WAR IS BUSINESS.

        In times of "austerity" our "democratic" governments still spend a whopping slice of your money and my money in killing people across the globe. We in the UK are the world's fourth largest spender on military budget, following behind America, China and Russia, all very large countries. We in this small island account for over 3.6% of the world's military expenditure, coming in this year at £57.5 billion, slightly down on last year because of our partial withdrawal form Afghanistan. Our defence budget accounts for just over 7% of our national budget, but when you add 5% for "state protection" not sure what that means, you can slice a total of more than 12%  off our national budget. Though we as a small island spend a disproportionate amount proportionally of our wealth on war and killing, I know some call it "defence", this is dwarfed by that land of peace, that pinnacle of capitalism, the good ol' U. S. of A.. This large country of peace insanely spends an unbelievable 60% of its national budget on war, sorry "defence". Its figures are mind boggling, 41% of the world's military expenditure is by the peace loving nation of America, it comes in at approximately $711 billion.  

        In times of "austerity", think of all that wealth and resource put to the benefit of the people, how would that alleviate the suffering of the many?  However, that is not what this system is about, it is about bring lots of wealth and its attendant power, to the few, and military spending and war does and will continue to, make those few parasites that control the arms industry extremely wealthy and powerful. The hope of changing things by asking those who gain from all this insanity, to give up on their wealth and power and see to the needs of the people, is insanity itself. We, have to change the system by ourselves, by organising against the system, creating small pockets of alternative systems, co-operating with each other and continually point out the insanity and injustice of the present system while emphasising that there are alternatives.

ann arky's home.

A CALL FROM STOP THE WAR COALITION.

     

     Without a trace of irony, President Barack Obama -- the commander-in-chief of an empire which straddles the world, who has more than doubled the troops in Afghanistan, who continues to occupy Iraq, who has dramatically escalated a deadly drone war in Pakistan and who is currently bombing Libya -- spoke last week of the "moral force of non-violence" and said he "will not tolerate aggression across borders". (SEE Choking on the Hypocrisy of Obama's Hollow Platitudes: http://bit.ly/kBiFrl )

     Obama is currently waging three wars which are opposed by the majority of people in Britain and the United States -- in Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya. He has already, in his first two years in office, attacked six countries -- two more than George W Bush.

    This is why Stop the War, CND and other organisations have organised an anti-war protest at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday 24 May, at 5.30pm, when Obama is on a state visit to Britain, with bed and breakfast provided by the Queen.

    The protest will call for the withdrawal of all troops from Afghanistan, an immediate end to the bombing of Libya and freedom for Palestine, which yet again was let down in Obama's speech last week by rhetoric which far outstripped any indication that he is going to do anything to stop Israel's countless violations of international law.

PROTEST WHEN OBAMA MEETS THE QUEEN
TUESDAY 24 MAY 5.30PM BUCKINGHAM PALACE
LONDON SW1A 1AA

     Called by Stop the War Coalition, Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Justice for Bahrain Campaign.

ann arky's home.

THE BENEVOLENT UK STATE MACHINE!!!

   
   Here we go again, the selfless British state rushing in for the good of the Libyan people, that wonderful honourable, benevolent state that only thinks of the well being of people across the globe, it has no financial, political or commercial interest in these actions. I'm sure the Iraqi and the Afghan people will have a different view.  Our arms industry seem to make a fortune selling all manner of arms to brutal distators and then our state sends in our young people to destroy them. Then of course we have to sell the new regime more arms. Jeremy Corbyn MP: Speech in House of Commons debate on Libya, 17 March is worth listening to, a view that will resonate with most thinking people.

ann arky's home.