I was genuinely surprised by the Starmer regime’s refusal to state that the Israeli boarding of the Global Sumud flotilla on the High Seas was illegal. I did not realise it was because the UK was planning to undertake similar illegal seizure itself.
The Gaza Flotilla seizure was illegal: while for obvious reasons freedom of navigation had been the undisputed basis of UK maritime policy for centuries. The UK is a set of islands whose population is dependent on food imports to stay alive. Freedom of navigation is a core strategic interest of the UK. The relevant provisions of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea were very heavily UK driven, including on passage through straits.
Abandoning the primacy of freedom of navigation is absolutely a radical policy departure for the UK – driven, like so many other changes to traditional British legal positions, by the Starmer regime’s extreme support for Israel.
It is not generally understood how profound a change this is. Even the Tory government of David Cameron, with William Hague as Foreign Secretary, had opposed the Israeli naval blockade of Gaza and particularly Israeli seizure of vessels on the High Seas. William Hague stated in 2010 to the House of Commons of the boarding of the Mavi Marmara:
We are seriously concerned about the seizure of British nationals in international waters,
This is a long-term British legal position now directly repudiated by Starmer, Lammy and Cooper.
I had not realised that not only was the UK now supporting the campaigns of illegal blockade and seizure of vessels being openly pursued by Israel and by Trump, but Starmer was actually intending to abandon freedom of navigation and join the Trump/Netanyahu doctrine.
That is what the UK has now done by its seizure of the Smyrtos as it had passed through the Straits of Dover en route to Sikka in India.
The Dover Strait is a strait. The clue is in the name. The UK has absolutely no right to close it to Russian shipping. This is in Article 39 of the UN Convention of the Law of the Sea:
Transit of international straits “shall not be impeded” is pretty plain. This is the applicable legal regime for both the Strait of Dover and the Strait of Hormuz. Obviously in time of war different considerations apply, and commercial shipping of belligerent states – and to and from belligerent states – becomes a legitimate target. Iran is fully justified in also treating states permitting attacks launched from their territory as belligerent states.
If hostilities end, this Article 39 regime should apply again in the Strait of Hormuz.
It is worth a footnote to say that Iran had, until the recent illegal aggression by Israel and the United States, always strictly observed the international law on straits even though Iran did not sign the Convention and actually had entered a formal reservation on passage through straits. Even during the war, Iran had attempted, in extremely difficult circumstances, to establish a system for passage of genuinely neutral vessels.
It is astonishing that at this moment, when navigation of the Strait of Hormuz is arguably the single most live question in all of international politics, the UK has decided to abandon the principle of free transit through straits.
It takes hypocrisy to an entire new level – it truly beggars belief – that the day after closing the Dover Strait to Russian shipping, Starmer issued a joint statement with Germany, France and Italy insisting on “Freedom of Navigation” in the strait of Hormuz.
Even if you don’t care about international law and believe that Trumpian realpolitik is better, to act against freedom of navigation now would seem an unwise decision. The UK is now copying actions like the United States naval blockades of Cuba and Venezuela, and the Israeli genocidal blockade of Gaza. These are gross violations of the Law of the Sea.
UK Government minister Lisa Nandy was on television news last night as the government pumped out militaristic propaganda. The Royal Navy’s action in boarding and capturing an entirely unarmed and peaceful merchant vessel was portrayed as an act of Nelsonian brilliance. Nandy justified the seizure on the grounds that Russia’s oil sales pay for its war with Ukraine, and that the UK was enforcing sanctions against Russia.
Neither provides an atom of legal justification for seizing the vessel. The UK is not at war with Russia. Ukraine is, and the Ukrainian navy would have been entitled to seize the vessel. For reasons of cheap popularity and to increase the massive amounts of public money swirling around the corruption honeypot of military spending, UK ministers seem determined to move us to the brink of war with Russia. But we are still not at war, and the UK accordingly has no right to seize peaceful and innocent Russian bound, owned or flagged commercial vessels.
The UK is legally entitled to put whatever sanctions it wishes on Russia. But it can only enforce those within its legitimate jurisdiction. A foreign vessel, even when engaged in innocent passage or transit passage through a UK strait or other territorial waters, is not under UK jurisdiction. The Smyrtos was in fact in international waters south of the UK when seized.
In fact this attempt to enforce Western sanctions in areas where Western powers have no jurisdiction is a classic example of the current aggressive resurgence of imperialism, where the “rules-based order” – meaning rules imposed by the imperialists – replaces international law.
Nandy also stated that the Smyrtos was a member of the “Russian shadow fleet”. This is a term that the Starmer regime and their client mainstream and corporate media have relied upon repeatedly to demonise the Russian owned or directed merchant fleet.
Russia sells oil to countries like India and China perfectly lawfully. That this oil is carried in ships bearing flags other than Russian is perfectly normal.
Nil or close to nil of those ships carrying hydrocarbons to and from the UK are UK registered and flagged.
It has been a sad truth of international shipping for many decades that commercial vessels bear flags of convenience, and that jurisdictions compete to offer the very lowest standards of crew salary and welfare regulations, officer and crew training, vehicle condition, and maritime safety and inspection regimes.
Most of the registries of well-known international flag of convenience states such as Panama, Liberia and the Marshall Islands, do not really exist in the sense of being government departments of those countries, as they should be. They are private companies with almost no real-world footprint, which pay a fee to the government to operate the registry, and collect the fees from the shipowners registering. The register is just names in a laptop – and very often that laptop is in London.
UK colonies often have substantial such fake registries. The UK is a strong opponent of the International Transport Workers Federation, which has struggled against this system to improve mariners’ rights.
The system evolved for wealthy shipowners to avoid all maritime safety, environmental and welfare regulation, and the UK and other Western countries which pander to the needs of the ultra-wealthy have always been complicit. The incredible hypocrisy of Western states pointing fingers at Russia for running “Flags of convenience” is breathtaking.
The West has spent decades building and profiting from the global flags-of-convenience system. Russia is simply using the same system that Western companies created and still dominate.
Incidentally the MOD’s own propaganda footage, shown by all UK mainstream media yesterday, proves that the Smyrtos is a modern, clean, well-equipped and comfortable vessel and all the propaganda about an ancient rustbucket is completely untrue.
I have finally managed to pin down the alleged legal basis of the seizure of the Smyrtos, and it is that the vessel was stateless and thus subject to boarding under Article 110 of the UN Convention of the Law of the Sea.
The UK is claiming that the Smyrtos fell foul of Article 110.1 (d) that it was “without nationality”.
We will inspect that claim more closely in a moment. But, assuming it for a moment to be true, note that you only have a right to visit and inspect on the High Seas a ship that is without nationality. Article 110 absolutely does not confer any right to seize a ship on the High Seas not found on inspection to be in unlawful activity. The UK has seized the Smyrtos, brought it into UK territorial waters and then claimed it is under UK jurisdiction.
Nowhere is that allowed in the Convention.
Now let us look at the claim that the Smyrtos is without nationality. This is an astonishing story which the media will not tell you.
When the Smyrtos set sail from Russia it was flying the Cameroonian flag, and on the Cameroonian register. That is not in doubt.
While the ship was on its voyage, on 10 June Cameroon withdrew its registration. It did so because the EU and UK threatened to halt development aid to Cameroon unless they removed Russian vessels from their shipping register.
So the UK blackmailed Cameroon into deregistering the ship. Then, before the ship could reach a friendly port, the UK boarded it because it had been deregistered.
Now doubtless there are chortling people in the UK security and military industries self-congratulating themselves over how clever they are. But while this may be a clever ruse de guerre, it is hardly a ruse de paix. It is not going to survive scrutiny by an international court. An unexpected change of registration, forced upon the owners, is very difficult to complete instantly, but doubtless one was in train and perhaps finished. The UK actions are patently – and deliberately – unreasonable.
Politicians seek to drum up cheap popularity by stupid jingoism. Starmer has won a cheap headline. The world inches closer to the next world war. The UK loses yet more legitimacy in the eyes of the wider world.
Meantime Trump claims as a great victory a possible return of the Strait of Hormuz to the open status it enjoyed before he started an illegal war in the interests of Israel.
Freedom of navigation was a principle worth defending. It has been abandoned in favour of a return to the rule of the seas by those with the strongest navies. Fortunately Putin is neither as war hungry nor as politically desperate as Starmer. However Russia will now be obliged to send at least a frigate to keep the Strait of Dover open. The drums of war beat ever closer.
Craig Murray is a former Head of Maritime Section of the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office. He is a former Alternate Head of the UK Delegation at the UN Preparatory Commission for the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.
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This Ria Novosti article made me at least smile in part and it is probably prophetic. Translated title “The UK will be led by burnt ham. And rotten”. It includes such as: “The King of the North is a professional politician. He is probably more talented than Starmer, but he is just as slippery and just as vague when specifics are required. A man whose last name translates as “burnt ham” tries to be both kosher and halal, supporting both Jews and Muslims, as well as old British money and ordinary English subjects (as he should think).
After much in this vein it concludes ominously: “In practice, good guy Andy will be just as cold to freezing British grandmothers for the sake of anti-Russian geopolitics as Starmer was, and then he’ll follow in Starmer’s footsteps: a brief honeymoon followed by a plummeting popularity and a frantic search for a new prime minister who will also be far removed from Churchill.
And all this time, Britain will be producing long-range weapons for the Ukrainian Armed Forces, until these production facilities are destroyed in a third world war — or until the regime in Ukraine changes dramatically. Unlike the regime in London, there is still a chance for this to happen”.
“King of the North”, hah !
Check out this article and the embarrassing picture of this Cambridge educated gimp.
https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-15921971/Andy-Burnham-wife-appeared-disastrous-Blind-Date-show.html
As Crispa has outlined, it would appear that the Labour Party are about to replace their deeply unpopular, boring as ****, probably ‘on the spectrum’ serial liar of a prime minister*, who can barely make it through a resignation speech without welling up, with an ambitious, middle class, Oxbridge-educated former mayor, who likes to present himself as a man of the people. I wish Labour would get some original ideas and stop stealing Tory ones (cf. Rishi’s mad-as-**** moving tobacco age limit thing).
* I’ve been trying to think of something positive to say about Sir Keith and his legacy, but all I can come up with is that – unlike some other former leaders of UK political parties who happen to be knights of the realm – at least he hasn’t raped any primary school-children (as far as I know).
British subservience to American Caesar is also brinkmanship towards Russia and China. Eventually this will go off like an exploding cigar, only with disposable British people in the state forces being turned into dog meat.
Squeeth
Not on the British – Germany and France are in the firing line too.
When Trump walked into the G7 meeting room and declared himself ‘ The Boss ‘
the e media who relay every word and utterance he makes took great offence
like an elderly Aunt hearing Trump fart.
The bad news for European and British leaders is that since WW2 the US has been THE Boss and is the boss now and will be in the future.
They are The Boss of NATO as well.
The European leaders remind me of an elderly man who thinks he’s still ‘ Got It ‘
Even some of the women think the same.
There is no doubt that the US is in decline – it will happens slowly but, Europe’s decline is speeding up.
Dong the bidding of the US over the years with no (or few) questions shows who The Boss is.
People talk about Brexit and it has been damaging I think but nowhere near on the scale of damage that is being done ( energy prices – in The Gulf and Russian boycotts) and if they keep up this so called War of Attrition to bring Russia to its knees without the help of the USA it will be Europe on its knees as a result of these theatrical actions.
As Russia knows a War Economy has its costs ( making weapons instead of useful material goods) and it doesn’t grow the economy for the benefit of its people – no matter which country does it.
If Europe embarks on the same path then Warfare Not Welfare will become very real indeed.
Meanwhile those with no assets to protect against would be attackers in any of these countries will be told to join their respective armies ready to fight/defend the riches assets.
As usual.
Not a great plan really to grow a group of economies and will fail and the the Far Right will become the latest left Behinders Saviours yet again.
All across Europe and maybe the UK.
On the basis of the above – hands up if anyone fancies a mightily re – armed Germany again – armed with NATO Nukes this time ?
They could all on the other hand join the BRICS countries and make trade – not war but the antics of the Imperialist Powers (big and small) may have put off the countries who are already members from allowing them in.
I wouldn’t blame them.
They want to make an example of this barrister, to avoid any other barrister speaking out in court.
“A leading British civil rights barrister faces contempt proceedings once again after a judge decided to refer allegations against him for a second time.
The original proceedings brought against Rajiv Menon KC were thrown out last month for procedural reasons.
But on 22 June, Mr Justice Johnson ruled that Menon’s case met the necessary “threshold conditions” to proceed and that it was in the public interest to do so.
He said the case should be referred to a judge who can “deal with the matter expeditiously”.”
https://www.declassifieduk.org/palestine-action-lawyer-faces-renewed-contempt-proceedings/
In accordance with George Orwell’s famous contradictions
WAR IS PEACE
FREEDOM IS SLAVERY
IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH
the “modern” Yookay must take all necessary measures to stamp out the last remaining traces of justice from its “justice system”.
The ‘Muralgate’ episode just happened to pop into my head earlier out of nowhere, so….
When Jeremy Corbyn initially learnt that Mear One’s mural was to be removed – and presumably saw the artists post on his phone along with a picture of the mural in question (and phones had small screens back then in 2012), and precisely because he thought the mural was – understandably – anti-capitalist – it obviously brought to mind Diego Viera’s mural, and how Rockafeller had it plastered over and destroyed, as such, and so he cited it in his post in response to what Mear One said about his own mural being removed. But there’s a bit more to the story behind Viera’s mural, as I just learnt:
Man at the Crossroads (1933) was a fresco by Mexican painter Diego Rivera. Originally slated to be installed in the lobby of the RCA Building at Rockefeller Center in New York City, the fresco showed aspects of contemporary social and scientific culture. As originally installed, it was a three-paneled artwork. A central panel, depicting a worker controlling machinery, was flanked by two other panels, The Frontier of Ethical Evolution and The Frontier of Material Development, which respectively represented socialism and capitalism.
The Rockefeller family approved of the fresco’s idea: showing the contrast of capitalism as opposed to communism. However, after the New York World-Telegram complained about the piece, calling it “anti-capitalist propaganda”, Rivera added images of Vladimir Lenin and a Soviet May Day parade in response. When these were discovered, Nelson Rockefeller – at the time a director of the Rockefeller Center – wanted Rivera to remove the portrait of Lenin,[2] but Rivera was unwilling to do so.
In May 1933, Rockefeller ordered Man at the Crossroads to be plastered over and thereby destroyed before it was finished….
Anyway, the point I’m trying to make is that when JCs response to Mear One about the council’s intention to remove his mural happened to surface years later, when he just happened to be leader of the LP, anyone who knew about Viera’s mural and what actually happened – or took a couple of minutes to find out – would have known beyond any shadow of a doubt that JC cited Viera’s mural precisely because he thought Mear One’s mural was being removed for the same reason – ie because it was anti-capitalist. And Jeremy OBVIOUSLY didn’t know that it was being removed because it was perceived by some as being antisemitic. Of course they would! But no, his enemies saw it as an opportunity to distort the reality and smear him further with the A/S brush (if you’ll forgive the pun).
Yes, it just happened to come to light some six years later – purely by chance of course – and it just happened to be a Jewish Labour MP by the name of Luciana Berger who, if I remember correctly, was a ‘protected asset’. In a Guardian article it says: ‘Labour MP Luciana Berger raised the issue with Corbyn’s office after screenshots of the Facebook post emerged.’ Yes, they just happened to ’emerge’, and LB just happened to see them! Needless to say, JC was being monitored by MI5 or whoever, and those monitoring him knew what he was posting and who he was speaking to on the phone etc, etc, etc.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man_at_the_Crossroads
And for any younger folk who follow Craig and may not be familiar with the mural episode, here’s a link to the Guardian article (who had it as ‘several Jewish bankers’, when they knew damn well it was just TWO out of the six depicted in the mural):
Corbyn in antisemitism row after backing artist behind ‘offensive’ mural
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/mar/23/corbyn-criticised-after-backing-artist-behind-antisemitic-mural
That the mural depicted Jewish bankers was, I understood, because these men who were top bankers just happened to be Jewish. They were apparently identifiable. Since then access to knowledge has put Jewish banking into context. I refer to Gaddafi and his plan for an alternative banking system, offering loans to African countries to encourage them to develop their own resources. These loans would not be subject to interest on the loan but would require a fee, payable first and then just repayment of the actual loan.
Discussions in the FT and Telegraph stated we cannot allow this and we will not allow this, so peacemonger Blair was sent to tell Gaddafi that we will not allow this. Saif, whose PhD was the underpinning has recently been killed. He was allowed to live for longer than the other members of his family.
Anyway the monetary system has a long history and at times in history it was curtailed, hence we have bank ‘tellers’ because Spanish bankers were brought in at one time.
Managing the resources through monetary hegemony usually works okay. Taxing wealth is however necessary if the resources are not to be removed from their country of origin in their entirety. Russia has a lot of oil and gas and attacks on this have been consistent from Ukraine across the whole of Russia. Putin was drawn into Ukraine to defend the Russian speaking citizens that had voted to secede and be autonomous. He does not want Kyiv to be damaged because it is the soul of Holy Russia, hence minimal civilian casualties, but massive deaths of conscripts in the contested Oblasts.
The aspect of the plan which is least attractive to citizens of Europe is the ‘Fuck Europe’ bit as defined by Victoria Nuland when the Maidan plan was approved to overthrow the elected Ukrainian government. It would make more sense for peace to be agreed by having Ukraine and Russia both to join the EU and abide by its strict oversight, the same as for the countries currently in it, and those wishing to join.
Trump meanwhile is expanding his holdings in Venezuela, Bolivia, and Cuba. Cubans may be hoping that they will benefit from the development of their resources by US companies. They see wealthy holiday makers in luxury resorts that they are banned from. Bolivians are less repressed and half of them voted against US capitalist control of their country. Money and resources and performative actions.
I’d forgotten about that mural. The 2019 election destroyed my faith in British democracy and it has never come back. The shenanigans this week coinciding (surely not coincidentally) with the Brexit tenth anniversary have almost literally underlined that “it doesn’t matter who you vote for, the government gets in”. As far as I can see, the mainstream media and nearly all politicians are basically glorified PR people, who pretend to campaign, question, consult and debate, while the key decisions have already been made. I realised this most strongly after Brexit when supposedly dyed-in-the-wool europhiles, many of whom had even advocated euro membership, and supposedly rigorous left-wing journalists, simply left the field and didn’t even campaign for Single Market access or ask obvious questions about what was going on. It has been something of the same this week, with the media just repeating the same narratives of politicians and none of them questioning the outrageous substance of what has happened.
What British democracy?
I just found out about the People’s History Museum in Manchester. It’s about ordinary people rioting, striking, and fighting the establishment for basic rights (like the Peterloo Massacre and the Suffragettes). It may be an antidote to political exhaustion because it focuses on grassroots rebellion rather than government spin.
“Putin was drawn into Ukraine to defend the Russian speaking citizens that had voted to secede and be autonomous.”
The Donbas loyalists weren’t secessionists, it was the US-Ukronazis that extinguished democracy who were the secessionists.
Excellent, long, article on what the spooks have been up to, from before Skripals, through Covid up to Syria and Gaza now.
https://www.mintpressnews.com/leaked-documents-reveal-uk-intelligence-operation-targeting-russia-iran-gaza-and-beyond/291009/
Don’t forget, everything the government tells you is a lie.
I asked AI: Of which country is the following website (your link) likely to be an agent, and why? Its response was:
“Based on independent media monitoring, disinformation research, and the content of the provided text, MintPress News is widely evaluated to act as an ideological asset or conduit for Russia and Iran..
The article is written by David Miller, a controversial academic who regularly appears on state-affiliated media networks like Iran’s Press TV and Russia’s RT.”
Even I could spot a dead give-away like the use of the term “special operation” for the invasion of Ukraine.
So not to worry, I won’t forget, everything the Russian or Iranian government tells you is a lie. 😁
Disappointing that you have to ask an american computer program what to think !
Good point, and it’s also worth bearing in mind that AI is not infallible, albeit a useful tool.
Although I spotted the “special operation” bit myself, I used AI to check further because the piece as a whole didn’t feel right, a bit like telling authorities or texting 61016 on seeing something at a railway station that doesn’t look right, “see it, say it, sorted!”
“see it, say it, sorted!”
For some reason I am reminded of:
‘When they came for the communists, I said “He’s next door. Take him away. Goddam commies”‘.
– martinX’s Slashdot sig
Re the mural episode, we know that when Mear One posted about the council’s intention to remove it, he didn’t say WHY. Had he done so, I’m sure JC would have looked at the picture of it more closely – ie brought it up on his laptop so that he could and, as such, seen why there had been concerns and complaints about it. When Jeremy looked at the picture of the mural on his phone all he probably saw was six men sitting round a monopoly-type board game resting on the back of naked brown-skin figures, and would have probably thought the six men were business men. I just did a search for a picture of the mural AND for the first time saw the picture that Jeremy must have seen, one that includes the WHOLE mural and the building it was painted on, and as a consequence I now realise that the picture of it that the MSM included was a close-up showing just the bankers etc. Here’s a picture of the whole mural:
http://www.edlis.org/criticalthinking/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Freedom-For-Humanity_Small.jpg
Now if you happen to be looking at it on a device with a large-ish screen you can of course see the detail, and if you’re familiar with any or all of the characters depicted, you may very well recognise them. I wasn’t, and I don’t suppose most people WERE. But on a small-screen phone it’s unlikely you’d be able to distinguish any of them even if you WERE familiar with one or more of them. And in 2012 Jeremy would have had a 3.5″ screen phone. And it would have been the picture showing the WHOLE of the mural, and NOT the close up picture.
Now I don’t have a clue about the following aspect of it, which occurred to me earlier, but wouldn’t Mear One have had to get permission from the local council first and, as such, show them a small rendition of the mural he wanted to paint, which surely artists planning to paint a very large picture do anyway, where-ever they plan to paint it. I mean it seems HIGHLY unlikely to me that he wouldn’t have sought permission to do the mural from the council first, AND that the council wouldn’t have wanted to see a draft painting of the mural.
Gordon Bennet!, of COURSE he was liaising with the council, because HOW else would he have learnt that the council were gonna have it removed unless the council contacted him to tell him so. Doh! And SURELY they must have told him the reason WHY, which begs the question: Why didn’t he mention the fact in his post and, as such, reject the claim that his mural was in any way antisemitic, which would have been the most obvious thing in the world for him to do (and which, as we know, he DID do later). Doesn’t make sense, but he DIDN’T.
The only thing *I* can think of is that when he posted his post he had only just learnt from the council that they were gonna have it removed and was furious about it after spending two or three days painting it (which I assume it MUST have done, maybe longer) and, as such, wasn’t thinking straight. AND, even more so – furious, that is – if he HAD shown the council a draft painting of the mural AND they had no problem with it. And as I said earlier, surely they would have wanted to see a rendition of the mural before they gave him permission. And if he DID, and it was fine with them, then THAT must mean that they didn’t see/notice any inherent antisemitic content in the draft of the mural.
Anyway, given the (faux) outrage and fury six years later when Jeremy’s response just happened to ’emerge’, isn’t it odd that there was very little response from all those who condemned the mural as antisemitic to the disgusting and Nazi-type depictions of Zack Polanski a few weeks ago by FOUR main-stream newspapers read, collectively, by around five million or more people. Hmm, fancy THAT!
Just came across this article in The Jerusalem Post from May 7th, the day of the local elections, which has lots of interesting facts and figures in it and is well worth reading (it’s pretty long), albeit primarily about Zack Polanski and the Greens and, you guessed it!… antisemitism:
British Greens battle antisemitism scandal as Jewish leader Zack Polanski targets local elections
https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/antisemitism/article-895512
PS There is one short comment BTW
Great mural.
It’s reminiscent of the famous (and excellent) Pyramid of the Capitalist System graphic that was used in Belgium and Russia and then by the Industrial Workers of the World:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyramid_of_Capitalist_System
Probably only about two journalistic scribblers in every 100 who have gobbed off about the Mear One mural are aware of this precursor (well-known in the labour movement for more than a century), and even those two wouldn’t have the backbone to mention it.
When I first saw that mural a few years back, I was reminded of the art of George Grosz. Similar caricatured images of certain ” types “. There is an * interesting * story to be told about the history of ..um….let’s call it ” Jewish Capitalism ” – in fact, I’m sure many such histories already exist: haven’t read any myself, though have ploughed through that epic of analysis by a Jew OF Capitalism – ie Das Kapital.
One only has to know a bit about the history of the Rothschild Family and note how much power, influence and control modern day Jewish Plutocrats or, if you prefer….Plutocrats that happen to be Jewish wield in the domestic and – in particular Geopolitical -policy making of the U.S to acknowledge that as a Race/ Identity – secular or religious – Jews figure prominently.
It’s kinda, erm…..* troubling * for me as my mother always held great respect and admiration for Jews – and Black people: I think primarily because she perceived that they had endured terrible persecutions historically, which as race/s, they survived because of their strong religious faith and cohesion as a people/ peoples. Personally, as a lifelong music lover, you only have to look at the sheer brilliance of songwriters like Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, Carol King, Randy Newman and, perhaps pre-eminently in terms of the volume of superb songs – Paul Simon to agree that Jewish people are among the most intelligent & gifted people: and this before we include their contributions to Science & Literature ( inc two of my favourite writers Phillip Roth and Saul Bellow ).
Notable how LITTLE brilliance and beauty Zionism has brought into the World ; on the contrary…..nothing but pain, misery and incessant grief and turmoil
Interesting that the background features the allegedly masonic symbol(s) from the american dollar bill, ‘the eye of providence’.
If one discusses capitalism, then one would expect a shout out to Jews, that’s not antisemetic that’s fact, eg. Rothschilds. Same as if you talk about genocide you would expect a shout out to Jews, eg. WW2, Gaza. But of course in our f*cked up world we can only mention Jews if we prefix any discussion by stating: ‘the poor victims …’.
Everything other than uncritical compliance/submission to their psychopathy is now called – screamed – ” Anti-Semitism ” by the psychopaths of Zion, their devotees, slaves, pawns and just about every politician in the West. According to whom, Jews can only ever be victims: NEVER the aggressors. This demented distortion of reality is of a piece with the equally ludicrous notion that ” people of colour ” can never be Racists – only White people. I’ve actually seen that claim being made.
Then again, according to some, men can put on a dress and be magically transformed into a woman, so, y’know, who gives a fck about Reality when you have self-deluding fantasy?
The capitalist in the red tie looks like Alf Garnett. But perhaps one isn’t supposed to mention this, given that the actor Warren Mitchell who played the idiotic racist Garnett character was of Orthodox Jewish parentage (although I have no idea whether he had a Jewish identity or not – perhaps he rejected it).
Whilst claiming to be proud of his Jewish heritage he was an atheist and patron of the British Humanist Society.
As well as Alf Garnett he took on the role of Shylock in a BBC production of The Merchant of Venice and was exasperated by people who laughed with Garnett instead of at him; as was intended.
He was a versatile actor, who also played the father of the philosopher Gurdjieff, in the film Meetings with Remarkable Men.
Has it crossed your mind that The Pub Landlord nicked his act?
in 2012 Jeremy would have had a 3.5″ screen phone. And it would have been the picture showing the WHOLE of the mural, and NOT the close up picture.
The iPhone 4 came out in 2011 and he’d have had a zoom function.
The mural promotes the ‘New World Order’ conspiracy theory, which doubtless has adherents amongst the posters here, but which in some versions is linked to the global Jewish banking conspiracy and even the Protocols of the Elders of Zion. You can understand why a lot of people might find it offensive and even dangerous.
And you are implying what exactly? Whatever the case re his phone, he obviously looked at a small image of a picture of the mural. Do you go around zooming in on every picture you come across, ffs. He would have absolutely no reason to do so. JC doesn’t have a racist cell in his body, and you know it. And so does John Bercow and millions of other people, including all those who participated in the A/S black op smear campaign, and had the time of their fucking nazty lives for four years ‘transforming’ him into an antisemite.
Genocide Britain.
Gaza scorched. Furnace heat. Weight,
Soles tread, June’s silence.
Good haiku, though I wondered about using “Britain” – presumably you only had the country’s “baddies” in mind?
But you encouraged me to think of one:
Underestimates
Israel, both North and South
Native resistance
Official, respectable Britain. Namely, the entire political establishment (with a tiny number of demonised exceptions); the British Army and intelligence agencies; the media; the judiciary and police; the Royal Family; approved historians and intellectuals; big Capital.
All actively or silently complicit in the Gaza Genocide. Forcing even the willfully blind to understand what they are.
Never too late for the penny to drop.
I recommend “Yookay” instead of “Britain”. Compact, meaningful. Nuff said.
I thought Yookay referred to modern Britain in its diversity, even as a word of abuse by right-wingers, not the UK establishment. “Yookay” arguably opposes the genocide in Gaza.
Good stuff M.J [the haiku].
https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2026/06/the-uk-joins-the-pirates/comment-page-2/#comment-1099872
^ My question no.1 of 5 was “Who will Andy Burnham’s closest advisers be?”
Well he says he plans to appoint James Purnell as his chief of staff.
The MSM are describing Purnell as “Blairite”, a “lobbyist” (no mention of any clients, i.e. of who he has influenced policy on behalf of), and blah blah the English northwest.
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/jun/23/andy-burnham-picks-former-blair-minister-james-purnell-as-his-chief-of-staff
They forget to mention that he was chairman of Labour Friends of Israel for two years.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2010/feb/19/james-purnell-good-riddance
https://powerbase.info/index.php/James_Purnell
They don’t even mention he is a known tax dodger (which they frequently mention about Angela Rayner):
https://archive.ph/O88cC
Andy Burn-babies has said his first foreign visit as leader of the Labour party would be to “Israel”:
https://www.aljazeera.com/video/newsfeed/2026/6/21/andy-burnham-says-israel-would-be-his-first-overseas-visit-in-old-clip
Say hello to the new prime minister – same as the old prime minister – a Zionazi puppet from head to toe.
Indeed Brian, we have been fooled again by the Zio-shysters.
But rest assured, this excellent song by John Coltrane from 1970 has it covered, he must have had a distopian vision.
Have a great cosy warm day everyone and watch the footie, probably the most environmental impacting of all sports, every season fans travel from A to B and back, currently jetting from Boston to Houston,Miami,Toronto and more.
Horrendous! Fifa and the various opium for the masses national bodies dare not mention it, nor their income and tax policies.Its verboten!
Even this heatwave does not jog the feeble minds of our zio politicians or the media hacks/quacks.
Coltrane was bang on.
https://music.apple.com/gb/album/dont-worry-if-theres-a-hell-below-were-all-going-to-go/29168201?i=29168215
Think you mean Curtis Mayfield. As a big fan of both, I thought for a minute I’d missed ‘Trane’s version of that brilliant Curtis Mayfield song – would have an interesting combination had it occurred 🙂
Oops 😔
That video indicates that there are differences between them e.g. he visited the West Bank with Labour Friends of Palestine before he joined Labour Friends of Israel. We’ll have to wait and see just how different he might be as PM.
Meanwhile here’s a question: why did the same voters who turned from Labour to Reform in such numbers at the local elections give Burnham such a great victory in Makerfield?
Simples.
“… the deputy leader of Reform UK, Richard Tice, … said he wanted more of Israel’s “success and brilliance” in the UK, not less. … Tice failed to declare his trip to Israel last year, funded by the newly-formed Reform Friends of Israel (RFOI). ”
https://www.declassifieduk.org/critics-of-israeli-influence-are-like-nazis-politicians-claim/
Tice is a safe pair of [blood stained] hands for the zionists, as is Burnham.
I thought that Burnham has that mysterious thing called ‘charisma’ that had something to do with it.
Don’t know, is that a northern term for ‘Janus the genocider’ ?
Let’s put it this way: if a half-decent challenger to Boris Johnson had been trying to get into parliament in a by-election where I’d had a, vote, I might have voted Tory for the only time in my life.
All votes are Tory votes in the fascist first-past-the-post system.
Burnham supposedly has personal popularity in the Manchester area because of the buses. Possibly some voters find it hard to draw conclusions from a politician’s publicly known connections to what is euphemistically called the “night-time economy”, as used to be true, way back when, with Mandelson.
Another local election is coming up … for Manchester mayor. Gotta wonder how well Bev Craig can do against Reform with much less spend having gone on managing her personal image and with possible fragility if she harps too much on “vote for me if you love Andy”.
Voters will have to be a bit challenged in the upstairs department if they think any British government led by anyone is going to “reindustrialise”.
Jonathan Cook gives an update on the prosecution of barrister Rajiv Menon for contempt of court, and gives specific acknowledgement to Craig Murray for bringing the case to our attention:
https://jonathancook.substack.com/p/barristers-powerful-speech-at-filton
Sorry, the above is not actually a new post – it was written in January.
Listen to this total psychopath ( from approx 1 – 3 min point ) and witness the repulsive, deranged face of Apocalyptic Zionism. These lunatics will sooner set the planet ablaze than give up an iota of their nihilistic millenarian fantasies. Sick, sick people from a sick, sick country supported financially, militarily and ideologically by a sick, sick Western World – or at least by the latter’s sick, sick * leaders *
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6LQ3QL_76jw
Allowed by YouTube, which tells exactly who funds them !
The looney with the staring eyes is Mosab Hassan Yousef.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mosab_Hassan_Yousef
Former Hamas operative turned informant and by the sound of it a blatant self-publicist.
” former Hamas operative ” – does that translate as ” Israeli double agent “? Or maybe he was just a guy who used to be a member of Hamas but seen the light when he saw what a fantastic job the Altruists of Zion were doing of * renovating * Gaza. Or perhaps his moment of revelation came when a former head-chopping Al Queda leader was installed as Chief Puppet in Syria: y’know like a latter day Damascene Conversation. Aye, that’s probably what happened. Surprising that that fountain of indisputable fact – Wikipedia – didn’t refer to this
Don’t forget, Israel was instrumental in setting up Hamas, to undermine the PLO.
Indeed; just like the Yanks supported / funded the Mujahideen in Afghanistan against Russia – of course – until the * ally * became the ” barbaric Islamic terrorists “. This pattern has played-out so often, yet there are still plenty who’ll cheer the latest instance of ” Our guys ” to ” Kill ’em all ” to ” our guys, again ” berserk folly every time
Classic colonialism.
But there’s a difference between the top leaders of Hamas and the base level combatants.
Also many of the top leaders have been murdered by the Zionists. These are posts with very low life expectancy.
Last point is that Hamas have mostly not fought against Fatah and there wouldn’t be much support for them if they did. The reason Hamas did so well in early elections was because top Fatah figures – practically the whole of the leadership with the exception of Arafat – had been caught out pocketing money from Egyptian cement that went to building the wall – absolutely not a good look at all.
Hamas aren’t the best organisation in Gaza (the PFLP is much better) but mostly the Hamas fighters are good, brave, admirable guys. Hamas are definitely the main force in the resistance in Gaza and should be supported for that reason.
I have seen “plague on both your houses”, “down with Israel, down with Hamas” propaganda and while once upon a time it would have appealed to my ultraleftist nature, now it’s pretty clear it’s Zionist black propaganda.
The resistance is not really about religion, any more than it was in Algeria.
Robert Hughes – for the alliance with the Mujihadeen, see Rambo 3
And, apparently now the US is training and preparing Uyghur extremists in Syria (ISIS controlled and fully suopported by the West) with an aim to transporting them into China to foment unrest.
https://www.globalresearch.ca/us-prepares-terrorist-army-expand-dirty-war-china/5931330
and
https://www.globalresearch.ca/us-empire-turns-syria-terrorist-hub/5890459
Every single area of unrest on the planet has the USAs fingerprints all over it.
@Stevie – That Global Research article on the Uighurs makes the BBC (and presumably behind it, MI6) seem very pro the Chinese government in Xinjiang, which makes sense. I remain highly sceptical as to whether “Islamist” religious nutters are much of a factor in that part of the world. It has been reported that some Uighur guys who went to Syria to fight in the civil war couldn’t give a monkey’s who won the war but were just doing it to gain military experience, which also makes sense.
To come at it from another angle: armed struggle in Urumchi, Kashgar, etc. – armed struggle against the Chinese government – is going to be a necessity sooner or later, and painting it as a matter of “Islamist” headchopperism (largely before it commences) suits the world’s great powers (including China) fine. (As also would a growth of genuine headchopperism.)
My prediction is there will be robot guards in the Xinjiang camps by 2030. (A robot taking 25% off the 100 metres men’s record of 9.58 seconds by the end of next year is another prediction.)
I’m sure that’s what ‘they’ want us to think. I’ll base my thinking on the evidence of what ‘they’ have been doing for decades and what their publicly stated agenda is – regime overthrow.
‘They’ tried this with the Chechens and Russia, now it’s the Uyghurs and China. Divide and conquer, that’s all they know – and it’s so obvious, to some !
@ Ewan2
I’ve managed to never see any of the Rambo movies, but do remember seeing a quote from one of them – from memory….” do we get to win this time? ” LOL
The ” last time ” presumably being the Vietnam War; where more munitions where dropped than in the entire WW2, chemical weapons ( Agent Orange ) were used indiscriminately and untold $Ms were spent to attempt to defeat an enemy a fraction of the size of the U.S and with an even smaller fraction of resources – military and otherwise – at it’s disposal and which represented precisely zero threat to it. And still the U.S got it’s arse kicked right out of that country
But, no, the humiliating defeat demented Uncle Sam suffered in that debacle had nothing to do with the incredible fortitude and resilience of the V.C but was down to ” the Suits ” in Washington and the cowardly Military Establishment according to Stallone’s truth-reversing narrative – and not just his; that fiction is still held to be accurate by a large % of Americans. Unsurprisingly, the same type of self-serving ” we’re the victims here ” garbage used by the Israeli lunatic squad
More likely his Shin Bet handler waved a bundle of Shekels under his nose. He comes across as being venal enough to sell out his countrymen.
By his collaboration with the State of Israel, disowned by his family, and in later life denying the existence of Palestine as an historical illusion and the idea of Palestinian identity, he seems to made himself a pariah, a man without a community except as a protected guest in right-wing Zionist circles. But I also see him as a tragic figure, a victim of traumatic circumstances in many ways.
Maybe today it would be opportune to release some of the stolen Venezuelan oil loot from Trafigura to help those who suffered from the massive earthquake in and around Caracas.
I suppose that self serving narcissist is busy manipulating US law, further tearing US society apart. What next for Cuba, Greenland, Canada and Columbia?
HOW DARE YOU MAKE SUCH A SUGGESTION! Israel needs every drop of that plundered oil; how else will it’s homicidal ” Lawn-mowers ” continue to carry-out their essential work?
I care what happens to Cuba, Greenland and Columbia – Canada I couldn’t care less about – it’s Political Caste, anyway. Politically, it has shown itself to be every bit the social liberty- crushing, Climate ” Apocalypse ” hysteria pushing, Gender Idiocy promoting, warmongering/ enabling Neolib/con basket-case as it’s – alleged – threat, the U.S of Israel. Sow = Reap time Tranada
Israeli genocide took one step forward last Sunday with the arrest of another Palestinian medical doctor, one who specially ministers to poor people, Dr. Mazen Al-Rantisi.
Talking of pirates.
This article gives an update on the machinations of Pablo Miller, the MI6 handler of the murdered Skripals.
https://thegrayzone.com/2026/06/24/british-intel-occupied-ireland-leaks/
Telling revelations. Vividly illustrate a scumbag of the first order.
re: Ukraine War
Latest casualty numbers of AFU according to a new hack, see UKR forum:
https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/forums/topic/ukraine-date-nov-2023/page/52/#post-106924
total: 2.4M
2026: 400k
https://x.com/OlgaBazova/status/2069843118120378666
RU MoD figures:
total: 1.7M
2026: 212k
https://mskvremya.ru/article/2023/1520-poteri-ukrainy-za-vremya-spetsoperatsii
Olga Bazova is a ‘media personality’ and singer already called out over corruption and pro-Russian propaganda.
https://x.com/i/trending/2069907758900453576
Note how much her figures are different to RU MoD estimates and I would doubt either, armies have a habit of over estimating their opponents casualties, that applies to Ukrainian estimates of Russian losses too.
AG
June 25, 2026 at 18:33
When the USSR lost tens of millions to the Nazi Unternehmen Barbarossa, why didn’t Stalin and his Politburo accept the inevitable and make terms with the Hitler regime?
Reduxtion, because Russia had General Winter on its side.
They knew and witnessed Germans with boots bandaged together, under supplied in winter clothing, munitions and manpower the Russians knew that they could not win, many froze to death in uncomfortable positions and ruin to ruin fighting. There was not much food about, many had to improvise.
Add to that huge milages for logistic’s the battle of Stalingrad, no Ukrainian fascists helped out in the battles then, you should be able to answer your own question Jockey.
You have to keep in mind this was not a Western-front-style war by Wehrmacht.
Operation Barbarossa was as much designed as large-scale genocide as what we today know as Shoah or Holocaust.
In other words: There was no dealing with the Germans other than fight to the death.
That genocide plan´s name was “Generalplan Ost”.
It originated around the same time as its counterpart “Final Solution” which to a major degree was devised by Adolf Eichmann.
Eventually 5.8M Jews should be “removed” in the course of “Final Solution”. Even during the secret Wannsee Conference of 1942 it was never spelled out that “removed” meant something different than what the term usually implies.
“Generalplan Ost” was supposed to cleanse Poland, Belarus, Ukraine and Russia of around 50M Slavs to create space for German “Ostgebiete” and lay the foundation of exploiting resources of the USSR.
In contrast all the West/North European nations were regarded as Allies – even if under German leadership and being exploited to some degree. But their economic and partially political elites considered Germany as the solution e.g. for the permanent Socialist and leftwing problems especially in France.
This covert sympathy of major parts of European societies is revealed in the huge numbers of non-Germans who would participate in the military campaign against th USSR.
e.g:
Romania: 1M
Hungary: 1.2M
Bulgaria: 450k
France: 10k SS, 150k (it is claimed many forced to serve. I cannot judge it)
Finland: Some say 500k others 1M.
Estonia: 70k
Latvia: 110k
Lithuania: 40k
Poland: 400k (again the argument is mostly forced. I don´t know.)
One of the reasons why France´s downfall of 1940 remains an issue and in part mysterious is the contrasting reaction of the USSR just one year later.
However French could accomodate under German occupation and carry on with their lives. The defeat of Germany for France was simply not a question over life or death.
Some say not even 0.3% were somehow affiliated to resistance groups.
SS for one internally never regarded French resistance as a serious problem.
Soviets had no choice. For them there was no accomodation. Laying down arms would have meant extermination.
That´s not me fantasizing. That´s German leadership as early as 1939.
+ + +
Now I will spare us the repetition of the fruitless discussion over the Ukraine War.
But allow me to point out that there are parallels between the German concepts then and of Western interests vis-a-vis Russia today.
And I may highlight the role of Ukrainian fascists and Neonazi forces in this paradigm.
The situation is more complex than between Israel and Palestinians.
But if one breaks it down the same elites of Western liberal democracies and the same military alliances that enable Israel to exterminate Palestinians and increasingly Lebanese and attack Iran are operating from Ukraine against Russia.
Which is why in the Global South people don´t need a PhD to see that Russia today has the same enemy as Gaza today.
Thank you for this very comprehensive view of Germanies Generalplan Ost, and the corrulations that can be drawn to the current Ukrainian non compliance with autonomy for the largely Russian speaking easter regions and their western supported idiotic war.
The Zionist war and land grab in the occupied territories of Palestine will not be solved by perpetual war and or the genocide of its rightful population, only a total stop of arms supplies and a comprehensive ME peace agreement, under a drastically changed, more moderately behaving leadership, one that includes the interests of neighbouring states could start a more positive outlook for all concerned.
Germany’s other Axis partner Italy sent 300,000 (probably reluctant) men to the Eastern Front, Spain raised the Blue Division of volunteers which eventually numbered about 47,000.
Whatever contribution Ukraine made seven million served with the Red Army (20% of the total), one million of whom died.
Of course there’s no parallel to be had between Barbarossa and Russia’s illegal invasion, the widespread and authenticated reports of killings, torture (including of their own men), child abduction, oppression and ‘Rusification’.
Indeed there is no parallel between 2022 and 1941 the way you try to put. However the ideology of the forces whose PR you are fallng for very much is rooted in the old original.
I take it that “Rusification” is a typo rather than an attempt at irony based on a knowledge of the origins of Russia as Rus’.
Guess what language “Servant of the People” was first filmed in.
” But if one breaks it down the same elites of Western liberal democracies and the same military alliances that enable Israel to exterminate Palestinians and increasingly Lebanese and attack Iran are operating from Ukraine against Russia.”
Exactly correct. This is the point myself and others have been making since the start of the Proxy War – having to wade through steaming piles of ” Putin apologist ” ” Appeaser ” ” Zelly is the reincarnation of Churchill, shut it ” shit to do so.
This war has NOTHING to do with Ukrainian Sovereignty, European Security or – and don’t make me fckn laugh – Democracy.
It is merely the latest sorry chapter in the Forever War being waged on behalf of, in essence, the Global Banking Cartel – ” Beasts of no Nation ” whose sole, overriding loyalty is to the preservation of their own wealth & power and if millions have to die – again – in that endeavour……so be it – they couldn’t give a scintilla of fuck: they won’t be the ones fighting and dying.
But never mind that, let’s just carry-on pretending it’s all Putin’s fault; let’s just continue with the insane provocations of Russia; let’s just keep believing worthless skunks like Starmer-now-Burnham ( Hamstar ), Panama Papered- Over Zelly, Weird Screaming Skull Merz, Nouveau Regime Perv Macron & * Daddy’s * Boy RooootAH are impeccable Statesmen acting selflessly in the interests of ….what’s that term again? ……oh, right …The People.
Yeah, nae bother. BTW….I’m looking for some magic, immortality-guaranteeing beans, anyone know where I could source any? Someone suggested I try Kaja’s Magic Bean Co or if no joy there, Ursula’s Fantasy Factory. I did, they’re Sold Out. Seems a load went to a UK Company named JK Migraine Ltd. Damn!
In this context it may be interesting to read yesterday´s news in Germany:
Out of 300.000 writtern inquiries sent by German Bundeswehr to young people to find out whether they would serve in the army, 530 responded with a yes.
@ A.G , yes, I’ve read similar and I absolutely certain it would be the same in every other European country. The only people who want war are the total shitebags ( ie cowards, in Glasgow parlance ) who will never be obliged to actually fight. ” Same as it ever was, same as it EVER was………..”
Robert Hughes
June 26, 2026 at 14:11
Give me a break, Robert.
Russia attacked Ukraine, not the opposite.
At least the Nazis staged a fake attack by Poland on the “Reich” to justify their invasion.
(Though no false flag “justification” for Barbarossa I think)
Putin said that his goal was to “demilitarise and denazify” Ukraine.
JK, do you really have nothing except a monotonous repetition of the approved NATO narrative? No facts, no reflections on Minsk I and II, on the bombing of Donbass for 8 years? Well, fear not because according to the same narrative the tide is turning and Russia will be defeated very soon now.
@ Jorge
No, amigo, people like JK have absolutely nothing to say about the Minsk deceit, the years of UNPROVOKED aggression by the Azov Fascists against the residents of the Donbass and other Russian-speaking/cultured areas, or, indeed, about the centuries-long English-As-British needling aggression against and resentment of Russia.
Likewise have they never addressed exactly who insisted Ukraine must join NATO, has there ever been a mass public clamour for that? And not a syllable about the deep, endemic corruption in that country – gotta laugh at the EU Clownocracy dribbling pish publicly about Ukraine joining the EU Madhouse on one hand and on the other – soto voce – saying ” it won’t happen overnight ” ahahahaha – kinda like ” Lord give us Zelly EU Entry, but not yet “, because even that mob of political illiterates know about the depth of corruption in that country and the likely deleterious effect if it was taken into the dysfunctional ” European Family “.
The Zelly-huggers just keep robotically/monomaniacally repeating the same few lines and thinking they are making some slam-dunk kind of point. Laughable
jorge
June 27, 2026 at 01:44
You accuse me of “monotonous repetition of the approved NATO narrative”.
In fact I try to respond to posters who repeat the approved Russian Government narrative by rebutting their more absurd claims.
(My promised NATO funding is still pending despite repeated requests.)
We keep going over the same stuff here but the message never seems to sink in. The separatists failure to abide by Minsk and withdraw their heavy weapons (supplied by Russia) is never acknowledged, the civil war in Donbas still presented as some kind of genocide and great emphasis placed on the ‘endemic corruption’ in Ukraine as if that by itself justifies the war. How people can claim to despise Ukraine because it is corrupt but at the same time support Russia in everything it does despite corruption there being very much worse is beyond me.
https://www.transparency.org/en/cpi/2025
Perhaps someone would like to explain that.
Let me guess ‘Transparency International is run by the CIA/MI5/Mossad/NWO/EU/NATO’?
Pears Morgaine 9.24am.
“Let me guess ‘Transparency International is run by the CIA/MI5/Mossad/NWO/EU/NATO’?”
On the above – it far worse than that.
“Transparency International (TI) is according to itself an non-governmental organization monitoring and indexing corruption worldwide. In reality, the organization is deeply corrupted, being a tool for Western governments’ foreign policy objectives and whitewashing big corporations.”
“Sponsored by Adessium Foundation, Google News Initiative, King Baudouin Foundation, Luminate, Norway/Ministry/Foreign Affairs, Omidyar Network, Open Society Foundations”
https://wikispooks.com/wiki/Transparency_International
In reality, the organization is deeply corrupted, being a tool for Western governments’ foreign policy objectives and whitewashing big corporations.
According to who? Oh according to the references ‘RT.com’ (there’s a surprise) and loony tune conspiracy website Global Research.
https://www.globalresearch.ca/bill-gates-wants-block-off-sun/5857121
Put it another way; or do you have a dependable source that says otherwise?
https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/corruption-perceptions-index-by-country
Pears Morgaine.
RT has nothing to do with it – Wikispooks defines it as a corrupt western tool – backed by shady donors and that’s good enough for me.
Meanwhile your other link World Population Review, is seen as a great and truthful website by Media Bias Fact Check, itself a described a s a scam site in the Palmer Report – so forgive me if I don’t buy into the WPR’s info.
“MBFC’s most trusted fact checking websites, as of December 2019, were FactCheck.org, FactChecker, Flack Check, Hoax-Slayer, Open Secrets, PolitiFact, Poynter Institute, Snopes, Sunlight Foundation and Truth or Fiction”
Enough said.
Wikispooks is quoting RT and Global Research. It’s what those little numbers in brackets mean.
the organization is deeply corrupted, being a tool for Western governments’ foreign policy objectives[1][2]
References
1. https://www.globalresearch.ca/the-wests-weaponization-of-corruption-indexes-thailand-categorized-as-a-corrupt- failed-state/5550012
2.https://www.rt.com/op-ed/375658-populist-soros-transparency-international-corruption/
@Robert –
“The only people who want war are the total shitebags ( ie cowards, in Glasgow parlance ) who will never be obliged to actually fight.”
I wouldn’t be too sure of that. In WW1 many soldiers tried to avoid killing soldiers on the other side, and there were reports of such aversion among soldiers as late as the USA war in Vietnam. Things have changed now, and things were never like this for the Zionists anyway, or for the SS for that matter.
See Dave Grossman on “killology”.
Suggest also some familiarisation with attitudes expressed on the British army’s main online forum, arrse.co.uk.
The Russians offered to respect the Geneva Conventions in 1941, even though not a signatory but the Germans turned it down.
Russia murdered 20,000 Poles in the Katyn forest massacres which occurred before the Nazi invasion and 1.5 million Axis prisoners died of starvation or overwork. Over three million Red Army prisoners died in German captivity, mostly from deliberate starvation.
Since when is lawful authorities seizing a ship with contraband equal to piracy? Or are you enjoying a little side income with your efforts to disparage the UK for its actions?
The principle is that all nations have the right to trade, e.g. export their oil, via the high seas. Otherwise any nation, including those that we aren’t on friendly terms with, could announce that their “lawful authorities” consider *our* exports or vital imports to be “contraband” and set about seizing them.
Lydia, you are attempting to define contraband as something illegal or prohibited under international law. That is nonsense. By definition, it can only become contraband (i.e. illegal) according to the domestic law of a specific state when it enters the territorial waters of that state. Seizing a ship in international waters is piracy, whether or not its cargo would be contraband in an individual state were it to enter their territorial water. “Lawful authorities” performing illegal actions, including piracy, are not lawful authorities, are they? They are criminals committing crimes under colour of law.
[ Quick note about a Forums thread… ]
Comrades –
I notice climate change denialists have gone all quiet recently – perhaps they have become a little shy? If so, good news! – there’s a thread on the forums just for you!
https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/forums/topic/climate-change-denialists-who-get-all-shy/page/31/#post-106923
Come on now, no excuses, no weaseling out of it – let’s see if you have a case, or if stating denials and then running away is all you’re capable of (as is the case to date with 100% of you bashful denialists).
[ MOD: The placing of notifications of a forum message is not considered off-topic, but any follow-up must take place in the indicated forum. ]
Craig, it’s been a while since you posted. As I donate again, please allow me to wish you good health and financial security to deal with the chaos by continuing to enlighten and inspire.
Indeed. And events in Venezuela are heart breaking. The US has already taken 3.5 billion of oil and now gives 120 million to US groups to provide support in aid to the tens of thousands still under the rubble from the natural disaster.
Stay safe, Craig, and thank you for your recent window to that beautiful, caring, country.
Yes, Alyson, and we can be fairly sure those measly sums the U.S is providing ostensibly for disaster relief will end-up in the coffers/ pockets of some useless quango or Trump-adjacent * charity * to be used for purposes other than the states ones.
According to journalists from Al Jazerra and others, interviewing those who work tirelessly in the much collapsed infrastructure in Caracas, the promised help from the US has not arrived, zilch, nada, zero
These fake lies and pathetic excuses for; naction look like concerted effort to undermine the Venezuelan publics belief in communities and helping each other, its psycho policy, faking humane response and Consideration, when nothing has yet arrived.
Shame on the US.
” …its psycho policy, faking humane response and Consideration, when nothing has yet arrived…..” That sounds about right.
I’ve also been seeing speculation about alleged man-made earthquakes; no way of verifying such ideas, but you can see how such a thing could be to the Imperialists’ advantage, eg adding chaos to the already unstable/pressurized country, turning the people against the Gov – even more than previously.
It could just be a natural event, of course. Whatever caused it, you just have to lament the bad fortune of that poor country for something like that to happen to it at this time. As if dealing with the mob from up North – the Psychotic Gringos – isn’t sufficient pain.
According to the Observer, Starmer is interested in becoming NATO Secretary general when the post becomes vacant in 2028.
He knows his involvement in the Gaza Genocide will be no obstacle to him being appointed.
He’ll be a shoe-in for that position. He has all the requisite absence of moral scruple, ability to lie out of both sides of his mouth simultaneously and is made from the necessary pliable material. What’s the story with Rutte that Gormless is being mentioned for his gig; is he away back to the NATO Potato Factory for re-programming?
Rutte’s mandated term is up in 2028. He was appointed unanimously just after it was leaked that he had said: ‘what can we say to make it look like Israel hasn’t committed any war crimes..’
Starmer must figure that his multifaceted participation in the Genocide will make him an even more attractive candidate among NATO member states.
“He knows his involvement in the Gaza Genocide will be no obstacle to him being appointed.”
Zoot
On the above, indeed it will be a bonus for him, as he has shown just how compliant he is – as are Stoltenberg and Rutte, Starmer will fit right in.
Unfortunately, his involvement in the Gaza Genocide will be no obstacle to any future role whether with NATO, UN or EU, or any major organisation or charity. The establishment looks after it’s own, once on the gravy train they’re never ejected – unless they’re caught kiddie fiddling ! Then Israel will help.
Ain’t democracy grand ?
Stevie Boy
That’s right, as George Carlin said, its a big f*ckin club and you aint in it.
Take Blair for instance, he on Trump’s Gaza Board of Peace, both Trump and and Blair are war criminals.
A wee bit more on it.
Trump and his maniacal Board of Peace (Gaza) are in the process with the aid of the UN, to make themselves unaccountable on what they now do in Gaza.
Trump’s Board of Peace claims right to confiscate Palestinian land in Gaza, whilst retaining immunity from prosecution.
https://thecradle.co/articles-id/38476#google_vignette
Funny how all these alleged socialists/liberals – that historically, has protested against militarism and war – sooner or later end up being these right-wing warmongers.
Pirates need ships, especially to fend off those pesky ruskies, don’t they ?
“The UK’s entire fleet of nuclear-powered attack submarines is currently stuck in port due to maintenance bottlenecks, the UK Defence Journal reported on Saturday”
https://www.rt.com/news/642304-uk-left-without-nuclear-attack-submarines/
Thirty odd years ago the mighty RN was engaged in active piracy against Sweden ! False flags galore to blame the ruskies and to remove and murder a non compliant PM, Olof Palme.
https://johnhelmer.net/the-truth-about-the-swedish-lie-of-soviet-submarines-why-the-lie-succeeds-still-why-president-vladimir-putin-has-failed-to-deter-more-of-it-with-the-truth/
This maybe explains sweden’s current woes, and it’s complicity in the Assange case.
Meanwhile in Japan robot wars are in preparation. Unmanned autonomous submarines and autonomous aerial vehicles are moving into production. At the moment though, Russia and China are conducting joint exercises in Japanese, Chinese and wider Pacific regions. Soft bodied combatants will have little resistance to these new approaches. Robot dogs are in use in the US World Cup, currently, and robot police officers mingle with the crowds in China.
Peace would be preferable, and maybe then send these machines to create terraforming on other planets or moons….
@Alyson – “Robot police officers mingle with the crowds in China.”
I can believe this. Only a matter of time before robot guards are used in prisons and camps too. Wouldn’t surprise me if the state of Singapore is very fast off the blocks here (there are already robots in use in public areas at Changi airport) as well as mainland China.
But source?
Japan Inside on FB
IMO. The problem for all these unmanned systems: robots, drones, etc. Is twofold, power and communications. Whereas a wet job, a human, can carry enough to survive for a week, say, a robotic system will only be good for a few hours before needing recharging, unless nuclear powered. Similarly, a robotic system will need a communications link: radio or fibre, that will impact its effectiveness. Inertial navigation may be good for a single mission but is less effective when mission parameters change. So, although the push is to remove the man from the loop, I don’t see that being possible because of the obvious limitations of the unmanned technologies. Also, one EMP weapon will neutralise all these systems, plus if robots control the battlefield then the war moves to the home front where the controlling wet jobs live !
Why aren’t the team at the UK Defence Journal considered naughty for publishing the whereabouts of all of Britain’s nuclear attack submarines?
Let’s hope that everyone who possesses similar info is emboldened by the UKDJ’s non-prosecution. It would surely be an abuse of judicial process now if prosecution were to be launched against anyone publishing e.g. chemical and biological weapons info. Thanks for the precedent, guys!
The whereabouts of submarines is only unknown/hidden when they’re underwater, allegedly. Anyone can use Google maps to check out the submarine bases and all governments will use real time satellite data to track subs. It’s hardly an issue if they’re docked. When they’re at sea is a different matter. The issue here is that all of our attack subs are out off action, our navy is an embarrassing laughing stock. Meanwhile, we are funding nazi Ukrainians to attack Russia to the tune of billions, whilst we cannot afford to defend ourselves – two tier defence ?
Wishing Craig a speedy recovery.
I hope Craig realizes he has created for want of a better word “a brand”. Therefore its imperative that the brand survives and grows. A younger person has to be blooded in to deputize and also carry on the legacy. I don’t see that for example happening with say Bernie Sanders. I’d like to see Craig get someone to stand in and carry forward the message.