The number of people still prepared to defend the Iraq War in public is tiny. The interesting thing is the very strong correlation between those people, and those prepared to pretend to give credence to the farcical sexual allegations about Julian Assange. Zoe Williams Guardian piece about what a jolly good chap Blair is I find breathtaking. War crimes like Blair’s result in terrible anguish for millions. I am prepared for purposes of argument to believe that Williams’ anguish for female victims of crime is genuine; why she can’t extend that to the tens of thousands of women who were raped because of Blair’s Iraq War, or had the still worse agony of seeing their children killed and mutilated I don’t know. Nick Cohen is just very, very sad. I just hold up these two in the hope that those deceived by feminist political correctness into following their lead against Assange will see to what they are subscribing.
Rather a side issue, but even if we accept Zoe Williams view that dead Iraqi children don’t matter, she appears not to have noticed that Blair introduced tuition fees, academies, kick-started NHS privatization, allowed the banksters’ bonanza leading to worldwide economic crash and oversaw the greatest widening of the gap between rich and poor in British history.
“There have been huge anti banker/austerity demonstrations/protests/riots going on in Spain since before the Arab Spring, pretty universally ignored by the media because it doesn’t suit the preferred narrative.
I’m trying to decide if this is new footage or from last month. It’s got a tag saying 53 cities:
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=762_1397160302
I’ve found this piece in today’s Mail Online but nothing anywhere else:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-105333/Demonstrators-riot-Spain.html
Anybody know? ”
The Liveleak footage come from last month’s riots which were well covered by the “MSM”.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-26703528
The Daily Mail piece dates from 2002. Clues are in the reference to the European Council meeting in Barcelona and the shooting of Carlo Giuiliani which happened in 2001.
From people who claim to do their own research that was a pretty poor showing.
Ignore the question, “is it happening?”, Kempe. The answer doesn’t fit your preconceptions:
http://www.thelocal.es/20140411/no-more-police-violence-protest-austerity-spain
http://america.aljazeera.com/opinions/2014/4/spain-anti-protestlawcitizenssecurityausterityevictionsmarinaled.html
That’s enough Spain. How about Belgium? BELGIUM???
http://euronews.com/2014/04/04/anti-austerity-pro-jobs-protest-in-brussels-turns-violent/
Quebec? QUEBEC???
http://www.newshour24.com/world/1ze3qs5aho/Thousands-Quebec-Students-Protest-Austerity-Measures.htm?ModPagespeed=noscript
Obviously, those wacky Greeks who for some inexplicable reason think they’ve been shafted –
http://www.timeslive.co.za/world/2014/04/09/greece-comes-to-standstill-as-workers-strike-over-austerity
A strike’s not a protest? How about a car bomb?
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/apr/10/bank-of-greece-hit-by-car-bomb
More as required….
John Goss, they often remind me of hyenas. They attack in a mob, lunging and snapping from all sides, wearing their prey down.
Take a break, ignore them, discuss something else.
For example ….
Don’t look here, look there.
An often overlooked aspect of the media is their power to ignore a story. They lie, distort, and invent to spin their illusions, but just as effective is their ability to prevent a story becoming news.
Don’t report it, don’t mention it, fill the void with trivia. It doesn’t matter if a million people witness an event – if there’s nothing on the news the next day, no way of finding out what happened next, no spreading the knowledge of the event, then it fades and dies.
Supposedly, a Tunisian street vendor sets himself on fire and the world’s media embark on a non-stop full spectrum news frenzy of popular uprisings – public squares filled with demonstrators and bleeding civilians pressure for change which doesn’t stop till several Arab leaders have been replaced. Yet in Europe, since before the start of the Arab Spring and continuing after it, millions have marched, demonstrated, and rioted in Spain, in every city, occupying squares for months on end, true popular uprisings supported by all strata of society, yet most have never heard about it.
Kempe 11 Apr, 2014 – 1:02 pm
“From people who claim to do their own research that was a pretty poor showing.”
Agreed. Thank you for the info.
“A Node, thanks for that. Yes it never makes it onto our media because they do not want us to know. The same is true of Bosnia. On fire but the MSM press are absent. It is why we need the alternative press and writers like Binoy Kampmark.”
It is of course not true that the MSM are absent
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-26086857
It is worth noting that NewsPostJunk – uses the same photos as the BBC, but unlike the BBC doesn’t attribute them to Reuters and AFP, who last time I checked were part of the MSM. One must question the editorial values of a newssite that uses/steals MSM photos and whose editor then criticises the MSM for not being present.
While I sympathise with the protestors in Bosnia, I would be vary wary of the spin being put on matters by the writer, who seems to be keen to present the view that there is no discontent in the much more authoritarian Serbian part of Bosnia and who in a linked previous article came up with this whopper:
“Chetnik leader Draža Mihailovic, who was betrayed by British ploys of misguided hope and accused of treason by Josip Broz Tito when Yugoslavia came into existence during the Second World War.”
Yes – we betrayed the Chetniks and favoured Tito’s partisans – although the writer conveniently forgets that one reason for this was their collaboration with the Nazis even after we had supplied them with some weapons – read Fitzroy Macleans book for full details. What next rehabilitiation for the Utasha?
” Ignore the question, “is it happening?” ”
The suggestion was that there is a widespread conspiracy amongst the MSM to hush up ongoing riots in Spain. Evidence provided included an article over ten years old!
Rubbish as usual.
…. and thank you too, Ba’al Zevul
Before I go and do some work, let me clarify.
The MSM don’t completely ignore big stories, they have to retain some credibility. It’s how, and how often the stories are reported that determines whether they become a story or a non-story.
Make a celebrity murder trial top of every bulletin for a month and it’s a story.
Do an occasional piece about Spanish hooligans just before the sports news, and it’s a non-story.
I’m outa here
John, RD, Anyone…your thoughts?
“American history records another crime against its own people – the Great American Holodomor, also in 1932-33, when the USA lost millions of citizens.
You will not find any critical resolutions on that, just like you won’t find anything on the genocide of the indigenous people. American politicians don’t give passionate speeches on the subject, no “memorials” are built to mark the anniversary of mass annihilation. The memory of this is hidden in fake statistical reports, in archives, cleared of all evidence of the crime, attributed to the “invisible hand of the market”, glossed over by songs of praise to the genius of President Roosevelt, and the joy of community work, organised by him – not that different in essence from the Gulags or the construction of the Baltic Sea Canal.
If you believe American statistics, in the 10 years from 1931 to 1940, 8,553,000 people were lost.
An attempt to get access to demographic statistics is followed by many surprises right away: statistics from 1932 were destroyed – or hidden very well. They just don’t exist. No explanation is given.”
From, http://www.sott.net/article/267900-Where-did-Americas-missing-millions-go-Holodomor-lessons-from-the-Great-Depression
Not at all A. Node. Relevant to your argument may be this:
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2014/04/morocco-unions-protest-austerity-plans-201446131645914944.html
I’m guessing more Google hits and greater variety of outlets than any European/Canadian protest. Being in the Maghreb, it’s brown people and therefore nothing to do with us. And maybe another wonderful Arab Spring in the making?
The only Western-read MSM to have stories on the Spanish protests in the first two pages returned from a Google search for ‘austerity protest spain'(This Week), are al-Jazeera and the Huffington Post. Maybe a conspiracy, maybe not. Pretty slack reporting by Murdoch, though, innit?
Hint: These alternative news sites usually give the game away by the photos that they steal – just copy the photo and do an image search in Google and bingo you usually find that there exclusive content was already reported by MSM – they just make the assumption that everyone is as daft as they are.
“not that different in essence from the Gulags or the construction of the Baltic Sea Canal.”
Which planet do you live on? Please don’t advertise your ignorance.
Hint: These alternative news sites usually give the game away by the photos that they steal – just copy the photo and do an image search in Google and bingo you usually find that there exclusive content was already reported by MSM – they just make the assumption that everyone is as daft as they are.
No. Actually you’ll find most of them come from agencies – AP, AFP, Reuters etc. Who are simply interested in newsgathering. Correlation does not imply causation.
On the MSM (corporate media) it’s all Mr Nel and Mr PissedAureus. Also the royals’ trivia from ‘down under’. We even had a bit from the BBC crawler Witchell that P George, on arrival in NZ, was wearing ‘a cream cardigan with matching shoes’. Another YCNMIU. P George’s mama resembled one of Mr Branson’s cabin crew.
It’s actually a PR offensive to keep the people in the relics of the ‘Empire’ clapping and cheering some nonentities.
I repeat:
“The only Western-read MSM to have stories on the Spanish protests in the first two pages returned from a Google search for ‘austerity protest spain’(This Week), are al-Jazeera and the Huffington Post. Maybe a conspiracy, maybe not. Pretty slack reporting by Murdoch, though, innit?”
This may imply that ‘alternative’, or more accurately non-state-approved, media are in fact more widely read than the Times. Which need not surprise us.
ELSO
Thanks. I wondered which of the conformity enforcers’ cages would be the first to be rattled by the mere mention of the Great American Holodomor .
…
Here’s something else I’m wondering about.
Now that our leaders have pissed off the Russians so well that they are thinking of turning off the gas it’s just as well we can be reassured with the promise of Uncle Sam’s gas instead.
Too bad this American dream has about as much substance as the other one.
http://real-economics.blogspot.ie/2014/04/exporting-natgas.html
Sofia
I am still waiting for your explanation as to why the community work organised by Roosevelt was in essence not that different from the Gulags and the construction of the White Sea Canal.
I shall but down your belittling of the Ukrainian Holodomor to childish ignorance for the present.
Oops! I posted another of those dreaded “alternative” news sites.
Those who feel afraid for me when I cast their eyes on such heresies can rest assured that I have visited both them and MSM for years and can still make up my mind.
ELSO, you should try a few, before they get banned for being off-massage.
http://euronews.com/2014/04/10/yield-hungry-investors-clamour-for-greek-bonds/
Why are they clamouring? Because they promise high yields.
Why high yields? Because they are crap bonds with which Greece is postponing judgement day.
What will pay for the yields? More austerity for the next five years.
So it goes.
ELSO.
Re Gulags.
I’ve got stuff to do right now, but in the meantime try doing a bit of homework.
First do a search on US prison system. Let’s gather some data and I promise I’ll get back to deal with you.
I dip in and out of this blog to read Craig’s thoughts and those of the more rational commentators. The best thing that Craig or the Mod could do to improve debate and the standard of this blog would be to remove Mary with her ranting and divergence, followed in swift succession by Habbabkuk.
Both are absolutely infuriating. Ignoring their posts becomes such a chore when Mary’s posts often consist nothing but of slurs, often snidely referring to Jewish ancestry as if it was a crime, and O/T posts aimed at demonstrating the latent evilness of the Tories. That would be bad enough if Mary’s posts were not followed and replied to by Habbabkuk with his inane and pedantic questioning of Mary and everyone else who he has taken umbridge with.
Honestly you both are as bad as each other for derailing this blog. Get a grip!
At the very least could others express that they find them both tedious? I can’t be the only one?
Cheers, Mick
Yet, ANOTHER incarnation….seemingly objective…..
Tactics; they are Legion.
Oh of course challenge Mary and I must be Habbabkuk in disguise. I can assure that I am not and that my criticism of him is as genuine as that of Mary.
Mick
“The best thing that Craig or the Mod could do to improve debate and the standard of this blog would be to remove Mary with her ranting and divergence, followed in swift succession by Habbabkuk.”
_________________
Or, alternatively, remove Mary (and perhaps John Goss, the Impudent Squatter) and then hold on for a while to see how Habbabkuk reacts/behaves?
Sofia; Thanks for that on the Great Depression. The scaled-back pop growth indicates more than self-imposed birth control. The people from this period were used to seeing high child mortality rates, so their answer was to have many, just in case.
I had not heard this before now. Only Native American Holodomor seems worse, as it was deliberate starvation rather than convenient starvation.
Mick
Perhaps deal first with the action before moving on to the reaction?
” At long last, have you no sense of decency?”
Habbabkuk, I think your pedantic questioning and targeting would simply alight upon someone else if Mary was removed. Besides have you been in receipt of repeated warnings from the previous mod, Jon?
“Did I do good, Coach?”
Great link, Sofia. Meticulous and detailed criticism of the fracking hype, with sources. Pity it’s not in the Daily Mail, but they don’t do that sort of thing…so let’s forget about real world economics and comfort ourselves with the Mail.
Basic economics primer on the same site: the creation of money by the power of thought alone is regarded as a given by every finance house on earth, but usually ignored by anything likely to be read by the lumpen proletariat –
http://real-economics.blogspot.ie/2014/03/money-creationthe-mind-is-repelled.html