November 5th Blog

A new blog has been started to give links and info on the civil disobedience and protest being prepared for 5th November.

http://civildisobediencefifthnovember.blogspot.co.uk/

Hats Off To Howard

A link here to Howard Thorp's very good blog from the left of the Green Party of England and Wales - Capitalism Creates Poverty

Howard has posted interesting recent articles on the Green Party's direction after Caroline Lucas steps down as leader and on the situation in Greece.

http://capitalism-creates-poverty.blogspot.co.uk/

MMX

Happy New Year to all my occasional readers. Having a bit of a blogging break at the moment. Back soon, all being well.

Jim on Copenhagen

The Copenhagen Climate Summit and associated demos like this Saturday's The Wave in London loom.

My fellow left wing Green blogger Jim Jepps had a good article that made the centre page spread of the Morning Star this week.

Jim on the media coverage so far :

We are asked to speculate on whether President Barack Obama has a spring in his step and a twinkle in his eye when speaking about the international climate summit.

Does the destiny of the world hang on whether he has a headache on the crucial day?

This focus on political celebrities rather than concrete proposals has more to do with Hello magazine than news. Conjecture about whether there will be a binding agreement rarely goes beyond the personalities of the great and the good.

More here.

Meanwhile on his blog Jim takes on one of the latest attacks on Greens from Tory Climate Sceptics.

Total Politics Blog Vote.

Total Politics magazine is running a "Top Ten Blogs 2009" Poll that closes at the end of the month. More here from Jim.

Here is the Top Ten Blogs vote from Greenman:

1. Left Luggage : http://theleftluggage.wordpress.com/
2. Socialist Unity Blog : http://www.socialistunity.com/
3. The Daily (Maybe) : http://jimjay.blogspot.com/
4. Dave's Part : http://www.davidosler.com/
5. Anglo-Buddhist Combine : http://www.anglobuddhistcombine.blogspot.com/
6. Obsolete : http://www.septicisle.info/
7. Joseph Healy For Vauxhall MP : http://greenmpforvauxhall.blogspot.com/
8. The Enemies Of Reason : http://enemiesofreason.blogspot.com/
9. A Very Public Sociologist : http://averypublicsociologist.blogspot.com/
10. Another Green World : http://www.another-green-world.blogspot.com/

New(-ish) Green Left Blogger

I was pleased to be alerted to another Green Left colleague who has now been blogging for a while - Nick. His blog is Rosso-Verde.

Meanwhile, some more interesting political food for thought here.

Blog to be more truly "occasional"

When I started this blog with the title Greenman's Occasional Organ it was meant to be just that, Occasional. However, through time I have got into the habit of doing weekly links and feeling obliged to blog every couple of days at least. This has led to blogging (and collecting interesting links) taking up more of my precious time than was desirable and to me blogging sometimes for the sake of it - covering things that were widely available elsewhere and which I made little extra contribution to by blogging on them.

As my time is precious, and I am currently in a process of re-assessing my commitments, affiliations and stances, I think it is time for the blog to live up to its' title. From now on I will try to be more disciplined in only blogging when a) I feel truly motivated to do so and b) When I feel there is information and links that really need to be blogged either because I can shed a more unique light on the info than others, or because it is an issue where more bloggers covering it is likely to have a positive effect in itself.

So, no more Weekly links, more personal comment rather than just advertising events and more effective promotion of causes and events where I can have an effect.

In addition, I am thinking of launching a more politically focused blog under another pseudonym, around the subject of a new political project.

Thanks to those who have been regular readers of this blog so far, and I hope the changes meet with your approval.

Quick Weekly Links

A very busy week this week, so just time for a few links that might be of interest.

Matt Sellwood has put a draft of his forthcoming pamphlet on Greens and The Left in Britain on his blog and is requesting comments - read it here.
Matt also has video of Mark Thomas' contribution to the Put People First Rally that I mentioned in my last blog entry - good rabble rousing stuff, with humour. A report and pics from the march and rally on the Lenin's Tomb blog here. Joseph Healy's reflections here.

Meanwhile, some interesting links from Jim's Daily (Maybe) blog here.

In other news this week (as the Two Ronnies used to say!)a big victory for the anti-incineration movement in Cornwall.

The RMT are balloting for strike action on the London Underground in a battle against job cuts, a pay freeze and management bullying.

Information here on another story I have covered previously - latest developments in the battle to defend the William Morris gallery in Walthamstow.

Finally, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) issued a report on "The Financial and Economic Crisis: A Decent Work Response," which examines current rescue efforts in 32 countries, including all members of the G20, and notes that demographic projections suggest that nearly 90 million net new jobs would be needed over 2009-2010 to absorb new entrants in the labor market and avoid a prolonged jobs gap. The study calls for enhanced cooperation among key international organizations and a reprioritization between these goals, to, inter alia: pave the way for a green economy; and enhance the Green Jobs agenda, considering that green technologies tend to be more job-rich than their carbon-intensive counterparts. A more sceptical view on likely "green bailout plans" from India here.

Links and Events

Many upcoming events in the UK and elsewhere that might interest those of a green/left persuasion, so a section on these as well as some other links this week.

Coming Events
Keep The Post Public National March and Rally
CWU Midlands region proudly hosts a national march and rally on Saturday 14th March 2009.
To be held in the constituency of the minister for postal services Pat Mc
Fadden MP.

Assemble 11.30am at the SIKH TEMPLE, corner of Greencroft & Arthur Street, Bilston, Wolverhampton

Speakers include

Billy Hayes GS CWU

Dave Ward DGS(P) CWU

Geraldine Smith and John Grogan CWU supported MP'S

Roger McKenzie TUC

Gerard Coyne UNITE

Chaired by Jane Loftus CWU Vice President.

The CWU also have a National Rally and Lobby planned for 24th February in London.

Anti-Heathrow Expansion Demo 19th Feb - Beat the counter-demo !

A message from the Campaign Against Climate Change -

Urgent - now is the time to fight on Heathrow !
Demonstrate against Heathrow Expansion, Downing Street,
London from 5.30 pm this Thursday 19th February
www.campaigncc.org www.campaigncc.org/heathrow.shtml
This is a demonstration against the crass decision to expand Heathrow – 5.30 pm to 7.00 pm opposite Downing Street.
Speakers to include John McDonnell MP, Susan Kramer MP, Jean Lambert MEP.
Pre-demo photo-op 1.00 pm, see below.
However, a counter-demonstration in favour of expanding Heathrow is happening at the same time in Parliament Square. See here –
http://www.climate-resistance.org/2009/02/the-modern-movement-vs.-the-miserable-moment.html
We need maximum number of people to make sure their effort is dwarfed. Please make it if you can – its only an hour or so after work. No doubt there’s aviation money behind the counter-demo (it also looks to have links with the whole sceptic backlash network..) …we have to beat them with people-power !
If you can make it lunchtime – 1.00 pm – for our photo op outside the Dept of Transport, Horseferry Road (St James Park or Westminster tube) that would be really helpful. This is for media for whom the demo is too late in the day, and is our chance to get our message across in advance.
The theme is Green Future versus the BROWN past – please come dressed/equipped appropriately for either of these – on one side, the colour Green - windmills – solar panels – placards saying ‘low carbon economy’ ‘Green jobs’ ‘renewable revolution’ etc…and on the other side the colour Brown, aeroplanes, smoking chimneys, coal, placards saying ‘business as usual’, ‘carbon-intensive growth as usual’ ‘climate suicide’ etc..etc…(note we have Gordon Brown masks – we need appropriate placards for Brown to be holding – and props to go with them)
You can also bring the themes, as described above, to the demo itself. Or your own brilliant ideas and creativity. (We will be there from 4.30 pm if you want to help us get set up)
Finally - they will never build the 3rd runway but this decision shows that Brown is happy to continue in ‘carbon-intensive-growth-as-usual’ mode just when we should be sending out a strong signal that we are making climate change priority number one, in advance of the critical Copenhagen Climate Talks coming up in December …….. Another reason this decision has to be challenged ….to the maximum degree possible !
PLEASE PASS THIS NOTICE AROUND !!

March for Jobs, Justice And Climate - 28th March
I have mentioned this before, and it looks to be shaping up to be a biggie. Now is the time to pull together our local networks of activists to mobilise and organise transport for this and the other events around the G20. Despite the usual, predictable, soggy centrist pleading to the ruling class of the union and NGO leaders these events will offer an opportunity to raise more radical demands and strategies and connect with broad swathes of the population coming into socio-political activity and conflict with the status quo. This is the press release that went out last week -

A huge new platform of unions, development agencies, faith and environmental groups plans to tell world leaders attending the G20 summit in April that only just, fair and sustainable policies can lead the world out of recession.

The alliance, which includes the TUC, Oxfam, ActionAid, Friends of the Earth and CAFOD, is calling on people to join a major demonstration for jobs, justice and climate in London on Saturday 28 March, five days before the summit.

Under the banner Put People First - March for Jobs, Justice and Climate, the groups will demand decent jobs and public services for all, an end to global poverty and inequality, and a green economy.

The march will assemble on the Embankment en route to Hyde Park for a rally to be addressed by speakers and celebrities from the UK and around the world.
The organisations backing Put People First say: “Recession must not be an excuse for putting off action for global justice or to stop climate chaos. The only sustainable way to rebuild the global economy is to create a fair distribution of wealth that provides decent jobs and public services for all, ends global inequality and builds a low carbon future.”

TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said: “People are angry at the job losses caused by this recession made in the world’s banks and at the slow response of world leaders to the challenges of poverty and climate change.

“But while these are going to be desperately tough times, the collapse of free market fundamentalism and the big changes already brought about by President Obama provide the hope that world leaders can change course and start to build a fair and sustainable world.”

Director of the Stop Climate Chaos Coalition Ashok Sinha said: “We can and must tackle climate change and the economic downturn together. Only by investing in green jobs and thriving low carbon economies will a sustainable way of life be secured for generations to come.

“The lives and livelihoods of millions of poor and vulnerable people across all countries are at stake. The leaders of the G20 owe it to those most at risk yet least responsible for both the economic crisis and the threat of climate chaos to help create a global Green New Deal to tackle both.”

ActionAid Head of Policy Dr Claire Melamed said: “The crisis is more than a banking failure - it is a crisis of the whole system, but also a huge chance to put the economic system on a new and fairer path.

“With rising inequality and poverty made more desperate by the impact of the financial crisis, world leaders have to step up to the challenge - and the world is watching. The time is now: to make finance transparent and accountable, to share wealth more fairly, and to make markets work for everyone.”

People can keep in touch with the campaign via the website www.putpeoplefirst.org.uk

Text of the statement endorsed by organisations backing the march: On Thursday 2 April the leaders of 20 of the world’s biggest economies meet in London to tackle the recession and global financial crisis. Even before the banking collapse caused recession, the world suffered vast poverty and inequality and faced the looming threat of climate chaos. Governments, business and international institutions have followed a model of financial deregulation that has encouraged short-term profits, instability and an economy fuelled by ever-increasing debt, both financial and environmental. There can be no going back to business as usual. The only sustainable way to rebuild the global economy is to create a fair distribution of wealth that provides decent jobs and public services for all, ends global inequality and builds a low carbon future. Recession must not be an excuse for putting off action for global justice or to stop climate chaos. Creating a just, fair and sustainable world is the only lasting way out of recession.On Saturday 28 March thousands of people will march through London as part of a global campaign to challenge the G20 leaders.
Our message is clear.
We must put people first.
Put People First: Decent jobs and public services for all.
Put People First: End global poverty and inequality.
Put People First: Build a green economy

Initial list of organisations backing the march: ActionAid, Action for Global Climate Community, ACTSA (Action for Southern Africa), Advocacy International, Akina Mama Wa Africa , BECTU, BOND (British Overseas NGOs for Development), Bretton Woods Project, CAFOD, Centre for Democracy and Development, Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, CHIC (Change is Coming), Christian Aid, Equity, Everychild, Fairtrade Foundation, Fatima Women’s Network, Friends of the Earth, Global Call to Action Against Poverty, GMB, Jubilee Debt Campaign, MRDF (Methodist Relief and Development Fund), Musicians Union, Muslim Council of Britain, National Union of Journalists, National Union of Teachers, New Internationalist, One World Action, Oxfam, Pants to Poverty, PCS, People and Planet, Progressio, Salvation Army, Save the Children, Stamp Out Poverty, Stop AIDS Campaign, Stop Climate Chaos Coalition, Tax Justice Network, Teach a Man to Fish, Tearfund, Trade Justice Movement, Trades Union Congress, Trading Visions, Traidcraft, UCU (Universities and Colleges Union), UK Aid Network, UNISON, UNITE, War on Want, Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, World Development Movement, World Vision, WWF.

Jim, at Daily Maybe has info and links on a whole lot of other events coming up, including the Campaign Against Climate Change Trade Union conference and a Hands Off the People Of Iran benefit and Pete Postlethwaite talking about his climate change themed film - Age of Stupid.

Tyne and Wear Working Class Bookfair
Tyne and Wear GMB of the IWW are organising a Working Class Bookfair in March -
Saturday 14th March between 11 and 4.00 at the Linskill Community Centre, North Shields, Tyne and Wear.

During the bookfair we also have 3 meetings on site:-

Dave Hopper, Gen Sec, Durham Miners Association
(NE Area NUM) and Davie Guy, President North East Area of NUM (and DMA) are speaking at 12.30 on the Miner's Strike 25 Years on, and the NUM today.

Tyne and Wear IWW on organising at work.

Trevor Bark (WEA) on the Credit Crunch.

Printed publicity available.

Web site:-

http://workingclassbookfair.vpweb.com (comments welcome!)

Unions and Work

A message from the (UK) Labour Research Department
The TUC and its affiliated unions have asked the Labour Research Department (LRD) to carry out a survey on climate change and the workplace. We hope to find examples of union workplace action on global warming and to identify the problems faced by union reps and activists in this area. The survey will contribute to union campaigning and publications on the environment.

The survey is on LRD's website:

http://www.lrd.org.uk/surveys/climate/

Please spend a few minutes completing the questionnaire as soon as
possible.

The campaign of Jerry Hicks in the Unite union election continues to be supported by various left bloggers including Green Left's own Derek Wall.

Meanwhile, Dave Osler blogged this week on the dispute at the Morning Star newspaper.

British Politics
Surprise, Surprise! the architect of New Labour's Draconian Welfare "Reforms" has defected to the Tories. I'm surprised he bothered really, but I suppose he is trying to get in with the likely new regime - looking after number one, no change of personal politics and prejudices required! Says it all really.

International
The crisis rumbles on. The question is now being seriously asked as to which country in the EU will be the first to default on its debts. One contender for this dubious honour is currently Ireland. We are on the verge of completely new political and economic territory internationally - the ancient Chinese curse of "living in interesting times"!
Derek has blogged this week on death threats and harassment of journalists, peasants and environmentalists in Peru.

Blogging
Finally this week, a good post on the Socialist Unity Blog from Phil BC, where he links a selection of lefty blogs, some new, some old friends. Plenty of good reading!

Weekly Links 10/02/2009

British Politics
One of the least popular New Labour Ministers, uncritical Blair-bot Hazel Blears, has this week been getting a proper thrashing on the Guardian Comment Is Free pages after her attack on posh environmental lefty George Monbiot.
Monbiot's apparent crime in Blears eyes was to dare to criticize her government, assert that their "consultations" are meaningless and sometimes corrupt and to speak the truth about politics in Britain (that it has become a game for corporate interests, lobbyists and professional politicians whilst the public are systematically shut out, marginalized and patronized.)
Blears voting record on key issues is recorded as follows -

* Voted for introducing government registers on everyone in Britain backed up by ID cards.
* Voted for introducing foundation hospitals.
* Voted for introducing student top-up fees.
* Voted for the Iraq War
* Voted against investigating the Iraq war.
* Voted for replacing Trident.

Monbiot's response to Blears was majestic and devastating, uniting even some of his usual harshest critics against the pompous arrogance displayed by the Labour Minister and topping the table of comment replies, the vast majority backing Monbiot and laying into his opponent. I do not always agree with Monbiot, but he has done a great service to all friends of freedom, equality and honesty here.

Green and Green Left Politics
It is good to see serious Green political education getting under way in London with a series of meetings and an interesting book list of ten key Books to read and critique.
Long time left activist and Green Left supporter Sean Thompson recently produced an analysis of the current political situation for Green Left, published here.

Unions and Workers
The Socialist Party and Respect have come together in a welcome show of left unity to put on a meeting this Friday in London with a member of the recent Lindsey Strike Committee and Jerry Hicks, the candidate backed by most of the left (the Morning Star/CPB are cringeworthily backing the incumbent Labourist Simpson) in the Unite (Amicus) union election.

Weekly Links 01/02/2009

Blogs
A big welcome to the world of blogging to my fellow Green Left supporter and ecosocialist Joseph Healy, who has started blogging here. His first posts include something on the Green campaign for a living wage in Lambeth, a report back from the Convention of the Left recall meeting in Manchester and something on fellow Green GE candidate Peter Tatchell.
Jim this week blogged on the Labour Heathrow rebels and the SNP budget. He also posted his final reflections on the "Progressive London" event.
The refineries dispute has spurred furious debate across the left blogosphere - a small sample here - A Very Public Sociologist published that blog's take on the dispute at AVPS and Socialist Unity held a debate on the piece as well as publishing articles by Andy Newman (on the position of Amicus-Unite General Secretary left candidate Jerry Hicks), Respect's George Galloway and Labour (soft populist) left John Cruddas.
Dave Osler also started a debate here.


Unions and Workplace Struggle
For French readers I have linked the website of the French "social movement" unionists of Solidaires, who came to my attention as a result of the recent upsurge in struggle in France. As I understand it Solidaires came about as part of the grouping of some of the more militant and radical French unions - a process that created SUD.
The Green Party Trade Union Group this week produced a statement on the London Underground redundancies in support of the workers involved in that struggle.
The RMT's video on European Rail Transport "Liberalisation" and Privatisation is now available online as well as via a DVD.

Politics
The European Emissions Trading Scheme is once again exposed this week as a means of generating colossal profits for the big polluters while doing nothing to reduce carbon emissions. Indeed, the scheme is now actually inhibiting the development of clean technologies in developing countries!

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2009/jan/27/industry-abusing-ets-carbon-trading

The two British Green MEPs this week doorstepped the Israeli ambassador over the question of Gaza.

Weekly Links 18/01/2009

The "Crunch"
News this week that Ireland has nationalised the Anglo Irish Bank.

At a press conference held at Government Buildings, the finance minister Brian Lenihan said that the admission last month by former chairman Sean FitzPatrick that he had taken secret loans of over €87 million over a period of eight years had caused "serious reputational damage" to the bank.

The Irish economy is in serious trouble - we will see whether the obvious culpability of Ireland's politicians and capitalists for the severity of the difficulties to be faced by Irish workers results in good left conclusions being drawn.

Meanwhile, in Britain, all the signs are that unemployment will continue to grow rapidly for some time.

Climate Change
NASA scientist Jim Hansen has warned Barack Obama ahead of his inauguration as President later this week that there are as little as four years left to make the major changes in economic, energy and transport policies necessary to have a chance of averting catastrophic climate change - i.e dramatic action needs to take place during Obama's first term.

As a result of his fears about sea-level rise, Hansen said he had pressed both Britain's Royal Society and the US National Academy of Sciences to carry out an urgent investigation of the state of the planet's ice-caps. However, nothing had come of his proposals. The first task of Obama's new climate office should therefore be to order such a probe "as a matter of urgency", Hansen added.

Unions
IWW IU 530 emergency appeal
EMERGENCY APPEAL – FUNDS NEEDED IMMEDIATELY

The IWW has been organizing Truck Drivers in Eastern North Carolina and Virginia for much of the past year. In response to our growing power and planned founding convention this upcoming weekend, the bosses have begun firing the union's leadership.

Two log drivers and five container haulers have lost their job over the past two days. The union is already discussing legal and direct action means to fight these unjust firing, but right now we need funds to support our fired drivers.

These drivers have families to support and this is a part of the country where economic opportunities are very limited. Please offer whatever you can, drivers are counting on you.

Checks can be sent to the Freight Truckers Organizing Committee at PO Box 274, Waukegan, IL 60079. Please include "emergency relief" in the memo line.

We are in the process of setting a PayPal Acct for online donations.
Thank you and please be generous.

In Britain, organised teachers and campaigners have scored a victory in the fight against the government's attempts to break up and part-privatise more of the education system - this is form the Anti Academies Alliance :

UNIONS at WORK ! from the Anti Academies Alliance

Derby Council cabinet voted to abandon their plans for an Academy to replace Sinfin Community school last night (Tuesday 13th January). This is a significant victory for the determined campaign run by teachers and parents.

The campaign has involved 7 days of strike action by NASUWT members, one of those a joint strike day with the NUT.

It involved a public meeting of 100 parents and teacher.

883 people returned the consultation document, including 150 pupils, 793 rejecting the proposal.

The campaign managed to shift the Headteacher from supporting the academy proposal to opposing it.

The campaign persuaded the governors that the academy would not be good for local children.

At the cabinet meeting councillor Allen said "There is an overwhelming objection to Sinfin school becoming an academy. We have an obligation to listen to the people of Sinfin".

Dave Wilkinson, NASUWT secretary sent us this comment:

"The decision by Derby City Council to abandon its academy plans really is a historic victory in the battle against the privatisation of our schools brought about by the Government's academy programme. Eighteen months ago, opposition to academies in Derby was confined to a handful of trade union officials from the Education unions. Last night was the culmination of a campaign where literally thousands of Derby residents have shown their opposition to the closure of a school which has served working people in Derby since it was established. A coalition of organisations and trade unions has brought about this victory, but I do want to pay particular tribute to the two teacher unions in the school, NASUWT and NUT, who took eight days of strike action against the academy plans. NASUWT members have also maintained action short of strike action from May 2008 onwards."

Meanwhile, following the craven apologetics for government and big business from the TUC and some Labour-affiliated unions over the Heathrow expansion announcement it was good to see that the main rail and civil service unions in Britain proposed a more progressive and environmentally sensitive option.

High-speed rail would create tens of thousands of jobs – including at Heathrow – and would provide a cleaner option than airport expansion, say RMT, ASLEF and PCS.

Welcoming positive government statements on the benefits of high-speed rail and electrification and the accelerated provision of new passenger rolling stock, the unions point out that the emphasis should be on modal shift that will help meet the carbon challenge

I can also report on success for left candidates, including Green Left's James Caspell in Unison elections in Lambeth, London. They showed that united, and fighting on a radical programme, the left can win union elections against Labour timeservers and those on the left who adopt a more sectarian approach.

Ecosocialist Theory
An interesting contribution to the discussion on individual versus social solutions to the ongoing ecological crisis by Don Fitz, the editor of Synthesis/Regeneration has been published on the excellent Climate and Capitalism blog.

Heathrow Runway 3 - A Declaration of War?

The Government announcement of their backing for a third runway at Heathrow entails the destruction of one village and the encirclement of another, a massive increase in pollution and further congestion and over-development of the South East of England at the expense of the rest of Britain, amongst other things. It also signals the final nail in the coffin of any claimed "green credentials" for the New Labour government.

The figleafs of claimed increases in aircraft efficiency and new limits on pollution and noise are an easily seen through propaganda exercise - two minutes thought tells us that if you improve emissions by a certain percentage, but then increase number of flights by that percentage or more you are not getting an overall gain! (This appears to be lost on Transport Minister Hoon - he of the Iraq War and "45 Minutes" - Hoon must surely go. What exactly does this right-wing militarist ex-public school boy have in common with the largely working class people of Ashfield in Notts anyway?) And do they really expect us to believe that Heathrow would shut and jobs be lost if it is not allowed to grow indefinitely? Is this really the future of the British economy, a cheap sevice bay for the International jet-set as they pass through, ceaselessy wandering the globe in search of profit - an economy that does not produce anything (food or manufactures) significant, but just services the global rich - a kind of National "Upstairs Downstairs" future?

The insult of the decision was combined with the arrogance and anti-democratic display over denying a debate on the issue (though hopefully the opposition can bring about a debate in Parliament). John McDonnell, one of the few remaining Labour MPs worthy of respect was quite right to be outraged - and one can sympathize with his symbolic wielding of the mace that has led to his Parliamentary suspension.

This anti-democratic behaviour by the Govenment over Heathrow was telegraphed long ago with the passing of the new planning laws meant to steamroller opposition and delays to projects that the government and their big business pals see as strategic. The legislation obviously had three or four main targets, all of which are potentially environmentally and socially disastrous - airport expansion, (chucking away carbon targets), a massive wave of incinerator building (effectively capping recycling and reuse and tying local government into an antiquated waste strategy for a quarter of a century), new nuclear build (dodging the waste question and again throwing more good millions of pounds away on a dangerous, strategically vulnerable and dubious "techno-fix") new road building (see carbon targets!) and new coal power stations with ridiculous promises of carbon capture "readiness" (i.e. without carbon capture).

However, the silver lining to all this is a change in the zeitgeist to a more united and militant opposition - we must all stand with the people of Sipson, Harmondsworth and Harlington. The resistance at Heathrow can spread out and become emblematic of resistance to the plans of new Labour and their Capitalist pals for a whole range of anti-social and ecocapitalist projects (i.e. projects which use the environmental crises as an excuse for further profiteering and which dodge the question of accumulation and the insatiability of Capital being the root of all the problems)

We need to see links built between community and environmental and workplace activists all over the country and the demand for a just and worker-led transition to a lower carbon economy raised to counter the "British jobs for British workers" crypto-fascist rhetoric that is beginning to be deployed by New Labour and their corporatist Gauleiters at the top of some unions and local government.

Some blogging comment below -

Derek reports on a Labour defection.

Jim reports the McDonnell protest at Westminster.

And more from Septic Isle at Obsolete

Monbiot and O'Neill Fire Salvos On CIF

The war between scientifically correct but politically way off George Monbiot and scientifically and politically way off (but sometimes correct in some of his criticisms of Monbiot)Brendan O'Neill has had a new injection of vitriol with an exchange of posts on the Guardian Comment Is Free Site.
Here is Monbiot on class and the Furedi cult's attacks on him
And Here is O'Neill's response

The Guardian site sometimes behaves very strangely when I try to post on there - I'm not paranoid, honest. But despite me posting on other threads it would not let me post on Monbiot's thread. And from some other comments this is not to do with time lag between posts, nor exclusive to me. Not to be defeated I will post it here!

I think the Aga stuff may be included in GM's article in a less serious way than some of the huffers and puffers on here have read it. The main drift of the article is an attack on O'Neill and the Furedi-ites. Despite my dislike of Monbiot's patrician approach he has chosen an appropriate target there.

And hey - the Schumacherite has drawn forth a response from the Furedi-ite!
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/jan/13/george-monbiot-class-war

Incoming!

A plague on both their (well appointed) houses, though of course anyone who is not a tinfoil hatted conspiracist can see that Monbiot is on firmer scientific ground than O'Neill and chums.

I think it is only right and proper that we question the motives and mindset of both and how the "debate" is framed - for example Monbiot's world federalism and the general dodgy-ness of ideas derived from (rightwing Catholic Traditionalist "green" guru) Schumacher, the funding and intention of O'Neill's pals and their network of shady fronts etc.

This is not "ad hominem" - it is knowing where someone is coming from, it is investigative research, and ultimately defence against being deliberately manipulated for ends other than those which appear exoterically.

Perhaps now that battle has commenced we can go over to O'Neill's thread and ask the questions he and the rest of the Furedi-ites should be made to answer -
What is the plan?

I mean, all this contrarianism and taking the corporate shilling - does it have a basis in some over-arching ideology or grand vision? Is the idea -

a) Everything will turn out alright, the market will solve everything, go back to consuming.

b) Capitalism is awful, but must be allowed to mature into REALLY DISASTROUS before we can expect the working class to do anything about it, and all these blooming reformists are getting in the way of the maturing of inevitable crisis.

c) Who gives a monkeys? Contrarianism pays the bills.

d) The CIA have got the pics and they will publish them unless we do what they say.

e) Only when the party cadre have infiltrated every organ of the media and capital and established our full control/got into the position where we can flip the switch to bring it all down, will the brilliance of our plan be revealed!

I think we should be told.......

Weekly Links 11/01/2009

Gaza
Here are some links regarding this weekend's demonstrations and other events.
UK Indymedia had a timeline of events during the Saturday protest in London.

Pictures from the London Demonstrations are posted here, here, and here. They also have reports and pics from Sheffield and Edinburgh, which also has links to Indymedia reports of protests from around the world.

A detailed opinion piece with photos from the London demo has been posted on the website of the commune.

Bloggers reports come from
- Derek Wall recording David Rosenberg's views on Another Green World.
- Jim, on Daily (Maybe), who links to lots of other blogging comment.
- Ed, at I.R. also has some good pics from Saturday's demo.


Other blogging
Dave Osler at Dave's Part reflects on the latest revelations of a racist outburst from a British Royal.
Matt S at Anglo-Buddhist Combine reports on early UK opinion polling for the upcoming European elections.
Meanwhile, on the subject of polls, A Very Public Sociologist blogged about the latest Weblog Awards this week, and gave some suggestions for a brave and eclectic handful of leftist bloggers to vote for against the rightist hordes.

Weekly Links 05/01/09

Gaza
Lots of coverage of the situation in Gaza and the demonstrations against the continuing Israeli assault from my regularly linked bloggers this week including Derek, Jim (who has a helpful selection of links), Dave Osler and Matt S.
There is another demonstration arranged for this Saturday in London.


The latest eco-catastrophe
The latest eco-catastrophe in the US has not had much coverage on this side of the Atlantic - a huge coal slurry retention pond has broken its banks in Tennessee and flooded some 400 acres of 6' deep slurry (over 1.1 billion gallons) into the Tennessee Valley. It's meant evacuating people, warning others to boil water, and is dumping a huge amount of toxins into the Tennessee River, used as a drinking water source by many communities downstream. A number of people are reporting vomiting after drinking water.
Reports here and here from the regional media.
More info from United Mountain Defense

Activism and Repression
Hot on the heels of their recent attempts to spread security services propaganda about the threat of "ecoterrorism" in the UK (a story based on exaggeration, guilt by association and innuendo and very quickly demolished so that they had to issue a sheepish apology through their "readers editor") the Guardian/Observer and other sections of the media are now busy retailing the exaggerated fairy tales of the French and other security services about the threat of a new wave of "home grown leftist terror" about to sweep Europe.

The Guardian/Observer group, (in addition to continuing a stream of biased knocking copy on the South and Central American left) are fast becoming the conduit of choice for psy-ops and disinformation aimed at radical activists in the UK and Europe. This is nothing new really, some of us remember some "freelance" journalists from the 80's who were very keen to fit up parts of the British anarchist movement on behalf of elements of the secret state.

The texts that seem to have got the French state machine in a tizzy (and it seems to be these that are more the target than the small acts of sabotage that were the pretext for the paramilitary police action) are rather disappointing really, for an old leftist like myself - rehashed Situationist and Autonomist theses with an anti-globalisation flavour and some unpalatable (for me, but it takes all sorts) elements of nihilism and primitivism. Nevertheless, I am never one to avoid an opportunity to offend the powers that be, so here are some links to English Translations of two of the offending documents and you can judge for yourself -

The Coming Insurrection

20 Theses On The Subversion Of the Metropolis

For me, Kovel's analysis and programme in the last chapter of The Enemy of Nature is nearer the spot - I will post some more on this in the near future.

Nevertheless, the fact that states in Europe are "upping the ante" against even potential opposition is interesting, as is their apparent concern that the current crisis will grow so severe that currently marginalised and tiny groups and ideas might gain a larger and more effective following.

Greenman's Occasional Awards - 2008

Bloggers Of The Year (In No Particular Order)
Daily (Maybe) - Jim J
Socialist Unity Blog - Andy Newman and Friends
Another Green World - Derek Wall
Anglo-Buddhist Combine - Matt S
La Lutte Continue! - James Caspell

Books Of The Year
1. Joel Kovel, Second Edition of The Enemy of Nature
2. Ken MacLeod, The Night Sessions
3. Dave Douglass - Geordies - Wa Mental

Storm In A Teacup Award
1. The SWP Pre-Conference "Split" (Yawn)
2. The NUM versus Climate Campers clash which fortunately was kept comradely.
3. The "Knives are out for Gordon Brown" media stories

Sporting Moments Awards
1. Rebecca Adlington's Swimming Golds
2. James Hayter ends his goal drought at Wembley giving Doncaster Rovers Promotion
3. Fabio Capello amazingly succeeds in teaching England how to play football
4. Andy Murray's comeback with the best season for a Brit since Fred Perry

"Oops - Let it Slip" Award
1.Gordon Brown "Saved The World...er saved the banks"
2.Nick Clegg letting slip what he really thought about members of his front bench
3.George Monbiot letting slip his real (aristocratic disdain and lack of concern) feelings about ordinary people in his Guardian article arguing for the "destruction of Detroit" - for which he was rightly flamed to a crisp in the comments section.

The Idealistic Liberals Misplaced Hopes Award
1.Barack Obama Presidency (Need we say more than his subsequent appointments for a flavour of what is to come)
2.The EU Constitution (And we await with baited breath what happens to the blessed Euro in the New Year after all the Europhile schadenfreude over the Pound's slump)
3.Most versions of the "Green New Deal"

The Rightist "Con-mentariat" Award For Disservice To Their Own Causes And Contributing To The Impression That Many Of them Have, er, Mental Health Issues
1. Melanie Phillips (For services to frothing hatred and irrationality)
2. Richard Littlejohn - the "stupid person's Jeremy Clarkson" (Ditto)
3. Julie Burchill (Continuing her degeneration into a permanent "toddler tantrum")
4. Brendan O'Neill of the weird Furedi cult (For anti-green monomania)

Golden Molotov Award
1. China's (In the face of a media blackout) multitudes in revolt
2. Greece's street rebels
3. Iceland's Credit Crunch Protestors
4. Italy's Anomolous Wave
5. Germany's School Students

Campaigns Of The Year
1. The Big Ask (Friends Of The Earth) Successful, at least on its own terms.
2. Republic - going from strength to strength and raising profile
3. Convention Of The Left (For services to left unity)

British TV
1. Little Dorrit - BBC
2. The Devil's Whore - C4
3. Survivors - BBC
4. Outnumbered - BBC

Hopes for 2009
1. Continued growth, development and strengthening of the Ecosocialist International
2. Development of the Convention Of The Left in Britain
3. Continued growth and development of the IWW in Britain and internationally

Season's Greetings!

It is the Winter Solstice today.
I shall be taking some time off from blogging to be with my family and have a rest from work over the next week or two. Hopefully normal service will resume before long.
The very best wishes for a happy festive season to all my readers, whatever or however you celebrate.

Weekly Links 01/12/2008

World AIDS Day
Today is World AIDS Day. The Guardian has a moving series of photos and information.

The famous Magnum Photos agency dispatched its photographers around the globe to capture images of people living with HIV/Aids to mark World Aids Day today. Magnum's Access to Life photographs went on show in Washington DC earlier this year before being displayed in locations around the world

Peter Tatchell comments on one aspect of continuing prejudice on CIF today.

Anti-incinerator campaign
The campaign against the incinerator planned for Rainworth within Sherwood Forest in Central England steps up this week with campaigning around the planning committee stages. People Against Incineration (PAIN) are calling for good turns outs to their coming protests and meetings. This is from the campaign organisers:

PLEASE PASS THIS ROUND!

Further evidence [available upon request] has recently come to light proving that if not for our previous efforts, a waste incinerator would have been built in Forest Town. Now we need your help to win again!

Help us prevent a waste incinerator being built in Sherwood Forest (Rainworth, on the outskirts of Mansfield).

Join with fellow demonstrators next Tuesday (9th December) for the Sherwood Forest Protests Against Incineration

People Against Incineration (PAIN), the group formed to take over from Mansfield Against incineration (MAIN), are organising two anti-incineration protest demonstrations to take place on Tuesday 9th December 2008 to correspond with Newark & Sherwood District Council's Planning Committee meeting where the Council's incinerator consultation response will be decided.

PAIN is putting out the call to all anti-incineration campaigners to join the peaceful fun in Sherwood Forest, with a morning protest during the Planning Committee's site visit to the Old Rufford Colliery Car Park, Rainworth (11.15-12.30), followed by an afternoon demonstration at the Newark & Sherwood District Council offices at Kelham Hall (protest from 3 – 4 pm, incinerator application to be considered 4 – 6 pm), and hopefully evening celebrations!

A meeting will be held by PAIN on Thursday 4th December, from 7:30 pm in the Phoenix Suite at Rainworth Village Hall, Kirklington Road to discuss plans for the protest demonstrations.

Campaign organiser Linda Tift says:

"We know it's a difficult time of the year with much to do and many commitments to meet, but this is the moment we have all been worked towards for the last 3 years. Time spent making our voices heard now will be an investment in the future for both us and our families. Bring your kids. This is a lesson in democracy and the power of the people they will never learn so well in school! Bring your granny, your neighbours, the window cleaner and the plumber..."

Media
Various interesting articles in the Comment is Free/Soundings "Who Owns The Progressive Future" series this week, including pieces by radical artist John Jordan, Middlesex Uni Academic Jo Littler and Green Party of England and Wales Leader, Caroline Lucas.
Activist Jordan is particularly sceptical about versions of a "Green New Deal", but could be surprised to find that considerable numbers of left wing Greens might sympathize with most of his criticisms of some versions of a "Green New Deal", but might question the lack of any clearly defined agents of change in his proposed alternative that seems to look to those outside society or at the margins rather than organised workers or accountable community delegates. The typical rabid rightist trolls infest the comments sections under the articles as usual I am afraid, but there is the odd bit of constructive debate.

Lefty Green Bloggings
Former Green Principal Speaker Derek Wall had an article on indigenous struggles published in the Morning Star newspaper last week.
The Green Party Trade Union Blog has a response to the proposed British Government Welfare "reforms" from Alan Wheatley and Anne Gray.
Jim comments on the troubles of Lib Dem leader Clegg at Daily (Maybe) as does Peter Cranie.
Meanwhile Matt S has started a much needed debate on the left and anti-social behaviour at his Anglo-Buddhist Combine blog.

Left, Green and Green Left Views On Obama's Victory

The victory of Barack Obama and the Democrats over John McCain and the Republicans in the US elections brings a variety of comment from the political segments of the blogosphere that I regularly read, as would be expected given the fact that for most Left, Green and Green Left Bloggers these elections were a case of waiting to see if the slightly less aggressive capitalist party would win out. In Britain particularly there are eerie echoes in the euphoria over the election of Obama of the 1997 landslide victory of Tony Blair and New Labour - another politician who carried a huge weight of expectation. Another weird echo came today with the news that Obama has made his first appointment - a Chief Of Staff who bears more than a passing political resemblance to Peter Mandelson (aaargh!)

Nevertheless, in purely symbolic and social psychological terms the election of the first black US President is an important milestone, just as was the election of Britain's first women Prime Minister in 1979, or the first post-apartheid election in South Africa (the symbolic importance of both of which events was quickly overshadowed by the real political nature of the forces involved). The defeat and passing of the Bush regime, with its unholy alliance of ex-leftist Neo-Cons, religious fundamentalists, militarists, imperialists and neo-liberal ideologues is also something to celebrate, though with an eye on the likely continuing power and influence of the military-industrial complex, lobbyists and finance capitalists in the successor regime. The hope remains though, that there may be at least some relaxing of the anti-union mood and legislation to allow the long suppressed power of American labour to begin to reassert itself.

The Socialist Unity Blog has posted a variety of voices from the American Socialist Left. Andy Newman dismissed the Blair analogy, but provoked a lot of response with his article here.

Derek Wall at Another Green World publishes Ralph Nader's open letter to Obama, and the response to the US election of Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez.

Stroppyblog reflected on the mixed messages that came out regarding sexual politics and same sex couple civil rights during election night.

Jim Jay at Daily (Maybe)had a look at the response of Brit and US leftists who actively argued against voting for Obama and did not like what he saw, and strangely finds himself being criticised from the left by Rupert Read! (Green Party in-joke alert)

An Irish Left comment here from the Cedar Lounge Revolution Blog.

Septic Isle was cautiously optimistic, whilst noting the Blair parallel.

Whatever your view, we certainly are living in interesting times.