When Is It Right To Buy A Person?

An appeal from Walk Free:

      Andy Hall could face 7 years in prison for doing something you and I do everyday -- talking about modern slavery.

         Andy Hall is a British campaigner with a special focus on the rights of migrant workers. Two years ago, on behalf of Finnwatch, he undertook an investigation into Natural Fruit, part of NatGroup, a Thai company that processes pineapples and supplies retailers around the world. Finnwatch's final report paints a picture suggesting modern slavery: "...passports and work permits confiscated; compulsory and excessive overtime; fines and unclear deductions from wages; debt bondage and violence by guards and superiors."1

      Instead of focusing on addressing these serious allegations, Natural Fruit decided to try and silence Andy with lawsuits. They have pursued civil and criminal charges and now Andy could face a prison sentence and $10 million in legal damages for his investigations.

       Are you as outraged as we are? Now is your chance to join the call for justice. Stand with Andy Hall: demand that Natural Fruit drop all charges against him and thoroughly investigate and take action to ensure there is no modern slavery or exploitation in their business.

        Now is a crucial time in Andy’s prosecution. In just three days his trial will begin. Although Natural Fruit’s behaviour is deeply disturbing it proves that the company cares about its public image. By coming together over the next few days, with activists all around the world that are standing in solidarity with Andy, we can show Natural Fruit’s senior management what we think about these excessive and intimidating charges.

        If this case proceeds and Natural Fruit are successful this would not only be a grave miscarriage of justice for Andy. This process could set a dangerous precedent for other companies in Thailand that might take a similar approach when allegations are raised of modern slavery in their supply chains. This threatens the work of anti-slavery campaigners but also workers in Thailand who might be too afraid to come forward and report abuse.

     Andy Hall is one of us -- please join the growing global outcry over his prosecution and fight for the rights of anti-slavery campaigners and their efforts to end worker exploitation.

      Demand justice for Andy and workers vulnerable to exploitation and modern slavery in Thailand now.

In solidarity,

The whole Walk Free team

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

As We See It.

Plain truth in plain language.

Post by John Couzin.

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

Perpetrator As Victim.

     As the anger against Israeli actions in Gaza reaches a crescendo, we should never forget that it is a state and its apparatus that perpetrates these brutal crimes. Within Israel there are those, little heard Jews, who call for a just peace. Even although it receives strong support, our anger must always be against the State of Israel, not the entire Israeli population. Just as we in this country at times can't stop our government from such adventures as Iraq and elsewhere, so it is in other states. All who call for peace, freedom and justice, must raise their voice as a unified chorus.

This from The Star:

 

     As a Jewish youngster growing up in Budapest, an infant survivor of the Nazi genocide, I was for years haunted by a question resounding in my brain with such force that sometimes my head would spin: “How was it possible? How could the world have let such horrors happen?”

It was a naïve question, that of a child. I know better now: such is reality. Whether in Vietnam or Rwanda or Syria, humanity stands by either complicitly or unconsciously or helplessly, as it always does. In Gaza today we find ways of justifying the bombing of hospitals, the annihilation of families at dinner, the killing of pre-adolescents playing soccer on a beach.

     In Israel-Palestine the powerful party has succeeded in painting itself as the victim, while the ones being killed and maimed become the perpetrators. “They don’t care about life,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says, abetted by the Obamas and Harpers of this world, “we do.” Netanyahu, you who with surgical precision slaughter innocents, the young and the old, you who have cruelly blockaded Gaza for years, starving it of necessities, you who deprive Palestinians of more and more of their land, their water, their crops, their trees — you care about life?

Read the full article HERE:

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

It's Insane To Call It Democracy.

       I find it fascinating how the wrong meaning of a word can come into normal use. Take the word "democracy", ask anybody in the street what "democracy" means and they'll probably give a fairly accurate definition, then ask them if we live in a "democracy" and you'll be surprised how many say "yes". Of course our babbling brook of bullshit, the mainstream media, continually  reinforce this misuse by their constantly referring to the "Western Democracies". The UK version of "democracy" is one where there are seats of power, and practically all those seats of power are filled from a small pool of rich pampered parasites, and most of them come through that elitist sausage factory known as "Oxbridge". Once the rich pampered parasites are processed through the Oxbridge sausage factory, they then spend a few years playing with their pals, and are then slotted into a position of power, over a section of the country that they nothing about. That my friends is UK "democracy".

       Only around 7% of the UK population attend private fee paying schools, yet many of the UK's judges, journalists, public officials, armed forces chiefs, media executives, are all privately educated before heading to the finishing process at the Oxbridge sausage factory. A report by Social Mobility and Child Poverty Group, concluded that Britain's elite is still  "formed on the playing fields of independent schools" and "finished in Oxbridge's dreaming spires". 

 

      Other figures from the report state that 71% of senior judges, 62% of senior armed forces officers, 55% of government permanent secretaries, 53% of senior diplomats, 45% of public body chairpersons, 44% of The Sunday Times Rich List, 43%  of newspaper columnists, as well as 26% of BBC executives were all privately educated. All that power lying in the hands of a group drawn from a very small 7% privileged bunch, and they call that "democracy".

      Another statement from the report says:  "Our research shows it is entirely possible for politicians to rely on advisors to advise, civil servants to devise policy solutions, and journalists to report on their actions having all studied the same courses at the same universities, having read the same books, heard the same lectures and even being taught by the same tutors."

     Where do we the ordinary people come in on this, when those making the decisions that shape our lives, have no experience of the world in which we the ordinary people live. 

      This ties in with another finding, that as all the countries in the world develop towards being more equal, the divide between rich and poor within each country is getting wider. This model of "democracy" means that the elitists in each country look after their own class, strengthen their power and grow their wealth at the expense of the vast majority of the world's population. How long can this privileged bunch of parasites continue to suck the wealth from the majority into their private coffers, before that majority steeped in ever deepening deprivation, rebel, and change things to a proper "democracy"? 

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

What Is TTIP?

     What is TTIP? Well if it is being discussed and developed in secret, behind closed doors, between transnational corporations and governments, you can rest assured it will not be for the benefit of the ordinary people. It will in fact, shred what little protection we have against the ruthless drive for profit by those transnational corporations.

An appeal from 38 degrees:

      Three days and counting: on Saturday, 38 Degrees members in Glasgow North East are meeting up to spread the word about a sinister EU-US trade deal called TTIP. [1]

       The deal is huge, and almost no one knows about it. [2] And that’s exactly what the powerful interests behind it want. So a whopping 8,018 38 Degrees members are volunteering in almost every constituency in the UK on Saturday. They’ll be talking to their neighbours and ramping up the pressure just before MPs come back from their summer holidays.

       Here’s how you can help. Every volunteer, like John who live near you, is getting a pack of materials in the post - leaflets, posters, badges. Each pack costs just £3.27. They’re as cheap as they can be, but they aren’t free.

     Could you help cover the cost of a pack or two? For £6.54, you could pay for 200 leaflets: that’s up to 200 more people who’ll know how dangerous this behind-closed-doors deal is. Not bad for £6.54.

Please click here to chip in now:

https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/TTIP-chip-in

      38 Degrees is funded entirely by people like you. [3] Not by big business, or by political parties. That means we’re free to hold anyone and everyone to account: including those behind TTIP (who are desperately hoping ordinary people don’t get involved).

      Saturday’s day of action against this sinister trade deal will echo across the country. 8,000 ordinary people will be hitting the streets to talk to their neighbours. That’s people power in action.

       Can you help it happen by chipping in to fund a couple of packs of materials today? Please click here to make a secure donation:

https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/TTIP-chip-in

Here’s to Saturday,

Susannah, Nat, Megan, Barney, Blanche and the 38 Degrees team

NOTES
      [1] Are you free on Saturday to join in? Click here:
http://ttipaction.38degrees.org.uk
       [2] TTIP - the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership - is currently being negotiated between the US and the EU. If it goes through without any changes, it’ll make privatisation of services like the NHS and National Rail irreversible. It’ll also allow big corporations to sue our government if they make changes to the law which affect businesses' profits - like raising the minimum wage.
The Independent: British sovereignty ‘at risk’ from EU-US trade deal: UK in danger of surrendering judicial independence to multinational corporations, warn activists:
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/british-sovereignty-at-risk-from-euus-trade-deal-uk-in-danger-of-surrendering-judicial-independence-to-multinational-corporations-warn-activists-9057318.html
       [3] You can read our donations policy, and see a copy of our audited accounts, here:
http://www.38degrees.org.uk/pages/donations-to-38-degrees 

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

Hold Israel Accountable.

        So Israel has agreed to open the border of Gaza to let in humanitarian aid and reconstruction materials, how generous. What about normal legal trade, freedom of travel to and from Gaza? I suppose now that they have conceded to the most basic minimum, that will be that. No reparations for 50 days of horrendous, brutal destruction and over reaction, more than 2,000 dead, with more than 70% civilians, including approximately 500 children, 17,000 Palestinian homes destroyed and 25% of the people of Gaza now displaced. Then there is the matter of 40% of Gaza's infrastructure destroyed, schools, hospitals, power station and water works, leading to no sewage disposal, and little or no electricity, for what?

     The cease fire should not be the end of the matter, Israel must be held responsible for its policy of genocide, its ruthless destruction, its continual stealing of Palestinian land, and its imprisonment of the Palestinian people. Of course the American administration, by its words and deeds, is complicit in this on going slaughter and destruction. Recently US Congress passed a resolution backing Israel's actions, and voted to send more money for arms for the Israeli state, while at the same time sending jet fuel, grenade rounds and artillery. Meanwhile Secretary of State, John Kerry, referred to Israel's actions as, " appropriate and legitimate."

       Of course the UK government is also in on the money from bloodshed, as we continue to supply Israel with all manner of equipment to assist them in the genocide of the Palestinian people.

     The British government will not block companies exporting arms to Israel, despite previous warnings that arms licenses would be rescinded if fighting in the Middle East continued.

     Despite a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas being broken on Tuesday, a government spokesperson said the licenses have not been suspended.

      “We said we would suspend licenses if there was a significant resumption of hostilities,” a government spokesperson said.

Business as usual: UK arms factories 'profit' from Palestinian bloodshed

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

Self Interest Based Compassion.

       Just as a by-the-way, once again my broadband has been behaving like an bad buy, second hand car. Down for the last three days, after being fixed last week, after a ten day breakdown. All is not perfect in our world of hi-tec.

      Bloodshed across the Middle East and Ukraine, among other places, and talk of having a look at highly militarised police forces. Talk of saving this group but not bothering too much about that group, compassion based on self interest, that's the game of world politics. 

An Interesting article from Reader Supported News, by William Boardman:

 

       Rescuing 20,000 or so Yazidis matters more than bringing relief to almost two million Gazans in cities under siege by a relentlessly expansionist, right-wing Israeli government bent on ethnic cleansing? Well, maybe that’s not exactly what Tel Aviv/Jerusalem is up to, but decades of repetitive behavior that includes repeated war crimes is anything but reassuring. How is it better to keep arming Israel, the better to kill Palestinians, or at least to kill those Palestinians who survive the lethal and illegal Israeli occupation and blockade, when the alternative is to support the United Nations and perhaps prevent more atrocities?

       Rescuing 20,000 or so Yazidis matters more than protecting at least as many Americans in Ferguson, a city under siege by white privilege? Saving the Yazidis for now matters more than bringing justice to African-American Americans who have suffered their country’s crimes against their humanity for longer than the United States has existed? How is it better to arm local police with the weapons of international war in a country where police already commit the atrocity of killing a black man on average every 28 hours?

Read the full article HERE:

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

Till All Are Free.

US Prison.

      Most countries across the world are increasing the number of people that they incarcerate. A sign that we are becoming a more criminal people, or that governments are becoming more authoritarian, I think we can take it to be the latter.

 Greek prison hospital.

         America leads the world in percentage and number of people that it locks up, with the figures for 2011 being 2,266,500, with a further 4,814,200 on probation or parole, there are also 70,792 juveniles in detention. This accounts for 25% of the entire world's prison population. Here in the UK we are likewise, a "lock 'em up" state, The figures for 2011 show that we managed to incarcerate 97,000 people, we have 4,635 women in prison. The year to June 2014 saw a 2% increase in the UK prison population, the fastest growing age group in UK prisons are the over sixty's. It is the one thing that we lead Europe on, our prison population is the highest in Europe. 

 UK prison.

       With this in mind there is an appeal from Act For Freedom Now: 

      We take this moment to echo the call-out from various collectives of solidarity with prisoners and anarchist prisoners from different parts of the world. It is for a week of solidarity from August 23 to 30 (commemorating that August 23 was the date of the execution of the Italian anarchists Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti in the United States):
       Given the nature and diversity of anarchist groups around the globe, we have proposed a week of common action rather than a single campaign on a specific day making easier for groups to be able to organise an event within a longer target period. Therefore, we call on everyone to spread the information about the Week for Anarchist Prisoners among other groups and communities and think about organising event(s) in your city or town. The events can vary from info-evenings, screenings and benefit concerts to solidarity and direct actions. Let your imagination run free.

 UK prison.

Till all are free.

Read the full article HERE:

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

A Saturday Date For Edinburgh.

An appeal from UAF Edinburgh:

     No one wants racists and Nazis in their city, but if you want to publicly demonstrate your opposition to of the Scottish Defence League, who are to bring their brand of intolerance and bigotry to Edinburgh this Saturday, then you need to be on the anti-racist counter protest.
     Let’s turn Saturday into a positive peaceful day when Edinburgh and Scotland says loud and clear we do not want fascists on our streets or in our
communities. We stand united.

 

Saturday 23 August
Assemble 1pm, Chambers Street.
1.30 March to Parliament

We have had great support for our Unity Statement opposing the SDL (see below) but we need to turn this into feet on the street. So please do everything you can;

Ask others to come along
Forward this email to friends family, networks or groups you are involved in.

Share the event page
https://www.facebook.com/events/506518372826916/

Download leaflets
http://www.scribd.com/doc/236718768/Nae-Nazis

    Join us before the protest for some last minute leafleting of festival goers.
11.30 Chambers St (George IV Bridge end)

 

Unity Statement
http://www.scribd.com/doc/236642868/Unity-Statement-v2

Community Groups
Edinburgh Central Mosque, Muslim Women's Association of Edinburgh, Norman
Crane (Edinburgh Liberal Jewish Community), Edinburgh Muslim Association of
Britain, Women's Federation for World Peace, Hollaback Edinburgh, Edinburgh
Stop the War & Young Fathers (Scottish Album of the Year 2014), Iqra Mosque,
Radio Ramadan (Edinburgh)..

Politicians
Kenny MacAskill (Scottish Government Cabinet Secretary for Justice & MSP SNP); Malcolm Chisholm (MSP Labour); Sarah Boyack (MSP Labour); Mark Lazarowicz (MP Labour); Nick Gardner (Labour councillor Leith Walk); Mike Corckart (MP Lib Dems); Marco Baigi (MSP SNP); Colin Keir (MSP SNP).

Trade Unions
STUC (Scottish Trade Union Council); Grahame Smith, General Secretary STUC;
Mike Kirby, Scottish Secretary of UNISON Scotland; Lynn Henderson, PCS
Scottish Secretary; City of Edinburgh UNISON; Midlothian TUC; Dumfries TUC;
Berwick upon Tweed TUC; Dumfries & Galloway EIS; John McFadden- UAF Scotland; Pat Rafferty, Regional Secretary and Jackson Cullinane, Political Officer, Unite the Union Scotland,

 

Facebook: EdinburghUAF
Tumblr: Edinburgh UAF
Email: uafedinburgh@riseup.net
Twitter: @UAFScot

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

 

Financial Mafia's World Wide Slavery.

      

      We all know that policies such as Workfare, and Work Related Activity Group, create slave labour, misery and stress, and this is aggravated by sanctions. People point the finger at the Cameron Cabal, as if this was their creation and if we could just get rid of that bunch of Oxbridge parasites, it would all be better. What we should realise is that these policies are not indigenous to the UK, the Cameron Cabal don't have the brains to think up such devious ways of getting the corporate wage bills down, they merely follow the instructions of the financial Mafia. These policies are taking place in other countries.

Some Pas Forgione quotes from Australia:

     The federal government has plans to expand Work for the Dole. From July next year it will be compulsory for job-seekers aged 18-30 to do 25 hours of work a week.

        In the same week that employment minister Eric Abetz announced the government would expand Work for the Dole to all job seekers under 50 and that job seekers would have to apply for double the number of jobs than previously, billionaire miner Andrew Forrest released his own recommendations for welfare reform — some of the most punitive ever proposed.

       The federal government is considering a proposal to force young unemployed people into strict military-style boot camps. The plan is an inadequate, simplistic response to the complex problem of youth unemployment. The fact that Labor is seriously exploring the scheme is another indication of how increasingly right-wing the party has become on welfare policy.
    The proposal, promoted as a “possible vote winner” to be announced before the upcoming election, would force early school leavers aged 15 to 21 into tough, hard-line boot camps, though precise details remain sketchy.

 
      So it is not our little bunch of Oxbridge millionaire parasites that are responsible for the misery and exploitation heaped on us, it is the world wide system of the festering marriage of capitalism and state. The shape of our society and the quality of our lives are decided in the grand marble halls of the faceless financial Mafia. Until we, across the globe, sort out that mob, our lives will continue down the spiral of exploitation and poverty.   

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

The Wall Must Fall.

 

       It is now more than ten years since the International Court of Justice declared the construction of the Apartheid Wall in the West Bank as illegal. It demanded that the wall be torn down, and called for the international community to enforce Israeli compliance. What we have seen since then is ten years of international community silence on the matter, giving Israel a free hand to continue with its brutal, illegal, apartheid policies.

 

      Ten years of ignoring the International Court of Justice on this matter, knowing that the international community will turn a blind eye, encourages the Israel State to continue with its building the largest open prison on the planet. It is time for accountability, but we can't expect our governments to put the pressure on Israel, it will have to be growing public opinion. An intensified popular struggle, forcing more boycotts, disinvestment and sanctions. 

 

    The Palestinian people are people like you and I, fathers, mothers, brothers and sisters, plumbers, teachers, farmers, carpenters and shop assistants. They must not be walled in like an ancient leper colony, at the whim of some Zionist illusion.

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