Emboldened by his latest victory at Prime Ministers Questions, where Starmer voluntarily abandoned the massive opportunity of the revelations exposed in the Russia Report, Johnson took immediate advantage by refusing any further investigation into foreign interference that might have delegitimized his cherished project for crash-out Brexit. His Russian oligarch donors were also spared scrutiny as the Labour Leader’s catastrophic own-goal was exemplified by Keir Starmer’s crusade to hang the albatross of anti-Semitism around Jeremy Corbyn’s neck. The BBC vaulted towards a rehash of the fake news, now officially endorsed as ‘the new truth’ by his disgraceful, cowardly capitulation to John Ware and the lying defamers seeking to crush the progressive Left of the Labour Party by demonizing its iconic former Leader. This group hoping to capitalize financially on Keir Starmer’s treachery, and abandonment of the Labour Party membership, are not honourable, heroic Whistleblowers, but dishonest poison “Dartblowers.”
Attacks on Tory Party funding and Russian interference in UK politics were neutralized by Johnson’s faithful Trojan Horse, Starmer misleading the Labour opposition; as the BBC and mainstream media hammered Labour over the grossly unjust Court settlement, Johnson was determined to cram the air waves with junk news over facemasks. The PM has also had time to select a new target for redirecting blame over his shambolic mishandling of the Covid 19 crisis. It was bound to cause controversy, falsely accusing Carers of not following instructions to essentially blame them for the ‘Holocaust in Care’ caused by his Tory Government’s decision to direct Hospitals to ‘seed’ the Care Homes with infected patients by failing to test prior to transferring them. He fiercely resisted offering an apology so that he could still double-down on that lie in future. Now, feigning a Damocles conversion during his ICU PR stunt, dramatically spun as a ‘brush with death,’ Johnson has latched onto a new target for deflecting responsibility: obesity.
Healthy foods often cost more than the struggling working poor can afford; hence obesity is more prevalent in poor communities. Those juggling several zero hours contract jobs don’t have the time to expend on the luxury of cooking healthy meals; they grab junk food on the go and race to the next job. Tackling poverty and rampant inequality would genuinely help to combat obesity, but as unemployment spirals out of control driving more people to use food banks to survive, ‘Fat Shaming’ will be the new stick that this disgraceful, heartless Tory Government will use to beat the poor. To avoid exposing a deliberate cull of the ‘economically inactive’ with the disastrous Tory policy decision adopting Cummings’s eugenics program of ‘Herd Immunity,’ failing to contain the virus early on, ignoring WHO guidelines, garbled messaging, and the chaotic early release from lockdown, will require a scapegoat. The high incidents of Covid 19 deaths in the UK will be blamed on gluttony, laziness and other purely preventable lifestyle choices.
In Medical studies it has already been determined that among people in certain ethnic communities the incidence of conversion to Type 2 Diabetes occurs at a much lower BMI, which may account for their increased susceptibility. In a data heavy British Journal of Cardiology “overview” entitled, “Diabetes and cardiovascular risk in UK South Asians” it reveals that, “Diabetes occurs at a lower body mass index (BMI) in this group due to altered body composition.” They advise that, “South Asians should be encouraged to maintain lower BMIs lifelong and to keep as active as possible.” However, as the Medical profession grapple with the question of why certain minorities are at higher risk of contracting and dying of Covid 19 it would be grossly misleading and truly grotesque if Boris Johnson latched onto the higher rates of diabetes in ethnic minorities to blame the souring UK death toll of his reckless Tory Government policies on the lifestyle choices of innocent victims including dedicated NHS staff and Carers.
While ‘sin tax’ gets a bad rap despite pragmatic policies to curb significant health risks that negatively impact our NHS, they do work; mine would place a tax on the toxic combination of salt and sugar when hidden in the same food. For Johnson this is just another gimmick that will capitalize on his Hospital stay and a brief precautionary placement in ICU, where he was never put on a ventilator let alone at deaths door! The very real danger is that this obscene ‘Fat Shaming’ othering agenda could herald rationing of access to our ‘free at the point of service’ NHS, softening up the UK public for the introduction of a costly US insurance based ‘for profit’ Medical system where the poor and the needy are excluded to maximize the profits of giant US Healthcare Corporations. Do not kid yourself, this process of exclusion based on BMI is already well underway in certain areas of this country and will rapidly become the norm with Jonson’s campaign of ‘othering’ heavily promoted in the disreputable, Murdock owned, Tabloid press.
The other day I received this alarming email from the European Movement UK alerting me to the extremely worrying very recent decision votes in the House of Commons that threaten our NHS, as well as our food and animal welfare standards in regard to all upcoming Trade deals. The email read as follows: “After more than a year and a half of delay, the Russia Report was finally released to the public this morning. The report’s conclusion that the government ‘did not take action to protect the UK’s process in 2016’ highlights the need for greater oversight over our democratic processes, and we wholeheartedly welcome the report’s recommendation for a post-referendum assessment of Russian attempts at interference, similar to what happened in the United States. The people who were most in favour of Brexit love to speak about British sovereignty – yet fall remarkably silent when presented with concrete evidence that a foreign power has interfered in our democracy on multiple occasions.”
Initially this appeared to exclusively target lack of scrutiny over the Brexit Referendum vote, but the remaining message focused on the ramifications of that deeply flawed decision as the alert notice continued by exposing the extent to which this Tory Government has lied to the public and betrayed our trust. They said, “It is shameful that the government has been so reluctant to act in the face of such a blatant threat from a hostile actor.” They add that, “This is not a partisan issue – the extent of Russian influence poses a significant challenge for us all, and it must be tackled in order to protect our democracy. But the Russia Report isn’t the only thing that we should be talking about today. Last night, parliament voted on amendments to the Trade Bill. They began by voting down New Clause 17, an amendment designed to prevent the NHS being subject to any form of foreign control by 340 votes to 251. New Clause 17 also sought to:
• Protect NHS staff from having their wages slashed by any future trade deal
• Regulate medicine prices
• Protect patient data from being ‘sold off’
They pointed out the disgraceful hypocrisy of Boris Johnson and his Tory Government by reminding us that, “The Conservatives clapped for the NHS – and then put it on the negotiating table. Pretty bad, right? But wait – there’s more! MPs also voted against New Clause 11, which sought to protect food standards and animal welfare. We’re not done yet! Perhaps most alarmingly, MPs then voted against ensuring that parliament would have a vote on any post-Brexit trade deal. They literally voted against giving themselves a say. Angry? So are we. But here’s the good news – the European Movement has more than 120 groups across the country that are leading the fightback. Join us:. Together, we can hold the government to account. Kind Regards, Hugo Mann, CEO European Movement UK.”
I do not doubt that Boris Johnson can get forty new Hospitals built in the UK by private US Healthcare Corporations eager to cash in on the UK market after crash-out Brexit. However this will happen while our precious NHS is totally denuded of funds and left to wither in the vine as the impoverished resource of the destitute. While drug and alcohol abuse remain the obvious consequence of desperation and despair they will be set as exclusionary factors in the new agenda to prioritize the wealthy and demonize the poor. It represents a devious Tory Government policy of targeted extermination of the ‘economically inactive’ Cummings’s ‘Slaughter of the Sheeple,’ to reduce the burden on the state that might ultimately try to call for taxation of the wealthy elite.
Later on I received this Petition appeal in my inbox that I would like to share with you all as it concerns protecting our precious NHS. “Last chance to protect the NHS from trade deals: Boris Johnson has betrayed the British people. He promised to ‘take back control’ and ‘keep the NHS off the table’, but over 300 of his MPs have voted against parliamentary scrutiny and NHS protection in the Trade Bill debate. We have one last chance at stopping Donald Trump and his healthcare cronies. We need the House of Lords to step up now and protect our NHS. Members of the House of Lords, please amend the Trade Bill to give parliament a say over trade deals and protect our NHS.” Sign the Petition.
A Canary Article entitled, “The NHS is now on the chopping block. And it shows why reforming capitalism is an exercise in futility.” They point to previous article where they reported on how, “Tory MPs defeated an amendment which would have committed the government to protect the NHS from privatisation in a new trade deal with the US” and then noted that, “This raises the obvious question of whether we’re about to see the end of the NHS’s founding principle of ‘free at the point of service’. But there’s also a more elementary question worth exploring – whether it’s even possible to maintain social reforms like universal healthcare when economic decision-making remains in private hands. With corporate power over political systems becoming more entrenched and the media serving as its mouthpiece, the answer to this question increasingly seems to be a resounding ‘no’.” The increasing likelihood of our NHS becoming fully privatized by this Tory Government is easily obscured by Johnson’s expansive empty pledges.
The Canary warn, “Never trust a Tory…” and go on to elaborate on the most recent betrayal that was barely mentioned by the compliant BBC or our far-right media, “On 20 July, Tory MPs voted down an amendment to the Trade Bill introduced by Labour’s shadow trade secretary Bill Esterson. The measure would have prohibited parliament from voting in favour of a trade deal with the US that ‘undermines or restricts’ the NHS’s principle of universal care. It also contained provisions that would ensure the UK’s ability to set its own medicine prices. This would be an alternative to the US-style system in which the government doesn’t negotiate directly with the drug companies.” Although opposition parties voted for the amendment, it wasn’t vociferously challenged in a bold public statement from the enabling Trojan Horse, Starmer, or anyone in his right lurching Shadow Cabinet.
The Canary further warn, “Tory MPs claim that the NHS is ‘safe in their hands’, but there are many reasons to doubt the sincerity of this claim. Not least of these is that the Conservative Party has been notorious for attempting to privatise the system by stealth.” But they are equally scathing about the Blairite alternative revealing that their position, “is that the solution is to offer a ‘credible’ centrist alternative which pledges to safeguard the NHS and increase public investment – sometimes called the ‘Third Way’. They say, “Social democracy holds that the negative effects of capitalism can be redressed in the short- to medium-term. This can be done through the provision of social protections and public services, but without immediate nationalisation of large swathes of the economy or the pursuit of widespread economic democracy.” They clarify that, “Blairites are neither socialists nor social democrats because, unlike the latter, they don’t view reforms to capitalism as incremental stepping stones towards its replacement.”
The Canary contend that Blairites, “believe that social reforms can continue to exist over long periods under capitalism.” This is the direction that the delusional team supporting Keir Starmer believe will give them electoral credibility in an election in five years time. There are three major problems with this assumption. Firstly, the ‘Tory Light’ approach has been tried before and it spectacularly failed to inspire citizens to even bother coming out to vote! Secondly, it is dependent on that massive Tory majority in Parliament not deciding to radically change the rules to extend their time in power or thirdly comprehensively further corrupt the weak electoral process to significantly enhance the industrial scale fraud that stole the Covert 2019 Rigged Election. Of Blairites, the Canary say, “they would have us believe that if the Tories do succeed in dismantling public healthcare in the UK, it would simply form part of an ongoing ideological tussle – one between the ‘pro-public services’ Labour Party and the ‘pro-market-based solutions’ Tories.”
The Canary contends that, “The major rivals to this idea, of course, are traditional democratic socialists like Jeremy Corbyn. Corbyn, along with a small number of key allies in parliament such as John McDonnell, has always rejected the ideological tenets of Blair’s Third Way. Corbyn and his allies have continued to argue that building a society that works for all must ultimately involve not just cosmetic reforms, but a fundamental break from capitalism. According to socialists, this is because social democratic reforms are ultimately unsustainable within a largely privately-owned and managed economy. Rather, we believe that these reforms can only be maintained within a socialist economy and society.” This article reveals a few interesting historical insights into predictions made by Marx and his protégées, the brief window of opportunity for reform that delivered, “Keynesian stimulative government spending that no capitalist government would ever replicate in peacetime,” and the increasing power of Corporations.
The Canary report that, “In advanced capitalist economies, large corporations end up dominating the economy to such an extent that they have more power than governments. In fact, corporate power has become so concentrated in some countries that they have arguably caused a form of state capture. This is where the state acts at the behest of private business interests rather than the public.” They point to the US as the most extreme example, sadly a route this Tory Government is determined to drag us down. “Socialists believe that these private interests will always work to undermine social democratic reforms like universal healthcare,” before turning to the role of the media. Citing, “Marxist theorist Antonio Gramsci argued that under capitalism, society’s dominant class builds consent for the continuation of the status quo via a process he termed ‘cultural hegemony‘. …this means that society’s major cultural organs and mass media characterise what is in the interests of that dominant class as ‘common sense’.”
The Canary note that, “The classic example is Corbyn’s leadership of the Labour Party. At first, Corbyn was presented as an eccentric aberration from British politics.” But, “following the 2017 election, in which Corbyn presided over the biggest increase in Labour’s vote share since 1945, it became evident that his policies had significant public support.” They say that realizing Corbyn could actually become PM they, “quickly went into panic mode. With the UK media overwhelmingly controlled by the ruling class, thanks to majority corporate and billionaire ownership, it then launched an all-out disinformation campaign to stop Corbyn and the political insurgency he represented. In doing so, it literally turned reality on its head. Corbyn, a lifelong anti-racism campaigner and early supporter of the anti-Apartheid movement, got branded a dyed-in-the-wool racist.” What is described as a, “manufactured and politically-motivated smear campaign based on bogus accusations of antisemitism,” could seriously come unstuck in court.
The Canary conclude by warning that, “Make no mistake, aiming solely for cosmetic reforms to capitalism is akin to trying to stop a haemorrhage with a plaster. Tinkering on the edges will only hasten the impending dystopia of climate chaos and the decimation of the few social protections and public services that we still have left.” They then ask if those of us who wish to avoid the dystopian nightmare that lies ahead ‘should limit ourselves to struggle only within the established constitutional frameworks…?’ If the left is not going to get a fair shake at democratically enacting our policies due to a media and cultural landscape that poisons the minds of the masses, then perhaps it’s time we turn to extra-parliamentary forms of struggle – before it’s too late.” The continuation of the protests that erupted after the killing of George Floyd in the US has emboldened more than just the ‘Black Lives Matter’ activists, because the social unrest ranges well beyond just the issue of racial injustice to the growing inequality in general.
Covid has been a war of sorts. It continues to fuel, greatly intensify and swell the number of people protesting. It’s not a great time to strike while hanging onto a precious job is so precarious, but I genuinely believe the sheer volume and dogged determination of our peaceful protests is deeply unnerving to this Government. If the protesters were violent, destructive vandals or looting the PM could order a tough crackdown, but our non-violent solidarity, will lead to increased provocation to get people to act out so Johnson can crack heads. We must show restraint to deny him that victory. I note the GOFUNDME Page for Jeremy’s Defence Fund now tops £283,000; not bad for a guy everyone supposedly despised! This must go to Court to finally debunk all the disgusting smears against Corbyn, Labour and discredit the biased BBC. We will be in a far stronger position to challenge the legitimacy of both Brexit and the Covert 2019 Rigged Election to demand Comprehensive Investigations to expose malign influences foreign and domestic. DO NOT MOVE ON!