Howells Supports Dictator Abdullah

What a far cry from his speeches in support of the miners during the 84-5 miners strike. There should be a competition as to how fast these so called socialists speed to the right.

I mean what is he on? Apart from a very good salary, expenses, cabinet post, etc,etc,etc.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7067469.stm

Protest Against the Saudi Visit

Socialist Youth Network
Youth Wing of the Labour Representation Committee

PROTEST THE SAUDI STATE VISIT!
Wednesday 31st October 6pm – 8pm
Saudi Embassy, 30 -32 Charles Street, W1J 5DZ
For directions, see: http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=W1J+5DZ&ie=UTF8&ll=51.508075,-0.145741&spn=0.008641,0.010235&z=16&om=1

Speakers include: Yahya al-Alfaifi (Saudi trade unionist), Katy Clark MP, John McDonnell MP, Marsha-Jane Thompson (SYN Co-Chair), Sandy Mitchell (former British prisoner in Saudi Arabia), Murad Qureshi AM, Peter Tatchell

The Saudi dictator King Abdullah al Saud has been invited by the British Government on a 3-day visit from 30th October to 1st November.

Saudi Arabia is one of the most repressive societies on earth. It has no political parties, free elections, independent media or trade unions. Human rights violations are rampant – including the lack of basic rights for women, the repression of gays, the widespread use of torture, amputations and public executions.

This protest has been called to oppose British support for this repressive tyranny – and to stop our foreign policy being dictated by the oil and defense industries. Just recently, Britain sold 72 Eurofighters to the dictators in Riyadh .

Please spread the word far and wide – and make sure as many people as possible speak out against these murderous thugs.

John McDonnell MP has also tabled Early Day Motion 2102 opposing the state visit. Please ask your MP to sign it by getting in touch with them at http://www.writetothem.com/ - it only takes a couple of minutes of your time but will make a huge difference.

For more information, please contact the co-chairs of SYN:
Owen Jones – o.p.jones@gmail.com / 07870331835
Marsha-Jane Thompson – marshajanethompson@yahoo.co.uk / 07983592998

King Abdullah go home. You are not welcome here (unless its for strategic reasons)

Isnt it easy to entertain Dictators. They even have a go at how you are fighting the 'global terror threat' yet you still let them in. It makes all the tear jerking over the oppresion in Burma seem more hypocritical when you invite individuals like Abdullah in on a state visit.

Ah well. The protest for sane socialists and democrats takes place outside the Saudi embassy, 6-8pm Wednesday 31st October. The Tories have accused a Lib-dem MP who is boycotting the visit as gesture politics, something the Tories have a huge amount of experience in.

Will Gordon lecture him about their dreadful human rights record??


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7066867.stm

http://www.guardian.co.uk/saudi/story/0,,2201044,00.html

The Story of Mansour Osanloo

Watch the video here.

http://www.marxist.com/iran-story-mansour-osanloo.htm

United States Government lectures Cuba on Democracy

I read this report on BBC with interest

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7053170.stm

Again the US government blesses us with their expertise on the subject of democracy. Of course in the US you have a choice between two political parties that both support Capitalism. It doesn't matter who you vote for , the employer wins.

Murdoch shuns Democracy

Found this article in the Guardian yesterday. Apparently the share holders are revolting in Stalag Luft Murdoch and there has been an attempt to 'democratise' the business by some 'commie' shareholders.

http://business.guardian.co.uk/story/0,,2195398,00.html

I remember argument put forward by the Tory right, back in the early 80s, about the utopia of a 'shareholding democracy'. I immediately took that as shareholders having a greater even deciding say over how businesses operate.
Completely Utopian!
When will a business ever allow a little old lady , living somewhere in middle England, the proud owner of one share, have an equal say with some rich bastard who has a couple of million shares?
Murdoch can argue ferociously, for example, as he did in the past in his press, about democracy in the Labour Party. He supported one member, one vote. Yet having that in his own organisation? He would use his undoubted clout to squash shareholder dissent with his Iron Heel.
He is a Capitalist , therefore he knows best and does best.You have no say.

Ex Peru President to face trial

'I believe in Justice,
I believe in Vengeance,
I believe in getting the Bastard.....'

New Model Army

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071020/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/peru_president_on_trial

Protest Against The Saudi State Visit

Socialist Youth Network
Youth Wing of the Labour Representation Committee

PROTEST THE SAUDI STATE VISIT!
Wednesday 31st October 6pm – 8pm
Saudi Embassy, 30 -32 Charles Street, W1J 5DZ
For directions, see: http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=W1J+5DZ&ie=UTF8&ll=51.508075,-0.145741&spn=0.008641,0.010235&z=16&om=1

Speakers include: Katy Clark MP, John McDonnell MP – others TBC

The Saudi dictator King Abdullah al Saud has been invited by the British Government on a 3-day visit from 30th October to 1st November.

Saudi Arabia is one of the most repressive societies on earth. It has no political parties, free elections, independent media or trade unions. Human rights violations are rampant – including the lack of basic rights for women, the repression of gays, the widespread use of torture, amputations and public executions.

This protest has been called to oppose British support for this repressive tyranny – and to stop our foreign policy being dictated by the oil and defense industries. Just recently, Britain sold 72 Eurofighters to the dictators in Riyadh .

Please spread the word far and wide – and make sure as many people as possible speak out against these murderous thugs.

John McDonnell MP has also tabled Early Day Motion 2102 opposing the state visit. Please ask your MP to sign it by getting in touch with them at http://www.writetothem.com/ - it only takes a couple of minutes of your time but will make a huge difference.

For more information, please contact the co-chairs of SYN:
Owen Jones – o.p.jones@gmail.com / 07870331835
Marsha-Jane Thompson – marshajanethompson@yahoo.co.uk / 07983592998

Who are Nazi's?

I have been mulling over the term 'Nazi' as a term of offence. So I thought I would put a few thoughts down and look deeper into what I understand a Nazi is..

Everyone hates Dictators. Well at least every reasonable person with a sense of democracy, of tolerance and of understanding. No Socialist can ignore suffering, exploitation and oppression and quite rightly so. But underlying every oppressive regime lies an economic interest.

The idea of Communism, by the way, not of the Stalinist variety, represented a significant threat to international Capitalist profits. That was why after 1917 , 33 different Capitalist armies invaded the newly formed USSR. After their defeat by Trotsky's Red Army, the Capitalist Class had to use more underhand and sneaky methods of combating the 'satanist' commies.

It was Winston Churchill who admired at an early stage what fascism could do and described it as a 'bulwark against Communism'. Capitalist were already involved in the late 20s and early 30s , opening up their purses to finance the 'bloke with the little moustache' and his political party.

Here is a picture of a particularly nasty, Nazi.

We always talk about Hitler but I thought Heydrich was a particularly evil example.The guy was an out and out nutter and there were plenty of others.

Anyway, the Third Reich all ended in tears for the Capitalist class in the blood of millions of workers.

Moving on, I read on Leninstomb today quite a good argument aimed at those in our movement who have a difficulty understanding what a Nazi is, especially in the Capitalist capacity to find new enemies that threaten profit or new markets.

http://leninology.blogspot.com/2007/10/which-ones-are-nazis-again.html

I thought the blog was written in a thoughtful and intelligent manner and I certainly will be giving this popular blog a regular visit.

It got me thinking.

Have certain so called Liberals really forgotten what Nazi's are? I did a bit of a google and hopefully here will make clear my own understanding.

This link http://www.huppi.com/kangaroo/L-chichile.htm gives me an understanding as to the horror put onto the nation of Chile after the democratic government of Allende was brutally overthrown by a US backed coup. The method was 'Nazi' in everything but name.

Here is a picture of the dictator that murdered and tortured thousands of Socialists and Trade Unionists

Here is a picture of an economist who used the dictatorship in Chile for his economic experiment

His economic theory was greatly admired by western Capitalist leaders in the late 70s/early 80s.The damage done by these leaders still affects today.

In brief, Capitalism needed to operate freely without anything to inconvenience it such as democracy, trade unionism and socialist ideology.That has been its underlying strategy since children were sent up chimneys in early 19th century England.

So what do Capitalists really fear? Lets go back to Nazi Germany, to a notorious Concentration camp.

The sign above the gate said it all. While millions of innocent people perished in the death camps it leaves you in no doubt that the main target was Socialism, Communism and Trade Unionism. In other words anybody with collective ideas.

http://www.scrapbookpages.com/Buchenwald/JedemDasSeine.html

'Jedem Das Seine'. To each his Own. The last thing a Socialist sees as he enters this hell. The link will say it all.

Moving on, I have noticed how some liberals like to use the term 'Islamo-fascist' as a term of offence. Especially in reference to organisations and individuals currently involved in the UK anti-war movement.

That is all as may be but to me it is clear that you have to take a class position on these issues.

For example , I call Israel a Capitalist country. That doesn't make me anti Semitic unless you believe being anti capitalist is being anti Semitic. The fact that Israel has used very brutal methods to defend its position in the middle east makes it no different to the methods used by other capitalist countries in any part of the world that robustly defends its profits. Therefore I oppose Israel as I would oppose any Capitalist state. I have always seen Israel as a US buffer state to keep their foot in the door to Middle Easten affairs.

Iran is currently becoming 'Enemy Number One' in Liberal circles as the US anti terror coalition looks at how next to spend ordinary tax payers money.

Likewise I see Iran as a regime that oppresses Trade Unionists, Women and Gays. Is their economy run on a socialist basis? Well they have a certain amount of state run industries. It doesn't make Iran an socialist state. They also have a lot of rich bastards living there making a mint out of this oppression.

As socialists we should be supporting the working class people in those countries in throwing out their regimes and replacing them with democratic socialist ones.

By the way, I have never seen the armies of imperialism as part of the socialist armoury. You only ende up with the economy dissected and shared out to western multinational companies especially where oil is involved.

Mind you Saudi Arabia, seems to be OK to tolerate. I will continue to struggle to find the logic in ignoring what kind of country Saudi Arabia is. Apart from the fact Blair shelved an inquiry into its Arms dealings due to 'strategic reasons' do we have to ignore its record on human rights because it is allied in the 'War against Terror'? Where are the Liberals vocal on this issue?

Back to the nitty-gritty, it is Capitalism that's the problem, stupid.

The confused ideology of the Liberals is that they resolutely defend democracy but completely ignore the brutal undercurrent that Capitalism represents. They certainly ignore the role capitalism has plaid in bank rolling some of the worlds most vicious dictatorships.Thus they get into the absurd situation of supporting regimes that have a dubious history in supporting former dictatorships or even former terrorists.

As socialist we should be looking at things how they really are and not how we would like them to be.

I hope you can gather now that I believe in the co-existence of any nationality, creed or colour as long as they co-exist on a socialist basis. Capitalism means war and division (I'm not going to quote Von Clauswitz here) and the the bottom line of exploiting nationilistic divisions in a genocidal way to protect their interests.

I will continue to view groups such as the BNP and NF as Nazi. I cant believe dressing up in suits and being all 'electoral' has changed them from their former Jew baiting / black hating past.

Organisations that attract these types of cultured people can only be described as one thing.

Updates. There have been a number of debates on this issue and can be found at the following blogs

http://www.davidosler.com/2007/10/blair_iran_and_rising_fascism.html#comments

and

http://shirazsocialist.wordpress.com/2007/10/20/blair-islamism-and-fascism/

Sick ruling on Pleural Plaques.Unaccountable Law Lords stab workers in the back.

Thousands of workers in Construction , petro-chemical and the docks have been clearly stabbed in the back over this Asbestos related issue. How many millions of pounds have companies made in profit in these particular industries on the backs of the long hours and low wages of its workers?
I advise all class conscious workers to write to their MPs and commit them to campaign vigorously to reverse this decision. Furthermore campaign in a robust manner in your trade union to make sure sponsored Labour MPs express their anger at this injustice.

Research has shown that the damage that working with Asbestos has done to workers has not yet peaked. The rich Insurance companies know this and are therefore overjoyed with this decision. I believe behind the scenes more attacks on any other forms of redress for workers is being planned.

Capitalism is a sick system.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7048575.stm

All you need to know about the killer work related disease

http://www.hazards.org/asbestos/

Manufacturing Lobby in London Today

Manufacturing Matters rally
Wednesday 17th October 2007, 11:00 to 16:00

Rally and lobby of parliament


Im there!!

Free Enterprise and Corruption.

We live in a 'free enterprise' society. It is reflected in all aspects of life from birth, through school and work, until death. It is the ruling 'philosophy' if you like, the capitalist philosophy.
While supporters of capitalism will view it through rose tinted glasses and promote the benefits, they will often ignore the pitfalls as minor aberrations. There is no alternative they will say.
Any regulation and government control they will fight with a vengeance.The success outweighs the pitfalls.

I found this report on the BBC this morning.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7046239.stm

Who really pays for this? Who really picks up the pieces for the thieving amongst the thieves?

Ordinary working class families.

The reality is that as the global economy becomes more deregulated and 'outsourced' it will get worse.

We have to feel grateful for having a job. In good times we will get some small reforms, in bad times they are taken away and we are made to tighten our belts. All the time we are told that we still can vote, as if that really seriously offers any redress to change the situation. The world economy is becoming a gangster economy!!

Where is the justice? When will there be justice?

Lookalikes. Hutton versus The Hills have Eyes

My word. Uncanny isn't it. A slight resemblance somewhere there.

One supports cannibalising Royal Mail and the other is just a Cannibal (albeit a fictional one)

I tried to find a lookalike for Ming Campbell but I have already forgotten what he looked like.

How best to sum up Brown's last couple of weeks.......

This comment from greenman on Dave Oslers blog had me creased up. I wish I had said that!!!

'First you start by rejecting "unobtainable utopias" and then you move to rejecting obtainable changes (because the economy - read the Murdoch media - "won't wear them") and then anything that might conceivably upset the status quo and you end up with the grotesque spectacle of a Labour Chancellor - a *LABOUR* chancellor - standing in the House of Commons and presenting as his pre budget speech the divisive, pro-rich, anti-poor headline policies of the recent Conservative Party Conference........'

http://www.davidosler.com/2007/10/gordon_brown_and_the_ideologic.html#comments

CWU. Whats in the Deal?

Looks like we will have to wait till a joint statement on Monday to see the detail in the deal meant to have been struck between the CWU and the incompetent management.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7043169.stm

Had a number of thoughts on this issue. Firstly, will we see Crozier and Leighton get the boot? Their Industrial Relation skills left a lot to be desired and it can be reasonably argued that their actions prolonged the dispute. The words 'negotiated settlement' seem to have been largely ignored during the summer and I personally believe that it was this management attitude that instigated the wildcat action which undoubtedly brought about the deal we will hear tomorrow. Are there any odds for Brown showing them the door next week?

Secondly, there will be a much hardened attitude by the posties rank and file towards Royal Mail management. Any attempts to intimidate will be met with more action which affirms the confidence given to members by the recent actions.

My last thought is that millions of workers throughout the country have observed this dispute with interest. Far from being unpopular, which is what the millionaire press would have us believe, workers will be given renewed confidence in their own battles and draw the conclusions.

Finally, as in the POA dispute in the Summer, the management had to resort to the High Court for an injunction, further exposing their own inadequacies in Industrial Relations. It is important to make sure full support is given to the Trade Union Freedom Bill that is to be put to Parliament this Thursday. No doubt Brown has got his lackeys in place to talk out the bill.

Expect some MP go on about an irrelevance for four or five hours.

Expect more Union members to go on about financing these MPs come the next General Election!!

US Lecturing the Russians Part 2.

Pot- calling- kettle- black.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7043312.stm

Lets get those Nukes ready.Western civilisation must prevail. Our New World Order, Our right to exploit.

It bugs me that after the fall of the Iron Curtain, when US style capitalism moved into the former Soviet Union, the US administration are scraping the barrel to find a new enemy, as the 'War against Terror' begins to wear a bit thin.

Call me a cynic but if Putin had showed a bit more enthusiasm towards the so called 'War on Terror' the US administration would have probably ignored these awkward human rights abuses. I mean look at Saudi Arabia?

I am confused. Is the US qualified to lecture any country on Human Rights?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7042822.stm

Just because the US has a constitution, regular election, freedom of speech , the right to own hand guns, etc,etc,etc, do we really need Ms Rice droping in on the former Soviet Union to wind Putin up about his Human Rights record?

I am getting tired of smug US politicians mainly of the Republican ilk, lecturing non US citizens i.e.the rest of the world, what great democrats they are.

Give it a rest and leave it to people qualified to do it.

Unacceptable face of Capitalism

http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/debusiness/news/display.var.1752102.0.3_1m_collapse_of_ship_refitter_leaves_suppliers_fearing_ruin.php

This caught my eye in yesterdays local news and made me very angry. I used to deliver milk to this company back in 2004 and so when I saw the news about the goings on here I felt need to comment. The staff there I found to be very friendly and loyal. A run of the mill , normal workforce you would see on any Industrial Estate. So I found it disgusting that they should be treated this way.

Apparently MSC have done it before. Again I feel it is case of companies who treat their staff so shabbily should be forced to open up their books for public scrutiny.The Directors should be held to account so that mismanagement, that results in the lives of the workforce being wrecked, is properly punished.

If I drink and drive I lose my license.

If some clown of a director f*cks up their business, he/she should be stopped from trading. Simple really.

Please don't give me that 'customers owed money' shit. That what free enterprise is all about.Your job is to look after your loyal employees first.

I hope the employees who stay on with these clowns have the good sense to join a Union and organise to protect their future employment.

The Loophole in the law must be closed.

Autumn brings change. Seasonal colours are in. Also; having a go at the Private Care Industry

A bit of a clean up was due so in line with the fashion industry I thought I would imaginatively wreck my blog with a seasonal tint.
Plans are afoot to look at a 'Christmassy' appearance in about 8 weeks. Is there such a word as Christmassy?? Holly and Hammers and Sickles anyone?

Had a busy couple of weeks. I attended 19 disciplinary's in my role as a TU organiser and representative. Is that a record?

Strictly speaking it could be argued that representing members isn't neccessarily organising but there is a strangely satisfying feeling you get when you help a Union member get off from being disciplined.

I work in the Portsmouth area and I seem to be getting a lot of members coming through the door with problems who work in the private care industry. For those who don't know , a private care home is a large semi derelict house , done up by the local bodge the builder and staffed with low paid care workers.

The manager is usually someone rich who woke up with a conscience one day, due to the fact that a distant relative, who he/she never visited anyway, was unfortunate enough to have a disability or a learning difficulty. Its odd that the owner might have come from the rented property industry so have a large collection of ready made bedsits to farm the service users into.

Let me list some common issues that members complain to me about;

• bullying by the manager, usually in the form of completely unreasonable request or by their ignoring of reasonable requests by their employees i.e Holiday requests or sorting out pay problems.
• racial harassment, self explanatory really , with the amount of migrant labour in the industry.
• using POVA as a threat to workers; I have found out that some managers have reported members for swearing in a car park when a severely disabled service user is present!!
• long hours and low pay. So common in the industry it is quickly becoming the norm
• flexible contracts. Members being given rotas or having their rotas changed in a completely unreasonable way with a few hours notice. How can you get single working mums to rearrange their lives and the lives of their kids at the whim of the manager?

I could go on.

A campaign needs to be waged by the Trade Union movement to combat these abuses. We need minimum standards across the industry so that we can hold councils and privateers to account, especially where the common fashion is to outsource care homes privately to the profiteering sharks circling local authorities.

In my view minimum standards should start at

1. minimum £7.50 per hour
2. 1 month notice for shift/rota changes
3. 35 hour week
4. Full time contracts, no temporary or accredited agency labour except in emergencies
5. Company sick pay from day one of employment
6. Robust dignity at work policies.

These amongst other standards should be a condition for a council awarding a contract.

Better still DON'T outsource care work , keep it in house!!

Dignity in care should be just as much for the carers as it is supposed to be for the service user.

Banning the Prison Officers from Striking. New Labour News special.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/prisons/story/0,,2187666,00.html

Another nail in the coffin for Labour. What an absolute betrayal of working people. Those with longer memories than most will remember the fuss made by Labour MPs in opposition when the Tories banned Unions at GCHQ.

Here is the next best thing. Banning strikes in the Prison service.

The country is awash with security cameras, we have draconian anti terror laws which could just as easily be used against all forms of protest including industrial disputes, we have the government introducing records/monitoring of phone calls for up to 2 years, we have the introduction of ID cards. Now we see what George Orwell was really predicting when he wrote 1984.

At least we still have the right to vote. Or have we, when the element of choice has now been eroded?

The Union movement is the only effective opposition to the government in this country.This is particularly noticeable now as the Tory party gently becomes politically the same as Labour. Yesterday's Darling moment in the House of Commons showed that when he tried to wriggle out of nicking Tory policy.

If they get away with this we will be looking at the banning of strikes in essential services. In particular the Government will be looking at organisations such as the Postal Service or the Rail Network which.

The right to strike is a fundamental human right. The bosses don't agree.The Government agree with the bosses. Well they would would'nt they.
I hope the Union movement mobilise around this issue because it will be seen by millions of trade unionists as the thin edge of the wedge.

Actually as an afterthought, today was a particularly good day to bury bad news such as this, wasnt it? The PM at PM Q's made such a twit of himself it totally overshadowed this proposed serious attack on Trade Union Freedom.That is much more newsworthy.

POA is demanding talks.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7037508.stm

Danish Youth Club update

My friend Teis has sent me a more detailed look at the protest last weekend. See earlier post for links and BBC news article.


Hi Ian

I will try to give you a brief outline of what has happened, the background of the whole affair you can read on the www.marxist.com in the article the danish section wrote after the riots March of this year.

At the demonstrations the police claims 3000 were there, the arranging group says 8000 and my brother who was there himself says that at least 6000 participated.The arrests this weekend was the biggest single mass arrest on one day in Denmark ever, 436 were arrested, all are released now, only 3 were charged with assaulting cops. The rest were charged with various things like wearing masks,going over railroad tracks and ”disturbing public peace”.

The protests were peaceful and the people arranging it called themselves G13, because the house they wanted to take and make into a new youth house, were on a street called Grøndalsvænge Alle and was number 13 on the street. They had publicly made their plans clear months in advance and said it was going to be non-violent and that only ”passive resistance” would be used. Earlier most attention by the media has been given to riots that has erupted (mostly made by a smaller group of people), I think G13's attempt was to break away from this and that they actually believed they would be able to take the house by passive resistance and sheer force of numbers. Also their tactics included having different blocs which had different aims (taking the house, diverting police etc). And people could choose if they just wanted to be in a bloc that was mainly a demonstration and weren't supposed to engage in ”passive resistance”.

However the danish police force has gotten a lot of resources lately and with”anti-terror” laws passed they can generally do what they please. The police response was to block the house and later to massively disperse the crowds with CS gas (teargas) which in Denmark can be pretty hard since they sometimes as the only country besides Israel that uses the strongest form of the gas.

So only a small group of people were able to reach the house and they weren't able to hold it. The way the arrested were treated were pretty rough, they were cuffed with plastic strips and had to sit in a cold concrete parking cellar for many hours (six), and were at no time allowed to stand up. They weren't given food until several hours later and when it arrived it was McDonalds which doesn't go well with vegetarians and vegans (not that I understand why people choose to be that;). Later when put into cells some people weren't allowed to go to the toilet etc. So the attitude from the cops can easily be described as arrogant,but this seems to be the order of the day in Denmark now unfortunately. However the responses later is pretty interesting. A leading policeman have come out and said that a political agreement must be reached now and congratulated the demonstrators on not using violence, this hasn't been seen before and didn't go well with right wing politicians who said it was a unheard of intervention by police in politics (as if the police is never used as apolitical tool).

I think this needs the be seen in the context of how the police have been used by the present government. They have had to fight rioters after the demolition of the old youth house and they are used weekly on Christiania http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freetown_Christiania .

This has of course produced some stress on their part. The mayor of Copenhagen Ritt Bjerregaard (social democrat and former minister, careerist of the worst kind and generally just extremely arrogant) has now agreed to meet people from the G13 group and it seems a solution might be reached. However nothing is certain, the meeting is this Thursday and if an agreement is reached I think it will be passed since the mayor controls the majority of the city council.

Comradely

Teis.

Is the minimum wage anything to be proud of?

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/cash/story/0,,2185151,00.html

'Nuff said.

Danish Youth Club. The Youth are revolting

I noticed this report in todays BBC news

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7032163.stm

It was reported about previously on the In Defence of Marxism site back in March and can be seen here
http://www.marxist.com/denmark-youth-house-class-struggle020307-6.htm
http://www.marxist.com/copenhagen-youth-riots-capitalism070307-8.htm

A good comrade I talk to on MSN , Teis, has told me that his brother was a participant.Teis kindly gave me a brief report today.

"Well the aim was to take a house with peacefull demonstrations
but the police were there en masse,
so people got teargassed and arrested
the arrested people were but on concrete floors for several hours.
After many hours they got food and water.
Anyway people were handcuffed and put on these floors
when food finally arrived it was McDonalds, which doesn't go well with the vegans and vegetarians.
People weren't allowed to go to the toilet and so on.
The demonstration didn't reach it's goal since there were to many cops,
but it was quite large the demonstration, around 4000 which is alot for a youthhouse demonstration".

Thanks to Teis for that quick report and he told me he will get me a more detailed report tomorrow.

There is a website that can be seen here http://www.ungdomshuset.dk/en.php3?id_rubrique=4

Postal Strike. Damaging for who?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7031725.stm

I got in from visiting the local picket line on Friday , pleased with the amount of support the pickets were receiving from passing workers and the general public. At the picket we discussed the mood amongst the members and the determination to oppose the strategy of job loss and closure the Post Office management are proposing in their blind descent into what these' experts' call the modern global market.

We all agreed that the Government has to take some responsibility in so far as they as well blindly adopt the same market forces approach that creates the uncertainty and insecurity in the minds of all thinking workers. It is with this in mind that we have to show solidarity with the CWU and organise support out into the communities over these real issues. This is real politics, the politics of the realities facing every working family of the employee class in the UK.

It was certainly noticeable at the picket the lack of discussion there was about the phoney election fever being blindly promoted by Newspaper proprietors and Government spin doctors alike (have you noticed how the two roles merge into one?)
The reality facing workers is certainly different to the one the Government views.

Of course the government wont get involved. Its a problem for the Union and the Company to sort out they say. And its a LABOUR Government saying this. A Labour Government that gets a huge wad from the CWU at election time. This tactic from Thatchers day- of course we all know that the government play a huge role in support of their employer friends , look at the FBU dispute and more recently the Remploy dispute not to mention how government ministers qued up to have a go at the successful RMT leader Bob Crow when RMT members brought London Underground to a standstill recently - is a typical head in the sand approach or a cack handed way of saying that politics has nothing to do with business!!

For millions of workers in this country , work IS politics. Its just that workers DONT get a say in it. There is no vote if a company up sticks and relocates in Eastern Europe or when the Company decides to close a final salary pension scheme. Workers have no say when some appointed unelected 'Hitler' starts bullying them in their workplace to work harder. What laws that are passed down through government legislation are mere crumbs that only enable workers to seek redress by jumping over hoops and obstacles. Luckily Workers have Unions to fight their corner.But its not as simple as that.

If a Union fights back it recruits. The CWU, RMT and PCS are examples of this in recent times. They have all seen rises in membership during disputes. Cynicism and compromise creates membership losses (it also creates soft left non confrontational political tendencies , similar to the one that has run the Labour Party for the last 15 years , but thats another story) Workers dont just join up for cheap insurance or easy access to a evening flower arranging class at the local college.

This is what the government and the employers are really afraid of. The political power that is in the workplace places a potential threat to the strategy of Employers to embrace the new found riches opening up to them in the Global market. For some employers its like the opening up of the New World in the 16th Century, untold riches on the back of super-exploitation in colonies the other side of the world. I mean, thanks to global warming a new trade route is even emerging via the North West Passage!!

We must enter the age of new politics , that of the politics of the workplace. It is truly global and has been since the earliest days of capitalism. Socialism is the logical outcome of this and it the direction that the left in the UK, both inside and outside of the Labour Party, must consider.


As an aside, during the run up to this recent Strike my wife listened to a phone- in on TV, I think it might have been on the BBC in which caller after caller slagged off the strikers. It prompted many people I know who were sitting on the fence over the issue to come down firmly on the side of the CWU such was the bullying , prejudiced nature of the calls. Luckily daytime TV is not representative of the majority of viewers phoning in to these programmes in the UK.They consist mainly of bored individuals with grudges against society as a whole who believe political activity consists entirely of phoning up chat shows.Cant remember the name of the programme.

Brown does'nt like whats happening in Burma..........

What is it about political leaders? Why cant they get really angry and show a bit of emotion?

Brown seems to me the type of guy who has the words 'moderated response ' tattooed on his arse.

I mean surely we can expect a bit more passion and determination than this?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7031408.stm

Around the world there are some huge conflicts that show oppression and dictatorship that shouldnt have a place in the 21st Century. I think of Sudan or Columbia as two immediate examples. OK , it aint a perfect world but a social democratic leader should show a bit more than simple statesman-like posturing.

General Election. Does anyone care?

With the national press being whipped into a frenzy over the choice of two different brands of conservatism, IF GB decides to go to the polls, I have been myself contemplating what the actual turnout of voters could actually be.

Voting and participating in elections is a hard fought gain the world over. There are people dieing for the right as we can see today in Burma. Voting and the concept of universal suffrage was historically seen as a radical left demand and so as a paid up member of the left I support and defend it.

It saddens me therefore to see interest and participation in the election process, especially amongst the low paid and working class in the UK, drifting into a slow slide. This has been going on for a while now. Politicians have noticed it and tried to account for it but have failed to stem the descent.

A recent observer is none other than 'Hi I'm Dave' Cameron who commented on it at the still-as-stage-managed-as-before Conservative Party Conference. He begs the question of how to re-involve the 40% that don't vote anymore. For a start its the wrong person asking. It is New Labour who should be thinking long and hard about this problem.

Traditionally low turnouts benefit one party, the Tories. I have seen it in both council and general elections in the past 25 years. But if the opposition to the Tories is a party that invites former leaders to No 10, invites Tory MPs and right wing industrialist into their inner circle and peddles policies designed to 'not -rock- the- boat- and -upset- the- millionaire -press', no amount of slick presentation and spin, conned Trade Unions financial support and hard campaigning by the tiny rump of activists that still bother to campaign on the door step for Labour, is going to turn the minds of the 'precious' middle England vote.

Working class people deserve a choice.

Labour should be presenting them with one and that choice should be for policies that deal with the huge wealth inequality that has built over the last 10 years, the unfairness in the workplace, our long hours /low wage flexi-culture and the pension problem ie working people losing them or working harder for one. This what affects people now.

I have commented before about dragging the ideas of Socialism into the 21st Century but I am afraid we cannot ask our Labour leaders to do that for us, we are going to have to do that ourselves.