LONDON CALLING


December 2004

OI! BLUNKETT! NO!

WE ARE UNDER ever-increasing surveillance. Even the TV news has started to be worried the UK might be becoming a police state! And ID cards look set to be introduced within a year… With the amount of surveillance the state carries out on us all the time you’d have thought that ID cards would probably be superfluous. Yet Blunkett, in his wisdom, has determined they are a vital weapon in the fight against whatever he’s thinking of at the time. More and more people are realising that the entire thing’s a vast swindle, that they won’t be safer, that the enemy is more likely to be the state than some nebulous Wahabbite in some cave somewhere.

Earlier this year, the Telegraph reported that a healthy minority – about 30% - were vehemently opposed to ID cards: enough to throw more than a small spanner in the works. There have already been a number of actions against the bloody things: Glasgow Defy-ID gave minister Des Brown a
welcome he’ll not soon forget when they disrupted his press launch for the trial run of the filthy cards, for example.

Blunkett’s confident that people will soon be forced into carrying ID cards, so this fight will be one which extends to every sphere of everyday life, from signing on to getting a job to using a library. Even so, if people get involved – and stay involved – the fight becomes less one of them against me, and one of us against them. We urge our readers to get involved with campaigns against ID cards. For more information on that, go to www.defy-id.org.uk.

MORE THAN A DROP IN THE OCEAN

EVERYTHING HACKNEY COUNCIL touches seems to turn to shit. Who can forget the fiasco of the Clissold Leisure Centre, built amid huge fanfare – now shut and unusable after the Council chucked £34 million away on it? The latest casualty in Hackney is the Ocean music venue, over the road from the Town Hall. The Ocean was established five years ago with £23 million of public money. Earlier this month it went into administration, despite receiving large amounts of public subsidy since it opened. Another much-heralded amenity for Hackney lost through the incompetence of the Council.

It was always obvious to us at London Class War that a venue like the Ocean was going to be a white elephant. Frankly, the way it was touted – and the way it’s turned out – was never for local people but for yuppies and their like. How many people pay £17 to see a gig – in Hackney? Not a lot, as the catchphrase has it.

The Ocean was allegedly established to encourage and provide music training and education to all sections of the community. This aim, though praiseworthy, has never been fulfilled, and neither have the community arts and music projects profits from the gigs were supposed to fund. Yet again the people of Hackney have been royally fucked over by the Council. There is certainly a need for music venues and community arts projects in Hackney. But the Council has shown itself to
be terminally incompetent and can’t provide them. As the old saying goes, if you want a job done properly…

At the same time as the Council presided over another fuck up, they are hoping to spend SIXTY MILLION on doing up the Town Hall! (See previous London Callings.) So: a reduction in the amenities available to the people of Hackney is not matched by a reduction of the amenities available to the pen-pushers and lickspittles who have got Hackney into the pitiful state it’s in. What a fucking shower.

LETTERS
Or in this case, letter.

TO LC,
I read your newsletter recently and was horrified by the article you wrote about the Metropolitan police, who no doubt – especially the officers who accidentally shot Harry Stanley - face a very difficult job in London. Have you no sympathy for what the two officers went through and they have to live with the guilt day in and day out and the pressure on their families. As you are aware gun crime is spiralling out of control in London and articles like yours do not help in one bit towards a solution.
Sincerely.
Name & address withheld.


LC REPLY:
NO AFRAID NOT, we haven’t got any sympathy at all in fact we would go far as in saying they could shoot each other if their guilty feelings get any worse. Yes gun crime is out of control in London, the Met should be disarmed and maybe we should see it drop…

ACCIDENTLY SHOT HARRY STANLEY, MY ARSE, LET'S LOOK AT THE FACTS:
The police had been wrongly tipped off that the Scotsman was in fact Irish and carrying a gun in a bag. The officers were caught out when they stated that they had to make a split-second decision. The jury thought differently - after all the evidence was given to the jury, who were convinced that the two officers had concocted their account of the encounter with Mr Stanley. Let’s look at some other facts: the officers maintained that when they challenged Mr Stanley he turned round,
grasped one end of the table-leg and pointed the other end at Fagan, one of the trigger happy filth. But Mr Stanley’s fatal head wound showed an entry wound to the back and the left side of his head. It was fired by Sharman, the other filth, shot from behind at an angle of 110° - indicating that Stanley was beginning to turn towards Sharman's right, putting him even further behind Stanley and out of range of any pointed “weapon”.

Tim Owen, the Stanley family barrister, told the inquest jury that for the officers’ account to be right, the fatal head entry wound would have had to be on the right front side of his head - not on the rear, even the CPS, who may prosecute the officers, is now reconsidering the case, claiming that the evidence above “may lead a jury to conclude that the officers Sharman and Fagan deliberately lied all through the trial five years ago”, let’s face another fact here that the officers couldn’t even lie properly, dumb or what! Both should be on manslaughter charges, kicked out of the force and should be facing lengthy prison terms.

It showed how much remorse the two officers felt, for over five years they lied, which no doubt they’re used to as it is normal procedure in the Met. Another fact we should look at: Harry Stanley was scarcely mentioned in all the press reports, all of which focused on the industrial action taken by the armed filth in support of their trigger-happy pals, if Harry Stanley wasn’t a working class male I think it is fair to say the events would have been reported differently.

WE LEFT LC IN A FEW LIBRARIES WHERE NO DOUBT THE PERSON ABOVE READ IT. THEIR LETTER WAS POSTMARKED HAMPSTEAD.

STOP AND SEARCH

NEW 'STOP-AND-SEARCH' RULES come into effect for police officers across London from 17 November. Officers must give a written record of the incident to everybody they stop - not just those who are later searched.

The change was one of the recommendations of the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry report, and we all know what the Lawrence family went through and saw what the Met are really like. The Metropolitan Police Federation has expressed concern about the move, saying the new procedure "wastes valuable police time”. All that time could be spent in kebab shops or framing innocent people for crimes they didn’t commit or taking backhanders from drug dealers, Glen Smyth of the Federation said although the move was designed to improve relations between the police and public, so far the omens "did not look promising".

The Metropolitan force was one of seven police services chosen by the Home Office to implement pilot sites for recommendation 61 (of the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry report). It has been running in two police boroughs, Hackney and Tower Hamlets, since April and December 2003 respectively.

'Perception of unfairness'

Hackney has been piloting a paper-based recording method involving specially designed 'stop-and-account' forms while a technology-based system was trialled in Tower Hamlets. The project has been overseen by the Metropolitan Police Authority (MPA), which in May published a report claiming the practice of 'stop-and-search' was "influenced by racial bias". John Roberts who led the MPA's 'stop-and-account' team said police stops were currently one of the most contentious
policing issues for London's ethnic minority communities. "It creates a perception of unfairness that threatens the acknowledged effectiveness of stops as a policing tactic and damages trust and confidence in the police," Mr Roberts said.

The Met's Deputy Commissioner Sir Ian Blair (not another one!) said he was proud of the force's efforts to improve its relationship with London's communities. Sir Ian said: "By providing a written record of stop and account interactions we will be able to build an even greater level of trust within the community.” How they worked that one out is anyone’s guess, by searching just black people.

CLASS WAR ISSUE 87 IS OUT NOW – GET YOUR’S FROM YOUR USUAL SUPPLIER!

MERRY XMAS FROM THE ROYAL MAIL!

THE PERFORMANCE OF the post office always becomes a big issue in December, but in many parts of London it is now an issue year round. An east London postie recently put pen to paper on the subject for us:

Having worked at Royal Mail for ages, I have noticed an enormous drop in morale in the last few years. I'm told, by the poor blokes who have worked here since the seventies, that they take home less money now then they did then. In the 'bad old days' as the media and government love to call that era, workers not only had more money, but they at least had a shred of dignity. Being a postman or woman now is like a form of torture. Having 'sell out' managers who don't know their elbow from their arsehole bossing you about all day, with a lack of courtesy usually found only from old bill or street rat traffic wardens is not the worst part. Imagine waking up at four o'clock in the morning, six days a week and taking home just £230 - after the tax man’s had his grubby hands on it (to fund an illegal invasion of Iraq). Sounds about as appetising as sticking pins up your arse doesn't it? The fact is most postmen and women get used to the unsociable hours, and they don't get paid enough to have much of a social life anyway, but there is one thing that is killing the job more then everything else...

The Rich Cunt Directors

I hate Allan Leighton with a passion. Adam Crozier and the recently departed Elmer 'Thud' Toime are not far behind in the 'I wish they would get cancer of the eyeballs' league table of my hate. These parasitical wankers with a history of failure behind them (Leeds United, the F.A. etc.) have been given astronomical wages for the task of turning around a failing business. A bit like asking Ian Huntley to sort out a school with a high truancy rate or Dr. Harold Shipman to get the NHS
waiting lists down. Just like every other major industry in this country, the only thing you can be sure of is that they'll fuck it up, get a massive golden handshake and get offered a job somewhere else, where the cycle will continue. Doesn't fill you with hope, does it?

So next time you go to have a pop at your postie for the third class service we now provide, or shout 'where's me giro' (piss off, it's wasn't funny the first time we heard it, mate) think about how shit our job is... right, now I'm going to go off and get pissed with the help of some moody credit cards!

P.S. Why not write your intended address on the back of a letter, write any old one on the front, cross it out and write: Not Known – Return To Sender. Or take a gamble and put the word FREEPOST after the name of the intended recipient, because most of us couldn't give a bollocks to go and check it up!

POP STARS FEED THEIR FACES

BOB GELDOF, THE annoying miserable cunt, has redone that fucking annoying song “Don’t They Know It’s Christmas”. It’s remixed, using up to date crap singers and it looks as though we are going to be force-fed the song all over the festive season again. Surely they only redo the song for supermarkets to play, great trick really whilst you’re shopping and you have that awful muzak forced on you. Feed the world? You think, “Fuck it, people are starving in Africa, aren’t I the lucky one?” and you buy more food.

Let’s take Geldof who owns three houses, one in Faversham, Kent. Within its grounds is a public wood that he has grabbed and made private. He hates people on his land so much he built a six foot fucking wall around the wood and property. Then there’s Robbie Williams, who would not even miss a million quid, same as all the singers really. They are all fucking multimillionaires. It’s very patronising when they are asking us to feel guilty and fork out for over- priced cds etc, and that cunt out of U2, Bono, not only is his music shit, he has the cheek to kiss Bush’s arse every five
minutes… It’s a con and the only thing you will be feeding is their bank accounts. If you feel guilty give a donation to Oxfam, as they seem to be the only organisation to do good in Africa.

NO MORE PARLIAMENT SQUARE PROTESTS!

Permanent protests in Parliament Square are to be banned by the government in a bid to silence an anti-war activist hated by many MPs. Once the measures become law, 55 year-old Brian Haw will finally be evicted from the square after more than three years of continuous occupation Love him or hate him, you can’t but admire Brian Haw, who set up camp there in June 2001, with his banners such as “You lie, kids die, Blair”. They’re seen every time Tony Blair drives in and out of the Commons. But it is Mr Haw’s constant anti-war chants on his megaphone, that can be heard in most MPs’ offices, that have infuriated ministers and triggered the action.

It looks as though the centuries-old right to free speech law is finished, so next time you are in the city go see Brian and give him a bit of support.

REVIEW

DIRTY COPS,BENT JUSTICE AND RACISM IN SCOTLAND YARD
The new hardback book called “The Untouchables” by Michael Gillard and Laurie Flynn took five years investigating the Yard’s most secretive and powerful unit - the very one charged with rooting out corrupt and racist cops.

“The Untouchables” with their motto “Integrity is non-negotiable”. They were created to stop corruption in the Met, based on thousands of official documents, which the Yard hoped would never see the light of day ,of how corrupt and the dirty dealings the Untouchables carried out is unbelievable. The still unsolved murders of Daniel Morgan, David Norris and Damilola Taylor and an insight to the Stephen Lawrence case you won’t see in the tabloid press. This book will shock and scare you, and you will probably never trust the police again. At 544 pages long it’s a fair read, and at £18.99 it’s also a bit dear. Don’t wait for the paperback, though, as the filth will likely try
and ban it.

Also I saw Stoke Newington Police Station plastered with posters advertising the book half ripped down everywhere.
FIVE STARS

DIARY DATES

5 December: London Class War meeting. Ask a member for details.
11 December: London Class War, Anarchist Federation, and Wombles social. The Harp Rock Bar,97-99 Parsons Mead West Croydon CR0 3SP. Lot of fun to be had, including raffle, DJ’s, Vietnamese food, stalls and so on. Free entry.

UTRECHT…HOLLAND

Members of Class War went to Holland for the yearly Anarchist bookfair and done a stall,it was held in Utrecht on Sat 6th November, a good day with some good feedback from the @ist groups there. Our videos went like hot cakes, worth a visit next year, some good bars about selling a good selection of beers and all that hash…………we also done a paper sale at Hackney Central which went well. Hopefully we will do more in the future. If you want to come along get in touch.

THIS MONTH’S TIP

Ever wondered what your belly button is for…well we have the answer, simply when lying in bed by pouring tomato sauce into the useless belly button you can now dip your chips into the sauce. Don’t try piccalilli as this can be messy.




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