The new film by British filmmaker Ken Loach, I Daniel Blake won the Palme d'Or at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival.Focused on the Kafkaesque ordeals of a 59-year old widowed carpenter who puts
up with health allowance benefits after suffering a heart attack,
it is an indictment of an entire social system in which Britain’s most
vulnerable are being thrown overboard by a cold and cost-conscious
bureaucracy that received its marching orders from the combined forces
of New Labour and the Tories.
Daniel
Blake (59) has worked as a joiner most of his life in Newcastle. Now,
for the first time ever, he needs help from the State. He crosses paths
with single mother Katie and her two young children, Daisy and Dylan.
Katie’s only chance to escape a one-roomed homeless hostel in London has
been to accept a flat in a city she doesn’t know, some 300 miles away.
Daniel
and Katie find themselves in no-man’s land, caught on the barbed wire
of welfare bureaucracy as played out against the rhetoric of ‘striver
and skiver’ in modern-day Britain.
The movie's writer Paul Laverty has
said
the research team was stunned at how people with mental health issues
and disabilities were targeted by the welfare cuts.He said people
interviewed within the Department for Work and Pensions told them "they
were humiliated at how they were forced to treat the public. There is
nothing accidental about it."
The actress who plays the young single mother, Katie -- Hayley Squires
-- who Daniel's character befriend, recently slammed anti-welfare
"propaganda" that she said has turned working class people against each
other. "Normal
people are led to believe that this amount of people are on benefits
and are therefore scroungers, and this amount of people are going to
work to pay so that they can scrounge." "They've left us to argue among
ourselves so they can keep doing what they are doing."
A must see film, ever so needed in the present time,which I confess already seen , but am looking forward again to seeing it among others, when it arrives in my local theatre from 18 November to 24 November.http://www.mwldan.co.uk/whatson/cinema-2d-sinema-2d/i-daniel-blake-15#.V_KxOiRVLIU I just hope this powerful tool has the actual ability to change things or at least manages to shame the Government and show people exactly whats going on in the uk today,at job centres up and down the country and how the
DWP really works, a rotten system essposed, designed to demoralise and create pain and despair with conscious cruelty on a daily basis.
But for the Conservatives, under the direction of Theresa May the ideological destruction of our society continues, and they carry on regardless, with an ideological mission of punishing the poor and those most vulnerable
I,Daniel Blake represents though clearly of this Governments betrayal of people in need, wanting simple sustenance in order to survive Finally I just hope this powerful film will evoke
sympathy and recognise the fact that daily people are being screwed by the Tories, faced by obstacles, in complete denial of peoples need for dignity and respect .Of so much moral imperative, I look forward to the day, when we say enough is enough.In the meantime well done Ken for continuing to lend
the poor and downtrodden a voice.I really hope that this film and its powerful indictment of
life under Tory rule
is seen by as many as possible.
Every day is in pieces
tired and weary
returning twists never fade
but food and love so nourishing
helps release some starlight,
beyond the misty clouds
barking loudly in the shadows
in the hide and seek of eternity.
Everyday comes in pieces
but surreptiously hope returns
hellbent on survival
over mountains soars
pausing in moments
always wanting more.
A boat full of women activists which was headed peacefully for the Gaza Strip was intercepted and commandeered by the Israeli Navy yesterday in international waters.The Women’s Boat to Gaza was making good progress on the
Mediterranean and the women on board were excited about meeting the
people on the shores of Gaza who were waiting for them. Some
Palestinians even spent the night at the beach to greet them.
At 9:58am EDT, flotilla organizers lost contact with the boat,
Zaytouna-Oliva. The US Embassy confirmed that the boat was intercepted
and Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that the Zaytouna-Oliva was
boarded by members of the Israeli navy. The Israelis took control of the
boat and rerouted it – under force – to the Israeli port of Ashdod. The activists were transferred to authorities “for further processing,” the Israeli military said in a statement late Wednesday..
It should be noted that it is an illegal act to attack civilian boats in this way..
Women from different parts of the world who care and feel passionately
about the freedom of Palestine and Gaza had set sail to Gaza
with two ships the Zaytouna and the Amal - meaning "olive" and "hope" - had set sail last
week from Barcelona, Spain, en route to the besieged Gaza Strip,in order to raise awareness about and try to break Israels decade-long illegal blockade of the Gaza Strip.The activists were transferred to authorities “for further processing,” the Israeli military said in a statement late Wednesday.
The boat dubbed “Women’s Boat to Gaza,” was carrying 13 women including Mairead Maguire, the 1976 Nobel peace laureate from Northern Ireland,
Fauziah Hasan, a doctor from Malaysia, and retired US army colonel Ann
Wright. The boat is
part of the wider Freedom Flotilla Coalition that consists of
pro-Palestinian boats that regularly seek to go to Gaza to try to break
the blockade.
None has yet managed to get through yet..The flotilla is, at its core, a symbolic attempt to bring
international attention to a blockade that has further impoverished and
isolated Gaza, while sending a message of solidarity to Palestinians
there.The Zaytouna-Oliva was carrying no material aid. This was by design
because Israel, as a premise for their attacks, would claim that weapons
and contraband were on board. The owner of Zaytouna-Oliva is Israeli.
Previous solidarity boats to Gaza have been intercepted and their passengers detained in Israel and deported.Eight Turkish nationals and a US citizen were killed in May 2010 when Israeli forces stormed the Mavi Marmara boat that was part of the Gaza Freedom. The people in Gaza were excited about the boat of women activists making
their way to them in an attempt to break the illegal siege and blockade
that plagues their everyday lives The people in Gaza were excited about the boat of women activists making
their way to them in an attempt to break the illegal siege and blockade
that plagues their everyday lives, a group of Palestinians had gathered on the beach in the hopes of
welcoming the boat to shore but the vessel was intercepted before it
could reach them.Earlier in the day they had heard the
terrifying sounds of Israeli bombs near their homes,as Israel bombed several areas
Palestinian women waiting on the shore to greet the Women's Boat to Gaza
The all-women boat also wanted to bring awareness to the role of
Palestinian women in their struggle, as they face the effects of
occupation and settler-colonialism, under a illegal blockade.legal blockade. Over 1.5
million most of whom under 20 years of age are struggling to survive in
Israeli occupied Gaza. Israel keeps violating the international law.
According to the studies Gaza is estimated to become unsuitable for life
by 2020. Turning the city into an inhabitable place undeniably is a
crime against humanity. Women also carry the bulk of responsibility for the care of traumatized children. According to the United Nations, more than 160,000 children in Gaza are in need of continuous psychological support,United Nations officials have also called for the blockade to be lifted, saying conditions are deteriorating in Gaza.
Sondos Ferwana, a spokesperson for the activists, told a Turkish news agency that the capture of the boat was “another act of Israeli piracy.”The Women’s Boat to Gaza group released a pre-recorded video statement made in case the boat was intercepted.“If you’re listening to this, then you will know that myself and all
the women who sailed on the Women’s Boat to Gaza have been arrested and
are in detention in Israel,” Maguire says in the video, which can be
viewed above.Maguire adds that Israel’s actions are “totally illegal.”The Women’s Boat to Gaza Twitter account published photos of
solidarity protests in Spain as news of the boat’s capture reached
activists.
The last message heard from Mairead Maguire stated: "We are people of the world, we should be allowed to bisit our brothers and sisters in Gaza and not be stopped. We will continue to support the people of Gaza and the people of Palestine until they have human rights and their freedom."Solidarity to all these brave women taken, we must demand that Israel acts immediately to ensure the safety and well being of the crew and passengers on board the Zaytoun-Olive, and must continue to call for the end of the blockade. No country has the right to isolate and collectively punish them against international law. Not only were Israels actions illegal, but they set a terryfying precedent, giving a greenlight for other nations to attack civilian ships in international waters. If in the UK, I would urge you without delay to contact the foreign secretary Boris Johnson, details are here, more contacts at bottom of post.:-
Palestinian boats go out to meet the vessel but it was intercepted before it could reach shore.
Song for Gaza from Zaytouna-Oliva, Women's Boat For Gaza
"We anchored up and sail out from the shore of Spain
Our boat Zaytouna-Olive is her name
And olive is the symbol of a faraway place To which we steer our course across the waves
We are thirteen women here to sail with peace in our hand
Towards our sisters in this foreign land
From many different corners of this world we have come
To bring to you the freedom of a song
[Chorus]
We will sail for your freedom
Our sisters in Palestine
We will never be silence
Until you are free
We are guided by the light of the stars at night
And the power of the sea so very bright
As the world is watching us we bring our women voice
With a message that we all should have a choice
Your grandmothers they planted olive trees
Upon the land where you should live in peace
Though trees of thousand years they've been all go away
May daughters plant the seeds to let them stay
[Chorus]
We will sail for your freedom
Our sisters in Palestine
We will never be silence
Until you are free"
Synne Sofie Recksten, Emma Rinqvist, Marama Davidson
For more details about the Womens boat to Gaza and other people to contact, here is a link :-
Detail from Cable Street Mural On the 9th October 2016 anti-fascists from
across the UK will come together to mark the 80th anniversary of the
Battle of Cable Street. Socialists, Trade Unionists and anti racism
groups will march from Altab Ali Park to Cable Street where a rally will
be held to commemorate the defeat of fascism in London's East End
eighty years ago.
" No Pasaron"/ They Shall Not Pass!!"
On 4th October, 1936, the people of the East End inflicted a massive defeat on Sir Oswald Mosley’s British Union of Fascists. During this time Britain was facing very serious economic problems. Throughout the mid 1930s, the BUF moved closer towards Hitler’s form of fascism with Mosley himself saying that “fascism can and will win in Britain”. The British fascists took on a more vehemently anti-Semitic stance, describing Jews as “rats and vermin from whitechapel” and tried to blame Jews
for the cause of the country's problems. Mosley’s blackshirts had been harassing the sizeable Jewish population
in the East End all through the 1930s. By 1936 anti-semitic assaults by
fascists were growing and windows of Jewish-owned businesses were
routinely smashed.Hurrah for the Blackshirts!’ The notorious Daily Mail
headline is just one chilling indication of the very real threat Oswald
Mosley’s British Union of Fascists posed in the mid 1930s. On Sunday Oct. 4, 1936, Mosley planned to lead his Blackshirt supporters on a march
through the East End, following months of BUF meetings and leafleting in
the area designed to intimidate Jewish people and break up the East
End’s community solidarity. Despite a petition signed by 100,000 people,
the British government permitted the march to go ahead and designated
7,000 members of the police force to accompany it. They were not to be welcomed, instead they were
met by over 250,000 protestors, waving banners with slogans such as
'They shall not Pass'( no pasaron, famous republican slogan from the
Spanish Civil War) , 'No Nazis here' and 'East End Unite.' A mighty force had assembled prepared to defend their streets and neighbourhoods and their right to live in them. As the fascists assembled in Royal Mint Street, near the Tower, they
were attacked by large groups of workers. When the Metropolitan Police
tried to clear a path through Gardiner’s Corner, a blockade of tens of
thousands of people stood firm. Anti-fascists blocked the route by barricading the street with rows of domestic furniture and the fascists and the police who were defending them were attacked with eggs, rotten fruit and the contents of chamber pots. Local kids rolled marbles under police horses hooves. A mighty battle ensued, leaving many injured and others arrested. 80 years later it is remembered because it saw thousands of people, from many walks of life, women, children, local jews, Irish groups, communists, socialists, anarchists standing firm as one in an incredible display of unity who worked together to prevent Mosley's fascists from marching through a Jewish area in London.Together, they won a famous victory and put the skids under Britain’s first fascist mass movement.The fascists did not get to march and they did not
pass, and were left in humiliation so today we look back on this living
history in celebration and pride. Significantly, for some people that were involved in the protest, Cable Street was the
road to Spain, and many would go on to volunteer as soldiers for the
Republicans there, this year also marks the 80th anniversary founding of the International Brigades. The legend that was Cable Street became the lasting inspiration for the continuing British fight against
the fascism that was spreading all across Europe and would eventually
engulf the planet in a terrible world war. We might like to think those days are behind us, but
anti-semitism, racism and intolerance is on the rise.
The far-right are growing throughout Europe. Following the divisive and anti-immigrant rhetoric surrounding Brexit to fuel a spike in reports of racist hate crimes.The winds that blew across Cable Street eighty
years ago still exist today, we must
remain vigilant to this. We should never forget the Battle
of Cable Street. Teach your kids about it. Today and tomorrow we must still rally around the cry of No Pasaran - They shall not pass.
When comparing yourself to world leaders or historical figures, there are perhaps less controversial choices than Adolf Hitler. Philippines
President Rodrigo Duterte last Friday likened himself to the Nazi leader,
saying he wants to kill millions of drug addicts, just as Hitler killed
Jews during the Holocaust.
"Hitler
massacred 3 million Jews. Now there is 3 million, what is it, 3 million
drug addicts (in the Philippines), there are," he said in a speech in
his hometown of Davao City.
"I'd be happy to slaughter them. At
least if Germany had Hitler, the Philippines would have (me). You know
my victims, I would like (them) to be all criminals, to finish the
problem of my country and save the next generation from perdition."
History counts the cost of Hitler's purges against "undesirables" at 11 million, 6 million of whom were Jews.
World Jewish Congress President Ronald Lauder, in Israel to attend the funeral of former Prime Minister Simone Peres, condemned the remarks.
"These
statements are revolting, and President Duterte must retract them and
apologize," Lauder said. "We just marked the 75th anniversary of Babi
Yar, the massacre of more than 33,000 Jews in Ukraine by Nazi Germany.
... Now, the elected leader of the Philippines openly calls for the mass
murder of people who are addicted to drugs.
"Drug
abuse is a serious issue. But what President Duterte said is not only
profoundly inhumane, but it demonstrates an appalling disrespect for
human life."
Amnesty International said that Duterte "has sunk to new depths" and
urged governments around the world to condemn his "extremely dangerous
outburst."
On Sunday Duterte issued an his apology saying it was intended only for the Jewish community.
He lashed out again at Western critics and human rights advocates who
have raised concerns over his brutal crackdown, which is estimated to
have left more than 3,000 suspected drug dealers and users dead in just
three months. Duterte
said in a speech in the central city of Bacolod that he never had any
intention "to derogate the memory of the 6 million Jews murdered by the
Germans." "I apologize profoundly and deeply to the Jewish community," Duterte said.
A little to late methinks.The controversial
leader campaigned on a hard line against crime, particularly drug
offenses, and has in the past uttered statements which have caused many
in the international community to recoil.Since winning the presidential election, President Duterte triggered
widespread alarm by calling for the restoration of the death penalty,
vowing to preside over a wave of extrajudicial executions, threatening
journalists, and intimidating human rights defenders.
This is in a context where a climate of impunity for human rights
violations prevails in the Philippines, including for torture and other
ill-treatment by the police. Only one police officer has ever been
brought to justice under laws criminalising torture, and few have been
held accountable for killings of journalists. A growing number of critics, including U.N. officials, the European
Union and the United States, have voiced concerns over the widespread
killings and human rights violations.
The country’s new president is running a ‘war on
drugs’ that involves a deadly crackdown on anyone believed to be
connected to the drugs trade. He has suggested there might be monetary
rewards for those who murder people and is seemingly encouraging the
police to kill.
Call on authorities in the Philippines to stop
sanctioning murder and to protect the right to life for all citizens.
Tell this man he has to stop:
You can take action via Amnesty International here:-
The right to conscientious objection has also been recognised in the
United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the European
Convention on Human Rights. Recently, the legal right to act in
accordance with one's conscience has been placed on the statute book by
the Government through the Human Rights Act 1998.
In the First
World War, about 16,000 British men were recorded as conscientious
objectors after conscription started in 1916, In the Second World War,
there were 61,000. Conscription was abolished in 1960, so all British
soldiers are now volunteers – although in 1991 Vic Williams a soldier was jailed for 14 months
for desertion and conduct prejudicial to the good order of discipline,
after he went absent without leave during the Gulf War. Vic Williams said he left the regiment because he did not believe that a military solution to the Gulf crisis was justified, and because he had decided that his conscience could not allow him to take part in any such action. He had served in the British Army for five years as a trained radar operator before his departure, and had a clean conduct record. Before giving himself up to the police at the end of the Gulf War in early March, Vic Williams made public statements opposing the war for oil in a Hyde Park demonstration and on a BBC television programme . Amnesty International at the time considered him to be a prisoner of conscience, imprisoned because he acted in accordance with his conscientiously held beliefs.
He began serving his prison
sentence on 2 October 1991. The above video is of Roy Bailey singing “The
Ballad of Vic Williams.”
( As the Tory's meet for their conference in Birmingham this weekend, a reminder that better forces are growing stronger outside)
The sound of hope rings in the air
shouting loudly in the breeze,
giving back elements of power
to the powerless and forgotten,
moving mountains with thought
releasing strength to force change
for equality,peace and justice for all,
to take away the chains of privilege
but watch as some try to push our dreams
out of reach;
but revolutions of the mind run deep
sharing the same ideals people unite,
in solidarity together will stand
growing stronger with momentum,
joining forces with others pushing
there's no better way of getting things done.
