Capitalist Success, The Growth Of Fatcats.

      Everybody that is in touch with the ordinary people of this country is fully aware that the financial Mafia's policy of "austerity", under the stewardship of the Oxbridge millionaire duo, of Cameron and Osbourne, has returned the living conditions of some of our people back to the Victorian era. The tactics used have been varied, from bedroom tax, to slave labour workfare, from cuts in welfare benefits, disability allowance, etc. to zero hours contracts. Wages have been depressed for more than 5 years, while energy prices have taken off like a series of Soyuz rockets.

      Despite this actual scenario of poverty, the coming Crooks and Liars competition, known as the general election, is pushing the babbling brook of bullshit, the mainstream media, to spew out an ever increasing flow of its main ingredient, bullshit. According to reports from the mouths of Oxbridge millionaire puppets, we are blessed with capitalist success. Everybody is working, everybody is better off, we have the best economic growth in Europe, so run out and vote for the best Crooks and Liars, the Tories, and get more of the same.

      How do we square this with the recent report from NASUWT, teaching union, which states that it is witnessing kids in "Victorian conditions"? According to the report based on a survey of 2,452 teachers, kids are turning up at school hungry, tired and wearing inappropriate clothes due to a continuing squeeze on family finances. It states that some kids are arriving at school with no socks, no coat, and is also aware of more families depending on food banks. It also draws attention to the fact that many children are being degraded and damaged by poverty and homelessness.

     Some other findings from the report are, almost seven in 10 (69%) of teachers said they have seen pupils coming to school hungry, while eight in 10 (80%) have witnessed youngsters turning up in clothes that are inappropriate for the weather with a similar proportions reported children arriving in unwashed or damaged and frayed clothing, a further three in four (78%) said they have seen pupils without appropriate footwear. The survey also said that it had noted "Pupils who come into school unwell. Often their parents cannot afford to take a day off work, and therefore send their children to school when they ought to be at home."

     This is the true picture of capitalist success, the growth of wealth, but no account of how that wealth is spread. Yes, more people are working, but poorer, yes, the wealth of the country is growing, but we the people don't get a share. Balance sheets that take no account of the well being of the ordinary people, everything is measured in profit and loss to the corporate world.

      Why do we go through with this charade of democracy, playing the parasites' game of the Crooks and Liars competition, and electing another bunch of self seeking careerists, who will continue the plundering of the public purse and appeasing the corporate world at the expense of the well being of us, who create all that wealth?

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

Bairns Not Bombs, Glasgow.

 

       Glasgow's Scrap trident march on Saturday April 4th, was a very well attended affair. I'm no mathematician, but I put the attendance around the two thousand mark. The march was a colourful affair with an array of banners from different groups around the country, from Stirling to Ayrshire to Edinburgh and more. There was the ECAP banner, (Edinburgh Campaign Against Poverty) IWW, peace camps, CND, Scottish Socialist Party, and a Black and Red anarchist flag. There were literally hundreds of Bairns not Bombs placards, which I think encapsulates the mind set of the Scottish people.

FILE0012 from ann arky on Vimeo.

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

I'm A Better Anarchist Than You!!!!

    I'm a better anarchist than you!!!! But who is the purest anarchist of all??

    Positions as the one taken by Green Anarchy are neither an exception nor a thing of the past. Certain elements in the “anarchist” milieu still like to criticize in a similarly short-sighted, poorly informed, dogmatic and sectarian manner the struggles of the peoples in the Global South, wittingly or unwittingly reproducing the logic of colonialism in the process.

    I am writing this piece in response to a recent article by Gilles Dauvé, who slanders the Kurdish movement in Rojava in much the same way. A similar piece, based on equally dubious ethical and logical grounds, was published by the Anarchist Federation in London. It is important to emphasize that, although I will be responding specifically to the poorly informed critiques of the aforementioned articles, the issues I am raising here are far more important for the anarchist movement in the West than for the Kurdish or Zapatista movements themselves, which do not need any judgment or approval from some privileged ideological purists elsewhere.

Read the full article HERE:

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

The Struggle And The Solidarity Is World Wide.

      While here in the UK, in relative calm, our babbling brook of bullshit, the mainstream media, is covering us in the shit that is the "general election", elsewhere in the world the system of capitalism is facing a more robust attack by the people. From mass protests to strikes, from hunger strikes to direct confrontation, day in day out, the system is under attack, on a daily basis, the people are confronting the cancerous power of this corrupt system.

Tuesday, 31st March, 2015:
       Peru, Arequipa: very heavy policing on 8th day of indefinite strike against Tia Maria mining project “Strikers say policemen threw and fired tear gas and shot from helicopters…. hundreds of policemen attacked and entered their homes by force to arrest people …”…they entered the houses with arrogance, kicking down doors to arrest people just because we are against polluting mining… With more than three thousand police they besieged the whole of Cocachacra and kidnapped all the people of Tambo Valley. They have also police contingents in Mollendo to stop the population having access or making its way to us. We are not allowed to have demonstrations. …”

        This is just one of many struggles that are bubbling up though the festering crust of the capitalist system. To get an idea of just some of the people's battles against this exploitative system it is worth paying a visit to Anarchist News. They have managed to compile a list of people's struggles during the month of March 2015, from across the world. It is not a definitive list, but it is encouraging to see that the battle to destroy this greed drive, destructive, exploitative, earth plundering system, is under such sustained attack.  

Peruse the list HERE:  

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

Punk Muslim.

       Not an everyday sight, but one that would be great to see catch on, a punk Muslim. I saw this on El Lokal, a wonderful autonomous centre in Barcelona, that I visited a few years back, but sadly I don't speak or read Spanish.

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

The Vindictive Brutality Of The State.

       I think it is important to highlight that the main demand of the prison hunger strikers in Greece, is the release of their relatives. To be charged and imprisoned by the state is something that we might expect, but to have your close relatives imprisoned, because of their relationship with you, shows the true vindictive brutality of the state, a state that is supposed to be managed by a left wing government, Syriza.

     This is a letter, first published in Inter Arma, from Haris Hatzimihelakis, one of the hunger strikers:

On Tuesday 24/3 I was transferred to the general hospital of G. Genimatas in Athens because of my deteriorated health after 22 days of hunger strike. Today, Friday, while writing this I am now in the 25th day of strike and I have lost 15.5 kg of my initial body weight of 84.5 kg. In a similar situation and are also the other hunger strikers, members of the Conspiracy of Cells of Fire, most of whom are hospitalized in various hospitals at the moment. Our demand for the release from the clearly retaliatory custody of the mother of the comrades Christos and Gerasimos Tsakalos and the wife of the latter has become a “ball” in judicial circles hands, which move the date of reviewing it from week to week, motivated either by an unprecedented disregard for our life or an active effort to cause irreversible damage to our health which deteriorates rapidly. More specifically, although the prosecutor handling the case has made a positive proposal on Tuesday 17/3 neither of the councils handling the cases of the relatives of the comrades has reviewed the request for replacement of custody with a release on bail. Meanwhile, the political leadership stands defiantly indifferent to the judicial practices, likes of which we have not seen throughout the post-junta history of Greece. Apparently the “left” SYRIZA government is not interested in the fact that family is oficially being criminalized for the first time and relatives of political prisoners are being detained clearly in an vindictive way with ridiculous and loose accusations.

I, from my side, declare that for every effect that the hunger strike may have on my health (which from this point on is tragically possible) the Political and Judicial authority which arranges the physical and moral annihilation of the hunger strikers, is solely responsible.

NOT A STEP BACK

IMMEDIATE RELEASE OF THE RELATIVES OF THE CONSPIRACY OF CELLS OF FIRE

VICTORY TO ALL POLITICAL PRISONERS ON HUNGER STRIKE

Haris Hatzimihelakis

Member of the Conspiracy of Cell of Fire FAI/IRF

Friday 27/03/2015

P.S. I salute all solidarity gestures both in Greece and abroad. Comrades your actions give us strength.
Solidarity and complicity with Alfredo Cospito and Nicola Gai. Brothers your words burn like fire in my heart.

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

The State Kills In Many Ways.

      Greece, like other European countries has abolished the death penalty, but there are other ways the state can take away your life. The state demands the monopoly on violence. This is the latest report on the prison hunger strikers in Greece, with the hunger strike starting on March 2nd. it is obvious, that by now, several of those involved will be in a critical condition.

From Contra Info:

       On March 31st 2015, a judicial council permitted the release of Athena Tsakalou, mother of the Tsakalos brothers, under restrictive conditions: bail of 10,000 euros, obligation to check in to a police station three times a month, ban on exiting the country, and prohibition on leaving Salamina (Salamis Island), which means that, if her sons come out alive from hunger strike, she will no longer be able to visit them in prison.
    However, another judicial council dismissed the motion for conditional release of the wife of GerasimosTsakalos.
Meanwhile, the Conspiracy of Cells of Fire members – eight of whom are currently hospitalised in critical condition – together with anarchist prisoner Angeliki Spyropoulou enter the 30th day of their hunger strike (since the 2nd of March). Earlier today (31/3), CCF comrade Michalis Nikolopoulos ran the risk of having a cardiac arrest.

Immediate release of the companion of Gerasimos Tsakalos!

      

        Prisoners in A wing of Koridallos men’s prison, show their solidarity with the hunger strikers by doing a banner drop.
         The banner reads--  “Immediate release of the relatives of CCF – Victory to all the hunger strikers – Dignity or death”

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

Perfoming Members Of The Prancing Prick's Clubs.

       The circus game of Crooks and Liars, known as the general election, is being thrust upon us with all the usual hysteria, by that babbling brook of bullshit, the mainstream media, all the usual slight of hand and smoke and mirrors will be in use. It will of course, be the same old boring waffle, the usual attempt by the Crooks and Liars to prove they are the best Crooks and Liars in the game. To take part in the Crooks and Liars contest, you are expected to be a member of one of the prancing pricks clubs, sometimes called political parties. 

        In the ensuing weeks we will be smothered in the same old crap, spouted from the same old privileged Oxbridge educated millionaire parasite class. They will, with the obligatory smiling face, be telling us how much they care about us peasants, how we are all in this together, promising you and I, the same old pie-in-the-sky, if we will only let them screw us for another five years. They will be asking you to legitimise their entrenched power and pilfered wealth, seeking your approval as they bolster the wealth and power of their buddies in the financial/corporate Mafia. Sadly, the greatest fraud show on earth, the general election, will be seen my those who indulge the Crooks and Liars with their X on a piece of paper, as having achieved something. It will of course, no matter how few actually vote, be taken as giving the charade of the Crooks and Liars game, the stamp of legitimacy. They will then be entrenched for another 5 year spell of helping themselves, and their corrupt corporate cronies, in their continuing plundering of the public purse. 

      By then, as George Carlin said, "they have you by the balls". Of course, we could turn up at their performances and have a good laugh and expose it for the smoke and mirrors illusion that we know it to be. We could also spend the run up to the Crooks and Liars competition in a concerted effort to reveal the hypocrisy, corruption and self serving reality of the Crooks and Liars competition they call the general election.

      Though there is a call for change, there doesn't seem to be too great a ground swell to scrap the ballot box and take control of our lives. So perhaps Ian Bone's Class War election campaign has something going for it. An opportunity to use that platform as a propaganda exercise, a chance to talk class war politics to a wider public, to put class war on the agenda, to once again get more people talking about class, and the realisation that we are being conned, and this is a class war situation.

From Ian Bone's Blog:

     We are standing Class War candidates in the general election on May 7th 2015. We are doing this to launch a furious and co-ordinated political offensive against the ruling class with the opportunity an election gives us to talk politics to our class. We in no way see the election as an alternative to direct action. By the brick and the ballot.
We are not talking community politics here. It’s too late for a patient slowbuild like the IWCA. The ruling class have us by the throat -they need a short sharp kick in the bollocks. Our election campaign will use any means necessary. we won’t be ushered away by PR minders – we will make ourselves central to the campaign in a funny, rumbustious combative and imaginative way. We will be on the streets and in their faces.
Comrades whatever our yesterdays you are welcome now. join in. reject cynicism. have fun.
FULL STEAM AHEAD THROUGH THE SHIT 

Read the full article HERE: 

 

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

From Pandora To Pinata, The Repression Continues.

      Operation Pandora, the Spanish state's fascist tactics during December, when in the early hours of the morning it raided the homes of anarchists and kidnapped the inhabitants, is now being repeated under a new name, Operation Pinata. In the early hours of the morning of March 30th. the Spanish state broke into various squats and arrested at least 26 individuals. It is obvious that the Spanish state feels threatened and a need to repress any resistance to the austerity plans of its masters, the financial Mafia. So much so, that it is prepared to make this a way of life for the Spanish people. This is not an isolated case, it is not so long ago that the Greek state carried an assault on anarchists and squats in that country. This is a tactic that will be repeated across Europe as the financial Mafia continue with their austerity manoeuvres, as they attempt to drive the whole of Europe down towards a sweatshop continent.

 From squat.net

       This morning in Operation Piñata (following Pandora in December) cops have raided social centres and arrested people (at least 26) in Barcelona, Madrid, Palencia and Granada.
      La 13-14 in Madrid announced it was being raided this morning.
      CSOA La Redonda in Granada released a communique condemning the raids, which they said occurred without a warrant.
      Centro Social (re)Okupado La Quimera in Lavapies, Madrid was evicted. It also stated no warrant was shown after its doors were smashed at 06:30 and added:
     “This is just another attack on the anarchist movement with intent to criminalize and victimize our struggle.” Other raided social centres were, la Magdalena and La Enredadera de Tetuán.

In solidarity!
On squat.net:
Estado español: Zarpazo represivo, al menos 26 detenciones. Desalojan el CSOA La Quimera

La policia espanyola deté 27 persones en una operació contra col·lectius anarquistes

Some mainstream press: 20minutos /
Directa / Diagonal

   

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

Capitalist Success Breeds Mass Unrest.

       I didn't see much of the riots and mass demonstrations that were going on in Frankfurt, appear in our babbling brook of bullshit, the mainstream media. Somehow or other, mass anti-austerity demonstrations on the streets of Europe's most "successful" capitalist nation state, was not considered suitable for mass distribution. Of course we expect that sort of manipulation of events from the corporate owned babbling brook of bullshit, so we seek our information elsewhere. The demonstrations started at the opening ceremony of the new multi-billion Euro headquarters of the ECB, a player in the financial Mafia cabal, known as the Troika, (ECB, European Central Bank, EC, European Commission, IMF, International Mankind Fuckers). It brought thousands onto the streets, who displayed their anger and dissatisfaction with the present system of blatant exploitation.

Obviously on the wrong diet.

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

Details Of The Greek Prison Hunger Strikes.

       The hunger strike in the Greek prison system has now been going on for almost a month, having started on March 2, two have been removed to hospital. The Greek state, even with Syriza in power, is arresting and imprisoning family members of those in anarchist groups. Guilty by association is one form of state repression, but guilty by blood line? There is no depth the established power will go to abort any form of democratising society. It is important that we support the hunger strikers and broadcast their case far and wide, solidarity knows no borders.

 Click on image to listen to broadcast.

      This is an English broadcast from Athens, explaining the details of the hunger strikers' case from Radiozones of Subversive Expression radio98fm.org

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