News and spews...

Jaz Coleman of Killing Joke has been found in Western Sahara. Tut, the lengths some people went to avoid the Olympics. But the Sahara, in August; are you sure about that? Here’s the Wikipedia page on Western Sahara:. By all accounts it’s a vast, bleak area. It is a disputed territory, part of an ongoing struggle between The Kingdom of Morocco and the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, a government in exile. There was a war from 1975 (following the end of Spanish rule) until 1991. A ceasefire was brokered on the agreement Morocco would organise a referendum on independence. Such a referendum has failed to materialise. There was a protest movement in 2010-11, a far-western echo of the Arab Spring.

Less than a sixth of the population thinks the coalition government will last until 2015. Either that’s wishful thinking (and not necessarily left-wing wishful thinking – there are many, far too many people out there who don’t think this government is right-wing enough, hurting the working class enough) or it’s a political misunderstanding.

All three mainstream parties are committed to Thatcherite principles of government. They are committed to these principles against the population and against any democratic formal or informal process if needs be. Disputes about boundary changes or social housing schemes mean nothing next to the fact that the Liberal Democrats will be annihilated at the next general election while the Tories are unlikely to win a majority of seats. They will use as much time as possible to rig the terms of national politics for as long as possible.

Koranon cilaria ozu mahok! Hard line Republican Paul Ryan accidentally hailed by Mitt-for-Brains Romney as “the next president of the United States” is considered by conservatives to be the ideal candidate, including by squeaky clean, mentally competent, octogenarian media magnate Rupert Murdoch.

Laugh, but if in January next year he’s Romney’s organ grinder he’ll be the second most powerful man in the world, a man who opposes healthcare, welfare support, pay equality legislation and abortion even after rape… and a fine mahok to you all.

A CiF post that ACTUALLY suggests we should "let the racists march"

For some reason Deborah Orr has stuck in my mind. Ever since, years and years ago, I saw her on BBC Breakfast News in a small panel discussion debating the sexualisation of children. Forgetting, for a moment, that it wasn't Newsnight Review, Orr opined:

"There are some children's clothes being made with words like 'fuck' printed on them".

It was quite a while ago, I am communicating the gist of what she said. Oh the presenters were sorry for the unforeseen profanity. What they forgot was to ask: Really? Are there actually children's clothes out there with the word (or words like) 'fuck' printed on them? Really? Actually? Are you sure?

Anyway, preamble over, Deborah Orr doesn't like lefty marches but doesn't seem to mind far right ones. Why?

I had given up by the time of the million-strong march against Iraq in February 2003, having become too cheesed off on previous marches. That's a shame, I guess, because by all accounts that march was different in character, the concerned citizens greatly outnumbering the usual suspects. But, on my last anti-war march, I'd been stuck behind a group of young men who appeared passionately to believe that 9/11 had been engineered by "the Jews".

Really? That's pretty serious (although you have to admit [two] million-strong political manifestations by their very nature attract all kinds of people). Who were these people?

A "broad church" is one thing.

No, seriously, who were they? Any idea?

A conspiracy-theorist lunatic fringe is another.

It would be good to know. As a serious journalist you wouldn't just want to be casting wild aspersions here. Did you stop to find out who these young men were?

It was all so unpleasant that I peeled off, and marched over Lambeth Bridge to Chez Gerard, and steak frites instead.

So, no idea, no need to have an idea, lefties tolerate unidentified racist conspiracy nuts but not Deborah Orr. Shame on them!

Meanwhile:

I was relieved too, when a huge police presence stopped Saturday's "static protest" by the English Defence League from developing into another kind of confrontation, this time against those who abhor the EDL. Viewing protest as a way to confront the state, and the police, is not constructive. Viewing protest as a way to challenge other citizens, whose mainstream views you do not agree with, is even less so.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, actively opposing the EDL is as bad as supporting them; and when the Normandy landings happened I bet there were people tutting at the Allied invasion too! Also, it makes you wonder what organised protest is for. You can't challenge the state, you can't challenge civil society; since it was taken off the air you can't even Challenge Anneka (there's a reference for you). So, got the message? Deborah Orr doesn't want you to oppose fascist manifestations.

Yet, I was still appalled that the EDL march was banned.

Let the racists march through your neighbourhood because:

Banning groups or their activities, without evidence that they are conspiring to break the law, or encourage others to do so, just feeds the group's feeling that what they have to say is so important...

Could you make Tommy Robinson more self-important? I doubt it. Besides, it's not as if there isn't weighty evidence showing the EDL are about bringing racist violence to our streets. They attack mosques, and have done so and threatened to do so on numerous occasions. This is not exactly inconsistent with their ideology. Numerous of their members are also in the fascist BNP. They frequently attack members of the public, usually but not exclusively brown skinned people. They attack Hindu temples, trade union demonstrations and public meetings.

I could go on. The point is wisemen and fools knows the EDL didn't want to come to Tower Hamlets to go shopping in Canary Wharf, dine out in Brick Lane or go clubbing at 93 Feet East.

Never mind anti-war demos, Comment Is Free is definitely a broad church.