I am giving a talk at Occupy London’s Tent City University by St Paul’s at noon tomorrow. Many thanks to all who responded to my request to help the logistics of this. I am going to donate some copies of Murder in Samarkand and The Catholic Orangemen of Togo for people to read on the occupation.
I shall also be giving a talk at the Chapter Theatre, Cardiff on 13th November at 2.30pm, for Freedom from Torture (formerly the Medical Foundation for the Victims of Torture). This is a wonderful organisation which, among other things, does fantastic work for torture victims who are in the UK.
If anyone knows where I am giving a talk on 8 November please let me know!!!!
‘The Occupy movement really is an exciting development. In fact, it’s spectacular. It’s unprecedented; there’s never been anything like it that I can think of . . . The fact that the demonstrations are unprecedented is quite appropriate. It is an unprecedented era — not just this moment — but actually since the 1970s . . . What’s being played out for the last 30 years is actually a kind of a nightmare that was anticipated by the classical economists . . .’
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Chomsky at occupyBoston:
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http://bit.ly/u0zqyM
Well done Mr Murray.
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Hopefully that some in Occupy London crowed after reading Murder in Samarkand will realise that there are even more serious issues around the world than few greedy bankers and few corrupt politicians. And hopefully that they will realise that government should be hold accountable for its foreign policy as much as for the domestic policy. And next time when someone asks where all these refugees are coming from and that we do not want to see them in Britain they will ask themselves whether government is doing something to stop people from far abroad countries to become refugees.
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Also hopefully that some from the Occupy London crowd can open franchise Occupy Uzbek Embassy in London and stay there until Karimov allowed all political prisoners out of prison.
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Looking forward to seeing your speech on the Youtube.
Ruth, interesting point. Would Mann not have then had some leverage here to try to secure his release? He served around 5 years in total (of 34, admittedly) I believe.
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Regarding web pages changing here is a useful site you might like: http://www.freezepage.com/
> Prove exactly what was at a web address at a specific date and time.
Take copies of web pages and keep them for your own records.
Easily and safely share web pages with friends, students and colleagues.
http://www.citypress.co.za/International/News/Gaddafis-exit-plan-20111029
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“The recruiting was done by Sarah Penfold, a well-known name in the industry based in Kenya, who apparently acted on behalf of a company in London.South Africa’s State Security Agency is aware of her visit to Joburg on August 17, and she is being investigated.”
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“After being issued with false passports, three groups of South Africans flew to Dubai and Cairo, from where they hurriedly flew to Libya to assist Gaddafi.”
Fake passports? Flights direct to Libya ?
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“..no request to the South African authorities” “Intelligence sources believe there were agents among the mercenaries, or in some of the security companies, who were spying for the transitional government and reporting the the mercenaries’ movements.
Nato launched its attack on Gaddafi with deadly precision, and Odendaal believes someone “sold them out”.”
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So no mention of a deal done with NATO here more a murkier double cross?
Craig…wrong mate..It was arranged by Penfold’s loyal sidekick, Dangermouse.
So much that the general public just doesn’t have any idea of – in all areas. Transparency? Of course not, that would be against ‘our’ interests, and anyway ‘they’ wouldn’t be interested – give them X Factor and Strictly so they’re kept voting about nothing, since that’s all they’re fit for.
Reminds me of Ted Hughes ‘The Hawk in the Rain’ – ‘I am going to keep things like this’.
Mary
Since you seem to spend your time listening to Russia Today (old habits die hard?) perhaps you could enlighten us as how the Occupy protests are going in Moscow under the benevolent oversight of the KGB retread oligarchs that run that country.
Stephen: although Russian GDP has dipped as a result of the economic downturn and its stock market depressed, its banking system has had only minor exposure to the Western banking crisis and only the Bank of Moscow has had a bailout, to the tune of a measly $14 billion. We had to shell out almost one trillion pounds. Russia remains the world’s biggest oil exporter. I don’t think the Russians are quite as pissed off as we are.
Stephen,
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Most of those who tried to organise protests in Moscow on 31st October have been arrested including 6 year old boy who came along with his parents and nanny. Russian authorities since KGB took power are notoriously against any type of protests. There have been few protests in Russian regions in the last 2 years but scape goats have been found and crowds seemed to be dispersed.
MJ,
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Trust me Russians are pissed off too (every year hundreds of billions of dollars being transferred from Russia to off-shores and to the West in wholesale money laundering exercise). But unlike people in the UK or in the rest of Europe Russians are not allowed to hold mass demonstrations without facing consequences and possibly criminal records.
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There is not a single opposition party in Russian parliament that questions actions of Russian government. To add to all this that it is clear that Vladimir Putin is coming back to Kremlin once again and it is most likely that his puppet Medvedev is going to replace him as Prime Minister of Russia. Do not you think that some Russians are pissed off of this? Not only banks undermine social justice system but corrupt governments can and do much more harm.
We’re very much looking forward to the event Craig!
John Goss, thanks for sharing the Freedom from Torture website.
Here at Freedom from Torture, we’ll be tweeting live from the event, so if you are on Twitter, please do follow @freefromtorture or go to http://www.twitter.com/freefromtorture to find out more. Hopefully photos will also be going up on http://www.facebook.com/freedomfromtorture after the event.
Many thanks all
Uzbek: I’m sure Russians have plenty to protest about. Most of the things you mention apply here too. I emphasised Russia’s financial and economic position however because over here the debt issue is such that people are beginning genuinely to fear for their and their children’s future.
MJ
You really have little clue about the situation in Russia – the Oligarch’s really care very little about ordinary Russians. Just Google Russian pensioners and perhaps you will find that what we fear has already come to pass in Russia. When people from Moscow take bread to give to their neighbours when vsiting their dachas 2-3 hours away – then you know things are pretty bad.
MJ,
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Since collapse of the USSR Russians (and by this I mean majority of Russians) have never had social guaranteed similar to those during 70th and 80th. While Mr Murray and others quite often are concerned about the income gap between rich and poor in the UK but in Russia this gap is much wider. While there are huge estates being built for Russian oligarchs just outside Moscow there are millions of Russians (some even in Moscow) whose income does not exceed 10$ a day and these are not people on benefits.
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If you look carefully at the state of schools and hospitals in Russia (outside Moscow) you will realise that majority of oil and gas export revenues are being spent on wrong things and some even being stolen. While Russia is a major gas exporter there are some towns in Russia where gas is a luxury and people use diesel fuel in order to heat their homes.
Why has this diversion been created about Russia Today (no I rarely look at it – it’s on Ch 85 Freeview fyi) protests in Moscow or the lack of them, and the Russian oligarchs? We are talking about the protests going on in this country and the reasons why they are happening.
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PS Don’t forget there was a revolution there. Coming here soon?
Stephen, please stop your insinuations, trying to tar those who provide valuable links and deabtes to this blog is not necessarry or clever.
If you want to do something about Russian oligarchs and their influences here, most of them seem to congregate in London, why don’t you go and see what you can do about it with some of your FoI comrades in the Labour party?
If you sing the right songs they might even let you into their illustrious places, try No1 Marble Arch, the penthouse, always a good start.
Goodness Mary,
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Circumstances in 1917 in Russia are hardly comparable to those in the UK today.
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There will be no revolution in the UK. Majority of population here are politically inactive (meaning they do not care who is running the country all they care about is their job/benefits/pension). Yes, there is a problem with those things but absolute majority still have jobs/benefits/pensions and thus they will not support any type of revolution nor they will join Occupy London crowd.
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Some people on the left are trying to portrait this as revolutionary situation but this is far from truth. For revolution to take place as Lenin taught there should be situation when ‘lower classes (and presumably middle classes) cannot live by old rules and upper classes cannot govern by new rules’ then those lower classes take on upper classes and changes whole system of government. This on its own is pretty much disturbing and can cost nation much more than bailouts. That what has happened in Russia in 1917, twice.
“it’s on Ch 85 Freeview”
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Indeed and the Keiser Report is one of the few programmes on telly actually worth watchibg.
“Stephen, please stop your insinuations”
Don’t you like it when someone responds in kind? I think you will find that I and others who try and put a contra view to the regulars on this blog are on the recieving end of rather more insinuations – well blow me down you end your post with another one.
Worth noting that most successful de facto revolutions in this country have been linked to power struggles between elite groups. We don’t usually call them revolutions, but the usual people got killed. Uzbek is perfectly correct. For a base-up revolution, the bourgeois and the peasants, to use old red terminology, must unite, and for that to happen, the bourgeois must feel hardship first. What we have in this country is not hardship. Or likely to be for some years. On the international historical scale, what we have is mild discontent, and a still-high standard of living for most. But still, even public unrest can influence governments, so the effort isn’t wasted.
I dont know Craig, but you might want to point out that British officials are preparing our military for a strike on Iran.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/nov/02/uk-military-iran-attack-nuclear
Who are they ? How can we be bludgeoned into yet another war where there never seems to be another option except attack ?
this is exactly what Fox and Werrity were up to and here we are already.
What kind of country do we live in.
Are we a vassal state of Israel ??
http://mondoweiss.net/2011/11/freedom-waves-to-gaza-flotilla-leaves-turkey-headed-to-gaza-organizers-it-is-time-to-lift-the-siege-of-gaza-which-deprives-1-6-million-civilians-of-their-rights-to-travel-work-study-develop.html
The Irish yacht Saoirse (Freedom), which carries 15 activists, and the Canadian boat Tahrir (Liberation), which holds 12, will attempt to carry $30,000 in medical supplies beyond the Israeli blockade later this week. ‘Freedom Waves for Gaza’ is the 11th attempt by international activists to deliver humanitarian aid through the Israeli blockade of Gaza since 2008.
Does not Iran have gas and oil? What else is needed to attack a sovereign state these days.
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It has been a while since Iran is being mapped as next target but it seems that NATO first decided to clear up some bases: Iraq, Libya, Egypt and probably Syria. If it is proven that Iran is enriching uranium itself this will be sufficient and will make this war look like morally right unlike war in Iraq. Of course it later can turn out that Iran did not enrich uranium, but who would care after the war.
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The other problem is that Arabs actually support anti-Iranian actions as they are afraid of Iran more than they feel any Muslim solidarity with it.
Ruth I agree and the recruiting lady for the Gaddafi family extraction, Gaddafi’s wife, Safiya, his daughter, Aisha, and his sons, Hannibal and Mohammed, accompanied by their children to Algeria was Sarah Penhold who operates from Kenya, ‘an executive protection and security specialist proficient in a wide range of firearm handling and safety techniques.’
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Gerald – pulled from Occupy Britain group who of course are ahead of the curve – timely reminder EH?
Ruth I agree and the recruiting lady for the Gaddafi family extraction, Gaddafi’s wife, Safiya, his daughter, Aisha, and his sons, Hannibal and Mohammed, accompanied by their children to Algeria was Sarah Penhold who operates from Kenya, ‘an executive protection and security specialist proficient in a wide range of firearm handling and safety techniques.’
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Gerald- pulled from Occupy Britain group who of course are ahead of the curve – timely reminder eh?
MOds 1 brewing plse.
Ruth I agree and the recruiting lady for the Gaddafi family extraction, Gaddafi’s wife, Safiya, his daughter, Aisha, and his sons, Hannibal and Mohammed, accompanied by their children to Algeria was Sarah Penhold who operates from Kenya, ‘an executive protection and security specialist proficient in a wide range of firearm handling and safety techniques.’
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Gerald-pulled from Occupy Britain group who of course are ahead of the curve – timely reminder eh?
Isn’t it surprising Donny, it all happens at once.
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/11/2011112103218454899.html
Bibi and Ehud, very naughty boys indeed, decide to test ballistic missiles, without twelling anyone in the Knesset, now they finally can reach any country within Europe. The Middle east’s sole nuclear power, developed in secret and outside the international NNPT framework or the IAEA inspection regime has become just that little more dangerous to all of us non chosen one’s. They are cheering each other on. What progress indeed, both have their respective bedside buttons, just in case they want to surprise the Knesset with a little bit of nuclear war.
What can hit Iran can also hit Turkey or France, these delivery system will change the balance of power in Europe and our FoI’s will have jack shit control over them.
donnydarko
I put this comment onto a Guardian thread on Syria – surprise, surprise, there isn’t one for the Iran story yet.
‘And meanwhile the BBC has this:
Israel has tested a rocket propulsion system from a military base in the centre of the country, the defence ministry said.
Israeli media reports said a ballistic missile had been fired.
The test came amid speculation in Israel that the government could be preparing a military strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities.
The defence ministry said the test had long been planned. Israel successfully tested a ballistic missile in 2008.
and there’s the new story on the Guardian’s front page about Britain planning back-up for a United States attack on Iran.
No way is NATO going to attack Assad in Syria!
It has quite another fish to fry.
In alliance, of course, with Israel – Atlantic Bridge, anybody?’
I’ve also commented elsewhere in the same paper that an attack on Iran would take everyone’s eyes off the deteriorating situation re the City, the Archbishop’s comments re the Tobin tax, and the situation regarding Greek debt.
By the way, Craig, how did your speech at the Occupy protest go down?
They’ll find the books useful. They can tear out the pages for toilet paper.