State Brutality.

       The campaign of solidarity with Nikos Romanos is growing in strength and on a wider front as acts of solidarity and support are happening across the globe. His case highlights the vindictiveness of the state apparatus, not just in Greece but in states across the planet, the same brutal repression happens somewhere every day, whether it be Ferguson US, or Athens Greece, it is the same vicious reprisals to keep hold of their authority over us.

Nikos being arrested.

       In the case of Nikos Romanos, some people may not be familiar with the facts behind this case. Behind this vicious brutality of the Greek state, there is a young man who at the age of 15, saw his 15 year old best friend shot and die in the street, at the hands of a thug in a uniform, called a police officer. This after what was a verbal confrontation, the uniformed thug drew his gun and fired to kill the youth. The state shaped Nikos Ramanos's life in a brutal fashion, and the state will willing let him die. This, in what is supposed to be developed, democratic Europe, an illusion that has evaporated like mist in a wind.

Nikos after his arrest, and the photoshop image issued by the police.

       This from Void Network:

       Nikos Romanos was only 15 years old when his name first became known to the Greek public. Romanos was close friend with Alexandros Grigoropoulos, the unarmed pupil who was shot dead by a policeman in the Athens neighborhood of Exarheia. Romanos watched his friend die in front of his eyes after being shot through the heart.

      Not the happiest way to set of into on adulthood, this was a brutalisation by the state machinery of a young man with all the potential of youth, friends and family, beside him. Now some 6 years after that incident, the state is still vindictively brutalising one of our own, with a callousness that defies belief.

       Last spring while in prison, Romanos studied for and took the pan-Hellenic high school exams earning high enough marks to gain a place at a top Athens polytechnic university in business management.
       At the time, the Justice Ministry had praised him and other inmates for their academic success and was to award Romanos a prize of 500 euros. However Romanos refused to attend a ceremony to accept the prize from the Justice Minister, saying that doing so would violate his principles.
      Regardless, at the time the Justice Minister Charalambos Athansiou stated that, “the state does not make distinctions on the issue of studies. He is praiseworthy for following the advice of his teachers and working hard to gain a place at an institution of higher education.” However despite this praise, the door subsequently was shut on Romanos’ putative academic career when the relevant prison council denied his application for prison leave to attend classes.

Read the full article HERE:

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

"Austerity" A Tool In The Class War.

      I have always said that "austerity" is not a necessity, but an ideology, it is the strategy of the rich and powerful in their class war. We, the plebs, are being made to pay for the upkeep of the wealthy, the corporate, and the financial Mafia. They staked their lot in a mad gambling frenzy, and it blew up in their faces. In comes "austerity", of course it only applies to you and I, the plebs. The fat cats are all doing rather well at the moment, more millionaires, increase sales in top-of-the-range cars etc. While you and I see our standard of living edging ever nearer the Dickensian era.

     The phoney chorus coming from our Oxbridge millionaire cabal, sitting in the Westminster Houses of Hypocrisy and Corruption, that we have fixed it and are on the mend, is just hogwash, propaganda. We have had inflicted on us almost 5 years of slashing social services, and now that we are on the mend, there are more and more, vicious cuts coming our way. In this class war, "austerity" is to be the new way of life for us lower orders.

     After the next election, no matter which bunch of privately educated rich parasites get in, their agenda will be this cry of balancing the books, so more cuts to the living standards of the ordinary people. The pattern has been set, sweatshop future awaits you.

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

The Usual Oxbridge Self-centred Hypocrisy.

 

      Just what you expect from an MP, two-faced, money grabbing, hypocrite, Stephen Dorrell, sitting as an MP in a tory government that says it will protect the NHS, while taking a job with a company that wants to plunder out a slice of the NHS for profit. No doubt he'll advise KMPG on how best to go about grabbing a chunk of the NHS, at the cheapest price, and what sections will be the most profitable to the company. He has the inside info and contacts, having been chair of the Health Select Committee for four years. Well, what do you expect from one of the Oxbridge Mafia. 

 This from 38 Degrees:

     Stephen Dorrell MP has just taken a job with KPMG, a private company that wants to bid on a £1 billion NHS contract. [1] But he's refusing to give up his parliamentary seat.
     Mr Dorrell has admitted his new job is “incompatible” with his role as an MP. But he's refusing to step down until May 2015. [2] How can that be ok? Who is his boss for the next 5 months - KPMG or his constituents?
     If thousands of us sign a petition to David Cameron to show our outrage, the weight of public opinion could force the PM to crack down. Please sign now:
http://secure.38degrees.org.uk/dorrell-conflict-of-interest
For four years, Stephen Dorrell MP was the chair of the powerful Health Select committee, helping open the NHS up to privatisation. His new job is with a private company bidding on the NHS.
       Here’s what Chris, one his constituents says:
“Public trust in politicians is currently at an all-time low. Dorrell's action in joining KPMG displays a cynical lack of integrity amongst MPs. This presents a serious conflict of interest and misuse of his privileged position, making him unfit to continue as an MP."
     From campaigning for a law to allow voters to sack rogue MPs, through to fighting to protect our NHS from private healthcare vultures, [3] 38 Degrees members have a history of challenging politicians who act against our democracy. Let’s show David Cameron we’re watching his every move.
    Can you sign the petition asking David Cameron to tell Stephen Dorrell he can't take a job in health privatisation whilst he's still an MP?
http://secure.38degrees.org.uk/dorrell-conflict-of-interest
Thanks for being involved,
Ali, Robin, David and the 38 Degrees team
NOTES:
[1] Daily Telegraph: Stephen Dorrell MP faces calls to resign over conflict of interest:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/conservative/11264425/Stephen-Dorrell-MP-faces-calls-to-resign-over-conflict-of-interest.html
[2] Mirror: £1 billion NHS sell-off scandal: Tory MP works for firm targeting huge health service deal:
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/1billion-nhs-sell-off-scandal-tory-4724959
[3] 38 Degrees blog - Recall campaign and NHS privatisation vote:
http://blog.38degrees.org.uk/2014/10/23/recall-mp-debate/ http://blog.38degrees.org.uk/2014/11/20/save-our-nhs/

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

To Watch Your Friend Die On The Street!!

      Another report on Nikos Ramanos, on hunger strike since 10/11/2014 and the massive support he has from the people of Athens. What effect does it have on you if at the age of 15, you see your best friend shot by a police officer and watch him die there on the street?

 

This from Xpressed:

      Tuesday December 2, 10,000 – 15,000 people marched in solidarity with anarchist hunger striker Nikos Romanos.
     Romanos has been on hunger strike since 10/11/2014 fighting for his right to furloughs. He is entitled to these furloughs in order to be able to attend classes at the University School in which he was accepted after successfully sitting the national exams from inside the prison.
     Nikos Romanos has been in prison since February 2013 when he was arrested for armed robbery along with Dimitris-Andreas Bourzoukos, Yiannis Michailidis and Dimitris Politis. They were all so badly beaten and tortured by the police that their photos were photoshopped before being released to the press.
     Yiannis Michailidis has been on hunger strike since November 17 while Dimitris-Andreas Bourzoukos and Dimitris Politis also went on hunger strike on December 1 in solidarity with their comrade.
Nikos Romanos is also the best friend of Alexis Grigoropoulos who was killed by the police on December 6, 2008 sparking massive riots in Greece. He was there during the murder and he saw his friend die in front of him when they were both 15 years old.
      The solidarity demo ended in riots in Exarchia. 31 people were detained, 12 of which were finally arrested and charged. Many of them were severely beaten by the police. Syriza MPs that visited the Police HQ report that there was blood on the floors.
     You can read Nikos Romanos’ letter declaring his hunger strike here. Nikos Romanos’ second letter from hospital, after the news broke out about the rejection of his demand for leave, here.

Photos HERE:

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

One Million, So Far, Say No To TTIP.

      The clandestine negotiations going on behind closed doors in the marble halls of power, between governments and the corporate world are being slowly pushed,  little by little into the open. I am of course, referring to the anti-democracy agreement TTIP. This planned take over by the powerful corporations, which will leave us totally at the mercy of CEO profit junkies and boardroom parasites. They and they alone will decide what is to be privately owned and what unprofitable scarps can be left in public hands. They see the NHS as a wonderful opportunity of an assets that can be plundered and sections spread among their corporate buddies. Education should be privatised to allow our kids to be profit producers for greedy shareholders. This is what TTIP is all about, and it has to be stopped. We are pushing them but not enough, the effort to get this out in the open and seen for what it is, has to be more than doubled.

This from World Development Movement:   

     One million voices are now raised against TTIP throughout Europe!

     Having been refused permission to start a European Citizen's Initiative in September, campaigning organisations the length and breadth of the continent started their own self-organised petition and have reached a million signatures today. That's in less than three months.

       It is apparent the supporters of TTIP are rattled. David Cameron repeats the claims that TTIP will add £10 billion to the UK’s economy and says it is time “we start taking on some of the opponents of this deal and exposing some of the arguments against.”

      Cameron is right to be wary. After supporting a secretive and shadowy process, the campaign is forcing the negotiations, partially at least, into the cold light of day. Awareness is rising and opposition is appearing everywhere, geographically and across political viewpoints.

      The very fact the negotiation process is in secret has rung alarm bells. Experience of other trade and investment deals, including their impact on job losses and benefits for corporations, has rung further bells. The lack of evidence for the economic promises has fed the distrust, discontent and ultimately the opposition to the trade deal.

      The petition will continue. It is a brilliant indication of the strength of opposition across Europe. Alongside lobbying and protests, it is one of the many tools we will deploy to ensure TTIP does not become a reality.

    If you haven't already, please take action at www.wdm.org.uk/ttip and share the link with your friends. Let's make the petition even stronger.

Best wishes,

Guy Taylor
Trade campaigner

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

Solidarity With Nikos Romanos.

      Where else, in Europe. other than Athens, would you see such a large night protest in solidarity with an anarchist prisoner. details of the prisoner, Nikos Romanos HERE:

More demonstrations in support of Nikos Romanos HERE:   and HERE:

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

Flaming Water Taps And Methane Rivers = Big Profits.

       The Chancellor's autumn budget statement makes it obvious that they are going to start pushing hard on fracking. His promise of money from fracking to bribe communities to accept the unacceptable, tells us it is going ahead against any opposition. The companies involved in fracking, are rather secretive about the cocktail of toxic chemicals that goes into the process, but more and more details come out as the process gains momentum. In fracking areas in America, in some cases you can set fire to the water from your tap, but the corporate world see fracking as the new oil boom, and they are going at it hell for leather. This despite the mounting evidence of the damage to people and the environment. More studies are now being done as the type of chemicals being used is becoming better known. One recent study from the National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society, (ACS) comes up with some very frightening facts. One of the many toxic chemicals used in fracking, and there are many, is ethylbenzene, and their report states, "Five gallons of ethylbenzene can pollute a billion gallons of water."

This from Truth Out:

     Perhaps the most comprehensive look to date at fracking chemicals was presented in August at the National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS).

     William Stringfellow, a professor in environmental engineering at the University of the Pacific, lead author of the report, said he conducted the review of fracking contents to help resolve the public debate over the controversial drilling practice.

    Fracking involves injecting water with a mix of chemical additives into rock formations deep underground to promote the release of oil and gas. It has led to a natural gas boom in the United States, but it has also stimulated major opposition and troubling reports of contaminated well water, as well as increased air pollution near drill sites.

     The team of scientists presenting this work said that out of nearly 200 commonly used compounds, there's very little known about the potential health risks of about one-third. However, they concluded eight of the known compounds are toxic to mammals. Chemicals such as corrosion inhibitors and biocides are being used in "reasonably high concentrations that potentially could have adverse effects," said Stringfellow.

     "Biocides are inherently toxic by design," he told Truthout. "They need to be evaluated even if used in small amounts because of their toxicity."

Read the full article HERE:

 

        Recent tests in Australia on areas where there is fracking reveals that much more methane is bubbling up through the soil and rivers than was first stated, with the usual health and environment dangers.
     Big business never looks at the dangers to people or the environment when it pursues profits, any restrain or modification to their methods, is forced on them by public opinion and public pressure. The dangers of fracking will be ignored as the corporate greed merchants try to squeeze as quickly as possible every last drop of profit before the dangers become more widely known. Poisoning the soil and water table with carcinogenic chemicals is acceptable to big business, it is unacceptable to all of us, it is only our power that will stop this insanity.

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

Dave Douglass In Glasgow, On The Miners Strike.

       On the 24th. September, 2014, in Glasgow, to mark the 30 anniversary of the 1984/85 miners strike, Dave Douglass was invited to give a talk on that momentous class struggle. The event was co-sponsored by Clydeside IWW, Spirit of Revolt, Glasgow Anarchist Collective, Radical Independent Bookfair, and Glasgow Anarchist Federation. The event proved to be very interesting, informative, and well attended. For those who missed it, they can now see the event on video, thanks to Bob at City Strolls.

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

Glasgow Needs More Public Spaces.

       The Glasgow City Council are elected on the principle that they work for the people of Glasgow, however, they seem to get the idea that they are the overlords of the people, and keep coming up with ideas that the people don't want. The only way to stop this is for the people to tell they council what they want and what they don't want. The latest grandiose idea from the Council is to take what is a well used public space, and turn it into another private commercial area. We need more public spaces in the city, not less, the Buchanan steps at the top of Buchanan Street is a well used meeting place, chatting place, rallying place, meditating place, sitting people watching place, and whatever. It may not have been intended for any of these purposes when it was built, but it has filled the bill in all of them and more, the people have made it so. Let's keep that space public, open and accessible to all. 

This from 38 Degrees:

      The iconic steps up to the Royal Concert Hall are under threat - a private company wants to demolish them. [1] The steps are well loved, and used by people across the city, from workers on their lunch breaks to political protesters during the referendum.
      Glasgow City Council could make a decision any day now - so we need to act fast. Together, we need to pressure our local councillors. If they hear from thousands of local people who want the steps to stay, they could be forced to leave them well alone.
       Can you email your local councillors now, telling them to save the steps?
https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/steps-speak
       Already over 12,000 of us have signed the petition to save the steps. [2] Many Glaswegians are outraged about the idea to remove such a well-used and well-loved landmark. [3] A huge people-powered petition, as well as hearing directly from thousands of us, could be enough to save them.
       Together 38 Degrees members are protecting our public spaces - just last week a petition signed by over 5,000 of us pushed Glasgow Council to hold off on their plan to sell off Barrowland Park. [4] Let’s keep standing up for our community spaces.
       Can you email your local councillors now, telling them to save the steps?
https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/steps-speak

Thanks for being involved,
Jen, Amy, Elizabeth, Robin & the 38 Degrees team

      PS: Ben and Stephen, 38 Degrees members in Glasgow, are holding a rally on Saturday 6th December, 2pm at the Steps (top of Buchanan Street), with a line-up of musicians and speakers. Will you come along and show your support?
https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/glasgow-steps-event

      PPS: If there’s another issue in Glasgow you care about, you can start your own campaign here:
https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/scotland-cby

NOTES:
[1]Evening Times: Land to be snapped up for expanded Buchanan Galleries:
http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/news/land-to-be-snapped-up-for-expanded-galleries-175657n.24989503
[2] Campaigns By You: ‘Save the Steps’ Petition:
https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/save-the-steps
[3] STV Glasgow: Glasgwegians hit out over plans to scrap concert hall steps:
http://glasgow.stv.tv/articles/297738-call-to-save-iconic-glasgow-royal-concert-hall-steps/
[4] STV Glasgow: The Barrowland Park and Album Pathway will not move in 2015, say Glasgow City Council:
http://glasgow.stv.tv/articles/301160-glasgows-barrowland-park-and-album-pathway-wont-be-moved-in-2015/

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

Who Has Been Having A Wee Bit On The Side?

       Oh dear, the recent discovery of Richard III's crumpled bones has brought a skeleton out of the cupboard, no pun intended. It appears that the long line from him to the present monarch, may not be quite as it is put to us, throwing a shadow over the legitimacy of the present monarch. It seems that one of our previous royals has been having a wee bit on the side, therefore breaking the line, and the legitimacy of the following “heirs”. Why this should be a surprise baffles me, as the so called royals, through history, are well known to keep an extra bed companion to break the boredom in the bedroom. What angers me more is not that infidelity runs in their life style, it is the fact that we may have been paying through the nose to keep this family in unbelievable luxury, on a false claim. At the moment it is speculation based on a small piece of scientific evidence, but I think it should be pursued with vigour, to help us balance the budget. If it proves to be the case that the present monarch's legitimacy is flawed, then they should be housed in the nearest housing estate and told to sign on, and take their place in some workfare scheme. 

 

Could this be the country's biggest benefit cheat scandal

 

       Of course in the sane world, we all know that nobody has the legitimacy to rule over anybody, the whole idea of a monarchy belongs to some medieval power game, and has no place in any modern civilised country. However since we will never be given the opportunity to vote them out, this line of their legitimacy could be one way of showing them to the nearest job centre. 

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

 

Nuclear, The Certain Death Machine.

      Here in Glasgow, we have nuclear weapons on our doorstep, both in storage and on submarines based at Faslane. An accident at any one of these points would be catastrophic for the surrounding area, Glasgow included. What happens when a nuclear power station has a major accident. Chernobyl in Ukraine was on such accident, it happened in 1986, that was twenty eight years ago, and to this day, the area is still left uninhabitable. They are still recording birth defects and deaths from such diseases as cancer, from the disaster.

Then there is Fukushima, that disaster happened more than three and a half years ago, but still the problem can't be solved.

British Researcher Blasts U.N. Report on Fukushima Cancer Risk As Unscientific

Plan C Also Failed In Plugging Reactor 2 Trench…Now What?

TEPCO to bury Fukushima plant trench with concrete to control radioactive water

Fukushima £11bn cleanup progresses, but there is no cause for optimism

Trace Amounts Of Fukushima Radioactivity Detected Off U.S. West Coast

In Hard-Hit Okawa, Life Remains A Struggle After 3/11

      It is clear to anybody with with any knowledge of mechanics, electronics or engineering, that this go wrong. That being the case, there is no such thing as safe nuclear, the possibilities of catastrophic results in a nuclear accident make it a no-no to any sane person.

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

Down Is Up, And Bad Is Good.

 

       Remember all those news clips of the nut-cases punching and head-butting their way trough the throngs to get their hands on a TV/camera/kettle or whatever? It was Black Friday when the retail greed merchants were supposed to show us how prosperous we were by displaying mind blowing figures of how much better off we are because we all spent so much more than last year. Well I haven't seen the UK figures, but in the US it was a bit of a flop. Though that doesn't stop the propaganda merchants from turn a minus into a positive. In this crazy world of spin they can make you believe, (if you're daft enough) that down is up, and bad is good.

 This from ZeroHedge:

      Finally, what we said earlier about a surge in online sales, well forget it - it was a lie based on the now traditional skewed perspectives from a few self-servcing industry organizations:

     Despite many retailers offering the same discounts on the Web as they offered in stores, the Internet didn’t attract more shoppers or more spending than last year. Online sales accounted for 42% of sales racked up over the four-day period, the same percentage as last year, though up from 26% in 2006, the trade group said.

    In fact, it was worse: "Shoppers spent an average $159.55 online, down 10.2% from $177.67 last year."

But the propaganda piece de resistance is without doubt the following:

    “A highly competitive environment, early promotions and the ability to shop 24/7 online all contributed to the shift witnessed this weekend,” Mr. Shay said.

     So to summarize: holiday sales plunged, and Americans refused to shop because the economy is "stronger than ever" and because Americans have the option of shopping whenever, which is why they didn't shop in the first place. That, and of course plunging gasoline prices leading to... plunging retail sales, just as all the economists "correctly" predicted.

Goebbels approves.

 

Read the full article HERE:

 

 

       Sounds as if the American boom, is more American doom. The simple reason of course, is that in America, like the rest of the world, poverty is growing among the majority. Across the globe, wealth is being sucked up to that small bunch of parasites that control the financial Mafia and the corporate beast. It will continue to do so until we the ordinary people put a stop to it, by destroying capitalism and creating community based structures that see to the needs of all our people. Don't expect the vampire squids and parasites to do the changing for us, they'll willingly suck you to death, without an after thought.

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

Solidarity In Action.

       A story that makes you feel good and fills you with hope. Refugees in Greece are having a hard time from the repressive fascist state and the fascist Golden dawn thugs. This episode shows the real face of the people of Greece.
From Xpressed: Where you will see lots of wonderful photos.

 

      On the 29th of November, students from the 2nd junior high school of Glyka Nera, Athens, visited the Syrian Refugees at Syntagma square. They brought sweets, clothes, toys and books and played with the children, expressing in this way their solidarity to the refugees’ struggle: the Syrian refugees demand from the Greek government to provide them with travel documents so that they can continue their journey in Europe. Most of them are on hunger strike since 24/11, while the government continues to ignore them.
      Let’s hope that more schools will follow the example of the 2nd junior high of Glyka Nera.

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

World Domination Without A Bullet Fired.

        Wake up to the fact that TTIP heralds the corporate takeover of the world, world corporatism, and the end of any control over what happens in our own country. All EU and American governments will be bound by international agreement created by and for the benefit of the corporate monster. Profit will be the only rule, gain for the shareholders of the international corporate businesses at any cost. The planet will be mercilessly plundered and we will not be able to a thing about it. That is, if this goes through, and we sit back and do nothing about this trashing any vestige of democracy that we might have. It is world domination without a missile or a bullet fired.

From The World Development Movement:
       "Already, thanks to the insertion of ISDS into much smaller trade treaties, big business is engaged in an orgy of litigation, whose purpose is to strike down any law that might impinge on its anticipated future profits. The tobacco firm Philip Morris is suing governments in Uruguay and Australia for trying to discourage people from smoking. The oil firm Occidental was awarded $2.3bn in compensation from Ecuador, which terminated the company’s drilling concession in the Amazon after finding that Occidental had broken Ecuadorean law. The Swedish company Vattenfall is suing the German government for shutting down nuclear power. An Australian firm is suing El Salvador’s government for $300m for refusing permission for a goldmine over concerns it would poison the drinking water.

The same mechanism, under TTIP, could be used to prevent UK governments from reversing the privatisation of the railways and the NHS, or from defending public health and the natural world against corporate greed. The corporate lawyers who sit on these panels are beholden only to the
companies whose cases they adjudicate, who at other times are their employers." George Monbiot

 ------- Original Message --------
Subject: Stop the EU-US trade deal (TTIP)
Date: Mon, 1 Dec 2014 00:58:40 +0000

Just to let you know.
What's the point of Scottish Independence if TTIP goes ahead?
We are thinking, acting Local, National, International.

The campaign to stop the EU-US trade deal (TTIP) is having great effect. As a result of growing public pressure negotiations have been delayed by almost two months. If we keep up the pressure, we can stop TTIP altogether.

The EU have now taken steps to publish some documents from the negotiations <http://euobserver.com/news/126670>, in a desperate attempt to claim real transparency. But this is still a long way short of open and democratic negotiations.

It has been a hectic few weeks in the campaign against TTIP as the media seems to be warming up to our message. Letters were published in the Financial Times
<http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/9ca27c46-69a9-11e4-8f4f-00144feabdc0.html?siteedition=uk#axzz3KCBFgYFQ>,

The Independent
<http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/letters/letters-transatlantic-trade-deal-is-an-assault-on-democracy-assault-on-9868874.html>

and The Guardian
<http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/nov/18/we-demand-right-to-challenge-ttip>

n the New Internationalist
<http://newint.org/blog/2014/11/26/ttip-transnational-suing/>,
Independent Voices
<http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/were-already-pouring-9bn-of-nhs-money-into-big-business--and-ttip-will-make-it-worse-9882087.html>.
On Tuesday, our head of campaigns Polly Jones gave evidence to MPs on TTIP (here’s the Parliament TV coverage
<http://www.parliamentlive.tv/Main/Player.aspx?meetingId=16584> - start from 10:45:00) and our director Nick Dearden gave an interview to Russia
Today TV < https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2D0qSfm898 (Preview) >. The campaign is also going strong in Scotland. This weekend we spoke at the Radical independence Conference
<http://www.wdm.org.uk/trade/wdm-and-radical-independence-conference>
Today Liz Murray, our head of Scottish campaigns, gave evidence about TTIP to the Scottish parliament
<http://www.heraldscotland.com/politics/scottish-politics/eu-us-trade-deal-could-have-detrimental-impact-on-scotlands-economy-and-t.1417089007>.
Brighton TTIP Banner drop slim.jpg Banner drop in Brighton last weekend Our (self-organised) European Citizens’ Initiative is breaking records and is attracting hundreds of thousands of signatures. With your help we can reach 1 million signatures before the end of this year! If you
haven’t already done so, sign it here: www.wdm.org.uk/TTIP <http://www.wdm.org.uk/TTIP>

Faced with the growing campaign against TTIP negotiators are preparing a huge PR offensive to promote TTIP throughout the EU promoting TTIP, offering reassurances on the NHS
<http://www.nhsconfed.org/media-centre/2014/11/nhs-european-office-pushes-for-strong-safeguards-for-the-nhs>.

Articles blaming campaigners for the woes of the negotiators are starting to appear. If anything that shows that our campaign is working and that we’ve got the EU on the back foot on TTIP.
<http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/ttip-deal-delayed-by-campaigners-hijacking-isds-consultation-1476771>

There are a number of significant events coming up:
This Monday, 1 December, 6pm there’s TTIP: Turning the Tide in Westminster
<http://www.wdm.org.uk/events/workshop-how-lobby-your-mp-ttip>. This mass training event, led by leading politicians and campaigners .

On Thursday 11 December, 7.30pm, the Trade Justice Movement are hosting a meeting TTIP Take the Power Back
<http://www.tjm.org.uk/latest-news/8-press-releases/354-ttip-free-public-event-london-11th-dec.html>
We are planning a mobilisation to Brussels on late January or early February to lobby MEPs, protest against TTIP and meet civil society activists from around Europe – watch this space.

World Development Movement and Many More.

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

Faslane Demo, Trident Must Go.

Photo from STV News.

     The recent referendum on Scottish independence has certainly spark the Scottish people to voice their opinion in all manner of affairs. This was seen on Sunday, 30 November, at Faslane nuclear submarine base, where over 1,000 gathered to show their hatred  of this anti-civilisation weapon. Well done, thousands more are with you in solidarity. They came in bus loads from all over the country and marched on the gates of the base chanting such slogans as "Not here, not anywhere, Trident must go". It is obvious that the people of Scotland don't want this criminal weaponry on their land. This collection of unbelievable destructive illegal weaponry has no place in a civilised country. To rub salt on the wound, our millionaire cabal of Oxbridge parasites, that control our lives, is inflicting savage cuts to the social fabric of all our lives, while spending millions on this type of criminal weaponry. They have already spent £37 million on 12 new nuclear missile launchers, before the matter was debated in parliament, and are bring 14 more submarines to this base. The actions of war warmongering imperialists.

Photo from The Herald.

      Let's hope that the energy that the people put into the independence debate can be transferred to getting this criminal weaponry dispatched from this country. Perhaps we could then go on to change the whole structure of the society that we tolerate at the moment.

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