scott concludes: "Tory austerity has failed… [It] has been a
shameless transference of wealth from the public purse into the pockets
of the super rich. It’s as simple as that. The Tories are picking the
bones of our society and it is time for them to go."
The rally is due to assemble at 2pm on 2 March in Castle Square, Haverfordwest. Speakers will include former Plaid Cymru leader Leanne Wood , Mark Serwotka, President of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) Nicola Field , one of the original LGSM activists as featured in the film Pride. There will also be speeches from Disabled People Against Cuts (DPAC), Women Against State Pension Inequality (WASPI) and Wales Green Party leader Anthony Slaughter, Stand.Up to Racism and others.The lineup is subject to change deending on circumstances.
The main theme of the day will be the damaging effects of Universal Credit and poverty in Britain. Organisers also believe that the Conservatives have used racism
and division as a smokescreen for cutting services and cutting back the
state. Nimisha Trivedi from Stand Up to Racism Wales who will be
speaking at the rally said; "Racism was invented to
justify slavery. Today it is used to take our attention away from the
people who have given us austerity. To fight austerity we need to fight
racism and to fight racism we need to fight austerity. Let’s turn out in
big numbers. Unite and fight."
Philippa Thomson; Labour Party
Candidate for Preseli Pembrokeshire will be speaking on the platform and
said; " I hope people from across Pembrokeshire will come and support
the rally. It's unbelievable in this day and age that so many people in
our country are living in poverty, including
people in work. Here in Pembrokeshire our local charities are doing an
amazing job to help struggling families, but what would really help
would be for the Tory Government to stop their failed Universal Credit
roll-out "
Ellen Clifford from Disabled People Against Cuts, has sent the following statement : " "Austerity and so-called welfare reform have disproportionately
impacted on the most disadvantaged members of society including disabled
people. In 2016 the United Nations concluded that the threshold of
evidence for grave and systematic violations of
disabled people's rights due to welfare reform had been met. This is not
an accident but the product of a deliberate ideological agenda to
reshape the welfare state, and to punish and demonise those who are
reliant on out of work and disability benefits. There
is overwhelming evidence of the direct harm caused by removing essential
support through benefit assessments that are not fit for purpose and
the cruel and perverse conditionality and sanctions regime. The roll out
of Universal Credit threatens yet more misery
and destitution of an as yet unseen scale. We need to end this now which
is why DPAC supports the Britain is Broken initiative and we encourage
all those that can to get involved." UNISON Pembrokeshire County Branch will also be officially supporting
the rally and encouraging their members to turn out in large numbers,
other local union branches are expected to follow. Pembrokeshire Green
Party; also supporting have donated £200
towards the costs of the day. A comedy gig, Stand Up Against Racism and Austerity, will take place in the evening in the Merlin Theatre at 6pm. Mark Serwotka will host the evening which will feature stand up comedy from the brilliant and hilarious Wil Hodgson & local comedian poet Clare Ferguson-Walker as well as
Trevor J Williams and Liam Schewitz from South Wales. There will also be music from Pat Bollard the well known busking band who gained fame with their song 'Millionaires'. Union
of Love - Street Performance group - will also be bringing street performance to the theatre with a moving performance on poverty in Britain.Tickets for the gig may be purchased here
As Tory austerity continues to destroy people's lives I stand with the Britain is broken rally and I hope to see you there. The Tories are causing suffering on an unimaginable scale.
Please will you support this important event, help us take down the
Tories in Pembrokeshire and make West Wales a Tory free zone! Together in unity we can be a powerful movement against austerity, for the many not the few.
French cosmetic and skin care giant Yves Rocher who makes a whopping 2 billion Euros a year has come under fire after132 workers at its Turkish subsidiary Kozan Kosmetik in the Turkish industrial district of Gebze, near İstanbul, mostly women ,got so sick and tired of the appalling conditions -- they joined a union.The management then fired them.Yves Rocher’s built its brand on women’s empowerment. But it’s
walking all over one of the most fundamental rights of its female
workforce, despite the Fact that the Right to unionise is recognised both by the
Turkish Constitution and the Internationally Recognised Conventions of
the International Labour Organisation.
.
The sacked employees mainly female workers have been picketing the factory for almost 300 days since May 15 with bosses erecting barbed wire fencing to
prevent them from speaking to other workers.
Yves Rocher bought a 51 per cent stake in
Flormar in 2012, in a deal worth estimated at $150 million (£116m). Flormar is the number one make-up brand in Turkey with a 21 per cent
market share. Its goods are exported to around 60 countries, with
global sales worth around $100m (£77m) per year.
However, the workers at the Flormar factory complain of low pay and poor
safety conditions, with bosses demanding that they work extra hours for
no more than the minimum wage.
The company went to court to challenge a union certificate issued by
the Ministry of Labour, exploiting loopholes in the law to block union
recognition.
Flormar bosses started targeting workers for their trade union activities in April, when they sacked 14 members of Petrol-Is.
By mid-May, a total of 132 union members had been dismissed. Many
have been campaigning under the slogan “Act beautiful, stop
union-busting,” subverting the motto of Yves Rocher, which has tried to
distance itself from responsibility for the dispute. soL HD has shot the following documentary video, “Beauty
is resisting”, with English and French subtitles, dedicated to the
struggle of the resisting workers.
As the video shows, the Flormar workers, were fired one by one, including many of them who had worked
for the company day and night for 14 years, simply for seeking
their labour rights.
Social media users from Turkey and around the globe have since started to
share soL News’ video to show their
solidarity with the resisting workers.The video sharing has turned into a mass social media campaign with those supporting them popularizing the video with hashtags such as #ActBeautiful (in Flormar-in Turkey)
and #STOPUnionBusting. Social media users criticizing French Yves Rocher
and its Turkish trademark Flormar for their anti-labour and anti-trade
union practices that they have imposed upon the workers
.One worker employed as a subcontractor, who did not wish to be named,
explained: “They asked about my partner’s job and if I had taken part
in May Day protests or was a member of a political party.
“They said being in a union was a big problem for them and told us that, if we spoke to those resisting, we would be sacked.”
Pinar Koca, who was sacked the day after she joined the union, said:
“We are defending not only our own rights but also the rights of our
friends in the factory.”
She called on women to “boycott cosmetic products by Flormar and Yves Rocher and support our action.”
Sacked Flomrar worker Elif Ulsu remains confident of victory, saying:
“We will not give up. I believe women are going to win at Flormar.”
If one company gets away with firing workers in Turkey for joining a
union, what’s to stop other big employers doing the same thing?
If people can't join a union, they have no way to stand up for themselves
and demand wages that will feed their families, safe workplaces, time
off when they’re sick and freedom from management bullying.
Yves Rocher’s makeup and skincare products target women. They even
sponsor awards for women leaders around the world. Well, the many women
who worked at this factory aren’t asking for an award -- they just want
their jobs back, and a guarantee they can stand
up for themselves by working together in a union.
Now SumOfUs, the large international campaigning group, has taken up
the Yves Rocher case as a priority campaign. Thousands of supporters
daily are signing the online SumOfUs petition calling for Yves Rocher to
stop the union busting in Turkey.
Support the workers and join the campaign.
TO: Yves Rocher
Demand that your Turkish subsidiary reinstates union members illegally fired and respects its workers rights.
Awoken again with mind ablaze
Tangential thoughts flooding my brain
Lost in times deep seated memories
Scrapped Poetry snippets strewn across the floor
Proscrastination fuels my aversion to tidying up
Time now to walk through sunshine
Reflections of wonder, surfacing embrace
Within the minds eye
Opportunities present themselves
Lessons to be taught again
Time to go for papers, rizlas
Follow some straight lines
Allow the darkness to recede
Find some glimmer to share
Reflections of inner hunger
In the garden look for serenity
Beyond the fractures, the deep blue hue
States of karmic energy
Awakening again
Fractal dreams igniting
Passions thirst liberating
Springs eternal kiss releasing
Guiding obsessions emanating
Forever lost in fierce permanence.
"I'll be blunt with you Roy, you talk about cancer - I feel very
strongly about people whose entire life depends on the working class
movement, your father was a miner, he was in jail during the General
Strike, you got into parliament as a Labour member, every office you
held was because of The Labour Party, Cabinet Minister appointed by a
Labour Prime Minister, and then you left the party
.
Now THAT'S a cancerous growth. People who betray those who gave them
power are the real threat, and I must say that bluntly those who stay
true to those that put them in power - these are the ones I admire."
Tony Benn speaking to the traitor Roy Jenkins, who, along with Shirley
Williams, Bill Rogers & David Owen formed the so called 'gang of 4'
who cemented Margaret Thatcher's rule in the 80s.
As Tory Austerity continues to tear our lives apart, the new so called called Independent Group betrays all who voted for them, if they were really committed to helping the lives of millions in Britain they would not be fuelling the Torys fragile grip of power.
If they actually had the guts and did the decent thing they should all face by-elections immediately, I truly believe they would be absolutely crushed. At the moment they are just a bunch of elite opportunists, who have absolutely no mandate.The SDP though actually had some policies, but like yesterday the Independent Groups are the same sneering traitors who are never forgiven by
history.
