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Tag: subverting democracy

  • Tom Watson says Palantir critics are ‘mob rule’

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    https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/lord-watson-says-palantir-critics-are-mob-rule

    Palestine Solidarity Campaign officer Lewis Backon: ‘Unelected Lord Watson describes it as ‘mob rule.’ It’s democracy.’

    FORMER deputy leader of the Labour Party Lord Tom Watson sparked fresh outrage today as he dismissed critics of his new boss US spy tech Palantir’s controversial government contracts as “mob rule.”

    Co-founded by Trump-supporting billionaire Peter Thiel, the firm provides AI-powered software to the Israeli military and the White House’s Ice immigration crackdown and recently appointed Lord Watson as its senior vice-president. 

    Labour MPs, medical unions and NHS campaigners have been urging PM Andy Burnham to ditch Palantir from government contracts, including a £330 million software deal with the health service.

    Lord Watson told the BBC: “One of the things I’d say to my former colleagues is: do you want to let the rule of law lead procurement practice, or do you want mob rule to lead procurement practices? Because you get yourself in a lot of trouble if you go down on the latter one.”

    He added he would work with a Reform UK government on immigration crackdowns if the situation arose.

    …

    Article continues at https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/lord-watson-says-palantir-critics-are-mob-rule (recommended)

    Experiencing issues with this image not appearing. I suspect because it's so critical of Zionist Keir Starmer's support of and complicity in Israel's genocides.
    Genocide denier and Current UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is quoted that he supports Zionism without qualification. He also confirms that UK air force support has been essential in Israel’s mass-murdering genocide. Includes URLs https://www.declassifieduk.org/keir-starmers-100-spy-flights-over-gaza-in-support-of-israel/ and https://youtu.be/O74hZCKKdpA
    UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham admits to blatently lying and engaging in deception to become leader of the UK Labour Party and Prime Minister.
    UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham admits to blatently lying and engaging in deception to become leader of the UK Labour Party and Prime Minister.
    Ed Miliband says that he and the Labour Party are full of shit criminalising people holding signs as terrorists despite anything he says.
    Ed Miliband says that he and the Labour Party are full of shit criminalising people holding signs as terrorists despite anything he says.

    dizzy: It’s far more appropriate to accuse Tom Watson of being part of mob rule, of mobsters subverting democracy to enrich themselves. Watson in taking Palantir’s filthy lucre is joining Donald Trump’s gang. Trump has a history of failed casinos, a traditional route for mobster money-laundering. Like Watson, Trump subverts democracy whoring himself to the highest bidders – often fossil fuel industries – not caring anything for human rights or destroying the climate and environment. Watson is similarly happy to take the money from the immoral filthy rich and powerful.

    We shouldn’t tolerate this shit of politicians subverting democracy any longer. Palestine Action supporters accused and sentenced as terrorists? FO, we should instead be jailing Tony Blair and Alastair Campbell as the war criminals they undoubtedly are, holding this Fascist Labour government to account for complicity and actively supporting Israel’s Gaza genocide. These politician cnuts are the real terrorists, criminals and mobsters.

  • Two months after elections, Macron refuses to nominate progressive prime minister

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    Original article by Ana Vračar republished from peoples dispatch under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 (CC BY-SA) license.

    NFP representatives ahead of talks with President Macron, August 2024. Source: Lucie Castets/X

    Emmanuel Macron continues to block the formation of a New Popular Front-led government, sparking outrage over his disregard for democratic processes

    Almost two months have passed since the snap election in France, and President Emmanuel Macron is still avoiding to nominate a new prime minister. His behavior has sparked outrage, particularly in left and progressive circles, who accuse him of usurping power and showing a gross lack of respect for democratic processes.

    Following consultations with representatives of all parliamentary parties between August 23 and 26, Macron refused to nominate Lucie Castets, the candidate put forward by the New Popular Front (NFP), claiming he is acting to preserve “institutional stability.”

    The NFP emerged as the group with the largest number of parliamentary seats in the election, despite not securing an absolute majority. This lack of an absolute majority has been exploited by political opponents, ranging from Macron’s liberals to the far-right led by Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella, who argue that there was no clear election winner and seek to block a progressive government from taking office.

    Read: Macron calls for ‘political pause’ amid post-election transition

    Both liberals and right-wing factions have vowed to block an NFP-led government, especially if it includes ministers from the left-wing party France Unbowed (LFI). However, these threats have been denounced by NFP representatives as attempts to prevent the coalition from implementing its program, which aims to break with the neoliberal policies championed by the liberals and supported by the right.

    “Emmanuel Macron understands that our priority, as the French people expect, will be to reverse his unfair pension reform and restore public services,” said Lucie Castets. “He is looking for excuses to prevent us from doing so.”

    The President’s latest statements have been described as “a disgrace” and “lunatic” by leaders of the parties united in the NFP. “The President of the Republic has just created a situation of exceptional gravity,” summarized Jean-Luc Mélenchon, announcing that LFI will be calling for Macron’s impeachment.

    “Anger. That is what millions of us are feeling this morning. Emmanuel Macron is telling us that elections are worthless. So, does democracy mean nothing to the President? That’s extremely dangerous,” Castets pointed out in an interview.

    Meanwhile, Macron continues to insist that the only way forward is to find a candidate for prime minister who enjoys cross-party support, raising questions about the purpose of elections in the first place. According to the President, an NFP government would face an immediate vote of no confidence from the liberals and the right wing, leaving it completely ineffectual. Instead, he announced another round of conversations with parliamentary groups to define a way forward—talks that the NFP has already declared they will not attend, deeming them illegitimate.

    “The gravity of the moment calls for a firm response from French society against the incredible abuse of power to which it is being subjected,” LFI said in a press statement. As a first step, the left party, along with student organizations and unions, has called for protests on September 7.

    Original article by Ana Vračar republished from peoples dispatch under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 (CC BY-SA) license.