UK Socialist blog

Kissinger: a war criminal who served US imperialism

https://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/article/f/kissinger-a-war-criminal-who-served-us-imperialism

There was no regime so obnoxious, no tyrant too murderous, for Henry Kissinger’s blessings to be withheld, provided only it upheld US strategic interests

Celebrated for his diplomacy, especially over China, his true face was that of a callous murderer with the blood of millions on his hands, writes ANDREW MURRAY

HENRY KISSINGER, the US diplomat associated with some of the worst crimes of the cold war, has died at the age of 100.

He packed his worst offences against humanity into just six of those hundred years, when he served as national security adviser or secretary of state, and sometimes both, to presidents Nixon and Ford from 1969 to 1975.

A Metternich of the 20th century, Kissinger was a practitioner of cynical realpolitik in the service of the interests of US imperialism.

Even after leaving office, he retained considerable influence for decades, advising successive US administrations and various private clients on world affairs.

He is above all associated with the murderous bombing of Cambodia and the first outreach of Washington to socialist China, as well as support for the fascist coup in Chile in 1973, the pursuit of detente-through-strength with the USSR and peripatetic “shuttle diplomacy” during the Yom Kippur war between Israel and Arab states.

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https://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/article/f/kissinger-a-war-criminal-who-served-us-imperialism

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Covid Inquiry: Boris Johnson said people worried about returning to workplaces were ‘malingering and work-shy’

https://leftfootforward.org/2023/11/covid-inquiry-boris-johnson-said-people-worried-about-returning-to-workplaces-were-malingering-and-work-shy/

dizzy: Work-shy malingerer Boris Johnson accuses people of being work-shy malingerers?

Image of Elmo and former Prime Minister Tory idiot Boris Johnson
Image of Elmo (left) and former Prime Minister Tory idiot Boris Johnson (right)

The former Prime Minister also thought consulting with employees and trade unions was “bollocks”

The former Prime Minister said workers who were worried about returning to work after the pandemic were “malingering work shy people”, the Covid inquiry has heard.

Boris Johnson also thought consulting with trade unions about back-to-work measures was “bollocks”, extracts from Professor Sir Patrick Vallance’s diary have claimed.

According to the diary from July 2021, Johnson dismissed consulting with workers or unions about concerns regarding returning to work after the pandemic, in his haste to remove all restrictions and get people back into workplaces.

“We can’t have the bollocks of consulting with employees and trade unions. They need to all come back to work,” the diary reads.

“All the malingering work shy people.”

The Trades Union Congess has pointed out in response that the law states, ‘staff and unions have to be consulted on safety in workplaces’.

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https://leftfootforward.org/2023/11/covid-inquiry-boris-johnson-said-people-worried-about-returning-to-workplaces-were-malingering-and-work-shy/

Continue ReadingCovid Inquiry: Boris Johnson said people worried about returning to workplaces were ‘malingering and work-shy’

Paul Nowak: The Tories are today back doing what they enjoy most: Attacking unions

https://leftfootforward.org/2023/11/paul-nowak-the-tories-are-today-back-doing-what-they-enjoy-most-attacking-unions/

Let’s be clear. These Conservative anti-strike laws are a dog’s dinner – they’re shambolic and unworkable and will frustrate employers, workers and unions alike.

Paul Nowak is the General Secretary of the Trades Union Congress

MPs are to consider further draconian restrictions on the right to strike in the form of compulsory minimum service levels during strike action in ambulance service, rail and the border force.

Also in front of the House of Commons is a code of practice that seeks to force unions to act as the employer’s policeman.

In their rush to attack unions, ministers are even attempting to sneak in further anti-union restrictions, including absurd rules on picketing.

Let’s be clear. These Conservative anti-strike laws are a dog’s dinner – they’re shambolic and unworkable and will frustrate employers, workers and unions alike.

Rather than dealing with the problems working people face, the government is trying to tie unions up in more red tape.

And these new laws will stoke tensions between employers and workers, poison industrial relations and drag out disputes.

Regulations for minimum service levels have now been laid in rail, the ambulance service and border security. Ministers are also consulting on rules affecting workers in hospital settings, schools, universities and fire services.

The government has said regulations for the pernicious Strikes Act will be rushed into force by the end of the year.

A massive 1 in 5 workers in Britain – or 5.5 million workers – are at risk of losing their right to strike.

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https://leftfootforward.org/2023/11/paul-nowak-the-tories-are-today-back-doing-what-they-enjoy-most-attacking-unions/

Continue ReadingPaul Nowak: The Tories are today back doing what they enjoy most: Attacking unions

Oil Change International Reaction to the Establishment of the UN Loss and Damage Fund

In reaction to today’s announcement about the historic establishment of the United Nation’s loss and damage fund, David Tong, Global Industry Campaign Manager, Oil Change International, said:

“Unprecedented, countries finalized the creation of a fund to compensate countries for loss and damage caused by the climate crisis on the first day of the UN Climate Change Conference. 

“So far, governments’ contributions to the loss and damage fund are dwarfed by their approximately USD 200 billion in planned subsidies for carbon capture and storage (CCS). Subsidies for CCS are subsidies for fossil fuels, because most captured carbon is used to produce more oil and gas. Instead of paying their fair share to clean up their mess, rich polluting countries are offering a lifeline to the fossil fuel industry in the form of billions in handouts for CCS, fueling more loss and damage.

“For this COP to be a success, the negotiators must focus on securing an agreement to massively scale up renewable energy, end all new fossil fuel expansion, and commit to a fast, fair, full, and funded phase out of all fossil fuels”

Key Findings from OCI’s CCS Briefing Today:

  • Governments have spent over $20 billion – and are planning up to $200 billion more – of public money on Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS), providing a lifeline for the fossil fuel industry.
  • The majority of CCS is used to expand fossil fuel extraction. 79% of the world’s CCS operating capacity sends captured CO2 to produce more oil (via Enhanced Oil Recovery)
  • Many of the largest projects in the world operate far below their stated capacity. They are designed only to capture a fraction of the emissions of the plant they serve. 
Just Stop Oil protesting in London 6 December 2022.
Just Stop Oil protesting in London 6 December 2022.
Continue ReadingOil Change International Reaction to the Establishment of the UN Loss and Damage Fund

Keeping 1.5 alive, phasing out fossil fuels and tackling climate inequality must be priorities for COP28 climate talks

As the COP28 climate talks begin today in Dubai, the Green Party has set out three key demands. They are to ‘keep 1.5 alive’; an agreement on the fair and managed phase-out of all fossil fuels; and measures to address ‘climate inequality.’ Greens are challenging the UK government to lead by example and put into practice policies that will help meet these demands. 

Image of the Green Party's Carla Denyer on BBC Question Time.
Image of the Green Party’s Carla Denyer on BBC Question Time.

Co-leader of the Green Party, Carla Denyer, said:  

“We need to hear a clear unambiguous commitment from the UK government to the 1.5C Paris Agreement target which was signed up to by 196 countries eight years ago at COP21. The government must agree to whatever it takes to get this target back on track. It’s going to require a hugely ambitious strategy, but the massive scaling up of climate action that is now necessary is because of dither and delay by countries like the UK in taking the bold action needed. 

“Another vital outcome of COP28 must be the fair and managed phase-out of all fossil fuels. As one of the rich countries most responsible for the climate crisis, the UK must stand on the side of future generations and those on the front line of climate breakdown and agree to urgently move away from fossil fuels. The UK government must resist pressure from the petrostates and others at COP who wish to continue with business as usual and keep the world hooked on fossil fuels. At home this means leading by example with an immediate end to all new oil and gas licences and a rapid acceleration towards renewable energy. 

“Thirdly, these climate talks must recognise that it is a super-rich elite who are super-heating the planet. The UK government must be willing to challenge the grotesque inequality driving climate breakdown and reform our tax system to make the polluter pay. This means taxing the wealth of the super-rich and introducing a carbon tax on the most polluting corporations and individuals. Such taxes, introduced globally, could generate the funds needed for a generous new Loss and Damage Fund to finance climate action in the poorest countries – those suffering the most from the impacts of climate breakdown but contributing the least to the crisis.” 

Continue ReadingKeeping 1.5 alive, phasing out fossil fuels and tackling climate inequality must be priorities for COP28 climate talks