Ed Milliband And His Phony Populism
In a desperate attempt to capture the imagination of patriots and nationalists, Labour leader Ed Miliband today promised new measures to prevent the British people being “locked out” of their own jobs by foreign workers. But what jobs is he talking about? Everyone knows there are no jobs. For forty years now, all British governments have gone out of their way to dismantle any manufacturing in this country and with devastating results – British industry and engineering belong to the past and the British governments have done little to change the situation.
Desperate to maintain his political relevance, Milliband distances himself from his predecessor, Gordon Brown’s, rhetoric. He (Brown) went on record saying: “I am not going to promise ‘British jobs for British workers’”. Here, I must mention, that the reference to ‘British workers’, used so often by Labour politicians, is obviously and completely out of date. Our elected politicians care nothing for the ‘worker’. They are far more interested in transforming those who used to be workers, into consumers. In fact, all Western governments are there to regulate consumption and are therefore, openly and completely submissive to big monopolies and global interests. Accordingly the rest of us, immigrant or a native, have but one simple role in life: to buy, or more accurately, to spend money we don’t have.
‘Immigration’ is obviously another spin. The real problem in Britain and in the West in general is pretty obvious. We are paying a heavy price indeed for the fatal collapse of manufacturing. We hardly produce anything and, as time passes, lose any chance to ever produce anything again.
So Miliband diverts our attention from the real issues. He blames Brown for being “disconnected from the concerns of working people.” Now, I wonder, what could Ed Milliband, that political toddler, possibly know about ‘working people’ or for that matter, work in general? Did Ed Milliband ever spend one day of his life in a factory or farm? Did Ed Milliband ever produce anything except empty rhetoric?
Milliband picks on immigration because he is, quite simply, a banal populist. He longs to appeal to some imaginary British national collective. At first he is apologetic: “Why didn’t we listen more?” he says as if he, Ed Milliband, could ever manage to listen. Then, he ‘empathises’ with the weak: “We lost sight of who was benefiting from that growth – and the people who were being squeezed. And, to those who lost out.” As the son of an immigrant Jewish cosmopolitan socialist, I would expect nothing less of Milliband than to transcend himself beyond any such fake, righteous British tribalism. If Ed Milliband really cared about the ‘squeezed’ then he would be perhaps a universalist and care about all those who fall behind – both indigenous Britons and immigrants.
Ed Milliband speaks about ‘immigration’ today because to him, the very concept of production and manufacturing is alien. It is so much easier for his lame mind to appeal to the lowest form of British xenophobic feelings. But the truth is, as ever, quite simple: if Britain wants to save herself and to stand again on her own two feet, she must flee the service economy and pursue real production that would imbue the presently archaic notion of ‘British worker’, with a new and vibrant meaning.
Hamas heartened by apparent Mursi victory
Palestinians and Israelis react to the possible victory of Islamists in Egypt’s presidential race, with Fatah and Tel Aviv left worried, writes Khaled Amayreh in Ramallah
Palestinian Islamists, who closely followed this week’s Egyptian presidential elections run-off, reacted with deep satisfaction to the apparent victory of the Muslim Brotherhood candidate Mohamed Mursi over his secular opponent Ahmed Shafik, the last prime minister under ex-president Hosni Mubarak.
Prior to the elections, Hamas leaders commented tersely and diplomatically on political developments in Egypt, saying they were standing at the same distance from all political players in the Egyptian arena. However, it was clear beneath such words what party and candidate Hamas and other Islamist groups were favouring.
Hamas is the daughter of the Muslim Brotherhood and has always had umbilical bonds with the mother organisation. Some of Hamas’s prominent leaders, such as Mahmoud Al-Zahhar, have been granted Egyptian citizenship, his mother being Egyptian.
The mother of the speaker of the Palestinian parliament, Aziz Duweik, now imprisoned in Israel without charge or trial for his political activities, is also Egyptian, which qualifies him to obtain Egyptian citizenship according to recently amended laws.
Many Palestinian Islamist leaders also received their college and postgraduate education in Egypt.
In the Gaza Strip, hundreds of Palestinian youths took to the streets to celebrate Mursi’s apparent victory shortly after the Brotherhood’s candidate appeared on television to claim victory in the presidential elections.
Others distributed sweets and exchanged calls of congratulation.
“This is a victory for Palestine as much as it is for Egypt. We hope that with an Islamist president at the helm of power in the biggest and most powerful Arab state, Israel will learn how to be humble a little bit,” said Mohamed Amr, a Hamas activist in Hebron in the southern West Bank.
“This is really a political earthquake of historical proportions. This is the first time an Islamist president reaches power in an Arab country. The psychological and political effects and repercussions of this event will be tremendous and far-reaching,” Amr added.
Hamas leaders Ismail Haniyeh and Moussa Abu Marzouk were the first Palestinians to congratulate the Muslim Brotherhood on their victory. The two leaders voiced hope that Egypt under Mursi would display a tougher stance towards Israel.
Haniyeh, the prime minister of the Hamas government in Gaza, hailed the elections as a “democratic wedding”, saying he hoped Egypt would enjoy political stability and economic prosperity. He added that the Palestinian people were pinning a lot of hopes on the triumph of the Egyptian revolution.
Hamas has plausible reasons to be optimistic about the ascendancy of the Muslim Brotherhood to the highest authority in the most important Arab country.
First, Hamas is certain that Egypt under Mursi would not bully or coerce the Islamist group, and the Palestinians in general, to accept deals with Israel against their will and convictions as was the case during Mubarak’s reign when the Egyptian regime was consistently used — by the United States — as a hammer to pressure the PA leadership to give concessions to Israel. In fact, most Palestinians think that the Mubarak regime was a liability, not an asset, for the Palestinian cause. This fact was manifested during the genocidal Israeli campaign against Gaza more than three years ago (Operation Cast Lead).
Second, Hamas, which suffered immensely thanks to the Mubarak regime’s efforts to strangle the Gaza Strip economically, even by building a deep concrete and steel wall along the Gaza-Sinai border, hopes that with Mursi as president, augmenting the Israeli blockade to Gaza by sealing the border crossings will be a thing of the past.
Third, Hamas hopes that Egypt will from now on link its commitment to the Camp David Peace Treaty to Israeli behaviour towards the Palestinians. Some Brotherhood leaders have made statements favouring such a linkage.
Fourth, Hamas hopes and possibly calculates that with an Islamist president, Egypt will show more understanding to Hamas’s stance vis-³-vis its rival, Fatah.
In the past, it was generally thought that the Mubarak regime was biased in Fatah’s favour in reconciliation talks under Egyptian sponsorship.
FATAH’S REACTIONS: The Palestinian Authority (PA) leadership has not officially commented on the outcome of the presidential elections in Egypt, perhaps because the results have not been announced formally by the proper authorities in Cairo.
PA officials in Ramallah said President Mahmoud Abbas would congratulate whoever becomes the president of Egypt.
However, the general feeling among low and mid-ranking Fatah leaders was one of consternation, even indignation, at Mursi’s apparent victory.
A comment appearing on a Fatah Information and Culture Department’s website claimed that the “Muslim Brotherhood’s real face has been unmasked.”
“We hope that the Egyptian people will elect the right leader, now that the depravity of the Muslim Brotherhood has been exposed, and that people are now frightened by the Brotherhood’s hysterical desire to take control over all political institutions in Egypt, all at the expense of stability and societal peace.”
The writer, Yehia Rabah, obviously ignored the fact that the Brotherhood earned, not arrogated, their electoral victories.
“The military institution is the only qualified party to which Egypt can be entrusted. It is the only guarantor of peace and security,” Rabah added.
An anti-Islamist secularist, Rabah said Egypt would be in “safe hands” as long as the army kept its grip on the country, regardless of popular political forces.
“We must thank God for blessing Egypt with people [the military] who will uphold the trust, maintain security, protect Egypt’s sovereignty and its vital role in the region.”
Other Fatah leaders have expressed worries that the new Egyptian leadership will be more supportive of Hamas, which would enable the Islamist movement to enhance its overall status and position in the Palestinian arena.
Finally, the Israeli reaction to the apparent election of Mursi was quite grim and sombre, with one Israel lawmaker arguing that the “advent of the Islamists to the centres of power in Egypt is more dangerous to Israel than Iran’s nuclear weapons.”
Knesset member Benyamin Ben-Eliezer, a veteran Israeli politician and close friend to ousted president Mubarak, was quoted as saying that Israel has no choice but to talk to the Muslim Brothers.
Alex Fishman, a prominent Israeli political analyst wrote in the mass circulation daily Yedith Aharonot that Israel should now get accustomed to the disturbing reality of a hostile Egypt ruled by Islamists.
An Egyptian regime under Islamic leadership will not be able to accept Israeli strikes in Gaza. The day when Mursi is in power and the [Israeli] air force strikes the Strip, possibly killing innocents, will also be the day marking the end of formal relations between Israel and Egypt.
Source: Ahram Weekly
http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2012/1103/eg8.htm
Muslim Women at the Forefront of Political Jihad
Women with strong political opinions have been very active in the revolutions sweeping North Africa and the Middle East. Also here in the U.K. we have Muslim women taking a strong political position and participating in all levels of politics and society. One sister who is part of a new generation of Muslims raised here where free speech is enouraged, is causing a lot of discussion in Muslim circles as to the correctness of her method of delivery.
I really wish that those who are so concerned about the idea of a woman speaking out, could actually be more concerned about the message and finally wake up to the reality that there is a war on Islam. We are all Palestinians waiting for the Arab revolution to reach the U.K. and liberate us from Zionist oppression.
Talmudic Boycotter Censors His Own Right to Free Speech
Max Blumenthal a supporter of the Talmudic concept of Herem otherwise known as the Boycott and Divestment movement, has decided to resign his position at Al Akhbar newpaper.
In the above interview Max Blumenthal makes a lot of very good points about the Syria situation, I actually agree with much of what he says. The question is why would someone who is obviously intelligent and has valid opinions decide it is appropriate to censor his own right to free speech?
Here on deLiberation there are diverse opinions, a quick look through the comments section shows that many topics are discussed. How can we claim to uphold the right to freedom of speech and intellectual discourse if we have to exclude ourselves from sharing any platform with people who do not agree with us?
I do not apologise for recycling this joke because it describes the mentality so well
Q: How many synagogues are needed in a village with just one single Jewish habitant?
A: Two synagogues; one that he goes to, and one he would never set foot in.
Israel murders more Palestinians
Palestinian medics treat a man wounded by Israeli fire in a hospital in Deir Al-Balah, Gaza Strip (photo: Reuters)
A two-year-old is among the victims of a barrage of violence Israel this week thrust on the Palestinians, writes Khaled Amayreh in the West Bank
Palestinian medics treat a man wounded by Israeli fire in a hospital in Deir Al-Balah, Gaza Strip The Israeli occupation army and paramilitary Jewish settlers killed more than 10 Palestinians this week, including a two-year-old toddler who died after her Gaza home was hit by a missile fired from an Israeli military drone.
Israeli sources claimed some of the victims were involved in attempts to attack Israeli targets or trying to lay landmines along the Israel-Gaza borders, which is disputed by Palestinians who argue that Israel is killing Palestinians for the sake of it.
On Monday, 18 June, Israeli aircraft killed four Palestinians in two separate attacks in the northern Gaza town of Beit Hanoun. Five other Palestinians were also injured.
The killing in northern Gaza came after suspected resistance fighters killed a Jewish settler along Israel’s border with Egypt. Two of the fighters were subsequently killed by Israeli troops.
In addition to the toddler, Hadil Al-Hadad, the Israeli army targeted two people riding a motorcycle in Deir Al-Balah in central Gaza as well as two other people affiliated with the military wing of Hamas. The Israeli air force also targeted metal workshops and foundries Israel claimed were involved in manufacturing rockets. The Israeli army has targeted dozens of these workshops, exacerbating the already shocking state of poverty in the Strip.
Earlier in the week, fanatical Jewish settlers chased and killed two unarmed Palestinians near the town of Yatta in the southern West Bank. Palestinian eyewitnesses described the killing as amounting to an execution.
Israeli sources, quoting settlers involved in the killings, claimed the Palestinians were trying to steal money from a Jewish settler.
Settlers implicated in murdering Palestinians are routinely “advised” by their religious leaders to concoct narratives that would exonerate them in case they are arrested or prosecuted by the authorities.
Hamas and other Palestinian groups retaliated by firing homemade missiles on nearby Israeli settlements, injuring four Israeli soldiers.
Israeli sources said as many as 30 rockets were fired from Gaza onto Israel in less than 24 hours. Most of the rockets landed in open fields.
Hamas possesses a small arsenal of mostly primitive and ineffective rockets it hopes can create a semblance of deterrence vis-³-vis Israel. On the other hand, Israel uses the “rockets of Hamas” as a propaganda tool to justify murdering Palestinians on a nearly daily basis.
Hamas and other Palestinian military factions have fired thousands of homemade rockets on Israeli targets, mostly as a response to deadly Israeli aggressions, creating fear and panic in nearby settlements and towns, but very few casualties.
On the other hand, Israel has killed thousands of mostly civilian Palestinians and destroyed hundreds of homes, using state-of-the-art of US technology, including F-16 jet fighters and armed drones.
It is unclear why Israel is escalating its terror and violence against the Palestinians, especially in the Gaza Strip.
Israeli and Palestinian commentators believe the stepped-up attacks on Palestinians are intended to further exhaust the Hamas-run Gaza Strip and keep it in a perpetual state of imbalance. Israel may also be trying to appease settler circles following a recent government decision to evacuate a few settlers from a settlement outpost near Ramallah.
The Palestinian Authority (PA) blamed Israel for the “recent escalation”. It reiterated accusations that Israel was effectively eliminating any prospective chances for the resumption of the stalled peace process.
Hamas, for its part, accused the PA of adopting “a cowardly stance vis-³-vis Israeli aggression”. Fawzi Barhoum, a Hamas spokesman, said that while Israel was murdering Palestinians non-stop, the PA was still pandering to the murderers’ government, in the hope of resuming a peace process that everyone knows leads will nowhere.
Barhoum said recent contacts between occupied Ramallah and Israeli authorities aimed at resuming negotiations between the two sides were a brazen betrayal of Palestinian blood.
Earlier, it was reported that PA negotiator Saeb Ereikat might meet with Shaul Mofaz, leader of the Kadima faction that recently joined the Binyamin Netanyahu government.
SETTLERS ATTACK MOSQUE: Meanwhile, Jewish settlers attacked an desecrated a mosque in the Palestinian village of Jabaa near Ramallah, torching the entrance of the mosque and scrawling anti-Palestinian slogans on its walls.
The slogans scribbled read: “The war has begun” and “You will pay the price.”
The torching of the mosque is the sixth of its kind in the West Bank in the past two years. Israeli sources suspect the terrorist act was carried out by settlers protesting Israeli government plans to evacuate dozens of settlers living in apartments built on private Palestinian land near Ramallah.
Despite the shocking frequency of such incidents, the Israeli army has failed to apprehend the perpetrators, who are believed to act on instructions or religious edicts issued by their rabbis.
Settler and pro-settler groups have long infiltrated the Israeli army and justice system to the point that the Israeli army is hesitant to confront settlers head-on, even when they are caught red-handed murdering, harassing, beating or aggressing Palestinians. (end)
Coup in Egypt? News Analysis
Published on Jun 21, 2012 by PressTVGlobalNews
A year since Egyptians enthralled the world with the ouster of Hosni Mubarak, more and more people are fearing they’re back to square one, facing the former regime minus Mubarak. On this edition of News Analysis we’re asking whether the Egyptian revolution has become the target of a coup d’état.
The silence continues
In the 24 hours to 8am 21 June 2012, Israeli air strikes killed a 14-year-old boy, Momen al-Adam, and injured 2 children. Imagine the headlines and outrage that would be expressed by our politicians and news media if a 14-year-old Israeli boy had been killed and two Israeli children injured.
But that’s not all, more Israeli air strikes destroyed five homes and a school. Imagine the headlines if Palestinians had destroyed Israeli homes or a school. Yet another Israeli air strike destroyed a Gaza home and damaged others nearby. Our news media didn’t think that newsworthy either.
The Israeli Navy, (Israel is a favoured member of the OECD) opened fire on and hijacked a Palestinian fishing boat in the same 24-hour period. Would our news media and politicians have taken notice if an Israeli fishing boat had been fired upon and hijacked? The answer is obvious. Eight Palestinian towns and villages suffered night raids and/or home invasions in the same period. Israeli homes in Israel are never invaded at night or in the day.
While silence amounts to complicity, proper reporting and publicity could contribute a valuable and non-violent form of pressure upon Israel to respect international law and basic human rights.
