Keir Starmer will continue austerity. That means keeping vulnerable people in ‘brutalising poverty’

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https://www.bigissue.com/opinion/keir-starmer-austerity-u-turn-labour-poverty-suffering/

Keir Starmer sucking up to the rich and powerful at World Economic Forum, Davos.
Keir Starmer sucking up to the rich and powerful at World Economic Forum, Davos.

Beyond each Labour U-turn is a well of suffering and poverty that has no justifiable reason to exist, says trade union case worker Kasmira Kincaid

Our politicians invariably speak of “fiscal responsibility”; of “balancing the budget” and “living within our means”. The Keir Starmer of today – as opposed to the Keir Starmer who was elected to lead the Labour Party in 2020 – is no different. But these words just serve to obscure the obscenity of what is actually being said: that we can’t afford to feed the poor, to house the homeless, and to allow people to live in dignity and comfort.

But the thing is we can. We know we can. We know it when we see government funds used to drop bombs on foreign countries. We know it when we see sweeping tax cuts to the wealthy, and tax evaders let off the hook. And we know it when we walk past empty tower blocks, full of investment properties, while homeless people die on the streets.

It’s a supreme form of gaslighting to suggest otherwise, asking us to deny the evidence of our senses and experiences. Making sure everyone gets what they need is a logistical challenge, for sure. But there is enough to make sure everyone gets what they need.

As a new Labour government comes to feel inevitable, many of us are taking stock of what such a government would mean. Over the last four years, Keir Starmer has U-turned on practically every anti-austerity policy in his 2020 leadership bid: from abolishing universal credit and what he once called “the Tories’ cruel sanctions regime”; to scrapping work capability assessments and the two-child limit on benefits; to re-nationalising key public services.

Today I live a life where few of these policies would directly affect me. Yet I haven’t forgotten what it felt like to be in the firing line for government decisions. The material conditions of people’s lives should be the beginning and end of politics. As we voice our opposition to continued austerity we’d do well to remember that. To remember that beyond each of these U-turns is a well of human suffering that has no justifiable reason to exist.

Kasmira Kincaid is a trade union case worker and former benefits claimant.

https://www.bigissue.com/opinion/keir-starmer-austerity-u-turn-labour-poverty-suffering/

Image of cash and pre-payment meter key
Image of cash and pre-payment meter key
Continue ReadingKeir Starmer will continue austerity. That means keeping vulnerable people in ‘brutalising poverty’

UK environment laws under threat in ‘deregulatory free-for-all’

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https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/sep/23/uk-environment-laws-under-threat-in-deregulatory-free-for-all

Environmentalists accused Liz Truss’s government of reneging on a commitment made after Brexit to halt the decline of nature by 2030. They say the revoking of 570 environmental laws that were rolled over from EU law after Brexit amounts to a deregulatory free-for-all leaving the environment unprotected.

The bill laid before parliament outlines how 570 environmental laws, and hundreds more covering every government department, including transport, health and social care, working hours and other areas, are being lined up to be removed from UK law or rewritten. These include the habitat regulations that have been vital in the protection of places for wildlife in the last 30 years and laws covering the release of nitrates and phosphates into rivers.

The laws were retained after Brexit when the then Conservative environment secretary, Michael Gove, promised the UK’s environmental laws would not be watered down.

RSPB ‘not ruling out’ direct action to defend nature from government policy

The head of the RSPB says the bird charity is ruling nothing out as it organises a mobilisation of millions of people against what it calls the government’s “attack on nature”.

Beccy Speight dismissed accusations by Conservative MPs that the group was lying to its members and pursuing a marketing drive, as it leads a coalition campaigning against the government over key “growth” policies which it argues will damage wildlife and nature.

The chief executive said a meeting with the secretary of state for environment, food and rural affairs, Ranil Jayawardena, had not provided any reassurance that the government’s growth policies would protect nature.

The director general of the National Trust, Hilary McGrady, accused the government of “demonising” conservationists, saying her members were “outraged and worried”.

Continue ReadingUK environment laws under threat in ‘deregulatory free-for-all’

Jeremy Corbyn videos :: 2

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This blog and my previous blog is about me being a political dissident and a political activist. I am supporting Jeremy Corbyn in the Labour leadership campaign.

I consider that the vast majority of the UK electorate has been denied the opportunity to vote for anybody remotely representing their interests for far too long. Isn’t democracy an absolute farce if your choice is Conservative, Conservative or Conservative? (Conservative, Conservative-Liberal-Democrat or Conservative-Labour).

I will be featuring some videos about Jeremy Corbyn’s campaign. These vids are just within the last day or so.

Comments are monitored. They will be published if relevant regardless of any other consideration. OK, they may be cen***ed if obscene but they are welcome and encouraged.

ed: There are a lot more available. YouTube has a filter Sort by Upload date

 

Continue ReadingJeremy Corbyn videos :: 2

Jeremy Corbyn videos :: 1

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This blog and my previous blog is about me being a political dissident and a political activist. I am supporting Jeremy Corbyn in the Labour leadership campaign.

ed: Let me be clear. I can’t be a registered supporter of the Labour Party. I support him, I can’t vote for him. I can’t bring myself to register my support for the Labour Party … yet.

I consider that the vast majority of the UK electorate has been denied the opportunity to vote for anybody remotely representing their interests for far too long. Isn’t democracy an absolute farce if your choice is Conservative, Conservative or Conservative? (Conservative, Conservative-Liberal-Democrat or Conservative-Labour).

I will be featuring some videos about Jeremy Corbyn’s campaign. These vids are just within the last day or so. He seems really busy – no wonder he looks tired on the night bus.

Comments are monitored. They will be published if relevant regardless of any other consideration. OK, they may be cen***ed if obscene but they are welcome and encouraged.

Continue ReadingJeremy Corbyn videos :: 1

DRAFT, to be expanded: Charlie Hebdo false-flag in Paris

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In some ways she was far more acute than Winston, and far less susceptible to Party propaganda. Once when he happened in some connection to mention the war against Eurasia, she startled him by saying casually that in her opinion the war was not happening. The rocket bombs which fell daily on London were probably fired by the Government of Oceania itself, ‘just to keep people frightened’. This was an idea that had literally never occurred to him. She also stirred a sort of envy in him by telling him that during the Two Minutes Hate her great difficulty was to avoid bursting out laughing.” George Orwell, 1984

 

As it’s becoming increasingly clear that the Charlie Hebdo attack on cartoonists in Paris was fake, manufactured terrorism I need to point some things out. I apologise this is basically in note form at the moment.

Repeated false-flag events. 9/11 was clearly not the first, [?Madrid? NB days after 911], London, Paris [most likely Mumbai too]

The joke they play – killing their own people. Warning given.

Surprised at the French people being taken in – are they or just some?

Police, politicians, journalists permit this to happen. For example, police, politicians and journalists conspired in the murder of an unsuspecting foreign national by a foreign national gang (on the tube).

A Fascist state – not democracy. A small, organised criminal cabal in charge with state institutions subservient to it. Similar to P2 in Italy. Neo-Con scum. Deception as per teachings of Levi Strauss. That Muslims are being demonised as Jews were.

Political parties beholden to them – relate to TTIP i.e. totally contrary to public interest, democracy but for the benefit of the small wealthy elite.

Labour Party just as bad as the Conservatives / Conservative Lib-Dems. Ed Balls & Mandy Mandelson (although New Labour, current LP no discernible difference to Tories) at Bilderberg. Did Blair attend? Blair did attend and lied to parliament about attending. Tiny filthy rich minority getting filthy richer.

Conveniently-timed deaths and suicidings. For Blair John Smith, David Kelly, Robin Cook (who was a challenge, on tour).

Relate to paedophilia – that paedophilia is a way to control politicians, Blair’s cabinet [There may be an assumption that the Blair minister involved in exerting influence so that a convicted paedo child care home supervisor in South London could adopt children is mandy. I don’t assume that and my working hypothesis is that there were many paedos in Blair’s cabinet – as is the case in previous cabinets.], Kitty, Blair’s entertainment in Washington.

People have to stand up to them & they should be held accountable under the law. They are organised criminals.

Continue ReadingDRAFT, to be expanded: Charlie Hebdo false-flag in Paris