alanjjohnstone
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Open LabourGuardian letterhttp://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/dec/09/time-to-unite-labours-democratic-leftWebsitehttp://openlabour.org/
I was not a member during Coleman's membership and never ever met nor had any exchanges with him.I have read and listened to his many valuable articles and speeches and these do make a positive contribution to the socialist case. I believe he never ever resigned from the Party so we have no record of any disagreements he may have had with the Party that led to his departure, if, that is, he did have issues with the party. I have no idea of his present attitude towards the Party and speculating on the reasons for him no longer being a member is what it is …speculation. Some members remain, on paper, members but are, as we are often reminded, absent from any activity on behalf of the Party and are not involved in the struggle for socialism…but i do still consider them comrades. If anybody have any evidence or examples of anti-socialist activities or writings from Coleman, i would be interested in reading the links.I do not consider his current involvment in trying to extend and expand and increase participation in the democratic process to be in itself anti-socialist but a commitment we also share to ensure decision-making is as wide as possible in implementation…it is supplementary.
Another angle, of course, is it would be that it is good for the ruling class because it diverts time and energy into a symptom of capitalism and proposing a utopian non-war capitalist society whereas the cause of war is endemic within capitalism and stop a war campaign is not concentrating action in replacing capitalism
The ruling class are only united against the working class, otherwise they compete with one another on a variety of topics where their vested interests clash and i would judge the decision to go to war and in particular against a specific nation could divide some of them to the point that some of the ruling class would support protests against a war.We have read many sceptical anti-Syrian war articles in the right-wing press opposing Cameron's plans. 7 Tory MPs voted against the bombing. They were: John Baron (Basildon & Billericay), David Davis (Haltemprice & Howden), Gordon Henderson (Sittingbourne & Sheppey), Philip Hollobone (Kettering),Julian Lewis (New Forest East), Stephen McPartland (Stevenage) and Andrew Tyrie (Chichester).
Quote:"We have to find better ways to address the Isis [Islamic State] appeal," Richard Barrett, a former head of global counter-terrorism at Britain's MI6 intelligence agency who contributed to the report, told Reuters. "The Leytonstone rebuke 'You ain't no Muslim, bruv' does far more to undermine Isis than dropping bombs on Raqqa," Mr Barrett added.Now blogged at our Socialist Courier web-pagehttp://socialist-courier.blogspot.com/2015/12/what-cuts-look-like-forth-road-bridge.html
I'm not on Facebook so i can't and don't want to speculate."How could I function as a mod, I would be suspended every 5 minutes"You set a fox to catch a fox. I'm sure you being a "culprit" in the past will recognise when a poster oversteps the boundaries of the forum rules. LBird certainly recognises from his own many, many past transgressions what the limits now are and i wouldn't be surprised if he knew just exactly when to suspend himself.
This might make interesting reading. Building a viable country rooted in fundamentalist theology was the central aim of ISIS. http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/dec/07/leaked-isis-document-reveals-plan-building-state-syria
Quote:“If the west sees Isis as an almost stereotypical band of psychopathic killers, we risk dramatically underestimating them…It’s not a big departure from the works of Mao, the practices of the Viet Minh in Indochina, or other movements for whom high-profile actions were really just the tip of a far more nuanced iceberg of organising activity.Quote:“Far from being an army of irrational, bloodthirsty fanatics, IS [Isis] is a deeply calculating political organisation with an extremely complex, well-planned infrastructure behind it.”What's the betting if there were any other volunteers, Brian would be rushing to the exit and happily standing down in an instant. I'm pretty sure he would love to be devoting his internet time to some other purpose. It is not because he is on a power-trip that he is moderator of this forum (or become the admin for Facebook of which i know nothing about) but the fact that he thinks someone within the Party has to take responsibility of filling unwelcomed positions. I have suggested non-members can help out on the forum but from the responses of fellow members, it isn't going to happen anytime soon, if ever. But I have also proposed Vin put himself forward as a moderator which he has declined in the past but i hope he can re-consider.
Certainly from the media coverage you would not get the impression that Corbyn did carry the Labour Party in its anti-bombing position."The Labour membership in the country was overwhelmingly opposed to the Syrian bombing. Only a quarter of the Parliamentary Labour Party actually voted with the Conservatives last week even though it was a free vote. A majority against the Syrian bombing in the Labour shadow cabinet: 16 to 11. Labour's success in the Oldham by-election the very next day confirmed that Corbyn’s views are not as toxic as many commentators appear to think. The narrative we have been sold day by day is that Corbyn’s alleged pacifism, like his opposition to welfare reform and support for immigration, are vote-losers in England. Any seasoned politician should be able to withstand being called a “warmonger” or being accused of “having blood on their hands”, especially when they have just voted to go to war. And it is perfectly democratic for anti-war protesters to hold a peaceful demonstration outside a politician's constituency office. Similarly, calls for deselection are perfectly legitimate in a democracy. If constituents and party activists feel that their MP is no longer respecting their views, what else are they supposed to do? There are double standards here. It is seen as somehow acceptable for Labour “moderates” to seek to deselect their own leader, Jeremy Corbyn, who was – remember – elected by the biggest majority ever in a Labour leadership contest. Corbyn owes it to the party membership to remind the vociferous minority of Labour MPs that they must respect the views of the majority of Labour members. And if they don't like it, they know where they can go."http://www.heraldscotland.com/opinion/14126973.Iain_Macwhirter__Any_seasoned_politician_should_be_able_to_withstand_being_accused_of__having_blood_on_their_hands___especially_when_they_have_just_voted_to_go_to_war/?ref=mr&lp=16
Since Murdoch's paywall has gone up, The Times is no longer on my reading list, so i did miss that.However, i think my claim still stands if the other newspapers, the BBC and the TV channels, fail to make any prominence of the interview particularly when they headline the RAF bombing attacks. It suppresses a vital voice in the debate. It is a crime of omission.I must be growing more bitter in old age because i now detest our so-called democratic 'free' press and the self-censorship of its journalist minions (with a handful of honourable exceptions one of whom Vin has cited even if he is from the right wing)
Finland plans to give every citizen 800 euros a month and scrap benefitshttp://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/finland-plans-to-give-every-citizen-800-euros-a-month-and-scrap-benefits-a6762226.htmlPrime Minister Juha Sipila was quoted, “For me, a basic income means simplifying the social security system”
You would think a responsible unbiased news agency woud be interested in what the UN recognised Syrian government thought of the British decision to bomb ISIS targets in Syria but i think you will be hard pushed to discover any reporting of such on the BBC. http://sana.sy/en/?p=63558"… Is Britain right to join airstrikes against ISIS in Syria? … I would say they don’t have the will and they don’t have the vision on how to defeat terrorism. If the British join the intervention,…you see that is illegitimate from an international-law perspective?… Definitely, definitely, we are a sovereign country. …"As far as the mainstream UK media is concerned , there is only one truth…whatever comes out of No.10 Downing St and out of the mouth of Cameron. Lickspittle democracy !!!!
I'm getting fucking fed up of hearing from pro-war MPs presenting themselves as victims because people protest at MP offices or challenge them on their Twitter accounts.Happy to vote for bombing but not happy to face the consequences of their votes. Many Labour MPs who voted for the bombing of Syria were also supporters of Blair's Iraq invasion and they have the audacity to think they should be immune from criticism. They are murdering bastards and telling them so is not an online crime even if they want to make it such.
Lest we forget that we are in Syria fighting for the values of Western civilisation, along with our gallant allies and friends such as Saudi Arabia where in the coming days, a Sri Lankan woman is to be led to an outdoor pit in Saudi Arabia. Her arms and hands will be tightly bound, her body buried up to her breasts. Saudi men will then surround her and begin to hurl rocks at her head to kill her slowly. In comparison, ISIS beheadings can be seen as "compassionate and merciful".The housemaid’s surely did not receive a fair trial. The legal cost to plead her case—10,000 riyal, or about $2,600—roughly amounts to the average yearly salary of a foreign worker in Saudi Arabia. It’s unlikely, therefore, that she had the money necessary to receive adequate legal guidance during her trial. It’s also doubtful that she fully understood the Arabic language. Or Islamic law. Or the gravity of the sexual charges that were brought against her. Not even her family knows about her death sentence. The stoning of this lowly, nameless housemaid will stand as a symbol of our world’s moral failing. Given the indifference of the Western governments , the silence of the United Nations, and the cruelty of the Saudi Arabian theocracy, only pressure from the media might now help. Sri Lanka is dependent for $2.5 billion in remittances from Sri Lankan domestic workers and a small, predominantly Buddhist island, has little influence on the legal decisions of the wealthy Muslim kingdom. So far the world’s response has been shameful. We won't hear Cameron denouncing his "friends" or pleading for clemency for her. http://wearechange.org/saudi-arabia-is-about-to-stone-a-sri-lankan-woman-to-death/
