The entire “liberal” media and political establishment of the Western world reveals its militarist, authoritarian soul today with the screaming and hysterical attacks on the very prospect of detente with Russia. Peace apparently is a terrible thing; a renewed arms race, with quite literally trillions of dollars pumped into the military industrial complex and hundreds of thousands dying in proxy wars, is apparently the “liberal” stance.
Political memories are short, but just 15 years after Iraq was destroyed and the chain reaction sent most of the Arab world back to the dark ages, it is now “treason” to question the word of the Western intelligence agencies, which deliberately and knowingly produced a fabric of lies on Iraqi WMD to justify that destruction.
It would be more rational for it to be treason for leaders to blindly accept the word of the intelligence services.
This is especially true on “Russia hacking the election” when, after three years of crazed accusations and millions of man hours by lawyers and CIA and FBI investigators, they are yet to produce any substantive evidence of accusations which are plainly nuts in the first place. This ridiculous circus has found a few facebook ads and indicted one Russian for every 100,000 man hours worked, for unspecified or minor actions which had no possible bearing on the election result.
There are in fact genuine acts of election rigging to investigate. In particular, the multiple actions of the DNC and Democratic Party establishment to rig the Primary against Bernie Sanders do have some very real documentary evidence to substantiate them, and that evidence is even public. Yet those real acts of election rigging are ignored and instead the huge investigation is focused on catching those who revealed Hillary’s election rigging. This gets even more absurd – the investigation then quite deliberately does not focus on catching whoever leaked Hillary’s election rigging, but instead seeks to prove that the Russians hacked Hillary’s election-rigging, which I can assure you they did not. Meanwhile, those of us who might help them with the truth if they were actually interested, are not questioned at all.
The Russophobic witch hunt has its first real life victim in 29 year old Maria Butina, whose life is to be destroyed for chatting up members of the NRA in order to increase Russian influence. With over 20 years of diplomatic experience, I can tell you that every country, including the UK and US, has bit part players of its own nationals who self-start in a country to make their way, and if they gain any traction are tapped by their national security service as potential “agents of influence”. I could name quite literally scores of such people, but have no desire to get anyone in trouble. The elevation of Butina into a huge threat and part of a gigantic plot, is to ignore the way the United States and the United Kingdom and indeed all major governments’ Embassies behave around the globe.
The war-hawks who were devastated by the loss of champion killer Hillary now see the prospect of their very worst fear coming true. Their very worst fear is the outbreak of peace and international treaties of arms control. Hence the media and political establishment today has reached peaks of hysteria never before seen. Pursuing peace is “treason” and the faux left now stand starkly exposed.
According to the Liberal Left in the US, the Intelligence Agencies are blemish free patriots, and to criticize them is treason. That’s just insane, and is a direct result of the poison the MSM feeds the masses, and the fatal poison that is the Clinton machine. Trump wants to chit chat with Putin? Good. Let’s hope neither of them is insane.
Instead – MSM meltdown. War Is Peace, friends.
Deep State is at it again:
18 Jul: NYT: From the Start: Trump has Muddies a Clear Message: Putin Interfered
By David E. Sanger and Matthew Rosenberg; Adam Goldman contributed reporting
Two weeks before his inauguration, Donald J. Trump was shown highly classified intelligence indicating that President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia had personally ordered complex cyberattacks to sway the 2016 American election.
The evidence included texts and emails from Russian military officers and information gleaned from a top-secret source close to Mr. Putin, who had described to the C.I.A. how the Kremlin decided to execute its campaign of hacking and disinformation…
Mr. Trump and his aides were also given other reasons during the briefing to believe that Russia was behind the D.N.C. hacks…
The pattern of the D.N.C. hacks, and the theft of emails from John D. Podesta, Hillary Clinton’s campaign chairman, fit the same pattern…
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/18/world/europe/trump-intelligence-russian-election-meddling-.html
Who are these “Liberal Left” and what have they done with the old Liberal Left? Why has a random group of swampcreatures been rebranded as “Liberal Left”?
Press Association reporting that “a source with knowledge of the investigation” has told them that investigators have used CCTV to identify ‘Russian perpetrators of Skripal attack’. Apparently they have names! (Jimmy Hill? Chinny Reckon?)
Suspects of a ‘type developed in Russia.
“Apparently they have names”
Well they’d better not reveal them pre-trial or it could give rise to a law suit alleging breach of privacy.
Ref OUR NHS now in the capable hands of Matt Hancock. Not.
Private firms cash in on over-stretched NHS
Nick Triggle
Health correspondent
6 hours ago
Under-pressure NHS services in England are spending over £1bn a year buying care from outside the NHS because they are unable to keep up with demand.
The bill is being racked up by hospitals, ambulances and mental health trusts, data obtained by the BBC shows.
NHS managers said money was being wasted as often it was done at the last minute, and led to the NHS over-paying.
Sending patients to private clinics for care like hip and knee surgery is thought to be the most common purchase.
Phillippa Hentsch, of NHS Providers, which represents trusts, said these decisions were often made as a “last resort” where the only alternative would be to cancel. “Hospitals have to hand over the patients because they have simply not got the beds, staff or theatres free to see them due to the pressures on the emergency side.
“The best interests of the patients are what are paramount. But it is valuable income that is lost to those hospitals. It seems such a waste” she said. “In some cases hospitals are over-paying for these treatments and tests. It is another sign that things are not working properly.”
/..
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-44874238
Nick Triggle’s reporting on the NHS continues to be excellent, as is Hugh Pym’s. They both have wealth of knowledge and tell it like it is.
Hancock received £28k from chair of group advocating NHS insurance system
10 July 2018
The newly appointed health and social care secretary has long standing ties with the chair of an economic think-tank that called for the introduction of a health insurance system, it has been revealed.
Matt Hancock, who was appointed to the role of health and social care secretary last night, has received £28,000 over eight years from Neil Record, who chairs the Institute for Economic Affairs.
However, the IEA say that the payments pre-date Mr Record taking over as chair and the donations have been made in a personal capacity. (LOL)
/.
http://www.pulsetoday.co.uk/political/hancock-received-28k-from-chair-of-group-advocating-nhs-insurance-system/20037066.article
The IAEA was founded by Anthony Fisher in 1955. Described as
‘Discussing the IEA’s increasing influence under the Tories in the 1980s in relation to the “advent of Thatcherism” and promotion of privatisation, Dieter Plehwe, a Research Fellow at the WZB Berlin Social Science Center, has written that – The arguably most influential think tank in British history… benefited from the close alignment of IEA’s neoliberal agenda with corporate interests and the priorities of the Thatcher government.’
Non transparent funding, etc. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Institute_of_Economic_Affairs
Their Ms Kate Andrews, an American, is all over the media, especially on the news channels. giving out the message. She is expert. She even had some knocking copy in the Torygraph recently about clinical errors in the NHS based on sight of a poster in an NHS hospital reminding staff of care to be taken on patient identity. How neat of her. Of course such a thing would never happen in the privatised world of medicine.
IEA is a charity. http://apps.charitycommission.gov.uk/Showcharity/RegisterOfCharities/CharityWithPartB.aspx?RegisteredCharityNumber=235351&SubsidiaryNumber=0
Income/Expenditure circa £2m
Sir Michael Hintze is one of the Trustees.
http://apps.charitycommission.gov.uk/Showcharity/RegisterOfCharities/ContactAndTrustees.aspx?RegisteredCharityNumber=235351&SubsidiaryNumber=0
See ref Fox/Gould/Werritty on here.
Gould-Werritty: the Continuing Cover-Up
https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2012/02/gould-werritty-the-continuing-cover-up/
The NHS needs reform through devolution within the public sector. This will be resisted by Unions and Privatisers, but devolution offers the advantages of competition without competition, through comparisons. That is, if more devolved, good practice will be copied and bad practice isolated.
The NHS is huge and devolution will just makes its parts the size of many other independent countries. Indeed the NHS in Wales and Scotland is already democratically devolved and this should be extended further in England.
Some of the big funding problems facing the NHS are due to PFI which was promoted as the mickey-mouse accounting to get UK into the Euro and wont be resolved by privatisation cherry picking the profitable bits, often at public expense.
“Phillippa Hentsch, of NHS Providers, which represents trusts, said these decisions were often made as a “last resort” where the only alternative would be to cancel. “Hospitals have to hand over the patients because they have simply not got the beds, staff or theatres free to see them due to the pressures on the emergency side.”
I suppose that outsourcing to private clinics is better than cancelling – at least the patient gets the treatment.
If your beef is that the NHS cannot meet all the demand itself, that just goes to show what happens when demand for a free public good is literally infinite.
Even if all (for example) defence spending were re-allocated to the NHS, there would come a point – sooner or later – when the NHS would need still more resources because of that infinite demand. And what other spending would you suggest be re-allocated then?
Put the money that is going out to the privateers into the NHS. Cut them out of it and see the difference.
PS There is plenty of money for the two already redundant aircraft carriers (£6billion each)which do not even have the aircraft needed for their operation.
“Put the money that is going out to the privateers into the NHS. Cut them out of it and see the difference.”
But that would not alter aggregate demand, would it. All it would do is to alter the ratio of private treatments to NHS treatments.
The real problem – that of infinite demand for treatment in the context of an ageing population and ever more expensive treatments – would remain intact.
I think I already anticipated your point about the aircraft carriers in my first comment. It is like the M25 motorway : when two lanes, it became saturated; once widened to four lanes, traffic flowed better for a short while and then the widened motorway again became saturated. The NHS is the same.
Finally, Kempe and David make good points.
Over to you if you feel like continuing to discuss.
If you are saying there should be private provision as a safety valve to ensure people are treated, then no one needing treatment would disagree, but value for money favours investment in the NHS. The problem you identified of emergencies causing delays in routine operations is probably due to the rising knife and violent crime. Halting this rather than privatisation would improve matters.
Your argument lacks rigour. If demand is expanding in an uncontrolled way the answer is not to just give in to demands by getting the treatment done more expensively and with less planning by outsourcing to the private sector. After all this still comes from NHS allocated money.
The way piecemeal NHS privatisation has been sold is through s con by the Blair government, one of the least discussed evils of that regime. They introduced the so called payment by results, an excercise that led to a bonanza for city accountancy firms and so called patient choice and targets. The whole process shifted the blame for any shortcomings from government to individual trusts which were told to be run as businesses but without the autonomy that businesses have to cut out loss making but essential activity.
There is so much rubbish written here by people who know very little about the NHS.
Buying an operation from the private sector can be cheaper than the NHS having to provide all the mobility aids, medication, adaptations etc the patient would need otherwise; not to mention the cost to the taxpayer if said person has to stop work.
Kempe
You look at the overall problem long problem by offering a short term stopgap that helps continuation of the problem.
Donald Trump is a dialectician. Vladimir Vladimirovich may recognise the classic process.
Trump just looked the grown up candidate compared to the others, as did Corbyn compared to the others and if elected, whether you like him or not, will just fill the office with ease as Trump has. In the past there were many such types in political leadership, but as they died were replaced by a polished but anaemic looking bunch of professional office boys and girls, but the revolt brought the dinosaurs back into play.
I can’t stand that there are people out there willing and able to sacrifice the future of the youth for money position or feelings of grandure. To profit from war or pushing war.
Who are these fucking monsters? Seriously what kind of human beings can live with themselves this being the case?
This is institutional madness, And iv no doubt many think they are good people, But your on a train that’s insane. Driven by Megalomaniacal idiots.
All who just go along, this is your legacy to the world. This is who you are despite your feelings about yourself, it’s what you DO. So why not die now rather than later. The meaning of your life is set anyway. What do the extra days matter for? You don’t change, you have the same motivations and experiences day in day out.
It’s not that i mind a pointless life, but one that is destructive & spreads danger ? Die already, least you can control it, getting old a decrepit is just an extra pain.
& don’t worry about relatives, my dad (step) died recently, it was such a weight off (Mostly just been an oppressive force i lived in fear of). kids probably THINK they will be sad, nobody wishes it to happen, but when it actually does…
You know all the sentimental bullshit you spew is just for you. And you really find them pain, they’re just kids and your so important. It’s what being a “good boy” is after all, e.g., don’t bug me, be obedient and learn respect isun’t it?… For what? Being a selfies ass hole.
I sometimes think about who my “real dad” was. But IMO we were better off (as a species) when we didn’t know who fathers were and lived communally. Family sentiment is really a modern social construct. Sure, some really want to shut themselves in a small space with the same people for years on end, but i think most people do it grudgingly. I just don’t see the point in going on in such a circumstance for most who’s actions betray what they really feel.
Humans are not monsters, it doesn’t make you “a man” to act like one. It’s pathetic and absurd. And you make most people feel sick and horrified. We know the “leaders” are nothing without the go alongs, don’t put this on Trump or Putin etc. They are little different than most of you. in politics or media.
Horrifying monsters.
I suppose with WoodcockO’the North’ pathfinding the Nu-Labour-turned-independent party, the game is afoot to have a new ‘coalition’ government without letting the electorate have a choice.
Hodge being forced to screech and shout at Corbyn for being a racist! Wtf? Accusing him of that is like claiming the original JC was Himself an antisemite racist! Absurd and unbelieved by the population, no matter how much the commentariat screeches it from all their media portals.
The deliberate failure by the two libdem grandees (where exactly were they and why?) to vote and the tory cheating of the pairing system along with a few labour turncoats and absentees that would have seen a vote of no confidence and a summer election is the establishments last throw of the dice to keep Labour out.
Any number of dirty tricks and diversions and terror is now back on the cards for this silly season as a very british coup unfolds.
Certain Labour and LibDem figures even without getting ministries may settle into their role helping the Tories win Commons votes. Someone should make a list, because you’d have thought many of these parties’ members and voters might get a bit pissed off if they understood.
Got to wonder how much the Democratic Unionists have been paid to forget that customs tariffs require customs checks.
One or two journalists have sussed that the European Research Group is to many intents and purposes a political party, but none seem to have realised it has 7 members in the Cabinet, including at the Home Office (the Ayn Rand fan Sajid Javid), Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (the Steinerite helper Michael Gove), and Justice (David Gauke, who’s planning to use prison labour to help bring in the harvest). Let me summarise: all three of those departments will have more than their usual importance when the food runs out, and they are already in the hands of the European Research Group.
For Heaven’s sake stop coming out with that silly “when the food runs out” mularkey!
It’s as silly as the blokes who were prophesying the outbreak of WW3 a year or so ago.
There has been no WW3 and the food isn’t going to run out.
So do you have evidence to the contrary? Do inform us what plans have been made for any emergencies consequent on continued drought, Cretxit, or most likely general governmental utter incompetence.
I have as much – or as little – evidence to the contrary as N_ has in favour of his scaremongering.
It is not really a question of evidence but rather of common sense. Britain did not run out of food even in the conditions and circumstancsof the second World War and so it is simple scaremongering of the silliest sort to predict that it will “run out” of food with Brexit.
The remainers must really be desperate to use arguments of this kind.
Treeza’s stockpiling tinned processed meat. Hadn’t you heard Nick?
Is it in date? I think we should be told…..
No, I hadn’t heard, Sharp Ears. Thanks for that valuable (if slightly unbelievable) information!
I ain’t taking any chances by 1st April next year I intend having enough tins of spag bog in the spare room to last a year and enough shotgun cartridges to make sure it stays that way.
Brexit’s gonna make Zombie apocalypse look like a garden fete.
Well at least it shows the nazi conspiracy theories untrue, as “they” would have to be a strange bunch if they “ran the world” AND would rather a blatantly more racist party over JC’s labour. Certain groups would have to be really self hating to back Tories on bigotry grounds.
That stuff comes from the right, not the left, it’s absurd.
The holocaust industry just keeps giving. Yea, milk genocide for more racist political ends, why not?
Unbelievable.
According to the Tory BBC, “a source with knowledge of the investigation” told the Press Association that “(the investigators) are sure (the suspects) are Russian.”
“They have been identified through CCTV, cross-checked with border entry data,” the Press Association say. (And I’m not joking: the information in that sentence is sourced by the BBC to the Press Association and no further.)
An interesting question is why this story was not put out earlier, during the World Cup, the Trump tour, or the Brexit-Mogg drama at the Palace of Westminster.
Dawn Sturgess was a nuisance to someone, I reckon. Military incompetence is an important historical factor, but I do believe the British army’s chemical warfare defence guys can sweep a field of bottles if they’re give the order to do so. Of course, the order might have been “do some prancing for the cameras in fancy dress” instead, but that’s not good for morale.
I notices that little or none of the commentary of Trump-Putin asked whether the expelled Russian and US diplomats are going to be replaced. Any journalist who had an ounce of independence of thought would ask that question. Which is why it wasn’t asked. Journalists are a pack.
Philip Ingram, formerly of the British army’s Intelligence Corps, says “My view is that the primary reason behind (the Salisbury attack) was to send a message out to dissenters – and Sergei Skripal was chosen because he was based in Salisbury and that gave the Russians plausible deniability by saying, oh it must have leaked from Porton Down, because it’s just up the road.”
“Dissenters”? You fucking moron, Ingram. Is that what they call guys from Britain’s Intelligence Corps who get recruited by Russian intelligence too?
As for “plausible deniability”, I mean surely everyone who hasn’t got shit for brains can understand that if Porton Down can carry a chemical weapon 10 miles they can carry it 100 or 500. And it’s hardly anything to do with plausible deniability, because so far NO POSITIVE EVIDENCE has been revealed that suggests Russian state involvement.
Ingram is like a medic whose name gets put on an article in a medical journal saying how great a certain drug is: a case of “we’re using your name; here’s your payment”.
Evidence has made place for ‘in my view’.
It’s like the denialist’s “In my view there’s no such thing as global warming”.
It’s all opinion and innuendo, and zero fact and substance.
This is an epistemic collapse, and what’s sad is it’s happening not in spite of efforts to ward it off, but as a result of conscious efforts to bring it about.
There are those who must think they can stay on top of the curve.
There’s a bit of consolation in the knowledge that they too will be brought down by what they have wrought.
Why was Boris given the time and opportunity to make a personal statement in the HoC yesterday? Why hasn’t he been cleared out of hisofficial residence and why is he still being given a limo and chauffeur. Is he a special case?
Cost of rent, maintenance and staffing? Does he have a butler? 🙂
Boris Johnson moves into grace-and-favour pad a stone’s throw from Buckingham Palace
The John Nash-designed residence is leased from the Crown
28 October 2016
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/boris-johnson-carlton-gardens-the-mall-official-residence-chevening-buckingham-palace-a7385366.html
The ‘debate’ on Boulton’s Sky News now is ‘Can Boris Johnson become PM’?
Peter Bone MP was one of the contributors. One of the coterie.
The nearest the Foreign Secretary has to an official residence is Chevening in Kent. Is Boris Johnson still there? It was interesting too that he attended cabinet when mayor of London, and at that time I noticed David Cameron refer to him as someone who would be prime minister. (He won’t be, though, even if the CIA may think otherwise. I could of course be wrong.) Staying in Chevening or the grace and favour accommodation for more than a few days would be significant.
Cabinet minister resignation statements are normal. What was behind the “we’re breaking up early” followed by “no we’re not” is another matter.
Further ref HoC
DUP’s Ian Paisley faces one of the longest bans issued by Commons in 70 years
July 19 2018
Ian Paisley is the third MP in the history of Westminster politics to be slapped with a 30-day suspension from the House of Commons.
He joins the late Conservative MP Teresa Gorman, and Labour’s Keith Vaz in receiving a ban for 30 sitting days – the longest suspension term issued to a member of the Commons since 1949.
• ‘Embarrassed’ Ian Paisley faces longest suspension on record over £50,000 holiday – and could lose his seat
Despite their very different political backgrounds, all three have found themselves embroiled in high-profile scandals connected to their finances.
Mrs Gorman came under investigation by the standards and privileges committee in February 2000 for failing to disclose in the Register of Members’ Interests her three rented-out properties in south London and in Portugal.
Years previously she had introduced a bill to repeal the Rent Act without declaring an interest.
• Editor’s Viewpoint: Paisley’s behaviour creates problem for DUP and Prime Minister May
She subsequently left the Commons at the 2001 election before passing away in 2015.
Meanwhile, Mr Vaz found himself suspended in 2002 after he accepted the findings of the standards and privileges committee report, which accused him of seeking to obstruct an investigation into his financial affairs.
• Ian Paisley: How DUP MP could lose his seat… and the likely effects
He is currently the subject of an ongoing Commons’ watchdog probe to determine whether or not he broke parliamentary rules by paying for male escorts while chairing an inquiry into vice laws.
/..
https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/dups-ian-paisley-faces-one-of-the-longest-bans-issued-by-commons-in-70-years-37133218.html
Do these suspended MPs still receive their salaries and expenses?
Where is Vaz? What has happened to him? He is still being given a voice. This is a quote from him on the Labour party’s anti-semitism proposals. Who cares what he thinks. He should have resigned and left.
‘The Labour MP Keith Vaz also expressed strong opposition to changing the party’s current position, sources said.’
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/jul/17/labour-agrees-to-fresh-antisemitism-consultation-after-stormy-debate
And what about his multi-million pound house in Islington? I thought there was a housing shortage.
Yes, houses are expensive in London. Some cost millions, some cost seven hundred thousand, some five hundred thousand, some three hundred thousand (and all prices between). But how is the value of Mr Paisley’s house relevant to his suspension from the HoC? Would you agree that the value of your own house is irrelevant to the wisdom, pertinence, insight and factuality of your posts on this blog?
Freedom & Democracy, Australian 5-eyes style compared to sub-continent chaos
Aus: Whistleblowers to be imprisoned for life for annoying America?
http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2018/07/19/inte-j19.html
the new secrecy offences, “dealing with information” extends criminal liability well beyond stealing, covertly obtaining or leaking information—the activities traditionally associated with spies. “Deal with” is defined to include “collect,” “possess,” “make a record of,” “copy,” “alter,” “conceal,” “communicate,” “publish” and “make available.”
Pak: Meanwhile, in the ‘third-world,’ judges have told their Military Industrial complex to rein-in the power of their intelligence agencies. Will I now be arrested for suggesting that the same problem/same solution out to apply in many countries!
https://www.timesofindia.com/world/pakistan/a-pakistan-court-issues-startling-order-to-powerful-army-influential-spy-agency-isi/articleshow/65051471.cms
dawn puts it more strongly “Islamabad High Court (IHC) Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui on Wednesday criticised the alleged interference of the country’s intelligence agencies in the affairs of the judiciary, media and the executive, warning that such an intrusion may eventually lead to a “big loss”. he’s referring to ‘disappearances’ and judicial inteference, I think he might be infringing the new 5-eyes laws!
https://www.dawn.com/news/1420864/armys-top-command-should-rein-in-spy-agencies-islamabad-high-court-judge
No surprise there, both major Australian political parties do Washington’s bidding no questions asked. Not a dissenting voice to be heard.
A “source with knowledge of the investigation” said:
“The bleeding CCTV cameras weren’t working as usual but we managed to cobble together some crisis actor footage. See those fur hats and boots? Must be Russkies”.
I wonder what the leaders of the GMB union think of this.
They seem to operate in a moral vacuum.
It’s true. There is no such person in Israel as a Palestinian. They do not exist although it is their land.
J.wish nation state: Israel approves controversial bill
23 minutes ago
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-44881554
‘Israel’s parliament has passed a controversial law characterising the country as principally a J.wish state, fuelling anger among its Arab minority.
The “nation state” law says J.ws have a unique right to national self-determination there and puts Hebrew above Arabic as the official language.
Arab MPs reacted furiously in parliament, with one waving a black flag and others ripping up the bill.
Israel’s prime minister praised the bill’s passage as a “defining moment”.’
Craig Murray
Israel is now openly and unblushingly a racist, apartheid state with yesterday’s new law. Criticising that fact is “anti-semitic” under the crazed definition endorsed by the British government.
https://twitter.com/CraigMurrayOrg/status/1019844093420228608
Well said.
Israel will join a long list of nations with a state religion: 12 for Islam. Not the most extreme yet, which are the Islamic states (7): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_state#/media/File:Islam_World.svg
There are 4 nations with Buddhism as state religion and 5 with a Christian state religion (including England): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_religion#/media/File:Map_of_state_religions.svg
Are all those 28 other states also “racist apartheid” states? If not you are a hypocrite at minimum.
“Are all those 28 other states also “racist apartheid” states? If not you are a hypocrite at minimum.”
Probably not, but have they been butchering and murdering the legitimate citizens of Palestine the rightful country, since 1948? If the squatter state of Israel didn’t have the US as its attack dog, Israel would’ve been returned to the Palestinian’s by now.
“Probably not, but have they been butchering and murdering the legitimate citizens of Palestine the rightful country, since 1948?”
No, you are right. The states mentioned by Antonyl have not been “butchering” Palestinians.
But quite a few of them have been doing a good job of butchering their own nationals who happen to follow a different religion (or sect of a religion).
Sunni/Shia anyone? Rohingya Muslims, anyone? People of the B’hai faith anyone?
Antonyl made an excellennt point which deserved a better reply that the facile what-aboutery on offer.
Antonyl’s whataboutery does not concern me for the moment, the focus is on the occupying oppressive apartheid military regime that calls itself Israel, which is squatting on Palestinian lands and under international laws illegally occupying the Syrian Golan Heights.
Cool, so presumably if all Palestinians converted to the Jewish religion they could have their land back ?
Except that the next scensus of the UK in 2020 will show that more than 50 per cent of the UK have NO religion.
Was his remark about ‘state religions’?
I guess I missed that.
Either that or you’re hopelessly failing in your ramshackle whataboutery and strawmanning.
The only democracy in the middle east is now a theocracy.
You might like.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=aQOdacwChAA
“There is no such person in Israel as a Palestinian.”
That is quite correct. There are only Israeli citizens, the majority of which are Israeli J**s and Israeli Arabs (there are also Israeli citizens practising the Christian and other religions).
The fuss about the new law is silly: Israel has considered and indeed called itself a Jewish state for decades, so what’s new? It is like the fuss about Jerusalem being the capital of the State of Israel – this is only a reflection of reality.
To call a state “J**ish” or Islamic or whatever else is irrelevant provided that there is, in accordance with international law, freedom to adhere to and to practise whatever religion the individual chooses, or to none for that matter. This is the case in Israel.
“There is no such person in Israel as a Palestinian.”
That is correct. The population of Israel is mostly Israeli citizens, most of whom are J…sh Israelis and Arab Israelis; there are also smaller numbers of Israeli citizens who are Christians and of other faiths.
Many Palestinians do enter Israel every day to work, and therefore it would be, strictly speaking, incorrect to say that there are no Palestinians IN Israel.
Thank you for your opinion, but it is only an opinion. It is not necessarily factual. I recognize this and hope others do as well. Too many undereducated people read these blogs and think it is facts and news and then the conspiracy starts.
I think most Craig says in this area is self evidently true. And there are many well know facts, backed by proven events that support the general picture.
He certainly uses evidence based argument more than 99.9 % of the mainstream do on any given day. Trying to brainwash the public with proven lies over and over and over again.
And what do they do to those supplying factual documents? Eg Wikileaks?
We live in a soup of lies. Craig helps to bring truth. One of the very few who do. Im happy to let people make up their own minds based on what they observe going on in the real world.
Maybe you’d like to refute a specific point rather than say that’s just your opinion?
PJB. Not PTB?
Cold up there?
If the comments on Israel are anything to go by then PJB’s assessment is spot on.
Percentage increases in reports of violent crime in the UK including murder, gun and knife crime and even robberies.
http://news.sky.com/story/murders-and-knife-crime-rises-in-england-and-wales-11441441
Any connection to Theresa’s cut to police numbers? Detection rates are low.
There is increasingly nothing for people. What does one expect?
No good proof police improve anything, just divert funds from things that could improve the condition of society.
They are a reactionary force inexorably linked to the industrial revolution, capitalist domination & control of the working classes. At best they mop up after the event, at worse we let these bullies thugs & racists try and be pro-active. Fact is they are [this] far from criminals themselves, most who pick the job are just that sort of person.
You seem to lack both knowledge of and respect for history.
London has the oldest full time professional Police Force in the world. it was established by way of an 1829 Act of Parliament and incorporated what is known as “Peelian Principles” The principles included the concept of policing by consent. This means that the average citizen is content for the police to have the powers invested in them. It also logically means that the average citizen is very much against murder, gun and knife crime.
It follows logically that people elect not to commit these type of crimes for reasons wholly unconnected to their chances of being apprehended and punished. What you have is a problem of too many criminals and not a problem of too few police. But hey who is ever going to admit to that?
Criminals are not a type of person, crime grows in specific conditions (or when laws expand to create more “crime”) …
What nobody will talk about is how all this is linked to inequality and the conditions Capital accumulation demands. Eg poverty.
This system essentially creates these people. Then they are brutalised more “to help” e.g, as a solution. I know thugs like this, in and out of horrific institutions that prisons are. It’s no wonder to me at all these institutionalised people do such things.
Though they are NOTHING compared to what governments do.
Very interesting theory. Do you also apply this theory to the crimes of investment bankers?
If you carefully read and understood his remark, you’ll know that — yes, the mechanism he describes perfectly allows for so-called white collar crime.
“London has the oldest full time professional Police Force in the world. it was established by way of an 1829”
Loony.
The Glasgow Police force is the oldest police force in the world founded in 1800.
The Advertising Standards Authority has repeatedly warned the the London Met to stop claiming that it’s the oldest.
The City of Glasgow Police was formed in 1800. My auld hame toon, but there are probably earlier candidates to be the first police force if you widen the search beyond your personal prejudices.
Silly me, and I thought that the 1800 Police Act was mostly about stealing land, some Scots believe that there was a lot of it going on around that time – good to see you are not one of them.
Always remember “today’s revolutionary is tomorrow’s reactionary” For you tomorrow seems to have arrived early.
“Silly me, and I thought that the 1800 Police Act was mostly about stealing land, ”
How so?
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glasgow_Police_Act_1800
There are lots of earlier police forces. They just weren’t necessarily called ‘police’, but still fulfilled the same function. ‘Police’ I imagine comes from the Greek ‘polis’ (city), those who deal with the city. They existed in Rome (vigiles), and in Baghdad were called ‘shurta’, still the Arabic word for police.
Laguerre.
Yes thats obvious to anyone, Crassus in Rome developed possibly the first what could be called fire service, which used buckets to put out fires in the city.
Yet the first municiple fire service was founded in Edinburgh, by James Braidwood, its all down to context.
In what way is it prejudice?
The state broadcaster is really worried.
No-one charged in 9 out of 10 crimes – Home Office
9 minutes ago
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-44884113
Steve Bell. ‘Brexit caravan speeds to the cliff edge’
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/picture/2018/jul/19/steve-bells-if-brexit-charabanc-speeds-to-the-cliff-edge
How stupid if that is supposed to be Putin in the driving seat.
Agree
Ben dear boy, May’s entire Skripalgate phantorgasm belongs in the “ill-informed and wild speculation folder”.
Phantasmagoria.
Weren’t you wearing your Freudian slip protector?
Carry On Poisoning reaches new heights of hilarity. Maybe they’ve decided that the original story is such an obvious car-crash they’ve gone “Oh, fuck it, just keep making shit up, that way we’ll confuse everyone so much they’ll forget how it all started.”
I for one have complete faith in the intelligence services on both sides of the Atlantic. Just watch Robert Mueller LIE HIS ASS OFF about Iraqi WMD:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkF6WpWAxy8
@ mike July 19, 2018 at 14:42
Yes, handy for commenting on MSM comments against ‘Trump bashers’ (though I am one as well, just on different angles).
It was followed by another good video: ‘Wilkerson: On Iran, Trump Follows the Iraq War Playbook’:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ASt6PD5TUU
Unlike Iraq, where no WMD were ‘found’, the Yanks and their cronies have learnt a lesson – in Syraia CW’s have been ‘found’, indeed, when the West’s mercenary proxy headchopper’s ‘bases’ have been overrun too quickly for them to have escaped and taken their CW’s with them and the Syrian government forces and their allies have captured them. But, of course, the MSM, UN etc take no interest in these captured CW’s.
Also, CW’s have been used, and CW hoaxes have been staged, by the headchoppers and their PR firm the White Helmets, with the obvious intent to blame the Syrian Govt. forces and engender ‘Coalition’ armed responses.
And although nobody has reportedly spotted any of ‘White Helmets’ around Salisbury/Amesbury, they may well be there in Mufti (or maybe it is just their clones).
PS I apologise for my flippant tone. Someone has died, after all.
Everybody in Russia is laughing about it, they are used to black humour here.
@ mike July 19, 2018 at 14:44
.But we cannot even be sure of that. All we have is the government, their agencies, the MSM and ‘friends’ and ‘relatives’.It is not beyond the bounds of possibility that the PTB are pulling a ‘Sandy Hook’ on us.
The pretendy democracy of Israel, looks set to become even less of a pretendy democracy.
https://foreignpolicy.com/2018/07/16/israels-knesset-is-debating-democracy-itself/
Meanwhile knife crimes have reached such a rampant level in London. That the Safe Haven scheme has been extended, it could have something to do with cuts to the London police force by the Tories.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-18365410
Shouldn’t you, as a Scottish nationalist, be more concerned about crime in Scotland? And apply your acute observations and edgy humour to matters Scottish (especially since policing in Scotland is the responsibility of the Scottish government) ?
If the London owned press and media in Scotland weren’t so biased pushing the Scotland bad, SNP bad stories every day, without any real veracity to them then maybe.
However that’s not the case, so it does no harm to the indy cause to show the failings of London to Scottish voters on this blog, lurkers or not, that England isn’t the answer to Scotland’s woes, and that independence is.
I assume the BBC are soon going to report the comments of Security Minister Ben Wallace, who tweeted that the identification of Russian suspects is “wild speculation”…
Seems to me the neocons and their corporate stenographers are losing the plot. Cognitive dissonance is driving them all mad !!
That is a peculiar thing for him to say. Did he say the identities of suspects were speculation or the notion that suspects have been identified was speculation?
He doubtless gets his script from the same place as the Press Association. The intelligence and security community seem to having a good ol’ shitfight again. I can’t help loving it when Tory scum fight each other like hyenas.
They trail the ideas, see how the public reacts to them, on sites like this and in newspaper comments, and then decide whether to run with them or discard them.
I post this a Moscow Library where access to the MailOnline is blocked, thus depriving me of a great source of amusement.
Please meddle in the ‘right direction’, would you?
This latest fairy tale is so full off sh*t. First off all ‘they’ tell us they have ‘identified’ the suspects then ‘they tell us they don’t know who they are .Huh?
Must see video of Professor Stephen Cohen on the reaction in the US to the #TrumpPutinSummit
https://twitter.com/walid970721/status/1019518088604278784
For those with interest here is a much longer Cohen analysis of the Trump-Putin summit and the literally deranged media reaction
https://www.tfmetalsreport.com/blog/9123/jbsfc-trump-and-putin
On the Commons pair-breaking scandal, two quick notes for those who may not be familiar:
1) this does not concern the Speaker, because how MPs vote, the agreements they make with each other to abstain, and whether they keep to or break those agreements, are not his business
2) a party’s whipping does, however, concern the party leader, and in this case Theresa May has claimed that Brandon Lewis’s pair-breaking was a genuine mistake, when there is now evidence to suggest that it was deliberate.
If she keeps to this line, she’s a fucking liar. It seems to me she will either have to admit her error or resign. Why do I say that? Because I have a feeling there is incontrovertible evidence that chief whip Julian Smith lied. If there is also incontrovertible evidence that Theresa May was in on the deceit (and pair-breaking without notice IS DECEIT), she will be out on her earhole faster than Jacob Rees-Mogg can order his butler to bring him his slippers.
3) The MP with whom Brandon Lewis was (supposed to be) paired was not Labour but Liberal Democrat, namely Jo Swinson.
Can the LibDem leadership please decide not to be a bunch of lickers of Tory arses on this issue (as they have been on most issues for generations) and put the boot in. For fuck’s sake, LibDems, some of you have occasionally done respectworthy things like oppose the Iraq war – now go ahead and help bring down this shithouse of a Tory government!
There is laughter in the ‘hice’ whenever she says a mistake was made.
I have heard her say that twice now.
The row has moved on now to the Chief Whip, Julian Smith. The game is called ‘Pass the parcel’.
Tory chief whip Julian Smith under fire in pairing row
33 minutes ago
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-44884113
So the occupying forces of Palestine, have claimed that Arabic, the official language of Palestine was never an official language of the occupying forces of Israel.
The oppressive apartheid military regime of Israel, is in itself nothing more than an military occupying force, that’s butchered and murdered its way into todays position. The madmen in the Knesset can declare whatever they want to declare in their deluded bubble, the wider community knows fine well that underneath the Israeli illusion, the country of Palestine, and its people, is waiting to be liberated.
https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/israel-passes-controversial-nation-state-bill-1.6291048
How can Arabic be the official language of a state (Palestine) that does not exist?
On a side note, The chances of us being here are so remote. Its really unbelievable that we “exist”. (Real STUFF being a very shaky concept nowadays).
My experience is that being is a completely mysterious experience. This is what annoyed people about the 60s, the ecstaticness of being, and in “grown ups”…People like borris are just jealous, this is just his way of being a rock star. A nasty version as a way expressing his discontent.
But it’s also my experience the spirit with not enter sick minds/bodys, so they will never feel that connection. As i said, people live in their heads, in ideology. Hence how they can do monstrous things, they are not connected to life anymore. Hence the western pathological & obbsesive fear of death. That’s also used to control people.
Miserable bastards who’d rather spoil things & have other slime-balls lick their behind in a vain attempt of some sort of meaning.
Ps, we are actually more like some kind of ghosts in “reality” The ghost in the machine. & When they tried to prove the machine? It only really left the ghost. We are spectres, spirits, don’t let your senses fool you. Or sanity & reason. Thats the path to being very screwed up.
There is nothing they hate more than people being free. & getting along,
It shows just where they are at. Twisted self tormented souls.
“don’t let your senses fool you. Or sanity & reason. Thats the path to being very screwed up.”
Someone’s been watching the Matrix box set.
Quite the contrary I think, our senses define our world. As for sanity and reason, without them we’d be lost.
Using your senses (actual evidence), reason, or being in possession of sanity – all these are serious impediments to one’s religious delusions. Maybe that’s the angle he’s coming from here 😉
Acutely a few decades of taoist practice. + Science philosophy, Buddhism & confusion thought etc.
Prove you exist…That this so called “Real” stuff exists, ?
Our senses are superficial. & have you seen the state of things in an age where reason is king? ..No, it’s just a capacity, like language, and is used as justification for inhuman acts against our nature, e.g. ideology. Once innate compassion is driven out by a twisted lost culture. etc
Eg, Is this how you are with people ? Do you just reason and calculate, or do your let intangible momentary experience and trust in your own good nature govern how you act? id suggest the latter because unless almost all your meetings are staged, pre thought out etc (like a politician might spend a lot of their lives) you could not act naturally. But I assume (hope) you do?
No, ..I think it’s good to understand ideology, use reason, but they have a rather lowly place.
It’s a feel that matters, and by that I don’t mean “subjective” sentimental feelings, I mean the feel of your being IN experience as a human. Here and now.
Ps, i know i said some reactionary OTT stuff to you in the past, but please don’t patronise because iv a very different life experience. I regret that, being to personal with people I don’t know. It’s was a lot of heavy stuff and got to me more back then. It was un-necessary and I apologise.
Though this reinforces what I mean, about being detected from spontaneous human interaction. Why i think it’s hard for politicians to be mortal because of the way the systems organises (or separates) human relations / interactions.
I actually think this kind of elevation of politically educated rational framework in people is a serous issue, when you look at facts on the ground. EG, What the Nazis did was reasonable, planned, rational behaviour to them. Then its like ‘O hell, what are we acutely doing? & the world is still horrified people could have done that to other people. That’s not reason that says that, it’s a human feeling. kind of sickening.
Politicians etc, the establishment, they do act differently don’t you think? Its like they can’t be spontaneous (without horrifying results because that usully means “gut feeling” to them, Or anything goes) Ever been to a political party? They can’t let go of themselves. Literally.
hard for politicians to be * moral *
No need to apologise Ishmael, real or not you’re entitled to your opinion, just like everyone else.
I also trust in my senses, and my sixth sense is my gut feeling, which more often than not is right.
Also you should not patronise the arts that pass down oral tradition of ancient knowledge & practice. Like film, music.
Take Blake,, when he says “every bird that cuts the airy way”, he doesn’t mean a bird, (though it may include birds) he’s talking about a human experience that is “closed by your senses five”.
I’m a painter, but the physicality or superficial aspect is not the important bit, it’s the energy or spirit that the form expresses. The feel.
“You got to let it all go neo” …There is much meaning in this. Artists are really important. We do magic.
In fact the artist/shaman of ancient times was arguabley critical in waking up the human species.
Cave paintings. etc, Can you imagine what that seemed like to people without even a concept of painting? Without any developed sort of awareness. ?
Maybe we’d all still be sucking water off rocks if we did not have artists transforming consciousness/awareness.
Interestingly, in the Lascaux Caves there’s a place called the Shaft of the Dead Man. Ancient people very rarely painted themselves on the walls of the Lascaux caves.
The Shaft painting depicts a speared bison lying dead next to a dead man with a birds head. No doubt the first art critic attempted to decipher its meaning. ?
Antonyl 19 July 14:02
“Israel will join a long list of nations with a state religion.”
…………………………………………………………
You misunderstand Antonyl ( deliberately ?).
The Israeli parliament has passed legislation that defines the country as the nation state of the Jewish people.”
That is not the same as defining it as the nation state of Judaism.
(Many Jews are atheist or follow other religions.)
It defines the country as the nation state of the Jewish race.
It’s like parliament in Westminster defining Britain as the nation state of the English.
Is it a pure coincidence that the Labour party is being forced to accept that antisemitism should be redefined to include stating that Israel is a racist state?
Phenomenology. That is the perspective that is all about trusting your senses (why wouldn’t you, in a sensible world) and not what other people may say. We can probably bring that up to date regarding video evidence (not produced by our senses, and in any case could be tampered with).
We can only know what we perceive and as far as I am aware we can only perceive through our senses, but maybe we have more senses than we realise and maybe we can make more out of the sensory data. Infants are flooded with data and they rapidly organise it. As we get older patterns form and then there is some sort of feed back loop whereby we have created some templates or sort of standard perceptions and that then dictates how we see and, save for when we are shocked or are near death or make a special effort, we don’t develop. If we develop its not necessarily so much a question of being beyond the senses, but it’s just developing how we use our senses and what we do with the data. So from a phenomenologist’s perspective we need not worry about this being thought of as extra sensory or mystical, but just recognise that information in the form of energy is potentially unlimited and our ability to receive and make use of that is also extraordinary and we could try to develop our abilities if we wish, and people may choose to think of that as mystical or as a secular thing.
Craig,
Have you seen the recent interview with Bill Binney (former Tech Director of the NSA):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3mS-3-W0ig
Binney proves beyond any doubt that the ‘Guccifer2 Data hack’ is a complete fraud and that Russia did not hack the DNC. The famous ’17 agencies’ were wrong – it was all a lie. He states very clearly that it is a homegrown fraud.
Last Friday, Rod Rosenstein indicted 12 Russian intelligence officials using the same Guccifer2 report that Binney has now demolished.
What Binney is saying is not new – the fact that Binney is now saying it too, is new!
Seth Rich gets mentioned too.
The video needs to go viral!
Thanks for the url.
That’s the power of patriotism to propel people to oppose corruption in government. Make America (and UK) Great Again!
Full marks to Bill Binney, and thanks to Paul for sharing the link.
Niece of alleged UK poisoning victim registered as candidate in Russian regional election
19 Jul 2018
Viktoria Skripal, niece of former intelligence agent and alleged poisoning victim Sergei Skripal, has been registered as a candidate in one of Russia’s regional legislative assemblies.
Viktoria Skripal will be running for a seat in Yaroslavl Region’s legislature on the ticket of the leftist party Fair Russia that supports President Vladimir Putin and his policies. The election is scheduled to take place in the next general election – on September 9.
/..
https://www.rt.com/politics/431567-niece-skripal-russian-legislature/
Apologies if already posted
Now Butina is being compared by the media and America spooks to Anna Chapman as I have already done yesterday, and well she might, denied bail for fear she would return home since Putin is most understanding of Yanks who betray them.
Looks like Butina was to infiltrate right-wingers who had connections to Trump until he became POTUS.