Exporting your manifesto
Let’s look at how the three major UK political parties are allowing people to share their manifestos.
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Tony Blair: ‘I can’t believe I just got away with that!’
Tony Blair takes a photo of himself in front of the human rights travesty he helped create.
Tony sends George a text from Iraq: “LO George. jst writiN U frm Iraq whr wer dstroiN evrtng n cite 4 oil, cash & contRL. thx putting me n yor posse.”
A while ago a mobile phone video emerged showing some Kurdish village where this horde was stoning a girl to death because she married the wrong guy. It sparked international outrage as it should have. This photo reminds of of that for some reason.
I’ve found my political party
The Pirate Party is now an officially listed political entity in the UK with candidates standing for election who are friendly on my topics.
Reform copyright and patent law: “We want to legalise non-commercial file sharing and reduce the excessive length of copyright protection, while ensuring that when creative works are sold, it’s the artists who benefit, not monopoly rights holders. We want a patent system that doesn’t stifle innovation or make life saving drugs so expensive that patients die.”
End the excessive surveillance: This includes “profiling, tracking and monitoring of innocent people by Government and big businesses.”
Free speech: “Ensure that everyone has real freedom of speech and real freedom to enjoy and participate in our shared culture.”
With laws rushing through parliament that threaten to turn 7 million people into criminals facing potential fines of up to £50,000, this fringe party with a funny name has the potential to put a sizeable dent into the votes usually going to the Big Three, Labour, Tory and likely more seriously, the Lib Dems.
The Pirate Party launched in Europe on the heels of the Pirate Bay fiasco in Sweden. Following political organizing there, the Swedish Pirate Party’s first vicotry was in winning a seat in the European Parliament. The German Pirate Party has since elected an Member of German Parliament as well.
Wingnutty and far from center, sure. But aside from the online issues, I like that its model harkens back to the days of far more creative, cross-border political organizing that was once more common in the labor movement, which is what we need a bit more of in our new global, post-nation-emerging world.
SNIP: “The internet has turned our world into a global village. Ideas can be shared at incredible speed, and at negligible cost. The benefits are plain to see, but as a result, many vested interests are threatened. The old guard works hard to preserve their power and their privilege, so we must work hard for our freedom. The Pirate Party offers an alternative to the last century’s struggles between political left and political right. We are open to anyone and everyone who wants to live in a fair and open society.”
Plus, they have a sweet logo. Design points alone can swing a vote.
LINK: Pirate Party UK
Regarding the “special relationship”
A note to Gordon Brown…
- if i have to hear a BBC reporter refer to the “special relationship” between the U.S. and UK one more time I’m going to extend my TV license boycott. Seriously, no one talks about this in the U.S. Talk about a one-way romance.
A complaint to the Cornwall Police
This is a genuine complaint to Devon & Cornwall Police Force from an unamed (here) angry member of the public. A true email sent to the force, lengthy but brilliantly written…..
Dear Sir/Madam/Automated telephone answering service, Having spent the past twenty minutes waiting for someone at Bodmin police station to pick up a telephone I have decided to abandon the idea and try e-mailing you instead.
Perhaps you would be so kind as to pass this message on to your colleagues in Bodmin, by means of smoke signal, carrier pigeon or Ouija board.
As I’m writing this e-mail there are eleven failed medical experiments (I think you call them youths) in St Mary’s Crescent, which is just off St Mary’s Road in Bodmin.
Six of them seem happy enough to play a game which involves kicking a football against an iron gate with the force of a meteorite. This causes an earth shattering CLANG! which rings throughout the entire building. This game is now in its third week and as I am unsure how the scoring system works, I have no idea if it will end any time soon.
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Hearing voices
These are three people you need to hear from for different takes on the U.S., UK, Israel and their various attempted conquests.
Lt. Ehren Watada’s Speech: “Soldiers Can Choose to Stop Fighting”
Veterans for Peace Convention – August 12, 2006. A Film by Sari Gelzer. In Seattle at the Veterans for Peace Convention, Lt. Ehren Watada, the first commissioned officer to publicly refuse deployment to Iraq, spoke about what he calls a “change of strategy” for the peace movement. Watada said: “Today, I speak with you about a radical idea … The idea is this: that to stop an illegal and unjust war, the soldiers can choose to stop fighting it.” He received overwhelming support from the crowd, and members of Iraq Veterans Against the War lined the stage in solidarity. His speech came five days before his August 17th pre-trial hearing for refusing deployment to Iraq.
Galloway: ‘The Violence Will Go On” (Can also be found here)
UK Parlimentary Representative George Galloway has spoken out in support of Lebanon, saying he believes Hezbollah is justified in attacking Israel. The Respect MP also lambasted media coverage of the war and said the UN resolution means nothing.
Seymour Hersh: “U.S. Helped Plan Israeli Attack”
The investigative reporter also claims that Cheney was “convinced” an assault on lebanon could serve as prelude for a preemptive attack on Iran.
In the test of history, those who warned against war crimes have been forgiven.
