Global warning
Two major crises are combining to make Britain one of the most dangerous places to live. They are global warming and that the country is running out of energy sources.
Britain has shut down most of its deep mines. The closure of the huge Selby coalfield marks a significant step in destroying the UK's coal capacity. There is almost no research on the development of converting coal into clean and liquid fuels. To reopen or sink a new deep mine would cost hundreds of millions of pounds and take years.
North Sea gas and oil is in decline; by 2006 Britain will be a net importer. The vast majority of the power stations operate using North Sea gas. The Trade and Industry Committee in a recent report said that Britain's power network was reaching the end of its 40-year lifespan.
"There is a danger that there is currently insufficient investment in the network to replace in a planned and orderly way equipment which is reaching the end of its life.
"Simply to maintain present performance levels, capital expenditure by network owners would have to double."
The report prepares the ground for substantial electricity price rises to pay for the work. This follows the allowing of the increases in water charges. In both cases the privatised industries were allowed to rip off the public assets for its shareholders and now come back to the customers to pay more for renewal work that should have been done years ago.
Blackouts have already occurred this year in London and Birmingham and one expert has predicted them becoming a regular occurrence by 2006. There has been no significant investment in renewable forms of energy.
Global warming does not mean that Britain becomes warmer. The position of the majority of scientists is the continuing global warming will result in a reversal of the Gulf Stream which currently gives a fairly benign climate. The reversal will result in a mini ice age. The climate will resemble Newfoundland or Northern Norway. This change-round would happen very quickly.
A recent secret, but heavily leaked, Pentagon report has claimed that global warming is a greater threat to world peace than terrorism. This warning had no influence on the Texas oil cartel running the White House. However the UK Government Chief Scientist, Sir David King, wrote a sharp article in the prestigious US journal Science attacking Bush's policy on climate change. Sir David tried to take the issue up directly with Bush when he met him. Bush wrote to Blair complaining of Sir David's cheek!
And what was the brave poodle's response? Sir David was reined in. A memo from Ivan Rogers, Blair's principal private secretary, advised the scientist to decline requests from the media for interviews.
Hans Blix, the former United Nations weapon inspector, has agreed with the Pentagon report and with Sir David. He said on the Breakfast with Frost show: "I think we still overestimate the danger of terror. There are other things of equal, if not greater, magnitude, like environmental risks."
And what is Blair's reaction to global warming? It is to set up a task force led by his faithful lackey Stephen Byers. Of course global warming is too direct so the task force is to examine climate change. It held its opening meeting at Windsor well away from any one who might upset them. And will the task force address any of the immediate issues? The answer is no. They are not to work for an urgent emergency plan for Britain; instead they intend to report in 2005 with some recommendations for world governments. Thousands will freeze to death before this Government acts.
Where the weapons of mass destruction?
...and what have they got to do with terrorism?
Hans Blix has continued his attack on Bush and Blair. He said in a recent US speech that they have lost credibility and the world is not safer now that Saddam Hussein is out of power. This was echoed by the recently elected Prime Minister of Spain who called upon both leaders to rethink their position over the invasion of Iraq.
Blix added that it was clear 10 months ago that there were no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and that the United States should have known months ago that there were no weapons to be found.
"By May I knew there was nothing because the Americans had interrogated so many Iraqis by then and even offered money and still they found nothing," he said.
"It was a reaction to 9/11 that we have to strike some theoretical, hypothetical links between Saddam Hussein and the terrorists. That was wrong. There wasn't anything," he said.
He disagreed that the war had made the world a safer place. "Sorry to say it doesn't look that way. If the message was to terrorists that we are willing to take you on, then that has not succeeded. In Iraq, it has bred a lot of terrorism and a lot of hatred to the Western world. [...] Disarmament by war and democracy by occupation are difficult prospects."
Blix was especially critical of the United States and Britain for claiming the war was meant to uphold UN resolutions when the rest of the Security Council refused to back the conflict. He said Bush and Blair "oversold" what they knew.
In the US hearings into the vile attacks on the World Trade Centre Bush's former Chief Security advisor outlined his repeated attempts to interest the President in anti-terrorist measures. Bush was only concerned with Iraq. After all that is where the oil is.
No wonder Iraq refuses to go away despite Blair and his apologists' attempts to sweep the illegal invasion under the carpet. And no wonder 100,000 people marched through the streets of London one year after the invasion. One toadying loathsome New Labour MP denounced the marchers in a TV interview. He said the marchers had the freedom to march; a freedom which the British Government had brought to Iraq. Of course nobody on the Left supported the Saddam regime and many took part in protests against the British and American governments arming him. However no one in Iraq took advantage of their new found freedom to demonstrate in favour of the illegal occupation of their country.
A Strange letter
Residents of the areas being incorporated into the new Chapel Allerton ward in Leeds have received a letter welcoming them from New Labour. They had already received a newsletter from the ever energetic Alliance for Green Socialism.
Signed by Councillors Moxon and Taggart the letter says: "Alongside these changes it has been decided to hold both the European and Local Government Elections on the same day, Thursday 10th June. As an experiment this year both elections will held by post."
The first of these letters was distributed in the middle of March when no such decision was made. The House of Lords has three times rejected the attempt by New Labour to impose a postal ballot on Yorkshire and Humberside. At the beginning of March Councillor Wakefield and the New Labour group supported the Government set-up Electoral Commission in saying the area wasn't yet ready for a postal vote. This was also the position of Paul Rogerson, Leeds City Council's Chief Executive and the Returning Officer. The Council's own newsletter issued at that time indicated that the elections would be held by the normal ballot box.
At about the time the letter was issued the Council switched its position to saying that it could hold a postal vote. This allowed the Electoral Commission to switch its recommendation to supporting the postal vote.
What has changed?
Nothing technically. It is difficult to hold elections which involve voting in wards with new boundaries and everyone having three votes plus voting in the European elections with a completely different voting system. The postal vote just complicates matters. From the outside it looks as though Leeds has looked again at its position as a result of pressure from London and come up with what its political masters want. The issues of possible fraudulent voting raised by the House of Lords have also not been addressed.
New Labour's manoeuvres have nothing to do with increasing turnout. The postal vote experiments have not always increased turnout; however given the lack of resources that New Labour have it is probably their best bet in retaining the European seats in Yorkshire.
The Alliance for Green Socialism knows that what really increases voter involvement is a strong alternative to the sameness of the three main parties. They are also aware of the possibilities of fraud and are taking steps to ensure that it is one of the most carefully monitored elections in Leeds history.
Another quote from the letter:
"As Lord Mayor, Councillor Taggart is limited in the political work he is able to undertake. We can however assure you of seamless service and will consult you formally after June about the location of Advice sessions."
These two sentences deserve some analysis. The letter indicates that the Councillors will no longer come to see problems in people's homes. The seamless service in the case of one of the Councillors consists of ignoring repeated emails and letters about problems in the area. And as for them consulting the people of Chapel Allerton after June, this is extremely unlikely as both have been excluded by New Labour from standing.
One older former member of the Labour Party contrasted Councillor's Taggart's limited political work with the wonderful and refreshing approach of Eric Atkinson when he was Lord Mayor. He refused to open his drinks cabinet for visiting Tory ministers and made a special point of addressing the Leeds TUC and presenting them with an engraved glass plate. He always regarded himself on the side of the workers in Leeds.
Blocking the base
Every Tuesday in rain, wind and snow the Campaign for the Accountability of American Bases pickets the huge unaccountable US spy base at Menwith Hill. On the fourth Tuesday in the month they are joined by handful of well wrapped up members of the Alliance for Green Socialism.
Every few months more forces are mobilised. So in March the legendary Mike Davies of the AGS ferried many, in a minibus, to Menwith Hill. The blockade was organised by Yorkshire CND and supported by the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, Trident Ploughshares and the Campaign for the Accountability of American Bases. They succeeded in blocking the base. Around 200 people helped blockade three of the four gates causing serious disruption to the shift change and leading to Menwith Hill issuing a statement for the first time for many years. There were 30 arrests and about 8 people were charged. Congratulations to all those that attended and supported the event. The event was successful and there will be another Block the Base soon.
Mike was kept busy ferrying people back to Leeds from Police stations across North Yorkshire but he recovered in time to make part in following regular Tuesday picket.
Peace in the Middle East
Leeds University Palestinian Solidarity group organised a large meeting to hear Abdel Barri Atwan, Editor of Al-quds Al-Arabi newspaper on the prospects for peace in the Middle East. Abdel gave a powerful and witty account of the various roadblocks on the road to peace in the Middle East. However the central problem was that the Israeli government didn't want peace. He turned the problem on his head by saying if it wasn't possible for the Palestinian and Israelis to live side by side then perhaps they could all live together. Even if the resultant state was called Israel. Of course there would have to be full equality and the refugees would have to be allowed to return. What wasn't possible was the driving of Palestinians from region.
Unfortunately as long as Britain and the US continue to arm and subsidise the Israeli state it was difficult to see a peaceful solution.
This view was reinforced by Gordon Brown's freezing of Hamas's financial assets after the murder of their leader by the Israeli government. There are voices being raised in Britain for the police to arrest and charge members of the Israeli army and government who may have been involved in the crime when they travel to the UK.
A fair trade city
Leeds TIDAL and the Fair Trade City Team held a lively and imaginative event at Leeds Civic Hall to celebrate Leeds becoming a fair trade city.
There was music, Fairtrade snacks and beverages in abundance. However Garth Frankland failed to win the Fairtrade hamper. Christine Cambridge and Sheila Howarth provided some brilliant entertainment with their steel band. There were also displays and performances from many schools on the importance of fair trade.
Save Leeds markets
The recently formed Leeds ARC (Action for Radical Change) is running a campaign in support of 32 stall holders at Leeds Market. They have refused to sign new contracts that will increase their rent by 100%. The increases will undermine the market where cheap and local goods can be bought. It is part of Leeds New Labour's social exclusion policies for the working class and poor in the city. They want a totally commercially orientated centre full of café bars and expensive boutiques. They see changing the Market as part of that campaign.
Leeds ARC makes the point:
"It's the 21st century in boomtown Leeds, in one of the world's richest countries. Yuppie flats, poverty, shit call-centre jobs, environmental devastation, glitzy overpriced bars, pollution, run-down estates and long working hours. Politicians, business, the media tell us this is as good as it gets. Leeds ARC begs to differ!"
They also put together the local newsletter The Rabble Rouser, which links local and global issues, and promotes and takes collective action to create our own solutions and radically transform our city-without bosses or politicians. Check out their web site http://www.leedsarc.org.uk
Disney Picket
There was a very successful picket of the Disney store Leeds, organised by the No Sweat campaign to commentate International Women's Day. It highlighted how over 50,000 factories, many using sweated labour, are used to make Disney products. These are in countries as far part as Bangladesh and Haiti and have been exposed as using sweated labour. Workers, mainly women, are working in appalling conditions and with low wages. In 2003 Disney made a profit of US $1.27 billion.
International Women's day commemorates a strike nearly 100 years ago by New York women garment workers. This struggle is continuing today throughout the world.
Building solidarity
The No Sweat campaign organised an interesting meeting on building solidarity with sweatshop workers.
Alice Nutter (of Chumbawamba fame) reported on her recent visit to Mexico to meet trade unionists who were organising workers in the sweatshops. She explained how although law was supposed to protect workers rights the owners were able to find ways round the rules. One method was to deduct a small sum of money from the wages and when the workers came demanding a trade union to tell the money was for a trade union and they couldn't have two! Alice said that international presence and interest helped to pressurise the local administrations into enforcing the labour laws.
Wendelin of the Chinese Federation of Labour went through the struggle of the Taiwanese trade unions to organise the sweatshop workers. The new Taiwanese government has allowed the organisation of new union federations which have managed to improve some workers conditions, but the struggle is not over.
People were inspired to meet again to plan out supporting activity in Leeds.
Leeds 'Campaign against destitution in our communities'
The anger over the spiralling New Labour laws aimed at criminalising asylum seekers and refugees was expressed at a large meeting in Leeds St George's Church. There were speakers from the Leeds Asylum Support team, the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants and representatives from the Zimbabwe, Kurdish and Afghan refugee communities. Evidence was presented that the government was driving some of the world's most vulnerable people into destitution. Some were relying on the charity of their friends and some where driven into prostitution and others were living on the streets.
Members of concerned organisations and individuals in Leeds had already marked and publicly objected to a year of enforced destitution for asylum seekers by participating in a sponsored fast for 48 hours. This raised some emergency funds but more is needed to help. The campaign is planning further meetings.
The Tobin Tax
Dr David Adshead gave a talk on the Tobin Tax at the AGM of the Leeds Alliance for Green Socialism. The Tobin Tax is a proposal supported by organisations involved in international aid. It proposes a small tax on the trillions of pounds of currency transfers made very year. Such a tax could double the aid being given to developing countries. Gordon Brown has already admitted that international targets over children's education and clean water supply were already slipping. This tax would provide the resources to ensure everyone in the world has clean water and that all children can go through primary school.
Most of these transactions go through a handful of international clearing banks so the tax would be easy and cheap to administer. Two further advantages would be that the tax would slow down currency speculation and also give national governments the chance to introduce a top-up tax to curb speculators.
Snippets
* It seems that the government anti-social behaviour orders are not simply aimed at the young working class. They have now become a method to allow travel companies to increase their profits by stopping people getting cheap two weeks holidays out of the expensive school holiday period. Again not a peep out of Leeds City Council at this plan to prevent the poor from going abroad and perhaps widening their horizons. This is social exclusion in practice.
* But perhaps Councillor Keith Wakefield, leader of Leeds City Council, is too busy telephone canvassing in Harehills to defend the citizens of Leeds from the Government's attacks. One Alliance for Green Socialism supporter was surprised to receive a telephone call from Keith soliciting his vote for New Labour. I wonder whether the Labour Party's Regional Office have found away round the problems they were having over election expenses with telephone canvassing?
* I am still collecting information for my mini biography of Clare Short. Please send us anything you might have. Clare's intervention on the bugging of the United Nations has resulted in not a single New Labour MP taking up this outrageous breach of Labour Party policy.
* My Yemeni uncle in one of his irregular PGP encrypted emails has said that the United States deal to ignore Pakistan's nuclear weapons exports (some of which he saw in transit through the Yemen) in return for a more pro-active campaign to get Bin Laden in time for Bush's election is having some effect. A lot of people, involved in the expanded lucrative drug market set up as a direct and predicable result of the US and UK invasion of Afghanistan, are ending up in large scale firefights with the Pakistani army to defend their ill-gotten gains. Bin Laden has shaved his beard off again and returned for some rest in Tel Aviv.
* My uncle takes most of his email to rave on about the fence the Saudi government is setting up on the Yemen border. He is very angry and I intend to keep away from him for a while.
-- Half-Celestial Khan
