I made this storify, called “Has the earth moved/”, it would seem a couple of days before the Referendum, a harbinger of disaster!
I talk about the growing split in the country. I start by suggesting UKIP is here to stay 🤔, look at some aspects of the politics of Jo Cox’s murder and finish with this,
…You can’t oppose racism and pander to it.
In my article, at http://blog.davelevy.info/remain/, I asked why we wouldn’t want to be in a union, a political union with the other members of the EU. I offered three stories and suggested there were 27 stories as to what we could and should take. In a piece of good timing, Michael Moore’s latest film, “Where shall we invade next?” is a whistle stop tour of Europe (& Tunisia) looking at the better life that solidarity & social democracy offers. …
Peter Wilby in last week’s New Statesman makes the Remain case in better words than I can find. It’s one of the reasons he’s paid to write and I am not. …
I don’t think the facts around Human Rights and Sovereignty are being well exercised. I have just seen a post on Facebook where someone claimed that Britain was being ruled by the ECHR in Strasbourg. In the words of Captain Blackadder, there’s only one problem with this theory. I thought I’d put this right …
On June 23rd, there will be the most important democratic decision taken in the UK, ever. The British People and those of Northern Ireland will be asked if they wish to remain in or leave the European Union. I am firmly of the view that both collectively and individually we will be better off, have more freedoms and a richer political, and non-political culture if we remain in. Like others, I have a list of issues that I believe need to be considered, mine are, Jobs & Prosperity, Citizenship Rights, Sovereignty and Peace & Hope. …
I have today, submitted this article, on reasons not to renew Trident to Labour’s “Your Britain” site, I am now looking to see how to submit it to the Labour Party’s trident review. My submission focuses on the defence arguments, its ineffectiveness as a defence weapon, its questionable independence, its cost and its opportunity cost. If you agree, please visit the Your Britain site and vote for it. …
The announcement of the result for the Mayor of London occurred at 12:30 a.m. on Saturday morning; this was about six hours later than expected, 26½ hours after the polls closed and legally a day late. It was also 6 hours after the first GLA member’s result was declared. I hope we find out what the delay was caused by and we should remember the legal fire-drill in 2012 when Boris and the Tories wobbled and thought they might actually lose which raised questions of accuracy. Uniquely in the UK, the London elections are counted by machine[1], I wonder if that was part of the problem since the use of electronic counting & voting systems is controversial around the world. …
The London Mayoral election is reaching its denouement and getting dirty. The Tory’s fires of pandering to islamaphopia, lit presumably by the serial racist Lynton Crosby and fanned by Cameron, would have thought to have ended with the disclosure that the dangerous islamist that Kahn allegedly associates with is in fact a Tory. It’s a degrading campaign, damaging the reputation of two good men. Furthermore, there can be little doubt that the timing of the story about Naz Shah’s anti-semitism is designed to damage Labour’s campaigns across the country and has aided by the stupidity and dishonesty of comments made by Labour’s own right and left. Kahn recognised from day one that racism was going to be an attack vector on his credibility and good will in an attempt to win the Mayoralty and become the Mayor that London needs …
The Independent reports on the target of he US drone attacks and the personal security measures he now takes to protect himself and his family and children. In the article he is quoted and repeats the statement that the drone campaign is one of individual assassination. I have written previously on this blog and on storify opposing the use of drones and assassination as anti-terrorist tactics and its legality or otherwise. The US have a different legal system and tradition, but throughout the ’80s the UK maintained the principle of civil primacy in its domestic anti-terrorist campaigns. The story though is as much about humanity rather than politics. …
At the Real World Economics blog, Dean Baker argues that, those proposing the Reign of the Robots, have some evidence to find and that (US) economic policy makers are pursuing policies in direct contradiction to the implications of such an event. …