Monthly Archives: December 2008

Will he, won’t he? Privatise the Post Office I mean.

Lord Mandelson. First he says he won’t privatise the Post Office but yesterday in the House of Lords he said things can’t go on as they are. It will be split. Oh yes, sounds familiar. The promised cherry picking will take place so that some slick marketing organisations will end up with the cream while we, the tax payer, are left with the unprofitable parts. New Labour has been there and done it. As a Tory in the Commons was left to say “welcome to the Thatcherite wing of New Labour”. Wing? The whole enterprise of which Mandelson was an author is more Thatcherite than Thatcher ever was, Tony a better son than Mark could ever be.

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Don’t shout too loud about Israel’s human rights violations. They might hear you.

A United Nations appointee has been barred from Israel. Why? He dared to compare the Israeli treatment of Palestinians with the treatment of Jewish people during the Holocaust in Germany. Sorry you can’t do that. The Holocaust is a trade mark and no one else can use it. Except if you are member of the Israeli government when you can apply the term to what you intend to do in Gaza.
The remarks were made by a Jewish American who will, no doubt, be accused of “self hatred” like has happened to Daniel Barenboim and other eminent people who say “look, the Emperor has no clothes!”

How many Americans would love to do this?

A well aimed shoe made the retiring President of the US duck. Reaction in the Arab world has been to shower the journalist responsible with praise. So much for security in Baghdad during Bush’s surprise and final visit. Throwing shoes it seems is a calculated insult in Iraq – they were thrown at Saddam Hussain’s statue before it was pulled down. The thrower shouted with the first that “it was a goodbye kiss – you dog” and with the second it was for the thousands to had been killed during the US stay. Later shoes were thrown at a U.S. convoy. Bush characteristically brushed the incident aside remarking that they were size 10. He wanted to know about the journalist “what’s his beef” More.

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Out with old, in with the new – will Obama build bridges?

The USA faces problems that look very familiar to us in the UK. While China is busy building new infrastructure with high speed rail links the older economies have structures which are crumbling and are in dire need of replacement. So what to do?
Obama is putting money up front to deal with regional “to do” lists creating work at a time of looming recession and joblessness. This creates a tension between spending for spending states on highways to nowhere against a visionary updating of transport which will enhance the economy.
Gordon Brown made similar noises about bringing projects forward in the spend and spend programme that is supposed to get the economy on the move again at the same time increasing the national debt. Fine if it works, but as some like the Germans doubt, what if it doesn’t. The hole will be a lot deeper while we’re still digging. Meanwhile Gordon sent our man to tell a critical German commentator to shut up. “We don’t do failing” as Alastair Campbell might have put it.
It seems to me that it might help if while we replace the old we also had a vision of building in the future at the same time. There are those in the US hankering after high speed rail links between cities and rapid transport systems in them. (Good grief a public transport system, but you see somebody had visited China and had seen what had been created there!).
So what about the UK? Manchester’s future has been put back because the public didn’t like the idea of road charging to pay for it. The West Midlands looks as if its had its share with an unpopular and costly toll road. Once again a privatisation too far which benefits a business rather than passing back cash to the economy in order to improve the transport system.
In U.S. there’s a debate between allowing regions to have the cash for them to decide priorities and the continuing central decision making process. Whichever it will depend on vision so if it’s not apparent centrally a lot will be spent with little to show for it. If regions get the dough then those that have vision will progress. Those that don’t will stay congested for ever and ever. Sound familiar?

So what changes after Meneze’s death?

Hand wringing all round, but no comfort for the de Menezes family The unfortunate and traumatised officers responsible for what should have been found an “unlawful” killing are back on duty. The policy to shoot into the head using the expanding bullet remains in full force. Who are the bigger threats to our safety, “terrorists” or the law enforcers?
On this occasion bombs failed to detonate but police officers, who members of the public, traumatised passengers on the tube standing in Stockwell tube station thought were a gang of high spirited and unruly youth, didn’t fail to kill. They were safe evidently. You see the bllet is designed to cause as much damage to the brain as possible as it expands and it won’t come out to harm innocent bystanders. Problem is Charles de Menezes was an innocent bystander.

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Menezes a disgrace from first to last

The ending of the trial relating to the death of Jean Charles de Menezes ended in a way that did nothing to mitigate the appalling circumstances of his death at Stockwell tube station. Th jury did all they could with the options left to them recording an open verdict. They rejected “lawful killing” as the outcome and unable to determine this was an unlawful killing by direction of the judge chose the only option available to them that didn’t vindicate the action of the Metropolitan Police.
The de Menezes family who were present tried to make their feelings known but officialdom failed to recognise them and their feelings of revulsion – which I think are widely shared – and denied them access. This all adds to the idea that the legal system is alien and remote from the people it is supposed to represent and protect from injustice.

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M6 takes its toll in Birmingham

The M6 toll road is 5 years old, yet it’s hardly a happy birthday. Since it’s been there I’ve never driven along it and don’t intend to. It’s already costly and it looks as if prices will increase in the new year.
Has it cut congestion in Birmingham, on the existing M6 and surrounding region. The answer is clearly no. Critics from green groups point to more pollution and profits for the company running the route as a business.
What I object to is that the M6 toll is so hard to miss. It masquarades as the main motorway and you have to divert to stay on the M6 itself. Both ways. I have had to swerve when I’ve thought I was keeping to the M6 only to find myself being coraled towards the pay station. I’m wondering if there are any accident statistics here, as there are for cross overs at times of motorway maintenance.

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Obama’s Grandfather. Tortured in Kenya

A comment in the Independent today (9/12/2008) includes a revelation that the British imprisoned and tortured Barack Obama’s grandfather in Kenya. As the author points out it should be a lesson for Obama and all of us of the excesses of imperial rule. He gow on the point out that these are often replicated under the guise of anti-imperialism.
The arrest of Obama’s grandfather preceded the Mau Mau uprising. If nothing else it brings an opportunity to look back and reassess a period of history portrayed at the time as violent and murderous, particularly towards Europeans. This view was replicated in subsequent movies on the subject affecting and reinforcing racist attitudes in Europe and the U.S.
The main victims as ever were black Africans. The Europeans killed were evidently relatively few but of course when it happened it became front page in Western media. Barbarism was portrayed as existing among the black population compared to the “civilised” white economic migrants. The myth of Mau Mau was born.

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Blackwater guards to answer for shootings in Baghdad?

Looks as if there are serious attempts to bring the Blackwater employees involved in a shootout in Baghdad will be brought to trial. Whether a prosecution will ever happen is another matter. Those concerned see themselves cast as scapegoats in the murky world of privateers being involved in combat during the conduct of America’s already dubious wars.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/dec/08/iraq-america-blackwater-security-firm
The relations between big business and war is a matter which needs clarification. We know some of the chief protagonists for conflict were set to profit out of them with their close links with firms like Blackwater and Haliburton. The British and other arms merchants have also been acting in a highly dubious fashion but were safeguarded by the likes of Blair who saw to it the British Aerospace didn’t have to answer to serious charges of corruption.

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This is the way to treat your work force

A substantial number of Birmingham City Council workers are winning their pay claims against unfair regrading following the implementation of Single Status, intended to bring remuneration of blue and white collar staff – and women and men – into line. Many found themselves losing up to £12,000 from their salaries. The Cabinet Member responsible for Human Resources and Equality, Cllr Alan Rudge, claimed that he had expected the outcome and said that this had been budgeted for.
It seems to me to have been a very cynical, and reprehensible move – looks like a try on – to deprive your work force of considerable sums. Management on the other hand appear to be feather-bedded. With morale low can the Council leaders expect staff to perform at their best in providing services. Those on low income with housing, health, employment and education needs are likely to be the losers.

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