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Bliar the Liar

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So, you put on the mask, you didn't go see granny for a year or randomly hug anyone, you did the social-distancing when out and about, sanitised your hands until the skin turned raw and finally, you got the vaccine but still they won't guarantee you your freedoms. Hmmm???

Then, they drag out the biggest scumbag in Britain this weekend, Tony (lying rat) Bliar, the EU's favourite traitor.  He wants the vaccine enforced or else we should all be segregated. Medical apartheid, here we come! 

Divide and conquer!

THREE WEEKS TO SAVE THE NHS AND FLATTEN THE CURVE!!

Divide and conquer!

THREE WEEKS TO SAVE THE NHS AND FLATTEN THE CURVE!!

Divide and conquer!

THREE WEEKS TO SAVE THE NHS AND FLATTEN THE CURVE!!

Divide and conquer!

Still think this is about a virus?


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Dark Waters, Dark Actors and the Deep Dark State

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Edited by Aideen Devine, Wednesday, 18 Aug 2021, 10:14

I went out to see Dark Waters last week. I mentioned it on the blog a few weeks ago. It’s the story of lawyer Rob Bilott who sued Dupont, initially, on behalf of Wilbur Tennant, a farmer whose animals had died, or were dying, in Parkersburg, West Virginia and which eventually became a large, class-action law-suit, which he fought for 20 years on behalf of the citizens of Parkersburg and won many millions of dollars for them in compensation. Although, it’s not much good, when your health is buggered.

Mr Tennant’s animals were being poisoned with the chemical, perfluorooctanoic acid or PFOA/C8, which is made by Dupont and which we know as Teflon. Your non-stick pans are coated in this stuff and it has also been used on waterproof clothing, stain-resistant rugs, microwave popcorn bags and even dental floss. Add that to the fluoride in the toothpaste and that’s a nice little toxic mix to put in your mouth.

It is estimated that 99% of all humans on the planet have PFOA in their bodies because once it is in it is very hard to get rid of.  The worst thing about it is that Dupont knew how toxic it was but just never let on. They released it into the water in Parkersburg and it was also released into the air. They even tested it in cigarettes which they gave to their employees and who, of course, took ill but weren’t told why.  It has been linked to six diseases, including kidney cancer, testicular cancer, ulcerative colitis, thyroid disease, pre-eclampsia and high cholesterol and it was also found to cause birth defects; one of the real life children affected by this appears in the film, Bucky Bailey.

It’s a deeply moving story (at least I thought so) of the little guy (as always) getting screwed over by those with money and power. I highly recommend you go see it because we don’t see enough of this kind of exposure anymore.

Coincidentally, I’m reading Dark Actors at the moment; this is the story of Dr David Kelly by Robert Lewis who ‘committed suicide’. He was the only person to speak out against the ‘dossier’ for war with Iraq, remember that fake news? He was vilified and hounded by New Labour and the media for his honesty. I’m only 79 pages in at this point but it gives a very good insight into that New Labour toe-rag, Jack Straw and Tony Bliar too.

Considering now the whole Epstein/Prince Andrew/ Bill Clinton and other various scumbags story that is playing out, it wouldn’t take a genius to join the dots of a Mossad/CIA led honey trap whereby up and coming politicians/celebrities are seduced by the glamour on offer from the likes of Epstein, then filmed and recorded, and which is then used to blackmail and control them and ensure the agendas of the puppet masters are followed. 

I also read another book this week, it was a very short one and I got through it in an afternoon. It is the Great British Skripal Hoax by Nicholas Kollerstrom, and available from richplanet.net. I never believed the Skripal story for a minute, the whole thing is too absurd (do they really think we are that stupid??) but what is most disturbing about it is where exactly are the Skripals? Are they being held against their will by British and/or American intelligence? Are they even alive? How can people just be made to disappear in an allegedly ‘free and open society’ and no one even question it or do anything about it?

It’s worth a read especially in relation to a man by the name of Christopher Steele, who compiled the other fake dossier about Trump and the alleged Russian interference in the last US presidential election. Apparently, Mr Skripal who was a double-agent and was released from Russia as part of a spy swap, was about to leg it back to Russia and the security services (MI6) couldn’t allow that to happen because he helped Mr Steele compile the dossier which the Russians would then know about, and who knows what else he may have had to tell them.

By the way, also beware of an organisation called Integrity Initiative, it’s just another black ops group spouting propaganda on behalf of the deep state.

The thing about all these dark and dirty goings-on is that they aren't really very secret at all. We are all aware of the propaganda and lies that are pumped out by a compliant media and there is no such thing as an investigative journalist any more, at least, not in the mainstream media. Everything is hiding in plain sight, we know that the politicians don't really run the country; we know there are dark actors behind the scenes manipulating and controlling everything. We and they know that there is little or nothing we can do about it, some people just don't want to know and who can blame them when we see how ruthless and murderous they are. But still, it does no harm to remind ourselves just how rotten the deep state is and it is laudable that there are still people out there, researching and reporting on the rot that corrupts politics and business and are prepared to take them on and expose it.

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The 'Empire' Strikes Back

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Edited by Aideen Devine, Sunday, 22 Sep 2019, 09:51

As we, very slowly and painfully, grind towards the 31st October and Brexit, the hysteria mounts as the Neo Liberal Fascists in their desperation to stop Boris and Brexit, throw democracy out the window, along with their toys, and like Violet Elizabeth will 'scweam and scweam, til they're sick', like the spoiled, overly entitled, over-indulged, self-righteous brats that they are.

It's hard to pick out the most sickening moment in the recent spectacles of the War on Brexit.  Was it Jeremy Corbyn selling out on every working class principle he claimed to have (not that Jeremy was ever working class) and treacherously defying the wishes of the majority of the population?   Not surprising, really, when he so publicly dismissed his own brothers life’s work with his fawning of Greda Thunberg and declaring a ‘climate emergency’. And I thought Tony Blair was going to go down in history as the biggest betrayer of the Labour movement.

Or was it Jo Swinson's cringe-inducing speech where she claimed the (Neo) Liberal Democrat (Fascists) would reverse Brexit without a vote at all, dependent of course, on the NLDF's becoming a majority government in the British Parliament?  Mind you, I don't think there's much to worry about there, a Lib Dem majority government?  Good luck with that one!

But more insidious was Guy Verhoftstadt’s speech at the NLDF’s conference where he said ‘The world order of tomorrow is not a world order based on nation states or countries- it's a world order that is based on Empires’.  This is what the ‘conspiracy theorists’ have been saying for years that behind the scenes in politics, the puppet masters of Bilderburg et al have been working towards a New World Order with national boundaries and national identities wiped out. 

I know John Lennon sang about a world with no countries and no religion, a world of peace, ‘a brotherhood of man’ but I don’t think he envisaged it as a world of empires, ruled and controlled by an unelected and unaccountable elite.  But the most disturbing thing about this speech was the cheers of the NLDF’s in the audience, the brain-washed minions, ready to throw away democracy, and cultural and national identity so as to be seen as forward-thinking and ‘liberal’. Like turkeys cheering for Christmas…I wonder if they’ll be as enthusiastic if Brexit doesn’t happen and their children and grandchildren are conscripted, and marched off into the army of the EU Empire, to fight in a war with Russia or China?  Rather ironic too when one of the accusations levelled at Leavers, was their backward looking desire to turn Britain back to the days of ‘empire’.

As Mr Verhoftstadt brings the 'empire' into the public arena, it shows that they don't really care that we are aware of their agenda because they own the media and through it, opposition, and open and free debate is being closed down.  As they attempt to build their empire by creating a nationless, cultureless and genderless society and most probably vegan too, going by propaganda trends online, we must ask, what is the end game to all this?  And more importantly, who is the Emperor?  

Will the new EU army be marched on to the streets of Paris and other European cities to put down the protests of groups like the Gilets Jaunes or anyone else who doesn't agree with their way of thinking or who doesn't vote the 'right' way? 

I was living and working in Dublin when the Maastricht Treaty was being voted on by the Irish people, and they voted against it, and Sinn Fein were right up there, at that time, in their opposition to it (although they have since sold out too). And the Irish people were basically told that they were going to have another referendum and they would continue to do so until they voted for it, which they duly did in the next referendum.  

We can all dream of a better world, a world of peace, of ‘a brotherhood of man’ but not when the aim is to control and manipulate the people of the world and to use them to create wealth for the few, to the cost of the many.

And I like the differences between us; I want the French to be French, the Chinese to be Chinese and the Germans to be German.  What is wrong with that?  There is nothing more disappointing than going to a foreign country and being surrounded by exactly the same shops and eating the same food that you have at home. I want that when I go to another country, that it is different, otherwise, what is the point of going? But then they don't want us going anywhere, do they?  Isn't that another of the great 'climate change' lies, to not fly, or drive, or eat meat, or use plastic, or yadda, yadda yaa...GIVE ME STRENGTH!!

Will we, won’t we, finally Brexit?  As we get closer to Halloween, expect the hysteria to be ramped up and the attacks on Boris and leave supporters to become more vocal and nastier. Who knows just what ‘dirty’ tricks they may be planning for us, if Britain spoils the EU dream of ‘empire’.  The countdown is on but I fear there may be some dark days ahead.

 

 


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Idealism vs Reality

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Edited by Aideen Devine, Thursday, 12 May 2022, 14:07

We haven't had a working government in Stormont for 2 years now.  It's a political stalemate between the 2 extremes of Irish Republicanism (Sinn Fein) and Unionism (DUP) which are, in all probability, irreconcilable.  Especially, since the DUP hold the balance of power in Westminster and are keeping Theresa May in office and the Conservatives in government.

The same political stalemate is happening in the US with the stand-off between a Republican president threatening to close down the Government again and the Democrat-controlled Senate refusing to fund his wall.

Then, we have the political shambles of Brexit with Theresa May incompetently lurching from one crisis to the next and unable to deliver a 'deal'.  There is political stalemate with Europe refusing to renegotiate and neither the Left nor the Right anywhere able to fully grasp the reality of life outside the Parliamentary bubble for the rest of us and deliver what we want and need and not just on Brexit.

The stagnation of politics in the West at the present time is because we are caught between 2 irreconcilable positions, the Left and the Right, or public vs private and there is no-one of competence, capable of stepping up and delivering a coherent and practical alternative. (Well, apart from me!)

The other problem is that the political structure and the policies of the Left and Right are years out of date and do not serve the world of today.  The Right dominates at the moment because the Left have collapsed and failed to address the reasons for this.  Tony Blair did attempt to move Labour from the old policies of the 70’s that had kept them out of office and towards the middle but unfortunately, he kept going in that direction and ended up more right-wing than some Tories. 

The Right believe in capitalism, especially Free Market Capitalism which has been the doctrine since the 1980’s.  It doesn’t matter that it collapsed in 2008; those on the Right still refuse to acknowledge its failure or to acknowledge that it worked best when it came with a social conscience as it did in the time of people like Cadbury and Rowntree.

The political doctrines of the left and right were drawn up when the parties were formed, either in response to or opposition to, events or social and political conditions as Labour did after the Second World War when the populace demanded change.  The Welfare State was set up to address the demand for better health care, education and housing and to provide a safety net against poverty.  However, the Conservative Party detest the Welfare State and have been doing their best to dismantle it since then.  Their belief in the private over public is best seen in the way they sold off and privatised all the nationalised industries. 

Here in the North, Sinn Fein are becoming strangulated by their ‘ideals’.  Their refusal to sit in Parliament was a policy drawn up a hundred years ago as a protest against British rule in Ireland.  Since they have signed and accepted the Good Friday Agreement, they have accepted British rule in the North so why are they not taking their seats?  They also have a problem with the oath to the Queen but let’s be realistic about it, would anyone think they really meant it? Or they could do what Tony Benn always did and cross their fingers.  If they were in Parliament, they could at least drum up support against the oath from other Parliamentarians and get rid of it altogether.  Ironically, if they had taken the seven seats they won after the last election, they could have made life very difficult for the Government and since they were able to change their position on the EU from anti to pro within a couple of years, I don’t see why they can’t make that change.

The doctrines of the Left and Right, like Sinn Fein and the DUP are based on certain ideals.  Each has their own belief in what the world should be from their perspective and they try and shape it to fit in with those ideals.  That’s not to say that having ideals is necessarily a bad thing but when it translates into policies and dogma that are unchangeable and cause political stagnation then it becomes a problem. 

The politic world is ripe for change, a middle way has to be found between left and right, a balance between public and private because as history has shown us, neither of these options has worked when put into practice. It is time to abandon the doctrines of the past and move towards a new way of working. Brexit has shown that issue-based politics has driven a wedge through the left and the right but it also offers hope of a better way of working in the future.  Unfortunately, (or fortunately?) it would mean the parties within Westminster would have to abandon their dogmatic political position and work to deliver a solution where politicians would work together to resolve the issues instead of trying to impose a party-based solution more concerned with keeping a government in power but which cannot deliver in the long term.

We need a complete restructuring of the political landscape.  We should decide on the issues, healthcare, housing, transport, security, education, what are we willing to support through taxation, what kind of society do we want and what are we willing to do to create it?  In abandoning party politics and moving towards issue-based politics, we would be dealing with the actual problems, free from the dogma and rhetoric of the past and instead, focussed on finding a solution to today’s problems. It would also mean a reduction in government and an end to cronyism and corporate predominance. 

There should also be rules in place so that only people who actually live in a constituency have the right to stand for election in that constituency. This would get rid of the London-centric politics which has split the country and left those outside the London and Parliamentary bubble feeling disconnected and forgotten.   

While many are worried about Brexit, we should see it as an opportunity to redraw the political landscape.  Once Britain is free from Brussels, we have the chance to start over, to wipe the slate clean and rebuild society and the political structure.  Margaret Thatcher once said ‘there is no such thing as society’, this was a very famous quote but it was only part of what she said, she went on to say, ‘There are individual men and women, and there are families.  And no government can do anything except through people, and people must look after ourselves and then look after our neighbour.  It is time to look after ourselves. 

Change will come, the disaffection of the people with politicians and the political structure is evident across the world.  We have hit an impasse and Brexit has revealed the failure of the Left and Right to find a way forward or to offer a solution.  If we are to move forward, then we have to address the realities of the world today and create a political structure that serves the needs of the people and the country first.  The day of party politics is coming to an end, change can be frightening but with a little courage and imagination, there is no telling what kind of society we could create.  All it takes is the will to make it happen, we can be idealistic and wish for a better world but at the end of the day, it is up to us to create it.  Idealism does have its place, it can and does inspire us to action, great men like Mahatma Ghandi were idealistic and achieved so much but it was achieved through action and by facing and dealing with the realities of the day.  

Idealism fails when it doesn’t deal with reality as we have seen only too well in the last century. 

Albert Einstein once said, ’Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow’.  I think we should learn from yesterday, act today and tomorrow will take care of itself’.

A few weeks ago, a bomb went off in Derry; a stark reminder of what can happen when the ‘ideals’ of the past, impinge on the present reality.  When vacuums open up in politics and leadership (quite often between their ears!), the worst elements step in and try to fill them. 

 


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Vice

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Edited by Aideen Devine, Wednesday, 18 Aug 2021, 20:49

In spite of the cold, I ventured out tonight to see Vice, the biopic about Dick Cheney, starring Christian Bale as Cheney, Steve Carrell as Donald Rumsfeld and Sam Rockwell as Dubya.  What can I say? I have looked upon the face of evil and lived to tell the tale...

Brilliant performances all round.  Christian Bale is truly deserving of the accolades he has received for his performance.  Steve Carrell was so good as Rumsfeld, I've even forgiven him for Finding a Friend for the End of the World and Sam Rockwell was outstanding too as Dubya, I got the feeling he was enjoying every minute of it. Mind you, you never go too far wrong with Sam.

The downside is that they were all so good, I came out feeling like I needed a shower after being in the company of such slime for 2 hours.  I had always thought Rumsfeld was the real evil in the Dubya camp, but Dick Cheney is a man??? Well, a male person anyway (I think? Possibly made in Area 51c...) He's cheap, nasty and soulless.  He reminded me of a description of the character, Annie Wilkes in the book Misery.  'You could stick your thumb into her and she would just be solid the whole way through' or something like that.

The other downside is that because of Dick Cheney, I'm never donating any organs.  My car tax and insurance were up this week and I was online getting it sorted the other day and coincidentally, there was a form for organ donation.  I started to fill it in and when it came to the liver, I thought, I need to think about this one, I don't really like the idea of my liver being given to someone who has drunk themselves into ill health (yes, I know I'm being judgemental but I don't care, not when it comes to alcohol).  So, I didn't fill it in.

In the film, Dick Cheney gets a heart transplant after years of heart trouble.  The big surprise was that he actually had a heart!  I remember thinking the same thing when it was announced Martin McGuinness was having heart trouble.  A bit of a coincidence too, now that I think about it!

So, that's why I'm not donating any organs because you don't know if they'll be given to some evil toe-rag to extend their life and I don't want to be responsible for keeping the Dick Cheney's of the world alive.  

But apart from that, anyone with an interest in politics or the Iraq War, should check this movie out.  It shows how rotten the whole political world is, not that we didn't know that anyway, but we just don't get any in-depth investigations into their dirty dealings anymore.  At least, none of the calibre that we used to get in World in Action and Panorama.  And the worst thing about it, is that they got away with it!  Cheney, Bush, Blair, the whole rotten shower of them, they got away with it and made a fortune.  Disgusting!  But go see the film anyway!


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1690 VS 1916

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Edited by Aideen Devine, Wednesday, 7 Dec 2022, 13:23

Well Jimmy, can you believe it?  The fight we have all been waiting for is finally on!  The 2 big hitters of the Northern Ireland political scene, Sinn Fein and the DUP are finally set to slug it our in a clash that has been dubbed 1690 vs 1916!

These two have been dancing around one another for years and there have been many skirmishes along the way but there was never a decisive victory that one could claim over the other.  But here we are now and who could even begin to try and predict the outcome of this?  The line has been drawn between them for the first time in over 40 years and the last election has ironically, strengthened bother their hands. Red hands at that! (That's just a little 'in' joke for the Ulster folk)

They have laid waste to the SDLP and the Ulster Unionists, those former giants of the political arena whose glory days now seem, sadly, behind them.  How this will turn out, is anybody's guess!

In the green corner, we have Sinn Fein or the Shinners as they are affectionately known, thought not by the DUP!!  Sinn Fein are the political wing of the now retired IRA. (they haven't gone away, ye know!)  They were on the 'Catholic' side during the Troubles.  They fought for many years in the 'armed struggle'...sorry, I have to apologise, it seems I got that wrong!  They didn't fight but they 'supported' the armed struggle or as they called it 'the fight to free Ireland from the yoke of British Imperialism'.  Although the DUP would have a lot more to say about that and still consider them a 'bunch of bloody terrorists!'.  Okay, what a pair!  This is hotting up to be the fight of the century, although I'm not entirely sure what century we're talking about, but the trash talk had been going on for years!

Anyway, they have now laid claim to the nationalist mandate in the North and have grown in political strength and confidence since the end of the Troubles.  However, the big question remains - will they ever really have the confidence to get over the past or themselves and take the fight to the Wembley Stadium of politics (or should that be Croke Park!) the British Parliament???

The only all-Ireland party, they're also a growing political force across the border in the Irish Republic or their 'true' home and where last year, they fought the good fight against the introduction of water charges.  A big pro-EU party, which is ironic considering their name and their history.  Sinn Fein translates as 'ourselves alone' and they have fought for years against British rule in Ireland! 

Their big date in the calendar is Easter when they have rallies and marches to commemorate the Easter Rising and last year was the biggie as it was the 100th anniversary.  This was when Ireland started the fight that led to the founding of  the Irish Free State.  Strange that the Shinners seem quite happy to hand over the sovereignty of the country to the EU, the IMF and the World Bank after all that, but there you go...although, I think if truth be told, I think the Irish government have already done that!!

We don't really know how determined they are in their support for the EU, after all, it was that very same EU that imposed the water charges they fought so hard against recently!!  There are a few theories on this, some say that since they are newcomers to the international political scene, they want to enjoy the ride on the old gravy train to Brussels for a while longer and don't want to give up the perks and benefits of the EU especially since they have only just got their snouts in the trough!  Others think it's just the same old; whatever the DUP are for, they're against!

Anyway, whatever the reason, they have now moved up into the political heavy-weight class and there seems to be no one who can slow them down or stop them!!  And that, ladies and gentlemen, are Sinnnn Feeeiiiinnnn!!

Over in the red corner, we have the DUP or the Dupers, as some like to call them and not affectionately at that!  But don't mistake the 'red' in their corner for the colour of their politics because they are as far away from 'red' as you'll ever get!! 

Stalwarts of the political scene in Northern Ireland, they have been around forever, going right back to the early days of the troubles.  There are those who say there might not have been any troubles if that 'big mouth Paisley had shut up'.  Not my words, Jimmy, just the word on the street...

Anyway, if any party ever gave credence to the saying, 'politics is showbiz for ugly people', then it's the DUP.  Anti-EU, pro Brexit, they don't really need the trough of Brussels as they've just been given free rein to the British public purse.  (Seems there was a magic money tree after all!!!)  They were always able to depend on government support throughout the years of the Troubles, a reward for their staunch loyalty to all things British, even threatening the government when it seemed they weren't being British enough.  We'll never forget the 3rd Force or the Anglo - Irish Agreement protests, will we, Jimmy?

The DUP were on the 'Protestant' side during the Troubles, albeit a very conservative right-wing version of Protestantism.  They once refused to allow ELO to play in Ballymena as it was deemed to be too decadent!  Kidding???  I wish I was!

Like Sinn Fein, there's a big day out in the calendar for the DUP too, the 12th of July!  This is the anniversary of the Battle of the Boyne when King William of Orange (Protestant) beat King James (Catholic) in a battle for the throne of England back in, yes, you've guessed it, 1690!  And they've been celebrating ever since which is ironic as the DUP aren't exactly renowned for being party people!  Another ironic fact about this is that King William (or Billy as he's also known) was, as one historian described, an 'avaricious homosexual'.  The DUP are well know for their anti-homosexual stance and had no qualms about getting rid of former DUP rising star, Paul Berry when he was reported to have indulged in some 'compromising' behaviour in a hotel somewhere in Belfast, a few years back.  Last seen, wandering in the political wasteland with a couple of unseated Ulster Unionists.  Awwww, shame...

Anyway, theie success in the recent Parliamentary election has added to their strength and power and they have teamed up with their natural allies...The KKK?  No, not at all, the Tories!  So, Arlene, has climbed into bed with Theresa (metaphorically, of course!) in the biggest act of political prostitution ever and the DUP are laughing all the way to the bank!  Oh what a party!

Money is what the DUP are all about, (Protestant work ethic and all that) and they do love to spend it, especially when it isn't theirs!  Always in the top rankings for MP's expenses, in 2015 the DUP took the top 2 places in the list with Jim Shannon claiming £205,798.23 and Ian Paisley Jnr, £195,247.59. 

They're also involved in a bit of trouble back in Norn Iron at the moment, in the Cash for Ash scandal where they paid businesses £1.60 for every £1 spent in a heating renewal scheme that is set to cost the taxpayer £490m over 20 years!  We won't even mention the Invest NI building, the most expensive rental property in Belfast at £25 a square foot which is going to cost the taxpayer another £120m also over 20 years!  This property was built as part of a PFI scheme and here's the real joke, after 20 years, the property developer is still going to own the building!  Oh, this is too much!!  You couldn't make it up!!

So, we are now poised to watch the 2 heavy-weights of Northern Irish politics fight it out to the bitter end (cos no one does bitter like they do here!!)  What do you think Jimmy, are the Shinners punching above their weight or will the brash newcomers take out the old dinosaurs!!

It's a tough one to call, Saint, Unionism isn't exactly known for standing their ground when it comes to a real fight,  They ran away from an Irish Republic back in the day, too afraid to let go of the old apron strings of Britannia and still don't seem to have the bottle to take on a United Ireland and fight their corner.

Sinn Fein, I have to say, seem hungrier for success.  For years, they liked to play the victim card blaming the British and the Unionists for repressing them but, changed times, Saint, and you can see their confidence growing with every election.  Who, 20 years ago, would ever have thought the 'bad boys' of Irish Republicanism would ever sit in Stormont with the DUP?  Or rather, the DUP would sit with them!  It seems 'Never! Never! Never!' was only until big Ian got the top job and the big pay packet.

Still, it's a close one to call, Saint, but if I had to pick a winner, I would have to put my money on the Dupers.  They've been doing the politics thing a lot longer and that experience has stood them in good stead in the past.  And big Arlene, I'd think twice about tackling her myself, a tough old cookie or as they say in Ulster Scots, 'a grand big cuddy!'.

The Shinners might be younger and hungrier but they don't have the experience of the old dinosaurs and you have to ask yourself if they are capable of delivering that knock-out punch when needed.

Ok, Jimmy, thank-you for that and I have to agree and go with the DUP too.  At the end of the day, they have the government on their side and as long as Theresa can hang on to power, they'll have the upper hand.  Mind you, you know the old saying, 'a week is a long time in politics', and we've seen some storms in the past year with Brexit, Trump and Corbyn all defying the pollsters!

And as if things weren't hot enough, the 12th is just around the corner and we all know what that means!  The old sectarian divisions will be ripped wide open again!  Bonfires!  Riots!  And you won't believe this Jimmy, on top of all that, Linfield (Norn Iron's version of Rangers) are set to play Celtic on July 11th in Belfast!!  What is going on in the world???

Hold on, Jimmy, I'm getting some news...just announced...apparently the Stormont Assembly is on hold, Sinn Fein are stalling over a promised Irish Language Act from Tony Bliar, sorry, Blair!  But you know Norn Iron, you can't have one side getting something without the other getting something too, so the DUP are demanding equality of footing for Ulster Scots!  See you, Jimmy!  Ah hah, what a game!

There are rumours that the Shinners are really holding our so Arlene won't get to spend the big bribe...sorry, pay off...sorry, what is it then??  What?  'The price of strong and stable government'... Really?  Is she still using that old line?  Well, I never...

Hold on, more breaking news...it's...it's...it's all off!!  Summer recess, they've all gone off on holiday to September.

So, what do we do now, Saint?

I'm f*cked if I know, Jimmy!

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Fidel vs Obama

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Edited by Aideen Devine, Thursday, 1 Sep 2022, 12:53

I couldn't help but love the report that Fidel tore into Obama (the greatest political disappointment of recent times).  Being an old communist myself and considering how much harder it is getting to be left wing these days (just listen to the continuous vitriol about Jeremy Corbyn) it was good to see that Fidel still has fire and passion.  Now, I know that not everything is fine and dandy in Cuba but it was good to see that he is still holding his own and hasn't sold his soul and bowed to the 'empire'.  

Go Fidel!!!!

And talking about 'empires', I am voting out of the EU and no amount of scare-mongering by the Bilderburg puppets ( Tony Blair, Barrack Obama etc) will change my mind.  As a good rule of thumb, I find that anything Tony Blair disagrees with these days is probably a good idea. I still can't get over the fact that he is a middle east peace envoy????  It's like making the Yorkshire Ripper an advocate for women's rights!!

Quite frankly, he should be at the International Court in the Hague for war crimes and human rights violations along with his friend Dubya.  The whole sorry Isis mess is a direct result of their meddling in Iraq and every crime committed by Isis should be laid at the feet of Bush and Blair.

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Future Ideas - Part One

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Edited by Aideen Devine, Friday, 2 Sep 2022, 12:09

Following on from the last posting, I touched on the failure of the global capitalist system and the present economic situation and I would like to go back to that subject and expand on some things.  

Firstly, the present situation is not going to improve greatly in the near future basically, for the reasons I stated before, that being the failure of the present capitalist model which governments won’t or can’t admit to.  

There are many things wrong with the system and these problems go hand in hand with our political structure.  The way government is organised is out of date and the two main parties are still trying to govern with agendas that were relevant to the past but bear no relevance to the world we live in now. We have the Conservatives on one hand who are traditionally (and still) the party of the upper classes and the rich. On the other, we have Labour struggling to re-define itself in light of the New (Tory) Labour legacy of Tony Blair, and weighted with the historical legacy of the welfare state. 

Going forward, whoever can really define the middle road between public and private sector, in a way that works for everyone, will have the next election sewn up. This is where the Lib-Dems have failed and it should be where they are leading the way. Government should be the referee between public and private to ensure that workers are paid and treated fairly but not to the point where private enterprise is stifled. Its role should be to provide balance. 

So, going forward, here a few suggestions to improve and revitalise politics and the economy. The House of Lords has to go, the class system is the biggest obstacle to creating a society that works for everyone and as long as it is maintained by government, then the division between rich and poor is going to grow wider until it leads to revolution. This might have happened in Britain after WW2 but the creation of better employment practices and the welfare state by Labour probably stopped it.   

Next, I think the day of party politics is over, the two main parties come from perspectives that are out-of-date.  The Conservatives want to dismantle the welfare state but historically it is because of how the private sector did business and exploited it’s workers that lead to the creation of unions and the Labour Party. So the Conservatives are a retrograde party always trying to turn the clock back and skewing everything in favour of private business to the detriment of the ordinary working person. 

Labour are the traditionally the party of the working classes although, you would hard pushed to find many working-class on the Labour front bench these days. They are perceived as the supporters of the public sector and are often portrayed as the enemy of business and the private sector. 

Every time we elect a new government, we are changing between these two opposing positions. This constant changing just keeps screwing everything up as they come in and out, every 4 years or so, with their ideas on the best way to run things and set about dismantling the work of the previous incumbents. (The exception to this was the New Labour government who carried on the Tory agenda). This hits the state education system worse than other areas and probably accounts for how badly it performs in relation to the ‘public’ school system whose teaching and results remain consistent and, which probably accounts for the upper class dominance in the echelons of power and state. It’s a wonder, now when I think about it, why the Tories have never sought to privatise the government and they don’t seem to mind being paid out of the public purse! 

Come to think of it, maybe we should privatise the government, at least then we would be able to sack those who don’t do the job they’re supposed to do instead of having to wait until the next general election. 

Realistically, what do we need to run the country? A good accountant to manage and distribute taxes.  Then what???  Why do we need all these government ministers and politicians? Wouldn’t we be better off employing people to run our services and wouldn’t it make more sense to have someone who has worked in education or health, and spent most of their life working their way up through the system, to be the Minister for Health or Education. Someone who actually has years of experience in the field and not some upper class twat who never did a day’s work in their life and only got the job because they were best mates with the PM through college.  

It would take the politics out of politics and instead of general elections for political parties, we would have referendums on issues like going to war, or free health care. Imagine if we’d had a referendum on the Iraqi war, do you think it would have happened? There could be televised national debates on the issues, with those for and against putting their arguments and then we could all go to the polls to decide what to do. It would make us more responsible as citizens and more involved in the real issues that affect our lives.  

One of the main problems with politics today is that people outside of London feel cut off from the government and that most politicians are out of touch with the reality of our lives. So in order to remedy this, I think that most of the power should be taken out of Westminster and given to County Councils, with each county having an elected Governor.  Issues could be brought up through councils (these should also be elected and you would have to be resident in the county to stand for election). It would be the job of the Governor to liaise with the council and the offices of Ministers. The main task would be to let the government know how much money is needed for roads, health, etc. and to ensure that it is distributed properly. I also think that in order to prevent corruption, each county should have an independent Ombudsman to look into complaints and through them people could challenge any perceived unfairness or mismanagement. Maybe we could pay the majority of our taxes to our County Councils instead of to the treasury too, so we have more control as to how our money is spent and it would benefit our own areas more. 

All vital services like energy, transport, police, education and health should remain under the control of Government but to allow for private enterprise to maintain and reduce some of the waste, there should be a 51% Government to 49% Private split in their provision. I think all these services should also be managed by county councils with government overseeing from a distance.  

Going back to the economy and the global capitalist system, I also think it is time to start putting up a few trade barriers. I really think there should be a ban on global corporations and if we can’t ban them, we should make them return a percentage of their profits to the country they trade in regardless of where they are based. 

The big global brands have sucked the life out of our local and small businesses and all their profits go out of the country. I also think that a percentage of business profits should be shared among the people who work in the business. This could be done directly but I think that the best way would be to do it would be with a profit tax which would be specifically for health, education and pensions. Most people don’t mind paying their taxes if they are guaranteed that the money is used productively and they can see the benefits they get return.  In order to be fair about it, it should be capped, so that small businesses don’t get crucified with taxation the moment they start making a profit. 

So, what do you think?  Comments, as usual, are welcome.

 

 

 

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The Alternative Feminist/ Austerity

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Edited by Aideen Devine, Friday, 2 Sep 2022, 15:08

(Contains strong opinions, she's angry today, you have been warned!!)

I am angry today, very, very angry, about bankers and the whole austerity package that has been dumped on everyone, everyone that is, EXCEPT bankers and tax-dodging millionaires and billionaires. 

I watched the news during the week about Greece, and it really upset me to see people in such distress and to hear how the suicide rate is soaring. This part of Ireland had the dubious honour of the highest suicide rate in Europe at one time, and if you had to live here, believe me you would really understand why, but it's Greece and the banks we're on today, we'll get back to Ireland (North and South) another day.

What I don't understand about the whole austerity/economic crisis is this.

The bankers lent money, recklessly, to people who couldn't really afford to be borrowing on the scale that they were allowed to, BY the banks. Then the banks failed and they were bailed out of the public purse. Now the 'public purse' is your tax money, which I am sure you all know because I'm sure anyone who reads this blog is intelligent, knowledgeable AND politically aware!!!!

So when they failed, we bailed them out, (by the way do you remember anyone asking you, if you wanted to bail them out, no, neither do I). So the banks lost all the money, were given all our taxes to 'save' them and they still get to keep all the defaulted property. And now, they are busy throwing people out of their homes and taking back properties that rightly belong to us, THE TAXPAYER!!!! 

And here's another thing, why are they not paying back the money they received in the bail out FROM THEIR PROFITS? WE all have to pay our loans back so WHY DO THEY NOT HAVE TO????? This is wrong morally, ethically, politically and logically.

So why is no-one else asking these questions and challenging these bail outs? Why are the left and the socialists not screaming from the rooftops????

I'll tell you why, it's because the so-called party of the left, sold it's soul under Tony Blair and dumped the working classes. Tony Blair was no child of Labour, he was a Thatcherite, born and bred!!  And if you’re expecting Ed Milliband to do any better, then forget it, because he really needs to grow a pair and start standing up for something more than trying to out-soundbite bloody Cameron. (Wasn’t it great to watch him squirming at Leveson this week??? The whole thing, to quote Baby Herman, ‘STINKS LIKE YESTERDAYS DIAPERS!!!’)

And how did this whole rotten mess begin, well, it wasn’t with Gordon Brown as the Tory party would try and have you believe, it began with Thatcher. She smashed the working class political power base, the Unions (I know they needed some reform but they have been annihilated, helped in no small measure by the whole rotten Murdoch media empire and those other right-wing rags, you know of whom I speak), and then brought in the so-called Free Market Monetarist policies, which of course led to the opening up of the markets so we all could get rich, lifted all the banking controls and let the market take care of AND, regulate itself, and we all know how that turned out now, DON’T WE??!!!  Yes, because now we’re all rich and happy, aren’t we???  Oooops!

(Just on the subject of the Murdoch rags, it’s amazing how many ‘Irish Republicans’ buy The S** (it pains me to even mention it) and have the satellite dish up on the roof. They are quite happy to contribute to the media empire of Maggie Thatcher’s old mate and staunch supporter, funny that, but politics is a funny old game, innit?)

Anyway, back to the bankers and the spineless politicians who won’t stand up to big business and do the job WE ARE PAYING THEM TO DO. Remember that, AS LONG AS YOU ARE PAYING TAX, DAVID CAMERON IS YOUR EMPLOYEE, YOU PAY HIS SALARY, maybe, we all need to remind THEM of that.

So, what can we do about it all anyway, Greece, the whole mess? Well, here’s an idea to help the Greeks, why don’t we give them the Olympics to keep. Instead of this faffing around the globe every fours years, let the games stay in Greece where they began. I wonder do they have a copyright on them, or even if you can copyright them, and give them back the Elgin Marbles while we’re at it.

And why should we?, (I can hear Thatcher’s children cry) well, again, I will tell you why, because they are HUMAN BEINGS and they need help. They didn’t cause this mess, just as most of you didn’t either, but they are paying for it, big time, and let’s be thankful, the REAL Labour men of the past who set up the Social safety net, (so despised by the Right and which Cameron and co desperately want to get rid of) which just about keeps us from being completely crushed by austerity.

And let’s start talking politics again, turn off that drivel, X Factor, Y Factor, who gives a crap factor and lets start DEMANDING that OUR EMPLOYEES start governing this country for ALL the people in this country and not just for their friends and cronies, and REMIND your Labour politicians of what their party used to stand for before they were infiltrated by the Thatcherites, and remind yourself daily, (or at least monthly) of the working class struggles of the past, re-discover the writings of ORWELL, (read Animal Farm and dare to challenge the myth that it doesn’t apply to capitalism) find out about PETERLOO, TOLPUDDLE, the CHARTISTS, teach your daughters about the SUFFRAGETTES: remember the Miners and the Liverpool dockers, and the UNIONS who used to fight for the working classes, and how and why they began.

And if you do all that, you can be sure that when the revolution comes, you'll definitely be on the right side.

And finally and MOST importantly, when you have done all that, put on  a black beret with a star on the front, and shout out loudly and clearly while punching the air -

POWER TO THE PEOPLE!!!!!

(And if you don't know what that means, make it your business to find out, or else, just ask someone who lived through the 70's!!)

 

 

 

 

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