Issuu

THE

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Issue #47, Mid October Edition

Rude rights rap F

£1

Equality Democracy Truth Courage

THE PEOPLE’S PAPER

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‘STINKS’

YOUR INCOMPETENCE, CRONYISM, AND IDEOLOGICAL OBSESSION

Tory rip-off privatisation has undermined our NHS and put lives at risk

ABSTAIN OVER HUMAN RIGHTS NEVER! Spycops Bill giving state agents a licence to kill opposed by 34 Labour MPs defying party abstain order

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LABOUR’S 34 SPYCOP HEROES AND HEROINES Osaamar Kate London

Corbyn Jeremy London

Ribeiro-Addy Bell London

Taken from Dan Carden resignation letter. Soft left and Starmer supporter “At the Second Reading, I followed the party Whip to abstain in the hope that I could work constructively to shift the party’s position towards opposing the Bill at Third Reading. It is now clear that this has not been possible. We have spoken at length on these matters and I know you have settled on yours and the party’s position from your own experience and with sincerity. You will understand that as a Liverpool MP and trade unionist, I share the deep concerns about this legislation from across the labour movement, human rights organisations, and so many who have suffered the abuse of state power, from blacklisted workers to the Hillsborough families and survivors.”

McDonnell John London

Gardiner Barry London

Lewis Clive Norfolk Long Bailey Rebecca Manchester

Butler Dawn London

Begum Apsana London

Morris Grahame Manchester

Mishra Navendu Manchester

Greenwood Margaret Merseyside

Whittome Nadia Midlands

Abbott Diane London

Lloyd Tony Manchester

Ali Tohir Birmingham

Whitley Mick Johnson Kim Merseyside Merseyside

Sultana Zarah Owen Sarah Midlands Midlands

Osborne Kate Mearns Ian Carden Dan Tyne and Tyne and Wear Merseyside Wear

Foy Mary Kelly Durham

Byrne Ian Merseyside

Lavery Ian

Northumberland

Barker Paula Merseyside

Davies Geraint Wales

Hopkins Rachel Midlands

Russell-Moyle Lloyd Winter Beth South coast Wales

Trickett Jon Yorkshire

Burgon Richard Yorkshire

Blake Olivia Yorkshire

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POLITICS AND EVENTS

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Mid October Edition

GOVERNMENT SAYS IT CAN IMPOSE DECISION WITHOUT AGREEMENT

BORIS: IT’S TIER 3 - LIKE IT OR LUMP IT

owning Street said a call had been scheduled for tomorrow morning.

But Burnham, who insists on more financial support for the region to cushion the Tier 3 blow to jobs and businesses, said no discussion has been arranged, but adding ‘we are ready to meet at any time’. Prime Minister Boris Johnson had earlier given Burnham an ultimatum - to drop his demands for more money or he’ll impose Tier 3. Johnson claimed that every day Mr Burnham held out “means more people will go to hospital, more people will go to intensive care and more people will die”.

Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham has denied Number 10’s claim that talks have been arranged to end the row over plans to move the region into Tier 3 coronavirus restrictions The Labour mayor has not opposed entering Tier 3, but has asked for furlough cash support to remain at 80 per cent and not the reduced 67 per cent offered. Without these measures would see Manchester “levelled down” he said. Unmoved Mr Johnson said: “On recent trends, in just over two weeks there will be more Covid patients in intensive care than at the peak of the first wave so I urge the mayor to reconsider and engage constructively.”

The Government reserves the right to step in and do what is necessary

Earlier in the week Greater Manchester Tory MPs condemned the government’s pig-headedness. One said discussions with them had been like talking to a brick wall. At a press conference Mr Johnson said: “If agreement cannot be reached I will need to intervene in order to protect Manchester’s hospitals and save the lives of Manchester’s residents.” Adding that Downing St “must reserve the right to step in and do what is necessary.” About

half

England’s

population is currently living under enhanced restrictions, with almost three million under the tightest Tier 3 controls. Transmission is not slowing since the rule of six came into force on September 14, followed a few days later by a 10pm pubs and bar curfew, and then a series of regional restrictions. A three-tier system placing all regions of England into medium, high and very high risk areas came into force on Wednesday. Lancashire reluctantly agreed to join Liverpool in the highest tier on Friday after it

Starmer snubbed as party’s Spycop rebellion grows One time human rights barrister Keir Starmer once again inexplicably ordered every Labour MP not to vote but to abstain on a highly contentious Tory bill to give informers and other state appointed agents a licence to kill or commit lesser crimes, free of prosecution. Socialists, trade unions and environmental activists are certain they will be the main target of this blank cheque to various security services, their informants and lesser state agencies with no security function and signed joint letter calling on Starmer to drop his bizarre non intervention. Their pleas were ignored and the party Whips renewed their orders not to vote but their threats did not stop even more resignations being handed in

received £42million in support. Manchester is resisting it until it is promised additional financial support. Ruth Studley, head of analysis for the Covid-19 infection survey, said: “More than a third of a million people are estimated to be infected – the highest level we have seen since the survey began in May.” The eldest brother of Liverpool mayor Joe Anderson died in hospital of Covid on Friday night. He had been on a ventilator in the intensive care unit.

If agreement cannot be reached I will need to intervene

Rishi Sunak is an anagram of Hi risk anus.

The first time the bill came before the Commons the usual suspects defied the party Whip supported by three front bench MPs who were immediately sacked. Then front bencher Dan Carden resigned his post and joined the rebels bringing the number of rebels to eight.

They lost the vote but the war is not over. The Bill has to get through the House of Lords and come back for final approval.

ESTIMATED TO BE INFECTED

Did you know:

so they could vote against the repellent bill.

At Thursday night’s vote 34 members of the Parliamentary party’s left Socialist Campaign Group, which until now has little backbone, snubbed Starmer and voted against the Tories’ infringement on our human rights.

333,000

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Wish you were here? Perhaps the most-terrifying space photograph around. Astronaut Bruce McCandless II floats untethered away from the safety of the space shuttle, with nothing but his Manned Maneuvering Unit keeping him alive. The first person in history to do so. Photo: NASA

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Christian Britain’s zealous attack on free speech Julian Assange, who remains in Belmarsh high security prison awaiting the result of his extradition hearing, now has no heating in his cell, reveals his friend John Pilger.

This is the latest hardship thrust upon him for the “crime of revealing to the public what it has a right to know: the lies of our governments and the crimes they commit in our name,” he said.

For the crime of revealing to the public the lies of our government

For months, Assange was denied exercise and held in solitary confinement described by the prison as ‘heath care’ but allowed no exercise outdoors.

reading glasses, left behind when he was dragged from the Ecuadorian embassy. He was denied the legal documents he needs to prepare his case, denied access to the prison library and denied the use of a basic laptop.

Dr Kate Humphrey, a clinical neuropsychologist at Imperial College, London, told the Old Bailey hearing that Julian’s intellect had gone from ‘superior, or more likely very superior range’ to ‘significantly below’ this optimal level, to the point where he was struggling to absorb information and ‘perform in the low average range’.

At first he was denied his

This is what the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture, Professor Nils Melzer, called ‘psychological torture’ in his report. Mr Pilger, who has attended the trial, said the moments of collusion between the judge and the prosecution acting for the Trump regime had been brazen. Until the last few days, defence arguments were routinely dismissed. The lead prosecutor, James Lewis QC, exSAS and currently Chief Justice of the Falklands, gets up to four hours to denigrate expert witnesses, while the defence’s examination is guillotined at 30 minutes he said.

THE WHOLE THING STINKS I

t is difficult to convey the real strength of feeling across Liverpool at the utter failure of this government. From care homes to PPE to test and trace. One mother was sent to South Wales on a 70 mile journey two and a half hours in the car with an autistisitc child, only to find the centre had closed because they had run out of tests, costing her £40 in fuel they simply didn’t have.

This government’s incompetence, cronyism, and ideological obsession with rip-off privatisation has undermined our NHS and put lives at risk. The anger and frustration isn’t just that the response is failing, but it’s failing because the government refused to enable and invest in local authorities and public health teams and instead chose to pump billions into scandal-ridden contractors that have a record of failure. Under cover of this pandemic, this government handed billions of public money to faceless corporations including Tory linked firms without competition or transparency, without democratic accountability or any accountability for that matter to the public.

This is money that should have been invested into our NHS, that should have left a legacy for the British people by building up properly-funded services we can all rely on, but instead it was siphoned off, the- most egregious example is the eye-watering £12 billion handed to private companies including Serco for this failing track and trace. Conservative baroness and business executive Dido Harding appointed the Head of test and trace, [the] Serco CEO a brother of a Tory MP and Tory MPs on the boards of companies winning contracts, and if you’ve got a

problem with any of this, why not take it up with this government’s anti-corruption champion, Dido Harding’s husband and a Tory MP. The whole thing stinks. This governments incompetence, its cronyism, its ideological obsession with outsourcing and rip-off privatisation has undermined our NHS and put lives at risk. Liverpool’s Dan Carden mp talking in the House of Commons on the test and trace corruption scandal. https://youtu.be/urGhHlTONoo

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STARMER RAP THAT IS DOING THE ROUNDS ON TWITTER Murky I whip to abstain, I’m a bossy cop I’ll give you 12 months for looting Body Shop For spy cops, I’ll be right there at the lobby top As far as I’m concerned, they should be using bloody Novichok Look I whip to abstain, I’m a bossy cop I’ll give you 12 months for looting Body Shop Should be 20 points ahead against this shoddy lot Frankly though I’lll settle just for seeing all you stroppy trots I didn’t mean a word, let’s be honest Basically reneged on every promise My target audience is Lord Adonis Cash for Access to boost profits Been around the block, I’m not a novice Inspected any number of your wallets Now is not the time to just demolish Let’s help the government and help Boris Pass the bill Licensing to kill Another Orgreave, making trouble at t’mill Agents of the state can infiltrate you at will So beware of secret agents saying “Netflix and chill?” They’ll be coming through your door like Jack Torrance Unconstrained by any kind of warrants Historically no kind of tolerance for justice for Hillsborough or even Steven Lawrence Target number 1: social movements Climate activists and trade unions Anything remotely pro-humans You’re officially classified as a nuisance Sound the bugle on the hunt Forensic drone strike if you spark up a hunt Jess Phillips grinning like a c**t Now it’s legal to stab Jeremy Corbyn in the front I whip to abstain, I’m a bossy cop I’ll give you 12 months for looting Body Shop For spy cops, I’ll be right there at the lobby top As far as I’m concerned, they should be using bloody Novichok Look I whip to abstain, I’m a bossy cop I’ll give you 12 months for looting Body Shop Should be 20 points ahead against this shoddy lot Frankly though I’lll settle just for seeing all you stroppy trots https://twitter.com/TheIDSmiths/status/1317048456221949952?s=20

WE PRIDE ON OUR DEMOCRATIC RIGHTS

French beheading French President Emmanuel Macron has said the teacher murdered in a Parisian suburb on Friday was “assassinated because he taught his students freedom of expression.” The killing is being investigated by anti-terrorism police.

some 28km northwest of Paris. The attacker allegedly shouted “Allahu Akbar,” or “God is greater,” as he assaulted the teacher with a knife. Media reports said the teacher was either “decapitated” or stabbed in the throat, succumbing to his injuries.

“One of our fellow citizens was assassinated because he taught his students freedom of expression,” Macron said after he arrived in the Paris suburb of Conflans-Sainte-Honorine, where the attack took place. “Our compatriot was the victim of a characteristic Islamist terrorist attack.”

The attack on the teacher was an attack on the French Republic and its Enlightenment values, Macron said, arguing that the country was in an “existential” battle to defend the possibility of making children into free citizens “no matter where they come from, what they do or don’t believe, whatever their religion.”

The slain teacher had reportedly shown his pupils a cartoon depiction of Islam’s Prophet Mohammed, according to police sources, which devout Muslims consider blasphemy punishable by death. France is an avowedly secular state, with a significant Muslim population that immigrated from former colonies in Africa and from elsewhere.

“I want to say clearly tonight, they will not pass,” Macron

The suspect in the Friday stabbing fled to the nearby

The middle-school teacher was attacked earlier on Friday in the street of the commune,

said, urging the French to stand together in defense of their republic. “The obscurantism and the violence which accompanies it will not win. They will not divide us. That’s what they want, so we must all stand together.”

town of Eragny, where he was cornered by police. He refused to surrender and threatened the officers with a knife, before he was shot multiple times. Three weeks ago, a knifewielding man injured two people outside the former offices of the satirical magazine

Charlie Hebdo, not knowing the outlet had moved. Charlie Hebdo was attacked in January 2015 by a group of armed Islamist extremists led by two Algerian-born brothers, loyal to Al-Qaeda. They killed a total of 12 people as “punishment” for the magazine printing cartoons of Prophet Mohammed.

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Mid October Edition

A MISCARRIAGE

POLITICS AND EVENTS

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OF JUSTICE SO GRUDGINGLY GRANTED

THE GUILDFORD FOUR

After the release of the Guildford Four proceedings were commenced against three The Guildford bombings had Surrey officers who formed the been the first offence committed interviewing team of Patrick in Surrey by the ASU, Armstrong. The evidence but they had already against them was committed clear and simple. IN ONE offences in A document OF LORD LANE’S the London which they had REMARKS, HE In one of Lord Lane’s Metropolitan produced at the concluding remarks, he said of area and trial of Patrick SAID OF THE the Police: “The officers must continued to Armstrong POLICE: “THE have lied.” do so until they which they OFFICERS MUST were arrested in claimed to Paul Hill, Gerry Conlon, December 1975 in be written HAVE LIED.” Paddy Armstrong and Carole London. contemporaneously Richardson had spent 15 years in with his confession prison for murder and explosive The police and the turned out to be the product offences, after they had been prosecution (leading council Sir of two earlier drafts with coerced by the unlawful Michael Havers, the Attorney manuscript amendments behaviour of the police, including General) deliberately failed to showing that the document was urinating in their food, violence, disclose evidence that would a fraud and perjury had been threats and intimidation. prove the Guildford Four were committed. innocent. They had proof that had been created by forgery On the 5th of October 1974, these and others were committed There were other matters involving no less than 32 two public houses in Guildford by the ASU before and after the which demonstrated wholesale officers. There were also records were bombed by the (ASU) active Guildford Fours arrests. They perjury including the detention of two interviews of Paul Hill service unit of the IRA, causing 5 even had finger prints from their sheets recording the detention conducted after he had been deaths and over 60 injuries and (ASU) safe houses that they used of the Guildford Four. The charged and without any legal a further bombing on the 7th of which connected them to the original detention sheets were representation which the police November 1974 at a public house bombings. discovered in a file amongst had denied under oath had ever the Surrey Police papers. The taken place. detention sheets produced at trial supported the perjured The knock-on effect of the THE WORD NEWSPAPER NEEDS YOUR HELP evidence of the officers and delay in trying the officers THE We are a non-profit making cooperative but still have our outgoing costs such as design, website None of the Guildford Four or their legal teams hosting and software. Please help us maintain this being permitted to take part or to receive left wing tabloid by going to our website at www.thewordmedia.org and subscribing. By joining together let us all fight back against the ridocumentation in relation to that aspect of ch and powerful. 9th October 1989 The Guildford FOUR were released from prison when the Court of Appeal quashes their convictions. The British government admitted the group were wrongly convicted of the Provisional IRA’s Guildford pub bombing.

in Woolwich in London causing 2 deaths and a number of injuries.

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his Inquiry which he conducted in secret.

resulted in Sir John May deciding that he could not deal with his remit in relation to the case of the Guildford Four in public despite the fact that Parliament had set up a Public Inquiry. This resulted in none of the Guildford Four or their legal teams being permitted to take part or to receive documentation in relation to that aspect of his Inquiry which he conducted in secret. When the May Inquiry concluded the papers relating to it were deposited at The National Archives in 1994 marked to remain closed to public scrutiny until January 2020.

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BEST OF THE WEB Israel lies The European Union is again feigning opposition to Israel’s plans to massively expand its colonies in the occupied West Bank. On Thursday, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell gently criticized the plans, saying they “jeopardize the viability and territorial contiguity of a future Palestinian state.” He even went as far as admitting that Israel’s settlements are “illegal under international law.” But there was not even a gesture that Israel would face any consequences. Instead, Borrell managed to bleat a suggestion that “Israel should reverse these decisions and halt all continued settlement expansions.”

his wife Elizabeth Ann, known as Ann, 77, of Hylton Lane Estate, both died in Sunderland Royal Hospital late last month due to the virus, with their passing just 29 hours apart.

Today, Friday, October 16, their family and friends – capped at 30 due to the ongoing restrictions – gathered for their funeral service at St Mary and St Peter’s Church in Springwell Road. To allow others to join in a show of respect, people were invited to line the street where the couple lived to clap in a show of love for the couple, with the family requesting men put on their suits and women wear bright colours, especially pink.

How well have such polite requests worked out over the last half century?

Plea for freedom A Derby fraudster who stole tens of thousands of pounds from her woman victim frantically begged a judge to be allowed to go home.

Couple die together John Smith, 78,

Shirley Smith repeatedly asked Judge Shaun Smith QC

and

“can I go home now?” after pleading guilty to one count of fraud when she appeared at Derby Crown Court. Supported by her husband for the short hearing, the 57-year-old, of Sinfin, said she had not eaten for two days and that she wanted to go to her address because she was hungry. Smith, of Osprey Close, admitted to taking more than £30,000 from the victim between November 2015 and June 2018. Arms treaty Washington has refused President Vladimir Putin’s offer to extend New START, the last remaining arms control treaty between the US and Russia, for one year without any preconditions.

“President Putin’s response today to extend New START… is a non-starter,” the US National Security Advisor Robert O’Brien said in response to Moscow’s offer, adding that Washington hopes Russia “will reevaluate

its position before a costly arms race ensues.”

A potential arms race was what Putin was warning against as he extended his offer to the US. A failure to prolong the key arms reduction agreement, officially known as Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, would leave the world “without any instruments to curb an arms race,” the Russian president told the nation’s security council earlier on Friday. Following America’s unilateral withdrawal from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty last year, the 2010 New START agreement remains the only active arms-control deal between the two nuclear powers. The treaty is due to expire in February 2021 and negotiations to extend it have so far been deadlocked. Turkey missiles The US State Department has warned the Turkish government of “potential serious consequences” to the two nations’ security

relationship should reports of Ankara testing the Russian S-400 air defense systems prove true. “If confirmed, we would condemn in the strongest terms the S-400 test missile launch as incompatible with Turkey’s responsibilities as a NATO ally and strategic partner of the United States,” State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said on Friday.

Ortagus insisted that the air defense system “should not be operationalized,” adding, “We have also been clear on the potential serious consequences for our security relationship if Turkey activates the system.” Washington’s reaction comes after a Reuters report showed “a narrow column of smoke headed high into the blue sky” near the city of Sinop in northern Turkey. According to the outlet’s defense analyst Turan Oguz, the smoke pattern suggested it was a missile launch of the Russianmade S-400.

Aproaching the reading of books about politics If asked to state briefly what I believe politics to be about I almost always respond that it is about the consensual arrival at values. If asked to state briefly the central social value at which I would prefer us to arrive I almost always say fairness. If asked to state briefly the central educational value at which I would prefer us to arrive I almost always say

fulfilment. Is that it then? Is there nothing more to be said? I have, after all, clearly stated that the values at which I wish the consensual process of politics to arrive when thinking about society and education are fairness and fulfilment; for me a very pleasing combination of beliefs. Surely, all I now need are the means of identifying and measuring them. If only. Each of my beliefs calls for explanation, exemplification, contextualisation, challenge and testing. When I pick up a book that touches on politics, society or education these three beliefs usually provide my initial, loose conceptual framework or reference points for making critical sense of what I am reading; and, it is important to say, I try to use the books to make critical sense of my own beliefs. There are, of course, other factors that affect my approach to a book. While some

books, even if written badly, are almost unputdownable while others, no matter how hard I try or how worthy the subject, are, to me, almost unpickupable. So, in addition to my very sketchy conceptual framework I also bear in mind the categories of judgment provided by WH Auden. In his A Certain World, A Commonplace Book (1971) he said. As readers, we remain in the nursery stage so long as we cannot distinguish between taste and judgment, so long, that is, as the only possible verdicts that we can pass on a book are two: this I like; this I don’t like. For an adult reader, the possible verdicts are five: I can see that this is good and I like it; I can see that this is good but I don’t like it; I can see that this is good and, though at present I don’t like it, I believe that with perseverance I shall come to like it; I can see that this

is trash but I like it; I can see that this is trash and I don’t like it. Just one more point to add: if you are musical you may be familiar with the metronome, usually placed on top of a piano. This dispassionate mechanism can be set to tick to the tempo as set by the composer of a piece or part of a piece of music. Designed to help musicians keep to the beat it will not deviate. As a conceptual framework it is rigid. It does not change. Musicians, however, cannot suppress their humanity. The beats of their hearts vary. They have emotions and can relate what they are performing to other cultural references. By the time that they reach the end of a piece of music they may be well off the beat of the metronome and yet have pleased their listeners, satisfied themselves and fulfilled the intentions of the composer. I am sure that this applies even

to people playing their own compositions. So, to adapt the famous quotation of a great hero of Welsh rugby, Carwyn James, I intend to get my excuses in first and claim that where and whenever I deviate from anything that I have written so far it will have emerged from creative human nature. In other words, conceptual frameworks must sometimes be stretched in different places; even, at times, pulled almost out of shape or departed from when used to make critical sense.

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POLITICS AND EVENTS

THE GREAT I

ntegrated Care Systems (ICSs) are central to the delivery of the Long Term Plan. An ICS brings together local organisations to redesign care and improve population health, creating shared leadership and action.” So says the NHS Long Term Plan of NHS England’s CEO Sir Simon Stevens, former President, Global Health & Group Executive Vice President at American health insurance industry leader UnitedHealth. Before

that, between 1997-2004, he was Health policy adviser to government. Simon says every area of the country is to be covered by an ICS by April 2021. ‘Integrating care’ has long been a goal for those wishing to reshape our healthcare system. Back in January 2003 US professor Donald W. Light wrote “the [UK] government plans to unite specialty care with primary care, primary care with community health

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THE MYSTERIES OF INTEGRATED CARE SYSTEMS

care, and all three with social services, so that one ends up with comprehensive, integrated services that are community based.” But ‘Integrated healthcare’ was in practice developed to meet financial goals, it improves profit extraction for the private sector, gathering together and pooling budgets, taking funding away from expensive acute care and encouraging cheaper ‘prevention’ in the community. Establishing long

HEIST

contracts (e.g. 10-15 years), developing ‘population health management’ and incentivising demand management and cost cutting, it establishes the style of corporate managed care at odds with medical practitioners free to treat every patient according to their medical need.

for CCGs (NHS purchasers), decision support software and it runs referral management services, with the power to refuse or divert referrals. And Optum is contracted to train the leadership in how their Integrated Care Systems should look.

Under the leadership of Sir Simon Stevens, the NHS has established contracts with UnitedHealth subsidiary Optum. Optum provides commissioning support services

Will Integrated Care Systems deliver an improved NHS or complete the delivery of the NHS and its budget into the hands of the US health insurance industry?

OUR NHS - Stolen under cover of Covid? The situation in our area of Lincolnshire, classed as a ‘medium’ risk region under the new Government regulations, mirrors the situation in the rest of England. We have experienced a massive decline in hospital capacity, in beds, staffing and services. Had we have had fully functioning smaller general hospitals with a full complement of staff, major hospitals, instead of having to cancel all elective patient treatment (with an as yet, unknown death toll), could have moved Covid cases to properly equipped smaller hospitals. Our almost moribund local General Hospital, that once boasted 300 beds, is fully

equipped with oxygen and isolating facilities, having being built in the 1920’s utilising in its design, lessons learnt from the experience of the Spanish Flu pandemic. The major hospitals could have carried on as normal. Covert privatisation goes on apace, again as in other regions, most recently audiology being farmed out to Spec Savers.

shipment to care homes.

We have had cases recently of GP’s acting to block treatment for vulnerable patients who when they do get a referral to hospital are asked in amazement why they haven’t been referred sooner and the local hospital’s remaining one ward becoming a holding pen for old people awaiting

This is all the result of a hostile neoliberal ideology that has left us with an NHS that panders to commercial interests and private profit at the expense of the needs of our country and views public services as a drain on resources better provided by private firms and corporations.

Julie Speed & Paul Simpson Fighting 4 Louth Hospital

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PATIENT.I AND A CT SCAN

AT THE NIGHTINGALE

ast Saturday I went to the Nightingale Hospital in Harrogate, North Yorkshire for my CT scan. In essence Harrogate is the most Northerly suburb of Leeds – so posh it won’t allow itself to be called part of Leeds.

I’d timed my drive; 30 minutes, so I set off at 8.55 for my 10 am appointment. On arrival at the designated car park I parked up, turned off my engine and poured myself the required pint of water into a calibrated jug and chilled; so far so good. I locked the car around 9.45 and couldn’t find my way into the reception. I stood on the road and hollered and a nice young chap in PPE showed me how to squeeze through

the barriers higher up; acres of space, and nobody around puzzled me. A chap behind a screen took my name and asked me to sit down in Patient Area C, next to a partition about ten feet high with tubes and wires from bed after bed clearly visible.

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“You guys ready for the second spike?” I asked nervously. “Totally,” said the medic as he filled in my forms. A nurse turned up, dressed like Darth Vader’s Mutter, and shepherded me to a room where I took my trousers off and lay on a couch with my arms up. Somebody must have stuck a plastic sharp in me for the high definition dye, beat a hasty retreat, and left the rest of the procedure to the machines.

DON’T PANIC On this day in 1978 I was sitting in my flat with the radio on. So I heard the very first broadcast of Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy. Somewhere I have a Don’t Panic badge. And I know the answer to the Ultimate Question: what

is the meaning of government policy? The answer is, of course, 42. UK socialism is to be demolished to make way for an intercontinental capitalist super highway for chlorinated politicians. Resistance is useless.

I had intended to invite everyone to Starmerways, The Restaurant At The End Of Socialism but Lockdown Man has ordered it to be closed because he has classed socialism as a virus. In fact, closing the restaurant means that there will be no end to socialism. As I said, Don’t Panic.

In and out I went on the conveyor, holding my breath as instructed and letting it out when the disembodied voice told me to. I learned that the dye would soon be injected into my vein and I knew I’d feel warm, want to wee wee, and feel that I had already done so. In and out again; breathing/ not breathing. Then as soon as the machine stopped, up went my trousers and I was free. The nurse came with me at a distance and said I couldn’t leave. Hotel California would serve me up hot drink; she talked

to me a bit from a distance, liked my glasses, thought I looked fabulous, and said she loved a man with a pony tail. I said she looked pretty good herself. “You should see me when the mask comes off,” she said. Flirting with an oncology nurse! “Nobody in the Company has ever had Covid,” she reassured me. Company? Then she left; I drank my coffee and went back to my car.

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THE TROJAN HORSE OFST THE 21 CENTURY? H

be found in business as well as in politics, and they hide behaviours such as racism behind a façade of well-meaning.

ultra-nationalism and elitism, identifying opponents as enemies (and traitors), and justifying the use of violence against them.

It is important to understand that fascism doesn’t have a manifesto and is simply a way of thinking and behaving that comes naturally to individuals that believe in their superiority and in the fundamental inefficiency of democracy. Such persons can

The term ‘fascist’ was adopted by Mussolini in 1921 when he founded the ‘Partito Nazionale Fascista’, which governed Italy from 1922 to 1943. The party adopted a symbol consisting of an axe head protruding from a bundle of sticks (a ‘fascio’, used in ancient Rome to denote the power associated with a local magistrate). The party was antiliberalist, anti-communist and anti-democratic. It promoted

In the aftermath of WW II, fascist movements around Europe were dismantled and banned from political activity, and fascism was said to have been defeated. However any true democracy - encouraging discussion and debate across the political spectrum, can be slow to identify and counteract political movements that adopt policies based on fascist beliefs. Such movements can appear to

ow the Conservative Party, the media that support them, major donors and the present UK government have created a Trojan Horse that aims to destroy democracy from within, by using strategies from a fascist handbook.**

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be democratic, and so attempts to silence or counteract their propaganda and falsehoods risk being labelled by them as ‘anti-democratic’ (and in itself potentially fascist). In this way fascist doctrines are able to enter like a Trojan Horse to attack democracy from within.

together and happened to choose the left-hand side of the assembly’s president. Those who opposed change and were in favour of the monarchy and tradition sat together on the president’s righthand side. Use of these terms has continued to identify the different shades of political parties.

The concept of ‘left’ and ‘right’ political views originated originated in the 18th century at the time of the French revolution. Those in the national assembly who supported change, were in favour of a democratic republic and opposed the ‘ancien régime’ sat

But, where’s the ‘meat in the sandwich? For the evidence and a plan to counteract creeping fascism, see part II. (With apologies to Michela Murgia – ‘How to be a Fascist – a manual’)

Astronomy O Domine – Abominationem facientem (with a small nod towards Roger Keith Barrett and Pink Floyd)

As though naught else hung splendid in that southern sky, The rider of the red horse stood on high; He bringeth bloodshed ancient legends say, Yet bitter wars are fought on earth each blessed day; There is no need for this bright-shining star Thus to remind our kind of what we truly are, When piles of stones hide victims inside broken homes Made ruins by commissioned British bombs; Then should a haul of refugees be caught, It is ourselves at fault for what’s been cruelly wrought. Mars Attacks 14th October 2020 1:41 am

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Richard Burgon

Clive Lewis MP

A Tory Minister just defended the decision to end the furlough by saying, “There is no point keeping people in jobs that are not going to exist.”

Did our PM remind you to wear your mask Mr President? @realDonald Trump

Those jobs were viable before the pandemic.

Just spoke with the Prime Minister @Boris Johnson of the United Kingdom.Very thanlful for his friendship and support as I recovered from the China Virus. I am looking fo…

I’m glad they’re persisting with shutting pubs and restaurants at 10, as it makes no difference but looks as though something’s been done, They should try more rules like this, such as ‘all teaspoons must face north’ or ‘no one can eat a tomato in the afternoon.’

@Richard Burgon

They will be viable after the pandemic. Destroying these jobs is an attack on working people.

@LabourLewis

@mrmarksteel

Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump

By Matt Collings

Mid October Edition

THE

WORD

INTIMATIONS OF FUTILITY Acknowledging Wordsworth, who gave me the idea for the title, it seemed to me very appropriate for our present situation. We have a futile prime minister, a futile cabinet and, unless he bestirs himself, a futile opposition leader. Covid 19 provided our politicians with an opportunity to demonstrate their worth; they have taken that opportunity. Their combination of laziness, inattention to detail and wish to avoid scrutiny while steering for the rocks of a No-Deal Brexit are now turning this into a futile country. We shall become a playground for exploitative capitalists widening yet further the gap between rich and poor.

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WERE THEY BANDS OR NOT? WERE THEY JUST SONGS?

BUBBLEGUM BANDS OF THE SIXTIES A

lot of what we wonderful vintage juke boxes remember of the you can buy for upwards of ten 1960s is the famous thousand dollars, and on which stuff, but there were literally youngsters in coffee bars would thousands of bands play their favourite song and artistes of the moment while trying to make drinking, dancing it big. Then if this were to BUBBLEGUM somebody be permitted, WAS AIMED had a bright and blowing AT THE YOUNGER idea. bubblegum. Use the Factory of Fun!

END OF THE YOUNG MARKET

Number 1619 Broadway, known as the Brill Building, has long been a place where the US entertainment industry attempted to define and create the sounds that America and the World would listen to. It looks like one of those

The music was upbeat, ie fast and light, with a bit of a bounce. Bands which played the songs plotted and planned in this building were very often one-hit wonders and not bands at all, though some were. I have a CD that I play in my car while I’m driving, which is a compilation of the best of the genre, in my opinion. It is a little sad to note that the bands were often fabricated for just that one song, or that and a follow up, that studio musicians were used, and that the producer was King.

Bands sometimes described as Bubblegum – find them and give them a listen The Lemon Pipers - Green Tambourine The Casuals - Jesamine 1910 Fruit Gum Company - Simple Simon Says Tommy Roe - Dizzy The McCoys - Hang on Sloopy Ohio Express - Yummy Yummy Crazy Elephant - Gimme Gimme Good Lovin’ The Royal Guardsmen - Snoopy vs Red Baron Honeybus - I Can’t Let Maggie Go Tommy James and the Shondells - Mony Mony John Fred and his Playboy Band - Judy in Disguise The Association - Windy

The Brill Building … looks like one of those wonderful vintage juke boxes you can buy for upwards of ten thousand dollars

The music was upbeat, ie fast and light, with a bit of bounce

And where does Bubblegum stop and general Pop begin? Somehow I’m not able to separate the bubblegum elements from songs that are now considered flower power, psychedelia, or even surfin’ music. Of course the executives in the record companies were alert to all of these things, and bubblegum was the music aimed at the younger end of the young market.

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MESSAGE FROM AMNESTY

Human rights champion Narges finally freed from Iran prison thanks to people like YOU!

hank you for taking action for Narges Mohammadi, who was unjustly jailed in 2015 for her peaceful human rights works in Iran. I am delighted to share with you that Narges has been released from prison. Narges was facing a 16 year prison sentence. Since June, her health has been declining and she has shown symptoms of coronavirus, but she was denied health care. Following a huge amount of support from you and others, Narges has been reunited with her husband and she can now receive the health care she requires. We couldn’t have done

this without you. Your actions truly make a difference. If you want to help with campaigns go to amnesty. org.uk and click on urgent actions. China: Campaigner for rights of workers and women, Li Qiaochu has been released on bail after being held incommunicado for four months. Amnesty Autumn 2020 USA: Kelly Gonzales Aguilar, a 24 year old transgender woman who fled transphobic violence in Honduras was released after 3 years in immigration detention. Philippines: SOURCE Global announced their third successful collaboration with

Conservation International, to deliver sustainable, clean drinking water to the Indigenous peoples of Palawan in the Philippines. It will help the UN to reach their Sustainable Development Goal. The array of SOURCE Hydropanels (picture above) will create more than 40,000 litres of renewable drinking water each year, powered only by sunshine, while offsetting more than two million plastic water bottles. The Arizona based company, the company’s partnership with Conservation International has delivering water in two other hard-to-reach locales—in Bahia Hondita, Colombia and Atauro Island in Timor Leste.

“You’ll Never Walk Alone” When you walk through a storm Hold your head up high And don’t be afraid of the dark At the end of a storm There’s a golden sky And the sweet silver song of a lark Walk on through the wind Walk on through the rain Though your dreams be tossed and blown Walk on, walk on With hope in your heart And you’ll never walk alone You’ll never walk alone Walk on, walk on With hope in your heart And you’ll never walk alone You’ll never walk alone Good News Network To cheer us up. ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein and made famous by Gerry and The Pacemakers.

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t seems that the Communist government is slowly shifting towards the country’s citizens having greater access to the global internet - while still attempting to control who sees what. The Tuber browser-app, backed by government-linked access appeared without fanfare in late September and offered for the first time a way to view long-banned websites from Facebook to Google and the even New York Times, in cut down, sanitized versions. Chinese users rejoiced in a newfound ability to directly peruse long-blocked content from a mobile browser. The browser, carried on app stores run by Huawei Technologies Co. among others, suggests Beijing is testing ways to let its 904 million internet users into once-prohibited zones. State-sanctioned apps like Tuber offer a possible compromise - a controlled environment in which activity can be tracked and content screened, while allowing academics, corporations and citizens to exchange information. It addresses a complaint among corporations local and foreign that need to access everything from financial data to critical software tools from abroad. “This latest development with Tuber is interesting because it could be seen as more openness,” said Fergus Ryan, a researcher at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute. “But the way that it would actually work would mean that people who use it would be highly surveilled and the information that they are able to access via this platform is filtered by the censorship apparatus.”

NO CHINA CRISIS Under a quiet experiment of just two weeks, China provided millions of people access to long-forbidden foreign websites like YouTube and Instagram overseas. Beijing, seeking to better police its citizens, still requires companies from T e n c e n t

Holdings Ltd. to TikTok-owner ByteDance Ltd. to censor and scrub content critical of the government or its policies. It tried for years with mixed success to abolish the hundreds of VPNs commonly employed to bypass the Great Firewall. Endorsing a state-sanctioned window to the internet could curtail their usefulness.

Beijing is increasingly confident of support at home after successfully quashing Covid-19. That - and the urgent need to increase the quality of its scientific and technological research - could explain why it’s growing more comfortable with the idea of giving broader access to the internet for at least some of its citizens.

That could have implications for the likes of Facebook and Microsoft Corp. to Alphabet Inc. and Apple Inc., who now either comply with censorship to reach China’s users or remain on the sidelines. Google explored - but shelved under internal pressure - a project to create a filtered version of its app for the country. Facebook flirted with the idea of a Chinese service but ultimately torpedoed that too.

Yet it also realizes it faces growing hostility

Tuber - downloaded five million times from

Huawei’s app store since at least late September - attracted such an initial frenzy in part because of the pedigree of its largest backer. Its developer is controlled by billionaire and tech mogul Zhou Hongyi, who delisted his security company Qihoo 360 Technology Co. from New York in 2016 and aligned himself with national interests. It’s unlikely that Qihoo developed and distributed the app without Beijing’s blessing. It has reportedly worked on projects for the Chinese military and advises Beijing on sensitive cybersecurity issues. The U.S. Department of Commerce in May sanctioned two of Zhou’s companies among 24 entities it said posed national security concerns. It’s unclear whether any government agency ordered Tuber’s removal. A public relations employee at 360 Security declined to comment. The Cyberspace Administration of China, which regulates the internet, hasn’t responded to calls and emails from Bloomberg

News since last week. Tuber appeared to censor some content, including on YouTube. A search of President Xi Jinping’s name in Chinese yielded only seven video clips uploaded by three accounts claiming to be television stations in Shanghai, Tianjin and Macau. Searching for Xi’s name in English yielded no results at all. It required mobile number registration, giving developers the ability to track activity because all smartphone numbers in the country are linked to unique Chinese identification. And, like many commercial apps, it asked for permission to access users’ contacts “China has to be really cautious to carefully balance opening a little bit more” with maintaining domestic social order, said Yik Chan Chin, who researches media and communications policy at the Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University in Suzhou. “It’s very important to release the information flow and let the Chinese people have more interaction with the outside world and also to understand the world better.”

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STILL DEAD, STILL DEADLY, THE AUNTIE FROM HELL. MARGARET HILDA THATCHER

Mad Madge Talks Across Oceans Of Time

Greetings Readers, This week I celebrated my 95th Birthday from my eternal torment on the wrong side of River Styx. All of my Hell bound peers were there Ron Reagan, Gus Pinochet, Sticky Saville, Nicky Ceaucescu even Joe Stalin showed up although Adolf couldn’t make it (Eva doesn’t like me). It all started off really well, Harvey’s Bristol Cream and Cucumber sandwiches. I was about to blow out the candles on my cake when Joe S. suggested we all get naked and have a celebration orgy / Bunga Bunga session with me as ‘Target Practice’. Well just then my personality vacuum of a husband Dennis showed up with some tooled up demons and the party was well and truly pooped. Dennis gave a lecture on making £millions in the oil industry and tax evasion, while I ended up impaled on burning hot pokers over a large coal fire. Not the ‘Spit-Roasting’ I’d had in mind!

Now, with that image seared into your minds, on with your letters...... Dear Evil one I am sick and tired of all those black people on television. They are all over the place. Can you stop them? Yours in anticipation, Philip Battenberg Well Phil, We are all working our socks off in the Hellish hereafter to bring about a glorious mass extinction. I’m sure Covid will polish off millions of the more impoverished nations of Africa. And darling Donny Trump will buy up the rights to any vaccines ensuring the Orange hewed freak and his master race of banjo banging swamp sodomites and KKK rifle brigades all prevail in order to progenate with their ‘own kind’ of narrow, easily sunburnt, gene pools. Of course all this Eugenics stuff is very time consuming and it’s surely not that long until you join me in the Abode Of

The Dead. I mean you are surely now existing solely on hate, spite and bile, you will fit right in. Dearest Mags I have been taking elocution lessons to sound like my political hero. Do you think it is working? Yours Rishi Blair Sunak In all honesty young Mr Sunak you sound ridiculous. It’s kind of a cross between Cliff Richard and John Inman’s voice coming out of Oliver Twist. Drop it, it’s an affectation. Now as Chancellor you need to realize that no-one knows what the hell Fiscal policy is and what Excel Spreadsheets are, so basically anything you say is just white noise. When you are eventually allowed to present a Budget just wave your little red box in the air and recite your Waitrose Online order. No one cares. Dear Margaret I am not religious but need

to confess to you some of my sins. I helped kill the NHS by bringing in private finance. I then helped kill thousands of Iraqi’s by voting for war. I ignored thousands of scouse people until they booed me and made me cry. I lived up to my surname by cutting fire services. Can I redeem myself by standing up to Boris Johnson? PS. Will this help my career? Andy Burnham from Manchester Mr Burnham I’m sure your principled stance will get you plenty of publicity, probably for the first time since you lost heavily to that unbridled Trot Corbyn. Just get your accent right for the audience, if you can’t fake a Mancunian lilt at least make sure you don’t veer off into mock Scouse like you used to when you were MP for Leigh, which admittedly is confusingly half way between Liverpool and Manchester....As for standing up to Boris everyone’s doing that and frankly he doesn’t

give a toss, he’s bored already and wants to get back to writing bigoted shite in the Telegraph, it pays better. Dear Maggie I have not long been in a new job but already some of the hired staff are being rebellious. A few of them have even had the cheek to tell me it’s wrong to let our wonderful security services kill people or even rape little children. How can I keep these commies in line? PS. I love you. Yours, Sir Keir Starmer QC BS and BAR. Dearest Blair Junior, so what if a few rancid Marxist cranks are sticking to their so called principles. Fuck em. You can now replace your frontbench with ‘New’ candidates like Wes F***ING Streeting to match your ‘New Leadership’ for your ‘New’ Labour voters. Just look at the opinion polls it’s all going marvellously and so wonderfully ‘NEW’!!!!!

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Mid October Edition

POLITICS AND EVENTS

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BIZARRE

NEWS

Make America Cum Again

A sex shop in the US is offering female customers free red, white, and blue vibrators if they pledge to vote in the upcoming White House election. The Erotique adult store in Montana says it wants to “make America orgasm again” and is giving away 2,200 vibrators in a promotion dubbed The Great American Orgasm. The toys are accompanied by an American flag sticker that states: “I came and I voted.”

S’Duck Record

Orange Crustacean Survives

The house made famous as the home of serial killer Buffalo Bill in the movie Silence of the Lambs is on sale for just under $300,000 (£231,910). The Pennsylvania home, originally built in 1910, has already had some interest, the current owners said. Encouraging viewers to take a look around, they added: “It’s way nicer in person.”

A “one in 30 million” orange Canadian lobster has been saved by a fishmonger and sent to see out its days in an aquarium. Steve Atkinson discovered the apricothued arthropod in a delivery to his shop in Fleetwood. “Its striking and extremely unusual orange colour is actually only found in one in 30 million,” Long Tall Sally

An American teenager has set the world record for the longest female legs. Maci Currin, 17, has a right leg that is 134.3cm long and a left leg that is 135.3cm long. The 6ft 10in Texan is encouraging people with unique physical attributes to “embrace” them. She hopes her record title will inspire other tall women. No Fly Zone

Social media has named a fly as the winner of last week’s US vice-presidential debate. The winged insect settled for around two minutes in Mike Pence’s hair, as the vice president was battling with Democrat Kamala Harris. “Pence is so full of sh!t [sic], a fly literally landed on his head,” wrote one tweeter.

A duck called Ben Afquack has entered the Guinness World Records book for the most followers on Instagram for a duck. Ben, who lives in St. Paul, Minnesota with his owner Derek Johnson, had a total of 79,002 followers at the last count. Derek celebrated the record-breaking feat by eating pizza. Meanwhile, Ben had some mealworms. Have Friends For Dinner

Yabba Dabba Don’t

A company is offering voters the chance to escape and “live under a rock” for the week of the White House election. Hotels.com said the opportunity is perfect for “those who are experiencing election stress disorder”. It added: “We’re transforming an age-old idiom into a bookable experience, so individuals can relax, recharge, and recover... because who knows what else 2020 has in store for us.” Reactive 12 Yearold

A 12-year-old boy in Tennessee is being recognised by Guinness World Records for achieving nuclear fusion just hours before

his 13th birthday. Jackson Oswalt, now 15, of Memphis has been named the world’s youngest person to achieve nuclear fusion after officials verified that he built his own nuclear fusion reactor at his family’s home and successfully deployed it in his final hours of being 12 years old. Achtung Unterlauchringenkrabbe

German police were called to a woman’s home when a large Chinese mitten crab wandered inside through an open door. Freiburg Police said officers responded to a home in Unterlauchringen where a resident had complained of a 10inch crab, which was armed with “eight legs” and “two scissors”. The crab was taken to the local vets. Orca Fightback

Killer whales have declared war on Spanish fishing boats. Since July, there have been at least 30 attacks on small boats in which the mammals ram the vessels. Most have taken place off Spain’s north-west coast, but some were rammed by the mammals in the Straits of Gibraltar and five ships were attacked in Portuguese waters. A woman who was onboard one of the ships said that the attack felt “totally orchestrated”. Dirty Dawg

A dog owner was embarrassed when the pet she was walking found a sex toy. Klara Robson was walking a labrador named Charlie and thought he was playing with a stick. Thinking he looked happy, she took a photo

to send to the dog’s owner. It was only then she realised that the one-year-old pup had actually found a sex toy and was carrying it around in his mouth. Baby Boomer

A passenger has given birth prematurely to a baby boy on a flight in India. Flight attendants helped deliver the infant during a flight last week IndiGo flight from Delhi to Bengaluru. The crew have been praised for their “amazing team work”. They were were assisted by a senior gynaecologist who was, luckily, on the flight. “Thank you God and entire @IndiGo6E crew,” tweeted one passenger. Mosaic Curse

A woman who stole pieces from the ancient Italian city of Pompeii has returned the fragments 15 years later with a letter explaining how they brought a “curse” to her life. The unnamed Canadian woman said she visited the Archaeological Park of Pompeii when she was “young and dumb”. Since she took the mosaic tiles, parts of an amphora and a piece of ceramic she has had a string of misfortune, including two bouts of breast cancer. Pumpkin Wins In California

A pumpkin weighing 2,350 pounds (1,066 kilograms) has won this year’s Half Moon Bay pumpkin contest. Travis Gienger’s specimen was the second-heaviest ever weighed at the 40-year-old California event. The heaviest of all time was recorded in 2018 when a grower in New Hampshire produced a pumpkin weighing more than

2,500 pounds (1,134 kilograms). Cow Eyed

A Dutch farm is offering cow cuddling as a form of therapy. Those who want a spot of “koe knuffelen” (or cow hugging) start by taking a tour of the farm before hugging one of the cows for up to three hours. The cow’s warmer body temperature and slower heartbeat is believed to promote positivity and reduce stress by boosting oxytocin in humans, the hormone released in social bonding. Punters Pay £360 To Go Nowhere

Diners have snapped up the chance to pay up to £360 per head to eat a meal on a stationary plane. Singapore Airlines offered sittings on-board two stationary A380 superjumbos, with meals at seats and the chance to watch a movie, as the plane sits on the tarmac. “Flights to nowhere” have proved popular in Asia and beyond, with the Taiwanese carrier EVA, Japan’s ANA and the Australian carrier Qantas offering options. Peru opens site for single tourist

Peru has re-opened the Inca ruins of Machu Picchu for a single Japanese tourist who had waited almost seven months to visit the citadel. Jesse Katayama had travelled Peru in March “with the dream of being able to enter,” the world heritage site, explained Culture Minister Alejandro Neyra. However, it closed because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Katayama said afterwards that this tour had been “truly amazing”.

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POLITICS AND EVENTS

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US ANTHEM IS A BRITISH PUB SONG

he Star-Spangled Banner” is the national anthem of the United States. But it surprisingly was only adopted as recently as 1931. The lyrics however are much older and come from the “Defence of Fort M’Henry” a poem written in 1814, by lawyer and amateur poet Francis Scott Key. He wrote it after witnessing the bombardment of Fort McHenry by British ships of the Royal Navy at the Battle of Baltimore in the War of 1812. Hence the rocket and bomb reference. Key was inspired by the large U.S. flag, then with 15 stars and 15 stripes, known as the Star-Spangled Ban-

ner, flying triumphantly above the fort during the U.S. victory. The poem was set to the tune of a popular British drinking song written for the Anacreontic Society, a men’s social club in London. “To Anacreon in Heaven” (or “The Anacreontic Song”), with various lyrics, was already popular in the United States. This setting, renamed “The Star-Spangled Banner”, soon became a well-known U.S. patriotic song. With a range of 19 semitones, it is known for being very difficult to sing. Although the poem has four stanzas, only the first is commonly sung today.

“The Star-Spangled Banner” was recognized for official use by the United States Navy in 1889, and by U.S. president Woodrow Wilson in 1916, and was made the national anthem by a congressional resolution on March 3, 1931 which was signed by President Herbert Hoover. Before 1931, other songs served as the hymns of U.S. officialdom. “Hail, Columbia” served this purpose at official functions for most of the 19th century. “My Country, ‘Tis of Thee”, whose melody is identical to “God Save the Queen”, also served as an informal national anthem.........

O say can you see by the dawn’s early light What so proudly we hailed at the twilight’s last gleaming Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight O’er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming? And the rocket’s red glare, the bombs bursting in air Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there O say does that star-spangled banner yet wave O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave

ARMS RACE Shares in gun manufacturers have been rising as Democratic candidate Joe Biden leads polls. If he wins the presidential election in November there are expectations of a renewed surge in gun sales that could drive shares even higher. Fears about the coronavirus pandemic, civil unrest related to protests over racial justice and worries about a potentially disputed presidential election on Nov. 3 have created a surge in gun demand this year. Smith & Wesson CEO Mark Smith last month said the industry was unable to keep up with demand. A victory by Biden and Harris, who promise increased gun regulation, could further stoke demand for firearms - and shares of firearms makers - particularly if Democrats wrest control of the Senate from Republicans, giving them majorities in both hous-

es of Congress and making it easier to approve legislation. Shares of Sturm Ruger surged nearly 900% in the eight years from Democratic President Barack Obama’s election victory in November 2008 to the November 2016 election, which Trump won. Sturm Ruger is up just 10% during Trump’s nearly years in office. During the same 2008 to 2016 period, the S&P 500 rose about 113%. Biden has promised to prohibit the sale of military-style rifles and high-capacity magazines, similar to a 10-year ban that expired in 2004. He also

promises to require owners of military-style weapons to either sell them to the government or register them with the government. Shares of gun makers surged ahead of the 2016 election on expectations Democratic candidate Hilary Clinton would win. Trump’s victory drove the industry into a twoyear slump, with customers no longer worried they would lose access to firearms. Firearm sales surged anew in 2020 due to fears related to the pandemic, and following social unrest in several U.S. cities and calls to defund police departments.

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NO LONGER THE OWNERS OF THE LAND A few thousand dukes, baronets and landed gentry own more land than our entire population.

1066 AND ALL THAT

ctober 14th is the 954th anniversary of the Battle of Hastings. An historical event, in popular belief, where the English army were worn out after walking down from Yorkshire after having defeated the Norwegians, where Harold got an arrow in his eye, how the English were tricked by the crafty Normans into chasing them downhill where they were surrounded and slaughtered and William the Bastard became king of England. So far, so good. What is not known however, is that this, arguably the most important event in British history, still has ramifications for us today, in 21st century Britain. This battle saw the almost complete annihilation of the Anglo-Saxon aristocracy, to be replaced with a Norman-French king and a warrior elite of barons, bishops and mercenaries from all corners of Europe. The descendants of these invaders, described by some historians as ‘brutish,

bloodthirsty thugs’, form the backbone of the British aristocracy today. A brief glance at Burke’s Peerage shows how many Norman- French derived surnames there are amongst the aristocracy. The Queen herself is the 22th great granddaughter of William the Bastard. Upon taking the throne, William declared that all the land, animals and people of England belonged to him and distributed the land to some 200 barons and bishops who in turn parcelled it out to their knightly retainers, a nationwide pyramid of taxes and rents, with the exploited English peasant at the base. Prior to 1066, the majority of English peasantry, certainly in the north and east of England, the Danelaw, were classed as freemen with few obligations to aristocracy and monarch, but they were now no longer owners of the land that had perhaps been in the possession of their families for generations and had become rent paying, labour providing serfs.

Land ownership in England is unequal and heavily concentrated in the hands of a tiny elite

In the years that followed the Norman Conquest this aristocracy doggedly preserved their entitled status incorporating all the mutated and monstrous forms of ‘new money’, from industry and trading ventures, enclosures, colonial exploitation, to marrying off sons to American heiresses. Many of their grand country mansions were built with the proceeds of slavery and sugar. How does this affect Britain in the 21st century? They would have us believe that this hereditary, landed aristocracy is now, due to draconian death duties and hostile socialist governments, a neutered force. This is not so. 30% of land in England is owned by a mere 1200 families descended from these ‘brutish, bloodthirsty thugs’, this ‘feudal Norman cousinhood’. To put that figure into context, a mere 5% is owned by 1 million ordinary homeowners. 70% of England is owned by less than 2% of the population.

Only 10% of land is available for open access to you and me. A few thousand dukes, baronets and landed gentry own more land than our entire population. Britain is suffering a crisis in housing, economic inequality, environmental degradation and climate change. Allowing a few aristo’s to benefit from ever increasing land prices with no effort from them and benefitting from government subsidies for agriculture to the tune of millions of pounds while engaging in industrial farming and animal cruelty, is obscene. Land ownership in England is unequal and heavily concentrated in the hands of a tiny elite. This elite exists to the detriment of us all and while they exercise power out of all proportion to their numbers, we will remain serfs in a modern day feudal system. The Revolting Peasants

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Mid October Edition

LABOUR: An Establishment tool Some socialist Labour Party members still say, ‘hang on in there, our time will come again’. The problem is our time has never come inside the party. Even when Jeremy Corbyn was leader, with around half a million enthused members, the party was still controlled by people who are ideologically polar opposites. Jeremy’s error was in listening to the poltroons close to him who advocated an appeasement and capitulation strategy. Our only hope was to force through the democratic reforms at the 2018 conference, but they were defeated because Len McCluskey led his delegation to vote against UNITE’s own policy on open selections. Labour has always been used as a tool of the establishment, including the halcyon days, before New Labour. How else did public schools and private healthcare survive when we had majorities of over 100 in 1945 and 1966. Labour didn’t even back the general strike in 1926 and Neil Kinnock’s position during the 1984/85 miners’ strike was deplorable. Moreover, the party’s official foreign policy positions have consistently been pro-imperialism and the military industrial complex has never been challenged by Labour.

the Labour Party, sticking with it through the Blair/Brown years, including the illegal Iraq war. Having served 7½ years as an MP I saw that the parliamentary party (PLP) was stuffed full of cowards and traitors. Even the so-called Socialist Campaign Group of Labour MPs did not publicly oppose the witch-hunt against anti-racist socialists. Nor did they stand up to the PLP saboteurs and failed to raise their collective voice on the essential democratic reforms. Tony Benn would be dismayed by the modern manifestation of the group he established. With Sir Keir Starmer as leader, the party is now even more firmly in the grip of the establishment and there is literally no means of wresting control. Our only hope is to build a movement outside the Labour Party. I know that is difficult, but it’s worthy of the effort, whereas attempting to reform the Labour Party is doomed to failure. Furthermore, it gives legitimacy to the very people who do not care about democracy. The past five years showed that they are actively hostile to socialism. They use the party to prioritise the interests of corporate and wealthy elites over the interests of the working class.

The best we can hope for from the Labour Party is a pale imitation of the neoliberal agenda pursued by the Tories. As in the US, the only choice we have is a choice between establishment parties, which is no choice at all.

Although building a new vehicle is fraught with difficulties, the circumstances today are very different to previous attempts. Labour never had a socialist leader before and we saw what happened to Jeremy, which proved that attempting to use the Labour Party as a vehicle for socialism and an ethical foreign policy is impossible.

I say all this as someone who devoted 44 years of my life to

We therefore have no alternative but to try something else.

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LANDSCAPE DEVASTATION

ASH DIEBACK:

A tragedy to eclipse Dutch Elm Disease

sh Dieback (Hymenoscyphus fraxineus) was introduced into Europe some 30 years ago and its presence was first recognised in the UK in 2012, probably as a result of the importation of diseased planting stock. The fungal disease, which is more often than not, fatal to European ash, originated in Asia where it is found on native ash species such as Manchurian and Chinese ash. Because these native species evolved with the fungus they have a natural immunity. The disease is spread by spores produced by fruiting bodies present in ash leaf litter. These spores are then released, sometimes to be carried many miles on the wind, before falling on and penetrating the leaves of other ash trees (the fungus is ash specific). The fungus then en-

is more often than not, fatal to European ash. ters the vascular system of the tree, eventually blocking the channels carrying water and nutrients, causing the tree to eventually die. Young trees are most susceptible but older trees, particularly those under stress, may succumb and some trees may be immune to the disease but it is estimated that the UK will lose some 80% of its ash trees as the disease spreads across the country. This will be a worse tragedy than Dutch Elm disease as ash is the most commonly planted woodland tree, resulting in whole

New planning regulations favour developers In September of 2019, Boris Johnson and over 60 world ‘leaders’ signed up to the 30:30 agreement – to protect 30% of their nation’s land for the recovery and regeneration of native wildlife and bio-diversity by 2030. But as with most things Johnson and his corrupt, unscrupulous Conservative government sign up to, proposals for a change in planning regulations will make this ambitious agreement undeliverable. The national planning system as it stands, a delicate balance between community benefit and private profits, protects trees and woodlands and deters any devel-

opment that would damage or destroy these, giving people a chance, through the public consultation process, to influence decisions upon these priceless, natural assets important to their neighbourhood and communities. Indeed, public intervention has all too often been the only successful course of action preventing greedy developers causing irreparable damage to the landscape. However, proposals exist in the new government White Paper that have huge implications for trees and woodlands. These changes will significantly affect any public consultation and reduce the chances of any efforts made by individuals or

communities to save these habitats being successful.

Local authorities will be required to split the land in their planning area into 3 zones and once these zones are in place, it will al-

Public intervention has all too often been the only successful course of action

The disease

most impossible to challenge any developments that will have an adverse effect on important natural habitats and reduce the opportunity for interventionist public consultation. It can be clearly seen therefore that any trees, woodland, or green areas not in the appropriate zone at the time of the council’s decisions will be at risk. This places a huge responsibility upon local communities to make sure all possible areas that may be at risk of unscrupulous developers is in the correct zone. Under current rules trees and woodlands have protected status but these new planning changes fail to include them in what would

woodlands, consisting of dead and dying trees, having to be be felled. Many thousands of roadside and parkland trees will also need to be felled before they become a danger to the general public. There will also be an urgent need for a nationwide re-planting programme. The bill for this will come to many millions of pounds but the real cost will be a devastating impact on the British landscape and wildlife, to bio-diversity and a loss of many other valuable environmental benefits. Theo Manotrees

be their obvious classification in the Zone 3 ‘Protected’ classification. Planning regulations exist to protect the public from illegal development and corrupt developers and landowners and protect our environment. These White Paper proposals favour developers at the expense of us, the general public and endanger the few valuable and irreplaceable natural assets we possess. As we have so often seen, especially of late, this government seeks to place the interests of a few over the interests of the many. Theo Manotrees

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POLITICS AND EVENTS

Mid October Edition

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ARTEMISA BARBOSA RIBEIRO

WOMEN WHO ARE MAKING A DIFFERENCE

rtemisa was a 19 year old, Indigenous activist,student and musician from the Xakriaba tribe in the south eastern Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. Although it is far from Amazonas, the north western state , home to much of the Brazilian Amazon, it has not escaped great damage from forest fires. She was one of an exciting surge of young people around the world taking action on the climate emergency. However coming from Brazil, with possibly the worst environmental safeguards of any country, her voice is even more relevant! She has seen first hand how the climate crisis has devastated the homeland of her people. Much of the damage can be laid at the door of President Jair Bolsonaro, Brazil’s right wing, anti – indigenous leader. He has done nothing to improve the already rapid destruction of the forests

I have mainly written articles about women who have contributed and made a difference over decades, but I thought I could look for a change at a younger person trying to effect change. This is Artemisa Barbosa Ribeiro who spoke at the Climate March in September 2019 in New York taking the stage before tens of thousands of young activists in her tribe’s traditional headdress and speaking passionately in Portuguese. by fires, indiscriminate logging and mining. Since he took office in January 2019 Brazil’s own Institute for Space Research has noted a marked increase in the number of wildfires in the rain forests. In June deforestation was up 80% compared with June 2018. From his first day in office he has slandered indigenous people and has since cut funds to the government agency responsible for protecting indigenous tribes. Furthermore he has encouraged

opening even more of the forests to corporate farming and mining, backed by Anglo-European financial investment. This has led to the murder of so many indigenous people in Brazil. Indigenous peoples have taken to the streets of the capital, Brasilia, to protest on what they see as attacks on their rights, lands and health. Artemisa joined with women from over 110 ethnic groups last August in the first March of Indigenous Women.

Her speech in New York covered forest fires, drought and destructive government policies, highlighting it as a matter of life or death. Her message was part

of a show of solidarity for fellow young people, warning of the perils of ignoring indigenous peoples and undervaluing the environment. Her words below are inspiring: “We fight for our Mother Earth because the fight for Mother Earth is the mother of all other fights,” Xakriabá said. “We are fighting for your lives. We are fighting for our lives. We are fighting for our sacred territory. But we are being persecuted, threatened, murdered, only for protecting our own territories. We cannot accept one more drop of indigenous blood spilled”

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POLITICS AND EVENTS

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PRIDE, PASSION AND PRINCIPLE

THE REGIONS SHINE A LIGHT AND SHOW WESTMINSTER ALL THAT IT LACKS

ast week Dan Carden MP for Walton (Liverpool) shone a bright light and directed it’s glare at this unscrupulous government and the cronyism that it so shamelessly indulges in. Here for us to see clearly are his words delivered in Westminster 14/10/2020. “It is very difficult to convey the real strength of feeling across Liverpool at the utter failure of this government, from care homes, to PPE, to test and trace. And constituent after constituent has come to my office with heart-breaking stories. One being sent to South Wales on a 70 mile journey, two and a half hours in a car with a autistic child only to find that that test and trace

In the palace of power and politics, it’s a rarity to see any light among the darkness but occasionally we see a glimmer that gives us hope. What those moments mean in terms of power is pretty much in our hands. Sadly too often they count for nothing but all too often we don’t even see that light, our attention being directed elsewhere by the controlling mainstream media. centre had closed for the day because it had run out of tests, costing them £40 in petrol they simply didn’t have. The anger and frustra-

The Overton window The Overton window is the “range of policies politically acceptable to the mainstream population at a given time.” It is also known as the window of discourse. Every time that Labour has compromised on its left wing policies in order to try and get elected, the Overton window shifts to the right. This has been going on for 35

years now in the UK, which is why socialism and nationalisation has fallen off the left of the window, and extreme right nationalism/ fascism has now fallen inside the window on the right, and is getting so much coverage on television today. The people we call ‘centrists’ now, like Starmer, are well to the right of where Thatcher was in the 1980s.

tion isn’t just that the response is failing, but that it’s failing because the Government refused to enable and invest in local authorities

and public health teams, chose to pump billions into scandal ridden Government contractors that have a record of failure. Under the cover of this pandemic, billions of public money handed to faceless corporations, including Tory-links firms without competition or transparency, without democratic accountability, or any accountability for that matter, to the public. And it is money that should have been invested in our National Health Service, that should’ve left a legacy for the British people by building properly funded public services that we can all rely on in the future. But instead, it was siphoned off. The most egregious example being the eye-watering £12 billion of public money handed over to

private companies, including Serco, for this failing test and trace system. Conservative baroness and business executive Baroness Harding appointed as the head of track and trace. Serco’s CEO, the brother of a former Tory MP and Tory MPs on the boards of companies winning contracts. If you have a problem with any of this, well, why not take it up with the Government’s Anti-Corruption Champion, Dido Harding’s husband and a Tory MP? THE WHOLE THING STINKS. This Government’s incompetence, it’s cronyism, it’s ideological obsession with outsourcing and rip-off privatisation has undermined our NHS and put lives at risk.”

A report claims Tony Blair asked for special dispensation but did not get the exemption required to avoid the isolation period Tony Blair has denied claims that he breached COVID-19 restrictions by failing to self-isolate for a fortnight after a two-day trip to the US on a private jet.

spread of the virus was critical as another national lockdown would not be possible, suggesting that people instead need to learn to live safely with the virus.

According to The Sunday Telegraph, the former prime minister was pictured leaving a restaurant in London’s Mayfair 10 days after returning from Washington last month. Returning to the UK on September 16, Mr Blair reportedly travelled by private jet on the £7,000-anhour Falcon 7X.

Mr Blair described the crisis as ‘the biggest challenge logistically and practically’ a government has ever faced, but criticised ministers for not yet putting in place an ‘infrastructure of containment’.

He is believed to have had with him a team of Scotland Yard protection officers – paid for by the British taxpayer. Ten days after his return, on September 26, he was pictured leaving ‘one of the most elegant and sophisticated private members’ clubs in London’. In July, the former prime minister said infrastructure to stop the

He said: ‘The reality is that we’re going to be living with Covid-19 – we’re not really going to be able to eliminate it. ‘And when you look at what has been happening in other countries, as lockdown has been eased, then more and more problems have appeared and many countries, having gone into lockdown then easing it, are finding spikes in the disease. ‘You can’t be sure of this but there’s at least a 50/50 chance that you have a resurgence of the disease in the autumn and that’s why

it is absolutely essential now to prepare for that. ‘And to put in place every single last bit of containment infrastructure that you possibly can to make sure that if that happens you are able to control the disease, because you’re not going to be able to go back into the lockdown that we endured in March, April and May.’ In August, he claimed ministers had got the Government’s travel quarantine policy ‘wrong’. He took aim at the Government’s 14 day quarantine rules for people returning to the UK from countries where coronavirus is on the rise as he said the self-isolation period could be cut ‘substantially’.

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POLITICS AND EVENTS

Tory employee conned voters into supporting candidates A Conservative Party election agent found guilty on Friday of committing 16 counts of electoral fraud walked away from the court after a trial lasting five weeks.

iana Danescu, 28, denied falsely posing as representing Labour and Green Party candidates to con voters in Labour stronghold, Hackney, East London, into nominating Tory candidates for the 2018 local elections. To be on the ballot candidates need 10 local electors to sign a candidate’s nomination proposal. Danescu, now unemployed, was then working for Conservative Party Campaign Headquarters, and acting as an election agent for 29 Tory candidates. She was also standing as a Conservative candidate in Redbridge, East London. Her deception was only exposed when a Hackney resident

noticed that she and her husband were listed on the council website as promoting three Tory candidates. The Metropolitan Police’s Special Enquiry Team found that Danescu had submitted forms containing the names and signatures of voters who had either been conned into believing they were endorsing a candidate from a different party, or whose name had been fraudulently matched to the signature of someone else. After the verdict Southwark Crown Court Judge Jeffrey Pegden said that Danescu had shown “little remorse” for her crimes, and that her actions were viewed “extremely seriously by the courts”. Sentencing her to six-month

custody, suspended for 18 months, ordered to complete 200 hours of unpaid community service and pay £2,000 in court costs Judge Pegden added that she had narrowly escaped a prison sentence because he concluded she was not a risk to the public.

Mid October Edition

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POLITICS AND EVENTS

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Sudoku MATH PUZZLES Book 1

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3 4

Famous last words: 1. Don't worry, I can handle it. 2. You and what army? 3. If you were as smart as you think you are, you wouldn't be a cop.

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POLITICS AND EVENTS

VEGAN RECIPES

Mid October Edition

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LENTIL SOUP

Cooking with Chris Williamson

INGREDIENTS • 1 tbsp coconut oil (or olive oil) • 1 large onion, chopped • 2 cloves garlic, minced • 1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced • 2 tbsp tomato paste (or ketchup) • 2 tbsp curry powder • 1/2 tsp hot red pepper flakes • 4 cups vegetable broth • 1 15oz/400ml can coconut milk • 1 15oz/400g can diced tomatoes • 1.5 cups dry red lentils • 2–3 handfuls of chopped kale or spinach • salt and pepper, to taste • Garnish: chopped cilantro (fresh coriander) and/or vegan sour cream

INSTRUCTIONS 1. In a stockpot, heat the coconut oil over medium heat and stir-fry the onion, garlic and ginger until the onion is translucent, a couple minutes. 2. Add the tomato paste (or ketchup), curry powder, and red pepper flakes and cook for another minute. 3. Add the vegetable broth, coconut milk, diced tomatoes and lentils. Cover and bring to a boil, then simmer on low heat for 20-30 minutes, until the lentils are very tender. Season with salt and pepper. 4. {Make-Ahead: May be cooled, frozen in air-tight containers, and re-heated over medium-low heat.} 5. Before serving, stir in the kale/spinach and garnish with cilantro and/or vegan sour cream.

2. How many children does Queen Elizabeth have?

11. It’s illegal in Texas to put what on your neighbour’s Cow?

3. How many hearts does an octopus have?

12. What temperature centigrade does water boil at?

4. How long did Queen Victoria reign for?

13. The six main stars of Friends appeared in all 236 episodes. Who is the next most regular character to appear in the show?

5. What is Postman Pat’s surname? 6. Gillian Anderson plays a therapist in which hit Netflix show? 7. Which colour pill does Neo swallow in The Matrix? 8. How many goals did England score (excluding penalty shoot-outs) at the Mens’ 2018 FIFA World Cup? 9. Noel and Liam Gallagher from Oasis have an older brother, what’s his name?

14. Gordon Sumner is the real name of what famous British musician?

18. Which Stephen King novel takes place mostly in the fictional Overlook Hotel? 19. Elon Musk is the CEO of which global brand? 20. Duo Gnarles Barkley had a huge hit in 2006 with Crazy, but what’s the name of the singer? 21. Who shot Phil Mitchell in an iconic 2001 EastEnders storyline? 22. Who was Henry VIII’s last wife?

15. Glossectomy is the removal of all of or part of which body part?

23. Which English Football League team holds the nickname The Cobblers?

16. Who won the first ever series of Strictly Come Dancing?

24. In which century did Rembrandt live?

17. Name the five members of Fleetwood Mac at the time of the Rumours album

25. What is the capital of Canada?

Answers

10. What is the hottest chilli pepper in the world?

13. Gunther (151 episodes) 14. Sting 15. Tongue 16. Natasha Kaplinsky and Brendan Cole 17. Stevie Nicks, Lindsey Buckingham, Christine McVie, John McVie and Mick Fleetwood 18. The Shining 19. Tesla 20. CeeLo Green 21. Lisa Shaw 22. Catherine Parr 23. Northampton Town 24. 17th 25. Ottawa

1. Where is the tallest building in the world located?

Andrea Faulkner

1. Dubai 2. Four - Charles, Andrew, Edward and Anne 3. Three 4. 63 years (and seven months) between 1837-1901 5. Clifton 6. Sex Education 7. Red 8. 12 9. Paul Gallagher 10. California Reaper 11. Graffiti 12. 100 degrees centigrade

THE WORD QUIZ

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Mid October Edition

Amey Accused Of Union Busting

Union says twelve motorways and a number of ‘A’ roads likely to be hit; blames company’s attempt to drive down pay and conditions Unite the Union has issued a public warning to road users of likely widespread disruption on a dozen key motorways this winter, blaming ‘union busting’ by infrastructure giant Amey.

Motorways affected The problems relate to the Area 10 highways management contract which was awarded to Amey in 2019 and covers the M6, M60, M67, M66, M56, M57, M58, M602, M61, M62, M53 , M65 and a number of major A roads. The workers undertake highways maintenance and respond to accidents ensuring that motorways can re-open quickly and safely. During the colder months, the workforce undertakes winter maintenance and gritting to keep the roads ice free and safe for vehicles.

The union says that a new management team installed last spring sees driving down workers’ pay and conditions as its route to increasing profits: Road users in the North West are being warned that there may be disruption to the motorway network this winter, if members of Unite the union, move to industrial action in response to the ‘union busting’ tactics of construction giant Amey.

through the workers, who were designated as being ‘key’ employees, continually worked throughout the pandemic. Unite is already preparing to challenge Amey’s ‘union busting’ industrially, legally and politically. The union is writing to all the MPs and councillors in area 10 (Cheshire, Merseyside, Greater Manchester and South Lancashire) informing them of what is occurring and asking them to support the workers and condemn the actions of Amey.

Ramp up profits New management Unite has a long standing recognition agreement under the Construction Industry Joint Council (CIJC) national agreement on the contract and has a very high density of membership. A new management team was installed in early 2020, who have stated that the only way to make money on the contract is to reduce the pay and conditions of the workforce. To this end, Amey is attempting to end the union recognition on the contract, reduce the number of elected workplace representatives and it has already began to attack the terms and conditions of workers.

Bonus removed Amey has recently removed the bonus payments workers receive, tried to insist (contrary to the existing industrial agreement) that all holidays are booked a year in advance and is trying to bring new starters onto the contract outside of the protection of the recognition agreement. It is doing this even

Unite regional co-ordinating officer Andy Fisher said: “Amey’s management in the North West, we fear, is set on ‘union busting’, in order to cut workers’ pay and conditions to ramp up profits. “Industrial action would be the last resort and would not be entered into lightly as it will cause incredible disruption across the North West. “However, Amey needs to understand that Unite will not allow its members to be treated in this manner.”

Stop attacking workers National officer for construction Ian Woodland said: “Amey needs to stop attacking its workers’ terms and conditions, stop attacking Unite and enter into detailed negotiations about a sensible and fair way forward on this contract.” Skwawkbox https://skwawkbox. org/2020/10/16/unite-warns-road-users-of-widespread-winter-disruption-because-of-union-busting-by-construction-firm-amey/

POLITICS AND EVENTS

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GOVT REFUSES TO FEED CHILDREN Footballer Marcus Rashford has criticised the government after Downing Street dismissed his call to provide free school meals during all school holidays to end child hunger. The Manchester United and England striker has launched a petition urging ministers to act, which has so far been signed by more than 100,000 people. Among the steps it calls for is free school meals to be provided during all holidays and expanded to all households on Universal Credit. But Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s spokesman said: “It’s not for schools to regularly provide food to pupils during the school holidays. “We believe the best way to support families outside of term time is through Universal Credit rather than government subsidising meals.”

Reacting to the comment, Rashford wrote on Twitter: “Merry Christmas kids… “It’s also not for food banks to feed millions of British children but here we are. 250% increase in food poverty and rising… “This is not going away anytime soon and neither am I…” Rashford was made an MBE for his services to vulnerable children last week in the Queen’s birthday honours, It came after he forced the government into a U-turn earlier this year on free school meal vouchers for eligible pupils over the summer holidays. The prime minister’s spokesman said circumstances had changed since then. “We took that decision to extend free school meals during the pandemic when schools were partially

The Rise Of Fascism Arguably, the rise of the right and fascism in the western world is gathering pace, and nowhere is it more noticeable right now than in the US under President Trump, and right here in the UK under Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the rest of his Tory clique of self-serving, egotistical misfits. With this in mind, there is a handy checklist available to see just how close a government is getting to the very worst examples of mankinds darkest times. Our Tory government are now hitting 13 of the 14 defining criteria in that list. Is it time to wake up now? VONC https://m.facebook.com/168123753223533 /photos/a.339839219385318/3313554675347076/?ty pe=3&source=54&ref=bookmarks

closed during lockdown,” he said. “We’re in a different position now with schools back open to all pupils.” The expansion of free school meals is one of three policy recommendations made by the National Food Strategy. It also calls for an expansion of school holiday food and activities programmes to more families and an increase in the value of Healthy Start vouchers from £3.10 a week to £4.25. “For too long this conversation has been delayed,” Rashford said. “Child food poverty in the UK is not a result of COVID-19. “We must act with urgency to stabilise the households of our vulnerable children. Dorset Eye https://dorseteye. com/marcus-rashford-slams-government/

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POLITICS AND EVENTS

Mid October Edition

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Ode to Conspiracy Theory Every few months or so I have to write one of these. As world events swirl at accelerating pace into fullblown dystopia, it becomes once more necessary to cleanse and decontaminate public thought patterns. It is a mortal danger to let people mistakenly believe in nonsense narratives and lies. Like the obvious pile of steaming sh*t emanating from mainstream press and opinion-formers. Luckily, I note many people join me in this healthy skepticism in front of the systemic apparatus of lies presented with the utmost ridiculous pretence of respectability. Unluckily, their own narratives are incosistent and seldom logical. However.

e live in tough times. Global crisis of unprecedented implications for those born since World War II. Contradictions everywhere in the official narrative, medical advice conflicting with common sense, and surreal/incomprehensible Government advice, rules in place that not only do not make sense but complicate matters more, and do not give anyone the sense they are legislated with their well-being in mind. With so much misinformation coming from supposed figures of authority, is it really surprising people embrace so called ‘conspiracy theories’? Or is that rather ‘a healthy exercise in skepticism’? Maybe they’re not all correct, maybe some are insane. But everyone believing internet conspiracy theories sounds less like an idiot than Guardian and BBC cultists. Come on, you actually believe

the Guardian ? They lied about Iraq, and Libya, and Syria, and every other major event. Do we really need to believe all the militaristic nonsense they spew through “official” channels? Use the internet. A febrile Icke fan is more intelligent than a faux leftie who patronisingly whips people back into mental obedience by huffing and puffing a “but that is a conspiracy theory” every time you express any skepticism towards official narratives perpetuated by the mainstream. That the phrase ‘conspiracy theorist’ has itself become the worst slur you can stamp on someone’s forehead speaks of authoritarian mind-control. And it’s not spontaneous control either, since concentrated efforts to defend official narratives, through using it to discredit counter-narratives, have emerged systematically since 2015. The latest purge-worthy effort I noticed is an

effort from the University of Manchester titled “Misinformation and Conspiracy Theories“. Promising effort, except the misinformation discussed by this professional intellectual isn’t the one coming from the upper class that brought you illegal wars and economic theft, but some poor sods with an internet connection who might tell you about lizards. And of course, then there is the Russian interference conspiracy. Official Russia narratives scare us so bad, I now hide, shivering, under the bed every time I hear the word, convinced Putin is out to euthanise me with a drop of Novichok. As we know he does, the bastard! I bet he likes to do it himself and has a wank after. Blood barbarian Russians. they’re not angelic and caring like these sweet, nurturing British politicians, like, say, Boris and Dominic. These like to sit you on their knee and ask you what you want for

Christmas? Death by coronavirus if you’re old and unable to work, or crushing debt for the rest of your life if you haven’t yet broken every bone in work through 50 years of hard labour on the neoliberal plantation? Awwwww, just picture that conversation in Santa’s tinselled Grotto, with Dominic replacing the guy with the white beard who’s just died of a respiratory illness. I remember when students and academics used to protest against war, in some countries (mine) they fought revolutions against tyranny. But today, they endorse programs

that whip the peasantry back into mental obedience, with an unbearable air of superior authority. Luckily, some of us can see that the Etonian Emperor is naked. And maybe we can throw an egg or two at him before a Channel 4 ‘factcheck’ can stop us with a 2,000-word rebuttal explaining why the the visibility of every inch of Boris’ skin proves that he is dressed. “https://w w w.humanities. manchester.ac.uk/research/doing-things-differently/misinformation/

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Mid October Edition

POLITICS AND EVENTS

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PROJECT BIG PICTURE’ REJECTED BY EPL Rejected Liverpool/Manchester United bail-out plan for EFL had all the looks of a power-grab

Radical proposals to restructure English football, developed by Liverpool and Manchester United, have been rejected by Premier League clubs. The proposals, drawn up principally by Fenway Sports Group, owners of Liverpool Football Club, centred around a bail-out payment of £250 million from the Premier League to the Football League. With crippling financial harm caused by the Coronavirus, especially the lock-out of spectators meaning no gate receipts at football matches since March, such a bail-out would rescue many Football League clubs. Moreover,

a quarter of EPL future revenue would have been allocated to the EFL, restoring a financial relationship somewhat similar to the one between the old First Division and the lower divisions, before the EPL broke away in 1992.

proved, was to be replaced. FSG’s proposed system would require only six clubs – all of them among the nine longest-established clubs in the EPL – to vote in favour to authorise a major change .

both Liverpool and Manchester United.

“Capitalism bearing its carnivorous fangs to take a ruthless chomp out of sporting integrity” less chomp out of sporting integrity again.

However, FSG’s plan was seen, probably correctly, as a sweetener to a power-grab by the country’s two biggest football clubs; part of the proposals included a restrucNaturally, the nine longest-esturing plan for the wider English tablished clubs in the EPL would game, one the EFL would have probably be among the biggest had to endorse before it could and richest. This condition therereceive any funds. This would in- fore triggered concerns in football clude reducing the EPL from 20 up-and-down the country that big clubs to 18, making it a more dif- clubs were trying to concentrate ficult League to get into/stay in, power over the English game onto alongside the termination themselves. Even some of both the CommuniEPL clubs, most notaty Shield and League bly West Ham UnitCup competitions. ed, were heavily The latter is a against the plan useful source of from the get-go. revenue for lowprobably correctly, as er divisions. But with a mere sweetener to football’s finana power-grab by the Further, for cial crisis, many country’s two biggest EFL clubs are in collective decifootball clubs” sion-making, the no position to refuse Premier League’s any terms attached to two-thirds-majority voting bail-out money; some face system, which requires at least liquidation in just weeks withfourteen clubs to be in favour out a rapid injection of cash. Infor a substantial change to be ap- deed, that is probably what FSG and the Glazer family, owners of Manchester United, were counting on; with EFL clubs helpless, they could be forced to agree any transfer-of-powers the big clubs demand. Capitalism bearing its carnivorous fangs to take a ruth-

“the plan was seen,

But a meeting of all twenty EPL clubs on Wednesday 14th October ended with all parties – Liverpool and Manchester United included - agreeing to scrap the plan, and explore different arrangements for bailing out the EFL. This may partly have been in response to fan-bases nationwide, who were mostly hostile to FSG’s proposals. Joining the chorus of disapproval, noticeably, were supporters from

A new package of £50 million was agreed for clubs in League 1 and League 2 (Third and Fourth Divisions in pre-Premier League days). As this was £30 million less than Manchester United paid last year just for defender Harry Maguire, it was not lavishly generous. Not when considering that, one, it was only just over £1 million per club across the two divisions, and that, two, many of the sums in the package would be interest-free loans. Unsurprisingly, the EFL on Thursday rejected the offering, stressing the need for far more, including help for Championship clubs. Talks continue. By Martin Odoni

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POLITICS AND EVENTS

Mid October Edition

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WHO EXACTLY ARE THE SO-CALLED ‘BIG SIX’ FOOTBALL TEAMS IN ENGLAND?

THE BIG SIX? T

ottenham have never won the Premier League, despite having been in the division since its inception in 1992. Aston Villa currently ride high, despite having only narrowly escaped relegation a few months ago. So here’s a tip; it is worth putting a small bet on the so-called Big Six clubs not managing to occupy all of the top six positions in the EPL at the end of this season.

Possibly the following: Arsenal Chelsea Liverpool Manchester City Manchester United Tottenham Hotspur

Other candidates: Leicester City? Everton?)

OPINION: FOOTBALL TRIES TO SAVE ITSELF

A Red Solution to Coronavirus Blues

here is a fabulous amount of money in English football; transfer activity this year exceeds one billion pounds. Now, some money is needed to save the English Football League from collapsing beneath the weight of the Premier League, which endangers the various levels of local professional football, which gives the big clubs teams to beat, players to buy, clubs for their older players to semi-retire into, and opportunities for their best reserve players to play first team football by going out on loan. The Coronavirus’ long lockdown has made businesses that were struggling before the pandemic become dangerously unsustainable, even once the worst of the medical crisis is, supposedly, over.

money is needed to save the English Football League from collapsing beneath the weight of the Premier League.

It is clear that money needed to save football needs to come from football. Too much money is splashed around too publicly for football to join the queue at the Government’s door, with all the other demands on it. Besides, football is basically still a working class interest, and Prime Ministers claiming to ‘have a team’ raise suspicion when they cannot even remain consistent regarding which team that might be. If it were a collection of private schools or hospitals the story would be and is very different. Manchester United and Liverpool FC, two teams that between them dominated competitions home and abroad for over half a century, have come up with a plan to save football; it is sketchy but already has gone too far. It requires the support of most of the

clubs in the Premier League, but has little support to date. You cannot expect clubs that have battled to get into that League, battled to stay in it, and struggled to complete with what used to be called the ‘Big Four’, and are now being called the ‘Big Six’, to support any scheme that deprives them of their position and influence. Who are the Big Six anyway; does the term include Leicester City or Aston Villa? United and Liverpool seem to propose that funds that would increasingly flow towards the most successful clubs under the present system be diverted to those struggling at the other end of the English Football League. The price to the rest is a complete restructuring of the EFL, and of the power structure of the Pre-

mier League; the plan will fail, and so it should. These two more fashionable clubs suggest that some members of the Premier League hold on to greater voting rights than others, which is nonsense; teams that have benefited from an elevated position will not readily give that away. The only way to redesign relationships in football, or anywhere else, is to work out what you would like if you weren’t beginning from here, then work out what you can achieve since you are in reality starting from here. Such an exercise requires analysis of the problem, realisation that without an effective solution everybody loses, and acceptance that a solution must be agreed which benefits the whole.

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Mid October Edition

POLITICS AND EVENTS

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NIGHTMARE EVENING FOR ENGLAND AGAINST DENMARK

DUBIOUS PENALTY

wins match for Danes, as Harry Maguire’s recent misery hits new depths

he last few months for Harry Maguire have been a torment. In trouble with the Greek police over a murky incident on the island of Mykonos during the off-season, he has been in wretched early-season form for Manchester United. On Wednesday 14th October, he took the field at Wembley for England in a Nations’ League match against Denmark, and had a truly abysmal night. He was sent off after 31 minutes for two bookable offences, the first a clumsy, careless foul on Yussuf Poulsen, the second a reckless lunge to retrieve the ball after he had lost control of it. Although he did appear to win the ball initially, in the follow-through, he landed his studs on the ankle of Kasper

Dolberg, and the referee clearly felt he had no choice but to give another yellow. Just four minutes later, England were behind thanks to a dubious penalty converted by Christian Eriksen. The award of a spot-kick was for a nothing tussle between

Kyle Walker and Thomas Delaney. England could certainly feel aggrieved about the decision, but it also has to be said that Walker made an absolute hash of clearing a simple long ball forward to let Delaney in to begin with. Jordan Pickford’s goalkeeping, frequently an issue in recent months, was nothing to write home about either, as he made a mess of trying to tidy up Walker’s error.

a late header by Conor Coady was cleared off the Danish line at the last second by Simon Kjaer. To compound England’s frustrations, Reece James of Chelsea, making his international debut, was

England drop to third in Nations’ League group A2, although with seven points, they are one of the healthier third placed sides.

From there, the ten men of England fought bravely to try and rescue a point, but the Danes defended with discipline and with the extra man, they blunted most English attacks with a bit to spare. There were several fine saves by Kasper Schmeichel in the Danish goal, and

EXETER V RACING92 Heineken European Champions Cup Final A new name engraved on the European Cup in an unusual final played in front of a crowd of zero and even more remarkably live on free-to-air TV. This was the French sides third final and Exeter’s first attempt. Exeter took an early lead, taking advantage of Racing penalties to score a try from a lineout rolling maul move, typical Exeter play. Racing seemed nervous and made numerous mistakes early on playing the first 15 minutes defending on their own tryline, eventually conceding another mauled try. Bizarrely Racing then scored through a direct pass to Simon Zebo who ran in a try virtually unchallenged. It all looked a bit ‘rusty’ with Exeter’s scrum dominant. Racings main attacking tactic being cross field kicking which worked with

sent off after the final whistle for remonstrating with the referee.

Imhoff finding a gap to score a try on 30 minutes making it 14-12 and heralding airhorn celebrations from the Racing92 subs bench. The half ended with a multi phase attack resulting in another mauled try for Exeter through Williams, Racings

forward defence seeming to be their main weakness. Half time Exeter 2112 Racing92. Exeter playing their system well, Racing92 playing with expansive flair and errors. Second half and Racing92 start-

ed with more composure and Zebo scored a wingers try arcing around Exeters flat defence. 21-17. Then bizarrely Racing92 reverted to loose passing, Jack Nowell intercepting and putting Russell through for the easiest of run-ins for Exeter. Both

sides defences seemed weak and Racing rolling in a forwards rolling maul try. Both sides making simple defending errors, 4 tries each in 50 minutes, 28-24. We then entered the phase of the match where the substitutions are made for the ‘final push’ where fitness seemed to be in Exeter’s favour as both sides tightened their defences Racing converted a penalty kick to close to a point 28-27. The tension was obvious as the clock ticked down with scrum after scrum. A late yellow card for a dubious deliberate knock on reduced Exeter to 14 men who defended against Racings 19 phase surge. All of a sudden it started to look like Exeters muscle would tell when they were awarded a last minute penalty kick, they went for the posts, running the clock down scoring to make it 31-27 and victory went to Exeter. A pedantic referee quibbling about whether or not to restart play before finally ending a sometimes bizarre final. Exeter Chiefs Crowned Champions....

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POLITICS AND EVENTS

Mid October Edition

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ALL SMILES FOR WALES, LARGELY FROWNS FOR THE IRISH TEAMS

WILLIAMS

a master-stroke substitution W

ales look in good shape in the Nations’ League, as they have ten points from four games. Despite smarting from a comprehensive 3-0 defeat by a very young England side at Wembley the previous week, Wales got a useful point from Lansdowne Road against the Republic of Ireland, to remain top of Group B4. The Welsh then followed that up with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Bulgaria, in which the Welsh had to field a team largely of untested youngsters. Jonny Williams was ‘super-sub,’ coming off the bench to score a thumping eightyfifth minute winner. Matters look rather bleaker for the Irish teams. The Republic, in the same group as Wales, have

only two points from four games, and saw elimination from the European Championships in the play-off semi-finals to Slovakia – again on a penalty shoot-out, by 4-2 after another goalless draw. A bad loss in Finland has effectively ended their interest in the Nations’ League.

Northern Ireland did get to a play-off final in the European Championship Qualifiers, by yet another shoot-out, this one against Bosnia-Herzegovina, following a 1-1 draw after extra time. Had the Republic got past Slovakia, the play-off final would have been between the two Irish teams.

In the Nations’ League, it is not looking nearly so pretty for Northern Ireland. They have only one point from their first four games, and are bottom of Group B1. A 5-1 defeat at home by Norway in September appears to be the signature result for this campaign.

Northern Ireland lost 1-0 in the return match in Norway as well, thanks to a Stuart Dallas own goal in the second half, when he inadvertently handled the ball while trying to defend a corner, and it looped into his own net.

SCOTS CLOSE TO EUROPEAN QUALIFICATION, AND LOOKING GOOD IN NATIONS LEAGUE

SCOTLAND equal unbeaten run from the 1980s T

he Scotland football team has head an excellent few days, albeit against generally unimpressive opposition. In the play-off semi-final for the European Championship Qualifiers on Thursday 8th October, Scotland beat Israel 5-3 in a penalty shoot-out - after 120 tense but unspectacular minutes of football produced no goals – and are now one match away from qualifying for the Finals. This would be Scotland’s first major tournament of the Millennium,

having not appeared at one since the World Cup of 1998.

injuries and Coronavirus restrictions.

Scotland converted all five penalties in the shoot-out, whereas Eran Zahavi’s kick for Israel was the only one to fail – although Scottish goalkeeper David Marshall may have got away with coming off his line.

The next step for Scotland is a play-off Final against a fairly strong Serbia team on Thursday 12th November.

If the Scots played indifferently and had luck on their side, it was luck they earned; they had a lot of absentees from their squad due to

The Scots are also doing well in the Nations’ League Group Stage, with seven points from their first three games. A more impressive 1-0 win over an admittedly weak Slovakia side on Sunday 11th October took them to the top of Group B2, one ahead of the Czech Republic, whom they were to play next on the Wednesday. Lyndon Dykes, who is shaping up to be a real talisman player for the Scots, scored the only goal with a cool volley from close range after beating the off-side trap. It is Dykes’ second goal in his four matches for Scotland, who have yet to lose with the Australian-born striker in their line-up. Then came the key match against Slovakia’s former ‘Siamese twin’ country, the Czech Republic. The Scots needed only six minutes to take the lead, through a nicely-crafted goal by Ryan Fraser, from what proved to be Scotland’s only shot on target. (Although Oli McBurnie did hit the woodwork late on too.) From there, it was largely a Scottish exercise in baling water, as the Czechs dominated long stretches of the match and created countless good opportunities, including several absolute sitters. But somehow, the ball just never went in for them, and Scotland held on for a win that stretches their unbeaten run to eight matches – their longest since the late-1980s.