Isn't it funny how you can never find a Marxist when you need one?
The sentient world gazes in numbed disbelief at the spectacle of the Conservative Party, who will (barring either divine intervention or a sudden accession of the electorate to a rudimentary grasp on reality) form the next government of the UK, drawing up and presenting its plans to punish those on low incomes who have the temerity to use, and indeed to work in, public services.
The key phrase is George Osborne's seven times repeated mantra: "We are all in this together".
NO, GEORGE OSBORNE WE ARE BLEEDING NOT ALL IN THIS TOGETHER!!
You and your clique are rich, privileged MPs with private means, and you are chums with the banksters whose stupid, systemic errors have created the enormous debt that has been dumped onto the public sector, to the tune of tens of thousands of pounds for every citizen.
To you, George, £10,000 is a trivial number to be written on a cheque and popped in an envelope. To your recently-made-redundant low skilled constituent, £10,000 represents the net profit of a lifetime of work - if they are lucky.
Your banksters chums have not only succeeded in annihilating millions of such lifetimes' savings with their fraudulent activities, have not only continued with Business as Usual, have not only dumped their losses on the public sector, but are also manipulating both the Tories and the NuLabs into making public sector cuts.
We are emphatically not all in this together. On one side, there are the banksters and the NuLabTory complex, on the other side are the longsuffering people, the turkeys of the Murdoch-reading masses who are about to vote for Christmas.
God, it makes me angry. In fact I am so angry that it makes me want to join some revolutionary socialist marxist leninist groupuscule and spend the rest of my life ranting against the analytical errors of some other revolutionary socialist marxist leninist groupuscule. That's how angry I feel. It'll pass.
Wednesday, October 07, 2009
Tuesday, October 06, 2009
World Bank subsidies to fossil fuels
This from the 300-350 Show: Phasing out fossil fuel subsidies
A pre-requisite for making the transition to a clean energy future is to switch subsidies from fossil fuels to renewable energy projects. If that’s the case, why are we still bank-rolling dirty energy projects in developing countries?
World Bank lending for fossil fuels rose by 94% between 2007 & 2008 to over $3 billion which far outweighs the $476 million they gave to “new renewables” energy projects.
World Bank lending for coal in particular rose 256% from 2007 to 2008.
This contradicts the Bank’s own rhetoric in their “World Development Report” published in September which advises against “locking the world into high-carbon infrastructure”. Steve Kretzmann of Oil Change International has been campaigning for the elimination of fossil fuel subsidies for many years. He says that if the G20 leaders were serious about their Pittsburgh commitment to phasing out subsidies for fossil fuels, they could end World Bank and Export Credit Agency support at the stroke of a pen. However, rather than putting their own house in order first, there is a danger that the G20 could choose to focus on the subsidies which developing countries use to make energy services affordable for the poor. If that’s the case, we still have a job to do in holding the G20 to account.
Hear this show now at: www.climateradio.org
RL comment: This information provokes outrage and frustration, but is also encouraging. As the man says, all the world Bank has to do is to cancel the fossil subs and vire them to renewables. Result: fossil fuel prices go up, and the smart money pours into renewables.
Monday, October 05, 2009
New Rwandan Green Party hit by bureaucrats
From Rwanda News Agency
Green party calls for international support
By RNA Reporter Saturday, 03 October 2009 Kigali:
Following the abrupt cancellation of its founding conference Friday, the Democratic Green Party of Rwanda is now seeking international backing, RNA reports.
“We encourage and request for regional and International cooperation from all Green Parties and Movements in the world to continually stand with us in this struggle for genuine democracy in Rwanda,” party officials said in a statement.
The document is also signed by Mr. Toussaint HINVI – of the Green Party of Benin and also the Coordinator for West African Greens Network, and Board member of Burundi Green Movement, Ms. Anne Marie BIHIRABAKE, who had come to take part at cancelled congress.
Mr. HINVI and Ms. BIHIRABAKE, were present at what was to be the opening ceremony Friday morning where some 900 delegates coming from all the 30 districts of Rwanda, had gathered.
“Suddenly and regrettably”, party interim president Mr. Frank Habineza says, somebody from the district called him to “come and pick” a letter signed by the Mayor of Nyarugenge District stopping the meeting, which prior permission to hold the meeting was in possession.
“This permission is evidenced by the Letter he signed on 25th Sept 2009 Ref.No.4073/01.01 and the denial is reference number is 4155/01.01 of 01/10/2009 which realistically was received on 2nd October 2009 in the morning hours,” Habineza claims.
“This was the third congress being cancelled, using legal pretext”.
RL: Rwanda has a coalition government to avoid the factionalism that led to the massacres, but you would expect that a Green Party - by definition rising above tribal loyalties in its concern with the health of the natural environment that we hold in common - would be welcomed rather than frustrated. Hope that President Kagame is not setting off on the path that leads to dictatorship.
Green party calls for international support
By RNA Reporter Saturday, 03 October 2009 Kigali:
Following the abrupt cancellation of its founding conference Friday, the Democratic Green Party of Rwanda is now seeking international backing, RNA reports.
“We encourage and request for regional and International cooperation from all Green Parties and Movements in the world to continually stand with us in this struggle for genuine democracy in Rwanda,” party officials said in a statement.
The document is also signed by Mr. Toussaint HINVI – of the Green Party of Benin and also the Coordinator for West African Greens Network, and Board member of Burundi Green Movement, Ms. Anne Marie BIHIRABAKE, who had come to take part at cancelled congress.
Mr. HINVI and Ms. BIHIRABAKE, were present at what was to be the opening ceremony Friday morning where some 900 delegates coming from all the 30 districts of Rwanda, had gathered.
“Suddenly and regrettably”, party interim president Mr. Frank Habineza says, somebody from the district called him to “come and pick” a letter signed by the Mayor of Nyarugenge District stopping the meeting, which prior permission to hold the meeting was in possession.
“This permission is evidenced by the Letter he signed on 25th Sept 2009 Ref.No.4073/01.01 and the denial is reference number is 4155/01.01 of 01/10/2009 which realistically was received on 2nd October 2009 in the morning hours,” Habineza claims.
“This was the third congress being cancelled, using legal pretext”.
RL: Rwanda has a coalition government to avoid the factionalism that led to the massacres, but you would expect that a Green Party - by definition rising above tribal loyalties in its concern with the health of the natural environment that we hold in common - would be welcomed rather than frustrated. Hope that President Kagame is not setting off on the path that leads to dictatorship.
Text messaging: a eulogy
Text Please!
Don't you just love to text?
Only morons in shacks
fiddle round with a fax.
The ultimate fix
is here with a mix
of the phone and the clicks
on a back-lighted pad
that predicts and corrects
not to mention spell checks.
It's not just a fad
it's a leap for mankind.
You would find
that if Oedipus Rex
had been able to text
he'd have foiled the hex
that blighted his mind
and rendered him blind.
We can message at random
with merry abandon.
You know Posh and Becks?
I could send them a text,
‘cept they're probably ex-
-directory, to avoid being vexed
with millions of texts.
The effects can be mixed:
though your digits get slick
it don't get us fit
‘cos your pecs don’t get flexed
while we sit on our bums
just twiddling our thumbs
updating our chums.
But who cares? I just love it.
If you don’t, then shove it.
If you think you’re above it
no camera detects
your refusal to text
there’s no law (Latin: “Lex”)
to insist that you do.
It’s just up to you.
Don't want to? That's fine
It's your loss, not mine.
But to us addicts of text
it’s much better than sex.
Don't you just love to text?
Only morons in shacks
fiddle round with a fax.
The ultimate fix
is here with a mix
of the phone and the clicks
on a back-lighted pad
that predicts and corrects
not to mention spell checks.
It's not just a fad
it's a leap for mankind.
You would find
that if Oedipus Rex
had been able to text
he'd have foiled the hex
that blighted his mind
and rendered him blind.
We can message at random
with merry abandon.
You know Posh and Becks?
I could send them a text,
‘cept they're probably ex-
-directory, to avoid being vexed
with millions of texts.
The effects can be mixed:
though your digits get slick
it don't get us fit
‘cos your pecs don’t get flexed
while we sit on our bums
just twiddling our thumbs
updating our chums.
But who cares? I just love it.
If you don’t, then shove it.
If you think you’re above it
no camera detects
your refusal to text
there’s no law (Latin: “Lex”)
to insist that you do.
It’s just up to you.
Don't want to? That's fine
It's your loss, not mine.
But to us addicts of text
it’s much better than sex.
© Richard Lawson
October 5, 2009
October 5, 2009
Thursday, October 01, 2009
The medical and economic costs of nuclear power - On Line Opinion - 14/9/2009
The medical and economic costs of nuclear power by Helen Caldicott, the veteran anti-nuclear campaigner. Worth a read. In addition to this overview.
Seawater Foundation - Greening Eritrea Video
Seawater Foundation - Greening Eritrea Video.
Seawater can grow halophytes (salt tolerant plants) which can feed cattle and provide other good services. Linked with Desert Rose.
All we need is the political will to spend serious amounts of money in stabilising both livelihoods and climate in East Africa and other arid parts of the world.
Seawater can grow halophytes (salt tolerant plants) which can feed cattle and provide other good services. Linked with Desert Rose.
All we need is the political will to spend serious amounts of money in stabilising both livelihoods and climate in East Africa and other arid parts of the world.
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