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 Any law can be repealed; any treaty can be de-ratified; any agreement can be disagreed; a referendum can just as easily be held to reject the ratification of the Lisbon Treaty qat any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 newspapaer 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 bwetween 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 livingh 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 ther 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 beiong 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 contitute 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 disporportionate 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 targetted. This miltary action has clearly been done with an eye on the forthcoming Israeli general election, in which beeing 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 pluner 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 intevention 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 Russian intervention in Georgia, to protect the people of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, was a defensive act against the aggressive bombardment by the military forces of the reactionary government of Georgia. The autonomous status of the two regions was extinguished in 1991 after the collapse of the USSR, but the national self-determination of their people and communities has prevailed nevertheless. Unlike the imperialist intervention by NATO in Kosovo, the separation of South Ossetia and Abkhazia by Russia from Georgia was not because of an imperialist scramble for resources; the establishment of independent entities in these two regions is fully in accordance with Stalin's enlightening definition of a nation on the basis of language, history, economy, culture and consciousness.
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 Oppressers, 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.
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