Nick Clegg promises a new kind of politics

Caroline Lucas MP to speak at Greek solidarity meeting

She has already been amazing and we are just into week two.

Great to be able to use the phrase 'Green Party MP' or even Green Left MP....worth all the hours so many of us put in delivering leaflets and knocking on doors in Brighton.

The meeting is on 26th May is with Tony Benn and the counterfire crew..

7pm, Wednesday 26 May
Conway Hall, Red Lion Square, London, WC1
Speakers include:

Tony Benn
Caroline Lucas MP
Christos Giovanopoulos coalition of the Radical Left SYRIZA • Aris Vasilopoulos SYRIZA • Penny White BASSA • Paul Mackney fmr general secretary NATFHE • Clare Solomon president-elect, University of London Union • John Rees Counterfire • Michael Bradley Right to Work Campaign

You can download the leaflet here.

Black priest used BNP to promote anti-gay no contraceptives campaign

'…I WAS GIVEN A PLATFORM TO PREACH AGAINST THE SINS OF SODOM AND GOMORRAH ( HOMOSEXUALITY, AND I REALLY HIT THE ABOMINATION HARD! ) WHEN B.N.P WILL FORM THE GOVERNMENT BECAUSE ONE OF THESE FINE DAYS IT WILL BE IN THE GOVERNMENT, ALL THOSE EVIL LAWS E.G. HOMOSEXUALITY WILL GO. THEY WILL BE REMOVED FROM THE BOOKS OF STATUTES OF THE GREAT BRITAIN!'

Some nifty research here, shows that James Gitau's brief stay in the BNP was inspired by his dodgy anti-gay and anti-contraceptive views.

He of course found them to be a bit too racist so he joined the Christian Party who also seem to get stressed about the rest of us consenting adults getting it on with each other.

They do want to raise the speed limit on motorways to 90 miles per hour, didn't know the Bible had a section on motorways.

Noam Chomsky denied entry to Israel

http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/noam-chomsky-denied-entry-into-israel-1.290701

Published 18:02 16.05.10
Latest update 18:02 16.05.10
Noam Chomsky denied entry into Israel
Left-wing American linguist, who was scheduled to speak at Bir Zeit University, given no reason by Israeli inspectors at Allenby Bridge.
By Amira Hass
Left-wing American linguist Professor Noam Chomsky was denied entry into Israel on Sunday, for reasons that were not immediately clear.

Chomsky, who was scheduled to deliver a lecture at Bir Zeit University near Jerusalem, told the Right to Enter activist group by telephone that inspectors had stamped the words "denied entry" onto his passport when he tried to cross from Jordan over Allenby Bridge.

When he asked an Israeli inspector why he had not received permission, he was told that an explanation would be sent in writing to the American embassy.

Chomsky arrived at the Allenby Bridge at around 1:30 in the afternoon and was taken for questioning, before being released back to Amman at 4:30 P.M.

Chomsky is a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and is considered among the foremost academics in the world. He identifies with the radical left and is often critical of both Israeli and American policies.

REPORT BACK FROM THE PEOPLE’S CLIMATE CONFERENCE, COCHABAMBA, BOLIVIA,

I am lucky enough to have my own personal link with this stuff but here is a report back from some of the few UK based campaigners to get over what with tierra madre stopping the planes.

REPORT BACK FROM THE PEOPLE’S CLIMATE CONFERENCE, COCHABAMBA, BOLIVIA,
19-22 APRIL 2010

Our trip to Bolivia started a couple of days before the World People's
Conference on Climate Change, when we attended the 3rd International Water
Conference, which was also commemorating the tenth anniversary of the
Water War. The people of Cochabamba were celebrating their victory against
Bechtel, the multinational company that in 2000 was pushing for water
privatization, and the people resisted through blockades and mass
mobilisation.

Local and international organisations took this opportunity to come
together to share experiences and even start preparing a strategy to make
the right to water an important part of the upcoming conference. Tucked
away in the corner of all this excitement, we found the carpa tematica
(themed tent) that would later be transformed to mesa 18 (the 18th working
group/table). It was here that discussions started to point out the
contradictions between the external discourse on capitalism of the
conference and the ongoing domestic mega-projects and extractive
industries contributing to social injustice and climate change within
Bolivia and Latin America.

MESA 18
Mesa 18 was organised by CONAMAQ (National Council of Ayllus and Markas of
Qullasuyu) and other social movements from across the continent joined it
along the way. They wanted it to be a part of the conference, which was
why it was named the 18th working group, but it remained unofficial and
controversial. Rumours were that the government met with the organisers
earlier in the week to dissuade them from establishing this space, and
opponents of the government latched onto this opportunity to try to
undermine Evo Morales. However, everyone we spoke to was clear that this
was to complement the conference by looking deeper into the local effects
of global industrial capitalism - and not to oppose it.

EXTRACTIVE INDUSTRIES
Around the same time 500km from Cochabamba the San Cristobal community
took action against the Japanese owned mine company that is the world's
third largest producer of silver and sixth largest of zinc. It is also
extracting natural resources and contaminating the community's water. They
blockaded the company and started overturning trains full of mineral ore -
a real example of the struggle against extractive industries and one that
set the context for the conference during the following week.

If there were doubts at the beginning of the conference that this was a
set up by the Bolivian government to get social movements to give their
blind support, then it subsided by the end. And there was doubt! When the
Forest Working Group went to meet for the first time they found a
moderator who turned out to be a UN bureaucrat and that the draft
declaration included a description of the UN’s REDD (Reducing Emissions
from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) Programme as a solution to
deforestation.

FALSE SOLUTIONS
REDD is a market solution which, through commodification of the forests,
allows the global north to offset their emissions instead of reducing
them, threatens communities and peoples who live in these areas, and
replaces forests with monoculture plantations. The movements responded
quickly - they used the process, and their interjections, to overturn this
draft, and in the end REDD was outright rejected in the final declaration.

The strength and dignity of the voices representing people from all over
the world made it clear that this process, if it was to be in our name,
would not advocate any false solutions. So, when the final declaration was
read most people from various working groups were happy with the outcome.
Indeed, the declaration is inspiring – it spells out capitalism as the
root cause of climate change and outright denounces the carbon market. But
beyond its engagement with the UN process, it is missing a real plan on
how to move forward.
(http://pwccc.wordpress.com/2010/04/24/peoples-agreement/)

GLOBAL MOVEMENT-BUILDING
That's why the space that the conference provided for movements/peoples to
meet, share stories, strategies and continue the process of building a
linked up global movement to fight for climate justice was crucial.

We met with Rising Tide from Mexico, Ecuador and Australia, each with many
inspiring stories and actions. It was interesting for example to find out
that climate camps are put on by Rising Tide along with other groups, but
generally actions throughout the year are organised outside a 'camp'
identity.

We attended side events and listened to struggles against extraction,
displacement, and contamination. In these side events what stood out the
most for us were the voices that questioned the credibility and legitimacy
of the UN process and that called for actions now.

We shared our stories as well - many people here don't hear a lot about
the resistance to capitalism and the direct action that happens against
social injustice and climate change in Europe. The best reaction was when
we announced – in the middle of a heated drafting of the mesa 18
declaration - that in London there would be a solidarity stunt with the
San Cristobal community. Everyone in the room applauded and cheered – this
is how we can work together in the fight for climate justice.

DECLARATIONS AND ACTIONS
The blockade in San Cristobal was instrumental in showing that words were
not enough and that action is needed. Mesa 18 may not have succeeded in
throwing out a multinational out of Latin America that week, but they did
draw up their own declaration that outright denounced all megaprojects in
Latin America and called for a new model for the management of natural
resources with the direct control of the workers. As far as we know, the
plans continue.

(Read a rough translation of the declaration on our blog:
http://peoplesconference.wordpress.com).

In this same spirit we participated with other climate activists from the
UK and Europe spreading the call out that Climate Justice Action took up
from call out by various social movements in Latin America, under the name
Minga Global, for a day of direct action for climate justice on the 12th
of October - the day in defence of the mother earth.
(http://www.movimientos.org/defensmadretierra/show_text.php3?key=15835)

BUILDING BRIDGES
On the last day of the conference we hosted a side event entitled
'Building Bridges Across Continents.' See it here: We used some of the
time to brainstorm who were our allies and what/who were our obstacles in
building climate justice, and the rest of the time brainstormed on how we
can work together in building a global movement, using the 12th of October
as a specific example. We were all excited to share ideas and start
planning some action!

La lucha sigue / The struggle continues !

Agi and Ben
International working group

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

WHAT’S NEXT?

READ MORE
Read more about the conference (including conclusions from all working
groups): http://pwccc.wordpress.com/
Read our blogs, see pics/videos from the conference:
http://peoplesconference.wordpress.com

HOST A REPORT BACK MEETING
Part of our remit is to feedback to local groups - let us know if you want
us to come and visit email international@climatecamp.org.uk

COME TO THE BONN MEETING
The next Climate Justice Action Europe gathering will be held in Bonn on
29-30 May. For more information check www.climate-justice-action.org soon.

GET PLANNING FOR 12 OCTOBER
Join Minga Global and participate in a Day of Direct Action for Climate
Justice on Tuesday 12 October 2010 and start planning!
http://www.movimientos.org/defensamadretierra/show_text.php3?key=15835----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

General questions / comments / suggestions can be sent to info@climatecamp.org.uk, or for more info check out www.climatecamp.org.uk.

Please don't try to send an email to climatecamp@lists.riseup.net as only Camp for Climate Action groups can post to this list.

to unsubscribe from this list send an email to:
climatecamp-unsubscribe@lists.riseup.net

Art prostitute?

Of course selling sexual services is if freely chosen an ethical choice, money from polluters is just dirty....got this communique from the guerillas.




LIBERATE TATE COMMUNIQUE #1 MAY 2010



Dear Tate

Happy Birthday. We wish we could celebrate with you. But we can’t.

As we write, your corporate sponsor BP is creating the largest oil painting in the world, inspired by profit margins and a culture that puts money in front of life, its shadowy stain shimmers across the Gulf of Mexico. A toxic tide that turns thriving ecosystems into deserts and deprives cultures of their way of life, it is one of the world’s greatest works of corporate art, a work that reeks of death and speaks of our society’s failure of imagination.

Every day Tate scrubs clean BP’s public image with the detergent of cool progressive culture. But there is nothing innovative or cutting edge about a company that knowingly feeds our addiction to fossil fuels despite a climate crisis, a company whose greed has killed twenty-one employees in just over a year, a company that continues to invest in the cancer-causing climate crimes of tar sands in Alberta, Canada.

By placing the words BP and Art together, the destructive and obsolete nature of the fossil fuel industry is masked, and crimes against the future are given a slick and stainless sheen.

Every time we step inside the museum Tate makes us complicit with these acts, acts that will one day seem as archaic as the slave trade, as anachronistic as public executions. Every time Nicholas Serota is asked how a museum that prides itself on dealing with climate change can be funded by an oil company he responds that there are no plans to abandon BP sponsorship (anything to do with having an ex-CEO of BP chair Tate’s board of trustees?).

When art activist group The Laboratory of Insurrectionary Imagination (Labofii) were invited to run a workshop on art and civil disobedience, they were told by curators that they could not take any action against Tate and its sponsors and the workshop was policed by the curators to make sure the artists produced work “commensurate with the Tate’s mission". In March 2010, Tate Modern ran an eco symposium, “Rising to the Climate Change Challenge: Artists and Scientists Imagine Tomorrow’s World”, on the same day that Tate Britain was celebrating twenty years of BP sponsorship with one of its ‘BP Saturdays’. Incensed by this censorship and hypocrisy, participants in the symposium called for a vote: 80% of the audience agreed that BP sponsorship should be dropped by 2012.

So today we offer you a birthday present, a gift to liberate Tate from its old-fashioned fossil fuel addiction – a gift for the future. Beginning during your 10th anniversary party and continuing until you drop the sponsorship deal, we will be commissioning a series of art interventions in Tate buildings across the country. Already commissioned are Art Action collective, with a birthday surprise at this weekend’s No Soul For Sale event, and The Invisible Committee, who will infiltrate every corner of Tate across the country in the coming months.

We invite artists to join us and act to liberate Tate. Free art from oil.
www.twitter.com/liberatetate

Mumia on 13th May massacre

[col. writ. 5/8/10] (c) '10 Mumia Abu-Jamal


May 13th, 1985 is more than a day of infamy, when a city waged war on its own alleged 'citizens', but also when the city committed a massacre - and did so with impunity.

When babies were shot and burned alive, with their Mothers and Fathers, and the killers rewarded with honors and pensions - while politicians talked and the media mediated mass murder.

On that day, the City of Philadelphia, armed and assisted by the U.S. government, dropped a bomb on a house and called it "law."

The Fire Department watched buildings ignite like matches in the desert, and cut off water. The courts of the land turned a blind eye, daubed mud in their sockets, and prosecuted Ramona Africa, sending her to prison for nearly a decade for having the nerve to survive an urban holocaust, and jailed her for the crime of not burning to death.

Eleven men, women, and children died - and not one killer was even charged with a misdemeanor.

But on that day, more than MOVE members died. The city died too. Its politicians died. Its media died. its courts died. And its churches and houses of worship died - for they ceased to function, and served power and money, over life.

In a very real sense the city massacred itself; for when faith in such institutions died, they became empty, hollow and dead, but for the shell.

May 13th, 1985 is a day that shall live in infamy.

But for more reasons than the obvious. It was the death knell of a system committing suicide.

It proved that a man called John Africa spoke powerful truths when he named the nature of the system as corrupt, flawed and poisoned.

Everyday past that date, has only proved it even more.

-(c) '10 maj