Solstice Greetings!

Reading: James Joyce and Robert Goddard, BBC News website, Guardian Unlimited and Comment is Free websites, Morning Star, Indymedia UK site, Urban 75 politics boards, local papers, Greenpeace UK website.
Viewing: 75% of Argentina v. Netherlands in the world cup.
Listening: Travis.

Greetings on the Summer Solstice, and I hope the summer continues to be a pleasant one for those of you reading in the Northern hemisphere!

Indymedia have some more pictures of the lovely sunny day that was the occasion of the demonstration about Incapacity Benefit in Sheffield at the weekend.

Depressing/alarming news for those of us living in the few remaining mining areas - it seems that existing deep coal mines are amongst the 530 plus sites named as possible nuclear waste depositories, according to Greenpeace.

Not only do old mining areas in Britain have to cope with the consequences of the neoliberal globalisation policies that have been acted on to destroy their industrial base (With the resulting social problems of poverty, deprivation, anti-social behaviour and spiralling narcotics use), it now seems they are amongst the areas considered to be blighted with nuclear waste transportation and storage. This is of course, of a piece with the proposed siting of many of the next generation of urban waste incinerators to be built in areas of social and economic deprivation. These are classic examples of 'externalisation' of the costs of the most polluting elements of the capitalist economy. The movements set up to oppose these impositions on largely working class communities must be rooted in the communities themselves, calling on the broadest possible support from the local people, and based on solidarity and the most democratic structures and methods.