Emotions.

          I love poetry, some more than others, there can be so much emotion encapsulated in a few lines, a vid picture can appear in a verse. I find Xu Lizhi's poems very moving. "I Fall Asleep, Just Standing Like That" is a poem that I'm sure those who work at boring repetitive jobs can identify with the words and emotions.
        Xu Lizhi a young Chinese poet who took his own life on 30 September 2014, at the age of 24, in Shenzhen, China.

"I Fall Asleep, Just Standing Like That"


The paper before my eyes fades yellow
With a steel pen I chisel on it uneven black
Full of working words
Workshop, assembly line, machine, work card, overtime, wages...
They've trained me to become docile
Don't know how to shout or rebel
How to complain or denounce
Only how to silently suffer exhaustion
When I first set foot in this place
I hoped only for that grey pay slip on the tenth of each month
To grant me some belated solace
For this I had to grind away my corners, grind away my words
Refuse to skip work, refuse sick leave, refuse leave for private reasons
Refuse to be late, refuse to leave early
By the assembly line I stood straight like iron, hands like flight,
How many days, how many nights
Did I - just like that - standing fall asleep?

-- 20 August 2011

 

Shy, quiet, introverted, solitary

In 2010, Xu Lizhi went [from his home in rural Jieyang, Guangdong] to work at [a] Foxconn [electronics factory in Shenzhen], beginning life on the assembly line. From 2012 until February of this year [2014], over 30 of his writings were published in Foxconn’s internal newspaper Foxconn People (富士康人), including poems, essays, film reviews, and news commentaries {…} Xu posted the titles of these writings on his blog in a post called “The Maturation Given to Me by a Newspaper,” indicating his gratitude for this platform for his literary aspirations. The first time his friend Zheng (pseudonym) read Xu’s poetry, he was astonished to discover that this young man could be so talented. Henceforth, Zheng always looked for Xu’s writings in the newspaper.
           Zheng’s impression was that Xu was a shy boy, “of few words, but not silent.” “Xu asserted his convictions, but he seemed quite solitary – very much the air of a poet.” When Zheng heard of Xu’s suicide, his entire [week-long] break for [China’s] National Day was shrouded in grief. He could not go outside for days.

          Turning feelings into poems; fearing they be read by family

          Most of Xu’s early poems were descriptions of life on the assembly line. In “Workshop, My Youth Was Stranded Here,” he described his conditions at the time: “Beside the assembly line, tens of thousands of workers [dagongzhe]1 line up like words on a page/ 'Faster, hurry up!'/ Standing among them, I hear the supervisor bark.” He felt that “Once you’ve entered the workshop/ The only choice is submission,” and that his youth was coldly slipping away, so he could only “Watch it being ground away day and night/ Pressed, polished, molded/ Into a few measly bills, so-called wages.”

Readthe full article HERE.

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NHS.

 

         It always astounds me how out of touch those posh prats are that frequent The Westminster Houses of Hypocrisy and Corruption. It seems our millionaire leader, Sunak, is rather shy about stating if he uses private health care, refusing to give a straight answer on a recent TV interview. However last year a newspaper reported that he used a private health care GP, who gives on the day appointments and charges £250 for a half hour consultation. Sunak and his rich cronies make such statements that choosing private health care is a personal choice. How many ordinary people can fork out £250 for a half hour GP consultation? How can anybody expect these people to even understand the life problems of the ordinary people, why should we even expect them to value the NHS when they cocoon themselves in private health care. These people see everything as a business opportunity, and under capitalism there is a lot of money to be made out of people's ill health and other health problems, what price is a child's life. Why do we let those rich parasites, who don't give a shit about our health, make the decisions on the NHS. Isn't about time we got rid of them and made these decisions on community based mutual aid and co-operation between communities? As I've said before, they are laughing at us.

                                              Image courtesy of Nuffield Trust.

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Spivs.

Image courtesy of Muswell Hill Sustainability Group

All of the above.

           Nobody likes getting ripped off by spivs and con artists, so why do we tolerate being ripped off by big corporations? Through this winter ordinary households have put up with cold homes to the detriment of everybody, especially kids and elderly, while the energy companies have been making billions in profits. What these energy companies and their minders the state don't mention is that wholesale gas prices are now as low as they were just before the war in Ukraine. A mild winter in UK and Europe has driven gas prices down more than 4% to 178p per therm. The last time we saw gas below 180p per therm was before the war in Ukraine. At the start of that imperialist bloodshed the price of gas rose rapidly to 329p a therm, skyrocketing to 875p a therm by August. The energy companies were very quick in raising their prices to make sure they still made a huge profit. It has now been steadily falling to pre war levels but there has been no watching drop in price to you and I.
           You have to admit, you are being ripped off by spivs and con artists who live in the lap of luxury at our expense. How long will we allow ourselves to be mugs to the billionaire parasite class, how long will behave like milk-cows to the capitalist system, how long will we pay for an Oxbridge education for that millionaire/billionaire parasite class while we struggle for a decent life?
            Of course the energy companies are not the only rip-off merchants in town. Denise Coates CEO of bet365 had an annual salary of £250 million plus £97.5 million in dividends to March 2022. Making her the highest paid executive in the UK. Where do you think that money comes from? They are laughing at us.

 

Image courtesy of Express.

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Our Time.

 

                                             Image courtesy of The Mirror.

            The capitalist system is in crisis and it is relying on its minder the state apparatus to come to its aid. As the insane economics of the capitalist system tries to re-capitalise by squeezing the workers and ordinary people, the workers are resisting by strike action and other means. The state’s part in this domination of the people for profit is to create legislation to make strike action more difficult or impossible. The present members of The Westminster Houses of Hypocrisy and Corruption are doing their capitalist master bidding and are drawing up draconian anti strike laws. This should be a rallying call for all ordinary people in work or not, to get behind the strikers and organise in their communities and workplaces and make this new legislation unworkable, this is not a struggle between workers and employers, this is a struggle for a decent life for all. We have had centuries of exploitation and struggle for a decent life while watching the rich get richer. Our world today is controlled by billionaires drunk on their greed driven profit seeking mania and a cavalier attitude to the suffering of others. The only voice that the establishment should hear is the rallying call from the ordinary people, enough is enough, our time has come.

                                                     Image courtesy of CNN

 

Image courtesy of Market Watch.

 

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Barbarism.

          In Italy the vindictive state sits silent, and callously watches a man slowly die, when it is their hands to prevent this state murder. This is raw cold-blooded state power in action, This brutal act is for no other reason than to uphold the rotten stinking carcase that is the state institution and its bed-fellow, capitalism. There is no way of reforming the festering marriage of state and capitalism, as they are so intricately intertwined and interdependent. The only way to stop these acts of vindictive barbarism is the total destruction of that blight on humanity, state and capitalism. We all have to choose which side we are on, barbarism and exploitation, or freedom and justice for all, there is no middle ground.

The following from Act For Freedom Now.

DEMONSTRATION IN SOLIDARITY WITH ALFREDO IN THE CENTRE OF MILAN

         This evening [December 29th, 71st day of hunger strike by Alfredo Cospito] a presence of about 300 comrades gathered at the end of via Torino, on the edge of piazza Duomo, heavily enclosed for the occasion by almost 30 armoured vehicles and a large contingent of police agents. After an hour of speeches under the shadow of Milan’s cathedral in solidarity with Alfredo’s struggle against the 41 bis prison regime, we moved in a demonstration along the crowded via Torino. Amidst slogans, chants, firecrackers and speeches by the various groups and collectives that were present, the demonstration moved to piazza XXIV Maggio, where it disbanded.

       We relaunch the mobilisation and invite everyone to the demonstration in Rome on December 31st under the DNAA, ‘National Anti-Mafia and Anti-Terrorism Directorate’!

Alfredo out from 41 bis!
Everyone out from 41 bis!
Against every prison!

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Recharged.

           Back after our wee break up north, enjoying the snow capped peaks of Glencoe, Ben Nevis and beyond. I wonderful time, a complete recharge of batteries. Hope you enjoy these couple of photos from the trip. Sad to say, I didn't do much walking, just stomped around a bit with my stick, the family done the walking. My hill walking days are well and truly gone.

 

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A Break

          Hi all, all the very best to you all, wishing you a very active and revolutionary new year. I will be disappearing with family, into the Scottish wilderness somewhere up north for a few days, not sure there will be a signal. No doubt I'll catch up when I get back. 

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Anarchy.

 

        We at Spirit of Revolt, wish you all the best and an active and revolutionary New Year. For Read of the Month, we at Spirit of Revolt bring you an anarchist journal form Fall-Winter 1997-98, Anarchy, A Journal of Desired Armed. It is from our Collection T SOR 8. Enjoy, and while you are there why not have a browse through our catalogue for more radical history and a variety of information.

READ ON LINE.

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Ukraine.

 

          Russia is the largest country in the world, it is a land rich in resources, more so than any other country on the planet. It has abundant supplies of oil, natural gas, timber and valuable minerals, such as copper, diamonds, lead, zinc, bauxite, nickel, tin, mercury, gold and silver. The value of these resources is probably immeasurable. America has long had its eye on these resources and has worked hard to bring about the demise of Russia, and hand those resources to the dollar corporate empire. The latest U$A endeavour to bring about the fall of Russia is to fight a war with Russia without useing American troops. The U$A and its puppets will fund the war and supply intelligence and hardware, the Ukrainians can supply the blood and misery. Unfortunately in wars the manpower gets depleted, so all the sophisticated weaponry becomes useless if you don't have the manpower to use them. This is what is happening in Ukraine today. Ukraine is losing a vast amount of troops and that is unsustainable, of course Russia too is losing vast numbers of its troops, but there is a vast population difference between these two countries. This bloodshed will rumble on to the inevitable end, Ukraine will be obliterated, or America and its band of puppets will send in the cavalry and turn the world into on vast blood bath. Only if sanity returns and a vast anti-war movement forces some sort of negotiated settlement, will this mayhem cool down.

The following from Arrezafe.

          Put these four things together: tremendous and unsustainable losses of soldiers; terrifying and indefensible asymmetries of military power; inability to stock up on even conventional defensive weapons; and support completely reduced to that of its main sponsors.
         Sounds like the formula for winning a war? Obviously not. It is the formula to lose it, which is why Von der Leyen, Macron, Scholz and Blinken are already preparing the exit. The tide is turning out for Zelensky. 

 Source: Robert Freeman , We've Reached Peak Zelensky. Now What?

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Homophobic.

 

          Poor Israelis, you must feel pity for any reasonable individuals that lives in that land mired in racism. For years Israel has been an apartheid racist state and a land grabber, but now it has sunk even deeper into the swamp of homophobic, racist, religious nutters. That power monger of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, in his manic desire for power has signed up with the furtherest right wing and religious nutters of the sewer parties. Israel now has a minister who had to previously resign due to a scandal, an openly homophobic minister and one that believes Israel has a god given right to occupy and build on all Palestinian lands. Will this cause the West to rethink its relationship with the now debased band of right wing homophobic and religious nutters? I think not, Israel is the West's brutal policeman in the Middle East. It will take mass demonstrations and direct action by us the ordinary people and those decent people living in Israel, to bring this rabid dog to heel. The people of Israel and Palestine deserve nothing less.

The following from Middle East Eye.

            Israel’s incoming government named people in more positions on Wednesday, including a hawkish new defence minister and far-right Jewish supremacists in key offices. The coalition is set to be Israel's most right-wing administration in history, including MPs from the Likud party, far-right religious Zionist factions and ultra-Orthodox parties who together have 64 of the parliament's 120 seats. Benjamin Netanyahu, leader of Likud and Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, will head the new government coalition and return as premier.
            Netanyahu appointed Likud MP and former head of the military's southern command Yoav Gallant as defence minister. Gallant was set to become the Israeli military's chief of staff in 2010 but a scandal around the construction of his home forced him to step aside and be replaced by Benny Gantz, who he is now, in turn, replacing as defence minister. Likud's Eli Cohen and Yariv Levin have been appointed foreign and justice minister, respectively.
             Religious Zionism party leader Bezalel Smotrich will be Israel’s new finance minister and responsible for governing the occupied West Bank through a new role created for him within the defence ministry.
             Smotrich is a notorious racist, homophobe and Jewish ultra-nationalist. He is a staunch supporter of building illegal Jewish settlements on Palestinian lands.
            Itamar Ben-Gvir, the far-right leader of the Jewish Power party, becomes public security minister as expected. The agreement he signed with Netanyahu sees him take control of the border police, which is essentially an arm of the military that operates in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.
           On Wednesday morning, Israeli President Isaac Herzog expressed "deep concern" over how the new government is perceived abroad and its commitment to a law expected to allow people to discriminate aginst Palestinian citizens and members of the LGBTQ+ community on religious grounds.
          A raft of other far-right MPs from the Religious Zionism alliance have been named in key positions. Ofir Sofer becomes Aliyah and integration minister, charged with overseeing Jewish migration. Simcha Rothman chairs parliament's law and religious services committee. Orit Strock takes the new position of national missions minister. Michal Woldiger joins Smotrich in the finance ministry as a deputy minister. While Ohad Tal has been appointed chair of the national infrastructure projects and reforms committee.
         Several Likud MPs have been handed roles. Haim Katz takes the tourism ministry and Yoav Kisch becomes education minister. Close Netanyahu ally Amir Ohana has been nominated as speaker of Israel's parliament, the Knesset. More ministers are expected to be revealed throughout the day. Notably, the government said on Wednesday: "The Jewish people have an exclusive and indisputable right to all areas of the Land of Israel. "The government will promote and develop settlements in all parts of the Land of Israel in the Galilee, Negev, Golan, Judea and Samaria," it added, using the Israeli names for the occupied West Bank.

Image courtesy of Amnesty International.

 

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Polluters.

 

                                                Image courtesy of Wealthy Guerilla.

             It is frustrating to listen to the various government bodies talking about minimising the temperature change on the planet, in an attempt at saving humanity and host of other species. They talk of green energy, while industry drags its feet, they encourage you and I, the peasants, to take shorter showers, shallower baths and turn the thermostat down a degree. However they never mention the biggest polluters on the planet. By far the world's largest polluter is the military industrial complex, the pentagon etc. and then there is the millionaire/billionaire parasite class, with their massive limousines, several mansions, private jets, and those monstrous gas guzzling multi-million pound yachts. Until we tackle these mass polluters, we are peeing against the wind. Considering they, for the moment, are the ones who hold the reins of power and control all the wealth, they are very unlikely to to do much to change that situation. If we are to save the planet and humanity, though the planet will survive and probably flourish without us, we, the ordinary people, will have to do the job ourselves, by bringing to an end, this insane greed driven system of capitalism and its plundering of the Earth's resources simply for the profit and wealth of the few. I don't believe we have that much time, so drastic action on our behalf will be necessary.

                                              Image courtesy of The Guardian.

Image courtesy of Council of Europe.

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Vindictive.

           There is no limit to the depth of callous vindictiveness that the state will not stoop to to crush any attempt to limit its power over the people. Those who fight hardest against the strangling shackles of the state's harsh power over the population, come in for the most brutal and vindictive of treatment from the paid dogs of the state. Usually those most determined fighters against the state's power, are anarchists, hence they come in for the full brutal force of the state's vindictive brutality. The following is just some of the savage treatment the state indulges in, but these cases can be found in state after state. All states share the same brutal determination to keep control of the population at any cost. Only our determination and solidarity will bring an end to this insane brutality, perpetrated in the name of power and wealth. 

The following from Enough is Enough.

Originally published by Terra Incognita.

           During the early hours of Monday 19/12 prison snitches/guards inform our comrade Th. Chantziangelou about his transfer from his cell to the 4th wing of the hellhole called the “penitentiary detention center” of Korydallos. After our comrade’s refusal to cooperate with them, the “well-known” hooded prison guards took over and tied him up and began his transfer to the prisons of Nigrita, after his declaration that from that moment on he would be on hunger and thirst strike until he was informed of the reason of his transfer and his immediate return to his cell in Korydallos prison. For hours our companion was unable to contact anyone, not even his lawyer. In the evening of the same day, he remains at the Sub-Directorate of Transfers in Thessaloniki and is now in the hellholes-prison of NigritaSerres. On 25/12, comrade Thanos was admitted to the Serres hospital where he is held under the suffocating presence of police in a room-cell, violating every human right.
          In the same way, on 22/12, the anarchist Kostas Dimalexis, prisoner of the 5th Wing of Korydallos, was transferred to the Trikala’s, another smaller city in central Greece,prison.
          We have become familiar with the scenarios of these stories and their director is famous for its trash behavior against prisoners. Of course, at a time when a fight against the new penal code has been taking place for two months now, the transfer of Th. Chatziangelou is clearly a vindictive response coming from all those who see in his face the unrepentant rage for freedom, as he was one of the prisoners who actively participated in the mobilizations to overturn this extreme resolution.at a time when a fight against the new penal code has been taking place for two months now, the transfer of Th. Chatziangelou is clearly a vindictive response of all those who see in his face the unrepentant rage for freedom, as he was one of the prisoners who actively participated in the mobilizations to overturn this extreme resolution.
          Our comrade still speaks of the intransigence of hostile actions against the rotten world of power and submission, and while they succeeded in throwing him into the cells of their democracy, he continues to speak of our greatest idea, Anarchy. In this struggle he finds us by his side, against every regime of exception, against every breath of any oppressor, against the violence exerted by the existence of their moldy system. Until the last breath, we are together and that cannot be defeated by any of them.
         Strength and solidarity to all the political prisoners who have gone on a hunger strike, demanding the return of the striking Th. Chatziangelou to the Korydallos’prisons.
         Solidarity with the anarchist Alfredo Cospito, on hunger strike since 20/10, as well as with the 11 Turkish fighters who are on hunger strike since 7/10.
           Immediate grant of the demands of our comrade, hunger and thirst striker Thanos Chatziangelou.

Listen carefully bodyguards, hands down from the fighters
Solidarity in the prisoners’ struggle against the new penal code
We call for international solidarity actions to support the struggle of our comrade and striker Th. Chatziangelou.

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Ne'erday.

 

         Winter Solstice just gone past and ne'erday  galloping towards us, I thought it would be a good time to wish all my relatives, friends, comrades, associates and strikers, all the very best in the coming year. Hoping it is a year of solidarity and mass activity to right the wrongs in this capitalist system by bring an end to it and its greed driven exploitation.

Image courtesy of my young comrade Adrian.

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