Tuesday, March 21, 2006

London Stop The War March 18th March 2006







The BBC's coverage of this event was, as usual in these cases, disgraceful. I saw the 5pm programme on BBC News 24. There was a report of just a few seconds, ten minutes in, which didn't even mention all the other demonstrations around the world, let alone show any footage of them. And, of course, the usual uncritical repeating of the police `estimate' of 15,000 in attendance.

Complete crap, but BBC News is so far up Tony Blair's backside they can't even tell day from night any more. Perhaps it's time to find out what proportion of the licence fee goes to BBC News, and then withhold that amount from our payments. Let New Labour pay for BBC News - it's all just Downing Street spin.

Sunday, March 12, 2006

ID Cards Bill / Legislative & Regulatory Reform Bill

This is the text of a letter I wrote on the 10th March to my MP, Neil Gerrard (Labour, Walthamstow). I have not yet received any reply.

Dear Neil Gerrard,

I am deeply concerned about the continuing attacks this government is making on civil liberties and parliamentary democracy in this country.I was very angry to read today that the monstrous ID Card Bill is to return to the Commons on Monday in an attempt to force it through as soon as possible. This Bill will waste many billions of pounds and achieve nothing except to criminalise the whole population. I am sure I am amongst many who regard it as an outrage that I should have to be forcibly fingerprinted, and have DNA samples taken from me by force when I have committed no crime. If Blair imagines that if he gets this disgraceful measure through Parliament that is the end of the matter, then I predict he couldn't be more wrong. Once compulsion starts, co-operation will end.

However, even this appalling measure pales beside the breathtaking arrogance of the Legislative & Regulatory Reform Bill. I am sure there is no need to go over the potential effects of this measure with you. It appears to resemble nothing more than the Nazi Enabling Act of the 1930s which allowed Hitler to enact legislation without any vote. Any MP who supports this measure is a turkey voting for Christmas. Sadly, with some exceptions, the Parliamentary Labour Party appears to be full of turkeys.

Hasn't Blair done enough damage to the Labour Party? If he is allowed to get away with all this it won't just be the Labour Party out of power for a generation (as is likely now with all the lies and war crimes) but finished for good.I must ask you to do everything that you can to prevent these appalling measures from being enacted. If they are, don't ask the people of Walthamstow to vote Labour again.

Yours sincerely,

Grouchy.

Detention of `Road to Guantanamo' actors

This is a letter I wrote on the 20th February 2006 to my MP, Neil Gerrard (Labour, Walthamstow) about the appalling detention by Special Branch of the actors in Michael Winterbottom's new film on their return to this country from the Berlin Film Festival. I have only received an automated `out of office' reply (on 24th February).


Dear Neil Gerrard,

I am writing to express my serious concern at the latest abuse of anti-terrorist laws by state functionaries (who refused to identify themselves) with regard to the illegal detention of actors from the film The Road to Guantanamo when returning to this country from the Berlin International Film Festival.

The account by one of the actors, Riz Ahmed, is online. Every aspect of this is wrong and this kind of abuse is clearly only going to grow. Indeed it appears that the government is deliberately enacting legislation (e.g the ludicrous `glorification of terrorism' act which neither defines glorification nor terrorism) which is vague and nebulous so that these kinds of abuses of civil liberties will be even more likely to go unchecked.

I do not believe that these kinds of measures or the abuses they encourage have anything really to do with stopping terrorism. They are really designed to bully and intimidate domestic opponents to the government's criminal foreign policies. I would respectfully urge you to oppose these measures and abuses, and to do anything that you can to discover and publicise who illegally detained these people, and call publically for their disciplining for this appalling behaviour.

Yours sincerely,

Grouchy.

Menzies Campbell and Iraq

This is a letter to the Independent on Sunday in response to Campbell's article published 12th March 2006.

Dear Editor,

So now Menzies Campbell is playing the popular `Fantasy World Iraq` game (Independent on Sunday 12th March). He states that the invasion and three-year occupation have been a disaster. He wil get little argument about that from anyone except the warmongers and their ever-dwindling band of apologists. However, he then goes on to claim that `an immediate withdrawal of coalition forces would precipitate even greater violence' than exists now.

He claims that coalition forces are only perceived as occupiers. But the perception is completely accurate for that is what they are. We all know the invasion had nothing to do with (non-existent) WMD; we all know that it had nothing to do with `bringing democracy' to the region. It is very well-known that the neo-cons had it planned as part of their strategy for US control of the Middle East - first Iraq, then Syria, and finally Iran (as we will see in a few weeks' time). The idea is firstly to ensure strategic control of Middle East oil; secondly, to open up the region to further penetration and control of the economy by US corporations; and finally to ensure that the ensuing US client states all support Israel in its continuing theft of Palestinian lands.

To this end the Americans are building a number of extremely large, extremely well-defended permanent bases. They have absolutely no intention of leaving Iraq in the foreseeable future. In the extremely unlikely event of an Iraqi government calling for them to leave, they would simply destabilise and replace the government. The supposedly-democratic Iraqi administration is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Washington plc. The Iraqi `security forces' are completely dominated by the US military and do not have the equipment or the logistical ability to operate independently. This calls into question just who is behind the current death squad phenomenon. Could they operate without at least the tolerance of the Americans? After all, the USA has used this tactic before in Central America, and some neo-cons were openly calling for the same strategy to be utilised in Iraq.

So Menzies Campbell's claim that coalition forces are preventing violence is therefore utterly specious. The permanent presence of US (and other) forces have quite understandably brought the armed resistance into being. This will inevitably continue and grow for so long as the occupation continues. While we can have no certain idea of what will follow if, as they should, all occupiers were to withdraw immediately, we can be sure of what will happen if they continue to stay. The occupation must end immediately. The failure of the Liberal Democrats to support this shows how hollow their claim is to be a radical force in British politics. Any difference betwen them and the other two main parties is paper-thin.

Yours faithfully,

Grouchy.

Letter to the Walthamstow Guardian

A slightly edited version of this letter was published in the Walthamstow Guardian edition dated 9th March 2006 (the letters page is not online).

Dear Editor,

Kevin Lord's list (Letters 23/01/06) of New Labour's attacks on our civil liberties is sadly incomplete. Yes, we have bogus anti-terror laws (under which the rock star Morrissey has just been interviewed by Special Branch for calling President Bush `a terrorist'). Yes, we have the ludicrous ID card scheme which will cost billions of pounds and achieve nothing, except to criminalise us all by forcing us to submit to fingerprinting and DNA testing, or suffer a massive fine or imprisonment.

However, he didn't mention the little-known `Legislative and Regulatory Reform Bill'. This bill virtually abolishes Parliament. Ministers will be granted wide-ranging powers which will not be subject to Parliamentary control. For example, Ministers will be allowed to summarily introduce any new laws they like apart from new criminal offences with a maximum of more than two years imprisonment, and new taxation measures. Apart from that they will have carte blanche and Parliament will have no right to vote to refuse them.

You don't believe me? The explanatory notes that accompany the Bill explain that Ministers `can amend, repeal or replace legislation in any way that an Act of Parliament may do' - all without any vote in Parliament. If this measure goes through we might as well be living in Mussolini's Italy. You can kiss goodbye to any freedoms that you hold dear. Bear this in mind when you vote in the local elections. Only a massive rejection of New Labour at every level can put a stop to these attacks on our liberties.

It is vital to vote in May, and it is vital to vote for freedom and democracy, which means it is essential to vote against New Labour.

Yours faithfully,

Grouchy.

Saturday, March 11, 2006

A weekend in Granada, Spain









The pictures are of the Alhambra, a unique complex of Moorish palaces in Granada (there are some more pictures on my Flickr photostream).

I went to Granada for the weekend with my Spanish class recently. It is very easy to get to nowadays as you can fly direct from Stansted by Ryanair. The flight takes two and a half hours. Granada Airport is only 10 miles outside the city, and you can travel in quite quickly by bus or taxi. It is also fairly cheap - I paid £76 for return flights including insurance.

I would recommend the trip, especially if you want to practise your Spanish, as we did. There is nothing quite like trying to order dinner in a restaurant, or buying things in a shop, or asking for directions in the street to practise all your basic Spanish knowledge (and crappy pronunciation in our case). The Alhambra is a must to visit. Make sure you book in advance, and that you arrive on time (or they won't let you in). Allow at least three or four hours for a proper visit (and take food and drink with you - you'll need it!).

I didn't really have much chance to look round the rest of the city, although I do recommend that you visit the Albaicin area - I'll post some pictures here soon. If you are into salsa, there are good bars you can visit to practise your dancing. As I don't dance I had to make do with watching - which wasn't too painful. If you decide to visit around this time of year, take some warm clothes. It was bloody freezing first thing on Sunday, although it warmed up a bit when the sun came out.

Adios amigos - hasta luega.