I am delighted that a new canpaign has started today against the state enforced child slavery in the uzbek cotton industry, especially as this campaign originates in Germany, where a significant portion of society appears to have finally woken up to the reality of the German government’s appalling complicity in the Nazi style regime and atrocities of Karimov.
However in the UK it remains the case that since the coalition government came to power, there has not been one single government statement on the human rights atrocities in Uzbekistan or – even more damning of our sham democracy – one single statement or question from New Labour.
I apologise to all those who were offended by my use of offensive swear words, English or German. I shall try Spanish or Portuguese next time for what little I remember.
except to the person it was directed at.
@ Uzbek in the UK. Switzerland, although having been forced to change somewhat with regards to tax avoiding US citizens is holding the criminally/fraudulently received monies of many countries.
It is said that those who have fleeced Greece and the EU since their accession to the EU, could easily bail out Greece if they’d really love it or wanted to. They could pay all of Greece’s debt in one foul swoop.
Jenny – thank-you for your post; that was indeed a mine of information, ad rem. From the Uzbekistan Embassy archives I was decidedly curious to read the following:
BUS Chairman Dr. Hartley Booth OBE in his speech said that he was very proud that he had contributed and is still doing so to the development of bilateral trade, economic and cultural relations with Uzbekistan. He read congratulatory messages from Her Majesty’s Ambassador in Uzbekistan HE Mr. Rupert Joy, as well as former British ambassadors to our country Mrs. Barbara Hay and Mr. David Moran.
In particular, in his message Ambassador R.Joy noted that despite its long history and rich culture, Uzbekistan is a young country, which has built its identity as an independent nation in an often unstable neighbourhood. He stressed that the UK Secretary of Defence’s visit to Uzbekistan in late February of this year sends a strong signal of HMG’s readiness to take bilateral relationship to a higher level.
In his speech, Member of the British Parliament from the Conservative Party, Member of the Board of Directors of the “Tethys Petroleum” the Rt. Hon. Peter Lilley noted a significant expansion of the range of people and organizations in the UK interested in cooperation with Uzbekistan. He stressed that our two countries were important to each other.
According to him, the Central Asian region is attractive to Britain for three reasons: 1) geopolitical position between the superpowers (China, India, Russia and the EU); 2) key role in rebuilding a stable Afghanistan; 3) potentially significant market for exports and opportunities for investors.
In this context, MP highlighted the role of Uzbekistan as a country of crucial importance. He drew attention to the advantages of our country, such as the largest population, the most diversified economy, educated and skilled workforce. He emphasized that “Uzbekistan is the most independent from its neighbors, politically stable and a robust opponent of extremism”. The MP also highlighted the advantages of Britain, which remains one of the largest investors abroad, and leader in the fields of trade and services.
Mr. P. Lilley shared his vision of the historical factors that influenced the level of economic relations between Uzbekistan and the EU in general, and Britain in particular. He also noted the existence of objective differences between the two countries, in particular, in history, geography, climate, cultures, religions, political and economic systems. At the same time, he said that “we have all the more to learn from each other”.
In this regard, he called for raising awareness about the opportunities for mutually beneficial cooperation, available in two countries, opening up EU markets to goods from the Central Asian countries, as well as encouraging direct investment by UK and other EU companies in Central Asia.
BUS President Lord Fred Ponsonby congratulated all the participants on the anniversary of diplomatic relations and stressed the current positive dynamics of bilateral cooperation in all fields. He said that as President of the Society, he would continue to make every effort to develop and strengthen friendly relations between our countries.
These facts are somewhat enlightening and may form part of a dossier of dirt I will use to challenge the Rt. Hon. Peter Lilley at his surgery in Harpenden on 1st March this year.
Nevermind
I have never heard of flea returning sucked blood to their victims. Have you? It is against nature (both business and natural).
@Mark – good luck with digging the dirt on Peter Lilley.
As for Lord Frederick Ponsonby, president of the British-Uzbek Society, he’s a Labour peer, supposedly one of Lilley’s opponents. Party politics goes for a Burton when the cameras are off. The Ponsonby family also goes back a long way in the royal household.
Ponsonby was a UK delegate to the Council of Europe, the WEU, and the OSCE, and is a director of Aladdin Oil and Gas Company. My guess would be that he may well not be completely naive where the doings of MI6 are concerned.
The info about Richard Moir is interesting. Can this guy from the British-Uzbek Society really be the same person as the Richard Moir who is the partner of Corinne Souza? Souza has written some very worthwhile books and articles in which she has revealed many things about MI6 that weren’t previously known.
It’s not just Gerard Depardieu in France, or Belgium, or Russia, or wherever he is. The vile Karimov regime wields influence in Britain too.
It’s long been my ambition to be first with the news on this blog. And, glory be, now I can!
It has just been announced that Michael Winner has died.
A great and humorous man, he raised a lot of money for police charities. Wrote a good column in the Sunday Times, too. He will be sorely missed (or should that read ‘surely missed’?).
Agreed UzbekitUK, you have to catch and squash them, then share the blood…
Michael Winner – he’s the guy who applauded after Jean-Charles de Menezes was shot dead, and boasted about how his mother lost 7 million quid in a casino, saying “that was a lot of money then; it’s nothing now”. Why on earth would someone admire someone like that?
Mark Golding
I presume that no one in British Parliament, British business circles and Tories in particular give a toss about Human Rights issues in Uzbekistan. Bearing this in mind I would concentrate my challenge on the issues of business and economic cooperation with Uzbekistan.
I would be very grateful if you could challenge Peter Lilley on my and other Uzbekistanies behalf on the following:
In his future vision of economic cooperation does Lilley see any mechanisms on influencing Karimov and his gang to respect international law and what sort of real (not artificial) guarantees they can provide to investors from EU and Britain in particular. How would Lilley and his Tory gang guarantee European (and British in particular) investors that they would not end up their Uzbek Visas cancelled and kicked out without any further rights to their property. On other matter can you please remind Lilley that Slavery was abolished in British Empire in 1843 and ask him how would he guarantee that Uzbek government stop using slave labor on cotton fields which if continue might compromise future possible European (and British in particular) investments in that country. I understand that Lilley and others in Britain (and EU) do not give a toss about law in Uzbekistan but certainly using slave labor in cotton fields would compromise any possible future investment in textile (one of the most attractive possible investment) industry in Uzbekistan. Otherwise foreign investors face charges of being complicit in slavery which contradict many European Laws and English Law in particular.
More British atrocities for CM and friends to ignore.
I urge fans of the consummate saxophonist & confusionist Gilad Atzmon who here lamentably often trumpet their enthusiasm for his bizarre extemporisations racial & political to read this. It may prompt the better informed if world-weary to laugh. Laughter in the face of such sinister folly is, of course, never enough:
http://is.gd/ppq0Zl
I caught sight and sound – quite accidentally – of a television today, it appeared tuned to Z-BBC, briefly mentioned was more inquiries into Dennis McShane’s creative accounting.
Proposed British investment in Uzbekistan or wherever is simply money that could and should be invested in the beleagured British industrial economy. I take it the ‘range of people and organizations in the UK interested in cooperation with Uzbekistan’ would be bankers replete with every penny they could possibly suck out of this country, past, present and future. Just how we do export domestic service ‘industries’ such as burger-flippers, florists, bookmakers, manicurists, retailers, life coaches or feng-shui artistes?
I agree N_ – a friend Alison, serving in the Met at the time said this:
Tragic death of two police officers today leading to 9 police shot and killed in 20 years. However, calls for the police to have more guns are ludicrous (especially if they are led by Michael Winner”. Jean Charles Menezes? Mohammed Abdul Kahar & Abdul Koyair in Forest Gate? Anthony Grainger? James Ashley? Harry Stanley? This is to say nothing of Ian Tomlinson, of course. Fewer guns are needed not more.
Also, the outrage about police being shot and killed is interesting. Like the armed forces, they, bravely, sign up for dangerous occupations to protect us, in the most part. However, they know the risks as opposed to innocent people walking home from work, getting on the tube or staying in their flat who get shot. The outrage should be reserved more for those who sign up for nothing, that is the ultimate tragedy especially when the people who shoot them are supposed to be protecting them.
Noid, why should we ignore the atrocities of the so called allies?
Off course some will say,’but they were all Nazi’s’ and shut us up, but facts are such, as yet uncorroborated as US and UK records were destroyed, that some 300.000 emaciated german soldiers ended up in trenchers they dug themselves and were kept there under guard, in the open come rain, sun or cold, on starvation rations until they died.
The records are available in the Genever archives of the re3d cross, but it refuses to give access, even to scholars.
There, we mentioned it, again.
Today in Washington, the rhetoric was empty, the voice was too high pitched and strained and the applause was muted. The youngest daughter was seen to yawn for an enormously long time. That said it all. Then a young female bawled out My Country ‘Tis of Thee. The best thing was the poet, a Spanish immigrant and his work.
http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/01/21/3192582/cuban-exile-mother-of-poet-laureate.html
Beyonce follows! That is probably what the crowd is waiting for but hopefully wearing some warmer clothes than these.
http://cdn.idolator.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/09/beyonce-2007-amas-400×300.
Jenny, thanks for the enlightening post (top of page). I agree with Mark Golding about what a mine of useful information it is. It does not surprise me one little bit that the Zionist law firm for whom Hartley Booth was once a partner is the firm that handles Tony Blair’s financial affairs. Blair seems to be attracted to Booths, though I had respect for his father-in-law, Tony Booth, (one of the old school Labour) who opposed Blair’s war in Iraq). Loved too the series ‘Till death do us part’ with Warren Mitchell.
As to BUS I notice the branch is in the West Midlands. Wonder if they would make me welcome!
John Goss
Did your papermaking trail make Japan and China, with wet-stacked tissue paper, water-tank presses, and all kinds of vegetable fibre and slime? I doubt you could make it across Birmingham by bicycle in the present snow, but maybe another time.. ?
A good article on Noam Chomsky’s contributions from the Dissident Voice website.
[..]One of remarkable things that Chomsky accomplished in his life was to bring deep insight into the insidious role of the mass media in manipulating public perception. He showed how the corporate establishment has become very adept at ensuring that the public is kept ignorant or is misinformed about the real effects of Government policy. He noted how hard it is to counteract the machinations of centralized corporate propaganda. This has never been more true than at the present time. There is a huge gap in perception created by Obama’s PR machine as a progressive brand and his real actions. Those who don’t question and see the real actions behind the rhetoric are carried by PR images and slogans and are easily caught up in the faux opposition between the two parties. During election season, the masses are carried into carefully crafted, emotionally presented and generally overblown domestic issues. Issues such as the growing US poverty, banker lawlessness, illegal wars and corporate welfare are simply not allowed in pre-election discourse.
In the larger historical view, the convergence of economic and foreign policy between both parties has been taking place for some time. Some Democrats may be aware that Clinton was just as responsible as Reagan for sowing the seeds of the current demise of the middle class and rise in power of the corporate feudal system that is nearing its devastating conclusion. After all, WTO-NAFTA, ‘welfare reform’, and the lifting of Glass-Steagall protections against bank corruption occurred on Clinton’s watch. Yet, few progressives want to admit that Democratic presidents are generally selected by and work for the same bosses as the Republicans. Dick Cheney himself lavished praise on Obama’s performance not long after he took office. He could never have imagined a Democrat so effectively implementing what amounts to a furthering of the neocon agenda.
[..]
http://dissidentvoice.org/2013/01/noam-chomsky-from-the-strategic-mind-to-the-radical-politics-of-imagination/
Macky:
“@Fred, I find the use of coarse language/ phraseology both juvenile & unpleasant, and in my view brings down this Blog to the gutter level of others. I ignored the disgustingly vulgar language you directed at lme recently, but I now see that you continue to use it even when not directed at me.”
Macky, seconded. In fact i recall that last remark to which you refer and was very concerned that you would dignify him with a response. In the event, you did respond and i remember thinking that you actually dignified yourself by ignoring the vulgarities.
Yes this morning i was pounced upon for saying the same thing as him. We will see if he has the courtesy to correct himself.
—
Re the Krishnamurti video, it is heartening to meet someone who thinks/feels similarly. I don’t know how familiar you are with his work/teachings, but would happily recommend you to the foll website and specifically this video which is one of four parts of a conversation incl Rupert Sheldrake in his younger days and David Bohm the quantum physicist:
http://www.jkrishnamurti.org/krishnamurti-teachings/view-video/the-roots-of-psychological-disorder.php
(Everyone should see this. Pls. don’t be fooled by the title as the world is in utter disorder. many of us here, even some of the rude ones, are more like-minded than we realise. K’s work has the power to elevate and catalyse human understanding. Its a pity that so much time and energy is wasted hire with the egocentric bickering that goes on.)
Look forward to our constructive exchange.
“Fred are you arguing for or against what i said?”
I’ll take that as a yes then.
Uzbek
I see where you’re coming from, the merchant bankers are responsible for a lot of the evil in the world.
But I think blaming the Swiss for drug runners is a bit like blaming the Royal Mail for poison pen letters.
“Yes this morning i was pounced upon for saying the same thing as him. We will see if he has the courtesy to correct himself.”
Well if you really want it spelling out, you, Macky and Habbabkuk, I don’t see an ‘apeth of difference between the three of you, three of a kind as far as I’m concerned.
Two Conservative stooges in the HoC fed Gove today to enable him to put out Holocaust propaganda and an outrageous statement that somehow linked ‘prejudice and anti-semitism’ to what is happening in North Africa. WTF?
Richard Harrington (Watford) (Con):
I am sure that Ministers will be aware that Holocaust memorial day will take place this week and that the work of the Holocaust Education Trust has been commended by this and previous Governments. Are they also aware that the Lord Merlyn-Rees memorial lecture will take place this evening here in Parliament—in the Attlee suite—at which the former Foreign Secretary, the right hon. Member for South Shields (David Miliband), and Mr Danny Finkelstein of The Times will speak? I hope that Ministers will implore their constituents and colleagues to attend.
Michael Gove:
I look forward to listening to both the right hon. Member for South Shields (David Miliband) and Mr Finkelstein of The Times this evening. Let me place on record my gratitude to the last Government for instituting state support for the Holocaust Education Trust, and particularly to my predecessor as Secretary of State, the right hon. Member for Morley and Outwood (Ed Balls), for the courage and commitment that he showed to the fantastic work of the HET. I extend my congratulations also to its chief executive, Karen Pollock, who is an inspirational public figure and richly deserved her recent recognition in the honours list.
~~~
Bob Blackman (Harrow East) (Con):
Some 18,000 young people and teachers have had the opportunity to visit Auschwitz thanks to the wonderful work of the Holocaust Education Trust. Does my right hon. Friend agree that we should commend those who are organising events across the country to commemorate the awful evil of the holocaust, and that it is important that all young people learn the lessons from the past so that it is not repeated in the future?
Michael Gove:
I absolutely agree, and at a time when we are seeing the effects of prejudice and anti-Semitism on the rise—all of us will have been watching news programmes over the weekend horrified at the re-emergence of murderous prejudice in north Africa and the middle east—we will all affirm the vital importance of the work that the Holocaust Education Trust continues to do.
Jenny – Corinne Souza is able to convincingly argue that the NY World Trade Centre might still be standing and the lives of 3000 murdered people saved but for that massive failure of SIS to successfully nurture and produce a new generation of British intelligence officers capable of convincing their case officers that the same objective may well be achieved without using nefarious and treacherous apparatus and methods.
I point my finger at case officer Sir Mark Allen who allowed Moussa Koussa to leave Britain for Qatar after his corruptly acquired assets were unfrozen in record time. Yes, Allen believed Koussa would have taken serious risks to benefit Britain, yet he (Allen) ignored the torture disclosures and SIS complicity from whistle-blowers like Craig Murray and colluded on Koussa’s behalf in the kidnap and rendition of a Libyan national who, with his pregnant wife, was returned to Libya, imprisoned and tortured.
No one outside a small group has access to raw intelligence except in edited form and I know the SIS tap phones illegally and I can reveal the phone-hacking scandal which collapsed the News of the World would have been ring-fenced to it. The debacle discussed by Craig and here at length over special adviser Adam Werrity which led to the resignation of Defence Secretary Dr Liam Fox did immense damage to the work of some SIS case officers.
Yet I have little regard for the old boy network nor ‘modern’ recruitment of young maths/crypto adept school-kids – we know here they end up in a sports bag. I admit my faith was poisoned by Sir John Scarlett when he lied us into the illegal Iraq war. And to the Syria case officers I say this: you want get near Asma al-Assad I’ll make sure of that.
Fred:
“Habbabkuk’s posts are bad, Habbabkuk’s posts are bad, they direct our attentions inwards towards ourselves where there is nowhere to go but up our own arseholes.”
Repeat: “they direct our attentions inwards towards ourselves where there is nowhere to go but up our own arseholes.”
FRED’S LAW OF SELF-KNOWLEDGE! POETRY!!
@Habbabkuk (18:33): Appreciate your continued correspondence.
You highlight the methodological difficulties – arguments on the merit and degree of any of the elements in any of the categories might extend forever. Rather than a thumbs up/ thumbs down ruling even on each of the categories, we would have to decide which category was the more important. This would entirely depend upon your viewpoint, both in terms of being an insider or not, and which period we were talking about.
A country might be vicious in foreign policy, but benevolent at home. Or, it might be peaceful in foreign policy, but rather more strict on domestic policy because it wants to preserve resources for future generations. These categories can play against each other even given the most well meaning of governments. It makes little sense to look at each in isolation, government needs to act as a parent, trying to reckon the best long term future of its guard. Government, however, always looks to expediencies, cronyism and populism, and will rarely make itself unpopular for the long term good – probably never in a democracy.
*
May I go back to the evenness in distribution for a moment. A system is perceived to be more fair when it is even handed, even where what is distributed is meagre. Problems seem to rise in society not when conditions are hard, but when the people feel they are not getting what they expected.
In British and American society now, we have people in near poverty living alongside the immeasurably rich. People are starting to go hungry, and require foodbanks, for the first time in the best part of a century here. At the same time, others are so wealthy they simply do not know what to do with it, other than meddle in politics, servicing their own greed in the process.
Yet the lifestyles of the hugely rich is being SOLD to the underclass as entertainment, in trashy magazines, tabloids, and appalling TV shows. The notion that you might join this class too one day, by somehow becoming the CEO of a multinational, or winning the lottery, or being told your Real Reward will be in the Afterlife ©, can only keep them in line so long.
*
Sorry, I digress. The marks in each element of the category will only seem significant if they apply to _you_, as an individual. If the number involved is large, society will seem more unfair (oppressing a significant race/ religious/ political contingent). For instance, were the ancient Greeks uncivilised? Despite inventing democracy, and establishing most of the forms of everything we consider civilised, they practiced slavery. Nothing now could be considered more unjust.
But we have slaves now – they make our clothes and goods, we just don’t have the courage to look them in the eye, the way the Greeks or Jefferson did for that matter.
Let’s get to your sections, maybe I can introduce some structure to my reply just a little. The above was an attempt to respond to your enumerated points.
A – The UK’s treatment of its own people.
Very good summary of basic rights and liberties, but disparity between upper and lower classes is probably just as great here as in India. Not the super-rich compared with dirt-poor Indians, of course, but the top and bottom, say, 20%.
The biggest problem (in my mind) is the mass of workers on minimum wage – the very least the law allows an employer to get away with – which has become the standard wage in a large way. A “living wage” is distinct from the MW by being about 50% higher. The “living wage” (at about £300/ week) also compares very favourably to state old-age pensions (at about £140/week). We’re telling pensioners that they should get by on less than half of this “living wage”.
Benefits for the very poorest workers mean the employer can get away with the minimum wage, and the difference is provided by the taxpayer. Not the rich, of course – they hardly pay tax, nor do major corporations. So the poorest are subsidised by this “squeezed” middle class. A minimum working wage is almost indistinguishable from benefits – this amount having been determined as the least one can live on.
Human rights have taken a severe knock in the GWOT too, but this post is getting too long.
In fact, I’d better leave it there and return to the other two points in due course, with your permission.
The twerp P Harry has finished his killing mission in Afghanistan and admits to doing some firing. What a clever little chap to be able to line up the co-ordinates and then press a button. He has not moved forward since he was there last time when he returned wearing a motto on his baseball cap which said ‘We do bad things to bad people’.
Now he says ‘”If there’s people trying to do bad stuff to our guys, then we’ll take them out of the game.”
How revolting but his Daddy is proud of him.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-21119727
@ Glenn_uk : thanks! Take up the two the points at your leisure and then I’ll come back. If you feel like it, can you revisit your 1st para as well, I’m not quite sure that I fully understand what you’re getting at?
@John Goss – agreed regarding Tony Booth.
Lauren Booth, Tony Blair’s sister-in-law, is also a very decent person of principle, who I am absolutely sure would support a prosecution against Tony Blair for war crimes.
I thought that the inauguration ceremony today in Washington was rather fine, a good spectacle and even somewhat moving. The new President’s speech contained some elements which, if transformed into action, would improve lives and (apologies for the cliché) make the world a better and safe place. Most commentators thought that it eschewed empty rhetoric (to the extent that this is possible in a speech on such an occasion) and wwas both more practical and pragmatic than his first one. The President’s delivery, as always, was almost flawless. The crowds – large, despite the bitterly cold weather – were enthusiastic and, as far as I could see, moved on occcasion. It(s true thaat the President’s younger daughter yawned at one stage, well into the proceedings, but only a sour, barren spirit devoid of much human warmth – a fanatic spirit, almost – could really criticise her for that or draw any conclusions therefrom.
I noticed a post from Mary referring to the neocom agenda, and her next referring to Michael Gove.
This is all the flimsy excuse I need to remind anyone who needs reminding that Michael Gove, George Osborne, and Ed Vaizey are all self proclaimed neoconservatives. This knowledge helps me to understand their motivation.