UK Newswire Archive
“Geology Seminar” is a Government PR Stunt
26-06-2011 19:55
The most persuasive PR stunts are dressed up in suits and paid for by the unwitting taxpayer. Last Monday's "geology seminar" at Whitehaven was a brilliant example of nasty spin from a government who wants new nuke plants and needs to be seen to have 'solved' the nuclear waste problem.
For the NDA (offspring of Nirex) to keep repeating that “there may be suitable geology to dump high level waste" doesn’t make it true - the NIREX map above shows that the Region and District of West Cumbria to Furness was looked at in the 1990s at a cost to the public purse of £400M+ and ruled out (bit like I would be immediately ruled out of being a suitable candidate for the Olympic gymnastic team). Nirex then moved on to looking at the most likely area - Longlands Farm - where the geology was found by the Inquiry Inspector to be too leaky and complex.
The Inspector did not look at other areas in West Cumbria and Furness because they had ALREADY been deemed unsuitable.
Some have called for "more debate" (see Press Release below) but even if Cumbria's geology was perfectly geologically stable rather than leaky and complex there are over 100 reasons why dumping high level nuclear waste in the ground is guaranteed to poison the land and us. Here are just a few examples:
Repository is designed to be leaky
Rusting of the steel in the dump will create huge amounts of hydrogen which will have to be released undermining the so called "multi- barrier" system meant to protect people from leakage. (issues 14 and 15)
Digging underground will create fast pathways for leaks
Rock would inevitably be damaged by digging to create huge caverns. The danger caused by this "excavation damage zone" is not understood. ( issue 27)
New data shows copper will corrode faster than assumed
The NDA refer to a wall thickness of 5cm for the copper canisters holding high level wastes. Recent research shows that to achieve durability a wall thickness of one metre would be needed! (issue 39)
Nuclear Explosions in the Repository
The probability and impact of a "criticality" or mini nuclear explosion is not understood. ( issue 79)
NOTE- Issues Register from Nuclear Waste Advisory Associates
Summary ( 10 pages)
http://www.nuclearwasteadvisory.co.uk/uploads/11953NWAAISSUESREGISTER%5BVersion1.1%5D.pdf
Commentary (30 pages)
http://www.nuclearwasteadvisory.co.uk/uploads/11952NWAA%20ISSUES%20REGISTER%20COMMENTARY%20letterhead.doc
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PRESS RELEASE FROM FRIENDS OF THE EARTH AND GREENPEACE
GEOLOGY & NUCLEAR WASTE -
DEBATE NOT SPIN
21 June 2011
Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace have called for a further debate on the geological suitability of West Cumbria as a site to host a repository for higher activity nuclear wastes.
The groups believe the Managing Radioactive Waste Safely Partnership which is tasked with consulting the community has failed to put all aspects of this vital issue before the public.
A MRWS public seminar held yesterday evening in Whitehaven included speakers from pro-nuclear organisations - the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority and the British Geological Survey ( BGS), a former BGS member and a member of the Committee on Radioactive Waste Management. It failed to include geological experts critical of plans for a nuclear dump in Cumbria to scrutinise their positions.
Geologist Prof David Smythe, who was deeply involved in the NIREX inquiry and argues that West Cumbria as a whole is geologically unsuitable, withdrew from the panel after having been offered only 15 minutes to speak. This was despite the original idea of a seminar coming being his initiative in order to publicly scrutinise the orthodox pro-nuclear positions that have dominated the local debate and despite him having to travel from France to attend the meeting.
Environment groups are concerned that the meeting never gave key issues the airing they deserve and that the seminar is further example of how the MRWS process is failing to open up the essential matters to full public scrutiny.
'The seminar was not a critical analysis of the geology of West Cumbria. It was clear from the meeting that much more time was needed for discussion. ' said Dr Ruth Balogh, West Cumbria and North Lakes Friends of the Earth. 'Hosting a repository in this region would mean keeping people and the environment safe from hazardous radioactive waste for hundreds of thousands of years. An issue of this magnitude deserves more than a biased two-hour seminar. You can't cram all of the necessary information into such a short space of time. The seminar felt like a gesture, so that the Partnership can say it had a debate. To me it was very reminiscent of how NIREX used to handle things. The cynicism in the MRWS process, expressed by a number of members of the public, underlines our concerns.'
Jean McSorley of Greenpeace said, 'Those involved the MRWS programme are failing to engage with the public on this crucial issue. Another debate, or even a series of debates, is needed in those areas which are being asked to consider taking the repository. Any such meetings must include people who are able to open up for examination the issues around the geology in this region. Full debate must be had before the Partnership moves to making a decision on whether or not to go forward to the next stage in the process which will include more detailed site consideration.'
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MORE INFO:
http://davidsmythe.org/nuclear/nuclear.htm
Benefit Claimants in Solidarity With The PCS: J30 Strike
26-06-2011 14:06
#lulzsec 50 Days of Lulz
26-06-2011 13:39
We are Lulz Security, and this is our final release, as today marks something meaningful to us.Britain’s First Cyber-Strike – How the June 30th strike may play out online #j30
26-06-2011 13:32
June 30th marks a very considerable mobilisation of industrial action in Britain, in the shape of a large public sector strike. The Trades Unions are making their first tentative steps towards politically motivated action for a generation, with a massive withdrawal of workers labour in response to government plans for pensions reform; whilst the pensions dispute is the legal justification for industrial action (under Britain’s strict, Thatcherite anti-strike legislation), in reality the issue is the tip of the iceberg. The consensus behind the strikes is that of a political fight against the cuts in general. The range of action we will see on June 30th will stretch far beyond those “directly” affected by pensions plans, with a cross-section of those worst hit by the cuts expected to engage with the day of action– the disabled, those who face massive reductions to vital welfare benefits, students, schools pupils and parents and other public-service users.
Israel proves that Flotillas work
26-06-2011 09:03
Israel’s announcement of authorization for construction materials for 1,200 homes and 18 schools in Gaza is the latest achievement by the Freedom Flotilla, scheduled to sail next week.In the weeks leading up to the flotilla, Israel has taken a number of steps to try to address the concerns raised in the public eye by the Freedom Flotilla 2 – Stay Human initiative. However organizers say that these steps are symbolic at best, fall far short of Israel’s obligations under international law, are insufficient to meet the needs of Palestinians in Gaza, and are fundamentally designed to maintain the occupation and system of control that Israel exerts over Palestinian lives. Ultimately, these measures fall short of the greatest test – that of freedom for Palestinians.
In addition to the authorization of a limited amount of construction materials, Israel has also recently permitted 19 trucks of medicine to be delivered by Palestinian sources from the West Bank to Gaza. This was in response to an emergency announcement from health authorities in Gaza that crucial medicines had run out due to Israel's illegal blockade. Prior to that, Israel increased the number of aid trucks entering Gaza to between 210 and 220 per day. However, this still falls 35% short of what is required by Gaza Strip residents.
Living among us: Canadian Activists Speak Out On Police Infiltration
26-06-2011 08:48
Following the arrest of four activists that same morning under charges of conspiracy, the Toronto Star reported that “Undercover officers infiltrated criminal extremist groups in Guelph, Kitchener, Waterloo and Toronto and forged relationships with several people whose ideological beliefs and backgrounds pose a direct threat to large-scale public events, including the G20,” according to allegations by Crown attorneys.
After The Apocalypse: Screening on 5th of July
25-06-2011 18:56
It's a 65 minute documentary about a pregnant woman's battle to keep her unborn baby against the wishes of a hostile medical profession, in Kazakhstan.
Obama Wants More Dead Rachel Corries to Boost AIPAC Standing
25-06-2011 18:42
I am proud to call Ray McGovern a friend. He is a retired senior member of the CIA, and was so valued as an analyst that he used to give the US President his daily intelligence briefing. Ray and I both had senior government service careers, in the course of which you make personal friendships that last, hopefully as long as you do. So sometimes we both get told things from the inside of government.hundreds march in wood green against cuts
25-06-2011 16:55
around 250 people marched through haringey this afternoon in protest against massive cuts in local public services and community grants
click on image for larger version. all images are 'some rights reserved' - free for credited non-commercial use, otherwise contact author for permission
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at midday, the crowd assembled opposite the haringey civic centre, and at 12.30 a van with an impressive loud-hailer system led the way down wood green hight street.
the many home-made banners shared a recurring theme. "tax the rich", "save our services, not the banks", "we will not pay for their crisis", and so on.
the march organisers, the haringey alliance for public services (HAPS) wwww.hapsnews.net, had created a map of the route, highlighting more than thirty sites along the way that would be in some way affected by current political "austerity" measures. these included colleges, leisure centres, health centres, council offices, schools, children's centres, parks, post offices, transport hubs, libraries, community centres, youth projects, a citizen's advice bureau, and projects for the elderly.
the crowd also stopped outside lloyds tsb bank, which was recently occupied by protestors to highlight their role in the economic crisis.
the cuts passed by haringey council, amounting to £41 million presently, with more to come in the next two years, will have huge effects on the local community.
a mental health crisis centre faces closure. so do four old people's homes. the youth service faces a 75% cut, and grants for many 'third sector' provisions are slashed, forcing the closure of a swathe of community projects and centres.
the march ended with a speaker's rally at the old tottenham town hall, and was followed by a cultural celebration at the bernie grant arts centre.
local people clearly supported the marchers along the way, and thousands of leaflets were given out to interested passers-by.
Hands off Richard O’Dwyer!
25-06-2011 15:55
Late last month a Sheffield Hallam University student, Richard O’Dwyer, was arrested as the alleged founder of the media streaming website TVShack. It emerged earlier this week that he is now facing extradition to the US for criminal copyright infringement.
Media commentators have been drawing comparisons between O’Dwyer and the on-going legal battle of computer hacker Gary McKinnon who is similarly fighting extradition proceedings for hacking into United States military and NASA computers. McKinnon’s case is also far from uncontroversial; not least because of his diagnosis as a sufferer of autism spectrum disorder and clinical depression, along with the motives for the hack (to look for evidence of “free energy suppression” and UFOs). Nonetheless, it is actually perhaps more appropriate to look at the 2006 Pirate Bay Raid as a better precedent. O’Dwyer, after all, and unlike McKinnon, had no intention of accessing heavily guarded computer networks nor waging a cyber-war against US authorities: TVShack is a media sharing website where people can watch TV shows and Films for free. What’s really at stake here is intellectual property rights and the need for the US in particular to enforce this on an international scale.
It is pretty clear, from the TV shows we watch, the music we listen to and the films we enjoy, that American culture is hegemonic. Hollywood is a multi-billion dollar industry, an industry that is heavily dependent on revenue streams that stretch across the globe. Intellectual property rights have been a central plank in maintaining this economic monopoly over America’s cultural products and have been reflected in the international institutions and agreements that the West has built to regulate global trade (e.g. the World Trade Organisation). Of course, these regulations stretch much further than artistic copyrights. Laws concerning the regulation of the pharmaceutical industry (another multi-billion dollar industry), for example, have been a barrier to the cheap manufacture of vaccines and medicines for public health epidemics, such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, for years. Nonetheless, since the advent of internet piracy concern for artistic copyright has been a growing priority for US law enforcement and, as incidents like the Pirate Bay raid demonstrate, a battle in which they are willing to go significantly beyond their own legal jurisdiction (flexing their global influence in the process) to fight.
Quite obviously sharing something for free that would have been otherwise paid for is going to have an effect on the sales of a product. Contrary to the view promoted in the media, however, the artist’s earnings are a minuscule chunk of this revenue. In the music industry, for example, artists are paid royalties usually somewhere between 8% and 25% of the suggested retail price of the recording (and from this percentage, a 25% deduction for packaging is taken out, even though packaging rarely costs 25% of the total price of the CD or cassette). Record companies usually treat downloads as “new media/technology,” which means they can reduce that royalty by 20% to 50%. This means that rather than paying artists a 10% royalty on recording sales, instead they pay them a 5% to 8% rate when their song is downloaded from the Internet. In the case of downloaded music, although there is no packaging expense, many record company contracts still state that the 25% packaging fee will be deducted. In short, the bulk of the money when you pay for a downloaded song, CD or cassette is going to the distributor and the record label. Hence the reason that it is media companies, and not recording artists or actors, who are currently spear-heading the fight against piracy (with some unfortunate exceptions) and pressurising government’s to take a tougher stance on copyright infringement.
However, there is also a much more fundamental issue at stake here than simply the economic damage that piracy causes to a companies bottom line; largely, the need for capitalists to control and regulate information within the market place. More often than not when we buy a product, especially products related to entertainment, we typically know very little about it. Modern advertising tends not to be based on promoting the functionality or utility of a product (or in the case of entertainment an experience) but its “image”. That typically involves manufacturing a certain amount of spectacle - social hype, a certain lifestyle, a feeling, a sentimental response – for the consumer so they will feel some sort of deeper engagement with the product that is being sold. Take, for example, a contemporary movie – The Hangover Part 2. Now this is a film that was made on a budget of $80 million (incidentally about three times the cost of the first film). That’s a pretty serious investment for a company to make. So, in order to guarantee a return a company has to not only ensure that it is selling seats in the cinema, but people are pro-actively wanting to watch this film. This means they need, what marketing companies refer to, a “campaign”. In the case of the Hangover Part 2 this meant posters, TV trailers, a website (complete with promo shots, previews, production notes), youtube spots, promotional interviews on TV shows, one of the companies promotional partners ran a scavenger hunt, a few phoney leaks to the press (as well as a bit of controversy for good measure) and other stories intended to promote and sell the films “bad boy” image. All of which is meant to generate a “buzz”, a degree of hype and excitement – an emotional investment- in seeing this movie. Of course the Hangover Part 2 was a shit movie (for a good review see Movie Bob’s take on the thing). Transphobic, racist, sexist crap that was bad even on it’s own terms. Of course that doesn’t really matter once you’ve been sold by all the publicity and bought your cinema ticket. And to be honest, with an estimated $494,077,681 gross, it doesn’t really matter to the company that you didn’t like the film.
This is where internet piracy offers some form of alternative. Instead of being offered images bundled in plastic crap we have the potential for a form of free, cultural exchange. We are able to judge products for what they are and what, directly, they offer to us. I might choose to download The Hangover Part 2, if I don’t like it I haven’t lost anything, and if I really don’t like it I can decide not to share it with anyone else (or recommend to others that they do not download it). This is damaging to capitalists because it not only hits them in the pocket but because it undermines one of the regulating mechanisms of the marketplace – commodity fetishism.
It was Marx who first identified this process in his studies of political economy. Commodity fetishism describes the effects of capitalism on our social understanding. It argues that capitalism allows social beings (people) to be presented in the form of objects (as a value of money or market mechanisms). Conversely, and particularly in the case of cultural products, it also presents objects (commodities) as having social characteristics. Hence, to return to the Hangover Part 2, the idea that we are not simply being sold a film here but a “bad boy” lifestyle. Of course, the notion of flickering images making substantive changes to the way we experience social life is clearly absurd. But this is the product that is sold to us nonetheless. Without these spectacular images we can perhaps better see products for what they truly are.
The drive for states to control and regulate information has not been limited to advanced capitalism and the birth of the internet. As this excellent film documents as early as the advent of the printing press there developed forms of book piracy. Cheap, mass printing offered a means of exchanging cultural products and ideas in ways that were not restricted by monetary value and allowed them to spread outside of the elite and educated classes. Most importantly these channels of cultural exchange were also the sites for the transmission and sharing of radical political ideas. Something we can perhaps see a contemporary version of in the evolution of anonymous (a group born, quite appropriately, from image sharing message boards) and the more explicitly political initiatives that have emerged out of it (Project Chanology, Lulzsec, Anonymous Anarchist Action and other “lulz” and meme inspired projects like the Deterritorial Support Group).
The internet allows space for unmediated exchange – whether it is political or cultural in nature – and this has the potential to be a powerful tool for activists who occupy cyber-space. In some cases the combination of piracy and activism have been used quite inventively. Labour organisers in the US, for example, as part of a recruitment drive have given out DVDs (for free) of the latest blockbuster which is preceded a short film explaining the benefits of the union. Sites like onebigtorrent offer free resources for activists (whether this is in the form of comics, pamphlets or films to publicly screen), while Libcom has recently been adding scans of books to its library which are often too expensive to buy or difficult to obtain outside of an academic setting. These are just a few examples.
Richard O’Dwyer is currently fighting the extradition process through the UK courts, his case is likely to be one in many as states increasingly look to cyber-space as a “threat” to capitalist security. Whether this is in the form of the threat of “cyber-sabotage” or the existence of a free market beyond its control. The UK government, for example, currently accesses the security risk of a cyber attack on its infrastructure as an equivalent threat level to a nuclear strike. At this time it is important to stand by all who fight for the maintenance of the systems of free exchange, creativity and collaboration at the heart of the internet and against the attempt to impose propertarian and authoritarian systems of control. We offer him our fraternal support and solidarity.
Hillary Clinton: attack on Gaza flotilla
25-06-2011 12:12
Bristol builder Simon Lewis savaged by police dogs at Easter riots
25-06-2011 11:55
At five: discussing the big stories in Bristol, Britain and around the world
After six: straight talking and investigative reports with Martin Summers and Marina Morris
For all the shows back to Easter 2009 visit the Friday Drivetime archive page
http://www.bilderberg.org/bcfm.htm
New issue of Worthing's Porkbolter now out!
25-06-2011 11:16
THE JULY 2011 issue of Worthing's The Porkbolter, is now on the streets and on the internet. This is the 102nd issue of the radical Sussex newsletter.The EDL have announced the date for their 'march' in Tower Hamlets
25-06-2011 10:07
"The English Defence League will be taking our message into the heart of militant Islam within our own country on September 3rd...The Revolution Reaches Europe: Tens of Thousands Protest in Greece and Spain
25-06-2011 09:49
The revolutionary movement that began in Tunisia at the end of last year has now sparked mass movements in Europe; principally, to date, in Greece and Spain. On the surface, these movements have little in common. In Tunisia and Egypt, the people came out in vast numbers to overthrow the hated dictators who, for decades, had strangled their economies and presided over police states, whereas in Greece and Spain, the protestors are not seeking the overthrow of dictators, and are not rebelling against a police state (although both countries can draw on their relatively recent experience of dictatorship).
UG#554 - Homo Miserabilis (From Primitive Affluence to Developed Poverty)
25-06-2011 08:57
UG#556 - Redefining Poverty (Needs and The Spirit Level)
25-06-2011 08:54
Squatting may become illegal Need to oppose measur
25-06-2011 00:55
Warning: The UK Government has said it will launch a consultation about proposals to 'criminalise squatting'
Please print and distribute this flyer. Urgent action needed here in Nottingham
Squash Campaign
http://www.squashcampaign.org
07757 009150
Advisory Service for Squatters
http://www.squatter.org.uk
advice@squatter.org.uk
020 3216 0099
June 30 Strike Rally Wolverhampton
24-06-2011 21:54
