Monthly Archives: March 2009

Israel still taking Palestinian land

Change at the White House? Didn’t look much like it after Hillary Clinton visited Israel and Palestine recently. While Hamas can’t smuggle in their fireworks through tunnels seems as if state-of-the-art weaponry which slices cleanly through limbs or phosphorus bombs will be freely available still to the murderous Israeli state.
The peace process? Israel is still intent on annexing East Jerusalem, continuing to demolish any Palestinian house in the process. A confidential EU report has woken up to the fact that these activities are going on, although it has been happening for decades now. It states:
“Israeli ‘facts on the ground’ – including new settlements, construction of the barrier, discriminatory housing policies, house demolitions, restrictive permit regime and continued closure of Palestinian institutions – increase Jewish Israeli presence in East Jerusalem, weaken the Palestinian community in the city, impede Palestinian urban development and separate East Jerusalem from the rest of the West Bank.” Source Guardian 7/3/2009

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A 25th anniversary: Scargill v Thatcher

25 years on and the weary untruths are emerging into daylight. The mythology that surrounded the miners’ heroic struggle and the brute force of the state can be examined now as those who took part speak.
Britain’s dependency on outside sources of energy brought about by pit closures has become blatantly apparent. Chances of reviving deep pits becomes more remote as the skills and know how diminishes. Meanwhile supplies of imported coal, far dirtier than that under our feet, is burned regardless. Norman Tebbit now sees the excesses of Thatcher in closing pits as a cause of the lack of cohesion in our sosciety today.

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The (Israeli) Soldier’s Tale

The story of an Israeli soldier who formed a part of an Israeli death squad has told his story. The botched operation killed innocent people – and left the perpetrator mentally scarred.
As the article says the incident pales into insignificance compared with what was to happen later, culminating in the Gaza incursion, but it is salutary to remember what can happen to those who are caught up in the violence. The state’s victims can include those they prevail on to carry out their evil plans.

Mandelson goes to war… on women and workers but not the (w)ankers

The main purpose of the Observer lead on Mandelson was to report on him going to war with those opposed to Post Office privatisation. Backed by Brown, to whom “he’s joined at the hip” he’s saying that there is no alternative unless we want to lose a six day delivery and workers’ pensions are at risk. Bail out the (w)ankers but not the workers. Good Socialism Pete mate.
At the end of the article is a bit about how Mandy is issuing a statement to coincide with Harriet Harman’s women’s conference to the effect that equal pay has to be shelved in the light of the economic crisis.

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