A UK Socialist's blog

Cuba is not a failed state – it is a besieged state

https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/cuba-not-failed-state-it-besieged-state

 Members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces attend a rally in support of former President Raul Castro in front of the U.S. Embassy in Havana, Cuba, May 22, 2026

ROGER D HARRIS and SARA FLOUNDERS challenge propaganda against the blockaded socialist island

MAY Day is the most important public celebration in Cuba. This year, which marked the 100th anniversary of Fidel Castro’s birth, carried special significance in light of heightened US aggression. Over 5 million Cubans reportedly mobilised island-wide under the slogan of la patria se defiende (the homeland must be defended). The largest demonstration took place in Havana in front of the US embassy.

The symbolism of International Workers’ Day was not lost on the White House. President Trump chose that day, May 1, to impose yet more sanctions on top of the already draconian illegal measures immiserating Cuba. Cuban journalist Norland Rosendo Gonzalez called this latest escalation Trump’s “imperial order to kill the Cuban people without bullets.”

The world’s leading imperial power falsely claims that Cuba poses “threats to United States national security.” Secretary of State Marco Rubio subsequently announced additional measures to “defend” the US homeland from its peaceful neighbour.

Jill Clark-Gollub with the Americas Without Sanctions Campaign explains the underlying reason for Washington’s animosity: “Cuba is sanctioned for the crime of being a good example.” A small, formerly colonised country, Cuba simply claims its sovereign right to determine its own destiny without foreign interference.

…

In 1976, Cuban voters ratified a constitutional referendum with a reported 97 per cent approval rate and high voter turnout, which formally defined Cuba as a socialist state. Last year in the United States, the House of Representatives passed a resolution “denouncing the horrors of socialism” by a lopsided bipartisan margin of 285–98.

Capitalism itself, however, has never been subject to a democratic vote of the American people. Perhaps for good reason: recent polls show a growing popularity for socialism, especially among the youth.

Shortly before May Day, President Miguel Diaz-Canel addressed the Cuban nation: “The socialist character of our revolution is not a phrase from the past; it is the shield of the present and the guarantee of the future.” With characteristic Cuban humility, he acknowledged “our own mistakes in this process of social construction” but added that “the main cause of our problems is the genocidal blockade.”

Directly addressing Washington – “gentlemen of manipulation and lies” – Díaz-Canel proclaimed: “Cuba is not a failed state; Cuba is a besieged state.”

…

See the original article at https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/cuba-not-failed-state-it-besieged-state

Orcas discuss Donald Trump and the killer apes' concept of democracy. Front Orca warns that Trump is crashing his country's economy and that everything he does he does for the fantastically wealthy.
Orcas discuss Donald Trump and the killer apes’ concept of democracy. Front Orca warns that Trump is crashing his country’s economy and that everything he does he does for the fantastically wealthy.
Donald Trump sings and dances, says that it's fun to kill everyone ... unless he gets distracted or falls asleep.
Donald Trump sings and dances, says that it’s fun to kill everyone … unless he gets distracted or falls asleep.
Continue ReadingCuba is not a failed state – it is a besieged state

Nobody wants to live next to a war criminal

https://www.declassifieduk.org/nobody-wants-to-live-next-to-a-war-criminal/

You can join the campaign by signing the open letter linked to below

Declassified and the International Centre of Justice for Palestinians (ICJP) launch a major campaign to demand the end of impunity for British nationals who fought for Israel in Gaza.

Earlier this year, Declassified revealed that over 2,000 Britons served for the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) since October 2023. 

This information would never have come to light using sources in Britain.

The UK government does not collect data on British nationals serving in the IDF, and soldiers returning from Israel have not been questioned about their activities in the region. 

Instead, the information came from a Freedom of Information request issued to the IDF by a lawyer in Israel.

The UK government’s failure to collect data on the movements of potential war criminals or properly investigate their activities raises serious concerns.

Individuals who have returned from committing war crimes in Gaza may now be living alongside us and working in public institutions such as hospitals, the police, and schools.

Nobody wants to live next to a war criminal – not least members of the Palestinian community in the UK who have family or friends who have been subjected to war crimes.

Major campaign

In the interests of transparency, public safety, and justice, Declassified and the ICJP are launching a major campaign to demand that the UK government:

  • Track the movements of Brits who have served in the IDF
  • Subject them to secondary screening where necessary at ports of entry
  • Support robust war crimes investigations in line with domestic and international law

…

We are now opening the letter up to the public, and need as many signatures as possible. You can sign the letter here.

https://www.declassifieduk.org/nobody-wants-to-live-next-to-a-war-criminal/

Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel's genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism "without qualification". Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel’s genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism “without qualification”. Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza's hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.
Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza’s hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.
Continue ReadingNobody wants to live next to a war criminal

Morning Star Editorial: An end to the Iran war won’t stop US aggression. Britain must wake up

This is part of the Morning Star’s Editorial. The full article is found here: https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/end-iran-war-wont-stop-us-aggression-britain-must-wake

…

The Trump who once denounced “forever wars” is replacing them with “everywhere wars” — ratcheting up US aggression on multiple fronts. The administration scrambling to extricate itself from the Iranian stalemate is making blood-curdling threats against Cuba, and there is a very real danger that the end of one war will prompt the start of another, equally unprovoked and illegal.

We have to demand more of our politicians than cautiously staying on the edge of Trump’s wars. Steering clear of engagement in Iran is sometimes cited as a positive achievement of the Keir Starmer government (not least by Starmer himself).

Like so much Starmer says, it’s a lie: US aircraft were permitted to use our air bases to bomb Iran throughout, where other European countries including Spain, France and Italy barred the US from using their airspace to prosecute the war. But even they did not go far enough. The diplomatic attitude of Britain and most of Europe to the Trump regime is one of cowardice — and it leaves us irrelevant.

Europe has played no role in ending the war, despite the huge economic damage it has done to European economies, but then “Europe’s diplomatic irrelevance in major Middle Eastern diplomacy has become so normalised that its exclusion barely registers,” as Iranian-Swedish analyst Trita Parsi writes.

It also did nothing to prevent the war. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi pointed out in February that “several countries are presently attempting to avert the eruption of all-out war in our region. None of them are in Europe.”

European powers took a wait-and-see attitude once the US and Israel had launched their unprovoked attack. Enthusiasm in some quarters — from German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, for example, and from Britain’s Tories and Reform UK — cooled as it became clear the US wasn’t winning.

But there was no principled opposition. The worst single atrocity of the war, the US bombing of a girls’ primary school in Minab, killing 160 people, mostly children, took place on the first day and was widely reported but not condemned by Downing Street or European capitals.

…

This is part of the Morning Star’s Editorial. The full article is found here: https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/end-iran-war-wont-stop-us-aggression-britain-must-wake

Donald Trump calls for help from NATO allies in securing the Strait of Hormuz despite saying on 7 March 2026 that they don't need people to join wars after they've already won. He's challenged with the claim that he lies as much as the IDF.
Donald Trump calls for help from NATO allies in securing the Strait of Hormuz despite saying on 7 March 2026 that they don’t need people to join wars after they’ve already won. He’s challenged with the claim that he lies as much as the IDF.
Donald Trump sings and dances, says that it's fun to kill everyone ... unless he gets distracted or falls asleep.
Donald Trump sings and dances, says that it’s fun to kill everyone … unless he gets distracted or falls asleep.

Continue ReadingMorning Star Editorial: An end to the Iran war won’t stop US aggression. Britain must wake up

Iran rejects linking frozen assets to nuclear talks with US

This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. 

Daily life continues in Tehran, Iran as the second round of nuclear negotiations between Iran and the United States begins in Geneva on February 17, 2026. [Fatemeh Bahrami – Anadolu Agency]

Iran does not accept linking the release of its frozen assets to the issue of enriched nuclear materials, Iranian news agency Tasnim quoted informed sources as saying.

The agency cited the sources as saying that Tehran “has made it clear that no agreement will be reached without the release of a specified portion of its frozen assets in the very first step.”

They added that Iran has not made any commitments at this stage regarding the details of the nuclear file.

“No final understanding has been reached with the United States so far, and disagreements remain over some clauses,” the sources said.

FACTBOX – Iranian, US versions of potential agreement proposals

This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. 

Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel's genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism "without qualification". Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel’s genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism “without qualification”. Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Nigel Farage objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza's hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.
Nigel Farage objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza’s hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.
Donald Trump calls for help from NATO allies in securing the Strait of Hormuz despite saying on 7 March 2026 that they don't need people to join wars after they've already won. He's challenged with the claim that he lies as much as the IDF.
Donald Trump calls for help from NATO allies in securing the Strait of Hormuz despite saying on 7 March 2026 that they don’t need people to join wars after they’ve already won. He’s challenged with the claim that he lies as much as the IDF.

Continue ReadingIran rejects linking frozen assets to nuclear talks with US

Hezbollah says it launched 12 attacks targeting Israeli Iron Dome launchers, drone defense systems

This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. 

Smoke rises from an Israeli military position near the northern border town of Shomera following a drone attack carried out by Hezbollah on April 30, 2026. [Israel Fire and Rescue Authority – Anadolu Agency]

Lebanese group Hezbollah said Sunday that it carried out 12 attacks in the last 24 hours against Israeli forces in southern Lebanon and northern Israel, Anadolu reports.

The attacks included strikes targeting military vehicles, drone jamming systems and launchers belonging to Israel’s Iron Dome air defense system.

The group said in a statement that the attacks came in response to Israeli ceasefire violations and attacks on southern villages.

Hezbollah said it targeted an Israeli military engineering vehicle with drones in the southern Lebanese city of Bint Jbeil.

The group also said it struck a technical device and a command vehicle at the Jal Al-Allam site in northern Israel, claiming direct hits.

According to Hezbollah, an Israeli Heron 1 drone was confronted above Lebanon’s Bekaa region with a surface-to-air missile, forcing it to leave the area.

READ: Israel pounds Gaza, Lebanon in daily breaches of ceasefires

The group said it targeted four Iron Dome launchers at the Branit and Ramim barracks, in addition to three Drone Dome anti-drone jamming systems at Nimr Al-Jamal, Al-Jardah and Naqoura.

Hezbollah also said it targeted gatherings of Israeli soldiers in Deir Siryan and Bayyada using artillery and drones.

In recent months, Hezbollah drones, particularly fiber-optic-guided models, have raised growing concern in Israel due to the difficulty in detecting and intercepting them. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has described the drones as a “major threat” and urged the military to develop ways to counter them.

More than 3,100 people have been killed, and 1.6 million displaced in the latest Israeli assaults in Lebanon that started March 2, after Hezbollah’s retaliation to the Iran war, according to Lebanese officials.

Israeli attacks continue despite a US-mediated ceasefire that is supposed to remain in effect until early July.

READ: Israeli strike causes heavy damage to hospital in southern Lebanon

This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. 

Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel's genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism "without qualification". Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel’s genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism “without qualification”. Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Nigel Farage objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza's hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.
Nigel Farage objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza’s hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.
Donald Trump calls for help from NATO allies in securing the Strait of Hormuz despite saying on 7 March 2026 that they don't need people to join wars after they've already won. He's challenged with the claim that he lies as much as the IDF.
Donald Trump calls for help from NATO allies in securing the Strait of Hormuz despite saying on 7 March 2026 that they don’t need people to join wars after they’ve already won. He’s challenged with the claim that he lies as much as the IDF.

Continue ReadingHezbollah says it launched 12 attacks targeting Israeli Iron Dome launchers, drone defense systems