I was elected unopposed as Vice President of the NUJ last week, so I didn’t need to print out my leaflet for the ADM. However, I think it’s worth getting out there, so here are the reasons I wanted to be elected:

About Me

With incoming President Pete Murray at Tolpuddle 2009

I have been a professional journalist for over 10 years and have been active in the NUJ for most of that time. I’ve worked in Ireland and the UK, worked as a new media journalist in broadcasting, as a freelance and in the NGO sector. I’ve been a rep at chapel, branch, industrial council and NEC level.

Reasons to vote for me:

The media is changing; the NUJ needs to change with it. The union needs to regroup, to move from fighting reactive campaigns against what the bosses are doing and provide stronger support to our members in taking greater control of their own work and workplaces.

We are not just fighting for our jobs; we are fighting for the future of journalism. The current ownership model is broken. Unless real alternatives are found and put into practice, the entire industry is in real trouble.

As Vice President, I will work with the President, the NEC, the union’s officials and, most importantly, the members to build the union for the coming fights. It’s my view that the NUJ needs to do three things to be ready for what’s coming:

Radicalise – in recent years, the union has fought back against the worst aspect of the cuts with strong pockets of resistance. But we need to move on from rearguard actions to prevent compulsory redundancies and tackle the media ownership models full on – seeking to replace what’s broken with models that work.We need to co-ordinate action across the union, we need to fight for every job and we need to take control of the media back from the bosses who are destroying it.

Renew – the media is changing; we need to ensure that the NUJ is, and continues to be, fit for purpose. We can’t continue to do things the same way because that’s the way we’ve done them for years. We need to look at our structure, our membership criteria and our communications to ensure that they contribute to building the union and serving our members.

Recruit, recruit and recruit – there’s only one way to bring the union out of its current financial difficulties and to build the strength of the union and that’s to recruit more members. We’re losing a lot of members as cuts reduce staffing levels. We need to recruit more and more new members to replace them, while also continuing to provide support and training for our members who are losing their jobs.

Many of the members we’re losing pay the top rate of subs, many of those we recruit pay the lowest levels, so we need to recruit two members for everyone one we lose to keep the union’s income steady.

Every member needs to take responsibility for recruitment, but the union’s leadership can do more to help members. In the last year, the Development Committee – of which I’m currently Chair – has prioritised improving recruitment in the union. With the Training Department, we’ve organised training in organising for recruitment for NEC members. As a member of the New Media Industrial Council, I played a key role in the new media research project that will identify key targets for recruitment in the new media sector.

These efforts and others will start to bear fruit in 2010 as long as the focus on recruitment is maintained by the union’s leadership. As Vice President, I would ensure that this happens.

My journalistic timeline:

1991 – Started working as a runner in RTÉ Sport during the summers holidays from school, returned each summer until 1994.

1994 – Began BA in Journalism course in Dublin City University. Joined NUJ as student member.

1995 – Began working evenings, weekends and holidays in RTÉ News as a news assistant while in university.

1996 – Published first issue of student music magazine, Sorted magAZine, produced with classmates. Edited subsequent editions, which were online only (magazine ended in 2004).

1998 – Lived and studied in Paris for 3½ months, graduated university (September), began career as Online Journalist with RTÉ News Online website (October). Became full NUJ member.

2000 – Promoted to Senior Interactive Journalist of RTÉ Interactive News website.

2001 – Acted up as Producer/Editor of RTÉ Interactive News website from May. Led formation of RTÉ Interactive Chapel and elected Father of the Chapel; subsequently elected Secretary of Dublin Broadcasting Branch, Dublin Broadcasting representative on the Irish Executive Council (IEC); nominated as IEC representative on the Online Media Joint Council (where I was elected Chair).

2002 –Resigned from RTÉ and moved to London. Worked as freelance, including writing column for Irish language magazine Comhair; volunteered with CND. Elected as IEC representative on Broadcasting Industrial Council.

2003 – Worked as a temp with Edexcell website team for six months, started work with Amnesty International as editor of news.amnesty website (October).

2005 – Elected New Media representative to the National Executive Council and London representative to New Media Industrial Council.

2006 – Became Senior Editor of www.amnesty.org website.

2008 – Elected Chair of the NEC’s Development Committee.

2009 – Running for Vice President of the NUJ.

This is great news for local journalism. I know the NUJ has it’s detractors and I have no quarrel with those people, as I will have no quarrel with them when they are first on the scrapheap following the next round of redundancies. But a union as a shareholder. Able to bring to account anyone responsible for mismanaging our industry and report their responses, that can only be a good thing.

http://www.pressgazette.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=1&storycode=44693&c=1

After a four-week absence from posting anything here, I had to give some reason, aye?

But seriously, even though it’s old news, the fact that Neil Parsanlal took three journalists before the Privileges Committee of Parliament (one actually just reading the news with, I suppose, no input in the actual content) and then brave enough to take on Dana Seetahal, what about lil ole me typing away on an old keyboard stating my discontent with his government? I guess if Neil is after me, I should be afraid… very afraid…

And that gets me to the other part of this post – what is wrong with us as a nation when everything seems to be falling apart, but propped up by Chinese money, and we refuse to do anything about it? Saturday’s Red Day was a washout and on Sunday I was one a of the few hundreds in Woodford Square supporting the People’s Democracy. Like my better half said – fight for the people who can’t fight for themselves, but what do you do when no one even understands, or interested, in what the fight is about?  Heading to Central on Monday morning from the city and there were more cars than usual on the road so it assumes there will be none to negligible support for the call to shut down the country for two days. I am out of the city for the week – who cares about CHOGM and the HOGs that do attend?

(As a side note  – I was invited to a Caura River lime on Monday and my lord, if you see people! Minutes to seven I am heading out of that dark and dismal place and the two bars were filled and people were also parked on the side of the roads drinking. When I commented to my host that it looks like some support for the shut-down, he laughed and said that it was like this every Monday in Caura! Every Monday… My word, but Trini like to fete boy).

But our continued interest in making people aware (unrewarded as it seems by the disinterest of the majority of my people) can be summed up in my favourite publication’s (The Economist) raison d’être – “to take part in a severe contest between intelligence, which presses forward, and an unworthy, timid ignorance obstructing our progress”.

I have a solution to get better support for a country-wide strike – don’t advertise the date. I think that people go out to work so as not to be stigmatised as a ’supporter’ and therefore not in the gun sights of their employer. If everyone stays home tomorrow Wednesday there’s not one employer in the country who can do anything about it as it was  not advertised as a day of srike or to sta home and ‘reflect’.

(Salin mula sa “How to Use the Taxi Driver” ni Umberto Eco)

Sa minuto nang pag-upo sa loob ng taksi, ang unang papasok sa isip ninuman ay kung paano uumpisahan ang pakikipag-usap sa tsuper. Ang isang araw ay binubuno ng isang tsuper sa pagmamaneho sa gitna ng trapiko (gawaing maaring magdulot ng sakit sa puso o padidiliryo) at pakikibaka laban sa iba pang motorista. Kung kaya siya ay madaling nerbiyusin at galit sa sinumang may anyong tao. Para sa mga kasapi ng radikal na grupo ng lipunan ang tsuper ng taksi ay isang pasista. Subalit ito ay hindi totoo. Ang tsuper ng taksi ay walang interes sa anumang problematikong ideyolohikal: galit siya sa mga demonstrasyong pinangungunahan ng mga unyon hindi dahil sa kung anumang oryentasyong ideyolohikal ng mga ito kundi dahil sila ay nakasasagabal sa daloy ng trapiko. Pareho rin siyang galit sa parada ng mga Dalagang Anak ng Duce. Ang tanging lamang niyang gusto ay isang matatag na pamahalaan na kayang magbaba ng hatol na bitay sa lahat ng may-ari ng pribadong sasakyan, magkaroon ng naaayon ngunit istriktong curfew — mula ala-6 ng umaga hanggang hatinggabi, halimbawa. Siya’s galit din sa mga babae, kapag hawak nila ang manibela. Kung sila’y natitigil lamang sa bahay at nagluluto ng pasta, kaya ng tsuper na mabuhay kasama sila.

Ang mga Italyanong tsuper ng taksi ay maaaring hatiin sa tatlong kategorya: yaong mga walang tigil sa pagsambit sa kanilang mga opinyon patungkol sa buhay sa kabuuan ng biyahe; mga walang imik ngunit pinapaalam nila ang kanilang galit sa sangkatauhan sa pamamagitan ng kanilang pagmamaneho; at mga tsuper na nagpapalabas ng kanilang tensyon sa pamamagitan ng lantay na narasyon ng lahat ng nangyari sa kanila dito o doon. Ang mga ganitong tranches de vie ay walang alegorikong layon, at kung sila ay nasa inuman, sinuman ay posibleng sabihan ang lasing na tsuper na panahon na upang umuwi at matulog. Ngunit para sa stuper sa loob ng kanyang taksi, ang kanyang mga kwento ay kakatwa at kawili-wili. Pinapayo sa mga pasahero na regular na magbigay ng maiikling tugon tulad ng “Talaga? Isang kabaliwan. Seryoso ka bang sinabi niya talaga iyan?!” Ang ganitong pakikipagsabwatan sa ating tsuper ay hindi upang ilihis siya sa kanyang mga kwento, kundi upang tirhan ang pasahero ng katiting na pananalig sa kanyang sarili.

Ang isang Italyanong bumibisita sa New York ay ipinapahamak ang kanyang sarili sakaling mabasa niya sa lisensya ng tsuper na nakasabit malapit sa dashboard ang apelyidong tulad ng De Cutugnatto, Esippositto, Perquocco at malaman ng tsuper na ang kanyang pasahero ay isa ring Italyano. Ang tsuper ay mag-uumpisang magsalita ng wikang walang sinumang nagsasalita, at sasama ang loob sakaling di mo maintindihan ang kanyang sinasabi. Sa mga pagkakataong ganito, kailangan mong maipaliwanag sa kanyan gamit ang Ingles na ang tanging wikang alam mo ay ang diyelektiko ng iyong rehiyon. Sa gayon, makukumbinsi siya na sa kasalukuyan, Ingles ang pambansang wika ng Italya. Subalit sa kadalasan, ang mga tsuper ng taksi sa New York ay nahahati sa dalawa: ang mga apelyidong Hudyo at hindi. Yaong mga may apelyidong Hudyo ay mga konserbatibong Zionist; at yaong mga hindi ay mga reaksyunaryong Anti-Semitiko. Magkagayunman, ang dalawang ito ay parehong sa salita lang. Mahihirapan naman ng kaunti ang pasaherong sumakay sa mga may apelyidong tunog-Gitnang Silangan o Ruso sapagkat mahirap sabihin kung sila ay Hudyo o hindi. Upang maiwasan ang sakuna, sabihin mo na lamang na nagbago ang iyong isip at nais mo nang bumaba sa kanto ng Charlton. Ang tsuper, sa kanitong pagkakataon ay mag-uumpisang mag-amok, papadyak sa break, at uutusan kang dagliang bumaba, sapagkat tanging mga numero lamang ng kalye at hindi ang mga pangalan ng mga kalye ang alam ng mga tsuper sa Lungsod ng New York.

Sa kabilang banda, ang mga tsuper ng taksi sa Paris ay hindi alam ang pangalan ng anumang kalye. Sakaling magpapahatid ka sa Place Saint-Sulpice, pabababain ka niya sa Odeon, at sasabihing hanggang doon na lamang ang kaya niya. Subalit una’y magpaparinig muna siya sa iyong kalabisan at magsasabing “Ah, ca, monsieur, alors… .” Kung magbibigay ka ng suhestiyong kumunsulta siya sa mapa, maaring di ka niya sagutin, o sasagot siya ng pabalang at sasabihan kang kung gusto mo ng talang impormasyon sana’y sumangguni ka na lamang sa isang arkibist-paleografer sa Sorbonne. Ang mga taga-Asya naman ay lubhang kakaiba. Sasabihan ka nila ng maypaggalang na ‘wag mabahala at mabilis nilang mahahanap ang lugar, at makatatlong beses nilang iikutin ang rotunda, at tatanungin ka king ano ang ikina-iba kung, sa halip na dalhin ka sa Gare du Nord ay dalhin ka nila sa Gare de l’Est — pareho namang maraming tren sa parehong estasyon.

Sa New York, sa aking pagkaka-alam, hindi ka maaaring tumawag ng taksi sa pamamagitan ng telepono papunta sa iilang bahay aliwan; sa Paris, maaari mo itong gawin subalit hindi sila dumarating. Sa Stockholm, maari mo lamang silang tawagan sa pamamagitan ng telepono dahil ang nga tsuper sa lungsod na ito ay hindi basta-bastang nagtitiwala sa matandang kanilang nakikita sa tabi ng daan. Subalit upang malaman kung anong numero ng telepono ang kailangang tawagan, kakailanganin mong pumara ng taksi, ngunit gaya ng nasabi ko na, hindi sila basta-bastang nagtitiwala kaninuman.

Ang mga Alemang tsuper ay magagalang at palaging tama. Hindi sila ngsasalita at ang tanging alam nilang gawin ay ang pag-apak sa accelerator. Kung sa iyong paglabas at ikaw at namumutla sa sobrang takot, malalaman mo kung bakit sila pumupunta sa Italya upang magbakasyon at magmaneho sa iyong harapan, at tatakbo ng 60 kilometro bawat oras sa kalyeng inilaan para sa mga mabibilis na sasakyan.

Kung magkakaroon ng paligsahan sa gitna ng tsuper sa Frankfurt gamit ang kanyang Porsche laban sat super mula sa Rio de Janeiro sa kanayg lumang Volkswagen, ang tsuper galing Rio ang mauunang makarating, una dahil hindi siya humihinto sa ilaw pantrapiko. At pangalawa, kung sakali mang hihinto siya sa pulang ilaw, isang na namang lumang Volkwagen ang hihinto sa kanyang tabi upang kunin at itakbo ang relos ng kanyang pasahero.

Ngunit, sa alinmang bahagi ng mundo, may isang siguradong paraan upang makilala ang isang tsuper ng taksi: siya’y palaging walang baryang panukli.

the government’s decisions are getting worse! the science minister, who said a few days ago that the students demonstrations and the occupation of the viennese audimax is only a local problem, who failed terribly in his job has been upgraded to the next austrian EU commissionar.

it’s a typical way for austria’s government to get around a problem. now they can find a new person for the science minister’s position and have a new and neutral start with us students. instead of downgrading someone, who wasn’t able to do his job, they promote him. that’s soooo sad.

well, but minister hahn helped us a lot, because of his saying, the whole protest against the bologna system is just “a local problem”.

a lot of people declares their solidarity: students from helsinki university over the university of santa cruz and different trade unions like the union of metal worker, the union of nutrion and, etc.

these are only a small hand full.

austria’s students are fighting for their rights and future. please support us!

have a look on these pages to get new information:

http://www.facebook.com/unsereuni

http://freiebildung.at/wordpress/audimax-besetzung-grenzenlos-in-unterschiedlichen-sprachen/

some video of the audimax:

Interesting piece on Congress and exempting itself from laws.

Most Americans think that all citizens should have the same rights and privileges, and that the same laws should apply equally to all. So it is that the president has just one vote in any election, as does the grocery clerk. And the Treasury secretary or chairman of the Ways and Means Committee must pay taxes just like anyone else (well, more or less).

But one powerful group in our democracy rarely misses a chance to exempt itself from laws that apply to the rest of us. We’re talking about members of Congress. Most seem to think it’s just too inconvenient to have to abide by those pesky laws they foist on the rest of us.

A prime example of this is unions and rules.

As my colleagues James Sherk and Ryan O’Donnell point out in a recent Heritage Foundation Backgrounder,many members of Congress can advocate new laws to push workers into joining unions with enthusiasm because their own congressional employees do not and will not have the right to form a union.

It is time for Congress to work under the same rules it imposes on the private sector. If members think that the burden of these unionization laws is not excessive, then they should apply them to their own offices. If they are not prepared to do that, they should not impose them on businesses in Main Street America.

So folks like Steve Kagen want to impose new rules that won’t apply to his own employees.  What’s up with that?

It seems that Congress — at least for their own offices — understands the downside of unionization.

Yet members of Congress who support the current bills — which would do such things as end secret ballots in labor elections and in other ways push workers into unions — claim that the proposed laws would actually improve the workplace without curtailing workers’ rights or burdening employers.

If that is so, they should be happy to add an amendment at last permitting their own staffs to unionize under the NLRA.

How about it Congressman Kagen?  You support the Employee Free Choice Act, so why not propose that amendment permitting your staff that freedom?

Perhaps this is why not.

It would be interesting to see just how gung-ho about promoting unionization these members would be with that equal-treatment requirement in place. Would they accept the idea that their offices could be unionized merely if a majority of their staff were pressured into publicly signing cards — the so-called “card check” — rather than voting for a union in a secret ballot? That’s what one major proposal would mean for private businesses.

And another thing, the NLRA current definition of “supervisor” means that managers cannot be included in a union. But one of the union-backed bills before Congress would eliminate this definition. This means that congressional chiefs of staff or legislative directors would become part of the bargaining unit. So automatic seniority, rather than decisions by a senator or congressman, would generally determine who got such promotions, as well as pay rates and job classifications. Let’s see how many lawmakers would tolerate that.

But that shouldn’t matter Congressman Kagen.  If it’s such a great thing to force changes to unionization rules on companies across the country, it should be great to apply those same rules to your staff.  (Source: Hill is above the (labor) law – Heritage Foundation)

Unless of course you think there are two sets of rules in America, one that applies to your constituents and one that applies to members of Congress.  Would that make you a hypocrite, an elitist or both?

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• Majority Sign-Up Dropped from Employee Free Choice Act (dailykos.com)
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The Mirror, Vol. 13, No. 634 – Tuesday, 13.10.2009

“According to the opinion of the president of the Cambodian Free Trade Union of Workers [Mr. Chea Mony], workers demonstrate or strike because of corruption. Therefore an anti-corruption law should be created sooner than a demonstration law, because if corruption can be prevented, workers and citizens in general will not demonstrate or strike.

“Mr. Chea Mony said during an interview with the media yesterday, Monday [12 October 2009], ‘Civil society organizations are concerned about the freedom of the citizens, that is including the freedom of all workers, because demonstrations and strikes are held concerned with freedom by citizens whose benefit is lost, due to corruption and because the powerful always restrict the citizens to express their opinion to demand respect and the implementation of the law, but finally, their rights are restricted.’

“The president of the biggest trade union in Cambodia made this remark some days ahead of a meeting of the National Assembly of Cambodia which will discuss to adopt a new demonstration law.

“Mr. Chea Mony thinks that the new law suggested by the Ministry of Interior and planned to be discussed soon is in clear contrast to the previous demonstration legislation from 1993.

“He went on to say, ‘The demonstration law of 1993 granted citizens full rights to attend demonstrations, but what is seen at present is that a new law is being drafted to allow only 200 people at the most to demonstrate, and even that will require that the names of the leaders of the demonstrations must be reported ahead of time.’

“Mr. Chea Mony explained this point, ‘If there are leaders of a demonstration, the authorities will ask who the leaders are. But if a demonstration is held in response to the will of the citizens, for example in a factory with 5,000 workers whose salaries have not been paid by the owner of the company, as the law limits the number to only 200 people as representatives, these cannot represent the interests of the 5,000 workers strongly. Thus, we think that the law being drafted by the Ministry of Interior to be sent to the National Assembly for adoption does not reflect the will of the workers or the people.’

“He also mentioned another point, as that law limits the number of demonstrators to only 200, saying, ‘if, for example, 5,000 families are evicted to grab their land for a high ranking and powerful person, according to that new law, only 200 people are allowed to demonstrate, but if those 200 people are bought over, these 200 people will no longer reflect the other 4,800 families. Therefore, the government should open the possibility giving citizens the right to demonstrate or to strike at any place, and the government should just prepare authorities to protect their safety. That is enough.’

“It should be remembered that according the Constitution of Cambodia of 1993, in an independent state practicing democracy, citizens from all classes were allowed to assemble, to express their opinion through demonstrations and strikes without any strict conditions. It was enough to just inform the authorities, so that they prepared police to protect the safety of the demonstrators.

“It is noticed that what was stated in the Constitution of 1993 was not implemented properly, as the authorities of the government used different pretexts, like security and public order, to reject requests for holding an assembly. Or armed forces were ordered to attack the demonstrators to disperse them.

“These interventions are seen as seriously violating the policy of democracy, which Cambodia had signed to accept and to practice.

“The freedom of expression which is strongly restricted in Cambodia, does not change; moreover, it will become even worse as the demonstration law sets a limits of 200 persons as representatives for demonstrations to be adopted by the National Assembly.

“Mr. Chea Mony thinks that the assembly of workers as well as of Khmer citizens in general, to express their opinion, emerges from one problem: that is corruption and social injustice. If this terrible problem can be solved, there will be no demonstrations.” Sereypheap Thmey, Vol.17, #1806, 13.10.2009

Newspapers Appearing on the Newsstand:
Tuesday, 13 October 2009

Deum Ampil, Vol.3, #309, 13.10.2009

• The Minister of Information Did Not Accept to Meet Radio Free Asia Representatives
• The Ministry of Health Prepares to Distribute 500,000 Leaflets to Educate the Public about A/H1N1 during the Water Festival

Kampuchea Thmey, Vol.8, #2070, 13.10.2009

• Cambodia Asked [Thailand] to Include the Cambodian-Thai [Preah Vihear] Dispute into the Agenda of the ASEAN Summit [planned to be held from 23 to 25 October 2009 in Thailand - after the Thai Foreign Minister was quoted by the Bangkok Post to have said he would seek ASEAN’s approval for a “neutral organization” that “may provide an avenue for Thailand and Cambodia to settle the dispute” over their shared border near the Preah Vihear temple complex. Later, the Thai Foreign Ministry denied the report by the Bangkok Post]
• Nearly 500 Garment Workers Fainted after Having Eaten Lunch [Phnom Penh]

Koh Santepheap, Vol.42, #6777, 13.10.2009

• A Siamese [Thai] Man Was Accused of Killing a Khmer Woman in a Guesthouse [by strangling her - Phnom Penh]
• An A/H1N1 Scanner Was Set Up at the Poipet Border Crossing

Phnom Penh Post, Vol.1, #24, 13.10.2009

• Victimized Citizens at Oddar Meanchey Ask for Intervention [after their houses were burnt in a land dispute, where 14 citizens are being sought for arrest]
• The US Parliamentarians [Edward Royce, Frank Wolf, James Moran and Joseph Cao] Mentioned Human Rights Issues [and corruption in Cambodia - and submitted it to the US congress]
• Cambodia Plans to Export 1,000 Tonnes of Cotton to the Vietnamese Market Later This Year
• Twenty Nine Cambodian Youth [15 boys, 14 girls] Attend the 36th Ship for Southeast Asian Youth [a Japanese initiative to strengthen cooperation and understanding among neighboring countries, in 2009 traveling 52 days visiting six countries – Brunei, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand. In the send-off meeting, the Prime Minister advised them to “maintain their dignity” as they will be “representing Cambodia and its people.”

Rasmei Angkor, Vol.16, #1468, 12.10.2009

• Police Seized a Car [illegally] Loaded with Animals at the Poipet Border Crossing

Rasmei Kampuchea, Vol.17, #5019, 13.10.2009

• Three Young Girls Drowned on the Same Day [Pursat]
• Eleven Monks Were Found Drinking Alcohol in a Pagoda and Nine of Them Were Defrocked [Siem Reap]
• [More than 20] Chinese People Who Work at the Kamchay Hydro-Electric Dam Construction Site Hit the Traffic Police Officers when They Stopped Their Car for Checking [two traffic police were injured seriously; no information about arrests - Kampot]

Sereypheap Thmey, Vol.17, #1806, 13.10.2009

• The Cambodian Free Trade Union of Workers Said that an Anti-Corruption Law Should Be Created before a Demonstration Law

Have a look at the last editorial – you can access it directly from the main page of the Mirror.
And please recommend us also to your colleagues and friends.

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IDIOT: No offence………but I need to talk to the organ grinder and not the monkey.

HRD: (After a pause and a pretend phone call). Right I’ve spoken to the organ grinder and……“no offence”…..they think you only warrant the monkey.

Veli-Pekka Sälkkälä tillhör inte de mest uppmärksammade makthavarna. Ändå vilar just nu en stor del av ansvaret för svensk ekonomi på hans axlar. Som avtalssekreterare i IF Metall är det Sälkkälä som ska hålla samman det ömtåliga system som sedan ett årtionde har styrt lönebildningen.

Läs hela artikeln på Aftonbladets website

Ett tufft jobb | Ingvar Persson | Ledarkrönika | Ledare | Aftonbladet.

In a display of cyncial double standards that we have come to expect from Labour and it’s paymasters; trade union boss Derek Simpson demands increased taxation for the rich

The menu for Derek Simpson and colleagues

After demanding more taxation Mr Simpson who is on £100,000 per annum popped out with the brothers for a meal fit for a king.

Brendan Carlin and Helen Dowd in The Mail have more including bottles of wine at £40 each

Ardvaark is left pondering if the members of Mr Simpson’s Union consider this a wise use of their union dues

17 settembre – Con una decisione storica, i sindacati britannici hanno votato l’impegno a costruire un movimento di massa per il boicottaggio, il disinvestimento e sanzioni verso Israele e per una soluzione negoziata basata sulla giustizia per i Palestinesi.

La mozione è passata al Congresso Annuale 2009 del TUC (Trade Unions Council) a Liverpool oggi 17 settembre, che riunisce i sindacati rappresentanti di 6 milioni e mezzo di lavoratori del Regno Unito.
Hugh Lanning, presidente della Palestine Solidarity Campaign, ha detto: ‘Questa mozione è il culmine di un’ondata di mozioni passate nelle conferenze sindacali quest’anno, a seguito dell’indignazione per la brutale guerra di Israele contro Gaza, e riflette la massiccia crescita del sostegno ai diritti palestinesi. Lavoreremo con i sindacati per sviluppare una campagna di massa per il boicottaggio dei prodotti israeliani, specialmente i prodotti agricoli provenienti dalle colonie illegali israeliane nella West Bank palestinese’.

La mozione invita inoltre il TUC General Council a premere sul governo inglese per la fine di ogni commercio di armi con Israele e per sostenere le iniziative per la sospensione dell’accordo commerciale fra Israele e l’Unione Europea. I sindacati sono anche incoraggiati a disinvestire dalle aziende che traggono profitto dalla quarantennale occupazione illegale israeliana di Gaza e della West Bank.

La mozione è stata presentata dal sindacato dei Vigili del Fuoco. I più grandi sindacati di categoria inglesi, compresi Unite(pubblico impiego) e UNISON (sanità), hanno votato a favore della mozione.
La mozione approvata condanna anche le dichiarazioni del sindacato israeliano Histadrut a sostegno della guerra di Israele contro Gaza, che ha ucciso 1.450 Palestinesi in tre settimane, e invita a riconsiderare le relazioni del TUC con l’Histadrut.

I sindacati inglesi hanno raggiunto quelli del Sud Africa e dell’Irlanda nell’impegno per una campagna di boicottaggio di massa per costringere Israele a rispettare il diritto internazionale e per fare pressione sullo Stato ebraico affinchè adempia alle Risoluzioni dell’ONU sul diritto alla giustizia ed all’uguaglianza per il popolo palestinese.

]]> http://sroblog.com/2009/09/17/uk-union-to-boycott-israeli-goods-israel-jerusalem-post/ Fri, 18 Sep 2009 04:44:15 +0000 MB Snow http://sroblog.com/2009/09/17/uk-union-to-boycott-israeli-goods-israel-jerusalem-post/

No thanks? A factory in the settlement of Bet El that designs and produces bullet-proof vests for reserve soldiers.
Photo: Ariel Jerozolimski

Sep 18, 2009 5:03 | Updated Sep 18, 2009 5:22

British trade unions to boycott Israeli goods

By JONNY PAUL JERUSALEM POST CORRESPONDENT

Britain’s Trades Union Congress has approved a call for a targeted, consumer-led boycott and sanctions campaign against Israel and to work closely with a radical anti-Israel group.

The decision was announced on Thursday at the 6.5-million member labor federation’s annual conference in Liverpool.

The new policy calls on the British government to condemn the “Israeli military aggression and the continuing blockade of Gaza,” and to end arms sales to Israel, which it said totaled £18.8 million in 2008.

It also advocates a ban on import of goods originating in settlements and an end to the European Union’s preferential trading terms for Isra

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