Neoliberalism

Drifting towards dictatorship

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At the time of his death in 2006, Augusto Pinochet had been implicated in over 300 criminal charges for human rights violations. The charges included 194 counts of killings Spanish citizens. He was arrested in London and held on house arrest in comfortable rented accommodation for a year and a half before being released by the British government. During that time he was visited by Margaret Thatcher to pay her respects.

Who was Pinochet?

Pinochet was the Chilean dictator who took power in Chile in 1973 after a US backed coup that ousted President Allende the democratically elected socialist president of Chile, which lead to a brutal right wing dictatorship, led by Pinochet.

“Pinochet’s newly formed junta locked hundreds of thousands of people in detention centres, “disappeared” (killed) at least 2,279 for political reasons and tortured another 31,947. Pinochet took power by military force and used military force to maintain his regime.” libcom Continue reading →

As America awaits more violent attacks, (Act II) time for some reflection

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I don’t think the moron nutcases attacking the capital are the main problem. They are kind of puppets for the main regime, the Cristian fundamentalist. The clean cut people in the wheelhouse charting the course. Remember when they were talking on US news outlets about UK cities being run by Muslims, which people here were perplexed at. Continue reading →

CityStrolls-REPLAY: Militarising the police

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CityStrolls-REPLAY: How many ambulances and paramedics are available during a pandemic, masks, ventilators, beds, psychiatrists, workers? Compared with. How many policemen can turn up instantly. How many cops does it take to kettle some peaceful protesters, while allowing other drunk nutters to run riot. The “emergency services” have become the “police services”. If the efficiency of military tactics shown in West George Street where applied to human rights, the health services, mental health, social housing there would be no reasons to see militarised swat teams on our streets. If we don’t become part of the solution – Get used to it. As the UK is using the same US approach to militarising the police and have been, at least over the last ten or fifteen years.

CityStrolls-REPLAY: Glasgows finest

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CityStrolls-REPLAY: Glasgows finest turn out to protect the merchants of death, mounted cops the lot. Our council present an “arms fair” in a building that is part of the cities Common Good Fund. While those who suffer (the fall out of the weapons and bombs they deal in) who make it to this country – suffer even more through the ignorance and indifference of our administrators who would think this was ok and what happens and they are not be responsible for any of it.

 

PREGNANT PAUSE

Posted on by bob

— Remarks on the Corona Crisis —

 

We were already living in a general global crisis, but most people were only vaguely aware of it since it was manifested in a confusing array of particular crises — social, political, economic, environmental. Climate change is the most momentous of these crises, but it is so complicated and so gradual that it has been easy for most people to ignore it.

The corona crisis has been sudden, undeniable, and inescapable. It is also taking place in an unprecedented context.

If this crisis had taken place fifty or sixty years ago, we would have been totally at the mercy of the mass media, reading about it in newspapers or magazines or sitting in front of a radio or television passively absorbing whatever instructions and reassurances were broadcast by politicians or newscasters, with scarcely any opportunity to respond except perhaps to write a letter to the editor and hope that it got printed. Back then, governments could get away with things like the Gulf of Tonkin incident because it was months or years before the truth eventually got out. Continue reading →

What are we thinking about?

Posted on by bob


Evolution through necessity and the human spirit. People are reconnecting with each other in non commercial activities. The animals are starting to breath once more, the rivers are cleaning themselves, the sea is regaining strength, asthmatics underneath the fly zones are breathing easier, the sky is bluer, the fish are restocking. Most animals are wandering freer, apart from us… What lessons need to be learned here and how quick do we need to learn them? Is that not the questions we need to be thinking about now, at least part of the time?.

At the local level
The city fathers are the ones who make the decisions for us, these days we call them the city council. And the incompetence demonstrated in the last 50 years can not be allowed to continue. Previous decisions created the Glasgow effect widening the poverty gap to creating disengagement for ordinary people whilst throwing cash and support to business. The decisions made today for the planned recovery of this crisis will affect our children grandchildren and great grandchildren for decades to come. Therefore it is an imperative and matter of survival that ordinary people are included and “prioritised” in these decisions over “business”.
The other extremely important imperative is getting ourselves involved and keeping control of the narrative of this dialogue.

An evening with Michael Albert Wednesday 10 Oct 2018 6:30 PM 8:30 Pearce Institute.

Posted on by bob

 If ever there was a figure dedicated to changing the world it is Michael Albert. And other folk on the left doing the same thing would need to wonder what they are doing if they have never heard of him. My own political development has been greatly influenced by Albert’s work. Along with people like Chomsky, Michael Albert has been a go-to when inspiration is low and are great connectors to others doing important and inspirational work. Albert lives for the movement and proves it not just by words but continually doing things. By trying things by developing ideas and if they don’t work trying something else.

His honesty through these endeavours, their effectiveness, trials, errors, successes, failures is the most important part of his contribution to the movement for change. You can almost think you know him because so much of what he speaks about resonates through the experiences that those engaged in grass roots struggle come up against constantly. He does not shy away from failure but uses it to drive coherent points that will strengthen the next part of the struggle. Continue reading →