December 2010
Housing benefit cut could double homeless numbers,... →
The number of people sleeping on the streets could double within a matter of years because of a little-heralded cut to housing benefits introduced by the government in the spending review, a coalition of homeless charities has warned.
Ministers propose that from 2012 the state will no longer pay for 25-43 year-olds to live in a one-bedroom flat and instead only cover the costs of a room in a...
WatchMARCH 18, 2010
When Obama took over office in 2009 he declared that the Guantanamo detention camp would be closed by January 22nd 2010. As this day approaches, producer Will Francome meets a variety of ex-detainees in the UK and US to ask them about life after Guantanamo and what they think of it’s promised closure.
A Party to Win? Clare Solomon's expulsion from SWP →
A superb piece of writing, worth a read!
(written on my iPhone so I can’t see the whole post at the same time-sorry if it’s too rambling) Dear comrades, friends & fellow travellers, Two months ago myself and James M were suspended from the SWP. James has had his suspension lifted and is able to participate in party debates at conference although is not able to sell the paper,...
Socialisimo Twitter page. →
A response to Alex Callinicos →
Let me say right from the start that I know I shouldn’t do this. Arguing strategy with revolutionary leftist parties in a public forum is a little like discussing venereal disease at a children’s birthday party: half the people there won’t know or care what you’re on about, and the other half will start trying frantically to shush you in case you inadvertently reveal some...
“Ulster Defence Association and the EDL hooking up? If you hate sharing your...”
– Thanks goes to http://ellentansey.tumblr.com/
This is Only a Test: Poverty is more than just... →
fuckyeahfeminists:
Ted Turner gives away a lot of money to charity. That’s fine. He says he wants to die with just enough to cover his funeral expenses. That’s also fine. Recently, he described himself as “almost to the edge of poverty. ”
Uh, no. He’s a millionaire instead of a billionaire….
Billions for the Military and the Ultra-Rich, Food... →
nwbtcw:
According to the Working Poor Families Project, nearly one in three working families is struggling to make ends meet because they’re stuck in low-wage jobs with no benefits.
The report says, “Although low-income working families remain mostly invisible to policymakers, these families are comprised of workers who form the backbone of our economy: working the cash registers, keeping...
George Orwell - A Life in Pictures →
George Orwell - A Life in Pictures
teenageangst-deactivated2011010 asked: What do you think of Ed Miliband as the new Labour party leader? Personally I don't think he's doing the party any good, but I can only hope that the coalition becomes severely unpopular by the time an election is called.
join the masquerade!: The thing that makes "1984"... →
teenageangst:
Everything that occurs in the book has an element of truth to it - it only takes one political party with a few radical ideas for the world to fall apart. It’s interesting how world wars are represented in the novel - no-one really knows who is fighting who, but they’re always fighting someone. It…
I would also add Iraq and Afghanistan, plus the ever changing enemy of the...
teenageangst-deactivated2011010 asked: What do you think of Ed Miliband as the new Labour party leader? Personally I don't think he's doing the party any good, but I can only hope that the coalition becomes severely unpopular by the time an election is called.
“Please feel free to submit, ask, argue anything you desire! Now is your time to...”
– Socialisimo
logicallypositive asked: Why do you think these student protests are a good thing? It seems to me that much like here in the United States, Europe has spent itself to death and is up to debt in it's eyeballs. Cuts need to be made in all kinds of spending across the board, unless Europe should become the next Weimar Republic. Sure, it might hurt now, but I'm convinced that if austerity measures are not taken,...
National demo - No Fees, No Cuts! Defend Education... →
The original event which had over 3,000 attendees was shut down. The official one is back up now, however we have to re-invite everyone!
So please add as many people as you can. Also, this is the London event, there is a same protest in Manchester on the same day.
*** THIS IS AN OFFICIAL NCAFC EVENT *** The vote might have gone through, but this is not the end! In the New Year let’s take...
logicallypositive asked: Why do you think these student protests are a good thing? It seems to me that much like here in the United States, Europe has spent itself to death and is up to debt in it's eyeballs. Cuts need to be made in all kinds of spending across the board, unless Europe should become the next Weimar Republic. Sure, it might hurt now, but I'm convinced that if austerity measures are not taken,...
Why Britain needs its own Jon Stewart →
A superb article, it is a crying shame - one of many media stories that make me concerned about where British media is going.
In the snow-fixated week before Christmas, Channel 4 “buried” some terrible news: instead of showing all four episodes of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart every week on its digital channel, in future it will broadcast just one weekly round-up.
This US import...
“22 people each year die in police custody, due to police brutality.”
– Socialisimo - Home office statistics.
http://rds.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/prgpdfs/fprs26.pdf
Out with the old politics →
Democracy is going cheap. Just in time for the January sales, the party responsible for introducing tuition fees has decided that it wants to jump on the youth protest bandwagon. “Join the party for one penny, and we will be your voice,” writes Ed Miliband in a rather desperate Christmas message to under-25s.
Labour is making a fundamental error, however, in assuming that these...
Hungry for power →
HUNGARY is under the international spotlight. In January the country takes over the rotating presidency of the European Union. But there is growing alarm about the increasing centralisation of power under the right-wing Fidesz government led by Viktor Orban, Hungary’s pugnacious prime minister.
Pakistan president appeals to opposition to... →
In arguing in favor of these tax increases, IMF officials and leading representatives of the Obama administration like Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have observed that Pakistan has one of the world’s lowest tax to GDP ratios—9 percent. They are urging Islamabad to raise this to 15 percent in three to five years, purportedly so as to provide the government with more monies for...
Ivory Coast: 'We've had too much bloodshed' →
Ivorians call on their president, Laurent Gbagbo, and the opposition leader, Alassane Ouattara, to sort out their differences peacefully
“I hope you will all have a wonderful day today. However, remember when you...”
– Socialisimo
Freezing weather a matter of life and death for... →
Snow and freezing temperatures may have brought chaos to the Christmas getaway for millions, but for those without a home the problems have been of a far greater magnitude.
Clare Gibson, head of services at the Edinburgh charity Streetwork said the severe weather made survival exceptionally difficult for rough sleepers. As sub-zero temperatures have bitten over the past few days, organisations...
This man is scheduled to lose his life on Sunday.... →
eloksobrelaluna-deactivated2011 asked: Do you celebrate Christmas? If yes, what do you do?
eloksobrelaluna-deactivated2011 asked: Do you celebrate Christmas? If yes, what do you do?
Christmas in Fiji →
Christmas in Fiji is a time to get together with family and indulging in a wide spread of Christmas fest.
In fact, families start gathering together in the biggest house in the community two weeks prior to Christmas and remain there till two weeks after New Year. During Christmas, the entire Fijian community gathers together to go on the “fara” or Carol singing. In this event,...
An Antarctic Research Christmas
I wish all my readers a wonderful holiday, no matter where you are in the world. I hope you all find some peace.
At McMurdo Station, the biggest research center on the continent, the place is so large that people living there must sign up ahead of time for reservations at the Christmas Buffet.
There are parties, caroling, and sometimes outdoor activities. At some outposts, the scientists and...
Bombs explode at Switzerland and Chile embassies... →
Bombs exploded at the Chilean and Swiss embassies in Rome today, injuring two employees, at least one of whom risked losing a hand.
The first blast came late morning at the Swiss embassy. A member of the staff was opening mail when a package exploded in his hands.
The victim, reportedly a 53-year-old Swiss national, was rushed to hospital where doctors were trying to save his left hand which...
Ivory Coast violence may have claimed almost 200... →
Nearly 200 people may have been killed in Ivory Coast in political violence sparked by last month’s disputed election, the US said today.
Eyewitness accounts of death squads abducting opposition sympathisers have emerged from the west African country since President Laurent Gbagbo’s refusal to give up power.
At a special session of the UN human rights council in Geneva, American...
Britain: Capitalism Steals Christmas →
The capitalist system that flourished in the time of Dickens is still upon us, as are all of its ills and evils. Reminiscent of the popular festive tale A Christmas Carol, in 2006, we still find that the everyday lives of working people are subject to the whims of a minority of parasitic individuals. This has found expression most recently in the Farepak fiasco.
The capitalist system that...
“Everybody wants to change the world, but nobody thinks about changing himself.”
– Fyodor Dostoevsky (via thirtyam)
Stop the deportations! →
The Capitalist system is in crisis and there are attacks on all fronts against the workers conditions and rights. Goverments are desperate, and they are playing dangerous cards, as the Berlusconi government that in 2008 started a witch-hunt against the Roma people and immigrants, and now the Sarkozy government in France that is deporting the Roma. The Secretariat encloses a statement called...
"UN to investigate treatment of jailed leaks... →
Strictly come statecraft →
Dance, Vince Cable, dance! The Business Secretary, whose hotly anticipated reality tv debut will be airing on Strictly Come Dancing’s spangly Christmas Day special, has made the supreme error of actually having and expressing an agenda. His ongoing humiliation in the press and the to-ing and fro-ing over his continued place in cabinet prove beyond question that the Liberal Democrats have...
“Knox Chitiyo, head of the Africa programme at the Royal United Services...”
– Socialisimo on the Ivory Coast (Cote d’Ivoire)