Barbara Dowling.

Barbara Dowling's census case

Wed 7 Aug 2012

      At the Court of Appeal in Edinburgh today the Crown dropped its proescution of Barbara Dowling for allegedly failing to fully complete her census form in 2011.
      Barbara's legal team had gone to the appeal court to challenge an earlier decision by Glasgow Sheriff Court to allow the case against Barbara to proceed without allowing her lawyer to comment on an ammendment to the charge ( they were using out of date legislation ). The appeal court judges took the view that if the Crown were to contest the submission from Babara's lawyers, a further evidential hearing would be needed. The Crown then announced that it would drop the case.
      The conduct by the Crown that led to the appeal was just the last in a long series of legal abuses designed to scapegoat a handful of people, without making any serious attempt to prosecute all the 187,924 Scottish households that the Register Office believes had failed to send in a census form as required.
      Ethical Census and Scotland Against Criminalising Communities encouraged people to withhold co-operation from Scotland's 2011 census in protest at the involvement in key census work of a British subsidiary of CACI - a US-based defence contractor that was complicit in the torture of prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq.

More background at http://www.ethicalcensus.org.uk/


No Complicity in Torture!

 

ann arky's home.

 

Sports Direc And Zero Hours Contracts.

      We all know, or should know, that the "zero hours" contracts are a direct road to deprivation and an employers dream. Some firms are just dipping their toes in, while others are grasping the opportunity with both sweaty, greedy hands. Sports Direct is in there with both hands milking the con with gusto. This firm employs 90% of its staff on "zero hours" contracts. There employees are onto, no job security, no guarantee income, no ability to plan their week. They are there at the whim of the boss, business is slow, just go home and I'll phone when I need you, is the way the game is played. This type of contract has to be stopped and stores like Sports Direct have to feel the anger of the people by boycott and picket. The only way they will abandon this unjust means of employing people will be if it hurts their pocket.

    In the meantime 38 Degrees, are backing a court case against Sports Direct being taken out by an ex-employee. and are asking for your support:

    Can you chip in just £1 to help fund the case against Sports Direct?
https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/the-people-vs-sports-direct
        It’s the people vs Sports Direct. Companies abusing zero hours contracts have been all over the news this week. The stories started after it was revealed that Sports Direct employ 90% of their staff on contracts with no guaranteed hours week to week, no holiday pay or sick pay. [1]
     Today 38 Degrees member Zahera, an ex-employee of Sports Direct, is taking them to court to challenge their use of the controversial contracts. If she wins, it will send out shockwaves to all companies abusing these contracts. And it will put pressure on the government to tighten up the law and protect vulnerable employees.
    Can you chip in just £1 to help fund the case against Sports Direct?
https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/the-people-vs-sports-direct
      Elizabeth George, a lawyer at law firm Leigh Day, has offered to represent Zahera and will only receive a fee if we win the case. But there will still be costs involved. If Sports Direct decide to fight, it could cost over £10,000 to go to court, much more than Zahera could afford on her own.
      But if enough of us chip in just £1 each to raise the money, it will send a powerful message to Sports Direct and their billionaire owner, who will have deep pockets to fund their legal team. They'll see that they are heading to court to face not just one ex-employee standing up for her colleagues’ rights, but an army of 38 Degrees members too.
      Can you chip in £1 and back Zahera against Sports Direct?
https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/the-people-vs-sports-direct
     38 Degrees members have already sent over 120,000 emails to Sports Direct demanding they treat their staff properly and give them the option of fairer contracts. [2] They have so far refused to comment, hoping the story will go away. But by taking them to court we’ll force them to.
      Zero hours contracts are already being investigated by the government. But our action could set a legal precedent for all businesses, not just Sports Direct, and will put the government under pressure to act fast. [3]
     We know that people powered legal cases can win. Last week, we celebrated after beating Health Minister Jeremy Hunt in court. [4] 38 Degrees members donated £15,000 to the Save Lewisham Hospital Campaign’s case against his plans to close their local hospital. It was a huge win in the fight to save our NHS and made headlines across the country.
      Now let’s use our collective power to take on Sports Direct and strike a victory not just for Zahera, but for people on zero hours contracts across the country.
        Can you chip in £1 to help fund the case against Sports Direct?
https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/the-people-vs-sports-direct

Thanks for standing with Zahera

Robin, Belinda, Megan, Blanche & the 38 Degrees Team

FURTHER INFORMATION

Why could it cost so much?

      To issue the claim, Zahera is required to pay an issue fee of £250. There is a further fee if the claim goes all the way to a full hearing of £900. Law firm Leigh Day are representing Zahera on a no-win no fee basis, so there is no cost here. However Elizabeth will be bringing a co-counsel to fight the case with her. We anticipate the cost to be in the region of £10,000 plus VAT for the hearing.
If for some reason the case doesn’t go ahead we would offer a refund.

      What happens if we raise more than is needed to fight the case?
Any donations made above the amount needed to fight the case will go towards 38 Degrees' campaigning work, including pushing the government to tighten up the law around zero hours contracts. For more details of our donations policy click here: http://www.38degrees.org.uk/pages/donations-to-38-degrees

      Are all zero hours contracts bad?
Many people would like to see zero hours contracts banned outright, but for some employees, zero hours contracts are a useful flexible way of working. However, the news has been filled with stories of companies abusing these contracts to bully staff. This case could be a landmark moment in the fight to stop this abuse.

NOTES:
[1] Sports Direct: 90% of staff on zero-hour contracts - http://www.theguardian.com/business/2013/jul/28/sports-direct-staff-zero-hour-contracts
[2] Email Sports Direct - https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/page/speakout/sports-direct-stop-unfair-zero-hour-contracts
[3] They won't be lovin' it: McDonald's admits 90% of employees are on zero-hours contracts without guaranteed work or a stable income - http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/they-wont-be-lovin-it-mcdonalds-admits-90-of-employees-are-on-zerohours-contracts-without-guaranteed-work-or-a-stable-income-8747986.html
[4] Save Lewisham Hospital campaign in the papers - http://blog.38degrees.org.uk/tag/save-lewisham-hospital/

ATOS Kills, ATOS Has To Go.

       More from Glasgow's dirty washing on The Green last Saturday August 3rd. lifted straight from Glasgow Against ATOS, with a couple of photos.

 

The Power Of The Pen!

        Resistance comes in all different forms. For people who aren’t able to make it to our meetings or protests there are other ways you can help build the campaign. Send us your articles on news developments about the cuts (particularly those affecting the sick and disabled) or letters of your personal experiences of the Work Capability or Personal Independence Payment assessments. Include in your email if your happy for them to be published on our blog spot. Please send these to glasgowagainstatos2012@gmail.com

Norman Dickson has been sending us his poems to help spirit the fight back. Three of these are included below.

GAA calls for resistance to the cuts on all fronts!

 

    
MURDER BY SIGNATURE

          ( ATOS AND THE BEDROOM TAX )

    ITS CALLED MURDER BY SIGNATURE,
    A COWARDS FARAWAY DECREE,
    HIDDEN IN AN OFFICE SOMEWHERE,
    NEVER TO WITNESS OR SEE.

    THE MISERY, THE DYING..
    THE GRIEF AND THE PAIN,
    THE RELATIVES LIVES RUINED,
    A  WELFARE STATISTIC ERASED.


GENOCIDE

  ( 21st Century Style )

    (IAN DUNCAN SMITH )

HE SHOWS ALL SIGNS OF A PSYCHOPATH.
AS HE VILIFIES THE ILL.
THOSE ON JOBSEEKERS ALLOWANCE..
AND ALMOST EVERY OTHER THING.

A FAILED LEADER AND POLITICIAN,
DEFINITELY A FAILURE AS A MAN.
HIS NAZI LIKE POLICIES..
DESIGNED ONLY TO KILL.

THERE SHOULD BE AN EPITAPH..
BUILT VERY HIGH,
WITH NAMES OF THE DEAD AND DYING.
TILL IT REACHES THE SKY.

OVER 10,000 AT LAST COUNT.
AND ITS ONLY JUST BEGUN.
EACH AND EVERY POLITICIAN..
THE QUESTION THEY SHUN.

ITS THE 21ST CENTURY
AND ONLY 68 YEARS ON.
FROM BELSON AND AUSWITCH..
BUT GENOCIDE LIVES ON.

ITS HERE IN THE UK.
HIDDEN BEHIND LIES.
SPUN BY EVIL PEOPLE.
AS ANOTHER ONE DIES.

ITS A CRIME AGAINST HUMANITY..
WILL THE HAGUE TURN AWAY ?
OR WILL THE COURT OF HUMAN RIGHTS..
BE BUSY THAT DAY ?



I AM HUMAN

My legs may not work.
But my pain is real.
It's not the money, 
Its my dignity,
That with hatred,
They steal.

Im a person.
Not a number.
My family they care,
Love it is real.
Not your accountants,
Cold stare.

You've destroyed the soul.
Of 10,000 now dead,
But those left behind..
I will tell you its said,
We will not lay down,
Our legacy will fight,
In 2015 you'll be ousted
You shite.

The future will speak..
In dignified refrain,
We are people not numbers,
The determination remains,

So hang your head parliament,
Each and every mp,
You turned away and let horror decree,
Where were you GPs,
When we needed you there,
Deny genocide ...I ask if you dare.

ann arky's home.

Victor Jara Memorial Concert,

 

Peggy Seeger Headlining 

Victor Jara Anniversary Concert.

       To mark the 40th anniversary of the murder of Victor Jara, the Alistair Hulett Memorial Trust is delighted to announce a concert to be headlined by our Patron, Peggy Seeger!

September 16th 2013, 20:00 to 23:00
St. Andrew’s in the Square, Glasgow

Also performing will be:
Adam Mcnaughtan
Carlos Arredondo
Peter Nardini
Penny Stone
David Featherstone
Jimmy Ross with John Hamill and Finlay Allison

Tickets [£10.00 and £8.00] available online at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/432823 , or by emailing John Powles at johnpowles@hotmail.co.uk

An event not to be missed!

 

ann arky's home.

We Are All Anarchists At Heart.

        On the street will giving out my free paper I am sometimes asked, "What is an anarchist?", My usual answer is "Somebody like you" followed by "We are all anarchists at heart". A belief that I have held for many, many years. All of us want to control our own lives, all of us, resent being ordered around and told what to do, at heart, we enjoy being part of, and co-operating with, the community in which we live. However convincing people that at heart they are really anarchists, is the difficult part.

This article by David Gaeber from The Anarchist Library, explains it in more detail.

    Chances are you have already heard something about who anarchists are and what they are supposed to believe. Chances are almost everything you have heard is nonsense. Many people seem to think that anarchists are proponents of violence, chaos, and destruction, that they are against all forms of order and organization, or that they are crazed nihilists who just want to blow everything up. In reality, nothing could be further from the truth. Anarchists are simply people who believe human beings are capable of behaving in a reasonable fashion without having to be forced to. It is really a very simple notion. But it’s one that the rich and powerful have always found extremely dangerous.
        At their very simplest, anarchist beliefs turn on to two elementary assumptions. The first is that human beings are, under ordinary circumstances, about as reasonable and decent as they are allowed to be, and can organize themselves and their communities without needing to be told how. The second is that power corrupts. Most of all, anarchism is just a matter of having the courage to take the simple principles of common decency that we all live by, and to follow them through to their logical conclusions. Odd though this may seem, in most important ways you are probably already an anarchist — you just don’t realize it.

Read the full article HERE:

ann arky's home.

Zero Hours Contracts - Deprivation Contracts.

      There is a lot of talk just now about “zero hours” contracts, as soon as you debate the matter you give it some legitimacy, as far as the ordinary people are concerned this con deserves no debate and has no legitimacy. You don't have to look back into the distant Dickensian history to find the deprivation caused by this casualisation of labour. Up until the end of the second World War it was a common scene to see people huddled outside factories and docks in the early hours in all weathers, hoping to get picked for a few hours casual work. Those who got picked felt themselves lucky and got a few hours work and would turn up the next day hoping to be lucky again. As for those who didn't get picked, well they could run to the next nearest workplace and hope to be picked there. Or they could just go home and try again next day. It was Attlee's government in 1947 that introduced the National Dock Labour Scheme in an attempt to give some sort of job security. Of course the employers and the usual rightwing millionaire class railed against it, and labelled it as a hindrance to business and a “job for life”. Of course they never forget and in 1989 Thatcher's government abolished the NDLS.

       The figures for those on “zero hours” contracts is put at 1 million+ and growing, it is another step towards the sweatshop Europe. The only difference between the hordes standing outside workplaces in that age of severe deprivation, and those on these contracts, is that they don't have to stand in groups outside, they can sit at home waiting for the phone to ring. When it does ring you could be offered anything from three or four hours work or a few days. You have no idea how much you will earn in any given week, it is impossible to budget for essentials. What is more, you are off the unemploymet records.

       How do you manage your affairs and tend to your familes needs if you are never sure just how many hours you will work and therefore no idea what your weekly wage will be? You could turn up eager, bright and early and after a few hours work things go quiet, so your boss tells you just go home and come back after teatime, or “I'll phone you when I need you”. This is the type of society that the corporate world are doing there damndest to create, you are a unit that can be used, or stored at your own expense, until you are needed again. A workforce of casual workers always on tap to suit the needs of big business. This is the road to insecurity and deprivation, but it is the road that we are being lead down as our corrupt political class do the bidding of the financial Mafia and the corporate cabal. They are nearing their dream, of a sweatshop Europe, is it your dream? If not, why can't we realise our dream, instead of them realising theirs?

ann arky's home.

The Lord Of The Universe Has Spoken.

     Experts always manage to do research and then prove what everybody else already knows. A recent study proves that we in the UK are now worse off than we were in 2008. I could have told them that for nothing. It seems that in 2008 21% of those interviewed stated that they had difficulty in paying their bills and credit. Then the same number of people were interviewed in 2013, and guess what, the figure had risen to 35%. That is approximately 25 million people in the UK have difficulty paying the bills and credit, roughly a little more than a third of the entire population. The reasons give are wage cuts/freeze, loss of jobs or now on part-time, late benefit payments, etc.. Unavoidable, accident or ideology? Well my vote goes firmly in the ideology box. It is all going well as the financial Mafia and the corporate cabal carry out "restructuring" which translates into creating a sweatshop Europe.

     I have been spouting that line since before 2008. The powers that be want an end to the "welfare" states of Europe, they consider them a hindrance to the efficient plundering by the financial Mafia. Unhindered speculation makes billions for the already very rich, but causes misery and deprivation for millions of ordinary people. However, that's the name of the game.

      At the end of May 2013, The European Research Group of  JP Morgan Chase, released a document entitled "The Euro Area Adjustment - About Half-Way There." This document calls for the overturning of the bourgeois democratic constitutions established in a series of European countries after the Second World War and the installation of authoritarian regimes.

     The paper goes on to argue that financial measures are necessary to ensure that major "investment houses" (members of the financial Mafia) such as JP Morgan Chase can continue to reap massive profits from their speculative activities in Europe. They also maintain that it is necessary to impose political reforms aimed at suppressing opposition to the unpopular austerity measures being carried out at the behest of the banks.

      Well there you have it, no need to take the word of an angry old wrinkly anarchist, the lords of the universe have spoken.

Further reading on this:

The bellforum.

DailyPaul.

Sottnet.

Deep Politics Monitor.

World Socialist Web Site.

ann arky's home.

Glasgow's Anti-ATOS Army???

 

     Glasgow's dirty washing day, organised by Glasgow Against ATOS, in Glasgow Green on Saturday August 3, was a great success. With more than 30 banners fluttering in the breeze, highlighting the people of Glasgow's thoughts on their corrupt council and its skulduggery, the Green took on a very colourful look. There was passion and anger in speeches and statements, as well as the usual disgust at the council's slippery deals, there was anger at the bedroom tax and a special venom against ATOS. This is just a small sample of the banners, for more see, A Thousand Flowers.

 

      Those who know a little about Glasgow's working class history will be familiar with "Mary Barbour's Army", could we be seeing the formation of Glasgow's Anti-ATOS arm?

ann arky's home.

SDL at the Edinburgh Festival!!!!

An appeal from EdinburghUAF:

    On Saturday 17 August the racists and Nazis of the Scottish Defence League (SDL) plan to march through the centre of Edinburgh during the Festival.

     Edinburgh is a multicultural city and the Festival is an international cultural celebration. The people of Edinburgh welcome citizens from around the world. Tourists want to soak up the city and festival not be confronted by racists.

     Please support our statement opposing their march:
    You can see a copy on our Facebook page “Edinburgh Against The Racist SDL”, if you like it then “like” it to add your name. Please share this statement.
On line at:
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B4zm12xKvwZfNENOTzRTZmhkam8/edit
Note: some Browsers such as Firefox may not open this

     We are currently negotiating with the Police and council for our route. To find out more and to help out, we only have 2 weeks, please come along to our next open meeting:

    Monday 5 August 7pm at the ACE (Autonomous Centre of Edinburgh) 17 West Montgomery Place, Edinburgh, EH7 5HA

       You can download a copy of the latest leaflet at
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B4zm12xKvwZfTFdLalpEelQwblU/edit?usp=sharing
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B4zm12xKvwZfWDJJZktfNVloT00/edit?usp=sharing

     Listen to comedienne Janey Goodleys suggestion for combatting the SDL at the festival
http://janeygodley.podomatic.com/entry/2013-07-25T13_04_17-07_00

    Please share this link publicising the 17 August
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=553616774675465&set=vb.243430722357693&type=2&theater

     Responses to the council decision to allow the SDL to march:
http://news.stv.tv/scotland/234259-anti-fascism-campaigners-angered-over-edinburgh-sdl-march-decision/
http://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/news/sdl-in-royal-mile-march-during-edinburgh-festival-1-3012457

Facebook: EdinburghUAF
Email: uafedinburgh@riseup.net
Twitter: @UAFScot

ann arky's home.

Lying Bastards.

      Got this from the Spanish blog arrezafe, sorry for the poor translation, but you get the picture.

Yes I saw them!

He was traveling on a bus a special committee of MPs from all parties, to discuss agricultural issues.

At a bend in the bus driver lost control and crashed into some rocks.

After a few hours they reached the scene, ambulances and Civil Guard to try to render aid to the injured, but there was no one in the wreckage of the bus.

Started investigations and Civil Guard realized that about the accident was a house where they were to ask.

He left a peasant house to meet them, and asked:

- Hey. You! Did politicians who were injured?

- Yes .. yes I saw them! And gave them Christian burial!

- Do not tell me they were all dead!

- Well ... some said no, but you know as lying bastards!

ann arky's home.

Barbara Dowling's Appeal.

     Wed 7 August - Barbara Dowling's census case

10.30am, High Court, Lawnmarket, Edinburgh
        Barbara's appeal hearing over her prosecution for failing to fully complete her census form in 2011 will be held in the High Court Edinburgh. The appeal will challenge the decision by Glasgow Sheriff Court to allow the case against Barbara to proceed without allowing her lawyer to comment on an ammendment to the charge ( they were using out of date legislation ). This was just the last in a long series of legal abuses designed to scapegoat a handful of people, without making any serious attempt to prosecute all the 187,924 Scottish households that were required to send in a census form and didn't do so.
More background at http://www.ethicalcensus.org.uk/
     Please come along to make sure that the Scottish legal system knows we're watching it.

No Complicity in Torture!

ann arky's home.

Hiroshima.

        Monday 8:15am, August 6, 1945, the day when the atomic bomb was first used in war. The city of Hiroshima in Japan was the target. One bomb the equivalent of approximately 20,000 tons of high explosives, fell from the sky, early as everybody in the city was preparing for their daily routine.  The result was the immediate deaths of approximately 80,000 people of all ages, and roughly 70% of all buildings completely destroyed and a further 7% severely damaged. By the end of the year the death toll from injuries and radiation, had pushed the total to somewhere between 90,000 and 140,000. In one blinding flash, a city and most of its inhabitants obliterated. That was what war had come to, unbelievable, instant, massive, death and destruction. We should dwell on these figures and scenes as our mad-hatter politicians talk of military action against other countries. It is people just like you and I that they are talking about killing, instantly, or over a period of years, it doesn't matter to them as they sit in their marble halls of power.   

      To mark the horror of Hiroshima and atomic weapons, the Faslane Peace Camp are asking people to come and join them, to highlight the fact that we in this country still harbour these weapons of mass destruction, right here on the Clyde. Weapons that should never be used, and shouldn't even exist.

From Faslane Peace Camp:

       To remember the tragic event that happened in Hiroshima on the 6th of August in 1945 we are creating this event as a memorial of remembrance to those affected by it.

       At 11 we are going to make an Arc at the Peace Camp Gate. At 5:45 PM we are going to walk to the North Gate Base to have an hours vigil in silence between 6:15 and 7:15.
      Just as it gets dark we are also going to go light 200 candles along the fences of the nuclear base.

ann arky's home.

Workers Know Your History, Dic Penderyn.

     Each improvement in the conditions of the ordinary people is paid for in the blood of one or more from our communities. Every increment of decent conditions we gain is at the heavy cost of blood, sweat and tears from our brothers and sisters. Despite this we can never relax in the belief that we have won those gains for all time. Those from whom we wrestled them will always try to take them back by stealth, duplicity, corruption, force and their brand of the "stamp of legitimacy". Today the attack to claw back the conditions we won over decades is in full swing, wages are cut/frozen, contracts are ripped up and replaced by "zero hours" contracts, working conditions are shredded, social benefits/services are decimated. If we accept this onslaught without an all out fight, we do an injustice to those from our communities who paid with their life to win them in the first place. Our history is littered with the blood of an army of our heroes, we can pick one from any era, they are there, calling on us to fight for justice.

      August 1831, Dic Penderyn was hanged on a trumped up charge, his real crime, he was a a union man, a fighter for better conditions, the type detested by this system of repression, exploitation and corruption. When our present lords and master come at us with their scythe of austerity and deregulation of working practices, let's remember we paid for these conditions by the blood of our own, we insult our heroes if we hand them back without a bloody fight.

ann arky's home.

Glasgow's Dirty Washing.

      A reminder of the Glasgow Green event this Saturday at 11:00am. Shame the council, hang out the city's dirty washing for all to see, a chance to make public the dodgy dealings of the cabal in the Kremlin in George Square. Come along, bring the family bring your own piece of dirty regarding the council.

Rotten To The Core? Glasgow City Council: the campaign for a Public Inquiry Paint a slogan on a sheet and make the City Fathers' malpractice the talk of the steamie!

http://us2.campaign-archive2.com/?u=195f3febf8c3e95f41f374c75&id=70b9826ed0&e=a11192daa9

http://wordpress.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=195f3febf8c3e95f41f374c75&id=c98d3f80ec&e=a11192daa9



*Glasgow City Council: 100 Promises - The Stories (scandals?) So Far.*

    Bette gives us the story so far. Glasgow City Council claim to have
enacted 30% of their 100 Promises. They are ignoring calls for them to
tell us which ones. Some things they have been up to however cannae be ignored.
 
http://wordpress.us2.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=195f3febf8c3e95f41f374c75&id=baa8827404&e=a11192daa9

*HANG OUT GLASGOW'S DIRTY LAUNDRY!  EVENT: Saturday, 11am, on the Green.*
https://www.facebook.com/events/603959842971894/?fref=ts
http://wordpress.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=195f3febf8c3e95f41f374c75&id=f8057c6597&e=a11192daa9
By Glasgow Against-Atos

      Glasgow City Council has brought nothing but shame and dishonour to the City and its inhabitants. While portraying themselves as supporters of the Labour and Trade Union movement and champions of the working class, they have adopted the policies and corrupt practices of gangster capitalism.

     We condemn the dodgy dealings of Glasgow City Council who have
been involved in numerous scandals recently; from Steven Purcell’s  fall from grace over stories of drug taking in the City Chambers and concerns over his links with gangsters, - to Gordon Matheson’s antics and his part in the George Square fiasco.

     We condemn them for bulldozing the Accord Centre and their broken promise of a suitable replacement. We condemn them for the closure of Day Centres in Glasgow. We condemn the £500,000 pay out to Ronnie Saez Chief executive of G.E.R.A. - an “anti-poverty” charity!

    We condemn the dozens of other dirty deals they have been involved
with, and plan to hang out the Council’s dirty washing for all to see;
we want a proper Public Enquiry into the incompetent and possibly
criminal, mismanagement of the affairs of the Citizens of Glasgow.

     Join us to expose this corrupt council once and for all at the
People’s Palace Glasgow Green on Saturday 3rd August at 11.00am.
  — with Glasgow Against-Atos
http://wordpress.us2.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=195f3febf8c3e95f41f374c75&id=15722c476a&e=a11192daa9

 ann arky's home.

And Now For The Weather!!!

       Imagine sitting watching that babbling brook of bullshit called "The News" on your TV and then settling back to see what the weather holds for your wee bike run, and the weather man gets quite carried away.

   Published October 10, 2012.
      An impending blackout gives the city's working class its chance to rise up against their wealthy oppressors. From the onion.

ann arky's home.

Work For Nothing To Feed The Greedy Rich.

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      Being unemployed in this society is a debilitating existence, being forced onto workfare is even worse. Not only do you still grind out your life in poverty, but you turn up every day to help to fill the coffers of some rich greedy bastard, with no gain to you. Apart from workfare there is the harassment  and sanctions forced on you, if you don't jump through all the hoops to some bureaucrats satisfaction. This is all part of the ideology of a cheap labour force, a sweatshop Europe, and it will require the solidarity of all our class to bring this capitalist dream to an end. 

      Protest against Sanctions, plus SUWN meeting Wed 7^th August, Glasgow

https://www.facebook.com/events/479667628794945/

      Protest outside Partick Jobcentre (20 Benalder Street Glasgow) - organised by the Scottish Unemployed Workers' Network as part of the Week of Action called by the Civil Service Rank and File Network to help bring an end to sanctions, workfare and harassment of claimants. From 3 - 4.30pm

(See http://www.boycottworkfare.org/?p=2825)

      After the protest we will be holding a planning meeting about future campaigning. We will meet at the STUC (333 Woodlands Road, room 4 upstairs) starting at 5pm. This will be open to anyone interested. (Call 07803 052239 if the door is locked)

ann arky's home.

Workers Know Your History, Frank H. Little.

          A day late with this one, but it should not be forgotten. Our history is written in the blood of heroes, brutally shed by the defenders of capitalism.

      Forming a union where there was no union has always been a very dangerous activity. Through the years many have paid dearly for such a humanitarian desire. Some severely beaten, some brutally killed, all in the name of capital.

        August 1st. marks one such brutal killing in America, the vicious beating and lynching of IWW organiser Frank H. Little in 1917.

From wikipedia:

       In early July 1917, Little arrived in Butte, Montana, to help organize a copper miners' union and lead a miners' strike against the Anaconda Copper Company. In the early hours of August 1, six masked men broke into Little's hotel room.^[1] He was beaten and taken to the edge of town where he was lynched from a railroad trestle.^[1] A note with the words "First and last warning" was pinned to his chest, along with the initials of other union leaders, and the numbers 3-7-77 (a vigilante code famously used by the vigilance committee of Virginia City, Montana).^[1]
     It was widely believed that Pinkerton agents were involved, but no serious attempt was made by the police to apprehend Little's murderers. His funeral procession was followed by thousands as he was laid to rest in Butte's Mountain View Cemetery.

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The Rise Of Nazi Greece.

      The rise of Nazi Greece, first they came for the immigrants, then they came for the Roma, then they came for------!!! The Peloponnese, idyllic. Kalamata, quiet picturesque beauty, not the sort of places in "civilised" Europe that you would expect state terrorism to be open and so blatantly displayed. Then again, there is a class war going on. 

This from The Greek Streets:

Thursday, August 1, 2013

        Riot police squads that arrived from Athens have been conducting operations against the Roma population across the Peloponnese for the past few days. On Monday, the riot police flattened Roma camps in the Corinth prefecture, before moving to Messinia (and its capital, Kalamata) on Tuesday and then operating further in the prefectures of Argolida and Arkadia on Wednesday.
       “prevention” of crime as the reasons why the Roma houses came under attack – an open and direct racist  attack against them. On Tuesday alone, 623 Roma were detained of which 84 were arrested, while 14 homes in total were flattened. The numbers for the other days remain unknown.

      Astonishingly, the official police report on the operations talks of the “tackling” and the “prevention” of crime as the reasons why the Roma houses came under attack – an open and direct racist  attack against them. On Tuesday alone, 623 Roma were detained of which 84 were arrested, while 14 homes in total were flattened. The numbers for the other days remain unknown.

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The Price Of Resisting Capital.

      Honduras is one of the poorest countries in the world, 64% of the population live on less than $2 a day, this figure is worse in the rural areas. It is estimated that unemployment runs at around 36%. Roads to villages are almost non-existent, homes are usually one room. It is common for the family to have no toilet but to simply go outside when the need arises. Clean water is a luxury that many never see.

     As usual big business moves in and exploits the varied mineral resources, including zinc, lead, silver and gold, but none of this ever reaches the majority of the population.

     Another large development that is taking land away from the indigenous people and giving them little or nothing in return is the construction of a large hydroelectric dam in the territory of the indigenous Lenca. This project has met with strong opposition from the local and surrounding communities and recently the paid a high price for their resistance.

This from SOA Watch: 

      Tomas Garcia was a father of seven who would have turned 50 this December. He was a husband, father, brother, and community leader, serving as an auxiliar and on his community’s Indigenous Council. On Monday, July 15, his life was brutally taken away by the Honduran military when a soldier shot and killed him at close range in broad daylight in front of 200-300 people. He did not have a gun, he did not hurt anyone. His crime? Opposing the construction of a hydroelectric dam being illegally constructed in his Indigenous Lenca community's territory against their will. Why Tomas? He was one of the first to arrive, leading the delegation that had come to deliver a message to the companies constructing the dam at their installations in Rio Blanco. A soldier fired at him not once, not twice, at least three times from only 6 or so feet away, according to eyewitnesses.

Read the full article HERE:

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Radical Songs From Circled "A" Radio,

      Enjoy a variety of radical songs from across the years. A nice collection from Circled "A" Radio.

 

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