Sinister group gets full publicity on BBC
Posted by RMS on Medialens on November 8, 2007
A sinister bunch of unelected neolithic imperialists have formed a UK National Defence Association and given full publicity by the BBC. If they were left wing and called for a cut in defence they would not get a mention.
Some of the choice quotes include the gung ho Col Bob Stewart saying that soldiers are "suffering" on OUR behalf! I would say suffering on Bush and Blair's behalf and the Oil bosses behind them.
"Britain's armed forces are over-stretched and under-funded, a group of former senior military leaders and politicians has warned.
They have formed the UK National Defence Association, led by three ex-chiefs of the defence staff."
"In addition to Lord Guthrie, its patrons are former defence chiefs Admiral Lord Boyce and Marshal of the RAF Lord Craig, as well as ex-foreign secretary Lord Owen.
Other prominent supporters include Sir Richard Dearlove, former head of MI6, and Patrick Mercer, the Conservative MP who serves as a defence adviser to the prime minister."
"Col Bob Stewart, a former British commander with UN forces in Bosnia, told the BBC's Breakfast that underfunding meant Britain was "sleepwalking into disaster".
He urged the public to "wake up and listen because the soldiers are suffering on our behalf".
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7084303.stm
Thursday, 8 November 2007
Tuesday, 6 November 2007
The Toadlike Judge Carloway
Aamer Anwar to face contempt charges
Aamer Anwar to face contempt charges
Aamer Anwar is to face contempt of court proceedings over statements he made after the verdict was announced in the Siddique trial. The case will be heard before a panel of up to three judges in Edinburgh High Court. The date of the hearing has yet to be announced. The move was announced in a lengthy "note" issued by Lord Carloway, the judge in the Siddique case.
It is clear from the detailed contents of the note that this is a wide-ranging attack meant to remove from defence lawyers any possibility of dealing in a politically-aware way with politically-driven cases. Lord Carloway particularly objects to Aamer Anwar's public comment that the the prosecution was driven by the state. Yet there is clear evidence - for example in statements made by senior officials to parliamentary committees - that many arms of the state are routinely involved in the decisions leading up to a "terrorism" arrest.
The ongoing involvement of the security services in the presentation of the Siddique case was made clear to anyone who doubted it by their public intervention as soon as the verdict was announced. Anonymous "security" sources told the press of startling new allegations against the convicted man - even though nothing relating to these allegations had been mentioned during the trial.
The ongoing involvement of the security services in the presentation of the Siddique case was made clear to anyone who doubted it by their public intervention as soon as the verdict was announced. Anonymous "security" sources told the press of startling new allegations against the convicted man - even though nothing relating to these allegations had been mentioned during the trial.
Lord Carloway seems to think that the legal/political facts of life should never be mentioned in public - at least, not by any anyone connected with the Scottish justice system. And he seems to think that a guilty verdict should bind everyone connected with the system to stick to the judge's interpretation of the evidence heard in court. Apparently the traditional lawyer's statement from the steps of the court is good enough for England, but not for Scotland.
Lord Carloway's vendetta risks bringing the whole Scottish justice system into disrepute. As if it wasn't in enough trouble already, with the fingerprint scandal not quite behind it, with the William Gage and Stuart Gair miscarriages of justice still fresh in many people's memory, and with the Lockerbie trial still rolling around in the basement like an unexploded hand grenade.
It would be nice to see the Scottish legal profession stand up in defence of freedom of speech and the right of people targeted by the state to an effective defence. But these seem to be ideas that the Scottish legal establishment hardly dare whisper even to itself.
from Scotland Against Criminalising Communities
Sunday, 4 November 2007
Invitation to join the Pro-Europa Mailing List
I have launched a Mailing List for those of Pro-European sentiments: 'those' include everything from federalist to decentralist and supporters of European bioregions.
But clearly not a list for the Little Englander whingers!
If you are interested in joining the List please mail me at greengorilla47@googlemail.com and I will put you on the List and keep you updated.
Saturday, 3 November 2007
Mob Rules
Link
Closing keynote of WebDirections South 2007 - an exploration of the future of mobile communications, now that half of humanity has a mobile phone.
Link
Closing keynote of WebDirections South 2007 - an exploration of the future of mobile communications, now that half of humanity has a mobile phone.
Washington's New English Quisling
Why are Tony Blair and Gordon Brown trying to deny us the Charter of Fundamental Rights?
Spy.blog, 23 June 2007
What with all the media spin by the UK Government and the European Union and the shallow analysis and reporting by the mainstream media, we are puzzled as to what exactly has been agreed at the European Union summit in Brussels this weekend.
We are still especially worried about what exactly Tony Blair and Gordon Brown have agreed to with regard to the European Union Reform Treaty and especially, the legally binding Charter of Fundamental Rights (.pdf) These sort of follow the European Convention on Human Rights and the UK's Human Rights Act 2000:
Article 7 Respect for private and family lifeEveryone has the right to respect for his or her private and family life, home and communications.
Article 8 Protection of personal data
1. Everyone has the right to the protection of personal data concerning him or her.
2. Such data must be processed fairly for specified purposes and on the basis of the consent of the person concerned or some other legitimate basis laid down by law. Everyone has the right of access to data which has been collected concerning him or her, and the right to have it rectified.
3. Compliance with these rules shall be subject to control by an independent authority.
However, there are significant differences i,e, there are no explicit exemptions for the Government using vague weasel words like "national security" or "the prevention or detection of crime" or "public health" or "the economic interests of the UK" etc. which so much UK legislation has embedded into it.
Nothing seems to have changed since we commented on this back in 2004: Have the pundits actually bothered to read the EU Constitution ?
See also this confusing BBC background article on Charter of Fundamental Rights
Is there really a workable United Kingdom "opt out" from these clauses ?
If so, then why should we tolerate authoritarian Labour politicians who seek to deny us these human rights, which are enjoyed and legally enforced by the rest of the European Union ?
We demand that these existing human rights are upheld now and ratified by this UK Government and all future ones.
__________
Rory's Comments:
Although this article was published last June the points being made are still highly relevant. The Blair/Brown regime has cunningly cashed in on the innate Europhobia of the British (and in particular the English) by using a wholly unfounded disaffection among Brits for the European Union to exert pressure on other member nations and the Commission in order to extract 'concessions' from the Union, not in the interests of the common people but on behalf of the vested interests of British capital and the ruling classes.
The high level of ignorance and Europhobic prejudice amongst Brits was deliberately nurtured by British politicians and their attendant media in order to use it as a weapon against progressive European social and civil rights.
At the recent meeting at Lisbon, not only did the Brits insist on their right to opt put of the new Charter but went out of their way to water-down the Charter nevertheless. Proof indeed of the mischievous intent of the Brits to act as a reactionary force within the EU working, no doubt, in the interests of Washington's neocons.
The British, along with others on the Right in countries like Poland, are now seen by other Europeans to be a trojan horse for Washington. They play an entirely destructive role as an adversary of the EU. While doing so they ensure that their own people are kept ignorant of the deceptive game they are playing.
Ultimately, it is the British people who will pay the price and that they have now begun to do with Britain's inexorable slide into becoming a full-blown police state. The time has already come when those of us in Britain who consider ourselves to be rightfully citizens of Europe to mobilize ourselves against these tinpot dictators. All is not yet lost and I believe the time has come, as European citizens, to make a direct appeal to the European Union to help us protect our fundamental civil rights against an oppressive, domestic government.
Although this article was published last June the points being made are still highly relevant. The Blair/Brown regime has cunningly cashed in on the innate Europhobia of the British (and in particular the English) by using a wholly unfounded disaffection among Brits for the European Union to exert pressure on other member nations and the Commission in order to extract 'concessions' from the Union, not in the interests of the common people but on behalf of the vested interests of British capital and the ruling classes.
The high level of ignorance and Europhobic prejudice amongst Brits was deliberately nurtured by British politicians and their attendant media in order to use it as a weapon against progressive European social and civil rights.
At the recent meeting at Lisbon, not only did the Brits insist on their right to opt put of the new Charter but went out of their way to water-down the Charter nevertheless. Proof indeed of the mischievous intent of the Brits to act as a reactionary force within the EU working, no doubt, in the interests of Washington's neocons.
The British, along with others on the Right in countries like Poland, are now seen by other Europeans to be a trojan horse for Washington. They play an entirely destructive role as an adversary of the EU. While doing so they ensure that their own people are kept ignorant of the deceptive game they are playing.
Ultimately, it is the British people who will pay the price and that they have now begun to do with Britain's inexorable slide into becoming a full-blown police state. The time has already come when those of us in Britain who consider ourselves to be rightfully citizens of Europe to mobilize ourselves against these tinpot dictators. All is not yet lost and I believe the time has come, as European citizens, to make a direct appeal to the European Union to help us protect our fundamental civil rights against an oppressive, domestic government.
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