Friday 15 May 2020

Losing Battle.



     We have all sorts of theories on this pandemic, but we can be sure that human activity is causing dramatic changes in our planets ecosystem, the results of which we don't fully understand and can't possible predict accurately. What we can be sure of is that we are, by human greed and blind ideology, creating a world vastly different from the one we inhabit at present. Habitats and species disappear, new forms of bacteria and viruses emerge and we have no idea how they will affect us as a species.


      By the illusion of ever increasing growth, we are opening a Pandora's box of complexities, and few are in our favour. Covid19 could be just another new pattern emerging in natures fight for survival against human plundering and destruction of its delicate balance. What we can be very sure of is, in any battle of humans against nature, nature will prevail and the human species will fall. We work with nature as part of it, or we fall as a damaging parasite, sadly we may take millions of innocent species with us.  






Visit ann arky's home at https://radicalglasgow.me.uk 

Freedom Is A Crime.

       In the eyes of the state and its institutions, the greatest crime is to try to change society to a true democratic system of equality and justice. Those who push hardest for such a change are likely to feel the full savage brutality of the state enforcement apparatus. Not the far right, not the plunders from the millionaire/billionaire parasite class, but the advocates for freedom and justice. The state will do all it can to intimidate, silence, repress and eliminate such voices. Hence anarchists, being the loudest and most persistent in that drive for true freedom, justice and equality, free from the capitalist system, are always a target for the state's repressive machine.  
       The following is just one incident from one country, but it is being repeated across the developed and developing world. We most highlight these acts of state repression and show solidarity with those at the receiving end of these brutal acts of intimidation.
The following from Act For Freedom Now:
EN/IT,Italy: «Ritrovo» repressive operation. Seven anarchists arrested
       May 14, 2020 by actforfreedom Actforfree received on 13.5.20
During the night of May 13, 2020, seven anarchists were arrested between Bologna, Milan and Tuscany, five others were required to reside in the municipality of residence and the anarchist documentation space Il Tribolo in Bologna was searched. The repressive operation, called «Ritrovo», was coordinated by the public prosecutor Stefano Dambruoso and the Carabinieri of the ROS (Raggruppamento Operativo Speciale), who carried out the arrests and searches jointly with the provincial command of the Carabinieri of Bologna.
      The seven arrested are charged with article 270bis of the penal code (subversive association with the purpose of terrorism or subversion of the democratic order), the other charges relate to articles 414 (incitement to commit a crime), 639 (defacement and soiling) and 635 (damage). One person is accused of article 423 (fire) for the incendiary attack of December 16, 2018, against some telecommunications antennas located in Monte Donato in Bologna and intended for the transmission of national and local television networks. On the site was left the writing «Turn off the antennas, awaken consciences. Solidarity with the anarchists detained and under surveillance».
       The repressive forces affirm that the arrested anarchists are accused of having created a subversive-terrorist association having «the objective of affirming and spreading the anarchic-insurrectionalist ideology, as well as instigating, with the diffusion of propaganda material, the commission of acts of violence against the institutions». Furthermore, the public prosecutor’s office of Bologna, with the help of the regime’s media, underlined that the precautionary measures assume a «strategic preventive value aimed at avoiding that in any further moments of social tension, arising from the particular emergency situation [linked to the coronavirus epidemic], other moments of more general anti-State struggle campaign can take place».
These are the current addresses of the arrested comrades:
Giuseppe Caprioli
C. R. di Alessandria “San Michele”
strada statale per Casale 50/A
15121 Alessandria
 
Stefania Carolei
C. C. di Vigevano
via Gravellona 240
27029 Vigevano (PV)
 
Duccio Cenni
C. C. di Ferrara
via Arginone 327
44122 Ferrara
 
Leonardo Neri
C. R. di Alessandria “San Michele”
strada statale per Casale 50/A
15121 Alessandria
 
Guido Paoletti
C. C. di Ferrara
via Arginone 327
44122 Ferrara
 
Elena Riva
C. C. di Piacenza
strada delle Novate 65
29122 Piacenza
 
Nicole Savoia
C. C. di Piacenza
strada delle Novate 65
29122 Piacenza
 
Solidarity  
Visit ann arky's home at https://radicalglasgow.me.uk  

Thursday 14 May 2020

New Normal!!

       I hope the public are alive to the possible outcomes of the legislation being put in place and experimented with by the establishment. They are not thinking of your welfare, they are not taking care of you, they are doing their best to protect the business world, the millionaire/billionaire/shareholders that is where the bulk of taxpayers money is going, yes there is a spin off and we get some wage support, but that is to keep their partners and shareholders afloat, and to placate public anger from spilling over.   
     They are putting in place a world where congregating in numbers will be limited and controlled, social distancing will be the norm, total surveillance will be a way of life. Let's not sleepwalk quietly into the new advanced 21st century Orwellian world, let's not blindly accept that the state knows best and will protect you. It is a state controlled world once entered, it will be extremely difficult to exit.
The following is an extract from Acorn:   


 No to the "New Normal"
        Looking beyond the immediate measures being taken to “control the virus”, there is also criticism of the “new normal” which seems to be on its way, a post-coronavirus world of “biosecurity” and virtual “connectivity” which looks very much like the beginnings of a nightmare high-tech dystopia.
             Among the details of this “new normal” now emerging are “terrifying” plans for a mobile phone app that tracks people to check if they have been in contact with someone testing positive for the virus – initially optional, this may become obligatory in the post-crisis smart-fascist world.
Visit ann arky's home at https://radicalglasgow.me.uk

Tuesday 12 May 2020

Evening Walk.

       Pandemic or no pandemic, nature just keeps on going. This wee video was shot this evening in Springburn Park on one of our walking exercise outings. There is always something new, something different each time we wander around the park. We counted five cygnets and four ducklings, but we think the swan is still sitting on at least one egg. There are more ducks of different varieties, but so far we haven't seen any other ducklings. The irises around the duck pond are just starting to open, should be quite a sight when they do, worth another visit.



Enjoy.
Visit ann arky's home at https://radicalglasgow.me.uk

Leopard & Spots.

      It is surprising that so many people thought that bumbling Boris, self centred, inconsistent, incoherent, buffoon, and foreigner to the truth, would somehow, when elected, become a reliable dedicated servant of the people, a leader worth following. Now the truth is suddenly clear as we find ourselves in the midst of the worst crisis in generations. He remains Boris, the self centred, inconsistent, incoherent, buffoon and a foreigner to the truth, but now more dangerous. What could possible have gone wrong? Once again the arrival of the new and latest Messiah has failed us. When will we ever learn. Why we should ever rely on a parasite from the elitist pampered privileged class to look after our interests, is, to me, always a mystery.

Visit ann arky's home at https://radicalglasgow.me.uk

Monday 11 May 2020

Asbestos Repeat.

 
       As a young apprentice I worked in the shipyards, when the use of asbestos was wide and lavish. Its effects are still being felt today. To me, to a degree, the asbestos scandal mirrors the coronavirus pandemic, but to a slower degree. There was medical papers written and advice given on the dangers of asbestos as far back as the 20's, but the governments of the world ignored all that and it wasn't until around 1970, that a ban was started to be imposed. This was after countless deaths from the incurable lung disease of mesothelioma, the reason for its continued use, against 50 years of medical advice and lobbying from trade unions, was that it was an excellent insulator and very cheap, in monitory terms, but expensive in human suffering and deaths, to ban it would obviously hurt the economy. Today thousands of people still die from asbestos related illnesses.


      More than 39,000 American lives are lost to asbestos-related disease every year. Asbestos facts and statistics summarize the devastating impact the toxic mineral has had in the U.S. and around the world.
      The same factors are still driving the governments policy today on the coronavirus, it is hurting the economy, so we must get people back to work. So some will die, to the capitalist that is a risk worth taking. Just as deaths from asbestos killed thousands but the economy must be saved, now it is covid19 that is killing thousands, but the economy must be saved.

       It is estimated that an average of 13 people a day in the UK die from conditions caused by previous exposure to asbestos – more than double the number of people who die on the roads.

      The first health fears associated with asbestos were raised at the end of the 19th century. Asbestosis, an inflammatory condition affecting the lungs that causes shortness of breath, severe coughing and other damage to the lung was described in medical writing in the 1920s.
       For how long and how many more times will we tolerate the economy being put before the health and well-being of the ordinary people? Why should we tolerate the price of shares and the profits for millionaires/billionaires to be placed ahead of the life of ordinary people?  Refuse to go anywhere near your employers profit making machine until your are completely satisfied that it is 110% safe for you to do so. My belief is, that safety guarantee will never materialise under the capitalist economic system. Change the system if you wish a safe working environment, that's the only answer worth considering. Generations of ill health and deaths from working conditions must surely by now, have convinced you of that fact.

When the Time-Bomb Goes Off

The bike just sits there,
dust covering its lovely sheen,
puffing up the Fintry Hills
well, it’s no longer my scene.
Y’see, as a Clydeside apprentice
I proudly learnt the tradesman’s skill,
little did I know then
the price, asbestos lungs that kill.
Now I just sit here through the painful day
gasping each mouthful of air, wondering
how can I make the bastards pay.
They new it was a killer
a time-bomb in our lungs
but, because it was so quick and cheap
they firmly held their tongues.
So what, if it cost the workman’s life,
there’s always a couple of new workers
in the care of the worker’s wife.
Please try to understand my anger
as I and others bear their cost,
a slow death from asbestos lungs,
a vibrant life lost.
Anguish for family and friends,
all in the name of profit;
now that really does offend.
Our anger without direction
is a blind archer behind the bow,
we have to use our anger
to smash the status-quo.

 
Visit ann arky's home at https://radicalglasgow.me.uk    

Virus Or Hunger?

       What is worse than the covid19? The fear of hunger in isolation. The people of Lebanon have taken that view and have resumed their desire for real change back onto the streets. Not in a foolish haphazard manner but in thought out rational fashion. To them enough is enough, how long before the rest of the world says the same. A draconian world of isolation, control and hunger, or fight to regain control of their lives and end the authoritarian corrupt regime that shackles people across the world, virus or hunger is no choice. We demand more and we will have it without your consent.  Of course the last thing the state wants is for you to decide how you will live your life, they see that as their prerogative and will enforce their view with savage brutality, expect no less.


The following from Enough is Enough:
Chronicles from Lebanon's Revolution:
      Lebanon. Since October 17, 2019, Lebanon has been living at the rhythm of an uprising targeting both the political class and a moribund economic regime. As elsewhere, the spread of the virus and the health emergency measures first put an end to the contestation. On March 21, Megaphone media released a video titled “Tripoli: Expect to Meet Us After the Corona.” (Watch video below) The extreme deterioration of the economic situation and the total lack of resources encountered by a large number of inhabitants following confinement have finally advanced this prognosis. Despite a quarantine in effect until the 10th of May, movements are taking to the streets, and once again targeting banks that are crystallising discontent. And again, the city of Tripoli has occupied a unique place, and this since the beginning of the uprising. On April 27, the army, which is actively involved in the repression, killed a young man, Fawaz Fouad Samman, whose death only increased popular anger.
Read the full article HERE:



Visit ann arky's home at https://radicalglasgow.me.uk

I Moan.



       I moan, but I feel with justification. Our freedoms are under attack, the attacker wears the cloak of a caring state, but we must be wary, it has ulterior motives. Naturally a lot of our actions have been governed by fear and self preservation along with fear for the lives of our loved ones. A population that lives with fear is easier manipulated and controlled, and that will be the underlying ulterior motive of the state. Society is being reshaped before our eyes, socialising will be very limited, as the restricting legislation introduce now will still be in place as the virus recedes. Keep your social distancing, but go to work, out of work experiences will be curtailed for some considerable time. Theatres and large sporting events postponed for at least a year, pubs disappearing as the go bust from no sales but still got the bills coming in. Get back to work, but keep your distance, no social gatherings as work conditions will now keep you apart, for your own good of course. Isolated living and working, with TV and virtual meetings, and a lingering fear that the virus is still there. Welcome to capitalism's brave new world. 


        This will be our new normality, unless we decide that the time has come for resistance rather than submission. We have seen the shoots of our view of the world we want. Those mutual aid groups springing up spontaneously in communities across the country, a desire to be with one and other, and to help where needed without the thought of profit. That has to be the driving force of the normality that we want, not the isolated profit making for wealthy shareholders. Resisting the call to go back to work under the dystopian construction of our capitalist masters, may be difficult, but complying is abdicating your right to live freely, in communities with your friends and families. This could be the final battle for your freedom, if they win, we continue our subjugation on a journey to an ecological disaster, with no come back. We are the only ones who can save ourselves and future generations from this nightmare dystopian human disaster. I moan, but I feel with justification.   


Visit ann arky's home at https://radicalglasgow.me.uk

Sunday 10 May 2020

Let's Think.


        We are certainly living through a time of unprecedented problems and unknown outcomes, nobody knows the final outcome in any detail. There are plans by the powers that be to rescue their sinking rat infested ship and continue on the journey of planet plunder. Among the public there must be plans to forever free themselves from this voyage of disaster. How will the new world form, what shape will it take, well that depends on the planners, and the people must guarantee that they are the planners of that new world, or they will sink with that old rat infested ship of the past.
      The following is an extract from an article made up of extracts from letters from a comrade in a Spanish gaol.
       This from Act For Freedom Now:
     The other day I saw an astonishing (or maybe not) story on TV: a Portuguese TV channel (TVI) was giving «news» of a hospice… all of a sudden this «team» of cameramen realize that an old lady is trying to escape from the back by removing a fence… What did the «journalists» who were «informing» (in alarmist tones) about the drama unfolding inside there do? Call the carers to lock up the old lady again! The moral of the story is very simple: there is no empathy and/or sympathy towards the old person looking for freedom, the possibility of a life, no. The drama is for those who stay stuck to their television set, it is the objectivity and rigour of information… then they pull out their phone and become snitches so that the presumed «infected-old lady» threatening «our» safety is recaptured: the victim is a criminal! So… I sympathized with the old lady and wished the worst death to these snitches.
    (…) I’m very curious to see how people will react after this forced imprisonment, how the economy will be, how people will relate to one another, exactly. Will the European invention survive? Will the borders be opened? Will planes come back to sail the skies from one place to another? If unemployment is to be as massive as expected, what will people do? What will the «effects» of forced coexistence be? These are questions that really arouse my interest and curiosity. I also wonder up to what point and for how long «citizens» will be prepared to remain in compulsory «quarantine».

4th April
       (…) I’m looking at (and analysing) the regime «news» concerning the serum tests they are proposing to do (or are doing directly) in countries such as Germany, England, France, Italy, the United States and China to find out which people are immune to the virus. All this is showing us how the new liberal market is already selecting the «most suitable» workforce… this global «emergency» has given States and capital a huge quantity of «private» data concerning their «citizens» and customers… so now these will experience on their own skin what it means to be under a high surveillance regime such as F.I.E.S., in first grade, second grade and/or open regime. All day long, uniforms everywhere: police, soldiers and jailers; controllers and bankers… (…) and anyway the «quarantine» experience has already prepared them for their entrance into «live-prisons»: locked up and with no rights; watched over and with no «control» over their lives.

Now that we are all prisoners

Now that we are all prisoners we know what it is to feel longing, to hate and to love…

To feel longing for walking under the sky with the sea breaking against the rocks.

To feel longing for meeting up with friends and being able to hug them.

To feel longing for the loves we adore kissing.

To feel longing for everything they don’t let us enjoy today.

Now that we are all prisoners we know what it is to hate…

To hate monotony and the boring conversations we can’t escape from.

To hate the septic imprisonment that limits and suffocates our freedom.

To hate the days and nights that follow on from one another like that, without anything else.

To hate the selfish behaviour of others, which alone we can’t avoid.

Now that we are all prisoners we know what it is to love…

To love nature that allows us to breathe.

To love intelligence that invites us to dream.

To love sensitivity that makes us enjoy.

To love the freedom to be and to stay.

Now that we are all prisoners: it’s time to think…
Read the full article HERE:
Visit ann arky's home at https://radicalglasgow.me.uk

Saturday 9 May 2020

Harassment.

 
         Anarchist believe in the dignity of all people, each individual is unique, and must be allowed to live their life without exploitation, degradation, or physical abuse, as long as they behave likewise with others. No ordinary person should walk in fear, fear to be alone on the street at night, nor should they be expected to take insults nor unwanted touching. Unfortunately in our society their are those who don't see it that way, especially when it comes to women. They all too often see them as prey, play things, pretty adornments, an object to be leered at, and women are expected to accept insulting remarks at the whim of some deranged male.
       So I was delighted to see this post from Athens and hope that there is a similar action being organised here and elsewhere. End this abuse now.
 The following from Act For Freedom Now:
May 9, 2020, Athens,Greece: Patience is over. There will be no more excuses. No more apologies. Dead catcallers can’t catcall by Angry girls in the city who are done with this bullshit.
      Patience is over. There will be no more excuses. No more apologies. Dead catcallers can’t catcall.
       The last two months have brought drastic change. The coming conflict in our space brings new threats to our existence as anarchists and as human beings. The womxn’s place is on the streets, in the squares, at the barricades. This is unquestionable.
      Every womxn should be safe to drink beers in platia, to walk home late at night, to wear whatever we want and do whatever we like without unwanted attention from predatory men, without having to look over our shoulders when we walk home or wait to close our front doors, to make sure no one comes in behind us. The patriarchy in all its ugly forms has no place on our streets and the moment it appears it will be crushed. No more politeness.
      The harassment of womxn is not a cultural tradition. Catcalling is wrong and disgusting in every country and saying otherwise is misogynistic and racist. Womxn from every country will not stand for this abuse.
      Catcalling will not be tolerated. No one will harass women in Exarcheia ever again and if they dare to they will face immediate and violent consequences. Everyone is responsible for making sure the city is a safe place for girls and womxn. If we see a car slowing down to creep on a womxn walking at night, we won’t stand. We must intervene. If we see someone harassing a womxn, we must be vocal, be violent if necessary, let them know they are not welcome in our world and make sure they don’t come back. Solidarity is our weapon.
     In solidarity we call for support for the Women’s demonstration of rage in Kypseli at 9pm.
     We are not jewellery. We are not pretty things to be looked at or touched. You have no right to our bodies or our minds though we have every right to punch you or throw a rock at your nice car, if you piss us off just one more time.

You have been warned

Sincerely,
Angry girls in the city who are done with this bullshit.
Visit ann arky's home at https://radicalglasgow.me.uk 

Friday 8 May 2020

The Empire Game.

       At the moment every avenue in the mainstream media is shouting VE. This is always portrayed as the gallant British fighting to destroy fascism, when in fact it was the British empire trying to stop the rising German empire, which had been muzzled since the end of WW1 and was now reasserting itself. The British empire couldn't tolerate this threat to its power, and resources. Soon all the other power mongers took sides and engulfed the world in a monumental orgy of slaughter, for power, markets and resources.
 

    Yes I know about the concentration camps, the mass killings and the slave labour by the German establishment. I also know about the British empire's concentration camps in South Africa, its mass slaughter, cruelty and brutality in India, and its fencing in of villages and savagery in Malaya, and the unimaginable savagery of the British in Kenya, and, and, and---. That's what empires do, and for centuries, the British empire was a pass-master at that brutal game.
     We should all know by now, that states don't wage war to save people, to free people from what every despotic regime it encounters. They do it for power, markets and resources, people are the cannon fodder to feed their greed driven orgy. WW2 was no different nor was the Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, and Syria imperialist ventures. Their so called saving the people from despots has lead to millions fleeing their homes, millions maimed and dead countries in turmoil, poverty and deprivation for the "freed people".

Enjoy:


Visit ann arky's home at https://radicalglasgow.me.uk  

Next Step.

 
    We appear to be slowly moving out of this pandemic, though far from there yet. Let's hope that we continue that path and our bumbling inept crew that are steering the ship, in their haste to get us back to creating wealth for them, don't screw it all up again. Though we can help there, by simply refusing to go back into any situation we deem to be unsafe. Our lives and those of our families and friends are worth away lot more than the value of parasite's shares.
      As we are slowing coming out of this disastrously handled crisis, we should be thinking of where we go from here, certainly not back to the exploitation, greed and inequality that we have experienced for generations. So to perhaps tempt you to think of an alternative that will work, I have lifted this article from one of my other blogs. Think about it, and you'll see it makes sense.


Freedom and Equality
       Fundamentally, anarchism is the struggle for freedom. Freedom from rulers and corporations who dominate our lives and are destroying our earth. Freedom for workers, women, and all oppressed people in all parts of the world. We believe that this sort of freedom can only be achieved together with equality and a fair distribution of resources.
Individual and Collective
        Anarchists believe in the inherent dignity and humanity of the individual. But this dignity and humanity can only be fully realised in a co-operative, egalitarian society. This is why we are in favour of working together collectively and being organised. It is incorrect to equate anarchism with individualism or chaos.
Revolution
       Anarchists understand that this truly free and equal society can only be achieved through revolution – meaning a complete transformation of society. This society cannot be ‘given’ to the people by politicians or bureaucrats. It must be built by people from below.
Change by Direct Action
        Anarchism opposes the violence which is an integral part of capitalism and the state (this violence comes in many forms: war, patriarchy etc.). We believe that means shape ends – in other words, the way we struggle will shape the outcome of the struggle. This is also why we do not support the seizure of State power by authoritarian political parties. However, anarchists do believe in direct action – action taken by everyday people to address the power imbalance in present day society. This includes strikes, boycott’s, work-to-rule’s and occupations.
The Past
       Both authoritarian communism (as in Russia, China etc.) and ‘labourism’ (ie. The labour parties of the world), have failed to solve our global crisis. We need a different path to a better world. Anarchism offers itself as a guide on that path.
It's there, waiting for us to take those steps that are necessary to get us there.


Visit ann arky's home at https://radicalglasgow.me.uk

Thursday 7 May 2020

Sun And Bike.


     Managed out on the bike yesterday, just the same wee circuit that I abandoned last week because of roadworks temporary traffic lights in two sections, and single lane driving always a bit of a nuisance to an old guy like me. However all that had gone so it was just a half a dozen wee runs round the circuit from Cadder cemetery out past Lowmoss and towards Lenzie, turn and join the main Kirkintilloch Bishopbriggs road round the Cadder cemetery and repeat about half a dozen times or so. Just enough to remind the legs what they are supposed to do.





Visit ann arky's home at https://radicalglasgow.me.uk

Now Or Never.


          We have now been in lockdown for couple of months, and there is talk of our lords and masters allowing a gradual "opening up" of society, a sort of parole for the public. I believe now is the time to take a very close look at where we have been, what has really happened and where do we go from here.         
       As expected the state has taken full advantage of the situation and with one fell swoop, has moulded us into a submissive population, sitting waiting for our next instructions as to how we should live our lives. They have introduced legislation that makes it easier for them to govern us, and rest assure these will be built into any future they have in mind. They have managed to create that imaginary connection between us, the state, and the economy, we are all one now, we have to go back to get the economy growing again. 

        We will be instructed to go back to work, not because they can guarantee our safety, but because they need us to start again to generate wealth for the shareholders. The "money tree" has already appeared, taxpayers money will be lavished on businesses to "keep them afloat", forgetting that for more than ten years there was no money for the NHS or our social services. Keeping the shareholders happy is more important that the health and well-being of the people, in their plans, that will not change.


         We will be expected to forget that their relentless drive for an ever growing economy was responsible for gross inequality, abject poverty for millions and the destruction of our planet. We will be expected to fall into line as it will save jobs, as if jobs were sacred to their philosophy, when they cast aside countless workers to increase profit. Virgin Atlantic is casting over 3,000 workers aside, Ryanair is dropping over 3,000 workers from its payroll, and those that it keeps are being told they will have to take a pay cut. You are fodder for their greed machine. Is that the road we wish to follow?
       
        We all know we can create a fairer world, we are already laying the foundations in our variety of mutual aid projects, people and communities coming together to help each other without the profit motive. This can be built on and expanded, community swap shops, community skill sharing projects, etc. I suppose we can thank the pandemic legislation for showing us we can live without running out to buy their crap and focus more on what we need,  

         Which world are we going to focus on, their, back to work to grow the economy and feed the parasite shareholder class, or one based on co-operation, communities, the needs of the people, workers' controlled workplaces and distribution services, all freed from the profit motive and built on sustainability. 

          We have to make that decision now, those in power have already chosen their plan for our future, and it will, as it has always done in the past, benefit the wealthy and powerful at the expense of the many. It's our choice, and it may be our last chance.
Visit ann arky's home at https://radicalglasgow.me.uk