LIBYANS CHEER AND LIBYANS DIE.

        

       See here we have another "Coalition of the Willing", a bunch of Western imperialist states supported by a ragtag bag of dictatorships, about to blow the shit out of another oil rich country. No matter what the "rebels" or the "Pro-Gaddafi" groups think, it will be Libyan people that will be killed. It will be ordinary people, men women and children that will be at the receiving end of the might cruise missiles. Missiles that will be launched by a bunch of youngsters sitting in what could pass for a games console, an environment completely divorced from the reality of what they are doing. Their co-ordinates and button pushing will result in mangled bodies of young and old, ordinary Libyan people. At the end of it all, the West will have control of the oil and the Libyan people will be left with a divide country potholed by mighty missiles and pockmarked by graves.

        Is this the only answer that a civilised world has to this problem? If so we are in for a massive escalation of missile launching as our world is filled with Gaddafis, large and small, and in most cases armed to the hilt by the benevolent West. The real problem is state power and corporate capitalism working hand in glove with each other to further their power and wealth. All this has nothing to do with the welfare of the people, to the state and the corporate world, people are dispensable, profit and power are the gods.

 

ann arky's home.

CAPITALISM AND ITS ETERNAL WARS.

     

      Britain boasts of being a peaceful nation but when has the UK been at peace? There are young people in their twenties who have never know this country not to be fighting in an overseas war. How many wars can a small country wage while telling its people that we can't afford decent social services? While cutting education, closing libraries and decimating the health service? The dogs of war must be fed but not the social fabric of our society. The arms industry has saliva running down its chin at the thought of another war. Who gains in these endless wars? Not the young soldiers who are sent out to do the killing, not the families of the soldiers, and certainly not the ordinary people of this country. And from past experience of Iraq and Afghanistan, it is not the people of the bombarded country.

      

      The only gains go to the corporate giants of this world, the oil industry, the arms industry and all the back-up companies that go to support any war. War is big business, capitalism doesn't just make money out of making things, there is lots of money to be made from destroying things, profit is all it is about, as far as the people are concerned, the corporate world doesn't give a shit. It is not the Libyan revolution that we should be focusing on, but the need for a revolution here to stop these endless bloody wars where the ordinary people of the world pay in blood and sweat and the corporate parasites inflate their already bloated wealth. 

We have more in common with the people we attack and invade than we have with the corporate parasites that stand to get all the "spoils of war", corporate capitalism and its state mandarins are the "dogs of war".

 ann arky's home.

THE DOGS OF WAR SMELL BLOOD.

STOP THE WAR COALITION   19 March 2011

Email office@stopwar.org.uk
Tel: 020 7801 2768
Web: http://stopwar.org.uk/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/STWuk
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/stopthewarcoalition

EMERGENCY PROTEST:
HANDS OFF LIBYA: STOP THE BOMBING NOW
SUNDAY 20 MARCH 3-4PM
DOWNING ST, WHITEHALL, LONDON

     Britain and the USA have bombed Libya with more than one hundred Tomahawk  cruise missiles. These are not precision guided weapons but weapons of mass destruction that will create many civilian casualties in Libya. The United Nations resolution authorising a no-fly zone begins as it will continue, with a full-scale military attack on the country.

   

       Stop the War condemns this barbarous attack which will result, not in protecting the people of Libya, but in enslaving them under the domination of the West. We know only too well the death and destruction that imperialism has brought to the peoples of the region. We call on all those who oppose these attacks to demonstrate at Downing Street at 3pm on Sunday 20 March.

SOLIDARITY

LOCAL STOP THE WAR GROUPS

     We are asking all local Stop the War groups around the country to call protests in their area. If you would like to be involved in local protests where you live, contact your nearest Stop the War group: SEE http://bit.ly/dRSlpl

     A leaflet putting the case for non-intervention and a petition, initiated by Tony Benn, John Pilger and others, are both available to download for printing, here:

LEAFLET: http://tinyurl.com/6henp2l

PETITION: http://tinyurl.com/6z9lk2x

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DISASTER CAPITALISM????

    The following is an article by Bob at Politics in the Zeros. The question is, is there any other type of capitalism? We all know the answer to that one, a resounding NO. Time for change, capitalism must go or it takes the civilised world down with it, it's our choice.

   

     Capitalism doesn’t just profit from disasters, as Naomi Klein says. It also, through greed, shortsightedness, and corruption, creates disasters. It could be a real estate bubble inflated by corruption and a deliberately asleep government that finally popped, taking down the US economy with it. It is also nuclear plants built to inadequate specs and monitored by toothless regulatory agencies that have been compromised by the very industry they pretend to regulate.

         In both cases, the causes are the same, a lunatic capitalism that is concerned only with short-term profits and governments who are beholden to and owned by it.

For example.

         A noted physicist describes what Japan is doing at the reactors as using a squirt gun against a raging forest fire. What’s worse, attempting to dump salt water on the reactors could damage them even further. Instead, he says, do what they did at Chernobyl, bury the reactors in boric acid, sand, and concrete and be done with it.

         The reaction to this from supposedly savvy Japanese government and business to this admittedly huge disaster has been like the Keystone Kops and not anything coherent. No doubt Tepco wants to save the reactors, thus their increasingly deranged attempts do something, anything, and not write them off completely. The government has lied and evaded so consistently that it can no longer be trusted. Instead of championing the needs of their increasingly desperate populace, it manufactures fantasy statements and pretends things will be better soon. Their interests intertwine with those of the corporatists. They are the same. Japan has a disaster, one that is made much worse by an enfeebled government that is more concerned with saving face than saving people and a poisonous form of capitalism that cares little about anything but profits. And that, my friends, is why we have yet another disaster of capitalism.

ann arky's home.

MORE ON WESTERN IMPERIALISM.

More on the West blood lust for military action in Libya. We are eager to fight those we arm to stop them using the arms that we gladly sold them, like they say, "Business is business".



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THE BENEVOLENT UK STATE MACHINE!!!

   
   Here we go again, the selfless British state rushing in for the good of the Libyan people, that wonderful honourable, benevolent state that only thinks of the well being of people across the globe, it has no financial, political or commercial interest in these actions. I'm sure the Iraqi and the Afghan people will have a different view.  Our arms industry seem to make a fortune selling all manner of arms to brutal distators and then our state sends in our young people to destroy them. Then of course we have to sell the new regime more arms. Jeremy Corbyn MP: Speech in House of Commons debate on Libya, 17 March is worth listening to, a view that will resonate with most thinking people.

ann arky's home.

SO THE ARAB LEAGUE VOTED FOR INTERVENTION???

       Smoke and mirrors sums up the West response to the Libyan situation. Once again the wonderful ethical West goes marching into another Arab country. More blood on the sand, more preaching about saving the Libyan people, while supporting other vicious dictators across the world. The Libyan regime has been repressing the people of that country for years but we could do business with the dictator, just as we do business with the other dictators in the region, from Bahrain to Saudi Arabia and anywhere else we can make a buck. It is working class blood that will be shed on both sides, but the gains will be to the big corporate bodies in oil, construction and armaments.

ARAB LEAGUE "VOTE" FRAUD

        Not only a demonization campaign against the Libyan leader, but every form of fraud and propaganda is being used to push for this intervention, including a supposed "vote" by the Arab League supporting the latest U.N. resolution. Left unsaid is the fact that only 11 of the 22 members of the League even attended the meeting, which was held behind closed doors. Two of these 11 attending members, Syria and Algeria, made clear that they were completely opposed to military intervention in Libya.

          Meanwhile the corporate media has ignored a resolution by the African Union, representing 53 countries, which adamantly rejected a no-fly zone or other intervention.

ann arky's home.

A MATTER OF GREAT CONCERN.

To John Swinney MSP
Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth Scottish Government

    An open letter on a matter of great concern to all in Scotland, perhaps everybody should demand an answer to their concerns from My Swinney. Do we really want to pour out personal information to a foreign private company who can in turn hand it over to a foreign government? Is there no company in Scotland that could do this job, if it needs to be done?

Dear Mr Swinney,

               I have already raised this matter with Charles Kennedy MP but his office have pointed out that this is a devolved matter and I should approach you.

              I understand that the 2011 Scottish census will be run by an American company (CACI), a wholly-owned subsidiary of CACI International, a US-based defence contractor, who from August 2003 until the early autumn of 2005 was contracted to provide "interrogation services" for the US Army at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. While CACI staff were employed as interrogators at Abu Ghraib, prisoners were humiliated and tortured there by US military police.

            It is simply not acceptable that such a company, which is apparently facing criminal charges in the US, should be given a contract to carry out the census. I also understand that our data may be held outside the UK and made available to the US Government under their Patriot Act. This will violate the principle that data is kept confidential for 100 years. 

            Please clarify the position. If this is correct I think the Scottish people would be well advised to refuse to co-operate until the CACI contract has been cancelled and Scottish people can have confidence that the census will be wholly run by the Scottish government itself and the data will not be made available to any foreign government.

It canny be righ'

ann arky's home.

GLASGOW'S COMMON GOOD FUND.

       Something every citizen in the country can get involved in, though this article is Glasgow specific, but other towns and cities across the country have similar groups of concerned citizens interested in preserving those Common Goods for what they were intend, the benefit of the those citizens. You have an obligation to your children and grandchildren to get involved.

It's oor stuff!!!

What is the Common Good Fund?

        Since Robert the Bruce through the Victorian era to Sir William Burrell, benefactors have bequeathed property and valuables to the people of Glasgow under a uniquely Scottish legal provision. The city council and its predecessors hold this in trust for citizens as Common Good assets. Or do they?

        The land and buildings from this fund should provide an income for the benefit of the community. In the 19th century Glasgow Corporation wisely invested the income in building Glasgow Tramways, later Glasgow Corporation Transport. The dividends meant that money flowed back to the Common Good Fund (CGF) to be used for community benefit. In other areas of Scotland citizens can still apply for money for community projects. But, not in Glasgow. Why?

       The fund which was valued at £9.9 million in 1921, equal to £350 million in today's money - stands now at £13.5 million. A lot of land and buildings which earned money for the Fund have  "disappeared". Examples are, Kelvin hall, Glasgow green, Peoples' palace plus other less distinguished but valuable property. The Council was instructed by the Scottish Executive in 2007 to compile an up-to-date register but refuses to do so claiming it will cost £4 million. Meanwhile there is some evidence that CGF assets have been sold illegally and the money diverted to Council coffers for the wrong purpose. Audit Scotland, the watchdog, seems unwilling to enforce Holyrood's edict. Pollok Park was restored to the CGF two years ago only after individual citizens objected. What can we do?

The Citizen Archivist Programme

      With the co-operation of Glasgow Archives, the Citizen Archivist programme will help address the problem of an inaccurate CG register by offering volunteer assistance to Glasgow City Council to correct the errors and affording legal protection to the assets.

Citizen Archivists will learn:

* How to use freedom of information legislation to list potential CG Assets in your area

* Practical advice on how to use archive material to establish the common good status of land and buildings

* How to present your findings to the Council to support a claim for restoration to the CG Register

     Holyrood estimates CG Assets throughout Scotland could amount to £1 billion so it is essential that Scotland's largest city accounts properly for its share and that the income generated is used only for the direct benefit of Glasgow's citizens.

What's involved? How do I sign up?

Start listing.

     We will organise training sessions at the Mitchell library followed by further group meetings. The results will be recorded on our website which will also contain a blog of your experiences and successes .

Interested ? Go to our website www.glasgowbelongstome.org and join the mailing list.

If you have time this Friday 18th march, come to the Pearce Institute

Common Cood Cay <http://www.citystrolls.com/z-f-page/res-2011.htm>

Email: info@GlasgowBelongsToMe.org Contact: Bill Fraser Tel: 07775 832 461
 

ann arky's home.

FRIEND = FOE = WAR,--- CAPITALISM!!!

       This year the 13/14 March marks the 70 anniversary of the Clydebank blitz. This massive air raid on Clydebank during those two days was one of the worst in Britain during the second world. The following information is taken from Tom McKendrick's Blitz story.

      " In total only 7 houses out of a stock of 12,000 remained undamaged. Approximately 4,000 destroyed, 4,500 severely damaged and 3,500 in the serious to minor damage category. In total 400+ high explosive bombs and mines fell in an area of less than two square miles, not including the 96 high explosive bombs that fell on the primary target...the oil tanks at Dalnottar to the north west of the town, or the 190 bombs that fell in the boundaries of the nearby villages of Duntocher, Hardgate, Bowling and Old Kilpatrick. 132 bombs fell in the Kilpatrick hills, aimed at decoy fires west of Cochno. 

        The greatest damage was caused by incendiaries. On the first night of the raid 1,630 containers of incendiary bombs (weighing between 70kg and 250kg) were dropped by the Luftwaffe, a total of 105,300 1kg bombs. On the second night 782 containers were dropped. According to German sources a total of 503 metric tons of high explosive bombs and 2,412 containers of incendiaries were dropped on Clydeside on the 13th and 14th March 1941. A total of 439 aircraft took part in the raids."

        When official figures were given as 500 dead, one commentator remark, “What street are they talking about”.

      

      The horror of those two days and its aftermath will be remembered in ceremonies in Clydebank and elsewhere, but the perpetrators will not be mentioned. It is not the done thing, as Germany is now our ally, and after all its less than we done to Dresden, Berlin and other cities in Germany. It's what states do to each other, It's what America done to Vietnam, what we in the “Coalition of the Willing” did to Iraq, and it's what we are doing in Afghanistan at the moment. Though the state may bomb a city, or a country, into oblivion it doesn't mean that we are enemies, no, it is a very temporary affair. They will soon be our ally and though somebody is our ally, it doesn't mean that the state will not turn round and bomb their cities. In the world of states and capitalism, friend and foe are very transient positions. The states find the reasons to start a war and the ordinary people are the ones that end up being killed in vast numbers and invariably, killed by ordinary people from another country, who probably have more in common with them than they have differences. What causes the transition from friend to foe and back again is the states hunger for power, resources and markets, it is all part and parcel of the profit driven capitalist system. Remember, war is good for business, there's bucks in bombs.

        Until we get rid of the state system and capitalism we will have wars and with modern day weaponry, what Clydebank suffered in two days can be delivered in minutes. Remember “Shock and Awe”.

A POINTLESS CIRCLE.

War it seems, never has an end

even when he who was our foe is now our friend,

once again, we to war a marching go,

for he who was our friend, is now our foe.

 

 

ann arky's home.

BULLIES ALWAYS TARGET THE VULNERABLE.

Posted by Wee Sniffer.

         No not the street corner bullies this time but the COSLA/Scottish Government proposals to further decimate conditions of service for those working in Education.

Sick pay reduced to 90% for 6 months and 45% thereafter.

Supply Teachers to be paid on Scale Point 1.

Maternity leave slashed.

Probationer Induction scheme to support new teachers abolished.

Two year pay freeze.

WE NEED TEACHERS.

         A total of £81 million ripped from the most vulnerable education workers creates a two tier workforce encouraging greater casualisation, undermining children’s opportunities.

          These proposals must not be the only thing we reject. Give Swinney at Holyrood , Watters at COSLA and the rest their 90 days redundancy notice! They are in breech of contract eroding schooling conditions where even more children will fail to thrive. Why use energy fire fighting when we can make the sources take the hit for these inhumane proposals that centre on the weakest without a voice. We need to identify these proposals as red herrings and redirect this REJECT campaign to a DESELECT campaign. Give them their P45 at the soonest possible opportunity, loud and clear.

SOLIDARITY.

We know that cuts like these to support Bank Bailouts create cycles of debt further lining the pockets of those same Bankers. Its charades, these proposals are ideological, they are about changing the system for good, not just robbing Peter to pay Paul. Reject these COSLA/Scottish Government proposals but industrial action must target the bullies who are sticking the boot in, in the first place, here and in Westminster.

ann arky's home.

PARTY OR CON????

Was it one big billionaires' party, or was it the greatest con in history? Which ever, it's the ordinary people that are being asked to pick up the tab by means of savage cuts in all social services and high unemployment. What's more, we are expected to do it without so much as a whimper. Are you going to oblige???



ann arky's home.

COMMUNITY RESISTANCE - NOW.

       It is hoped that such meetings will be taking place in all the districts of Glasgow, now is the time to start to organise your community to defend it against the most drastic cuts ever experienced in this country. Your community will be decimated, libraries will disappear, schools will close, nurseries will vanish, swimming pools, sports grounds, museums and more are all at risk. On top of that uneployment is set to rocket. Each community should be arranging meetings to organise resistance and linking up with all other communities in a joint federated defence of our standard of living. A civilised society is more than a house and a job with charity organisations to help those unemployed.

SOLIDARITY.

Maryhill: Community Resistance against the Cuts!

Maryhill Residents meeting
Saturday 12th March
12 noon-5pm
Shakespeare St Youth Centre, Maryhill
 http://tinyurl.com/65tzhbu

          The government is currently embarking on a programme of spending cuts unprecedented in modern history. With billions to be slashed from benefits, housing, social services and education – not to mention huge job losses – the effect on communities across Scotland will be devastating. This meeting has been called to start asking how we can best organise to defend our local community against the cuts – to save our schools, community centres, jobs, benefits and council services.

Speakers:
- Margaret Bean (Unison, NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde )
- John Cooper (Castlemilk Claimants)
- Jack Ferguson (Glasgow University Occupation)
- Alison Kelly & Nikki Rathmill (Wyndford & St. Gregory's School Occupations)
Hosted and facilitated by Maryhill SSP, the Burgh Angel and The Right to the City forum.

PLEASE PLEASE SPREAD THIS INFORMATION AS WIDELY AS POSSIBLE.

ann arky's home.

RICH SCROUNGERS, EVERY ONE OF THEM.

        The Disability Living Allowance claimants who are having to go through the process of re-assessment are having to face a much flawed system. As far as I am aware, Atos the company responsible for the assessments, does not require staff to have any training in or understanding of mental illness. And as anybody who has any knowledge of mental illness is aware, the condition can vary considerably from day to day. So it is difficult to understand how a one of, one day visit can adequately assess someone as fit for work. Of course the very fact that you are facing a short one of meeting that could affect the rest of your life, only adds stress and can aggravate the condition. There are lots of people on Disability Living Allowance who have physical conditions that fluctuate wildly from one day feeling not too bad, to other days when they are completely incapacitated. How does a short meeting assess this accurately? The Guardian has an excellent article on this subject HERE.

          The whole philosophy behind this unfair, stressful re-assessment system is based on an ideology that all those on benefit are scroungers, and the self righteous pampered millionaire parasites, that is our government, is intent on weeding them out. Who are the scroungers? Those pampered millionaires who have grown up in a cloistered world of unearned wealth and excess, or those on benefit struggling day to day to make ends meet? I have no doubt that a few do work the system and get a meagre living out of it, but the vast majority by far are legitimate claims and those on benefits do not lead a life of luxury, they struggle from day to day. Compare this with the abuse of the system by the over paid MPs with their expenses fiddles, those massive fat bonuses paid to grossly over paid bankers, the abuse of the system by the tax dodging corporations, and the millionaires with their wealth tucked away in some tax haven while prancing about in this country giving advice to their millionaire friends in government.

        This attack on those on benefit is an attack on the working class and they should not have to face it alone. On benefit or not, we have to stand side by side with those who are on benefits. These benefit cuts are only one aspect of a general attack on our class by the pampered parasite class. Deficit my arse, it is all about privatising everything and grabbing public assets into private hands.

 

ann arky's home.

BONUSES FOR PARASITES OR JUSTICE FOR ALL???

        

         With the boss of Barclay's, Bob Diamond, being burdened with a £6.5 million bonus, heaped on top of his more than ample salary, while the rest of us face savage cuts to our standard of living, we should be seeing more of this sort of thing. Why does the British public accept the injustice of this system? Those responsible for the financial mess are rewarded with bonuses in the millions while the sick, the vulnerable and the poor are having their benefits cut. The ordinary people are seeing services cut, libraries disappearing, schools closing, unemployment rising as well as fuel and food prices rising at an alarming rate. Meanwhile the culpable parasites still suck the system dry and are protected by their millionaire friends in government. There is an alternative but the rich and powerful don't want you to think about that, just knuckle under and accept the "austerity cuts" leave the wealth and power to the pampered parasites. The choice is ours, take what they throw at you, or fight back for a better system based on mutual aid, justice and sustainability. A system that sees to the needs of all those in that society, not to the pampered profit drive few.

ann arky's home.

MORE ON BENEFIT CUTS.

       
       For all those on benefit these are very worrying times as our millionaire public school thugs set about cutting and hacking at any form of social benefits. People on Disability Living Allowance are probably among the most vulnerable of those being targeted. Apart from living with their respective health problems, they now have to go through a worrying and stressful process of re-assessment, a process that is no more than an attempt to get them off benefit, saving the government money, irrespective of the effect on the individual concerned.

        Those on benefit and facing cuts should not have to fight this alone, it is important that they are furnished with as much information and support as possible. It is important that they are aware of their rights in all situations. There is a website set up for that very purpose, where you will find a wealth of information on all aspects of benefits and the intended cuts, and how to handle re-assessments. You can find it HERE.

 Solidarity.

      Please spread the word of the help that is available, come together in support, nobody should be alone in these circumstances, unity is strength.

      Everything you need to know on the benefit cuts situation ; http://antibenefitcutsglasgow.wordpress.com/

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A WORLD OF MUSIC.

       Today more than ever, it is important that we use every means at our disposal to raise people's awareness of the political situation in today's society and the struggle that will be required to hold on to, let alone improve, our living conditions. Activists trying to get people involved in these struggles will use leaflets, meetings and free papers in that attempt. However one medium that I believe is not used to its full potential is music. Songs can tell a story, inspire, inform and unite, participation in music can can, by inclusion, empower. We need those rousing choruses, we need to remember our past, and there is no better way to see to those needs than by the song.

      A website dedicated to the political song and with the aim of empowering people is, Giving Voice Workshops and with the following statement, it is certainly worth a visit. “This mission is achieved by providing a wide range of workshops delivered to diverse groups across the life long learning spectrum, as well as facilitating access to a large collection of relevant resources, and consultancy and support for researchers and the media. The work of Giving Voice Workshops is inspired by a belief in participatory learning, empowerment through inclusion, and an ethos of social justice for all.”

       I'm sure you will be encouraged and enriched if you delve in and participate.

 

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