Another Corporate Grab For Our Public Spaces.

           I'm not a lover of petitioning our lords and masters, asking them to "please do this or that", or "please don't do this or that". However, to emphasise the point I keep making, that the aim of this corrupt system we are burdened under, is to end all public spaces and public services, I sometimes make exceptions. Bit by bit they slice and gobble up pieces of public spaces and syphon of part of our social services. moving ever towards that day when everything is "private" owned by the greed driven corporations. You pay what they ask, or you are excluded.

Loch Lomond.

 

       Here in Glasgow we have seen slices of public spaces disappear into the grasp of the money Mafia. The latest greedy grab is for a slice of Loch Lomond, part of the The Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park, to develop a money making "leisure park" named Flamingo Land. As long as you come with your credit card or wallet, you will be able to enjoy parts of the National Park that you once could enjoy for free. The Loch Lomond area is a place to relax, explore the hills and/or cycle its roads, Loch Lomond is a world renowned beauty spot, and a place of wonderful scenery and walks that you can enjoy for free. This greed driven "Flamingo Land" fantasy, gives no thought to what the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park is, their idea is to snatch a slice of the National Park and milk the hundreds of thousands of people who come to enjoy, in many forms, its spectacular beauty. Do you wish to see, piece by piece of our national parks become money making enterprises for the corporate greed machine, excluding you, unless you pay their price? Let's make sure the "flamingos" take flight and leave Loch Lomond.

 Luss, on Loch Lomond shore.

       With anger and disgust, I've just signed the following petition "Scottish Government: To The  Scottish Government - Stop The Sale of Loch Lomond" and hope you will join the growing group of angry concerned folks, and turn this into an almighty roar of real anger. However, until we dismantle the capitalist economic system we live under, we will have to continually fight these money grabbing exploits of the corporate greed brigade as they continue their onslaught to disposes the people of all public spaces and public services.

      The goal of the petition is to reach 25,000 signatures and we need more support. You can read more and sign the petition here:

https://chn.ge/2KUfJB8

Visit ann arky's home at radicalglasgow.me.uk

Ukraine For The Ukrainians.

       Obama, mouthpiece for Western corporate power, aided and abetted by our own bunch of rabid pups, the Cameron cabal, are ratching up their rhetoric, in an attempt to prepare us for a blood bath in Ukraine, as they want a slice of that unfortunate country. Meanwhile the Russian imperialists are manoeuvring and manipulating to see that they are not outdone in this corporate land grab. Both empires are prepared to sacrifice the blood of the people of Ukraine and the blood of their own citizens to satisfy their power lust. It could be 1914, when the greed of imperialism dragged Europe into the bloodiest era of its existence, all for power and wealth for that psychopathic parasitic scum, that sits on our shoulders like a caked scab, the so called "elite".

      Millions took to the streets to try to stop the illegal invasion of Iraq, we should be prepared to take to the streets again to stop this re-make of that horror story, "The 1914 Land Grab".  

 

This from SACC:

 

Ukraine Crisis - Public Meetings in Scotland

 

       Ukraine is at the brink of war. It is being pulled apart by imperialist forces, from the East Russian forces and from the West NATO, the EU and the USA.

       SACC is one of the co-sponsors of a series of public meetings being held in Scotland with Zakhar Popovych from the Ukrainian Left Opposition. Zakhar Popovych will give an eye witness account of recent developments and offer a left analysis of events so far. Obviously Zakhar Popovych cannot represent the full range of left opinion in Ukraine, but we hope these meetings will contribute to a better understanding of the Ukraine crisis and will stimulate debate.

 

Please invite your friends and help to make these meetings a success

 

Fri 16 May - Eyewitness report from Ukraine (Dundee)

7.30pm, Queen's Hotel, Nethergate, Dundee DD1 4DU

On facebook

 

Sat 17 May - Eyewitness report from Ukraine (Edinburgh)

4-6pm, Augustine United Church, George IV Bridge, Edinburgh, EH1 1EL

On Facebook

 

Sun 18 May - Eyewitness report from Ukraine (Glasgow)

2pm, Jurys Inn, 80 Jamaica Street, Glasgow G1 4QG

On Facebook

 

More about the Ukraine Crisis

 

Manifesto: 10 theses of the Leftist Opposition in Ukraine (14 January 2014)

Zakhar Popovitch speaking in London (video, 12 March 2014) 

No UK troops for Nato's Ukraine war games - Statement from the Stop the War Coalition (23 April 2014) 

Ukraine’s ‘Dr. Strangelove’ Reality by Robert Parry (5 May 2014) 

A view on the Ukraine crisis from Scotland by Paul O'Hanlon (10 May 2014) 

In Ukraine the US is dragging us towards war with Russia by John Pilger (14 May 2014)

 

Visit ann arky's home at www.radicalglasgow.me.uk

 

CORPORATE LAND GRAB.

       Time and time again we see our legislators, who are elected to protect assets that belong to the people, take those assets and hand them to the corporate world, gift wrapped. Councils across the country will soon see masses of valuable public assets disappears into the portfolio of the rich and greedy, with the public purse receiving as little as 40p for sites worth millions. This is thanks to the Scottish government having another look at a bill that ran out of time in the last parliamentary session. The cronies of the corporate world sitting in Holyrood never give up, if they can't do the bidding of their corporate masters in one session, then will try again in the next. This plundering of public assets is all part and parcel of the privatisation of everything and anything that is of value, part of the sustained attack on the ordinary people, making them totally dependent on the corporate world for everything from their education, libraries, public parks  to health and leisure. They are your assets, were you asked if you wanted some millionaires to have them for 40p?

We are better equipped to develope these site.

The following is an extract from, an article in the Scottish paper The Herald.

       "Land expert Andy Wightman said publicly owned property let on so called ultra-long-term leases – with more than 100 years still to run – could be sold to the leaseholders for a nominal sum. This would mean assets that councils hold on behalf of citizens and protect from redevelopment could be under threat.

      Mr Wightman, the author of Who Owns Scotland, and The Poor Had No Lawyers, said it would affect assets such as Waverley Market – now known as Princess Mall – in the heart of Edinburgh. It is publicly owned and shielded from development.

       The law-change could see the 1.68 acre site sold to the current leaseholder, former Rangers owner Sir David Murray, who would assume ownership for a nominal sum. What happens to the prime site will set a precedent that could affect many civic gems as about 9000 long leases are examined in Scotland.

         Mr Murray stands to get a £50million prime city centre site for less than 40p as a direct result of the planned law change being relaunched by the Scottish Government. the ultra-long-term leaseholds – some last 999 years – were introduced at the end of the 18th century to encourage industrialisation and are being modernised as they can pose legal problems for leaseholders in developing the sites.

         It is understood Mr Murray's Premier Property Group (PPG) bought the leasehold on Waverley Market in 2004 from developers who acquired it in 1982. PPG is thought to have paid £37m for the lease alone. The site brings in about £2m a year in rent from shops. The firm pays 1p a year rent to Edinburgh City Council. The nominal sale sum for Waverley would be based on the 1p rental deal struck with the original developer in 1982 and if it went ahead early after the law was changed the cost would be expected to be under 40p.---"

Contnue reading, HERE.

ann arky's home.