Lansbury's Lido

I've been tinkering again and it seems some recent comments have gone awol. You can still see them in the recent comments box though. Apologies.

So we have the UN Climate Change Conference being hosted in Copenhagen. We also have George Soros present who is going to form and fund an organization to advise policy makers on environmental issues and look after public interest as policies and programs are created to address climate change. And then we have the Executive Vice Chairman of Rothschild, Simon Linnett. But for the private sector to participate enthusiastically in a global carbon trading market, governments must collectively establish a robust framework within which trading can occur. It must be long, loud and legal: Long: it is going to be around for a long time Loud: it will be the dominant mechanism for sponsoring changes in behaviour and we are going to make this perfectly clear to the world's people Legal: we will enforce it through law A key implication of creating a legal yet global system of trading, is the loss of sovereignty it implies. Governments must be prepared to allow some subordination of ...

Trawling through the BBC's website I came across this article about a mother convicted of child cruelty upon her daughter. It says: A mother who struck her 12-year-old daughter with a computer cable, a broom, a wooden spoon and her fists has been given a suspended jail sentence. The 37-year-old asylum seeker was jailed for 12 months suspended for two years at Preston Crown Court after she pleaded guilty to child cruelty. And it's good that she should receive such a sentence. But what does get me wondering is why 'asylum seeker'? Is there something about asylum seekers that makes them more partial to a bit of physical chastisement of their offspring, a bit more handy with their fists? Something perhaps that sets them apart, as somehow different from 'us'? I expect better from the BBC.

Could this be the next Labour Party political broadcast? I thought it was good until Kinnock and the architects of New Labour came into view, their stories undo the victories of the past. Did the producer see the irony? Aside from that some interesting images, and it's got Lansbury in it!

Not a carnival or anything like that I'm afraid, just some links to other blogs that I inflict upon this interweb. So this one you're at now is all about my politcs, knocking capitalism on the head and creating a fairer world. For my technical ramblings there's Plans to Prosper . And for my thoughts on faith in today's world there's a new one called The Sign Of The Cross . Enjoy. Or not as the case may be.

Just been looking back at one of my old sites on the wayback machine. What stands out is a posting I made in June 2001. Surely I can't be the only person on this planet who's bored to tears with the glut of reality tv programmes at the moment? I still feel the same nowadays. :(

To date two of the panel that were appointed by the Government to advise the Government on drug policy have handed their cards in. Seems that there's a bit of bad feeling over Alan Johnson's decision to give Prof Nutt, the Chairman of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs his P45. So what's it all about? The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs is a panel of experts that advise the Government on Drug policy, providing evidence and expert opinion which will assist the Government in putting together a coherent and viable policy. Lately the panel have been advising the Government on the reclassification of Cannabis from a Class C to a Class B narcotic. But the Government have decided to continue with the reclassification which goes against the provided evidence from the panel. So certain members of the panel, specifically Prof Nutt have decided that they will try and alter Government policy by acting outside of the panel. He had criticised the fact the Home Office...

Rummaging through the online version of Hansard looking at the questions asked by George Lansbury , like one does and I came across this little gem: ROYAL AIR FORCE (BOMBING ATTACKS). HC Deb 12 April 1923 vol 162 cc1300-1 1300 § 60. Mr. LANSBURY asked the Secretary of State for Air how many punitive expeditions have been undertaken by the Air Force during the year ending 28th March against tribesmen in India and Arabs and other nationals in Iraq and countries adjacent: how many casualties have been suffered by our airmen; how many persons of other nationalities have been killed or wounded; what damage has been inflicted on villages or towns; and will he state what bombs were used? § The SECRETARY of STATE for AIR (Lieut.-Colonel Sir Samuel Hoare) During the year ending 28th March last, bombing attacks were carried out in connection with the various military operations in Waziristan, but there were no independent punitive expeditions carried out by the Royal Air Force against...

I know Christmas is a while away yet but if my local supermarkets can have their Christmas goodies on sale in October then I can damn well post about Christmas. Actually the post isn't about Christmas, I'm just using it to emotionally blackmail you! A recent edition of the Morning Star had a report on the deaths of some civilians in Guinea . Not an issue worthy of a report or mention in the more high faluting dailies unless I missed it? Anyways, the government of Guinea, installed via a coup has been accused of killing civilians using equipment purchased under the pretext of it being used solely for 'border control'. They purchased the Armoured Personnel Carriers called Mambas from a company called Alvis OMC, owned by the world's favourite arms manufacturer BAE Systems It's one of the odd things about capitalism - the separation of profit from conscience and morality. How we can make money from things we would recoil in horror from were we to witness th...

Yes I know I'm a bit late to the party on this but what the hell! The appearance of Nick Griffin of the BNP on a recent edition of Question Time on the BBC has ruffled a few feathers in the political and activist landscape, particularly among those who subscribe to a concept known as 'No Platform'. No Platform is a political position that actively opposes allowing alleged fascists to express their views in public. It basically means that the propogation of fascist ideas and concepts shouldn't be allowed to be vocalised using publicly funded platforms or in areas where the left controls the platform, such as student unions, trade unions and also the media organisations such as the BBC. Leastways that's what I can pin this concept down to. So the BBC offering a platform to people like Nick Griffin goes against the principle of No Platform and will generate protests and action. Which is what happened at the BBC studios. The supporters of No Platform include s...

We see daily on the news and in the papers headlines such as "Industrial Suicide" and "Posties' Anger Over Temps". And I bet many, many people will be trotting out the usual recycled misinformation and blaming the posties. "Lucky to have a job", "Bunch of troublemakers", "Wreckers!". In our media we rarely see behind the scenes of industrial disputes and never venture further than the politicised media headlines before constructing who's to blame and how to put it right. Here's an excellent diary type item that goes behind the scenes of the dispute from the postie's point of view. Old people still write letters the old-fashioned way: by hand, with a biro, folding up the letter into an envelope, writing the address on the front before adding the stamp. Mostly they don’t have email, and while they often have a mobile phone – bought by the family ‘just in case’ – they usually have no idea how to send a text. So Peter Ma...

To my mind some of the most beautiful sounds ever have come from the Eastern Orthodox Church, particularly the Slavic regions. The soundtrack to the video below takes me to another place! And here's one of the most moving human creations ever!

Listening to one of my favourite Pink Floyd albums the other day, The Final Cut. Perhaps for me the best track is The Fletcher Memorial Home. It got me thinking about how many of the glorious leaders across the world since the Falklands Conflict would now be eligible for residency........... Anyways, enjoy the song.

A complete repost of an article from The Third Estate . Please repost the post from The Third Estate . Written by: Owen - October 12, 2009 Earlier this evening The Guardian was served with a gagging order forbidding it from reporting parliamentary business. To quote the article in the paper itself: Today’s published Commons order papers contain a question to be answered by a minister later this week. The Guardian is prevented from identifying the MP who has asked the question, what the question is, which minister might answer it, or where the question is to be found. The Guardian is also forbidden from telling its readers why the paper is prevented – for the first time in memory – from reporting parliament. Legal obstacles, which cannot be identified, involve proceedings, which cannot be mentioned, on behalf of a client who must remain secret. The only fact the Guardian can report is that the case involves the London solicitors Carter-Ruck, who specialise in suing the me...

Image via Wikipedia Gary McKinnon has had his extradition appeal and finally run out of options within the justice system in the UK. Hopefully he'll be appealing through the European Court of Human Rights. The High Court, which turned down his extradition challenge, decided the case did not raise 'points of law of general public importance' - a prerequisite of being able to pursue a case at the higher level.  Quite how the imposition of a one-sided extradition treaty is not in the general public interest seems to have been lost on the UK legal system. Obviously would've upset the status quo. His mother has said: No other country in the world would so readily offer its citizens to the US as sacrificial lambs merely to safeguard a "special political relationship".  And she'd be right. Quite what it is about the UK's politicians and legal system that transforms them into Uncle Sam's lapdogs is beyond my ken. Mind you, now Obama's astonishi...

Given George Osborne's threat that "We're all this together" it gives me an excuse to embed a video from The Pirates. I still have this on a 12" single. Somewhere. Quite apt really given the Tory's and NL's planned piracy of the dignity of the poor and unemployed. As the lyrics go: Brothers can you hear me Are we getting taken for a ride We're all in it together

For a long time now I have a had a friend request on Facebook from Mary Honeyball. I assume it's the political one as it comes with a picture of her. I'm a bit bemused by the friend request since given her high levels of God knocking in the past I do have to wonder why she would be interested in a God-botherer like myself? Perhaps I should give in and add her as a friend. Perhaps she wants to convert me?

Those caring and sharing Tories are at last showing their caring side and have knocked up some proposals to deal with the issue of care for the elderly. BBC NEWS | Politics | Tories unveil care home guarantee Actually it's all bollocks. The nasty party are just throwing some schemes around to enable their parasitic friends, private capital to get more of their blood stained fingers into the pie that is the NHS, and also into the savings of the vulnerable. They are saying that you can have care in your old age if you cough up £8000 when you hit 65. This 8 grand is trousered by the insurance industry ( interesting how many MPs and ex-MPs grace the boards of insurance companies eh? ) So not only is private capital being given a backdoor into the NHS but you can only benefit if you have the money. And if you haven't got the money? Tough, FOAD as they say. Wasn't the NHS brought into existence to just deal with the injustices of a system where health care was availabl...

I have been using GoodReads to catalogue all the books I own, have read or want to read. Found the link to it from Steve Hayes' blog . Seems a good thing to do, to be able to see what you've read and to be able to share reviews with friends and others on the site. However, logged in this morning to add a new book and all my books have disappeared! Nowhere to be found. Defunct. Empty. Had only managed to catalogue about 30 books so not a great loss but disappointing nonetheless. So have now decided to register at LibraryThing and start all over again! If anyone else is a member who visits here then feel free to add me as a friend. Seems they have a limit of 200 books before they ask for cash so we'll see how it goes. Can anyone recommend any other online book catalogue type sites? ** Update - GoodReads have now emailed me thanking me for setting up my new account, using my original username. Not sure what the hell's going on there but it seems that my account h...

Jim over at The Socialist Way has just started up a forum for discussion around socialist issues. As Jim puts it: So let me cut to the chase, I would like to start a new forum for socialist bloggers and individuals who are socialists or just interested in discussing any posts in more detail, or just sharing any ideas or information that would be of general interest. The proposed forum would be open to anyone interested in developing and sharing a better understanding of what socialism is or what socialism means to any individual from a personal perspective, it would not be affiliated or take any particular party line. My initial thoughts are that the forum would be small to start off with and likely would remain a manageable size that is comfortable for all concerned, and with as little labour as possible, but we would need a moderator; I am happy to fulfil this role and set-up the forum to start off with. This is just an idea that I've been thinking about for some time and I am...

So it now appears that Iran has been building a second nuclear enrichment plant which appears to have upset a broad range of countries. Those who have piped up with complaints include the UK, US, France, Israel. In fact our very own Miliband has not ruled out military action. That's very good of him. The UK may have the second furthest 'military reach' but we have neither the manpower nor the political will to do so. This whole issue of nuclear power and nuclear weapons seems to bring out the imperialist in the Western nations who themselves have both nuclear power and nuclear weapons. We seem, and I say 'we' as we are a democracy, we seem to consider ourselves to have some innate right to decide upon who else joins the cosy nuclear club and feel we have the right to interfere in other countries sovereign policies. We rant against the Iranians for their supposed secrecy yet across the UK and US territories I wouldn't be surprised it if there were 'secre...

Harpymarx has a good post knocking James Purnell's waffling about giving unelected representatives more power within government. Gets my goat it does. Anyways, a good excuse for playing Billy Bragg's No Power Without Accountability. And while we're at it here's the great Solomon Burke, None of Us are Free.

Almost finsihed reading "George Lansbury - At The Heart Of Old Labour" by John Shepherd so I'm now looking for some new train-time reading material. My requirements are that it can be read in both 15 minute sections and extended periods, covers something 'political', ideally pitches one man or woman against oppression with or without a happy ending, fiction or non-fiction, left of centre and can keep me awake. So far I've gathered the following as likely candidates: In This Way I Was Saved by Brian DeLeeuw Norfolk Red: The Life of Wilf Page, Countryside Communist by Mike Pentelow Freedom: Short Stories Celebrating the Universal Declaration of Human Rights from Amnesty International The Devil and Mr Casement: A Crime Against Humanity by Jordan Goodman If anyone can suggest which of those make good reading then please let me know or if you have any other suggestions? Feel free to have a shufty at my recent reading list at Goodreads.com, link below. ...

Image by Getty Images via Daylife I was all set for an early start to pay a visit to the city of Hull this Sunday. But administrative issues ( almighty cock-up ) have meant I can't go until Monday. I like Hull.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8229171.stm More than 30 police officers were injured in clashes or accidents during protests at the G20 summit in London, new figures show. The injuries ranged from being hit by flying debris, attacked by protesters or crushed in crowds to dog bites and being scalded while making a hot drink. Sounds like most seem to have been injuries attributable to 'friendly fire'. No wonder they've toned down the confrontational tactics for the latest climate camp.

Just ordered two more books on that favourite figure of mine from ages past, George Lansbury. First off is George Lansbury: At the Heart of Old Labour by Dr John Shepherd. Surprisingly I haven't managed to find any reviews of this tome so I'm trusting that it's going to be a good and informative read anyways. And it's hardback so the size and quality of the print should make things a tadge easier on my eyes! Secondly a more recent book by Janine Booth , brought to my attention by a blog posting on the Leftwing Criminologist . The book is "Guilty and Proud of it: Poplar's Rebel Councillors and Guardians 1919-25". This one I'm really looking forward to as it deals with the practical outworking of Lansbury's own relationship with those he was elected to represent.Just read an old blog post by Janine Booth regarding Minnie Lansbury. I hope the book will highlight her work as well.

Here's a gem of a clip from George Galloway's radio show. Whether you like him,love him or loathe him you can't deny his commitment to the Palestinian cause. And he's great entertainment. Mind you with foils like this.... Given the dreadful level of ignorance around the issue of the Palestinians I do despair.

OK, he's not pretty, his head's too small for his body, he's boss-eyed and he's got a bit of a temper. But he's a loved moggy. And he's gone missing. :( We came back from a week's holiday to discover no trace of him. The person who had been feeding the cats said he was there on the Friday. Saturday, no sign. He was there when my youngest said his first words; he was there when my sons had their first day at school; he was there when my wife and I got married; he was there when I dealt with the grief of losing my parents; he was always there. And now he's gone. I live in hope.

Image via Wikipedia Listening to the radio the other day, can't remember what it was but I do recall something along the lines of ; home taping/drugs/knock-off cds and dvds contributes to organised crime/mafia/people trafficking/swine flu ( * delete as appropriate ) You know, one of those messages where the authorities want to deter you from doing something slightly dodgy by appealing to your conscience. Then I got to thinking about the same concept and government taxation. What dodgy dealings does my tax contribute to? invasion war chemical weapons weapons of mass destruction regime overthrow suppression of political dissent kidnapping financial corruption I'm giving up there, the list is going to be too long.

Image by Ruth Flickr via Flickr The real colour of the establishment showed through recently with the absurd claims by Tory grandees Douglas Hogg and Patrick Cormack. Both are claiming that the pay of MPs should be doubled in return for scrapping the second home allowance. Hogg claimed that their pay had fallen so low that it was insufficient to support the lifestyle "to which most professional and business classes aspire." What better supporting evidence that short of knocking the capitalist system on its head we need to ensure that MPs receive the average workers wage, plus justified expenses. I really thought that we had left the era of the toffs behind. Apparently not.

Seems that certain sections of the US political scene have been falling over themselves to knock the NHS. Words and phrases such as 'evil', 'Orwellian' and 'death panels' have been bandied about to stoke up fear of the red menance and to have a pop at Obama. Seems not so long ago that there were a number of blog posts regarding the home grown Tory attitude towards the NHS, especially that expressed by Daniel Hannah the Tory MEP. He was having a great old time in the land of the free putting the boot into the concept and practice of the NHS, much to the delight of the interviewer. I blogged about it here in April but you'll find his youtube video all over the place. In fact I'll embed it again as it's well worth watching. The condemnation from Cameron over Daniel Hannah's interview was noticeable by it's absence.

Image by hugovk via Flickr So we hear that the Farming Minister, Jim Fitzpatrick has walked out of an Islamic Wedding at the London Muslim Centre because he didn't agree with the policy of seperating the sexes during part of the ceremony. I'm not sure if he has raised the issue or other parties have flagged it up but he seems hell-bent on distancing himself from the Islamic community in his constituency of Poplar and Canning Town, a community which represents perhaps 30% of the voters. I had been cobbling together a blog post about this but then reading the press release from Respect I thought to hell with it, they've put it so much better! So why not just post it! Friday 14th August 2009 George Galloway today condemned Government Food Minister Jim Fitzpatrick's attack on a Muslim wedding as a "disgusting insult, cynically motivated by political opportunism". Fitzpatrick issued a press release this week to the East London Advertiser announcing he had refuse...

Being a rail commuter has given me some quality time to catch up on reading. As it's payday I've ordered a few new books to tide me over. Currently I'm ploughing through Marx's Capital Vol 1 but it's not a book I can read from cover to cover without several intermissions, so My new reading list is: Summer of Blood: The Peasants' Revolt of 1381 by Dan Jones Keir Hardie: A Biography by Caroline Benn Alone in Berlin by Hans Fallada ( h/t Mick ) Ones which I have left until I'm through with this batch are: Paul Robeson : A Biography by Martin Bauml Duberman Hewlett Johnson, Priest, Prophet, and Man of Action by Clive Hancock, Hewlett Johnson The Man Who Was Thursday: A Nightmare by G. K. Chesterton Let's hope the Royal Mail management don't start kicking off with their wacky schemes for 'modernisation'. Any suggestions for reading gratefully received!

Image by ClevelandSGS via Flickr "Every artist, every scientist, must decide now where he stands. He has no alternative. There is no standing above the conflict on Olympian heights. .. The battlefield is everywhere, there is no sheltered rear..... Fascism fights to destroy the culture which Society has created; created through pain and suffering, through desperate toil, but with unconquerable will and lofty vision . . - What matters a man's profession or vocation? Fascism is no respector of persons. It makes no distinction between combatants and non-combatants... The artist must take sides; he must elect to fight for freedom or for slavery. I have made my choice. I have no alternative. The history of the capitalist era is characterised by the degradation of my people; despoiled of their lands, their women ravished, their culture destroyed... I say the true artist cannot hold himself aloof. The legacy of culture from our predecessors is in danger. It is the foundation upon whi...

The Soul of Man Under Capitalism: NHS - Unwittingly Breeding Terrorism? Missed this one, well worth a read.

Image via Wikipedia I know I shouldn't but I take great delight in watching the rise in blood pressure that invariably develops amongst certain on the left whenever faith comes into the conversation. I'm reminded of the numerous occurrences from the Hammer films popular in my youth where Christopher Lee's Dracula recoils from the crucufix or clove of garlic held aloft by Peter Cushing's Van Helsing. There is somethng about 'faith' that many have difficulty grasping, of seeing beyond their typecasting or negative preconceptions or even dare I say, bigotry. There is a long and sweet history of faith working in the realms of the 'left in the UK. We can look back to the radical christian and faith movements that flourished around the time of the English Civil War, to the reformers calling for the abolition of slavery, to emancipation, to relief for the poor, to housing and employment and trade unions. We can look to the almost remembered past where icons of the ...

Image by Getty Images via Daylife The last British survivor of the World War I trenches, Harry Patch, has died at the age of 111. Mr Patch was conscripted into the Army aged 18 and fought in the Battle of Passchendaele at Ypres in 1917 in which more than 70,000 British soldiers died. Something he said a few years ago is worth repeating. Why should the British government call me up and take me out to a battlefield to shoot a man I never knew, whose language I couldn’t speak? All those lives lost for a war finished over a table. Now what is the sense in that, but still we send our lads to war. In Iraq, our young men are being killed and told to kill. Related articles by Zemanta Harry Patch last British survivor of First World War trenches dies (telegraph.co.uk)

Image via Wikipedia Listen to what Lance Corporal Joe Glenton says about the war in Afghanistan. He deserves all the support the progressive movement can provide if the authorities decide to go after him. Read more here Related articles by Zemanta British forces in Afghanistan face more casualties says Sir Jock Stirrup (telegraph.co.uk)