Decision Time 6th May 2010: The general election campaign (in general) and the televised leaders' debates (in particular) have been conducted by the main parties at a relatively superficial level, and have substituted presentation and image in place of any fundamental analysis of the urgent changes which the UK and the world need. Disappointment will come to anyone who indulges in tactical voting; the only worthwhile vote is a positive vote for what people really believe in as the best option. I call upon everybody to vote Loony for a better tomorrow, and to reject the false nihilism of a choice between the Teedledum and Tweedledee parties.
You Kip If You Want To 29th April 2010: Lord Pearson, the leader of the UKIP, has urged some of his candidates to stop campaigning, and to support the Conservatives instead. Understandably, some of them don't agree. This silly man doesn't seem to understand what UKIP is for - or what the election is for.
Election Hustings 26th April 2010: The hustings meeting in New Addington this evening was interesting, enjoyable, lively and friendly. It was a pity that the BNP candidate, Cliff Le May, was not invited to speak as a member of the panel on equal terms with the other candidates. The election result will only have democratice legitimacy and validity if the voters have been properly informed of the issues and the policies.
Lib Dem Surge 18th April 2010: The sudden increase in the level of support for the Liberal Democrats in the most recent opinion polls - which put the three main parties very close to each other - is a phantom, phoney effect which has no basis in reality. There is no reason to suppose that the British people are suddenly more inclined to support a party which is soft on drugs, muddle-headed on the economy, and frenziedly determined to sink the UK into further integration into the undemocratic corrupt wasteful unaccountable EU. The only reason why the mediocre squablling of the Conservative and Labour parties has benefited the Illiberal Undemocrats, and not the Green Party or the UKIP, is because the recent TV debate was rigged in favour of the so-called three main parties and excluded all other parties.
I Am A Politician, Not A Mercenary 16th April 2010: I have been a serious politician throughout my political career, and throughout my twenty election campaigns. I have always sought to bring about a better world, with social harmony and environmental sustainability. The Official Monster Raving Loony Party has been an ideal movement for the advancement of these aims within a pluralist political environment. For these reasons, I am not and will not be a mercenary, or an advert, for a commercial company during the course of the election campaign. I have not received, and will not accept, any donation or funding with inappropriate commercial conditions attached. Our Great Leader, Alan Hope, is in agreement that OMRLP candidates should be free to hold firm to these ideals, and that no candidate should be forced to adhere to commercial endorsement or advertising with conditions attached. There is no suggestion that such endorsement is a necessary condition of being an OMRLP candidate in the general election.
Yellow 16th April 2010: There are zillions of shops in Croydon, selling squillions of different types of clothing such as trousers. Why, then, is it so mindbogglingly impossible to find yellow trousers, to celebrate the colour and identity of the Loony Party? The cultural and psychological stranglehold which the capitalist and imperialist hegemony has on the fashion industry, and which dictates that all trousers must be blue or black or similar dull colours, is bewildering. So much for freedom! So much for the power of market forces! Today is the yesterday of tomorrow, and tomorrow will be yellow!
Mars Mission 16th April 2010: President Obama says that he wants to send American astronauts to orbit Mars within twenty years. If so, why did he delay yet again the NASA plans to return to the Moon? Is the environmental sustainability of the Earth a more pressing concern for the next few decades?
Party Leaders' Debate 15th April 2010: The TV debate between the leaders of the three so-called "main" parties was uneventful and unenlightening, but was also a device by the media to squeeze out coverage and consciousness of the various other parties, which together have the support of a substantial proportion of the electorate. Just because the opinion polls of viewers have stated that Nick Clegg of the Tweedlethree Party came across slightly better than the bickering David Cameron and Gordon Brown of the Tweedledum and Tweedledee Parties, does not mean that the desire of the people for a proper representative democracy is diminished.
Local Election Hustings 12th April 2010: An interesting hustings meeting for the local elections, with speakers from the four main parties (Conservative, Labour, Lib Dem and Green). Hilariously and bizarrely, a bunch of whingeing malcontents from the UKIP were outside complaining that they were not included in the panel. They don't seem to have realised that the Green Party has 70 candidates, whereas UKIP only has 10. Furthermore, in 2006 there were 19 Green candidates and only 12 UKIP. The Green candidates got more than 600 votes each last time, but the UKIP candidates got fewer than 300. These moaning purple-faced hysterics should get a sense of proportion instead of grumbling.
Local Election 10th April 2010: I welcome the fact that the people of Croydon will have the chance to vote for progressive candidates in every ward. Those who do not have the good fortune of being able to vote for the OMRLP can vote Green, without having to choose between Labour and Conservative.
General Election 7th April 2010: The time has finally come when the nation will decide its destiny for the next few years. The people have the opportunity to build a new Democratic People's Loony Kingdom of Britain, and reject the old parties. The narrowness of the opinion polls should not be used to bully the voters into making a false choice between the Tweedledum and Tweedledee of the two old parties. There are many parties to choose in this election, and the voters have the chance to put many of them into the House of Commons. A progressive vanguard of OMRLP MPs can lead the march forward, and be complemented by Green and UKIP MPs. We have a nation to rescue! A world to save! An energy crisis to avert! Civil liberties to protect! A democracy to build! Today is the yesterday of tomorrow!
Obama Healthcare 24th March 2010: I applaud the triumph of President Obama, and a Democratic Party Congress, in managing to enact a modest improvement in the American health care system. But it is still only a small step in the right direction towards decent social policies. It does not change the fact that Obama has cut federal funding for health care, and made it more expensive. Nor does it change the fact that he has increased the number of troops in Afghanistan, and is threatening to expand the war into Pakistan. Or the fact that he has halved federal education funding, exported jobs, prolonged the recession, bailed out the banks with $23 billion, threatened North Korea, and continued the embargo on Cuba.
Democratic pluralism 15th March 2010: At 2:41 pm today, I was about two feet away from the Prime Minister, Gordon Brown. I could have punched him in the face, if I wanted to. I would have been able to attack him before anybody had a chance to stop me, although I would of course have been arrested immediately afterwards. The fact that I did not in fact punch the ugly incompetent liar is, perhaps, the ultimate proof that I am, at heart, a wishy-washy bourgeois libertarian, and not cut out to be a fervent Marxist revolutionary.
BNP 14th March 2010: The courts have seen fit to interfere in the internal constitutional arrangments of a legal political party, the British National Party, and to dictate terms as to how it should deal with new members and their attitude to its core philosophy. The essence seems to be that ethnic minorities might be put off wanting to join the BNP because, er, it's racist. This is a dangerous thin end of the wedge. It should be for any party or organisation to make its own membership requirements, even if they are bizarre and exclusive to minorities. It must be condemned as a precednet otherwise it would be used as an excuse to interfere with the autonomy of other parties as well.
Northern Ireland 10th March 2010: Why did the UUP vote against the devolution of policing powers to the Northern Ireland assembly? Isn't that the job of the TUV? And why did George Bush stick his nose in by asking David Cameron to persuade them otherwise? And why has the Conservative Party been so foolish as to make an electoral pact with the UUP anyway?
Party funding 5th March 2010: So what if Lord Aashcroft is a non-domicile resident for tax purposes? So what if he has given money to the Conservative Party? The people care about the recession, global warming, climate change, energy depletion, environmental sustainability and aggressive wars, not the trivia of bourgeois party funding.
Jon Venables 4th March 2010: The tabloid newspapers are speculating that Jon Venables has been recalled to prison because he has been involved in a number of violent incidents, and has been taking illegal drugs ever since he was released on licence. We don't know if this is accurate, but if it is then why has he not been recalled earlier? Life sentence prisoners are supposed to be recalled at the first sign of trouble after being paroled, not after several incidents over a number of years.
Falkland Islands 22nd February 2010: The government of Argentina has said that it will require commercial shipping to apply for permits to sail to the Falkland Islands, as if it somehow has authority over international waters which are nowhere near Argentina's territorial water. If Argentina sends any ships or other forces to interfere with legitimate trade between other countries, then it will be close to engaging in an actof war. The UK should robustly defend the Falkland Islands, its people, and the trade and shipping which serve it. I hope that Argentina will not be so stupid as to dare to interfere with the British sovereignty of the Falklands, or to invade, but if it chooses to do so then its soldiers must be repelled by whatever force is necessary - and, if need be, to be sent home in body bags. Twenty-eight years ago, it took the lives of 700 Argentinian soldiers to teach the Argentine government not to interfere in the British way of life of British subjects on British soil; whether it will take another 700, or 7,000, or 70,000 will depend on the government of Argentina.
Alternative Vote 3rd February 2010: The Prime Minister has said that MPs will vote on whether to have a referendum on introducing AV for general elections, instead of First Past The Post. Why now, three months before the ghastly discredited Labour government is likely to be defeated? Why didn't the Labour government enact such a reform in its first term, as a matter of principle? The answer is because it is a desperate attempt to woo Liberal Democrat supporters, and has nothing to do with principled democratic enhancement.
Conspiracy Theory 25th January 2010: Until now, I had thought that it was likely that the government weapons expert, Dr David Kelly, did commit suicide as a result of a combination of drugs overdose, blood loss and weak heart - even though those causes would not have been enough individually. But the revelation that Lord Hutton has ordered all of the relevant documents, and the post mortem report, to be kept secret until 2074 completely blows apart any confidence that any reasonable person would have in the official version of events. What do they have to hide? I hope that the report will be leaked and published anyway.
Chocolate 20th January 2010: The chocolate firm Cadbury is to be taken over by Kraft. Hopefully the chocolate won't all be cheese flavour.
President Obama 20th January 2010: President Obama is today celebrating his first year in office. As expected, he is a mediocre disappointment compared with the hype and expectation of the election campaign in November 2008. As expected, he is constrained by the systemic requirements of American imperialism in Afghanistan, Iraq, and now also a de-facto military occupation of Haiti. It will not come as any surprise if his health-care reform plan is completely lost as a result of the Democratic Party's defeat in the Senate by-election in Massachusetts.
Burqas and Veils 17th January 2010: The UKIP, under the leadership of Lord Pearson, wants to ban people from wearing veils (such as the burqa) on their faces in public. Why on Earth do they think it matters? Why is it supposedly a matter of concern, and what do they hope to achieve? Does the UKIP really want to take the UK out of the EU, or does it just want to split half a dozen votes away from the BNP?
Freedom of Speech 11th January 2010: It is slightly worrying that five protestors have been convicted of using language likely to cause harrassment, alarm and distress, after using offensive and inflammatory language at a political demonstration. Merely causing offence, or upsetting people, should not be a crime. The fact that the group "Islam4UK" has been banned is also highly questionnable - it appears to be an offensive fringe group but I doubt whether it is a terrorist one, as the ban seems to imply. It would be alarming if these cases are being used as an excuse to encroach further on the freedom of speech of awkward minorities or to marginalise law-abiding muslims.
Labour leadership 6th January 2010: There has been an attempt to organise a secret ballot of Labour MPs on whether they have confidence in Gordon Brown as leader of the Labour Party, in the run-up to the general election. Whether this "coup" - led by Geoff Hoon and Patricia Hewitt - had succeeded or not, is immaterial. It would not have made a difference to the fact that the world faces a long-term crisis over the sources of a sustainable energy supply and the connected dangers of global warming; nor to the gradual erosion of civil liberties and social cohesion in the society of the UK. It serves only to emphasise the failure of the Labour Party - as well as its Tweedledum-and-Tweedledee partners in the Conservative and Liberal Democrat parties - in representing the needs and desires of the people in building an independent sovereign country.
Predictions for the General Election 1st January 2010:
I predict a Conservative majority of between 0 and 50.
I predict that the national percentages will be approximately Con 38% Lab 31%.
I predict that Plaid Cymru will win 4 seats, but not Ceredigion.
I predict that the SNP will only gain about 2 or 3 extra seats.
I predict that Jim Murphy will hold East Renfrew by about 3,000 votes.
I predict that George Galloway and Salma Yaqoob will get about 20% in Respect's target seats.
I predict that Nick Griffin will come third in Barking with about 22% of the votes.
I predict that Caroline Lucas will come third in Brighton Pavilion, but that there will be fewer than 2,000 votes separating the top three candidates.
I predict that Independent candidates will hold Blaenau Gwent and Down North but not Wyre Forest.
I predict that Andrew Pelling will not be a candidate in Croydon Central.
Execution 29th December 2009: A British man has been executed in China for drug smuggling - the first European to be executed in China since 1951. I am against the death penalty in all circumstances, but I do not understand why there has been more fuss about this case than about the hundreds of other people executed in China every year. It is also bizarre that the media have been emphasising the fact that he had bi-polar disorder, as if that somehow means that he wasn't aware of the criminality of what he was doing.
Copenhagen Conference 19th December 2009: The most powerful world countries have reached a half-baked, non-binding agreement to reduce carbon emissions in future years. The long-term interests of the planet have been sacrificed to short-term self-interest of the imperialist powers, and President Obama has proved to be (so far) as disappointing and mediocre as expected.
UKIP Leadership 26th November 2009: Lord Pearson of Rannoch has been elected as leader of the UK Independence Party. He claims that Muslims in the UK are breeding ten times as quickly as "us"; he later clarified that he meant that the Muslim community is growing (by birth, immigration or conversion) ten times as quickly as "ours". Who is this "us" and "ours"? Is Lord Pearson leading the UKIP into a third-rate wilderness of islamophobia? Will the UKIP become an inferior BNP-lookalike? How are we supposed to take the UKIP seriously if its leader spouts out such muddle-headed bigotry?
Rompuy and Frumpy 19th November 2009: The most boring and nondescript prime minister of the most boring country in Europe, Herman van Rompuy, and the most anonymous unelected British politician Baroness Catherine Ashton, have been appointed to the positions of President and Foreign Minister of the Council of Ministers of the EU - positions which we don't want and didn't elect. We patriotic monarchists do not recognise any legitimacy or authority in their positions, and we hope that they will quickly sink to the level of mediocrity from which they briefly emerged.
Lisbon Treaty 3rd November 2009: And so it has come to pass that President Vaclav Klaus of the Czech Republic has surrendered the independence and sovereignty of the nations and peoples of the European union to create a further centralised force of undemocratic and unaccountable corporatism and imperialism. David Cameron's new policy - which abandons his former promise of a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty - is also a capitulation to the Continental Nemesis. No parliament can bind its successors. Any law can be repealed; any treaty can be de-ratified; any agreement can be disagreed; a referendum can just as easily be held to reject the ratification of the Lisbon Treaty at any time, regardless of the fact that it has already been ratified and enacted.
MPs Employees 31st October 2009: The Kelly report has made the impertinent demand that MPs should be restrained from the normal employment laws and should not be allowed to employ members of their own family, even if they are the best qualified for the job. This is an unjustified restriction on the legal rights of those employees, and I hope that they will take legal action to defend their positions against this unwarranted threat of unfair dismissal.
UAF 22nd October 2009: The "Unite Against Fascism" organisation is focusing on the wrong target in its attempts to demonise the British National Party, and to prevent it from appearing on "Question Time". The real danger of fascism in the UK - authoritarian government, misuse of police powers, the scapegoating of minority communities, and a siege mentality - comes from the Labour government more than from the BNP, with its small handful of councillors.
Libya 17th October 2009: The British government's attitude to relations with Libya is based on greed, trade, the pursuit of profit and imperialist adventures, and not anything to do with the interest of people. Not only has the establishment been party to a conspiracy to keep an innocent man (Mr Megrahi) in prison for nine years for a crime he did not commit, but it has also been willing to allow two suspects to roam free even though there was evidence of their involvement in the murder of WPC Yvonne Fletcher in 1984.
MPs' Expenses 15th October 2009: Sir Thomas Legg has arbitrarily decided, against all ideas of natural justice, to change retrospectively the rules and limits governing the expenses which may be claimed by MPs in the course of their work. His demands that certain monies be repaid are, in some cases, tantamount to blackmail. The main party leaders, in demanding that their MPs repay the money which has been demanded of them (on threat of deselection or the withdrawal of the whip if they don't agree) are accomplices to this blackmail.
Freedom of Information 14th October 2009: A multinational company which has been accused of involvement in the dumping of toxic sludge in Ivory Coast, causing health problems in thousands of local people, attempted to get an injunction to prevent the Guardian newspaper from reporting a Parliamentary question about the case. Such an injunction, which has since been overturned, would have breached the 1688 Bill of Rights which guarantees the freedom of the press to report what happens in Parliament. Such a monstrous unconstitutional outrage is symptomatic of the increasingly dictatorial attitude of the imperialist hierarchy in an increasingly authoritarian and secretive state in modern Britain.
Nobel Peace Prize 10th October 2009: The Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to President Barack Obama. Why? What has he achieved? Peace in the Middle East? Agreement on energy development with Iran? Reunification of Korea? Long-term carbon emission reductions? No. Being black? Not being George Bush? With such a ridiculous decision, there is no point in recognising the Nobel Prize as having any validity any more.
David Cameron 9th October 2009: An hour of vague platitudes and wish-lists from David Cameron in his conference speech, but what would he be like as prime minister leading a Conservative government? I have no confidence that he would roll back the oppressive apparatus of the state, with its out-of-control police force, and its erosion of civil liberties. Nor would it be able to lift people out of the poverty trap or the cycle of disconnected desperation and ignorance which blights so many young people. The forthcoming general election will be a chance for the people to reject both of the ossified reactionary parties, and elect genuine red-green-loony-left people's representatives.
Lisbon Treaty 8th October 2009: Now that the Lisbon Treaty has been approved by the people of Ireland, and is on the verge of being ratified by President Vaclav Klaus of the Czech Republic, it is being suggested that there would be no point in an incoming Conservative government holding a referendum in the UK. Not so. Any government which cares about the sovereignty of its people would hold a referendum regardless. It is never too late, and the British ratification of the treaty can be revoked at any time.
China 1st October 2009: Today we celebrate the 60th anniversary of the foundation of the People's Republic of China. There were regrettable excesses in the years of Mao, as a result of which natural drought and economic reforms were badly managed and millions died, but the death toll was not as big as western media would have us believe. There were nevertheless huge improvements in life expectancy, literacy, infant mortality, and economic growth which laid a solid base for the successful economy which China has today.
Rigged elections 24th September 2009: There has been ballot-rigging and electoral fraud on a massive scale in Afghanistan, where up to about a third of the votes may have been fraudulently created in favour of the corrupt President Karzai, and only a small amount of irregularities in Iran, where President Ahmedinejad has been re-elected on the basis of clear widespread popular support. Meanwhile, the western media have been hysterically condemning Ahmedinejad, and supporting the unrepresentative demonstrations of his political opponents, yet brushing off the fraudulent election of the puppet President Karzai as a matter of little or no concern. Such hypocrisy and double standards are motivated by imperialist interests in the region, and not by a concern for the genuine wish of the people.
Population control 11th September 2009: The latest manifestation of the government's crazed frenzy of controlling the population through a database of personal information is a requirement that anybody with even tenuous connections with children - such as parents transporting children and their friends to social or sporting events - will have to undergo Criminal Records checks. This will cause unnecessary upheaval to mundane events, and will not be a realistic way of preventing abuse or crime being committed by people who are so inclined.
Justice abroad 9th September 2009: Why has the Justice Secretary Jack Straw recommended a royal pardon for a British man who was convicted in Bulgaria of attempted murder? On the one hand, we have been told that another man confessed to the attack - in which case he should have been released years ago when the confession was already known. On the other hand, it has also been reported that the confession has been discredited - in which case, what is the mysterious new evidence which Mr Straw claims to have?
Bomb plot 8th September 2009: The conviction of three men who plotted to blow up aeroplanes over the Atlantic ocean has indirectly exposed the incompetence of the Bush administration which jeopardised the investigation by ordering the arrest prematurely of Rashid Rauf, and thus possibly alerting other plotters who may not have been found.
Megrahi 22nd August 2009: The whole sorry saga of the imprisonment and release of Abdelbaset Ali Mohamed al Megrahi has come to an unsatisfactory conclusion with his arrival home in Libya. It is quite right that his release was met with rejoicing in Tripoli, just as the release of any innocent person after a period of wrongful imprisonment should be rejoiced. But his release - probably for hidden political or diplomatic reasons - was arranged only after he was pressurised, by forces and agencies of an uncertain origin, into dropping his appeal. His appeal was almost certainly going to succeed. In other words, he has been persuaded to give priority to his own personal short-term comfort rather than to address the interests of the victims of the Lockerbie bombing, who deserve to know the truth about who was responsible for planting the bomb. I have never believed that Libya or Megrahi ever had anything to do with the bombing, and, as a result of this shabby deal, it is now far less likely that the killers will ever be brought to justice.
Burma 12th August 2009: It is correct that Aung San Suu Kyi has been punished for allowing an uninvited guest to stay at her house without giving him up to the authorities. It was not her fault that he swam to her house, but it is her fault that she kept him there. I welcome the leniency exercised by the Burmese government in reducing the sentence substantially.
North Korea 5th August 2009: Why has the DPRK capitulated to the USA's demand to release two American spies who were caught red-handed inside North Korea illegally? I think we should be told.
World Champions 22nd July 2009: Congratulations to the delightfully vigorous and muscular Amir Khan, who has just become the world boxing champion in his weight category, and the amazing Tom Daley, who at the age of 15 has become the world diving champion, both in the same week. They are both excellent role models for young people in the UK.
Afghanistan 11th July 2009: Fifteen British soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan within the last ten days. Whenever I see them in action on the news or with documentary makers, under fire and struggling with poor equipment, I always wonder what are they doing there? Of what business is it for the British army to be involved in a civil war in a country thousands of miles away? Why is this tragedy being inflicted on the families of young men, back at home in the UK, in the name of a futile imperialist misadventure?
Iran 19th June 2009: The government of Iran has rightly condemned the interference of Western governments in the presidential election in Iran. The alleged irregularities in the counting of votes were probably minor, and not enough to affect the overall winner, but in any case should be investigated and resolved by the Iranian authorities themselves.
Unite Against Fascism 18th June 2009: The recent physical intimidation of the two BNP MEPs by UAF was misguided, wrong in principle, and wrongly targeted. They have their own democratic mandate just like any other MEPs. The point which the UAF seems not to understand is that the danger of fascism in this country comes more from the authoritarian and oppressive actions and legislation of the government and its agents in the police force.
Electoral Reform 10th June 2009: The Prime Minister has proposed a consultation process on whether the House of Commons should be elected by AV, or AV+, or some other such system. Only STV will do, because it gives the voter a choice of candidates within a party, abolishes safe seats, and allows voters to kick out bad or corrupt MPs. Any change to the electoral system should be done by a government with a mandate, within the first year of a parliament, rather than by a clapped-out and desperate government within the last year of its third term. This desperate move by a discredited prime minister is a last-gasp and doomed attempt to find a way of clinging on to a share of power. It may even be true that Gordon Brown is so deluded that he actually thinks that Labour might win under AV, whereas the truth is that it would merely exacerbate the impending overwhelming catastrophe which will be visited upon the Labour Party at the next general election.
European Election 8th June 2009: The election of two BNP MEPs is unfortunate, but it is only what the voters wanted. It should not be used as an argument against PR, but as a confirmation of its strength and ability to represent a variety of views.
North Korea 26th May 2009: All progressive peace-loving people applaud the nuclear weapon test by the DPRK. This act of self-defence will deter the threat of attack or invasion by the USA, which has a track record in such aggressive matters. The double standards of the United Nations in presuming to tell North Korea that it is not "allowed" to build its own sovereign national defence policy is as sickening as it is predictable.
Culture 17th May 2009: Rejoice! Rejoice! All night long, thousands of joyous citizens have been dancing and singing in the street to celebrate the joyful news that the Eurovision Sonk Ontest has been won by Alexander Rybak of Norway, who is the cutest singer ever to take part in the competition. This is a vindication of the festival of culture and music which represents the best of the modern bourgeois European mindset.
MPs' Expenses 14th May 2009: It is proper that MPs should receive help to pay for the necessary arrangements for having a second home in London, or in their constituency. The reason why there has been such a kerfuffle about moats, gardens, horse manure, mortgage flopping, lightbulbs and bathplugs is because the Fees Office has been too willing to approve claims for items which are not related to the job being done by the MP. It is no wonder that such claims have continued for so long, and become so extravagant, if nobody is effectively saying "No".
DNA records 8th May 2009: The European Court of Human Rights has ordered the British government to delete the DNA records of all innocent, uncharged, and acquitted people. The government's contemptible response is to say that it will keep the records for up to 12 years. Harriet Harman says that anybody who disagrees is "anti-justice", and the Home Office minister Vernon Croaker says that innocent people might "re-offend". What a way to spit in the face of liberty! What part of the word "innocent" does the government not understand?
MPs' Expenses 1st May 2009: Gordon Brown's proposals for reforming the arrangements for the payment of MPs' expenses - for homes, offices and staff, and so on - are illogical, flawed, irrational and not thought through. They seem to be a knee-jerk reaction to newspaper headlines, rather than based on the real needs and material working conditions of Members of Parliament. This fiasco is symptomatic of the fact that Gordon Brown is out of touch and not fit to be Prime Minister.
Ian Tomlinson 18th April 2009: The second post-mortem on Ian Tomlinson has revealed that he died of internal bleeding, not from a heart attack as was originally claimed. It is a new depth of corruption and lack of accountability that even a police pathologist feels the need to release false information to hide the responsibility of the police for their violence.
Double Standards 15th April 2009: The DPRK has resumed the development of its nuclear energy programme, and has ordered the removal of all interfering international inspectors, after the sovereignty and independence of the people and government of the DPRK was insulted and threatened by the USA and its imperialist allies under the guise of the "United Nations" and the "world community". It is insulting to all progressive internationalists to suggest that the USA is allowed to have hundreds of nuclear weapons, but that it can somehow dictate to other countries and tell them that they are not allowed to develop their own defences and resources themselves. The USA, the UN, and all who follow their bellicose threats, need to be taught that double standards are not acceptable. The DPRK, with its own nuclear deterrent, has demonstrated that the huge military might of the USA is useless in the face of the steadfast unity and determination of the people of North Korea in defending their independence.
Police Violence 9th April 2009: The death of a peaceful and innocent civilian has once again been revealed to have been in the aftermath of a clear and unambiguous incident of unprovoked police violence, and that the Metropolitan Police lied about the circumstances of the contact between the police and the victim. It is not yet clear whether the assault which was perpetrated against Ian Tomlinson actually caused his subsequent death, but past bitter experience shows that the police officer who assaulted him is unlikely to be prosecuted even on the most obvious charge of assault.
"Escape from North Korea" 7th April 2009: The BBC2 programme entitled "Escape From North Korea" was an inappropriately entitled, and muddled collection of misleading insinuations about the DPRK. It described the lifestyles of a misfit collection of Korean defectors living in China, who were little more than a bunch of criminals, prostitutes and drug-smugglers. Most of them were living in poverty, and would have been better off staying in North Korea and making an effort of contributing to society there. Hardly any information about life within the DPRK was given; indeed, the most significant testimony came from a loyal citizen of the DPRK who was described as someone who had "escaped" but who, it turned out, had been kidnapped and wanted to return.
North Korea 5th April 2009: North Korea is entitled to develop scientific and space research and exploration for peaceful purposes, just as any other country is. I applaud the launch of a satellite by the DPRK this week, and I am appalled at the fact that this progressive and peaceful development has been condemned by interfering imperialists from abroad. President Obama's claim that it has "broken the rules" is ridiculous, and merely confirms his lack of ability to make real changes to his position as the foremost puppet of global imperialism and mutinational big businesses. I am at a loss to understand why the United Nations is in "emergency session" to discuss the issue, when there is no emergency. Instead, the USA and the UN should dismantle the provocative sanctions and blockades which they have constructed against the DPRK, and should respect the independence and sovereignty of the people of North Korea to build their own society without fear of being attacked or invaded.
Rioting 2nd April 2009: It is contemptible that a worthy cause of anti-war, anti-imperialism, and pro-sustainability was prevented from getting its due media coverage because of the actions of a small number of violent anarchists who committed acts of violence against buildings, and provoked the police into counter-reaction.
Earth Hour 26th March 2009: In recent days, a self-important Trotskyite anarchist called Professor Chris Knight - who is evidently and patently as bonkers as he is egotistical - has taken it upon himself to threaten violence against organisations and businesses which do not agree with his demands of a token act of switching off lights. Such attitudes will only alienate progressive peaceful demonstrators who would otherwise have marched in support of the need to protect the Earth and to save energy. He will also have earned nothing but ridicule from proper Marxist-Leninist revolutionaries who understand the need for a sense of timing in planning the revolution.
Jade Goody 22nd March 2009: Jade Goody had a poor and deprived upbringing, a hard life, and an early prolonged and painful death. She faced numerous difficulties in her life with fortitude and determination, and never gave up as many would have done. Her greatest legacy will be to have saved the lives of innumerable other women who, inspired by the story of her very public suffering, were persuaded to have early smear tests and will be saved from cancer as a result.
War Games 18th March 2009: An intrepid group of progressive internationalist demonstrators picketed the American and South Korean embassies this week in protest against the forthcoming joint military and naval activities, which will involve 26,000 military personnel and which constitute an aggressive provocation against the independence and sovereignty of the DPRK. The USA is also threatening to shoot down the DPRK's new satellite, which will be used for peaceful and scientific purposes. Why did the CPGB(ML) not send any representatives to these demonstrations? Are they too obscurantist and isolated that they cannot be bothered to embrace the struggle for international peace in a practical way?
Age of Stupid 15th March 2009: The film "Age of Stupid", which had its premiere in 65 cinemas across the UK today, is a stark and very powerful warning of the dangers which face the Earth if rigorous and meaningful long-term action is not taken to reduce carbon emissions. Rich countries like the USA and Europe will have to reduce by 80% over the next 50 years, otherwise there will be a real danger of global warming exceeding 2 degrees Celsius. That would lead to an acceleration of global warming due to the release of methane from the oceans. Above all, we must reduce our dependence on - and addiction to - oil, and build substantial renewable sources. The NIMBY idiots who object to windfarms because they "spoil the view" have sown the wind, but it is their children and grandchildren who will have to reap the whirlwind in the form of food riots, water wars, fires, deserts, and refugee camps.
Climate Change 13th March 2009: Prince Charles is correct in his view that the dangers of climate change are more serious than the current financial crisis of global recession and depression. I disagree with his statement that we have 100 months in which to tackle the problem; I think that it is already too late. The era of mass migrations, famines and wars, driven by deforestation, desertification and water shortages, is only a few decades away. I believe that thius planet is on the verge of another mass extinction episode, and that there is very little which can be done about it.
Custard 6th March 2009: It is praiseworthy that an environmentalist protester threw custard over the Business Secretary, Lord Mandelson. It is a suitable punishment for a government which, by wanting to build a third runway at Heathrow, is hell-bent on destroying the planet by burning up as much fossil fuel as possible.
Chinese art 4th March 2009: I salute the courageous stand taken by the China National Treasures Fund in sabotaging the auction of two bronze animal statues which were looted from China in the 19th Century. It is astonishing and impertinent of the so-called "owner", Pierre Bergé to seek to blackmail the People's Republic of China by demanding that it should "give" Tibet "freedom" in return for the statues. He needs to learn that the people of Tibet have far more freedom, education, health care, equal resources and culture as part of the PRC than they ever would under the rule of the reactionary imperialist stooge, the Dalai Lama, in a separatist Tibet under foreign domination and with extortion of its natural resources by rampaging western multinational companies.
Sir Fred Goodwin 28th February 2009: Sir Fred Goodwin of RBS should be allowed to keep his pension of £650,000 per year, because he is legally and contractually entitled to it. Any idea, as suggested by Harriet Harman, that his money might be reduced by retrospective legislation would be rejected by any sane person and laughed at derisively in the House of Lords. The real blame in this matter lies with those who agreed the pension in the first place, i.e. the prime minister himself.
Monarchy 23rd February 2009: The Channel 4 programme "Dispatches" is misguided in questioning the details of expenditure by, or for, the Royal Family. It misses the point that the royals are, by their very nature, special and important, and should not be subjected to the same petty restrictions as ordinary peasants. The gorgeousness, vigour, strength and sexiness of Prince William and Prince Harry is more than enough to justify their multi-million pound fortunes.
Three strikes 23rd February 2009: Croydon Council has announced plans for a "three strikes and you're banned" scheme to tackle anti-social activity by chavs and booliaks in the town centre. Why three strikes? Why not one strike? Why do criminals need to be caught and convicted three times before being told that they are naughty and horrid?
Civil Liberties 17th February 2009: Dame Stella Rimington, former director-general of MI5, has warned of the dangers to liberty of the government's plans to introduce identity cards, to criminalise the photographing of police officers, and to allow the state to monitor private communications as a matter of routine. The fact that these oppressive measures are not effective against terrorism is precisely the reason why they are steadily being extended instead of being stabilised.
North Korea 17th February 2009: The American Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, has been gallivanting across Asia trying to bully the DPRK into stopping its energy and defence developments. This shows that the habitual arrogance and imperialist attitude of the USA continues as usual, despite the superficial appearance of "change" in the form of President Obama. Why does the USA recognise the principles of self-defence and independence in the case of Israel, but not North Korea? I think that Juche and Songun apply equally to both.
Miep Gies 15th February 2009: Today we celebrate the life and achievements of Miep Gies on the occasion of her 100th birthday. It was the immense courage and fortitude which she and her colleagues showed, at great risk to themselves, which kept eight refugees alive for two years longer than they would otherwise have survived.
Charles Darwin 12th February 2009: We are grateful to Charles Darwin - who celebrates his 200th birthday today - because he provided some of the genes for his gorgeous great-great-great-grandson, the delightfully vigorous and handsome actor Skandar Keynes.
Iran 11th February 2009: The Iranian regime is somewhat oppressive, reactionary, and based on adherence to a doctrine of religious superstition and mumbo-jumbo, but the general wellbeing of the people has improved in the thirty years since the revolution, and is better than under the imperialist puppet regime of the late Shah.
President Obama 5th February 2009: A British court has refused to publish details of the torture of a British subject at Guantanamo Bay, because the safety of British citizens has been endangered by a threat of blackmail and non-co-operation on security matters by the American authorities. This confirms the essential continuing truth of international relations, which is that President Obama is the figurehead of American imperialism which wants to bully and dictate domestic policies to the rest of the world, and that the British establishment is America's poodle and is not willing or able to stand up for the independence or sovereignty of the UK.
Workers of the World, Unite 31st January 2009: Energy workers in the East Midlands and elsewhere have gone on unofficial strikes, protesting against the employment of Italian, Portuguese and other foreign workers. Such narrow-minded chauvinism is misplaced; the adoption of a quasi-racist policy of "British Jobs for British Workers" - as demanded by the BNP and vocalised by Gordon Brown - would merely replace one set of unemployed workers in Britain with others in Europe. The root cause of the unemployment - here or elsewhere in Europe - is the profit motive for employers and for the ruling classes. Only a people-based system, instead of a profit-based one, will be able to match up the skills of the workers with the work that needs doing, and will vanquish the red herring of limited employment which is routinely used to constrain the consciousness of the people.
Heathrow 18th January 2009: The government's decision to approve a third runway for Heathrow airport flatly contradicts its policy of trying to reduce carbon emissions in the long term. If the planet is to be saved, and if a sustainable energy system is to be developed, then there has to be serious and genuine reduction in wasteful transport adventures such as flying.
Prince Harry 11th January 2009: It is ludicrous that Prince Harry is being criticised by some people for the harmless and friendly use of a colloquial term as a nickname for one of his colleagues in the army, in the context of a private conversation between friends. The only one who should be criticised is the person who leaked the video - which should have remained confidential within a small circle of friends - to the media. Instead of making false accusations of racism against Harry, the media should be praising him for his fearless courage, compassion, lean athletic muscularity, his vigorous masculinity and his extreme gorgeousness.
Gaza 3rd January 2009: The Israeli bombardment and invasion of Gaza is grossly disproportionate to the threat from Hamas which supposedly provoked it. In the last decade, only about 15 Israeli civilians have been killed by Hamas rockets. Within a week, more than 300 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli bombardment. They must include many dozen civilians even if the terrorists were supposedly being targeted. This military action has clearly been done with an eye on the forthcoming Israeli general election, in which being seen to be tough is more electorally productive than any idea of constructive dialogue.
Jonathan Driver (1967-2008) 2nd January 2009: We have heard of the tragic death on New Year's Eve of the Mayor of Croydon, Cllr Jonathan Driver. His sudden passing at the age of only 41 takes from us the youngest Mayor in Croydon's recent history, and also, in my experience, one who could control the council chamber with good humour and fairness more than many of his predecessors.
Stalin 18th December 2008: Today we celebrate the 130th anniversary of the birth of the great Soviet leader, Josef Vissarionovich Stalin. His leadership, vision and sense of timing were vital in developing rapid industrial and economic growth, and the rapid and substantial military development which enabled the USSR to take a leading role in the destruction of the Nazi tyranny in Europe. His injunction, in 1929, that the USSR needed to make up a deficit of 50 years of development (compared with the USA and other western countries) within ten years was fulfilled; the economic slump of the 1930s was avoided, and the strength and solidarity of the Soviet Union helped to maintain peace for forty years after WWII.
Bulgaria 17th December 2008: The reliability of the conviction of a British man in Bulgaria for attempted murder has been questioned, but the so-called confession of another man for the crime has also been doubted. Whether he is given an early release should be a matter for the Bulgarian courts and authorities. The decision by Jack Straw to consider recommending a royal pardon is an unwarranted violation of Bulgarian sovereignty.
Jean Charles de Menezes 12th December 2008: The fact that the police have been proved to have lied in their claim to have shouted a warning before murdering Mr de Menezes demonstrates the falsity of their pretence that they thought he was a suicide bomber. If such a belief had been genuine, then it would have been their duty to kill him without warning, before he could have a chance to detonate his bomb. If so, they would have been open about the fact that they did not shout a warning.
Welfare to Work 11th December 2008: The newest draconian measures to "persuade" unemployed people to "seek" work by deducting some of their benefits, at a time of impending recession and higher unemployment, reveals the logical and moral bankruptcy of the existing decadent moribund global capitalist system.
Jean Charles de Menezes 2nd December 2008: It is astonishing that the judge has told the inquest jury that they are not allowed to return a verdict of "unlawful killing". Such a verdict is the only one which could possibly fit with the evidence.
Damian Green 28th November 2008: The Conservative Party spokesman on immigration has been arrested in connection with an investigation into leaked documents. Why has the recipient of a leak been arrested, and not just the leaker? Such an action is unprecedented. Why were nine police officers sent to arrest him, when he would have attended willingly if asked? Why were they acting under "anti-terrorism" laws? Why did Boris Johnson know of the arrest before it happened? Why do the Home Secretary and Prime Minister claim not to have had prior knowledge of the arrest, which was known by the Mayor of London?
Prince Charles 14th November 2008: On the occasion of his 60th birthday, Prince Charles should be applauded as a caring and hard-working businessman, innovator and charity worker, who has improved the fabric of life of many thousands of people individually and collectively in numerous real ways. His example is the exact opposite of false accusations of parasitism and flunkeyism, and is an excellent advocate for the Monarchy. This
Barack Obama 8th November 2008: The election of Barack Obama as President of the USA is a welcome move from the ultra-reactionary neo-con regime of George Bush, Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld, but it should not be mistaken for a fundamental change towards a people-based social system. When Obama takes office in January, the main decisions in the world will still be determined by global economic forces of monopoly capitalism, multi-national corporations, and the historically inevitable dynamic force of imperialism. He will still be faced by the biggest financial crisis for decades; he will delay the withdrawal from Iraq, and may even intensify the war of plunder in Afghanistan. The widespread popular hysteria surrounding his campaign and his election will swiftly give way to disappointment and mediocrity as the real crisis still remains. The real problem with his political outlook is not, as the cynics have claimed, that it is too "socialist" but that it is not socialist enough.
Financial Crisis 19th October 2008: Gordon Brown has been hailed by some simple-minded international politicians and media as the man who saved the whole of the global banking system with his multi-billion pound bail-out scheme. These bloated parasites seem to be oblivious to the fact that it was policies such as those Brown has been enacting for 11 years that got us into this mess in the first place. But why have so many banks been saved by government intervention in the first place? In the 1930s, hundreds of banks were allowed to collapse under the weight of "market forces". The answer is that the whole of capitalism is dependent on the banking system. The UK economy is more dependent than virtually any other major economy on banking and financial services. Just as Marx predicted, in the most advanced stage of imperilaist capitalism, credit has become the principle method of exploitation, and it is the ordinary people who will suffer the consequences and who will pay for the cost of rescuing a moribund system.
Iceland 10th October 2008: Iceland has been targeted as a state which promotes terrorism, according to the British government. Why else would the 2001 Anti-Terror Law be used to investigate the latest manifestation of the international financial catastrophe? Perhaps the USA will invade Reykjavik.
Mandelson 5th October 2008: At the end of a week when the struggling American taxpayers have been squeezed for ever more hundreds of dollars to prop up the extortionate dealings of a handful of multi-billion-dollar banking conglomerates, and when Gordon Brown's moribund government has been given a tiny spark of hope by the worst financial crisis for seven decades, our esteemed Prime Minister has seen fit to reinvigorate his ailing regime by re-employing in his cabinet the toxic corpse of the disgraced and hated Lord of Darkness, Peter Mandelson. This scheming Machiavellian Enemy of the People will be the necrotising fasciitis of this government, and will only hasten the process of its own skankerous degeneration. Quite what the Prime Minister - who hates Mandelson to the depth of his core - thinks he can possibly achieve by such a move is beyond any rational analysis.
Georgia 28th September 2008: The principle of self-determination and sovereignty means that the territorial integrity of the whole of Georgia should be restored in its entirety, on the basis of equal treatment and esteem of all the people of Georgia, without Russian invasion or interference. Similarly, Georgia should have the strength and courage to follow its own path without being drawn into a net of exploitative interference and domination by the EU and NATO.
Banking Turmoil 26th September 2008: The last week or two has seen substantial turmoil in the world of banking, lending and finance, with several large banks supposedly being on the brink of "collapse" (whatever that means). The heaviest price will be paid by the poor who can least afford the burden; but the whole crisis is detached from the real world of material progress and consumption. If society were organised on scientific principles instead of being up for sale to the lowest bidder then the resources of the world could be used for the benefit of everybody instead of the profit of the few.
Two Handsome Hunks 15th September 2008: Inherent in the science of Dialectical Materialism is the existence of opposites and the resolution of contradictions. Today we celebrate the 24th birthday of the gorgeous and delightful Prince Harry, but also remember the sad passing 2 years ago of the very handsome actor Pablo Santos.
Capitalism 10th September 2008: A senior executive of the Energy firm E.ON has been criticised for saying that high gas and oil prices "will make more money for us". That is the essential truth and purpose of capitalism - to make profits for a minority of rich people instead of using scientific knowledge for the social benefit of the whole of society. It is a measure of the perversity and decadence of the modern capitalist and imperialist world that a man who tells the truth is condemned and criticised for being "insensitive".
The Land of the Free 5th September 2008: One of the key speakers at the Republican Party Convention in St Paul referred to the USA as "The Great Land of the Free". It would have been more accurate to refer to it as the Land of the Imperialists; the Land of the Warmongers, the Invaders, the Bombers, the Exploiters, the Despoilers, the Oppressors, the Expropriators, the Polluters; the Land of the bigots, the Christian fundamentalists, the homophobes, the Creationists, the racists; the torturers of the detainees in Guantanamo Bay. It is the land where a fair trial depends on being able to afford a lawyer rather than the weight of the evidence; where black people are disproportionately imprisoned and executed; it is the land of the selfish and the atomised individual who has no concept of world citizenship. It is the land which lets the poor die because they cannot afford a doctor or a dentist. It is the land which seeks to export its own vision of "democracy" at the point of a gun to millions of people all over the world who only want to live their own lives in their own way. It is the land which has used nuclear weapons in warfare and has threatened to do so again.
Olympics 28th August 2008: The Olympic Games in Beijing were a spectacular success, and excellently showed the superior ability of collective organisation by the efforts of the people on the basis of national prestige and cultural uplifting instead of being restricted by petty financial concerns. It is a great credit to the science of the Chinese government that pollution levels were successfully and dramatically reduced, by stopping emissions and by managing rainfall at the crucial time. It is a further credit that there were so few athletes disqualified because of drug tests. Just as the Chinese should be proud of their organisation of the Games - and of their record gold medal haul - the British team should also be proud of their achievement in winning 19 gold medals. We also salute the excellent results and efforts by Tom Daley, who finished 7th out of 30 competitors, and who should be rewarded with a knighthood to help him overcome the trauma of being molested by Tessa Jowell at the airport after his homcoming.
Olympic Diving 12th August 2008: Blake Aldridge has been impertinent, immature and disrespectful in criticising Tom Daley publicly and unfairly for his own failings, on the basis of false accusations. Blake's dives were significantly worse than Tom's, in spite of Blake's false claims. In contrast, Tom has behaved impeccably in the aftermath of his disappointing performance, and has only criticised Blake in private. We wish Tom well in his individual diving next week, and expect that his performance will improve without the malign influence of Blake Aldridge.
Alexander Solzhenitsyn 4th August 2008: Alexander Solzhenitsyn was not only one of the most hysterical perpetrators of slander, lies and exaggerations about the history of the USSR (he made the overtly ridiculous claim that 110 million people were murdered during the Soviet era, including 44 million in WW2, and 66 million before 1953, and that tens of millions were in labour camps throughout the 1960s and 1970s) but also he was also a far-right reactionary with fascist sympathies. He advocated that the USA should attack Vietnam again after 1975, and that it should intervene in the revolution in Portugal in 1974; he bemoaned the liberation of Portugal's colonies in Africa; pretended that tens of thousands of American PoWs were being used as slave labour in Vietnam; criticised the democratic reforms which were pursued by King Juan Carlos in Spain in 1976 after the death of Franco; described Spanish anti-fascist demonstrators as "terrorists"; and advocated the restoration of the Tsarist regime in Russia alongside a resurgence of the Orthodox Church. One thing which was accurate in the news reports today is that he was "influential" - unfortunately a large proportion of the media and public opinion appear to have been duped into thinking that such a slanderous third-rate liar, fantasist and fascist sympathiser somehow constitutes an objective source of truth about 20th century history.
Anniversary 26th July 2008: It was on this day in 1953 that the heroic people of North Korea successfully defended their native homeland against the warmongering exploits of the United States of America, and forced the USA into a humiliating ceasefire. The same day was also the beginning of the military uprising which eventually led to the Cuban revolution. Today the Croydon OMRLP celebrated these anniversaries with lots of food and cultural interaction with fellow Marxists from other parties in an event which will help to uplift the spirit and determination of the progressive forces across the world.
Radovan Karadzic 22nd July 2008: Ostensibly, it is hoped that the arrest of the former Bosnian Serb President, Radovan Karadzic, will lead to a fair trial at the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in the Hague, on the charges in relation to the Srebrenica massacre. However, the historical record of selective double standards by the western powers does not lead to optimism. The circumstances of the death of Slobodan Milosevic in 2006 give rise to suspicions that he was not given proper medical treatment for his heart condition, and he was removed from his position as President of Yugoslavia was after a western-backed coup and after the NATO bombardment of Yugoslavia for 2 months in which 2,000 people were killed. Manoeuvrings by the USA against Yugoslavia - the blocking of aid and trade credits - began in November 1990 (i.e. before the Yugoslav wars even started) as a prelude to turning the Adriatic coast into a backwater for German and EU exploitation, and providing US access through the southern Balkans.
Benefits 21st July 2008: The latest scheme invented by the ridiculous Work and Pensions Secretary, James Purnell, which ostensibly provides incentives for unemployed people to find employment, is in reality a smokescreen for the failings and decline of capitalism. It will serve only to reshuffle the labour market for menial low-paid jobs, drive down the real wages of the workers, and further stigmatise and marginalise some of the poorest and least fortunate members of the community.
Hands Off China 19th July 2008: Today the Hands Off China Campaign was launched (at the instigation of the Communist Party of Great Britain (Marxist-Leninist)) to defend the independence and sovereignty of the People's Republic of China, and to refute the slanderous distortions which have become prevalent recently in the western media on the subjects of Tibet, the Beijing Olympics, and the activities of aid and investment in other third world countries. Unlike the USA, the IMF and the World Bank, such aid is given to develop societies for the benefit of the people instead of extracting profits and raw materials and with one-sided conditions attached. The Croydon OMRLP is proud to be affiliated to this initiative and was represented at the launch meeting.
Voting 9th July 2008: Hazel Blears' idea that there should be some sort of lottery to encourage people to vote in local elections, and provide a reward, is a nincompoopismatic bourgeois deviation based on the false premise that voting is a worthy civic action per se. In reality it is yet another pathetic and ultimately futile attempt to entrench the institutional and self-perpetuating imperialist oligarchy, by damping down the political consciousness and involvement of citizens between elections.
Iran 9th July 2008: Iran has tested some new missiles which have a range large enough to reach Israel and various American military bases. This is a progressive step towards peace, security and national independence, and not a "threat" as has been portrayed in the reactionary media. It makes it less likely that Israel will make a pre-emptive nuclear or other attack on Iran or anywhere else.
Knife Crime 6th July 2008: The solution to the scourge of knife and gun crime must be social and political. There are no simple answers in metal detectors or random searches by the police. Since May, there have been 27,000 stop-and-search incidents by the Metropolitan Police, but only 2% of them resulted in a knife being found, and only 5% resulted in a person being arrested. A key element should be that schools should be allowed to equip children with a moral compass, a sense of worth, and a political awareness of their society so that they feel a stake in their community instead of a sense of worthlessness and wretched nihilism. Teaching art, music, theatre and culture is more important than pursuing a fetish for tests, targets, league tables, the mentality of short-term cost-benefit analysis and of writing off the children in the lower end of the spectrum. The fact that there are more people (including increasing numbers of women and children) in prison in both the UK and the USA than in most other European countries shows that prison doesn't "work"; it would be better to invest money in community groups and youth workers instead of more prisons.
Zimbabwe 1st July 2008: The BBC and other media today got themselves in a frenzy of righteous indignation about the failure of the African Union to condemn the position of President Mugabe of Zimbabwe after the "flawed" and "rigged" election. The journalists explained the inaction of the AU because of the number of other African leaders who have rigged elections or not allowed them for decades. They did not, however, explain why these other so-called despots - such as the leaders of Equatorial Guinea, Libya or Sudan - are not also subjected to widespread condemnation and vitriol by western media and governments. Why do they single out Zimbabwe for this impertinent outside interference and lecturing? I think that they are not even conscious of their own double standards. It was only a few weeks ago that Gordon Brown went bowing and scraping before the king of Saudi Arabia to beg for cheap oil, without condemning that government for its own human rights abuses.
Italy 27th June 2008: The Italian prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi, has proposed an Enabling Act which will make it possible for emergency laws to be passed without proper scrutiny, and has announced the intention that all Roma Gypsies will be forcibly fingerprinted - ostensibly to prevent crime and vagrancy. This is a typical example of the scapegoating and oppression of minorities as a method of distracting the population from general economic difficulties at a time of growing capitalist crisis.
Zimbabwe 26th June 2008: One should always take the mainstream media with a rather substantial pinch of salt when they are reporting on events in progressive countries which are at the forefront of the struggle against imperialism, but it is clear that the situation in Zimbabwe has deteriorated politically and economically, with several instances of violence in the context of the presidential election. The government of Robert Mugabe may indeed have been marked by bad handling and management of the land reform issue, and serious flaws in the election process, but that does not mean that there is an obvious alternative. Morgan Tsvangirai is a shallow and vacillating figure who cannot be trusted to take a reliable path on anything; the MDC is little more than a puppet organisation of western big business interests, and it is arguable that the real power lies with an army junta rather than with Mugabe himself. Any internal coup or external intervention could quite easily make the situation worse, with the possibility of escalating genocide and no magic wand to end drought or provide food. Lenin teaches us that alliances are useful only at some times and not others; waiting until the time is ripe and the situation is different is often the key to successful advances in the march towards a more progressive world. Thus there should be no ill-considered blunders into the internal affairs of Zimbabwe, either militarily or in the form of sanctions.
Anonymous witnesses 24th June 2008: The Law Lords ruled last week that the evidence of anonymous witnesses cannot be considered reliable as the main element of a prosecution case, because the identity and accuracy of the witnesses cannot be investigated or tested by the defence. The government has now said that it will introduce emergency legislation to "remedy the problem" and to allow such evidence to be admissible. They are missing the point that the "problem" was "remedied" by the Law Lords' ruling in the first place - i.e. the problem of innocent people being convicted on the basis of testimony by liars or fantasists.
Liberty 12th June 2008: Quite what David Davis thinks he is going to achieve by forcing a by-election in Haltemprice & Howden on the issue of defending civil liberties - detention, ID cards and so on - is not clear. From his party's point of view, repealing the 42-day detention limit should be a matter for the Conservative Party if it wins the next general election. A by-election circus, with the Liberal Democrats and Labour both probably absent from the battle, only serves to show up the whole charade of bourgeois parliamentary democracy for the exclusivist sham that it is.
Detention Without Charge 12th June 2008: The passage of this abominable proposal - by a vote of 315 to 306 - is another ratcheted step towards the establishment of a quasi-fascist state. Joseph Stalin said that social democracy - in this case, the Labour Party and Labour government - is objectively the moderate wing of fascism. Georgi Dimitrov said that fascist power was "the open terrorist dictatorship of the most reactionary, most chauvinistic, and most imperialistic elements of finance capital". We should not fall into the trap of singling out a small sub-group of MPs for criticism, such as the nine DUP MPs, the Independent MP for Blaenau Gwent, or the blatantly opportunist and unprincipled UKIP MP and other MPs who supported the government in return for various bribes and unprincipled deals; all 315 of the reactionary criminals are equally to blame for the fact that the fascist state is now slightly more overt, more blatant and more openly reactionary than before.
Detention Without Charge 11th June 2008: The proposal to detain "terrorist suspects" - in other words, innocent people - without charge for up to 42 days is outrageously illiberal and counter-productive. A steady stream of only a few people being detained in this way will only serve to stoke up resentment and alienation among the various minority communities who are already under a state of siege. It will not serve to prevent the general public being blown up on the tube. If there is any real reason for someone to be detained for a prolonged period, and if there is any reason to think that they are terrorists, then they should be charged and tried in the normal way.
Republic of Nepal 29th May 2008: The abolition of the monarchy, and the transformation of Nepal into a republic, is not a necessary precondition for the establishment of a people's democracy, but has happened in this case mainly due to the stubbornness and inadequacy of King Gyanendra himself.
Petrol Tax 28th May 2008: In the shadow of the current impending environmental crisis, and in the light of the fuel protests by lorry drivers, the solution should be to increase taxes on petrol (in order to make drivers pay according to the amount of pollution they produce) and reduce taxes on vehicles themselves.
Tom Daley 21st May 2008: Happy Birthday to the European men's 10 metre diving champion, Tom Daley, who is 14 today. Tom is an excellent example of the type of commitment and discipline which should be encouraged in young people by collective provision and funding of constructive activities for building health and character, instead of allowing young people to degenerate into a cultural wasteland of selfish despair, crime, debauchery, alcoholism, hooliganism, violence and degeneracy.
Jeremy Bamber 16th May 2008: Jeremy Bamber, who was convicted of murdering five members of his own family in 1985, has been told by the court that he will have to serve a whole life tarriff and will die in prison. It is right that someone who has committed horrendous multiple murders should be punished by a very long term of imprisonment - until they are in old age - but in the case of Jeremy Bamber it is wholly unfortunate because he is probably innocent, and has been punished for 23 years for the crimes of his deranged sister Sheila Caffell.
Revisionism 15th May 2008:
The April edition of Workers Power, which is the magazine for what it calls the British Section for the Fifth International, has two articles which promote reactionary positions on different international issues, supposedly on the pretext of supporting revolutionary and worker struggles. One calls for an independent Tibet, repeats western media lies about the "brutal" actions of the Chinese police in suppressing a violent and reactionary uprising by feudalist elements, and makes the absurd claim that ethnic cleansing has reduced the Tibetan nationality to a minority within its own land. Quite how the Tibetans can be a minority of just 95% of the population - with advantageous access to education and culture in their own language - is beyond any rational or scientific analysis. It should be remembered that Marxism-Leninism is, more than anything else, a science, whereas pseudo-Trotskyite revisionism is a muddled, backward and reactionary muddle of thoughts which can only lead to capitulation and appeasement rather than revolution and progress.
The second article flatly accuses Robert Mugabe of "stealing" successive elections in Zimbabwe, even though he and the ZANU-PF government have repeatedly been re-elected with majorities which were outside the scope of any credible irregularities. The official results of the recent elections, as verified by the ZEC, are very similar to the unofficial figures as assessed and verified by the MDC, and any substantial accusation of ballot-rigging is way beyond the rational.
Burma 13th May 2008: The slow response by the authorities in Myanmar to the cyclone devastation should not be used as a weapon of imperialist intervention. The army in Burma should be responsible for distributing food aid, without there being a shadow of invasion hanging over their heads on the spurious pretext of speeding up the aid and relief process.
Drugs 7th May 2008: I welcome the government's decision to reclassify cannabis as a class B drug, and the decision of Mayor Boris Johnson to ban the consumption of alcohol on public transport. Both are potentially useful small steps to combat the scourge of the degeneracy and hopelessness which is the hallmark of modern western societies, but will only be of use if they are properly enforced instead of police officers ignoring the criminality of those who undermine the cohesion of society.
Tibet 21st April 2008: Those who attacked the Olympic torch relay and who criticised the Chinese authorities for the situation in Tibet were mere proxies for a far more reactionary political agenda of engineering the secession of Tibet from China (Tibet has been a part of China for 700 years) and using it as a base for British and American imperialism in dominating the Asian region militarily and economically. The rich mineral wealth of Tibet would be plundered for profit of a few, rather than being used for the benefit of the whole people of China in building social provision and industry. Control of Tibet's water sources would bring powerful control over the two billion people who depend on the seven major river systems which originate in Tibet. We hope that the people of Tibet will not be bamboozled into supporting the reactionary separatist agenda of the Dalai Lama and the unrepresentative remnants of feudalism who are in exile in India, in a way that the western media have been.
Income Tax 19th April 2008: There is supposedly a growing rebellion of Labour MPs who are unhappy about the increase from 10p to 20p of the lowest income tax band. Why are they moaning about it now, more than a year after it was first announced? Why did so many of them vote for it in the first place?
Zimbabwe 12th April 2008: Gordon Brown says that the situation in Zimbabwe has become "intolerable". Since when has it been any of his business to decide whether to "tolerate" the political or electoral situation in another country? Instead of interfering in, or dictating to, another country's government, he should shut up and mind his own business.
Education 11th April 2008: A local education authority has been exposed as having used anti-terrorism legislation to spy intrusively on an innocent family, on the spurious and ludicrous pretext that it was protecting the admissions policy of a popular school. When the forces of the state and establishment come to treat ordinary citizens as a subversive enemy, instead of providing for their needs, the reactionary and oppressive nature of the state is exposed for what it really is. The state - locally and nationally - should provide for the basic needs of its people, including education for its children, instead of waging an oppressive war like a feudal satrap in a desperate attempt to shore up its own decaying position.
Beijing Olympics 6th April 2008: The onlookers and wellwishers who went to see the Olympic torch relay through London today were overwhelmingly positive. There were just as many positive demonstrators, with Chinese flags and Olympic insignia, as there were negative protesters ostensibly supporting Tibet. Unfortunately it was the minority who dominated the news bulletins on television, because it was they who were naughty, disruptive and violent. It is regretable that so many apparently reasonable and progressive people, including the likes of Peter Tatchell, were led astray by the unrepresentative reactionary posturing of the Dalai Lama and his religious clique. The best solution is that the Olympic Games should not be tainted by political boycotts, and the people of Tibet should be allowed to solve their own problems within China and without the interference of western governments on the pretext of supporting reaction and feudalism.
MPs' Expenses 4th April 2008: Taxpayers last year paid £4,000 for food just so that the deputy prime minister John Prescott could stuff his greedy gob on official expenses instead of paying for it from his normal salary. This and many other examples of extravagance show the bureaucratic attitude of the so-called people's representatives who have become detached from the real conditions of the people.
Zimbabwe 31st March 2008: The main television news media in the UK has been spouting out all sorts of excitable nonsense over the last two or three days about the elections in Zimbabwe; there are all sorts of rumours - started and spread by partial sources - to the effect that the election has been, or is being, heavily rigged or stolen; that Robert Mugabe has fled to Mozambique; that the army is debating how to tell him that he has lost; or that a peaceful transition of power may be imminent. The BBC and Channel 4 news both also repeated, as if it were an established fact, allegations that previous elections were also rigged. None of this is based on any substantial evidence or reliable reports. There may have been minor irregularities in some of the elections, but I have no reason to believe that they were, or are, of sufficient magnitude to make a substantive change in the overall results. Instead of spreading hysteria and excitement about "momentous" or "historical" events, the media should report the facts and wait for proper news. Experience of the enlightening logic and theory of Marxism-Leninism has taught me to take BBC reports with more than a pinch of salt when it comes to the reporting of events in progressive countries. There should also be no more nonsense about expecting, or asking for, any sort of intervention by South Africa or the other neighbours of Zimbabwe. It is not the job of Thabo Mbeki to be a stooge of western cultural or electoral imperialism.
Zimbabwe 27th March 2008: Robert Mugabe's government has mismanaged the policy of land redistribution, and there is evidence that plans are underfoot to rig the forthcoming presidential election. The bad state of Zimbabwe's economy does not, however, mean that a miraculous recovery would appear as if by magic if a different president were to be elected. There may well be significant shortcomings in the policies or abilities of Morgan Tsvangirai or the Movement for Democratic Change.
Bhutan 25th March 2008: It has been generally reported that the people of Bhutan are mostly reluctant to embrace parliamentary democracy, after it was introduced and imposed on them by the insistence of the King. The reason would seem to be because it is a fake, flawed, bourgeois democracy which might be likely to be degraded by corrupt and careerist politicians, and that it would might lead to western crime, corruption, disease and cultural degeneration. It would be better to have a more inclusive and interactive people's democracy, along the principles of Juche adapted to Bhutan conditions, with the King still firmly in a position of popular adulation.
China 20th March 2008: It is not yet clear how many people have died in the disturbances in Tibet, or what exactly has caused them, but it is reasonable that the authorities should be entitled to restore order to prevent further loss of life. The people of Tibet should have the benefits of self-determination, but Socialism With Tibetan Characteristics would be superior to Feudalism With Tibetan Charateristics as well as being superior to an imposed Socialism With Chinese Characteristics. The people of Tibet should build their own society without being distracted by the bogus and outdated figurehead of the Dalai Lama being pretended or presented as their representative. It should also be remembered that all objective historians regard Tibet as having always been part of China - and not an independent state, as is sometimes thought. Meanwhile, there should be no boycott of the Beijing Olympics; the games should not be used as a political football.
EU Constitution 6th March 2008: Yesterday the House of Commons voted by 311 votes to 248 not to allow a referendum on the new proposed EU Constitution, despite all three main parties having promised one. This means that 74 MPs, including most of those who call themselves "Liberal Democrat", abstained. Where were they? Why do they indulge in such a basic betrayal of those who elected them? And why do they even pretend to be democratic?
Afghanistan 29th February 2008: It is a matter of concern that Prince Harry's military tour of duty in Afghanistan has been jeopardised by premature reporting by foreign websites. The fact that his presence in Helmand province is now known by the Taliban means that he and his colleagues are in particular danger, and he should now be withdrawn to return to the UK as soon as possible. I have great respect and admiration for his courage, dedication and willingness to serve his Queen and country, and for the technical work he has been doing. There can be no doubt that his toughness and courage are matched only by his hunkiness and gorgeousness. However, none of this should distract from the basic fact that the British and other western military forces have little or no purpose in being in Afghanistan at all; it is a reckless imperialist adventure which has no real connection with the safety and security of people here in the UK, or with British economic interests. Not just heroic hunky Harry but all British forces should come home from Afghanistan.
Benefit Claimants 28th February 2008: The Daily Telegraph reports that the government is planning a draconian reform of the benefits system, including incentives for private firms to find jobs for unemployed claimants, and punitive reductions for vulnerable people who do not "co-operate". This is yet another smokescreen to hide the reality that the existing economic system does not provide adequate opportunities for the poorest people, and seeks to blame the victims for their own plight. It is bound to end up as yet another re-shuffling of schemes and gimmicks to hide the number of unemployed people under different labels and action plans.
Heathrow Protest 27th February 2008: Gordon Brown said that decisions about what happens in the country should be made by members in the chamber of the House of Commons, and not by the people on the roof. The problem is that decisions are not made by either group of people - the real power lies with the tyranny of the European Union, and with multi-billion pound international corporations. Meanwhile, I salute the courage and tenacity of the anti-runway protestors who managed to get onto the roof.
Mohamed Fayed 19th February 2008: The insane rantings of Mohamed Fayed, who claims that Princess Diana was murdered by a huge conspiracy of people including Prince Philip, Prince Charles, MI5, MI6, the CIA, French Intelligence, Tony Blair, several peers, police officers and personal friends, is nothing more than a bizarre smokescreen to hide the responsibility for failures in security arrangements at the Ritz Hotel in Paris - for which Mohamed and Dodi Fayed were, themselves, substantially responsible.
Northern Rock 19th February 2008: The collapse and nationalisation of Northern Rock means that billions of pounds of losses and gains have been transferred, as if by some process of magic or alchemy, from one set of people to another. It is still very meaningless in terms of the real material conditions of the world. This bizarre spectacle - which exposes the type of crisis which is inherent in capitalism - is totally unconnected from the normal process of human progress and development, which is supposed to enrich people with things and fulfil needs rather than conjure up mysterious headlines with several zeroes in them.
Castro 19th February 2008: We wish Fidel Castro well in his retirement, and salute and applaud his steadfast leadership throughout 49 years of the Cuban revolution. We recognise the superior development by Cuba of basic human requirements such as health, education and housing, and we sincerely hope that the forward-thinking and progressive policies of the government of Cuba will continue to resist the sabre-rattling of the United States of America. Normalisation of links between Cuba and the USA - in terms of trade and tourism - can only happen on the basis of mutual recognition and acceptance of national sovereignty.
Kosovo 17th February 2008: The province of Kosovo has decided to make a unilateral declaration of independence today, but it is a very peculiar and warped idea of "independence" which reduces the area to a colony of the European Union, whose government can be overruled by the EU, and whose national integrity will be destroyed by the colonial whims of the EU and the imperialist manoeuvrings of NATO. The reality of the last few years has been to legitimise and accelerate the marginalisation and exclusion of the Serb minority, just as much as the Albanians were being downtrodden by the Serbs before the external intervention. The only acceptable future for an independent Kosovo would be one free from foreign occupation, with equality of esteem and participation by all communities in the country, and on the basis of a democracy built by the Kosovo people themselves - not the "democracy" which has been dictated and demanded by the EU.
Kim Jong Il 16th February 2008: On the occasion of his 66th birthday, we salute the steadfastness of the Dear Leader, Kim Jong Il, the Workers' Party of Korea, and the people of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, in their unity and determination to build a strong and independent Korea, to defend their nation on the basis of the Songun policy, and to maintain progress in the six-party talks despite the unconstructive delaying tactics of the USA in providing the promised energy assistance and technology. It is by unswervingly following the Juche line that the continuing existence of the DPRK has been assured, when other communist countries have fallen by the wayside more than a decade ago.
Guantanamo 12th February 2008: The USA has graciously decided to allow six Al-Qaeda suspects to be tried by a military kangaroo court in Guantanamo Bay, on the basis of confession evidence which was gained by torture. The fact that the proceedings will be tape-recorded (but not broadcast) is being emphasised by the authorities, as we are supposed to accept this blatantly illegal and unjust charade of civilisation. Meanwhile, the world's biggest war criminal, President George Bush, boldly states that he will veto any attempt to ban the use of water-torture as a method of extracting confessions from terrorist suspects.
Archbishop 10th February 2008: The Archbishop of Canterbury has suggested that some aspects of Islamic sharia law might be incorporated into, or recognised by, British law. In light of this outrageous suggestion, some people are calling for him to resign. I hope not; the longer he stays in office the more the establishment of religion will be discredited.
Queueing 5th February 2008: A government body calling itself the "Commission on Integration and Cohesion" has issued advice to immigrants that they should queue for things, not spit on the pavement, and not assault people. Perhaps Hazel Blears, the cabinet minister responsible, should re-name it as the "Commission for Stating the Obvious".
Suharto 31st January 2008: The death of the Indonesian dictator, General Suharto, reminds us of the hundreds of thousands of people who were killed in the name of preventing the spread of communism. It is a bizarre but typical example of the double standards of imperialism that wholesale massacres in Indonesia, Angola, Latin America and other countries are glossed over by the western powers as a "price worth paying" whereas similar numbers of hundreds of thousands of people who were executed after due process of law for counter-revolutionary and treasonable activities in the USSR in the 1930s are routinely grossly exaggerated and magnified without proper evidence.
Gaza 24th January 2008: Local activists have blown holes in the southern border of the Gaza strip, thereby allowing residents to cross the border to obtain supplies from Egypt. This is a practical act of liberation which will ease the restrictions which are slowly strangling Gaza society as a result of blockades and sanctions being applied by Israel. It is a reminder that military occupation is not the only way in which strong nations can oppress and stifle the independence and self-determination of weaker ones.
London Mayor 21st January 2008: The Channel 4 programme "Dispatches" has highlighted the excessive powers of the position of Mayor of London, and the lack of effective methods of scrutiny of those powers. The solution should be for more powers to be held, and more decisions made, by the London Assembly. The programme was, however, flawed in conflating criticisms of the constitutional structure of the Mayor and Assembly with criticisms of the policies of the incumbent Mayor Ken Livingstone.
Harry Potter 17th January 2008: The highly institutionalised reactionary old fool, Pope Benedict XVI, has denounced the Harry Potter books and films as being "diabolical" and based on "witchcraft" and "the occult". These words are designed merely to disguise the fact that His Holiness is jealous of the youth, vigour and gorgeousness of Daniel Radcliffe, in whose body and flesh Harry Potter has come to be incarnated.
Cultural Diversity 7th January 2008: Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali of Rochester claims that there are some "no-go areas" where non-Muslims are afraid to go. This is complete nonsense; I have always felt completely safe in areas such as Brick Lane or Southall, where there are substantial numbers of Muslims in the local population, and I celebrate the diversity of such areas. Such statements make me feel proud to be an atheist.
Benazir Bhutto 27th December 2007: The assassination of Benazir Bhutto comes as no surprise, and was completely expected. Ms Bhutto herself was the first to acknowledge that she had put her own life in grave danger by returning to Pakistan in October. If she had been returned to the position of prime minister, then she would have been a willing puppet and stooge of U.S. imperialism, with her stated wishes to allow American forces to cross the border from Afghanistan in pursuit of the Taliban. She would have been just as useless for the poor, and she would probably have been sacked for a third time for corruption, in the unlikely event of the PPP winning the election under her leadership. The only realistic prospect of her returning to power would have been as a prop for the wretched and reactionary regime of President Musharraf, and the irony of her assassination - which I condemn - is that it served no practical purpose; Bhutto was in any case part of the past and not part of the future of Pakistan.
Climate Change 15th December 2007: The agreement on climate change which has been reached in Bali is a small step towards a long-term solution to the problem of climate stability and environmental sustainability. However, it is mostly only about further talks and the possibility of an agreement in 2009. It is unlikely to lead to real substantial change as long as the existing world political and economic system is based on the extraction and exploitation of wealth and resources by the rich over the poor.
North Korea 14th December 2007: I welcome the news that the New York Philharmonic Orchestra will perform in Pyongyang. This is a small but meaningful step towards peaceful co-existence and enhanced cultural understanding between the USA and the DPRK.
Amir Khan 8th December 2007: Today the extremely gorgeous Amir Khan celebrated his 21st birthday and successfully defended his boxing title against Graham Earl. Mr Earl's bitter comments afterwards, when he blamed the referee for stopping the fight early, were to disguise the real reason for his disappointment: the truth is that he was jealous of Amir's lovely handsome face and beautiful muscular body. Meanwhile, the rest of the population of the country has been dancing and singing all night to celebrate the joyous news of Amir Khan's victory. Amir also had an ulterior motive for wanting to win the fight. Not only did he want to keep his title and his unbroken record of successive victories in all of his professional fights, but he was eager to preserve his beauty for his fans by preventing his opponent from damaging his lovely smooth handsome face with any cuts, bruises, scars or blemishes.
Croydon Council 3rd December 2007: Today was the last meeting of the full council in Croydon before Christmas. For the first time in nine years, observers from the public gallery were not invited to join in with mince pies and drinks afterwards. This exclusive and hierarchicalist attitude of the incumbent Mayor is a symptomatic manifestation of the frantic and frenzied reactionary hysteria of the bourgeoisie in the modern era of neo-imperialist crisis, as it desperately tries to hold onto its expropriated privileges at the expense of the proletariat.
Sudan 29th November 2007: A British teacher in Sudan has been imprisoned for 15 days for insulting Islam. We do not support such reactionary and oppressive laws, but this situation is a reflection of the level of historical development of Sudanese society. The fact that she has apologised and expressed remorse for what was an unintentional cultural misunderstanding is mitigation for the offence but not a full defence. We should not condemn Sudan for upholding its own laws, just as the UK would not want to be lectured for upholding its laws against incitement to racial hatred. It would be a mistake of imperialist tendencies to hype this situation into a major diplomatic incident; instead it is for the people of Sudan to build a more progressive and secular future for their own society in their own time.
Fascism 26th November 2007: I am delighted that the fascists David Irving and Nick Griffin have been prevented from spreading their doctrine of racism and hatred at the Oxford Union by hundreds of students, anti-fascists, and ordinary demonstrators who courageously and valiently occupied the building by force of numbers. Experience shows that the supposedly balanced norms of bourgeois democracy merely help fascism to get a foothold in positions of power, from which that same democracy can be strangled, and that fascism in the past has been stopped in its tracks by the masses of the people in Cable Street in 1936, and on the streets in the 1970s against the National Front.
Pakistan 17th November 2007: Some western media and political sources may think that a new government under Benazir Bhutto may somehow be the way forward for Pakistan in leading a way out of the current military crisis. But they would be mistaken; Ms Bhutto has been prime minister twice before. She did not manage to achieve any substantial reforms in ownership of land, the end of bonded labour or gross inequalities of wealth, and she was sacked for corruption on both occasions. As an Oxford-educated member of the privileged ruling class, Bhutto is part of the problem and not part of the solution. The way out of the crisis, and the only way to prevent the entrenchment of a military dictatorship, is a people's government, if necessary by way of a revolution. There is no realistic prospect of the planned general election on 8th January being in any meaningful way free or fair when the so-called state of emergency is still in place.
Peter Phillips 15th November 2007: The entire country has been dancing and singing all day long to celebrate the 30th birthday of the most gorgeous man in the world. Maintaining the long tradition of a popular monarchy is entirely consistent with the principles of establishing a Democratic People's Loony Britain, and maintaining fraternal relations with Commonwealth countries is still viable as long as it is not used as a cover for post-colonialist neo-imperialism.
Pakistan 4th November 2007: The State of Emergency which has been declared by General Parvez Musharraf in Pakistan - in reality, a coup by the incumbent government against its own people - is an attempt to frustrate the will of the people being expressed through the democratic process. It is portrayed as a necessary step to prevent the spread of Islamist militancy, but in reality it will only exacerbate the slide towards a civil war and the construction of a Taliban-style regime in Pakistan.
The murder of Jean Charles de Menezes 1st November 2007: Sir Ian Blair has said that he will not resign as head of the Metropolitan Police, even though two of his trigger-happy officers murdered an innocent commuter in a frenzy of incompetent hysteria. He originally said that Mr de Menezes was running away from the police that killed him; that he jumped over the ticket barrier; that he failed to obey instructions when challenged; and that he was wearing bulky clothing. None of those statements were true, and neither is this one now.
Human Rights 31st October 2007: Recent cases have highlighted the fact that some foreign-born criminals cannot be deported to the countries of their birth after being released from prison, because the lack of family and other connections in those countries mean that it would be a breach of their human rights to do so. This is a correct decision. There has been no similar hysteria in the media about the routine released of British criminals. People who suggest that the legal system should pay more attention to the human rights of the victims of those criminals are missing the point; the whole point of "human rights" is that they apply to everyone, not just a selection of "decent" or "law-abiding" ones.
The murder of Jean-Charles Menezes 20th October 2007: The police commander Cressida Dick says that she did not give any orders for Jean Charles Menezes to be shot or killed, only for him to be stopped and searched in the normal way on his journey to work. The fact that he travelled on two buses without being intercepted, before boarding a train, further confirms that the responsibility for his murder lies fairly and squarely with the officers who shot and killed him.
EU Treaty 19th October 2007:
The assorted presidents, prime ministers and foreign ministers of 27 European countries have agreed the
terms of a new European Union Treaty which further centralises power in the institutions of the corrupt,
undemocratic, outdated capitalist organ of imperialism which is the EU. Far from being a minor tidying-up
exercise, as is falsely claimed by our own esteemed prime minister Gordon Brown, it is a massive act of
state-building which creates a permanent EU president, a foreign minister, a self-amending mechanism which
obviates the need for future treaties, jurisdiction over home affairs by the European Court of Justice, an
EU public prosecutor, extended EU powers over social security policy, employment, self-employment, trade,
financial regulation [this from an organisation of which the accounts have not been audited for 11 years],
public health, civil and criminal legal procedures, asylum, immigration, defence, transport, energy,
sport, science and space policies.
Furthermore, the prime minister of the UK refuses to honour his own
election pledge for a referendum on the EU Treaty, because he pretends that it is substantially different
from the former proposed Constitution. This is despite the fact that the German Chancellor
says that the substance of the Constitution is preserved; the Spanish prime minister says that a great
part of the content of the European Constitution is captured in the new treaties; the Danish prime
minister says that the core of the Constitution remains; the Irish Taoiseach says that 90% of the old
Constitution remains; the Czech president says that only cosmetic changes have been made; the Finnish
foreign minister says that nothing from the original institutional package has been changed; the Belgian
prime minister says that it includes the most important elements; the Slovenian prime minister says that
it is not essentially different; and the former French president who was the main author of the Treaty
says that the proposals are largely unchanged.
In the words of the journalist Sean Thomas, "Anyone who isn’t shocked by the EU doesn’t understand it.
Laws are made by an unelected politburo, and passed by obscure people with legal immunity, that are then
scrutinized by overpaid and corrupt MPs sitting in a parliament that no one votes for, which is sited in
two countries for no good reason at vast expense, whose accounts are consistently proved fraudulent, and
the whole thing lacks any democratic legitimacy because there is no people, do demos, no single media to
provide opposition or exercise influence - and - and - and - when the people DO have the temerity to say
NO, these voices are simply ignored or bypassed with unconcealed contempt."
This undemocratic
outrage has gone too far already. It is time for all the leaders of these 27 countries to be overthrown
and swept away by a great proletarian revolutionary uprising for the traitors that they are.
Menzies Campbell 15th October 2007: The leader of the Liberal Democrats has suddenly resigned, less than two years after his predecessor was forced to resign in equally abrupt circumstances. The Conservative and Labour Parties have both been substantially ahead of each other in the opinion polls within the last two weeks, as the three main imperialist parties thrash around frenziedly in the fetid swamp of bourgeois politics. The ordinary masses of the people are meanwhile yearning for the leadership of the Loony Party to lead them up the mountainside into the sunny uplands of a progressive people-based democratic society.
Prince Harry 12th October 2007: The artist Daniel Edwards has produced a statue of Prince Harry, portraying him as a dead soldier, as a tribute to those who are willing but unable to fight for their country in warzones. This statue has been widely criticised, but I believe that it is a thoughtful work, and a worthy tribute to the courage and dedication of His Royal Hunkiness. It is a tribute to his willingness to risk his life for his fellow citizens, and has merit regardless of any arguments about the Iraq war itself.
Pre-Budget Statement 9th October 2007: The chancellor's pre-budget statement today was dominated by substantial policies which were blatantly and overtly copied from the Conservative proposals from last week's conference. None of this matters, of course, because the Conservative and Labour Parties are merely two faces of the same bourgeois reactionary coin, furthering the interests of the ruling classes by occupying the so-called "middle ground" and restricting the voters to a bogus non-choice once every four years.
March Against War 8th October 2007: The march in London today organised by the Stop The War coalition, from Trafalgar Square to Parliament Square, went ahead because of the irresistible force of numbers which made the police realise that it was a futile and counter-productive idea to think that the genuine will of the people could be stifled by an archaic item of oppressive legislation from 1839. There was a clear contrast between the self-serving narrow hierarchical stratum of MPs from the bourgeois parties in the House of Commons, and the thousands of progressive peace-loving people outside. As was stated in one of the slogans of the march, "This is what democracy looks like".
Kim Jong Il 8th October 2007: Today is the 10th anniversary of the election of the Dear Leader, Comrade General Kim Jong Il, as General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea. On Wednesday it will be the 62nd anniversary of the foundation of the Workers' Party of Korea. We salute Comrade Kim and the WPK on their steadfast leadership in building a people's democracy for the whole people of the DPRK and in standing up to the aggressive imperialist threats and sanctions of the USA. Following the wishes of the people, not allowing the exploitation of one class by another, and preserving the distinctive national character of the revolution, has been the key to preventing the sort of catastrophic collapse which took place in the Central European countries in the late 1980s.
General Election 6th October 2007: It comes as no surprise that the prime minister has decided not to call a general election for November. The intense frenzied speculation about a possible election, which has been increasing over the last few weeks, has come from the media, not the government.
Bhagat Singh 27th September 2007: Today is the 100th anniversary of the birth of the Indian revolutionary martyr Bhagat Singh, whom we commemorate as a guide to study and action. He was never without a book, and was conscious of the need for knowledge and understanding of theory to be necessary as a guide for political action. We also celebrate the 150th anniversary of the great Ghadar (the so-called Indian "Mutiny") when thousands of Indian workers and peasants rose up against the British authorities who had systematically destroyed and undermined the culture, education, history and economy of India, and who were consciously imposing a Eurocentric form of political administration, a western class system with a privileged class of fellow- travellers, and a distorted western education system designed to entrench that class. The current ruling classes in India are merely the historical continuation of the privileged British elite in a different form, and there has been little or no fundamental change in the condition of the masses of the peasantry. In remembering Shaheed Bhagat Singh, his foresight and his vision, we also remember his slogans: Inqilab Zindabad! Long Live the Revolution! Samajwad Murdabad! Down with Imperialism! Long Live the Dictatorship of the Proletariat!
Andrew Pelling 25th September 2007: No Comment.
Pablo Santos 15th September 2007: Today we remember the first anniversary of the tragic death of Pablo Santos. The OMRLP and WAAAAGH suggest that part of the international aid budget should be used to give grants to cute Mexican teenagers to train them to become film actors to replace those who have clumsily been killed in plane crashes.
Northern Rock 14th September 2007: Thousands of small investors in the Northern Rock building society have been panicking and queuing up to withdraw their savings because of a short-term cash-flow problem which is being experienced. This in turn is because of the tightened availability of loaned and credit from other banks, a reduction in confidence in interest rates, and a wave of mortgage difficulties in the USA. This is yet another demonstration of the perversities, instabilities and speculative weaknesses of the international capitalist system; it has nothing to do with the real material situation whereby resources are physically available or usable. The only stable and sustainable society is one in which the world's resources are produced and shared on a fair and rational basis, according to the most up-to-date scientific techniques and methods of production, instead of being held hostage by irrational speculation by a small network of multi-billionaire banks and bankers.
European Union 11th September 2007: The European Union has gracefully decided to allow us to continue using imperial measurements such as pounds and ounces. Who the hell do these despots think they are to presume to tell us what they are allowing us to do? We do not need permission from an unelected and corrupt dictatorship to continue the traditions of a thousand years. It is our freedom to live, and none of their business to give us a right to do so.
Memorial Service 31st August 2007: Prince Harry's tribute to Princess Diana at the memorial service today excellently demonstrated that the best legacy she left to the world is two handsome sons with their positive and meaningful careers and energetic lives. William and Harry genuinely care about people, and the country which they serve, just as much as Diana did.
Prison Strike 29th August 2007: The Prison officers' strike today highlights the inconsistency of the government's policy on crime. On the one hand, the government is hell-bent on stuffing the prisons to overflowing and is not willing to build the necessary extras places for the criminals who are being sentenced; on the other hand it is not willing to pay the staff adequately who are charged with looking after and rehabilitating them. The argument that it is "illegal" for prison officers to strike is irrelevant; their action today was part of the struggle for the decent treatment of all of society's essential workers. Their concerns would be ignored at the government's peril.
Royalty 27th August 2007: It is understandable that the Duchess of Cornwall prefers not to attend the memorial service for Diana, Princess of Wales, due to the danger of it causing a distraction from the primary purpose. But it is also regrettable that this decision was forced by extensive media pressure, against the wishes of Prince Charles, Prince William and Prince Harry.
Migration 23rd August 2007: The front page of today's "Daily Mail" has a headline which announces the number of the UK's migrants for the last 12 months: 574,000 immigrants, and 196,000 emigrants. These numbers are a normal part of the processes of the world economy, and are nothing to be worried about per se. But the newspaper chose to illustrate the story with photographs which could have come straight out of a Nazi propaganda film: a healthy white Aryan British family, with two children, and a group of swarthy, dirty, dishevelled single men from Eastern Europe. Such tabloid stories can only be designed to stir up racism and resentment where none need exist.
American Democracy 21st August 2007: John Pilger's powerful documentary film about the USA's War on Democracy in Latin America vividly illustrates the distorted version of American Democracy, whereby small countries in Uncle Sam's back yard are allowed to have a subdued, compliant and subservient democracy, as long as the nation's assets and natural resources are stripped, scrapped or sold at low prices to big multi-national corporations. The result is that the select few who constitute the rich middle class get richer, the poor get poorer, and real power is kept out of the hands of puppet bourgeois parties. Under such a system, so-called democratic elections are a sham because it is the same international capitalists who keep the wealth, and the poor and underprivileged people who remain deprived of basic social provision such as clinics and schools. Venezuela and Bolivia show the way forward, as people can reclaim real power for themselves and control their own country's resources.
Heathrow Protest (2) 19th August 2007: I went to the protest today against the third runway at Heathrow. The demonstrators were peaceful, colourful, cultured and progressive, and were ranged against the unsmiling forces of the establishment. Ultimately it is the people who will decide whether they want to fly, or the Earth to die.
Heathrow Protest 13th August 2007: Hundreds of peaceful protesters are camping outside Heathrow airport in order to increase awareness of the dangers of climate change, and the contribution to it which is made by air travel. They have been peaceful, progressive and disciplined, and have organised cultural events and political discussions, to increase consciousness of the issues. And what has been the response of the establishment? Police are threatening to stop and arrest demonstrators under anti-terrorism legislation, to blockade roads, and are instinctively treating protestors as criminals. The media is jumping on the bandwagon with false hysterical scare-stories about protestors planting fake bombs in the airport itself. Why such reaction? Because the existing military and business hierarchy can only depend on the concept of never-ending "growth" without any conscious awareness of environmental sustainability or responsibility.
Stock Market 10th August 2007: The FTSE stock exchange in London has fallen in value by 4% in one day, the biggest fall since before the Iraq war. Apparently this was sparked off by uncertainty in the American mortgage system. Billions of pounds, dollars, euros and yen are being traded and gambled against each other, and the value of big international corporations are being slashed "on paper". What does any of this mean? It doesn't make the slightest bit of difference to a refugee displaced by war in Darfur, a Palestinian deprived of water in the West Bank, a single parent living in a squalid damp tenement in Glasgow, a Somali refugee, or an innocent Muslim who has been kidnapped and tortured by the American military. It does not prevent the rain from falling, the plants from growing, animals from grazing, and should not make any difference to the management of the resources of the world. So why all the fuss? Because the whole of international capitalism is designed to make profits for a small minority of millionaire businessmen who have no concept of a sustainable future, or a world which belongs to all of its people.
Mass Extinction 8th August 2007: The extinction of the baiji dolphin in the Yangtze basin - the first large vertebrate to become extinct in fifty years - highlights the urgent need to build an environmentally sustainable future for the world, based on scientific principles. Instead of relentlessly pursuing greater profit, humanity needs to find and invest in renewable sources of energy, and less pollution, and to share the world's natural and human resources on the basis of equality. If this is done, then there will be enough food and shelter for all people to live adequately. If not, and if the current scramble for oil and exploitation is continued, we may be all facing a mass extinction after a few decades of degradation, desertification, exploitation, empoverishment, flooding, disease, mass migrations and catastrophic social and energy collapse.
Foot and Mouth Disease 5th August 2007: The latest outbreak of Foot and Mouth disease exposes the incompetence of the government in failing to vaccinate animals as a precaution, and in failing to prevent the apparent escape of the virus from a laboratory near to the source of the outbreak. It is also welcome for another reason, which is that it provides another progressive step towards the ultimate Loony aim of normalising the countryside.
Prince Louis 3rd August 2007: Happy 21st Birthday to the very handsome Prince Louis of Luxembourg! Best wishes to him, Tessy, and Gabriel, and congratulations on their forthcoming second child.
Cohabitation 31st July 2007: It is ridiculous to propose that cohabiting unmarried couples who separate should be constrained by the same laws of separation and asset distribution as divorcing couples. If people want to make such arrangements then they should get married.
Peter Phillips 29th July 2007: I send my great congratulations and very best wishes to the most gorgeous man in the world and his lovely girlfriend Autumn Kelly on the joyous occasion of their engagement. The utter delight which this news has given to many admirers in unbounded.
Floods 26th July 2007: Hundreds of thousands of people all over the Midlands have been inconvenienced by their homes being flooded, electricity and water supplies disrupted, property damaged, and road and rail links have been interrupted. It's all their own silly fault for clumsily living in low levels, and not at the tops of hills like normal people.
Libya 25th July 2007: Several Bulgarian nurses and doctors, having been convicted of infecting children with HIV, have been repatriated from Libya to Bulgaria to allow them to serve the remainder of their sentences in prisons at home. It is normal for such arrangements to be made when citizens of one country are imprisoned in another. However, the government of Bulgaria has abused the goodwill of the Libyan authorities, by freeing the prisoners prematurely. It has been reported that the President of Bulgaria has given them a "pardon" even though it is not in his power to do so. Severe doubts have been expressed about the safety of the convictions, and the evidence on which they were based. But the unilateral breach of trust which has been perpetrated against Libya by the government of Bulgaria is not conducive to encouraging such exchanges in future.
Ealing Southall 20th July 2007: Thousands of joyous citizens have been dancing and singing in the streets all night long to celebrate the joyous news that I came a very high 9th out of 12 candidates in the Ealing Southall by-election, with an enormous total of 188 votes. Never before have I managed to beat three other candidates at the same time. This is a substantial increase on my result in Bromley & Chislehurst, and a small but significant blow against the crumbling imperialist monopoly of the Lib-Lab-Con-trick parties. This is a message from the Somali, Sikh, Asian, white, Christian and atheist communities of Ealing and Southall that we remember the inmates of Guantanamo Bay; we feel the pain of the people of Somalia under the boot of the invading Ethiopian forces; we respect the path of self-defence and independence followed by the people of North Korea; we continue to be outraged at the incarceration of people under house arrest, and we demand the right to demand change outside Parliament.
Russia 17th July 2007: There is no justification for Russia retaliating for the expulsion of diplomats from the UK in response to the refusal of the Russian government to extradite the suspect for the murder of Aleksandr Litvinenko. In recent years, the Russian authorities have had no qualms about extraditing their own citizens, sometimes illegally and without due process, to Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, on dozens of occasions. The claim that the Russian constitution forbids such extraditions is simply being used as a fig-leaf to cover the guilt of the figures at the highest level of the reactionary and authoritarian government who ordered and arranged the murder.
One Hour of Liberty 27th June 2007: Today I spent three hours outside Downing Street demanding the resignation of the power-crazed illiberal warmonger Prime Minister Blair, and one hour demanding the resignation of the power-crazed illiberal warmonger Prime Minister Brown. In between, I felt a sense of elation as we had a golden hour of liberty with no prime minister. It was only then, for a brief period, when I felt truly free under the benign reign of the Queen, and without the burden of a tyrannical despot who oppresses the people.
Defection 26th June 2007: The defection of a Conservative MP to the Labour Party is entirely inconsequential. It makes some sense that he would want to abandon a shallow, opportunist and weak leader and to join a party which has long since abandoned any pretence to progressive polices. It only helps to confirm the fact that both of the main parties are equally degenerate and undemocratic.
Labour Party 24th June 2007: The election (albeit token and meaningless) of Harriet Harman as Deputy Leader of the Labour Party, in an election in which all six candidates started with less than 20% of the votes, demonstrates perfectly the ludicrous logic of the people who argue that First-Past-The-Post is acceptable or sufficiently flexible to elect a single position. The unopposed election of Gordon Brown as Leader also shows clearly that the Labour Party has become a monstrous clunking juggernaut which is designed ruthlessly to maintain itself in power, and to maintain the power of its vested and privileged interests, rather than to facilitate any meaningful debate on policy from the grassroots. In spite of its superficial democratic trappings, the continuing New labour regime is still obsessed with eroding the rights to free speech, assembly, protest, freedom from torture, presumption of innocence and protection from unwarranted extradition.
London Mayor 19th June 2007: The House of Lords has passed an amendment which seeks to limit the Mayor of London to a maximum of two terms in office. The reason given for the proposal is that it is a very powerful position and is the nearest that the UK has to an elected dictator. I agree with the analysis, but not the remedy. The solution should be to get rid of the Mayor completely, and allow the Greater London Assembly to elect its own accountable leader, similar to the leader of the GLC before 1986.
Falklands 18th June 2007: This week, the Falkland Islanders have been celebrating the 25th anniversary of their liberation from the illegal invasion and occupation by Argentina. The military action to restore British sovereignty was fully justified. British rule over the Falklands is not an example of unacceptable imperialism, because there is no exploited or subjugated indigenous population; there has never been any Spanish or Argentinian population and therefore no displacement when the British settled in 1833. It was right to uphold the principle of self-determination, in accordance with the wishes of the Falklanders, and it would have been right even if Argentina had been a prosperous democracy instead of a bankrupt military dictatorship.
Taking Liberties 15th June 2007: I went to see the film "Taking Liberties" today. It tells the worrying history of the progressively encroaching, systematic and continuous erosions of the traditional freedoms which have been treasured in the UK for hundreds of years. There are, in law and/or in practice, serious and substantial restrictions in the freedom of speech, right to protest, presumption of innocence, right to trial, right to privacy, and protection from torture. Instead, people have been forcibly prevented from attending peaceful protests, assaulted by police for heckling, subjected to house arrest after being acquitted of criminal charges, detained for weeks without charge, and been the victims of extraordinary (i.e. extra-judicial) kidnapping and extradition by secret American forces with the knowledge and co-operation of the UK government. These erosions of liberty have all been enacted on the pretext of fighting terrorism or protecting public safety. Exactly the same excuses have been given by the Nazis and by numerous other dictatorships and totalitarian regimes throughout history. The uncomfortable truth, as was pointed out in the film, is that this tyranny is not normally noticed by most people until they become victims of it on an individual basis.
William and Harry 14th June 2007: The interview given by Prince William and Prince Harry, in memory of their late mother, shows them in an excellent light as caring compassionate men who genuinely care about the welfare of the unfortunate, just as Princess Diana did, and who are passionate and determined in protecting her memory from the slings and arrows of outrageous tabloid hysteria. It also reminds us of the charmingly gorgeous masculinity which utterly pervades both of them; they stand as excellent examples and representatives of the next generation of the monarchy which has been the fortune of the United Kingdom for hundreds of years. There is no contradiction between the existence of the monarchy, and the pursuit of progressive and anti-imperialist policies.
Gaza Strife 14th June 2007: The violent disintegration of the authority of the coalition government in the Gaza Strip, and the de facto assumption of power by Hamas militant forces, stands as a grave warning to Israel to stop its subjugation of the Palestinian people. Money and arms have been provided to President Abbas's allies, supposedly to help him restore order and crack down on militants. In reality, this is a "divide and rule" tactic of fostering divisions between Fatah and Hamas and to prevent them from uniting in resisting the marginalisation of the Occupied Territories which is being systematically pursued by the Israelis in the West Bank. In the last year, the water and electricity infrastructure in Gaza has been extensively damaged by thousands of Israeli rockets, and there have been hundreds of arrests or killings in military incursions and raids on Palestinian towns. This pattern of behaviour by Israeli forces is not conducive to a stable two-state solution, and betrays the reality of the intentions of the more reactionary elements in the Israeli military, which is to achieve permanent colonisation of the land and resources, and the isolation and impoverishment of Palestinians. But the events of the last few days show what can be achieved by the resistance if constructive paths to peace are deliberately avoided. I hope that it will be possible to achieve a peaceful settlement in Palestine and Israel, just as has been achieved within just a few years in Northern Ireland.
Imperialism Disguised As Aid 13th June 2007: One small example of the exploitation and profiteering which can be imposed by western powers, to the detriment of developing countries, is a recent project in Tanzania. A debt relief programme which was imposed by the World Bank in the 1990s, ostensibly to relieve Tanzania of the burden of several million dollars' worth of debt repayments, came with the imposed condition that the water and sewerage system in Dar Es Salaam must be privatised. It was not, as one might think, to improve the material conditions of the poor; in fact the privatisation programme was only developed in the areas of the city where there was already a piped water supply. But when the private company was late and inefficient in its performance and finances, and was sacked by the Tanzania government, it was the company which was able to sue the government for compensation in the World Bank's own court. The government and people of Tanzania were, according to the terms of the contract, not able to sue the company. Thus the private company, having pledged $8 million in investment and having paid only $4 million, is now demanding $25 million in compensation for loss of profits. This extraction of profits from the third world by imperialist corporations is not aid, but the modern form of imperialism.
Israel and Palestine 9th June 2007: Today I took part in the "Enough" march to protest against the continuing occupation, colonisation and marginalisation of Palestinian territories, on the 40th anniversary of the 1967 Israeli invasion. I am in favour of a two-state solution, based on the 1967 boundaries, and I fully support the right of Israel to national self-defence, as an independent sovereign nation. One of the main causes of the continuation of the present conflict is that Israel often goes over the top in "defending" itself, using unacceptable methods of oppression, repression and displacement against innocent Palestinians (and Arabs within Israel itself) as well as against legitimate targets or terrorist suspects. There must be an end to the wall, fair treatment in law of all individuals, and fair use of basic resources such as land and water. I found it regrettable to discover that there was a counter-demonstration by people with whom I would mostly agree, but who seemed to want to label me as "anti-Semitic", or a supporter of terrorism, just because I support equal treatment of all sides. It was also regrettable that some of the groups on the main march were using slogans which envisaged a one-state solution, without apparently recognising the right of Israel to self-determination and self-defence.
Libya 8th June 2007: It is rumoured that the UK and Libya may have reached an agreement whereby it will be possible for the prisoner Mr Megrahi to be returned to Libya to serve the remainder of his sentence for the Lockerbie bombing, which killed 270 people in 1988. I hope this plan will come to fruition, for the straightforward reason that if he is returned to Libya then he may be released unilaterally by the Libyan authorities, without reference to the Scottish courts. This would, of course, be welcome, as he is innocent anyway.
Princess Diana 5th June 2007: It is up to Channel 4 to decide whether or not to broadcast the documentary about the death of Princess Diana, and the programme should not be subject to explicit censorship. But, in accordance with the expressed wishes of Prince William and Prince Harry, I for one will not be watching it. Those of us who have respect for the Monarchy and appreciation of royal gorgeousness should boycott the programme en masse.
Olympic Logo 4th June 2007: The new logo for the London Olympic Games of 2012 is the most disgusting, horrible, rubbishy, ugly, contemptible monstrosity which has ever been designed by anybody in the history of human civilisation. If President Vladimir Putin of Russia does want to aim lots of nuclear weapons at Western Europe, let's hope that he will test them by dropping a nuclear bomb on the person who designed it.
Gay Pride March 27th May 2007: I salute the courage of the gay rights campaigner Peter Tatchell, the singer Richard Fairbrass and various European MPs who were assaulted by fascists, and arrested by police, after attempting to demonstrate peacefully for gay equality and for the right to march in gay pride and solidarity. It is shameful and worthy of condemnation that Moscow police officers arrested those who were the victims of assault rather than those who attacked them.
Torture and Kidnapping 24th May 2007: The BBC documentary "Mystery Flights", presented by Olenka Frenkiel, exposed the disturbing existence of a widespread, organised criminal conspiracy of the kidnapping, detention, illegal transfer, irregular extradition, and torture of people (who may or may not be terrorists, or may or may not be completely innocent and harmless) who are held indefinitely and incognito without due process and without access to lawyers or families, who are physically and psychologically tortured and forced to make false or unreliable confessions to a whole plethora of imaginary crimes and conspiracies, and who are liable to be convicted by military kangaroo courts. In the current climate of hysteria which has been whipped up among the population by the governments and media of western imperialist countries, it has become less surprising, but still shocking, that such things have happened - and are still happening - in dozens of countries with the active knowledge and complicit participation of the governments of those countries. The claims by George Bush, Condoleezza Rice, Donald Rumsfeld et al that these activities are only aimed at "terrorists", and that they are necessary for the "protection" of the population or the prevention of outrages, are on a par with the slogan "Arbeit Macht Frei" ("Work Makes You Free") which greeted those who were to be exterminated at Auschwitz. There is already a crumb of comfort in the fact that the government of Canada has openly denounced the U.S.A. for its actions in kidnapping a Canadian citizen, and that these actions are gradually being exposed by dissident journalists and politicians in western countries. This American imperialist gulag of secret prisons and rendition flights will come to be exposed and denounced in future years, decades and generations just as surely as the McCarthyite witch-hunt was. It hardly matters whether Bush and Rumsfeld will be tried for their war-crimes; the verdict of history will be that this shameful episode was yet another clear example of the process of a Fascist state being built on a bedrock of fantasy, hysteria, rumour and scapegoating. For any Muslim who is even remotely, and on dubious evidence, suspected of involvement in or connection with terrorist plots or dissident activities, America in 2007 is just as brutal, arbitrary and dictatorial as the former fascist dictatorships of Chile, Argentina or Burma.
The One Hundred Million Pound Question 23rd May 2007: Aleksander Litvinenko, the former KGB spy, was murdered last November by a dose of poisonous Polonium-210 radiation which would have cost £100,000,000 to produce. Who could have afforded such an amount? Was it, perhaps, somebody who was helped, supplied, procured, employed, motivated and organised by the authorities at the top of the government of the Russian Federation? Or was it a rogue agent acting without authority? President Putin knows the answer to this question just as much as it is obvious to the rest of us. In a sense, it matters not whether Andrei Lugovoi is extradited or not, or convicted or not, of Mr Litvinenko's murder. The world has already condemned the man who is ultimately responsible for ordering the assassination - President Vladimir Putin himself.
Housing 22nd May 2007: The government minister Margaret Hodge has ratcheted up further the process of marginalising and scapegoating minorities and immigrants, by suggesting that long-standing residents and "indigenous" British citizens should be given even greater preference in the allocation of social housing than new immigrants and asylum-seekers. This is yet another symptom of the failure of the system which cares more for profit rather than fulfilling the social needs of all the people in society. A Loony People's government would supply adequate housing for all of society's members, regardless of nationality or ethnicity. If society's resources were targeted towards building houses instead of bombing third-world nations, then there would be an adequate supply for those who need it, instead of a points-based scramble for damp-infested homes by the most desperate. It should be remembered that every new immigrant worker has one mouth but two hands. We should also combat the reactionary myths about immigrants supposedly getting preferential treatment, or about taking "our" jobs and "our" homes. By pandering to such prejudices, Ms Hodge has added to the fuel of racism and BNP reaction rather than countering it.
Rearranging Deckchairs 18th May 2007: Nicolas Sarkozy has replaced Jacques Chirac as President of France; Gordon Brown will soon be gallumphing his way into Number 10 in place of Tony Blair. Neither will mean much change; both represent the continuation and exacerbation of the illiberal rule of the increasingly frantic and hysterical bourgeoisie. There is little prospect of an immediate end to ID cards, illegal rendition, the killing and imprisonment of innocent citizens, the harrassment of peaceful demonstrators, differential levels of marginalisation and criminalisation of ethnic minorities, scapegoating of asylum seekers, stereotyping of Muslims, and the building of barriers to the creation of a genuine Loony People's Democracy.
Metric Measurements 9th May 2007: The report that the EU Commission has decided to "allow" traders to sell fruit and vegetables using pounds and ounces, and might not be forced (against the wishes of their customers) to use kilogrammes, should not be received with a feeling of welcome and gratitude. Instead, we should all feel a sense of outrage that the EU presumes that this subject is any of its business in the first place.
French Election 7th May 2007: The election of Nicolas Sarkozy in the French presidential election will do nothing to build a safe and wholesome France; his victory represents the latest stage of racheting up the political atmosphere to a new level of hysteria, fear and reaction. Segolene Royal, if elected, would hardly have been better.
Scottish Elections 4th May 2007: The shambolic administration of the count for the Scottish Parliament election is the fault of the outrageous decision to put two ballot papers on one sheet of paper, and to count the votes by scanning machines. All election counts should be done openly and transparently, which means manually. I have no sympathy for the people who were too stupid to be able to follow simple instructions as to how to vote, and thereby spoiled their ballot papers. The victory of the Scottish National Party is a welcome break from the stranglehold of the imperialist New Labour machine; the people of the United Kingdom do not need to fear the prospect of Scottish independence, because that was not the basis of the SNP's victory.
Prince Harry 28th April 2007: We all respect and admire Prince Harry for his genuine and sincere wish to serve in Iraq, with no special treatment compared with the other soldiers. This is a very admirable attitude, and proves that he genuinely has guts and a fearless dedication to serving his Queen and country. But it is noteworthy that several politicians and military figures in both Iraq and the UK have serious concerns about his safety. It is inevitable that if he were to go to Iraq, he would be specifically targeted by insurgents for the purposes of kidnapping, hostage-taking, or murder. Not only would this put his unit in greater danger, but it would be a new situation which cannot be compared directly with Prince Andrew in the Falklands, who was not targeted as an individual. Thus, Prince Harry should not be allowed to serve in Iraq, specifically because of his special position as a member of the Royal family, even though this would be a grave disappointment for him.
Yeltsin 23rd April 2007: Boris Yeltsin did not destroy the Soviet Union, because it was fatally damaged many years earlier because of the errors of Khruschev, Brezhnev and Gorbachev. But after the dissolution of the USSR he presided over a catastrophic decline in the economy and social cohesion and fabric of Russian society, decline in public health, gross expansion of poverty, rampant gangsterism and profiteering by bandit billionaire asset-strippers and speculators. It was under his leadership that life expectancy fell by more than ten years, and Russia was in chaos and under constant threat of a military dictatorship, rather than a meaningful people's democracy or a balanced, integrated economy.
France 23rd April 2007: The result of the first round of the presidential election in France is no cause for rejoicing. If Sarkozy wins, then there will be a reactionary backlash against youth, immigrants, workers, and the lower income members of society. If Royal wins, France will be dragged even further into the clutches of the European Union, and the spectre of the threat of an EU constitution will be resurrected yet again. A choice between the demonic and the desperate should be met with a resounding "Non" to both candidates on 6th May.
Kim Il-Sung 15th April 2007: Progressive and peace-loving people all over the world are today celebrating the 95th anniversary of the birth of the Great Leader President General Comrade Kim Il-Sung. His steadfast leadership and inspiring example stand as a beacon of hope for people everywhere in the eternal struggle to improve the material conditions of the people, the security and independence and self-determination of all countries, and the resistance against the aggressive warmongering of the tyrannical regime in the United States of America. It is to the credit of Kim Il-Sung's home-grown philosophy of Juche, and the army-first policy of Songun, that the Democratic People's Republic of Korea has continued to stand firm in the face of hostile and aggressive enemies, long after the capitulation of the communist governments in Eastern Europe. It should be remembered, as was pointed out earlier this year by the Korean Central News Agency, that no socialist country has ever fallen as a result of imperialist military action (despite the best frenzied attempts of the Americans) but only as a result of internal weakness, betrayal, vacillation and revisionism. The joyous occasion was celebrated by a programme of political and cultural events at a meeting in Southall, which was attended by comrades from the OMRLP, the CPGB-ML, the RCPB(ML), the SLP, the NCPB, the JISGE and numerous other acronyms. The meeting was entertained by uplifting songs performed excellently in Korean and English by the children of DPRK embassy staff, from the age of five upwards.
Will and Kate 14th April 2007: My commiserations are felt for Prince William and Kate Middleton on the news of their separation. I never jumped on the hysterical media bandwagon of assuming that an engagement was imminent or likely, but in any case it is unfortunate whenever two young people find that they no longer love each other. I hope that they will both be able to find meaningful and fulfilling enjoyable friendships and relationships with other people.
Baghdad Bomb 12th April 2007: The hypocrisy of President Bush in condemning the "bombing of innocent people" at the Iraqi Parliament building is mindboggling, compared with the routine atrocities committed by American forces against civilians in Iraq and the prisoners in Guantanamo Bay.
Iran (5) 7th April 2007: When the 15 British military prisoners appeared on Iranian television during the time they were under arrest, their statements appeared to be stilted, prompted, and scripted by the authorities rather than being genuine and spontaneous statements by the individuals themselves. When they prisoners appeared on British television after their release, their statements appeared to be stilted, prompted, and scripted by the authorities rather than being genuine and spontaneous statements by the individuals themselves.
Iran (4) 4th April 2007: I applaud President Ahmedinejad of Iran for his magnanimous and merciful gesture in releasing the 15 British prisoners - who have been treated well - unconditionally. Perhaps the Bush regime might reciproicate by releasing the 400 Guantanamo prisoners, who have been languishing in appalling conditions for years.
Iran (3) 2nd April 2007: President Bush has joined in the bandwagon of criticising Iran for arresting the fifteen British so-called "hostages" in the Persian Gulf. Instead of lecturing Iran about 15 prisoners, the British and American governments should clear up their own back yard and release the hundreds of prisoners who are illegally being held in Guantanamo Bay.
Iran (2) 31st March 2007: The 15 British sailors and marines who have been arrested for entering Iranian waters have been shown on Iranian TV, some of them clearly being prompted or coerced and speaking from prepared scripts for propaganda purposes. This improper display of prisoners for public curiosity is unfortunate, but does not negate the basic factual basis of the statements of apology and confession which they have read out.
Zimbabwe 30th March 2007: The media and government in Britain have recently entered into a frenzy of self-righteous pomposity about the economic and political situation in Zimbabwe, the hyperinflation, and the oppressive acts which have been perpetrated by security forces and police against opposition leaders such as Morgan Tsvangirai. Some of the more reactionary commentators seem to think that the UK, as the former colonial power, somehow has a historic responsibility to intervene or remove Robert Mugabe from power. This is a totally misguided view. If there are hardship, shortages or oppression in Zimbabwe, then it is for the Zimbabwean people themselves to remove their government and to further their struggle without outside interference. Any invasion by (for example) South Africa, or under the auspices of the African Union, would be rightly seen as a proxy for Western imperialist interests. Instead of indulging in muddled hypocritical post-imperialist whinging, the UK and EU should alleviate the suffering of Zimbabwe by removing sanctions. In any case, there is no particular reason to think that an alternative government under Mr Tsvangirai would be better able to manage the land and economy of the country when it is still under the present conditions.
Northern Ireland 27th March 2007: The unprecedented power-sharing agreement between Ian Paisley of the Democratic Unionist Party and Gerry Adams of Sinn Fein is very welcome. It has not come out of the blue, fallen out of the sky or sprouted out of a magic wand; it is the fruit of negotiations of John Major, Tony Blair, Mo Mowlam, Peter Mandelson, and innumerable strugglers on both sides of the conflict over decades. It underlines the basic principle that viable government can only be done with the consent of the people, and that any authority which is perceived as being illegitimate or oppressive will eventually be overcome by the resistance and struggle of the people. More important than the question of whether Northern Ireland is to remain in the United Kingdom, or be absorbed into the Republic of Ireland, is the requirement for a structure which respects the equal status and esteem of all people in both communities.
Abuse of Power 26th March 2007: Adam Curtis's BBC2 documentary series "The Trap" clearly exposed the unrestrained and inhuman gangsterism which grew out of privatisation and unregulated market forces when it was imposed on Russia in the 1990s, and was imposed by force in Iraq in 2004. True freedom can only exist in a world in which there is dignity for all human beings, adequate provision of basic food and shelter for everybody, social programmes to enable the poor and underprivileged to take part in society fully, and protection against ruthless exploitation by gangster billionaires. Prosperous market economies in the Western world will also only be truly free when they do not rely on such vast wealth from the expropriation of resources, and desecration of the environment, in third world and developing countries.
Iran (1) 25th March 2007: The UK has no grounds for complaining about the arrest of the 15 Marines who have been arrested in Iran after straying (inadvertently or deliberately, we do not know) into Iranian waters. It was their responsibility to keep track of where they were going, and we should also bear in mind that there is little justification in their being in the Gulf in the first place. Rather than debating the details of whether they were in Iraqi or Iranian waters, the real question is why British forces are in Iraq at all.
European Union 25th March 2007: Today's 50th anniversary of the European Union is nothing to celebrate, despite the self-indulgent gallivanting of the leaders of 27 countries in Berlin. The institutions of the EU are undemocratic, corrupt, inefficient and over-regulating. What is needed is the sovereign independence of the member states, and the self-determination of the peoples of those nations.
Brown's Bourgeois Budget 21st March 2007: The media are getting into a paroxysm of false excitement about Gordon Brown's budget which has reduced the basic rate of income tax from 22p to 20p. They do not be so keen to tell us that almost the whole amount of money will be taken back by raising the lowest rate from 10p to 20p; thus there will be a substantial net transfer of wealth from low-income taxpayers to the well-off middle classes. This is unworthy of a Chancellor who pretends to be concerned about ordinary people, and is another indictment of the shambolic state to which his policies have reduced the fabric of the country.
Guantanamo Bay 15th March 2007: Khalid Sheikh Muhammed, who is incarcerated in the illegal American concentration camp in Guantanamo Bay, has supposedly "confessed" to masterminding, planning and organising the events of 9/11, planning further bombings in London and Bali, plotting to assassinate former American presidents, and beheading a journalist in Pakistan. Do the U.S. authorities really expect us to believe this fantasy nonsense of multiple confessions? Are we supposed to pretend that his statements were freely given, with no duress or torture? Will we not notice that he has not had any access to lawyers, visitors or any semblance of due process? This brutal treatment of enemies, which is the tip of an iceberg of a secret world-wide gulag of camps, torture chambers and rendition flights, puts the Bush regime on the same level as dictators such as Zimbabwe's Mugabe, or the rulers of Burma or Congo.
Trident 14th March 2007: The House of Commons has voted, by a majority of MPs from both main parties, to renew the Trident nuclear weapon for another generation, at a cost which is variously estimated to be between £15 billion and £79 billion. This is a typically Blairite capitulation to the one-sided demands of American aggressive imperialism, and is done under the fig-leaf of maintaining an independent "deterrent" in the age of an "uncertain" world of unknown future "threats" from unstable "enemies". The wretched government, under the warmonger Blair, was not so keen to let people know that British nuclear weapons could only ever be used with the co-operation of American missile guidance navigation systems, and with the permission of the incumbent Warmonger-in-Chief in the White House. The decision is also a hypocritical slap in the face to all those developing and advanced countries which are being lectured by the UK about "non-proliferation". If the countries which now have nuclear weapons, or have the desire or technical know-how to develop them, are to be persuaded to relinquish them, then the UK must take a lead in providing a shining example of unilateral nuclear disarmament. It is so horrendous to contemplate the physical damage which would be done to millions of human beings by a nuclear attack, that nuclear weapons should not be used, or even considered for use, under any circumstances. The many billions of pounds which are to be spent on renewing Trident should instead be spent on providing decent homes, houses, hospitals, nurses, doctors, teachers, medicines, libraries, creches, trains and buses for the benefit of the people. The technological and scientific expertise which is needed to build the missiles should be better employed in developing viable long-term sources of renewable energy so that the world can survive and prosper, instead of descending into a frantic and frenzied dash for the last drop of oil, the last barrel of gas, or the last pathetic crumb of imperialist booty from the countries of Africa or central Asia.
Prince of Wales 12th March 2007: The Channel 4 documentary about the financial and political interests of the Prince of Wales, which presumed to criticise him for those matters, missed the key point that he is a very important member of the Royal Family, and is therefore entitled to a certain high level of standard of living. It also suggested, inaccurately, that he would continue making political statements if and when he becomes King. Neither is the case.
House of Lords 8th March 2007: The fact that the House of Commons has voted for an entirely elected Upper House is welcome, and will put an end to the possibility of corruption in the process of appointing peers. The option of an appointed House, which I had previously favoured, is no longer viable due to the apparent prevalence of favours being given and received by the establishment against the better interests of the mass of the people.
Equus 1st March 2007: The performance by Daniel Radcliffe, in the play "Equus" by Peter Shaffer at the Gielgud Theatre, was a very energetic and intense performance by a sublimely talented and versatile actor. His ability and interpretation was more than enough to compensate for the sparcity of set or props, and puts the lie once and for all to the miserymongers who falsely try to pretend that he can't act.
Oscars 26th February 2007:
One of the important things to bear in mind in the realm of progressive politics is that everything is
political; everything interacts and inter-relates with everything else, and nothing is in isolation
from influencing other things. Culture is not just artistic, but also political and social. Artistic
creation and expression is based on real events and ideas. Accordingly, therefore, I have composed a
poem to celebrate the joyous news of the Queen winning the Oscar for best actress in the film about
Helen Mirren:
Ob glob splob spob spom;
Spim lim lib glib glim.
Ib glib splib spib spim;
Spom lom lob glob glom.
Treacle Pudding!
Treacle Pudding!
Custard
Globule.
Fragile Earth 25th February 2007: One of the lessons from yesterday's march against the war, and the attendant meetings, was that those who care about the long-term future of the planet are overwhelmingly on the left. There were delegates from the Loony Party, the Green Party, left-wing Labour Party members, and a plethora of worker, socialist and communist parties and organisations, but hardly any from the so-called "mainstream" Lib-Lab-Con parties. The obsessive fetish which modern international capitalism has for aggressive expansionist energy wars, trade disputes, and imperialist bullying against weaker countries - and the widespread social deprivation, poverty and poor health and environmental degradation which results in the people in those countries, demonstrates the basic inability of unrestrained market mechanisms to provide for progress in the long term. The old imperialist parties are on their way out. The only possible long-term option for a sustainable future for mankind, in which the basic requirements of all people are met properly on the basis of need, and not on the basis of extracting a profit by oppression and exploitation, is a society which is built and organised on a rational and scientific basis, not on the basis of selling every last scrap of material for the enrichment of a few. It is necessary to be red to be green; it is necessary to be Loony to be red.
Stop The War 24th February 2007: The March today organised by the Stop The War coalition and the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament has missed the opportunity for building a broad coalition of everybody who is against the continuing occupation of Iraq, and those who are opposed to further imperialist warmongering against Iran and North Korea. It should not be assumed that anti-war protesters also agree to the principle of unilateral nuclear disarmament.
Party funding 23rd February 2007: The Electoral Commission is threatening to confiscate £363,000 which was erroneously donated to the UKIP from a donor who did not know that he was ineligible. This is in stark contrast to the Lib Dems, who were allowed to keep a donation of more than £2 million from a disreputable donor.
Prince Harry 21st February 2007: I respect and admire Prince Harry for his genuine and sincere wish to serve with the Army in Iraq, with no special treatment compared with the other soldiers in his unit. But he should not be allowed to do so, specifically because of his special position as a member of the Royal family.
Gun crime 19th February 2007: In recent days, a number of young men have been shot or killed in inner city areas as a result of the prevalence of gangs, guns, drugs, knives and violence among some people, including so-called "black-on- black" shootings. What is it that makes someone so culturally impoverished and desperate that they feel the need to resort to such ideas, or to carry and use such weapons? Is it connected with the fact that a black man in the United Kingdom is more likely to be in prison than in university? Six times more likely than a white man to be stopped by the police? Three times more likely to be sectioned under the Mental Health Act? Twice as likely to be expelled from school? Twice as likely to be imprisoned for a comparable offence? Four times more likely to live in a poor area? Is it because of the long-term effects of the racist housing policies followed by some local authorities in allocating people in the 1960s and 1970s? Or because of the general decadence, hopelessness and inequality in modern capitalist society?
Fascism 17th February 2007: Hundreds of anti-fascist campaigners, politicians, artists and activists gathered in London today to continue the struggle against the threat from the BNP. The wide range of representatives who attended or spoke at the conference - including socialists, social democrats, liberals, communists, trade union activists, students, Muslims, Christians, Jews, intellectuals and bourgeois Maoist Loony people, are united in their determination to confront and bring down the threat of fascism and racism in all its forms, and in their awareness that the philosophy of the BNP is qualitatively different from that of any of the mainstream bourgeois or left parties.
Kim Jong Il 16th February 2007: Progressive and anti-imperialist strugglers all over the world are today joyously celebrating the 65th birthday of the Dear Leader Comrade Kim Jong Il, Leader of the Workers Party of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. His outstanding and visionary leadership in developing the ideas of Juche and Songun have kept the USA at bay and have prevented an expansion of American imperialist warmongering in the Far East. The resolution and determination of the leader, party, army and people of the DPRK will continue to preserve the DPRK as a progressive fortress and will not follow the path of the collapse of the revisionist and reactionary regimes in central and Eastern Europe in the late 1980s. Long Live Kim Jong Il! Long Live Juche and Songun! Long Live Independence and Diversity! Forward to a Democratic People's Kingdom of Britain!
Blood Diamond 16th February 2007: The film "Blood Diamond", starring Leonardo DiCaprio, provides a lucid and powerful explanation of the processes whereby civil wars in Africa and other third world countries can be prolonged or exacerbated by the demand from western countries for valuable commodities such as diamonds, oil, rubber and so on. The lesson to be learnt is that purchases of apparently innocuous luxuries by rich consumers do not happen in isolation, but are inevitably interconnected with international structures of economic, industrial, military and political and power. The civil war in Sierra Leone was about control of resources, and about questions of the distribution of those resources to the benefit of local people or of rich people thousands of miles away. It gives us all a timely reminder of the global process of economic and military interference by imperialist powers (and their allies in the business world) in third world countries, and the way in which any interference can easily make the situation worse. The film also brings to mind the Juche principle that an active and enlightened citizen should give full play to their creativity, with cultural attainments and artistic endeavours. Culture, in the form of films, television, art and music, is social, political and ideological, not merely artistic in isolation. The film reflects ideas and facts which exist in society and in people's minds and actions.
Korea 13th February 2007: The media is today naively "reporting" the suggestion that the DPRK has capitulated to the pressure and blackmail of the USA and has "agreed" to "give up" its nuclear weapons programme. This is a bourgeois distortion. In reality, the DPRK will continue its Songun "Army First" policy of defending itself, by building up and maintaining a nuclear and substantial non-nuclear defence policy. Unlike the Soviet Union, which collapsed due to the loss of nerve and internal weakness of its leaders, the DPRK will continue to stand steadfast as a bulwark for maintaining a balance of power in the world, and restraining the imperialist shenanigans of the USA. We should applaud this defence of independence by a sovereign state, and the regional peace and security to which it contributes. It is noteworthy that the DPRK is not being threatened with imminent attack or invasion in the way that is a distinct possibility in Iran.
Iran 12th February 2007: It is the height of hypocrisy that the Bush administration dares to lecture Iran about the evils of "interference" by Iran in funding or providing Iraqi insurgent groups with weapons and other supplies. No country in the world is in a worse position than the USA to criticise anybody for interfering in the internal affairs of Iraq, or of any other country. The supreme commander of the occupying forces still does not understand that the war in Iraq is more than just a struggle to establish a western-style bourgeois democracy; it is a civil war between Sunni and Shia, with imperialist interference from the USA and its allies, Iran, and Al-Qaeda.
Drugs 11th February 2007: Conservative Party leader, David Cameron, has been exposed as having used cannabis when he was 15. Why is he pretending that a politician is entitled to the privacy of a past life, before he entered politics? He is trying to cover up a criminal act, not just a youthful misjudgement. Are other politicians going to escape scrutiny for more serious crimes? It should also be remembered that cannabis is a dangerous, addictive drug which acts as a gateway to more serious drugs, and we should resist any steps towards legalisation.
Death in Iraq 7th February 2007: The military authorities of the USA have been exposed yet again as having covered up the killing, by two of their pilots, of a British soldier in a so-called "friendly fire" incident four years ago. This is yet another example of the haughty and contemptible attitude of USA imperialism, which is not interested in any sense of law, justice, openness or due procedure of law.
Chagos Islanders 6th February 2007: The British governemnt's decision not to allow 2,000 Chagos islanders return to their ancestral home in the Indian ocean is inhumane, and demonstrates the imperialist nature of the motives of UK foreign policy in kowtowing to USA military expansion. If the UK is so cavalier about displacing such people, and forcing them into poverty in exile thousands of miles away, it also stands as an demonstration of the imperialist hypocrisy of the UK in using "freedom" and "self-determination" as an excuse for using military force to regain the Falkland Islands in 1982. If the wishes of the islanders were paramount, as was claimed in 1982, then the Chagos people would also have been protected. If the domestic political interests of the British ruling class are the determining factor, as seems to be the case in 2007, then we should conclude that the Falklands war was also fought for ulterior imperialist and domestic political motives, and that 900 lives were lost instead of reaching a negotiated settlement for the people of the Falklands.
Northern Ireland 28th January 2007: I welcome the overwhelming decision by the Sinn Fein Ard Fheis to approve the principle of co-operation with the Police Service of Northern Ireland, as a positive step in the peace process towards devolved government. I hope that this step forward will not be frustrated by yet another attempt by the DUP to move the goalposts and to erect more hurdles.
Bensham Manor 22nd January 2007: The Liberal Democrat candidate Christina Tyree was in the public gallery this evening at today's meeting of Croydon Council. She asked me if I was Shasha Khan (the Green Party candidate). It is nice to know that the Lib Dems are so in touch with local politics that they can't even recognise famous politicians. Mr Khan and I have both contested Bensham Manor before, but who is Ms Tyree? Not the next councillor after 8th February, methinks.
Big Brother 17th January 2007: The accusations of "racism" which have been made against some contestants in "Big Brother" are inaccurate and unfounded. It is clear from the daily episodes that the arguments between Shilpa Shetty and Jade Goody (and others) are motivated by a clash of classes and lifestyles, not by anything to do with race, nationality or ethnicity.
Union 16th January 2007: We celebrate today the 300th anniversary of the Union of Scotland and England to form Great Britain. A victory by the SNP in the forthcoming Scottish Parliament election (should it occur) would not in itself be a cause for concern because it would be based on domestic policies rather than the question of independence; and change to the fundamental constitutional structure of the UK would only happen by referendum.
Somalia 10th January 2007: The USA has bombed a village in southern Somalia; they claim it was part of the "War on Terror". But why Somalia? Why now? I think it is because the transitional government has recently made gains against the Islamist rebels. This was an act of imperialism motivated by the fundamentalist Christian lobby within the USA, not by any reason to do with terrorism.
Saddam Hussein 3rd January 2007: There are legitimate concerns about the events surrounding the execution of Saddam Hussein, the behaviour of those present, and the production of an illicit video of the proceedings. The superficial impression given is that Saddam had more dignity than those who were leading him to his death, and their behaviour had the unintended consequence of distracting from the fact that he murdered hundreds of thousands of Iraqis. However, the execution was conducted under the auspices of the Iraqi sovereign judicial process; any discomfort which I feel about it has been mitigated by the knowledge that it was not done in my name, and was not done by a puppet American tribunal. I also disagree with the statement by the CPGB-ML which describes Saddam Hussein as the "elected" president of Iraq, and which seems to be concerned only with his anti-imperialist credentials in standing up to the USA - thereby ignoring his aggressive imperialist actions against neighbouring countries such as Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Israel.
Saddam Hussein 30th December 2006: The execution of Saddam Hussein this morning will do nothing to solve the inherent class-based and sectarian divisions within Iraqi society, or to end the civil war. It is the end of one phase of history in a country, and the end of a murderous tyrant; but the continuing violence is based on the structure of Iraq and its people, not on the demagogic approbation or denunciation of individual leaders.
General Election 19th December 2006: David Cameron has demanded that there should be a "snap" general election next year after Tony Blair retires, because the new prime minister will not otherwise have a "mandate". What sort of nonsense is that? Did he demand a general election in 1990 when John Major became prime minister? He seems to be forgetting that the prime minister has a mandate from Her Majesty the Queen, not from the electorate.
Princess Diana 14th December 2006: The conclusive and comprehensive report by Lord Stevens into the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, which has produced overwhelming evidence and definitive proof of the fact that there was no conspiracy, no murder, no engagement and no pregnancy, will be ignored by those who are deranged enough to believe in conspiracies - because they are (and have always been) impervious to any logic or reason anyway. The demented rantings of Mohammed Fayed are designed to provide a cover for the failings and incompetence within his own management of security at the Ritz Hotel.
Pinochet 10th December 2006: The spontaneous rejoicing of all decent progressive people at the death of the murderous dictator of Chile, General Augusto Pinochet, is qualified by regret that he was never brought to justice for the thousands of people who were murdered or tortured in his name. It is ironic that only now, in the years of his demise, we are now seeing the resurrection, in many Latin American countries, of democratic left-wing governments of the type that he so brutally overthrew in 1973.
Nuclear Weapons 4th December 2006: We should not have them, and should not renew or modernise them (at a cost of some £20 billion), because it would be wrong to use them in any circumstances. In any case, the UK can't use its own nuclear weapons without the co-operation of American satellite guidance systems.
United Kingdom 26th November 2006: I am a Unionist, by instinct and by inclination and in the inner core of my national identity. I feel British rather than English, and it is a matter of concern that a majority of people in a recent opinion poll - in both Scotland and England - say that they would prefer to see an independent Scotland. The way to build a prosperous and democratic society is to strive forward to a Democratic People's Loony Kingdom of Britain, not by tinkering with more administrative and bureaucratic layers of a bourgeois parliament.
Never 25th November 2006: In recent days, the letters page of the Daily Telegraph has been cluttered up with the selfish rantings of a small minority of narrow-minded people who feel the need to boast about their uncultured and dull lives, and openly confess that they have never, for example, seen "The Sound of Music". These unenriched morons should be forced to do so, at the point of a gun if necessary. When a future Loony government compulsorily enriches their lives in this way, they will be grateful afterwards.
State Sanctioned Murder 24th November 2006: The death of Alexander Litvinenko will resound noisily and clangorously around the world for decades to come. Those who ordered and organised his murder will have to look over their shoulders for the rest of their lives, just as the killers of Giorgi Markov have had to do.
Lebanon 22nd November 2006: The assassination of Lebanese minister Pierre Gemayel will destabilise Lebanon and increase the chances of a resumption of the civil war. It should therefore be condemned, regardless of whether Syria was responsible or not.
Gaza 21st November 2006: Hundreds of ordinary people congregated to form a "human shield" to protect a house from being bombed by Israeli forces. I support the right of Israel to defend itself, just like any other country. It is a matter of concern that Israel presumes to have the right to use excessive force in doing so.
Tonga 21st November 2006: It is wrong in principle for New Zealand and Australian troops and police officers to intervene in the internal security affairs of Tonga, even though they are there by the invitation of the government of Tonga. The unrest and rioting which have prompted the intervention are due to political tensions between the King and the people, and should be resolved by the normal dialectical processes within Tonga itself. The intervention may, on the surface, be based on good intentions, but the underlying reality is that it is an imperialist invasion by a Western power against an indigenous Pacific society.
Russia 20th November 2006: The Russian defector Aleksandr Litvinenko has become the victim of a crude and almost fatal poisoning incident, probably at the hands of the Russian security services, in retaliation for his activities in exposing the corrupt and murderous activities against a number of Russian journalists, including Anna Politkovskaya. This is another step towards the establishment of a reactionary and oppressive dictatorship in Russia, the centralisation of power, and the extinction of meaningful democracy. It should be resisted by all Russian people and media, and I salute those who continue to speak out against such abuses. It is also a matter for the Russian people to deal with, without any intervention or meddling from outside.
Zimbabwe 17th November 2006: Further video evidence has emerged of the systematic abuse, mistreatment and torture which has been perpetrated on behalf of the Mugabe regime in Zimbabwe against its political and institutional enemies and opponents. The programme of land redistribution is based on legitimate principles of anti-imperialism and post-colonial restitution of the land which was stolen by force from Africans in the first place by European settlers; however, this programme has been managed and organised on a catastrophically incompetent basis, with the land not being subject to adequate management. I condemn the harsh conditions which have been brought about by Robert Mugabe and the Zanu-PF government, and I also condemn any suggestion of a neo-imperialist intervention or interference into Zimbabwe by, or on behalf of, external forces.
Demonstration 15th November 2006: The practical benefits of Loony politics were demonstrated again today when I demonstrated in Parliament Square to demand the allocation of Lottery funds to reward gorgeous royals, such as Peter Phillips, Prince Harry, Prince William and Prince Louis. There is no contradiction between this, and the other half of my protest, which was to defend the right of self-defence of the DPRK. Both are based on the principle of self-determination of sovereign nations and peoples.
Drugs in Prison 13th November 2006: Prisoners who are addicted to drugs have sued the Home Office for treating their addiction by the "cold turkey" method rather than by gradual phased withdrawal and replacement. The fact that the government has decided not to contest this legal action, and has acceded to the prisoners' demands, is a disgrace: the entire prison system is awash with illegal drugs, and it should be an integral part of the process of imprisonment that all prisoners should be required urgently to stop using drugs so that they can become suitable for a drug-free life when they are released. Furthermore, there should be a proper and sustained effort to prevent drugs from getting into prison in the first place - which means preventing physical contact between prisoners and visitors. We should also remember that the current situation is a reflection of the scourge of drugs in society at large, and consider the social and economic forces which compel people to use drugs at all.
Racial Hatred 12th November 2006: The BNP leader, Nick Griffin, has been acquitted on charges of incitement to racial hatred. The government's kneejerk response to this event is not to respect the verdict of the jury - and the weakness of the prosecution case in the circumstances of the original incident - but to say that it wants to tighten even further the laws on free speech. This is nothing to do with furthering racial harmony, or restricting the activities of fascist groups, but is entirely motivated by the desire to control and subjugate the population. The only realistic way to oppose the fascists is openly and squarely through debate, education, exposing the facts and the weakness of the racist position.
Liberal Democrats 9th November 2006: The Lib Dems say that they want to restore "freedom" by repealing the laws on ID cards, detention without trial, extradition on demand, DNA of innocent people, and so on. This is all very well, except that they seem oblivious to the need to withdraw from the EU as well.
Saddam Hussein 6th November 2006: Saddam Hussein has been sentenced to death for his genocidal crimes against the Iraqi people. I do not take any pleasure in this fact, because the whole trial has been a shambolic travesty of due process, with the murder or resignation of several lawyers and judges. The trial should have been held in an international court, and any fair jurisdiction would find ample reasons for demanding a re-trial. The wider picture of the continuing civil unrest in Iraq shows that long-term stability and political in oppressed countries changes can only come from within. The simple idea of "exporting democracy", of which President Bush pretends to be so fond, is not as sophisticated as the more realistic idea of the sovereignty and self-confidence of the people of a nation. The lessons which have been learned by the imperialist powers in Iraq must not be forgotten with regard to Iran and North Korea.
Migration 24th October 2006: The UK government is misguided in imposing restrictions on the number of migrant workers coming from Bulgaria and Romania when they join the EU next year. There has been a positive impact on the economy from the 600,000 migrants who came here after the 2004 expansion, with only a tiny number claiming benefits or public housing. It is lucky that the proposed restrictions will probably not be realistically enforceable anyway.
Muslim veils 22nd October 2006: There has been a lot of comment in the media about the rights and wrongs of a teaching assistant who wishes to wear a veil in the classroom. Despite having thought about the issue for several minutes, I have not been able to find any reason for understanding the people who claim that the veil is "intimidating", "frightening", a symbol of "separation", or the absurd claim that it somehow prevents the children from hearing what the teacher is saying. If she feels comfortable in wearing it, and if the children have not complained, then there should not be any problem with her wearing it, any more than there would be any problem with someone wearing glasses or a necklace.
Imperialism 17th October 2006: The OMRLP is in solidarity with the people of the DPRK in celebrating the 80th anniversary of the Down With Imperialism Union.
Russia 16th October 2006: The level of dictatorship, centralisation and authoritarianism in Russia has reached new heights of despotism, unmatched since the pre-Gorbachev era. The murder of the journalist Anna Politkovskaya is merely the latest in long line of more than a dozen murders of those who have sought to expose the murderous, corrupt and genocidal activities of the followers of President Vladimir Putin. The western powers should stop pandering to him as if he were a beacon of modernisation or moderation, and should be more vocal in condemning him as another Pinochet or Franco.
United Nations 16th October 2006: The United Nations resolution of crude imperialist bullying against the DPRK was passed under the auspices of Chapter VII of the UN Charter, which supposedly deals with "threats to the peace, breaches of the peace, and acts of aggression". The self-defensive nature of the DPRK nuclear weapons programme (and its Songun Army-First policy) cannot be accurately described in such terms, and the five permanent members have shown that they are desperately using the name and reputation of the UN as a crude propaganda device to cover their own archaic imperialist machinations. It is to the credit of China and Russia that they prevented the inclusion of military means to impose the terms of the sanctions, but one is left wondering why they agreed to the resolution at all. The neo-colonialist and imperialist double standards of the blatantly discriminatory and reactionary Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty of 1968 should be consigned to the bonfire of history, and I applaud the actions of the DPRK - as well as India, Israel and Pakistan - in rejecting it.
North Korea 15th October 2006: The United Nations resolution which has been passed against the DPRK is hypocritical, negative, and reveals the imperialist double standards of the five permanent members. Positive advances and constructive development in North Korea - economically and politically - should be pursued by co-operation and engagement, and by the wishes of the Korean people themselves, rather than by aggressive threats and military blockades.
North Korea 9th October 2006: I applaud and welcome the nuclear weapon test this morning by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. It should be remembered that it is the USA, not the DPRK, which has used nuclear weapons in warfare. It is the USA, not the DPRK, which has threatened to use nuclear weapons on a first-use basis. It is the USA, not the DPRK, which has invaded and bombed other countries. The threats and posturing by the USA are aggressive and hypocritical, as the USA will now realise that any attack on, or invasion of, North Korea will be met with a strong retaliatory defence by the Korean People and Army in defence of their indigenous system. The Croydon OMRLP salutes the DPRK, the WPK and the leadership of Kim Jong-Il in standing up to the imperialist shenanigans of the Bush regime and thereby helping to preserve peace and stability in Korea.
North Korea 4th October 2006: The DPRK has announced that it is going to test a nuclear weapon as a defence capability, in response to American threats and sanctions. Why are the western powers getting hysterical about it? Why does Japan describe it as "unforgiveable"? Why does South Korea say that it is a "grave threat"? Why are they pretending that the DPRK should not be allowed to defend itself, as other countries - such as Israel, for example - are allowed to do? Is it because the DPRK has a different political system, and a different form of democracy? It should be remembered that it is the USA which has threatened to use nuclear weapons against the DPRK on a first-use basis, or as a method of ending conventional wars - not vice versa.
Gordon Brown 25th September 2006: Gordon Brown did not say anything new, or different, in his speech at the Labour Party conference. His message was "more of the same" - including the creeping erosion of civil liberties on the pretext of fighting terrorism. Those of us who care about freedom and democracy are completely indifferent to the question of whether Blair is replaced by Brown, or Johnson, or Reid, or Tweedledum or Tweedledee, or when. Building a Loony people's democracy requires, as its first step, the removal of this rotten Labour government, lock stock and barrel.
Demonstrations 22nd September 2006: A carefully co-ordinated and pre-planned series of spontaneous political and cultural demonstrations in Parliament Square this evening culminated in a huge round of applause from tens of thousands of ordinary peasants and proletarians when I sang a rendition of the Albanian national anthem using Brian Haw's megaphone. This clearly shows that the revolution is just around the corner, and a Loony Democracy will be built to replace the Blairite bourgeois dictatorship.
Thailand 20th September 2006: The military coup in Thailand was peaceful, and removed a corrupt and unpopular government. More to the point, the new provisional government has not been repudiated by King Bhumipol. His Majesty's long experience of providing stability and continuity in such times is an indication of benefits of a politically active monarchy, which will remove tyrants when necessary.
Pope and Islam 19th September 2006: If Islam claims to be a peaceful religion, why do so many of its adherents so often get so aggressive and threatening towards those who make even mild criticisms of it? Why do they feel the need to call for the Pope to be executed? Why do they bomb Churches in the Middle East? Why was an elderly nun shot dead in Somalia? Why is the media in Muslim countries so full of crude anti-Semitic propaganda and cartoons? Why did the Pope make such a clumsy part of his speech in the first place? The sooner all countries become secularised in their lawmaking and education, the better.
War and Terror 11th September 2006: Five years ago, 3000 people were killed in the events of "9/11". They were innocent civilians, killed by volunteers, for reasons connected with the anti-imperialist and anti-colonialist struggle of the third world. Since then, many times that number of innocent civilians have been killed in Afghanistan and Iraq, for reasons which are partly connected with the neo-imperialist economic interests of the western powers. Are we to suppose that one death is worth more than another? Are some killings more evil than others? Is it better to be "murdered" by a "terrorist", or to be a "collateral" victim of a "war" which is being waged by a sovereign state? Is it more heinous for someone to be killed for political reasons by a group of individuals than by a regular army?
Blair's Exit 6th September 2006: Speculation is rife about the timing of Tony Blair's departure as prime minister, and the loyalty of Labour Party members is in meltdown. The sooner Blair goes, the better. But when he does, he should take Brown, Reid, Blunkett, Beckett, Cameron and Campbell with him. Then we can elect a democratic patriotic government, leave the EU and begin to build a Democratic People's Loony Britain.
Demonstrations 31st August 2006: About 100 intrepid peaceful demonstrators made their voices heard, and banners seen, in the cause of freedom of expression and assembly. The laws which have been enacted by Blair's proto-fascist despotism mean that anybody who did not apply for permission to demonstrate a week in advance was liable to be arrested or shot by trigger-happy police officers.
Defections 26th August 2006: About 40 members of the Labour Party in the constituency of the Foreign Secretary, Margaret Beckett, have defected to the Liberal Democrats. This has been reported as if it were a major news item. But so what? They have merely abandoned one rotten imperialist carbuncle for another.
Pluto 24th August 2006: The IAU has decided to follow the correct path of defining Pluto as a "dwarf", thereby retaining the integrity of the definition of the eight proper planets and their orbits. This is a great triumph for the sensible policies advocated by the OMRLP; it is directly because of my brilliant opinion (expressed here last week) that the International Astronomical Union has made the decision to reject the erroneous revisionist 12-planet model which was also proposed.
Cricket 21st August 2006: The false accusation of cheating which has been made by the umpire Darrell Hair against the innocent Pakistan cricket team is a blatant act of imperialist aggression. If Mr Hair does not withdraw and apologise for his outrageous lie, he should be exterminated by a war of liberation by the entire nation and people of Pakistan.
Security 20th August 2006: Two passengers were forcibly removed from an aeroplane travelling from Spain to the UK because of the reactionary and hysterical demands of a few of their fellow passengers, who claimed that they were "behaving suspiciously" (whatever that means) and "because [sic] they were speaking Arabic". These bigoted and irrational demands should have led to the removal of the complainants from the flight, not the innocent travellers who were subjected to such discrimination.
Big Brother 18th August 2006: Congratulations to Pete for winning Big Brother 7, and for increasing awareness and tolerance of Tourette's syndrome. Congratulations also to Glyn for his entertaining life journey into a deserved 2nd place, and to the viewers who had the sense not to let Aisleyne win. The series has also reminded us of the high culture and enlightenment which can be built by such programmes.
WWI pardons 17th August 2006: It is inadvisable to meddle with questions which should be left for history, not the law, to judge. There is no real justification for giving a wholesale "pardon" to all the 306 soldiers who were executed for desertion or cowardice in the First World War. There is clear evidence of miscarriages of justice in some, but by no means all, cases. Justice for the few should not be at the cost of eroding necessary military discipline for the many.
Pluto 16th August 2006: Whose stupid idea was it to define Charon, Xena and Ceres as planets? Instead of expanding the definition to include potentially dozens of outlying bodies with eccentric and unstable orbits, the International Astronomical Union should reject Pluto and restrict the definition to those of a substantial size and with planar orbits. The initial error of counting Pluto as a planet in 1930 should be corrected, not exacerbated.
Freedom from Religion 15th August 2006: The government of North Korea has opened a branch of the Russian Orthodox Church, and allowed the celebration of masses, ostensibly to improve relations with Russia. Why is the DPRK indulging in this pandering to outside pressure? One of the purposes of the revolution was to liberate the people of Korea, and to make their lives free from the noxious poison of such superstitious mumbo-jumbo. The government in Pyongyang should keep their people free from religion, instead of playing second fiddle to the retrogressive paternalistic shenanigans of the autocratic reactionary despotism in the new Russia.
Fidel Castro 13th August 2006: I wish Fidel Castro a speedy recovery on the occasion of his 80th birthday, and salute the achievements of the Cuban people in building a comprehensive health and education system.
Terror Plot 10th August 2006: Yesterday, the Home Secretary said that some of the government's opponents in the media and politics "do not get" the serious nature of the threat from modern terrorist activity. Today, a plot to blow up nine transatlantic aeroplanes with liquid explosives has apparently been foiled. But it is still Dr Reid, and the rest of the government, who do not get that the people of the UK will not be made any safer by house arrest, detention without trial, and a huge unwieldy ID card database.
Health 2nd August 2006: A pensioner paid for a private operation with a cheque which he knew would bounce, in order to save his life by minimising the otherwise lengthy delay. The fact that such prompt service is not already available within the NHS is an indictment of the priorities of a society which prefers to spend money on nuclear weapons instead of decent care of its own people.
Monarchy 1st August 2006: A misguided proposal is being suggested by disgruntled backbenchers that the prime minister should be deprived of his power to send UK forces to war without a vote of approval in Parliament. This is not an attempt to restrain a dictatorial prime minister; it is in fact a dangerous proposal for the emasculation of the royal prerogative. I hope that in extremis, Her Majesty will take the initiative to defend her realm and her people against those who seek to impose a republic through the back door.
Birthday 26th July 2006: Hundreds of thousands of fanatically devoted listeners of the London radio station LBC 97.3 were ecstatic in rejoicing as Loony John Cartwright celebrated his 38th birthday by meeting the great improvisational presenter Iain Lee. In common with the late great surrealist artist Jackson Pollock (1912-1956) and the late great improvisational composer Cornelius Cardew (1936-1981), the Iain Lee (1973-????) forms a trilogy of great intellectual performers who have contributed to the liberation of thought and expression among the masses, and helped to erode considerably the oppressive hierarchicalist structures of mind-control used by the bourgeois media and state apparatus.
Israel and Lebanon 25th July 2006: The casus belli was the kidnapping of two Israeli soldiers. The result so far has been the deaths of some 400 Lebanese and 40 Israelis, mostly civilians. This is disproportionate and counter-productive. However, the ultimate cause of the current conflict is that southern Lebanon is being held hostage by a terrorist force which wants Israel to be exterminated. Responsibility for ending the conflict lies not only with Israel, but also with those countries who support and supply Hizbollah in the first place.
Israel and Lebanon 19th July 2006: Why is Israel telling the people of southern Lebanon to flee north, away from the bombing? Are the Hizbollah terrorists not also going to run away to safety? Why is Israel bombing and killing predominantly civilians? Is this what is meant by "self- defence"? Is the imminent invasion going to be a quick surgical strike, or will the troops stay for many years like they did last time?
The Murder of Jean Charles de Menezes 18th July 2006: The decision by the CPS not to prosecute the police officers for the murder of Jean Charles de Menezes is as contemptible as it is predictable. The suggestion that they honestly believed that he was a potential suicide bomber flies in the face of the fact that they could clearly see, with their own eyes, the fact that he was obviously not of Somali origin, as was the suspect whom they supposedly thought they were following; and the fact that they could see that he was not carring any explosives. I, for one, am fed up with reading reports in the media stating that they "thought" he was a suicide bomber, or that he was "mistaken for" one, when they already knew otherwise. This decision is an obvious example of the blurring between the executive and judicial branches of the state; the judicial system is being subverted by the New Labour authoritarian state to become an instrument of partisan oppression rather than as a neutral arbiter. Of such are dictatorships made.
Mayor of London 15th July 2006: The government has substantially increased the powers of the Mayor of London in the areas of planning, housing, culture and the environment. These powers have been devolved upwards from the London boroughs, not downwards from the centre. Worse still, they are not balanced by any increase in the scrutiny from the GLA members. This is another stage in the building of a corporatist client state of satraps and the destruction of true people's democracy. Accountable government for London should include a GLA leader, elected by the members themselves, and accountable on a day-to-day basis.
Israel and Lebanon 14th July 2006: Israel has the right to defend its own security, and to take reasonable actions against Hizbollah positions in Lebanon. But it should exercise all due restraint and make an effort to minimise the amount of disruption or casualties among civilians.
Justice in the USA 12th July 2006: The Bush administration has been forced, after five years, to accept that the prison camp at Guantanamo Bay is illegal and inhumane. The announcement that the prisoners will now be given their rights under the Geneva convention is an admission that their treatment hitherto has been against all the normal international laws of war. Meanwhile, the UK government is indulging in the pathetic spectacle of begging the USA senate to ratify the extradition treaty in order to make it bilateral, with no realistic hope of preventing the extradition and imprisonment of the three British businessmen from NatWest. This is the action of a craven and indulgent puppet, not that of an independent and self-reliant government of a sovereign nation.
Hoodies 10th July 2006: David Cameron says that hoodies are only trying to "blend in", not to be threatening. Blend in? With what? With whom? It seems obvious to me that young people who hide their faces by wearing hoodies are being threatening, aggressive and anti-social to normal decent people; not merely in their effect, but specifically, deliberately, consciously and overtly in their intention. This is another example of the evidence that shows how much Mr Cameron is out of touch with normal Loony values.
Korea 4th July 2006: On the same day, the USA has used the most modern advances in technology to launch a space shuttle into orbit, despite NASA's own safety officers expressing concerns about the foam protection which failed catastrophically on previous occasions; and the DPRK has used its own technology to test a defensive missile capability. The USA is showing off at the risk of its own astronauts; the DPRK is not threatening anybody in its actions to maintain its position as an independent, self-reliant nation.
Sentencing 25th June 2006: The imposition of prison sentences on criminals should be done with flexibility and honesty; currently it has neither. A sentence of six years currently means that the prisoner will almost certainly be released after three years, regardless of the circumstances. There needs to be an element of flexibility in time served, so that prisoners have a realistic incentive for good behaviour. Thus a sentence of six years should mean between four and six years, depending on the good behaviour of the criminal. There is no justification for a totally inflexible sentence of six years without any hope of parole or rehabilitation.
Korea 19th June 2006: The Democratic People's Republic of Korea is preparing to test-fire a missile which may be capable of delivering a nuclear weapon to the USA. It comes as no surprise that the Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, has engaged in the midboggling hypocrisy of denouncing such an act as "provocative" and as a "serious" matter. This frenzied hysteria of condemnation comes from a country which has kept its troops in Iraq beyond the point of usefulness, which is sabre-rattling against the democratically elected government in Iran, and which has not ruled out the first-strike use of tactical nuclear weapons to "end" conventional conflicts. Why is the DPRK supposedly not allowed to develop its own defences, and to defend itself against the threat of external invasion, like any other nation? It is the USA, not the DPRK, which is acting and speaking in a "provocative" way.
Police Raids 11th June 2006: Yet again, police have targeted and raided a Muslim household and injured an innocent man, with no resulting evidence of any criminal activity by the residents. It would be acceptable if this were a one-off, but it is all too typical of many raids on Muslim households. The vast majority of such incidents result in no arrests or prosecutions. The reliability of police "intelligence" leaves a lot to be desired, and is building up a lot of ill-will for the future prospects of co-operation with the British Muslim communities.
Surrealism 3rd June 2006: Thousands of Loonies, progressives, artists and other assorted followers of diversity assembled in central London today to demonstrate in defence of Surrealism and Absurdism, and the spirit of diversity, freedom and for the liberation of the people against state oppression, in spirit and in mind as well as in the realms of bourgeois political discourse. This act of self- liberation from the hierarchicalistic tyranny of the imperialist warmonger state apparatus was hailed and welcomed by millions of tourists and passers-by, many of whom spontaneously joined with the thousands of democratic demonstrators in singing Welsh songs, assorted national anthems, and in proclaiming progressive slogans.
Iran 1st June 2006: The USA suggests that talks should go ahead with Iran, if it agrees to give up its uranium enrichment programme. It is odd, but sadly unsurprising, that the Great Imperialist regards unilateral surrender as a precondition for negotiations.
Prescott 31st May 2006: The Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott is being paid £134,000 per year for doing very little other than chairing a committee to co-ordinate the relief effort in the aftermath of the Javanese earthquake, and for indulging in reactionary bourgeois pursuits like croquet. A similar position - the chair of a state committee for something-or-other - was the only one held for many years by worthy leaders such as Deng Xiao-Ping, Mao Tse-Tung and Colonel Muammar al-Qadafi.
Energy 16th May 2006: The government's attitude at the conclusion of the energy review is that the UK should hurtle headlong into the development of more nuclear power stations. The whole premise of the review was that renewable and green energy sources can be made to be viable in the long term; it seems therefore that the whole review was conducted for the purposes of spin rather than for constructive purposes.
Crime 16th May 2006: Tony Blair has admitted that the government has not yet solved the problem of crime, despite nine years and dozens of Acts of Parliament against crime, anti-social behaviour, terrorism and so on. It might be a good idea if the police were given the resources to investigate burglaries, and respond to threatening and disorderly behaviour instead of being bombarded with more and more paperwork.
Hugo Chavez 15th May 2006: We welcome the President of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez on the occasion of his visit to London. He has had the courage to stand up to American imperialism, and recognises that it is better for Venezuela's energy resources to be under the control of a large number of Venezuelan people than a small number of billionaires from the USA.
Musical Chairs 12th May 2006: The panicked re-shuffle of Cabinet ministers in the immediate aftermath of the local elections disaster for the Labour Party, and the continuing speculation about the timing of Blair's departure, are merely fluff: the desperate tinkering at the edges of a decadent and rotten edifice of a quasi-authoritarian proto-fascist government. Replacing Clarke with Reid, or Blair with Brown, will not in themselves free the country from the tyranny of their illiberal policies and totalitarian hysteria.
Cornelius Cardew (1936-1981) 7th
May 2006: Today we celebrate the life of the late composer and progressive
political campaigner, Cornelius Cardew, whose 70th birthday we remember today, and who
tragically lost his life at the height of his achievements at the age of only 45. His belief
that "life must be lived to the full in order to be meaningful" is at
the heart of the struggle for freedom of expression and spiritual existence. His
rejection of a false dichotomy between culture and politics is essential for the liberation
of the individual from the restricted class-based mindset and security-based hysteria of the
bourgeois Lib-Lab-Con-trick parties. His advocacy of free-form avant-garde music, and the
spontaneity of ad hoc performances, seeks to liberate the performer from the restrictive
dictates of the composer.
Similarly, the fundamental truth is that political power
ultimately rests with the people themselves - individually and collectively - and not merely
with a small hierarchical group of politicians who have been elected through a distorted
bourgeois electoral system. Cardew was thus an early pioneer of the Loony philosophy of
diversity and progressive broad-based alliance against the threat of fascism - both the overt
neo-fascism of the BNP, and the proto-fascism of the reactionary New Labour regime which has
renounced progressive advances and which has joined forces with the imperialist warmongering
Bush regime in the USA. The loss to the political and musical worlds caused by Cardew's
early death are immeasurable; his work and achievements are remembered still.
The Loony Way Forward 5th May 2006: The 200 votes which I received in Fairfield ward yesterday was the highest Loony vote in this year's local elections, as it was in 2002. The 200 Loony faithful who expressed support for my progressive policies have made a valuable contribution to the process of rescuing the country from the decadent, moribund authoritarian Blair government.
Labour Loses Croydon 5th May 2006: The Labour Party has lost control of Croydon Council, having lost 10 seats. But although these seats have been gained by the Conservative Party (which also gained one seat from the Liberal Democrats), it was the minor parties which benefited most from the shift of votes. Substantial support for the Liberal Democrats and the Green Party is hidden, disguised and distorted by the blunt and distorted electoral system which has arbitrarily divided the map into two tribal areas. If the Conservative administration wants to be re-elected in 2010, it will have to remember that it still only has 45% of the votes.
May The 4th Be With You 4th May 2006: Today is the day for decision. I urge all voters to uphold the fundamental principles of Loonyism and diversity. Accountable and representative local administration is more important, more progressive, and more democratic than the petty bourgeois games of party political ping-pong between the main parties.
Charles Clarke 2nd May 2006: It is bad enough that 1,023 prisoners were released when they should have been deported; it is worse that the Home Secretary knew about it for 10 months before admitting it publicly, but it is astonishing that he now thinks that it is necessary for him to stay in office to sort out the very same mess over which he has presided.
10th Anniversary 1st May 2006 All day long, thousands of joyous citizens have been dancing and singing in the streets to celebrate the joyous tenth anniversary of the day when I joined the Official Monster Raving Loony Party. Since 1st May 1996, the OMRLP has lost its founding member, but despite this - and in spite of the continuing aggressive imperialist shenanigans and manoeuvrings of the Lib-Lab-Con-trick parties, who seek to restrict choice and the range of spontaneous political thought among the proletariat - the party continues to go from strength to strength in the continuing line of march towards Loony diversity and freedom. We have suffered, but withstood, the slings and arrows of outrageous libels and denunciations from our enemies, but we will prevail! Loony Philosophy is on the march and will never be defeated!
David Cameron 27th April 2006: Twice within the last three weeks I have received letters purporting to come from the office of David Cameron, leader of the Conservative Party. They were both very evasive and dismissive of the points to which they were supposedly responding. Either someone is intercepting letters intended for Mr Cameron, and is forging replies, or Mr Cameron himself is being deliberately offensive and insulting.
Crumbling Ministers 26th April 2006: Charles Clarke is being asked to resign because of a few hundred criminals who should have been deported. I am also concerned about the hundreds of innocent people who will be incarcerated as a result of the government's crackdown on individual liberty. Patricia Hewitt was heckled today by nurses because of staff cuts. John Prescott has admitted to an adulterous affair; this is merely a bourgeois distraction away from the degenerative panicking of a moribund and decadent government. A Loony People's Democracy is surely just around the corner.
Prince Harry 25th April 2006: His Royal Hunkiness Second Lieutenant Harry Wales has expressed a firm desire to go on active military service with the rest of his unit in Iraq or Afghanistan, and without any special privileges. I disagree; he is too precious and too important to be put in such danger. His military training should instead be welcomed as a positive contributing factor towards the development and maintenance of his hunkiness and muscularity.
Queen's Birthday 23rd April 2006: I welcome and echo the words of the Dean of Windsor who today saluted the unselfconsciousness of Her Majesty's example of unswerving duty to her people and the nation. The monarchy, as a constitutional bedrock of calmness and serenity, can remain steadfast at the head of a Democratic People's Loony Kingdom of Britain; there is no conflict between this and the application, with suitably British modifications, of the Juche principles of independence and self-determination in line with the accumulated aggregation of the experiences and material conditions of the people.
Queen's Birthday 21st April 2006: Thousands of joyous and grateful citizens have been dancing and singing in the streets of Croydon all day long in celebration of the 80th birthday of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Her Majesty has had an excellent and distinguished record of service to the entire people, nation and Commonwealth. She is the best embodiment of the constitutional, cultural and political benefits of the monarchy as a safeguard against tyranny.
Local elections 20th April 2006: The Labour Party election broadcast was an entirely negative personal attack against the Conservative leader David Cameron, and did not tell us anything about Labour policies. The Liberal Democrat broadcast praised Sir Menzies Campbell as a respected, experienced and charismatic world statesman, but he is not actually standing in this year's local election anyway. Luckily, also not standing in the local elections is David Cameron, who seems to think that the best way to enthuse the voters is to fly to Norway and look at a glacier. He says "Vote Blue, Get Green". Why not Vote Green if you want to Get Green?
Nepal 20th April 2006: The riots and demonstrations in Nepal are an important move forward in the line of march towards a democratic and constitutional monarchy. King Gyanendra should reverse his personal despotism, and establish a broad-based people's democracy as a pillar against the tyranny of so-called Maoist insurgents.
Miscarriages of Justice 19th April 2006: The proposal to impose a limit of £500,000 on the compensation for those who have been the victims of miscarriages of justice is misguided as well as penny-pinching. It is a false analogy to compare it with those who are the victim of crime. False conviction and imprisonment should be fully compensated far beyond the level of income lost; those who have been wrongly imprisoned for decades or more should get millions of pounds and should be allowed to live in luxury for the rest of their lives.
Council Tax 16th April 2006: The latest Conservative Party leaflet in Fairfield ward promises that the Conservative Party will not put up Council Tax by more than 4% per year if elected on 4th May. In other words, they want to put it up by 17% by 2010. If you want to pay 17% more Council Tax (i.e. £221 for band D) in 4 years' time, vote Conservative. If you want your Council Tax bill to be frozen for 4 years, vote Loony.
Israel 10th April 2006: Within the last two days, British courts have found that two unarmed civilians were murdered by soldiers of the Israeli Defence Force in separate incidents while they were working peacefully to help Palestinians. The State of Israel has a right to defend itself against those who want to destroy it, and this right must be exercised responsibly. The Israeli Army must investigate thoroughly the chain of command and the individuals who ordered and sanctioned these crimes as well as scapegoating the individuals who committed them.
David Cameron 4th April 2006: The Conservative Party leader, David Cameron, has committed an outrageous and offensive libel by accusing the UKIP of being racist. He knows that this is totally unfounded, and has shown that he is unfit for the serious job of being leader of the opposition rather than being a third-rate schoolboy debater. Unless an apology and retraction is forthcoming, he should give up the idea of winning the next general election or of the Conservatives winning a majority in Croydon on 4th May. Accordingly, I will vote Loony and Green in Fairfield on 4th May; whether my third vote goes to the Conservative Party or the UKIP will depend on Mr Cameron's response.
Ukraine 26th March 2006: The so-called "Orange Revolution" of December 2004 was not a revolution at all; it was merely the expression of the determination of the Ukrainian people that the presidential election should be conducted fairly and without foreign interference in favour of one side. The whole process was completed within the existing constitutional and legal procedures, without any revolutionary upheaval. This week's parliamentary elections are continuing this constitutional process. The likely victory of former President Yanukovich and his pro-Russian party is another welcome expression of democracy, and also represents an act of self-determination and resistance against foreign interference.
Belarus 26th March 2006: It has been alleged that the Presidential election, in which Mr Lukashenko was re-elected with 83% of the votes, was rigged and marred by intimidation and harassment of political opponents. These allegations, if true, are ironic and disappointing; it is in any case clear that President Lukashenko has genuine widespread support among most Belarussians, and he has a track record of keeping a lid on the long-term problems which have plagued most other post- Soviet republics, such as crime, alcoholism, decline in health and life expectancy, and catastrophic industrial collapse. Even without cutting the corners of democracy and free speech, he would have been overwhelmingly re-elected anyway, and should be congratulated accordingly for upholding the spirit of self-determination against hypocritical American slanders. Any irregularities in the conduct in the election should be condemned, and the detained opposition leader Aleksander Kozulin should be released immediately.
Norman Kember 25th March 2006: Sir Michael Jackson, the Chief of Defence Staff, has criticised the released hostage Norman Kember for not expressing sufficient gratitude to his rescuers. This astonishing outburst of impertinent interference is hypocrisy of the worst order. The imperialist warmongers need to be reminded that Mr Kember only needed to be rescued because he was in Iraq for peaceful purposes, and this was only because the Allied forces have stayed there beyond the point at which it was necessary or desirable.
Ken Livingstone 22nd March 2006: The Mayor of London has made another apparently anti-Semitic comment to the effect that two Jewish businessmen of Iraqi-Indian background should go "back" to Iran [sic]. What he meant, or was trying to achieve, by such a mysterious remark is yet to be seen. In any case, it raises a serious question over his judgment and his ability to be balanced and fairly representative of all of London's communities.
Stop Imperialism 19th March 2006: The continuing occupation of Iraq has degenerated into a squalid example of aggressive imperialist plunder by the American business and military complex. Ordinary Iraqi civilians are routinely abused and mistreated by American soldiers who have no understanding of the supposed purpose of their mission to bring "democracy" and "freedom" to Iraq. The infrastructure has collapsed in the provision of water and electricity, and billions of dollars of aid which was meant for reconstruction has been embezzled or disappeared without being properly accounted. American sabre-rattling against the Islamist regime in neighbouring Iran is counter-productive because it merely provides an excuse for the racheting-up of chauvinist hysteria by the regime of the Ayatollahs and President Ahmedinejad. An end to the aggressive imperialist manoeuvrings by the Bush government will provide a renewed opportunity to the peoples of Iran and Iraq to solve their own problems and to build their own democratic societies in their own way. It will also help to end the hardship which is caused by excessive defence spending by the progressive governments of countries such as Venezuela, Cuba and the D.P.R. Korea - i.e. expenditure which has been made as a response to provocations by the USA and which would be better spent on social programmes.
The Occupation of Iraq 12th March 2006: The former SAS officer, Ben Griffin, has exposed far more clearly than before the oppressive and overtly imperialist nature of the American occupation of Iraq. Many American soldiers routinely treat ordinary Iraqi civilians as enemy combattants, terrorist suspects, or culturally and morally inferior. The occupying American forces do not seem able even to begin to understand the need or desire of winning hearts and minds, or of forming alliances. Many of them seem to have no concept of the basic reason which existed for invading Iraq in the first place - i.e. to liberate the people from a murderous tyranny and to prevent external military aggression. It is becoming ever clearer that a complete withdrawal of allied occupying forces can not come quickly enough.
Prison Sentences 11th March 2006: If there is a need to reduce prison sentences in order to reduce the overall prison population, then it would be reasonable to start with non-violent and minor offences, rather than reducing the sentences for rape, as is being suggested.
The Murder of Jean Charles de Menezes 8th March 2006: The Panorama programme today confirmed the fact that all the members of the surveillance team knew that the suspect was Hussein Osman, a black Somali man, and that the target of the operation was clearly white or of pale Mediterranean appearance. It is impossible to escape the conclusion that the surveillance officer who identified de Menezes as Osman is criminally liable, as well as the officers who shot the fatal bullets.
Ken Livingstone 25th February 2006: The anti-semitic comments by the Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, to a Jewish journalist were highly offensive and insulting, and were deliberately and consciously calculated to be so. As such, Livingstone deserves to be condemned by all decent people. But, as in the case of the Danish cartoons, nobody has the right not to be offended. The punishment for Livingstone should be decided by the people at the next election, not by an unelected quango. It is disturbing that a body called the "Adjudication Panel for England" should be able to suspend an elected politician, however distasteful he may be, without further reference to the people.
Prince Charles 23rd February 2006: Prince Charles has the right to keep his own private diary and journals without fear of their content being published to a wider audience than intended. At the same time, he has the right to express his opinions openly on a wide range of subjects, without fear of being restricted by bourgeois constitutional conventions. The Monarchy is a vital institution for maintaining stability and for safeguarding constitutional liberties. Members of the Royal family should speak out more often, not less often, in defence of liberty.
Blair's Authoritarian State 21st February 2006: Channel 4's "Dispatches" programme has exposed the way in which Tony Blair hijacked the agenda on "anti-terror" laws while the Home Secretary was on holiday, and was obsessed with making headlines about sounding tough rather than being constructive. This has led to bad law, the erosion of the Magna Carta, and the proposed offence of "glorification" of terror (which has not been defined). The government has exaggerated the terrorist threat by inventing stories about a non-existent ricin factory, and a non-existent plan to bomb the football ground at Old Trafford. The government is also not serious in wanting to address the issue of alienation of British Muslims after the Iraq war. This Prime Minister has got no proper grasp of constitutional law or history, of civil liberties or of long-term security. The sooner he is removed, the better. If he and his cronies remain in power for much longer, then the UK will be sleep-walking into a dictatorship with arbitrary police powers and with routine harrassment of dissidents.
Abuse in Iraq 15th February 2006: The most recent photographs of abuse and torture by American troops in the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq come, unfortunately, as no surprise. It is clear that right from the very start of the invasion, substantial elements within the American forces have not had the slightest idea that they are supposed to be liberating and helping the people of Iraq, rather than oppressing them.
ID cards 13th February 2006: The reasons given by the government for wanting to have ID cards have changed more times than the leadership of the Conservative Party. First they said it would make it easier for benefit claimants to get their payments. Then they said that it would prevent crime. Then they said it would prevent illegal immigration. Then they said it would prevent terrorism. Then they said it would prevent identity theft and fraud. The reality is that it will be a massive bureaucratic tyranny designed for controlling the population; the hope is that it will collapse into chaos and wholesale computer failure.
Abuse in Iraq 12th February 2006: Amateur video of British soldiers brutally attacking Iraqi children, with others looking on without intervening, shows yet again that the rationale for Allied forces to remain in occupation is rotten to the core. The primary purpose of establishing a democratic system in Iraq has been fulfilled, and the UK should withdraw its troops immediately before any further damage is done.
Authoritarian Labour 11th February 2006: The deputy prime minister, John Prescott, made a speech in which he criticised the Conservative Party leader David Cameron as a chameleon who pretends to flip-flop between liberalism, New Labour values, and environmental protection, while always remaining a "Conservative to the core". On the same day, the would-be prime minister Gordon Brown says that he wants to extend the 28-day period for detention without trial. It is astonishing that these two high priests of New Labour control-freakery dare to criticise David Cameron for drifting away from key Conservative values, while at the same time presiding over the most reactionary, illiberal and authoritarian Labour government that has ever existed. The reality is that both of the so-called "main" parties have failed the ordinary British people. To restore true freedom, democracy, diversity and self-determination, these two moribund oligarchies must be swept away and replaced by a new enlightened Loony People's Government.
Sion Jenkins 9th February 2006: The acquittal of Sion Jenkins for murder is welcome, but comes nine years too late. The fact that justice has finally been done does not hide the fact that there was never enough evidence to justify a conviction in the first place. As well as finding the murderer of Billie-Jo Jenkins, the police and prosecution authorities need to explain why such distorted and incomplete evidence was presented at the first trial and the first appeal, and why further prosecutions were brought even after the evidence against Sion Jenkins had already been fundamentally discredited.
Royal Prerogative 6th February 2006: The desire by David Cameron to reduce the powers of the sovereign to exercise decisions through the mechanism of royal prerogative is a lapse of judgement which should be resisted by all loyal monarchists. It is an uncharacteristic lapse of judgement and is indicative of left deviationism.
Free Speech 5th February 2006: The abuse of freedom of speech by a tiny minority of extremist Muslims, who called for the murder of people who insults Islam, should be condemned utterly by all those who value freedom. The Metropolitan Police urgently needs to explain why it allowed such a provocative demonstration to go ahead in the first place, and why no arrests were made on the spot. The failure of the police to deal adequately with such abuses will only serve to inflame the situation, and will send moderate people into the arms of extremist groups on both sides.
Danish Cartoons 4th February 2006: One of the fundamental principles of freedom of speech is that nobody has the right not to be offended. The publication of cartoons in newspapers, in Denmark and elsewhere, depicting Mohammed is to be applauded and encouraged. All religions, including Islam, are little more than superstitious mumbo-jumbo, and there should be no laws of blasphemy to protect them. The apologies which some have given for the publication of the cartoons were misguided.
The Murder of Jean Charles de Menezes 31st January 2006: Evidence has come to light that one of the officers in the police surveillance team attempted to falsify the incident logbook in order to shift blame onto the firearms officers for the killing, rather than blaming it on the false identification. This distinction is missing the point. Existing law has clearly established that responsibility for murder lies with the murderer, regardless of any orders or instructions from the chain of command or from superiors. Even if (as seems to be the case) the surveillance officers were criminally incompetent, the gunmen still have individual responsibility for killing a man who was clearly unarmed and innocent.
Simon Hughes 26th January 2006: Simon Hughes should not be criticised or disadvantaged for his admission that he is bisexual. He has not been dishonest about it, and he was accurate in denying that he is gay. He is probably the best candidate for the leadership of the Liberal Democrats and will be able to make inroads into Labour areas and in the struggle to protect civil liberties. The main objective for the next general election should be to get rid of the Labour government's fake majority in the House of Commons, and to halt it in its tracks of building a proto-fascist authoritarian state.
Incapacity Benefit 23rd January 2006: The government is misguided in wanting to clamp down on incapacity benefit and its claimants as if they are somehow scroungers. There are already sufficient powers of surveillance and investigation to check on those who have falsely claimed. Further restrictions on the way the system is administered will only tend to cause hardship to genuine claimants.
The Murder of Jean Charles de Menezes
22nd January 2006: It is now six months since Mr de Menezes was murdered by armed police
officers of the Metropolitan police. I have no hesitation in using the word "murder", because
it has become increasingly clear that the facts of the case do not fit any other description.
Iraq 21st January 2006: Iraq has now got its own constitution, parliament, government and basic political infrastructure. The purpose for which the war was fought, and tyranny removed, has now been fulfilled. The continuing occupation of Iraq by the western allied forces is counter-productive and should be ended forthwith. The future economic, structural and political development must now be in the hands of the Iraqi people themselves, without continuing outside interference.
ID cards 20th January 2006: The government is apparently hell-bent on introducing compulsory identity cards despite fears of high and rising costs, and despite the fact that they will not help in the fight against crime, terrorism or illegal immigration. The primary purpose of the scheme, if enacted, will turn out to be revenue-raising. Innocent and harmless people will be persecuted, pursued and fined for trivial infringements like changing address without notifying the authorities.
Cannabis 19th January 2006: The government is in error by not upgrading cannabis from category C to B. It is addictive, dangerous to mental and physical health, and more harmful than tobacco.
Defence 16th January 2006: Since 1982, the Royal Navy has lost half of its submarines, half of its destroyers, and two thirds of its frigates. This bodes ill for the future of our international interests in the event of the unexpected. It also confirms that defence expenditure should be exclusively conventional, and that nuclear weapons are a waste of money.
Iran 10th January 2006: There is no purpose to be served by another bout of international sabre-rattling by the Western powers in expressing mock outrage at the development by Iran of nuclear energy technology. Iran has its own internal democratic structures through which the Iranian people have chosen a path forwards. There is no reason to believe that the nuclear research is being directed towards the development of aggressive nuclear weapons, or that Israel is going to be threatened or attacked. There is therefore no justification for any military intervention in Iran by the USA or its allies.
Lib Dems 7th January 2006: Charles Kennedy is clearly on his way out as leader of the Liberal Democrats, whether he himself realises it or not. His dishonest and evasive statements about his alcoholism are far more serious than the alcoholism itself. But whether he resigns, or by whom he is replaced, are immaterial. The Liberal Democrats will remain as an undemocratic party devoted to the continuing process of surrendering national sovereignty to the EU.
Railways 2nd January 2006: Rail tickets are to go up by an average of 4.5%, and some by up to 9%. This is another indication that the current political climate is still too much orientated towards business and profits, and not enough towards sustainable infrastructure and environmental protection. Any future increase should be on the price of petrol and subsidising public transport, not the other way round.
Happy New Year 1st January 2006: It is now possible for the police to arrest anybody for any offence. They have an ever increasing array of laws at their disposal, supposedly to tackle terrorism, crime or anti-social behaviour, which has flowed from a torrent of badly considered and hurried legislation. Every new measure comes with an assurance that it is only to be used in exceptional cases against the most extreme of dangers, and then comes to be routinely used to hassle peaceful or harmless protestors or dissidents. All the while, real crime such as robbery, mugging and burglary goes increasingly ignored. This is Happy New Year in Big Brother Blair's New Britain in 2006.
Torture 22nd December 2005: At his trial in Baghdad, Saddam Hussein claims to have been beaten and unfairly treated by the Americans. The point is not whether this is true or not; the point is that it could be true. American forces have a track record of kidnapping and torturing innocent people all over the world. This allegation will be widely believed, whether it is true or not.
EU rebate 21st December 2005: Tony Blair has agreed to give up £1 billion per year to the EU in exchange for nothing except a vague promise of a "review" of the Common Agricultural Policy in four years' time. He was right to point out to UKIP MEPs that this is "2005, not 1945". No British government in 1945, of either party, would have agreed to surrender democracy and sovereignty to a foreign undemocratic power in return for nothing.
Bolivia 20th December 2005: Congratulations to Evo Morales on his victory in the election for President of Bolivia. The recent successes of Leftist candidates in elections in Bolivia, Venezuela, Chile, Argentina and Brazil represent a strengthening of diversity and national self-determination. They are a series of blows against aggressive imperialism but not against international trade or co-operation.
The Rule of Law (2) 12th December 2005: Tony Blair said in an interview today that it was just "too much hassle" to uphold the basic principles of law and liberty on which people in this country have been able to rely for hundreds of years - including the basic presumption of innocence and the burden of proof being on the prosecution rather than the defendant.
The Rule of Law 11th December 2005:
In October this year, the law lord, Lord Steyn, condemned the government’s plans
to detain “terrorist suspects” for up to 90 days as incompatible with the European Convention
on Human Rights. “Experience shows that governments frequently ask for more powers than they
need, and when they get those powers they abuse them from time to time,” he said.
Furthermore, Lord Steyn has referred to the huge wave of legislation on criminal justice (since
Labour came to power there have been 12 criminal justice acts) in these terms: “Year after
year, half-baked ideas are adopted in haste, puffed up to be the ideal solution and routinely
abandoned a year later. The quality of much of the legislation has been described by text-book
writers as scandalous. So, to the bewilderment of the public and judges, the position in regard
to criminal justice continues from year to year. It is a little unfair to blame it on the
judges, as politicians so frequently do.”
EU Rebate 1st December 2005: Tony Blair has agreed to give up some of the UK's rebate from the EU budget. This is because he is unprincipled, weak, and unpatriotic.
Energy 30th November 2005: It may be necessary to include nuclear energy in the medium-term solution to the question of sufficient energy provision, but this will not avoid the ultimate need for renewable energy sources in the very long term.
Pensions 30th November 2005: There should be flexibility in the age at which workers have to retire, linked to the amount of pension they receive. A personal pension fund should be portable by the individual from one job to another. Most importantly of all, there should be no means testing - it is intrinsically insulting as well as being a disincentive to saving.
Army bullying 29th November 2005: Amateur film of military initiation rituals shows a disturbing level of bullying and unofficial hierarchical violence and drunken debauchery. Such scenes are completely alien to what the armed forces are supposed to be for. Military effectiveness depends on rigid order and self-discipline as well as physical fitness.
Police murder 21st November 2005: In the light of the murder of PC Sharon Beshenivsky, some have called for all police officers to be routinely armed. In the aftermath of the murder of Jean-Charles de Menezes, I can hardly think of anything more horrific and chilling than the idea of every neighbourhood PC being armed with a deadly weapon. Such a spectre would alienate and divide the police force from the general population more than ever.
Iraq 18th November 2005: There are allegations that prisoners in Iraqi jails have been maltreated, tortured and not allowed access to lawyers. If this is true then it reduces the purpose for which the war was fought in the first place, and strengthens the case for speedy removal of Allied forces.
Terrorism Bill (2) 14th November 2005: Not only did the government orchestrate the intervention of senior police officers in lobbying Labour MPs to try to blackmail them into accepting the proposed 90-day limit, but it has now emerged that it specifically banned police officers from speaking out against the government's proposals. This represents a dangerous step towards the creation of a police state.
Terrorism Bill 9th November 2005: I rejoice in the defeat of the government in its attempt to allow detention without charge for 90 days. The majority of 31 votes for amending the Bill to a 28-day limit does not go far enough in defending civil liberties, but it represents the first significant nail in the coffin of Blair's decaying, decrepit, dictatorial regime.
Fathers 4 Justice 8th November 2005: Today's investigation by ITV's "Tonight" programme exposed the campaigning group which calls itself "Fathers 4 Justice" as a rag-tag collection of sexist, racist, violent anti-social misfits with no respect for peace, law, justice or decency. Its use of violent tactics of intimidation and harassment will only serve to alienate most people from the policies which it is supposedly trying to pursue. Its members have shown themselves to be unsuitable for contact with their own children, let alone dictating changes in the law for other parents.
Terrorism Bill 7th November 2005: The latest proposal by the Home Secretary is that the proposed 90-day limit on the detention of suspects without charge will not, as had been suggested, be "compromised" at a lower level of 28 or 42 days, but should be subject to a "sunset" clause whereby it will be "reviewed" in a year's time. If this sham of a concession is approved by MPs, then it will be as much of an attack on liberty - and just as dangerous - as the original proposal. Only a Parliament full of spineless careerists could posiibly be taken in by such a tactic.
Blunkett 2nd November 2005: David Blunkett resigned today as Secretary of State for Work and Pensions. He resigned voluntarily after admitting that he made mistakes; but he should have been sacked ages ago. The fact that this took so long indicates the weakness of Tony Blair when it comes to protecting his cronies and friends.
Iran 29th October 2005: There is no basis for comparing the position of Iran under President Ahmedinejad with that of Iraq under Saddam Hussein. Saddam slaughtered hundreds of thousands of his own people, and had a track record of waging aggressive wars against numerous neighbouring countries. Iran has not invaded or threatened other countries, and Mr Ahmedinejad is a democratically elected leader rather than a murderous tyrant. The recent speech in which he spoke of the desire to wipe Israel off the map was for domestic political consumption, and should not be interpreted as a calculated threat of external aggression. Thus, the invasion of Iraq and the liberation of the Iraqi people was justified, whereas an imperialist expedition against Iran would be unjustified as well as of great cost.
White House scandal 29th October 2005: George Bush says that the accused White House employee, Lewis Libby, is entitled to the presumption of innocence and due process. It's a pity he does not extend the same principles to the Guantanamo prisoners.
Geraint Davies 27th October 2005: It comes as no surprise that Geraint Davies, the hated Blairite lickspittle, claimed more of taxpayers' money in expenses than any other MP in 2004/05. During his time as MP for Croydon Central, he never ceased to take every opportunity to boast about how many constituents he had met, or the meetings he had been having with ministers. But he was removed as MP by the heroic 193 Loony voters on 5th May because of his unswerving track record of toadying to the the Blair regime, and of never rebelling in the voting lobbies in the interests of the people in defiance of the whips.
Iraq 25th October 2005: Today has seen the 2,000th death among American forces in Iraq, and the approval of the proposed constitution by the Iraqi people in the referendum. These milestones mark the point at which Allied occupation has completed its mission. If it is continued, it will soon become counter-productive. The new constitution should become the starting-point for a new democratic Iraq to be built by its own people and their own politicians.
Education 24th October 2005: The aim of the proposed reforms in education should aim at improving the quality of teaching which all pupils receive, not just a minority of cream at the top of the social hierarchy. There would be little point in having greater autonomy for elite schools if it is accompanied by a corresponding growth in an illiterate, innumerate underclass in sink schools from which all competent teachers have fled.
Occupation of Iraq 18th October 2005: Early indications are that the proposed constitution of Iraq will be approved by the necessary majority in the referendum. This will provide the interim government with a level of sovereignty and legitimacy which will enable the Iraqi people to build a new society and to solve their own problems. The level of insurgent violence which exists in Iraq at the moment indicates that the occupation by the Allies has served its purpose, and will soon become part of the problem rather than part of the solution. As soon as the new constitution and government are in place, the Allies should withdraw. If this means the unilateral withdrawal of UK forces without the withdrawal of American forces, then the USA will have to take sole responsibility for staying beyond the point of being welcome.
Earthquake relief 17th October 2005: Why have allied forces in northern Afghanistan not been deployed to help the earthquake relief effort in northern Pakistan?
Prevention of Terrorism 13th October 2005: The Terrorism Bill which has been dreamt up by the government in response to the London bombings will do nothing to prevent terrorism or make it less likely to happen; it will serve only to criminalise, radicalise and alienate an entire community, and this will in turn make terrorism more likely. Abuses of the existing law by the police serve as a warning of the abuses which are likely to happen if this new law is enacted. The proposals to outlaw words which "glorify" terrorism, or "incite" others to commit acts of terrorism, without the need for any malicious intent by the speaker, will serve only to ban normal freedom of speech. The existing law is already more than enough to tackle the threat of terrorism. The real purpose of the new law is to control the population, stifle and criminalise all forms of dissent, and divide communities against each other so that the decaying Blairite oligarchy can entrench its own position in power against the rising tide of public opposition. The proposed new law shows, more clearly than ever before, that Tony Blair is the most despotic, dictatorial, illiberal and authoritarian prime minister that the UK has had in many, many decades. The sooner he is removed from power, the better.
Korea 10th October 2005: In the name of diversity, peaceful cooperation and international understanding, I offer fraternal greetings to the people of North Korea on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the foundation of the Workers' Party of Korea. Ultimately, it is the people, not the party, who constitute the driving force of history, and who will find a peaceful way to a new future for Korea.
The Death of Jean Charles de Menezes (6) 8th October 2005: It is reported that the police officer in charge of the surveillance operation may be charged with manslaughter. But the evidence which is available at the moment suggests that there is a prima facie case for a charge of murder, not manslaughter.
Conservative Party leadership
6th October 2005: Ken Clarke is totally unacceptable to be
Prime Minister and is therefore unacceptable to be leader of the Conservative Party. As Home
Secretary, he refused to refer to the Court of Appeal the case of the four men who had been
wrongly convicted of killing Carl Bridgwater, despite overwhelming evidence of their innocence.
He is so blinded by prejudice that he cannot be trusted with any substantial position of
responsibility. This concern is quite apart from his totally unacceptable attitude towards the
European Union.
David Davis's speech at the Conservative Party
conference fell flat and was totally uninspiring, as well as being devoid of substantial content.
If elected as leader, he would be as disastrous and weak as Iain Duncan Smith. It is vital
for democracy and accountability that there should be a strong viable opposition in the House
of Commons, and a viable prospective alternative prime minister leading it. At the moment, it
appears that David Cameron is the most suitable person available
to lead the Conservative Party, out of the candidates available. Although we in the OMRLP are
opposed to the Conservative Party for a variety of reasons, we must allow for the possibility
that a Conservative government may come to power in 2009.
Blair's dictatorship 3rd October 2005: It has now come to light that the police at the Labour Party conference used the Terrorism Act to detain or question 600 people for such heinous crimes as heckling, taking innocent photographs, and wearing anti-Blair T-shirts. And six Lancaster University students are being prosecuted for "aggravated trespass" merely for handing out leaflets and making a peaceful protest on their own university campus. It seems likely that similar attacks on freedom of speech will continue to escalate for as long as Tony Blair's New Labour Gestapo is in power. The situation is becoming ever more urgent, and it is necessary, as a first step, to remove Blair from office as soon as possible. In order to hasten the process of rescuing democracy from this new dictatorship, it is the duty of the voters to inflict a heavy defeat on Labour candidates in the local elections in May 2006. Even though Labour councils are not directly responsible for the new tyranny, bad results for Labour will send a message to the party and will hasten the departure of the dictator.
The Death of Jean Charles de Menezes (5) 30th September 2005: The longer this issue goes on, the more I continue to be amazed at the details. It has now come to light that Sir Ian Blair of the Metropolitan Police attempted, just three hours after the shooting, to ignore the law which requires the Independent Police Complaints Commission to investigate it. It is hard to imagine a more blatant and overt example of a cover-up.
Control Freakery 28th September 2005: Today an 82-year-old man was assaulted, manhandled and roughly ejected from the Labour Party conference hall merely because he was heckling a speech by Jack Straw. A younger man was also physically assaulted and ejected when he tried to calm the situation down. To add insult to injury, he was then detained as a suspected terrorist. Neither man was given any opportunity to leave peacefully. The thuggish security staff who perpetrated these acts of violence were employing methods to counteract dissent which would have been more in place at a Nazi Party rally in the 1930s. It is a sad and sorry time when such methods are used at a meeting of a supposedly moderate and democratic party. The control-freak attitude of Tony Blair is directly to blame for this outrage, and is directly linked to the Labour Party's loss of 4 million votes since 1997.
IRA Decommissioning 26th September 2005: I welcome the decommissioning of IRA arms and I congratulate those who made the courageous decisions which made it possible. Although Sinn Fein pledged under the Good Friday Agreement to use its influence to work for the decommissioning of weapons, it is important to remember that the IRA itself made no such pledge. What has been announced today is way beyond what most people would have thought possible. The fact that the Democratic Unionist Party is, as usual, adopting a negative and ungrateful attitude, and is trying yet again to move the goalposts in terms of verification of the numbers and details involved, comes as no surprise whatsoever. The most important point to remember is that decommissioning is a political issue, not a military one. The IRA could go out and buy many more weapons and explosives to replace those it has destroyed, if it wanted to. I hope that the Unionists will not continue to use this issue as an excuse for holding up the development of devolved government, and will not twist the facts into yet another concocted "precondition" or barrier to progress.
Proportional Representation 20th September 2005: The finely balanced election results in New Zealand and Germany show the benefits of PR, and the need for politicians to negotiate with other parties in order to form stable and lasting policies. The alternative results under First-Past-The-Post would have produced blundering and insensitive governments with fake majorities and without the confidence of the people.
Disarmamant 19th September 2005: I welcome the progress that has been made by the multi-lateral talks towards the demilitarisation of nuclear technology by North Korea. It is an example which shows that international co-operation and dialogue is the best way forward, rather than bilateral posturing.
Council Tax 17th September 2005: The proposals for re-branding of houses for the purposes of Council Tax are merely papering over the cracks of a flawed system. It was similar re-valuation which brought about the end of the rating system in the 1980s, and it is inevitable that many households will end up paying more - even if this is not the intention.
Terrorism 16th September 2005: The draft Terrorism Bill provides for, among other things, a maximum seven-year prison sentence for anyone who "glorifies, exalts or celebrates" terrorism, but without defining in any way what is meant by such a word. Such is the vagueness of the wording that a conviction could be secured without any proof of the intent or mens rea being established.
Internment 15th September 2005: The Home Secretary's proposals for the internment of terrorist suspects for three months without charge are totally unacceptable. In reality it means the targeting and arbitrary imprisonment of awkward people, most of whom will be innocent, for the convenience of the government of the day. It will serve only to exacerbate the alienation which will lead to further terrorism in the future - just as happened in Northern Ireland in the 1970s.
Northern Ireland 14th September 2005: The rioting by loyalist gangs in Northern Ireland this week must not distract us from the fundamental lesson which the history of the last 40 years tells us - that lasting peaceful co-existence between the two communities can only be achieved through political means and by the involvement of all main political parties. Repressive security measures, as were used in the late 1970s, can only work in the short term and are ultimately counter-productive in the long term, unless the sense of alienation and resentment can be overcome by talking.
The Ashes 12th September 2005: It has been reported that the England cricket team has won the Ashes for the first time since 1987. No amount of words or expression of emotion can possibly convey the extent to which I could not give the slightest toss.
Guantanamo Bay 9th September 2005: I salute the bravery of the prisoners in Guantanamo Bay who are highlighting their plight by going on hunger strike. As I have always said, they should be prosecuted in the normal way in criminal courts, with proper access to lawyers and to the evidence against them, or released. There is no validity for the continuing decision to classify them as "unlawful combattants" and keep them in a legal limbo, rather than as prisoners of war.
New Orleans Hurricane Relief 2nd September 2005: Why are the helicopters delivering inadequate supplies of food and water to people who don't have access to toilets or electricity, and can't escape? Why aren't they using the helicopters to evacuate the people to safety? Why are the police and state troopers concentrating on detecting and arresting a few looters, instead of relieving the violence, rape, bullying and destitution of the thousands who have been left to rot in the sport stadium? It is because the forces of state authority are institutionally entrenched in the mindset of a system which values property and profit above people. Resources should be mobilised to provide for immediate evacuation, provision of food, water, medicine and free shelter, until all people have been brought to safety. The way in which Federal and State authorities respond to the crisis will reveal the difference between social democratic responsibility and unreconstructed capitalist careerist adventurism.
Clothing Imports 1st September 2005: The clumsy attempt by the EU to block imports of clothes from China, supposedly to protect the interests of domestic producers, has of course backfired. It has done nothing to ensure a supply of goods to customers in the shops, and had created the extra cost of stockpiling the goods on entry. It is a typical example of the outdated blundering incompetence of the EU and of its warped protectionist values which only inhibit free trade and customer satisfaction.
The Death of Jean Charles de Menezes (4) 26th August 2005: The more I hear about this incident, the more concerned I become. The most recent information to have emerged is that the eleven shots which were fired at Mr de Menezes on the train were fired at intervals of three seconds, over a thirty second period. Why was this? What purpose could such a method of execution serve? It does not sound, to me, like an efficient or effective method of incapacitating a person who is believed to be a mortal threat. It is more like a ritualised sacrifice by the self-appointed guardians of a secretive state totalitarian cult.
Alcohol Consumption 25th August 2005: It is likely that a significant number of pubs, bars and restaurants may miss the deadline for having their licences renewed under the new legislation which allows for more flexibility in their opening hours. If this means that the number of establishments serving alcohol in Croydon town centre is significantly reduced - even if only on a temporary basis - then this is to be welcomed. At present there are too many such places concentrated in too small an area, creating a no-go-zone for normal decent people at weekends or night-time. The inappropriate use of alcohol is a major contributing factor to casual violence and crime, and we welcome any measures which will tend to reduce its overall effects.
The Death of Jean Charles de Menezes (3) 22nd August 2005: Was the death of Mr de Menezes filmed by CCTV cameras at Stockwell tube station? The police say that the cameras were not working properly, but this has now also been exposed as untrue. Where are the tapes? Have they been wiped? The more we know about this incident, the more questions arise. The more we are told, the more it seems that the police are lying. Rather than reassuring the public, the effect of this will inevitably be to entrench resentment and alienation among the general public.
The Death of Jean Charles de Menezes (2) 20th August 2005: Sir Ian Blair claims that the police never said that Mr de Menezes jumped over the ticket barrier. But this lie is stated clearly and specifically in the post mortem report. The coroner could only have got this information from the police. So Blair is still lying.
The Death of Jean Charles de Menezes (1) 16th August 2005: I referred three weeks ago to the "suspicious and evasive" behaviour of Mr de Menezes before his death. ITV news has now revealed that it was in fact the police and the CO19 who were behaving suspiciously. The Police Commissioner, so-called Sir Ian Blair, needs to explain why we were initially told that Mr de Menezes was running away? That he jumped over the ticket barrier? That he was wearing a heavy coat? That he was challenged, but refused to co-operate? We now know that none of these things is true, and that he was totally unaware of being followed until the very moment when he was killed. Why was he - a pale-skinned Brazilian - wrongly, and on flimsy evidence, identified as one of the bombing suspects - a black Ethiopian? Why was he allowed to get on the bus unchallenged, if he was considered a suspect? Who authorised the propagation of this blatant cover-up of lies and misinformation? More importantly, if the police are to be so cavalier about being trigger-happy, killing people and then lying about it, why should we normal law-abiding people be willing to co-operate with the police when they need our help?
British Airways 12th August 2005: The OMRLP expresses fraternal solidarity with the workers who have been sacked en masse by the Gate Gourmet catering company, and with the BA transport workers who have gone on strike in their support. The collective dismissal of 800 workers, for no good reason and with no due process, was not justified on commercial grounds let alone humane ones. This disgraceful, incompetent and disrespectful action was the last gasp of a corrupt and decadent feudalistic oligarchy, and a total corruption of the normal workings of a capitalist marketplace with social responsibility. British Airways, as the contracting party of the company concerned, is ultimately responsible for the social consequences of this renegade clique of reactionary desperadoes. If this leads the proletariat to launch a Maoist revolution, the establishment of a workers' dictatorship, and the wholesale massacre of the capitalist bourgeoisie, then BA will be fairly and squarely to blame.
Palestine 11th August 2005: I welcome the conviction of an Israeli soldier for the manslaughter of an innocent and unarmed charity worker. The aspiration of the Palestinian people for an independent state must be matched by the acceptance and security of the existence of the State of Israel, and the legitimate self-defence by Israeli forces against terrorist threats must be matched by their respect for the human rights of civilian personnel on all sides of the conflict.
Hiroshima 6th August 2005: The use of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 were, arguably, necessary to end the Second World War earlier than would have been the case otherwise. But much more fundamentally, the horrific nature of the devastation was an important signal to the world that the use of such weapons must never happen again.
Democracy v. Terrorism 5th August 2005: While we in the western democratic world are engaged in the struggle against the threat of Islamic fundamentalism and the terrorist murderers who pretend to represent Islam, we must always remember that the campaign of bombings by Al-Qaeda has been going on for many years, since long before the Liberation of Iraq. The attacks on 9/11 and in Bali were before the Iraq War. We must not let the enemy pretend that they would happily give up and go away if only the Allied forces were to withdraw from Iraq; the attacks will continue for as long as western countries believe in democracy, freedom, secularism, multiculturalism, and international co-operation and free trade.
The Balance of Terror 28th July 2005: The State must not fall into the trap of thinking that an escalation of illiberal policies will make us safe or free in the long term. It is no use having a law which allows for the imprisonment of terrorist suspects for three months, when a similar law with a two-week limit was counter-productive. It would not yield significant intelligence about terrorist activities, and will not be effective in distinguishing between the people who are dangerous and those who are innocent. Also, it will be of little use to rely on trigger-happy police officers shooting and killing bomb suspects if it only produces a long line of harmless and innocent corpses rather than the termination of murderous fanatics.
Police shooting 25th July 2005: It could be said that the responsibility for the death of the Brazilian man who was shot dead by the police lies partly with the victim himself, because of his allegedly suspicious and evasive behaviour before the event. But we should also remember that he would not have died without the murderous activities of the bombers. It is they, and not the police or the victim, who should be blamed.
Iraq war 20th July 2005: A reputable study has found that about 25,000 Iraqis have been killed since the beginning of the war two years ago. This will hopefully put the lie to the hysteria of those on the far left who pretend to be outraged at the fantasy figure of 100,000 or more.
Public spending 19th July 2005: The Chancellor has decided to fiddle the figures in the way he counts money being taxed and spent across the length of the economic cycle. But it does not actually matter much, because no extra money has either appeared or disappeared in real life. Things will continue to muddle along as before, with the country being slowly strangled by the incompetent Lib-Lab-Con-trick party politicians just as before.
John Tyndall (1934-2005) 19th July 2005: Rejoice! Rejoice! All true democrats, liberals, freedom-lovers, do-gooders, internationalists, multiculturalists and loonies will rejoice that the cantankerous and pompous old fascist Tynpot has become a rotting corpse, and will no longer be able to poison the political atmosphere with his racist, fascist, anti-semitic or homophobic vitriol.
Edward Heath (1916-2005) 18th July 2005: Edward Heath's most significant achievement was to surrender the sovereignty and democracy of the UK to the overlordship of the European Community, the eventual political unification of which was an explicit aim from the beginning. His most significant domestic achievement was the massive U-turn in economic policy in 1972 which heralded seven years of increasing trade union tyranny, inflation and recession.
London bombings 10th July 2005: I do not feel any anger towards the bombers who murdered 50 people in London on Thursday, nor am I filled with a burning desire for revenge or retaliation. That, among other things, is what they would have wanted to provoke. The best possible condemnation of the bombers and their aims would be in the resumption of normal life by all Londoners, and not in the adoption of authoritarian or knee-jerk reactionary measures. Beyond the pursuit and capture of the individual bombers themselves, no dialogue or adjustment to their cause or their organisation should be attempted or would be desirable.
Olympics 7th July 2005: London's victory in the race for the 2012 Olympics will probably mean years of disruption and millions of pounds of debt, but it is a delightful act of revenge and just deserts for the French people who arrogantly assumed that Paris would win, and for Jacques Chirac after his pompous comments about British food. I have always opposed London's candidacy for the Olympics, but I am delighted that Paris lost.
Africa 6th July 2005: The long-term solution to the severe problems of Africa cannot rely on tokens or gimmicks from western governments such as debt cancellation, or aid which is conditional upon economic "reforms". Health care, transport and infrastructure development will depend on an educated population and on the flexibility of accountable governments within African countries themselves, not on the neo-imperialistic scrambling of the G8 powers or their bourgeois puppets such as the petulant popinjay Geldof. The removal of kleptocratic despots, and the empowerment of the people, can ultimately only be done by the African proletariat themselves.
Monarchy 24th June 2005: The monarchy is reported to cost 61p per person per year. This is not enough! Even £61 per person per year would be a bargain price for the constitutional and cultural benefits of the monarchy.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Fieldway by-election result 17th June 2005: Thousands of joyous citizens have been singing and dancing in the streets of Croydon throughout the night in celebration of the Loony Party's historic triumph in the Fieldway by-election. The massive total of 6 votes polled by John Cartwright has set a new record for the fewest votes ever for any candidate in any local election in Croydon, and smashes the previous record of 13 votes set by the intrepid Mr. E. Courtenay-Wells in Upper Norwood in 1900. This is way beyond my wildest expectations and is a historic breakthrough in the Forward March of Loonyism. In years to come, people will look back to this Glorious Day and remember that this was the turning point, the moment at which the final collapse of the old decadent bourgeois party system became inevitable.
Geldof 15th June 2005: Bob Geldof's call for a million demonstrators to converge on Edinburgh for the G8 summit is irresponsible and impracticable, and his suggestion that thousands of small boats should cross the Channel to transport people in the spirit of Dunkirk is ludicrous. But I find it outrageous, immoral and disgusting that he has condemned the sale of Live8 tickets on eBay as outrageous, immoral and disgusting. Such sales are a harmless and beneficial operation of free market principles, do not in any way disadvantage the poor of Africa, and are mutually beneficial for both the sellers and the buyers. Geldof cannot presume to speak on behalf of the British people in condemning these sales, or in bullying eBay into withdrawing such items. He is an increasingly pompous and bombastic lickspittle of the self-perpetuating celebrity elite, and cares more for his own ego than for the cause which he is supposedly championing.
Rebate 10th June 2005: Tony Blair said last week that the UK's rebate from EU funding was not up for negotiation. Today he said that it would be, if the whole structure of EU funding is re-organised. How many more pathetic and treacherous capitulations must we witness from this spineless and unpatriotic government?
Non! 29th May 2005: The No vote in the French referendum is a resounding No for the proposed EU constitution, which means that it is a resounding Yes for France, a Yes for Europe, a Yes for Britain and a Yes for democracy. The elite bourgeois politicians, who have already shown their contempt for the wishes of the people many times, will ignore this verdict at their peril. Any other national government which tries to continue with the process of ratification, even though the Treaty is already as dead as a diplodocus, will be rewarded with the clangorous ridicule and contempt of the people.
Teenage mothers 26th May 2005: The Family minister, Beverley Hughes, is reported as saying that the government "doesn't know what else to do" to prevent the occurrence of unplanned pregnancies in unmarried teenagers. When I consider the case of Mrs Atkins, whose daughters all became pregnant at the ages of 12, 14 and 16, I think that there is one rather obvious thing that could be done. Why not prosecute the boys who impregnated those underage girls? Why not prosecute Mrs Atkins, who is reported to have admitted allowing her 12-year-old daughter to sleep with her 14-year-old boyfriend? If it doesn't even occur to this shambles of a government to protect society by such methods, then we need to get rid of the government and get a new one.
Eurovision Sonk Ontest 22nd May 2005: The Eurovision Sonk Ontest was obviously rigged to prevent the two cute Latvian singers from winning. It must have been sabotaged by the same jealous people who rig Wimbledon to stop Henman winning.
Result 8th May 2005: The so-called "main" parties - with the support of fewer than ten million votes each - will have to address the fact that democracy is distorted by an outdated electoral system which conjures up a fake majority for one party which only has 35% of the votes, and reduced by the ever-growing power of the EU.
After the declaration of the result 6th May 2005:
Four years ago I got one tenth of the number of votes separating the two main candidates; this time I have got more than two and a half times as many votes as the margin between the two main candidates. So I am absolutely delighted that I have done twenty-five times as well as I did four years ago.
Campaign 4th May 2005: Why haven't I listed any new comments in this section for a whole week, even though it's the last week of the election campaign? Is it because the so-called "main" parties are all so boring and useless and repetitive in what they are campaigning about?
Councillor Mary Walker (1940-2005) 27th April 2005: Councillor Mary Walker, who died this morning, was a long-serving and hard-working representative for the people of Croydon. She served for many long years in opposition and then as Leader of the Council and Mayor, and was an example of the Old Labour values of service and community from long before the modern advent of New Labour, spin, and disappointment.
Postal Voting 26th April 2005: The simplest solution to the dangers of postal voting fraud is to return to the old system which was in place before 2000. In the 1955 General Election the turnout was 84%, even though most people had only 2 candidates to choose from, and when there was less public consciousness about access for disabled people. Postal votes should only be available only to those who are ill or unavoidably absent, not to those who are simply too stupid or lazy to go a few hundred yards down the road to the polling station. The "problem" of low turnout in elections is a question of trust and enlightenment, not ease of voting.
Trust and the War 25th April 2005: The questions about whether the War in Iraq was "legal" or not (whatever that means), or whether Tony Blair deliberately "lied" about WMDs, are distractions from the fundamental issue. Those who opposed the War for the Liberation of Iraq did so because of their beliefs and principles about non-intervention, not because of legal or verbal technicalities. The Green Party and Respect would have opposed the war anyway, even if WMDs had been found. In any case, the issue in this election campaign is not about whether the War was justified or not. It is about how, and when, the allied forces should be withdrawn and how the occupation can be ended safely.
Hustings 24th April 2005: Once again, an election hustings meeting produced a high turnout of local people and the universal acclamation - by other candidates as well as by voters - of John Cartwright as a brilliant statesman with sensible common-sense policies.
Tory Failure 23rd April 2005: Why does Michael Howard go on so much about immigration? Why doesn't he address other important issues such as the dictatorial European Union, the unbalanced electoral system, or the authoritarianism of the government? He gives the impression of wanting to reduce the Labour majority by a modest amount but not of overturning it.
Habemus Papam 19th April 2005: The election of a new Pope - with very similar conservative views to those of the late John Paul II - is merely the continuation and the reaffirmation of the entrenched bureaucracy and power structures of the Vatican imperialist bourgeoisie. The oppressed workers of the Vatican proletariat have not, however, missed the chance to seize power in their own hands. The last remaining feudalistic oligarchy in Europe is still ripe for revolution and for the establishment of a people's democracy. The same sentiments also apply to poor Catholics in developing countries who have suffered because of restrictions on the availability or use of contraceptives.
Hospital Superbug 17th April 2005: The number of hospital cleaners has been almost halved in the last 20 years. This is a false economy. The prevention of MRSA superbugs required proper cleaning of hospitals by professional cleaners. If doctors and nurses washed their hands properly in between each patient, it would save money in the long term. About 1 in 10 surgery patients contract some type of infection while in hospital; if this were prevented then millions would be saved in the extra costs incurred.
Rover Collapse 16th April 2005: The collapse of Rover, and the loss of six thousand jobs, is unfortunate but it is not a suitable subject for government intervention. Such things should properly be left to the market economy in a climate of international free trade. The day when failing industries were automatically propped up by the taxpayer have long gone.
Postal Vote Fraud 15th April 2005: The fact that the postal voting system is wide open to fraud and abuse is clear and obvious. It is scandalous that the government failed to address the concerns about it, despite repeated warnings for many years. But the greatest scandal of the situation is that when Tony Blair says that the system is "safe and secure", he is not simply lying. He is so detached from reality, and from the evidence, that he has actually managed to persuade himself of the truth of what he is saying. He is so blinkered by power that he cannot see the truth even when it is staring him in the face.
Question Time 13th April 2005: The candidates' Question Time in New Addington yesterday produced a large turnout of local people eager to ask many questions of topical concern. There was a warm and resounding spontaneous acclamation for the common sense values and policies expounded by the Loony Party on issues such as crime, taxation, pensions, health care and the European Union, and widespread derision of the evasive and incompetent scheming of the Lib-Lab-Con-trick parties.
Immigration 10th April 2005: Michael Howard said today that we will never have immigration under control as long as Labour is in power. What he should have said is that we will never have immigration under control as long as the EU is in power.
Pope 7th April 2005: I predict that the next pope will be Francis Arinze, or Jose da Cruz Policarpo, or Claudio Hummes, or Alfonso Lopez Trujillo, or Dionigi Tettamanzi. But past experience in this subject suggests that one should expect the unexpected.
Election Campaign 5th April 2005: At long last, the phoney campaign is over and the real battle begins. The choice in this General Election campaign is between the mush and slush of the grey parties, and the colour and light of the Loony Party. The drift, decay, and betrayal of the Lib-Lab-Con-trick parties, or the enlightening beacon of hope and diversity which the OMRLP holds proudly.
Postal Voting 4th April 2005: The judge in the Birmingham election fraud case was exactly right. The postal voting system is wide open to the possibility of fraud and impersonation, and there is nothing that returning officers can do to prevent it without a reform of the whole process of the compilation of the electoral register, and of postal voting applications.
Prison Sentences 31st March 2005: The paedophile Jonathan King has been released from prison aftyer serving only half of a seven-year sentence. This is unacceptable, because he has shown no remorse for what he did, he claims that his victims consented to his assaults on them, and he did not address his wrongdoing while in prison. I believe that prisoners should be entitled to substantial reductions in their sentences as a reward for good behaviour, because this is good for rehabilitation and for prison discipline. But this should not be automatic for all prisoners, and should not be given to unrepentant criminals like Mr King.
Bhutan 30th March 2005: The proposal for a democratic constitution for Bhutan is a recipe for decay, corruption, and chaos. The people and culture of Bhutan are not ready for this decadent development, as they are served well by the benevolent and progressive-looking absolute monarch. The happiness and unity of the country should be best preserved without such alien and corrosive influences.
Howard Flight 27th March 2005: The abrupt sacking of Howard Flight as prospective candidate shows that Michael Howard is a control-freak who has lost control. In reality, there was nothing wrong with Mr Flight's statement, as it was merely expressing future aspirations for a Conservative government.
Travellers 23rd March 2005: Michael Howard's proposal that planning regulations should apply equally to groups of so-called travellers, as well as the general population, is based on egalitarian principles and certainly not racism. If people occupy a piece of land without the owner's permission, and then try to install facilities such as water and electricity supplies, then they cannot properly claim to be travellers. If planning permission is not given for such developments, then the police should move them on. Mr Howard is being illogical in claiming that it is somehow the Human Rights Act which prevents this from happening.
Budget 16th March 2005: Gordon Brown's pre-election budget was an obvious bribe. Tax and benefit changes were carefully targeted on a few specific groups - e.g. pensioners, or families with children - instead of going to benefit the general population of taxpayers.
Unite Against Fascism 14th March 2005: During the weekend, I was one of 120 volunteers who delivered 50,000 anti-fascist newspapers across Barking and Dagenham. It is clear across London that the BNP is incompetent and hypocritical as well as racist and offensive. The message is beginning to get across that it is the other parties, and not the BNP, who are true patriots, who are interested in representing people, and who are defending democracy.
The Defence of Liberty (2) 12th March 2005: The epic battle of parliamentary ping-pong between the Lords and the Commons over a period of 32 hours missed the main question. The real question which we should be asking is not "Should this legislation have a sunset clause?" or "Should it be renewed in a year's time?" or "Should house arrest be imposed by a politician or a judge?" The real question is "Should suspects be subjected to house arrest without a proper trial?" The answer to this question is a resounding No. The only acceptable burden of proof is "beyond reasonable doubt". Suspects should not be detained on the balance of probabilities, and certainly not on mere suspicion. Anybody who believes in liberty has a duty not to vote for the re-election of this dangerous government.
The Defence of Liberty 11th March 2005: Tony Blair says that it would be "irresponsible and wrong" for the House of Lords not to back down in face of the passage of the Anti-Terror bill by the Commons, and that it should now be "serious" in its attitude. On the contrary, those who understand history and who believe in liberty have the duty to stand firm in their determination, and must never acquiesce to the advancement of dictatorship within the United Kingdom.
Illiberal Undemocrats 6th March 2005: The Labour Government tries to pass a highly illiberal piece of legislation which is intended to introduce house arrest, and which represents one of the most serious erosions of habeas corpus and of civil liberties in many decades. The Labour government's majority in the House of Commons was reduced to only 14, due to backbench Labour rebels. And what did the so-called Liberal Democrats do? 17 of them abstained! If they actually believed in freedom, and if they were not so intent on surrendering our democracy to the European Union, they would have all voted against the government and it would have been defeated. This shows yet again that the Liberal Democrats do not provide a "Real Alternative" (as their slogan ludicrously claims) and that the task of providing a truly liberal opposition must be taken up by the Loony Party and our alternative allies.
Punishment Without Trial 22nd February 2005: The increasingly authoritarian and illiberal attitude of the government has been demonstrated twice in one day by measures which are designed specifically to punish people, and deem them to be guilty of an unspecified offence, without due process and without the benefit of a trial. The proposals for house arrest cannot be justified by any spurious threats of international terrorism; terrorists should be tried and convicted in the normal way by judge and jury, if there is evidence to substantiate it. The proposal to withdraw hundreds of thousands of pounds of expenses from Sinn Fein MPs is also tantamount to convicting them of involvement in a bank robbery, without bothering about proving such an allegation in a court of law. When I am Home Secretary, I will never authorise the detention without trial of any terrorist suspect, and I will not be party to such illiberal shenanigans.
Ken Livingstone 22nd February 2005: Ken Livingstone's failure to apologise for his offensive remark is totally unacceptable. His long-running argument with the Daily Mail and the Evening Standard is merely a diversionary tactic which is designed to distract attention away from the very specific personal offence which he made against an individual journalist.
Smarties 19th February 2005: The proposal by Nestle to change the traditional design of the Smarties tube, and to end the timeless pastime of top-popping, is a cultural outrage against future generations of children. It is a traditional British institution, and the proposal to get rid of it must be resisted vigorously.
Ban on Hunting 18th February 2005: All normal people rejoice in the fact that hunting with hounds has at last been banned, and that foxes will be protected from being slaughtered in such a cruel and barbaric manner. There are, of course, concerns that the ban does not go far enough. This is just the first step towards the eventual Complete Normalisation of the countryside.
Kyoto Agreement 16th February 2005: The United States of America and Australia both say that they have not ratified the Kyoto treaty on climate change, because they "cannot afford" to implement the necessary measures. On the contrary, the world cannot afford not to protect itself against global warming, Arctic melting, and desertification.
Ken Livingstone 13th February 2005: The disgraceful comments by Ken Livingstone, in which he compared a Jewish journalist with a Nazi concentration camp guard - simply because he was persuing his legitimate business as a journalist, show once again that Mr Livingstone only cares about his own ego, and cannot be trusted to work constructively with anybody. He has also blamed a single journalist for the perceived sins of generations of editors of the newspapers with which Mr Livingstone has had disagreements. Such generalising and scapegoating of entire groups is exactly the sort of mentality which led to the Holocaust in the first place. Mr Livingstone is totally unsuitable as Mayor and should be sacked from the position as soon as possible.
Charles and Camilla 10th February 2005: I am delighted that at long last Prince Charles and Camilla Parker-Bowles are to be married. I wish them both happiness and success in their life together. The ease with which it is possible to adopt a flexible approach to Mrs Parker-Bowles's future titles is a great benefit of the informal and unentrenched nature of the Constitution which has helped to ensure political stability for 300 years.
Ellen MacArthur 9th February 2005: The achievement by so-called Lieutenant-Commander Dame Ellen MacArthur in circumnavigating the world in a record time is an event to which the vast majority of ordinary people are supremely indifferent. I, for one, am fed up with the never-ending adulation and hero-worship to which she has been subjected in the media, and particularly on ITV news, for the last ten weeks, and I do not believe that her action deserves the receipt of a damehood. I am delighted that she has finished because it means that we won't have to hear any more about her any more. If she decides to repeat this adventure in petty personal bourgeois reactionary self-indulgence, then let's hope that her boat will be sunk by a rogue meteorite (or other freak catastrophe) in the depths of the dark and distant Antarctic Ocean.
Veritas 4th February 2005: All of the main policies of Veritas are indistinguishable from those of the UKIP. Why, then, did Mr Kilroy-Silk found the party in the first place? Because his ego is too big to work with others for the common good. Veritas will inevitably go the same way as other ego-based parties (such as Scargill's SLP or Owen's rump SDP). The forthcoming crashing electoral defeat of Veritas will be as spectacular as its launch, and as grotesque as its leader's egomania.
Robert Kilroy-Sulk 30th January 2005: After the circumstances in which Robert Kilroy-Silk left the BBC after making offensive racist comments about Arabs and Arab governments, it was a grave error of judgement by the UKIP to allow him to become - and to remain - one of its members, and there is no doubt in my mind that he damaged the UKIP substantially by wreaking havoc within the party and demanding to be made leader as if by some divine right of celebrities. It comes as no surprise that he has also approached the New Party and the English Democrats Party with a demand to become their leader, and no surprise that his demands were immediately rejected. If he wants to be leader of a party, he will have to form his own. Whether he calls it "Veritas", "Vanitas", or "Smartas" is immaterial, as it will inevitably have no political or electoral success, significance or credibility whatsoever.
Holocaust 27th January 2005: On this, the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, it must be remembered that it would be all too easy to portray the Nazis who murdered eleven million people (as well as the innumerable others who contributed to, or participated in, the programme of extermination) as monsters. It is far more difficult, but infinitely more realistic, to remember that they were all living, breathing human beings with personal feelings, values and consciences. It is all too easy, when the self-respect of the individual is diluted by tyranny and totalitarianism, for outrages to occur and for the collective authority - and not the individual perpetrator - to be blamed. The Holocaust was not an aberration which we can safely presume will never be repeated; rather, its repetition is a perennial danger against which we must all stand guard.
Immigration 25th January 2005: Most immigrants coming into the UK are skilled workers, with professional qualifications. Most of the others are unskilled workers keen on doing useful work. Very few of them are welfare tourists, and most of them enhance the cultural diversity of the population and of the nation. Putting restrictions on their numbers, as the Conservatives and UKIP wish, would be economically counter-productive as well as misguided and arbitrary.
MP Defection 16th January 2005: The defection of an MP from one of the main parties to another is of supreme indifference to the broad mass of the people, other than as a further indication of the rottenness at the heart of the bourgeois party system, and as a sign of the inadequacy of the co-called "official opposition". The way out of the crisis is to bring forth a massive increase in the number of votes and seats for the alternative and democratic parties at the forthcoming general election, and to see the satisfaction of all three main parties losing seats to each other.
Prince Harry and the Swastika 15th January 2005: The over-reaction by the media to Prince Harry's unfortunate choice of a fancy-dress costume at a private party is entirely predictable and entirely irrelevant to the concerns of ordinary people. Nobody seriously believes that Harry holds racist or Nazi opinions; everybody recognises that there is a difference between fancy-dress and real life. No further apology is necessary, and the media should concentrate on real issues instead of trying to distract the people with such trivialities.
Northern Ireland 9th January 2005: The unsubstantiated accusation that the IRA was responsible for the recent bank robbery in Belfast should not be used as an excuse by either side to derail the political process of coalition-building between Sinn Fein and the DUP. Sinn Fein derives its political legitimacy and mandate from its voters, and this basic fact is not negated by any actual or supposed connection with the IRA - regardless of the facts of the robbery.
The Battle Ahead 4th January 2005: The battle for the survival of the UK as an independent country, in what is likely to be a General Election year, is a task which is in the hands of the OMRLP. The battle for freedom is not safe in the hands of the UKIP, which openly supports the actions of the murderer Tony Martin, which rejects the obvious benefits of proportional representation to a culture of pluralism, choice and diversity, and which is riddled by constant factional infighting based on personalities and egos rather than wider political principles. Nor can it be left to the BNP, which - despite its cosy new image and its media-savvy leader - still harbours many of the proponents of racism, bigotry and hatred against minorities. Although the UKIP and the BNP both oppose the EU, they are, and will remain, opponents of the OMRLP until and unless they open their eyes to the benefits of pluralism and freedom.
Tsunami 30th December 2004: The devastation caused by the earthquake and tsunami in the Indian Ocean is a reminder that the forces of nature are more powerful than the forces of man; a reminder that we are merely the temporary custodians of the planet, and that we have a duty to preserve and protect it so that it can be inherited safely by those who come after us. It is also a reminder that international co-operation is the only humane way of dealing with life's hardships. We should act together, as independent states, to help each other and should not revert to an isolationist mindset. As Lenny Hanry said on Comic Relief: Forget geography. This is your doorstep. These are your neighbours.
Freedom of Expression 22nd December 2004: The forced closure of a play in Birmingham is a victory for the forces of intimidation, violence and intolerance, and is a blow against freedom of expression. The threat to the safety and security of the theatre and its audiences should have been met firmly by police action.
Blunkett and Clarke 17th December 2004: The downfall of David Blunkett (the most reactionary and authoritarian home secretary for fifty years) is not to be regarded as a cause for celebration, because it is not just Blunkett who was the problem. The real problem, and the continuing threat to civil liberties in this country, is from the attitude of the government as a whole. The appointment of Charles Clarke merely represents a continuation of the same authoritarian trend. This is already clear from his refusal to end the unlawful imprisonment of the political prisoners in Belmarsh prison, who have never been subjected to any proper interrogation or investigation, let alone a trial before a judge and jury. If these prisoners are suspected of planning terrorist offences, then they should be tried for these offences in the normal way; if there is not enough evidence to justify a prosecution or a conviction then they should be released immediately.
Burglaries 5th December 2004: Many elements in the media have recently become confused about the state of the law relating to the reaction of householders against burglars. When people complain that they should be allowed to defend themselves, they should be reminded that they are already allowed to do so. There has never been any suggestion that using force against a burglar - even to the point of killing him - is somehow illegal, if it is necessary and reasonable in the circumstances.
Ukraine 22th November 2004: The unstoppable juggernaut of democracy will, sooner or later, go thundering through the streets of Kiev just as surely as it did in Berlin and Prague and Bucharest in 1989. The old guard of the outgoing president and of his defeated prime minister will be swept away by the power of the people. It may not happen tomorrow, or this week, or next month or next year, but it will happen. Just as surely as the sun rises in the East, the will of the people is always stronger than the tanks and soldiers of any decadent reactionary oligarchy.
Hunting 20th November 2004: The invigorating wind of democracy will soon, at long last, sweep through the reactionary world of the fox-torturing community and will cast this barbaric cruelty into the dustbin of history where it belongs. Those who seek to defy the wishes of the decent majority will learn that the law will be upheld, and that breaches of the law will be investigated and prosecuted, just as any other law. We are happy to oblige those who claim that they are willing to go to prison over the issue, and we will, with a clear conscience, send them to prison repeatedly - if that is the course they choose.
Remembrance Day 14th November 2004: The suffering and sacrifice of those fought and died in the two World Wars is unimaginable for those who have lived only in our modern comfortable society. The lesson which we can draw from their ordeal is that freedom cannot be built on a foundation of pacifism and appeasement. War, albeit horrendous, is sometimes necessary to prevent the dark nightmare of slavery and totalitarianism.
Rachel Nickell Murder 10th November 2004: The fact that a potential new suspect has been identified in the investigation into the murder of Rachel Nickell should not, as has been suggested by some newspapers, be the reason for Colin Stagg to receive a substantial compensation payment; such a payment should happen in any case, and should have happened a decade ago. Mr Stagg should be compensated for the fact that he was subjected to a malevolent prosecution based on fabricated evidence, and was imprisoned on remand for more than a year before the trial.
North East Assembly 6th November 2004: The decisive rejection of the proposed North East Assembly is an advance for local democracy. The retention of the county councils will prevent power from being devolved upwards to a remote centre in Newcastle. Proper devolution should involve a transfer of powers from Westminster downwards, not from the counties upwards.
American Election 5th November 2004: More important than the re-election of George Bush, or the defeat of John Kerry, is the fact that the American voters have yet again been faced with the choice of two nearly-identical privileged millionaires. Real voter choice, pluralism, and the concerns of the poor and dispossessed, have yet again been sidelined - just as they have at every presidential election for half a century.
Burden of Proof 25th October 2004: It is abominable that the government is proposing to allow juries to know of the previous convictions of defendants in some criminal trials. It is an obvious recipe for miscarriages of justice, and for the incarceration of the innocent instead of the guilty. As such, the claim that this will "favour the victims" is sickening. Any government which has this sort of illiberal and unjust attitude is unfit for office.
Prince Harry 24th October 2004: I congratulate Prince Harry on defending himself against the jostling and attacks by paparazzi. It is a good thing that he has the guts and fearlessness and strength to be able to do so rather than collapsing in a flood of tears as some others would have done.
Prince Harry 16th October 2004: The former teacher at Eton who has fabricated a false and malicious story about Prince Harry supposedly cheating at his A-Level is obviously a deranged and insane harpie. The tape recording which she has suddenly produced, two years after the event, is obviously a crude, inaudible, and heavily-edited triviality which she is trying to spin into an article of damning evidence, rather than the inconsequential and out-of-context irrelevance which it is. We can only assume that she is jealous of Harry's extreme gorgeousness and is desperate to extort a large amount of money as compensation for being justifiably sacked.
General Election 2nd October 2004: The dismal performance of Her Majesty's Opposition in the Hartlepool by-election, and the distortions of the ridiculous First-Past-The-Post system, indicate that the Labour government may be on its way to winning a third consecutive landslide victory, with a parliamentary majority bigger even than in 1997, on the basis of less than 40% of the votes. It is becoming clearer by the day that the OMRLP, and not the Conservative Party, is the only force which has the capability of harnessing the Mass Will of the People in preventing the re-election of this illiberal and treacherous Labour government.
Yusuf Islam 24th September 2004: The decision by the USA authorities to deny entry to Yusuf Islam (a.k.a. Cat Stevens), despite his long record of charitable works and his repeated condemnations of violence, betrays the reality of the policy of the American government. It is not only involved in a proper fight against international terrorism, but also an improper victimisation of innocent and decent Muslims. Such Islamophobia is unacceptable and must be resisted.
Right to Roam 19th September 2004: Why do these countryside morons want to have the "right to roam" anyway? What's so great about dressing up in woolly bobble-hats and walking across a field in the cold and rain? It's one of those things that normal people just don't do. We should respect private property instead of trampling all over the place for no good purpose.
Pro-Hunt Moronic Scum 17th September 2004: It has been reported that fifty thousand pro-hunt people have said that they are willing to sign a pledge to state that they prefer to go to prison rather than stop fox-hunting. We should welcome this pledge, and take them at their word. It would be a great step forwards to a higher level of civilisation if we were to cast all 50,000 of these reactionary red-neck swivel-eyed foaming-at-the-mouth bumpkins into a dark dank dungeon to survive on a basic ration of gruel. We should be willing, as a civilised tolerant open-minded society, to pay for the construction of enough prisons to house these people, and a further 50,000 if necessary. If the government does not have the will and the foresight and the courage to take this step forward, then the responsibility will fall to the Official Monster Raving Loony Party to take a firm hand to these moronic scum. Only then will it be possible for this country to take a step forward into the bright light of freedom, tolerance and diversity.
Commons Protestors 16th September 2004: The protestors who breached security at the House of Commons were showing a total disregard for all the normal standards of democracy. Not only were they flying in the face of the wishes of the majority of people who want to ban hunting, but by openly flaunting their support for the Countryside they were showing a flagrant disregard for the normal decent moderate reasonable values of us normal decent moderate reasonable open-minded town-dwelling people. It is to be regretted that the crowd of protestors outside the Palace of Westminster was not bombarded with poisonous chemicals by a faction of al-Qaeda terrorists. That would have taught them to show some respect for us normal people.
Fathers For Justice 14th September 2004: The protestors who breached security at Buckingham Palace were not only showing a level of irresponsibility towards their own children about whom they are supposedly concerned, but were also engaged in a deliberate and calculated insult against Her Majesty The Queen and against the whole institution of the monarchy. Rather than letting them think themselves lucky not to have been shot, those of us who respect the Monarchy and the maintenance of Law and Order should resolve not to allow such a barbarity to happen again. They should have been shot before reaching the ledge. By their actions they have destroyed any sympathy which we might otherwise have had for the merits of their cause. Furthermore, the man who stopped the London Eye from working for several hours should be pursued in the civil courts for the recovery of the full amount of revenue thereby lost.
Russian Siege 5th September 2004: The Russian school siege ended in a bloodbath of confusion, incompetence, unprofessionalism and chaos because of chronic bad management and inadequate training of soldiers and security forces in Russia. But the deliberate use by the terrorists of bombs, booby-traps, tripwires and the physical ill-treatment of the hostages meant that the terrorists were clearly intent on a suicidal massacre of the innocents in any case, right from the beginning. No amount of disciplined military management could have saved the lives of those who were slaughtered, even if such management had been available or used. The best news to come out of this tragedy is that, as far as we know, all the terrorists involved have now been killed. Accordingly we congratulate President Putin on ensuring the maintenance of the Number One Priority: that the terrorists will never win from such acts.
Farming 25th August 2004: The reports that Britain's harvest has been substantially ruined by extensive rain, and that poverty will ensue for thousands of farmers, is to be warmly welcomed. It is another nail in the coffin of the countryside (and those who dwell in it) and will provide yet another incentive for these rednecks to come and live in towns and cities, and to adopt modern civilised lifestyles like normal people, instead of demanding ever-larger subsidies for their bumpkin lifestyle.
Olympic Games 21st August 2004: All day long, thousands of people have been dancing and singing in the streets of Croydon to celebrate the British Olympic Team reaching fifteenth position in the medal league table. This joyous news will give some food for thought to the miserable doomsayers who try to pretend that it's all a load of boring jingoistic rubbish.
The Lottery-Winning Rapist 14th August 2004: The fact that a man who won £7 million on the national lottery happens to be a rapist serving a life sentence is irrelevant. We have always known that long-term prisoners often have temporary release for days or weekends in preparation for their re-integration into society; and there has never been any suggestion that people should be subject to a test of morality or decency before being allowed to buy a lottery ticket. It is sickening that this man has committed numerous sexual offences, and it is worrying that some woolly-minded people seek to conflate these two separate issues. But it is nauseating that David Blunkett and Tessa Jowell have both suggested that they should, or could, "intervene" to "find ways" in which this man might be deprived of his entirely legitimate jackpot winnings. Such a kneejerk reaction is typical of this illiberal Home Secretary - and of his poodle in the Department of Cultural Popular Enlightenment (or whatever she wants to call herself).
Diana Memorial Fountain 1st August 2004: People should remember that it is a memorial fountain - a place for contemplation and reflection - not a paddling pool.
Paul Foot 27th July 2004: It is a fitting tribute to Paul Foot that his funeral was attended by such a vast range of people - politicians, journalists, writers, actors, comedians, trade unionists, former prisoners, and ordinary citizens - from so many walks of life and from right across the political spectrum. The freedom today of the Bridgewater Four, and many others, is his greatest legacy. His contribution to freedom, openness and diversity will never be forgotten.
Peter Mandelson 25th July 2004: The media reports which stated that Peter Mandelson has achieved a "remarkable political comeback" in being appointed as an E.U. Commissioner were obviously confused. The Commission has always been used as a dumping-ground for failed domestic politicians; as such Mr Mandelson fits the role perfectly.
UKIP MEPs 21st July 2004: One of the UKIP MEPs resigned from the BBC after making offensive remarks about Arabs; another is facing charges of fraud; and a third has made astonishing and outdated misogynist remarks without even seeming to be aware of the widespread offence he was causing. The correctness of the UKIP's central message against the E.U. is unfortunately matched by the crassness and incompetence of its representatives; it is astonishing that a major political movement should produce such objectionable candidates.
Michael Howard's Opportunism 19th July 2004: Michael Howard now says, with the benefit of hindsight, that he regrets his party's support for the authorisation of the War for the Liberation of Iraq in the House of Commons in March 2003. This is an example of the spineless opportunism and weakness which we have come to expect from successive Conservative leaders. Any true patriot who genuinely believes in the need to defend freedom, democracy, capitalism, and the international western security interests should - and would - stand up firmly for the justice of the War, and of the downfall of Saddam Hussein. Such values should not be deflected by short-term considerations arising out of two mediocre by-election results.
By-Elections 16th July 2004: The results of the by-elections in Leicester and Birmingham are symptomatic of the failure of all three main parties. The Labour Party has been rejected as a deserved punishment for its arrogance and incompetence in domestic and international policies, and for failing properly to explain the reasons for the liberation of Iraq. The Conservative Party was in a poor third place in what should be targetable marginal seats, and where it won both constituencies only a generation ago. The typically multi-faceted so-called "Liberal "Democrats" should be ashamed of their failure to win Birmingham Hodge Hill, due to the fact that so many people preferred to vote for candidates representing a rag-tag collection of hardline Trotskyites instead of a supposedly mainstream party.
British National Party 15th July 2004: The fact that the BBC exposed the former BNP leader John Tyndall spouting out such explicitly anti-Semitic garbage comes as no surprise, as he is well-known as an old-fashioned unreconstructed Nazi. But what is surprising is that Tyndall is still so much in favour with the Griffin leadership that he was a prominent speaker at an important BNP meeting - and that he was given such a warm reception by the audience of the members of a party which Nick Griffin tries to pretend is no longer "hateful" or "racist".
Honours 14th July 2004: The proposals by the government to abolish a range of honours, and to degrade and debase the Order of the British Empire, is one of the most despicable and contemptible things ever to be contemplated by the present government. To even consider such a thing is a gross insult to the Royal Family, and a betrayal of the hundreds of years of glorious history of the United Kingdom and of the British Empire and its achievements. To enact this proposal would not result in an "Order of British Excellence", but in Odious Bolshevistic Extremism.
Ban Smacking 8th July 2004:
It is already illegal for an adult to hit another adult without consent. It is
intolerable that it is still legal for an adult to hit a child, and it is amazing that the
law does not give children the same protection against the crime of assault as it gives to
adults. The only thing which smacking achieves is to teach the child that it is being
assaulted by a violent adult, and that it is deemed acceptable to resolve disputes by the
use of force by a stronger party against a weaker one.
Those who say "I was smacked as
a child and it never did me any harm" are not telling the truth. Merely by making such
an illogical statement, they are demonstrating that they have indeed been harmed by the
process. The correct and proper way to exercise discipline over a child is by explaining
what it has done wrong, by talking to it at a level which it can understand. It is absurd
to imagine that an act of violence can somehow, magically, as if by some sort of telepathy
or osmosis, make the child understand why it has done wrong, when no other explanation is
forthcoming.
Monarchy and Modesty 6th July 2004: A few seconds after this photograph was taken, Prince William was thanked for having a lovely deep voice, but caused astonishment by expressing doubts about the loveliness and/or depth of his voice. "Oh, I don't know about that" were his exact words. Such a statement is not only factually erroneous, but also demonstrates an astonishing level of modesty and selflessness which is out of all proportion to the reality of his genuine and extreme wonderfulness and generosity. A Loony government will preserve and protect the Monarchy and the dedication to public service and duty which it ceaselessly advances, and which Prince William so supremely exemplifies.
UKIP 29th June 2004: What on earth does the UKIP think that it is doing in deciding not to contest the two forthcoming by-elections in Birmingham and Leicester? Does it not want to win seats in Parliament? Does it not want to remain the fourth largest party in England? How can it be taken seriously if it does not have the effort to fight and win the struggle for independence and democracy? If the UKIP is not up to the fight, then the burden of responsibility for defending freedom will fall to us in the Loony Party and in alternative parties.
Wimbledon 24th June 2004: Apart from his very high earnings from playing tennis and from sponsorship and advertising, Tim Henman deserves to be paid millions of pounds per year to reward him for his extremely handsome face and attractive lean muscular body. In addition to that, justice requires that he should also be compensated for being defeated at Wimbledon in the last few years. The fact that he is the most gorgeous tennis player in the world means that it is the natural order of things that he should win the Men's Singles Championship at Wimbledon every year. The fact that he has been cheated out of this prize as a result of the blatant cheating of several other players, and that this cheating has been condoned and ignored by the incompetence and corruption of numerous officials and referees - for no reason other than jealousy, is the biggest scandal in British sport today. There will be howls of outrage from millions of ordinary decent people if he is incorrectly defeated by the same wicked conspiracy yet again this year.
Justice 23rd June 2004: The prejudicial comments by David Blunkett about the on-going case of a British suspect in a Portuguese court, while an appeal is pending, are shocking and contemptible, and not at all surprising from a representative of this illiberal control-freak government.
Big Brother 18th June 2004: The contribution which Big Brother makes to the life of the nation is the highest and most valuable cultural experience in Britain today. Apart from the obvious fact that Stuart Wilson is the most attractive man in the history of the show, it is an undeniable truth that watching Big Brother is the way to peace and progress. It is a way of breaking down the barriers of oppression which are exerted by the petty bourgeois parties which are in power in Westminster.
Football 17th June 2004: In sixteen years' time, Romeo Beckham will be taller than Ann Widdecombe.
European Elections 14th June 2004: The parties may come, and the parties may go, but there is and will always be a deep abiding resentment at the heart of the British people at the waste, corruption, unaccountability, and lack of democracy at the rotten heart of the European Union. The big vote for the UKIP last week may evaporate at the next General Election; but Messrs Blair and Howard will need to understand that the people will not be free until the tyranny of the E.U. is smashed into a thousand pieces and cast upon the dustbin of history. The Liberation may not come soon; it may not come within our lifetimes, and it may be messy and with bloodshed; but it is a historical inevitability that it will happen. The Loony Party will play a key role in the Victory.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Bensham Manor by-election result 12th June 2004: Thousands of joyous citizens have been singing and dancing in the streets of Croydon throughout the night in celebration of the Loony Party's historic triumph in the Bensham Manor by-election. The massive total of 44 votes which propelled John Cartwright into the dizzying heights of 6th place out of 7 candidates represents a historic breakthrough in the Forward March of Loonyism. In years to come, people will look back to this Glorious Day and remember that this was the turning point, the moment at which the final collapse of the old decadent bourgeois party system became inevitable.
European Parliament Elections 6th June 2004: The unavoidable reality of the current situation is that the UKIP, despite its dubious attitudes and political stance in a number of areas, remains the only non-racist party standing in the European Elections in the London region with a policy of withdrawal from the E.U. The standing ovation which was given to Tony Martin, and the imposition of a new candidate ignoring the wishes of the members, are relatively minor objections compared with the only alternative, which would be the calamity of the election of MEPs for the Labour, Conservative, and Liberal Democrat Parties, or worse still, the BNP. We therefore feel constrained by circumstances, and with reservations, to recommend that all patriots should Vote for the UKIP in the European Election on 10th June. The purist and superficial attraction of a spoilt ballot paper would only be a Trojan horse to the election of other parties. In other words, we must remember that the UKIP is the best of the parties available.
Reagan's Legacy 6th June 2004: We now know, with the benefit of hindsight, that the collapse of the Soviet Union was a historical inevitability. But the economic and diplomatic forces which brought it about were accelerated by the strength of character and determination of Ronald Reagan. His unswerving dedication to the cause of freedom and security helped to bring forward, by many years, the liberation of the nations and peoples of Eastern Europe.
The Hereditary Principle 3rd June 2004: Prince Charles has extensive experience of business, farming, charity work, and interacting with people from all classes and at all levels. He is ideally suited to be King by virtue of the fact that he is next in line to the throne, regardless of these extra exemplary characteristics. Those who foolishly suggest that inheritance of the throne should "skip a generation" - on the grounds of Prince Charles's adultery - need to explain how they know that Prince William will never, during the next 15 or 20 years, be subjected to the same human weaknesses of adultery, promiscuity, arrogance or selfishness. Such misguided people need also to remember the calls, not so many years ago, that Princess Anne should inherit the throne; or that the Queen should abdicate and retire. We cannot and should not change the order of succession to the throne in accordance with the swings of every opinion poll. In other words, it is the duty of all loyal subjects to be clear about the nature and purpose of a Hereditary Monarchy, and the great advantages of constitutional stability which it provides.
High Culture 2nd June 2004: The selection of the extremely attractive Stuart Wilson as one of the Big Brother contestants is warmly welcomed, and represents the best example of the maintenance and advancement of high cultural excellence, as well as providing great pleasure to the millions of viewers.
Postal Voting 30th May 2004: The chaos and shambolic disorganisation into which the compulsory postal voting scheme has been descending in the northern regions was entirely predictable. It is hoped that the entire result and outcome of the election will be disrupted, and subject to legal challenges, to such an extent that it will become unthinkable ever for this undemocratic abomination to be inflicted on the country in a general election.
People Power 24th May 2004: It is easy for politicians from the main parties to promise to keep the local post office, or to provide an extra police offer on the streets, or to reduce crime or pollution. But these lofty ideals crumble to nothing under the wheels of the relentless juggernaut of yah-boo politics, when each of the main parties declares that it is exclusively right about everything, and that the other is invariably wrong.
Historic Destiny 16th May 2004: We have no illusions about the enormity of the task which faces us in winning the Bensham Manor by-election, or in building a Loony society. A march of a thousand miles begins with a single step; the draining of the largest ocean begins with a single spoonful; but the ultimate victory is inevitable.
Thatcher's Legacy 7th May 2004: The greatest achievement of Margaret Thatcher was to democratise the Trade Unions and give them back to their members by cutting away the abusive powers of the Marxist Syndicalist union bosses. Her worst achievement was the Single European Act of 1986, which destroyed the national power of veto and which accelerated the process of European Union political centralisation further than any other prime minister since the arch-traitor Edward Heath.
Human Rights 1st May 2004: The apparent torture and mistreatment of Iraqi prisoners by American troops is a complete betrayal of the purposes of the War for the Liberation of Iraq. It is sincerely hoped that the culprits will be kicked out of the Army forthwith and imprisoned for their perverse crimes.
Accountability 30th April 2004: The abolition of Public Question Time by Croydon Council is merely an extension of the complacency which has already been demonstrated hitherto by the tendency not to answer questions, or to waste time by spouting party propaganda at every turn. It is what we have come to expect from the hierarchicalist bourgeois cliques which dominate the Council through the mechanism of the undemocratic two-party system.
Referendum 23th April 2004: The mysterious U-turn by Tony Blair in agreeing to a referendum on the proposed E.U. constitution - for whatever reason it may have been done - is to be welcomed. The words of condemnation by the EU-fanatics, such as Heseltine and Kinnock, serve only to expose their own position as opponents of the people's wishes. Such schemers simply cannot stomach the possibility of their own treachery being blocked by an expression of democracy.
Low Culture 16th April 2004: The obsession which the tabloid newspapers currently have with the lies being spouted about David Beckham by a deranged and fantasising trollop is an example of the neglect which they have for the important issues facing the country - a centralising E.U. constitution, a Big-Brother I.D. card scheme, and the lack of any effective control over immigration and asylum seekers.
Diversity 1st April 2004: The U.K. Independence Party has repeatedly, continuously, and falsely claimed to be the 'only' moderate party opposed to the U.K.'s membership of the E.U. It knows perfectly well that this policy is shared by the Liberal Party, the OMRLP, the Reform U.K. Party, the Democratic Party, the Imperial Party, and numerous others. The UKIP needs to learn that it cannot win votes by telling lies about other parties. I therefore call upon all patriotic Loonies to boycott the UKIP, and to spoil their ballot papers in the European Election on 10th June.
Blair's Judgement 28th March 2004: If Tony Blair says that it is not necessary to have a referendum on the proposed E.U. constitution (on the grounds that it is only a tidying-up exercise which does not make significant changes to the way the U.K. is governed) then he must be either dishonest - in which case he is unfit to be prime minister, or stupid - in which case he is unfit to be prime minister.
Libya's Opportunism 26th March 2004: The meeting between Tony Blair and Colonel Qaddafi is a sickening betrayal of the victims of the Lockerbie bombing - a pathetic and futile attempt by both sides, for short-term political expedience, to cover up the increasingly obvious fact of the innocence of the prisoner Megrahi - who has become as much a victim of Lockerbie as any of the families of those who were murdered.
Free Iraq 22nd March 2004: On the news coverage of the anti-war march at the weekend, I noticed one protestor with a placard saying "COULDN'T THINK OF A SLOGAN". Let me suggest a slogan which he might like to use next time: "Bush Killed 15,000 Iraqis; Saddam Killed 2,000,000 Iraqis" Or: "Saddam oppressed Iraq; Bush liberated Iraq" Or: "Re-elect Bush".
Political Prisoners 11th March 2004: The five British people released from Guantanamo Bay after two years of isolation and ill-treatment have all been released without charge. So instead of questioning them on bogus charges of terrorism, the British Police should be co-operating with them to gather evidence for pursuing a civil claim against the American Government for compensation for false imprisonment, torture, and lack of humane and social contact. The remaining 600 prisoners should also be released, or tried in a fair court, forthwith.
Monarchy 7th March 2004: There is no merit in the motives of those who seek to exploit the Diana tapes in order to criticise Prince Charles, or the Monarchy in general, with the benefit of hindsight. The benefits of monarchy are clear to see in the modern world, in comparison with numerous corrupt and decadent republics abroad.
Espionage 1st March 2004: When I think of Clare Short, I imagine her in the middle of a Bateman cartoon. There is no secret about the fact that all countries spy on all other countries, but the fact that this is not a secret is a secret. Ms Short is being condemned for saying something which is universally known, but never stated.
Ralph Nader 23rd February 2004: Why are people in the Democratic Party blaming Ralph Nader for the fact that Al Gore lost the election in 2000? Why don't they blame the 3 million people who voted for Ralph Nader? Why don't they blame the 50 million people who voted for George Bush? Why don't they blame the 100 million people who voted for nobody? Why don't they blame Al Gore for not being able to persuade all those people to vote for Al Gore?
Diversity 15th February 2004: The arrogance and narrow-mindedness of the other parties, including the UKIP, mean that there may now be no alternative in the European Elections in June other than for true patriotic Loonies to spoil their ballot papers.