alanjjohnstone
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Another appraisal but a more positive one
https://www.thenation.com/article/society/ows-occupy-zuccotti-protest/
It acknowledges one of our earliest criticisms of the weakness of not having a formal process of decision making.
But was the post-Occupy shift towards Sanders really progress?
Can women alone solve the food problem?
Giving women a seat at the policymaking table could accelerate Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and keep the world fed and nourished, Food Tank President Danielle Nierenberg, a top researcher and advocate on food systems and agriculture.
“If we had women farmers running municipalities, towns and even countries, that is where change would really happen.”http://www.ipsnews.net/2021/09/women-farmers-politicians-world-fed-says-danielle-nierenberg/
Isn’t she missing the point? There is no input in decision-making from women because it is the corporations that are in control, not small-holders whether they be male or female.
And in an exchange economy of buying and selling, does gender really matter?
What changed? Very little according to the right-wing libertarians
“They changed nothing,” said Veronique de Rugy, senior research fellow at the libertarian Mercatus Center think-tank. “I don’t see changes,” she said, “I see changes in the rhetoric and prevalence of progressives in government,” she said. “The ‘one percent’ if you mean it in terms of corporations, are as well connected and powerful in terms of the connections to government as they were before.”
“It got headlines because it was in New York City,” said Michael Tanner, senior fellow at the Cato Institute, a libertarian think-tank. “If you want to hold a demonstration, hold it in front of all the cameras and it will get coverage.”
The 1% commands 18.8 percent of pre-tax national income, and a staggering 28.8 percent of US wealth. And that is based on 2019 levels, before the COVID-19 pandemic swelled stock and property values and further exacerbated the divide between the country’s haves and have-nots.
Between the start of the pandemic in March 2020 and March this year, the combined wealth of America’s 657 billionaires increased by more than $1.3 trillion or 44.6 percent
ALB, coming late to this thread, you should be aware that Wikipedia cannot be cited as a reliable source no matter how basic the information is as it is infiltrated by the CIA and other nefarious conspirators.
These figures may come from the Chinese authorities themselves but they are being deliberately spun by Wikipedia to distort the democracy the Beijing government has brought to Macao and Hong Kong.
At least that is the view of our opponent
Wez, I wouldn’t say TS is representative of any substantial number of leftists. He is a contrarian outlier and outright liar.
Regenerative farming – producing food while restoring the land.
This more natural form of agriculture will not suit all farmers, many of whom are used to intensive farming: “If you’re a tenanted farmer, you’ve got a high rent, and you need to pay the bills, then you need to do what you need to do to make ends meet.
Bijou, imagine the outcry if Irish nationalists, Scottish nationalists and Welsh nationalists who all have separatism as their aim were excluded from standing candidates in general or local elections and those who participate in marches supporting independence from the UK were deemed to be criminals.
On Sunday Hong Kong holds an election committee poll but the rules of it are now vastly changed from previous elections to ensure the result favours pro-Beijing supporters.
Jean-Pierre Cabestan, a professor of political science at Hong Kong’s Baptist University explained:
“This is not an election, it is a joke. We are moving further away from any form of democratic legitimacy. The Chinese Communist Party has always been good at constructing an ideal representation of society based on a mostly uncontested selection of elite representatives designed by itself. This applies in particular to the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference. In other words, the CCP-style of selection of obedient elites has now expanded to Hong Kong.”Steve Tsang, director of SOAS China Institute at the University of London, also explained.
“It is to allow for a ‘free election’ as long as the result is known to it and approved by it beforehand. The composition of the new Election Committee and the process will ensure no one not approved of by the party can be a candidate, let alone win,” he said.But as these two are neither CCP nor government spokespeople, we can ignore their informed knowledge and expertise.
Macao just held their elections – the lowest turnout ever at 42%
Eilo Yu Wing-yat, an associate professor at the University of Macau’s department of government and public administration, said: “Obviously, many supporters of pro-democracy candidates have resorted to casting blank votes or invalid votes to express their discontent as their favourite candidates had been disqualified by the government.”
This is actually our recommended electoral policy when we have no candidates standing – abstention.
Political scientist Chan Wai-keung, of Polytechnic University, said Macau’s polls could offer a hint of what was to come in this December’s Legislative Council elections in Hong Kong.
“The situations in Hong Kong and Macau are very similar,” Chan said. “The opposition camp is barred from running. In the past, it could mobilise a lot of people to vote. Without opposition candidates, their supporters might not be interested in the election at all. Like Macau, a rise in the number of blank votes or invalid votes could also be expected in the December Legco election.”When you can rig the rules, you can always guarantee the outcome, Bijou.
Yet another cult of the personality
https://www.yahoo.com/news/china-add-xi-jinping-thought-002423814.html
China will incorporate “Xi Jinping Thought” into its national curriculum to help “establish Marxist belief” in the country’s youth, the education ministry said
The Ministry of Education said Chinese President Xi Jinping’s “thought on socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era” would be taught from primary school level all the way to university.
New teaching materials must “cultivate patriotic feelings”, the guidelines said.
“Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism With Chinese Characteristics for a New Era” was formally enshrined in the country’s constitution in 2018.
Xi’s personal power has also been strengthened by the abolition of presidential term limits.
Observations by Angry Workers World group
https://libcom.org/blog/few-snap-shots-recent-post-brexit-developments-uk-16092021
Our case has always been based upon the premise that resources must go to uplifting those in poverty even if it may entail growing the world economy when we rather reduce production.
This article provides technical details on the future use of energy to still raise the standards of the poor to a decent level and would be useful in citing as a source.
Our research shows that current global energy consumption is already, in principle, sufficient to provide everyone with a decent life. But this will happen only if there is a stronger focus on providing the energy to serve basic needs rather than growing affluence.
For instance, while global energy supply under pathways that limit global temperature increase to 1.5C is more than enough to provide for basic needs, as well as some affluence, projected DLS [decent living standards]energy needs for some regions and countries can go up to or exceed half of the total. (Faster energy efficiency improvements would reduce this ratio.)
Together, this means that while eradicating multidimensional poverty is compatible with ambitious climate targets, it does likely require a shift towards more equitable energy, climate and development policies, both within and between countries.
Hiding the truth
The Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements in China, known as the HK Alliance, said they had received a seven-day notice by the Hong Kong police commissioner to take down all their social media posts after receiving orders to erase posts from their website, as well as Facebook, Twitter and Youtube referring to the Tiananmen Sq slaughter.
The police accused the group members of being “foreign agents.”
https://www.dw.com/en/hong-kong-orders-tiananmen-vigil-group-to-delete-websites/a-59200397
Haredi Jewish-Israeli claims political asylum in the UK for his anti-zionism
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/9/16/asylum-appeal-of-anti-zionist-jewish-israeli-who-refuse
Probably a clever publicity stunt, after all
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2021/sep/16/the-activist-…
the show will now be a documentary showcasing their “tireless work”
4. We will consider the impact of COP26 and of our actions on the people of Glasgow. We will consult with potentially affected communities, and avoid taking actions that disproportionately disrupt the daily lives of marginalised groups, including people of colour, disabled people, working class people, those living with poverty and homelessness, and migrants and refugees that now call Glasgow home.
https://xrscotland.org/cop-26/xr-scotlands-cop26-rebel-agreement/
Just how is this going to happen? Their website doesn’t offer a process.
Taiwan has proposed spending an extra $8.69bn on defence over the next five years including on new missiles. The new money which comes on top of planned military spending of $17bn for the year starting in January.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/9/16/taiwan-boosts-arms-spending-by-8-7bn-warns-of-severe-threat
