Turley wins £75,000 in damages against UNITE and Skwawkbox.

The Dartford Warbler - Anna Turley

The former Labour MP for Redcar, Anna Turley, has won her High Court libel case against Unite the Union and Stephen Walker, who runs the 'Skwawkbox' blog. Mr Justice Nicklin, who presided over the High Court trial in London last month, ruled in her favour on Thursday, awarding Turley, £75,000 in damages plus costs.

Ms Turley, who originates from Dartford, Kent,  claimed in court that Unite had misused her private information and had issued a public statement in 2017, giving the impression that she was dishonest in her application to join the union. 

The Unite statement had said that Turley had wanted to join the union so she could vote against Unite general secretary Len McCluskey and undermine Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, without the union knowing she was an MP. Unite and Mr Walker had fought the case insisting that Ms Turley was not fit to be an MP and that the article - published on Skwawkbox- was true or justified in the public interest.

Turley who lost her parliamentary seat of Redcar in the general election, had been seeking £100,000 in damages, told the court: 

"My reputation for integrity and honesty are of the utmost importance to me."

A Unite spokeswoman said the union was "very disappointed" with the decision. Lawyers said Unite and Mr Walker wanted to appeal. 

Manchester Anarchist Bookfair Review 2019

 by Christopher Draper

AFTER years of uncomradely bans and exclusions that led to the organisers themselves being banished from this favoured venue it is good to see the Bookfair back at Manchester’s Pumphouse Museum.  Saturday December 7th’s 2019’s fair was efficiently organised with a good range of books, associated literature as well as music, tee-shirts, badges etc on offer.  Admission was free and with a café on site a good time was had by all, or nearly all (more of that later).


Six hour-long talks were advertised:  “Anarchism and Education”; “An Introduction to IWW”;  “What is the Anarchist Party?”; “Marie Louise Berneri’s - Journey Through Utopia”;  “The Government of No One” and “Chav Solidarity” respectively.


Having practiced anarchist education within and without the state system for 50 years I was especially interested in the first talk.  The speaker, Dr. Nick Stevenson, a sociology lecturer at Nottingham University, promised to discuss “more humanistic alternatives” but confined most of his speech to elucidating the ideas of Ivan Illich.  He seemed a nice bloke but this was woefully inadequate as even a basic introduction to “Anarchism and Education”.  Nick seemed blissfully unaware of the numerous practical anarchist educational initiatives that have taken place in Britain since Louis Michel founded her “International School” in London in 1891.  Instead of ivory-towered philosophising about Illich we would have been much better occupied analysing the rise and fall of the dozens of living and breathing free schools that flourished all over Britain in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, never mind the continuing libertarian education on offer at Summerhill.  When I met Nick afterwards he spoke movingly of how his own children had suffered at the hands of the state system and it struck me that this would have provided a better starting point for discussion of real life anarchist alternatives, past, present and future.


My fears of abstract philosophising only increased after attending Dr. Matthew S Adams, Loughborough University lecturer’s talk on Utopias and then Dr. Ruth Kinna’s (another Loughborough lecturer) talk about her book, “The Government of No One”.  I wasn’t reassured when I googled Mr Adams and discovered he’s just published a “Handbook of Anarchism” (Palgrave-MacMillan 2019) that costs £199.99!


Unfortunately the “International Workers of the World” couldn’t even manage to organise themselves so their talk never happened and consequently for the second hour the valuable discussion space remained empty and unused.  I took the opportunity to walk around the hall and chat to stallholders. Despite my lack of affection for Marxism I found the “International Brigade” stallholder most comradely and appreciated our discussion about the decline of politicised working class culture and the collapse of the Clarion movement.   I similarly enjoyed comradely conversations at the Hunt Sabs, PM Press, and West Yorkshire Communist Anarchist stalls and was particularly impressed by the latter’s newsletter that wittily describes Hebden Bridge as, “A nice little drug-town with an unwelcome tourist problem.” 


I’d only half completed my circuit of stallholders by 12.30 so missed “The Anarchist Party’s” talk but as I later learned they advocate voting Labour it’s just as well I didn’t attend.  Unfortunately I had to leave before the last talk to catch a train back to Wales so can’t comment on the “Chavs” although that might well have proved the most useful event of the day (perhaps someone could enlighten us?).

Overall the Bookfair was a great achievement by the organisers. In today’s political climate it’s easier to sit back and do nothing, they dared to bring anarchism back into a venue that is precious but fraught with problems (more of that in a forthcoming article).  They had to steer a difficult course between providing lively debate but avoiding the destructive antagonisms that have so blighted recent anarchist bookfairs.  Unfortunately I learned afterwards that even this event wasn’t free from censorship.  When a group of women from “Make More Noise” attempted to distribute leaflets on gender politics they were asked to leave on the basis that only approved stallholders could distribute literature (there’s more of this on Twitter).  Apparently there was no consequent violence or blacklisting but neither was this an entirely satisfactory conclusion.  Couldn’t the leaflets have been left on a stallholders table or perhaps a table provided for non-stallholders to leave “non-authorised” leaflets?

The organisers must be congratulated but anarchism requires more than sycophancy and the “Freedom” website regrettably treated the “Make More Noise” women and their Twitter supporters with contempt.  My main concern is that the predominance of academic philosophising in the discussion space (3 out of the 5 talks delivered). In the 1960’s Feminism was a revolutionary, libertarian movement (I was there when Germaine Greer spoke at the Warwick University occupation in 1970!) but it spawned “Women’s Studies”, provided safe academic careers, was increasingly commodified and now “Women’s Hour” compiles an annual list “Women’s Powerlist”!  Is anarchism going the same way, with ever more academic chiefs and fewer activist Indians? We mustn’t let professors define our politics or encourage the emergence of an academic “Priest-Class”.  These ivory-towered experts share their musings in the journal “Philosophical Studies” (available at the Bookfair), but how many working class activists are going to read it, let alone write for it, at £14 an issue?   I’m not anti-intellectual but Kropotkin, Russell and Chomsky were also activists and theory must surely be constantly refreshed and informed by struggle to be useful. Anarchist theory and anarchist activism cannot flourish if conducted by separate groups with the former leading the latter – we are not Marxists.


The problem is wider than the Bookfair and I don’t doubt that the academics and the organisers are all nice people but that doesn’t preclude constructive criticism.  I would suggest two modifications for next years Manchester Bookfair.  Firstly no more than one philosophical talk with five more practical workshops led by everyday, down-to-earth anarchists and secondly an open-to-all “Free Speech” stall including material that may well shock and offend, perhaps supported by a “Free Speech” workshop?

For Peace, Love & Anarchy……………………Christopher Draper, Llandudno

*************************

Anarchist Book Fair returns to History Museum

 by Barry Woodling

THE Manchester and Salford  Anarchist Book fair returned to the People's History Museum on Saturday the 7th, Dec.    It passed off without public incident unlike previous Anarchist  Book fairs in London, Liverpool and especially Manchester, which on the last few occasions were marred by serious disturbances.  There was none of this last Saturday, and supporters of the NAN, who were once banned and blacklisted, participated fully in the workshops at this event.

There were the usual wide array of stalls including PM Press, Freedom Press, independent book sellers, as well as Anarchist organisations such as Anarchist Communists, Anarchist Federation and Solidarity Federation.    A number of Campaign groups also had stalls.

The workshops had a distinct Anarchist Studies emphasis.....Matthew Adams presented a paper reviewing a book written by Marie Louise Berneri entitled 'Journey through Utopia'.   The talk contained biographical material and also mentioned the liberal critique of utopianism associated with the works of Berlin, Popper and Arendt.   

The other workshop - I attended was presented by Ruth Kinna of Loughborough University and Anarchist Studies.  Promoting her own recently published book:  'The Government of No One'.

She referred to two key historical moments related to anarchism, namely the Paris Commune of 1871 and the Haymarket trial of anarchists in the following decade.    Her talk encompassed five broad headings:  

1) culture, 2) Education, 3) Activism, 4) Social arrangements  eg utopias and experiments, and 5) Prospects.    She focused on anarchism as a philosophy which opposed all forms of domination including class, power relations, patriarchy and law.

My overall impression was that the book fair was relatively successful in terms of attendance and organisation and this augurs well for the future after a sustained period of conflict which damaged previous book fairs although issues of freedom of speech still have to be resolved.*

Northern Voices has tried hard at the time of publication to contact the organisers of this bookfair for a comment, but we have been unable to get a response or to even find out who were responsible for the event.  However, quite separately someone who knows something about the intricacies of last Saturday's event has defended the organisers challenging the critics by saying:
'You’ve all been involved in organising events before.  And you’re all patently aware of how the organisers ALWAYS get the blame for everything.  The London Bookfair collective got so much abuse after 2017.'

********************* 

*  Barry has here reported honestly on the Bookfair as we all understood and appreciated it last Saturday night.  However, on Sunday Northern Voices became aware of an incident of which neither Barry Woodling nor anyone associated with NV or the Northern Anarchist Network (NAN) knew anything about, and we feel we must in fairness produce the link from 'MAKE MORE NOISE' for readers to consider:

https://twitter.com/MakeMoreNoise2/status/1203319566472040448?s=08

***************************

Len McCluskey slams Corbyn's 'London mindset'!

THE Unite union leader Len McCluskey, while he trained his fire on Remain-backing members of the Shadow Cabinet, as well as centrist MPs who 'hankered after the New Labour past', the Unite general secretary claimed Labour needed 'a new leader early in the near future" who could "understand the communities that gave birth to the Labour movement.'
 
The comments - in a piece for HuffPost UK - are highly significant as Unite is Labour's biggest financial backer and the general secretary has previously been a staunch ally of Mr Corbyn.
It comes after Labour lost 60 seats in its worst election performance since 1935.

Mr Corbyn has vowed to quit after a 'period of reflection', and earlier on Friday said:  'The responsible thing to do is not to walk away from the whole thing, and I will not do that.'

Mr McCluskey reserved the majority of his criticism for senior Labour figires who had advocated for a pro-Remain position and led the party into a 'slow-motion collapse into the arms of the People’s Vote movement'.

He said:  It is pretty obvious where the essential reason for Thursday’s hugely disappointing result can be found.
'When our losses are concentrated in former coalfield constituencies and other post-industrial communities that voted heavily "Leave" in the 2016 referendum, and yet we happily retain our position in London more-or-less unscathed, it is staring us in the face.

'Others will try to make a different case, either because they have volubly hankered after the New Labour past throughout the years of Corbyn’s leadership of the party, or because they lack the honesty to accept the consequences of their advocacy of keeping Britain in the EU at any political price.'

But he also acknowledged 'mistakes' made by the party's leadership throughout its campaign, including what he called an 'incontinent rush of policies which appeared to offer everything to everyone immediately'.
 
Taking direct aim at the Labour leader, Mr McCluskey - who has previously backed the party's handling of anti-Jewish abuse - said Mr Corbyn's 'failure to apologise for anti-Semitism in the party when pressed to do so' had capped 'years of mishandling of this question'.

While he said Labour's Brexit position, backed at its party conference earlier this year, was 'the right and honourable one' he said it had been 'fatally undermined from the outset by leading members of the shadow cabinet rushing to the TV cameras' to promise to back Remain in a future referendum.

The Unite chief said:  'Both Labour’s target seats, and the ones most at risk in the north and the Midlands, were preponderantly in Leave-voting areas with very small Liberal Democrat and Green votes.  Put bluntly, there were far more coalfield seats to lose than there were Canterburys to win.

'As it is, a year of worrying about and placating exclusively Remain voters has produced the backlash which some of us predicted.  Better by far that we had stuck with some updated variation of the 2017 Brexit position, rather than its negation.'

Urging the party to 'rebuild, reflect on what went wrong and inevitably elect a new leader early in the near future', Mr McCluskey said:  'Corbyn has borne the brunt of one of the most sustained and unpleasant character assassinations in political history and done so with dignity.
'But alas some of the mud stuck and his leadership became an issue on the doorstep.'

And, in a thinly-veiled dig at Mr Corbyn, he said:  'The next leader needs to understand the communities that gave birth to the Labour movement, and realise that the whole country is not very like Labour London.
'As important as it is, too often, Labour addresses the metropolitan wing of its electoral coalition in terms of values – openness, tolerance, human rights – and the "traditional" working-class wing simply in terms of a material offer, as if their constituencies did not have their own values of solidarity and community.  That must change.'

************************************  

Tories take Monkey Town in the North!

 This is the story of a small, south-east Lancashire town called Heywood.   A place that is also rather affectionately (or disparagingly) known as 'Monkey Town’.

Old Heywood postcard.

*************

LAST NIGHT the Tory Party beat the Labour Party's incumbent, Liz McInnes, for the Heywood & Middleton constituency in Greater Manchester  to become the constituency’s first ever Tory MP, on a disastrous night for Labour nationally. 

The Tory victor, Mr Clarkson, agreed that national issues like Brexit likely contributed to his victory.

He said:  'It was a combination of factors. No result is about just one thing,

'Brexit was  an issue on the doorstep, but also people didn’t like Jeremy Corbyn - they didn’t want him to be Prime Minister - and that put a lot of people off voting Labour. A lot of people stayed at home.'

The former MP Liz McInnes, who had been MP for the constituency since 2014, remained at the count until the very end, putting on a brave face following the results, which saw the Conservatives receive 20,453 votes.  Ms McInnes came second with 19,790 votes.

The seat has, up until now, always been held by Labour.

This year, 47,641 ballots were issued, and 153 votes were rejected.  The new MP, Mr Clarkson was elected with a majority vote of just 663 votes, in one of the lowest turnouts in recent years.

*********************

New Alliance of Northern Anarchists Meeting

New Alliance of Northern Anarchists

Meeting for Free Debate: against Censorship & Blacklists.
Noam Chomsky:  ‘Free speech is an achievement and a right’.

On Sat. 14th, Dec. 2019.
At the Town Hall Tavern
20, Tib Lane, Manchester M2 4JA, England
EVENT
Starts at 12 Noon & ends at 5p.m.
Food available Pie & Mash & vegan options.

Speakers include:
Dave Douglass, retired miner, and former Friend &
Director of Freedom Press

Brian Bamford, Joint Editor of the Northern Voices Blog,
  a former Northern Editor of Freedom & the editor of
 a series of essays entitled ‘Chomsky & his critics’.

Brandon, "New Offensive Collective"
Which has recently published ‘Shit Wigs and Steroids’,
a counter punch to identity politics
*

The purpose of this meeting is to bring together those
libertarians who wish to uphold liberty of expression.

Contact e-mail:  northernvoices@hotmail.com

Blogspot: 

Tuesday, 10 December 2019

 www.northernvoicesmag.blogspot.com
e-mail:  northernvoices@hotmail.com
 
**********

Johnson Hides in Fridge To Avoid TV Interview

Johnson Hides in Fridge To Avoid TV Interview

The opinion polls strongly suggest that this Thursday, the turkeys will be voting for Christmas, and will elect Boris Johnson and the Conservative Party, with a majority. Ominously,  the following day will be Friday the 13th.

The Conservatives have now been in office for nearly a decade. Throughout this period, economic growth has been anaemic, real incomes have been largely stagnant, and people on lower incomes and benefits have borne the brunt of government imposed austerity. Almost half of all working adults in the UK, don't earn enough to pay income tax which starts at £12,500. Yet, despite this, slightly more working class people (DE voters) are expected to vote for the Conservatives tomorrow, than middle class people, (AB voters).

According to the opinion polls, the Conservatives have a ten to fifteen point lead over Labour.Why Labour should be failing to attract so many working-class voters is perplexing as is the question, as to why so many, vote against their own direct interests. 

Labour, are offering the electorate a - 5% pay rise for public sector workers; free dental checks; free hospital parking; free tuition fees; free broadband; free prescriptions; free personal care for the elderly; a £10 minimum wage for all those over 16; compensation for WASPI women; a 32-hour working week over a decade and the nationalisation of rail, mail, water, and energy.  

Although Boris Johnson is the bookies and pollsters favourite to win, he's regarded as something of a joke, rather like the uncouth and lecherous, Sir Les Patterson character, made famous by the Australian comedian Barry Humphries. For many English voters, this seems to be what makes him so attractive  - he's a jester, a comedian, who will deliver a Brexit that is likely to make them all poorer. 

Johnson was laughed at by a television audience when he was asked about trust and he declines to say how many children, he has fathered. His comments are often regarded as incendiary and offensive and he's inclined to put his foot in his mouth. The strategy of his campaign team has been to avoid scrutiny at all cost and to keep interviews and contact with the public to a minimum (see video). Johnson recently commented, that he had been off the booze during the campaign, and was spending his spare time doing quadratic equations and reading pre-Socratic philosophy.

John Major, the former Conservative prime minister is urging people not to vote Conservative on Thursday, because he believes Boris Johnson will be a disaster for Britain as will Brexit, and the former Conservative minister, Michael Heseltine, is out campaigning for the Liberal Democrats. 

Manchester ranks worst for child homelessness

  outside of London

One in 47 children in Manchester is in need of temporary accommodation, according to new figures released by Shelter.

An astonishing 2,725 children in Manchester were in need of temporary accommodation in 2019, ranking the city highest outside of London for child homelessness.

The number of children in temporary accommodation across the North West was up an astonishing 385% – the highest anywhere in the UK.

An estimated 6,523 children were made homeless in the North West last year, meaning 18 children became homeless every single day, or one child being made homeless every 18 minutes.

The Liberal Democrats have warned that both national and local government are condemning a generation of children to the streets.

Labour's Homeless Tax and Hardship Sanction

Leader of the Liberal Democrats in Manchester John Leech said:

“While Westminster is obsessed with pushing through a damaging Brexit, problems in Manchester are accelerating at a UK-high rate, and children in Manchester are paying the price.

"But it is the Tories’ complete lack of interest in tackling the national homeless crisis which is aptly coupled with Labour’s appalling Homeless Tax and Hardship Sanction which hit those already struggling even harder.

“This doesn't just highlight the gross incompetence and lack of priorities from local and national government, nor is it just a complete embarrassment, but it exposes the devastating, critical and consistent failure of a system that simply doesn’t care.

"The Lib Dems have a clear plan to end this crisis. Lib Dems will end wasteful spending, invest more money than ever before into preventing homelessness, tackling the cause, guarantee at least 100,000 social homes every year, scrap the Homeless Tax and finally put an end to the greatest injustice of our lifetime.

"Only the Lib Dems will stop Brexit and build a brighter future where children in Manchester and beyond will always have a roof over their heads and a council with their best interests at heart, no matter what"

ENDS.

Are the Tories afflicted with foot and mouth disease?

Stanley Johnson -'Bumbling, Blue-Blooded, Buffoon'

Two days ago in an article in the Guardian newspaper, the journalist Arwa Mahdawi, referred to a BBC interview with Stanley Johnson where he was told by the interviewer Joanna Gosling that a viewer had called his son Boris, "Pinocchio."  This was obviously meant to allude to the prime ministers reputation for mendacity and dissembling. Johnson le père, suddenly quipped: "Pinocchio? That requires a degree of literacy which I think the Great British public doesn't necessarily have... They couldn't spell Pinocchio if they tried."

In her article, Mahdawi says: "Johnson stated explicitly what has always been obvious: the Tory party thinks the British public are bunch of idiots." She said that she was amazed at how little anger there has been from the British public towards the comments of this "bumbling, blue-blooded, buffoon," and suggested that Americans would never have been so blasé about this if he had called the U.S. electorate illiterate. Mahdawi wrote:

"We still show ridiculous reverence towards the monarchy and embarrassing deference to aristocrats and old Etonians who rule us."

Mahdawi said that Stanley Johnson had made a serious error with his comments in that he strayed from the populist playbook, which says that you must always pretend it is the 'liberal elite' who always look down on ordinary people and adds: "You should try to conceal your disgust of the great unwashed if you want to get their vote."

It is notable how often the Tories have let the mask slip in showing their disdain and disgust for the great British public. A former Bullingdon Club member, Boris Johnson, often used the term 'oiks' when referring to the working-class and mocked the 16% "of our species" with an IQ below 85? Jacob Reese-Mogg mocked the Grenfell Tower victims, who he said, lacked common sense. Michael Gove, stated that people were driven to food-banks because they couldn't manage their finances. Similarly, the Conservative prospective parliamentary candidate for Hasting and Rye, Sally-Ann Hart, recently told voters that disabled people should be paid less because "they don't understand money.

Both Boris Johnson and his father Stanley, are remarkably gaffe prone, and that is why the prime minister is reluctant to give television interviews and to subject himself to scrutiny by formidable interviewers such as Andrew Neil. Both father and son have a tendency to put their foot in their mouth and are rather too loose with the lip. Yet, I suspect that most British politicians, have a rather low opinion of the intellectual abilities and political judgement of the British public and perhaps see their job, as "curbing the instincts of the mob."

In an unpublished memoir that he wrote in the late 1990s, Sir Gordon Reece, a former advisor to Margaret Thatcher, explained how in 1975 he approached the task of persuading more people to vote Conservative. Reece seemed to think that only dullard's voted Tory. He confessed that he'd told Margaret Thatcher that the type of people who were likely to vote for her, were not to be found among the readers of broadsheet newspapers and the watchers of serious political programmes and the longer, night-time news bulletins, nor were they much interested in politics. He told her:

"The people we had to reach would read the Mirror, increasingly the Sun, the Express, the Mail, the People, the News of the World. They would watch Coronation Street, Jimmy Savile, Top of the Pops and listened to Jimmy Young on the wireless. And any aspiring prime minister had better go to them, and not expect them to come to her." (Charles Moore, Margaret Thatcher - The Authorized Biography, Volume 1).

I think that one of the things that has become apparent since the referendum in June 2016, on whether Britain left or remained in the E.U., is that the issue of social class, is no longer a reliable indicator of voter intention when choosing which party a person might vote for. Some argue that age, education, and region, are now the main dividing lines in British politics. For example, it is known that some 70% of voters whose educational attainment is only GCSE or lower, voted to leave the E.U. while 68% of voters with a degree, voted to remain in the E.U. The over- 65s were more than twice as likely as under-25s, to have voted to leave the European Union and every region of the country except Scotland, Northern Ireland and London, voted to leave.

There will be more fires like Grenfell,

 and lives will be lost

 Forwarded to NV by Joe Bailey

Sandra Ruiz

Warnings before the tragedy were ignored. Two years on, a lack of action means thousands still live in towers with combustible cladding

• Sandra Ruiz is a member of the Grenfell United action group

Tue 3 Dec 2019 18.00 GMT Last modified on Tue 3 Dec 2019 18.20 GMT

****************** 

Zionism & the State of Israel

  by Martin Gilbert

Israeli citizen humiliating refugees in Tel Aviv

I WAS brought up in a fairly pious Jewish family.  It might be assumed that all Jews are Zionists. Not so.
 

The idea of a State of Israel, known as Zionism arose around the 

1880’s-1890’s. Pre 1914 Palestine had Jewish settlements inspired 

by a range of political ideas. 

There were socialists, communists and anarchists.  The right wing 

Jewish Chronicle tagged those activists as not being proper Jews.  

A stance that paper holds to-day.  Below, some historical detail is offered.

Post 1918, following the end of the Ottoman empire Palestine 

became part of the middle east “carve-up” by French, British and 

other powers. 

Oil interests also grabbed a slice.  We now have two contestants. 

One, totally bent on Israel’s destruction because the Palestinian 

people are controlled by opportunists and fundamentalists.  

They do not represent the constituents they claim. Israel too has its 

share of fundamentalists and opportunists holding power.  

But they have a 21^st century sophistication, quite lacking in the 

Palestinians. 

Both peoples want to get on with life, having a peace that is not imposed by militarism.

After 1945 in Europe, there were many people displaced by the war. Jews were a significant number. 

The Zionist propaganda at that time claimed “a land without people for a people without land”. 

It ignored the Palestinians.  

Following various events they were confined to an increasingly small area.  

It has been known as Gaza or the Jordan Valley.  It’s ground water and other water resources have been much reduced by the best irrigation engineers in the world: the Israelis.  Another reason why the so called “two state solution” is impossible.

Over the decades much international opinion has condemned Israeli colonialism in their treatment of the Palestinians.  Ever increasing settlements by Israel continue to complicate the situation and make it worse.  But too often such international opinion has been toothless.  Any criticism of Israel has been attacked by the right as anti semitic.

Recently, Donald Trump said that Israel should take over the Jordan valley.  He is supported by the Christian right. 

They believe that Jews should have the same geopolitical borders 

they had in Biblical times. 

But some Jews in America, the U.K. and Israel have said Trump considerably adds to the problems.  Consistently, the magazine 

Jewish Socialist have given detailed reports, supporting that opinion.

Under South Africa’s apartheid system Black Africans had to have passes to work in white areas.  Also, they were forced to live in specific areas called Bantustans.

The so called “two state solution” is no answer.  At best the 

Palestinian state would only be like a Bantustan: still controlled by 

fundamentalists. 

A distant idea is that all Palestinians should be integrated into Israel and areas that have have been stolen from them.

Recent statements by the Chief Rabbi add to the confusion and miss information.  He gives the impression that “the Jewish

community” is of one, monolithic structure, just one opinion.      

It’s rather like an Arch Bishop claiming to speak for all Christians. Lessons can be drawn from the struggle against apartheid.  

Truth and reconciliation groups have made much progress.  South

Africa still has serious problems but there is no perfect answer.

martin gilbert, November 2019

**********************

Les's 'J'accuse letter' to all Rochdale's Councillors

IS ROCHDALE COUNCIL GUILTY OF BAD FAITH?

J'accuse. by Zola. J'accuse, (French: “I accuse”) was a celebrated open letter by Émile Zola to the president of the French Republic in defense of Alfred Dreyfus, a Jewish officer who had been accused of treason by the French army. It was published in the newspaper L'Aurore on Jan. 13, 1898.  

On the 1st, December 2019. on this NV Blog Les May accused the Rochdale Councillors of 'institutional racism' for their failure to openly condemn a version of racism when it was applied to white northern workingmen employed as tree surgeons in the Rochdale ward of Newbold.  Mild mutterings in private e-mails really doesn't cut the mustard.  

A number of councillors have already replied to Les May's open letter on the 6th, Nov. calling on Rochdale's councillors to condemn the collective assault on the tree surgeons recorded on this NV Blog.  Meanwhile, another  Rochdale councillor who is Asian has quite separately engaged with me in an exchange of views on this matter below. 

Readers of this Blog, in the light of the savage attack in Newbold on the tree surgeons in October 2017, must judge the wisdom of the concluding utterance of this councillor:
'Brian I don't want to waste your time justice has been served and there are no tensions in newbod of the sort you suggest'

***************

On Fri 25/10/2019 at 14:04, I wrote:

Dear Councillor X,

How are you? You will no doubt be aware of the case below for which I provide the link.  Already there are sites taking note of this who perhaps lack the best of intentions. I suspect the people involved were not from Kashmir. However, the critics of this behaviour will not be so nuanced and on past experience will use a scatter gun approach. In the light of this, it is important that the Council should condemn in full council what has happened up Newbold in the strongest possible terms.  I'm sure that you will agree with this, and accept that attempts to sweep this kind of conduct under the carpet is worse than short-sighted. Please try to prevail upon your colleagues and get them to condemn the culture that allows this to take place?

Best wishes,

Brian Bamford:  joint-editor of Northern Voices. 

*************

On Fri the 25/10/2019 at 14:49 Councillor  X replied:

Thank you Brian  I am aware of this case and as a result the council,police and community have worked together.

I am a councillor ,not Kashmiri,Pakistani or Muslim councillor but a councillor who serves all people of Rochdale.

In your email I assume hints of segregation (but I know you better). However, are you suggesting that all muslim/Asian councillors should condemn it?

We are having a meeting with police to look at crime figures in my ward and drawing up a strategy to combat it.

Once again thank you for your email.

************* 

To which I responded on Fri 25/10/2019 at 20:01L

Dear X,

I wrote to you as a friend rather than as a councillor and as I am someone who, because of my history which know about, has a certain affection for Kasmir.  Clearly as a councillor you must represent all of your consituents, but one of the offendents in this case , Habibur Rahman, claimed in Court that the victims  were 'white b******s' who were in his 'country'.  Now Mr. Rahman was clearly making a specific  georgraphical claim, and as someone who is an ethnomethodologist and a conversational analyst I find it curious.  I take this to mean that he exercises some control in Newbold.  Now let me be clear that I believe that all Rochdale councillors of all parties, should openly condemn this kind of thing, precisely because it strikes at the heart of all human decency and civilisation.

Best wishes,

Brian Bamford

****************

On Mon the 04/11/2019 at 07:16 I wrote:  I don't understand why you are so reluctant to invite me over to discuss the problems of Newbold. Clearly there is something seriously wrong in the ward. Later today I will be talking to the police about this case of the tree surgeons. As I write this I'm just hearing about the problems in Kashmir on Radio Four, I remember in the 1990s when you asked me to go over there with you. The bottom line is there must be an open and public condemnation of what happened in Newbold at the next Full Council Meeting which I believe is the 11th, December?

To which Councillor X replied on Mon 04/11/2019 at 08:29:  Brian I don't want to waste your time justice has been served and there are no tensions in newbod of the sort you suggest

*************************

Rochdale resident's Institutional Racism anxiety

I've read the full post on the blog, the replies from the councillors are at best flippant! At worst they are exactly as reported by Les, blatantly racist. 

The gangerism he highlights is, I suspect, the reason the individual councillors are unwilling to comment.

This fear of retribution, of what might happen if something is said against them, is the reason these "gangs" continue to grow stronger and languish in the fear they're creating.

Unless something is said in condemnation by those on the top levels of our councils the situation we now face ourselves with will only get worse. 

Gangs are clearly present!

If one man can make a call to arms and have, almost instantly, numerous men appear with weapons we may already be too late, but should it stop us at least trying to put a halt to it?

As I said in an earlier email, there are areas of Rochdale I just wouldn't drive through let alone walk through anymore, how long will it be before the whole of Rochdale is off bounds? 

Scary, scary times.

************************

Rochdale Council and Institutional Racism

by Les May

I BELIEVE that Rochdale Council is tainted by institutional racism.  I rest this claim upon the fact that its members appear to base some decisions about whether to act to give some sort of leadership to the people of Rochdale upon skin colour and ethnic origin.  The evidence I have for this is the response, and in most cases, lack of response, I received when I sent an open letter to all members of Rochdale Council regarding an attack on four white tree surgeons by a gang of about twenty Asian men in the Newbold area of Rochdale.

I provide below three paragraphs of this letter.

I am writing to you not as a representative of a political party, or of a particular ward, or because you happen to have been born with skin of a particular colour, but as someone who was elected to represent the people of Rochdale.

Two weeks ago the Rochdale Observer reported that a thug who had been ‘disrespected’ in ‘his country’ organised a gang of about twenty males who were armed with weapons such as knuckledusters, claw hammers and an axe to attack four men working as tree surgeons.  One of the men had his hand hacked off in the attack. Before the attack the four men had been called ‘white bastards’.

In the name of common decency I call upon all councillors, both individually and collectively, to condemn this attack and the language which preceded it, by bringing a motion to this effect before the full Council at its next meeting.

The full letter can be read at:

http://northernvoicesmag.blogspot.com/2019/11/an-open-letter-to-rochdale-councillors.html

I print below the responses that I received from individual councillors and my reply to them.  As I believe that the racism is present at an institutional level because it exists as a shared understanding, whether conscious or unconscious, amongst members of Rochdale Council that some things must never be drawn attention to, I have chosen to remove the name and anything that would identify individual Councillors.  This was impossible to do without mutilating the response in one case so I have excluded it.

Dear Mr May

Thank you for the information of which I knew nothing.  Unfortunately the next Council meeting is a short meeting with no motions due to the Freeman and Alderman meetings to follow.  I will discuss with colleagues, but if I had been asked for a comment I would condemn this attack as indeed I would any attack regardless of colour, creed or sexuality.  There is no support for any form of violence I would hope from any member of Council, and this and any attack should be condemned by all.

Dear Councillor ***,

Thank you for your response to my e-mail.

I believe that this is a matter of such importance to the promotion of harmonious relations within the town that I would like to see it debated and condemned by the full Council at a later meeting, if the next one is not appropriate.  This is the reason I have written to every councillor in every ward in the town, I believe it should be condemned by every councillor both individually and collectively.

If you or your colleagues wish to obtain further information a report which includes material taken from the court hearing can be found in the Rochdale Observer of 23 October and on the GMP website below.

https://www.gmp.police.uk/news/greater-manchester/news/news/2019/october/Four-men-have-been-jailed-for-their-part-in-a-brutal-gang-attack-which-left-a-man-with-life-changing-injuries-after-being-hit-with-an-axe-in-Rochdale/

I would be grateful if you would share this with your colleagues.

Les May

Hi Les

I have no idea why you’d want me to comment on this particular incident, given I have never commented on any police investigation.  I’ve had a look through my inbox and it seems you’ve never emailed me before demanding I call out racist attacks in Rochdale.  I have no idea why this one might be different.

It seems to me that the legal system has dealt with the criminals - not being involved in the case or having any legal training, I can’t say either way whether there are any issues here.

To be honest it’s the first I’ve heard of this terrible incident, not some cover up of anti-white racism.

It’s a shocking incident.  All racism is wrong.

Do you have any potholes or grot spots in **** I can help with?

Dear Councillor ***,

Given the nature of the incident which involved an unprovoked attack by a gang of up to 20 young men armed with an axe, knuckledusters and a claw hammer on four workmen which resulted in one of those attacked having his hand chopped off, I think it is self evident why some comment is needed.   I am not aware that there has been an attack of such a nature in Rochdale before.  I am not asking you to 'call out' racism, which I note that you clearly identify this attack as being tainted with, I am asking that you use your best endeavours to have this attack debated and condemned by the council.  Twenty young men being assembled quickly and carrying weapons, coupled with the use of the term 'my country' by the leader who claimed he had been 'disrespected', suggests to me that what we have here is a case of gangsterism which may well spread into the wider community. I would like to see it halted before it does.

This attack was reported on the front page of the Rochdale Observer of Wednesday 23 October 2019, so quite a lot of people will be familiar with it.

I should add that every councillor in Rochdale has received the e-mail I sent you.   I will file your response along with theirs.

Les May

Hi les

Thank you for including me in your email.  I have and always will stand up against any form of racism and will continue to do so

Regards *** ***

Dear ***,

This is not about racism, though there are clearly racist overtones. It is essentially 'gangsterism' when someone justifies the attack by saying he has been 'disrespected' in 'his country'.  That is why I want it condemned by councillors individually and collectively. The racism will be if there is an unwillingness to condemn it because it was carried out by up to 20 young men identified as Asian.

Les May

Hi Les,

I am saddened to hear what you have alluded to in your email. ******* I am not aware of the matter you mention but will establish the facts and contact relevant officers.   I apologise that you have not had a response before now.  Please let me have a few more details abut the incident such as when, where etc it occurred. I realise you may be further upset by my asking for this but it will save me some time.  I am grateful. ***

Dear ***,

Thank you for your very positive response.

The incident occured on October 17, 2017 and came to court in October 2019.  It was reported in the Rochale Observer of 23 October but the story was very garbled and differs somewhat from what was reported on the Greater Manchester Police website. I have given the link below.

https://www.gmp.police.uk/news/greater-manchester/news/news/2019/october/Four-men-have-been-jailed-for-their-part-in-a-brutal-gang-attack-which-left-a-man-with-life-changing-injuries-after-being-hit-with-an-axe-in-Rochdale/

Although there is a racial element in this attack which I think has deterred people from commenting on it, the main problem appears to be gangsterism.  If this is indeed the case it will be very detrimental to everyone in Rochdale and especially in Newbold.  I believe there was a similar, but much less serious, incident in the Greave area during the summer.   This is why I would like it condemned by individual councillors, and debated and condemned by the full Council.

Thank you again for your positive response.

Les May

I have absolutely no doubt that had this been an attack on four Asian men by a gang of some twenty white males armed with an axe, knuckledusters and a claw hammer, it would have been publicly condemned by most, and probably all, of our Councillors.  I believe that this view would be shared by many people in Rochdale. If this belief is correct then our Councillors do not represent the views of the people of Rochdale.

I can only offer four possible reasons for the unwillingness of Councillors to go on the public record and condemn this attack for what it is; gangsterism exacerbated by racial abuse.  These are: a desire to keep certain councillors ‘on side’, a desire not to alienate what is seen an individual Councillor’s ‘natural constituency’, a fear of being called ‘racist’ by others and not considering an attack in which a young man had his hand hacked off with an axe to be sufficiently serious that it has to be publicly condemned.

To Rochdale Councillors I say this: ‘Telling me in a private e-mail that you are not racist and how you have always been against it, is not good enough.   I will start to believe you actually understand what racism is when I see that you are willing to stand up and be counted by publicly condemning gangsterism and similar crimes, irrespective of who the perpetrators are’.

I stand by my belief that Rochdale Council is tainted with institutional racism.

*******************

Half of UK working adults don't earn enough to pay income tax

Sir Keith Joseph

Averages conceal wide variations. The median annual UK income for 2019 is said to be £29,588. Yet, according to figures from HMRC, nearly half of all Working adults in the UK, pay no income tax because they earn less than £12,500 per annum, the figure where income becomes taxable.  

Many of the very wealthy avoid paying UK tax by becoming 'Non Dom' or pay themselves 'dividends' instead of 'incomes' which attract less tax. In the last 40 years, people in emerging economies and the world's richest people have seen the fastest growth in income. Wages in Western economies have grown more slowly.

Before we joined the E.C. (now the E.U.) in January 1973, Britain was known as the 'sick man of Europe' because its economy lagged behind countries such as France and Germany. In June 1974, seventeen months after we joined the EU, Sir Keith Joseph said this, in a speech at Upminster:

 "Compare our position today with that of our neighbours in Germany, Sweden, Holland, France. They are no more talented than we are. Yet, compared to them, we have the longest working hours, the lowest pay and the lowest production per head. We have the highest taxes and the lowest investment. We have the least prosperity, the most poor, and the lowest pensions."

Not much changes folks. And who did Sir Keith blame for all this? No, it wasn't the E.U.- he said it was all the fault of Labour and socialism. Since the onset of Thatcher and Regan, the world's richest, have seen their wealth soar into the stratosphere. That was what the Conservative revolution was all about.

According to a government report, Brexit is likely to lead to Britain becoming worse off.