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3,629 thoughts on “Amnesty International Conference on Torture

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  • lysias

    At least Lysias, the Irish had the good sense to cut loose, that ball and chain, known as Westminster, even though blood was spilt in the process.

    And the Irish Nationalists acquiring the balance of power position in Westminster in the two elections of 1910 was an important step in that process. I assume the SNP has learnt from the example.

  • Phil

    Poor doors is the subject of the moral maze on r4 right now. Including class war candidate Lisa Mckenzie.

  • RobG

    @Lysias
    11 Mar, 2015 – 7:30 pm

    No, I can’t find any record from last week of Cameron saying anything about Westminster child sex abuse in his statement about a big campaign against child sex abuse.

    I won’t keep giving the various links, but will say that there was an awful lot going on in the child abuse department when Cameron came out with his statement last week.

    After leaving Oxford, Cameron worked for the Conservative Research Department from 1988 untill 1993. In a gossip hothouse like Westminster it’s inconceivable that he wouldn’t have been aware of either the rumours of child sex abuse, or the stuff that was actually published at the time in the MSM.

  • Republicofscotland

    “And the Irish Nationalists acquiring the balance of power position in Westminster in the two elections of 1910 was an important step in that process. I assume the SNP has learnt from the example.”
    _____________________________________

    If memory serves me Lysais, the strapping of a dying man to a stretcher,(James Connolly) which was then stood up on end, in order that that man could be shot by a firing squad, changed public opinion in Ireland, Irish people were appalled by British barbarity of it all.

    Today’s barbarity, comes in the form of austere and cruel Westminster policies, it just requires a swing of 6% in new referendum, in order to kiss Westminster, goodbye forever.

  • lysias

    A lot of things changed public opinion in Ireland, and that was one of them. Irishmen who lived through the shift in opinion have told me that what most shifted opinion was the serious threat of conscription in Ireland in 1918.

  • Resident Dissident

    “Of course the usual suspects would condemn a Christian church. Of course they deny that the Cold War had anything to do with religion.”

    I didn’t do either. I said Putin had used the Orthodox Church for his political ends. Just because I don’t agree with Solzhenitsyn’s views on Putin and religion it doesn’t mean that I don’t agree with an awful lot of other things that he said – he would be the first to accept that it is a healthy thing for those who oppose totalitarianism to have different views on other matters. I also very much doubt that he would give his whole hearted support to Putin today.

  • Resident Dissident

    For those who really want an understanding of the Orthodox Church in Russia and its relationship with the State and KGB I would recommend reading Oliver Bullough’s “The Last Man in Russia”

  • Resident Dissident

    I should add there are many decent Russian orthodox priests some of whom baptised my children – I am agnostic verging towards atheism but my wife isn’t.

  • Resident Dissident

    For those truly interested in finding fascists might I suggest a closer look at some of the politicians and organisations within Russia who are actively encouraging volunteers to go and fight with the rebels in Eastern Ukraine, who incidentally have started shelling Peski today , another village across the ceasefire line

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Bolshevism
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aleksandr_Dugin
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurasian_Youth_Union
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurasia_Party

    And of course all of this will also be a fabrication

    https://www.rusi.org/downloads/assets/201503_BP_Russian_Forces_in_Ukraine_FINAL.pdf

  • RobG

    @Resident Dissident
    11 Mar, 2015 – 9:47 pm

    In the aftermath of a nuclear exchange, as you lay dying in the radioactive ash of a now dead world, you can tell us all about “organisations within Russia who are actively encouraging volunteers to go and fight with the rebels”, etc, etc.

  • Peacewisher

    @Ian: I remember seeing “The War Game” in 1981, and wondering what all the fuss was about. The only reason I can think of that it was banned in 1965 was that it showed British Bobbies turfing normal law-abiding citizens out of their homes. This would probably have been regarded as un-British and upsetting in those halcyon days before terrrism.

  • Peacewisher

    Agree completely about the danger of the hysterical neocon taunting of the Russian Bear.

    All this anti-Russian propaganda would serve one useful (for some) purpose… to make Cameron (v Putin) look like Thatcher (v Galteri), and get the British public behind him for a resounding election victory. Problem is… as was shown today at PMs Questions, he can’t shut Ed up, let alone Putin.

  • Resident Dissident

    RobG

    So you think security will be strengthened and nuclear Armageddon will be reversed if we all ignore Putin’s interference in his neighbours? Do you really believe that the provocation is such that Putin will resort to bombing the children, whores, bank accounts and properties of his oligarch’s here in the UK? Do you really believe that appeasement of Putin will work? And what say do you think the poor Ukrainians should have in this matter? Given that I’m the stupid one I’m sure you can provide all the answers.

    PS I provide links all over the place – do you want some from Russian sources about their Nazi problem or their treatment of the families of those troops killed in the Ukraine?

  • Dave

    @Peacewisher It`s getting stupid now. I noticed the BBC weatherperson today
    is warning about really cold weather and in a heavy tone of voice he announced we will
    be receiving from Russia this weekend.

  • RobG

    I would claim to be sort of neutral about George Galloway, but have to say that when he testified before Congress in 2005 he totally wiped the floor with the neo-con vermin, and this in their own nest. If interested, here’s the famous clip:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6ZJOalMM5k

    Galloway’s testimony before Congress was the last time we ever saw this sort of stuff. Now it would never be allowed; in much the same way, satire like Spitting Image would never be allowed. It goes on and on.

    The video links I post are almost entirely about American activists. Much as I’m critical of America, freedom of speech is still allowed to a limited extent. Following public outrage in the USA, there was some open debate about the Snowden revelations. Even Obama made some statements about it (all rollocks, or course).

    In the UK there was total lock-down: no real discussion or debate and an almost complete media blackout; as there is with just about everything else that’s important to UK society.

    I’m so saddened by what my country has become, and by the vermin who now run it.

  • Mary

    Cameron defends racist oaf.

    ‘PM hails ‘huge talent’
    11 March 2015

    Prime Minister David Cameron has weighed into the row over the suspension of Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson, calling him a “huge talent” and saying he hopes the situation can be resolved so his children will not be left “heartbroken”.

    The TV presenter was suspended following an alleged row with a producer on his hit motoring show.

    Clarkson – who is a friend of the Prime Minister and lives in his Witney constituency in Oxfordshire – today laughed off his latest controversy, telling reporters he was “just off to the job centre”, but said he has regrets about what happened.

    Mr Cameron told BBC Midlands Today: “I don’t know exactly what happened. He is a constituent of mine, he is a friend of mine, he is a huge talent.
    “I see that he said he regrets some of what happened. All I would say, because he is a talent and he does amuse and entertain so many people, including my children who’ll be heartbroken if Top Gear is taken off air, I hope this can be sorted out because it is a great programme and he is a great talent.”

    Asked if the BBC was wrong to suspend him, Mr Cameron said: “I don’t know what happened. Every organisation has to be able to be free to manage its talent and to say to people, ‘you can do this’, or ‘you can’t do that’, so I don’t want to interfere in the running of the BBC.”

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/pa/article-2989190/Clarkson-suspended-fracas.html

  • Resident Dissident

    Peacewisher

    I’m afraid Cameron is pretty much an irrelevance to this whole matter. The real question is what Merkel will do after Putin trashes her ceasefire agreement – I suspect that she will be rather better at handling the mentality of bullying KGB operatives than some here are prepared to give her credit for.

  • Resident Dissident

    “when he testified before Congress in 2005 he totally wiped the floor with the neo-con vermin”

    George has always been pretty good at grandstanding – but might I suggest you read the final Senate report on the matter. If you see him you might wish to ask him where are the accounts for his Gaza charity?

    “In the UK there was total lock-down: no real discussion or debate and an almost complete media blackout; as there is with just about everything else that’s important to UK society.”

    You clearly don’t read the Guardian – although perhaps because it comes to different conclusions from your self then it doesn’t count.

  • RobG

    @Resident Dissident
    11 Mar, 2015 – 10:25 pm

    Your premise works on the assumption that those who rule us (whether it be in Russia, the UK, USA, or wherever) are half way sane.

    They are not.

    The fact that that someone accepts the concept of mutual assured destruction could, in itself, be taken as a sign of insanity.

  • RobG

    @Resident Dissident
    11 Mar, 2015 – 10:37 pm

    I said at the start of my post, which you are referring to, that I’m neutral about George Galloway.

    […cm-org.uk – personal, removed…]

    My main point (which you are sort of reinforcing) is that you would never see this kind of stuff in the media now.

    You live in a police state. Britain is in lock-down, […cm-org.uk – personal, removed…]

    So, hurrah! chaps, let’s launch a pre-emptive strike on the evil Putin (DA, DA, DAH!), because you know that God tells us that we are on the side of good and can win a nuclear war. The RAPTURE IS COMING!

    Absolutely-fecking-insane…

  • BrianFujisan

    RobG

    ” The fact that that someone accepts the concept of mutual assured destruction could, in itself, be taken as a sign of insanity.”

    Well said, or is it that all the insane bastards need, is for the rest of us ( 99% ) to think they mean it… It has of course ( Nuclear war ) almost happened Several times by Accident.

    Anyone welcome to come along to this Anti Trident Demo in George Square Glasgow, 4th April.

    http://www.stopwar.org.uk/events/stop-the-war-events-national/glasgow-protest-scrap-trident-national-demo

  • RobG

    “Your comment is awaiting moderation”

    It’s a shame you couldn’t have done the same at PMQs today.

  • Jumpin' Jack Flash, He's a Gas

    “The fact that that someone accepts the concept of mutual assured destruction could, in itself, be taken as a sign of insanity.”
    _______________

    Not really, RobG.

    Mutual assured destruction kept the peace in Europe for over 50 years.

    So I’d suggest that those who accepted the concept were entirely sane, whereas those who believed in unilateral disarmament were the real nutters.

  • RobG

    @BrianFujisan
    11 Mar, 2015 – 10:55 pm

    Brian, I’m not quite sure what posts of mine are being moderated or not (not censored, but might appear many hours later).

    I just wanted to say how heartening it is to see so many on this blog who are up to speed on this stuff (more so than me). It gives me great hope for the future.

    [cm-org.uk – RobG you’re on pre-mod so bits like what was here can be caught and removed]

    God, what a world we now live in…

  • Clark

    There’s an odd attitude to the Russian state that seems rather prevalent; Russia is entirely peaceful and is no threat to neighbouring countries whatsoever – but might just suddenly do a U-turn and start a nuclear war.

    Those that propagate this strange contradiction also suggest that no one should even question the evidence, let alone actually criticise Russian state policy, lest it encourage [NATO or the NeoCons] and hence BOOM!

  • Peacewisher

    @JJF: Where is the logic in your premise.

    1. There has been peace in Europe for 50 (actually nearly 70) years

    2. For 60 of those we had enough nukes to destroy Europe

    Two statements with no causal link.

    Why (on earth!) should 2 be the cause of 1?

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