Court's Verdict Regarding BAE

A summary of the court's verdict has been published online (hat-tip UK Liberty). In conclusion it states:

Conclusion

170. The claimants succeed on the ground that the Director and Government failed to recognise that the rule of law required the decision to discontinue to be reached as an exercise of independent judgment, in pursuance of the power conferred by statute. To preserve the integrity and independence of that judgment demanded resistance to the pressure exerted by means of a specific threat. That threat was intended to prevent the Director from pursuing the course of investigation he had chosen to adopt. It achieved its purpose.

171. The court has a responsibility to secure the rule of law. The Director was required to satisfy the court that all that could reasonably be done had been done to resist the threat. He has failed to do so. He submitted too readily because he, like the executive, concentrated on the effects which were feared should the threat be carried out and not on how the threat might be resisted. No-one, whether within this country or outside is entitled to interfere with the course of our justice. It is the failure of Government and the defendant to bear that essential principle in mind that justifies the intervention of this court. We shall hear further argument as to the nature of such intervention. But we intervene in fulfilment of our responsibility to protect the independence of the Director and of our criminal justice system from threat. On 11 December 2006, the Prime Minister said that this was the clearest case for intervention in the public interest he had seen. We agree.

"On The Verge" Of A Police State?

It would appear that maybe the verge has been crossed. The Guardian today reports on attempts by the police to halt screenings of the low-budget film "On The Verge". The film itself tells the story of 'a small but committed group of activists, smashEDO, [who] are taking on the Brighton base of an international arms manufacturer and, in the process, their local constabulary'. Luckily although the force are keen to clamp down on screenings, they have actually acted as a highly successful marketing campaign for the film (hence the paper coverage and my sudden awareness). And, much as I hate to upset the establishment, I'm gonna do my bit to help. First of all, here's a trailer for the film:

And here are the 'tour' details if that taster whets your appetite:

March

17th Brighton First Showing of 'On the Verge' at the Duke of York's Cinema
6.30pm, Duke of York's Cinema - First Screening of 'On the Verge' - the Smash EDO Campaign film plus a selection of short films about occupation and resistance in Palestine. This showing was pulled by police - read more

19th Chichester New Park Centre 7-9pm
20th Southampton The Art House.7.30pm
24th Oxford East Oxford Community Centre, Cowley Rd, 7pm
25th Bath The Bell, 7.30pm
26th Hereford The Barrels, 69 St Owen St, Hereford, HR1 2JQ
27th Bristol Kebele, 14 Robertson Rd, Easton, Bristol. Ph 0117 939 9469 http://www.kebelecoop.org/
28th Cardiff PAD Cardiff Social Centre, 118 Clifton St, Adamsdown, Cardiff

April

1st, 6.30pm London Foundry, 86 Great Eastern St, London, EC2 3JL.
3rd Leicester TBA
9th Norwich The Workshop, 8pm
11th London Housmans Bookshop, 7pm
14th Liverpool TBA
15th Newcastle Star & Shadow Cinema, Battlefield, Cnr Stepney Bank & Crawhall Road, Newcastle. Ph 0191 261 0066
17th Edinburgh The Forest Cafe, 3 Bristo Pl, Edinburgh, EH1 1EY. Ph 0131 220 4538
18th Glasgow The Quakers Centre
19th Aberdeen Aberdeen Uni
23rd Nottingham Uni
24th Derby TBA
25th Sheffield Lecture theatre 3, Sheffield Uni Arts Tower, 4pm-6.30pm
27th Leeds Common Place, 23-25 Wharf St, Leeds, LS2 7EQ. Ph 0845 345 7334 http://www.thecommonplace.org.uk/
28th Manchester Manchester Uni
29th Lancaster Gregson Centre 7pm

May

1st Wrexham TBA
2nd Southampton Uni

If you want the tour to come to your neck of the woods, email on-the-verge(at)hotmail.co.uk, check tour dates here (and download flyers) and for any further information visit smashedo here. Also, it would appear that a DVD will be produced at some point in April, so be sure to get your copy!

Freedom and Democracy, US Style.

Hypocrisy? You decide:

PRESIDENT George W. Bush has tried to counter Iran's growing military clout by committing to a major arms sale to Saudi Arabia.

Just hours after his arrival for the first time in Riyadh, the US Administration said it had notified Congress of its intention to offer the Saudis a controversial package of advanced weaponry as part of a multi-billion-dollar deal with Gulf Arab allies.

Precision-guided bomb kits, or "smart bombs", would give the country's armed forces highly accurate targeting abilities.

But the deal has raised concerns in Israel and among some of its allies about the military balance of power in the region.

The Karen - Ethnically Cleansed in Burma Thanks To Corporate Investment

There have been many interesting posts about the ongoing situation in Burma, what with the images of peaceful monks being slaughtered by over zealous soldiers eager to please their military leaders. One story that has bubbled under the surface is the case of the systematic cleansing of ethnic minorities along the Burmese/Thai border. One of the main victims of this growing genocide has been the Karen.

The Karen (self-titled Pwa Ka Nyaw Po and also known in Thailand as the Kariang) originate from Tibet and have had tempestuous relations with the Burmese throughout their history. In 1947, the KNU ( Karen National Union) was formed. The KNU was involved in an insurgency against the Burmese military junta throughout the 1980s leading, ultimately, to the 8888 uprising which was brutally crushed by the Burmese regime, leading to deaths numbering in the thousands. After the uprising, the junta cracked down on the KNU and its numbers dropped from 40,000 to 4,000. Even now they are suffering the consequences for their call for freedom.

Along the border with Thailand, the Karen (along with other groups) have been murdered, raped, forced into labour and had their houses burnt down. In short, a genocide is taking place. Only now, with the spotlight on Burma, has the grim reality of life in Burma as an ethnic minority become apparent. The following is taken from The Guardian:

BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) - While international attention has focused on the protests for democracy in Myanmar's cities, a hidden war has decimated generations of the country's powerless ethnic minorities, who have faced brutality for decades.

The Karen, the Shan and other minority groups who live along the Myanmar-Thai border have been attacked, raped and killed by government soldiers. Their thatched-roofed, bamboo homes have been torched. Men have been seized into forced labor for the army, while women, children and the elderly either hide out in nearby jungles until the soldiers leave or flee over the mountains to crowded, makeshift refugee camps.

``Many, many thousands of Karen have died in those 60 years,'' Karen National Union secretary general Mahn Sha said this week of his people's struggle for autonomy since 1947.

The military junta has denied reports of atrocities and says the ethnic rebels are "terrorists'' [note the use of the word] trying to overthrow the government.

The Southeast Asian nation, formerly known as Burma, has more than 100 subtribes. Myanmar's diverse minority groups make up nearly a third of the country's 54 million population.

About two-thirds of the country belong to the Burman ethnic majority, which is also known as the Myanmar. The other ethnic groups include the Shan, the Karen, the Chin, the Mon, the Arakan or Rakhine, and the Kachin.

The plight of the Karen emphasises the impact that Western investment has in the region. Those companies that have been operating in Burma (the teak suppliers, the travel industry etc) have effectively been paying for these human rights abuses. Every bullet fired into every man/woman/child is paid for by the corporations operating in the region. Every rape that is committed is the direct responsibility of the corporations that invest there. Every village that is burnt to the ground is done so with the support of those very corporations that claim to have a conscience. How else can they explain why they are happy to give the Burmese government the money to indulge their military in such a way? I don't really know how these people can sleep at night knowing that they are financing murder and rape. May it rest heavy on their souls.

The September 11th Hijackers - They Were Iranians, Right?

According to The Observer, steps are being taken by the US to counter-balance growing Iranian influence in the region:

The Bush administration is expected to announce a massive series of arms deals in the Middle East tomorrow that are being seen as part of a diplomatic offensive against the growing influence of Iran in the volatile region.

The centrepiece of the deals is an agreement between the US and a group of Persian Gulf nations, including Saudi Arabia, that could eventually be worth at least $20bn, according to news reports. At the same time, 10-year military aid packages will be renewed with Israel and Egypt.

Just one minor point, is it really wise to give such a large amount of military backing to Saudi Arabia? After all, most of those behind the attacks on September 11th were Saudis. Osama Bin Laden is also from Saudi Arabia. So, just to make this clear. Saudis were responsible for the biggest terrorist attack on the US in its history, leading to the deaths of around 3,000 people. Fuck it, let's sell them some weapons. I mean, what's the wost that could happen, right?

Satan's Little Helper

Could not believe this evil fuckwit on Question Time last night. When attacked over the war in Iraq, Bolton's standard response:

'I bet you wouldn't have liked to live under Saddam'.

Wow, you cut me down with that one John. Even better was the standard:

'Iraq attacked two of her neighbours.'

Mmm, two you say. Now, one was Kuwait, right? I remember that. Saddam rolled into town and we heroically stepped in. That's right isn't it?? Now, what was the other one? Mmmmmm. Oh yeah, hang on, it was Iran. But didn't we back that war? Yes, I think we did didn't we? And isn't that the country that we are now threatening to invade? But that's ok because we are like the good guys, yeah? So that's ok. And this thing about gassing the Kurds, didn't we play a part in that too? Weren't chemicals sold to Iraq by the West? But, I guess we didn't know what he would use them for. I mean, he seemed so friendly back then. Not like those nasty Iranians. These neo-cons certainly seemed to have mastered the art of double-speak, or talking bollocks if you prefer.

This guy just doesn't stand up to scrutiny. On last night's QT he came across as an intellectual lightweight, which is probably unsurprising given the current resident at the White House. These Republicans sure do crumble when they are faced with an English audience (although for the record I did wish that a few more people would take apart his weak arguments. Actually, I was screaming at the TV with incredulity, again). And as for his response to Tony Benn:

'It isn't worth replying to Mr Benn.'

Is that perhaps because you are unable to justify the actions of a criminal cabal who have contrived to fuck the planet up for a very long time? Cunt.

Long May We Prosper

Whilst everyone works themselves into a frenzy about the redistributive powers of our Chancellor, we get a little insight into what our taxes are paying for. How about this for example:
New figures released today by campaign group Justice for Colombia show that 84 trade unionists were murdered in Colombia in 2006. This marks a 20% increase on the number assassinated in 2005.

But what's that got to do with our taxes, I hear you ask. Well, along with the US, we provide a certain degree of financial support to America's favourite franchise state (approximately £1 million, plus 'lethal military equipment'). As recent events have shown, there is an indisputable link between the Colombian government, and the paramilitary groups that are responsible for these murders. Aren't we supposed to be fighting a 'war on terror'?

According to the report:

The figures, which are sourced from Colombian unions, show that teachers and agricultural workers were hit particularly hard: 40 of the 84 people killed were teachers and 11 were agricultural workers.

Although most of the culprits have never been identified, figures from the Colombian Commission of Jurists show that the vast majority of political assassinations were committed by the state and right-wing paramilitaries, often acting in collusion.

Carlos Rodriguez, President of the CUT – Colombia’s main union confederation – said: “Since the CUT was founded in 1986, there has been a campaign against trade union activity and more than 3,000 trade unionists have been assassinated. There is no other country in the world where trade unionists suffer such violence.”

While Brown talks about 'prosperity and fairness for Britain's families', he ensures a nice little chunk is used to spread poverty and murder throughout Colombia. But hey, fuck it, at least it's built on:

'...the foundation of the longest period of economic stability and sustained growth.'

I feel better already.