August 19 is celebrated by Afghans as Afghan Independence Day and represents the signing by the Afghans and the British Imperialists of the Treaty of Rawalpindi on August 19 1919. The British Imperialists, after three bloody wars, gave gave up their imperialist dreams of occupying Afghanistan. On her recent visit to Afghanistan, Hilary Clinton, with unashamed hypocrisy and utter audacity, congratulated the Afghan people on their 91 years of independence. An independence that has seen almost 10 years bloody Soviet occupation followed by a further almost 10 years, and even more bloody, US/UK occupation that is still ongoing.
It appears that when the US invades and occupies a country that is freedom, but when any other country does likewise, it is tyranny. It is simply a matter of state logic, we are always righteous and for freedom, they are always tyrannical and repressive.
In the past it was workers blood that was shed on foreign soil killing workers at the behest of our imperial masters. Now it is workers killing workers on foreign soil at the behest of the corporate world, with the state giving it the stamp of legitimacy by supplying the cannon fodder. Never has it been for the benefit of the workers. In the past crowns got extra jewels and mansions were built on the blood of the spoils. Now oil and minerals, contracts and markets are added to the corporate portfolio. History surely tells us that this system of states is not for the benefit of the ordinary people.
ann arky’s home.
So David Cameron, one half of the well manicured millionaire twins, states we will be out of Afghanistan by 2015, making it a 14 years war on a poverty stricken country. Why 5 years, is that how long it will take them to complete their grand plan down to the last detail? If so what is their grand plan? Or is it just a nice number, it sounds better than four and a bit years or there abouts, or, I'm not very sure. This 5 years is just an arbitrary number, a statement to please sections of the public but rather a callous way to approach the killing and maiming that is going on in that unfortunate country. Why not NOW, what will be different in 5 years? Does he know what state that country will be in in 5 years, can he tell us what will be regarded as a must for that withdrawal? How can he guarantee they will have achieved their illusionary grand plan. At the moment the NATO forces are looking at an abject failure and defeat with an escalating rate of killing, but somehow in 5 years it will all be so different with peace and a true democracy flourishing in Afghanistan. The Karzai Mafia in Kabul will no longer be a cabal of drug barons, they'll be honest brokers seeking the well being of the Afghan people. Milk and honey will flow across the dusty plains of Afghanistan and our well manicured millionaires will be able to say it was all worth the sacrifice. Afghanistan will fade from the front pages, the killing will be forgotten and our troops will head off to fight another imperialist venture to make sure that the world accepts the might of Western corporate capitalism. Then the millionaires club at the Westminster Houses of Hypocrisy and Corruption will issue more lies about keeping Britain safe and building democracy in some other unfortunate corner of the globe, while issuing platitudes about the killing and maiming. Doesn't the system make you sick? We could work to change it!!
You have to hand it to them for arrogance. Our nice new shiny young millionaire Chancellor of the Exchequer made a statement recently in which he said, “—the age of plenty is over–”. Of course he wasn’t talking about his friends in his millionaire/billionaire club. No, you see their plenty will still go on and on at our expense, and as for us, who never had the plenty in the first place, well our imaginary plenty is all over, again. The stench of hypocrisy coming from the Westminster House of Corruption is overpowering. When that place is in session you probably have the largest collection of millionaires sitting in one room than anywhere else in the country. They will sit and in all seriousness discuss the need to tighten belts and get used to the age of plenty being over. They will point out how wages will have to be frozen or cut, how services will have to be decimated, while they resent having somebody looking over their extortionate expenses claims. They will continue their champagne dinners and retreat to their summer residence in some leafy idyllic spot, leaving us to get on with the poverty and deprivation.
The decisions of this millionaires’ club will heap untold misery on thousands, while they will be rewarded by their friends in the corporate world for their part in depressing the wages in this country. How much unemployment? Well the Fraser of Allander Institute at Strathclyde University has come up with a figure of 60,000 job losses in the Scottish public sector alone. Professor Brian Ashcroft, policy director of that institute stated, “The public probably don’t realise what we we’re facing. We are set to see a cut in spending unprecedented in recent history.” Though I can accept the learned Professor’s figures, I’m inclined to think that it is an underestimate. It is the “WE” part that I take offence with. All the top paid academics and the millionaires’ club at Westminster keep uttering the word “WE” when there is no real connection between their lifestyle and that of the ordinary people. This is to create the impression that there is some relationship between the lifestyles of the two classes, that we have something in common. “WE” have nothing in common with “THEM”, their decisions will hurt us, it will in no way hurt them. Do they have the right to inflict a such pain and deprivation on others while they themselves lap up the luxuries of a parasitical lifestyle? Does anybody? If, as they keep saying, “we’re all in this together,” well let’s start sharing all the wealth of the nation to see to the needs of all the people, as well as all sharing the burden. As a democracy perhaps they will let us, the people, vote on that suggestion. However, I’m not holding my breath on that one.
ann arky’s home.
Every time I look at British politics all I see are power hungry greedy careerists, then I think perhaps I'm a little cynical. Now and again along comes a politician that seems to talk a little sense and be held with some respect. Somehow Vince Cable appeared as such a person. When he spoke on the economy people listened. So when he commented on George Osborne's billions of pounds of cuts this year and described them as dangerous and “crazy”, most people nodded approvingly. However, the honourable Vince made those comments shortly before he joined with rich boy George, in the cozy-up richboy's coalition, to help him implement those self same cuts and more for next year. What worth his words now? I should have known that it was not cynicism on my part but knowledge born of a long life of political observations and experiences. Right Honourable Gentlemen, is surely the greatest misnomer in the English language, this has to be a case where the trade description act must be enforced.
It's the same old story, what is said in opposition has no connection with what is done when in power. What appears in a manifesto is just the car salesman's speel, none of it has any connection with the truth.
THE PROPAGANDISTS.
When the hordes run with their flaming torches,
When they light the torch of freedom
Burning all injustices
Scorching all hypocrisies
Making a bonfire of poverty
Throwing dogma, patriotism and religion on the flames,
I’ll be there, among them with my box of matches.
Last year Linda Cook, former executive of Anglo-Dutch Oil, had her pension pot more than doubled to app. £16.5 million, and on leaving the company was given a “golden-goodbye” of app. £5 million taking her annual earnings, not counting the wee pension, to app.£6.5 million. At the same time the company announced that it was to axe a further 1,000 jobs, making a total of 7,000 jobs axed since last summer. Bonuses for them, dole for us!!
Mean while the bankers still pass themselves fists full of dollars in bonuses for the useless and politicians talk about the need for cuts to our standard of living. Of course not one of the MPs proposing the cuts will feel any of the effects.
They call it democracy, I call it rip off and exploitation, how about you?
ann arky's home.
