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Futile: LA ambulances told not to

carry coronavirus patients with

little chance of survival

Wednesday, January 6th, 2021 (Press TV)

Ambulances in Los Angeles have been instructed not to

carry patients who have little chance of survival from

Covid-19, as experts warn of a “human disaster”

getting worse in the US city of angels.

Dr. Jeffrey Smith, the chief operating officer of Cedars-

Sinai Medical Center explained that the order was

“very specific to patients who suffered from a

cardiac arrest and are unable to be revived

in the field.”

“Those patients have a very low rate of survival each

if they are transported to the hospital. So at this time,

it is deemed to likely be futile.”

The onslaught of the coronavirus pandemic was, meanwhile,

devastating the community with the number of cases and

fatalities, on the rise.

“Hospitals are declaring internal disasters and having to open

church gyms to serve as hospital units,” County Supervisor

Hilda Solis said. “Our health care workers are physically

and mentally exhausted and sick.”

Solis called the situation a “human disaster.”

As of Tuesday, some 7,900 people were hospitalized with

Covid-19 in the county, 21% of whom were in intensive

care units.

More than 11,000 people have died in

Los Angeles so far, due to Covid-19.

The Los Angeles County Emergency Medical Services

(EMS) Agency also issued a memo last week to

ambulance workers.

“Effective immediately, due to the severe impact of the

Covid-19 pandemic on EMS and 9-1-1 Receiving

Hospitals, adult patients (18 years of age or

older) in blunt traumatic and nontraumatic

out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA)

shall not be transported [if] return of

spontaneous circulation (ROSC) is

not achieved in the field,” the

agency said.

Over 21 million cases of coronavirus have been

reported in the United States, causing some

357 thousand deaths.

____________________________________

UK Judge Denies Bail
for Julian Assange
During US Extradition Appeal

by Mohamed Elmaazi

06.01.2021( Sputnik)

Judge Baraitser has repeatedly refused to grant the

WikiLeaks publisher bail, declined to intervene with

prison authorities to improve Assange's access to

his legal team and case files, and won't address

his alleged mistreatment at the hands of

prison officials.

Judge Vanessa Baraitser has refused to grant Julian

Assange bail, while sitting at Westminster Magistrates'

Court, on January 6th, 2021. The request was denied
on the grounds that the Australian publisher had

previously violated his British bail conditions.

The editor of the whistleblower website WikiLeaks said

that he was "disappointed" by the judge's decision,

adding that the public should expect Assange's

bail denial to be overturned.

The WikiLeaks publisher has spent 15 months in Belmarsh

maximum security prison purely on the basis of pre-trial

detention, as he challenged his extradition to the US on

charges of espionage related to his role in obtaining

and publishing classified documents, which

revealed, among other things, war crimes

committed by US forces.

The decision to refuse to grant bail follows Judge Baraitser's

refusal to extradite Assange to the United States to stand trial

on espionage-related charges, on the grounds that she was

convinced that there was an insurmountable risk that he

would commit suicide, should he be subjected to the US

prison system, both pre-trial and post-trial, should he be

convicted. Her judgement was nonetheless heavily

criticised for casting "a shadow over investigative

journalism" worldwide.

Judge Baraitser based her decision on the fact that the US

government was appealing her refusal to grant extradition

to Assange. She said that she was satisfied that there were

"substantial grounds for believing" that Assange would

still seek to abscond and could make use of a "vast"

support network to do so.

The US government, represented by Clair Dobbin, argued

strongly against granting the co-founder of Wikileaks
bail, higlighting that the "appeal would be frustrated
if Mr. Assange was not remanded into custody”.

Ms Dobbin also detailed Assange's role in helping NSA whistle-

blower Edward Snowden "escape justice" by assisting him in

avoiding the arrest by the US, a claim which Judge Baraitser

cited in her judgement, refusing to extradite the publisher.

The prosecution has also stressed that they planned on

appealing the judge's decision to refuse to extradite on

the basis that she applied an exceptionally stringent

test regarding the risk of suicide.

In arguments for the defence, Edward Fitzgerald QC said that

there should now be a presumption in favour of bail, now that

the extradition request was discharged. He also pointed out

that the offer for asylum from the Mexican president was

misquoted and conditional upon discussions with the

UK government.

Judge Baraitser refused two prior bail

applications filed by the defence.

Preivous Bail Applications

The first bail application was made in 2019, after Assange

completed his sentence for absconding whilst on bail

when he found a refuge in the Ecuadorian embassy.

His 50-week sentence, nearly the maximum, was

criticised at the time for being disproportionate

and for ignoring the internationally protected

right to seek and attain asylum.

A second request for the bail was refused by Judge Baraitser

in March 2020, despite medical evidence that Assange was

at risk of contracting a more severe form of the coronavirus

disease 2019 (COVID-19). The judge defended her decision

on the basis that prison authorities would look out for the

inmates. She also pointed out she could not be satisfied

that Assange would not attempt to abscond while on bail,

despite the fact that he would be staying with his fiancé

Stella Moris and their two children.

Since taking over Assange's case, Judge Baraitser has

refused to intervene in any way regarding the WikiLeaks

co-founder's conditions in prison.

Assange's legal team repeatedly said they were prevented

from accessing their client, and that their client was being

denied proper access to his legal papers. Lawyers also

said that, in a single day, Assange was handcuffed 11

times, strip-searched twice and had his legal papers

confiscated from him.

Midway through December, Stella Moris tweeted out that

her fiancé remained deprived of any warm clothes,

despite the freezing temperatures.

Calls For Proper Medical Assistance

UN Special Rapporteur on Torture Nils Melzer, along with

two other independent medical experts, concluded two

years ago that Assange showed clear symptoms of

"psychological torture". Melzer also reproached

the US, UK and Swedish authorities' continual

refusal to properly investigate their findings.

Doctors for Assange, a collection of physicians from

around the world, repeatedly called for the embattled

publisher to be released from prison so that he could

received proper medical treatment & avoid the risks

posed by COVID-19, at a time when prisoners were

released early all around the world, including, to
a limited extent, in the UK.

The US government has signalled that it plans on

appealing Judge Baraitser's decision to refuse

to extradite Assange.

___________________________________

Raphael Warnock makes history

with runoff victory in Georgia race

January 6th, 2021 (Press TV)

Raphael Warnock has defeated Senator Loeffler, in

Georgia's Senate runoff, pushing the Republicans

one step closer to losing their majority in the

upper chamber.

The US mainstream media, including NBC, CBS, ABC

and CNN, projected Warnock as the winner, shortly

before 2 am EST on Wednesday, with more than

46,500 votes.

This comes as Warnock, the pastor of the Ebenezer

Baptist Church in Atlanta, declared his victory in a

video, after midnight, on Wednesday.

“We were told that we couldn’t win this election, but tonight

we proved that with hope, hard work and the people by our

side, anything is possible,” Warnock said. “So Georgia, I

am honored by the faith that you have shown in me and

I promise you this tonight: I am going to the Senate to

work for all of Georgia, no matter who you cast your

vote for in this election."

Neither Loeffler nor Warnock reached the 50 percent threshold

needed to win the general election in November, sending the

race into a runoff.

The pastor made history with his election win, becoming the

first African-American senator to represent Georgia in the

Senate. He would also be the first Democrat who wins

a Senate race in Georgia, in 20 years.

Warnock’s victory gives Democrats 49 seats in the Senate,

one shy of creating a 50-50 tie with Republicans, which

would effectively give Democrats control because

Vice President-elect Kamala Harris would be the

tie-breaking vote. A win for Jon Ossoff, another

Democrat candidate, would give the Democrats

their coveted 50th seat.

With 98% of the expected vote reporting, Ossoff leads

with 50.2 percent -- 2,208,717 ballots -- while his rival

David Perdue trails behind with 49.8 percent --

2,192,347 ballots.

_____________________________________

‘Bail him NOW!’ Roger Waters says

after judge rejects extradition for

Assange, calls ruling a ‘delaying

tactic’ as US preps appeal

January 5th, 2021 03:31 (RT)

Pink Floyd frontman Roger Waters has demanded the

immediate release of Julian Assange after a UK judge

declined a US extradition request, telling RT the

WikiLeaks founder’s battle is far from over, as

Washington eyes an appeal.

“Let the man begin to live,” Waters said in an interview

with RT on Monday, insisting Assange must be freed

from custody at London’s maximum security

Belmarsh Prison without delay, hours after

a judge, Vanessa Baraitser, ruled against

extradition for the anti-secrecy activist.

''We, [Assange’s] supporters, have to be saying ‘Bail. You

have to bail him now.’ He’s suffered way beyond any

suffering that should’ve been meted out to him for

his one small bail infringement, which is his only

crime under UK law. So bail him now.''

While Waters said he was heartened by the “scenes of

jubilation” outside the Old Bailey courthouse following

the decision, he noted it was “equally sobering” to see

that the United States had already filed an appeal

“within minutes of the judgement.”

“This is clearly a delaying tactic,” he said, of the ruling,

adding that lawyers representing Washington

“obviously” knew of the judge’s plan to

deny extradition “because they have

coached Judge Baraitser all the
way through the entire
kangaroo court

in London.”

Further cautioning against optimism, the rockstar said a US

appeal could drag out Assange’s case for “at least another

couple of years,” while predicting that Baraitser would not

grant him bail.

“She claims he’s a flight risk… She’ll give all the usual reasons.

The real reason is, of course, is they want to keep him confined

until he dies. That’s what they’re hoping for,” Waters said,

adding that while Baraitser declined extradition, she

nonetheless “judged that the whole US case

against Assange was correct, legally, that

the United States won the argument.”

So let us not run away with the idea that somehow she found

that Julian Assange was innocent of the charges brought

against him by the United States.

Waters said the implications of Assange’s case extend far

beyond one journalist’s freedom, saying it symbolizes a

“battle for the survival of the human race” and the

future of the Fourth Estate around the world.

“If we allow the United States government to crucify a journalist

on the grounds that he revealed war crimes by them, then we

give up our access to the real world. We say ‘OK, we will

believe what you tell us,’” he said, adding that corporate

media outlets continue to wage “a very, very powerful

propaganda campaign” to “smear Julian Assange.”

After spending some seven years under political asylum at

Ecuador’s embassy in London – where he stayed amid
fearsWashington would charge and extradite him
over WikiLeaks’ publication of classified material
- Assange’s protected status was revoked in 2019
following a new president's rise to power in
that country.

He was arrested by UK authorities almost immediately afterward

on a years-old bail-skipping charge, prompting the US Dept of

Justice to unseal an 18-count indictment alleging that Assange

conspired to “hack” military computers in order to obtain

confidential records, including the 2007 ‘Collateral Murder’

video, which shows a US Apache helicopter gunning down

a crowd of civilians in Baghdad, among them two Reuters

journalists. He has since awaited extradition in Belmarsh

Prison, where he remains even after the US request was

shot down. A bail application is expected to be made

on Wednesday.

_______________________________________

Julian Assange ‘free to return home’

to Australia, if extradition to US
is blocked – PM

January 5th, 2021 (RT)

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has announced

that WikiLeaks co-founder Julian Assange will be “free to

return home” to Australia once his legal proceedings in

the United Kingdom have ended.

Morrison’s remarks come amid pressure from Australian

politicians, who have called on the country’s government

to ask the Trump administration to pardon Assange and

end its legal campaign against him. While Coalition back-

bencher George Christensen and South Australian

independent senator Rex Patrick called directly

for a presidential pardon, the opposing Labor

Party said the government should “do what

it can to draw a line under this matter.”

Speaking to local radio station 2GB, Morrison stated that

“should the appeal fail, obviously he would be able to

return to Australia like any other Australian.” However,

the prime minister appeared to back away from

directly interfering in the process or making a

plea to the US president, saying, “The justice

system is making its way and we’re not a

party to that.”

On Monday, a London court ruled that the UK could not

extradite Assange to the US, because of concerns that

it would be “oppressive by reason of mental harm”

and could result in him attempting to take his own

life. The US Department of Justice has 14 days to

lodge an appeal against the judgment and has

expressed its intention to do so.

Assange is wanted over an 18-count indictment that stems

from the publishing of thousands of classified documents

on WikiLeaks in 2010 and 2011. If the US convicted him on

all charges, he could face up to 175 years in prison,

according to his lawyers, although, Washington

has argued the sentence would be more likely

to be between four and six years.

The trial has gained international attention, as Assange’s

lawyers have argued the case is a politically motivated

prosecution against a journalist for revealing evidence

of war crimes and human rights abuses committed by

the US government abroad. The US has not sought to

play down this accusation, repeatedly asserting that

the leaks were criminal and endangered lives. Still,

supporters of the whistleblower maintain that

Washington is simply seeking revenge for

their publication.

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____________________________________

Mexico to Take Steps to

Grant Assange Political

Asylum, President Lopez

Obrador Says

by Henry Batyaev

4.01.2021 (Sputnik)

A UK court ruled earlier in the day to block WikiLeaks

founder Julian Assange's extradition to the US, where

he could face up to 175 years in prison for espionage

and computer fraud. The US Department of Justice

has voiced its disappointment with the ruling,

vowing to keep seeking his extradition.

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said

Monday that Mexico could grant Julian Assange

political asylum, if London agrees to release him.

Speaking at a press conference, the president

said he had asked the foreign minister to

reach out to the UK authorities about the

possible offer.

"Assange is a journalist and deserves a chance, I am in

favour of pardoning him...We'll give him protection",

Lopez Obrador told journalists.

Earlier in the day, UK Judge Vanessa Baraitser ruled to

block Assange's extradition to the United States, as the

journalist's mental state would make him a suicide risk

if he were handed over to the US.

Following the announcement, the US Department of

Justice said it was "disappointed" with the ruling

and will continue its efforts to have the Wiki-

Leaks founder extradited.

Assange's Extradition Trial

Assange's lengthy extradition trial, where his legal team

tried to present evidence he was being indicted for

political reasons, wrapped up in October.

Assange is wanted in the US over the release of the largest

trove of classified data in history. In 2010, WikiLeaks made

public US diplomatic cables and documents exposing

atrocities committed by American troops during

military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Washington has accused Assange of spying and wants him

handed over to the United States, where he could face up to

175 years in solitary confinement if he is convicted on 18

espionage and computer fraud charges for leaking the

top-secret data.

Assange is being kept in Belmarsh Prison,

near London, where he was taken after

the Ecuadorian Embassy in London

discontinued its political asylum

for the journalist.

_______________________________

US 'Extremely Disappointed' WIth UK
Judge's Ruling on Assange, Vows

to Keep Seeking Extradition

by Lilia Dergacheva

4.01.2021 (Sputnik)

Julian Assange should not be extradited to the United States

to face charges of espionage and conspiracy to commit

digital intrusion, District Judge Vanessa Baraitser

ruled on the morning of 4 January 2021.

The US Justice Department has expressed its disappointment

over a London court's ruling on Julian Assange, saying in

a statement:

"While we are extremely disappointed in the court’s ultimate

decision, we are gratified that the United States prevailed

on every point of law raised. In particular, the court

rejected all of Mr. Assange’s arguments regarding

political motivation, political offense, fair trial,
and freedom of speech".

District Judge Vanessa Baraitser announced the court's

decision to block the potential extradition of the jailed

WikiLeaks founder on 4 January, in a development

deemed by Assange's supporters, as the most

important one in his 2-year long extradition

hearing proceedings.

"I am satisfied that Mr Assange has the intellect and

determination to circumvent suicide prevention

measures [in the US]", the judge said, after

rejecting every other argument made by

the defence in the case.

The decision was made solely based on the judgement

that the WikiLeaks publisher was at too high a risk of

suicide or self-harm if he were to be extradited to the

US. The judge notably rejected the rest of the

arguments raised by the defence

against extradition.

The judge accepted that Assange, who is now incarcerated

in HM Prison Belmarsh, would likely be subjected to high

levels of isolation, as well as Special Administrative

Measures, both before and after a trial in the US,

that would severely impact his mental health.

The defence will now decide whether they will launch a bail

application without delay, as the bail option is believed to

now be available to Assange, or whether they would like

to prepare more thoroughly.

It is currently unclear whether the US government will seek

to appeal the decision. The prosecution must request

permission to appeal it in the High Court within seven

days of the date of Judge Baraitser's verdict.

The US indictment against the award-winning author centres

on his role in 2010-2011 in receiving & publishing classified

logs from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, Guantanamo Bay

detainee files, and US diplomatic cables. The documents

revealed war crimes, as well as other criminality and

abuse, allegedly committed by the US government

and American-backed forces across the world.

If convicted of all of 18 charges brought against him in the US,

Assange faces 175 years in prison. There is no public interest

defence for any charge brought under the 1917 Espionage Act.

17 out of the 18 charges against Assange fall under legislation

dating from the World War I period.

_____________________________

WHO calls coronavirus
death toll in US 'shocking'

December 8th 2020 (Press TV)

The World Health Organization (WHO) has described the

coronavirus death toll in the United States as shocking,

warning that the US is "facing a critical situation" now.

“The epidemic in the US is punishing. It's widespread.

It's, quite frankly, shocking to see one to two persons

a minute die in the US, a country with a wonderful,

strong health system and amazing technological

capacities," executive director of WHO's Health

Emergencies Program, Mike Ryan said.

Ryan said the US has accounted for a third of all

world cases over the last number of weeks.

He also encouraged Americans to keep maintaining

social distancing “even if it sounds terrible.”

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said

the agency has not yet contacted with President-elect Joe

Biden’s transition team.

Earlier this year, Donald Trump announced the US withdrawal

from the WHO, saying the body was too deferential to China,

and called it corrupt. Biden has expressed an interest in

reversing that decision.

US health officials are worried that the epidemic situation will

become even more aggravated than it was during the Thanks-

giving holiday as the year-end holiday season is approaching.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the US government’s top infectious disease

expert, warned that the pandemic could worsen after the year-

end holidays, saying on Monday that he has the same

concerns about Christmas, that he did about

Thanksgiving.

“Without substantial mitigation, the middle of January

can be a really dark time for us,” said Fauci.

Millions of Americas ignored public health advice and

traveled for the Thanksgiving holiday in November.

Dr. Scott Gottlieb, former US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

chief, also said that the COVID-19 epidemic situation in the US is

expected to worsen over the next four to six weeks --- with

infections, deaths and hospitalizations continuing to rise,

and with the number of hospitalizations expected to

reach 150,000 to 175,000 in a single day.

Another lockdown in California as hospitals overwhelmed

People in the most populous US state faced heavy new

restrictions on Monday aimed at slowing the spread

of COVID-19.

California’s order has affected about three-quarters of the nearly

40 million people in the state. It will last at least three weeks and

shuts all but critical infrastructure and retailers.

California Governor Gavin Newsom’s order allowed some schools to

continue to hold classes. But the Los Angeles Unified School District,

the state’s largest, closed campuses that had been partially open to

offer in-person services and tutoring, affecting many special-needs

students.

Newsom’s directive applied to places where fewer than 15% of

intensive-care hospital beds remain available, so far affecting

Southern California and the San Joaquin Valley near

San Francisco.

Dr. Fauci said on Monday the state’s action would “rescue

them from possibly getting their hospitals overrun.”

California set a record in new cases with 30,000 on Saturday and

recorded nearly 25,000 more on Sunday. Hospitalizations also

hit records. In the San Joaquin Valley, just 6.3% of intensive

care unit beds were available, the state said Monday.

According to a Reuters tally, the COVID-19 infections are at their

peak in the US, with an average of 193,863 new cases reported

each day over the past week.

There have been 14.7 million confirmed infections and more than

282,000 coronavirus-related deaths reported in the United States

since the pandemic began, the most in the world.

New York’s governor threatened to ban indoor restaurant dining

in New York City if hospitalization rates keep climbing this week.

Trump to order priority access to US vaccines for Americans

The US president will sign an executive order on Tuesday to ensure

that priority access for COVID-19 vaccines is given to the American

people before assisting other nations, senior administration

officials said on Monday.

The Trump administration is confident it will have enough vaccine

to inoculate everyone who wants a vaccine by the end of the

second quarter of 2021.

The New York Times had said the US government declined, when

vaccine developer Pfizer Inc offered, in late summer, to sell more

vaccine doses to the United States.

The New York Times reported that Pfizer may not be able to provide

more of its vaccine to the United States until next June. because of

its commitments to other countries.

Trump, who has faced sharp criticism for his handling of the
coronavirus pandemic, is eager to take credit for the speedy
development and distribution of a vaccine.

US Health and Human Services Secretary, Alex Azar, said the

US government had the option to purchase an additional 500

million doses of the Pfizer vaccine, but declined to say

whether the Trump administration was pursuing

that option.

‘We messed up,’ a senator said, of the US approach

to the pandemic, before his death --- caused by

covid-19.

A US lawmaker complained about the country's approach

in tackling the coronavirus pandemic, before dying, due

to covid-19, this week.

____________________________________________

Unions slam government’s ‘shameful’

billion pound cut to Britain’s railways

7/12/2020 (Morning Star)

Unions have branded the government “foolhardy” and

“shameful” after ministers announced a £1 billion cut

to Britain’s rail infrastructure which will consign the

country to the “slow lane” amid the coronavirus

and climate crises.The reduction was omitted

from Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s announce-

ment last week.

Rail Minister Chris Heaton-Harris said today that Network

Rail’s funding for enhancements during 2019-24 will be

£9.4bn following the government’s spending review.

This is down almost 10% on the £10.4bn which rail regulator

the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) had previously calculated.

The reduction was omitted from Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s

announcement last week when he told the Commons the

government would deliver on “record investment plans

in infrastructure.”

Industry experts have said the decision is likely to affect a

number of forthcoming projects, which they say calls into

question Britain’s ability to rebuild following the corona-

virus pandemic.

The government defended its decision, saying it continues

to “invest significant sums in modernising our railway” but

admitted it was “closely examining” spending to “strive for

a better deal for taxpayers” given the scale of support

for railways.

A Department for Transport spokesman added: “We must

ensure that, where necessary, projects are reviewed to

reflect the changing demand for rail services as a

result of the pandemic.”

Rail unions have warned the decision threatens jobs when

Britain should be investing and building its way out of the

Covid and climate crisis — also hitting out at the govern-

ment also over its latest environmental targets, which

were announced today.

Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association general secretary

Manuel Cortes said: “On the day when the government

has committed itself to increased binding targets to
cut emissions, it is foolhardy to cut investment to
the green transport offered by our railways.

“The fact that this spending cut didn’t feature in the Chancellor’s

speech, in which he lauded record investment in rail, but was

instead snuck out, says it all. The Tories are duplicitous -

and their commitment to levelling up and investing in

our futures, is paper thin.

“Without doubt cutting investment in our railways is both short-

sighted and reckless, particularly when borrowing costs are at

a historic low.

“You can’t trust Boris Johnson and this lot as far as you can

throw them.”

Aslef general secretary Mick Whelan said it was time for the

government to “come clean” on what it plans to cut.

He added: “How is Britain to be rebuilt after Brexit, and after

the pandemic, which has ravaged this country’s economy?

And what has happened to this government’s promises?

“This revelation puts a question mark over not only some long-

planned, and much-needed, improvements to our transport

infrastructure, but to the whole question of rebuilding this

country after the pandemic.”

Environmental campaigners hit out at the government’s continued

spending on road building while snatching back cash to improve

rail infrastructure.

Greenpeace UK’s Sam Chetan-Welsh: “The Chancellor is happy

to waste £27bn on road building schemes that will tear up our

countryside --- adding to harmful air pollution and climate-

wrecking emissions that we desperately need to reduce.

“But when it comes to the little money that was available

for upgrading our railways, he’s snatched it back at the

first opportunity.

“This is completely indefensible, as is his attempt to bury this

bad news, by leaving it out of last month’s spending review.

“Rishi Sunak either doesn’t get that we’re in a climate

emergency or he simply doesn’t care.”

RMT representatives demanded the government reverse the

cuts and instead invest and build its way out of the corona-

virus and climate crises.

The union said the spending cut could jeopardise planned

works to electrify parts of the rail network, threatening
both the creation of new skilled jobs and Britain’s
carbon reduction promises.

General secretary Mick Cash said: “These massive cuts to

rail infrastructure budgets are a shameful indictment of the

government’s understanding of the importance of our rail

network and fly in the face of their stated objective of

building and investing our way out of the

Covid-19 crisis.

“At a time when our economy and transport links need a

once in a generation investment in rail to create skilled

jobs and shift passengers and freight off the roads

and on to rail, this Tory austerity by stealth, will

only serve to do the opposite.”

_______________________________________

Labour suspends two activists for backing Corbyn

in anti-Semitism row - and accusing Starmer of

‘colluding with Tories’

December 3rd, 2020 (RT)

Britain’s Labour Party has suspended two leading members of

a local organisation, one of whom is Jewish, after they publicly

accused Keir Starmer of using an anti-Semitism probe to

crack down on former party leader Jeremy Corbyn.

Those sanctioned are the chair of Chingford and Woodford

Green Constituency Labour Party, Gary Lefley, and its

vice-chair, Naomi Wimborne-Idrissi.

The suspension came after the two staged an online meeting

with fellow party members earlier this week, criticising the

way the Labour leadership has handled the Equalities

and Human Rights Commission's (EHRC) report on

anti-Semitism in the party and expressed support

for former party head Corbyn.

In his speech, Lefley attacked Starmer, accusing him of “collusion”

with the Tories and plunging the Labour Party “into internecine

warfare.”

By suspending Corbyn and removing his parliamentary whip,

Starmer himself was “in breach of party rules,” Lefley insisted,

according to British media reports.

Lefley also complained about the policies within the party,

which forced dissident members to “button our lip at risk

of being expelled.”

During the same meeting, vice-chair Wimborne-Idrissi supported

another member’s speech, in which the current Labour leader-

ship was accused of having “weaponised” the issue of anti-

Semitism. “There are many Jews in the party, including me,

who endorse 100 percent” this point of view, she insisted.

“The cynical manipulation of Jewish fears and concerns is

unforgivable and undermines all our work against racism

of all kinds,” she allegedly said.

Wimborne-Idrissi is a rather controversial figure in the party, due

to her involvement with the Jewish Voice for Labour group. The

organisation stands against racism and discrimination of Jews,

but also backs the Palestinian cause and resists attempts to

widen the definition of anti-Semitism beyond its original

meaning. The activist confessed that due to her views

she had been labeled “not a proper Jew; the wrong

sort of Jew; self-hating Jew” all her life.

A report by the EHRC in October found the Labour Party

“responsible for unlawful acts of harassment and

discrimination” of Jews under Corbyn’s

leadership between 2015 and 2020.

Starmer, who became Labour leader in April, has called the report

“a day of shame” for the party. But Corbyn reacted to it by saying

that anti-Semitism claims were “overstated” and ended up being

suspended from the party himself. He was soon reinstated, but

Starmer didn’t return his parliamentary whip to him.

Corbyn’s suspension has led to a split in the party, which Labour's

leadership has tried to overcome, seemingly by making discussing

the issue a taboo. General Secretary David Evans said that motions

in support of Corbyn undermine the party’s ability to provide “safe

& welcoming space” to members, including those of Jewish origins.

Just days ago, Labour deputy leader, Angela Rayner, warned that
the party was willing to suspend “thousands and thousands”
of members over alleged anti-Semitism if necessary.

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___________________________

Deputy Leader Says Labour Could

Suspend ‘Thousands’ of Members

over 'Antisemitism'

December 1st, 2020 (FNA)

The Labour Party will suspend “thousands and thousands” of

members unless they “get real” about antisemitism, Angela

Rayner warned, as an internal row rages over the

removal of the whip from Jeremy Corbyn.

Following Keir Starmer’s decision not to allow Corbyn to sit as a

Labour MP over his reaction to the Equality and Human Rights

Commission (EHRC) report, dozens of constituency parties

are reported to have passed motions in support of the

former leader – despite the party’s General Secretary

David Evans banning them from doing so.

Earlier this week, a meeting in Nottingham East with such a motion

on the agenda left a Jewish attendee “feeling they had no choice

but to leave”, according to local MP Nadia Whittome, who later

issued a statement describing the “atmosphere and tone” of

the meeting as “wholly unacceptable”.

Responding to the incident during an address at the Jewish

Labour Movement’s One Day conference, the party’s deputy

leader reportedly told delegates, “I want people to know that

there has been suspensions and we’re on it and we are

supporting Nadia, the MP there who spoke out and

I completely commend her for doing that.

“Our members need to get real about this, our Labour members.

If they don’t think antisemitism is within the Labour Party and

that there’s problems now, then there’s really no place for

them in the Labour Party," she said.

“If they think making people feel unsafe or unwelcome in our

meetings is a response to the EHRC report, then they need

to be out of our party immediately. People need to

understand what our Jewish community have

been through,” she added.

According to LabourList, Rayner added, “I feel really, really

angry actually that there’s been scenes like that in our

CLP meetings."

“If I have to suspend thousands and thousands of members,

we will do that. Because we cannot and we will not accept an

injury to one, because an injury to one is an injury to all.

That’s what we say in our movement,” Rayner added.

A Labour spokesperson clarified that Rayner’s comments

addressed a wider context of denialism and the safety of

Jewish members, rather than specific motions.

The threat of mass suspensions could serve to further inflame

tensions within the party, with left-wing members of the National

Executive Committee (NEC) already having accused the leader-

ship of trying to “censor debate and ignore our processes”.

The row first erupted with Corbyn’s respose to the EHRC’s report,

which stated that “one antisemite is too many” but also said the

scale of the problem had been “dramatically overstated for

political reasons” by opponents and the media.

Corbyn later said he did not intend to “belittle concerns” about

antisemitism and regretted the “pain this issue has caused the

Jewish community and would wish to do nothing that would

exacerbate or prolong it”.

He was eventually readmitted to the party by an NEC panel, but

was immediately banned by his successor Keir from sitting in

the parliamentary party.

According to LabourList, Keir told delegates at Jewish Labour’s

event on Sunday that Corbyn’s response to the EHRC report

was “just about as bad as you could get”.

The Labour leader was reported as saying that, while he believed

the party had been “making good progress” in tackling anti-

semitism, Corbyn’s response “undermined me and what

I was trying to achieve”.

And Rayner – who had defended Corbyn on the issue of antisemitism

while serving in his shadow cabinet in 2019 – said, “I truly hope he

reflects. I understand that he thinks he’s always tackled issues of

antisemitism. I understand he thinks he’s always tackled issues

of racism."

“But on this, he’s wrong. He has to accept as a leader that

we failed,” Rayner said.

However, pro-Corbyn figures have suggested that the current

discussions around members’ suspensions could contradict

the report’s findings – which stated that while the party leader-

ship may decide how to respond to decisions on complaints,

“it is not legitimate for the leadership to influence, make

recommendations, or make decisions on complaints

outside of the formal complaints process”.

Former Corbyn aide Matt Zarb-Cousin tweeted, “Since the EHRC

report was published the leadership’s made no progress on the

recommendations at all, while contravening the very guidance

contained within it to make a series of rhetorical and political

gestures amounting to hot air.”

However, the 'Jewish Labour Movement' chair ,Mike Katz,

welcomed Rayner’s “commendably strong words”,

telling The Independent, “If anything shows the

need for a cultural change, as well as better

processes in the Labour Party, the last

few days have done.

“There’s been some really, really ugly scenes in CLP meetings

across the country as offices and constituencies choose to

ignore direction from the Labour Party and pass motions

about Jeremy Corbyn. The conduct in the meetings

make them clearly not a safe space for Jews. And

thinking about Jewish Labour members, this

has to change,” Katz said.

He called for a “bottom-to-top reform” of the party’s culture and

processes, adding, “We really want to be in a position where

suspensions aren’t necessary, and thinking about whether

you’re going to okay going to a meeting isn’t necessary

because the culture of the party has changed."

Katz said there must be “the commitment to follow up suspensions

with expulsion”, adding that “the process has to be done not under

the broken, factionally-aligned process that we currently have, but

under the process recommended by the EHRC”.

Keir has pledged to uphold the recommendations of the

EHRC report in full, in a move supported by Corbyn.

__________________________

US Justice Department amends federal execution rules

to allow death by hanging, electric chair, gas chamber

& FIRING SQUAD

November 28th, 2020 (RT)

The US Department of Justice has expanded rules governing

executions to permit a wider rage of methods - including

firing squads and electrocution - as five federal inmates

are set to face the death penalty before Inauguration Day.

The amended rule was entered into the Federal Register on Friday,

permitting the government “greater flexibility” to carry out capital

punishment using any method “prescribed by the law of the state

in which [a] sentence was imposed.” While lethal injection

remains the most common means of execution — and

previously the only one permitted under federal

regulations — the new rule will accommodate

states that allow for alternative methods,

including death by electrocution,

nitrogen gas, hanging or

firing squad.

The proposed rule change was initially floated in August — with the

DOJ accepting public comments for only 30 days, half of the period

typically allotted — and passed a White House review earlier this

month, according to ProPublica, which was first to report on the

amended regulation.

While 5 federal prisoners are currently slated for execution before

President Donald Trump leaves office in late January, the rule

change is not expected to affect their cases, as each is

already set to receive lethal injection.

Before Trump took power, the last federal execution was carried out

in 2003 — Louis Jones, was convicted of murder and kidnapping —

but the current administration has revived the custom.

The government has authorized capital punishment for 13 inmates

so far in 2020, including the 5 still in custody, all of them approved

in the last six months. Though state governments routinely

sentence inmates to death each year, executions have

been far more rare on the federal level, seeing a total

of just 45 since 1927, according to the Bureau

of Prisons.

Presumed President-elect Joe Biden has vowed to end capital

punishment for federal crimes, saying his administration will

not approve any executions, meaning Friday’s rule change

may never be put into practice. That stance reflects

growing calls from fellow Democrats to abolish

the death penalty outright, arguing the

practice is cruel and archaic.

________________________________

Scottish leader calls for 2nd
independence referendum
early next year

November 27th, 2020 (Press TV)

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has called for a second

independence referendum, to be held as soon as next year, in

a major challenge to the United Kingdom (UK), which is still

struggling with the difficulties of Brexit.

Sturgeon said she anticipates that a vote will take place

“in the earlier part” of the next Scottish parliament,

which begins next year.

“The referendum, for a whole variety of reasons, should

be in the earlier part of the next parliament,” she said.

Her Scottish National Party (SNP), which has formed the

government since 2007, is expected to perform strongly

in elections to the Scottish parliament in May.

This would give her government a mandate to

hold another referendum on independence.

Scots voted 55-45 percent against independence

in a 2014 referendum.

Boris Johnson under fire for incendiary

comments on Scottish devolution

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson says the first

referendum was decisive and should be respected.

His government has said there should not be

another independence referendum in the

near future.

If Sturgeon wins the election in May, Johnson will have to

make a decision whether to refuse a referendum --- and
thus allow Scottish discontent to simmer --- or allow a
referendum which could break apart the union.

The UK and Northern Ireland includes England,

Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

Britain voted 52-48 to leave the European Union in a

2016 referendum. Scots voted 62% to 38% in favor

of remaining in the EU.

The issue of Scotland’s independence was then thrust back

into the limelight. Sturgeon said, the day after the vote, that

the situation was a "democratic outrage" and that another

independence vote was "highly likely.”

Recent polls show support for the independence

of Scotland, has been rising, lately.

An Ipsos Mori poll indicated last month that 58% of Scots

would vote to quit the UK, if a referendum were held

this year.

___________________________________

Georgia's Floyd County 'Ousts Chief Elections Clerk

After Untallied Ballots Discovered Amid Audit'

by Svetlana Ekimenko

21/11/2020 (Sputnik)

Georgia earlier on Thursday certified the results of the 2020

presidential election, upholding Democratic candidate Joe

Biden’s win, with Governor Brian Kemp calling for another

audit of the votes, saying it was “completely unacceptable”

that thousands of uncounted ballots were discovered

during the manual hand recount, after the
initial results.

The discovery of thousands of uncounted ballots has spurred

the Board of Elections in Georgia's Floyd County to vote in

favour of ousting Chief of Elections Clerk Robert Brady,

according to FOX 5 Atlanta.

Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger had requested

that Brady step down earlier, in the wake of two incidents in

Floyd County, with local officials meeting to discuss the

decision before firing the clerk, the outlet reported.

Reportedly, there was consensus among both Republicans and

Democrats on the need to fire Brady, despite the belief that the

error was not made purposefully.

Uncounted Ballots

Georgia, where Governor Brian Kemp certified the presidential

election results on Friday in favour of projected President-elect

Joe Biden, had discovered 2,750 ballots that had not been

included in the original count in Fayette County amid the

state’s audit of the 2020 presidential election.

"There was an issue where we noticed there were more people

on the absentee ballot filed for voting in person in Fayette

County than was in the actual reporting," Georgia election

official Gabriel Sterling had said at the time.

According to Sterling, the issue occurred because several

individuals failed to follow proper procedures. In a separate

incident, some 284 uncounted ballots were found in Walton

County, with the local Board of Elections chair, Lori Wood,

suggesting the error occurred after votes had previously

been uploaded from only one of the two ballot scanners

in a precinct.

The findings followed the discovery of more than 2,600

untallied ballots in Floyd County --- forcing election

workers to rescan more than 8,000 ballots, with

Floyd County Republican Party chair, Luke

Martin, referring to the incident as a

“concerning” mishap that “doesn’t

appear to be a widespread issue”.

Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger blamed

the problem in Floyd County on failure of election officials

to upload votes from a memory card in a ballot-scanning

machine.

Statewide Audit

The Peach State had embarked upon a hand recount of all

votes on 13 November after the Republican Party and the

Trump election campaign requested a statewide audit.

Trump’s legal team filed several challenges in the wake of

the November 3rd elections, citing alleged voter fraud,

despite major US media outlets announcing that the

Democrat presidential candidate, Joe Biden, was

the winner of the 2020 presidential election.

Trump's campaign lawyer Rudy Giuliani accused leaders

of the Democrat-run cities in key battleground states, of

carrying out a co-ordinated, "centralised" campaign

of voter fraud, to rob Donald Trump of victory.

"As we started investigating... what emerged very quickly is there's

not a singular voter fraud in one state. This pattern repeats itself

in a number of states. Almost exactly the same pattern. Which, to

almost any experienced investigator, prosecutor, would suggest

that there was a plan from a centralised place to execute these

various acts of voter fraud, specifically focused on big cities,

and specifically focused on (as you would imagine) big cities

controlled by Democrats. And particularly focused on big

cities that have a long history of corruption," Giuliani said,

speaking to reporters in Washington, DC on Thursday.

One of the key battleground states where Donald Trump demanded

a recount, Georgia, was called in Biden's favour by the Associated

Press earlier on 20 November, giving the Democrat candidate Joe

Biden a total of 306 votes in the electoral college.

Georgia's secretary of state, Brad Raffensperger, said Friday that

he was, like all other Republicans, “disappointed”, but added:

"I live by the motto that numbers don't lie. As secretary of state, I

believe that the numbers that we have presented today are correct."

Meanwhile, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, who certified the state's

presidential election results Friday in favour of Biden, called for

another audit of the votes, writes Fox News.

Kemp was cited by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution as saying it was

“completely unacceptable” that thousands of uncounted ballots

were found in several counties during the manual hand recount

in the wake of the initial results.

While acknowledging Donald Trump’s frustration over the

outcome, Kemp said:

“He’s a fighter… But, at the end of the day, I’ve got to follow the

laws of the constitution of this state and that’s exactly what I’m

doing.”

After the results are certified, the Trump 2020 Campaign has

until Tuesday to request another recount, said Kemp,

pointing to the vote being within a half-per cent.

“I would just say I’m formalising the certification. Now that

Secretary Raffensperger certified, it triggers the ability of

the Trump campaign to ask for the recount," said Georgia

Governor Brian Kemp.

______________________________________

Britain died for me this week. It’s become

a Covid-obsessed police state, and I don’t

understand what it stands for anymore

by Chris Sweeney. November 7th, 2020

Chris Sweeney is an author and columnist who has written

for newspapers such as The Times, Daily Express, The

Sun and Daily Record, along with several international-

selling magazines. Follow him on Twitter

@Writes_Sweeney

I’ve always been proud to say I’m British – until now. The

authorities’ bloody-minded determination to implement
lockdown rules at the expense of people’s wellbeing

is not what our great country should be about.

Sometimes you can be too close. You are looking, but you

don’t see it. That’s where I found myself this week with

the current state of Britain --- amid another round of

ever tighter restrictions caused by the pandemic.

Don’t get me wrong. There are loads of things I’ve always

loved about my country – our traditional British good

manners for example. Rather than see it as a sign

of weakness, I pride myself on our reputation

for queuing in an orderly fashion. I also like

that we hold the door open for the person

behind us.

I admire our outstanding National Health Service, which

allows everyone to access medical treatment without

having to dig out a credit card or an insurance plan.

And I enjoy flying British Airways over far-flung

lands, offering me some form of attachment

– even if it is superficial.

I won’t apologise for tea being regarded as the boring

and bland equivalent to freshly ground coffee – it’s

our drink, and I love it. And the way we honour

our war heroes with the humble poppy, is

thoroughly respectful.

But this week, some of that pride in being British

died for me. It’s a very different sentiment I’m

feeling. Beyond disillusionment. Fury even.

How could Britain have fallen so far

in the way it treats its own people?

It began with the horrifying detention of a 97-year-old

grandmother by police in the Yorkshire town of Market
Weighton. Her daughter, a qualified nurse, wanted to

bring her home from a care home, to look after her

during lockdown, and quietly wheeled her out of

the home.

However somewhere along the line, a jobsworth felt

the need to justify their existence & reported what

had happened. The episode ended with her grand-

daughter in tears filming a video, showing her
own mother in handcuffs inside a squad car,
while the old woman sat in another car,
completely bewildered.

The police’s response? They were responding

to “a report of assault.” Incredible.

The horror continued, as students at the University of

Manchester’s Fallowfield ''halls of residence'', awoke

to find workers erecting fences around their facility

to ensure they couldn’t leave. They were being

installed, following government guidelines

asking students not to return to their

permanent homes.

One student said: “They're huge metal barriers, they're

connected to one another and there's literally no gaps

….it makes it feel like we're in a prison.”

In what version of the United Kingdom do we keep our

bright, young people caged like dogs? Unsurprisingly,

some of the outraged students began to rip them

down, causing even more angst.

ALSO ON RT.COM

Protests of more than two people

will be ILLEGAL under updated

rules for UK national lockdown

Another university using its power to force students

to bend to its will, is world-famous Cambridge. It

announced that anyone who leaves its halls

of residence, won’t be able to graduate or

progress to the next year. That’s despite

each paying at least £9,250 per

academic session.

Then there was the Ripped Gym in Harlow, Essex. It

opted not to close --- in breach of the government’s

latest lockdown. The morality of that is debatable,

but the gym claims it didn’t sell any long-term

memberships and offered only day passes.

Whatever you think of the decision, what

is beyond argument is that it didn’t need

four police cars and approximately 20

officers to descend in a raid-style

scenario.

Were they expecting John Gotti? Rather, it was a well-

meaning business owner & some locals on treadmills.

The owner ended up being dragged away & was still

in police custody, at the time of writing.

Contrast this with the most tragic occurrence, the death

of Corey Liversedge. This 16-year old from Aberdeen-

shire took his own life, as anxiety overcame him as

a result of the suffocating nature of lockdown.

His grieving parents summoned the bravery to raise

awareness of his plight, with his mother saying, “It’s

not just children with diagnosed mental health

conditions — it can happen to any child, and

Corey was any child.”

Britain used to be a nation that cared. But now, it seems

that the priority is treating any slight infraction of lock-

down rules like a terrorist attack, while vulnerable

people are left to struggle along on their own,

without help from the wider community.

The complete lack of emotional intelligence from

our authorities was evidenced by London police

arresting 104 people in a single night for

breaching regulations.

What happened to community engagement? Aren’t we

all supposed to be on the same side? Incredibly, it’s

now even illegal for anyone to enter or leave Wales

--- unless it is covered by the contentious term of

“essential travel.” The police, of course, are

monitoring the roads and pulling over cars

to conduct checks.

Yes, the pandemic is a serious situation and we

should not be complacent about 48,000 people

dying. Precautions have to be taken.

But what is happening across the UK is nothing short

of barbaric. Our police have turned into robots,

carrying out whatever they are asked to,

no matter how cruel or wrong.

The government has forgotten what a wonderful

population they are tasked with representing,

and are treating us all like North Korea

does dissenters.

They say you never really truly appreciate something

until it’s gone. And I’m petrified that the courteous,

courageous sprit that defines Britain, is on the

point of disappearing for good, crushed by

the uncaring iron first of the Covid-

obsessed authorities.

We deserve better than this.

Like this story? Share it with a friend!

__________________________________

Rhondda Records exists to express the Rhondda's
vision --- when it was confident, powerful, caring,
and socialist.

A Rhondda very aware of the media's poisonous
tricks -- how they con working class people into
attacking each other, or racial groups, or, often,
even their best allies and friends... instead of
seeing their real enemies:--- an elite who hate
the very idea that working people can think,
create, or achieve a fairer society.

Thatcher said her proudest achievement was
Blair and New Labour - who parachuted in
careerists and expenses fiddlers - to stop
local Labour members having a say, and
who made genuine socialist MPs leave
the Labour party in disgust and many
members and voters to despair...
and the young to stop voting.

Jeremy Corbyn was always attacked because
he was trying to reverse all that New Labour
corruption --- that's why membership was
flooding in all over the UK - watch this
video in Kilburn, London: don't believe
the dripping poison of the media and
the corrupt MPs -- and understand
Jeremy's role !

______________________________________

John McDonnell revisits his childhood home

Watson's Choice

In a speech to a fringe event by 'Labour Friends
of Israel' member, the Party's deputy leader ,
Tom Watson, peddled full-on Russophobia.

Conjuring up images of the Nazis invading the
Low Countries, Watson said Britain was facing
a “Blitzkrieg for the digital age”, from Russia,
and called for a US-style inquiry into alleged
Russian interference in UK democracy.

Watson's hypocrisy when it comes to foreign powers
intervening in UK politics, is truly off the scale.
He has no problem, it seems, with proven
Israeli interference (documented in the
al Jazeera documentary, ‘The Lobby'),
saying he's “proud to defend Israel”
- but is paranoid about unproven
Russian interference.

(Source - longer article by Neil Clark, in RT
https://www.rt.com/op-ed/439492-uk-
labour-party-conference-corbyn/ )

_________________________________________

It’s obvious why Labour’s new

general secretary Jennie Formby,
frightens the right-wing press
March 22nd, 2018
Karl Rogers Analysis, UK
Spread the word: Facebook Twitter

On 20 March, the Labour Party appointed Jennie Formby
as its new general secretary. The right-wing press
immediately attacked her appointment.

Ignoring her formidable record as a union organiser and
work in the NEC, Formby has been represented as
Jeremy Corbyn’s puppet - and as evidence of his
“hard-left” seizure of the Labour Party machine.

But it’s obvious why the press barons
are running scared.

Media red scaremongering

Formby barely had time to update her Linkedin profile
and Twitter feed... before the right-wing press came
gunning for her. Predictably, the billionaire-owned
propaganda machine, spun the news of her
appointment, as a sinister seizure of power
by Corbyn & Unite leader Len McCluskey.

The Telegraph ran the headline: Corbyn and McCluskey
tighten grip on Labour party as ally Jennie Formby
appointed party’s new general secretary. The
Express went with: Corbyn cements grip on
Labour as hard-left union boss Formby
named general secretary. The Sun
also framed the appointment as
an imposed “hard-left” takeover
of the Labour Party. And The
Times declared “moderates
are no longer welcome”
in the Labour Party.

Heather Stewart, political editor of The Guardian,
termed the appointment a “coronation” and
declared it the culmination of Corbyn’s
“two-year battle” to gain “complete
control of the party machine”.

She has been a member of the Labour Party for 40 years.

She was regional officer in the UK’s largest trade union
– Unite – for 17 years. In 2004, she became the national
officer for Unite’s Food, Drink, and Tobacco Sector.

Between 2013 and 2016, she was political director
of Unite, before becoming the southeast regional
secretary. She has been on the NEC for
seven years.

In other words, her appointment to general secretary of
the Labour Party, is the result of her experience and
abilities as a trade union organiser.

As Corbyn said, when he congratulated Formby:

''Her talent, experience and commitment to the Labour
and Trade Union movement, makes me confident
she will play a crucial role in building on last
year’s inspiring General Election advance
and taking our party forward to victory.''

Her predecessor, Iain McNicol, said:

''As someone who has dedicated her life to fighting for
workers’ rights, equality and social justice, I know
Jennie will put all the commitment, drive and
organising talent, into getting Labour into
government and Jeremy into Number 10.''

Running scared

The press is scared of Formby......
because she will be good at her job.

Get Involved!

______________________________________________________

Jewish Labour Movement Chair & exec
block call for investigation into Israeli
interference
5th of February 2017
by Mike Sivier

This is deeply disturbing information
from the Skwawkbox. Read:

Riverside Labour MP Louise Ellman is Chair of the JLM
(Jewish Labour Movement) and vice-Chair of Labour
Friends of Israel (LFI). The former organisation is
highly controversial because of its affiliation with
the openly pro-apartheid Israeli Labour Party
‘Havoda’ and the latter as it was specifically
mentioned by the Israeli embassy operative
filmed by an undercover Al Jazeera reporter,
in connection with his actions: in setting up
pro-Israeli groups inside the Labour party.

Supporters of both groups have been prominent
in the discredited, but persisting, antisemitism
smear against the national party.

And it appears that Ms Ellman and her allies in
Riverside CLP – in spite of the obvious conflict
of interest – have no intention of allowing
members to add their voices to the calls
for a full Labour investigation into the
infiltration of the party by a foreign
government.

Source: JLM Chair and exec block CLP call
for investigation into Israeli interference:

https://skwawkbox.org/2017/02/05/jlm-chair-
and-exec-block-clp-call-for-investigation-
into-israeli-interference/

________________________________________

Time For Labour To Go On The Attack
by John McDonnell

February 3rd 2017

Anybody who thought electing a socialist leader
of the Labour Party would be an easy ride, now
knows that was never going to be the case.

Winning an internal party election for leadership
was the relatively easy part. The coup was also
totally predictable and could be planned for.
Therefore the second leadership election
was arduous, but with determination and
hard work, was eminently winnable.

We have now reached the toughest period so far.
The euphoria of winning a greater mandate in the
second leadership election, despite every trick in
the bureaucratic textbook used against us, has
given way to a serious appreciation of the
challenge we now face.

The character of our politics is to be straightforward
& honest with people. So let’s be straight about this.
This is the toughest of times we have experienced
so far and it is not only also absolutely predictable
and understandable but also something we
can completely deal with.

It does mean though that we need to understand
fully what we are up against and what we have
to deal with.

We are currently facing exactly what we predicted
but many didn’t fully appreciate. The full forces of
the Establishment are being thrown against us.

In no way will the elite Establishment tolerate
the popular election of a socialist leader,
without a bitter fight.

One of the key fundamental problems we face, is
not a lack of political analysis, policies, direction,
courage, determination or leadership.

It is the critical question of how we can communicate
a narrative about our objectives and policies in a way
that can cut through the bilious, cynical distortion of
every aspect of the traditional media.

Any criticism of media bias by the left
is always distorted as whining.

The various independent reports have proved
conclusively that we are witnessing a level of
media bias that certainly most, have never
seen on this scale before.

The evidence demonstrates that it ranges from
the Sun and the Mail to the Guardian and the BBC.

This daily grinding out of distortion and attack can
undoubtedly have its effect on our standing in the
polls - and in turn - on the morale of some of our
supporters, who are not always close to the
action and may not be experienced in past
trade union or political campaigns.

So we need to explain both what we are up
against, and how we can overcome this.

This is the time for determination in the face
of whatever they throw against us. The best
form of defence is attack.

Politically, that means using the one resource
that we have, which the other side doesn’t.
It’s true that we are the many, they are
the few.

Mobilising our large base of support in the Labour
Party, the trade unions, progressive campaigns
and the wider community, is the way to win.

How we do that is the key to our success. First, it
means ensuring that our supporters and potential
supporters have the opportunity to engage in the
exploration, discussion, debate & determination
of political analysis and policymaking.

That’s why we're going on the stomp around the
country, with a series of regional and national
economic conferences to develop our economic
thinking and planning, from the grassroots up.

Similar exercises are planned in several other
policy areas, including how we can decarbonise
our economy, based upon local initiatives,
facilitated by creative national
policymaking.

New creative initiatives to enable large-scale
involvement in digital democracy will facilitate
and energise the discussion of politics and
policy in and beyond our party.

Second, it means mobilising around consistent
campaigning --- setting up, or using, existing
structures to co-ordinate our campaigning
at local and national levels.

People are becoming increasingly angry at the Tories’
attacks on our public services and more workers are
willing to take action to protect their jobs and their
living standards.

We need to lead in mobilising support and solidarity
with these campaigns. It will require the increasingly
effective use of social media to communicate ideas
and to assist mobilisation.

Third, it also means gearing up and training our
members to give them confidence & motivation
to access the party’s structures and engage in
the vital routine work that is needed to ensure
the political direction of the party and deliver
the votes that we need in elections over the
coming years.

The message therefore, is that the times may
be tough and may get tougher — but it is the
mobilisation of our committed, inspired and
enthusiastic members, that will see us
through to success.

John McDonnell is shadow chancellor
of the exchequer. This article first
appeared on Labour Briefing:

labourbriefing.squarespace.com.

_________________________________

REVEALED: NUS official colluded with
Israeli embassy to oust student leader
Middle East Eye
11/Jan/2017
by Mike Sivier
of Vox Political

The worms are coming out of the woodwork now.

Shall we pencil in the Union of Jewish Students
as one of Shai Masot’s “front” organisations for
the Israeli government?

A senior official from the UK’s National
Union of Students, has been covertly
filmed conspiring --- to oust the NUS
president Malia Bouattia as part of a
sting involving the Israeli embassy.

An undercover Al-Jazeera reporter – known
only as Robin – posed as a political activist
with links to the now disgraced Israeli
diplomat Shai Masot - to investigate
the influence the Israeli embassy
exerts on British politics.

“Robin” is heard discussing how to oust
Ms Bouattia from her position as NUS
president with NUS Vice President
Richard Brooks --- after Masot
introduces him as the Chair
of the Young Labour
Friends of Israel.

___________________________

RIGHTING THE
McNicol INJUSTICES

Ms Walker, a lifelong anti-racist campaigner and
socialist, was suspended from the Labour Party
in May, amidst allegations of anti-Semitism. She
was reinstated but has been suspended again,
after apparently being “set up” at a training
event organised by the Jewish Labour
Movement during the party’s national
conference in September.

She writes: “I was suspended from the Labour Party
in May of this year, amidst what appears to have
been a breach of Data Protection law, by Iain
McNicol, as General Secretary of the
Labour Party.

“I was suspended for the alleged (subsequently
cleared) charge of antisemitism. As a Jewish
person, whose partner is Jewish, this was
heart-breaking.

“Since May I have continued to be targeted by
the media, in print, online and in other places.

“Currently I am suspended for questions asked at
a training session on ‘Confronting Antisemitism
& Engaging Jewish Voters’ at this year’s Labour
Conference, after being unethically filmed by a
Jewish Labour Movement campaigns officer
who is also a Labour councillor. It seems this
training was not a ‘safe space for all Jews’
by any means.

“As soon as the first article was released before
my notification had even arrived, trolls circled
for the kill, posting spooky blacked up faces
(and worse) to my Facebook account. The
community & national newspapers led the
attacks, querying my Jewish identity (a
racist move in itself), my work as an
anti-racist activist and my political
commitment.

“When my suspension was lifted, things got worse.
Indignation at my alleged breach reached the heights
of irony, when Nigel Farage, anxious not to miss out
on the fun being had by among others, the Spectator,
a number of Labour MPs and officers of the Party...
dedicated an article in Breitbart, and a good
dose of righteous indignation on national
TV, to publicly calling me out as a racist.

“The widespread hate campaign against me, led
to public abuse, strangers shouting ‘racist’ as I
walked to the tube. With the murderous racist
political discourse now taking the place of
debate, I became conscious I was
recognisable on the street.

“My story is just one of many where Labour members
have found themselves in a similar position. While
this may not be the only case where a breach has
occurred, as I was abroad at the time, it may well
be the most provable.

“We invite anybody who has a personal interest
in this case, or the wider public, to contribute.”

Solicitor Martin Howe, representing Ms Walker,
added: “Jackie Walker has faced a barrage of
hurtful, threatening & nasty abuse since the
private details of her investigation by the
Labour Party over alleged anti-Semitism
was leaked to the press before she even
knew of her suspension by the Party.

“This apparent breach of her private data has
had a devastating impact on her public and
private well-being and has led directly to her
being pre-judged & unfairly cast as a racist
-- before she was given any opportunity to
tell her side of the story.

“Data Protection laws are there to protect all
of us and any breach is a very serious matter.”

If you would like to contribute to her fund,
details are on the web page.

Source: CrowdJustice –
Crowdfund public interest law

Join the Vox Political Facebook page.

If you have appreciated this article, don’t forget
to share it. Politics is about everybody – so
let’s try to get everybody involved!

______________________________________

Get Involved!

– If you feel you’ve been ‘purged’,
take this online survey:

https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/857YMDK

or this one:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc0du5YuhPZ8ahI
oxC_b6pvBprmGA4XFdG-0r2dOVYyc4UNFg/viewform?c=0&w=1

– Request all your own data that
the Labour Party holds on you:

http://www.labour.org.uk/pages/privacy

– Sign the petition in support of
Jeremy Corbyn, if you agree:

https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/a-vote-
of-confidence-in-jeremy-corbyn-after-brexit

_______________________________________

IF - YOU THINK you HAVE
BEEN UNFAIRLY BARRED:

“Any member who is suspended & intends
to appeal the decision should throw in a
‘Subject Access Request in accordance
with the Data Protection Act’ --- for ALL
data that the Labour Party hold on them.

The Labour Party are Data Controllers and
therefore have to, by law, provide you with
all material/information they hold on you.”

If anyone is in contact with anyone who
was barred from voting --- please can
you pass this info on:

The Labour leadership election was under the
jurisdiction of the electoral reform services.

If you were unfairly deprived of your vote you
can call them on 0208 365 8909 and lodge
your complaint, and inform them of your
Data Protection request.

https://www.electoralreform.co.uk

The notification letters barring new members
did not give a clear reason, or information on
how to appeal, so Vox Political suggests that
anyone in this situation, could also contact
Liz Davies here: http://www.whycantivote.com

She is a barrister --- who can
advise members on what to do.

________________________________

Saving Labour? The secretive battle
to oust Jeremy Corbyn – BBC News

Reg Race is a 'co-ordinator' of the group
campaigning against Jeremy Corbyn.

At least, that's what a report ‘Saving Labour’
by the BBC’s Ross Hawkins, has concluded.

Reg Race is said to be co-ordinating a project
to collect information on Labour members who
are willing to attack Jeremy & his supporters...
but that doesn't mean he is the one behind it,
as no such information is available.

Meanwhile, the organisation has been collecting
data on people sympathetic to its cause – which
may be used for ''other purposes'' after the
leadership election, we are told.

If these people admitted who they were and
what they're doing, perhaps their behaviour
might be more acceptable – but they won’t.

Supporting MPs, donors, and trade unionists,
are all staying anonymous for the time being.

One wonders how these people would react if
it was revealed that there was a secretive co-
ordinating hub of Corbyn supporters, working
to spread their influence across the UK.

Reg claimed Saving Labour recruited
over 120,000 registered supporters &
affiliated union members to vote anti
Mr Corbyn, using online advertising.

The group, he says, has amassed details of
60,000 people on its own database, in just
two months. There are plenty of numbers,
but virtually no names.

In his first broadcast interview, he told Radio
4’s Today programme, he has the support of
trade unionists - but will not say which ones.

Nor will he name MPs or donors; those will
be published by the Electoral Commission,
in the fullness of time, he says.

Why the secrecy?

“There’s a group of us and lots of us don’t want
to be out there in terms of the media, because
they are in relatively vulnerable positions,”
he says.

“Data's absolutely crucial in these races,” says Tom
Flynn, Saving Labour’s full-time digital campaigner.
“This was set up as a way of trying to get good data
on those Labour people who would like a change
of leadership.”

That data – contact details of sympathisers
who have a vote in Labour contests, could
have an interesting future.

A Saving Labour supporter, Graham Jones MP
suggests it may even play a part in trying to
get rid of Unite’s general secretary, Len
McCluskey.

The data, the money, and the intent of those
trying to wrestle back control of the Labour
Party from Mr Corbyn, will not expire, now
the win for Jeremy has been declared.

They failed this year, but they will try again.

It will have to provide a list of its supporters
& funders to the electoral commission, now
the leadership election is over, and must
provide its first 3 monthly accounts
and audits.

For a company that is supposedly all about
“savinglabour” it is trying very hard to hide
who is behind it.

Momentum, by the way, had to have its
books audited early after a complaint
"was raised".

Reply bladeofgrassuk on
September 3, 2016 at 2:49 pm

This is a survey that they have sent out to all
their supporters. They are hoping to set up
local anti-deselection groups nationwide.
https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/53G2PLD

The goal of the groups will be to protect MPs
parachuted into “safe” Labour seats, from
being democratically removed from office
for their role in the right-wing coup.

It is worth mentioning that these groups
have managed to avoid appointing a Data
Controller under the Data Protection Act,
and so are not subject to the DPA of 1998.

Reg Race? Could this be the same one?

‘Reg Race, the former Labour MP and close ally of
socialist firebrands Tony Benn & Ken Livingstone,
has been paid millions of pounds of taxpayers’
money as a result of regulations brought in by
New Labour ministers. The union man-turned-
consultant has also become a substantial
Labour Party donor and is one of the biggest
backers of Alan Johnson’s bid for the party’s
deputy leadership.

Mr Race’s company, Quality Health, is one of
a select band of “approved contractors” that
health trusts must hire to conduct patient
and staff surveys.’

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1554774/
Ex-Labour-radical-now-makes-killing-on-NHS.html

(Report in original by clever Vox Political)

____________________________

IF NATO MEMBER ATTACKED
--- IT DOES NOT MEAN WAR

Jeremy Corbyn was torn to pieces over not
wanting to go to war if a NATO member was
attacked (by Russia, the question implied).

There seems to be a mistaken idea that
preferring negotiations and a peaceful
approach to international relations, to
a kneejerk war which could so easily
go nuclear - leading to the end of life
on this planet - can be compared to
Chamberlain's appeasement
before World War 2.

Yet the NATO treaty itself, is not,
as some Tories have tried to
make out, a simple case of
rushing to war, if one of
NATO's states are hit.

Article 5 of the Washington Treaty envisions
the support of other NATO members, in the
case of external aggression, it's true, but...

The response measures are left at the discretion
of member states --- it can be a mere diplomatic
note of support - without providing any real aid.

__________________________

A DREAM COME TRUE

Support for Jeremy Corbyn from Tyrone O’Sullivan,
a fourth-generation south Wales miner, who led a
workers’ buy-out of Tower Colliery, to save it
from closure.

"I’ve been close to Jeremy since the miners’ strike.
Knowing the man, knowing his abilities and his
education, it was a dream come true for me when
he became leader. His ideas and values are more
necessary, here in south Wales, than probably
anywhere else in the country. He wants
victory for Labour, but only under
our terms - for a change."

O’Sullivan, a lifelong Labour member, says
Jeremy is the only true socialist, Labour
have had as leader, ''for 20 or 30 years''.

**************************************

CHILCOT REPORT: SOME MAIN POINTS:

1) "Military action was not a last resort".

2) UK government "undermined the
authority" of the UN security council.

3) Weapons of Mass Destruction presented
"with a certainty that was not justified".

4) UK forces were "ill-prepared".

5a) "The government failed to
achieve its stated objectives."

5b) Post-war planning: Blair "should
have known what might happen".

6) Chilcot says Blair also "overlooked the
threat the invasion would pose to Britain."

____________________________________

Blair to Face Law

The former prime minister has been put on notice
by families of dead servicemen, that he will face
legal action, for his part in the illegal Iraq war.

They are being crowd-funded now, and
have raised so much money, that Blair
is probably heading for a big fall...

Shadow Commons leader Paul Flynn:
the Iraq Inquiry's findings are an "utter
condemnation" of his terrible decision
--- and his prosecution should now be
given "serious consideration".

Former Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond:
"I would like to see Blair investigated by
the International Criminal Court (ICC),
for the crime of a war of aggression,
and face parliamentary action to
stop him holding public office
ever again."

A former British ambassador to the UN:
"The UK was pushed into entering
this military action, too early."

Stop the War Coalition Convener Ms German:
“This is an incredibly damning report for Tony Blair.
It will not call for legal sanctions, but it says that
Blair is culpable for the war, in many ways.

“He needs to be driven out of public life. He is
still part of the Labour Party. We need to make
sure that truth & justice prevails. There must
be legal action against Blair, & he should no
longer be considered fit for any office.”

CND general secretary Kate Hudson:
“The report shows that Tony Blair had
no respect for cabinet procedure, no
respect for Parliament, & no respect
for international law.

“Chilcot reveals the evidence that must now be
used to bring Tony Blair to justice. This is our
demand. Only when justice is served, can we
prevent disasters like the Iraq war from ever
happening again.”

Iraqi journalist Juma al-Quraishi:
"Everyone who took part in the war against Iraq
should be condemned, either Britain, or others."

Baghdad resident Ali al-Saraji:
"Ex-UK prime minister, Tony Blair, destroyed
our country. From 2003, to now, our country
has been the scene of destruction, killing,
massacres, explosions and sectarianism."

A defiant Blair refuses to accept accusations
from service families that he was wrong and
reckless, and he insists that he would make
the decision again, 'come what may'.

Families of some of the 179 military personnel
killed in Iraq, say the former PM is "a terrorist".

Jeremy Corbyn has offered an apology,
on Labour's behalf, for the "stain on
our party and our country".

____________________________________

Tony Blair: Guilty In The
Eyes Of The Public
August 1st
by Steve Sweeney

Teflon Tony Blair escaped justice yet again yesterday -
after High Court judges blocked a private prosecution
against the former PM for war crimes over the
invasion of Iraq.

Campaigners accused the Establishment of a “concerted
and coordinated effort” to exonerate Mr Blair for his role
in the Iraq war, in which one million people were killed.

Stop the War Coalition convener Lindsey German branded
Mr Blair as “the most protected war criminal in the world.”
However, she said: “In the court of public opinion
he has long been found guilty.”

Iraqi General Abdul Wahed Shannan al-Rabbat had sought
a private prosecution against Mr Blair, along with then
foreign secretary Jack Straw and attorney general
Lord Goldsmith.

He accused Mr Blair of committing a “crime of aggression”
by invading Iraq in 2003 and his lawyers asked permission
from the High Court to seek judicial review to get the
Supreme Court to overturn a 2006 House of Lords
ruling that there is no such crime under the law
of England and Wales.

Gen al-Rabbat brought the case after Westminster magistrates
refused to issue summonses in November last year claiming
the trio had immunity from prosecution for decisions taken
while in government.

However the appeal was dismissed yesterday by the Lord
Chief Justice as having “no prospect” of succeeding.

But Michael Mansfield QC said that the findings of the
Chilcot Report justified the prosecution of Mr Blair.

He said that the inquiry showed Saddam Hussein did not
pose an urgent threat to British interests and that the
intelligence regarding weapons of mass destruction
had been presented with “unwarranted certainty.”

The QC said that as the international crime of a war of
aggression had been accepted at the time of the
Nuremberg trials of nazi war crimes, it was the
duty of British courts to follow the example
and prosecute those responsible for the
Iraq war.

The Nuremberg judges had said that war “is essentially
an evil thing. Its consequences are not confined to the
belligerent states alone, but affect the whole world.

“To initiate a war of aggression, therefore, is not only an
international crime; it is the supreme international crime
differing only from other war crimes in that it contains
within itself the accumulated evil of the whole.”

Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament general secretary
Kate Hudson branded the decision as “hugely
disappointing” and said that “justice had
been left undone.”

She said: “Last year’s Chilcot report showed that Blair
had no respect for Cabinet procedure, no respect for
Parliament and no respect for international law.

“Iraq was devastated by the war Blair led Britain into,
millions of innocent Iraqis were killed, British
soldiers were killed and terrorism has
spread across the Middle East.

“Chilcot revealed the evidence that must now be used
to bring Blair to justice. Only when justice is served
can we prevent disasters like the Iraq war from
happening again.”

(Source - Morning Star)

_______________________________

PONCY LABOUR MPS PROBLEM?

A huge drop in working-class Labour MPs,
caused a massive drop in support among
voters with similar backgrounds, reveals
research seeking to explain why support
has dwindled in the party’s heartlands.

The study says past leaders like Kinnock
and Blair made a concerted effort to pick
“more and more middle-class candidates
to run for office, during the 80s and 90s,
as part of an effort to rebrand” -- which
had initial successes at the ballot box.

But this “conscious electoral strategy”
stored up problems, as working-class
voters who initially, just didn’t vote in
response, now seek an alternative.

The solution? Trust each constituency to put
forward its own candidates, and don't impose
‘party-approved’ choices who can't do the job.

Now, unfortunately, there are "entryist" MPs who, for
decades, have been groomed by CIA cold war relic
organisations -- like the Atlantic Council -- and are
now trying to misdirect the Labour Party towards
cuts, a militarised police, and a US war agenda...
- and their anti-Corbyn slant is hobbling Labour.

‘How Can I Deselect My Labour MP?’ A Short Guide
to Reselection and Democratic Accountability
by Eric Sim, excellent free advice here:

http://novaramedia.com/2016/07/13/how-can-i-
deselect-my-labour-mp-a-short-guide-to-
reselection-and-democratic-accountability/

CHRIS BRYANT - SUPPORT THE MEMBERS'
LEADERSHIP CHOICE & POLICIES - OR GO!

Chris Bryant, the Rhondda's dodgy MP,
was on TV -- as soon as the PLP coup
started -- telling us that Jeremy MUST
go, because it was the ONLY way to
act in the Labour Party's interest...

Chris Bryant's voting record:
from TheyWorkForYou.com

On Tuition Fees:

On 27 Jan 2004:
Chris Bryant voted in favour of university tuition
fees increasing from £1,125 per year, to up to
£3,000 per year.

On 31 Mar 2004:
Chris Bryant voted to allow university tuition fees
to increase from £1,125 per year, to up to £3,000
per year.

On 31 Mar 2004:
Chris Bryant voted for the introduction of variable
university tuition fees (top-up fees) of up to £3,000
per year in place of the previous fixed fee of £1,250
per year.

On 31 Mar 2004:
Chris Bryant voted to allow university tuition fees
to increase from £1,125 per year to up to £3,000
per year, and to make other changes to higher
education funding and regulation arrangements.

On 14 Sep 2004:
Chris Bryant voted against: the immediate abolition
of all tuition fees, the re-introduction of maintenance
grants of up to £2,000 for students from low-income
homes, and changes to the country's higher
education system.

On 14 Sep 2004:
Chris Bryant voted to reject the Liberal
Democrat policy of abolition of tuition fees.

On 25 May 2016:
Chris Bryant was absent for a vote on Queen's
Speech - Forcing Schools to Become Academies
- Further Rises in University Tuition Fees

On Human Rights:

Consistently voted for introducing ID cards

Almost always voted for requiring the mass
retention of information about communications

Generally voted for mass surveillance of
people’s communications and activities

On the Environment:

Generally voted against greater regulation
of hydraulic fracturing (fracking) to extract
shale gas

On Special Interests:

Almost always voted against limits
on success fees paid to lawyers in
no-win no fee cases

Generally voted against a
statutory register of lobbyists

On War or Peace:

Generally voted for use of UK military
forces in combat operations overseas

Consistently voted for the Iraq war

Consistently voted against an
investigation into the Iraq war

Generally voted for replacing Trident
with a new nuclear weapons system

On 2 Dec 2015:
Voted to support UK airstrikes in Syria
[without UN authorisation]

On 2 Dec 2015:
Voted to support UK airstrikes in Syria
[without UN authorisation]

On Independence:

Generally voted for more EU integration

____________________________

Chris Bryant Labour MP
From Wikipedia

(aka 1962-1986: Mr Christopher John Bryant
1986-1991: The Reverend Christopher John
Bryant, 1991-2001: Mr Christopher John
Bryant, 2001-: Mr Christopher John
Bryant MP.)

Born in Cardiff, to a Scottish mother & a Welsh
father, Bryant grew up in Cardiff, Wales (where
his father worked for 5 years), and Cheltenham.

He was educated at Cheltenham College, an
independent school for boys in the spa town
of Cheltenham in Gloucestershire, where he
was captain of the school swimming team,
and Mansfield College at the University of
Oxford, where he graduated in 1983, with
a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in English.
This was later promoted to a Master of
Arts degree (MA (Oxon)), as per tradition.

After completing his first degree, Bryant began
training to be a priest in the Church of England
at Ripon College, Cuddesdon, in Oxfordshire.
There, he obtained a degree in theology.

Although a member of the Conservative
Party, and an elected office-holder in the
Oxford University Conservative Association,
he joined the Labour Party in 1986, after
leaving Oxford.

He was ordained deacon in 1986 and priest in
1987. He served as a Curate at the Church of
All Saints, High Wycombe, from 1986 to 1989;
then as a Youth Chaplain in Peterborough,
as well as travelling in Latin America.

In 1991 Bryant left the ordained ministry, after
deciding that being gay and being a priest,
were incompatible. Statements made by
Richard Harries, then Bishop of Oxford,
also influenced his decision.

After leaving the priesthood in 1991, Bryant
worked as the election agent to the Holborn
and St Pancras Constituency Labour Party,
where he helped Frank Dobson hold his seat
in the 1992 general election.

From 1993, he was Local Government officer
for the Labour Party; he lived in Hackney and
was elected to Hackney Borough Council in
1993, serving until 1998. He became Chair of
the Christian Socialist Movement.

He is both a member of the Labour Friends
of Israel and Labour Friends of Palestine &
the Middle East. From 1994 to 1996 he was
London manager of the leader-grooming
"charity", Common Purpose.

He was Labour candidate for Wycombe, in the
1997 general election (he lost by 2,370 votes),
and Head of European Affairs for the BBC,
from 1998.

His selection for the very safe Labour seat of
Rhondda, South Wales in 2000, shocked many
people given Bryant's background – gay, an ex-
Anglican vicar, and someone who was a Tory,
while studying at Oxford, and a member now,
of the Henry Jackson Society 'think tank' ---
described by The Guardian newspaper as
'neoconservative'. It is pro-US, pro-NATO
and pro-military intervention, as well as
being fundamentally anti-socialist.

Fifty-two people applied for the candidature
and a local councillor was hot favourite to
win, before Bryant was parachuted in.

In 2004, a photograph of Mr Bryant in his
underpants, which he had posted to a gay
dating website, was published in 'papers.

When an interviewer suggested he was
a 'disgrace to the Rhondda', he replied:
"They can't get rid of me."

His pay, allowances and some expenses:

The basic annual salary for an MP, from
April 1st, 2016 is £74,962. MPs also get
expenses: to cover the costs of running
an office, employing staff, having some-
where to live in London, plus, in their
constituency and travelling between
Parliament and their constituency.

His MP's expenses story:

Chris Bryant changed second home
twice to claim £20,000: the deputy
leader of the House of Commons,
"flipped" his second home twice,
in 2 years, allowing him to claim
almost £20,000 for renovations
and fees.

Chris Bryant, MP for the Rhondda, split over
£92,000 of expenses between 3 properties
in Wales and London --- within five years.

In 2004, he attempted to claim £58,000 to
overhaul his second home in Wales, after
allegedly complaining that properties in
his constituency were "terrace or mine
owners' houses".

Mr Bryant, a former Church of England clergyman,
wanted the money for a new bathroom & kitchen,
and to demolish his conservatory. He'd bought the
detached house for £97,500, under a year earlier.

He submitted a claim to the Commons fees office for
£58,493.26 --- almost 3 times the annual maximum.
He noted that the claim exceeded his allowance.

His alleged justification was disclosed... in
correspondence between Commons officials.
By email, an official wrote: "He had problems
finding a suitable property because in the
Rhondda there is a choice mainly of terraced
property or mine owners' houses." When
approached by the Daily Telegraph,
Mr Bryant said: "I have never said
or thought anything of the sort".

In all, he successfully claimed over £13,000
for renovations, repairs & appliances, in 2004.
Along with other bills, his annual claim was
£20,902.

In April 2005, he flipped his expenses to his flat in
west London, which he bought for £400,000 in April
2002. He also claimed £630 a month for mortgage
interest, along with other bills. After claiming over
£3,600 over 3 months, he sold the flat in July 2005
for £477,000.

Mr Bryant used his profits to buy a more expensive
flat in west London, which was valued at £670,000.
He immediately flipped his second home expenses
there, claiming almost £6,400 in stamp duty, legal
fees and mortgage fees, incurred in the purchase.

He then began claiming interest of £1,000 a month
on the mortgage. He also claimed a further £6,000
a year for the flat's service charge and ground rent.

In all, he claimed £92, 415 in second
home expenses, from 2004 to 2009.

Mr Bryant said at the time: "I moved flat in
London, so as to be closer to Parliament."

Research by Channel 4 News in 2015 found that
at least 46 MPs had this kind of system in place
– a move one Labour backbencher described as
“a new fiddle”. Channel 4 reported then:

“Our investigation found that many of the MPs
bought their London properties with the help of
the taxpayer, when a previous expenses system
allowed them to claim back mortgage payments.
But when those claims were banned, following
the expenses scandal, they switched to letting
out their properties, in some cases for up to
£3,000 a month. They then started claiming
expenses for rent and hotels in the capital.”

Among those identified was Chris Bryant, shadow
leader of the House of Commons. He had already
bought a penthouse in London back in 2005 and
claimed around £1,000 a month in mortgage
claims under the old system.

But after the expenses scandal, he started renting
the property out. It’s since been advertised by estate
agents as having a private lift and a porter, with rent
at about £3,000 a month. Meanwhile, Bryant moved
into a new flat;- claiming his own rent on expenses.

Figures released by The Office for National Statistics
(ONS) reveal that UK pensioners are 4th worst off....
out of all of the countries in the European Union.

_______________________________________

UK: Almost 2,000 COVID-Related Attacks

on Emergency Services in Six Months

January 21st (FNA)

Almost 2,000 assaults on emergency workers were

prosecuted in the six months following the UK’s

first national lockdown, new figures showed.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said the attacks,

often seeing police officers coughed and spat on, were

the most common coronavirus-related crime between

April 1 and September 30, The Independent reported.

The 1,688 offences also include incidents where officers

were kicked, bitten and hit with heavy objects --- after

stopping people suspected of breaking restrictions.

Max Hill QC, the Director of Public Prosecutions, said

the figures were “appalling” and that attacks were

still taking place.

“I will continue to do everything in my power to protect t

hose who so selflessly keep us safe during this crisis,”

he continued, adding, “We are also determined to see

wider criminality during lockdown periods reflected

in court, which is evident in the charges seen in

this data.”

In one recent incident, a police officer believes he was

infected with COVID by a suspect who spat on him

while being arrested in Bournemouth on January 6.

The 47-year-old officer, who had been wearing a mask,

said he developed symptoms two days later and has

since tested positive for coronavirus.

“You can’t get control of somebody without necessarily

getting hands-on with them - especially when they are

not compliant, you have to contact them physically,”

he added.

“COVID has changed things … you have to enter into

that sort of zone of transmission. There is no way of

avoiding that. We can use all the PPE and hand

sanitiser in the world, ultimately, we are at

higher risk,” he noted.

The police officer stated he and his colleagues should

be “much nearer the front of the queue for vaccines”.

Another officer has been admitted to hospital after

policing an anti-lockdown protest in Bournemouth

earlier this month, Dorset Police stated, this week.

Senior police leaders have lobbied the government ---

for frontline officers to be prioritised when the vaccine

roll-out moves beyond the current 4 vulnerable groups.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation

(JCVI) has said it would consider exposure risk and

occupation in the next phase, and on Wednesday

Boris Johnson told MPs he wanted police,

emergency service workers and teachers

to be vaccinated “as soon as possible”.

The CPS recorded 6,469 offences flagged for a link to

coronavirus between April and September, involving

2,106 defendants. 90% of them were convicted.

The total included almost 1,200 prosecutions under the

Health Protection Regulations, which initially enforced

the national lockdown and have been adapted for

different levels of restrictions, local lockdowns,

mask wearing and other COVID laws.

The CPS added the cases included: a man caught

travelling illegally between different areas of Wales

to find a prostitute, and a Manchester man who

tried to claim attendees at a house party were

his support bubble.

Some of the lockdown charges were against people

prosecuted for other crimes, such as criminal

damage and public order offences, and were

breaking COVID laws at the same time.

Other coronavirus-flagged crimes were 480 public

order offences, 466 criminal damage incidents,

464 common assaults, & 2,234 other offences.

They included people threatening to “infect” victims

with coronavirus, the theft of essential items during

shortages early in the pandemic, and fraudsters

taking advantage of the crisis.

____________________________

UK Now Has World's Highest

Daily Coronavirus Death Rate,

Oxford Research Reveals

by Oleg Burunov

19.01.2021 (Sputnik)

Britain, which is now in the grip of a national

coronavirus lockdown, has Europe's highest

COVID-19 death toll that currently stands at

more than 90,000, according to Johns

Hopkins University.

Right now, the UK has the highest daily coronavirus

death rate in the world, figures collated by an

Oxford University research platform

have revealed.

According to Our World in Data, an average of 935

daily fatalities in the past week was the equivalent

of more than 16 people per one million dying each

day from COVID-19.

The figures were published after UK Prime Minister

Boris Johnson stressed that even though he

"completely" understands Britons want to

return to normal life as soon as possible,

"it does depend on things going well".

"It depends on the vaccination programme going well,

it depends on there being no new variants that throw

our plans out and we have to mitigate against, and it

depends on everybody, all of us, remembering that

we're not out of the woods yet", Johnson stressed.

The statement followed Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab

saying late last week that the government hopes to ease

some lockdown restrictions before the end of February

as London presses ahead with the early rollout of a

COVID-19 vaccine.

"What we want to do is get out of this national lockdown

as soon as possible. By early spring, hopefully by March,

we'll be in a position to make those decisions. I think it's

right to say we won't do it all in one big bang. As we

phase out the national lockdown, I think we'll end

up phasing through a [regional] tiered approach",

Raab noted.

He spoke after Johnson called for vaccinating a total of

14 million people in the UK by mid-February. According

to the prime minister, they should include the oldest

age groups, as well as the clinically vulnerable and

frontline workers.

The UK has been under a national coronavirus lockdown

since 5 January, restrictions that stipulate the closure of

schools and non-essential businesses, as well as people

being ordered to work from home if possible.

As of Monday, confirmed COVID-19 cases in Britain had

climbed to 3,443,350, with 90,031 fatalities, according

to the latest update from Johns Hopkins University.

_________________________

Post-Brexit 'Loophole'

Lets UK Keep Sending

Plastic Waste to Poorer

Countries, Report Says

12.01.2021 (Sputnik)

The United Kingdom is facing a backlash
from environmentalists over a post-Brexit
"loophole" that allows it to ship plastic
waste to developing countries --- in
disregard of its previous pledges,
The Guardian reported Tuesday.

From January 1, the European Union banned exports

of non-recyclable plastic waste to countries outside

the Organisation for Economic Co-operation

and Development.

The UK, which left the EU’s single market and customs

union on December 31, will continue the practice,

despite Tory commitments that post-Brexit

regulations would not undermine

environmental standards, the

British newspaper said.

The country, which is the 2nd-biggest producer of plastic

waste after the United States, will now reportedly export

plastic waste, under a procedure of prior informed

consent, in accordance with which the importer

can agree or disagree to take in

such shipments.

Greenpeace political campaigner Sam Chetan-Welsh,

quoted by the newspaper, slammed the UK

government for creating a "loophole to
allow the dumping of our plastic trash

on environments and communities"

in poorer countries, arguing that

"this is not leadership, it’s failing

to do the bare minimum."

_____________________________

Assange's Mother Calls UK Court's

Ruling Against Extradition to US

‘Best News’

04.01.2021 (Sputnik)

Julian Assange’s mother Christine said Monday’s decision by

a UK court to block her son’s extradition to the United States

was "the best news."

"Thank you #TeamAssange... Its not over till hes safely home

& all charges dropped, but today was the best news.. Its been

10 long traumatic years. I hope I will hold my son again soon...

like I did here in 2010", she tweeted.

Fidel Narvaez, a former Ecuadorean consul who knew Assange

from his time as a refugee at the Ecuadorean Embassy in

London, told the media outside the court that the ruling

was a "victory of all the people who never gave up."

"The British judicial system wanted to save face today, for those

who were inside listening to the judge it was like listening to the

prosecutors' statements to begin with. If it is not for the very,

very fragile health condition of Julian Assange, he would be

already extradited", he said.

He noted that the UK judicial system had upheld the political

arguments provided by the US, meaning that freedom of

expression was still under attack.

"The judge had to recognise… the oppressive conditions of

the US prison system and their special administrative measure

for espionage cases and the risk of Julian going for suicide if

he is extradited, that was the only things that stopped that",

he added.

The WikiLeaks founder and whistleblower is wanted in the US

on espionage charges after his website leaked thousands of

secret US cables on Iraqi and Afghan wars. The court denied

a US request to extradite him, over concerns for the 49-year

-old’s mental health.

______________________________________

Britain’s new plan to scrap gas boilers

to hit zero emissions target will plunge

MILLIONS into fuel poverty

by Damian Wilson

December 10th, 2020 (RT)

Damian Wilson is a UK journalist, ex-Fleet Street editor, financial

industry consultant and political communications special

advisor in the UK and EU.

UK climate change hardliners obsessed with eliminating carbon

emissions want gas boilers replaced by 2033. But how will

millions of Brits on the poverty line be able to pay for

expensive new heat pumps costing upwards of £12k?

The climate change lobby will be toasting today’s launch of a

whopping 1,000-page report detailing the UK’s pathway to

hitting its 2050 net-zero emissions target, but the release

does give rise to one unanswered question: who is

actually footing the bill to turn Britain into a

green utopia?

Because while the Climate Change Committee’s extensive graphs

and tables show an impressive shift from fossil fuels to cleaner

alternatives, all this comes at a price beyond the reach of many.

Launching his green industrial revolution last month, Prime Minister

Boris Johnson conjured up a new world of wind and nuclear energy

where everyone cooks their breakfast on a hydrogen-fuelled hob

and we all ride our bikes to work.

Now, the government has chosen one of the coldest days of the year

to announce that gas boilers, which currently heat 85 per cent of UK

homes, should be banned entirely in 13 years.

That would mean fitting new heat pumps, costing thousands of

pounds more than a gas boiler, in millions of homes across

the country.

The pumps are described as ‘reverse refrigerators’. Instead of making

the inside colder and the outside warmer, they do the opposite, even

when it’s freezing outside. Clever they might be, but they cost an

arm and a leg whichever option you choose: air source, ground

source or air-air.

According to Friends of the Earth, while the heat pumps are an efficient

way of providing heating, using around one unit of electricity to provide

three units of heat – reducing your greenhouse gas footprint by up to

60 percent – burnishing your green credentials comes at a price. The

most efficient and quietest alternative, a ground-source pump, comes

in at £23,000, according to estimates from the government’s

consultancy firm.

The cheapest air-source versions will set you back an eye-watering

£12,500, and like all the pumps, these sit outside the home and hum

away like a fridge in your garden.

While most people agree that carbon reduction is a good thing, even if

they don’t really understand what it’s all about, telling a single mother

working two jobs to keep a roof over her family’s head that she needs

to scrap her gas boiler for a much greener heat pump is an

unenviable job.

No doubt there will be government grants, scrappage schemes and

magical financial whizzbangery to sell these devices, but for many,

the immediacy of finding dinner for tonight takes primacy over

any planet-saving crusade.

How does this blanket ban on gas boilers make any sense to people

who rely on a local food bank for the weekly shop or who have to

choose whether to eat or heat as winter starts to bite.

What the bods who sit on the CCC need to understand is that being

green in the UK is a middle-class luxury. It’s a lifestyle option for

those who can afford to make a choice and do so prompted by

the pages of the Sunday supplements or an influencer’s

account they follow on Instagram.

They can afford the green premium on their organic vegetable

delivery from a biofuel van, the hybrid Lexus in the driveway

or the sustainable glamping holiday in Cornwall.

Outside this middle-class utopia, around 20 percent of people in the

UK live in poverty. It’s a figure that shames us and we have been

stuck on it for some years, according to the Joseph Rowntree

Foundation. The government’s own statistics show that

around 10 percent of people live in fuel poverty,

meaning paying their fuel bills puts their

household income below the

poverty line.

These are not people looking to ditch their diesel- or petrol
-chugging runabouts, worth a few hundred quid, for some-

thing powered by a lithium battery any time soon. Nor are

they planning to outlay upwards of £12k on a heat pump

while their gas boiler is working perfectly fine, just

because the government says they should.

They would love cheaper energy and a cleaner car that doesn’t

fail its MOT test each year thanks to its filthy exhaust emissions.

But it’s a question of priorities. Do they eat and stay warm or do

they join Greenpeace?

Let’s aim for the sky on zero emissions. Of course we want a cleaner,

greener world, but unless there is a parallel plan to tackle the endemic

poverty that has no place in 2020 Britain, then plans for the planet will

die on the vine as the essential public buy-in fails to materialise.

The government’s on-trend, Twitter-bite messaging is all very well, but

it doesn’t mean a thing to a single Hartlepool mum on the breadline

or the millions of others just like her.

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_______________________________________

China eyes global anti-corruption

cooperation in COVID-19 response

December 9th, 2020 (Xinhua)

A senior Chinese official on Tuesday called for international anti-

corruption cooperation in the COVID-19 response to ensure that

anti-epidemic funds and materials are used for saving lives.

Yang Xiaodu, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist

Party of China's (CPC) Central Committee and Chairman of the

National Commission of Supervision, made the remarks when

attending a video conference on integrity in the COVID-19

response and economic recovery by the Belt and Road

cooperation partners.

Noting that global anti-corruption governance is facing new

challenges, Yang called on all relevant parties to jointly

combat cross-border business bribery, and create a

standardized and legalized business environment

under the principle of consultation and

cooperation for shared benefits.

Before the conference, Yang met Ghada Waly, the Executive

Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime

(UNODC), exchanging views with her on global anti-

corruption governance and preparations for the

special session of UN General Assembly on

anti-corruption issues in 2021 via video link.

He said later that all parties should adhere to multilateralism,

support the authority of the UN in global anti-corruption

governance, and make due contributions to building

a better world with practical anti-corruption actions.

Representatives from 22 countries and international

organizations participated in the conference online.

____________________________________________

UK wants to use literal army to fight

‘anti-vaccine propaganda’ online.

Are we in a budding totalitarian state?

By Lewis Olden, a London-based writer & entrepreneur

December 2nd, 2020 (RT)

With the impending rollout of a Covid-19 vaccine, a UK military cyber

unit has been tasked to crack down on “online propaganda against

vaccines.” Questioning something that will be injected into your

body is now deemed radical.

With the anti-lockdown narrative beginning to become more prominent

throughout the UK following the arrest of 150 people over the past

weekend, a clampdown on independent thought is looming. The

arrests were made because of anti-lockdown protests in

London, and the heavy-handed nature of dealing with

these protests is extraordinarily alarming.

Now the crackdown is moving online, where the gradual destruction

of free speech is becoming ever more blatant and cynical. The

Sunday Times reported that there is even a brazen operation

to suppress people’s fundamental right to express

their opinion.

The UK authorities intend on literally using military intelligence

brigades to manage the elimination of free speech. The primary

target of this military operation is what the Times calls “anti-vax

militants” and supposed propaganda content across the internet

and social media.

Info-warriors to battle stations

The unit that will be leading this operation are the renowned 77th

Brigade. The 77th Brigade has been mobilised to conduct

information warfare and was initially conceived to assist

in operations against the Taliban and Al-Qaeda. The

covert unit often works in cohesion with

psychological operations teams

within the army.

The 77th Brigade is a unit that combines the Army and Army

Reserves for the purpose of non-lethal warfare & behavioural

influence. The unit is currently based at Denison Barracks in

Berkshire. It bills itself as “an agent of change” that uses

“targeted information” activity and online outreach to

assist with military objectives.

The use of psychological operations to influence the narrative

across social media platforms to ensure that the general

conversation reflects the desired viewpoint is a powerful

tool. Throughout 2020 the 77th Brigade has been

coordinating with the Cabinet Office to counter

‘misinformation’ related to Covid-19.

It is interesting to note that the recently appointed Parliamentary

Under Secretary of State for Covid Vaccine Deployment, Nadhim

Zahawi, is the co-founder of YouGov. Targeting online polls is a

specific method of psychological impression, as when people

see their view is not the common understanding of reality,

they may begin to reassess their opinion on a

specific topic.

The interpretation of who is deemed to be an “anti-vaccine militant”

is subjective, and there is certainly a wide scope for the abuse of

such operations. Authorities have their own distorted idea of what

constitutes ‘propaganda’ – and the damning label can potentially

be slapped on anyone who dares to raise concerns about the

imminent vaccines that have been developed within an

unprecedented timeframe.

Critiquing or even questioning any potential side effects or the

motives behind the vaccine could result in the abolition of

your name from the internet.

The irony of calling this an operation against “propaganda content”

must not be lost on those who are executing it. Such an operation

is an attempt to control free speech, it is an extraordinarily

dangerous precedent to set and the death of debate is a

very slippery slope. Sliding into a dictatorial state where

people cannot oppose the authorities’ actions or plans

leaves us all at risk of losing our fundamental human

right to freedom of speech.

Nefarious ‘state actors’ or legitimate concerns?

An elite force, that from conception has been trained to control minds,

is now being utilised against ‘state actors’ spreading ‘anti-vaccine

propaganda’. The Ministry of Defence claims the UK population

will not be targeted -- but we have all seen how easy it is for the

government to ascribe any dissent to malign foreign influence

-- thus devaluing any legitimate concerns of its citizens.

This is a terrifying example of UK authorities manifesting
the totalitarian power that they believe they possess.
The silencing of those who arelegitimately sceptical
about the circumstances in which a vaccine has

been produced are being denied the right to
voice their fears.

No matter how mad a conspiracy theory or how deluded
an individual may be, they should always retain the right
to speak their mind without fear of retribution, so long
as they are not doing so in a threatening manner.

The UK is purchasing over 350 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine

from various pharmaceutical companies. The panic in which the

vaccine was formulated and subsequently approved should

lead to questions about its efficacy and safety. In any other

situation, these would be seen to be perfectly

reasonable concerns.

In the world we live in, every decision you make is recorded and

watched, and a calculation as to why you elected to make that

decision is made. Many of your thoughts are predetermined

and fabricated before you even think them, you do not even

question whether they are your own. Advertising so

imperceptible, you are often blissfully unaware of

how easily and comprehensively your

personality is understood.

Society is starting to truly appreciate the power that data can hold.

It is widely accepted that large technology companies are abusing

the control they have obtained and are diminishing their user’s

right to privacy. We are seeing various technologies being

maltreated by publicly listed corporations for profit, and

the control they can have over your daily life grows

with every second you engage with their technology.

Now, just imagine the power a state-backed cyber warfare unit could

have. The mission that the 77th Brigade is on and its methods are

still only vaguely understood – but the state already possesses a

wide range of methods for covert information warfare. GCHQ’s

Joint Threat Research Intelligence Group (JTRIG), for example,

boasts an arsenal of over 200 “info-weapons,” ranging from

spoofed SMS messages to artificially increasing traffic to a

specific website and manipulating online polls. With society’s

growing reliance on technology to guide our collective

consciousness, controlling this battlefield could be a

means to conquer our minds and effectively police

our thoughts. Thinking the wrong thing could

become a crime, and we could find ourselves

living in a state of perpetual anxiety where

the defiance of compliance will never

go unpunished.

A screen-addicted society is easy to control

The ever-darkening addiction to a glass screen that’s on your person

24 hours a day and knows who you are with more precision than you

know yourself is not natural. Promoting products you didn’t realise

you needed until they were thrust before your eyes. Reading

various articles all presented at particular moments on

specific platforms to ensure the commentary results

in you attaining the preferred conclusion.

The majority of many people’s lives are now spent interacting with

screens and lockdown has only enhanced this phenomenon. It is

therefore understandable why the UK authorities choose to focus

their attention on controlling what is permitted to be shared online.

By controlling these mediums of communication with subtle

manipulation that is invisible, the illusion of control can be

achieved by phantom force that remains intangible. Using

technology to understand how modern society thinks and

behaves enables state actors to accurately predict their

population’s reaction to specific information & prepare

for the outlawed conjecture. This, in combination with

silencing the critics, allows a single narrative to form

which is taken as gospel by a large proportion

of society.

The power to infect people’s minds is unlike any political tool in

history. Creating the realms of perception and concocting the

premeditated response enables the infiltration of free thought.

What news-related media impacts your impression of reality

and the ability to impact what you believe to be your individual

opinion cannot be underestimated. Your activity & behaviour

online provides a more precise picture of who you really are

than your ego would ever allow. Therefore, those with the

access to your data can ascertain what truly motivates

you and what your core beliefs are. If these do not

correlate with their own ambitions, a campaign of

misinformation and manipulation can be initiated

to attempt to alter these points of view.

Fear hangs heavy in the air and the greatest fear of all is,

no one is sure what they are afraid of. The revelation

about the conduct of the 77th Brigade, sheds some

light on the concise operation against free thought

--- yet the most horrifying elements of control
remain disguised in broad daylight and
inconspicuous in the shadows.

Freedom is never free; you have to fight for it.

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___________________________

Boris Defends Bully Patel but Not Pensioners –

His Govt is Morally Repugnant

by Tommy Sheridan

22/11/2020 (Source - Sputnik)

Anyone surprised by BoJo’s decision to condone shameful bullying at

the heart of his government and order a “square” of defence be formed

“around the prittster” after he decided to keep Priti Patel in his cabinet

despite her being found guilty of breaching the Ministerial Code and

bullying, has plainly been sleeping over the past eleven months.

That period has exposed the rancid hypocrisy, corruption, cronyism,

and lack of integrity which characterises Johnson and the Tories

under his leadership.

Priti Patel was accused of disgraceful conduct and bullying while an

employment Minister under Theresa May in 2015, behaviour which

drove a female civil servant to attempt suicide on at least two

occasions and ended with a Department of Work & Pensions

pay-out of £25,000 in April 2017 to avoid the scrutiny of an

Employment Tribunal for unfair dismissal, harassment,

discrimination, and victimisation.

Patel the Bully Became Patel the Liar

Patel was then moved to the role of International Secretary only to be

found out as a devious liar whom May had to sack after her deliberate

misleading of the PM and Parliament over secret meetings with Israeli

officials, business representatives and lobbyists was exposed. She

lied and was caught. She had to go.

Being a dishonest bully presented no barrier to Boris Johnson’s

cabinet however and he appointed Patel as his Home Secretary

in July 2019 after he became Tory leader.

Within weeks the top civil servant in the Home Office, Sir Philip Rutnam,

felt compelled to warn her about her conduct and lack of respect for

staff before eventually resigning from his post at the end of February

this year in a move which caused shock waves in the civil service

and government. He accused Patel of lying about a “vicious”

campaign orchestrated against him and creating a climate

of fear in her department.

Patel Investigation Handicapped from the Outset

A high-level investigation was reluctantly ordered into the allegations

made by Rutnam, and he vowed to pursue a constructive dismissal

claim against the government which is yet to be concluded. It is

increasingly clear that the investigation has been less than

rigorous as the senior civil servant appointed to conduct

it was refused access to Rutnman despite him being the

best equipped to inform the investigation.

However the report that was compiled was laid on Johnson’s desk

in April and he refused to act on it for months before recently

contacting the author, Sir Alex Allan, and leaning on him to

water down the conclusions. Despite the limited access to

witnesses the investigation still found Priti Patel "shouted

and swore" at staff in actions "that can be described

as bullying" and that she had indeed breached the

Ministerial Code which is normally an automatic

resignation offence.

The fact Sir Alex Allan, former chair of the prestigious Joint

Intelligence Committee, chose to resign rather than alter his

report to save Patel’s reputation is admirable, but the full

report is being kept secret. It must be revealed in full and

the fact it was severely handicapped by the barring of

access to Rutman’s input must also be highlighted.

Johnson Willing to Protect Patel but not Pensioners in Care Homes

Patel was ordered to issue an apology on camera on Friday but all

it did was rub salt in the wounds of the campaign against bullying

as she smugly smirked and smiled when she claimed to have no

knowledge of bullying but apologised anyway. Please watch and

remember - her conduct drove a lowly paid civil servant to

attempt suicide on two occasions and compelled a very

senior civil servant to resign. The lack of contrition for

her actions and empathy for her victims is truly

frightening.

If Johnson and his Tory gang of millionaires and spivs showed an iota

of the concern and commitment to defend elderly care residents as

they have shown to defend lying bully Patel at least 20,000 lives

could have been saved. A shocking report compiled by Amnesty

International last month received very little media attention but

condemned the Tory Covid19 response as a dereliction of duty

and care towards elderly citizens.

Read the document and understand just how complicit this Tory

government is in the deaths of thousands of senior citizens. It

presents evidence that the government’s policy of herd immunity

was responsible for mass murder. The government was entirely

aware of the probable outcome of their policy and went ahead

regardless of the risk to thousands of lives.

The report, “As if expendable: The UK government’s failure to protect

older people in care homes during the Covid-19 pandemic”, details

how, between March 2 and June 12, 18,562 residents of care homes

in England died with COVID-19. The vast majority (18,168) were

aged 65 and over, representing almost 40 percent of all deaths

involving the virus in England during this time frame. Of these,

76 percent (13,844 deaths) occurred within care homes for

the elderly.

During this brief period, 28,186 “excess deaths” were recorded

in English care homes, a 46 percent increase in comparison

with the same period over previous years.

Amnesty conclude that the Tory government together with its

agencies at national and local level have “taken decisions and

adopted policies during the Covid-19 pandemic that have directly

violated the human rights of older residents of care homes in

England—notably their right to life, their right to health, and

their right to non-discrimination”.

The report argues that the decisions and policies of the Tory

government “impacted the rights of care home residents to

private and family life, and may have violated their right not

to be subjected to inhuman or degrading treatment”.

Johnson was determined to “form a square around the prittster”

to defend his lying bully Patel at the Home Office but didn’t lift a

finger to defend thousands of pensioners in care homes. That is

the warped and putrid priorities which define this government.

A Litany of Government Failures but No Resignations

Their top advisor broke lockdown rules but there was no resignation.

They have been caught awarding contracts worth over £20 billion of

public money without proper scrutiny or tendering processes to

friends of senior Tories and companies known to donate to the

Tory party and no one has resigned.

The UK government’s late response to Covid-19 and failure to

impose lockdown measures caused the unnecessary deaths

of 20,000 --- but no one resigned from government.

International law will be broken because of the government’s

Internal Market Bill --- but no one resigns.

The Johnson government backs bullies, liars, public contract

cheats and international law breaking. It is morally repugnant

and thoroughly incompetent. No wonder Scotland is so keen

to break away as soon as possible.

_________________________________________________

Biden’s climate advisor has ties

to oil and gas industry: Report

November 21st, 2020 (Press TV)

US President-elect Joe Biden’s senior advisor on climate change

has faced strong criticism from environmental advocates over

his ties with the oil and gas industry, according to a report.

Cedric Richmond, a Louisiana congressman who has played a

key role in Biden’s presidential campaign, was named as a

senior adviser to the president-elect and will become

director of the White House Office of Public

Engagement, The Guardian reported.

Richmond will advise Biden on climate change --- and help

advance the federal response to the coronavirus pandemic.

At a press conference this week, Richmond – who has

represented a south Louisiana district for 10 years –

announced that he would resign from Congress

to assume his new position.

“I look forward to changing not only Louisiana but the

entire south and empowering its citizens,” he said.

The Democrat has been under criticism from both local

constituents and climate activists for receiving

generous donations from the oil, gas and

chemical industries.

He has also exhibited a degree of indifference to local air

pollution, with his congressional district being home
to seven of the 10 most air-polluted census tracts
in the US.

Richmond pledged greater public engagement

to address the issue.

Some advocates said while they were worried about

Richmond’s track record on the climate, they were

cautiously optimistic about his new appointment.

“I think he’s in a position now to be able to better serve the

constituents of his district,” said Robert Taylor, president

of the Concerned Citizens of St John Parish, a community

group in one of the most polluted parts of the region.

“I’m happy to see him get the appointment, I just hope he

uses it to help us,” he told the paper. Taylor added: “I

would like to see him hold these chemical plants

accountable because they are getting away

with murder.”

Biden has signaled his intent to put climate change on top

of his administration's policy agenda. However, concerns

persist about the degree to which the Democrat is willing

to challenge the power of the fossil fuel industry.

Apart from Richmond, environmental activists are worried

about Ernest Moniz, another individual with ties to the oil

and gas industry who is widely speculated to have been

picked to lead the Department of Energy.

Moniz was Secretary of Energy in the administration of

former President Barack Obama from 2013 through to

2017 and played a critical role in mustering support

for the controversial use of fracking to produce

natural gas.

Moniz is currently a director of Southern Company, the

second-highest carbon-polluting energy company

in America.

During the 2020 campaign, Biden unequivocally rejected

calls to ban fracking, which experts say is harmful to the

environment and people’s health.

___________________________________________

Report: Patients Discharged from

UK Hospitals without COVID Test Results

October 28th, 2020 (FNA)

Almost half of hospital patients have been discharged

without receiving the results of their coronavirus test

– including some patients who were sent to care

homes, new research revealed.

Independent national patient body Healthwatch England

said it had learned many patients were discharged from

hospitals between March and August this year without

proper assessments with many vulnerable people sent

home without medication, equipment or the care they

needed, The Independent reported.

At the start of the pandemic thousands of patients were

discharged to care homes as NHS England instructed

hospitals to free up 15,000 beds ahead of the first

wave of coronavirus.

Approximately 25,000 patients were sent to care homes

with some not tested, sparking fears this helped seed

care homes with the virus. There have been around

16,000 care home deaths linked to COVID-19.

According to a survey of almost 600 discharged patients

and interviews with 60 NHS staff, Healthwatch England

said it had found serious flaws with the way hospitals

had followed NHS England’s instructions.

In joint research with the British Red Cross, shared with

The Independent, it found that 44 percent of patients were

discharged without knowing the result of their corona-

virus test - including some to care homes.

It said, “Despite the policy stating that all patients

discharged to a care home should be tested for

COVID-19, we found that 26 percent of our

survey respondents who were discharged

to a care home were not tested.”

While the numbers involved were small, only 13 out of 50

patients, the report added that this was “still a significant

proportion of people who were required to be tested

but did not receive one”.

Healthwatch added that while patients going to care homes

must have the results available and shared with the home

it was still not national policy to test everyone being

discharged. It argued this should now be an

''ambition'' for the government.

Its report also raises concerns about the wider care

of vulnerable patients sent home from hospital.

88 percent of patients reported having care needs

after being discharged that have still not been met.

82 per cent did not receive a visit or any

assessment from a health professional

Almost one in five of those who did not

receive a visit, reported unmet needs.

In total 45 percent of people with a disability and

20 percent of people with a long-term condition

had support needs that were not being met,

following their discharge.

Healthwatch England criticised the national discharge

policy put in place by NHS bosses, as “confusing” in

places which it said may have contributed to some

patients missing out on the care they needed.

Robert Francis QC, chair of Healthwatch England, said,

“In March, hospitals were asked to discharge patients

with little or no notice and the speed with which this

took place was important, but led to mistakes."

“We do not want to detract from the heroic efforts of
those on the frontline, who often put themselves at

great risk to care for their patients, but services

and system leaders have now had more time

to prepare," he said.

“It’s essential that we learn from what people have

shared with us about the impact that a poorly

handled discharge can have on them and

their loved ones. Taking action now will

not only reduce the risk to patients but

will also help improve the way people

leave hospital in the future,” he added.

The British Red Cross and Healthwatch England said

assessments for patients needed to be prioritised.

They also called for discharge checklists to make

sure patients were asked if they needed help with

transport and equipment.

Other recommendations included making sure carers

and patients had a single contact for support, which

was already national policy but still not fully adopted.

The report also said community services needed

to be boosted, to cope with increased demands.

British Red Cross Chief Executive Mike Adamson said,

“We’ve seen first-hand the huge efforts made to

improve the discharge process for patients and

their families. However, we also know, despite

good intentions and hard work, there are still

barriers to making the ideals of discharge

policy a reality."

“The Red Cross has been bearing witness to these

issues for years, and we hope that the increased

urgency of the situation will bring lasting change.

Many of the people we support are older or more

vulnerable, & fall into the higher-risk categories

for COVID-19," Adamson said.

“Simple interventions, like getting equipment and

medicine delivered, or follow-up visits, can make

the difference between a good recovery or some-

one regressing to the point of readmission -

precisely at the time we want people to

stay well, and stay at home,” he said.

Professor Stephen Powis, NHS national medical director,

said, “There has long been a wide consensus about the

benefits for patients of being able to return home as

soon as their specialist hospital care is complete,

and it is good that delays have been reduced in

recent times. While this is a very small snap-

shot survey, local hospitals will want* (sic)

to take account of the points it makes.”

(*No they won't!)

_________________________________________

By backing housing charity’s ‘Jewish only’ rule,

UK court drops the ball. Aren’t we all equal in Britain?

by Chris Sweeney October 17th, 2020 (Source: RT)

A small legal challenge has turned into a precedent-

setting case about whether someone in today’s

Britain can be prioritised or denied housing on

the basis of their religion.The law isn’t always

right and it’s not just people who can be

taken hostage.

In a disgraceful decision deemed legitimate by the UK’s

highest court, a single mother with four children was

refused social housing – because she wasn’t a Jew.

It’s that simple.

The charity Agudas Israel Housing Association (AIHA)

owns 470 houses in the London borough of Hackney.

Local authorities promised, in October 2017, the

next available home to the woman and her kids,

two of whom are autistic.

AIHA refused to hand over the keys to any

of its SIX four-bedroom, unoccupied flats.

Their argument was it makes offers “only to members

of the Orthodox Jewish community.” As Britain is a

secular nation, the woman’s legal team found this

claim astonishing and argued it had the same

sentiment as the ‘No Dogs, No Blacks, No Irish’

signs that were once displayed in some pubs.

Lord Sales stated the charity’s use of positive discrimination

was lawful, under the Equality Act 2010, in order to correct

the disadvantage faced by the community. The issue

apparently was not racism, but discrimination on

the grounds of religious observance. The court

considered the “widespread and increasing

overt antisemitism in our society.”

Intolerance or hate speech of any form is unacceptable.

But it’s hard to believe the courts and public reaction

would have been the same, if this had been Islam or

a group of Pashtuns from the Iranian border region.

Jewish affairs are treated differently. There's a 'kid gloves'

approach and they’re deemed to be culturally valuable,

while other communities are sometimes dismissed as

interlopers. AIHA’s founder Ita Cymerman-Symons,

speaking last year about the legal action, offered

the view: “Which non-Jewish person, honestly

speaking, wants to live in the midst of a

building full of Haredi men with all the

beards, and all the chanting on a

Friday night and all the children?”

A homeless single mother with four children

for one, along with many others.

Plenty of people in social housing endure noisy neighbours,

potent cooking smells and screaming kids. But isn’t that

wonderful? Diversity and living cheek by jowl with

people who see, think and believe different
things to you.

That’s a rich learning experience for anyone.

The fallacy of the AIHA’s superiority complex of viewing

Orthodox Jews above others is, every public service is

available to their members. And, of the charity’s 2019

income of £105,710, the sum of £39,716 came from

British government grants. They won’t be stone-

walled at hospital or refused entry on a bus, so

why should they be allowed to create their

small-minded kingdom with impunity?

These Jewish community leaders seem to be shutting out

anyone who doesn’t align with their beliefs. It’s unhealthy

and depressing, especially in a multicultural metropolis

like London.

The judgement also referenced issues that Orthodox Jews

don’t like to live outside of the Stamford Hill area and they

tend to be poorer than the wider Jewish community. Many

of us would prefer not to live outside of the millionaire’s

playgrounds of Kensington, Knightsbridge and Mayfair –

but we tend to be poorer, so can’t afford it. That doesn’t

mean the courts would support us founding the

Republic of Poverty Housing Association, and

letting us administer who can move in.

Even if we concede that Orthodox Jews appear to support

AIHA’s ghetto-isation, aren’t the courts supposed to rule

for the greater good? It makes no sense to encourage

people to live in self-imposed enclaves. How are they

going to progress in life, or do they never plan to

leave the streets around their homes?

There’s also a wider impact of the judgement. It raises the

hackles of the population. It hacks away at the concept of

respecting every other citizen. The far-right will jump on

this and sadly there’s no defence. It will birth more

discontentment and raise tensions.

The law lords have dropped the ball, because they are the

highest court in the land, they had the chance to set a

precedent. They seem to have been influenced by

Jewish sensitivity, that labels anyone who

disagrees with the faith an anti-Semite.

It’s hard to see how justice, fairness,

compassion and understanding are

applicable. But superiority, tokenism

and favouritism have been advanced.

Why?

Well one of the court’s final points was AIHA was "a small

housing provider, but similar discrimination by a larger one

might not be allowed.”

We’re all equal, right?

Chris Sweeney is an author and columnist who has

written for newspapers such as The Times, Daily

Express, The Sun and Daily Record, along with

several international-selling magazines. Follow

him on Twitter @Writes_Sweeney

______________________________________

Brits should be ashamed of the casual cruelty

we show towards over-60s, and shrugging it

off as ‘banter’, does nothing to excuse it.

by Damian Wilson

9th October, 2020

Two-thirds of UK over-60s say they have been abused in

public because of their age, with a fifth saying insults

come from within their own families. It seems the

idea that we should ‘respect our elders’, is no

longer in fashion.

We live in a society where everyone just loves to talk

about ‘respect.’ Even primary school children are

indoctrinated with the concept, told they are due

it by right and can demand it from others, if it’s

not forthcoming. It’s all one-way traffic.

That’s why, as they grow older, and insist on enforcing

their entitlement, it becomes increasingly evident that

while they assume that right is a given for them, they

actually don’t give a toss about it applying to

anyone else.

Every now and then, research will put this into sharp relief,

as is shown in the results of a survey undertaken by the

University of the Third Age (u3a). The study found that

the more senior members of society, basically those

aged 60 and over, are frequently insulted by younger

people, and they don’t like it.

Clueless Millennials, Zoomers and even Gen X’ers told the

u3a pollsters that they don’t mean anything by slinging

ageist insults, they were simply being “friendly” and

the name-calling was just “banter.” Everyone

does it.

The growing tendency of young people to airily dismiss their

elders as over the hill old fogeys, and to even insult them in

public because of their age, is not ‘banter,’ it’s insulting

and rude.

The misuse of ‘bants’ as a term is one of modern life’s

great irritations, because while young people have

co-opted the word to (mis)represent the sort of

behaviour that borders on bullying, with a thin

coating of vicious humour, they are

deeply mistaken.

Banter, in its traditional form, is an exchange between

two people, a battle of wits, a game of intellectual

ping-pong, like those nerdy folk on Channel 4 panel

shows. Usually, those engaging in banter finish

their jousting with a smug, self-congratulatory

smile. It’s showing off, it’s proving how clever

you are. It’s not calling someone an old fart

and shoving them out of the way.

Where’s the give and take, or clever verbal sparring, in

a teenager shouting at an elderly woman in the street,

“You dozy old biddy, move it!”. Or standing behind a

chap of a certain age at a shop checkout, as he

searches for his wallet and complaining,
“C’mon grandpa, hurry up!”?

That’s not banter. That’s something completely different.

A new sort of passive-aggressive behaviour combined

with name-calling, is increasingly common among

young Brits these days, thinking that getting one

over another person is some sort of achievement

proving their superiority, particularly if it
belittles their victim as a result.

Of those surveyed, 63 per cent of over 60s said they

had been verbally abused in public, with an ageist

insult, while others had also noticed an increase

in insults on television (65 per cent) social media

(33 per cent) and even from their own family

(21 per cent).

My 11-year-old thinks it’s funny to call me a ”boomer”

when I can’t find the TV remote. She has a very clear

idea of what the insult suggests, even if she’s

actually out of range by a few years. I’m 56 --

so borderline Gen X’er, thank you very much.

Unfortunately for me, British families in general

are not the sort of multi-generational dynasties,

such as in Italy or India, in which patriarchs

& matriarchs, are given lifelong roles at the

head of their family and afforded a respect

that other members ignore at their peril.

Break the rules in one of these families, cause offence

to an elder, and you will bring down the wrath of

generations upon your head, face humiliation

and even ostracisation. There is a sense of

honour woven into the fabric of the family.

These families are, sadly, not common

amongst the British.

So most kids and young adults have no hesitation

in freely hurling abuse at someone they consider

a geriatric, past it, a fuddy duddy, over the hill, a

fogey, a crone, an old dear, a codger, a biddy or

a fossil, which by the way, are those insults

most frequently employed, according to u3a.

This sort of casual cruelty, and the disregard

it displays towards our seniors, is hugely

disrespectful & we should be ashamed

that it’s so widely accepted as nothing

out of the ordinary.

We’re all guilty here. Causing offence like this should

provoke more concern than it does, because it is an

unwelcome sign of a breakdown in social and family

hierarchies. Ignoring the concepts of seniority and

wisdom --- we treat human beings like any other

consumable, in our consumer-driven world ---

with a finite shelf-life & built-in obsolescence.

Many people feel no qualms about calling out an older

person, in public, to remind them their time is up as a

useful contributor to society and they need to shift

it or risk being steamrolled by those behind them.

While maybe not articulated quite like that as a

traffic queue forms behind an elderly motorist

showing excessive caution at a road junction,

that, sadly, is often the underlying sentiment

and we should be ashamed.

But most often, we’re not. We’re just annoyed at

the inconvenience that someone older than us,

is causing to ourselves. Nearly 10 years ago,

Age UK made a study of ageism & identified

it as the most widely experienced form of

discrimination across Europe, affecting

164 million senior citizens at that time.

Nothing much has changed in the UK in this regard

since 2011, it seems. And if the latest study is

anything to go by, things have become

even worse.

Damian Wilson is a UK journalist, ex-Fleet Street

editor, financial industry consultant and political

communications special advisor in the UK & EU.

The statements, views and opinions expressed in

this column are solely those of the author and do

not necessarily represent those of RT.

__________________________________________

Figures Reveal 17,000 Elderly People in UK

Forced to Sell Home to Pay for Care Costs

in Just One Year

October 5th, 2020 (Fars news agency)

More than 17,000 pensioners were forced to sell their homes

to pay for social care last year, research by Money Mail reveals.

The shocking figure means that 330 elderly residents each

week are taking the desperate step despite Prime Minister

Boris Johnson’s promise to fix the social care funding crisis.

The calculations reveal the scale of the emergency, showing

that the numbers forced to sell their hard-won homes have

soared 45 percent since 2000.