Could America’s sabre rattling in Syria, lead to war in Iran and China?
by Adam Ford / @neon_black81
The United States government is aggressively ratcheting-up its drive for global domination, by menacing Syria, Iran and ultimately China. Though on the one hand American politicians speak of hopes for diplomacy, they are preparing for war with all three nations, in a reckless thrust which threatens the future of humanity. But in the minds of imperial planners, the possibility of life’s destruction in a nuclear holocaust is as nothing compared with the need to win on the ‘grand chessboard’.
The US economy has long been in a relative economic decline when compared with the Eurozone and especially the hugely expanding China – a nation frequently labelled “the sweatshop of the world”. For the last fifteen years, the American ruling class has responded with an attempt to use its overwhelming military supremacy to offset its production-based profitability crisis. Wars in Kosovo, Afghanistan, Iraq and most recently Libya have all cut across the material interests of Chinese empire-building. But the global economic turmoil has pushed this imperative into overdrive, creating the strong possibility of a final showdown with China itself, plus Chinese allies such as Russia.
Saturday 4th February: Solidarity Action with Sheffield Pizza Hut Workers
Occupy Oil Planning Meeting Tomorrow
From #OccupyOil
Occupy Oil Final planning meeting Saturday the 4th of February 2012 Methodist Hall 1pm http://
What is Occupy Oil?
What happened the Heat or Eat Occupation of British Gas HQ
At approximately 8.45 am six of us occupied two meeting rooms at British Gas HQ. Since then police have attempted to break in and force us out.
British Gas have now asked us to engage in “negotiations” over our demands. Here is our response.
How can ordinary people have a dialogue with energy companies which wield so much power over our daily lives? Will they bear responsibility for people’s lives – such as the 2.7 thousand estimated to die this winter as a direct result of fuel poverty in the UK, and the millions threatened by climate change?
A Just Transition or Just a Transition?
A major criticism that has been levelled at Occupy LSX is that the movement has become an umbrella for too many issues. “What do they want?” our mainstream media asks, as a stroll through the camp makes it clear that democracy and corporate greed are not the only issues being debated. Linger around St. Pauls, or peek your head into the Tent City University, and you will soon find yourself debating and discussing issues of mental wellbeing, gender equality, class, the environment, parenting, and the role of religion, amongst many, many others. However, rather than betray a lack of focus, to me the diversity of topics being discussed means something quite different – that our movements for social and environmental justice are growing up, that we are seeing connections and joining the dots between issues, and that we recognise that we are most powerful when allied.
There is much that we can learn from each other, and the global Occupy / Indignados movement has provided us with the perfect opportunity to compare notes. What’s working, what isn’t? Are our demands aligned, and does that even matter? However, there is one area of discussion that certainly needs to be addressed by the environmental and Occupy movements together, and that is ‘what does transition look like’? We say that another way is possible, but what journey do we have to take to get there? How can we work together towards building a new low carbon economy, one that incorporates values of social justice, equity, and democracy? Of course this conversation is already well under way in many countries across the world, but different elements of our movement are in danger of pulling in very different directions. You might not think it, but transitioning away from a pollution-based economy and transitioning away from our current capitalist model do not necessarily have to have much in common.
Occupy #Nov30
by Kwadwo Kari-Kari
Wednesday 30th November is a momentous day in the history of British Industrial Relations. Never before has Britain been faced with over 2 million workers collectively going on strike on the same day. However though the numbers are impressive, the cause which public sector pensions is very narrow in comparison to previous historic national struggles.
The General Strike of 1926 involved approximately 1.5 million workers and went on for 9 days. Teachers stayed at home, shops did not open, chauffeurs refused to drive their masters’ cars, printers bar the government’s and the British Worker newspapers refused to publish newspapers, workers in all industry put down their tools. Their cause was the continued cutting of miners’ wages forcing hundreds of thousands of those “hard working families” politicians today talk about, into absolute poverty. British workers were so disgusted at the idea that rich, fat mine owners were willing to starve working class families for their own relentless pursuit of profit that as a national collective, the workers protested by taking solidarity strike action.
George Osborne can’t even privatise competently
by Cormac Hollingsworth / @CormacHolly
Policymakers should have two goals when dealing with Northern Rock: Maximising taxpayer receipts and enabling more people to buy their own homes.
The government claims that even if the deal is a complete dogs dinner, then at least they have got the best deal for Northern Rock, but this is highly doubtful.
International Day of Action for London Guildhall Cleaners Demanding a Living Wage
Dominican Republic workers urge Sodexo to rehire wrongfully fired workers
On Monday 7th November at 10am, the cleaners of the prestigious London Guildhall will be holding a noisy and lively protest against their direct employers, Sodexo, and also the City of London Corporation, who control the cleaning contract. Their demands are: dignity and respect at work from management, the reinstatement of victimised union rep Wilmer Cardenas and to receive the London Living Wage which is currently set at £8.30.
There will be other solidarity demonstrations taking place by other cleaners, workers and students in France, Colombia, USA and around the globe protesting about workers’ rights abuses by Sodexo in solidarity with the US based “Kick out Sodexo” campaign. This protest will be the third demonstration staged by Guildhall cleaners this year, whom have been unionised by the IWW, following a period in July where several migrant cleaners had not received weeks of pay and the contracting company Ocean failed to resolve it in a timely manner until successive organised protest demonstrations were held.
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Sanusi Lamido, Nigerian Central Bank Governor defends Fuel Subsidy withdrawal on Monday 23rd January in London
Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria
Date: Monday 23 January 2012
Time: 6.30-8pm
Venue: Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building
Speaker: Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi
Chair: Professor Judith Rees
More details here
Read more