Issuu

THE

WORD

Issue #40, Late July Edition

£1

Equality Democracy Truth Courage

ACROSS THE POND A key difference between the U.S. and U.K. which has direct impact on activism and political engagement is the level of freedom activists have to speak their minds and spread their ideas. The U.K. has laws which prohibit, among other things, “encouragement of terrorism,” “hatred on the grounds of sexual orientation,” and various other forms of speech and expression. Such ordinances would be unthinkable in America. Outside of speech that will create “imminent lawless action,” some forms of obscenity, and commercial advertising, the U.S. PAGE 16

THE PEOPLE’S PAPER

THE GREAT SUE MASSACRE

thewordmedia.org

VICTORIA’S SECRET EXPOSED

Right wing attack dog, lawyer, Mark Lewis, looks for business and finds it in: Kat Buckingham, Michael Creighton, Samuel Matthews, Dan Hogan, Louise Withers Green, Benjamin Westerman and Martha Robinson, Iain McNicol and John Ware Ranting and raving, doing purple wee-wee, losing the colonies (now known as the USA) were among the various achievements for which he will be remembered, but failure to leave a decent heir was perhaps the greatest. Two useless sons acceded to the throne, but were severely lacking in the heir PAGE 16 department...

Labour’s cold war game playing

IT IS A LOAD OF SITTING BULL

And…as Starmer’s Likud use their members’ money to pay the saboteurs for destroying the Labour party, the Tories continue to privatise the NHS

Socialists have slammed the government report on the Russian “threat” to British democracy yesterday, warning of a “return to cold war propaganda.” The report claims that the government was slow to recognise the potential threat PAGE 4 posed by Russia...

No place for US robocops here

The heart-wrenching images of the killing of George Floyd on 25th May 2020 in Minneapolis, United States of America, has become a powerful driver for change in the way Black people are treated by the police around the world. In the UK, some people console themselves that PAGE 20 such a barbaric...

THE

WORD

Late July 2020

MR. PASTRY GOES TO WASHINGTON

I liked Mr. Pastry so perhaps that ever so slightly affects how I feel about John Bolton. Shall I buy and review his book? Perhaps I have on my shelves far too many books by politicians that are dedicated to selfjustification. Is Bolton really a politician? He is more like one of those people found in what C.P. Snow called The Corridors of Power. What voters get is what is presented to them. Particularly when election time looms the priorities of the people of power are reduced to two questions. What shall we tell them and how can we make it believable? The opposition, do their best to eavesdrop on the mutterings in the corridors and to construct alternative believable stories. What is interesting about Bolton is that here is an extremist believer in US exceptionalism, prepared to drop bombs upon anyone that does not accept Pax Americana, who, nevertheless, falls out with someone we have long labelled as the most extreme right wing US President. What does this tell us?

POLITICS AND EVENTS

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SOMETHING SME A BIT FISHY IN ES Is the Prime Minister therefore right or wrong when he says he expects us to be over Covid19 by Christmas 2020?

Benchmark Holdings catch a

I think it tells us that viewing Trump through a Left/ Right prism misses something. It misses his narcissism. Yes, I know, many, many people have written about that. A powerful narcissist can do good on a whim. “Wow, look at the headlines I got for bringing back school milk”. I am still puzzled why that did not occur to Blair. What interests me is the extent to which constitutions, whether written or unwritten, become subject to those that take decisions on a whim. Have I chosen the wrong word? ‘Whimsical’ is hardly a word that comes to mind when considering Trump and Johnson. It sounds too nice. And yet I believe that it comes close to describing those two. Government is about them, how they are perceived and how the obstacles in the way of their self-fulfilment must be removed. Perhaps I shall buy Bolton’s book, on a whim.

n the face of it, this shows that they mean business. Reading between the lines is the reality that the site, costing £16 million, and with further investment of £100 million, will not deliver vaccine to the UK or anyone else until the beginning of 2022. Is the Prime Minister therefore right or wrong when he says he expects us to be over Covid19 by Christmas 2020? This Prime Minister is prone to hyperbole and conjecture, not to mention economy with the truth. We have no doubt that work will begin this summer moving all the fishy stuff out and the new equipment in; the only question is during

Hitting the news cycle is the story that our government has bought a manufacturing site in Braintree Essex, in order to convert it for the manufacture of Covid19 vaccine which summer might this happen. The Chairman of Benchmark Holdings explains in a Webinar that business has been very poor

this year, and that although the research and development in their normal sphere of activity has been encouraging, the unaudited interim results for 2020 weren’t looking great as

THE WORD NEWSPAPER NEEDS YOUR HELP THE We are a non-profit making cooperative but still have our outgoing costs such as design, website hosting and software. Please help us maintain this left wing tabloid by going to our website at www.thewordmedia.org and subscribing. By joining together let us all fight back against the rich and powerful.

WORD

early as March. The company was raising capital in February before Coronavirus hit the UK. You can also watch the report on YouTube by typing in https:// tinyurl.com/y4en9glp which takes you to the heart of the problem.By May, things were dire, and the figures and graphics on these pages demonstrate that the company took a decision to sell off anything they could afford to off-load as soon as possible. Benchmark Holdings indeed did have a terrible May, but other graphics on this page

www.thewordmedia.co.uk

POLITICS AND EVENTS

ELLS SSEX big one

…the figures and graphics on these pages demonstrate that the company took a decision to sell off anything they could afford to off-load as soon as they could

show that selling the assets has been a strategy that hasn’t just happened. The names of major investors and the board of directors can be found on the company’s website (just Google them) and on this page, so nobody suggests that this deal has been done in a hole in the wall. The question is who knows whom? Who is whose friend? The UK purse has been opened to pals like Dido Diddlums and that guy with no ferries and no hovercraft. What is going on here? Answers on a

postcard please; newsdesk@ thewordmedia.org Gilead H Jones

Late July 2020

THE

WORD

THE

WORD

Late July 2020

POLITICS AND EVENTS

www.thewordmedia.org

C19 - the Un

RUSSIA REPORT OFFERS NO PROOF

Labour still claims Russia is a threat I

s Covid19 the catalyst that

that moves adamantly towards

continually poison our environment

ends the world order as

wholeness.

and daily reduce the potential of our

we’ve known it for the last

ocialists have slammed

Communist

the government report

secretary said: “Lisa Nandy’s

on the Russian “threat”

babble about Russia as a threat to

British

Britain’s

national

yesterday, warning of a “return

confirms

the

to cold war propaganda.”

democracy

The report claims that the government

was

slow

Party

general

children to inherit a world rich in

40 years, and the birth of

Neoliberalism is its antithesis as it

environmental diversity of plants

something new?

ploughs a course leading inevitably

and animals as it drowns in plastic;

towards environmental disaster,

we cruise the world in mega tour

security

This might seem crazy but I don’t

ensnaring millions of people in the

ships and fly on jetliners in pursuit of

Labour

see that the solution to our political

cogwheels of a hugely destructive

an exotic experience that ironically is

leadership’s intention to parrot

and economic woes can be solved

web of lies and deceits about our

disappearing under a homogenised

the anti-Russia, anti-China line of

by an act of the human will. The

economic relations to one another

‘culture’ where all our cities look the

the Pentagon.

universe seems to tell us that we’re

and the state, lies which only serve

same, all because our subjugation to

not in charge any more, and that

the interest of a small proportion of

the creed of market forces needs it to be so.

new

recognise the potential threat

“Britain desperately needs a

Covid19 now throws the dice.

humanity but are so invasive in the

posed by Russia to British

genuinely independent foreign

Almost everyone and especially the

minds of the majority of people that

democratic processes.

and defence policy, in place of a

media seem to be waiting and

they have distorted and perverted

In politics the ‘grey suits’ have

return to cold war propaganda.”

expecting things to go back to how

our world view as to what is truly

conspired to make well and truly

they were; possibly with a few

real or worthwhile. It proposes

sure the conventional politics of

Drawn

Parliament’s

intelligence & security committee

LeFT convener Alex Gordon

changes, and that there will be

individualism at the expense of

divergent

while under the chairmanship of

described the report as a “pound-

nothing that fundamentally upsets

collective fellowship, the elevation

representative

Dominic

Grieve,

delivering

democracy

noted

shop version” of similar attempts

the world order as defined by the

of the pursuit of self-gratification

neutered so that all a general

“widespread public allegations

in the US to show the “all-

last 40 years of neoliberalism.

even though we daily destroy our

election does is offer a chance to

that Russia sought to influence

pervasive tentacles of Vladimir

I can’t help seeing, or maybe it’s

environment in thrill seeking and

change the management so that

the

material acquisitiveness.

nothing really changes. Nor will it

2016

parties

The

Putin,” and is “further evidence of

hoping, that the universe works as a

committee claimed it has been

referendum.”

how far the political class are from

balance of forces which although

“clear for some time that Russia

reality.”

often destructive has a trajectory

under Putin has moved from potential partner to established

“It is laughable when you

threat.”

consider that the British security state spent four years dredging up

Shadow foreign secretary Lisa Nandy claimed that the report

“goes

through threat

the Russia

fake stories about Jeremy Corbyn, which were dutifully republished by the mainstream media despite

poses to the

having

UK’s

substance,”

zero

national

he said.

Griffiths,

Perhaps it is unwittingly, but we

voices in an age have been side-

AXE HIDING BEHIND THE PAY RISE RETURN TO AUSTERITY WARNING

he public-sector pay rise

choices” in other areas of spending,

Britain, with an increase of 3.1 per

has

which has prompted fears of cuts to

cent and 2.8 per cent respectively.

“cynical ploy” after the

been

branded

come. It reads: “Furthermore, this

Police, prison officers and National

Chancellor Rishi Sunak quietly

financial year’s public-sector pay

Crime Agency staff in England and

dropped warnings of future pay

awards will be significantly more

Wales will be given a 2.5 per cent

“There was no

restraints, and spending cuts

than the average in the private

rise, while members of the armed

evidence in this

within hours of the announcement.

sector… therefore for reasons of

forces will get 2 per cent. Members

fairness, we must exercise restraint

of the judiciary and senior civil

in future public-sector pay rewards.”

servants will also see their pay

security.” Robert

now that the most radical political

report of a Russian deep-state strategy

Mr Sunak, announced yesterday

to influence British

that 900,000 front-line workers,

politics

any

direction.”

No evidence of a Russian strategy to influence British politics

including

doctors,

police

increase by

and

TUC general secretary Frances

teachers, will receive a pay rise of up

O’Grady described the Treasury’s

to 3.1 per cent — but not nurses,

announcement of a pay rise as a

social care or council workers.

“cynical ploy to disguise plans for more pay restraint.” Unions warned

Announcing

the

that only 20 per cent of care workers

Parliament Mr Sunak said he

would benefit from the raise, given

recognised

pay the

rise

“vital

the dominance of privatised and

contributions” of public-sector

outsourced service delivery in

staff. But after his news splash, he

the sector.

quietly slipped a letter to the heads of

government

departments

Those who will benefit

warning of future pay restraints.

include teachers in England

The letter also warns of “tough

and dentists and doctors across

cent.

per

THE

www.thewordmedia.org

POLITICS AND EVENTS

iversal Reboot lined; Bernie Sanders in the USA

their own parties, because their

desperately need? We can’t do it

As Covid19 throws the dice and

and Jeremy Corbyn in the UK have

political platform was deemed too

now by conventional parliamentary

undermines

both

radical

prevented

economically

processes as that route has been

political world maybe now is the

denied to us. The ‘Party’ is over; it’s

time for necessary hard-edged

of the people protesting for change,

very same policies are to be

time to call it a day. Forming another

class struggle as quite frankly

for a new direction in social

implemented

the

Labour Party will end up with our

there’s no other choice - the

relations, in politics and our

alarming consequences of the C19

initial enthusiasm being hi-jacked

establishment will never willingly

economic relationship to work and

pandemic!

by careerists and conservatives. We

change and the fate of humanity

telling shop-floor staff to do the

could remain and complain, or we

hangs in the balance.....

cleaning instead. Hygiene is not

Ironically

and

conventional

TESCO TO GET RID OF CLEANERS

unrealistic, yet now many of the

another.

from

the

representing the dissenting voices

one

been

WORD

Late July 2020

combat

this

exclusion was aided and abetted by

LEFT LABOUR – an UnParty

So what now for the changes we so

Corbyn

across the country and

supermarket

should be sacrificing right now. And it's piling even more work on to staff who are working around the clock already. That's why this morning, a group of Tesco workers are launching a petition demanding that Tesco

Facebook statement

keep the cleaners. Tesco are making billions in profit through the pandemic. Tesco bosses only announced the changes this morning - so a huge

It is ludicrous that a large and

At noon on Wednesday Jeremy

https://www.facebook.com/Jere

Panorama

swell of disapproval from us could

secular organisation like the Labour

Corbyn MP posted the following

myCorbynMP/posts/1015867687

political decision, not a legal one.

help reverse the decision before the

Party

comment on his Facebook site

8363872

disproportionately

disciplines

individual

Jewish

about

“Our legal advice was that the

announcement

“Labour

personal views about political

to make a six

have

issues such as Israel/Palestine and

figure

the antisemitism that is so blatantly

payment

being

applied

the

Large

weekend.

Labour's

members for expressing their

Organisation against them.

cleaners from stores

something

can leave and brief against.

programme

esco are getting rid of

Party a

members right

party had a strong defence, and

Here's what Tesco staff in the

the evidence in the leaked Labour

Organise network are saying: "We

and

report that is now the subject of

have worked so hard during this

transparency of decisions

an NEC inquiry led by Martin

pandemic, and I can tell you for a

the maker of

taken in their name, and

Forde QC strengthened concerns

fact we will not be given the time

the Panorama

an effective commitment

about the role played by some of

needed to properly clean the shop.

accountability to

programme Is

from the party to combat

those who took part in the

It is a complete slap in the face, and

Since antisemitism is as much to do

the

antisemitism and racism

programme.

shows that Tesco only values profit;

with how individual Jews feel

Party racist, and

about the way they're treated, then

several ex-staffers.

Labour

in all their forms.

with no interest in staff or customer

their sensitivities must not be

“The Party’s decision to

ignored on the say-so of other non-

apologise

Labour Party and even non-UK Jews. Have you left Labour yet, or do you feel it has left you?

and

“The decision to settle these

safety" - Tesco Express staff

claims

member

this

way

today

disappointing, and risks giving

make

credibility to misleading and

"It’s awful that they are going to

inaccurate

about

make a group redundant to then

substantial payments to former

action

allegations

tackle

add to the workload and stress of

antisemitism in the Labour Party

taken

other staff with no pay rise. When

in recent years.

it’s busy, there won’t be enough

I want a Party that isn’t stuffed full

staff who

of politicians. Perhaps a Party is

sued the

not what I need.

party in

“To give our members the

relation

answers and justice they deserve,

the inquiry led by Martin Forde

Usman, Nat, Bex, and Pavlina - the

must now fully address the

Organise team

LEFT LABOUR

last

year’s

time to do everything." - Tesco Metro staff member

evidence the internal report uncovered of racism, sexism,

Petition link:

factionalism and obstruction of

https://platform.organise.org.uk/ca

Labour’s 2017 General Election

mpaigns/tesco-cleaners-

campaign.”

petition?utm_source=organise&ut m_medium=email&utm_campaign =blast2020-07-22

THE

WORD

Late July 2020

POLITICS AND EVENTS

www.thewordmedia.org

Best Of The Coverings will be mandatory in enclosed

Britain is to cut its global aid budget

China is testing a new digital currency in

public spaces including supermarkets,

by £2.9bn this year due to the

major cities linked to mobile phone

indoor shopping centres, transport hubs,

economic impact of the coronavirus

accounts and tied to its central bank,

crisis, the government has

while the US reportedly looks ahead to

announced.

developing its own national digital

banks and post offices. They must also be worn when buying

currency.

takeaway food and drink, although they

It said a review of aid projects has

can be removed in a seating area.

prioritised the most vulnerable countries

Florida officials are reporting a rate of

Those who break the rules could face a fine

for assistance.

nearly 100 deaths a day from COVID-19

of up to £100.

as the outbreak intensifies across the Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said the

state and Miami hospitals near full

There are exemptions for children under

UK would still meet its commitment to

capacity. Florida accounts for more than

11, those with disabilities or certain health

spend 0.7% of gross national income (GNI)

15 percent of confirmed COVID-19 cases

conditions, such as respiratory or cognitive

on international development.

in the US

But MPs criticised the announcement's

The UK and the European Union have

timing as Parliament breaks for summer.

clashed over a free trade agreement, with

impairments that make it difficult for them to wear a face covering. It is not compulsory for shop workers to

Brussels deeming it "unlikely" but

wear face coverings but the government

Labour MP Sarah Champion, chairwoman

London saying it still could be reached in

said it "strongly" recommended that

September.

employers consider their use where

Development Committee, said it was

appropriate.

"poor practice" to announce the move on

Since the UK left the bloc in January, talks

the final day of Parliament before the

on the trade agreement and other ties

summer, preventing MPs from asking

have all but stalled.

The

government

said

was

the

responsibility of individuals to wear a face

the

Commons

International

questions about it.

covering, although businesses are being

Each side has accused the other of failing

encouraged to take reasonable steps to

MPs have launched an inquiry into

encourage customers to follow the law,

the government's £400m

including through signs and providing

investment in bankrupt satellite firm

other information in store. Police will have powers to enforce the

to compromise before a transition period runs out at the end of this year.

OneWeb, amid disclosure that a top

Those

civil servant warned that taxpayers

grew after the latest

could lose out.

round ended, with

rules, although forces have said this will be

accusations

the EU's negotiator

a last resort and officers will not be

The government took a stake in the

Michel Barnier saying

patrolling premises.

satellite broadband company as part of a

London had shown

post-Brexit space strategy.

willing-ness

break the deadlock. It emerged this week that an acting permanent secretary raised concerns,

Britain's David Frost

warning that the deal was "unusual".

also

THE

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POLITICS AND EVENTS

Late July 2020

WORD

BESTWEETS Web Jeremy Corbyn – Facebook

The Party’s decision to apologise today

described the bloc's proposals as failing

and

make

substantial

payments to former staff who sued

the party in relation to last year’s

to meet the government's demand to be

Panorama programme is a political

treated as an independent country.

decision, not a legal one. Our legal advice was that the party

But both sides agreed on one thing - there

had a strong defence and the

had been no movement on the thorniest

evidence in the leaked Labour

issues on fair competition guarantees, or the level playing field, or on fisheries.

report that is now the subject of a NEC inquiry led by Martin Forde QC strengthened concerns about the role played by some of those

A lorry driver has appeared in court in the

who took part in the programme.

UK charged with the manslaughter of 39

The decision to settle those claims

Vietnamese migrants who were found

in this way is disappointing and

dead inside a container in Essex last October.

risks

giving

misleading

credibility and

inaccurate

allegations about action taken to tackle antisemitism in the Labour

Eamon Harrison, 23, of Mayobridge, Co Down, was extradited from Ireland to the

Party in recent years. Tom Mills

UK yesterday and appeared before Southend Magistrates' Court for a virtual hearing today.

Even putting aside the politics, it was an embarrassingly poor piece of journalism that completely misrepresented what we now

He is alleged to have driven the lorry trailer to the Belgian port of Zeebrugge

know took place. Statements from Labour or the BBC don't alter the facts of the matter.

before it sailed to Purfleet in England. Richard Seymour

Mr Harrison is charged with 39 counts of

The BBC should not be singing

manslaughter, one count of conspiracy to

right now. Its case was weak, it had

It was widely said that their advice

what has happened everywhere

assist unlawful immigration and one

flagrantly broken with journalistic

had been that they would win. A

else in Europe - it is only the lack of

objectivity, and its sources were

cynic would conclude that Starmer

PR that has stopped it from

liars. It was a smear. The BBC

needed to lose, or at least concede,

happening here.

would have lost. Labour, not for

the case, to avoid Corbyn being

the first time, has just punched

exonerated.

count

conspiracy

traffic people.

itself in the face for factional reasons. The decision to settle

The leaked report that is now the subject of an NEC inquiry led by

Ally Fogg

Martin Forde QC strengthened

He was not asked

these claims in this way is

to enter pleas

disappointing, and risks giving

I think Jeremy Corbyn should sue

some of those who took part in the

credibility to misleading and

the Labour party for defamation.

programme.

inaccurate allegations about action

Now *that* would be banter.

and

was

remanded custody

taken to tackle antisemitism in the

Labour Party in recent years.

appear at the Old Bailey

on August.

concerns about the role played by

To give our members the answers Pete Sinclair

and justice they deserve, the inquiry led by Martin Forde must

Old Git

A prediction: In 5-10 years’ time

now fully address the evidence the

there will be two separate Labour

internal report uncovered of

Labour must publish all legal

Parties - and the socialist one will

racism, sexism, factionalism and

advice they received, which led

be polling well ahead of the

obstruction of Labour’s 2017

them to settle the Panorama case.

centrist one. This is effectively

General Election campaign

THE

WORD

Late July 2020

POLITICS AND EVENTS

www.thewordmedia.org

The Chartists

The people have been given a rough ride All should be free to live life freely and behave responsibly so as to avoid causing any harm and be treated fairly and equally under the law

The system of government did not represent or support all the people fairly and compassionately and was also behaving in an unlawful and tyrannical way “History Often Repeats Itself,”

normals of the Industrial Revolution.

especially when we do not use

Many were losing their incomes,

However, many workers who had

wealth and homes, including their

become redundant because of the

our wits and learn the lessons

The economy of the United Kingdom

land, standard of living and health

Industrial Revolution policies were

that could help make us all more

had suffered due to the chaos and

and even their lives. The system of

left to perish, catch diseases, and

All

wise,

and

wars against the “First French

government did not represent or

were also culled by the World Wars.

should

knowledgeable. Sadly, we also

Empire”. There had been much loss

support all the people fairly and

need to be very discerning with

of life during these wars that had

compassionately and was also

There were natural Divine Common

responsibly so as to avoid causing

regards to the accuracy of

spanned over a decade against

behaving in an unlawful and

Law principles, such as, no one

any harm and be treated fairly and

historical accounts.

Napoleon Bonaparte’s forces and

tyrannical way.

should be above the law, not a

equally under the law. There

Monarch, a Pope, a Parliament, the

should be no cruel and unusual

prepared

many of those that had survived

live

life

free

freely

and

behave

The Chartist Movement was formed

returned home to the United

Some people knew that they could

UN, the WHO, a Religion, a Military,

punishments, including torture,

out of necessity, because the Rule of

Kingdom

lawfully resist this unlawful style of

the

humiliation,

the natural Divine Common Law

neglected.

government

impoverished

and

Constitution of the people of the

Constabulary,

the

Great

Judiciary, Corporations, Bill Gates,

degrading

Security

inhuman treatment,

and capital

and

the Rockefeller Foundation, Bankers,

punishment, excessive fines or

being

With the Industrial Revolution,

Restoration Clause, Article 61 of the

Secret Societies, Elitist Think Tank

deprivations.

respected and upheld enough for all

people were also having to compete

Magna Carta 1215, to make amends

Lobbyists, the Establishment, the

of the people. This was partly

unfairly against these new and well

and Restore the Rule of Law to how it

Media, Academia, or any other Public

written by New Chartist Supporter

because of the changes and new

funded and mechanised factories, …

was supposed to be.

Servant, …

July 2020

United

Kingdom

wasn’t

Constitutional

using

Police

THE

www.thewordmedia.org

POLITICS AND EVENTS

Late July 2020

WORD

The Common Law

Constitution T

Common

Law

Corporate Revolution, including

To protect ourselves from these

Control

Media

and

Constitution belongs to

the attempted Corporate Takeover

agendas we must all do our best to

Engineering attempts.

Social

all the people and it is

of the World and a Eugenics and

live a more healthy and balanced

supposed to be there to limit

Trans Human Agenda to massively

lifestyle if we can; eat and drink

The Common Law Constitution is

the Monarch, government and

impoverish

the

natural foods; take care of our

for all people, not just for wealthy,

corporate powers.

population of the working and

emotional, mental and physical

powerful and influential male

middle class populations of the

health better; be extra vigilant of

landowners. When all the people

A properly convened Common

world.

the

and

are informed about this and

Law Jury should be aware of and

government, civil service, media

technologies, policies and agendas

support and stand under and

judge accordingly with these

and all political parties have gone

that are trying to be unrolled, such

behind it, it becomes a shield that

natural Divine Common Law

rogue and been infiltrated by

as harmful Microwave Radiation

can help protect us all, especially

principles. The Jury has the lawful

unwitting, perhaps well meaning,

technologies, unlawful lockdowns,

the most vulnerable, from tyranny

authority and duty to annul any

but fascist Deep State Change

track and tracing, unusual medical

and corruption and the reigns to

unlawful and unjust statutes; this

Agents.

procedures and advice, social

reign in anyone involved in

distancing,

unlawful

and

reduce

appears

that

our

gives the power to the people.

Corporate

State

mask

wearing;

unconstitutional

Unfortunately the Fake Green and

chemical, biological and energy

Currently, we find ourselves in a

the Fake Science ‘Progressive’

warfare developments; vaccination

similar position as the Chartists did

Agendas have been used to

policies;

nanotechnology

Welcome to the New Chartists

in the 1800’s.

unwittingly show support for this

experiments

and

website

and provide some justification for

Genetically Modified Organisms

it.

and the Corporate State Mind

Now we have a Digital and AI

agendas;

behaviour.

http://www.newchartistmovemen

IT APPEARS THAT OUR GOVERNMENT, CIVIL SERVICE, MEDIA AND ALL POLITICAL PARTIES HAVE GONE ROGUE AND BEEN INFILTRATED BY UNWITTING, PERHAPS WELL MEANING, BUT FASCIST DEEP STATE CHANGE AGENTS

THE

WORD

Late July 2020

POLITICS AND EVENTS

www.thewordmedia.org

Standard Bearers

â€œThe greatest threat to the internal security of the country" J.Edgar Hoover

his article is based

Tory market town.

demonstrated the power of the

many

Of late, we have forged links with

Establishment in preserving the

conversations, argu-

other left wing groups throughout

status quo and local councils,

ments,

our

thoughts

the country, struggling, like us, to

whether they be Labour or

grass

raise awareness of the potential

Conservative, pride themselves

roots and community organising

strength of grass roots community

on managing cuts to services due

from a socialist perspective.

organising.

to reduced government funding.

Along

and ideas concerning

husband,

Corbyn called for the party to

Richard, we run ECHO (East Coast

with

Julie's

organise itself from the grass roots

change, we need to alter the

Homeless Outreach), a voluntary,

up, using social media and the

perceptions of the public, by-pass

independent organisation which

hope and enthusiasm of the new

the dominant, neoliberal agenda

provides meals, clothing and help

left wing members to build a

to the homeless in Lincolnshire,

strong political base, but due to the

media,

supports local food banks and

bureaucratic

and

benefits of 'the collective good'

increasingly, to those struggling

entrenched powerbases in the

Empower our communities not

under the benefits system.

local CLPs and branches, this plea

the politicians.

inertia

achieve

radical,

governments and

societal

and

biased

rediscover

the

was never acted upon. We need to We, like many other socialists who

rediscover

and

This change of perception by the

had

themselves

enthusiasm and become standard

public is possible, as the effects of

from Blair and New Labour, joined

bearers of this community based

the C-19 pandemic has shown.

the Labour Party when Corbyn

consciousness.

disassociated

this

hope

became leader, filled with the hope that another world was possible. Julie

stood

Prospective

Parliamentary Candidate in 2017,

There

has

been

Grassroots community organising

unacceptable

along with a strong local social

many positives have emerged,

media, may well be Corbyn's

from people looking after their

lasting legacy.

neighbours, groups organising

increasing the Labour vote by over

behaviour

but

meals for the elderly, to

50%. We were also fundamental in

We no longer believe, (at least for

simply being more

founding

the foreseeable future), that the

considerate to

ballot box is the way to achieve the

each

the

radical change in society that we so

when out on

highlight of which was a 350

desperately need. The last election

the streets,

'Fighting4LouthHospital',

some

We no longer believe the ballot box is the way

other

strong march through a deeply In searching out examples of how local communities

manage to support

quote is well

establish mutual, self-help and

worth reading

protest

and highlights the Establishment's fear

or anyone that challenges the

naturally drawn to the Black

activism,among

other

This things,

culminated in the creation of the

and loathing of anything

and help themselves, we were

movements

Labour

party

the

most

important vehicle of change in Britain.

status quo.

Panthers' breakfast initiative in the

The Labour Party is now sadly,

USA in the 60s/70s. The BP's

We should never be afraid of being

increasingly irrelevant as a tool of

provided, on a regular basis,

a thorn in the side of the

radical societal change and we

thousands

Establishment especially while

must plan and build an all-

being

inclusive,

impoverished

meals

children.

socialist

based

seemingly to us, innocuous act of

This,

communities and social justice,

champions

movement which will

in time

welfare was described by J.Edgar

and could do worse than live up to

become a catalyst for progressive,

Hoover, then head of the FBI as

the ideals of our radical activist

permanent change in our society.

"the greatest threat to the internal

forebears, who, while being totally

security of the country". The full

disenfranchised,

fought

local

Julie Speed and Paul Simpson

THE

www.thewordmedia.org

POLITICS AND EVENTS

Late July 2020

In the UK, forces in the Labour

an ugly sap-sucking parasite inside

the LibLabCon are headed by men with

leave before we

Party continue to stress that we can

those folding petals, and it is called

the title of ‘Sir.’ Young Dominic

became part of a

only become the government if

totalitarianism.

Cummings hasn’t put his own name on

USE with all power

the honours list yet, but sure as eggs he

in the hands of a

their party is more like the morally

WORD

TWO SIDES OF THE SAME NICKEL

bankrupt and economically partial

In the US both main political parties are

will do that before he bows out and

Commission and

Conservatives.

Labour

sides of the same nickel; the alternative

leaves a civil service and team of

a Council Of Rich

voters pounded the streets until

to the men in suits is a rapper,

governmental advisers in his very

Blokes,

dark on a June evening in 2017,

‘permitted opposition’ which can only

image. Perhaps he’ll want a Lordship.

National Leaders and

there were staffers and senior

pull black votes away from Creaky Joe

Cummings of Castle Barnard – can you

or Finance Ministers. On leaving, we

in hospitals, and

Labour figures hoping against hope

Biden. It is as though the elephant and

see it yet? You don’t need your eyes

remove all the safeguards that

your children eating school dinners!

that we’d fail.

donkey have mated to form a little

testing to recognise that the Tory

membership of the EU tied us into, so

Our other saviours, minimum wage

family of chimera, incapable of

Leadership is in thrall to this present

Donald Trump can sell us goods that

slaves and NHS workers, might yet step

What sort of democracy results from a

breeding further, so every four years all

day Ras-putin. There is no dis-putin.

don’t meet our previous consumer

up to the plate as they have done every

system in which one side is breaking

we get is older and older candidates

Let’s just remember in which country

standard.

day since 1948. When people ask me

the rules in order to win and the other

from the same bed of straw. To frighten

he worked and formed his political

is breaking the rules in order to lose?

voters into choosing the less weedy

techniques, before he came back to

As in the Coronavirus crisis, the

point to the NHS but we’ll have that

That ain’t democracy comrades, it’s

one, a rich black bloke with a surgically

watch over the elected MPs who jump

saviours appear to be supermarkets,

pulled out from under us within three

snake oil and paint; the worst of it is that

assisted celebrity partner will ensure

to his little kalinka malinka.

promising almost en-masse that they

to four years.

our ‘own people’ are not only complicit,

the victory of the rich white bloke with

but now once again have possession of

the trophy wife. They’ve stitched it up

And China! Don’t let a giant panda into

turkeys or hormone pushed milk cows’

Lord Cummings of Castle-Barnard

the party name, structure, better

bigly.

your garden if you don’t want it to eat

beef calves. Consumption of the

wishes it so.

your bamboo trees. Let’s look back at

poison-food ol’ Donald wants to off-

Europe and weep and laugh. We had to

load onto us will be by the already sick

While

finances, and our Red Flag, though it sports a sweetly smelling rose. There is

The UK has gone one better. All parts of

aka

where socialism has ever worked I

will never sell us any chlorine-washed

Seymour Griffiths

UP FOR IT PERHAPS BUT NOT UP TO IT

rying to learn the steps of

According to a Republican politician in

the

Distancing

Trumpland the virus is a hoax devised

Social

OK, that is enough about Thatcher.

those words today? I admit that the competition is fierce but surely there

Polka or is it a Waltz or, I

by Democrats to take the minds of

It is only June but the mutterings

is only one outstanding candidate.

know, it must be Flamenco. Get

voters off the achievements of the

about a government re-shuffle in

Unless, however, Dominic says so he

too close and I'll hit you with me

great man. Billy Graham's idiot son,

September are not dying away. A

will not re-shuffle himself. Filthy

castanets.

meanwhile, keeps shouting GOD, GOD,

Labour minister sacked by Attlee

habit anyway.

GOD at everyone certain in the

asked his former boss why this was.

I think I must recommend to my pub

knowledge that this will make all well

that we are all issued with sticky

and, best of all, a new religious member

"Not up to it" was Attlee's reply. When

of Capitalism while the other half feels

labels upon which to write our names.

of the Knesset reminds us that trouser-

it came to words Clem was very

the stirrings of its Inner Robespierre.

I can't call every old mate Fred

wearing

conservative.

The third half, these things only ever

because I can't recall his real name.

reincarnated as cows. Immodest cows,

Perhaps I should simply call everyone

on the other hand, well, what form

Boris.

might their reincarnation take?

immodest

women are

Half the world pines for the restoration

come in threes, simply wants to be left

Of one thing I am sure, very few

To whom, among the current

alone, to be asked no difficult

politicians are, in Attlee's words, UP

government, would you address

questions with big words in them.

TO IT

THE

WORD

Late July 2020

POLITICS AND EVENTS

www.thewordmedia.org

THE PATIENTS EYY

THE NEW NORMAL WELL-WISHERS WITH ADVICE WILL RECEIVE SOME ADVICE IN RETURN. THEY MIGHT NOT LIKE IT ANY MORE THAN I LIKE THEIR ADVICE.

like my new phone and

To return anything costs me

seemed, were prepared to sell me

judge of whether I think things are

I'm getting used to it. I

money, as these things require

the phone I wanted, albeit multiple

returning

suspected I might have

picking up by Herpes, or someone.

times, though most of their effort

whether I want to take

spent a bit more on it than I

Why do I bother with Amazon? The

seemed to be to get me to sign up to

the risk of ceasing

thought I was spending so I

short answer is that I tried

something called Tik-tok. (Who

self-shielding; after

checked the email receipt. Not

everywhere else and found their

he?) I declined, many, many times.

all it's my arse on

only had I spent more money

responses opaque and unhelpful.

than Amazon had let on, they

One site took me all the way to

subsequently

supplying all my card details, and

sent

two

identical phones and billed me twice.

bought

on “Buy Now” replied “Oops!”

screen

protector, which they sent me

Oops?

together with another screen protector for a totally different

I really do try not to use companies

phone, and again billed me twice.

I don’t like but only Amazon, it

normal,

the skillet. But Ooops!

here are my five tests.

People now ask me when I'm coming out of lockdown / self-

1. We need to have

shielding "now that things are

three

returning to normal."

days with zero deaths.

consecutive

and

ONE S TOOK ME A WAY TO SU ALL MY C DETAI AND ON NOW” RE “OOP

At that point I start to review The bottom line is that I will be the

my lock-down.

THE

www.thewordmedia.org

POLITICS AND EVENTS

That Cancel Culture Thing We live in horrible times when

“unpleasant”,

we have to pretend the worst

diverse”

that can happen is offend

politically correct speech to point

people with words. Meanwhile

them out.

dying

Yemen

“insufficiently

and

“inclusive”

and

commentariat don’t have it in It’s gaslighting. The equivalent of

their heart to imagine a scenario

slaves on the black market in

squashing someone’ foot under

where

Libya. But Western academics and

journalists

cancelled

have

you

want

your car tyres; when he yells

freedom of speech for less

“fuck!”, it is you, the driver,

sinister reasons than to uphold

get

claiming victimhood because he

vile

for

and

from

perhaps

want life

opinions

about

victim

used bad language.

demographics. If you stand up

“unconscious bias”. You know,

Levels of historic prudishness

for freedom of speech, the only

that thing which cannot be

piling on top of post modern

possible reason is that you are

detected with the naked eye, so

political

and

Nazi KKK scumbag who wants to

you need to look for traces of it in

Clintonian

politics

eat children. Assumption of guilt

your pancreas. I was found guilty

brought us here. And now

of having nano anti-Semitism in

society’s divided and censored

my urine so the Labour Party

because of them. Ball gagged and

Bit of cassandrafreude to see

suspended me. Others lost jobs.

whipped senseless.

that, just as I predicted, the

correctness identity

Many made pariah for raising

need

By Mara Leverkuhn

Palestine, human beings sold as

admonish

An immigrant’s view

kids

WORD

Late July 2020

and all that.

Labour Party is bringing re-

polite objections on certain

Saying harsh words about harsh

education

taboo

and

realities is verboten. It’s as if it’s

for wrongthink and thoughtcrim

Facebook have also eagerly

thought that saying them wills

e. Or as they call them, training

become the hand of this new

Satan into being. What happened

sessions for “unconscious bias”.

censorship disguised as prudish

to the deeply refreshing and

fatherly corporate concern.

healthy philosophical principle

It was John McDonnell who first

of “calling a pig a pig”? Well,

spoke of that utterly Stalinist

Corporations exploit use, churn

someone will accuse you of

idea suggesting it came from

and spit people out like they’re

being something somewhere for

Andrew Gwyne. Now makes

lab rats. Then they’ll preach you

using that obviously literal

sense Starmer is enforcing it. The Blairite will Blair.

topics.

Twitter

camps

three

5. I get invited to the hospital to

on Facebook about your use of

idiom. Probably that if you utter

consecutive days with zero new

have the really important scans I

pronouns. And retire whitening

the word “pig”, you must hate

cases. Please remember that the

was due in April; I will attend and

products, because whitening

Jews and Muslims. How is this

Enjoy your hipster gulag, Albion.

government lied to us about the

check general compliance with safe

toothpaste is where racism really

different from the magic but

I am going to have an offensive

numbers of deaths all the way

practice for myself.

comes from. As opposed to the

authoritarian thinking of the

bacon sandwich, join me?

industrial exploitation machine

historic Catholic Church?

through April. The government won't have any

they’re proudly part of.

P.S. All the exaggerations in this

3. From my window I need to see

input into my decision except for

Things so dire that intellectuals

piece of writing take close

people wearing masks and socially

the information they release in 1

We live in a scientific era but

worldwide decided to .. write a

inspiration from real things said

distancing; a spot test I know, and

and 2. Well-wishers with advice

when

public

letter about it! The one signed by

to me online by lefties. Yes, some

one I shall be very interest in after

will receive some advice in

discourse the worst that can

Noam Chomski and J.K. Rowling

people do believe that it is

24th July.

return. They might not like it any

happen

the

last week, published in the

islamophobic to use the idiom

more than I like their advice.

scientific/engineering method of

Harper’s magazine. People hated

“call a pig a pig”. I guess one

Oops!

naming the problem and going

it on the left AND right although

logical conclusion of that is that

for it, solution wise. We can’t

lefties and right wingers signed

the entire nation of Romania,

it.

which is quite fond of pork, is

SITE ALL THE UPPLYING CARD ILS, N “BUY EPLIED PS!”

4. When my children are all back at work and tell me

they

comes is

adopt

have

I'm not at all scared of dying but

name problems, because that’s

observed the general

there are things I want to do first,

racist/sexist/transphobic/etc. We

now both islamophobic AND

public observing the

and you're dead a long time, so I’m

are instead expected to wish

The letter makes a few good

anti-Semitic. Don’t ask. If you

'rules' of the 'new

proceeding with caution. 'Not yet'

problems away by erasing them

points about the loss of freedom

clutch your hair in despair and

normal.' Three are still

is therefore my answer to all

from speech. The consequence

of speech and its dangers.

ask, “but why?!” — that IS

inquiries.

islamophobic and anti-Semitic.

working from home; three tentatively

are to

trying work

Cheers - stay safe.

according to whatever the new normal might be.

Patient.I

when

Predictably the left thought it

problems pile up, and they do,

that

being

racist. Nuance is long dead, and

those who suffer them will have

paranoia in full bloom, so the

There is no innocence. No one is

been

“respectable”

innocent.

stripped

that,

the

middle

class

THE

WORD

City Sharks A “shark” reported as swimming in the River Thames turned out to be a hoax. There was much excitement as a photo of a mystery fin in the London river went viral, but the Port London Authority later told the Evening Standard a man had called to confess the shark reports were not true. “He phoned us late last night to say it was Photoshop,” said a spokesperson. Skippy in Florida Police in Fort Lauderdale have found a kangaroo hopping around the streets of the Florida city. “At first we didn’t really believe it ’cause there was only one call, so when we got there, there, sure enough, was a kangaroo,” said an officer. The animal is now in the custody of the Florida

Fish

Late July 2020

and

Wildlife

Conservation Commission.

POLITICS AND EVENTS

AKE EWS

screams and having them played

The nematode roundworm, which

Snaking Down The Road

Japanese researchers found that the

over a loudspeaker in a remote part

was nearly four centimetres long, is

An Australian trucker who was

birds’ muscular pressure reaches 28

of the country. The country says it is

thought to have come from raw fish.

trying to fight off a highly poisonous

kilopascals, “significantly higher

the “perfect place to let your

Doctors at St Luke’s International

snake while driving at 70mph along

than the pressure the average

frustrations out” as it channels the

hospital in the Japanese capital

a busy road was pulled over by

human can exert when defecating”,

power of “scream therapy”.

removed the long black worm with

police on suspicion of speeding. A

says Ars Technica, and can send

tweezers after the patient had

spokesman said later: “Although the

droppings around 1.2 metres at a

complained of throat pain and

traffic officer had heard his fair share

pace of 4.5 mph. The researchers

irritation.

of excuses for speeding, he soon

warned staff at zoos to be extra

realised this was not just another

careful when approaching these

colourful tale and promptly sought

animals, in case they come under

medical assistance.”

fired.

yours for £1,500 world’s

most

ROUND UP

BIZARRE TRUTHS, ACCORDING TO THE INTERNET:

Tasteless Gold Peperami is The

www.thewordmedia.org

Teens Mask Alcohol

expensive

Teenagers are using coronavirus

Peperami has been valued at £1,500.

masks to pretend to be elderly and

The company behind the pork

buy alcohol. In a growing trend on

Roamin' Little People

snack has created a one-of-a-kind

the social media app TikTok,

Leprechauns originated in Italy

version which replicates the iconic

masked children are rubbing white

rather than Ireland, according to

original wrapper but in 18ct yellow

powder into their hair to make it

new research. After a five-year study,

Fisherman Boom

gold. In the form of what is

grey

older-style

researchers at Queen’s University

A father who was fishing with his

Record

described as a “blingy pendant,” it

clothes before heading to the off

Belfast and Cambridge University

six-year-old son called the police

A petrol-driven wheelbarrow has

can hang from the neck of those

licence.

have concluded that the word

when they reeled in a World War II-

broken a speed record by reaching

and

donning

who want to bring some luxury style to their snack experience.

Petrol Barrow Breaks Speed

“leprechaun” originated in Ancient

era bomb. Ben Austin said he and

36mph. Kevin Nicks put together a

Humanity At Limits Of Hotdog

Rome. According to their findings,

his son, Finley, were on a bridge over

moped engine and a broken

Consumption

the Irish “leipreachan” comes from

the River Mole in Dorking when

wheelbarrow to create the fastest

Golden Shower

It is believed that competitive

the Latin “lupercus”, the name of a

they hooked the item. “As soon as I

barrow in history. The 55-year-old

A baker in France has been

hotdog eaters are nearing the limit

Roman god in charge of protecting

pulled it up, I was like ‘what is that?’

gardener has a track record of

collecting women’s urine from a

flocks and also his cheeky male

I thought ‘this is a bomb’. My son

curious feats: he is also the proud

public toilet to make “Goldilocks

maximum of 84 hotdogs in 10

followers.

was trying to grab it and pull it up

owner of the world’s fastest shed.

bread”.

Louise

Raguet,

human

performance.

who

minutes is possible, according to a

describes herself as an “eco-

sports science study. After Joey

Empire Strikes Back Again

feminist”, deploys the urine to

“Jaws” Chestnut set a record of 75

The Empire Strikes Back was last

Illumination In Leicester

Wheelchair

fertilise the wheat that she then

earlier this month, a sports medicine

weekend's biggest US box office hit.

There was confusion earlier this

A turtle that used a Lego wheelchair

uses to make up her “Boucle d’Or” or

specialist at High Point University in

The open-air screens of local drive-

week as bright white lights appeared

to recover from an injury has been

“Goldilocks bread”. Next up, she

North Carolina concluded that 84

ins accounted for most of the

in the sky over Leicester. Witnesses

released into the wild. When it was

says she wants to “break taboos over

hotdogs is “the maximum possible

earnings from the Star Wars chapter,

say the lights appeared at about

first discovered two years a go, it had

excrement”.

limit

first

The

11.30pm. “After about 30 seconds of

a broken shell and underwent

coronavirus pandemic has seen a

me noticing them and taking a

surgery in which metal bone plates,

surge in drive-in screenings in the

picture they turned a red colour,”

sewing clasps and surgical wire

US and old classic films are proving

one said. A spokeswoman from the

were used to keep its shell together.

popular.

UK Meteor Observation Network

Turtles take longer to heal than

said: “These look like sprites to me:

many other creatures because their

transient luminous events which

metabolism is slower.

for

Usain

Bolt-type

performance”. Iceland I Scream Feeling

frustrated?

Iceland

Eeewwwwwwwww

inviting people to let out their

A worm was found in the tonsil of a

frustrations by recording their

Japanese woman with a sore throat.

and I said, ‘no, this is a real bomb.’”

released

1980.

Walking Shark In Australia A new species of shark has been

Turtle Released From Lego

are quite rare.”

discovered that uses its fins to walk on land. The sharks walk around on

P. P. P. Pick up

the bottom of the sea floor in waters

a Poo

off Australia, making it easier for

Penguins can fire

them to catch their prey. According

poo a distance of

to Marine & Freshwater Research,

four feet, a new

this helps the sharks hunt for

study

ground-dwelling prey.

concluded.

has

THE

www.thewordmedia.org

POLITICS AND EVENTS

Late July 2020

WORD

Auntie Maggie MAD MAGGIE MOUTHS OFF FROM THE GRAVE Edition 40

Well here we are again, enduring the

week’s letters so I can exercise my

moronic b*****ds will lap it up. It’s the

you Captain Tom, you gun-toting,

chocolate all day. This really is as

relentless, unending torment of

legendary empathy......

modern way.

paedo protector. Screw you.

sexist as it gets. I don’t even get to

Purgatory. This week I have literally

decide who I can execute. Should I

been consigned to the Pit of Hell,

Hi Maggie

Dear agony aunt

Dear Margaret

just take over from him whether he

somewhere near Doncaster. My

Please can you help me? I am in

I am very old and not in good health

I have just got married but for some

likes it or not?

Demon tormentors were in the form

charge of a small organisation and am

but when I heard that the NHS was

reason my dad did not want to be in

of Sir Ian MacGregor and that haunted

the only one who really knows what

running out of money I walked up

any of our wedding pictures. I was

Tobyjug Arthur Scargill. Sir Ian set me

I am doing in it. A while back we had

and down, up and down…you get the

very upset by this and am starting to

Family politics is the trickiest kind.

to work chiselling coal into a hopper,

a perfectly democratic vote to keep

idea. I managed to raise shed loads of

think he is hiding something from

When we were Prime Minister of the

then water started flooding into the

me in charge forever which is a really

money for the NHS. Now another

me. Every time I ask him about it he

UK we wanted our son Mark to follow

Mine through the hole I had made.

good thing. Now some of the guys in

pensioner has told me, when I

breaks out in to a cold sweat

one into the role, when we simply

Scargill stood there shouting “Th'

our Eastern region are calling me

visited her castle, that the NHS isn’t

watters all owert chuffin place, bung

really horrid names like dic and tator.

actually a charity. Have we all been

thowl or thee’ll drahhn. Save tha sen.”

I wanted to have another referendum

conned?

Well I never understood what the

to bring back impaling; do you think

horrible little Prole said and Sir Ian

now is the right time?

was performing a 'Time and Motion'

Vlad

study so I hacked the coal out faster

Beatrice from Windsor

Kim Yo-jong

couldn’t be arsed anymore. But that traitor John Major knifed one in the

Well Beatrice I’m sure you will look

back and took power for himself.

back at your wedding pictures and

Mark has done amazingly well

forget all about the embarrassment

though, making tens of millions

Now Tom, or should I say Sir Tom

your father may have felt. Imagine it,

dealing in arms to anyone who asks.

you are being overly modest and I,

it might have been unseemly to have

He did have one hiccup when he got

Tom Moore

and the water kept coming even more

Dearest Vlad democracy these days

like so many people, was wondering

pictures of the young bridesmaids

a 4 year prison sentence for

quickly. After what felt like an eternity

is more of a blanket term, especially

what you and Lizzy Madge were

licking your father’s face as he grins

organising a coup in Equatorial

I was roughly dragged out by the hair

where referenda are concerned. Just

talking about on the publicly funded

inanely out of the photo. Those sort

Guinea, but who hasn’t done

by the little upstart Scargill and left on

look at the interference you can

lawns of Windsor Castle. You see,

of images would break a normal

something like that. He’s now the

a slag heap. I was immediately

fund, it’s a growing market and in

like the Royal Family, the NHS is

family.

second Baronet Thatcher in the

surrounded by Riot Police from

some of the 'free' world’s elections in

actually paid for by everyone, rich or

Surrey and Essex, who beat me with

recent times, the hoi polloi haven’t

poor and the money allocated by our

Dear Margaret

from my husband Dennis, who one

Batons while waving their overtime-

had a clue what they are voting for. If

marvelous Tory Government. So

As a strong women can you please

knighted. I also have a daughter Carol.

heavy paypackets at me.

I were you I would buy up a media

your altruistic act just means Rishi

help me? My brother seems to be in

Back to your problem, I would wait

company promoting you as an anti—

Sunak can divert funds elsewhere

charge of everything in the place.

until the chubber either chokes on

Well I don’t have a clue what that is

establishment populist and start a

for weapons or Prince Andrews legal

The problem is he is a fat, lazy,

his food or 'dies in his sleep' next

all about so let’s get down to this

'Pro-Impaling' political party the

team for example. That’s right. Screw

layabout who sits there eating

time he visits the state dentist.

House of Lords, which he inherited

THE

WORD

Late July 2020

POLITICS AND EVENTS

www.thewordmedia.org

the

Across pond A

key difference between

the U.S. and U.K. which

make no law... abridging the freedom

secret study of the Vietnam War, by

of speech, or of the press.”

the New York Times and the

has direct impact on Initially, this was interpreted by the

stopped the Obama and Trump

is the level of freedom activists

courts literally. Nothing prevented

administrations from attempting to

have to speak their minds and

individual states from muzzling media

use the law against WikiLeaks

spread their ideas.

outlets, and local governments passed

whistleblower Julian Assange as well

ordinances barring all sorts of books

as Edward Snowden. Also, the First Amendment only

of terrorism,” “hatred on the grounds of

Also, during the first half of the 20th

protects Americans from government

sexual orientation,” and various other

century, the U.S. Supreme Court

censorship. While the state can’t

forms of speech and expression.

defined the law in such a way that

require Google, Twitter, or other social

allowed for the censorship of socialists,

media companies to take down posts,

anti-war

ordinances

would

control

they have nonetheless acted in line

unthinkable in America. Outside of

providers, and others deemed a “clear

with government objectives by

speech that will create “imminent

and present danger” to the country.

removing many pages and accounts

activists,

birth

lawless action,” some forms of obscenity,

and

a dictator

and newspapers.

among other things, “encouragement

Such

Maduro not

Washington Post, this has not

activism and political engagement

The U.K. has laws which prohibit,

Venezuela:

from states deemed enemies of the

recently returned from

commercial

By the 1960s, with the influence of the

U.S., such as China, Iran, and Russia, for

advertising, the U.S. government can’t

Civil Rights movement and a turn

alleged propaganda, as well as figures

prohibit speech or publication, no

towards more liberal values across the

and media outlets viewed as “fake

matter how incendiary. A march by a

U.S. and the globe, these rulings were

news,” such as Alex Jones’s InfoWars

neo-Nazi group through the town of

overturned in favor of ones which give

and pages critical of police brutality

During three and a half months

freedom of speech and open

Skokie, Illinois, which was at the time

Americans absolute protection of

and war.

I saw the consequences of the

criticism of Maduro at work, TV,

30 percent Jewish, was allowed to go

political speech from all forms of

U.S. illegal economic blockade

radio, the street and buses. During

forward in 1977 despite attempts by

government, including not just

Many American liberals, as well as the

and the relentless actions of

twenty

the local government to bar the

Congress, but schools, states, and

majority of U.S. youth, have become

the opposition to destabilise

democratic elections have occurred

demonstration.

localities.

leery of the level of leeway given

the government.

regularly

Venezuela

In my opinion, he is not a dictator

after

and Venezuelans are not living in a

voluntary work as a

dictatorship. Far from it, in

doctor

Venezuela

Acarigua.

towards vile ideas under the First

witnessed

years

and

total

Chavismo,

parliamentary

elections are due in December this

These expansive speech protection

A reader of The Word is likely to

Amendment in an era when the

The U.S. as it did in Chile in 1970,

year. There have been occasional

laws, described by public figures

understand, though, that formal

internet

after the election of Allende, is

fatalities during violent street

ranging from socialist Noam Chomsky

protection of journalists, writers, and

mainstreaming of incels, the alt-right,

strangling

confrontations with ‘guarimberos’,

to free-marketeer Ron Paul as the most

artists hasn’t prevented a great degree

and anti-LGBTQ bigotry. Historically,

forbidding countries to trade with

libertarian in the world, are a result of

of censorship and attempts to silence

however, it has been religious

Venezuela.

the country’s written constitution,

dissent inside the U.S. in recent years.

conservatives

something which Britain has never experienced.

Some of this has to do with

has

allowed

and

for

the

economy,

political

thugs financed by the opposition. Compare that to the gruesome

reactionaries which have viewed the

In Araure, next to Acarigua,

legacy of General Pinochet in

amendment with less charitable eyes.

lived with relatives and

Chile, a merciless dictator who

water and

was responsible for the deaths of

The so-called “Bill of Rights” was

antiquated legislation, such as the 1917 Espionage Act, meant to protect

With Brexit potentially removing the

electricity rationing, scarcity of

at least three thousand two

added to America’s constitution as part

government secrets in the time of

U.K. from EU jurisdiction on some

certain foods due to the black

hundred citizens and the torture

of its formal adoption in 1789 as a

war,

human rights issues, Britons may well

market and speculators and the

of 37,000. The arrest, summary

response to concerns by some citizens

unconstitutional.

the

have to decide what balance they

fuel shortages. Yet a significant

execution or disappearance of

that the document created an overly-

American media’s rights with regards

choose to strike on regulating speech

proportion

each Pinochet victim can be

powerful central government. The

to this law have been defined widely

and media in the coming years. All that

including the armed forces,

found

First Amendment, which also protect

so far as a result of a 1971 Supreme

is certain is that any such debate is

continue to support president

memoriaviva.com

religious groups and the rights of

Court ruling which approved the

likely to itself be a time for all manner

Maduro’s government.

English version).

protestors, states that “Congress shall

publication of the Pentagon Papers, a

of controversial expression.

which

itself

arguably

Though

experienced daily

Venezuelans,

the

website (Look

for

www.thewordmedia.co.uk

POLITICS AND EVENTS

THE

WORD

Late July 2020

VICTORIA’S SECRET EXPOSED HUGE COVER UP BY ROYALISTS

anting and raving, doing purple wee-wee, losing the colonies (now known as the USA) were among the various achievements for which he will be remembered, but failure to leave a decent heir was perhaps the greatest. Two useless sons acceded to the throne, but were severely lacking in the heir department; William IV aka ‘Sailor Bill’ had affair after affair, and there were illegitimate children, allegedly his, one of whom led to the existence of David Cameron, who for a while pretended to be the UK’s PM but can’t have done it properly as he left office (or ‘offace’ as his hero Tony Blair pronounces it) looking better than the day he arrived. Contrast with Blair himself who looks more like the picture Cameron surely has in his attic. The nasty royal secret seems to have been a condition called haemophilia, an inherited

Queen Victoria really was last pick for the job she did from 1837 to 1901. One by one the sons and grandsons of crazy king George III dropped like flies, and people are as unclear about what was killing them off as they are about the nature of the King’s indisposition; possibly it was porphyria. disorder a male gets from only his mother but a girl child, generally a ‘carrier’ inherits from either of her parents. Victoria’s children with Prince Albert didn’t inherit it from him; he couldn’t have coped with that eponymous piercing without regularly soaking his underwear and bedsheets in royal blood. Sycophants suggest that the errant factor causing male descendants to bleed uncontrollably, to bruise without healing, and to suffer painful contusions following a knock suffered during play or carelessness, could have just ‘happened’ spontaneously sometime during Victoria’s own life or even before birth. It is said to be ‘probably’ the cause.

WORD

‘The Science’ tells us that this has a likelihood of 30%, whereas the chance that she inherited it from her mother, or even her father, who died soon after her birth (from what, pray?) is 70%. Now that’s what I call probable. 30% is merely ‘possible.’ If her dozy mother had been a carrier of the haemophilia gene, it would have been quite easy to pass it onto Victoria. If her ex-father had been the source, he would have needed to be a sufferer, but so often this condition only manifests itself in later life, which quite clearly he didn’t have. His three brothers shuffled off the mortal coil early too. And if her daddy’s mummy really had been the carrier, there

is almost as much chance that only one or none of her four unstrapping lads would develop the condition as that quoted statistic that two out of four would likely show it. There’s a 38% chance of that, but the chance that a minority or none of them would cop it is close at 31%. Let us consider the family of Victoria a little longer. Her mother and father came from a succession of cousins marrying cousins. The couplings and uncouplings of members of their dynasty parody the writhing of snakes in a nest; eggs are laid but who knows which boy snake rodgered which girl snake? All that is clear is that from Victoria, the one survivor of the families of four princes invited

Victoria’s daughters with Prince Albert didn’t inherit the haemophilia gene from him; he couldn’t have coped with that eponymous piercing without regularly soaking his underwear and bedsheets in royal blood.

…the chance that Victoria inherited it from her mother, or even her father, who died soon after her birth is 70%. Now that’s what I call probable. 30% is merely ‘possible.’

by Parliament to marry and have heirs, haemophilia arose and porphyria suspiciously disappeared. It is no accident that family trees of Victoria focus on her descendants rather than the morass that spawned her ancestors. Maxwell Edison The writer is an honours graduate in Biology mastering in Science and Mathematics

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Mid July 2020

POLITICS AND EVENTS

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Forgotten Bands

Peter Green’s Fleetw

he most magical electric guitar player of his generation, Peter Greenbaum, living in the East End of London, asked blues Leg End John Mayall, if he could ‘sit in’ on Lead guitar for the frequently missing Eric Clapton (off on various quests to create new worlds and defeat Satan or have it away with an Angel or two) and Mayall enlisted Peter, now ‘Green’ (a less Jewish name, though having it never harmed Norman.)

Long before Stevie Nicks (a chick) and Lindsey Buckingham (a bloke) joined John and Christine McVie (in many more ways than one) and fifth wheel Mick Fleetwood, there was a band called Fleetwood Mac, writes Seymour Griffiths. US Bluesman BB King said of Green, “He was the only one who gave me the cold sweats.” Peter was fantastic, and Eric wasn’t missed. When Eric returned to earthly duties he found him

WORD

occupying his position. Mayall dealt with the situation by letting Green go and giving Clapton his old job back; this was OK as Peter had been thinking of forming a band of his own with bass player John McVie, drummer Mick Fleetwood, and slide guitar and occasional singer Jeremy Spencer.

This band would be called ‘Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac featuring Jeremy Spencer,’ the only fly in the ointment being that John McVie refused to leave steady employment with Mayall to take a punt with Green. A bass player named Bob Brunning stepped up and played with them at their first

It is not known how Brunning felt about his exit but the name of the band might have prepared him; it wasn’t called ‘Fleetwood Bob’ after all.

gig, at the 1967 National Jazz and Blues Festival, after which they were signed by Horizon Records.

McVie then decided it was safe to join the band, and took the place that had been reserved for him. It is not known how Brunning felt about being given the big E but the name of the band might have prepared him. It wasn’t called ‘Fleetwood Bob’ after all. The band played blues covers and originals written by Peter Green and sometimes Jeremy Spencer. Spencer’s compositions all sounded pretty much the same and every one contained a riff on slide guitar that went, “widdly widdly widdly widdly woo woo.” It bloody did, I’m telling you – go listen. Live acts featured Jeremy cavorting with a giant pink penis named Harold and doing Elvis Presley impersonations.

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wood Mac

A Peter Green acolyte named God (aren’t we all?) and McVie’s Danny Kirwan joined and the wife, singer / piano player band became simply Fleetwood Christine Perfect joined and saved Mac, and had a succession of the band; I give her full credit for singles and album successes. Then that. the lifestyle, and the facts of life of being in a band began to By the time Danny take its toll and people Kirwan had done started leaving. what singers/ lead First Peter himself guitarists do and took a mega trip left the band, “Peter Green was of LSD or Acid the remaining and when he three tried out the only one who came out of it a number of gave me the wrote The Green guitarists and cold sweats,” Manalishi (1970.) singers, but again BB King. You have to hear that belongs in this to get an idea of another story. how good a songwriter / singer / guitarist Peter was. To experience the band at its best, listen to Black Magic Woman, His second trip on the drug Jig-saw Puzzle Blues, Albatross, basically destroyed him. Another Oh Well, Man of the World, and a article in this series will catalogue whole album called Then Play On, his demise. Jeremy Spencer left and then weep. There is a fantastic the band to join the Children of back catalogue waiting for you.

History

POLITICS AND EVENTS

Late July 2020

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THE

WORD

Late July 2020

POLITICS AND EVENTS

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CORONAVIRUS LOCKDOWN

THE number of paid employees has fallen by nearly 650,000 during the lockdown as the coronavirus crisis claimed another 74,000 jobs last month. Early estimates by the Office for National Statistics showed the number of workers on company payrolls has fallen by 1.9 per cent year on year in June to 28.4 million, and by 0.3 per cent compared with the previous month. Universal credit claimants have soared by 112.2 per cent since March, in a sign of the mounting

jobs crisis. Many of those without jobs have given up looking, but those seeking employment rose by a record 253,000 in the quarter to May. With 9.4million people on furlough classed as employed, the true impact is expected to only become clear after the scheme ends in October. Trades Union Congress general secretary Frances O’Grady warned: “There’s a national disaster unfolding, with vacancies at an all-time low and more jobs lost every day.” Morning Star

A warning from within A nurse, mother and concerned member of the public, initially worried about my own potential breast cancer post operative complications in 2016, discharged from hospital less than 24 hours after radical surgery, and 5 days after the announcement of its overnight closure, I joined the fight for our local A&E in Grantham, Lincolnshire. I returned home with concerns that should I develop any complications, I’d struggle to get the help needed. Unable to drive, and in a rural county with poor transport links, my concern deepened. As a nurse, I could see potential patient harm in the decision to close our A&E overnight. That harm has since recently been extended to the full removal of our A&E to the possible replacement of an Urgent Treatment Centre (TBC), and may be even less, with the removal of supporting services of Emergency Admissions Unit, Medical Admissions, and Acute Care Unit to name but a few. Then there’s the subsequent redeployment of staff to distant hospitals, and what of the extended team (admin, physios, porters etc)? Are they also being redeployed? These major reconfigurations, subject to consultation, are detailed in Lincolnshire’s Sustainability and Transformation Partnerships, and subsequently deemed unsafe for our county with 750 job losses, and

unanimously voted against by full council. They’ll tell us they are “pleased to report that they have reduced this figure”, as so many staff are on zero hour contracts, so won’t be counted, and many will leave demoralised, or have already. Plans continue to be implemented under the cover of COVID, as “exceptional powers” are given to trusts to reconfigure services, WITHOUT the need for consultation under the “guise of COVID-free hospital sites”…COVID-free? No such thing! The amount of people complicit in these plans are too many to include in this article, and then there’s the unions who are seemingly no longer “member-led”. Worrying times indeed. Sarah Stock, Registered General Nurse #Fighting4LifeLincolnshire #AngryNurse

Time to prevent ou

morphing into a US

Policing by consent is the foundation on which a ‘service’ style of policing dominates over an ‘enforcement’ style. In the United Kingdom, the police are praised around the world for its service style of policing. Yet evolving changes in the language and style of UK policing are shifting that style towards more ‘enforcement’ than ‘service’ for Black people.

he heart-wrenching images of the killing of George Floyd on 25th May 2020 in Minneapolis, United States of America, has become a powerful driver for change in the way Black people are treated by the police around the world. In the UK, some people console themselves that such a barbaric act would not happen here because of the checks and balances in place to prevent that level of police misbehaviour, such as inspections by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary Fire & Rescue Services. However, the words ‘police culture’, often evokes negative mental images of police misbehaviour and indiscipline. The criminologist Robert Reiner argues that the ‘core’ characteristics of police culture, such as ‘mission’ and ‘action’, engender in officers the belief that policing is not just a job but a way of life. It is the reason why officers rush towards danger when others run away.

The Canadian criminologist Floyd, because of the callous way John Lee described a it was done by the officer: hands characteristic of police culture in his pocket as he surveyed that he termed police ‘property’. all around him in triumphant He explained that “modern police nonchalance. forces emerged out of the need to protect dominant communities As a police officer for 35 years from dangerous classes” and as a who has worked in forces in the consequence police soon learned UK and with police organisations to distinguish the ‘public’ they across the world in my experience were supposed to serve and the majority of officers are protect and the ‘public’ professional and committed they were supposed people who uphold to control and the ideals of public punish (i.e. blacks, service. The Canadian women, Indians, criminologist John and others)”. So, the Lee described a question is, characteristic of P o l i c e how has such police culture that ‘property’ are a powerful he termed police “low status, and respected powerless groups social institution ‘property’ whom the dominant allowed some of its majority see as officers to police with problematic or distasteful unimaginable brutality, and and are prepared to let the police engage in irrational activity? deal with their ‘property’ and turn a blind eye to the way this is done.” In the sense of irrational activity, the misuse of ‘stop and Today, the concept has search’ exemplifies the notion of become a powerful reality in police ‘property’ the wake of the killing of George

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POLITICS AND EVENTS

Late July 2020

THE

WORD

Why I walked from Scotland

TO LONDON FOR THE NHS On the 22nd July last year, I began a 450 mile walk from the Glasgow Children’s Hospital to Parliament. My aim was to take a petition to protect the NHS and, specifically, to request ALL leaders of every party to ringfence and protect the NHS as free at the point of use.

ur UK police service

S-style police force The negative impact of stop and search has been well documented, for example, the conclusion of a 2013 Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary inspection on stop and search states: “…with a few exceptions, forces were not able to demonstrate an approach to using stop and search powers that was based upon a foundation of evidence of what works best to fight crime…” Today there is a growing practice (as often posted on social media and according to anecdotal information I hear from accounts of police training) of officers handcuffing young Black boys who have not been arrested and are not resisting or showing any signs of aggression, before they start searching them. This happens whilst white friends that are with them are searched without being handcuffed. This is a worrying development of a practice that seem to reinforce the stereotype that conflates Blackness with dangerousness: Black boys are considered ‘dangerous’ and so have to be treated differently (restrained), and in a way that is humiliating

and degrading, without a rational justification. Black boys are treated as police ‘property’ whilst their white friends that are with them are treated very differently, with courtesy and respect. An often-articulated statement by police officers is that people from BAME background do not want to join the police. True, not all BAME people want to join the police but enough do. My plea to senior officers is work to reduce the rate of attrition for those that do join: For example, (March 2019) suggests that 23% of recruits to MPS were people from BAME backgrounds, so joining at a higher rate BUT the same document shows that voluntary resignation is 26% BAME and 17% white officers. Additionally, 2.6% of BAME officers are dismissed compared to 1.2% white officers. The journey for many Black officers (in my experience the BAME category fair better collectively) is comparable to them running a 400 metres steeplechase alongside their white colleagues who are running a 4x 400 metres sprint relay. Consequently, Black officers never

The answer is to stop stereotyping Black people as low status, unintelligent, aggressive, dangerous, self-destructive, and sub-human, and recognise the privilege and comfort that comes from remaining ‘silent’

realise their potential, because the hurdles they must overcome grinds them down and saps away their energy. When Government take an active role to understand the reasons why Black people face structural racism by public bodies, they would receive confidence in their commitment by not appointing a lead for a commission who is on record doubting the existence of institutional racism. Whatever our colour, race or social standing, society needs the police. If we are genuinely going to address racism and its destructive effects, every one of us need to look at ourselves and ask: what do I need to do to take Black people off the list of police ‘property’? The answer is to stop stereotyping Black people as low status, unintelligent, aggressive, dangerous, self-destructive, and sub-human, and recognise the privilege and comfort that comes from remaining ‘silent’ Every senior police leader advocating for change must make a commitment to empty the police ‘property’ list so that Black people and others subject by the majority to negative stereotyping as ‘low status’ are not treated contemptuous and with excessive force and they don’t end up as a death in custody. Victor Olisa

I started the walk because I was concerned for our Health Service; I ended the walk, after meeting many campaigners, terrified. It was meant to be a non-party affiliated cry for Parliamentary help, and a request to revoke some of the stipulations of the 2012 Health and Social Care Act, that effectively opened the doors to an NHS sell off. Our petition (link below) received 8000 signatures, and I was met -after 450 miles of wild camping, hardship and blisters - by two MPs, both of them local Labour candidates (Justin Madders and Chris Matheson). I was also helped by the Green Party. No Conservative MP deigned to welcome the petition. Parliament was then in a mess, and the Brexit debacle was consuming everyone’s attention,

seemingly. If I’d done the walk in April this year, I imagine that I’d be received with glowing smiles and photos by a Government that has redefined the term “hypocrisy.” Clapping is sweet and responsive, but a more concerted effort is needed to protect us from a privatised Healthcare system that will reduce us to even more wage slavery. This is not solely a Tory problem; Labour was complicit in the PFI debacle, and so it behoves us to take action at a grassroots level. There are wonderful (and effective) NHS Campaign groups all over the U.K - join yours. Fight for our right to free healthcare, before the vultures feed on the last fleshy vestiges of our most wonderfull institution. Petition link jamesnhswalk.org James Corbello / campaigner from Chester

www. NHS

72 years on, do you have the faith to fight for your NHS? This weekend sees the 72nd anniversary of OUR NHS. In 1948, every household received a leaflet that said... “Your new National Health Service begins on 5th July. What is it? How do you get it? It will provide you with all medical, dental and nursing care. Everyone – rich or poor, man, woman or child-can use it or any part of it. There are no charges, except for a few special items. There are no insurance qualifications. But it is not a “charity”. You are all paying for it, mainly as tax payers, and it will relieve your money worries in time of illness.” That simple wonderful message has been lost over the decades, and has been completely buried in recent months with the Coronavirus serving as a very useful opportunity to those who want to dismantle what is left of our health service, and all but complete the privatisation process. And yet the current

situation highlight the fact that a fragmented privatised system actually hampers our ability to effectively tackle such a virus. We have to remember that since 2012, the government have no longer been in day-today control of the NHS. The Health and Social Care Act gave control to the quango NHS England. Simon Stevens, who was formerly head of Global expansion for America’s health insurance corporation UnitedHealth is now its CEO (since 2014). So, what do you think he’s been doing since, and especially now? This weekend will see campaign groups mark the anniversary. Look them up, get involved, do what you can, and insist on full nationalisation. Aneurin Bevan famously said that the NHS would... “last as will last as long as there are folk left with the faith to fight for it.” Over to you... Colin Crilly / South London campaigner

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Late July 2020

POLITICS AND EVENTS

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Hollywood Actor Luiz Guzman talks about BLM and Racial-Capitalism

Luiz expressed views on BLM, the War on Drugs, The unequal fallout of Coronavirus Pandemic on american society and the lack of representation of diversity in Congress. Questioned about: toppling of statues of Christopher Columbus and Slave-Traders across USA, together with the omission of aspects of imperialism and slavery from the american syllabus: He agreed that representation of diversity should exist. ( He himself has a statue in a local college.) But, he asked, why is Columbus Day celebrated when Columbus never stepped foot in North America? Columbus went to the Caribbean and Central South America; spread gonorrhea and syphilis and committed genocide of the beautiful natives and their culture: we shouldn’t celebrate that. His opinion is that it is a Civil Rights issue: We should remember that the Republican Party was started by black people in opposition to Democrats who suppressed Civil Rights in Congress: That instead of representing the diversity of America, the central government listens to lobbyists. Local political representatives and local needs are ignored. For example the socialist contender Bernie was “set-up” by the National Democratic Party. Hollywood’s depiction of noneuropeans affected perceptions, it is a tool of education: film teaches history. He explained why ‘the war on drugs’ to oppose drug-crime and its fatalities, has failed: When he worked as a social worker with

17 to 21 year olds, graduates from the education system ,he found they had inadequate maths and reading skills. Additional proof that the system has failed is shown by the fact that with Puerto-Rican students, in history lessons there is hardly any mention of Puerto Rico: nothing about the “ Trail of Tears” inflicted on the native American people:no mention of the genocide during the Mexican American war in Texas where eighteen thousand Mexicans were hung. It was put to him that the USA has 20% of coronavirus deaths despite consisting and 4.2% of the world population: 75% of those are of American B.A.M.E, a fact that is under reported in M.S.M. Does it imply racial capitalism operates ? His reply mentioned that we have to educate black and brown people on how to eat better. Viruses will take advantage of compromised immune systems. Lower meat intake and lower processed carbohydrate and more fresh fruit should be taught. On the murder of George Floyd: It was a tipping point for protested by Afro-Latin community. America is the hub of sex trafficking and human trafficking globally, outcry over that does not exist yet it is equally objectionable. Policing is one of many public service professions: there are good and bad members: doctors, actors, politicians. His opinion is that responsibility for the triggering of this chaos lies with their management staff. He concluded that education about Diversity in History, the good and the bad, is important for american society and politics.

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Author G Palast UP 2020 USA EL

Is there any point in the US 2020 ostensibly democratic election or has ‘the best democracy money can buy’ already been sold out to Trump?

est-selling author Greg Palast ( New York Times ) was recently interviewed from Los Angeles. The upcoming election has been eclipsed by a pandemic death toll highest amongst nations and an extended ‘Black Lives Matter’ protest, but Greg, a ‘ voter disenfranchisement ‘ investigator, says in his book, that Trump has already won without a single vote being cast. ( Book title: “How Trump Stole 2020 .)  Controversially, Greg was in the 2016 news, for exposing voting discrepancies which made Al Gore the winner, not GW Bush. Greg says he uses direct marketing data to investigate.

In 1998 UK, working for the Guardian, he employed Mark Swedland, a direct marketing expert, to set up a sting operation against the Blair government. He was able to record footage of how Tony Blair’s minions would ‘sell’ policy-making and legislation to favour his fake Energy Company, for a mere 5-grand a month. He told of another instance of gerrymandering, that of the 2016 US election run-up; 12-million voters were said to have moved ! A supreme court justice commented incredulously, that if it were true, then the highways would have been grid locked.  Making a further criticism he stated that In America, voter

registration is uniquely under the control of partisan politicians. Republicans historically used such weaknesses to remove 16.7 million voters. (later corroborated by US government data.) Moving states means you can’t vote in the first state: He exemplified Maureen Taylor, and Afro-American in Milwaukee. She had not been allowed to vote despite being the County Supervisor for Milwaukee: Why? : Greg commented sardonically that she was guilty of “Voting while Black, which seems to be a crime in America.”  Greg estimated that 1-in-7 Afro-Americans are on this ‘hit list’ in the USA.

The public should have a ‘certain freedom’ to make their own choices

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POLITICS AND EVENTS

Late July 2020

THE

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To be unified or not to be unified That is the question (Jeremy Corbyn was determined to unite the whole of the Labour Party behind him, both left and right, as a matter of principle. He had no problem with

diversity of opinion.) (Don’t tell us to unify behind Starmer. Tell Starmer that unifying the party is his responsibility, and that he is failing in it.)

t On A Trump-ed LECTION RESULT Georgia, a pivotal State, has a black majority census. A third of a million non-white and youth votes were removed in order to get a Republican win. He cited Christine Jordan in Atlanta, she was thrown out of the polling station despite living in Atlanta for 50 years and being the cousin of Martin Luther King Jr. himself.  Greg described the peculiar electoral college system in the USA; It’s the number of States rather than the Votes that

determines the winner: Trump eBay and American-Express. won Wisconsin state by 22,000  Excuses for discrepancies made votes only, though it was by officialdom invoked the determined that pandemic, which he 150,000 voters satirically refers to were maliciously as the “ Jim-Crowremoved. Greg na-Virus “ had proved these Sitting next people had not Greg was to someone in relocated, by asked why in a confined space using expert this run-up for at least data from Joe Biden is an hour organizations high in the polls. like Amazon, Greg replied that at a similar stage last election, Hilary Clinton was ahead too; It made no difference, WHAT ARE OUR LEADERS NOT TELLING US? such corruption is not recognised DONALD TRUMP has said he will not force people to by the Democratic Party, no action wear face masks. This is despite scientists and is taken to oppose it. The second many US governors saying things to the conproblem is that, for postal ballots trary. 20% ( mainly non-white votes According to Donald Trump, he believes the ) don’t get counted.  Neither are public should have a ‘certain freedom’ to make these rampant omissions dealt their own choices. with in the Supreme Court: So what does this tell you? Because of the unbelievable Does Mr Trump know something we don’t? problem that in the USA; the Surely he wouldn’t want to risk his own life if he thought this virus was real? S.C is highly politicised : An instance occurred in July 2020.

Dazzled

Safe Distance, for all of us BORIS JOHNSON has told us we can now go into pubs and restaurants at a safe distance, that all children should go back to school in England by September. He also tells us we can now have driving lessons again sitting next to someone in a confined space for at least an hour and stay over at another person’s house. Yet we must always keep a safe distance. Something a bit contradictory going on here A bad decision to force postal voters to pay for expensive recorded delivery, having also to queue during a pandemic, was appealed. But ultra-right judges in the S.C. refused.

Direct marketing is also misused to discourage Democrats voting.   Greg was asked what he thought about the attack on democracy via social media adverts and imprisonment of journalists. In reply he described a chapter in his book called “ Russian To Judgement”: Liberals in the bureaucracy of politics cannot accept that in the USA racist tricks are used to win elections, they would rather that “it was them Ruskies hacking our machines.” Greg summarises: In the past to prevent non-whites voting they used racist lynchings;  Today more sophisticated racist tactics are deployed. “Instead of Jim Crow The Thug we have Dr James Crow - The Database Analyst, he says: We must try and save American Democracy against the continued poisoning of elections with racial biases. Words 714

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Late July 2020

POLITICS AND EVENTS

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THE LIE ABOUT government DEBT We can afford the services

WE NEED AND DESERVE

hen Margaret Thatcher claimed that the UK’s economy could be compared with household finance she tricked the public into believing an economic lie that snared politics for decades. To suggest, as she did, that an autonomous currencyissuing economy such as the UK’s was a bigger version of a simple book-keeping exercise was an epic lie. What made it worse was that Labour timidly accepted and went along with it making little attempt to disabuse the public. The untruth suited Tories and the Blair/Brown regimes because it strangled government spending and left the field wide open for private enterprise to take over services such as health, water, power, education, even prisons. George Osborne took Thatcherism

a stage further. What the bench doesn’t even know whether government could not flog off it it’s for or against increasing taxes starved of cash, making the private on the rich! market so much more attractive to those who could pay There is an alternative the price, leaving a lens in Modern government rump Monetary Theory, a of underfunded favourite of former services for Labour MP Chris the poor and Williamson. Politicians hope desperate. Yet MMT is not the public will once it’s clear that the Marxist madness again fall for the housekeeping but proposed austerity con example is by several bunkum; when a mainstream government wants to economists including spend money it can. Professor Stephanie Kelton who has added her new Johnson has caught on and book The Deficit Myth to the abandoned austerity, previously growing body of work promoting the only game in town. The only this ‘heretical’ new thinking. people casting a jaundiced eye over the current spending splurge Without government spending are Labour! Not because too much the world economies are in is going to the undeserving rich, danger of meltdown, with mass though it is, but that under Sir Keir unemployment and bankruptcy. Starmer the Labour shadow front Government debt is neither good nor bad, yet the message from the chancellor, think-tanks and whatnot is that the current level of spending is unsustainable and

Liberty

The only people today casting a jaundiced eye over current spending are Labour!

needs to be brought down by raising tax revenues and reducing spending. . This is not an economic argument but a political one. The public is being frightened so the debt can be weaponised. By persuading voters, politicians hope the public will once again fall for the austerity con. Kelton correctly says governments like the US and UK aren’t like households that can run out of money. As a Monetarist she argues that there is no financial constraint on the government’s ability to spend because, through the Bank of England, it supplies its own currency and controls the rate at which the country borrows. When the government runs up a debt, it promises to pay back its creditors with money it can print at a rate it determines. Throughout the coronavirus crisis, the state has not been borrowing from the private sector, but it has been digitally printing the

Labour shadow front bench does not know if it is for or against increasing the taxes on the rich!

money. Critics argue that if there is no budget constraint it will make it impossible to manage an economy sensibly. People demand things such as a properly funded NHS or cash to tackle climate change. What’s wrong with that? There are limits to what the government can do; if it tries to spend too much when an economy already runs flat out, inflation will rocket. The boundary for spending is determined by the level of technological advance and resources available. Kelton’s book does not peer deeply at how an economy expands capacity. But she has succeeded in instigating questions politicians do not want to be asked.

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Andrea Faulkner/ Geography 1 The Name of Which Central American Country Means The Saviour in English 2 What Is the State Capital of Louisiana 3 In Which English County Is Dartmoor 4 Which is the Largest of the Canary Islands 5 Which Motorway Connects London With Cardiff Answers 1 El Salvador 2 Baton Rouge 3 Devon 4 Tenerife 5 M4

Late July 2020

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Animals 1 What do you call a group of Kangaroos 2 What Is the Most Common UK Bird 3 What Do Squids, Snails and Oysters Have in Common 4 What Is the Collective Term for Ducks 5 Which Flightless Bird Is the Emblem of New Zealand Answers 1 A Troop 2 Blue Tit 3 They Are All Molluscs 4 A Paddling 5 The Kiwi

Sports & Leisure 1 Which Football Team Has Won the European Cup the Most Times 2 How Many Players Are There in A Baseball Team 3 In Which Asian City Were The 1964 Summer Olympics Held 4 What Are the Five Colours of an Archery Target 5 What Colour is the 8 Ball in an Game of Pool Answers 1 Real Madrid (6 times) 2 9 players 3 Tokyo 4 Gold, Red, Blue, Black, White

5 Black Entertainment 1 Which Film Featured Singer Al Martino Who, As Singer Johnny Fontane, Makes An Appearance At A Family Wedding 2 Who Won An Academy Award For Best Supporting Actor In Stanley Kubrick’s Spartacus 3 Who Is Shaggy’s Canine Companion 4 What Is the Name of Betty & Barney Rubbles Son in the Flintstones 5 Which Tv Series Features A Family with an Evil Baby and a Talking Dog

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Answers 1 The Godfather 2 Peter Ustinov 3 Scooby Doo 4 Bam Bam 5 Family Guy Tribute to our NHS 1 The National Health Service came into being on July 5th,1948. Which city was home to the first NHS hospital? 2 Who was the man responsible for the setting up of the NHS? 3 When the NHS was originally introduced, it was partly funded by every working person through their National

Insurance payments. 4 In which year were NHS prescription charges introduced? 5 In 1962 a particular operation was performed in an NHS hospital for the first time. It was carried out to replace which part of the body. Answers 1 Park Hospital in Trafford, Manchester, was the place chosen to launch the new National Health Service and so is regarded as the first NHS hospital 2 Aneurin ‘Nye’ Bevan was the youngest Minister in Britain’s first government after

World War II 3 The NHS was, from the outset, funded by central government via direct taxation,ie income tax. National Insurance is a payment that funds several social security benefits including the State Pension. 4 The charges were introduced in 1952 by the new Conservative government 5 The operation, the first full hip replacement, was carried out by Professor Sir John Charnley at the Wrightington Hospital in Wigan

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Late July 2020

Vegan recipes

POLITICS AND EVENTS

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Cooking with Chris Williamson

Treacle TART

ere’s nice, healthy alternative to treacle tart. I picked up this recipe in 1976 from a pioneering vegan chef, Rose Elliot. She had her first vegetarian cookbook published in 1967! When I went vegan, 44 years ago, I had no idea where to start. I’d been brought up in a working class household and had only ever know meat and two veg, but Rose’s cookbooks were a shining light. This was one of the first vegan sweet dishes I attempted. It’s very easy to make, and more importantly, it’s delicious. DATE TART Serves six. First of all you will need to make a flan case. Rub 75g (3 oz) of vegan margarine into 150g (6 oz) plain wholemeal flour then mix to a dough with 6 teaspoons of cold water. Roll out and line an 18cm (7 inch) flan tin; trim, prick base all over and bake in a preheated oven at 200c, (180c for a fan assisted oven), gas mark 6 for 20 minutes.

INGREDIENTS 350g (12 oz) dates 150ml (5 fl oz) water Grated rind of an orange 25g (1 oz) chopped almonds or desiccated coconut Wholemeal flan case that will have already made. Set the oven to 190c (170c for fan assisted over) gas mark 5. Chop the dates roughly. Put the water into a saucepan and bring in to the boil, then add the date and simmer gently until thick and purée-like. Remove from the heat, mix-in the orange rind. Spoon the mixture into the flan case, level top. Sprinkle with the chopped almonds or desiccated coconut. Bake for about 20 minutes, until heated through. Serve with some vegan cream and enjoy.

Book 1

Intermediate Sudoku Puzzles by KrazyDad

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POLITICS AND EVENTS

Sudoku #5

1 9

3 5 6 8 5 6

1 3

1 6 6 9 1 4 2

5 4

Late July 2020

Sudoku #6

7 9

2 4 6 5 7 4 9 1 5 8

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3 6 2 8 1 1 2

My cup hath runneth'd over with love.

Sudoku #7

7 1

3 1

8 2

Sudoku #8

6 8 1

5 7

6 1 9

3 5

WORD

3 3

3 4 8 5 2

5 2 4 6 1

4 7

6 8

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Late July 2020

POLITICS AND EVENTS

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SUPER HOT WHAT’S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT

THE SECRET IS IN YOUR

CHROMOSOMES

ex is possibly one of the most ridiculous activities on the face of it and an alien species might hoot at the lengths human beings, let alone the rest of the living world, go about getting some, but the chances are that the very same aliens will be the results of sexual activity and unless they have become boring beyond boredom, they’ll be at it like knives as well. Focusing in on humans, because that’s what most of us reading this probably are, Sex is used as a biological process in order to mix half of our genes (hereditary material found in the nuclei of our cells) with half of those of another person. If you could unscramble all the gene bearing parts of your cell, and you can in the lab and

Life is based on a really rubbish method of information transfer; the DNA/ RNA mechanism of cell replication is fraught with imperfection, prone to accidents, and open to mutation. This is why living things evolve, the key to the success of life on Earth and who knows where else it has succeeded. you do as cells replicate, you would see that there are two of each kind of structure called Chromosomes because they show up well in colour once dyed. When making sex cells (sperms and eggs) our cells only take one of each pair of chromosomes, so that we don’t double up on chromosomes generation after generation. Sometimes living things do that, and produce polyploids (just Google please) which are rare and sometimes amazing (the golden hamster for example.)

WORD

Even closer inspection of Human cells shows that one pair of chromosomes don’t really match properly. We call these the X and Y chromosomes, because one looks like an X and the other has a bit missing. Mammals use this mismatched pair to determine the sex of the offspring: XX is female and XY male.

This can go badly wrong: XXX, XXY, XYY, and X- also exist. It seems that XXXX can also exist but only on tee-shirts and only in the Southend United shop. These combinations are rarer than rocking horse droppings, never end well for the possessor of such genetic anomalies or Southend. It isn’t an eternal rule that XY chromosomes determine sex. Any pair of chromosomes, or even, as in some fish, environmental factors could make you male, female, or something else. Indeed the Y chromosome (originally an X) is in terminal decline, and in an unspecified number of generations it will disappear and we shall all be girls. Won’t that be nice! I am not being facetious: crime,

antisocial behaviour, most inherited disorders, and much more, disproportionately affect males. Nerdy behaviour and the wearing of badly fitting anoraks are much more prevalent among males of all ages. The X chromosome, which a man gets from his mother, and a woman gets from both her parents, allows the synthesis of the essential proteins which are part of the handbook used by the body to build a body, even when one of the X chromosomes is defected, as in the case of the damaged gene which does not enable blood to clot, causing haemophilia in males. All the other chromosomes seem to adopt the same rule: one’s enough for a game of darts but two are better. Occasionally one isn’t ‘quite’ enough so there we get a range of phenotypes. Google this OK? Blood groups is/ are an example. Queen Victoria had just the one famous dodgy chromosome. Guess which….. Maxwell Edison (Biology and mathematics)

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Late July 2020

WITHOUT KICKING A BALL

LEEDS GO UP BUT FANS

RISK LOCK-DOWN

Leeds United are promoted from the Championship to the Premier League by virtue of someone else losing. Hordes of supporters gathered around the empty and silent Elland Road stadium, sing songs about the team and its manager, let off fireworks, and breathe all over each other, tempting a city-wide lock-down in about three weeks.

ad these teams - WBA kept up their winning ways pre-Covid19, and Brentford their winning ways post-Covid19, Leeds might have been yet again consigned to the play-offs (and lost) as has happened too many times in the past. Then I suppose hordes of supporters would have gathered around the Elland Road ground, sung less pleasant songs about the Let us consider how team and its manager, let unnecessary these games off fireworks behind each in front of cardboard cut other and breathed all outs have been. over their friends as Did the English people in large Football League We’ve played groups do. Championship two hundred need to pick pointless games L e e d s up again merely to put two United go up even before Welsh teams into as Champions the lockthe play-offs for w i t h o u t down had kicking a ball, been properly the English as they say. The lifted? Premier League truth is, though, that Leeds have The top two been kicking balls from teams were Leeds, August to March, and knee- followed by West Brom. The caps, shins, and anything four clubs occupying the else above grass height. They play-off places were Fulham, really won the title when they Brentford, Nottingham Forest, beat then bottom of the table Barnsley, who have escaped relegation to League 1 as a result of a 12 point penalty imposed on Watford. I can remember when the whole of Yorkshire would have been delighted for Barnsley if they’d got into League Division One.

and Preston. The relegation places were occupied by Charlton (not Jack I hasten to add,) Luton, and Barnsley. As the season ended, the top two were still Leeds, followed at a distance by West Brom. Play-off places are Brentford, Fulham, Cardiff City and Swansea, who edged Nottingham Forest by a goal difference of 1. We’ve played two hundred games merely to put two Welsh teams into the playoffs for the English Premier League. I cheer for them and weep not for Preston; the play-offs will be won

by Brentford anyway. Forest I’m only a teensy bit sad for. Charlton have been relegated, Luton had a late escape after winning a few games, and Hull City Tiger Balm Kingston Rrrrovers needed to win a game to escape the drop. That their last game was against Cardiff, and that their form has been horrid since the resumption of fixtures (they did beat ’Boro who then got themselves out of trouble) did not bode well for them. Indeed, as boding

goes, It looked pretty terrible, and they couldn’t summon one last kilo of oomph to escape the gravitational pull of the most meaningless league in English Football and live to play and lose for one more season among the 24 teams calling themselves a ‘championship’ division. Against vain hope, Hull had lost to both Charlton and Luton in the last month and a bit, so again we’ve played 200+ expensively staged and pointless games in empty stadia, just so that one of two terrible teams could get out of the bottom three and condemn Hull. I’d have relegated the four of them and let some better teams get out of League 1, which in football terms is a bit like the marshes around Ely that Hereward the Wake kept leading his enemies into. My feelings about League One can wait for another time….. Stanley Acrimonious

Let us consider how unnecessary these games in front of cardboard cut outs have been

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Late July 2020

POLITICS AND EVENTS

HAMILTON VICTORIOUS IN HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX

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WIGAN ATHLETIC ON T

LITTLE WIGAN TAKING THE P*

Hamilton Matches Schumacher’s

RECORD SET IN FRANCE Lewis Hamilton was in control throughout the weekend, taking pole-position and then leading the race from start to finish while adding the fastest lap for an extra point. The Mercedes driver has now leapfrogged teammate Valtteri Bottas in the Drivers’ Championship, who finished third. The Brit began comfortably, building a three second gap in the first lap and he never looked back. Hamilton still had enough time to pit for soft tyres with five laps to go to achieve the fastest lap of the race. This made it back-to-back wins for Hamilton, and you can expect the current World Champion to continue his streak as we head towards Silverstone. Ferrari Struggles After last week’s crash in lap one between both drivers, this time only Sebastien Vettel finished in the points, ending the race in sixth place. The German driver had a quiet weekend; whilst not troubled by the cars behind, he did fail to compete with the drivers ahead. Charles Leclerc also struggled, but for slightly different reasons. With most drivers changing tyres from intermediate to medium in the first few laps, the Ferrari driver took a riskier approach and went for the soft compound. He quickly fell down the order and found himself in 15th place. Despite moving to the hard

tyres in his second pit-stop, Leclerc only managed to finish the race in 11th. Ferrari now find themselves midtable in the Constructors’ Championship behind the likes of McLaren and Racing Point and an astounding 94 points behind leaders Mercedes. With only three rounds gone, the Prancing Horse seems to be out of the title race already.

in front of the Ferraris and Red Bulls. It also meant Mercedes dominated qualification as the Racing Point cars are powered by Mercedes engines. Both drivers remained competitive in the race too, with Stroll taking fourth comfortably and Perez just further down in seventh. They now stand in fourth place in the standings with 40 points, level with McLaren who are third.

Verstappen’s Recovery The Red Bull driver had an average qualification session finishing with the seventh best time, and it did not seem to get any better before the race, as the Dutch driver crashed on his way to the grid. However, the engineers worked wonders for five minutes before the race started and Verstappen did the rest. He drove well and aggressively to move up to second, and his good management of the tyres meant the Dutchman was able to fend off Bottas’s last ditch attempt at overtaking in the final lap. After Verstappen’s retirement in the first race, he has now achieved two consecutive podiums and the 22-year-old will have the chequered flag in his sight at the British Grand Prix in a fortnight. acing Point’s Tremendous R Qualification The main story going into the race was Lance Stroll and Sergio Perez qualifying in third and fourth respectively. This was a great achievement for the Silverstone based team to qualify

Haas Off the Mark Kevin Magnussen has given the American team their first two points of the season, leaving Williams as the only ones without any points. Qualification was a disaster, with the Danish driver coming in 16th and Romain Grosjean in 18th. However, a perfect strategy saw both cars come into the pitstops after the warm-up lap to change tyres; from intermediate to medium. With the other cars coming in to switch tyres in the early laps, the Haas drivers were able to move into 3rd and 4th. The lack of power and competitiveness in the car saw both fall places throughout the race but Magnussen remained in the top 10 to bring the car in ninth and give Haas two precious points. Formula 1 will take a break next week, but it then returns for the British Grand Prix in Silverstone where Lewis Hamilton will look to make it three wins in a row at home. Paulo Pedro

Okay, that’s a bold title, and yes, I am from Wigan. However, if you’re a football fan of any team, then you simply had to love what has been going on over in the North West right now

f you don’t know the situation; Wigan’s owners have absolutely screwed the club and thrown them into administration toward the back end of a relegation threatened season. Rumours in the press suggested the

decision to enter liquidation may have been a last-ditch attempt to rescue a multimillion-pound relegation bet, which was put on by the owners themselves. The

theory

the

Wigan’s owners have absolutely screwed the club and thrown them into administration toward the back end of a relegation threatened season

bet

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Late July 2020

THE

WORD

THE BRINK OF HISTORIC CHAMPIONSHIP SURVIVAL

E N, G ***

8-0

Romp against Hull City and wins against first and second placed Leeds and West Brom

gained serious momentum a few weeks ago, when it seemed to be confirmed by Rick Parry in a video filmed by a Wigan fan on his mobile phone, and in fact, we managed to speak to him ourselves.

THE WORD NEWSPAPER NEEDS YOUR HELP

Despite the situation the club find themselves in, the “Let’s Hang On” fundraiser, that was set up by fans has reached an incredible £169,000. The fan in question was understandably proud of how well the appeal had done, but he wanted to praise fans of all teams for helping out in the clubs time of need “The support has been magnificent, but not just by Wigan’s fans either, fans of loads of different clubs.” – Various donations to the appeal came from fans of clubs in every league, wishing the club luck moving forward.

THE We are a non-profit making cooperative but still have our outgoing costs such as design, website hosting and software. Please help us maintain this left wing tabloid by going to our website at www.thewordmedia.org and subscribing. By joining together let us all fight back against the rich and powerful.

Chat with the Man in A Question Speaking with the fan who

filmed the video with Rick Parry, it seemed the feeling amongst fans was that “the owners just need to come out and admit if they’ve done anything wrong.” It’s unlikely the owners will do that, but with the club currently in limbo, you can understand the fans wanting to get some clarity and move forward.

WORD

An Incredible Run of Form Putting the morality of the supposed bet to one side, which for legal reasons, I should say, could be nonsense, and you can understand somebody having bet on the Latics to go down. Just a few months ago they looked dead and buried, struggling to find the net on a regular basis or put together a run of good results. Since the 28th of January however, Paul Cook and his men have gone on an unbelievable run, losing just two of 16 games and winning an incredible 10. The most impressive of which included an

Various donations to the appeal came from fans of clubs in every league, wishing the club luck moving forward

8-0 romp against Hull City and wins against first and second placed Leeds and West Brom. Down to the Wire Wigan’s fate was sealed against Fulham on the final day of the season, which is an incredible fact in and of itself given the 12-point deduction. If the Latics had beaten Fulham, and results with Charlton and Luton gone their way, it would have undoubtedly been one of the greatest escapes in football history. But even though they didn’t manage to beat the drop, the club and its fans can hold their heads high, having done incredibly to get to the final day in the mix. By Craig Watson.

In Scotland they affected not to know there was a game on, but in England the goals were repeated to me

WHO’S STILL STANDING?

England World Cup Squad 1966 W

ho’s Still Standing? Well I am, but only just. I remember I was travelling on a train from Scotland to Your on the very afternoon that England played West Germany in the 1966 World Cup Final at Wembley. We beat them with a goal to spare, lest anyone cast doubt on the validity of Geoff Hurst’s second, or suggest that Geoff was a late inclusion for Jimmy Greaves. The squad numbers show manager Alf Ramsey’s thinking, and both Hurst and Greavesy were initially in his preferred first 11. All the way through my journey as we stopped at various

ten managers might have chosen Hunter; he chose Moore. You pick a style of play, and search for the eleven that will do the job best, and I can still recite the names of the boys who won the final match, and were until recently the ones who received medals. It warmed my heart that the other eleven have now been awarded winners’ medals, and that Norman received his before Covid19 took him from us.

stations I thrust my head out of the window and asked rail staff what the score was. In Scotland

In those days there were no in-match substitutions, and the idea was that a squad consisted of two players for each position; manager tended to select three goalkeepers among the 22 man squad

they affected not to know there was a game on, but in England the goals were repeated to me. All England’s were scored by West Ham players and the captain was Bobby Moore, West Ham legend. As a Leeds boy I didn’t know why Alf hadn’t picked Norman Hunter, a much better defender in my opinion, over Moore. As Ramsey pointed out, nine out of

How many are still alive, though? The recent deaths of Hunter and Jack Charlton illustrate the principle that life is temporary and short. The inset table shows the names of the squad members and their existential status. As can be seen from the table, every one of those who have gone did so under a Conservative-led government. I expect more within the year as

Johnson and Cummings allow the old and infirm to die. Stanley Acrimonious