UK Newswire Archive
Pylons and Nuclear Propaganda
09-10-2011 16:55
This morning's BBC NW Politics Show discussed the impact of Pylons from proposed new nuclear build at Sellafield on the countryside . This is a bit like discussing the impact of new buttons on the toxic emperor's coat. No doubt the great and the good in Cumbria who have been eerily silent on nuclear developments will vigorously campaign for pylons to go underground - this of course assumes that new build is a fait accompli.
The plan to build new reactors at what is already the most dangerous nuclear site in Europe and probably in the World is being pushed by the media and the Department of Energy and Climate Change as a fait accompli. It is not - it can be stopped and to prevent The Lakes from becoming a nuclear sacrifice zone it must be stopped.
For the plan for new build at Sellafield to go ahead there needs to be seen to be a "solution" to the nuclear waste problem. The DECC "solution" is to dig a 1000 metre hole to dump the high level wastes and spent fuel in Cumbria's leaky geology. The resulting slag heap ripped from Lakeland geology would be bigger than Scafell which is a mere 978 metres. This visual impact would be nothing compared to the irreversible pollution from a geological dump and new build.
http://mariannewildart.wordpress.com/2011/10/08/worlds-biggest-slag-heap/
UNSUITABILITY OF ESKDALE GRANITE FOR GEOLOGICAL DISPOSAL OF HIGH LEVEL NUCLEAR WASTE
a paper by Prof David Smythe
http://mariannewildart.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/unsuitability-of-the-eskdale-granite-oct2011.pdf
Block the bridge live video feed
09-10-2011 16:25
5.24pm protestors blocked in mini kettle by cops..Pics: Block the Bill + Occupy London Assembly
09-10-2011 14:55
During the Block the Bridge, Block the Bill NHS action an assembly with hundreds of people participating was held to discuss the wave of occupations that have been occuring worldwide, and to talk about plans to occupy the london stock exchange on Oct 15th. Many people were also talking about the student protests planned for 9th November and the strikes on 30th November.
See http://www.ukuncut.org.uk/blog/block-the-bridge-block-the-bill
Anarchist hip-hop in the UK these next two weeks...
09-10-2011 13:09
Test Their Logik from Southern Ontario, Anarcho hip-hop on their first UK tour...Pics: Westminster Bridge Blockaded 1.30pm
09-10-2011 12:55
Westminster bridge has been blockaded by protestors. Banners stretch across the road "block the bill" and "Save the NHS" suspended between two tripods.
.
UK tabloid: Shocking revelation on 10th anniversary of the war on Afghanistan
09-10-2011 12:50
Anarchist reportback and critique from Occupy Portland
09-10-2011 10:43
We attended the opening march for Occupy Portland because we are some angry-ass proles who really hate capitalism. Although Occupy Wall Street (and the various off-shoot occupations) have few official defined goals or positions, there is a general opposition to "corporate greed" and "corrupt politics". As anarchists, we seek to expose and destroy the roots of these problems - as long as capitalism and the state exist, there will be greedy corporations and corrupt politicians. Capitalism and the state cannot be reformed into something kinder, gentler, or more humane, it is exploitative by nature. We wished to push the discourse at Occupy Portland in a more radical, explicitly anti-capitalist and anti-state direction. So we attended the Occupy Portland opening march in full team colors with a big banner that read "NEVER GONNA GIVE YOU UP (A) NEVER GONNA LET YOU DOWN." Hey, we do have a sense of humor.
Beyond ninety-nine-percentism: Not being frightened of ‘revolution’
09-10-2011 08:18
One notable feature of Occupy Wall Street is its participants’ lack of hesitation in using the term ‘revolution’. Here comes the revolution! This is the first step of the revolution! Get up, get down, the revolution is in this town! You won’t stop our revolution! etcetera, etcetera. Distinguishing from these assertions of a revolution that has arrived, what does it really mean to envisage a revolution? And why should revolutionaries fear to act as well as talk, camp, and march?
Dear Occupiers: A Letter from Anarchists
09-10-2011 07:58
Starting with the occupation of a park next to Wall Street on September 17, a new movement is spreading across the country in which people gather in public spaces in protest against social inequalities. We’ll present a full analysis of this phenomenon here shortly; in the meantime, here’s an open letter to the occupation movement, engaging with some of the issues that have arisen thus far. Please forward this widely and print out versions to distribute at the “Occupy” events!
Dear Occupiers [online viewing version]
Dear Occupiers [print version]: A two-sided flier intended to be folded down the middle, longways.
chomsky keynote talk @ rebellious media conference
08-10-2011 22:55
noam chomsky gave the keynote speech today at the weekend-long rebellious media conferencein london
click on image for larger version. 'some rights reserved' - free for credited non-commercial use, otherwise contact author for permission
----
introductions came from conference organiser, milan rai, and znet founder, michael albert, who was noam's student and became a life-long friend. then noam chomsky stood at the lectern in front of a packed hall at the institute of education, while the speech was also beamed to a further overflow audience by video.
unsurprisingly he chose the wall street occupation as his main subject throughout the hour-long lecture, but while saying he didn't want to seem negative, he criticised the demands being made by the demonstrators, and characterised their fledgling movement as naive and ill-thought out.
i suppose having lived through, taken part in, and commented on the peace and revolutionary movements of the sixties, he may well have a realistic view of what is possible and what is not, but i couldn't help feeling that he might be ignoring or unaware of a new paradigm, an emerging global consciousness.
however, he was on good form with some ascerbic and witty comments, pointing out that demands for corporations to put people before profits would be asking them to behave illegally, since their whole purpose is to make profit, and any other interests would fall foul of company law.
he also answered a question about the role of the left-wing press and their failure to get behind protest movements with the quick-witted soundbite that "blaming the media for trying to keep people passive doesn't make any sense - it's like blaming banks for making money".
as well as questions from the hall, some written questions were chosen by michael albert that had been brought over from the overflow room.
chomsky was due to make an appearance later at the trafalgar square rally against ten years of war in afghanistan, and the conference continued with a multitude of smaller lectures and workshops during the afternoon. it is fully subscribed and there are no tickets available for tomorrow, where john pilger and noam chomsky will join others in a final plenary.
the conference is packed with great speakers, workshops and networking opportunities, and has been put together by a small group of organisations, instigated by 'peace news' magazine which is celebrating its 75th anniversary.
in a spirit of transparency and openness, they have published the accounts, and it shows they will be relying on such things as dvd sales to help fund the weekend. the dvd will contain highlights from many of the workshops as well as the key sessions, but they are looking for advance orders this weekend in order to make the editing and manufacture sustainable, so i'd urge people to take a look at the website and consider purchasing the dvd now.
there are also interactive opportunities on the conference website at http://rebelliousmediaconference.org and you can follow @RebelliousMC on twitter.
Call to scientists to join ant-"biofuel" appeal
08-10-2011 18:07
Europe’s agrofuel devours the rainforests.
In a joint letter 168 scientists have warned the EU against so-called “biofuel”. They say plant energy from field crops is anything but climate-friendly, which the EU claims it is.
Occupy LA: One Week Old and Going Strong
08-10-2011 16:55
Banner drop in solidarity with Australian forests
08-10-2011 16:38
#occupyLSX assembly at Block The Bridge
08-10-2011 14:54
Prominent Kurdish Activist Assassinated in Syria
08-10-2011 13:27
http://www.rudaw.net/english/news/syria/4040.html Radioactive leak at Dounreay nuclear power plant
08-10-2011 11:21
A minor radioactive leak has taken place at a nuclear power plant in Caithness. The incident is being described as minor. The corporate media are being very careful to underplay this story. It currently is not on the guardian or daily mail main webpages, and is only a minor story on bbc uk. However the bbc story is very careful to trumpet the site operator's (probably true) claim that no one's lives were put at risk. It seems people will have to die before anyone accepts the danger of nuclear power.