:: Friday, November 29, 2002 ::

BBC Scotland run a weblog Scotblog. They recently appealed for links to other Scottish blogs, so with all due humility I pointed to SSP News Weblog, Rebel Inc. Coffee Shop Weblog and this wee place. Unfortunately anything too political or controversial is not approved by Auntie Beeb who replied thus:

"the rebelinccofeeshop.com promotes the legalisation of cannabis, which is against the BBCs guidelines - and in the case of the Scottish Socialist Party weblog, we would have to link to weblogs of all of the other main political parties too, but since they don't have weblogs, we can't do that (not yet, anyway).

However, I'm pleased to say that I'll be able to give your own weblog a mention at some point, when I've had a chance to look through it."

Still waiting for that one. Maybe I should change the content...a few knitting patterns, some bad poetry, maybe some cake recipes...


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:: Wednesday, November 27, 2002 ::

queen's park police riot

Members of the Canadian anti-poverty group OCAP (Ontario Coalition Against Poverty) are facing serious charges arising from a demonstration in 2000. The demo was made up of the most impoverished in Canadian society, the disenfranchised and homeless attempting to lobby their parliament. Please go to the link above, read about the case and sign their online appeal for solidarity. It will only take you a few minutes.


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:: Tuesday, November 26, 2002 ::

Harry's Place - Problems of Blogging

Harry Steele raises some interesting questions on political blogging in his new blog. Party political blogs are common in the US, and now there is a British conservative political blog, but outside of the SSP News weblog there are no leftist blogs, or even blogs of other political shadings, not even from the mighty communicators of New Labour or the SNP. Even on the basis that it is a good way to recruit (it is) I am surprised that more of the smaller groups don't use this tool. Oh well, you snooze you lose.


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:: Monday, November 25, 2002 ::

I have cleaned up the blogroll (list of other blogs I link to) to remove dead blogs and have added another one: This land is My Land, which includes a fascinating look at the arrest of 22 Italian social activists following the European Social Forum.


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Testicular wherewithal



Labour councillor defects to socialists over PFI

A REBEL councillor in Renfrewshire has become the first to defect from Labour to the Scottish Socialist Party in the run up to next May's local elections.

..."Most of the Labour group are against PFI as well," he said. "But none of them have the testicular wherewithal to stand up to the Scottish executive."

from The Herald.


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:: Thursday, November 21, 2002 ::

J.Mascis


J.Mascis live in Edinburgh 18.11.02
J.Mascis live in Edinburgh


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:: Wednesday, November 20, 2002 ::

BBC NEWS | World | Europe | Bove to be jailed for crop attacks

Free Jose Bove!


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:: Monday, November 18, 2002 ::

Defend Arrested Italian Activists


"Subversives":
"22 people arrested in Italy In the night between 14th and 15th november, 22 italian people ,all of them from the south, were put under arrest accused of  "SUBVERSIVE ASSOCIATION". Charges and indictemnts are not clear.  They are from disobbedienti, cobas and radio gap.  They are accused to be the provokers of the riots in Naples 2001 (ocse meeting) and in Genoa 2001 (g8).  They are also accused to have had contacts with blak bloks during the g8. Some of them are closed in hight security jails in Trani and Latina. Other 20 people are inquired. A couple of them have been searched also in their universitarian offices that they share with teachers of Cosenza. They were accused because they exposed and screamed their ideas like most of us did in the same occasions! Tomorrow we'll have a demonstration to ask justice and their freedom .   Please spread that news and organize something( a sit-in, a carcerolazo...) in your own country in front of the italian embassy!"


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BBC NEWS | Scotland | Glasgow twinned with Havana

Fidel celebrates with a deep-fried Mars Bar.


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:: Thursday, November 14, 2002 ::

Royal crisis deepens as Prince Charles' personal valet, Michael Fawcett, is named as the alleged rapist....
It would appear that the trial of Paul Burrell was an attempt by the British establishment, using police and courts, to procure what the Mirror called the 'rape tape' of Princess Diana ? which relates the story of the alleged rape of a servant by Michael Fawcett. If this is all proven, the intervention of the Queen may now be viewed to stop that tape coming into the public domain and these allegations becoming public.

The smearing of Paul Burrell can be seen as the British establishment doing what they always do in such a situation. What an unbelievable story. And it?s only just beginning. This one will make the Profumo Affair seem like a consensual peck on the cheek in the back of a Ford Escort.

found via rebel-inc coffee shop weblog.


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:: Wednesday, November 13, 2002 ::

Another Left is Possible!



SSP member with Rifondazione flag, Florence anti-war demo.

The European Social Forum saw a movement essentially led by the left but not dominated by it. The key role of Rifondazione was clear but Bertinnoti made clear that they did not seek hegemony over the movement, they are just a component part of it. This is the key lesson of the forum, and without this approach the forum would probably not have taken place.

The anti-war demonstration was also quite remarkable, with up to one million attending. The SSP delegation was given a very warm welcome by Italian activists and the people of Florence. The demo is an experience few of us will forget.

See more pictures from the SSP delegation here.


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:: Monday, November 04, 2002 ::

Googlism : Tommy Sheridan

Instant opinions via Googlism.


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:: Friday, November 01, 2002 ::

Fat Cats

Hilarious anti-communist cartoons by insane extremist Christian the ultra-kitsch Mr Chick. He believes the vatican secretely converted Marx to catholicism and made him create communism so that they could secretely take over the world. Errr....whatever.


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