A government which claims the right to kill its own citizens with no judicial process on the basis of the vote of 24.4% of the qualified electorate, legislates that workers cannot strike without the support of 40% of their qualified electorate because strikes can inconvenience people. Not as inconvenient as being sliced to pulp by flying metal, I should have thought.
David Davis, a decent Tory, said that some of the provisions of the Trade Union bill are Francoist, and he was not exaggerating. You can read the dispassionate official analysis of the bill by Parliament staff here. One of least publicised yet appalling aspects of the bill is the arbitrary power given to an anti-strike witchfinder, the Certification Officer. He is specifically given the powers of the High Court to compel individuals to give evidence or produce documents, and to make arbitrary judgements.
That extreme authoritarian stance is reflected throughout the bill. It is more publicised that notice must be given of picketing, with names reported to the police and identifying armbands worn, with letters of authority from the union to be there which the Bill states must be produced not only to the Police but to anybody who asks on request. This gives employers a whole new avenue of harassment of strikers.
The provision that 14 days notice must be given of any strike is obviously designed to reduce the effectiveness of strike action. The right to bring in agency staff to replace agency workers is not in the Bill, but the parliamentary staff analysis indicates it is intended to bring that in under secondary legislation – power delegated to the Secretary of State. That obviously is designed to combine with the 14 day notice to make strikes ineffective. The regulation of what individuals say about the industrial dispute on social media is so repressive as to verge on the incredible.
It is obvious the Tory government serve the agenda of corporatism, pure and simple. But it is perhaps surprising they are so entirely open about it. If you do not have the chance to withdraw your Labour, you are a slave. In the days of real slavery in Jamaica, foremen or gangmasters were generally slaves themselves (as opposed to the southern United States where they were generally poor whites). Very often the black gangmasters were extremely brutal to the slaves under them, imparting floggings with gusto to try to cement themselves in the favour of their white masters.
That is the function that token Muslim Sajid Javid plays in this Conservative government, flogging the workers with more gusto than his Old Etonian masters would dare to do. Plus they wouldn’t want to get blood on their trousers. Javid is a most enthusiastic Uncle Tom determined to tick all the establishment boxes. He certified the Trade Union Bill as compatible with the European Convention on Human Rights, when it is plainly in contravention of Article 11. But his most spectacular effort to fit in with his Tory masters came at the Conservative Friends of Israel where ignoring completely the terrible suffering, humiliation and repression of the Palestinian people, he declared
“Mr Javid, who described himself as a “proud British-born Muslim”, announced that if he had to leave Britain to live in the Middle East, then he would choose Israel as home. Only there, he said, would his children feel the “warm embrace of freedom and liberty”. For him, only Israel shared the democratic values of the UK.”
Sajid Javid promotes measures rightly called Francoist because he is a person it is perfectly reasonable to call a fascist.
Sajid Javid Hankers After “Israel’s Warm Embrace”
Which raises the question of how Blair and his confederates were able to take control of Labour. And the answer to that question is suggested by former Blair crony Robert Harris’s roman a clef The Ghost (and the movie Roman Polanski made from it): the machinations of the CIA, and the untimely death of John Smith.
Ignore mainstream media. Treat them with the contempt they deserve.
Appeal directly to people, in public meetings and through social media.
That’s Varoufakis’ advice.
Most people support Corbyn’s policies, particularly in terms of renationalisation of public utilities and transport.
Ignore the servants of corporate power.
Speak directly to the public.
They’re paying the bills.
‘Almost every single one of the 317 MPs who backed the radical crackdown was a Tory.
Labour and the SNP opposed the Bill while a handful of remaining Lib Dems, including former leader Nick Clegg**, abstained.
Others didn’t vote on the bill, partly because the Commons has a system in which an MP from one side agrees to abstain if another can’t make the vote.
Those who couldn’t turn up included David Cameron, who was visiting Syrian refugees at a camp in Lebanon.’
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/how-mp-vote-trade-union-6446709
** the disgusting Tory collaborator, Cleggover, named for the number of legovers he claimed to have achieved.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/nick-clegg/11285161/Nick-Clegg-taunted-by-Harriet-Harman-over-30-lovers-claim.html
Owen Jones’s The Establishment describes how the Thatcherites took care to be very generous to the police while neoliberalism was being established as the governing ideology, and then, once it was well and truly established, they and their successors became considerably less generous towards the police.
Looks like the rulers still feel the need to stay in the good graces of the employees of GCHQ and its sister agencies.
Snowden shows how much just one malcontent among those employees can incommode them.
Are we just going to see political palaver until 2020?
Interesting to watch the live debate on tax credit cuts. The Labour Party actually opposing. And quite a few of their backbenchers enthusiastically joining in and seeming to discover some Mojo. Many more Labour MPs in the House than usual, and distinct absence of the Blairite “faces”.
I suspect the Blairites may find they don’t have the parliamentary labour party as wrapped up as they believe.
Yes, Pan.
The British political landscape does look horrifyingly corrupt.
RepublicofScotland,
You are normally very astute. the Corbyn strategy is obviously to return policy-making to the wider party members, then secure his policies over the next 18 months or two years through those mechanisms, and then make his Shadow Cabinet stick to them. He has to keep some semblance of unity in the meantime.
I have to confess that I find the attitude of almost all my fellow believers in Scottish Independence, who are almost as will as the BBC to attack Corbyn, disturbing.
Lysias –
Thank you, again.
This time for “Roman à clef”.
I had to look that up on Wikipedia. Can’t tell you how useful that it is to me.
@youknowmyname
“he hard cold electronic identities of the *actual people* present at a demo are, of course, routinely recorded by the police & agencies using a device known as a ‘StingRay’ or ‘fake base station’ with a range of kilometres from point of deployment (all according to previous Guardian articles). Its use may well be legal in the UK, I don’t recall its use either being approved publicly or challenged openly – bit of a grey area?”
Yes GCHQ has been sticking up masts near mobile phone masts for a number of years.That way they get round the legality of not tapping directly into the mobile masts.They still have to apply
for planning permission to put up their masts. Nod wink.
“Those who couldn’t turn up included David Cameron, who was visiting Syrian refugees at a camp in Lebanon”
He must have spoken to someone from Hezbollah!
Still watching tax credits debate. Despite wanting to encourage Corbynite Labour, I have to say Eilidh Whiteford is clearly several classes better than anybody else who has spoken. Brilliant.
O/T Sky News are now debating whether Jeremy actually sung the National Anthem or just mouthed the words. Also why did he accept a packed lunch meant for the veterans.
They were being handed out by youngsters wearing Costa sweatshirts (nothing like a bit of free advertising by Grand Metropolitan, Costa’s owners, at a solemn service of remembrance for the ‘Few’) and JC was offered one FFS.
MJ
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/picture/2015/sep/14/steve-bell-david-cameron-visit-lebanon-cartoon
🙂
You got his name wrong anyway. It’s Jaded Savage.
Thanks for your research Mary!! And yes, Craig, the Indys slagging off Corbyn is disturbing. He may be a Unionist, but he’s bringing the fight to the Tories in a way not seen down South in a long time.
“I have to confess that I find the attitude of almost all my fellow believers in Scottish Independence, who are almost as will as the BBC to attack Corbyn, disturbing.”
____________________________
Well Craig it’s not an attack on Corbyn per se, well no personally, I’m trying to get a feel as are many other pro-indy folk in Scotland, as to where Mr Corbyn stands on Scotland’s position, I know he’s coming up to Scotland soon, with the hopes of winning public confidence back and along with it votes for Labour.
That in my book is a threat to Scottish independence, though recent polls put Labour in Scotland, trust and worthiness at an all time low.
Mr Corbyn’s political sway with people could upset the possibility of a future referendum in Scotland, though Kezia Dugdale’s credibility factor is very low.
We’ll give it a bit of time and see what direction Mr Corbyn takes, as you say he may have to appease in order to get things done.
I do agree he’s the best man for the job, down with the Blairites.
The first real Labour leader in many many years, speaks to the TUC:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jUJVTnANkR0
“Mr Corbyn’s political sway with people could upset the possibility of a future referendum in Scotland, though Kezia Dugdale’s credibility factor is very low.”
There isn’t going to be another referendum any time in Jeremy Corbyn’s life time.
There would be no point in another referendum, referendums are only any use if both sides agree to abide by the result. What would be the point of another referendum when it’s obvious if the Nationalists lose they will just say “well ignore that referendum and hold another one”?
Meanwhile I see Edinburgh University has dropped four places in the rankings, Glasgow dropped seven.
James Cartlidge arguing that tax credits encourage perverse incentives and dependency fits into the Tory “aspiration” narrative. The Tories won’t be happy until their race to the bottom meme has the electorate crawling in the gutter in the name of competitiveness.
The most oppressive part of employment is the inability of people to resign, not strike. Both Labour and Tories have made it so you can’t get job seekers allowance for six months if you resign.
And employers will say you left of your own accord when they get rid of you – so they don’t have to pay notice. That happened to me.
The situation is most serious in jobs where health and safety is compromised… who’s going to stand up to an employer when the alternative to doing what they want is destitution?
If there was a proper free market in Labour – not underpinned by compulsion and withdrawal of the means of subsistence (benefits) – then employers wouldn’t be able to treat employees like muck.
Read this and check the other leaders out be for you throw the first stone.
https://theintercept.com/2015/09/12/accusations-anti-semitism-jeremy-corbyn-nothing-anti-semitism/
A couple of days ago RobG commented that the deficit has doubled since 2008’s crash.
Gordon Brown took the flak for the banking collapse and it looks to me like Corbyn is there to be blamed for the next one coming.
So what do banks do with the stolen cash? It gets laundered and used to pay for anything you can blame on Saudi or Qatar in the way of furthering Israel’s colonial dreams, castration of Iraq, evacuation of Syria, disembowelment of Russian interests in the mediterranean and the Ukraine.
I know it’s not and never has been politically correct to suggest that US and UK saddle their citizens with the war debts of Israel, but the advent of Corbyn puts political correctness in the bin. It’s time for straight talking while the condomed red and blue neo-cons are struggling with the winds of change.
Many creepy little new Con MPs reading from handouts supporting the tax credit cuts.
Damian Hands responded pp Gideon. Nondescript. Replaced Michael Mates.
Another one recording large donations received. It’s like the US.
http://www.theyworkforyou.com/regmem/?p=24782
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damian_Hinds
Now the vote.
It might not be perfect but any rational person would rather live in Israel than any other country in the region. For a Muslim to say this was seen as beyond the pale by the far-left and they have been fuming about it ever since. There’s a sort of paternalistic, faintly colonial feel to the way they they direct Muslims how to think, especially from Mary who called Javid a “traitor to his people”.
In the next UPR it will be interesting to see Britain try to reconcile that bill with its commitments under ILO Conventions 87 and 98. The 3rd cycle is next year, is it?
If the bill becomes law, it seems unavoidable that Britain must denounce both conventions, which in turn are inextricably tied to the UK’s human rights commitments under ICESCR Article 8. Hope the opposition asks whether Cameron intends to take that step! To go down the path he’s on, Cameron doesn’t just have to withdraw from the ECHR, he has to repudiate instruments that are requisite for state sovereignty. Cameron is contemplating a withdrawal from the international community that invites comparison with Enver Hoxha.
An interesting feature of Nazi labor policy:
Ayes 325 Noes 290
Very depressing for those dependent on tax credits for survival. Mothers who go out to work on low pay will not be eating properly so that the children do not suffer. Several instances were quoted from the Labour benches where workers like nurses and teaching assistants will be £35 a week worse off.
Why not electronic voting instead of the archaic traipsing out and back?
You are a twister as well as a racist, Anon 1.
I said ‘A traitor on many fronts including his working class origins.’
His father was a bus driver or did you not know.
This son of a New York City bus driver is not pleased to learn that.