A MAD MARCH HARE!!

PERSONAL EXPERIENCE.

      Like most boys in the area where I lived, I left school at 15. My first job was as the boay in the time office in Fairfield's Shipyard in Govan, Glasgow. On turning 16 I would start my apprenticeship, It wasn't a case of selecting your chosen profession, it was a matter of being told that yi wur ti go ti' the fittin' shoap. It could just as easily have been the brass foundry or the joinery shop, or any other of the many trades in shipbuilding, and my “career” would have gone on a different direction. However the powers that be set my sails as a marine engineer, a “fitter” was the usual title.

    That's when my education started, I found myself among a myriad of political pundits of all shades. The discussions were many, varied and at times “ferocious” and I loved it. Probably most of the workers were Labour with a very strong communist contingent. There was one Tory among the fitters, he was one of the journeymen that I was attached to, and he was insane, but a great tradesman. When asked why he was a Tory, his answer was, at least when you vote for them you know that they are going to screw you, not like the other bastards who pretend that they won't. It seemed a fair answer. In all the debates and discussions I was always being “courted” by the communists and being told that I should join the YCL (Young Communist League). Somehow or other they never fitted in with the way I felt.

      From entering the yards, I was always eager to get involved in the political and it was in 1952, as a third year apprentice that I got my first real feel of “political” activity. That was the year of the first Clydeside apprentice's strike since the second world war. I loved all the activity and was keen to do my stint of leafleting and what ever else to further “the cause”.

       It was during this strike at one of the several marches through the city that we had a rather interesting event. We were supposed to march from Blythswood Square to Glasgow Green and on passing the City Chambers at George Square, the police had set our route to proceed from there round the corner into Cochrane St. and through some more back streets to the Green. Our little group at the front had some other ideas, and as the police were lined up expecting us to turn left into Cochrane St. we marched merrily on deciding that we wanted a more public route down Glassford St. Argyle St. and Trongate to the Green. More publicity for our “cause”. There was chaos as the rest of the marchers not really thinking just followed on and the police trying to form up to turn us round. It failed miserably. By now it was no longer a march but lots of grinning apprentices running in groups, down Glassford St. with the police trying to re-direct or grab, what was now a wild mob of youth. By the time various groupings reach Argyle St. some were running in the direction of the Green, perhaps hopeful of still holding a rally, while others, myself among them, were running along Argyle St. in the opposite direction.

     At that time Argyle St. was still a two way traffic system and the pavements were mobbed. As I ran furiously along I could see ahead the ludicous site of some of the apprentices still carrying their placards, and these could be seen weaving their way though the crowds. By now there were mounted police and foot slogging coppers in hot pursuit. As I, and many others, ran past what is now Debenham's (then it was Lewis's) and turned into the lane at the side of the building, I knew the the mounted police were gaining fast, and as a simple city lad, I had this stupid idea that if I ran up the stairs of the lane up to what was St Enoch's Station, the horses wouldn't be able to follow. Of course as I got near the top I could hear the unmistakable clippity-clop of horses hoofs behind me. Entering the station I stopped running and tried to merge with the station crowd, others ran straight through and out the front and as I walked casually towards the front entrance I saw about 8 or so of my hapless marcher colleagues run straight into a ring of police, who duely flung them into waiting vans. One of those caught by that ring of police went on to make a name for himself on the Clyde during the Upper Clyde Work-in, he was Jimmy Reid. 

Read the story of the strike HERE:

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WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM OUR FRIENDS.

          The Spirit of Revolt is a group based in Glasgow who are attempting to collect as much material as possible from grass-roots campaigns in working class struggle, in and around the Glasgow/Clydeside area. We are grateful for any donations of material that people may have accumulated over time from their friends/relatives or their own connections to/in campaigns/direct action experiences, our only stipulation is that it is not in any way linked to party political activity/material. Our aim is to create an archive/collection recording the history of working class struggle in the Glasgow/Clydeside area and make it easily accessible to the general public.

           We will be putting as much as possible on-line with a physical collection housed in the Mitchell Library. We feel that it is important to record this history as most of it will not be recorded in mainstream history and therefore will disappear. It is part and parcel of our history, it is part of working class culture, and if we fail to record it, it never happened and we become a people without a history, a people without a culture.

          In time and with your help, we are sure this will become the best resource of its kind in Scotland. A place where the next generation can keep in touch with the history of their parents and previous generations, and their struggles for a better world. A place where they themselves, can perhaps learn how to continue that struggle for that better world.

        We have had material donated from several sources, with others promised, and are very grateful to those groups and individuals, but are still eager for more material. I'm sure there are bundles of original material lying around in boxes, poly bags, in drawers and under the bed. Have a wee look around and see what you feel you can donate.

You can contact the group through annarky@radicalglasgow.me.uk

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PRIVILEGE.

     After our millionaire Prime Minister Cameron, spouted his ridiculous statement about "spreading privilege" I thought this article would be a good read.

This from The Anarchist federation:

A Class Struggle Anarchist Analysis of Privilege Theory – from the Women's Caucus.

Aims and definitions

      The purpose of this paper is to outline a class struggle anarchist analysis of Privilege Theory. Many of us feel “privilege” is a useful term for discussing oppressions that go beyond economic class. It can help us to understand how these oppressions affect our social relations and the intersections of our struggles within the economic working class. It is written by members of the women’s caucus of the Anarchist Federation. It does not represent all our views and is part of an ongoing discussion within the federation.
       What do we mean – and what do we not mean – by privilege? Privilege implies that wherever there is a system of oppression (such as capitalism, patriarchy, white supremacy, heteronormativity) there is an oppressed group and also a privileged group, who benefit from the oppressions that this system puts in place1. The privileged group do not have to be active supporters of the system of oppression, or even aware of it, in order to benefit from it. They benefit from being viewed as the norm, and providing for their needs being seen as what is naturally done, while the oppressed group is considered the “other”, and their needs are “special considerations”. Sometimes the privileged group benefits from the system in obvious, material ways, such as when women are expected to do most or all of the housework, and male partners benefit from their unpaid labour. At other times the benefits are more subtle and invisible, and involve certain pressures being taken off a privileged group and focused on others, for example black and Asian youths being 28% more likely to be stopped and searched by the police than white youths2.

      The point here is not that police harassment doesn’t happen to white youths, or that being working class or a white European immigrant doesn’t also mean you’re more likely to face harassment; the point is that a disproportionate number of black and Asian people are targeted in comparison to white people, and the result of this is that, if you are carrying drugs, and you are white, then all other things being equal you are much more likely to get away with it than if you were black. In the UK, white people are also less likely to be arrested or jailed, or to be the victim of a personal crime3. Black people currently face even greater unemployment in the UK than they do in the USA4. 

      The point of quoting this is not to suggest we want a society in which people of all races and ethnicities face equal disadvantage – we want to create a society in which nobody faces these disadvantages. But part of getting there is acknowledging how systems of oppression work, which means recognising that, if black and ethnic minority groups are more likely to face these disadvantages, then by simple maths white people are less likely to face them, and that means they have an advantage, a privilege, including the privilege of not needing to be aware of the extent of the problem.

Read the full article HERE:

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EVERY EVENING I THROW.

 Another poem by Erich Mulsham

Every evening I throw

Every evening I throw
a future behind me
that will never arise anymore
since it lived in the spirit.
New images will grow;
worlds turn on new axis,
will die, love, create.
The pasts gape. –
Rioting, whirling time pitches
in the grave. – Life screams! 

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DO AS YOU'RE TOLD OR DOWN YOU GO.

      Just another story that adds to the evidence that cops are psychopaths. Recently in this country we had a blind man shot by police taser as the cop thought his white stick was a Samurai sword. How's that for observational skills?

This from SALON:

Cop used Taser gun on 10-year-old boy

     A New Mexico police officer used a Taser gun on a 10-year-old boy to demonstrate what cops do to people who don’t follow orders, according to a complaint heard by a Sante Fe court Tuesday.
       Officer Chris Webb was attending “career day” at Tularosa New Mexico Intermediate School when he sent 50,000 volts of electricity into the child’s chest on the playground. The young boy blacked out and has, according to his legal representative, been suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder ever since; the officer faces a civil suit.
        According to the complaint, Webb shot his Taser at the child (referred to only as “R.D.”) after he said he did not want to join fellow classmates in cleaning the officer’s patrol car. Courthouse News reported: “Defendant Webb responded by pointing his Taser at R.D. and saying, ‘Let me show you what happens to people who do not listen to the police.’”
        Webb then shot “two barbs into R.D.’s chest,” the complaint states. “Both barbs penetrated the boy’s shirt, causing the device to deliver 50,000 volts into the boy’s body. “Defendant Webb pulled the barbs out [of] the boy’s chest, causing scarring where the barbs had entered the boy’s skin that look like cigarette burns on the boy’s chest.
        “The boy, who weighed less than 100 lbs., blacked out.”Instead of calling emergency medical personnel, Officer Webb pulled out the barbs and took the boy to the school principal’s office,” the complaint states.
         Following the May 4 incident, Webb, who claims he accidentally discharged the Taser, was given only a three-day suspension.

 

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RESISTANCE.

And from Teacher Dude's Grill and BBQ:

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A BETTER WAY OF DOING THINGS.

      An interesting and informative film from ANARKOS it would be nice to see it more widely circulated.

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ONE BILLION PEOPLE GO HUNGRY.

     Some facts that might interest you and perhaps encourage you to take direct action.

This from Raw info:

Food inequality

Factory farming breaks our food systems, taking grain and other precious resources from those that need it most.

There is a huge gap between the 'haves' and the 'have nots' when it comes to the distribution of food around the world; around 1 billion people do not have enough to eat and this crisis currently kills more people than AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis combined¹. In stark contrast, around 1.5 billion people in the Western world are classified as overweight, around a third of whom are obese². The situation is challenging efforts to achieve the United Nations (UN) Millennium Development Goal of eradicating extreme poverty and hunger³. Although small-scale livestock farming plays a vital role in developing countries, contributing to the wellbeing of more than 800 million poor smallholders⁴, large-scale factory farming is actually compounding the food crisis.

Raising the demand for feed

Around two thirds of farm animals worldwide are currently factory farmed, reared in systems that are dependent on cereal and soya feeds for fast growth and high yields. Although dairy cows are naturally adapted to grazing and eating grasses, they are now being bred to be more dependent on cereal and soya feeds too. This demand for feed essentially means that we are putting humans in competition with farm animals; we're literally taking high-quality, nutrient-rich foods that people could eat and feeding them to our farm animals.

Over 90% of soya meal and 60% of maize (corn) and barley are grown for animal feed.

Read the full article HERE:

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SHACK DWELLERS MOVEMENT.

Friday 2nd November. 7-9pm Glasgow Social Centre, 
Basement, Garnethill Multicultural Centre,
21 Rose St, Glasgow. G3 6RE
 

This inspiring and extremely democratic and grass-roots controlled movement is at the forefront of resistance to the pro-capitalist policies of the ANC government. This is a rare chance to hear Lindela Figlan, vice president of Abahlali Basemjondolo, the shack dwellers movement. Abahlali baseMjondolo (AbM) began in Durban in 2005. Lindela will speak about his experiences, ways of organising and other community based issues. In terms of people mobilised, it’s the largest militant poor organisation in post-apartheid South Africa. Social movements like AbM, the Landless People’s Movement in Johannesburg and the Anti-eviction Campaign in Cape Town pose serious challenges to the ruling party because of their refusal to vote. AbM’s key demand is ‘Land & Housing in the City’ and has successfully politicised and fought to end forced removals and for access to education and the provision of water, electricity, sanitation, health care and refuse removal as well as bottom up popular democracy. Lindela Figlan will join us as part of a speaking tour around the UK – details other meetings here http://www.anarchistbookfair.org.uk/ http://glasgowanarchists.wordpress.com/2012/11/01/south-african-shack-dwellers-movement-speaker-in-glasgow/

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GOD'S MAN IN THE WHITE HOUSE.

      With a Mormon running for The White House, I thought a little explanation of what they are all about might be helpful. After all if Romney wins this crooks and liars festival, he'll be the most powerful man in the world, excluding God of course.

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WE HAVE HAD ENOUGH OF CRAP.

Lifted from an old post on my sister blog Annarky1:


Society based on Capitalism,Religion,Authority and Patriotism.

             C.R.A.P.   for short.

        Any alien looking in on our society must come to the conclusion that we earthlings love CRAP. It is all they will see as we scurry about working in CRAP jobs for CRAP wages and in what little “leisure” time we have we rush around buying CRAP. We spend precious time discussing the benefits of this piece of CRAP as opposed to that piece of CRAP. We weigh up the difference between this pair of CRAP trainers and that pair of CRAP trainers, this CRAP label and that CRAP label. We consider we have choices when we select this CRAP newspaper or that CRAP magazine from the avalanche of CRAP paper pulp on offer. One CRAP supermarket after another offers us an array of CRAP food and TV vomits endless CRAP into our homes and we flick from CRAP Big-Brother to CRAP house make-overs, from CRAP lifestyle programs to CRAP celebrity chat shows.

        Move to the realms of the “serious” CRAP and we have on offer CRAP political parties throwing up a display of smiling CRAP politicians, who, come election time, prance about offering CRAP policies in the hope that they can take their place in that CRAP institution at Westminster. What we get from the CRAP government of the day is such things as the CRAP war on drugs, that doesn’t work, CRAP tough on crime, that criminalizes poverty, CRAP war on terrorism, that is counterproductive,

Capitalism,

can produce nothing but an abundance of CRAP as profit is the only motive.

Religion,

produces CRAP freedom destroying dogma, based on the supposed mutterings of some airy-fairy gods.

Authority,

gives us a CRAP life based on surveillance and strict unbending laws.

Patriotism,

the last refuge of the scoundrel gives us CRAP racism and generates canon fodder for the state’s endless CRAP wars.

      Is this the type of society that we want to bequeath to our children and our grandchildren? Should we not be taking control of our own affairs and producing to all our needs based on sustainability? A world of free association, voluntary co-operation and mutual aid is possible, a world that accommodates us all as equals and prepares the world for the next generation rather than rob them of an existence. 

First we have to get rid of  C. R. A. P. Let’s start now.

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THE WORKERS HAVE AWOKEN.

       I always claim that this blog is about poetry as well as my ranting, so here are three verses from On The 23rd of August by Erich Muhsam, German anarchist, murdered by the nazis in 1934.

Struggle, your satisfaction,
against State and Reaction,
struggle until the day
the spell of power has been broken,
when in every land on the Earth
the workers have awoken.

Brothers, you who for us died,
your blood flows unpacified,
until the masses win.
Class war and class solidarity
shall give into the people’s hands
land, farm tools and factory.

Your longing and your distress
are a whip and star to us,
Sacco and Vanzetti!
Deathless model to humanity,
a free world your memorial:
Socialism, Anarchy!

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DISSENTING VOICES WILL NOT BE TOLERATED.

        Now as the financial Mafia put the boot in to the Greek people, it is impossible to even attempt to hold onto the thinest veneer of the illusion of democracy. Day by day the state comes down harder and harder on any form of dissent, more and more the gap between the people and "their" government grows ever wider. The powers that be don't even like to be seen in public, it only generates bad publicity for them. The so called elected representatives of the people don't want to have anything to do with the people, it is all corporate finance that matters.

            We should never lose sight of the fact that how the state acts in Greece is not unique to Greece. As austerity bites here and in other countries across Europe, each state will take the necessary action to force through the dictates of the Troika, that collection of vultures, leeches and parasites in the form of the IMF (International Mankind Fuckers) ECB (European Corrupt Banksters) and the EC (Endemic Corruption). Make no mistake, they are the rulers of Europe, the elected governments are there to manage the Troika's plans for the creation of a European sweatshop economy to compete with their Eastern rivals. 

This from the Greek Streets:

Monday, October 29, 2012

    Today the text of the 3rd memorandum of agreement eliminating public provisions was released. Simultaneously today, one day after the arrest of a journalist for releasing a list of tax-dodgers,  a young man was arrested in Corfu island because he published in his web-blog  photos of police officers having very friendly encounters with neo-Nazis. Earlier in the morning the management of the state TV channel (ERT) announced that from tomorrow the presenters of its morning news show are going to be replaced. The reason is that the two journalists commented on the attitude of the Minister of  Citizen Protection (police) who was threatening that will sue foreign newspapers  for writing that the anti-Nazi activists were tortured in the Police HQ. The two journalists were discussing about the coroner’s diagnosis which was released confirming that proper torturing of the 15 anti-Nazi activists did occur in the police HQ.

More from Teacher Dude's Grill and BBQ:

    Perhaps it is appropriate that Thessaloniki, which this weekend celebrated the 100th anniversary of its liberation from the Ottoman Empire looked like a city under siege. For three days the centre of Greece's second largest city was the objects of draconian security measures designed to avoid a repetition of last year's peaceful protests which closed down the annual military parade and forced the president of the republic to flee.
      Mindful of the fact that the event lead to the resignation of the then prime minister, Giorgos Papandreou just weeks later the current political leadership decided to make sure last year's events were not repeated.
    As a result 2,000 extra police were drafted to protect prime minister Antonis Samaras and president Karolos Papoulias as they visited Thessaloniki over the weekend. The security measures for the Oxi Day parade were so tight that no even the parents of high school pupils taking part were allowed within the 1 km “dead zone” that surrounded the VIP stand and effectively isolated the parade from the vast majority of citizens who'd turned out to follow it.

Read the full article HERE:

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THE GRAND PLAN.

       The grand plan is moving along nicely, the corporate dream is on the horizon. Thanks to the Troika, Europe is moving rapidly to a cheap labour economy. Slashing of social spending, wage cuts/freeze, and high unemployment, all the necessary ingredients for the corporate vision of a European sweatshop economy. The only thing that can now stop their greed driven vision is the people, do we accept a life of deprivation for ourselves, our children and grandchildren, or do we take control and shape society to the needs of all our people?

This from The International Journal of Socialist Renewal:

By Murray Smith
October 16, 2012 -- Frontline, posted at Links International Journal of Socialist Renewal with the author's permission -- It sometimes seems as if Europe’s sovereign debt crisis has been going on forever. But in fact it really only manifested itself in 2010, a result of the bailing out of private banks with public money and other public spending due to the crisis. And in May of that year Greece became the first country to ask for help and to receive so-called “aid” – really, it cannot be repeated too often, loans that must be paid back – from the now infamous "Troika", the IMF-ECB-European Commission.
This aid was conditional on Greece adopting policies of austerity and structural reforms, all regularly supervised by those who have become known as the “men in black”, the inspectors of the Troika. In an article in the UK Guardian on October 8, 2012, Alexis Tsipras, leader of the radical left coalition Syriza, makes two key points. First of all, the money lent to Greece goes into an escrow account used for repaying past loans and interest on them and for recapitalising private banks. It cannot be used otherwise, for example for useful social spending. Second,  he writes: “We believe that their aim is not to solve the debt crisis but to create a new regulatory framework throughout Europe that is based on cheap labour, deregulation of the labour market, low public spending and tax exemptions for capital."

Read the full article HERE:

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FIGHT FOR SITES.

      The state is all about control, it has to know where you are and why you are there, and travelling people don't fit into that line of thought. Hence the continual demonising and evictions, in an attempt to get them to fit the control plan.

This from Circled A:

    One year on from the eviction of Dale Farm (what used to be Europe's largest travellers' site in Essex, UK) this edition of the Circled A radio show on Resonance FM will take a special focus on traveller solidarity and action.

(http://thecircleda.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/rememberingdalefarmandtravellersolidarityactionfrom19october2012-circledaradioshow-cpaudio.mp3)

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BANNED UNION, UK.

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THE COLLAPSE OF PARTY POLITICS.

      Spain has the highest rate of unemployment in the EU, at present it stands at above 25% and rising, its economy is shrinking rapidly, and still the financial Mafia want more "austerity" heaped on the people. When is enough, enough?
This from International Journal of Socialist Renewal:

By Dick Nichols, Barcelona

       October 28, 2012 – Links International Journal of Socialist Renewal -- The economic, social and territorial crisis in the Spanish state is morphing into a crisis of the two-party system that has provided Popular Party (PP) or Spanish Socialist Workers Party (PSOE) administrations for the last 30 years. Basque, Catalan and Galician nationalist forces (left and right), and the United Left (IU) and Union, Progress and Democracy (UPyD) parties are gaining support. However, only a brave gambler would put serious money on the future evolution of this crisis. While the two-party set-up has been severely weakened, a replacement party with enough popular support to impose a different solution has yet to emerge.

       Some contrasting numbers from the latest Metroscopia polls point to some contradictions in popular attitudes that help understand why.

        First, the actions and leaderships of the PP and PSOE have hit levels of disapproval never seen before. Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy inspires little or no confidence in 84%, including in 64% of PP voters. PSOE opposition leader Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba inspires little or no confidence in 90%, including in 77% of PSOE voters.

The demands of the September 25-29, 2012, “Seize the parliament” protest got 71% support.
Read the full article HERE:

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OUR WEAPON - GLOBAL SOLIDARITY.

      Across the globe state's do their damnedest to repress any attempt by the people to organise to protect themselves against the onslaught of corporate greed. The state's function is to act as population controller to allow the corporate greed machine to plunder and pillage the earth in the name of profit. Corporatism is global, we need our solidarity to be global.

This from Labourstart:

Last week, a court in Bahrain upheld the convictions of trade union leaders, sentencing Mahdi Abu Dheeb and Jalila al-Salman to five years and six months respectively.

 

Mahdi and Jalila, president and vice president of the Bahraini Teachers’ Association were arrested in 2011 after supporting calls for reform in Bahrain. Whilst in detention they were subjected to torture and forced to sign “confessions”.

 

In September 2011, a military court convicted them of attempting to overthrow the ruling system by force and inciting hatred of the regime. The report of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry last year found that the authorities had grossly exaggerated, if not manufactured, many claims brought against thousands of ordinary people who had been caught up in the February 2011 protests. Mahdi and Jalila’s only “crime” was to have the temerity to promote respect for the values of solidarity, equality and democracy.

 

The Education International has issued a call for a large online campaign demanding the release of both Mahdi and Jalila.

Please take a moment to send off your message here.

 

And then please spread the word to your fellow trade union members.

 

In additon, please take a moment to learn more about the case of Kenyan trade union leader Francis Atwoli who was recently fined about £3,000 because he refused to call off a strike (two years earlier!) defending jobs in the Kenyan tea industry from mechanisation. Trade unions outside Kenya are trying to help raise the money to cover this fine and his legal costs.  Learn more here.

 

Thanks -- and please forward on this email!

 

Eric Lee

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CORPORATE FASCISM.

All we want is true democracy! What can I say?

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BRUTAL ASSAULT SHOULD MEET BRUTAL RESPONSE.

       The financial Mafia under the mob name of "the Troika" are putting the boot into the Greek people with the latest "Memorandum of understanding" between the troika and the Greek government. What this "agreement" does is remove the Greek government from governing Greece and authorises them as managers for the troika, and lays down a series of conditions that it must perform or they will push the country to bankruptcy allowing the entire Greek country to be plundered and pillaged by the said financial Mafia and their corporate fascist friends. A people are being sacrificed on the altar of corporate financial greed. What is more, is that what they are doing to the Greek people is on the agenda for other countries in Europe. Spain is tottering on the brink, Italy is slipping over the edge, Portugal is losing its foothold, others are not far behind, and the abyss is waiting. All this misery and deprivation for the welfare and well being of the banks and bond markets. To the financial mafia their money cow must be saved, at any price. Under these brutal circumstances the people have the right to self-defense, the more brutal the assault, the more brutal the response needs to be, it is their lives and the future of their kids lives that are at stake. 

This from The Greek Streets:

Full text of the third “memorandum of understanding” between the troika and the greek government

Monday, October 29, 2012

     As the rumours regarding the voting in of the new memorandum in the present week intensify, the agreement’s full text has now become available online. The greek text is here.
     Key points include (list to be updated!)
    - Should the targets in the health sector not be met in the first two months, it is possible for cost participation waiving to be cancelled out for everyone, including cancer patients.
    - From mid-2013 on, the Public Power Corporation (DEI) will rapidly increase its charges, while all special rates for the most sensitive parts of the population will cease to exist. As of June 2013, the PPC will be unable to offer any kind of settlement to its clients regarding their bills – something that any private corporation is permitted to do.

Open publication - Free publishing

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