Yearly Archives: 2024

Greens call for urgent Parliamentary debate on dangerous escalation

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Green Party co-leader Adrian Ramsay urged Parliament to force an urgent debate on the “dangerous escalation” in the Middle East that has seen the UK attack Yemen. 

Green Party Co-leader Adrian Ramsay October 2023.
Green Party Co-leader Adrian Ramsay October 2023.

Ramsay said: 

“It is important for the international community to work together to defend shipping in the Red Sea from attack, but there is a significant distinction between internationally based defence and countries like the UK and US taking it upon themselves to launch attacks. 

“This is a dangerous escalation taken without the approval of Parliament. The conflict is already spreading across Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and elsewhere. These attacks risk inflaming tensions and sparking further attacks. 

“The Prime Minister needs to stand before Parliament and explain a strategy. It is unacceptable to escalate activity whilst evading scrutiny and the democratic process. 

“The Green Party again urges the government to launch an urgent international peace effort. Now is the time to search for new peace initiatives that can break this cycle of pain and create the conditions for a lasting peace in the region. 

“As we set out earlier this week, the UK government should pursue a strategy that reduces tensions and offers a path to peace. The key to that is ending the conflict in Gaza.

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Left Foot Forward

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A selection of articles from the excellent Left Foot Forward blog, this blog’s favourite blog ;)

NHS waiting lists increase by 400,000 after Rishi Sunak’s pledge to bring them down

“He can’t pull the wool over people’s eyes by claiming it’s down to strike action. Patients, staff and the public deserve better.”

Voters prefer spending on public services over tax cuts, poll finds

Sadiq Khan perfectly sums up why Brexit has been a failure for London

Environmental campaigners hold protest in Brighton, calling for immediate end to sewage dumping

Crowdfunder urging UK government to halt arms sales to groups actively engaged in warfare gains momentum

More

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Common Dreams

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Some articles at Common Dreams

Demonstrators wearing orange jumpsuits and hoods over their heads rally outside the White House in Washington, D.C. on January 11, 2019 to demand the closure of the U.S. military prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.  (Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

22 Years, 4 Presidents, and Just 1 Conviction Later, Dozens Still Jailed at Guantánamo

Chlöe Swarbrick, then a Green Party Auckland Central candidate, attended an election night celebration on October 17, 2020 in New Zealand.  (Photo: Phil Walter/Getty Images)

Watch New Zealand MP’s ‘Absolutely Brilliant’ 80-Second Takedown of GDP

Dr. Ashraf al-Qidra speaks during an October 26, 2023 press conference as he holds a list of 6,747 people killed by Israeli air and artillery strikes on the besieged Palestinian enclave since October 7.  (Photo: Palestine Ministry of Health Gaza/Facebook)

Israel’s Campaign in Gaza Fits the Legal Definition of Genocide

Common Dreams

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South African lawyer’s speech accusing Israel of genocide at ICJ

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https://www.commondreams.org/news/israel-genocidal-statements-2666930604

South African attorney Tembeka Ngcukaitobi on Thursday used the words of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other high-ranking officials to make the case to the International Court of Justice—and to the world—that Israel’s military is acting with clear genocidal intent in the Gaza Strip.

“Let the prime minister’s words speak for themselves,” said Ngcukaitobi, pointing to Netanyahu’s November remarks urging Israelis to “remember what Amalek has done to you. Netanyahu has repeatedly likened Gazans to the Amalekites, whom the Old Testament God orders King Saul to massacre.

Ngcukaitobi went on to cite the deputy speaker of the Israeli Knesset, who called on Israel’s military to “burn Gaza” to the ground—a statement he reiterated ahead of Thursday’s hearing at the United Nations’ highest court.

“There is an extraordinary feature in this case: that Israel’s political leaders, military commanders, and persons holding official positions have systematically and in explicit terms declared their genocidal intent,” said Ngcukaitobi. “And these statements are then repeated by soldiers on the ground in Gaza as they engage in the destruction of Palestinians and the physical infrastructure of Gaza.”

The South African attorney played video footage of Israeli soldiers dancing and chanting that there are “no uninvolved civilians” in Gaza—a precursor to the war crime of collective punishment.

…

https://www.commondreams.org/news/israel-genocidal-statements-2666930604

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Rishi Sunak on stopping Rosebank

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Rishi Sunak on stopping Rosebank says that any chancellor can stop his huge 91% subsidy to build Rosebank, that Keir Starmer is as bad as him for sucking up to Murdoch and other plutocrats and that we (the plebs) need to get organised to elect MPs that will stop Rosebank.
Rishi Sunak on stopping Rosebank says that any chancellor can stop his huge 91% subsidy to build Rosebank, that Keir Starmer is as bad as him for sucking up to Murdoch and other plutocrats and that we (the plebs) need to get organised to elect MPs that will stop Rosebank.

It is very likely that fossil fuel exploitation is unviable without fossil fuel subsidies.

https://www.statista.com/chart/31016/volume-of-global-fossil-fuel-subsidies-timeline/

According to calculations by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), seven trillion U.S. dollars were spent on direct and indirect subsidies for fossil fuels in 2022. The war in Ukraine and the resulting rise in energy prices are partly responsible for the significant increase in the previous year.

But even before that, the trend was already upwards, as this infographic illustrates. Subsidies are also likely to increase in the future. According to analysts, the reason for this is the economic growth of the Global South and the resulting increase in the consumption of coal, oil and gas.

Government support for fossil fuels is equivalent to just over seven percent of the planet’s economic output. A direct comparison with another important government budget item, for example, shows how enormous this sum is. Education spending by all countries combined accounts for 4.3 percent of global gross domestic product.

Countering fossil fuel subsidies, according to the IMF, would not only offer a chance to put humanity back on track to meet its climate goals, but could also prevent 1.6 million premature deaths per year and increase government revenues by $4.4 trillion.

Continue ReadingRishi Sunak on stopping Rosebank