John Tyrrell Blogs

Mordechai Vanunu. Time for his release is long overdue

When I was in the Palestinian territories and Israel in early 2004 we discussed Mordechai Vanunu who was still held in prison where he had served 18 years, much in solitary confinement. This after being lured to Rome where he was kidnapped (presumably illegally by Mossad who seem to be immune to international law) and smuggled back to Israel. He has spent 8 further years restricted to Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. He is widely regarded as a spy and traitor and so continues to be harassed.

Now is the time for the Israeli government to show good will. I seriously wonder if it is capable of doing this. Any report you read on this bunch shows them laying into everybody and anybody, except that is the settlers to whom Netanahyu continues to give away Palestinian land and property. Extreme is not the word to describe these actions, but since the US appears powerless to deal with him it continues,

The following are letters published in the Guardian which coincide with a day of action called by the Free Mordechai Vanunu cause on Facebook, supported by 5,500 people.

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Israel, Iran, nuclear weapons and a Shakespearean invitation

guardian.co.uk, Friday 20 April 2012 20.59 BST
Article history

Amid all the talk of Iran is aiming to equip itself with nuclear weapons (Report, 14 April), it seems too often ignored that the one Middle East country that indisputably has nuclear weapons is Israel. The person who, in 1986, produced the conclusive evidence for Israel having these weapons was Mordechai Vanunu. For this "crime" he has suffered 26 years loss of freedom: 18 years in prison - 12 of these in solitary confinement - followed by eight years of being forced to live in Israel against his wishes, under stringent limitations on his freedom of movement, speech and association. If an Iranian scientist came forward with firm evidence that Iran was secretly equipping itself with nuclear weapons this would be regarded as a brave act worthy of praise not punishment; surely Mordechai's identical action in relation to Israel's nuclear weapons should be regarded in a similar light? Today, 21 April, is the eighth anniversary of Mordechai's release from prison, when the annual restrictions on his freedom come up for renewal. We call for these restrictions to be lifted and for him to be allowed to leave Israel. We also call for negotiations to be initiated towards achieving a nuclear free Middle East, negotiations which must include Israel's nuclear weapons.
Ben Birnberg, Julie Christie, Bruce Kent
Campaign for a Nuclear Free Middle East
Lord Eric Avebury
Steve Bell
Jim Boumelha President, International Federation of Journalists
Victoria Brittain
Jeremy Corbyn MP
Maggie Hambling
Mike Hancock MP
Jeremy Hardy
Roger Lloyd-Pack
Caroline Lucas MP
Michael Mansfield
Miriam Margolyes
Kika Markham
Michael Randle
Venessa Redgrave
Michael Rosen
Michelle Stanistreet General secretary, NUJ
Alexie Sayle
Mark Swerotka General secretary, PCS union
Benjamin Zephaniah

• We notice with dismay that dozens of prominent members of the UK theatre and film industry are calling for a boycott of Israel's national theatre, Habima, in London's Globe to Globe festival, on the grounds that Habima have performed in established cultural halls in two large Israeli settlements (Letters, 30 March). It is widely accepted that any peace accord is likely to result in the larger settlement blocs, on land close to the 1967 line, becoming part of Israel, through a process of land swaps; a concept that has already been endorsed and reiterated by international leaders.

In any case, Habima's cultural contribution to the festival ought to be celebrated and enjoyed away from the politics of the region. We commend the Globe's management for honouring the invitation to Habima. They rightly state that "Habima are the most well-known and respected Hebrew-language theatre company in the world, and are a natural choice to any programmer wishing to host a dramatic production in Hebrew."

We oppose any boycott of Israel. This sort of activity gives a green light to those who wish to promote the delegitimisation of Israel. It does nothing to help the Middle East peace process which will be solved when leaders on both sides can reach agreement on a two-state solution. It is unfortunate, due to the seriousness of the accusations levied against this non-government affiliated theatre group, that crucial facts have been overlooked. We call on the signatories of the letter to withdraw their remarks and become part of a more constructive debate on the future of the peace process.
John Whittingdale MP Chairman, Commons culture, media and sport select committee, Louise Mensch MP, Philip Davies MP, Damian Collins MP Members, CMS committee

Education. The Verdict

Just as anyone with a background in health is the last to be asked about running a health service, anyone with the slightest understanding of education and learning will be swept aside. The Independent has published the verdict. Not that Gove at al will be the least bit interested since those giving the verdict either represent teachers or actually have to run the run down "system" that has emerged from the market- led views of running society. Class divide prevails.

There is no opposition to government because New Labour had already begun to introduce the Academy, which undermined local control of education. Underfunding always meant this was never to be perfect but at least local representatives who knew local needs could plan, Now anyone can go straight to the Secretary of State and day they want to open a school. Those who have applied in and around Birmingham seem the most unlikely educationists without any previous sign of interest or expertise. In one case it is a religious institution so a divide on religious/cultural lines is on the cards. Such schools have proved highly divisive in Northern Ireland and Israel/Palestine.

Now that the state system of British education is well on the way to being dismantled, just how will it be reconstructed. The major parties appear to have little if any idea.

No Popery here? The Pope in Cuba.

A few months back the Pope arrived here in Birmingham to take forward the process of creating Cardinal Newman a saint. He travelled close to home as he passed through Handsworth. As Rev Ian Paisley might feel there would be places on earth that you would be safe from the attentions of the mighty pontiff. Not so, just as I and my colleagues taking part in a Socialist Labour Party delegation were about to leave Cuba the Pope decided to leave at the very same time. Our way to the Jose Marti airport in Havana was blocked and we feared our travel plans home. Our taxi stopped at a point where many were lining the streets so we joined them to watch. When there was no sign of him we returned to our cab just in time before a tropical storm erupted drenching those who had not retreated. We heard that he had stopped to meet Fidel Castro.

Why was the Pope in Cuba, and what messages were sent by both sides. Watching the "impartial" BBC World Service at our hotel in Havana we learned that the Pope has come to tell the Cubans to allow its people freedom? In our three weeks there we did not feel that the government was restricting the people and no on complained about that. The only restrictions we saw were those imposed by the US in their continuing blockade which serious;y affects the economy. It also compromises the internet so that I was unable to achieve a daily blog as I had intended. The internet cables surrounding the island are US owned so there is control over the system and wi-fi is virtually nowhere to be found. Nothing that works that is. The Hotel Havana Libre indicated that there was a connection but it failed to work. We also learned from the Beeb that Cuba remained "isolated". As we knew Cuba provides doctors and teachers to many needy places, so those who have received their help don't regard Cuba in that way. Cuba is a leading light across Latin America with countries such as Brazil and Argentina recognising the achievements of the Cuban revolution which ended the corrupt Battista government supported by US gangsters. In maintaining sanctions against Cuba it is the US that has few friends and can only call on Israel and a few other discredited governments to give support.

As we waited to get to the airport the Pope made a final address at the airport. It is published in Granma, as is the welcoming speech of Raul Castro on behalf of Cuba.

The BBC World Service ducked the issue of sanctions raised by Raul Castro. The Pope did not. Raul outlined the concerns of the Cuban government which respond to world conditions which don't affect Cuba alone. Food supply and environmental issues are central concerns which were also raised with our delegation. We found our hosts to be very clear, open and honest about their situation and they welcomed support for their efforts in bringing about a just and fair society. Support from the Pope and his predecessor was warmly welcomed but does not signal a departure from the Socialist society of 50 years standing. I heard there are an estimated 3 million Catholics out of a population of 11 million. How many of those are practicing. Most people I spoke to seemed indifferent to the visit, except they hoped he would speak up for the unjust economic blockade, which he did.

Pictures from NY Times coverage.

Who runs this country, and for whose benefit.

Another Birmingham company located in Great Barr is being shut down by its US owners, with a loss of more than 200 jobs. The production is being moved to Germany. Simple economics? Maximum profits? Cheapest labour?

The ownership of the company which has acquired a number of companies of British origin. You can't tell these days. Even the household name of Cadbury's migrated across the pond benefitting that predatory buyer more than the people who worked in the industry. A company supported by British workers for generations.

As for movement of Capital and Labour, it's the European Union, another Capitalist club, which has made provision for this. Again to the the benefit of the owners and to the detriment of the work force. In 1970 the British economy was built on 80% productive manufacturing, 20% service industries, largely unproductive. Thatcher resolved to deal with the "enemy within" following the success of the British workforce supporting the beleaguered miners in 1972, notably at the Battle of Saltley Gate in Birmingham. Out went baby with bath water, Rather than try to restore the situation, New Labour went along with Thatcherism, intensifying the move to privatisation. Today they support the cuts agenda which allows huge sums of public money to go into the pockets of big business - which is likely either to be, or become under foreign ownership. When will the lesson be learnt?

Warmongers among the Nobel prize recipients

Once more Mordechai Vanunu has been nominated for the Nobel Peace prize for drawing our attention to Israel's nuclear capacity, a fact that Israel has tried rather unsuccessfully to conceal to the world she endangers. As Vanunu has pointed out one of his chief tormentors, Shimon Peres, is a recipient. He is just one of a number of people who have led a rather bizarre career of talking about peace while acting as belligerents. These are some of the highlights from the veteran Peres past:

Shimon Peres procurer of arms
In 1947 Shimon Peres joined the Haganah, where David Ben-Gurion named him responsible for personnel and arms purchases. In 1948 he was named head of naval services in the Defense Ministry and in 1952 he was named deputy director general of the Defense Ministry.
In 1953, at the age of 29, he became the youngest ever director -general of the Defense Ministry.In 1959 Peres was elected to the Knesset for the first time. Running with Mapai (Mifleget Poalei Eretz Yisrael), he was made deputy defense minister.
Architect of peace?
In 1992, after Labor - headed by Yitzhak Rabin - won the elections, Peres was named foreign minister. Peres than began negotiating with Yasser Arafat and the PLO, trying to get the organization to recognize Israel. Those negotiations materialized into the Oslo Accords, which effectively created the Palestinian Authority. The Oslo Accords were finalized on August 20, 1993 and signed by Mahmoud Abbas for the PLO and Peres for Israel. In 1994, Peres - along with Rabin and Arafat - were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for the peace talks that produced the Oslo Accords.

Architect of Israel's secret nuclear arsenal
In December 1995 Shimon Peres drew world headlines for his casual remark to a group of Israeli journalists in Tel Aviv: "Give me peace and we will give up the nuclear program--this is the whole story." Though the media heralded this announcement, it reflected nothing more than longstanding policy. For years, Israel has said that it would negotiate the establishment of a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the Middle East after the establishment of lasting peace. Shimon Peres has told Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak that Israel would be willing to negotiate the signing of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty within two years after the establishment of "regional peace."
But Peres has never said what such a peace would include. He has preferred ambiguity in this and much else in Israel's nuclear diplomacy. In fact, it was Peres who came up with Israel's most often repeated nuclear declaration. At a April 1963 meeting in the White House, Peres responded to President John F. Kennedy's questions about Israel's nuclear program by saying: "Israel will not be the first to introduce nuclear weapons to the Middle East." Two years later, Prime Minister Levi Eshkol elevated Peres's words to Israel's official nuclear line.

Mordechai Vanunu on Shimon Peres
Vanunu said in a letter to the Norwegian Nobel Committee that he did not wish "to belong to a list of laureates that also includes [President] Shimon Peres, the man behind Israeli atomic policy."
Vanunu added: "Peres established the reactor in Dimona and developed Israel's nuclear weapons program... In the same way as Pakistan's [nuclear scientist] Dr. Khan, Peres was the man behind the proliferation of nuclear weapons in South Africa and other states. He was also behind the nuclear test in South Africa in 1978."

Women in our prisons - a euphemism for human dustbins

I note that the last time I posted in memory of Pauline Campbell was in 2010, so has everything improved for vulnerable women who end up in our appalling institutions? Pauline died in 2008 still grieving for the daughter she lost in Styal Prison. Before that she would mount a campaign outside the prisons where another woman had died while in the "safe keeping" of HMP. In an article in the Observer a former governor of Styal Prison comments.

Why are so many women is prison? Pauline continually made that point as she stood outside prison gates. She would stop the privatised prison van from entering and ended up being assaulted by burly police and security officers.

Prisons? A euphemism for human dustbins and a convenience for the inhuman uncaring society we have become for avoiding dealing with need. Mental health, poverty, victims of abuse. The throw away society does not exclude the people that we expect it to protect.

]]> These are the words of the recently retired governor:
"He said that many judges and magistrates he had spoken to 'acknowledged that many of these women did not require a custodial sentence but then ask: 'What else can we do with them?'' Chatterton is calling for a 'warts-and-all review of the aims and intent of the use of custody'; an immediate end to short sentences; more women to be transferred to secure mental health units where they can receive the right care; and alternatives to prison that could be funded by the 'huge' savings that would be derived from not jailing the third of women currently imprisoned for minor offences.

'I have never come across such a concentration of damaged, fragile and complex-needs individuals,' states Chatterton in his letter. He says half of the women in his former prison should never have been sent there and giving short sentences to vulnerable women or mothers is damaging and self-defeating. He cites one woman jailed for 12 days for stealing a £3 sandwich and another who took a £12 bottle of champagne from an off licence but whose 10-day sentence was spent ill in hospital guarded by two prison officers.

Chatterton describes the levels of self harm among women prisoners as "frankly staggering" and said: "I have first-hand experience of the devastating impact both to the family unit and society as a whole when a woman is sent to prison ... homes are lost and then various agencies become involved in attempts to rehouse, kids go into care and so forth, it is vicious, costly and traumatising.' "

Return to Saltley Gate 40 years on

Arthur Scargill returned to Saltley Gate 40 years after leading class action where miners were struggling for decent wages and conditions. There were 3000 of them highly depressed following a long and bitter strike. Then suddenly from all directions came Birmingham workers, thousands of them, in solidarity. The cry of "Close the Gates" went up and because of the vast crowd a decision was taken to do just that. The consequences were immense.

In his speech Arthur Scargill reminded us of the result of solidarityand put it into the context of today. He was well supported by Ken Capstick, at the time Deputy Leader of the Yorkshire miners and one of those involved in the dispute. Although not at Saltley them he was back in Yorkshire organising events from there.

Banner Theatre performed an excerpt from their show "Saltley Gate", first seen in the 1970's, containing interviews with those involved in 1972. The full show is due to be revived later this year.

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The Yorkshire press gave rather better coverage than their counterpart in Birmingham.

News roundup

ITV

Gove is forcing primary schools into becoming academies

Michael Gove is fast losing his department as his officers depart leaving a vacuum of experience and expertise. Never mind in Gove's world the less know about education and learning the better. A source close to the department said: "There are persistent rumours of the tensions of working with this Government. Civil servants are told 'we've already made our minds up'. They have no input into the process." (source The Independent).The last people this government wants to hear from are practitioners working on the ground, as in other areas. As in the health services every teachers association is fundamentally opposed to this education blitz.

Experiments in setting up Academies - that's very much what it is - are not going the government's way. Not that the opposition cab say much because it is they who beagn the push to them, if not the so-called Free-Schools which are moving further and faster away from accountability and democratic control. Public money is being fed to the private sector. It they don;t work there will be nothing left to rebuild another service. Now in Birmingham the desperate Gove is forcing primary schools with Montgomery Primary School to the fore. Angry parents and teachers are mounting a vigorous campaign with the Birmingham Anti-Academy Alliance.

It will not only be government departments that are cleared out, but as new rules come into force pay and conditions change - considerably for the worse, so there is the prospect of an exodus of well qualified staff here too. The new panaceas will be able to bring in anyone they like. Retired army personnel seem to be sought after so we are likely to see something akin to boot camps emerge.

The Battle of Saltley Gate 40th Anniversary

On 10th February we'll be gathering at Saltley Gate because this was the place and time that workers stood together supporting miners who had been on strike over pay and conditions. This is a message for 2012 when once again the working class are under attack from a bloated and uncaring elite. Those who created the economic crisis remain untouched and free to repeat their actions. Financial institutions are free to ignore rules and use other peoples money to speculate and gamble - and to buy off any opposition from those we elect to serve us.

Arthur Scargill who led the action on that day will return to speak along with another veteran of the miners' strike, Ken Capstick, former Vice-President of the Yorkshire mIners, and Ricky Tomlinson, once imprisoned when building workers took strike action in Shrewsbury, but now better known for his role in the Royal Family. Banners will be in evidence again, including some from Socialist Labour Party regions, the party Arthur Scargill currently leads.

The extent of cutbacks seems to have no end scything through services and initiatives affecting the most vulnerable. In 2009 the City Council crowed about its core values with businesses set up to employ the "disabled" like Shelforce "Disabled" is not a term that the organisation uses believing that focus should be on peoples' abilities rather than any attribute that might disadvantage anyone. Now the rug is being pulled away from a group who find employment problematic. Since this is a business then the City Council needs to put a bit of effort into making sure it works. It hasn't found difficulty supporting Capita, which practically runs the Council, through thick and thin success and failure. What Capita is successful in is avoiding paying taxes and its able bodies (maybe it does employ some who might otherwise go to Shelforce, I don't know but would take a guess). The demise of the Connexions service is another wonderful achievement of the Birmingham version of the ConDems who, as we in Birmingham knew, foreshadowed the bunch now ruling the country. The ability of a united workforce to topple them would be a just response to their action against the people. The reactions of Thatcher followed by Blair took away jobs and rights in an attack on what Maggie called "the enemy within". Just who is the enemy within to most of us has become abundantly clear as our productive industry was cut back from 80% to 20% allowing the unproductive financial services (of which Capita is a supreme example) to take us over. The events at Saltley Gate elicited a profound response.

]]> Arthur Scargill described his experience of the event at the time:

"The time was about ten o'clock and there was a hush over the Saltley area. 3000 miners altogether, Welsh miners singing, Yorkshire miners, Nottinghamshire miners, Midlands miners. And yet nothing happened. You could see apprehension on the faces of the police. Here we had a situation where miners were tired, physically and mentally, desperately weary. They had gone through nearly six weeks strike action, they had gone through a three months' overtime ban. they had gone through the worst battling encountered in strike action in any time in recent years. Their comrades had been arrested, one of them had been kicked to bits and yet they were still battling on. I readily concede that some of the lads were a bit dispirited that no reinforcements were coming. And then over the hill came a banner and I've never seen in my life as many people following a banner.

As far as the eye could see it was just a mass of people marching towards Saltley. There was a huge roar and from the other side they were coming the other way. They were coming from five directions, there were five approaches to Saltley; it was in a hollow they were arriving from every direction. And our lads were just jumping in the air with emotion - a fantastic situation.

I heard the police talking - Sir Derek Capper was one, Donaldson his deputy - the tactic was simple: get the pickets coming from the east to go through to the west and get the pickets from the west - the striking engineers - to go through to the east. East to west, west to east. past each other. I got this megaphone and I'm yelling like hell: 'When you get to the picket line, Stop! Stop!' !. They were trying to tell me to shut up and I said "You try today, no bloody shutting up today. These boys are coming to our picket line.' And they were piling up like sandwich cake. as far as the eye could see they were just pouring in. Saltley, the area of Saltley was now just a mass of human beings, arriving from all over, with banners.

The only time this crowd opened up was when a delegation of girls from a women's factory came along all dressed in bright white dresses. They plunged through and one of the lads shouts: 'Go on officer, tell them they can't come. Try and hold them.' And no police officer moved, you know. Who'd have dared trying to stop those girls coming into that square? Nobody. The crowd was absolutely dense by this time. We were in the centre of it and everybody was chanting something different; some were chanting 'Heath Out'. 'Tories Out'. 'Support the Miners", 'General Strike', a hundred slogans were being chanted. I got hold of the megaphone and I started to chant through it: 'Close the gates! Close the gates!' and it was taken up, just like a football crowd. It was booming through Saltley: 'Close the gates'. It reverberated right across this hollow and each time they shouted this slogan they moved and the police. who were four deep, couldn't help it. they were getting moved in. And Capper, the Chief Constable of Birmingham, tool a swift decision. He said 'Close the Gates" and they swung them to. Hats were in the air, you've never seen anything like it in your life. Absolute delirium on the part of the people who were there. Because the Birmingham working class had become involved - not as observers but as participants."

BBC News report

Bring back Woodhead

The education service in England has had to endure some far out Chief Inspectors of Schools coupled with Secretaries of State who want to interfere with it. This is the first time I realised there was a new kid on the block from the first of January who appears to vie with Michael Gove by taking an outlandish approach. Schools, he says, will be inspected without prior warning.

Gove is attempting to force primary schools to become academies. Where it becomes known there have been large protest meetings. The problem is that any crank can apply directly to the Department for Education with a submission for Free Schools without even the local authority being aware. How planning for education will take place, or accountability can happen is a complete mystery. Since New Labour pushed Academies there is no opposition to the privatisation of education from any major party.

I have heard rumours that organisations like book publishers are planning on running a number of schools, where of course they will have a captive market for their publications. Money is the key. Education as a serious area of study has disappeared. The less anyone knows about it, how children learn, is all dead and buried in the ideological world of market forces.

Dragging out the truth about our finances

Who can we trust to tell us the truth? It appears, as Margaret Hodge MP points out, that you have to resort to Private Eye or courageous whistleblowers. We know that big companies are not paying taxes, but HMRC are failing to tackle it and coming to cosy arrangements over billions of pounds. The rest of us lose our jobs, pensions, homes and essential services and are held to ransom over fuel and food bills by the same mighty corporations who have taken over everything, apart so far from fresh air. Even that has been highly polluted!

Pensions not affordable? That's what we've been told. When I started teaching in the nineteen sixties there were complaints that the pension pot was too fat and something had to be done about that! We're told we're living too long and that's not affordable. We're not told this. Yes the fat cats are taking the cream. Be sure in the festive season they are very merry and jolly as they plan bigger and better scams for 2012.

Politicians of all persuasions seem to be dazzled by the prospect of wealth, and when we had thought they were busy looking after our interests they were feathering their own nests and joining in the "tax avoidance industry" The former Prime Minister, leader of New Labour and Peace Envoy in the Muddle East spends his free time showing others to massage their greed upwards as their Christian duty.

"Unfortunately" job losses will continue - at the bottom

"Unfortunately" job losses will continue in local councils says LGA chairman Sir Merrick Cockel. Unfortunately pay rises will continue at the top. Councils you see have to model their behaviour on the corporate board room and pay their useless top executives loads of money.

In Birmingham we have Stephen Hughes as Chief Executive who seems to have been instrumental in bringing in Capita to the City Council where they helped set up the "Business Transformation Partnership" I think it's called. I asked Mr Hughes at a recent meeting at the Council House about the 2012-2013 budget if Capita staff would be taking swingeing cuts as Council staff were. I thought that Capita didn't come cheaply, although its track record was not very good to say the least. Mr Hughes said that Capita had helped the Council save money by identifying which buildings to axe. Did he mean children's care homes, or community facilities housing local libraries and other services? While Council employees either have no job or a massive cut to their already low pay Mr Hughes and wife don't appear to have shared the pain. Mind you there appear to be crocodile tears aplenty when Mr Hughes apologised for the stress that had been caused to city council employees by loosing their income and livlihood. Capita seem to show their appreciation regularly to Mr Hughes by footing the bill for his entertainment and delight.

If there's any hope for the world it's right here

While the western world has been busy meddling in middle eastern countries a new phenomenon has emerged in Latin America. States of various political hue have come together to work jointly to develop their economies.

"Caribbean and Latin American leaders vowed to bring their economies closer together as they sealed the deal for a new regional bloc in Caracas on Saturday.

The 33-member Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (Celac) includes Cuba as a full member and excludes the US and Canada, in contrast to the Washington-based Organisation of American States." Source "Morning Star" 3/12/2011.

Hopefully they will have in front of them the failed European model which was developed on the back of Capitalism as propounded and propagated by the United States. The exclusion of the United States and Canada and the inclusion of Cuba mark the organisation as something fundamentally different from the norm established by the dominating north of the continent.

Cameron gets his solar panels and then pulls the ladder away

David Cameron believes in the environment so much that he has solar panels fitted to his home. Look again. Cameron is taking advantage of the high rate of return on solar panels before the rate of payment is slashed. So having benefitted he has pulled away the ladder and left everyone else who can't afford it out in the cold. The guy who fitted the panels says he has to lay off his workers, so what is this doing for Cameron's green credentials? The Big Society? Does he know what he's talking about? He's too busy keeping his snout in the trough.

After 12th December for every £1,000 you will get £500 so if you still want to benefit you need to get moving. How this encourages the solar industry in Britain is anyone's guess. The government's claims to be green are in tatters while once more Mr Cameron is laughing all the ay to the bank.

The solution to the banking crisis. Simple just put the bankers in charge stupid!

The new leaders of Greece and Italy, ravaged by never ending debt, are from the very institutions that got them to borrow and borrow like there was no tomorrow. New the EU is "solving" the crisis by letting them lose to create even more unimaginable debt. Will it work. The Keiser Report on Russia Today thinks not, but the damage on the way will be heavy to say the least.

Ten years or so back banks were regulated to some degree, but now the big five financial institutions in the US are exempted from regulations. Ten years back these bankers would be in prison for stealing our money, but they have used the spoils to buy off members of the US Congress and have become untouchable. A small elite who can dictate their terms. Meanwhile the 99% protesting at what is happening are finding the full force of the state coming down on them as tent cities are cleared away and peaceful protestors are getting pepper sprays an worse. Elderly people and veterans are getting caught up. An 84 year old woman was sprayed and two ex army veterans have been seriously wounded . Why aren't the police protecting the people? Presumably because their bosses, like Mayor Bloomberg in New York, are also representative of the wealthy elite and give the police their orders.

In the UK the Anglican Church has spoken out on the effect cuts are making on the most vulnerable and asking the government to think again.