1) Scottish Independence
2) Freedom for Julian Assange
3) A genuine, public inquest into the murder of Dawn Sturgess
4) Recognition of the State of Palestine
5) Genuine moves towards a paradigm shift in wealth distribution here and across the globe
6) Radical action on climate change
7) The decolonisation of the Chagos Islands
I obviously do not claim that as a comprehensive analysis of the ills of the world; it contains both individual cases and aspects of the widest scale public policy. It is however an indication of the areas where I expect to be expending my own small budget of energy and activism in 2020. What are yours?
I do hope you are all enjoying family and friends in a refreshing festive season. I know it can be a stressful time; mine has not been. I think the implications of an unbridled right wing populist government in Westminster took us all a little time to process. I feel fully refreshed now, and ready for the fight.
Independence for Scotland is something I neither support nor reject, and climate Armageddon is modern day Miasma garbage.
But unification of Ireland is now realisable and desirable. My best New Year wishes to most who come here…_
i can believe every major science organization, the scientists at exxon in the 70’s and 80’s, or i can believe diggeruk and the fossil fuel ad campaign. tough choice.
Miasma garbage.
I am glad you belong to the same school of thought as President Trump. You should be biggly proud.
DiggerUK
How about democracy? Do you support that. The SNP have won the last 9 elections in Scotland.
How about the right to self determination do you support that?
How about treating a nation like a colony? Is that more your thing?
Amen to all that. My hope south of the border is that electoral politics does not revert back to being a choice between different shades of rightwing warmongers.
1) Scottish Independence. I take it that the referendum question must be along the lines of:
Do you want your constituency to secede from (i) the UK, (ii) Scotland, (iii) both, (iv) neither?
2) Freedom for Julian Assange: yes.
3) A genuine, public inquest into the murder of Dawn Sturgess: you are probably right.
4) Recognition of the State of Palestine: no business of mine.
5) Genuine moves towards a paradigm shift in wealth distribution here and across the globe. What, redistribution of wealth from (say) Scotland to (say) Mali?
6) Radical action on climate change: yeah – hang the crooked preachers of Repent and Atone or You Will All Burn in Hell.
7) The decolonisation of the Chagos Islands. I don’t know much about it but my sympathies are with those poor souls.
I think we should make it illegal for politicians to say anything untruthful or misleading and that they have to fully disclose information when asked to do so (so no lying by omission either) The penalty could be 7 days in jail.
I’ve never been allowed to do any of the above in any job I’ve ever held and my lies would have been MUCH less important. Politicians are exempt from laws on truthfulness in advertising, they can libel anyone from the chamber, laws on how they treat their employees don’t apply – they have guidelines instead. They can smoke indoors, drink at work and snooze it off on the benches whilst supposedly working too.
So, Stage 1, all laws apply to politicians as with everyone else, Stage 2, implement law as in para 1.
Having guidelines and committees on ‘standards’ doesn’t work, too many of them simply can’t be trusted for us to have blind faith…
It would be nice to see politicians being held to account over their bs in real time
And who will decide what the “Truth” is?
‘The ultimate consistency, is Truth’ – Edgar Allen Poe.
I was just thinking about Julian Assange and wondering what I could do to assist so visited your page once more. With much respect, I would place freedom for this disgracefully mistreated man above Scottish Independence every day of the week.
Caratacus,
Well I would too. It is the most heinous portrayal of everything, we believed was true of English Justice, since well before 1066.
It makes us English, look nearly as Disgusting as The Religious Maniacs who instead of just killing them, we sent on boats West to America. We just wanted to get rid of them to have a bit of peace. I accept we did the same to the cheap petty criminals…We sent them to Australia…
Julian Assange, who had never done anything wrong, though he probably did conive with some “Intelligence Agencies”, came back to England, thinking it was a safe place. He didn’t do anything wrong, except tell the truth.
I think he has been completely betrayed by not only us British, but even more so, by his own Australian Government all of who’m have been infiltrated, by the most evil b@stards on the planet. – The American CIA.
They make even our useless MI5/6 and Mossad look good in comparison.
The Americans Get No 1 – for the most evil B@stards on The Planet.
Us British don’t come close. At least we have a conscience and mutter stuff about hearts and minds, whilst bombing millions of innocent people to hell, to steal their stuff, now under the direction of The Americans.
Why not just buy, develop invest, and educate. It would save a lot of grief, and an enormous amount of money, that is not doing anyone any good by killing innocent people on their land to steal.
It is completely immoral too.
Tony
Free Julian Assange tomorrow – easily done, Scottish Independence soonish would suit me too.
Freedom for one person above freedom for 5million currently and countless future generations – really?
yes
Bruce H
Yes you just confirmed you are a British Nationalist with a colonial mindset.
I’d like to see Cyprus completely condemned as an international pariah and those vile Israeli sex abusers locked up. Not a chance of either!
I’d like to see Turkey out of Cyprus, to be honest.
What has that got with anything? It’s not a question of liberation, but rather of giving even more power to the Cypriot Greek state, which has just proven so corrupt in excusing Israeli teenage rapists.
Craig, may I wish you and all your contributors a very Happy and Prosperous New Year. I certainly support your wish for Julian Assange’s freedom. The State’s treatment of him is truly disgusting and belays the belief that we live in a democracy that respects the rule of law (as opposed to rule by lawyers).
If it was really the lawyers who were ruling, I doubt if this would be happening to Assange. The true responsibility lies with those who give the government lawyers their orders.
I share those wishes too for the wider community. I would add:
Public ownership of the media, banks and essential services.
Sadly I have to be realistic and know with Boris Johnson as Prime Minister of a government with an overall majority few, if any, of these wishes will be realised. Assange’s freedom has to be a number 1 priority. The UK is like the tinpot states we used to criticise for imprisoning innocent people.
Just one criticism I’d better get out of the way before the New Year. I found it uncomfortable, as a Christian, to see Pussy Riot high on the bill of Doune the Rabbit Hole, or even on it at all. If anybody behaved in such an offensive manner in a mosque, quite rightly they would be criticised, not elevated. There I’ve now said what I’ve been thinking for a while.
Anyway Happy New Year to my Australian and New Zealand friends and everyone this side of that time zone when 2020 comes.
1 & 6.
Independent Scotland takes radical action on climate change by banning all further oil and gas extraction from the North Sea.
Excuse me whilst I take myself off to A&E and have my sides sewn back together.
The gas can be used, preferably as part of a hydrogen energy economy. Oil will become more valuable the longer it stays in the ground, and should be used not for energy but for certain high tech applications such as in medicine.
Don’t think through anything, no need: future Scotland will run on fairy power during low sun / low wind periods, or go back to the Middle ages.
it’ll run on something other than fossil fuels, or places like australia will create hordes of refugees. you can’t eat oil, or drink it. but by all means believe in the fairy tale that we can all just keep on acting like climate change isn’t happening.
Despite the recent political events in the UK, I don’t think those are unrealistic.
The November US presidential election is the biggie, obviously. If Sanders wins the Democratic nomination(big if), although should Elizabeth Warren drop out her support probably transfers to Sanders(?), that result, followed by a victory in November can literally change the world for the better. Assange may be in jail in the US by then, but his prospects for early release will rise dramatically.
Trump /Pompeo appear to be angling for war with Iran (in 2012 Trump predicted Obama would start a war with Iran to win reelection). Huge danger for Boris Johnson in joining in such an insane military adventure against such a large powerful foe, backed by the Shia dominated Iraq. Not least with the Scottish independence issue and Brexit trade negotiations likely to result in new tariff and quotas(best case scenario) hurting Scotland’s economy.
Johnson could end up all but handing Sturgeon independence on a plate , if she bides her time.
obama is quietly supporting warren through his former staffers. i think she is another clinton.
She is exactly that (another Clinton). Her mealy mouthed flip-flopping speaks for itself.
There won’t be a war with Iran. Trump will draw back, because the risks are too high. And the US will be humiliated, because Trump blew his top over the sack of the US embassy in Baghdad. The US is seen to be weak
If they were going to do war with Iran they would have done in it 2012. They’ve had multiple opportunities since then, and have never done it.
And of course this crisis in Iraq has nothing to do with Iran. The US bombed an element of the Iraqi armed forces, which the US is supposed to be allied with. It’s only in the propaganda that this militia is supported by Iran. When you get to believe your own propaganda, you’re lost.
An Important list indeed.
I feel sad every time I think about poor tortured Julian
To add to the list –
BBC Kicked out of our Independent Scotland
The UN gets Some Spine and get a grip of Israel for it continuing war crimes against Palestinians, and Syrians.
I’m heading out now for Hogmany..
Have a healthy and Peaceful 2020 Craig.. and Everyone Here.
Here my predictions for where we’ll be next year
1) No Scottish Independence, but lots of subject changing from the snp and blaming for Boris Johnson for no referendum
2) No freedom for Julian Assange, poor sod will still be in exactly the same position
3) the murder of Dawn Sturgess thoroughly flushed down the memory hole
4) Palestine becomes uninhabitable for Palestinians, settlers take to outright murder
5) wealth inequality becomes so extreme as to be unfathomable, possibly a banking collapse
6) No action on climate change
7) No change for the Chagos Islandsr
8) Israelis allowed to commit rape as they see fit – oh no that’s this year
Happy new year guys. As in “don’t expect one”
I’ll add to that.
If Johnson gets his Clean Break No Deal -well be out of a Trade deal with the EU.
I agree with most ideals on here so Corbyn was Assanges best hope in the UK.
Sanders in the US.
What we have witnessed in our election is that even a mediocre version of Keynesianism is not allowed.
It ( as the MSM have quoted and assisted in ) is equal to Communism.
When May said that Corbyn would ” never be PM ” – did she know something we didn’t know?
Bernie will end up the same.
Disallowed.
Also my wish is for Laura to get a faster bike and a better android phone.
A faster bike would enable her to get a text message from CCHQ and pedal like fury to BBC Headquarters to hand it over to Huw ( never knowingly told a lie ) Edwards for presentation to a waiting nation.
A better android phone that doesn’t respond to ‘ Ask Dominic ‘ but ‘ Ask Alexa’ instead.
Alexa may be intrusive and spying on you but in general she is fairly truthful relative to the BBC and the media in total.
p.s I’ve never liked oranges so no problem about not buying them.
Unless Johnson makes it a law this year?
Well Ken you’ll be thoroughly disgusted to see this video
#JoeGlasman of CAA (a charity) congratulates himself & his #zionist cabal (including spies) for subverting British democracy by making sure #JeremyCorbyn / #Labour lost the election in 2019
https://twitter.com/lauramstuart9/status/1210356934714499074?s=21
Subverting democracy eh?
I’ve seen it.
It’s garbage.
All he needs to do is debate Norman Finkelstein – a man who does know his history and we’ll see what happens.
It won’t happen.
He and the MSM are too scared.
Norman’s the wrong type of Jew.
Bernie is too – according to many.
Yep, those 8 forecasts sound just about right, and we are finding it especially difficult to understand the concept of a ‘happy new year’ this time around. I can just about manage a ‘good luck for 2020’ though.
Happy Hogmanay to you and yours, Craig.
That Sergei Skripal and Yulia be un-disappeared.
My wish list for Great Britain is..
1/a genuine representative government…it’s really hard to take a system which allows any party with less than 50% of the votes dominate it
2/ downscale or get rid of royalty…we are in the 21st century
3/ an understanding that AI is likely to mean the end of work as we know it
Poor old N. Ireland – forgotten again,
spot on
Probably off topic but I was idling through Boris Johnson’s Register of Interests.
https://www.theyworkforyou.com/regmem/?p=10999
There are no new entries since November which details book royalties over a year totalling over £12k.
£50,000 from a Jon Wood in October 2018 stood out.
Wood operates a hedge fund and has gven £half a million to the Tories.
‘According to The Wall Street Journal, Wood set up SRM Global Fund in September 2006 raising about $3 billion but by July 2008 the value had fallen by 85%. It was a major investor in Northern Rock which was bailed out by the UK taxpayer in September 2007 and nationalized in February 2008. Investors were not allowed to withdraw money. *SRM is registered in the Cayman Islands, with offices in Monaco*. Wood blamed the British and American governments for the Financial crisis of 2007–08 saying that Lehman Brothers and Northern Rock should not have been stopped from trading.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Wood_(hedge_fund_manager)
https://www.theredroar.com/2018/10/boris-johnson-takes-50k-from-hedge-fund-boss/
There was also £14,000 from the Saudis for his 3 day visit there in September 2018. Mohammed bin Salman and his cohort will consider that well spent.
‘Boris Johnson approved £1.2 billion arms sales to Saudi Arabia as bombs rained down on Yemen
As Foreign Secretary, Johnson licensed bombs two days after Saudi forces destroyed a food factory killing 14 people. And a day before a school was bombed, killing 10 children. Two months later, Saudi forces bombed a funeral killing 140 people. In the weeks that followed, Johnson signed another arms transfers for bombs.’
July 26th 2019
https://www.thelondoneconomic.com/opinion/boris-johnson-approved-1-2-billion-arms-sales-to-saudi-arabia-as-bombs-rained-down-on-yemen/26/07/
Thank you for your insightful articles Craig. Good list and Merry New Year everyone.
Assange – I wonder what %age of the “man in the street” are aware of his situation. And yet, his treatment could happen to you, or your nearest family, if you become a nuisance, a threat to the British state. The UK media, here to serve the state.
In Scotland we have had Tommy Sheridan besmirched with allegations of naughty sexual activities – he was a nuisance to the Establishment. Next up Alex Salmond, same strategy alleged sexual advances. Oh, and Assange, accused of sexual misdemeanours. funny coincidences. I should add that the individual who perjured himself in his evidence against Sheridan – forgotten his name – didn’t receive any penalty.
Beware.
There seems to be far fewer fireworks than usual at the start of the new year. I think it’s maybe just the die-hards letting them off.
Freedom for Julian might be a bit ambitious, given the ruthless powers lined up against him and their willingness to flout laws and conventions and treaties. But is there nothing his legal team can do to get his conditions improved including all necessary medical and psychological help? Julian seems to be going from bad to worse, just last week telling a friend he feels/believes he’s dying. Surely there’s some legal avenue for ameliorating his suffering/saving his life.
Alas its not a tinpot state that we’re dealing with here, the Great Satan (US) has the most financial and political influence of any country on the planet.
The utter compliance of the UK over Assange, doesn’t help his case any, I fear the worst.
Craig, everybody, all the best for 2020.
It’s hard to be optimistic about anything right now. I’m half expecting some major environmental event this year, something that rattles humanity.
That aside, we have all the usual crap to deal with — scumbag politicians up to no good, left, right, and centre.
The Scottish independence movement needs a three word slogan. Craig should run a competition.
How about “Scotland, Be Brave!”? There’s even music for it! 😉
Otherwise, Happy Hogmanay and New Year to all, so far as happiness is possible in the present buzzing, blooming geopolitical confusion.
Hmmmm not sure, Ort…. needing to be brave implies risk or danger.
It’s our choice?
Hatuey
If the raging fires in Australia are not enough to rattle humanity then what will?
With respect SA if you do a bit of research you will find that it is a matter of record that there have been worse and indeed far worse high temperature and wildfire events in Australia’s history.
Please note I am not saying you are wrong, it may well be that the current event is caused by man made global warming and that previous worse and indeed far worse similar events were caused by natural causes, however it interesting to consider these previous events and I think it would be reasonable to at least consider the possibility that the current event may have similar causes to the previous events.
I was thinking something much more cataclysmic that took out several million people.
All the best though.
How about an old favourite “Here We Go!”
Nah, I say that when morons approach… we need something that headfucks unionists.
Hard to please. How about something more like “We’re on the march with Nickie’s army!” (For readers south of the Border, this comment is sponsored by Irony Bru.)
I’m thinking post-nic. Apparently polling companies are phoning around right now and asking who might be the best replacement for her. Sounds promising.
Anyway, three words.
Happy New Year Craig
Coming next from the “Stop Climate Change” kooks: Stop Betelgeuse Going Supernova.
you’re a climate change kook. we evolved, the moon landing was not a hoax filmed on a sound stage in roswell, cigarettes are bad for you, and climatology keeps getting more evidentiary support every day.
“the moon landing was not a hoax filmed ”
The 69 landing I’m not so sure about, at the time the US was desperate to get the upperhand over the USSR with regards to the field of space.
The USSR was doing pretty good, the first man in space the first satellite in space, the first space walk etc. The US in their desperation even touted the idea of firing a nuclear missile at the Moon exploding it on the side that faces Earth, so all of us mortals could gasp in awe at the mighty power of the Great Satan.
What utter nonsense. If the landing was a fake, Russians would be the first to denounce it as such. There is no movie studio on Earth that can simulate shift in radio waves coming from 2 light seconds away and do photos of light rays in vacuum on the Moon. At least not in 70s. Hell, you can see photos of the Moon landing sites right now, with abandoned equipment, was all that was left behind magically teleported from this miraculous TV studio too?
Alas, flat earthers, vaxx denouncers, moon hoaxers, and climate change deniers make me weep for the brains of some…
I have only one wish but if fulfilled , all the rest will fall into place.
Real free and honest journalism to challenge authority, not to be controlled by governments and to honestly work for the majority.
honest journalism in our current times?, that’d be nice!
Grauniad here fairly accurately reporting on Chelsea Manning being tortured
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/dec/31/chelsea-manning-us-torture-un-official-wikileaks
but deliberately not noticing that the same applies to Julian
David
I know, it is after all only a wish. But dishonest journalism has now become the trademark of the Guardian with few exceptions. These are two recent pieces that illustrate these :
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/dec/29/trump-us-allies-isolationism-middle-east-rivalries-new-decade
In this article, Martin Chulov who has been Syria correspondent from the safety of Istanbul, shills for the empire and wants more war and interference.
“Allies such as Saudi Arabia bought weapons and patronage from Washington, which they banked for when it might matter one day. That moment came for Riyadh in September when a drone and missile attack launched from Iran (sic) destroyed half of the country’s oil production capacity, following a summer of Iranian challenges to Gulf shipping.”
The launched from Iran subterfuge is hyperlinked to another Guardian article
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/sep/14/major-saudi-arabia-oil-facilities-hit-by-drone-strikes
This report from AP does not in any place mention that the attacks were launched from Iran but from Yemen by the Houthis. So Chulov converts this into a fake fact! There are also other lies and misrepresentations in this essay.
The other piece by the well know liar and confabulator and shill, Luke Harding and Julian Borger also contains much propaganda, not least in stating as a fact that the current crisis was started by the militias bombing a US base, something which has not been proven, The Hashd and Kata’ib militias are always referred to as pro=Iran militias even though it is known that they have been incorporated into the Iraqi army.
RT Vaughan Smith spoke to Julian. One phone call for the Christmas holiday was allowed. Perhaps Mr Welby could comment on that.
‘I’m slowly dying here’: ‘Sedated’ Assange tells friend during Christmas Eve call from UK prison as health concerns mount
31 Dec, 2019 00:37
https://www.rt.com/uk/477138-assange-prison-awful-sedated-uk/
PS Mr Welby says that we should heal divisions. Send a text or something to someone you’ve fallen out with. Laughable stuff. He must be the wettest of the bunch of AoC’s so far but at least he doesn’t support Zionist Israel like George Carey, a predecessor.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-50961483
Carey ‘ashamed’ by Synod decision on Israel investments
1 Mar 2006
The former Archbishop of Canterbury, George Carey, has told Israel that he is “ashamed to be an Anglican” after a decision by the Holy Synod to reconsider its investments in companies used by the Israeli army.
Last month the General Synod, backed by the current Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, voted overwhelmingly to end investment in the company that manufactures bulldozers which have been used by the Israeli army to destroy Palestinian homes.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1511788/Carey-ashamed-by-Synod-decision-on-Israel-investments.html
He was a member of Anglican Friends of Israel also. Carey also covered up the Peter Ball sexual abuse scandal.
@ David January 1, 2020 at 08:06
‘..honest journalism in our current times?, that’d be nice!..’
So would winning the lottery, but even more remote.
Apart from the old and continueing ‘Operation Mockingbird’, there are Udo Ulfkotte’s revelations in ‘Presstitutes’. The way the MSM are avoiding the OPCW leaks about the Douma ‘CW attack’ lie is a sickening norm for how they plaster government lies across their headlines, then in the case of facts surfacing proving the government narratives were lies, they ignore them, twiddling their thumbs till the next lying narrative is churned out.
At least one UK paper, though not ‘mainstream’, has covered it pretty thoroughly:
‘OPCW accused of Syrian chemical attack cover-up’:
https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/w/opcw-accused-syrian-chemical-attack-cover
They also show a pretty shrewd assessment of the ‘White Helmets’:
‘… The Syrian government has consistently denied using chemical weapons on its own people and accuses Western imperialists — in collusion with the pseudo-humanitarian White Helmets group — of staging attacks to precipitate military intervention….’
Whilst the Morning Star has a low readership, it is read by a lot of Lefties, including MP’s, so perhaps it will get some action re all the lies and attack hype about Syria which a lot of them seem to share.
I’ve been trying to get Left-wing MP’s interested in questioning obvious anomalies in the government narratives on Syria for years, without getting any responses.
Happy new year Craig, hopefully your list comes true. I’d add one point to it, though, complete dissolution of NATO and creation of European defense pact that won’t act like US bootlickers, destroying democracy and European arms companies like greatest enemy of EU, NATO does. Seeing NATO is directly responsible for 6 out of 8 of your points (and the other 2 can be argued to be fault of right wing, anti-left governments USA helps to install to prop up NATO spending, especially on US obsolete junk) it might be requirement for all of the above.
I hope
Benevolent extra-terrestrials.
The only item on that list that might conceivably be in Bozo’s in-tray is number 6.
But dare you imagine the kind of radical action he and Cummings would have in mind?
To replace humans and save the planet?
“US troops have fired teargas to disperse pro-Iran protesters gathered outside the US embassy compound in Baghdad for a second day.”
Just think about the above for a second, and you’ll realise that the Great Satan (US) is once again trampling all over a sovereign states territory even though they’re not really wanted there. Infact the Iraqi government didn’t even lift a funger to stop the protestors.
“Trump blamed Iran and Mark Esper, later announced the immediate deployment of an infantry battalion of about 750 soldiers from the army’s 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, to the Middle East.”
So the Iraqi government took no action against the protestors yet Trump as the head of the Great Satan decided to send more US troops to a foreign country’s sovereign soil.
I think in at least Iraqs case they’re completely fed up with US interference, recent mass demonstrations about Iraqs failing economy in my opinion has helped sour its relationship with the Great Satan, who’ll undoubtedly now flood the ME with troop fearing they might lose the region.
https://news.google.com/articles/CAIiEKlqLcD6bUVUnZliLt-Cf34qFggEKg4IACoGCAowl6p7MN-zCTDlkko?hl=en-GB&gl=GB&ceid=GB%3Aen
The battalion is said to be going to Kuwait, but nothing has been said officially. Personally, I don’t think the US can survive in Iraq without public acquiescence – they’re far too spread out to survive a popular insurrection. And a battalion won’t be enough to occupy the country militarily.
All this talk among politicians, royalty and religious figures of healing the divisions in the UK in 2020, obviously largely in reference to Brexit. But the divisions are far deeper – the Tory supporting Silent Generation(1928 – 1945) & Baby boomers(1946 – 1964) grew up with free education and guaranteed well-paid, secure jobs. More recent generations X and Millennials have only known debt and job insecurity. Literally half the country feel disaffected – the way UK society is structured simply isn’t good for them. A country, where in the 2019 election 80% of 18-24 year olds rejected the Tories, and 70% of those 65+ vote Tory, is a country with deep, seemingly irreconcilable differences.