Friday, 19 February 2010

Building for our future..

Well.... it has been predicted, discussed, speculated upon, and in some cases contested to be having any significant detrimental impact; but now, if you can keep your mind withdrawn from the nonsense of infidelity scandals and election hysteria, it's very difficult to ignore that accumitively the effects of the recession have been pretty aweful so far. I'm not entirely sure in detail on how the rest of the world stands, but even for the likes of those of us not fully engaged in politics, it is absolutely clear that people are beginning to suffer. I've had conversations with people at the Job Centre; they are becoming demoralised at the lack of work available to them, desperate at the farce of temporary and part time contracts that barely cover the costs of travel and basic living, and fed up with living a life where you're made to feel useless because of the uselessness and partiality of our economic and political systems.

Some more job losses for the mix: the Corus steelworks plant in Teesside being closed will see that 1600 people loose their jobs, as well as British Airways waving goodbye to 2000 cabin crew and introducing pay cuts in their place. I'm sure there's probably more going on too, and as it stands there is currently more unemployed than there has been since Labour got into power, and that statistic is worsening weekly.

Now, the way I see it, things are going to continue in this fashion of swift economic decomposition, financial tension for the vast majority, and systemic suffering for the poor majority as a consequence of this. If this is the case, we collectively need to start considering a new game plan, and instigate it with immediate effect. Even if it's not that case, let's just do it anyway; capitalism is a viscious beast that needs to be neutralised and locked away forever!!!

Ahem..........

There's recently been a big push nationally to boost Union activity and encourage people to join up and stand up where ever necessary to demand their rights, and this is undoubtedly something that needs to continue and build momentum as economic conditions deteriorate, but I feel that as important as these activities are, there is more that needs to be done.

As companies continue to strive for more and more profit, and more people loose their jobs because of this, with a limitted number of jobs available to people, and the benefit system straining as more people become jobless, we are undoubtedly going to have to look elsewhere for provisions and security. This is where real social networks need to come in, and community building is something that is going to have to become a part of the day to day realities of the near future. As much as speaking to new people, working with strangers and co-operating productively is a terrifying prospect for most of us, these are just things are we're going to have to get used to.

There needs to be a concrete network of support in every city available for people to depend on, and a way in which people can find out about and experience alternative ways of living; because the way things are going - there is no alternative. If there's no jobs there's no work, if there's no conventional work there's no money, if there's cuts to the benefit system people need to get by on less. Most people don't realise that all you need to live and be content is food, water, shelter, friends / a community, routine and activity ( plus culture and creativity for the ultimate balance). So for those of us that are able to, these are some things we should all be looking into being able to provide for one another - the resources are out there, and we have the people; now it's time to prioritise those of us that are suffering RIGHT NOW and work together in EVERY capacity we can to protect those made to suffer by the greed and ignorance of the ruling classes and the crippling self riteousness of social and political 'activists'.

Depending on the Nanny State, Corporations and politics as we know it is not good enough.

Thursday, 28 January 2010

[iLL] Citizens Advice: iLL Citizen - Cycle lyrics - Get ORGANISED!!

Jed:           When shit's messed up
Guy:          the best thing is to organise,
Gra:           if you don't try
Jed:          then you might just fall behind,
Guy:          with no direction,
Gra:          then you've got no agenda,
Jed:          these are the reasons,
Jed & Guy: we need to remember

Gra:          When shit's messed up
Jed:          the best thing is to organise,
Guy:          if you don't try
Gra:           then you might just fall behind,
Jed:             with no direction,
Guy:          then you've got no agenda,
Gra:           these are the reasons,
Jed & Guy: we need to remember


(allergy)
 
so when I get upon a track, one third of that, it breaks my back, the journey to the stage from the rap,
it takes alot of pulling weight and organized chat, in the face of a flakey world that talks crap,
bring it on now ill take it,...you can scribble on my straight line but im still gonna make it,
in an orderly fashion, nothing will ever happen around you unless you rub shoulders with passion,
 
let me translate, a studio sess with no regreting, now my plans set in, ... motion my toes tapping,
Suppose that is a side effect im organic, my words painting a picture of people as they plan it,
 
(grace)

from the
pressures of lifetime there's no hidin,
points coming at you straight as the crow flying,
if you're in a mess then i bet you wont like it, you
need organisation, so go try it, you

don't need to be a genius or a psychic, to
find fire burns best, when you ignite it,
    so get a spark flying in your mind, find it
and write it down quick time, we're in a crisis,
 

you need to fix up and stop being fine with the
state of affairs that's not really righteous,
      how'd you get to that place in your life, where you're
waiting to die and you don't really mind it, ya

blind with the inner politics and the fighting,
    the motivationless egos are frightening,
why have you not quite grown sick n tired of 
retiring you mind of your vital assignments

(canB)
 
adapt to my habitat
analyse management
if i aint satisfied i meet with my cabinet
stand for the matter keep my fam and my plans tight
raise my head to giraffe height
scan the horizon
believe your eyes I double L arriving the grand uprising
we strategise, formulate,
file and coordinate
organising forces to augment, orchestrate
change in our own age
homemade movements or global cause it goes both ways
on a world stage
or on a local basis maintaining chaos means no change
manaman can b battleplan
till the day the average man
overthrow the capitan
what we teach longer reach than orangutan
sure to make the cause snowball like an avalanche

Friday, 15 January 2010

6,000,000 plus another 900! Workers hit with a Bosch!!!

Somehow, through the grapevine, we hear the news that economies are beginning to recover from the recession. Nobody knows how, but it's happening, we're on the ascent! All of a sudden, to people across the world, what is happening is becoming abundantly clear: the rich are getting richer with healthy salaries being supplemented by yummy bonuses refined from the souls of their impoverished minions; and the poor get even poorer, suffering the effects of companies "tightening their belts" and draining the lifeblood from the lower halves of their organisations.

Cuts to benefits, services and pensions for employees can be felt nationwide, cuts in funding for education, the social system, public transport are being implimented by central and local governments alike, and redundancies are hitting employees nationally and internationally. The kick in the face about this whole arrangement is that the people that ACTUALLY run the country i.e. clean the toilets, make the toasters, collect the revenue, provide the services - are being made jobless and made to suffer, while the executives and fat cats continue completely unaffected in salaries and privileges, for doing an extremely bad job. Is this really fair?

What is completely MAD about this is people thinking that this is just what happens; that being messed about by 'authority' is something that we can't change and something that happens for the benefit of us all. WRONG! They make it sound reasonable - but it's not. They make it sound like it's for the good of everyone and the country and the economy - but it's not. They make out like you will be ok - but chances are that you wont. People are loosing their jobs and being made to suffer because we think it's for the benefit of us all - well it isn't.

The answer is simple: We are equal, and should not be made to suffer for the sake of the bosses incompetence, and we should no longer fuel a system that is driven by inequality. This system survives because people do not object and realise their worth; so realise it! We must stand with our colleagues, unite with our unions, follow the movements of the fight for jobs nationally and internationally, become part of the fight, demand our rights, demand others demand their rights, forward an e-mail, attend a conference, hold a conference and do whatever we can to work with one another to make sure we are all treated fairly and can live, breath, eat, sleep and think in comfort as our entitlement as living beings.

The situation with Bosch should hopefully see a huge mobilisation of people demanding their rights be met. The upcoming "Right To Work" Conference being held in Manchester on the 30th of January should help inspire that action, and inspire similar actions across the nation. It is down to us all as the driving force of civilisation to realise this, and demand due compensation for our commitments.

Sunday, 3 January 2010

Lessons in debt for 5 year olds

Kids are soon to be given 'financial education' that will commense as early in a child's life as 5. Now this seems wrong to me. The idea that the concepts of the money system - like debt - will be engrained in a child's consciousness from such an early age is really worrying to me. 


I think it will be equipping children with a mental framework for the unfortunate route of  economic slavery before they've even had a chance to learn that there are alternatives available to life on credit. The ever increasingly linear nature of education, and the ruthlessness of advertising combined is already a toxic mix. These things make it very difficult for young people to explore the diversities of society in lifestyle and financial freedoms, and ensure that there is not a fair representation of all of the available options to people as they begin to decide what it is they want from life, and what it is they want to do with theirs. Democracy you say??



Presumably this a move from the government, or whoever controls syllabus in schools, to ensure that there will be as many future investors in the wealth of the economy as possible, regardless of any dreams, hopes or aspirations that young people may have that don't involve money; but those things aren't a priority when there's profit in the equasion, ay?

Wednesday, 30 December 2009

Nice 'n' digestable story of the Corporate Challenge of Climate Change

OK!

Economic super powers do not want to compromise profit and thus will do bare minimum to reduce emissions, as that effort may effect the capital gain of countries and companies and their respective administration and executives. So that means.... leaders of the biggest companies in the world, politicians, who represent the interests of the leaders of non-political companies (not the poor people) don't want to loose any money - so they will use every trick they can think of to do as little as possible, including things like blaming other countries to draw attention from the absolute facts that the super powers are doing as little as possible to tackle climate change, and saying lots of reassuring things to cameras that sound very honerable to convince us that they are ACTUALLY doing something different. All of these things are diversionary tactics. We will reiterate: the are actually doing as little as possible. You see, the leaders of these companies enjoy their FAT SALARIES and indulgant IGNORANT LIFESTYLES far too much, and their salaries and lifestyles depend on these profits, so of course, they want to keep them. Meaning that where ever possible, there will be cuts to the already poverty stricken employees wages, redundancies - leaving people jobless and really screwed over, cuts in public/employees funding and services and many more schemes devised to take money from the poor, after all; the poor are quite happy with being treated like dogs, aren't we? And while all this money juggling is happening, the OBVIOUS BASTARD SOLUTION of not giving the wealthy quite as much wealth as they would usually get - just for a bit - is completely overlooked, because they think the public expects to be treated like filth, and the rich are doing their very best to keep real solutions from the domain of the public.

So then, that is just a veeeeeery brief attempt at a summary of the whole climate justice vs. capitalism scenario, but you can trust that what's being said isn't public relations mind bending manipulation. All you have to do is scratch beneath the surface to find this stuff out in plain face slapping English. So get your thinking caps on, do your homework, and join the growing social and climate justice movements in ammending this and all of the problems we face in our society!


Good online article and video by the Guardian:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/dec/19/copenhagen-closes-weak-deal

Tuesday, 29 December 2009

Free Gaza and the Palestinian people

Here is a small compilation of video clips documenting the united Free Palestine movements protesting against the seige on Gaza by the state of Israel:







Thursday, 24 December 2009

A beautiful song for Christmas

Dealmaker Records presents a contemporary remix of one of our all time favourite Christmas Carols. Press play and have a sing along!!!