Jeremy Corbyn – Part of a Wave of Progressive Change sweeping Europe

Congrats to Jeremy for winning by a landslide the leadership of the Labour Party. Hopefully this will be a return to truthfulness, justice and radicalism fo a party that under Blair and others became pro-big media, pro-spin, pro-banks, pro-nuclear weapons, pro-military invasions, pro-austerity and pro-billionaires. 
Unlike Blair and co, Jeremy will not suck up to media barons such as Murdoch, oil-rich Arab totalitarian regimes and American war-mongering neo-conservatives. All over Europe new popular movements are shaking corrupt political systems that are too often in league with a tax-avoidance elite made rich at the expense of ordinary people’s rights.  As with the Scottish National Party and Syriza, Jeremy is part of this tidal wave demanding change.
It will not be easy to re-establish community grassroots democracy in England. The stakes are high to break the stranglehold of the few. But I firmly believe that ultimately 'people power' will win out.

Saor Alba & a Pyrrhic Victory for the Tories?

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Congrats to the Scottish National Party (SNP) for their great historical victory yesterday. They are a movement whose origins in part are due to the inspiration that Scots got in the early part of the last century from the Irish struggle for nationhood and independence from an imperial Britain.

Yesterday was a watershed in British politics, an important milestone in the shaping of the United Kingdom similar to the 1945 General Election which brought the Labour Party to power and to 1918 when Sinn Féin consigned the once dominant Irish Parliamentary Party to the history bin and led a few years later to the establishment of an Irish free state.

This week Labour was annihilated in its heartland by a rising nationalism due in large part to its betrayal of its socialist principles, its support for the hugely expensive Trident nuclear weapon programme and its arrogance towards the Scottish people that it took for granted over so many years.

The three principal founders (Hardie, Anderson & MacDonald)  of the British Labour Party were all Scottish and it has been the largest party in Scotland since the late 1950s. Until yesterday.

The Conservative Party may have won the 2015 UK general election but it could be a Pyrrhic victory. Mainland Britain now has a geographical political fault line separating Scotland from the rest of the island. The Tories are primarily a party  of England; it has only one Westminster seat in Scotland out of 59 seats, with SNP on the other hand holding an overwhelming 56.

The nationalists will now campaign for the maximum powers possible for the Hollyrood parliament under the increased powers of devolution promised at last referendums. Furthermore, the UK referendum on membership of the EU that will take place within the next two years may lead to the majority of the population of England voting to leave whilst the Scots may  decide the opposite. What happens then?

Now for an enjoyable read of What did the Irish ever do for Scotland?, click here

1980s Reports on Westminster Paedophile ring missing. Surprised?

There is no doubt that the political establishment in Britain for decades covered up extensive immoral, anti-democratic and criminal activities that victimised amongst others Irish republicans, British and Latin American left wing activists, environmentalists and now we discover children. 

The establishment consists of the higher echelons of the judiciary, police, politicians and civil servants. It was announced today by Teresa May that an investigation will look into the accusations of a high level cover-up over the child abuse element.

 But sadly as we know from painful and expensive experience in Ireland investigations, namely tribunals, have achieved little in terms of justice. Denis O'Brien for instance survived the damning conclusions of the Moriarty Tribunal that went to the core of corruption of the Irish parliamentary system

London's Olympics & Paralympics have changed People's Perceptions of a Nation & of Disability.

As with last month's Olympics, the Paralympics 2012 was an outstanding success. For me what stood out was the a) social historical themes of the opening and closing ceremonies with their colourful anarchic format and b) the high level of professionalism and friendliness shown by a huge army of volunteers.

The British and particularly the English have regained a sense of national pride and value in the world. For a long time, the legacy of an arrogant superior English colonial mentality 

that is still promoted by a hard core of drunken, foul-mouth racist, beer-swelling tattooed wolf -pack hooligans on overseas holidays or at football matches 

Anti-Irish Emblem of the English National Front

diminished the huge contributions that the country has given to world culture (e.g. in literature, drama, music, film, architecture, human rights, progressive politics, sport, science and technology).

Drunken English Students in Salou Spain

Also notable was the fact that the London Paralympics has led to a seismic shift in the perceptions of the general public worldwide. 

Overcoming extreme prejudice as well as physical and mental barriers, the participating athletes achieved greatness and in the process have become positive role models to us all. They are no longer judged on their disabilities but rather on their abilities.

Thank you so much London!