Spain - An Election That Seems Very Familiar

For the second time in a row, I am witnessing the build-up to the Spanish election first hand. The last time I was here in the lead up to an election, I witnessed the way an entire country was affected by a horrendous terrorist attack. I also witnessed an incredible collective bravery the likes of which I have never seen before or since. The sight of thousands of Spanish people lining the streets of every major city in Spain in protest at the horror of 3/11 will stay with me for the rest of my life. It was a moment that had a profound affect on all those who participated, including myself. However, I think that this event lingered in my mind for rather different reasons.

Upon arriving back in England, I was horrified to learn that the collective bravery of the Spanish was ignored in favour of the preferred stereotype of foreigners as weak willed and scared of the terrorist threat. Although I had witnessed with my very eyes immense bravery, I was being told by every media outlet that the subsequent election showed how weak the Spanish are. People failed to understand the intense anger at the government. The fact that, had the PP won the election, there was a very real danger of violence spilling over in a country that had not long experienced the effect of citizens turning on one another, was casually overlooked. Sneering morons like Douglas Murray had their fill and the truth was somehow obscured.

The current period of pre-election campaigning had Zapatero's PSOE virtually guaranteed of victory. They are roughly 5 percentage points ahead of the Popular Party, and it is inconceivable that this lead will be surrendered. However, from a progressive's point of view, there is little to rejoice in these elections. Replace the PSOE with New Labour and the Popular Party with Cameron's Conservatives, and you have an almost identical political situation. As in the UK, there is very little to choose between the two parties. It would make little difference who was in power, as both parties are beholden to the capitalist economic system. The only other party remotely capable of challenging these two, is Izquierda Unida (or United Left). Much like the Liberal Democrats, they hover around the fringes of the political debate. However, unlike the libs, IU is a viable left-wing alternative to the parties of the establishment. One hopes very much that IU increase their vote across Spain and begin to wield influence although, for the moment at least, this seems unlikely.

This year's election result certainly will not send shockwaves across Europe as the last one did. Rather, this is a case of as you were as the main political parties fight over the much beloved 'centre-ground'. Ah, the surroundings may change, but the political system stays very much the same. And with that, one can be sure that the steady decline in voting, coupled with the erosion of individual liberty, will surely follow.

Pakistan Geared for Part II of the 'Good Dictatorship'

Who would have thunk it? One of America's best friends guilty of rigging an election. The following is taken from Human Rights Watch:

In an audio recording obtained by Human Rights Watch, Pakistan’s Attorney General Malik Qayyum stated that upcoming parliamentary elections will be “massively rigged,” Human Rights Watch said today.

In the recording, Qayyum appears to be advising an unidentified person on what political party the person should approach to become a candidate in the upcoming parliamentary election, now scheduled for February 18, 2008.

Human Rights Watch said that the recording was made during a phone interview with a member of the media on November 21, 2007. Qayyum, while still on the phone interview, took a call on another telephone and his side of that conversation was recorded. The recording was made the day after Pakistan’s Election Commission announced the schedule for polls. The election was originally planned for January 8 but was postponed after the assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto. Another former prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, returned to Pakistan on November 25. An English translation of the recording, which is in Urdu and Punjabi, follows:

“Leave Nawaz Sharif (PAUSE).... I think Nawaz Sharif will not take part in the election (PAUSE).... If he does take part, he will be in trouble. If Benazir takes part she too will be in trouble (PAUSE).... They will massively rig to get their own people to win. If you can get a ticket from these guys, take it (PAUSE).... If Nawaz Sharif does not return himself, then Nawaz Sharif has some advantage. If he comes himself, even if after the elections rather than before (PAUSE)…. Yes….”

Repeated attempts by Human Rights Watch to contact Qayyum by phone were unsuccessful.

Fears of rigging have been a major issue in the current election campaign. Human Rights Watch said that since the official election period commenced in November 2007, there have been numerous allegations of irregularities, including arrests and harassment of opposition candidates and party members. There are also allegations that state resources, administration and state machinery are being used to the advantage of candidates backed by President Pervez Musharraf. Human Rights Watch expressed concern that the Election Commission, which is monitoring the polls, was not acting impartially.

You can hear the audio clip here.

Who would think that a man who overthrew a democratic government, would then load the dice so heavily in his favour with barely a murmour from the US? Only a fool would suggest that Musharraf will lose out in the election tomorrow. He has already won.

Fascists Look Likely to Win Election in Switzerland

Sadly, it looks likely that the racist tactics of the Swiss People's Party has paid off. The latest exit poll predicts the following result:

People's Party: 26.7% and 63 seats
Social Democrats: 23.3% and 61 seats
Radical Party: 17.3% and 50 seats
Christian Democrats: 14.4% and 43 seats
Greens: 7.4% and 13 seats
Others: 10.9% and 16 seats

The only (very slight) good news is that the Greens have increased their vote quite dramatically. Other than that, it is a pretty bleak picture for progressive politics in Switzerland. Racism looks likely to be the winner in these elections.

Fascism on the March in Switzerland

I could not believe what I saw on the Swiss People's Party website, thanks to an article on eitb:

A video game at the Swiss People's Party’s web site involves helping a white goat kicking the black sheep from the country. The campaign posters feature three white sheep including one kicking a black sheep.

A white goat called Zottel kicks some black sheep trying to pass the Swiss border on foot or by bus. You might not believe it but it is a video game at the Swiss People's Party’s web site.

I decided to visit their website and investigate this 'game' for myself. On entering their website and clicking the appropriate link, I was confronted with this image-

Now, if you have been following their campaign, you would know that the 'white sheep' is aiming his crossbow at the 'black sheep', an absolutely disgusting, vile image to use as part of an election campaign. If you thought Bush, Blair and Howard were bad, these guys aren't even wolves in sheep's clothing....they are just wolves. Fascism is on the march in Europe once more, thankfully some people are prepared to confront it. Question is, when our governments are quick to (rightly) condemn fascist governments further afield, will they see fit to condemn one closer to home?

Hillary Clinton - The Terrorist's Choice

Picked this up via The Guardian, who in turn spotted it at WorldNetDaily:

It's official: Terrorists endorse Hillary in '08

On the record, Mideast jihadi leaders say she's best hope for victory in Iraq

I rather think that Hillary will be almost as successful in recruiting so-called 'jihadis' as George W Bush. And he was phenomenal at it.

[Actually, WorldNetDaily is worth a peek, if only to see the madness within]

Swiss People's Party Adopting Nazi Tactics

Switzerland's largest political pary has been accused of adopting Nazi tactics as part of their anti-crime campaign. According to The Guardian:

The party, which controls the justice ministry and is part of Switzerland's coalition, is proposing a scheme to deport immigrant families if their children are convicted of a violent crime, drug offences or benefit fraud. It claims immigrants, which make up 20% of the population, are four times more likely to commit crimes than Swiss nationals.

The party's president, Üli Maurer, claimed:

"As soon as the first 10 families and their children have been expelled from the country, then things will get better at a stroke."

So far, the poster has drawn criticism from the Federal Commission against Racism, the Swiss Federation of Jewish Communities and even the United Nations. Ronnie Bernheim of the Swiss Foundation against Racism and Anti-Semitism said the proposal was similar to the Nazi practice of Sippenhaft which held relatives of criminals responsible for their crimes and punished them equally. Despite the echoes of Europe's anti-Semitic past, some bloggers have come out in support of this poster. One even has a banner on the corner of his blog claiming:

'I stand with Israel!'

Not to mention a further banner that claims:

I'm a Proud Friend Of Israel

Well, at least this poster has achieved something. It has flushed out the anti-Semites and racists whose true support for the Jewish community is only for political expediency.

Howard a 'Racist Bastard' Says Maori MP

About time someone gave Howard what for.

An MP for New Zealand's Maori Party has labelled Australian Prime Minister John Howard a "racist bastard" for his radical intervention aimed at stopping child abuse in Aboriginal communities.

Hone Harawira's comments will screen on New Zealand television tonight.

"If I was an Aboriginal man in the Northern Territory I would feel like absolute shit right now," the Maori Party MP said today.

"I would have the leader of my country saying I am an alcoholic, I am into pornography, I am into sexual abuse. All I would want to do is go out and smash someone."

This is all due to Howard's crackdown on the Aboriginal community (recently raised by Germain Greer). This crackdown includes:

bans on alcohol and pornography, quarantining welfare payments, abolishing a permit system that limits access to remote communities, and mobilising extra police and troops to help address abuse and other problems.

Harawira also claimed that this was blatant electioneering by Howard:

"The report that he is basing his recommendations on is already 10 years old. Why didn't he do something about it back then?" he said.

"He never sat down with the land councils. He never said to them 'there is a problem here but we recognise that the best people to sort it out are yourselves, and here are all the resources'," he said.

No wonder Harawira added:

"I said John Howard is a racist bastard trying to impose racist policies on a people who can't fight back."

He won't get any argument from me.

How to Please the Daily Mail, by 'Dr' John Reid

Here's a story that you might well have missed today. At the end of a rather damning piece on the latest poverty figures in The Guardian, there was a tiny comment on a report released today by the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust. The report is a damning indictment on the handling of asylum seekers by the government and highlighted the 'inhumane' conditions that they suffer in modern Britain. And yet, this report has barely been commented on by the mainstream media.

The report itself found that many failed asylum seekers suffered social and mental health problems and did without basic food, shelter and care. The report also found that among a group of over 100 failed asylum seekers in Leeds, one in four had slept rough and a third had been destitute for at least a year. The report also refers to a woman who:

'...suffered a miscarriage fearing she would be deported if she sought medical help.'

The chair of the enquiry, Kate Adie, said:

"The current UK asylum system fails by the standards both of human decency and of those who want to 'get tough' on asylum.

"For the benefit of everyone, there has got to be urgent and pragmatic reform which brings these people in from the shadows so that they can be treated humanely, contribute to the community and remain inside the system. We are proposing practical, workable solutions which will benefit local communities as well as government."

Furthermore, Anna Reisenberger, acting chief executive of the Refugee Council said:

"We hope this balanced and reasonable report, from an independent inquiry, will finally convince the government that its policy towards refused asylum seekers has failed and that urgent reform is needed.

"The current policy of using destitution to enforce return might look tough but it isn't delivering results. For all sorts of reasons, which the government well understands, many refused asylum seekers can't return home - at least for the time being. Given that, the policy of denying refused asylum seekers all support and refusing them the right to work manages to be both immoral and pointless.”

As one might expect, the report was greeted with typical tough posturing by the Home Office. This is, after all, exactly what 'Dr' Reid wants people to hear. He wants the Daily Mail and Sun readers to see that he is tough on these scroungers who come over here in their parasitic droves. His Daily Mail pleasing mouthpiece, Joan Ryan, claimed that:

"Our asylum system is a fair one. It ensures that support is available to someone claiming asylum from the time they arrive in the UK until the outcome of their claim is determined.

"But it is not right to ask the UK taxpayer to fund - potentially indefinitely - those who choose to remain when it is open to them to return to a home country that has been found safe for them to live in."

Yep, that is going to play straight to the Mail reading, pitchforks and torches brigade. Good work John. She also added that granting asylum seekers the right to work would:

"send out the wrong message to those who may try to come here without genuine cause".

And what is exactly is the wrong message? If they want to work while they are here, let them and offer them all the protections that other citizens would be entitled to. Don't treat them as vermin to ensure you get a few pleasing headlines from the Daily Mail. And this news also comes on the day that it is revealed that the government is attempting to send asylum seekers back to Sudan, despite the fact that they acknowledge that the country is in crisis.

This whole situation is an utter disgrace and all to garner a few friendly headlines. And that is the real tragedy at the heart of this. Not only are people suffering as a result of 'inhumane' conditions, they are suffering because this government and, in particular, this fuck head of a Home Secretary, want to please sections of the mainstream media to shore up their 'core vote'. The government is willingly playing political games with the lives of the most vulnerable. It is time the vulnerable fought back.

Further Information: Moving on: From Destitution to Contribution - the full report.

David Hicks - Enters Guilty Plea

This from the BBC:

Australian detainee David Hicks has pleaded guilty at a military court at Guantanamo Bay to a charge of providing material support for terrorism.

The 31-year-old Muslim convert was accused of attending al-Qaeda training camps and fighting with the Taleban.

Other charges against him, including attempted murder, have been dropped.

Of course they have been dropped, they were complete bollocks. His charge sheet is really pathetic to say the least. No-one deserves five years of detention without trial, but certainly not for 'material support'. As for the guilty plea, it is hardly surprising given the treatment he has endured. Any other plea would only have resulted in a longer detention period and even more abuses. Although I have no confidence in the trial process, there is a real chance that David could be on his way back to Australia (although whether he is released is a different matter). What really made me laugh when I read this article (if 'laugh' is the right word) was this paragraph on the BBC's website:

He faces a maximum sentence of life but after strong pressure from the Australian government there is speculation that he will receive a shorter sentence.

Yeah, that Australian government have really worked thier socks off to get David back to Australia, haven't they? I wonder if it has anything to do with upcoming elections and the damage that Hicks' continued detention would have on Howard's campaign? Nah, couldn't be.