WATER, WATER EVERYWHERE---.

     

      It seems that our lords and masters, the millionaires at the Westminster House of Hypocrisy and Corruption have decided that we should all have water meters fitted. Hard lines on all those pensioners that like their garden and wander around in the evening lovingly watering their blooms. Also, what about those ,and there are millions of them, families on low incomes with a couple of kids spread across the country in cities like Glasgow, Liverpool and Manchester and all those rural poor, in this green and pleasant land? Economic necessity may mean that you all take a bath together, there's a lot of water in a bath. Of course to our millionaire public school thugs, it won't make one little bit of difference, they'll probably just sign another standing order. However it should make a lot of money for the meter manufacturers, fitters and water companies. Of course it will be you and I that will pay for it all, as usual. Do you want a meter? Did you ask for a meter?Ah, the beauty of our democracy.

        I would suggest that all the local communities should organise to stop this extra burden being heaped on the poorest of our communities at a time of wage cuts/freezes, increase VAT, increase unemployment and benefit cuts. Water is the most basic of all human needs and clean water is essential from a health point of view. Anything that hinders your access to clean water is an attack on your health and well being and should not be tolerated in any society, least of all a very rich and developed country. Don't be conned into thinking this is not a very, very rich country, we can spend billions on arms bills and fight wars on the other side of the planet and carry a bunch of pampered parasites on our back. Think of all those resources being transferred to the community, instead of being used to destroy, kill and maim working class people in Iraq and Afghanistan. It is our country, let's start to shape to our benefit, get the parasites off our back.

 

ann arky's home.

MARCH FOR THE ALTERNATIVE.

      The alternative being a society based on mutual aid that sees to the needs of all those in that society, a society freed from the profit motive and founded on sustainability.
    The planned government spending cuts will decimate public services and put more than 1 million out of work. They will hit the most vulnerable, damage communities and undermine much that holds us together as a society. By raising £4 through cuts to every pound raised through tax, most of this through VAT, which hits the poorest and those on middle incomes hardest, is nothing short of class war. This recession was a product of the finance sector, yet the banks and the parasites responsible are now enjoying massive bonuses, and not being asked to make their fair contribution, but then again, that's capitalism.

The TUC has organised a demonstration for the 26th March in London, if you value our social services, do your damnedest to be there to show your anger. Of course we should not be marching to ask for a better deal from our lords and masters, the parasitical millionaires. We should be marching to bring about the alternative to this corporate greed feast and change society forever in our favour, bringing down this unfair, exploitative system of profit before people. See your local TUC for travel arrangements, organise your own arrangements with your own group, pensioners, students, public sector workers, unemployed, etc. help make this the biggest demonstration of public anger that this country has ever seen. If however you can't make it down to London you should be organising a similar type of demonstration in your local area. Glaswegians should be heading to George Square to put their anger on display for all to see. If you will not be at any of the demonstrations, at least take the day off.

       We cannot stand by and be plundered by the corporate world, aided and abetted by the millionaire public school thugs at the Westminster House of Hypocrisy and Corruption. Make no mistake, this decimation of our welfare system to protect the parasites that inhabit the bond markets is class war. They will continue to plunder all our public assets, driving us back to Victorian poverty, until we put a halt to this unfair system of greed.

Pledge your support here-  
 
   We have almost a couple of months to swell the numbers beyond anything ever seen before in Britain 

 
ann arky's home.

FOR SALE- - - UK, COMES WITH CHEAP LABOUR.

        The Con/Dem millionaire club of public school thugs are about to carry out the greatest con trick since the start of capitalism. They are about to pass legislation to allow for the sell-off of the woodlands that are under the control of the forestry commission. This is vast tracts of forests that are owned by the British people and they will go on offer to the highest bidder. How come that a bunch of millionaires can take a slice of Britain and sell it to their millionaire friends and say it is legal because they made the laws to make it so. How come we are not seeing “peasants with pitchforks” marching on the Westminster House of Hypocrisy and Corruption. However the biggest part of this con is the fact that they have stated that local councils can bid for the forests. So let's look at that proposal, these forests belong to the British people and the Con/Dem millionaires are saying that the local councils, who represent the people, can use the local peoples money to buy the land that already belongs to the British people. We are expected to buy our own forests from ourselves with our taxpayers money. Now that is a real con, it is so absurd and far fetch that most people probably don't complain because they think that they must have heard it wrong.

        Make no mistake, the UK is up for sale, every public asset will, before the next election, be sold off to their millionaire friends. That is if it can make a profit for them, if it can't, it will be left for the public to look after. This is happening across the globe, post offices, public land, waterways, water systems and all public, social and health services, all to be transferred to the millionaires' club. What is more it is forever, as far as they are concerned, and has nothing to do with cutting the deficit or any other crap that they try to feed you, that is just one of their excuses.

       No government was voted in to sell off public assets to their friends, but that's what they are doing. Is there still anybody out there that thinks that the government is there to represent the people? Surely by now it should be blatantly obvious that they are there to represent and protect the wealth of their friends the millionaires in the corporate world.

       We don't need them, they need us, to feed of our backs, and keep them in their parasitical pampered life style.

 

ann arky's home.

TEAPOT SOUVENIR.

       There are those who say that the old songs are the best songs, well perhaps we can say the same about the old political leaflets. Recently I came across an old, probably from the 80's, very small booklet measuring just 75mm x105mm and 8 pages with a small illustration on each page, produced by the Anarchist Teapot Collective in Brighton. In spite of illustrations on each page, it said a lot, so much so that I have decide to reprint it and hand it out on the street.
      Below is the front cover, I'll try to print a page from the booklet every so often, let me know what you think of them.

 Your Anarchist Teapot

Souvenir

Introduction to

Anarchy.

For too long have we given up our pleasure for

the sake of production and development, Those

who want to maintain the arrangement appear

to have a great power over us, but this is just

cheap art. It is you and I who have maintained

this by performing our tasks on a daily basis, It

is you and I who can do away with this.

To be continued.

 

ann arky's home.

CITIZENS UNITED - AGAINST THE CUTS.

CITIZENS UNITED

AGAINST CUTS TO PUBLIC SERVICES

WHO ARE WE - WE ARE YOU!

We are you. we are any group of citizens who get together and fight back against injustice, in this case the massive attack by this Con/Dem government on the welfare state and the working class.

WHAT WE BELIEVE.

We believe in "Direct Action" to get change. That we as citizens, are best plkaced to decide what kind of country WE live in. Real democracy is us, together,making ALL the decisions for ourselves, every day.

WHAT WE DO.

We "OCCUPY" to protest, to advocate a better way to highlight issues, to confront the institutions that have become more important than people. We encourage other citizens to consider this as a means of resistance in all communities.

WHAT WE WANT.

We want to see wide-spread "COMMUNITY RESISTANCE" across Scotland, to stop closures, protect services, fight poverty and inequality. Let's bring people together, to help each other, defend our communities!!!

JOIN US!

START YOUR OWN GROUP!

TOGETHER WE WIN!

WANT TO KNOW MORE?

HOW TO START YOUR OWN GROUP?

HOW TO DO "DIRECT ACTION"?

WHO'S NEAR YOU, WHAT'S HAPPENING LOCALLY?

Check us out at: http://citizensunitedagainstcuts.wordpress.com

Email us at: citizensunitedagainstcuts@gmail.com

Or phone: 07948 010959

ann arky's home.

BEST ACTOR AWARD!!!!

     I know it's a week or so late but I just couldn't resist this one, I nicked it from that wonderful vibrant bunch at SchNews

       The only reason he is not playing at the Royal Shakespeare Company is he is far too expensive. In all honesty we shouldn't pock fun at him, he is far too dangerous and should be taken more seriously, like for example through a war crimes tribunal.

ann arky's home.

BENT COPS!!!

      

         With all the revelations about police infiltrating protest groups and indulging in some “shady” behaviour which could be interpreted as provocative, entrapment and encouraging criminal acts, it comes as no surprise to find that other cops have also been doing a wee bit of freelance work on the side.

After a freedom of information request it has come to light that in Scotland since January 2009, 40 Scottish police officers have been convicted of a criminal offence. Strathclyde Police Force comes out at the top of the leader board with 30 police officers convicted of 35 criminal offences which included, driving offences, breaches of the peace and assault. The colourful range of offences also included convictions under the Misuse of Firearms Act and the Misuse of Drugs Act and let's not forget convictions for attempting to pervert the course of justice. Quite a catalogue of crimes for those supposed to uphold and protect the rule of law and order, however what surprised me most was the fact that Strathclyde Police stated that ONE officer had been dismissed as a result of a conviction???

ann arky's home.

CORPORATE FASCISM.

Cartoon by Peter Brookes.

        The latest figures state that the UK economy shrunk by 0.5% in the last quarter. Everybody shakes their head and says, dreadful figures, but our millionaire Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, says it was all down to the snow and the government will not be blown of course and change its plans. Of course they won't change their plans, why should they? Is there still anybody out there who believes that these "fair cuts" have anything to do with the economy, the deficit, growth or any of the other crap these public school thugs spout? Whether the economy grows, shrinks or stands still, their “austerity cuts” plan will continue, that's because their grand plan is to transfer all public assets into private hands and cutting all social spending is their method. This means that everything you want or do will return a profit to some corporate body or other. Send your kids to the library, well only if you can afford it, take a walk in the forest, well not for long, as they are about to be sold off to those who can afford them, ie. the big corporations. After the implementation of the millionaire cabal's plans we will be a society of profit units or surplus to requirements. We will have no control on how our society is shaped, no redress against those in control, everything will be privately owned and run for profit.

       We have to see through the smoke and mirrors of this bunch of thuggish parasites, they are about to change our society beyond recognition and totally for the benefit of their millionaire friends, it is such a massive shift of power and that's why it is so difficult for some people to grasp. These changes are forever, as far as they are concerned, once we have lost control of all public assets the struggle to take them back could be long and brutal, but get them back we must, otherwise we will be living in a society of true corporate fascism.

ann arky's home.

BIG BROTHER, IS HERE, THERE AND EVERYWHERE!!!

   

       A very interesting article from that great activists news website Schnews. Like the article says, we should not be surprised at what the establishment will do to crush dissent. It will incriminate, vilify, intimidate, discourage and place under constant surveillance all those who dare to raise their voices in disagreement with the establishment's grand plans. Though we should not be surprised it is good to see it all coming out for general public viewing, perhaps giving others a better view of what lies lurking beneath that ever so thin shiny veneer of respectability worn by our political masters.

     Power and wealth is in the grasp of the elite parasites and they will do what ever they deem necessary to make sure it stays there. The last thing they want is for the people who actually create all that wealth, the working class, to share it out fairly among all those in society. They have a complex apparatus all set up to ensure that the wealth and power is kept in the hands of the pampered parasite class of millionaire thugs.

        

 GOVERNMENT AGENCY CAUGHT INFILTRATING ACTIVIST MEDIA OUTLET

         “No - stuff that - SHUT the place: Let’s not all stand around like lemmings - lets shut the place!Bring ladders and wire cutters. If there are enough of us we can shut it!” - a pretty average comment on Indymedia you might think - if a little gung-ho. In fact it was posted there by the police - and SchNEWS has the proof.

         For the benefit of anyone who’s been hiding in a hole wearing a tinfoil hat for the last fortnight (i.e most of our readership), it turns out that the U.K direct action/anarchist/environmental movement was infiltrated for number of years by undercover police. At least four cops have already been outed and its safe to assume there may be more. But while the mainstream media has focussed on the sleazy antics and dodgy love lives of these professional liars, SchNEWS can reveal that police attempts to disrupt our movement goes much further than a few unshaven plants in grubby t-shirts, and includes attacks on activist media and communications. For years now, police have been using activist website Indymedia in attempts to sow mistrust, demoralise movements and to incite violence and illegality.

IP FREELY

          Police postings came to light following an internal investigation on persistent disinformation being published to Indymedia UK. Technically Indymedia is supposed to safeguard it’s posters by not logging IP addresses. In actual fact there are IP filters. Although IP addresses are only stored temporarily, those of persistent abusers are kept in order to prevent the site from being overwhelmed. Moderators of Indymedia UK identified the Gateway-303 server as being the source of numerous such posts. A filter was set up to capture the behaviour of the individual(s) who were hiding behind the server.

          One IP address so identified was 62.25.109.196 , which correlates with the server gateway303.energis.gsi.gov.uk. There are similar servers, gateway-301 & gateway-302 with IP addresses 62.25.109.194 and 62.25.109.195 respectively. Other servers identified are gateway-101, gateway-202, gateway-201, etc

         GSI stands for Government Secure Intranet. It is a network established by the UK Government to allow secure transfer of files across its computers. The Police National Network is separate from it, but can connect to it. Currently GSI is operated by Energis, a UK based internet company now owned by Cable & Wireless.

       It is clear from the consistency of the usage of gateway-303 server that the IPs are probably assigned to particular premises or else specific units within the UK Government. One of the purposes of the GSI network is to provide a secure proxy network behind which users can maintain their anonymity. Hence the lack of solid information as to exactly who is behind the postings. However, SchNEWS is gonna take a stab in the dark (if only) as to who they are; in fact some actually signed NETCU. Of course it could be the old double bluff, but given the level of intelligence behind some of the postings even this level of sophistication seems unlikely.

INDY-SCRIBABLE

           Indymedia is a key tool in activist organisation and communication. Given the overtly political nature of the site and the types of news stories published it is hardly a surprise that it attracts weirdos with strange axes to grind. Its open publishing format has left it wide open to trolling, spam and, of course, state / police abuse. This abuse has mostly taken the form of posting comments under a variety of pseudonyms.

           These postings have targeted individual activists, put out information about activists that is not in the public domain, attacked campaigns, and urged the disruption of peaceful protests. Many comment on (then) ongoing court cases. Some are just personal abuse directed at well-known activists, while others contain information only known to the police. Two postings - made on 21st Jan and 9th Jun 2010 - provide personal details, including mobile numbers, of potential targets for the animal rights movement, one a fur-shop in Leeds, the other the owner of an animal circus. What the motivations were for posting these details can only be surmised. But off the record we reckon it’s blatant attempt at entrapment.

       As part of the activist scene, SchNEWS isn’t quite as shocked as elements of the mainstream media have been about the cops’ sleazy abuse of personal friendships to disrupt the organisation of alternative social movements. It’s long been the case that to be an activist you’ve got to get used the idea of surveillance (both covert and overt), violence from the state and the deliberate silencing of voices. The antics of Kennedy, Watson, Jacobs and Boyling are just part of a tactical bag of tricks including kettling, the use of F.I.T teams and spotter cards, anti-stalking injunctions, spreading rumours in the mainstream press and a constant stream of new laws criminalising dissent (See SchNEWS 1-754). To that list we can now add infiltration of the core platform for anti-authoritarian radical media activism in the UK.

        From a brief analysis of the activities of the undercovers it seems that their mission was as much to disrupt as much as it was to gather information. Attacks on our movements by disruption are a handy weapon in the state’s arsenal with no need for actual evidence or convictions.

 

PLAINLY INCITE

        The targets of the fake Indymedia postings span the activist spectrum, from anti-fascists to anti-militarists, but have been most concerned with environmental campaigns and, in particular the Animal Rights movement. On April 27th, 2010, a comment appeared on the Indymedia UK newswire entitled Don’t use SPEAK as a model. The comment, on an article entitled New animal lab at Leicester; New nationwide campaign to start urged readers to respond to the campaign by “Model[ling] the campaign on a successful AR campaign such as Hillgrove cats or Darnley Oaks etc” (sic). Those familiar with those campaigns will be aware that they campaigns are alleged to have included violent actions against individuals. Other postings referenced a what appears to be an entirely fictitious new AR campaign in Leicester – Stop Leicester Animal Cruelty. SLAC (ha bloody ha)

          It should be remembered corporations seeking injunctions under the Protection from Harassment Act (link) have relied heavily on comments made on Indymedia as evidence. This act has been used against campaigns such as Smash EDO to criminalise all forms of dissent targeting specific companies, even entirely peaceful and completely legal protest.

          As a whole the comments build a bewildering picture of a campaign of disparagement, incitement and support, together with wry asides and outright attempts at demoralisation. A few really stand out as obvious incitement to illegality while some are so bizarre that we can’t work out if they are part of a sinister master plan to bring down the whole activist scene - or just the ramblings of bored coppers with faces full of doughnuts and nothing better to do.

         More on this HERE.

ann arky's home.

SCHOOL OF AMERICAS - SCHOOL OF ASSASSINS.

School of Americas.

      Many of its graduates have been implicated in serious human rights abuses and manuals used at the school appear to condone if not promote the use of torture. This has resulted in a grassroots human rights campaign to close the SOA, led by the organization SOA Watch. Activists opposed to the SOA often refer to the school as the "School of Assassins" and the "School of Coups." 

       Abuses SOA graduates have alleged to have committed include "the death or disappearance of 200,000 Guatemalans and innumerable other atrocities... In Colombia 2 million have been displaced and thousands are still reliving the horrors of their torture - not surprising since, with 10,000 graduates from the SOA, Colombia is the school's largest customer and has the worst human rights record on the continent."

Dear SOA Watchers,

…on the 5th day the mail arrived! And, oh my it was good. So many people wrote wonderful words of support and encouragement. I was just astounded by the wealth that just fell on me!

     I’m in a dorm of 32 women, 4 to a room, with double-bunk beds. The facility here at Ocilla (GA) is clean, modern, warm (most of the time) with lots of heavy doors that bang shut throughout 24 hours. Food is inexcusably bad, but it comes regularly 3 times a day and a vegetarian like myself can usually trade the (what passes for) meat for (what passes for) vegetables.

     The next stop will be a transfer to a federal prison. Or not. Some of the women have been here for over a year and expect they might just serve their full sentence here. Or not. And it’s the not knowing that keeps everyone on edge. The stories are heart breaking to hear; many get in trouble through drugs, pills or because their boyfriends committed an offence. Many have small children at home, no financial resources, no job skills, no support system, no education, and some face very long sentences. Hold them in your heart; light a candle for them. They need you very badly.

    There is a common room for the women in this unit, metal tables with attached benches, a TV set and microwave. The ceiling is very high and gives the feeling that we’re underground. There are three space openings leading up to small skylights. That’s our only glimpse of what’s outside. I saw a small beam of sunlight this morning.

     I talk about SOA all the time. Because I’m such an oddity here, many want to know what I did to get here and I tell them. They are horrified of course, when they hear what SOA graduates have done and we have some good conversations about governments and abuse of power.

       And we also joke a lot, sitting around laughing, passing the time. You may be interested to know that I’m developing a southern accent. Not good enough to pass, but I’m working on it. One of my room mates says if I let my hair grow out a bit, she will braid it for me (corn rows?)

Great warm hugs to you all, wherever you are.

Nancy.

You can write to Nancy at:

NANCY H. SMITH #7059
IRWIN COUNTY DETENTION CENTER
132 COTTON DRIVE
OCILLA, GA 31774

School of Americas Watch, PRESENTE.
 
ann arky's home.

CORPORATE HEALTH SERVICE!!!

         

       As all the establishment figures debate the NHS “reforms” all the arguments are around, too much, too fast and too deep. None of the notables entering the debate even hint at the real problem with these “reforms”. What is actually happening is the privatisation of the health service. GPs control the finance, they will have to select services from a variety of “providers” among these will be the big corporations, who no doubt will work hard at undercutting here and there, just to get their feet in the door, and then the usual corporate rip-off. Hospitals will be obliged to open their doors to private “providers” and those hospitals that don't make a profit will have no alternative but to close. Competing ambulance services all trying to make a profit, instead of one efficient ambulance service properly funded. The GPs will be bound to get what is normally called “best value for money”, after all they can't be seen to be wasting money by buying care from a dearer source when big brother corporate world is there offering a cheaper version. By the time of the next election there will be no NHS as we know it, it will be a complete free market affair similar to the American system. If you have the money you'll get the care you need, if you have good insurance, well you'll be OK. However if you fall into the category of the ordinary person and have a long term illness, well you'll simply be away down the list. After all what profit making concern wants a load of people that need expensive long term treatment, there's no profit in that. Perhaps the charities will help out. Welcome to 21 century Victorian Britain.

ann arky's home.

BLAIR'S WAR - BLAIR'S LIES.

Protest 21st January 8am Queen Elizabeth 2nd Centre, Broad Sanctuary, Westminster, SW1P3EE

http://stopwar.org.uk/content/view/2217/1/

         Tony Blair is back in front of the Chilcot inquiry. The hearing comes against a background of the statement from his chief legal adviser which effectively says that Blair ignored his advice over the legality of the Iraq war. Lord Goldsmith, who was attorney general in the Blair government, has said that he felt uncomfortable with Blair's public statements in the run up to war.

It is clear that Blair had a strategy of not asking for legal advice from his legal adviser, trying to avoid it being put in writing, and in general ensuring that he heard nothing which might hold him back in his determination to follow George Bush into the war.

        Blair deliberately went to war despite knowing that the lawyers thought the war was not legal. He is now giving evidence for a second time at Chilcot, to try to explain the discrepancies between his original evidence and that of Goldsmith.

      Stop the War, along with CND and BMI, is calling a demonstration outside the Chilcot inquiry this Friday, 21st January, at 8 am. We are asking everyone who can be there to attend. He is scheduled to be in the hearing from 9.30 to 2pm but there is now talk of him being there all day because of this latest statement. We would especially encourage people to come from 8 till 10.30, but there will be people there for the duration of the hearing.

Other things you can do to highlight Blair's lies:
1. Call a local protest/set up a STW stall on Friday if you can't make it to Westminster.

2. Hold a meeting on Truth and lies about Iraq - we can help find speakers for you.

3. Donate to Stop the War to help our campaigning, and take out a direct debit/membership to contribute to our work over the coming year

Protest 21st January 8am Queen Elizabeth 2nd Centre, Broad Sanctuary, Westminster, SW1P3EE

ann arky's home.

WORKERS KNOW YOUR HISTORY - GLASGOW.

GLASGOW'S RADICAL WOMEN:       JANE HAMILTON PATRICK, 1884-1971.

EARLY YEARS.

            Jenny Patrick, as she was known, was born in Glasgow in February 1884. Her father had a “Ladies Costumier” shop in Sauchiehall Street, the family lived in nearby Garnethill. Jenny’s mother died in childbirth, and her father married almost immediately. Her stepmother did not treat Jenny the same as her own, she would dress her own in finery and Jenny in cast-offs. Jenny left Garnethill School at 14 and started work with a printer in St. Vincent Street Glasgow, as a copy-holder. At 16 she became a typesetter and later was employed as a printer by a footwear company. Jenny joined the Glasgow Anarchist Group, in 1914, and became secretary in 1916. After the 1914/18 war the Glasgow Anarchists, Jenny with them, joined with the Communists of Guy Aldred’s group and in 1920 the group was renamed the Glasgow Communist Group. This group had three branches in Glasgow, Central, Springburn and Shettleston, there was also an association with other groups in Lanarkshire. In 1921 these groups were coming together to form an Anti-Parliamentary Federation which would have its own new newspaper called “The Red Commune”, Jenny Patrick would be the secretary. The new paper appeared on the 1st. of February this was before the new group had been formally finalised. The Anti-parliamentary Communist Federation came into being at Easter 1921 and Jenny was a founded member.

ARREST AND PRISON.

             On the 2nd of March, Guy Aldred was arrested in London and a police raid on Bakunin House in Glasgow saw Jenny Patrick arrested with Douglas McLeish, a group member and a printer named Andrew Fleming. All four made a formal appearance before the Sheriff on the 7th of March 1921 and were remanded in custody for a fortnight before appearing before the Lord Justice Clark. Andrew Fleming was released on £200 bail, Jenny Patrick and Douglas McLeish on bail of £150 each and Guy Aldred was remanded in custody. until the case against them came up for a hearing on Tuesday the 21st of June, 1921, at the Glasgow High Court. The indictment covered eight pages and involved charges of urging anti-parliamentary action, employing a Sinn Fein tactic and conspiracy to cause disaffection among the populace. The trial lasted two days and received wide publicity in the press. The jury took a only a few minutes to return a verdict of “Guilty”. Lord Skerrington passed sentences of Guy Aldred one year, Douglas McLeish, three months, Jenny Patrick, three months, Andrew Fleming, three months and a fine of £50 or another three months. Aldred and McLeish were taken to Barlinnie Prison, Fleming and Jenny Patrick were taken to Duke Street Prison.

DISOWNED.

               When Jenny came out of prison her family disowned her and she moved into Bakunin House. When Guy Aldred was released from prison there had been a split between himself and his partner for a number of years, Rose Witcop. Rose returned to London to continue with her family planning campaign while Guy remained at Bakunin House in Glasgow. Rose Witcop died in 1932 aged forty two. Jenny and Guy moved into a tenement flat in Baliol Street Glasgow, became partners and remained so until his death in 1963. Although Jenny Patrick did not approve of Guy’s Parliamentary Election tactics she continued to support him in all his campaigns.

SPANISH CIVIL WAR.

                July 1936 saw the start of the Spanish Civil War and an upsurge in political activity among the socialist groups in support of the Spanish workers and their struggle. The Glasgow Anarchists were asked to send a representative to Barcelona, but in fact sent two. Ethel MacDonald went as the Glasgow Anarchist representative and Jenny Patrick as the representative of the Anti-Parliamentary Communist Federation. Both women, with very little money, left for Spain on the 20th. of October 1936. they reached Paris with one franc between them. Jenny and Ethel with no papers and only the help of comrades, hitch-hiked across France and eventually reach Spain. Ethel was sent to Barcelona, Jenny to Madrid to the Ministry of Information, where she served with the CNT-FAI’s Comite de Defense, editing the English edition of their paper Frente Libertario, there she experienced the siege of Madrid. In 1937 she moved to Barcelona in charge of CNT’s English radio bulletin.. While there Jenny and Ethel experienced the momentous May Days. Her eye-witness accounts of the Communist Party counter revolutionary conspiracy against the Anarchists were rushed into print in Glasgow by Guy Aldred in a special Barcelona Bulletin. Both Jenny and Ethel, while in Barcelona, helped to fill the soldiers clips with bullets and gather information . She returned to Glasgow on May the 20th. 1937, Ethel remained until November 1937.

STRICKLAND PRESS.

              After returning from Spain, Jenny joined with Guy Aldred, Ethel McDonald and John Caldwell in setting up the Strickland Press in 1939 at 104-106 George Street Glasgow. Her experience as a printer was invaluable, among other jobs she set up the headlines, something she had done since her days as a young woman. For 25 years Jenny with others worked long wageless hours, printing socialist and anarchist literature, notably the USM’s The Word, In 1945 due to a dispute with the Scottish Typographical Association the work could not be contracted out, Jenny and Ethel did the typesetting themselves.

DEATH.

            Jenny a small woman, she was respected for her dynamic personality and persistent and courageous character. She never sought the limelight, but endured poverty and hardship for the sake of her anarchist principles. A few years after Guy’s death she became ill and very frail and was nursed at her home in Baliol Street by John Taylor Caldwell, a comrade of long standing. Eventually she had to be moved to hospital where she died a few days later, Jane Hamilton Patrick was cremated at Maryhill Crematorium where John Taylor Caldwell said the tribute, sadly only a handful of mourners were present.

More of Glasgow's working class history HERE.

ann arky's home.

ANTI STRIKE - PRO PARASITE.

           Everybody knows that the so called “financial crisis” was caused by the unprecedented greed of the financial sector, even the millionaire cabal sitting in the Westminster House of Hypocrisy and Corruption know this to be a fact. However, we should not lose sight of the fact that the “financial sector” is not something out there with a life of its own. It is nothing more than a bunch of arrogant, self-centred, greedy parasites, with too much power, all friends of the millionaire Con/Dem coalition. Recently the Cameron half of the public school thug duo, showed his true colours with a statement of his intent. As the “austerity cuts” begin to bite and the ordinary people start to organise to fight back in an attempt at avoiding a return to an era of Victorian poverty, the millionaire Cameron stated that he will introduce legislation to prevent strikes. After all you can't have the workers trying to hold onto what benefits they gained over years of hard struggle. At the same time his response to those responsible for the “financial crisis” in the first place, is to state that he hopes to get rid of the 50% tax rate as soon as possible. So while the greedy parasites gorge on fat salaries and monopoly style bonuses, with the promise of a tax cut, we at the other end who are expected to take the brunt of the misery being handed out are to have restrictions on our ability to defend ourselves.

         One of his suggestions to restrict the ability of the unions to organise a strike is to insist that the call for a strike must be passed by more than 50% of the total union membership. Everybody knows that there are a lot of union members who don't or can't vote but will support the union decision. It would be almost impossible to get a 100% turnout at any vote so a strike ballot is likely to declared invalid. If the Cameron/Clegg public school thug duo want to be so democratic then perhaps we should apply the same rule to election of MPs only being voted in to Parliament if they receive the support of more than 50% of the total voters in their constituency. Likewise, no law or legislation could passed unless more than 50% of the total number of MPs in the House of Hypocrisy and Corruption vote in favour of the motion. Think how that would work when you consider that on most occasion there are only a handful of members present in the Chamber.

         However we know that as for democracy, it is what they preach, but will do everything in their power to make sure that we never see the real thing. True democracy will only come about when we the ordinary people take control of our communities and work in federation with all other communities building a needs based society founded on mutual aid, co-operation and sustainability. In a word, anarchism.

 

 

ann arky's home.

WORKERS KNOW YOUR HISTORY - IRAQ.

  

        January 16 marks the twentieth anniversary of “Desert Storm”, a massive American bombardment against the Iraqi civilian population, mainly around Baghdad the Iraqi capital. The bombing consisted of more than 100,000 sorties dropping more than 85,500 tonnes of bombs. It was the precursor to the the first American lead invasion of Iraq. After this first invasion the people of Iraq suffered more than 10 years of American lead economic sanctions, during which it is estimated that over 500,000 Iraqi children died as a result of these sanctions. This was followed by Operation “Southern Watch” which began in August 1992, operation “Vigilant Warrior" began 1994, then “Desert Strike, 1996 which expanded the “no-fly zone over parts of Northern Iraq, then of course there was operation “Desert Fox” which was a 4 day bombing campaign that started on December 16 1998.

          It is estimated that between 1992 and 2001, 2 years before the so called war on Iraq is supposed to have started, American and allied pilots flew over Southern Iraq some 153,000 times. The Americans have never stopped military operations in Iraqi over the last 20 years and have been meddling in Iraqi internal affairs since they helped put Saddam Hussein in power in 1963. That is 48 years of the Iraqi people have been suffering because of American Imperialism. So don't accept the myth that is peddled that the Iraq war is heading for its 8^th anniversary, it is 48 years of American meddling of which 20 years has been brutal military oppression.

         They are still there, still exerting their military might on the Iraqi people. Think of a generation growing up their entire lives spent under these conditions, will they have any love of the Western world? The people of Iraq must be allowed to determine the future of their own country without the interference of Western Imperialism lead by the American military machine. The Iraqi people have suffered a brutal hell because of US policy through four different US Presidents, George Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and now Obama. The Iraqi people have suffered more than enough, they have the right to SELF determination, not forced to live their lives according to some Western ideology.

ann arky's home.

CAMERON-CLEGG INFESTATION.

                                                                                                

  

          At the moment there is an infestation sweeping through Britain. It is an unusually dangerous variant and can at times be lethal. It is an extremely virile variety, and can attack individuals, families, homes and workplaces. The universities and hospitals in the UK have already been devastated by this infestation, with schools and libraries being high on the risk list. Other varieties of this infestation are running rampant across the western world but it is here in the UK that the most virulent species has made it home.

                                                     

                                                                                                                                                                       

            It is important for the health and well being of the people of this country that we rapidly eradicate this vile and deadly infestation of the Cameron-Clegg.

       Wherever it appears it must be vigorously exterminated before its effects bring misery to those unfortunate individuals who have been targeted by this deadly breed of parasite.

We must open up all the dark corners of our society where the repugnant Cameron-Clegg breeds and wash them clean with the strength of people power. It is the only real answer to the destructive infestation of this menace to the welfare of our people.

The Cameron-Clegg close up.

ann arky's home.