UK Newswire Archive
Flying the flag, faking the news
10-09-2010 12:12
In his latest column for the New Statesman, John Pilger traces the history of propaganda to Edward Bernays, the American nephew of Sigmund Freud, who invented the term "public relations". Bernays believed in "engineering public consent" and creating "false realties" as news. Here are examples of how this works today.Update: desperate situation of evicted Travelers
10-09-2010 10:25
Grattan sends an update from the ongoing eviction at Hovefields.Detailed report of ongoing eviction of Traveler familes at Hovefields, Sussex
10-09-2010 10:22
Report from Ann, an activist who has been attempting to support Traveler families, including children, who have been made homeless in the ongoing eviction and are being repeatedly moved on by police.heavy bail conditions on afghan debate protestors
10-09-2010 10:22
the two protestors who banner-dropped parliament during the afghanistan debate, were taken into custody last night. they were released early this morning with highly restrictive bail conditions.
seamus has been banned from within the M25 motorway area except for answering police bail or court appointments, and he has to sign on each day between noon and 3 pm at a swansea police station (effective from today).
as he was released from custody at about 5 am, he was therefore given around ten hours to organise finance and arrangements to get himself to swansea or immediately face a breach of bail warrant.
the reasons given by police as to why the conditions appear necessary were: to prevent his disappearance and ensure he doesn't return to london, to protect designated sites in london, and to prevent him being shot or harmed by officers within a protected site.
maria, who has been protesting in parliament square for many years, first as a supporter of brian haw, and then running her own peace strike campaign, has been banned from westminster for similar reasons.
since both have only ever been involved in protests that have caused embarassment to security rather than posing any risk, the conditions would appear to be a disproportionate response worryingly curtailing their right to peaceful protest.
they were both arrested under the serious organised crime and police act (SOCPA) and specifically section 128, which gives the power to impose prison sentences of up to 51 weeks and £5000 fines
at the time that the SOCPA legislation came in, campaigners worried how it might be applied against peaceful dissent, but were assured that it would only be used against terrorists.
so while peaceful protest is curtailed outside parliament, the real terrorists inside vote to continue killing women and children in afghanistan until the oil pipelines and valuable minerals are secured for western interests.
Right to Work Demonstration at the Tory Party Conference
10-09-2010 09:22
Tell Cameron Stuff Your Cuts, We Won't PayThe Right to Work Coalition has called a demonstration outside the Tory Party Conference in Birmingham, Sunday October 3rd.
Right to Work has called a national demonstration outside the Tory Party annual conference on 3 October in Birmingham. We will assemble at 12 noon and, after a rally, the march will set off at 1pm.
The demonstration is supported by:
The PCS, NUJ, UCU and CWU, the Labour Representation Committee and many local trade union and campaign bodies.
Speakers include:
John McDonnell MP, Mark Serwotka, general secretary of the PCS, Romayne Phoenix of the Green Party, Dr. Jacky Davis from Keep Our NHS Public, Birmingham Respect councillor, Salma Yaqoob, Linda Burnip, campaign co-ordinator Local Housing Allowance Reform Group, a Greek trade unionist and Portuguese Left Bloc MP, Jorge Duarte Costa.
This protest can be a massive demonstration to Con-Dem cuts and austerity.
We will have coaches going from Bristol at 9am, tickets are £5 and are in high demand so please book ahead. For transport call Anne 01179556198 or Tim 07866660335.
Right to Work is an organisation aimed at uniting local and national anti-cuts campaigns, and all workers, trade unionists and unemployed workers who are resisting the Tory government.
We are launching a Right to Work group locally. For more information, or if you would like to get involved, call 07866660335 or email tnelson86@gmail.com
Mideast talks a cover for US war preparations
10-09-2010 07:55
Christians must match Pastor Terry Jones by burning Bibles
10-09-2010 07:28
Make Peace not War.Traveler sites across Europe are facing eviction from their homes in a wave of m
10-09-2010 06:31
If anyone was in any doubt about whether we live in a fascist country (and I would have thought by now that very few people do) then the ethnic cleansing at Dale Farm by Basildon Council scum removes all doubt!Pastor Terry Jones and Qur'an burning (by Latuff)
10-09-2010 06:14
Report of TP Summer Gathering
09-09-2010 23:56
Trident Ploughshares held a summer gathering recently (2nd-6th Sept) near AWE Aldermaston.Green Guide To Leeds Ver. 5
09-09-2010 23:23
This booklet has been designed and written by students at Leeds University. Through it we hope to help you to understand the impacts that our day-to-day lives are having on the planet, and we offer some possible solutions to the problems we are contributing to.
Alternative Vegan Festival, London
09-09-2010 23:02
Can't afford to be vegan? Think again... veganism isn't a privilege for the rich!The Alternative Vegan Festival is a DIY, grassroots event which will show how being vegan doesn't have to cost the Earth.
Protest the Pope LSE debate another "over capacity" crowd.
09-09-2010 22:26
Every Protest the Pope event has so far exceed capacity. Following the overflow crowd at the Conway Hall debate, the LSE debate also was an overwhelming success.afghan vote in parliament
09-09-2010 22:22
today, with little media attention, and little protest apart from a courageous banner drop in parliament grounds, MPs voted to continue the occupation of afghanistan, as is.
business as usual.
an hour and a half later than planned (due to the andy coulson media frenzy), this afternoon MPs had the chance to debate "afghanistan', and in particular whether the uk should continue to deploy troops there.
it is significantly the first time that MPs actually have had a chance to vote against the eight-year long war, although it is a backbench debate, actually sparked by a motion drawn by the 'backbench business committee'.
despite the obvious importance of the debate, both to british soldiers and their families, and to the enormous numbers of afghan civilians affected, not to mention injured or killed, by the continuing occupation, which lest we forget used 9/11 as its sole raison d'etre, only about half of our MPs bothered to attend.
the mainstream peace movement of britain didn't even turn up either, despite some publicity for a 'stop the war coalition' protest at noon.
but at the front of parliament, after scaling the fences and scaffolding yesterday afternoon, and staying on a tiny platform overnight, two peace protestors who actually did give a damn, remained on their vigil with large visible banners for peace and 'troops home'.
meanwhile, inside the house, while british opinion polls regularly put at 75% the support for ending the occupation of afghanistan, this translated in our motherfucker of parliaments into a 310 to 14 vote to continue deployment of uk armed forces in afghanistan.
even an amendment calling for "a more realistic strategy" only garnered 5 votes against 311.
what planet do these spineless politicians live on? let them go and fight in aghanistan if they are so gung-ho about it. it might really begin solving a few problems if the politicians themselves faced being maimed and killed.
i'm waiting for confirmation, but protestors, maria and seamus, were planning to visit the roof once more before giving up their vigil and handing themselves over to the police at end the end of the debate, earlier this evening.
Polish democracy is gone. Time for illiberal façade.
09-09-2010 20:47
Many Poles are moving to settle in Britain. Why? Some year ago Slawomir Sierakowski, Polish left-wing activist, described in the weekly "Przekroj" our Polish political system as "concrete-fenced" for new entrants. The 4 dominant parties receive state subsidies that allow them for large-scale political campaigns. Their opponents are nearly not visible, or glue their posters illegaly, facing penalties.Who pays for the loss of life in Iran?
09-09-2010 20:23
U.S. Aim in "Peace Process": Liquidation of Palestinian struggle
09-09-2010 20:13
"In his opening speech, Obama again called the current situation unsustainable. U.S. leaders urgently want to reach some kind of settlement, not due to any concern for the plight of the Palestinian people, but because they recognize that the current situation is intensifying anger in the entire region against the U.S.The real aim of Washington in these talks remains what it has been since the U.S. first openly entered into negotiations with the Palestine Liberation Organization in 1991: the liquidation of the Palestinian struggle as part of a drive to pacify and dominate the Middle East as a whole."
Victory for Queens Market!!
09-09-2010 19:54
