THE WORD EDITION 55

THE

WORD

Issue #55, Late February Edition 2021

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Equality Democracy Truth Courage

Anti-Corbyn Theresa Griffin as Liverpool candidate? Reports are emerging that Labour bureaucrats plan to impose a former MEP Theresa Griffin on Liverpool Labour party as their candidate for mayor after three local candidates without a word of explanation. Griffin has previously been backed by Labour to Win, a front for arch right-wing Labour First which is despised by Liverpool members. In 2016 Griffin supported Owen Smith in his failed bid to replace Jeremy Corbyn as leader of Labour Party.

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GUILTY

Court finds against Hancock and Co

FIASCO ‘Sir-Keith’ rigs Liverpool selection

Rothery

O’Byrne

Simon

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Late February 2021

POLITICS AND EVENTS

AIR POLLUTION THREAT TO CHILDREN IGNORED BY PLANNERS

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he group, Trees not Cars, opposed a council to turn derelict land (formerly a retail park) into a 440 space car park next to the city centre’s only primary school. The people of Ancoats, many of whom live in tower blocks, had started to use the area as a much needed green open space for adults and children to use. The campaigners petitioned the Council with more than 12,000 signatories and has now won a judicial review blocking the scheme.     Finding in favour of ‘Trees not Cars’ the review found that Manchester Council had: l Failed to consider the impact of air quality on the local area around Ancoats l​ Failed to consider the impact of building a polluting 440-space car park next to the only primary school in Manchester city centre

Community action

l Was

unlawful Council recommended planning approval based on the wrong information, the wrong air quality assessment, and wrong traffic analysis.

This a major victory for “a grass roots community group that has campaigned for more than 18 months to stop the plan. The council was represented by a legal team led by Christopher Katkowski QC, said to be one of the country’s leading planning specialists.

GIANT KILLERS

in

that

the

Katkowski is an advisor to Boris Johnson’s Government and the architect behind the Government’s proposed scheme to make sweeping changes to the planning system.

Trees not Cars is now calling on the council to reopen their development framework for the 10 acre site to genuine community input.

The group has repeated their call that the Council “must now

include significant green space and affordable housing.” The Council seemed to think the money they would have raised from turning the land into a car park was more important than residents’ well being.

Boris faces both ways on climate Critics, including the government’s official climate advisers, say it seriously undermines Johnson’s ability to lead a successful UN summit. Ministers say the mine decision is a local one. Local government secretary, Robert Jenrick, chose not to “call in” the plan for his decision. JOBS

A top scientist has called the government’s failure to block a new coal mine in Cumbria as “absolutely ridiculous”. The UK is hosting a UN climate summit, in November and Boris Johnson has pledged the UK’s commitment to net zero emissions by 2050.

500 FOR THE

Prof Sir Robert NEW MINE Supporters of the Watson said: “The British £165m mine say it would government says … we really care provide 500 jobs in the deprived about climate change. But, by area. Last week 40 Conservative the way … we’ll have a new coal MPs wrote to the leader of mine.’ Absolutely ridiculous!” Cumbria county council The underground mine would warning that stopping the mine be the UK’s first in 30 years. would “represent a serious risk to Cumbria’s economic growth”.

Amid growing controversy, the council said in February that it would reconsider its October decision and take into account new climate advice. Watson said the key message on climate is we need to have a 50% reduction in emissions by 2030.

zero targets.

The firm financing the mine, EMR Capital, is a signatory to the UN-backed Principles for Responsible Investment, which requires “incorporating environmental, social, and governance issues into decisionmaking processes”.

The mine is expected produce 2.7m tonnes a year of coking coal for steel-making. Around 85% of the mine’s production is intended for export, yet there is no global coke shortage.

The UK has cut emissions faster than any other rich nation by phasing out coal burning for electricity generation, and the closure of much of the country’s heavy industry and by importing more manufactured goods.

Green experts say steel makers will have to find new processes to meet the UK’s net

But it has also backed a new giant gas-fired power station , a third runway at Heathrow

In 2019 Extinction Rebellion mounted a protest in support on the site on Great Ancoats Street. I was there along with a friendly polar bear. To read more go to https:// tinyurl.com/y6v5a46m airport and committed £27bn to new roads. One of Johnson’s flagship green policies, a £1.5bn green homes grant scheme, is expected to be scrapped after reaching only 4% of the homes intended.

POLITICS AND EVENTS

Late February 2021

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UNREPENTANT THEY REFUSED TO REVEAL COVID CONTRACTS

Hancock and No 10 banged to rights – and don’t care H

ealth secretary Matt Hancock acted unlawfully by failing to publish multibillionpound Covid-19 government contracts within the 30-day period required by law, a high court judge has ruled. Mr Justice Chamberlain, ruled that the failure to do so breached the “vital public function” of transparency over how “vast quantities” of taxpayers’ money was spent. On ITV’s GMB programme Hancock told a incandescent Piers Morgan that he’d do it again because he’d been so busy saving lives and averting a national shortage of PPE!

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The judgment is a victory

for the Good Law Project (GLP), a not-for-profit organisation making a series of legal challenges about protective personal equipment (PPE) and other services during the pandemic. Not only was Hancock knowingly in breach of the law, but explosive emails read to the High Court revealed that Number 10 asked civil servants to delay publishing the contracts even further in order to suit their news agenda. The government openly broke the law for their own political expediency, a worrying sign for our democracy. Government regulations require all contracts with a value of more than £10,000 to

Breached the “vital public function” of transparency over how “vast quantities” of taxpayers’ money was spent

be published, and to be sent for publication within 30 days of being awarded.

my judgment, the secretary of state acted unlawfully by failing to comply with the transparency policy.”

by MPs, peers and others with political connections.

Until now the The GLP highlighted three government has PPE contracts totalling £705 The obligation refused repeated million: to publish contracts requests to publish l £252m contract for face within 30 days “serve the list of companies. masks from a finance a vital public function company, and that function was no Matt Hancock has l £108m contract a companyless important during a since repeatedly said it SPENT that only ever provided pandemic”, he said. was “the right thing to IN JUST confectionery products do” to delay publishing THREE l £345mPPEcontractswith “The secretary of state contracts during the DEALS a company called Pestfix. spent vast quantities of pandemic, despite a public money on pandemic- court ruling he acted unlawfully. None of the contracts were related procurements during published in time. The average 2020. The public were entitled Labour leader Keith Starmer time for publication of Covid-19 to see who this money was said he would not call for Mr was contracts was 47 days, going to, what it was being Hancock to resign over the court meaning the law was breached spent on and how the relevant ruling, saying it was “not what “in a substantial number of contracts were awarded.” the public really want to see”. cases”, the judge said. The GLP has asked Hancock Jeremy Corbyn and other He ruled: “The secretary of to publish all outstanding Labour MPs have called on the state’s evidence provides a cogent contracts, and the names of health secretary to resign. Nadia explanation of his historic failure companies whose offers to Whittome, tweeted: “In what to comply … but this explanation supply PPE were processed other job could you break the amounts to an excuse, not a through the “VIP lane”, a high- law and be let off?” justification. It follows that, in priority route given to referrals Paul Knags

£705m

Labour drops ALL its Liverpool mayor candidates The Labour party has disgraced itself yet again as it has barred all three prospective candidates from the selection contest to become the party’s candidate in the Liverpool mayoral election. A selection panel, stacked with right-wingers, made the decision and the party has just emailed members – without allegedly telling any of the candidates. But within hours of the news getting out Anna Rothery, the left’s favourite for the candidacy,

released a statement saying she will go to court if the decision is not overturned. The decision by the party’s bureaucracy was half expected by some members who suspected the strong showing by left-winger Anna Rothery would spur party officials to abort the whole process – blocking the popular councillor who would have become the UK’s first black woman mayor if elected. A second of the candidates has had serious question marks

raised over her track record, but Rothery’s supporters believe the party’s decision is a naked – and racist – move to block the strongest candidate because she is of the left and openly supported Jeremy Corbyn’s reinstatement.

shocked by the Party’s chaotic handling of the selection for Liverpool mayor. Instead of a positive, unifying campaign for our city, we are faced with what looks like an undemocratic failure of process.

The party shortlisted the three candidates and has now humiliated itself and declared war yet again on its members.

I stood because I know our city needs a socialist mayor to clean up local politics, deliver a local Green New Deal and leave no one behind. I am humbled by the support I have received as someone firmly rooted in our trade unions and community groups, and who wasn’t part of

Anna Rothery’s statement in full: “Like many people across our city and our movement, I’m

the previous executive. I welcomed the deviation last week from the formal NEC process to include more scrutiny of candidates but not to remove transparency and accountability from the process. I hope party HQ sees the outrage its decision has caused across our city and the harm it is doing to our party’s reputation and changes course. If the decision stands, then I will be left with no choice but to challenge it legally.” Source: Skwawkbox

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POLITICS AND EVENTS

UK THINKS IT WON THE WAR ALONE AND HATES THE GERMANS

French diplomat calls Bojo a liar and the UK deluded

B

oris Johnson is “an unrepentant and inveterate liar” who feels he is not subject to the same rules as others, Sylvie Bermann, the former French ambassador to the UK during the Brexit vote, has said in a new book. She also claims some Brexiters are consumed with hatred for Germany and gripped by a myth that they liberated Europe on their own, describing Brexit as a triumph of emotion over reason, won by a campaign full of lies in which negative attitudes to migration were exploited by figures such as Johnson and Michael Gove. Bermann, who served as the French ambassador to the UK from 2014 to 2017 and has been one of the most senior diplomats in the French

diplomatic service, including as ambassador to China and to Russia, assessed the British handling of the Covid pandemic as among the worst in the world alongside that of Donald Trump and Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil. She predicted Johnson would seek to use Covid to mask the true economic cost of Brexit on the UK economy. Johnson, she says, comes from an Eton and Oxford University class that believes they are entitled to use language to provoke. Describing him as intelligent and charming, he uses “lies to embellish reality, as a game and as instrument of power. The ends justify the means. He has no rules”. Asked at a Royal United Services Institute thinktank event about her description of him as an unrepentant liar, she said: “He

THE EU WOULD FEEL OBLIGED TO OPEN TALKS WITH SCOTLAND IN THE EVENT OF A REFERENDUM VOTE TO LEAVE THE UK

would not object to being called that. He knows he is a liar. He has always played with that. He has been fired from his first post for that reason.” In her book Goodbye Britannia, she seeks to define the psyche that led to Brexit. She describes “the partisans of Brexit as reciting a history in which the UK is never defeated, never invaded”. She suggests a country that considers it singlehandedly won the second world war , liberating the continent and deserving of gratitude. Referencing the more than 22 million Russians who died in the second world war she says “this does not disturb the discourse of the Brexiters who peddle the myth that the UK liberated Europe alone and needs no one”. She adds France does have a debt of gratitude to the British, but “it is right to remember that they were not alone and you cannot live with a history that stopped in June 1944”. “The corollary of an England saving Europe,” she adds, “is a detestation of Germany and contempt for

cowardice – the term is often used for those who allowed themselves to be occupied, not to mention collaborated.” The British account of the second world war, relayed in films such as Dunkirk, she says led to loss of confidence in the EU as an instrument of peace. She admits she did not believe the Brexit referendum would be lost by David Cameron’s government, pointing out that both sides of the debate had told her the same. “David Cameron was always telling other heads of government that he would win and he rejected any help,” she said adding that if necessary the EU would have come up with a new offer on migration. British ministers told her that they might win by as much as 60%.

In the book, she asks: “How this country undertaken to scuttle itself?” She predicted: “Boris Johnson’s temptation will be to hide the bill for Brexit under the Covid carpet, valued at more than £200bn for 2020, almost as much as the United Kingdom’s total contribution to the European Union since its accession in 1973, which was £215bn.” She said it was inevitable that the UK will struggle to find influence outside the EU and that the EU would feel obliged to open talks with Scotland in the event of a referendum vote to leave the UK/ She added that this is not the official EU position, partly due to pressure from Spain which fears the knock-on impact among Catalan separatists.

Political storm over schools’ meatless menu A row has broken out after the Green mayor of Lyon, in France, decided to take all meat off the menu in school canteens during the coronavirus pandemic from this Monday.

in two hours if there was a choice of meat and vegetarian menus.

vegetarianism on to the city’s children.

insult to France’s farmers and butchers”.

The Lyon decision was met with protest in the form of tractors, cows and goats paraded in front of the city hall.

Government ministers have accused the mayor, Grégory Doucet, of “ideological” and “elitist” behaviour. His move is being studied by several other cities including Paris.

The Lyon city council has promised canteens will offer a meat option again as soon as restrictions are relaxed and pupils have more time to eat, also pointing out that the temporary menus are not vegetarian, but contain fish and eggs.

But that has not stopped some government ministers from from jumping on the decision. “Let’s stop putting ideology on our children’s plates,” Julien Denormandie, said on Twitter. He said he had asked the region’s prefect, the state-appointed top local official, to overrule the move.

Darmanin said on Twitter that it was “clear that the Greens’ moralising and elitist policies excluded low-income people. For many children, the school canteen is the only place where they get to eat meat”.

The city council said providing the same meatless four-course lunch was purely practical, saying it could not serve 29,000 children

Doucet has said he eats meat and denied he was trying to force

The conservative interior minister, Gérald Darmanin, also took aim at what he called the “scandalous ideology” of the Lyon city council, describing the decision as “an unacceptable

In a rare display of disagreement within the cabinet, however, the environment minister, Barbara Pompili, called the Lyon debate “prehistoric”. Doucet is one of a number of Green politicians to win control

of major French cities in local elections last year, in a defeat for Macron’s party that partly reflected growing concerns about the environmental damage from intensive farming and green issues. Food represents roughly a quarter of France’s carbon footprint and proposals are being developed by the government to encourage the French to eat more local produce and less but higher quality meat. The French senate recommended a more vegetablebased diet, to counter the impact of fast food and takeaways.

POLITICS AND EVENTS

Late February 2021

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THE PLOT TO MURDER THE BRITISH CABINET MINISTERS

THE CATO CONSPIRACY

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he poor were struggling, there were very few jobs and with industrialisation it bought food shortages, changes in working conditions and now the battle of Waterloo had ended, there was even more unemployment. There were protests and industrial unrest. People were starving, they were becoming desperate. The government had previously bought in the Combination Acts of 1799 which meant you could no longer gather in groups, you were not allowed to hold meetings to fight for better pay and shorter hours, trade unions were banned, and you could not incite walkouts at work, basically anything that would benefit the working class. Your punishment would be either three months in gaol or two months of hard labour. In 1820 there were a small group of people in London called the ‘Cato Street conspirators’ who were opposed to what was happening including their leader, radical, Arthur Thistlewood, Cabinet Maker and Sunday school teacher William Davidson a mixed race man from Jamaica and unbeknown to them there was also a police spy by the name

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...you could no longer gather in groups, you were not allowed to hold meetings to fight for better pay and shorter hours, trade unions were banned, and you could not incite walkouts at work...

of George Edwards who reported back everything that was said to the Police. They would meet at a small rented property on Cato Street near Edgware Road in London to discuss their plans.

This group had had enough after the 1819 Peterloo Massacre in Manchester, the ‘Six Acts’ bought in by the government and the economic depression and political repression of that time. The ‘Six Acts’ was used to stop large public meetings, to gag radical newspapers, to prevent people from having weapons. If you wanted to hold a meeting over 50 people you would have to get permission from the Sherriff or Magistrate first and

also they had to all be from your Parrish.

With the death of King George 111 on the 29th of January 1820 which caused a government crisis, George Edwards said to them, they should take advantage of the situation and kill all the cabinet ministers including the prime minister at the home of Lord Harrowby, Lord president of the council where they were all apparently meant to be having dinner. Edwards said they should go armed with pistols and grenades. Funding was supplied by George Edwards. This of course was a trap, there was no meal planned,

On This Day in History 23rd Feb 1820- The Cato Street Murder plot is discovered. 1919-Benito Mussolini forms The Fascist Party. 24th Feb 1303- The first war of Scottish independence, The English are defeated at the battle of Roslin. 1920- Nancy Astor MP speaks in the house of commons, the first woman to do this. 25th Feb 1939- The first Anderson Shelter is built in the garden of a house in Islington, North London. 1941-A general strike, organised by the outlawed Communist Party of Netherlands take place in German occupied Amsterdam in protest of the Nazi persecution of Dutch Jews. 26th of Feb 1797- The first £1.00 note was printed by the bank of England. 27th Feb 1997- Divorce becomes legal in predominantly catholic country of Ireland. 28th of Feb 1975- A London underground train crashes into the end of the tunnel at Moorgate terminus station, killing 43 people. 29th Feb 1940- Hattie McDaniel wins best actress in a supporting role as Mammy in the film ‘Gone with the wind’ She was the first African-American to get this. 1st March 1971- Hundreds of Thousands take to the streets in an unofficial protest against the governments’ new industrial relations Bill.

William Davidson had even been to the property of Lord Harrowby and was told by one of the servants that he knew well, that he was not a home. Davidson told Thistlewood, but he didn’t believe it and wanted to proceed as planned. The authorities heard of their plans and on the 23rd of February 1820 they raided Cato Street where many were arrested.

Five were hanged for high treason including Thistlewood

and William Davidson and then decapitated and had their heads placed on stakes for all to see. Five were transported and some others were released because of lack of evidence. The defendants said in court that it was the spy-George Edwards that was to blame. Edwards had organised the plot from start to finish. Though this was true, he had even paid for the weapons, they were not believed with Thistlewoods radical background.

On This Day in History 23rd. February Events. 1820 Cato Street Conspiracy. The conspirators were called the Spencean Philanthropists, a group taking their name from the British radical speaker Thomas Spence. The Cato Street Conspiracy was an attempt to murder all the British cabinet ministers and the Prime Minister Lord Liverpool in 1820. The name comes from the meeting place near Edgware Road in London. The police had an informer; the plotters fell into a police trap. Thirteen were arrested, while one policeman, Richard Smithers, was killed. Five conspirators were executed, and five others were transported to Australia. They were outraged by the Peterloo Massacre, as well as with the economic depression and political repression of the time. 1954 - The first mass inoculation of children against polio with the Salk vaccine begins in Pittsburgh. Deaths. 1976 Laurence Stephen Lowry RBA RA (b.1 November 1887 ) was a Salford artist famous for painting scenes of life in the industrial districts of North West England. 2000 Sir Stanley Matthews CBE (b.1 February 1915) was an English footballer, often regarded as one of the greatest players of the British game. He the first player to have been knighted while still playing football, as well as being the first winner of both the European Footballer of the Year and the Football Writers’ Association Footballer of the Year awards. 24th. February Events 1875 Andrew Johnson (29 December 1808 - 31 July 1875 ) the 17th President of the United States, became the first to be impeached by the United States House of Representatives. He is later acquitted in the Senate. Johnson’s strong opposition to federally guaranteed rights for black Americans is widely criticised; he is regarded by many historians as one of the worst presidents in American history. 1920 Nancy Astor (19 May 1879 – 2 May 1964 becomes the first woman to speak in the House of Commons following her election as a MP three months earlier. Death. 1993 ‘Bobby’ Moore OBE (b. 12 April 1941) Widely regarded as West Ham’s greatest ever player, Moore played over 600 games for the club captaining it for more than ten years. He also captained the England team that won the 1966 World Cup. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest defenders in the history of football, and was cited by Pele as the greatest defender that he had ever played against.

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POLITICS AND EVENTS

BEST OF THE WEB USA PROSECUTIONS Merrick Garland, Joe Biden’s Attorney General nominee, wants to aggressively prosecute the pro-Trump crowd who stormed the Capitol, and the media is amplifying his description of the MAGA mob as “ w h i t e

supremacist” extremists.

MORE VIRUS STRAINS IN INDIA A whopping 240 mutated coronavirus strains have been discovered across India, health officials have said, warning that some of them may potentially be more infectious, and may even be capable of evading immune response altogether. TIME TO TAKE COVER The US space agency is warning of a salvo of space rocks headed for Earth, ranging in size from a paltry 10 meters in diameter all the way up to a

positively petrifying 213. When not keeping a close eye on its Perseverance rover, which touched down on Mars this week, NASA is busy monitoring the sky for potential threats to life on Earth – namely asteroids. And this week is no exception, as five such space rocks are due to buzz the planet we call home. ISRAEL FIRST AGAIN IN SUPPRESSING HUMAN RIGHTS Israel reopened swathes of its economy today in what it called the start of a return to routine enabled by a Covid-19 vaccination drive that has reached almost half the population. While shops are now open to all, access to leisure sites like gyms and theatres is limited to the vaccinated or those who have recovered from the disease with presumed immunity, a so-called “Green Pass” status displayed on a special Health Ministry app. The green card digitising of humanity is also being pushed by Tony Blair and already being taken up by UK Government websites. IS THIS THE ASSANGE OF RUSSIA? A Moscow court today convicted top Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny of defamation, just hours after another court upheld an order for him to serve more than two years in prison in another

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case. Judge Vera Akimova said Mr Navalny was guilty of defaming a World War II veteran who was among a group of Russians Mr Navalny called “traitors” for appearing in a pro-Kremlin video.

IRAN AND NUCLEAR POWER The head of the UN nuclear watchdog says Iran has agreed to extend UN inspectors’ access to its nuclear sites for three months. But the hastily brokered agreement will give IAEA officials less access and end their right to make snap inspections. Iran is changing its access policy from Tuesday because the US has not lifted the sanctions imposed since Donald Trump abandoned the 2015 nuclear deal. PRAISE THE LORD Police have handed a £10,000 fine to the organiser of a church meet-up in a pub car park. Officers from Nottinghamshire Police said the Church on the Streets service, involving about 30 people in Bardney Drive, Bulwell, Nottingham, broke lockdown rules. They said when officers arrived, at around 12:15 GMT on Saturday, there were tents, food and a sound system. But the church’s pastor, Chez Weir, has said she will

contest the fine. PLANE STUPID The engine of a Boeing jet failed after take-off, burning and scattering debris over a residential area near Denver, Colorado. The United Airlines flight to Honolulu, a Boeing 777 with 231 passengers and 10 crew on board, was able to return safely and land at Denver International Airport. ANOTHER USELESS TORY GOES Boris Johnson’s main adviser on keeping the UK together has departed, saying his position was made “untenable” by others within Downing Street. Oliver Lewis, an ally of the prime minister’s former chief adviser, Dominic Cummings, was a key part of the campaign for the UK to leave the EU. His departure comes as the Scottish National Party is calling for another referendum on independence.

POLITICS AND EVENTS

Late February 2021

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ETERNAL PROBLEMS REMAIN IGNORED AS THEY VIA FOR POWER

POLITICAL parties aren’t WHAT THEY USED TO BE

P

Forster) there would be no free education for children. But, when offered a taste of power, what did that mean to Tuition-Fees-Clegg?

olitical parties absorb enormous energies (and money) directed at internal party problems while the gap between rich and poor widens; huge profits are made from warfare; ecological issues are set to one side; and while, instead of governments being held accountable to the people, it is the people that are held accountable. For me, however, they do offer some romantic history.

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Without

Gladstone

(and

Without Gladstone (and Forster) there would be no free education for children

Without Attlee and Bevan there would be no NHS. But for Starmer the priority is to sack anyone who criticises the racist Israel of Netanyahu.

council houses under Harold Macmillan.

Brexit, was all and only ever an internal fight within the Conservative Party between those (MIDDLE IRISH with vague FOR THIEVES) memories of SET THE RECORD the post-war consensus FOR BUILDING and those who OF COUNCIL worship greed.

Tories HOUSES

It was the Tories (Middle Irish for thieves) who set the record for building of

The government’s response to Covid 19 is, for me, a clear demonstration of this. The country faces a major health problem, and there answer is to abandon

War against Communism

Court of Human Rights or the European Court of Human Rights.

In February 1973 America’s involvement in the Vietnam war ended and the Second Indochina War or the Resistance War Against America as the victorious North call it, finally ended two years later after 19 bloody years.

You must first believe that as a god-fearing capitalist you are in the right. Then you have to see socialism in religious or even medical terms. Socialism is an infection and Communism is terminal and must be eradicated whatever the cost.

As in so many wars if you joined up to pull triggers and drop bombs you were a hero and won medals. If, like World Boxing champion Mohammed Ali, you refused to serve you went to prison.

Having studied the political history of South East Asia some years before for my degree I simply could not understand what benefit the USA thought would come its way from that war. But I underestimated President Kennedy’s belief in the Domino Theory.

Picture countries as dominoes standing up in a row. One catches the disease and as it falls it knocks over the next country and so on. Soon the world is full of commie bastards. Only the USA and its (reluctant) allies stand in its way to keep us free.

Kennedy listened to a lot of people that thought just like him. What kind of freedom did they bring to the 504 unarmed men, women and children of My Lai village. The women were gang raped and their bodies mutilated as were children as young as 12 by US troops. Out of 27 soldiers accused only the platoon leader was found guilty of a crime. He was sentenced to life - he served only 42 months and that under house arrest. To this day the USA refuses to recognise the Inter-American

Dr. Johnson famously said that patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel. Politicians telling people to ‘fight for your country’ as a patriotic duty are mostly scoundrels. It is usually stupid policies that cause us to get out the guns.

responsibility and hand it to their billionaire mates to make a stack of money out of it. For Labour outmanoeuvring other party members by controlling the agenda for a meeting may be worth an extra pint in the pub afterwards but what kind of a world does that bequeath to our grandchildren? So, I have had a go at political parties and suggested that they are no longer fit for purpose. What is my alternative? Er, er, let me have a think. Shall get back to you on this in a decade or so after I have drunk dry my off-licence. By Cliff Jones There are many explanations for Kennedy continuing to get a good press. As with Lincoln being assassinated can help. The President who ended the war was Richard Nixon who resigned from office in the nick of time to prevent being impeached. If only Trump had.

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Late February 2021

POLITICS AND EVENTS

TOO MANY WANT TO CAPTURE PARTIES FOR THEIR OWN POWER

View all politics with THE ‘BULLSHIT’ LENS

T

rump was the lesser problem. It is the Republican Party that is the story. They are owned by the filthy rich but propelled by the unwashed mob.

The freeing of Nelson Mandela 31 years ago from Robin’s Island after 27 years of imprisonment makes a handy baseline for politicians

The Trial of Trump held centre stage before its inevitable collapse even though the only card he had to play was to deny reality. Like Netanyahu Trump shouted, “They are all out to get me”. It never was a defence. I hope it does not work for Bibi.

he was the real hero behind the release of Mandela from a lifetime of imprisonment and the end of apartheid.

There are many criticisms to be made of F W de Klerk, the last white prime minister of apartheid South Africa, but

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At first he was officially what today we would call a White Supremacist. He decided not to be.

de Klerk in Israel. How many of them are there in the US Republican Party?

GAINING AGREEMENT ON VALUES IS NOT EASY BUT IT HAS TO TAKE PRECEDENCE

Today Starmer’s biggest chosen enemy is what remains of the Labour party he is supposed to lead. Boris, too, is not universally respected by his fellow Tories.

There is no F W

The Republican Party are owned by the filthy rich but propelled by the unwashed mob

to

Until recently I had begun believe that political

parties are now of the past. Too many people seem to think of them as organisations to be captured in order to get their hands on the levers of power.

declarations of wonderful values. If there is one word the USA has contributed to the English language that we need to keep to the forefront it’s BULLSHIT.

My old prof, Fred Ridley, and my brother, Trevor, once president of the old Liberal Party, taught me that values come before power. Trevor said that gaining agreement on values is not easy but it has to take precedence.

So often political parties descend to an arena for in-fighting. And far too often their members represent interest groups whose values are far from being socially inclusive.

Parties are organisations that often make grand

How the NHS may change in the big shake-up The government is going to claim it is giving more control to the people. One of my best friends is the leader of our local council who is also on the board of directors of our local NHS trust, so I have heard some of the future plans about integrating council authorities and NHS trusts. The

plan

is

that

the

government will fund the councils the way they do just now, but they will also include the money they would give to the NHS. They will manage to save some money by streamlining crossover services, but the fear is in the future when the NHS requires more money than the council is given. It will be made out that the government has given more local

control to the people, but every time it has cost us more. This has been proven time and time again. When it comes to local councils setting their annual budget it will have to include that year’s budget for the NHS, but if there is a shortfall between government support and their proposed budget they will be faced with cutting back on services, but which services,

local authority or NHS? Its at this point we will be told if you value your local NHS then council tax will have to increase. It won’t be to cut local authority services it will always be if you value your NHS then you will have to pay for it. This is as close as we will get to a privatised NHS, not under government control and

not under the control of the authority council tax payers, but by local authority councillors, who are generally part-time politicians. So we have part-time workers looking after all local authority spending including funding for your local NHS. Let the Word know how they think that will turn out. By Bill

POLITICS AND EVENTS

THE PATIENT’S TOOTH

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wo weeks after my first vaccine against The Virus, a tooth fell to pieces in my mouth as I was eating something very soft. It is always the way; a hard thing like a biscuit or a nut cracks an aged tooth, then a piece of nice bread gets round it and sucks it out.

The first you know of it there is a piece of something you didn’t think you had eaten, rolling round in your mouth with your delicious dinner. Then another piece. Gaul was in three parts, my tooth is in four, the largest of which is still in position.

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Either my tooth or a tooth coloured filling has broken

Does it hurt me? Only when I laugh, said that man run over by a steamroller in the cartoon; the empty filling is now temperature sensitive, and whatever I eat goes up inside of it and tries to refuse to come out. I need to ring the dentist. “Look,” said son number one on the phone. “If you get an infection then it’s the hospital for you my lad, I mean, Dad.” The dentist is still working but I’m told all staff are dressed in visors, double masks, gauntlets, oven gloves and marigolds. I’m

With my luck it will be a fortnight before they can see me, unless I say it hurts

going to have to go in, but I don’t hit peak immunity from the Pfizer jab, or was it Alka-Seltzer I received? until next Wednesday. It’s likely that I shall give them a call tomorrow. With my luck it will be a fortnight before they can see me, unless I say it hurts. Then it will be a week to ten

GOSSIP COLUMN WRITTEN BY WAYNE KING The DNA test that meant Harry had to leave the country.

Our insider Royal informant has revealed that the real reason for Harry and Meghan leaving the Windsor family is that he was actually never part of it. A DNA test taken from Hewitt after his arrest in 2004 has proven a positive match with

Late February 2021

Hewitt. The Herald newspaper reported at the time: James Hewitt, former lover of Diana, Princess of Wales, was bailed by police yesterday after being arrested on suspicion of possessing cocaine.

The 46-year-old former cavalry officer left Notting Hill police station in west London after spending a night in the cells.

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 and subscribing. By joining together let us all fight back against the rich and powerful.

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A source said they spent the night in the cells sobering up, and had to give fingerprints and DNA samples before being released on bail at 3.10pm yesterday. The alleged offence carries a maximum seven-year jail sentence, while someone convicted of supplying a class A drug faces a maximum sentence of life in prison. The Word can now report that our inside source has confirmed that the story put around by the Windsor family that Hewitt only met Diana two years after Harry was born is totally false.

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and take me to the pub, “When this is all over.” I don’t see this days. Give or take a couple of crisis ending any time soon, days and a weekend. not when half a thousand of my countrymen and women Meanwhile our reluctant die each day. Every one of them friend is turning down the was a person. Each had a name. vaccine each time she is All had families. What linked contacted. When she was them was that they had offered the Oxford/ Coronavirus Disease PEOPLE Asti Spumante 19. one she said she ARE ALREADY wanted fTizer. Next week MAKING Next time they I think I might ARRANGEMENTS offered her the write about TO CALL ON Tizer and she’d Long Covid, ME AND TAKE changed her which is every ME TO THE mind, she thought bit as scary as the Oxford would be anything the virus PUB better. I think this is a can throw at us. ploy. Disbelieve if you like, but I have the names and the dates. People are already making This is a real and present danger arrangements to call on me to us all.

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POLITICS AND EVENTS

THE CUMBRIAN COAL-MINE. UK SELF-SUFFICIENCY IN COKE FOR STEEL

Coke a Cola

A

s part of tackling the elimination of greenhouse gasses, we maybe need to urgently re-evaluate our thinking regarding steel making. Perhaps we should acknowledge (with a quote often attributed to Einstein) that “We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them”.

Iron and steel making as an industrial process was developed from the 18th century. Requiring ever increasing quantities of wood to be converted to charcoal, production on an increasing scale only became possible in the 19th century with the use of coke produced from high grade coal.

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The coke-fired blast furnaces of South Wales and Northern England drove an industrial revolution that built bridges, rail lines, ships, steam engines. From being a major global producer of steel, the UK has been overtaken by countries such as China and India. To the extent that in 2019 China had produced more steel in 2 years than the total UK production from the beginning of the industrial revolution (150 years).

Since steel making is a significant producer of carbon dioxide, in order to achieve net zero emissions we clearly need to urgently review how steel is produced. The major European, Chinese and Japanese producers

Steel making is a significant producer of carbon dioxide; in order to achieve net zero emissions we clearly need to urgently review how steel is produced

have already started developing alternative production methods and have committed to achieving net zero by 2050. (Though this now seems rather late!) The processes being developed use a combination of ‘green’ electricity and ‘green’ hydrogen, with maximum recycle of scrap steel. (In the UK 50% of steel production is already from recycled material.)

One of the short-term consequences associated with radically changing the steel making process is likely to be an increase in cost. So there is clearly a risk that this would accelerate the movement of steel making capacity that has already occured, from countries such as the UK, to places where environmental and worker protection measures are lower.

THE ISSUE HAS HIGHLIGHTED THE NEED FOR INVESTMENT AND 21ST CENTURY THINKING that

Also philanthropist (or devil, depending on your view) Bill Gates, is involved in financing the development of emissionfree steel making at a plant outside Boston USA. This is through the group that he founded in 2015 - ‘Breakthrough Energy Ventures’, with a mission “to accelerate innovation in sustainable energy”.

One way of counteracting this is for local councils and major companies not only to adopt the UK Steel Charter, which encourages the procurement of UK steel, but also to set policies that encourage the use of emissions-free steel. California for example, limits the total amount of carbon emissions

associated with steel and other materials used in state-backed construction projects. In conclusion – maybe a coal mine in Cumbria could be a short-term measure to reduce imports of steel making coke, but the issue has highlighted the need for investment and 21st century thinking in the development of new steel making processes. The UK needs a commitment to encourage emission-free steel making, driven by appropriate UK steel procurement strategies. In that way we could eliminate the need for coke (and so coal) in steel making. This would be a positive step forward to an emission-free future, and the UK could once again lead the way with new industrial technologies, instead of staying rooted in the 19th century. By Ed Case

Starmer is dumbing down the country Dear Editor, By reminding people of the values of socialism Corbyn vastly increased the membership of the Labour Party. He had to be stopped. Who by? The Tories? No, by the Mandelsons of this world who shuddered at the thought of a socialist Labour Party. And so to Starmer. He is now busy re-branding;

busy devising pro-business policies; busy defending an honours system that makes so much use of the word ‘Empire’; and busy supporting apartheid and ethnic cleansing. As a consequence there has been no surge in the polls. And party membership numbers are falling fast. Is this the way to defeat possibly the country’s worst ever government, by

becoming more like them?

My old lecturer used to say, privately, that it was very easy to be right-wing because all you had to do was combine ignorance with prejudice. It was, however, hard to be left-wing because you had to read lots of books with big words in them. Starmer is dumbing down the Labour Party and, with it, the country.

Friends argue that getting rid of Boris and co. has to be the priority. But I cannot see how Labour moving to the right will achieve that. It only endorses and promotes, those naturally on the right. We need, for example, the gap between the rich and the poor to close. That would be good for all of us. Why not make that the fountainhead for all policies?

As a war cry, Labour is a better right-wing party than the Tories, well, how does that make you feel? Excited? Ready to go to the barricades? Sincerely, A Reader

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CREATING ‘FREE SPEECH CHAMPIONS’ IS SIMPLE HYPOCRACY

Tories Don’t Believe in

COMPETITION OF IDEAS

T

he Education Secretary Gavin Williamson has announced plans to set up a protector of freedom of speech on university campuses. Those who feel that they have been ‘cancelled’ or unfairly had their platform taken away can now take action for appropriate compensation.

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them, often citing examples of “de-platforming”.

Decided to not host Amber Rudd was due to her role in the Windrush Scandal

One such example was in March 2020, where Amber Rudd was due to speak at Oxford University society. Before she took the stage, a committee voted to withdraw her invitation.

FREE SPEECH CHAMPION SEEMS AWFULLY LIKE A BOOST FOR THE LOSING The TEAM reason

Everybody appreciates and values freedom of speech, however the Tory government’s plans are hypocritical. For a party so obsessed with the idea of competition, that the best will rise to the top, this Free Speech Champion seems awfully like a boost for the losing team. Conservatives have been outraged at the disdain that University students have had for

ultimate they decided to not host her was due to her role in the Windrush Scandal, where she oversaw the wrongful deportation of British residents. For those on the Right, they see this as freedom of speech put to the sword. But upon closer consideration, this is a win for freedom, not a loss. The withdrawing of Amber Rudd’s invitation was not done

of association.

Would a Free Speech Champion insist she spoke? Against the wishes of the society who initially invited her? That doesn’t seem like a victory for freedom. Rudd called the students “rude”, would this Champion compensate her for having her feelings hurt? She wanted the freedom to talk, but was upset at having to listen. University campuses are a cherished institution of progressive thought, should we be surprised conservative ideals are unpopular? If the Tories want a competition of ideas, they have to accept that there will be popular and unpopular speech.

by a violent mob, or an illegal act, but by the same society that hosted her. Hosts should

have the right to invite who they wish, under principles freedom of speech and freedom

A Free Speech Champion will only amplify failing ideas, and for a party so fearful of government intervention in the ‘free market’, they would be encouraging a harrowing example of just that. Sean Nolan

Death bed confession in the killing of Malcolm X A death bed confession has been produced suggesting an official conspiracy behind the assassination of outspoken Black leader Malcolm X nearly 56 years ago. Days before the murder, he told an interviewer he believed members of the Nation of Islam were seeking to kill him.

members of the late civil rights and Black nationalist leader released a deathbed confession by an undercover officer they claim shows that the New York Police Department and FBI conspired in the murder.

security at the Audubon Ballroom in Washington Heights on the day he was gunned down.

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The letter, written by Raymond Wood, was authorised for posthumous release by a cousin. It was read on Saturday at a press conference attended by three of X’s daughters and members of Wood’s family.

In the letter former undercover NYPD officer Raymond Wood claims he His home in Queens was was pressured by YEAR firebombed the week before supervisors to lure OLD he was killed and he was under two of Malcolm X’s KILLING FBI surveillance when he was security men into “Under the direction gunned down seconds by committing crimes, a few days of my handlers,” the letter three members of the Nation of before the assassination on 21 states, “I was told to encourage Islam as he stepped up to speak February 1965. leaders and members of the at a meeting in New York City. civil rights groups to commit The arrests kept the two felonious acts.” On Saturday family men from managing door Last year, the assassination was the subject of a six-part Pressured by supervisors to lure two of Netflix documentary, Who Malcolm X’s security men into crimes Killed Malcolm X?, which

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revisited long standing questions over whether two of three men convicted in the shooting were innocent. In 2011, a NYPD detective involved wrote: “The investigation was botched.” The documentary prompted the Manhattan district attorney, Cyrus Vance Jr, to review convictions in the case. Following Saturday’s news conference, Vance’s office said the review was “active and ongoing”. In a separate statement, the NYPD said it “remains committed to assist with that review in any way”. The FBI did not comment. Malcolm X was feared by the authorities and hated by the mass media who attempted

to portray him as a terrorist. He was a severe critic of fellow Black civil r i g h t s leader Martin Luther King.

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POLITICS AND EVENTS

FORGOTTEN BANDS

Gypsy Sun and Rainbows

August 18th 1969 at a dairy farm in Bethel NY 9.00 am

A

fter Bass player Noel Redding had left the Jimi Hendrix Experience, possibly because Hendrix was looking at a possible 20 year prison sentence for possession of narcotics, Jimi asked his old army mate Billy Cox to play. For a while Mitch Mitchell continued on drums, and the line-up was expanded to include percussionists Jerry Velez and Juma Edwards also known as Juma Sultan. Amazingly Jimi also added a friend Larry Lee who had been back from the Viet Nam war for two weeks, to

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Hendrix introduced the band as “Just a Band of Gypsys” and the quirky spelling persisted in an album

accompany him on guitar at the festival. Larry sang and took a few solos on guitar though Jimi Hendrix’s estate is not keen to put these out. Hendrix introduced the band as “Just a band of gypsys” and the quirky spelling persisted in an album ‘Band of Gypsys’ recorded live at Fillmore East on January 1st 1970. I have the album and love it as much as any of those by the Experience, but it did not receive the same critical acclaim. Jimi also indicated that he didn’t like it, but was c o nt r a c t u a l l y obliged to provide an album to follow his first three. There are a number of bootleg LPs that were made, and for a while I was pleased to say I

had them all, but now a lot are repackagings of the same stuff. A couple of posthumous albums were released which again have been subject to the same rehashing.

Bruce, “pleasantly messy” Buddy Miles replaced him. It was Billy Cox’s job to remain rock solid, rather as John Entwistle was for The Who, a band appearing at the festival early on the Sunday morning. The two extra percussionists, Edwards/Sultan and Velez, left to pursue other projects, as did Larry Lee.

Jimi’s best lineup is arguably the Woodstock one, though when Mitch Mitchell left to join Jack

Juma occasionally worked with Hendrix again and can be heard on the instrumental track Pali Gap from the Rainbow

JIMI’S BEST LINE-UP IS ARGUABLY THE WOODSTOCK ONE

The Pedal Board – the Wah Wah The DeArmond Tone and Volume lasted about three years before the blistering invention of an Active (ie powered) tone shaping pedal invented by Brad Plunkett working for Warwick Organs / Electronics. You pressed your foot down to switch it on, and as you lifted it, different frequencies were boosted, rather than cut in the case of the passive DeArmond pedal. At this point the account could become very technical, about the tone controls of the Super Beatle Amplifier, but

what guitarists wanted to know was how to make it go “Wah Wah.” You did that by closing the pedal (twice.)

The human voice can run through vowel sounds EEY AH AW UH OE OO W which has a fancy name, and again we don’t need it here. OK it’s called ablaut reduplication and is an unspoken rule of grammar; we say hip hop rather than hop hip, and tic tac toe in that order. The Wah Wah pedal does it all the opposite way round and

gets only as far as AH, but the effect is sensational. Combined with muting guitar strings, and bending notes, the guitar can be made to laugh, cry, or weep. Listen to Belly Button Window on The Cry of Love by Jimi Hendrix. Listen to the rest of

the album too and you will laugh, cry, weep. You should have a Wah Wah pedal for four good reasons: it makes members of the audience jump around when you play a solo; it’s fantastic for textures when you are playing rhythm; you can leave it stuck in one position to get various kinds of voice (the so-called ‘cocked wah;’) it’s an absolute necessity

Bridge Soundtrack album, and on some other tracks, but the Band of Gypsys Album features only Jimi, Buddy and Billy. During rehearsals in November 1969, Hendrix and Miles recorded the backing track for “Doriella Du Fontaine”, with Lightnin’ Rod aka Jalal Mansur Nuriddin of the Last Poets. So there you have a real stack of forgotten bands. Seymour Griffiths

should you wish to cover White Room by Cream, Voodoo Chile by Hendrix, We Used to Know by Jethro Tull, and many other very famous rock classics. The Wah pedal can also be used with Electric Piano; it sounds cool. They’re expensive; why you still reading and not buying off the internet?

not are this one

POLITICS AND EVENTS

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DUBAI HAS REPLACED BEIRUT AS THE MIDDLE EAST’S JEWEL

Beirut’s fading past GLORIES

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ne of the worst kept secrets among Arabs is that Dubai hungers to topple Beirut as the region’s first destination for tourism, culture, medicine and banking. Beirut’s golden age was in the 60s. The city was an attractive place where every taste was satisfied and thirst quenched.

The Syrian poet Nizar Kabbani called the city the

“Queen of the world” which was betrayed by its jealous neighbours.

ONE OBSERVER DESCRIBED “THE LEBANESE AS SCHIZOPHRENIC

But the tide turned. One observer described “the Lebanese as schizophrenic with one foot in the Mediterranean and one in the desert.” Foreign powers contributed their share to the city’s fate and

» Letter to Julian

The French, British and Americans “advised” Lebanon to terminate its space programme

The West’s double standards have never been so stark.

Dear Julian, You’ve probably heard this one before but it is worth repeating “first they came for the journalists. We don’t know what happened after that.” At a time when the British Government complains that Russian politician, Navalny, has been treated badly by being sent to prison for breaking his bail conditions, hypocrisy laughs at itself. Those “undemocratic

the toxic rivalry began.

On October 27, 2013 Dubai was chosen to host Expo 2020 when not even the Oracle of Delphi could have predicted the Corona virus pandemic.

as Beirut mourned Dubai celebrated the inauguration of its annual book festival with speakers and publishers from around the globe.

7,150

On February 4, 2021 Beirut’s intellectual On February 9, 2021 elites and political Dubai became the fifth activists were stunned country in the world to MILES by the brutal and barbaric have a satellite orbiting INTO SPACE assassination of Lokman Mars. The Emarati rulers Slim. A prominent offered the achievement The very next day, the Lebanese publisher and critic of to Arabs as a nation. Forum de Beirut, a vast venue Hezbollah he was shot and killed for exhibitions and events, went in his car. Lebanon almost sent a rocket up in flames due to an electrical into space in the 1960s. Built by fault. A couple of days later, university students a three stage solid fuel rocket reached 7,150 miles up (11,500 kilometres) when the French, British and ASSANGE HAS NOT BEEN FREE SINCE 2012 Americans “advised” Lebanon to U.S. prosecutors have indicted Assange on 17 terminate the project. It was. espionage charges and one charge of computer misuse over WikiLeaks’ publication of thousands of Beirut is a spell that went leaked military and diplomatic documents. The wrong, where dreams were charges carry a maximum sentence of 175 years in tangible and hopes reclaimed. prison. A past of innocence, purity and His crime was to be a good journalist and expose USA war crimes. grand ideas. Mariam Labban

124 Julian Assange honours for journalism

commies” sentence a man to three and a half years in jail. Yet you, a journalist, have in the eyes of the West, committed a far worse crime. You have shown their lies to the daylight. Throughout the ages there are people small of heart like: Obama, Trump, Cameron, May and Johnson. Every age has them. In some ages they are controlled and the world is a better place. In others people of integrity like you suffer from their spite.

So both competing cities were lit up, one with fireworks, the other through carelessness.

All of us who have had a taste of the wrath of the system know what you suffer. Hardly any have suffered as much as you have. Keep with us, Julian. When history looks back on this age from a time of fairness you will be remembered, they will not. Alan Davies

2008, The Economist New Media Award[451] 2009, Amnesty International UK Media Awards[452] 2010, Time Person of the Year, Reader’s Choice[453] 2010, Sam Adams Award[454] 2010, Le Monde Readers’ Choice Award for Person of the Year[455] 2011, Free Dacia Award[456] 2011, Sydney Peace Foundation Gold Medal[457] 2011, Martha Gellhorn Prize for Journalism[458] 2011, Voltaire Award for Free Speech[459] 2012, Big Brother Award Italy 2012 “Hero of Privacy”[460] 2013, Global Exchange Human Rights Award, People’s Choice[461] 2013, Yoko Ono Lennon Courage Award for the Arts[462] 2013, New York Festivals World’s Best TV & Films Silver World Medal[463] 2014, Union of Journalists in Kazakhstan Top Prize[464] 2019, GUE/NGL Galizia prize[465] 2019, Gavin MacFadyen award[466] 2019, Catalan Dignity Prize.[320] 2020, Stuttgart Peace Prize.[467]

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POLITICS AND EVENTS

ELECTORAL SYSTEM CRUSHES ATTEMPTS TO LAUNCH NEW PARTIES

A majority of Americans WANT A THIRD PARTY A

nger has been brimming among the American left in recent months following the swearing in of the Biden administration, with frustration among activists that many of their strongest champions haven’t been doing enough to advance a progressive agenda. Justice Democrats and the Democratic Socialists of America, two organizations which count the most leftleaning members of Congress, including Alexandria OcasioCortez and PalestinianAmerican Rashida Talib, have come under fire from the American independent media star Jimmy Dore for failing to force the US House of Representatives to vote on revamping America’s broken health care system by voting to support Nancy Pelsoi, an Establishment bulwark, as Speaker of the House. Some have turned their eyes to outside movements, such as the Movement for a People’s Party (not to be confused with Chris Williamson’s similarly-named outfit in the UK, although their goals and origins are comparable). The Movement has proposed a list of 14 key policy planks designed to reduce inequality

under the banner of the Poor People’s Campaign, chief among which is an immediate increase of the national minimum wage to $15 an hour. The Fight for $15 began in the middle of the 2010s as a demand among American left activists and was part of Bernie Sanders’s 2016 platform. In 2020, it was considered the bare minimum in the Democratic primaries. Even though Joe Biden promised it, he has already backtracked, and at any rate planned a gradual increase by the middle of the 2020s, by which point inflation would make the increase utterly meger compared to what it would have meant in 2015.

Other key demands include investment in jobs in public infrastructure, socially beneficial industries, and the reduction of the military budget. The movement also opposes NATO, calls for public banking to replace Wall Street conglomerates, and includes among its supporters s u c h luminaries as Dr. Cornell West, one of the chief A f r i c a n -A m e r i c a n public intellectuals this century, filmmaker Oliver Stone, Al Rojas, who co-founded the United Farm Workers of America, antiwar activist Cindy Sheehan, and several progressive rabbis and other faith leaders.

Although 62 percent of Americans want another political party as opposed to the Democrats and Republicans, It is very, very unlikely, though, that the People’s Party has any chance of succeeding. The FirstPast-The-Post election system in America is even more skewed against third parties than the one in Britain,

$15 AN HOUR

B e r n i e Sanders, the only independent member of Congress, has taken leadership of the Senate Budget Committee, and in this role is planning hearings calling American CEOs to explain their low-paying jobs with titles such as “Why Should Taxpayers Subsidize Poverty Wages at Large Profitable Corporations?” On March 17, Sanders is planning a hearing on income and wealth inequality, followed by a March 24 hearing on “making corporations and the wealthy pay their fair share of taxes,” and one on April 14 on the costs of climate change. If legislative action might not get anywhere, public shaming might have some effect- Walmart announced a wage increase last week in response to activism and pressure campaigning.

POLITICS AND EVENTS

Late February 2021

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JUST WHEN YOU THOUGHT YOU HAD HEARD THE LAST OF HER

Mad Madge Talks Across Oceans Of Time

FROM BEYOND THE WALL OF LOST SPIRITS, LOOSED TEMPORARILY FROM THE HORRORS OF ETERNAL TORMENT, AUNTIE MAGGIE ANSWERS YOUR LETTERS. A VERY MAGGIE CHRISTMAS Dear dead, Maggie I was elected to be vice chair of the Wilmington and district flower arranging society but it seems to be a bigger job than I thought and I need to get out of it. Can you help? J Biden Well if it’s not ‘Sleepy Joe’ getting in too deep once more. Take a leaf out of your predecessors book

and just autograph a few restaurant menus in 6inch high lettering in front of the t.v. cameras. It will look like you are making things happen despite the fact that it is an empty gesture and the Senate will block any and all of your ‘reforms’. Essentially the world is expecting you to expire soon anyway, leaving the way clear for the

BOJO’S DIARY 23RD February. Went to have a little prick today. I always did have a soft spot for Gove. It’s sore now though. 24th February. Trump keeps ringing me. Will have to block him. 26th February. Finished building the last of the camps to help get people back to work. Can’t think of a slogan to advertise them that has not already been done. 28th February. Went to dinner with Peter and Tony and Keir. Such spiffing fellows.

first mixed race, Asian/Afro Caribbean/Female President to be assassinated in office. Auntie Maggie After a long layoff due to a change in management I have finally got my old job back. What is the best way to make money from it? P Mandelson Welcome back Dame Mandy, how’s that gorgeous Ermine cape number you wear in the Lord’s, red is just not your colour is it? You are just the person Sir Keith needs to re-establish New New Labour as the mediasavvy, ruthless ‘Tory-lite’ bribe-fest of the late 90’s. Have you even heard of social media? Or are you just going to get Rupert Murdoch on ‘Sticky Starmers’ side? I’m sure the ‘Prince of Darkness’

will be getting plenty of invites to Yacht parties as there are many more Russian Billionaires these days, thanks to your last shift as Hells Ambassador. Magma, I have always had a problem with my older halfbrother because he is an idiot like his dad. Me and the missus moved to the USA to get away from him. The thing is we both still have shares in the same company. How do I rid myself from him? Yours, Harry Harry you ‘Ginger Tosser’ you’ve got to get used to the idea that the first born is the heir and you are the spare. Your half-brother has been banging out lots of pureblood, blonde little chavvies who look like him, which

essentially is his only job. All you’ve managed to do is produce a more genetically diverse muggle. Maybe your Father-in-Law has an opening shooting ‘Gators and distilling Moonshine? Sainted Margaret There’s a lady that’s sure all that glitters is gold and she’s buying a stairway to heaven. How can I steal it from her? Priti Patel Well I’m not sure that Led Zeppelin quite had you in mind when they wrote that. However Jimmy Page did his best for ‘female youth development’ in his time; and played guitar on a red bus with a flag waving Boris Johnson at the Olympics. So all told, carry on with the good old Led Zep. Have you heard Immigrant Song?

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POLITICS AND EVENTS

BIZARRE NEWS Psycho E-moji Out In The Cold

Jeremy Farmer, 35, was arrested on February 10. According to the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD), he is a suspect in his father’s disappearance, and has been charged with murder. Farmer’s father, Fred, disappeared while on a hunting trip in late 2019. His family kept receiving text messages from Fred after he went missing, but something aroused their suspicions. Fred had suddenly started using emojis. That wasn’t something the 58-yearold retired mechanic had ever done before. Fast-forward to February 2021, and Jeremy is behind bars. And he might’ve gotten away with it all too, if he’d paid any attention to how his father wrote his texts. As far as his family was aware, Fred had never typed so much as the basic 🙂 smiley in his life. On December 27, 2019 – more than a month after Fred had left for his hunting trip – the family reported him to the police as missing. The IMPD launched an investigation and began looking for Fred. The police found out that Fred’s cell phone was never in the woods where he was supposed to be hunting, reported the Washington Post. Instead, the phone remained in Wayne Township, west of Indianapolis, until it shut off for good in January 2020. Investigating Fred’s bank accounts also revealed something fascinating. Someone had made thousands of dollars’ worth of purchases using Fred’s debit card after he had disappeared. Surveillance footage at one of the stores showed Jeremy Farmer as the impersonator. The final nail in the coffin came when two witnesses told the police that Jeremy had bragged about killing his father. According to them, the young man said he’d shot Fred twice in the head and hidden his corpse in a freezer.

A round up of Internet News you didn’t need to know..... £1,000,000 Estate Agent PissTake

The SIX FOOT SQUARE house was originally a hat shop in the Shepherd’s Bush area of London. That’s fine. It seems like a claustrophobic space to both work and shop, but that was at least reasonable. It looks as though someone bricked up a gap between two other proper buildings. The German fashion photographer owner who has a minimalist/amateur aesthetic, bought the hat shop and turned it into a home. The Estate agency Winkworth wants people to believe this home is a “designer’s dream” and the living quarters are comparable to a “luxury yacht.” But the door for the bedroom is literally on the floor. That’s cute and “designer” until someone opens it and forgets – or forgets to tell the other person – and someone plummets down a stairway. One floor is just the bathroom. On to the second floor where you’ll find a windowless office, a bedroom, and a roof terrace where you can go for your panic attacks when the walls are closing in on you. The third floor is all the plumbing in the house, including the only bathroom. The top floor is the petite “master” bedroom. It’s hard to imagine that this is someone’s ideal home. The agency is working hard to spin it as quirky for people who want more from life (but not more space). But imagine spending another quarantine in rooms just six-feet wide. Self Charging Users

Turning a person into a battery sounds like something out of The Matrix movies. If you haven’t seen them, in the films a malevolent race of machines farms human beings for producing bioelectricity But now scientists have indeed figured out how to use the human body to power electric devices. In a new study,

skeleton shipped over to the U.S. And so, he decided to immortalize Uncle Filip in a manner that he too would’ve found satisfactory. Thus began Midnight’s quest to turn the skeleton into a guitar. Midnight’s guitar-playing friends warned him that a bone guitar probably wouldn’t sound particularly good. But he was undeterred – it was the thought that mattered. He welded a metal rod to Filip’s spine and attached a neck from an old Telecaster. He added strings, pickups, volume knobs, and electronics to his uncle’s spinal column. The cord jack juts out from the hip bone. Modern Love Story.

published in the journal Science Advances, researchers created a stretchy, flexible device. It can be worn like a ring or a bracelet, and it generates electricity from contact with human skin. The new device differs from the human batteries in The Matrix films in power output as well. The invention produces only one volt of energy for every square centimetre of skin it touches. If that doesn’t sound like much, that’s because it isn’t. That’s actually less voltage per area than most modern lithium batteries produce. The stretchy-stretchy material the device is made from is called polyimine. To this base, the researchers added thermoelectric chips and connected them with liquid metal wires. Rock Hard and Die Young

A Florida-based guitarist called Prince Midnight, has constructed a custom guitar out of some unusual parts, the body of his new guitar consists of his late uncle’s actual ribcage, spine, and pelvis .It might seem strange

– maybe even disrespectful – to build an instrument out of what used to be a human being. But Midnight’s Filip Skelecaster – a nod to both his uncle’s name and the famous Fender Telecaster guitar – is actually a loving tribute. Uncle Filip was himself a serious headbanger in his lifetime. He was the one who introduced the Greek-native Midnight to rock music in the ‘90s and sparked his lifelong love of metal. Unfortunately, Filip died in a motorcycle accident in 1996 Filip had requested for his mortal remains to be donated to a local college in Greece. For 20 years, his skeleton instructed future medical professionals in human anatomy. Eventually the school no longer needed Filip’s skeleton. And that’s where the problems began. “He ended up in a cemetery my family had to pay rent on. Like, literally in a wooden box,” Midnight told Huffington Post. That’s when Midnight took matters into his own hands. Aided by a local funeral home, Midnight had his uncle’s

Something for all your Valentine’s Day cynics. A Florida Man with a plenty of aliases, all used to pursue women. Multiples names allowed him to get pretty serious with at least two women, to where he asked one to marry him. He did so with a set of rings he stole from his other paramour. When the Florida Paramour got around to Googling Florida Man, she discovered he just got engaged to someone else. If that wasn’t enough of a gut punch, she recognized the ring set from the proposal. They were hers from a previous marriage. Sure enough, Paramour checks her jewellery box and discovers almost $7,000 of assorted jewellery missing. That’s when Florida Paramour DMs the fiancée and explained that the engagement ring was stolen property. The fiancée was way ahead of Florida Paramour. Florida Man had stolen the fiancée’s computer and jewellery and disappeared. The women discovered that Florida Man used to pretend Paramour’s house was his own, taking the fiancée there and asking her to move in with him. The fiancée returned the property she had to Florida Paramour. However, Florida Man is still missing with a warrant out for his arrest.

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PART 2 A WORKING PERSONS GUIDE TO MR DE PFEFFEL JOHNSONS

Mr Johnsons Dictionary

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ver laughed in embarrassment at your limited understanding of Etonian in-jokes, many do. Well you can now decode what the supercilious Berk is on about (Berk, Cockney rhyming slang from Berkley Hunt: C**t). Hogwhimpering

‘Deep down, because of some peculiarity in our psyche, we think it rather admirable to get bladdered, leathered, rat-arsed and otherwise hogwhimpering drunk.’ On the attitude of the British to alcohol. Daily Telegraph, August 11, 2005. Adjective: extreme drunkenness; from American English, ‘enough alcohol to make a hog whimper’. Maybe he picked this one up as an infant in New Yoik. Pissed as a cart. Hypothalamus

‘Somewhere in my endocrine system something gave a little squirt — adrenal gland, pituitary, hypothalamus, and pow, I could feel myself being transformed from this shy, spotty, swotty nerd.’ On hearing the 1981 Rolling Stones song Start Me Up as a teen. From his book The Spirit Of London, 2012. Noun. Part of the brain that stimulates sex drive via the endocrine system and pituitary gland. Another poncy way of saying it gives him the Horn. Hottentot

‘The chap always says, ‘I am now going to call upon soandso to say a few words’, and then for an anarchic moment you think, which words shall I say — Hottentot? Axolotl? Carminative? — and how few can I get away with?’ Boast about his speech-making. Friends, Voters, Countrymen, 2001. Noun. Term used by the Dutch in the 17th century to refer to the Khoikoi, a nomadic tribe in Southern Africa. Axolotl, noun: nearextinct amphibian found in Mexico. Carminative, adjective/noun: drug that relieves flatulence; from the Latin carminativum, a herb used to cure wind. Basically he thinks he can say what he likes because

he’s clever and the audience aren’t. Ker-splonked

‘Nothing excites compassion, in friend and foe alike, as much as the sight of you ker-splonked on the Tarmac with your propeller buried six feet under.’ After he was fired from the Tory front bench for lying about his affair with Petronella Wyatt. Daily Telegraph, December 2, 2004. Borisism, verb. Humiliated; variation of ‘kerplunk’, the thud of something landing; also a game. ‘Crashed and Burned’ in other words A clumsy fellow. Another obsolete term from the 16th century, derived from knucklebone, also the root of the term knucklehead. Lotterel:

Panther

Rogue or scoundrel. A 15th century insult which could come from the Middle English lodder, meaning beggar. Maenads

‘A woman was sitting opposite me in a state of some dishevelment. She was extremely goodlooking and had a tattoo of a butterfly on her bosom, but she was pretty far gone. Not since Pentheus was ripped limb from limb by the Maenads have we seen such drink-fuelled aggression from the female sex.’ Criticising Labour plans to liberalise drinking laws, after he was threatened in a pub in Carlisle. Daily Telegraph, August 11, 2005. Noun. Drunken woman; Maenad, ‘raving one’, from Greek mainesthai ‘to rave’; Maenads were the female followers of Dionysus, the Ancient Greek god of wine. They would get into a state of ecstatic frenzy from drinking alcohol. Also popular in Carlisle apparently. Mafflard:

A stammering or blundering fool. The noun derives from the verb maffle, a regional term in Scotland and England meaning “to stammer; to speak indistinctly, or mumble”.

Swankpot journalists

Mugwump

A political turncoat. Fans of Harry Potter will be familiar with it as one of Professor Dumbledore’s titles of Supreme Mugwump – and it is also the name of a reptilian alien species in William Burroughs’ Naked Lunch. Backtracking Boris later claimed he learned it from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – except children’s author Roald Dahl actually used it in The Twits...for a Monkey.

Knuckylbonyard:

in Kentucky in the US in 1846 but could have come from the German phrase schnelle geister or “quick spirit”.

Mandrake mymmerkin: A Little man. A mandrake is a plant said to resemble a tiny person and mymmerkin is a derivation of the ancient word mannikin and means a small man. The majority of the current Cabinet could be described as such.

‘I’m like a greased panther, a coiled spring.’ Joking about taking part in a charity England v Germany football match. His performance included barging headfirst into a German player’s stomach. Sky News, May 3, 2006. Poule de luxe

‘I twanged the Winged Victory… as one might twang a tentative bra strap. Was there any of us who would not be affected by the beauty of the burred walnut fascia, the white leather seats as soft as the purse of some Saudi poule de luxe?’ On driving a Rolls-Royce. Life In The Fast Lane, 2007. Noun. French poule ‘hen’, slang for prostitute; poule de luxe, expensive prostitute. He really does get horny around cars doesn’t he! Reincarnated as an olive

‘My chances of being PM are

about as good as of finding Elvis on being reincarnated The Independent, that happened.

the chances Mars, or my as an olive.’ 2004. Well

Sandpapered

‘I mildly sandpapered something somebody said.’ On making up a quote about Edward II for an article in The Times in 1988. The Andrew Marr Show, BBC One, March 4, 2013. Verb. To smooth over. Or in English, make up, lie. Scobberlotcher

Probably derived from scopperloit, an old English dialect word for a vacation or a break from work, a scobberlotcher is someone who never works hard. Well we all know someone who fits this one! Shot-clog:

A bore you keep close because he has money. Poet and playwright Ben Jonson used the phrase in the 17th century to mean an unwelcome companion tolerated because he pays the “shot” (i.e. the bill). Rishi Sunak etc. Snollygoster:

A shrewd, unprincipled person, especially a politician. It first appeared in a newspaper

‘The world ought not to be run by swankpot journalists, showing off and kicking politicians around…’ On why he entered politics. Friends, Voters, Countrymen, 2001. Borisism. To ‘swank’ can mean to behave ostentatiously. As in earning more than a Prime Minister’s salary in order to pay for a Nanny. Tosspot. Thrumming

‘My realistic chances of becoming Prime Minister are only slightly better than my chances of being decapitated by a Frisbee, blinded by a champagne cork, locked in a disused fridge… I’m 47 now. I hear the thrumming roar of young men in a hurry. And young women, obviously.’ Hay Literary Festival, June 3, 2012. Verb. Continuous rhythmic humming sound. Ultracrepidarian:

Someone offering advice or opinions beyond their sphere of knowledge. In ancient myth an artist called Apelles heard a shoemaker criticising the way he’d painted a foot. Apelles made a cutting retort that the craftsman should only judge things he knew about and shouldn’t go “beyond the sole” – which is “ultra crepidam” in Latin. A Gobshite. Whack-a-Mole

Used to communicate the intention for specific and targeted actions to combat Covid-19 instead of Lockdown. A child’s vintage game where randomised moles appear to be whacked by said child in a specific and targeted sequence. Apparently the Proles like a catchphrase rather than basic English. Ziggurats

‘It would be wonderful if people were attracted by the cradle of civilisation, the ziggurats at Ur and the hanging gardens of Babylon.’ Sarcastically calling for the return of tourism to Iraq in a Westminster Hall debate. May 26, 2004. Noun. Ancient temple built in what is modern-day Iraq.

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Hope and Good News

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audi Arabia: Ali al Nimr is no longer facing the death penalty in the country. This was published in the last edition but the link to Reprieve was omitted. Ali isn’t the only person who depends on the Reprieve community. For more about their work go to: supporters@reprieve.org.uk UK: Plan to turn UK hills into batteries revealed. The UK’s hills and mountains could soon be the new source of energy after engineers revealed plans to turn them into ‘batteries’ to store renewable electricity. Using technology from traditional hydropower plants,

the project would use excess green energy to pump water uphill via underground pipes. The water would then be released and flow downhill over generating turbines, when demand for electricity was higher. According to The Guardian, the company behind the project, RheEnergise said its plan could see around 700 sites across the country host subterranean hydro projects without spoiling the scenery. Paris: The construction industry the greatest creator of waste in Paris and elsewhere, what can be learned from the French capital a new bio-house nicknamed La Petite Fabrique (the Little Factory) Officials hope this innovative prototype could

help the French capital reach its pledge to become carbon neutral by 2050. Building construction is the leading source of waste in Paris, accounting for 9.5m tonnes of rubbish a year and 20 per cent of the city’s greenhouse gas emissions, it is seen as a sector with enormous potential for improvement. The building contains no concrete and weighs just 196 tonnes (compared to 1,300 tonnes had conventional materials been used). Only 60 tonnes of material will not be compostable or recyclable, and the building will largely be powered by renewable energy. See more on this and other stories at: https:www.positve. news

Denver: A pilot program where teams of social workers and paramedics respond to certain non-criminal complaints in Denver is showing early success. The Support Team Assisted Response (STAR) program was launched in June to help ensure the vulnerable get the help they need. In six months they dealt with 748 low-level incidents such as mental health crises were responded to by STAR health care workers instead of police officers. According to Denver Police Department (DPD) chief Paul Pazen, none of these low level calls ended in arrests, and no police officer needed to be called to the scene. He felt the programme was delivering what was expected.

He said I want the police department to focus on police issues, Pazen told the press 'We have more than enough work with regards to violent crime, property crime, and traffic safety, and if something like STAR or any other support system can lighten the load on mental health calls for service, substance abuse calls for service, and low-level issues, that frees up law enforcement to address crime issues.' Given the Black Lives Matter protests of 2020, it seems likely that increasing numbers of police departments around the world will follow in Denver痴 footsteps, looking to see what can be done to improve the relationship between police and their communities, so everyone feels safe.

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Emily Hobhouse WOMEN WHO MADE A DIFFERENCE

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orn on 9 April 1860 in Liskeard Cornwall, daughter of Caroline and Reginald Hobhouse. Her mother died when she was 20 so she spent the next 15 years looking after her father until his death. During this time she, along with her brother, Leonard , a social philosopher, were active members of the Adult Suffrage Society. Now free to travel she spent two years in Minnesota, campaigning against the severe drinking problems among the Cornish miners there. She became engaged to John Carr Jackson and moved to Mexico where they invested in a ranch. The relationship and ranch failed so she returned to England broke. Her uncle, Baron Hobhouse, and his wife supported her in her campaigning and welfare work. She joined in the campaign for women’s suffrage, becoming Chair of the People’s Suffrage Federation, who wanted the vote for all, not just those with property. She was elected to the executive of the Women’s Industrial Council, investigating child labour for them. She is best remembered for bringing to the attention of the British public, and working to change, the atrocious conditions inside the British concentration campsin South Africa built to imprison Boer women and children during the Second Boer War. * See appendix. Emily was invited by Liberal MP, Leonard Courtney, to become secretary of the South African Conciliation Committee. She founded the Distress Fund for South African Women and Children, and sailed for the Cape Colony on 7 December 1900 to supervise its distribution.

Using her connections she persuaded the authorities to let her visit several concentration camps and to deliver aid. She was appalled at the conditions that she saw faced by women

and children in particular and her report on experiences was delivered to the British government in June 1901.

an occupation in their lonely homes. Ill health, from which she never recovered, forced her to return to England in 1908.

On returning to England she received scathing criticism and hostility from the British government and the media. Kitchener referred to her as ‘That bloody woman’.

Her final visit was She travelled to South Africa again in 1913 for the inauguration of the National Women’s Monument in Bloemfontein(her ashes are buried there now). Mahatma Gandhi met her there and later wrote in her obituary ‘... She had a soul that could defy the might of kings and emperors with their armies.’

However she was able to obtain more funding for her humanitarian work and crucially lobby the government for an investigation of the conditions in the camps. The Liberal leader, Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman, denounced the “methods of barbarism” used there. The government eventually agreed to set up a Commission to investigate Emily’s claims, under Millicent Fawcett, which corroborated her account of the shocking conditions. They were highly critical of the running of the camps and made numerous recommendations, for example improvements in diet and provision of proper medical facilities. Emily returned to Cape Town in October 1901, was not permitted to land and was eventually deported five days after arriving, no reason being given. The next year feeling she had not received justice for her work she moved to the French Alps and she wrote the book The Brunt of the War and Where it Fell on her experiences. Her humanitarian work WAS appreciated by the Boer women who were surprised that she and many in England cared about their suffering. She became dubbed the “Angel of Love” by grateful Boer women. After the war she was able to return to South Africa to support efforts aimed at rehabilitation and reconciliation. With the help of Margaret Clark she decided to set up a home industries scheme and to teach young women spinning and weaving and lace making so they would have

It is less well known that she actively opposed the First World War. She is the only known British civilian to have visited Germany and talked to the German Foreign Minister in the middle of the war, trying to find a way to negotiate peace. She desperately tried to stop it, writing to all her contacts including Lloyd George and sending a letter to the Manchester Guardian: ‘Few English people have seen war in its nakedness….they know nothing of the poverty, destruction, disease, pain, misery and mortality which follow in its train….I have seen all of this and more.’ She travelled to many European countries trying to bring about peace and alleviate the suffering of internees wherever they were. Her efforts helped with the fledgling Save the Children Fund and promoting the League of Nations. This indomitable woman died pleurisy on 8 October 1926. She has been honoured and remembered in many countries including South Africa * Overcrowding in bad unhygienic conditions due to neglect and lack of resources were the causes of a mortality rate that in the eighteen months during which the camps were in operation reached a total of 26,370, of which 24,000 were children under sixteen and infants.

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THE GOVERNMENT REGARDS CRITICISM OF CAPITALISM AS EXTREMISM

SO MANY SOCIETIES

appear to be crumbling

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isintegration is happening in a number of countries right now. At the same time those in power, politicians or the military, they work to tighten their grip on the levers of power and control not only dissent but different views. Under the heading Safeguarding there is a programme called Prevent. Its purpose is to stop young people becoming ‘radicalised’. This concerns me, particularly as we have a government that regards criticism of capitalism as extremism and a Schools Minister famous for interfering

»

If only the votes of the under 45s had been counted Corbyn might have won

in the Politics A-Level syllabus and paper. Young people are being fitted into a template. Meanwhile, in the USA, my eyes are particularly focussed upon the Republican Party. It wants power but might it be just a little at risk of disintegration? The case against Trump was watertight but even so many of them let him off. Party or Country? They have chosen.

for the establishment of a breakaway group of Republicans. It might even become a new party. Perhaps they should call themselves the Reasonable Republicans. Third political parties do not do well in the US but their formation is a sign of general disintegration of the political system. A general thesis is that Trump is more a symptom than a cause. How on earth could someone like him be put forward by any political party with half a grey cell? Or, more importantly, any decent public values. But, then, the Conservatives chose Boris. And Labour, having assassinated Corbyn, chose Starmer.

SOME ARGUE TRUMP WAS MORE A SYMPTOM THAN A CAUSE

I wonder if any of them have read the many predictions that the US Empire will soon end. The closest predicted date is 2030, though this relates, not to internal disintegration but to losing world dominance.

Possibly this is one reason

Incidentally, it’s my belief that if only the votes of the under 45s had been counted Corbyn would have won overwhelmingly. Might there be generational issues at work?

2030

My conclusion is that we have so many politicians that yearn for yesterday when all their THE YEAR troubles seemed so far USA LOSES away. Few of them are equipped to deal with POLE POSITION tomorrow. They cannot even deal with today.

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MEAT recipe

STUFFED PEPPERS Serves four l2 00 grams chicken breast l3 spring onions l 1 medium size onion l3 cloves of garlic l 1 tbsp of Teriyaki sauce l 1 tbsp light soya sauce l 1 tbsp olive oil lH alf tsp of Five spice power l 1 small or medium sized egg l 1 tbsp plain flour. lH alf tsp of Tarragon lS alt and pepper to taste l2 peppers cored and de-seeded. Cut vertically in half Method

inely chop the chicken, onions and garlic. Place in in F a large mixing bowl, mix thoroughly and marinate. Spoon the mixture into the peppers until level. Halve the stuffed pepper vertically again for easier servings. Heat a frying pan with oil and shallow fry the pepper on both sides until the cicken-mix is brown. Put the stuffed peppers on a baking tray. Add three tbsp of water to the frying pan, swirl and pour onto the peppers in the tray. Cover with foil and cook in a fan oven 180°C for 20 minutes. Remove foil and cook for a further 20 minutes. Serve with rice and fresh salad. Even tastier when reheated the next day.

Hector Bellerin on gay footballers

HE IS COMING OUT SPECULATION MOUNTS THAT THE FIRST FOOTBALLER IN THE PREMIER LEAGUE WILL COME OUT AS GAY IN THE NEXT FEW WEEKS

Hector Bellerin works closely with Gay Gooners and is a vocal supporter of LGBTQ rightsCredit: AFP Bellerin works closely with Gay Gooners – Arsenal‘s LGBTQ supporters group – as well as Rainbow Laces and Stonewall, both of which are consciousness-raising movements for acceptance. The Rainbow Laces campaign has brought the issue of homophobia in the English game to the fore, although there have still been instances of homophobic abuse coming from the terraces. And despite all the strides made by LGBTQ campaigners, Bellerin believes it’ll be a while before an openly gay footballer will be accepted.

Rumours are rife in the football community that a premier league footballer will announce his sexuality to the world. The well-known celebrity player is all set to earn millions in endorsements alone and a book deal is already in the offing. Some bookmakers are already thinking of closing the betting on the subject. Footballers who have already come out include: Justin Fashanu, the first British soccer player to come out as gay in 1990, received little support or sympathy from his fellow professionals or the soccer authorities. Fashanu committed suicide in 1998. Former EPL player Thomas Hitzlsperger of Germany revealed he was homosexual in 2014, a year after the end of his playing career. Robbie Rogers, now of the Los Angeles Galaxy, came out as gay in 2013 and left English soccer. He returned to the sport several months later and won an MLS Cup title with the Galaxy in 2014.

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TIGER WOODS CRASHES AND BURNS A

lthough Woods is being held up as a black icon in American society his background was far from underprivileged. His father Earl Woods, a lieutenant colonel in the US army, was of African-American, Chinese and Native American descent. His mother, Kultida, is of Thai, Chinese and Dutch descent. The golfing champion told Oprah Winfrey in 1997 that it bothered him when people called him an African-American. “Growing up, I came up with this name: I’m a Cablinasian,” he said, to describe his heritage mix of Caucasian, black, Indian and Asian. THE ACCIDENT Tiger Woods is “awake and responsive” following surgery on serious leg injuries suffered in a car crash in Los Angeles on Tuesday.

The 15-time golf major champion, 45, had to be “extricated from the wreck” by firefighters and paramedics. The American suffered “open fractures affecting the tibia and fibula bones” in his lower right leg “stabilised by inserting a rod into the tibia”. Injuries to his foot and ankle have been stabilised with screws and pins.

FACTS ABOUT WOODS l In 2017, he was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence when he was found asleep at the wheel of his car, later pleading guilty to reckless driving. l By 2008, he had won 14 major golfing titles, and he jointly holds the record for most PGA Tour wins at 82 with Sam Snead and is three behind Jack Nicklaus’ mark of 18 major titles. l Over the course of his career, Woods has earned $1.5bn (£1.05bn) from endorsements, appearances and course design fees, according to Forbes magazine. l His real name is Eldrick Tont Woods – Eldrick because it has his father’s initial at the start and his mother’s first initial at the end, and Tont is a traditional Thai name. l He first began playing at the Navy Golf Course which his dad had access to. He shot 48 for nine holes aged 3. l His ’96 US Am win coincided with his NCAA Championship Division 1 victory. He is one of five men to have won both in the same year – Jack Nicklaus, Phil Mickelson, Bryson DeChambeau and Ryan Moore are the others.

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TOP 5 SILLY WARS AS VOTED FOR BY OUR READERS WORLD WAR ONE The war of Empire’s in an industrial age. Otherwise known as the first half of the game that included WW2. With an estimated 9 m i l l i o n combatant deaths and 13 million civilian deaths as a direct result of the war.

THE WAR OF MASS DESTRUCTION Iraq, the war that came out of the love affair between George W Bush and Tony Blair. It was started on the false premise that Iraq was hiding weapons of mass destruction. The main evidence for this was a plagiarised thesis from an undergraduate. Over 200, 000 civilians would pay with their lives for this lie.

FALKLANDS The war that made Margaret Thatcher popular again. The Argentine military dictatorship captured a few sheep and thousands died taking them back. Argentina got rid of their right wing warmonger and we kept ours.

VIETNAM Vietnam was almost like a knockout contest to see who the world’s worst army was. This unwanted accolade was won by the USA. Runners up were: Australia, France, Japan and China all of who at one time or another took on and lost to the Vietnam army. (China fought them in 1979.)

THE FOOTBALL WAR The Football War was a brief war fought between El Salvador and Honduras in 1969. Existing tensions between the two countries coincided with rioting during a 1970 FIFA World Cup qualifier. The war began on 14 July 1969, when the Salvadoran military launched an attack against Honduras

THE WORD 6. Which phrase from a Latin poem by Horace is popularly translated as ‘Seize the day’? 7. Precisely, where would you find Hurst Street £400, and Bickenhill £350? 8. Which sportswoman was opening flag bearer for the UK team at the 1984 Summer Olympics? 9. Harrison Ford, Walt Disney and Hillary Clinton were all born in the same city - name the city? 10. His first name is Edward and his father was the MP for North West Surrey from 1974 to 1997 - who is he? 11. Which comedian devised the 1980s television game 4. Prince Edward Island 5. The Peter Powell kite (accept kite) 6. Frankfurt 7. India 8. Terrence 9. Compiegne 10. The Washington Monument 11. Blue Circle

Hard Quiz Questions I 1. Founded by author J. M. Barrie in 1890 and active to 1913, what was Allahakbarries? 2. Who wrote Magnificent Desolation, the second of two autobiographies? 3. In 1816, Harriet Westbrook, the pregnant wife of the poet Percy Shelley, was found drowned in which body of water? 4. Dom Mintoff was Prime Minister of which country in the 1950s? 5. Whose ashes were fired out of a cannon in 2005 in a ceremony attended by Johnny Depp and Jack Nicholson?

POLITICS AND EVENTS

show Bullseye? 12. Dame Shirley Bassey has sung the theme songs to how many James Bond films? 13. In 2016, which country was estimated to have approximately 3.5% of the world population? Difficult Quiz Questions II 1. How many Olympic gold medals has swimmer Michael Phelps won? 2. Which author wrote the books The 48 Laws of Power and The Art of Seduction? 3. The Rupert Bear Museum was opened in 2003 in which English city?

12. Three (Goldfinger (1964), Diamonds Are Forever (1971), and Moonraker (1979)) 13. Indonesia

Late February 2021

Answers: 1. 23 2. Robert Greene 3. Canterbury

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4. Which island, with capital Charlottetown, is often known as ‘Garden of the Gulf’? 5. In 1976, Peter Powell’s well known product was elected toy of the year by the British Association of Toy Retailers what was it? 6. In which German city was Anne Frank born? 7. ‘Truth Alone Triumphs’ is the motto of which country? 8. What was Spike Milligan’s real first name? 9. Which forest is notable as the site of the Armistice between Germany and The Allies which ended World War I? 10. Upon completion in 1884, 5. Hunter S. Thompson 6. Carpe Diem 7. On a Birmingham monopoly board 8. Lucinda Green 9. Chicago 10. Bear Grylls (British adventurer, writer and TV presenter) 11. Norman Vaughan

THE

what became the world’s tallest structure for 5 years until the completion of the Eiffel Tower? 11. Lafarge is the world’s largest cement manufacturer; what is it’s brand name in the UK? 12. Sanditon is an unfinished novel by which English writer? 13. Two British citizens won Nobel Prizes in the years 1907 and 1908, one was born in India and the other in New Zealand; can you name both? 14. The Sarah Jane Adventures is a spin-off of which television programme? Answers: 1. An amateur cricket team (notable figures to have played for the side included Rudyard Kipling, H. G. Wells, Arthur Conan Doyle, P. G. Wodehouse) 2. Buzz Aldrin 3. Serpentine 4. Malta

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12. Jane Austin 13. Rudyard Kipling (born in India, Literature, 1907), and Ernest Rutherford (born in New Zealand, Chemistry, 1908) 14. Doctor Who

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Vegan recipes

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Cooking with Chris Williamson

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VEGAN LASAGNE

Ingredients l 1 medium onion (or 1-2

green parts of the spring onion if low FODMAP) l 1 clove garlic (omit or use garlic-infused oil for low FODMAP) lO live oil for cooking l 1 cup cooked red lentils l 1 medium kumara/sweet

potato

l2 x 400g canned tomatoes l 1 teaspoon dried italian

herbs

lB ox of lasagne sheets

(can be gluten free lasagne sheets for GF and low FODMAP)

Cheese Sauce Ingredients l2 tablespoons of plantbased margarine (e.g. Olivani, nuttelex) l2 tablespoons flour (can be gluten free) l 1 cup alternative milk (e.g. rice milk, almond milk) l½ cup vegan cheese (e.g

Angel Foods Cheddar alternative or Sheese) l¼ teaspoon salt l 1 cup spinach (can use frozen)

Instructions l t ablespoons of plant-based

margarine (e.g. Olivani, nuttelex)

l t ablespoons flour (can be

gluten free)

l c up alternative milk (e.g.

rice milk, almond milk)

l / 2 cup vegan cheese (e.g

Angel Foods Cheddar alternative or Sheese) l / 4 teaspoon salt l c up spinach (can use frozen)

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‘PROGRESSSIVES’ BUILD CLOSE TIES WITH THE WHITEHOUSE

BIDEN OFFERS WARM WELCOME TO LEFT DEMOCRATS »

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emocrat lefties have been brought in out of the cold and given direct access to White House movers and shakers for the first time to everyone’s surprise who had expected a repeat of days under President Barack Obama, when many felt ignored.

Invitation-only briefings, including around Biden’s immigration agenda

Not every announcement has been equally embraced. Biden appointed Susan Rice, Obama’s national security adviser whom some progressives take a dim view of.

When Biden announced Ron Klain as his chief of staff, Democrats from the left, right and centre praised his selection. He’s since become a point of rapid response for many on the left who are angling to get within earshot of the president.

Outside the White House, other progressives are discreetly increasing their activities. On Wednesday, more than 100 community leaders and activists who supported Sanders convened a private Zoom meeting to discuss their chief policy concerns.

Climate activists are among those building some of the strongest bonds within the White House. During the transition, Biden and Bernie Sanders allies created a special task force to address a Green New Deal and reducing the country’s fossil fuel reliance. In his inauguration address, the president called the global catastrophe “a climate in crisis.”

FIRST FEW DAYS OF BIDEN’S TERM THE LEFT HELD THEIR BREATH

After the hardfought Democratic primary and general election concluded, Biden promised to assemble a “broad coalition” to defeat former President Donald Trump and many progressives temporarily withheld their usual

The Zoom call was a microcosm of what the White House may face from more fervent activists as differences of scale on certain policies begin to expose party-wide fissures.

criticisms, mindful of that end goal.

As the first few days of Biden’s term the left held their breath in expectation of Obama-style hawk appointments or overt career corporatist, as key

Join Cazki.com A new concept of Social Media, sitting in that area between Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp but without the manipulation of users by people selling you to advertisers Q: What’s new? A: You won’t be slung off for having non-establishment views Q: Who funds it? A: It is funded totally by subscribers, ie it is already paid for Q: Who is behind it? A: This paper, basically, is the answer. We are only small, but we can only grow bigger as people like you join us We can be better and more appropriate as the other platforms tell you what you can and cannot talk and post about. Go directly to us, if you try to search for us you’ll be deliberately thrown off the scent; funny that ….. Cazki.com – a Socialist Media Platform

department heads. When appointments were made, progressives exhaled. Nearly a year into the pandemic, where issues around unemployment reached crisis levels, progressives were slotted into top positions within Biden’s Labor Department. The president ultimately appointed the former mayor of Boston Marty Walsh, to lead the agency - but only after having a discussion with Sanders. Two former Sanders’ campaign advisers now hold prominent roles within the agency. Previously entrenched in both the politics and policies central to making Sandersworld tick, they have developed alliances on the left that allow them to relay information directly to Walsh. “We’ll go to them,” the first

White House official said about their strategy. “Of course we want people to come to us, but we will do anything and everything to build these partnerships.”

Two priorities currently being discussed on the left, raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour and forgiving $50,000 of federal student loan debt, have the potential to do that. Klain says he is well aware that some progressives aren’t too fond of traditional Democrats. He also understands that they won’t always bend.

A White House official said that they have privately walked progressives through details of the president’s most pressing priorities and implementation plans through invitation-only briefings, including around his imAN HOUR migration agenda and the MAY SPLIT American Rescue Plan. DEMOCRATS

$15

“I always say, [if there’s] somebody on this list that needs to be on it that you don’t see, send it to me and we’ll add them,” the official said, specifically referencing solicitations to left-wing Democrats through email invitations.

“I absolutely know that,” he said. But he hopes a winning formulae will be to have “regular conversations” - as opposed to needlessly adversarial ones - with those who are willing to come to the table.

“People call with their suggestions, I listen, try to be respectful,” he added. “Sometimes people are happy, sometimes people aren’t, but we keep the dialogue going.” Source: The Daily Beast

Book 57

Intermediate Sudoku Puzzles by KrazyDad

POLITICS AND EVENTS

THE Book 8 9577

SUDOKU

Sudoku #5

WORD

Sudoku #5

2

Sudoku #6

5

3

5 3 4 9 1

Sudoku #6

1 8 9 7 5 9 4 3 2 3 5 3 4 6 8 2 1 1 9 1 2 9 6 2 3 9 4 3 1 4 6 8 2 1 4 8 2 9 6 2 3 5 7 8 9 6 8 1 4 You8 or I must yield up his life to Ahrimanes. I would rather it were 4 you. I should have no hesitation in sacrificing my own life to spare yours, but we take stock next week, and it would not be fair on the company. 6 5 7 8 -- J.9Wellington 8 Wells

5 7

1 5 7 1

© 2013 KrazyDad.com

Sudoku #7

Sudoku #8

© 2013 KrazyDad.com

2

1 You 9or I must yield up his life to Ahrimanes. I would rather 2 it were you. I should have no hesitation in sacrificing my own life to spare yours, but we take stock next week, and it would not be fair on the company. 5 7 -- J.9Wellington Wells Sudoku #7 Sudoku #8 9 2 4 7 4 2 1 9 2 9 1 3 2 5 7 9 9 5 9 2 4 7 4 6 4 3 9 1 3 2 2 puzzles. 5 Find the missing 1 2 55. Here are some8 more arithmetic square 9 5 numbers or operation symbols that complete the equations. 7 are5some more arithmetic square puzzles. 3 Find the missing 4 9 55. Here 6 4 3 numbers or operation symbols that complete the equations. a. 6 9 b. 7 + 29 – ? = 12 9 – 1 8 – ? = 2 2 5 1 2 THE a. b. +7 – 5 x1 + + – –? = 124 9 73 + 9 – +? = 2 9 x 7x x 4 2 + 26 + + – –? = 7 +? +6 = 56 9 © 2013 KrazyDad.com

c. c.

© 2013 KrazyDad.com

x

7x

x

4x = 56

2x

+

x 6

–

+? = 7

5x

x

8 x

+

?x

= 43

8 x

+

3x

+

5 + = 16

= ? = 43 18 = 18

= 8 23 = 23

x

= 8 56 = 56

+

?

x

8

x

3 = 24

?x

x

– 8

x

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–

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+

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x

5x = 5 2 = 2

= 63

x

d.

+

= 3 27 = 27

= 5 8 = 16 = 8

+

1

x

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x

2 = 16

x1

x

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x

2x = 16

6 x = 13

?x

x

6 –

+

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+

x = 13 6

+?

x

x 6

+

–? = 37

+

?x = 39 = ? = 39 72

3 + = 3 8

x

9 x = 9 46

x

4 – = 108 = 4 = 108 10

= 72

= 8

+

d.

x

= 46

x

8 8

8 4 5 8 4 5

7 2

7

7 8 8

= 10

= 37

7 2

2 1 6 9 6

2 9 4 3

2 4 3

© 2013 KrazyDad.com

© 2013 KrazyDad.com

1 9 5 1 8 6 9 5 2 5 3 8 6 2 6 5 3

© 2013 KrazyDad.com

WORD6

?x

= 5 19 = 19

2 1

Intermediate Sudoku Puzzles by KrazyDad

CHESS

© 2013 KrazyDad.com

Late February 2021

THE

WORD

27

28

THE

WORD

Late February 2021

POLITICS AND EVENTS

Is the beautiful game now as empty as the stadiums?

T

V rights, sponsorship, merchandise, and preCovid gate receipts means there’s more money in the game than ever before. In that sense football is a spectacle attracting wide support and vast sums of money, and which continues to generate huge signing fees for top players. This suggests the love of the beautiful game is broader than ever. However, watching matches on TV, from empty stadiums with piped crowd noises as hollow as canned laughter from TV sitcoms, I’ve been thinking about our beautiful game and wondering what’s left of the game I fell in love within the early 1970’s? I’m a Chelsea fan; working class from a huge council housing block in Mortlake, West London, close to Brentford, QPR, Fulham and Chelsea. I saw matches at all those stadiums as a kid because various people tried to persuade me to join their tribe. Just like kids today, glory seduced me; the glory of Ian Hutchinson, the two Peters,

On match days most trending topics on Twitter are football related (Bonnetti and Osgood), Charlie Cooke under their skipper, Chopper Harris, brought together by Dave Sexton. Chelsea was stamped on my soul. I’m not going to idealise those days. The glory of the early 1970’s turned into racism and hooliganism by the end of the decade. Chelsea and The Shed became bywords for hate and violence. We ended up corralled into matches like cattle by police and caged behind bars like those that led to the death

of 96 at Hillsborough. Hate and violence were merely reflections of the wider political context as Thatcherism was born, but that’s a whole different story.

us who filled stadiums and made this game what it is. Fans as much as the athletes who performed their artistry on the pitch made football.

VARIOUS PEOPLE TRIED TO PERSUADE ME TO JOIN THEIR TRIBE

But unlike kids from the 14 or so million families living in poverty today, poor working-class boys like me could afford to attend. It was we and those who preceded

‘Prawn sandwiches’ replaced a pie and a cup of tea as prices rose, poverty grew and the class composition of attendees changed. But is this change a bad thing?

I am arguing yes, it is, and the empty stadiums and hollow piped crowd noises show that. The noises on the TV now are only missing the ohhs and ahhhs. The spinetingling chants and singing are still at grounds like Anfield, but the class unity from the near class uniformity of crowds has gone and noise and passion disappeared with it. I believe we need to reclaim the game before it dies in the estates. Prices need to be reduced along with eradicating poverty so that kids like I was can attend games again, chase that glory, and put life and passion back on the terraces. Ed Hunter

»

Hate and violence were merely reflections of the wider political context as Thatcherism was born

POLITICS AND EVENTS

Late February 2021

THE

WORD

29

ENGLAND THRASH NORTHERN IRELAND WITH HAT TRICK

England Women 6-0 NORTHERN IRELAND

E

much quality for Kenny Shiels’ visitors, who are preparing for a Euro 2022 play-off in April.

llen White said England are moving in the “right direction” under interim boss Hege Riise after scoring a hat-trick as the Lionesses eased to a thumping victory over Northern Ireland.

Manchester City striker White continued her formidable form in 2021 as her treble took her tally to seven goals in her past seven games in all competitions for club and country, 16 days after she became the Women’s Super League’s all-

Playing an international fixture for the first time in nearly a year and their first under Norway great Riise, England had too Home

Away

Team

P

W D L

F

1

Manchester City

25

9

2

1

2

Manchester United

25

6

3

3

Leicester City

25

6

4

West Ham United

25

5

Chelsea

6

Liverpool

7

A

Overall

W D L

F

A

W D

L

F

25 7

9

3

1

25 8

18 5

2

50 15

35

59

4

28 19

8

4

0

25 13

14 7

4

53 32

21

49

1

5

19 16

9

3

1

25 11

15 4

6

44 27

17

49

7

3

3

21 15

6

3

3

18 14

13 6

6

39 29

10

45

25

6

4

2

23 11

6

3

4

18 14

12 7

6

41 25

16

43

25

7

2

4

22 16

4

5

3

23 18

11 7

7

45 34

11

40

Everton

24

4

2

6

17 20

8

2

2

20 13

12 4

8

37 33

4

40

8

Aston Villa

23

5

1

5

20 16

6

2

4

17 10

11 3

9

37 26

11

36

9

Tottenham Hotspur

24

5

3

4

17 13

5

3

4

20 14

10 6

8

37 27

10

36

10 Leeds United

25

5

2

5

19 16

6

0

7

24 27

11 2

12 43 43

0

35

11 Arsenal

25

5

3

5

16 14

5

1

6

15 12

10 4

11 31 26

5

34

12 Wolverhampton Wanderers

25

5

4

4

15 14

4

2

6

11 18

9

6

10 26 32

-6

33

13 Crystal Palace

25

4

3

5

14 21

5

2

6

15 22

9

5

11 29 43

-14 32

14 Southampton

25

5

2

6

17 16

3

4

5

14 27

8

6

11 31 43

-12 30

15 Burnley

25

4

4

5

10 14

3

3

6

8

16

7

7

11 18 30

-12 28

16 Brighton & Hove Albion

25

1

7

5

12 17

4

4

4

14 15

5

11 9

17 Newcastle United

25

4

2

6

15 21

3

2

8

11 22

7

4

14 26 43

-17 25

18 Fulham

25

2

4

7

8

17

2

6

4

13 15

4

10 11 21 32

-11 22

19 West Bromwich Albion

25

1

4

7

8

32

1

4

8

11 23

2

8

15 19 55

-36 14

20 Sheffield United

25

2

1

9

9

18

1

1

11 6

3

2

20 15 41

-26 11

23

A

26 32

GD PTS

-6

26

time record goalscorer.

The 31-year-old hailed England’s “direct” forward play under Riise, adding: “I’m excited to see more of her ideas and what she wants to bring to this England side: More freedom, more ability to express yourself, move forward, be more direct.

Gordon McQueen is diagnosed with vascular dementia Former Scotland, Manchester United and Leeds United defender Gordon McQueen has been diagnosed with vascular dementia, his family have confirmed. The 68-year-old, whose career began at St Mirren, played 30 times for Scotland and won the English First Division with Leeds and FA Cup at Manchester United. McQueen went on to manage Airdrie and coach at Middlesbrough, before working as a television pundit. His family said that the former cen-

tre-back was formally diagnosed in January. The family statement, attributed to McQueen’s wife Yvonne, daughters Hayley and Anna, and son Edward, said that McQueen “wants footballers of today’s generation to know there may be risks with persistent heading of the ball”. McQueen’s former Leeds team-mate Jack Charlton died with dementia last year and it was confirmed in recent months that Sir Bobby Charlton has been diagnosed with the disease. Three more members of England’s 1966 World Cup-winning squad have also been found to have dementia.

30

THE

WORD

Late February 2021

POLITICS AND EVENTS

FOOTBALL SHO GREALISH OUT FOR A MONTH

Aston Villa manager Dean Smith will investigate how news of Jack Grealish’s injury emerged in the 24 hours before their 2-1 loss to Leicester City. Villa’s captain was ruled out with a leg injury, ending a run of 48 consecutive Premier League starts. Smith said it is not a longterm problem and hopes to have Grealish available soon, although it is understood he could be out for a month.

MESSI FOR BARCA

Lionel Messi scored on his club-record 506th La Liga appearance but Barcelona could only bounce back from their Champions League defeat by Paris StGermain with a draw against C a d i z . Messi’s firsthalf penalty after Pedri was felled was cancelled out by Alex Fe r n a n d e z ’s last-minute penalty.

SOUTHEND BEATEN BY A BAD CASE OF WIND

Southend manager, Molesley believes there was a chance Bolton Wanderers’ winning goal should not have stood. The Shrimpers boss said his side had been beaten by a “freak moment” after Antoni Sarcevic’s blocked shot looped up and

clipped the crossbar, leaving keeper Mark Oxley stranded as Shaun Miller scooped the ball into the net eight minutes from full time. ACCRINGTON LOSE OUT

John Coleman admitted missing out on all three points against Shrewsbury was a sickener after the 1-1 draw saw Accrington drop out of League One’s top six. Seamus Conneely volleyed Stanley in front in the 47th

minute before ex-Reds winger Shaun Whalley steered the ball home from close range from a corner from Blackburn Rovers loanee Harry Chapman 13 minutes from time. MOYES BEATS MOURINHO AT LAST

This was a first-ever victory for David Moyes over Jose Mourinho, but, far more significantly, it was a win that moved West Ham United nine points ahead of their London

POLITICS AND EVENTS

Late February 2021

THE

WORD

31

OTS rivals Tottenham Hotspur. West Ham are currently top dogs in London, having overtaken Chelsea in fourth place, with Tottenham and Arsenal languishing well off the pace for Champions League qualification in mid-table. Goals from Michail Antonio and on-loan Jesse Lingard condemned Mourinho’s Tottenham to a fifth Premier League defeat in six games, as pressure continues to build on the Portuguese who had been hired for his ability to produce winners rather than entertainers. RANGERS NEARLY CHAMPIONS OF SCOTLAND

With 24 points still up for grabs - the runaway league leaders only need 7 more to make it mathematically impossible for Celtic to overtake them at the Premiership summit. While Rangers were beating Dundee United 4 – 1 Celtic lost to Ross County. NIGEL PEARSON TO RETURN TO FOOTBALL

Nigel Pearson is on the brink of taking over at Bristol City after the club interviewed the experienced former Watford

and Leicester City manager. Pearson has been out of work since leaving Watford in July 2020 but firmly fits the brief of the Robins desire for a more experienced and established pair of hands following a chaotic few months. Radu Dragusin

Roy Hodgson’s side are one of several to have been linked with the defender so far this year, with Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United joining them from the Premier League. The Italian newspaper also covers interest from RB Leipzig, so it’s clear there’s growing admiration for the 19-yearold Romanian. According to the claims, Palace interest is something which continues, with the acknowledgement interest has been there.

MILAN DERBY

Lautaro Martinez’s two goals helped Inter Milan to an impressive derby win against AC Milan as they opened up a four-point gap at the top of Serie A. The striker’s early header laid the platform for a confident Inter display. Zlatan Ibrahimovic twice went close to equalising for

Milan but the hosts were then caught out chasing the game. A fine team move saw Martinez tap in his second then Romelu Lukaku finished another incisive counter attack with a low drive into the bottom corner. IPSWICH ON THE WAY DOWN

But from the dizzy heights of trophies and the Premier

League, the Suffolk side have suffered a steady regression that sees them staring at the possibility of a third successive season in League One unless results improve. Fans, explayers and even the local newspaper have called for boss Paul Lambert to be sacked, but just how deep-rooted are the problems at Portman Road and how far will a change in manager go to turning things around? NON LEAGUE

Notts County’s board have expressed their pleasure at the decision to continue the current National League season. The Magpies, beaten in last season’s play-off final, are aiming to get back to the EFL at the second attempt, and currently sit 3rd, with games in hand on leaders Torquay United.

32

THE

WORD

Late February 2021

POLITICS AND EVENTS

RELEGATION TO THE FIRST DIVISION FIRMLY ON THE CARDS

NEWCASTLE LOSE AGAIN AS BRUCE ABOUT TO BE FIRED S

uccessive losses for the Magpies mean they are three points clear of the drop zone, while 18th-placed Fulham have earned seven points in a week. “Fulham have had a good week and won a couple of games, which at the bottom end of the table is big,” Bruce said. Mike Ashley, the Newcastle United owner, has supposedly made contact and asked Rafa Benitez to return and replace Steve Bruce. Benitez was a hit with the fans but was treated appallingly by Ashley. After forcing Rafa Benitez out of Newcastle United at the end of June 2019,Mike Ashley did his very best to try and rubbish the Spaniard’s reputation claiming it was all about money for Benitez, that all he was interested in was getting more cash working in China and had led Newcastle fans along, claiming the manager had never had any intention of staying at St James Park. It seems to fans that the whole rumour about Benitez return is designed to take the heat away from Ashley.