I am in Tbilisi at the moment, where I spent this early morning drinking tea with some of the 2,000 strong Yazidi community. They see their religion as much more closely descended from Zoroastrianism than appears in most accounts I have read.
I very much enjoyed a visit to Tsinandali which was most useful for gaining a Russian perspective of the Great Game. I don’t have my books with me and am suffering a mental block as to whether it was Connoly, Abbott or Malcolm who visited Tsinandali. I had not realised that Griboyedov was married to a daughter of the house, Nina Chavchavadze. The murder of Griboyedov, Russian Ambassador in Tehran, by a mob rates little more than a footnote in British accounts of the Great Game, even though the British had bribed the religious authority to stir up the riots. What revisionist history there has been, has come from the Iranian side and falsely tried to obscure the fact that the refugees Griboyedov was sheltering were runaway slaves from harems.
This is a neglected recurring theme. When Shuja agreed the treaty already negotiated between Macnaghten and Ranjit Singh, the main stipulation he sought to add was that the British would return to him any runaway slave girls. The immediate motive for the ringleader of the attack on Alexander Burnes was that Burnes had refused to intervene to return a runaway slave girl who had sought the protection of another British officer. My fellow anti-imperialist historians have in general been guilty of emphasising rapaciousness by the British in these incidents and overlooking or excusing the slave status of the girls. Both aspects need to be faced squarely to write honestly the full facts of history. Tellingly, it is generally impossible to recover names of the girls involved.
Griboyedov deserves to be remembered for much more than his murder. An accomplished playwright and poet, he was a friend of Pushkin and had links to the dissident groups who attempted revolution in 1825. His murder left Nina a widow at either 17 or 19 by different accounts, and pregnant. She lost the child on hearing of her husband’s death, and never remarried. It is a tragic story which came alive to me in visiting the family home.
Griboyedov had fought Napoleon in the 1812 campaign, but had helped those Napoleonic adventurers Allard and Ventura evade a British blockade and go into service with Ranjit Singh. Griboyedov’s successor as Russian Ambassador to Tehran, Simonicz, had actually fought on the Napoleonic side against Russia, presumably in the Polish Legion. Nina’s sister was to marry a Murad nephew of Napoleon. The political elites of Europe melded quickly after the convulsion.
With which clumsy segue I shall note that the battle against the entrenched political elites of the UK appears to be going extremely well without me. I cannot express without a welling up of real emotion how happy I am that all I have been saying about the stultifying neo-liberal consensus and exclusion of dissent, and appalling burgeoning wealth gap between rich and poor, has found such massive traction between Jeremy Corbyn in England and the SNP in Scotland. I may have gone AWOL for a few days, but the cause of social justice appears in extremely safe hands.
Yvette Cooper tells us that we need new solutions to the problems of today, not old solution to problems of the past.
Shows how out of touch she is.
The problems that working and unwaged people are facing now are exactly the same as my parents told me they suffered in the 20s and 30s. They are also the problems my grandparents and their parents faced back through history.
They are about jobs, reasonable pay, decent working conditions, proper housing, education etc.
My parents told me about the savage Tory attacks on welfare “The Geddes Axe” for example in the 20s and the misery they caused. About the betrayal of working people by Ramsay McDonald and Philip Snowdon.
What goes around comes around.
There is no point Yvette Cooper trying to conjure solutions out of thin air and hoping to convince us. It is pie in the sky. Jeremy Corbyn represents reality and hope for ordinary people at the present time. That is why he is so popular.
Hullo Glen
i did omit a link for my post @ 11;52 pm last night…i most often Do link to Info sources, Especially if it’s not my own words… maybe i was jumping in and out too much…trying to catch a few persides, make a wish or two 🙂
Anyhoo here be the source for my migrant Post –
http://stopwar.org.uk/news/10-truths-david-cameron-should-know-about-the-migrant-crisis-before-he-opens-his-mouth
Mary, And Ba’al…Re Chilcot Blair ect –
Families demand to know why Tony Blair sent their loved ones to kill and die in Iraq –
” The legal action comes after David Cameron urged Sir John to hurry up with his findings.
But at least 29 families spearheading the legal battle claim the decision not to set a deadline for the publication of the final report is ‘unlawful’.
Roger Bacon, whose son Major Matthew Bacon, 34, died in a roadside bomb blast in Basra ten years ago, said: ‘We have lost our sons, daughters, brothers and sisters and if we don’t get answers as to why they died, it will all have been a waste of time.
‘It is morally reprehensible to keep delaying the publication of the report.
‘It is utterly incomprehensible that the inquiry has been going on for six years and it is still not finished.’
More @
http://stopwar.org.uk/news/families-plan-legal-action-to-find-out-why-tony-blair-sent-their-loved-ones-to-kill-and-be-killed-in-iraq
John, and Nevermind Cheers… i’ll Post up later on a New Alternative Therapy/Treatment, in that it may help others.
Would ye Adam and Eve it… A glorious summers day.
Authentic in almost every detail, Macky:
http://www.lefigaro.fr/actualite-france/2015/08/13/01016-20150813ARTFIG00004-tel-aviv-sur-seine-plus-de-300-policiers-et-gendarmes-sur-lequi-vive.php
Though the random airstrikes seem to be missing.
Err – Snowden
http://www.lexpress.fr/actualite/monde/proche-moyen-orient/tel-aviv-sur-seine-un-evenement-indecent_1706534.html
‘Indecent’ from a French source, means pretty damn obscene. The article goes to town on the presentation by Israel of Tel Aviv as in some way dissenting from the national, neanderthal, consensus.
Mary
13 Aug, 2015 – 9:46 am
“PS Where is Werritty?”
……………………………………………………
And where is Patrick Rock?
Macky, “That rather a mean-spirited & rude remark to make; it was obviously not Brian’s own words, as he does have a rather distinctive style; instead myself & others were thanking him for presenting such relevant information to a current debate, even if he forgot to source it.”
It wasn’t “obviously not Brian’s own words” – at least, not to the people who congratulated him on such an “excellent post”. I don’t think the praise was for an excellent cut-and-paste, do you?
“Instead of picking him up on this, and simply dismissing the information as “rubbish”, it would be much more constructive if you could explain why you think it’s rubbish.”
I didn’t say it was rubbish.
“BTW You haven’t responded to my point about your conflating the issue of refugees with migrants, nor commented on my expressed belief that countries responsible for wrecking others countries should take in at least their fair share of the resulting refugees, nor addressed the many points in the Seamus Milne piece that seem to counter your own povs.”
I didn’t know I was obliged 🙂
Seriously though, I was putting some points to John. He didn’t address them, nor did you. The side issues you raise are another topic of conversation, obviously.
Brian – no harm, dude. Sorry if it looked like a personal pop, it wasn’t intended that way.
Saint Fred says, in his ever kindly and eternally just manner, “Only in your dreams retard.”
A good thing indeed that St. Fred is beyond all reproach, or all of his numerous admonishments about name-calling would naturally apply to the sainted Fred too.
That’s why I win, Glenn. 🙂
I think it’s great that Corbyn is raising the issue of Blair’s war crimes (thanks @Mary for the link), even if I think he should do it in a stronger and less mealy-mouthed way.
He’s said that it was an illegal war. He’s said that people who’ve committed war crimes should be tried. Well that means Blair (and Brown, Prescott, Straw, Hoon and the “queen”) should be tried, so say it out loud. Don’t let “war crimes” become another boring political phrase that goes in one ear and out the other. We are talking several hundred thousands of deaths that these murderous criminals in the British and US governments caused. They shouldn’t get off with community service. This isn’t about point scoring or “politicking”. I believe even General Peter de la Billiere has suggested that Blair “could” be tried for war crimes. Credit where it’s due.
Why is Corbyn expressing respect for the Chilcot inquiry? Or is this a Torygraph manipulation of his words? According to the Torygraph,
“Mr Corbyn, a long-standing critic of Mr Blair, said that with the Chilcot inquiry report coming, the former prime minister was reaching the point when he was going to have to deal with the consequences of his actions.”
What???
The Chilcot inquiry is a classic case of “Mr Poshy Sir will look into it”.
If the left doesn’t understand the underlying point about Britain here, then we need a new left.
Of course the Chilcot report won’t say that Blair, Brown, Straw, the “Queen” etc. should be arrested and prosecuted for war crimes. Don’t live in cloud cuckoo land. Don’t let’s wait until it releases its report until we suss that. Don’t let the enemy decide the pace of battle. Time is everything. (Ever wonder why so far the enemy has always won?)
Here are the members of Chilcot:
– “Sir” John Chilcot, Whitehall mandarin and former member of the Butler Review that said the “intelligence” on which the decision was made to invade Iraq came from another country but wouldn’t say which one (clue: that shitty little ethnic-supremacist regime in the Middle East that packs enough nukes to wipe out the major cities of both the US and Europe)
– “Sir” Lawrence Freedman, a “military historian” at King’s College London – i.e. an SIS house bullshitter. This fucker helped write speeches for Tony Blair
– “Sir” Martin Gilbert, another fucking right-wing “historian” who supported the invasion of Iraq and claimed that George W. Bush and Blair may one day “join the ranks of Roosevelt and Churchill” – and he didn’t mean in the dustbin of history
– “Sir” Roderic Lyne, former Ambassador to Russia and to the United Nations in Geneva, once private secretary to John Major – this isn’t an honourable man like Craig who blew the whistle; this is some piece of dirt who’s known which side his bread is buttered on throughout his snot-nosed “life”
– “Baroness” Prashar, a crossbencher, member of the Joint Committee on Human Rights (decided about Guantanamo or “rendition” yet?), and the current chairwoman of the Judicial Appointments Commission – a job for a “safe pair of hands” if ever there was one
Every last one of these “inquirers” cocks around with an honour they’ve received from the “queen”. The first thing it reminds me of is the
board of the BBCBBC Trust. And they’re going to send the police in to arrest Blair, Brown, Straw etc., are they?Let’s call a spade a spade…
gotta get out into the Garden .. But first…
this is great from Chunky features..
it’s also so Sad, that it’s all true – what he says Re Bliar’s Iraq, Annihilation…Cameron’s Libya Annihilation, his Syria Annihilation in Process.
” Tony Blair – you will be ANNIHILATED!!!”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=267&v=6fE-le0bDaA
Glenn; “I don’t think the praise was for an excellent cut-and-paste, do you?”
Surely I can’t be the only one awake on this blog !? 😀
Glenn; “I didn’t say it was rubbish.”
??; that’s certainly the rational inference from your;
“Now I wouldn’t like to say Brian was simply parroting rubbish he’d heard… more like copy & pasting something he’d read.”
And no, you’re not obliged to reply to anything, but your continuing postings on this issue seemed to indicate rather a keen interest on the topic, so midly surprised you didn’t.
For those perplexed by Patrick Rock, whose prosecution for child abuse disappeared, presumed shot down by a BUK, completely, you are not the only ones.
https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/trial_of_patrick_rock#outgoing-466508
Re Tel Aviv-sur-Seine, in the interest of fairness, they should also host Gaza-sur-Seine; once in, you can never leave ! Great for people trying to lose weight as food will be rationed to the minimal to keep you alive, it should be complete with snipers to shoot anybody trading to get into any boats, and of course any ball sports will come with the bonus of attracting naval shellis.
Kezia Dugdale a contender for branch manager of the London Labour office in Scotland has furiously backtracked on her remarks that Corbyn is a divisive figure within the Labour party.
Dugdale realises that by attacking Corbyn she’s turning would be voters away from her corner, in her attempt to be branch manager.
Meanwhile Corbyn is in Aberdeen today preaching to the masses, hoping to make inroads on the SNP, and their grip on Scotland.
As I said previously I hope Corbyn does well south of the border, and he probably will for a very limited period. In Scotland however I hope he goes down like a lead balloon, there’s no room in a newly politically awakened Scotland for a false messiah.
By that I mean no slight on Corbyn, what I mean is if Corbyn is elected leader of Labour, the infighting in Labour will just intensify, making the party even less able to mount a coherent challenge to the Tory deconstruction of a fair society.
Scots who seek independence musn’t buy into Corbynmania.
“And no, you’re not obliged to reply to anything, but your continuing postings on this issue seemed to indicate rather a keen interest on the topic, so midly surprised you didn’t.”
To tell you the truth, I’m still unsure about the whole issue. It’s very large and complex, with a number of seemingly contradictory elements at play. So I haven’t fully thought the whole thing through. There are a number of valid, but conflicting, angles.
Btw, the word “Rubbish” was introduced by Suhayl, not me. My comment was that I wouldn’t call Brian’s C&P “rubbish”, if you look.
Asian, European and US markets dropped sharply yesterday as China cut the value of its currency (Yuan) for the second day in a row.
Despite China’s central bank giving assurances the market wouldn’t drop, it did.
The devaluation is the biggest in 20 years.
Inside sources claim China is devaluing its currency to help its export market, which supports millions of Chinese jobs.
“there’s no room in a newly politically awakened Scotland for a false messiah”
If Scots decide to take part in a political process that’s taking place beyond their own backyards they should surely be commended for their vision. The referendum result was surely an indication that most Scots do not share your inward-looking nationalism.
More today from the Telegraph about W A R
is that reporting of the “OVERMATCHED” word [a north american verb it seems – “A contest in which one opponent is distinctly superior”
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language], in a Putin/NATO confrontation, strictly on-message Torygraph guys?
In fact, as some un-patriots claim that UKUSA have lost all recent wars, against ‘rag-heads’, what does this “OVERMATCHED” mean when you’re committed to going against a bunch that play death chess, instead of Public Relations? just askin. . . who’s great idea was this 5$B investment to start a new war in Europe. . .
@Republicofscotland 1:50 pm
the Yuan (Renminbi) has actually been devalued each day for the last 3 days in a row, now down around 4.5%, some commentators suggest that PBOChina are aiming at a 10% devaluation, others claim that its now likely to trigger more QE all round and an Extension/Protection to the ZIRP –
What worries me more than all the above was that I randomly listened to BBC Radio4 extra this lunchtime and was shocked to hear the voice of Wilfred Pickles – in a ‘comedy-duo’ about coffins with Harry H Corbett; stepping on my toes, Don’t the BBC read Wikipedia? – it alleges that Pickles was an active Haut de la Garenne/Jersey botherer, the BBC did promise to investigate in 2012 – but as they are obviously transmitting his works – presumably a well-paid committee cleared him of all wrongdoing?
“If Scots decide to take part in a political process that’s taking place beyond their own backyards they should surely be commended for their vision. The referendum result was surely an indication that most Scots do not share your inward-looking nationalism.”
__________________
MJ, inward looking nationalism, that’s a good one, remind me again MJ of the EU in out referendum the British government propose in the near future.
Independence will free Scotland from the restraints of Westminster, Holyrood is moving in a different direction, in a plethora of policies from immigration to renewable energy.
Only independence can fufil these policies and many more, nationalism in Scotland isn’t about turning inward, it’s about turning outward towards internationalism through none constraints.
War criminal Jack Straw says that Jeremy Corbyn’s position as Labour leader would be difficult, because he wouldn’t command the confidence of the parliamentary Labour Party.
That’s OK – if any Labour MPs don’t support the policies that will go in the next manifesto, put there by the party, they don’t have to stand for re-election, do they?
Has any journalist got the guts to make that point to his lordship?
YouKnowMyName, the BBC have no shame, the staute of a naked boy adorns the headquarters of the BBC.
According to the press the sculpture Eric Gill’s diary reveal that he molested his two daughters, and calls for the statues to be removed have been voiced.
The BBC are having none of it, I loathe linking to the DM but they have indepth report on it.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2313057/BBC-urged-remove-sculpture-naked-boy-outside-Broadcasting-House-creator-raped-daughters.html
Regarding the Yaun the US have complained for years that the Chinese have kept it artificially low to give Chinese exports a unfair advantage.
The government is to override councils over fracking.
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/aug/13/government-will-step-in-if-councils-dont-fast-track-fracking-applications
Cobalt Blues.
The water table will be contaminated during fracking.Not that the fracking spiv`s care because its all about greed.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfRVyGmSo5U
N_ : Very good point. But further than that, they can (and should) be kicked out of the party if they’re actively working against it. IMHO, nothing but a full Stalin-esque purge of Blairites and all their various stooges is needed.
Recall that when Foot was leader, a bunch of miserable right-wingers who should never been in the party in the first place (the notorious “gang of four”) had a massive hissy and left to form the SDP. That caused such a split not only in the Labour party itself, but in the vote between Labour/SDP, that the wretched Tories were able to get re-elected. Foot’s Labour party was actually leading the Tories in the polls before their traitorous work.
If labour apparatchiks don’t like the democratic process wherein Corbyn is elected as the most popular candidate, they are under no obligation to stick around. If they are actually tories, they should try to get elected as one, there will be plenty of genuine Labour candidates to replace them.
WTH is Blair and his cronies to go telling us to abandon hope of electing a genuine socialist, because it will cause ructions? They need to shut up and sit down, and accept the leader that gets voted in. What they are threatening is simply blackmail – that they will attempt to destroy the party if they don’t get what they want.
YouKnowMyName
13/08/2015 2:20pm
You mean Wilfrid Brambell, not Wilfred Pickles.
No allegations about Wilfred Pickles as far as I know.
Brambell was the co-star of Harry H Corbett in Steptoe and Son. I will be very sad if I can no longer listen to that brilliant comedy, but that’s life. I switch Michael Jackson off whenever I hear him played on the radio.
Kind regards,
John
The government is to override councils over fracking.
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/aug/13/government-will-step-in-if-councils-dont-fast-track-fracking-applications
TY Dave. Never mind. The income from the vast ocean of oil* that will ensue will be put in a sovereign wealth fund to benefit the
hedge funds who own shell companies inthe North.*It’s GREAT for the climate…
http://www.theecologist.org/blogs_and_comments/commentators/2950111/david_cameron_is_losing_the_plot_on_climate_change.html
Seumas Milne, the only decent journalist left at the Guardian, writes:
It’s not migrants who are the marauders and plunderers
Britain has no refugee crisis and Europe’s can be managed. But western wars have driven it
Migrants and refugees are hemmed in by riot police at a stadium on Kos on 12 August.
12 August 2015 http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/aug/12/seumas
~~
Why doesn’t he get out of the Guardian like Jonathan Cook?
Felicity Arbuthnot is fired up on the same subject.
British Government Racism: Europe’s Shame?
08/12/2015
http://dissidentvoice.org/2015/08/british-government-racism-europes-shame/
Thanks JSD it seems that it’s time for a holiday when I can no longer distinguish a Brambell from a Pickle!
As for the comedy, I always associate Steptoe with those sorts of dull, grindingly ‘boring’ Sundays so perfectly wonderfully captured by Tony Hancock & team. Although I was (really) shocked to hear this dead accused on the BBC, I think there’s a slight risk of condemning an alleged historic crime with today’s punishment, when in fact the tariff should of course be the relevant one at the time of the alleged offence, [promotion to floor 7 at the Beeb, dinner with the Prime Minister and an OBE presented by a fellow minor royal!]