The revolutionary left fall behind Corbyn

As expected the Socialist Workers Party has published it's "critical support" for Jeremy Corbyn in the hope of picking up disgruntled supporters of the fallen messiah as they tear up up their membership cards and resign: 

Former left wing leader Corbyn was suspended from the Labour Party shortly after the report was published on Thursday—amid howls for his expulsion......

(Starmer) did say that anyone who challenged the idea that Labour has a major problem with antisemitism is “part of the problem.” “You should be nowhere near the Labour Party,” he said.

For the right, the report—and Corbyn’s suspension—is final proof that left wing politics is inherently antisemitic because of its opposition to Israel.

The last sentence shows how the left's obsession with so-called "anti-Zionism" has morphed into outright antisemitism and the SWP has long been a major part of the problem. Their members were notorious for shouting "ooh ah, we are Hezbollah" on demonstrations backing a genocidal Islamist movement and pawn of the Iran dictatorship a regime that they consider anti-imperialist and support despite the regimes brutal suppression of minorities. oppositionists, women and trade unionists. 

The former members of Militant (now spread asunder into three competing organisations are all rallying to Corbyn's cause. The Socialist Party declares: 

By suspending Corbyn, Starmer has laid down a clear challenge to the workers' movement. The choice is clear - accept having no party that represents the interests of the working-class majority, or stand up and fight!

And offers an alternative:

As a starting point, the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC), involving the transport workers' union, the RMT, the Socialist Party and others, is back in action and preparing to stand in elections next May.

The TUSC registered under 1% the last time they contested the General Election and in the local elections one of their candidates scored no votes. 

Meanwhile Socialist Appeal the bit of Militant that remained in the Labour party has also taken up arms in defence of the hallowed one. Their rant declares:

The entire experience of the past five years has graphically revealed that the Labour Party right wing and bureaucracy is nothing but the organised intervention of the ruling class within what should be the party of the working class.

These big business agents have been dogged, determined, and spiteful in the extreme. This is because they represent the establishment, and know that they can rely upon the capitalist media and every other bourgeois institution to back them up. They are highly organised, and also well funded.

A complete contempt for the majority of ordinary labour Party members who have worked hard to try and achieve something for people rather than just be armchair revolutionaries.  

Socialist Appeal are part of the International Marxist tendency and in clear breach of party rules as well as in denial of the problem of antisemitism that has disgraced the Labour party under Corbyn.

Another of the organisations that have "entered "the Labour Party under false pretensions is Red Flag formerly known as Workers Power a small but troublesome Trotskyist group that openly claims to be a "revolutionary organisation" and publicises it's affiliation to a body known as the Fifth International (they gave up on trying to reform the better known and numerous "Fourth Internationals".

Clearly in breach of Labour Party rules and also joining Corbyn in clear denial of the antisemitism problem in the Labour Party they have been pushing another one of those "model motions" so beloved by the activist caste. Despite discussion of legal matters ruled out by the General Secretary Red Flag managed to push one through Easton and Lawrence Hill Labour Branch (part of Bristol West CLP). It states:

This branch notes:

1. That the Labour Party has suspended Jeremy Corbyn MP from the party and removed the parliamentary whip, ostensibly due to his statement regarding the EHRC’s report on antisemitism in the Labour Party.

This branch believes

2. That Jeremy Corbyn MP is a socialist and life-long fighter against racism inside and outside the Labour Party
3. That his suspension is a politically motivated attack against the left of the Labour Party by the leadership.

This branch resolves

4. To condemn Jeremy Corbyn’s suspension and demand his reinstatement to the party.
5. To oppose any and all politically motivated disciplinary actions against the left by the leadership.
6. To raise this motion with Bristol West CLP, instructing the CLP to send its contents to the Leader’s Office and the NEC.

The leadership has acted both on the EHRC Report and suspended the main enabler of antisemitism in the Labour Party. Supporters of Corbyn are starting to leave the party in droves a process that should be encouraged by making an example of these "entryist" groups like Socialist Appeal which has several hundred members.

The revolutionary left do not belong in a democratic party not just because they are separate organisations in breach of the rules but as Leninists they do not believe in democracy but would enforce the dictatorship of their party, the so-called vanguard over everyone. The road to the Gulag.....

The worst the left has to offer rallies to Corbyn's defence

Today has been full of good news for a change. The ECHR Report was published and found that the Labour Party under Corbyn and with his connivance & that of his inner circle were responsible for enabling discrimination against Jewish people inside the Labour Party. These charlatans have been exposed for what they are.

Corbyn in a feeble attempt to undermine the report with his usual denials has been suspended from the Labour Party and the whip withdrawn, hopefully as a prelude to his expulsion. Already the hard line Corbynists, Marxists, Trotskyists and assorted anti-Zionists have been protesting his innocence. Corbyn himself has said he will "fight this vigorously". 

Whilst Corbyn has been digging a hole for himself the Labour Against the Witch Hunt alliance of the worst the left has to offer including expelled members like Tony Greenstein, Jackie Walker and Chris Williamson have teamed up with Ken "Hitler" Livingstone to organise an on-line rally in his defence.

Meanwhile Tina Werkman (who may or may not still be a member of the Communist Party of Great britain - Weekly Worker) writes in half-hearted support for Corbyn:

Reinstate Jeremy Corbyn! Of course he was right - "the scale of the problem was also dramatically overstated for political reasons by our opponents". Shame he didn't he say so when he could have made a real difference to the witch-hunt and the civil war in the Labour Party.

Werkman also dismisses the ECHR Report and says that at this meeting they will:

Although the report itself is a damp squib, there are important implications for the left in the Labour movement; chiefly the danger that Keir Starmer will further intensify the witch-hunt. We will also discuss the terrible response by Corbyn's chief of staff Karie Murphy, who seems to stress in this article how keen the Corbyn leadership was to throw as many socialists under the bus as possible.

Momentum have also deemed to comment laughably trying to claim that the party's actions undermine the fight against antisemitism:

We know that Jeremy Corbyn is a lifelong, dedicated anti-racist.

This suspension risks politicising Labour's response to antisemitism. It is a massive attack on the left by the new leadership and should be immediately lifted in the interests of party unity.

They want us to give up. They want us to throw in the towel. They want us to feel despair. But we’re not going anywhere.

Momentum exists to build a socialist movement and shape the future of our Party. We remain completely dedicated to that mission. Let’s stay together and stay strong.

Their full statement can be found: here

The Labour Left Alliance led amongst others by former CPGB (WW) member gone native Lee Rock has organised an on line petition to call for Corbyn's reinstatement and even begun to circulate a "model motion" for pushing forward at CLP meetings. 

The motion as expected states that Corbyn has said no more than other Labour members that have been "wich-hunted (in plain English exposed) for racism and tries to pretend it opposes antisemitism and is only anti-Zionist despite the far-left covering for people with some really disturbing comments, memes including down-playing the Holocaust.

The full text can be found: here

Last (for now) but by no means least the quislings of Jewish Voice for Labour continue their efforts to cover for antisemitism in Labour and have launched a separate petition of their own. They write:

We are appalled that Jeremy Corbyn has been suspended from the Labour Party and had the whip withdrawn. He has a proud record of fighting all forms of racism including antisemitism. This is an attack not just on Jeremy, but on the majority of party members. Do not leave, organise and fight back.”

The majority of the Jewish community including myself have no such qualms. Corbyn and his followers made antisemitism mainstream and hid behind so-called anti-Zionism" in order to cover their tracks.

These four organisations contain the worst the left has to offer. These extremists do not belong in a mainstream social democratic party. They do not believe in democracy as the history of their various movements show. Those in the camp of Corbyn brought intolerance, bullying, racism and misogyny into the party and even fall out with themselves when the "line" is in dispute. 

The sooner these "comrades" are gone the better for everyone. A real opposition party and potential government can be reformed while they fester on street corners.

Labour to Win & Jewish Labour Movement Statements welcoming the recommendations of the EHRC Report

 

At long last the full report from the Equality and Human Rights Commission has been issued vindicating those who have been fighting antisemitism (anti Jewish racism in plain English) inside the Labour Party since the rise of the Corbyn leadership who hold full responsibility for allowing this to happen. The far-left can no longer hide it's bigotry though they will continue to be in denial.

The fight is far from over as those responsible will continue to be part of the problem but now Sir Keir Starmer who has promised to make fighting antisemitism one of hs priorities has the evidence to deal with this pernicious problem.

In the meantime we must remain vigilant. Never Again!

Labour To Win issued the following short statement this morning:

The publication of the EHRC report into antisemitism in the Labour Party is a dark day in our party’s history. No democratic socialist party, with our values committed to equality and anti-racism, should ever allow anti-Jewish hatred to gain any ground within its ranks. It is a matter of shame for all of us, and there can be no excuses for, the spread of antisemitism within Labour after 2015 and the party’s failure to swiftly deal with this.

Today is a day for those impacted by antisemitic harassment, discrimination and victimisation – both Jewish members and former members of Labour, and the wider Jewish Community – to have their say about what they experienced.

We have stood in solidarity with our Jewish comrades during the disgraceful events of the last five years and we are committed to supporting Keir Starmer as he implements all the recommendations of the EHRC report, and to a zero tolerance approach which removes antisemitism from the Labour Party.

The Jewish Labour Movement statement:

Today's report provides Jewish Labour members with the relief that they have been seeking from the Labour Party, but which it failed, over five years, to offer.

Since 2015, we have consistently warned the Labour Party about a deepening casual culture of anti-Jewish racism, that saw Jewish Labour members and activists harassed and discriminated against. Instead of listening to our growing concerns over the scale of the challenge, we were told that this racism was imagined, fabricated for factional advantage or intended to silence debate. Today’s report confirms that our voices were marginalised and our members victimised.

As set out in forensic detail by the EHRC, the blame for this sordid, disgraceful chapter in the Labour Party’s history lies firmly with those who held positions of leadership - those who possessed both power and influence to prevent the growth of anti-Jewish racism, but failed to act. What the report shows is that, worse than simply failing to act, the leadership of the Labour Party actively interfered in the processes relating to antisemitism, for political reasons. This failure of leadership amounted to unlawful conduct that facilitated antisemitism to become normalised within the Labour Party, a situation that continues to this day, that must be stopped, and must never happen again.

We take no satisfaction in today's outcome, or in having had to refer the Labour Party to the Equality and Human Rights Commission for investigation in 2018. This year marks the centenary of the Jewish Labour Movement’s affiliation to the Labour Party. Throughout the last 100 years, Jewish Labour activists have campaigned to elect Labour governments in the pursuit of peace, justice and equality both in the UK and abroad. Never before in our collective history has the Labour Party so fundamentally strained the ties that have bound the Jewish community to the British Left.

Antisemitism within the Labour Party had serious consequences for many people, causing real emotional pain and despair to those who have given their lives to the Labour Party. As the EHRC points out it undermines confidence in our politics and the fabric of our democracy.

Members have been subjected to persistent levels of abuse that passed criminal thresholds, whilst Jewish women Members of Parliament such as Luciana Berger and Dame Louise Ellman were left little choice but to resign under extreme duress. Jewish Labour members, our friends and allies have far too often faced the perverse insinuation that we have ‘weaponised’ antisemitism by the very same individuals who have perpetrated it against us, with little if inadequate intervention by those who could have stopped it.

It will now be for the Labour Party to set out how they intend to eradicate anti-Jewish racism from our Party. This will in part be achieved by implementing the legally binding actions set out of the EHRC's report in full and without delay.

These recommendations will ensure that the Party is able to address the longstanding deficiencies in its structure, practice and culture and will have lasting impact in ensuring equality within the Party not just for Jewish members, but all those who have found themselves victims of harassment, discrimination and victimisation within the Party.

In order to truly restore its reputation as the Party of equality, we believe Labour, as well as fully implementing the action plan and recommendations set out in the report, must now set out bold and decisive steps to radically change the culture of our Party.

This will include pushing the Labour Party for a fully independent disciplinary process; preventing casual bullying, intimidation and harassment; implementing a proper education plan for Party members and finally demonstrating strong, moral, decisive leadership. This includes immediate action in relation to those who, even before its publication, are seeking to diminish the EHRC conclusions. Suggesting that complaints of antisemitism are fakes or smears is, as the EHRC points, out an act of antisemitism itself and dealing with such suggestions will be the first test of the leadership of Labour Party's genuine recognition of the report's finding.

JLM has never shied away from protecting the rights of our members as part of the fight against racism, and we will continue to hold those responsible accountable for their actions and inaction's.

We are hopeful that under new leadership, and renewed resolve, the Party will return to its core values of solidarity, tolerance and respect. There is still much that needs to be done.

Read the EHRC Report here: www.equalityhumanrights.

Jewish Labour Movement: EHRC Report Resource List

 

After five years of pain, anger and distress, we will soon be hearing from the Equality and Human Rights Commission - the independent equalities regulator - on the extent of the problem of antisemitism in the Labour Party, and most importantly what needs to change. The fact that we have got to this point is a moment of great shame for the Labour Party.

_____________________________________

Our essential EHRC report resource list

Ahead of the report release, we put together an essential resources list on how we got to this point, key events and the problem of antisemitism on the left.

WATCH:

• Our webinar on what to expect from the report which you can watch on our Facebook page.

READ:

• We've compiled an 'EHRC Report 101' on the background to the report.
• Our timeline of key events leading up to the report.
• Take a look at HOPE not hate's hub of articles and resources on the EHRC report, left antisemitism and its impact on the Jewish community.
• The Guardian have written up what to look out for in the EHRC report.

LISTEN:

• HOPE not hate's podcast with JLM Vice Chair Ruth Smeeth on antisemitism in the Labour Party with HOPE not hate's Matthew McGregor (or listen on your preferred podcast platform).

____________________________________________________________________

We know that when ever the EHRC report is released it will be very emotional for many of us. Help us amplify the voices of the people impacted by antisemitism - Jewish Labour members and the Jewish community. We will endeavour to keep our members informed whenever the report is released.

Website: www.jewishlabour.uk

Belarus: Free jailed union leaders and activists

In the last couple of months, Belarus has experienced rigged elections, mass protests, and severe violence carried out by the security forces.

Union leaders, members of the Belarusian Independent Trade Union (BITU), have been arrested and imprisoned for participating in protests and strike action.

At the center of these events is the JSC Belaruskali potash fertilizer site. Dozens of activists and strike committee members at Belaruskali have been prosecuted, threatened, fined and deprived of benefits at work for their activities. BITU vice chair Siarhei Charkasau and three of his comrades, Pavel Puchenia, Yury Korzun and Anatol Bokun are in prison now. One sentence has followed the other while they were still serving their sentence.

BITU and IndustriALL are demanding an end to the persecution of employees of Belaruskali for their participation in the strike, and also those who continue to "work to rule" at Belaruskali. They are demanding an immediate release of the BITU leader and jailed activists.

Please take a moment to support the online campaign - click here.

Eric Lee

The Beatles Broadcasting Live in the US '64 (Limited Edition Picture Disk)

The Beatles were very much a band that I listened to and sang along with as a child. Like many of my contemporaries I went on to be a fan for life and even today cannot resist playing one of their tunes.  In 1964 when these recordings were made I'd have been about 8 years old and listened to them on the radio. Of course these particular concerts were broadcast in the USA so are new to me as well as many other fans.

This is a limited edition "picture disk" and although I remember seeing these back in the days when we actually had record shops this is the first one I've ever purchased. Indeed what spurred me to buy this had been listening to a Doctor Who adventure (reviewed here) where the Beatles had been erased from history. The horror!

That was fiction. These concerts are a reminder of a phenomenon that existed around the bband and I wonder if the girls screaming can actually hear the music being played? There are two short concerts Side 1 is in Miami with a bonus studio track whilst the other is in New York. A couple of songs are inevitably duplicated

I couldn't find any video of these but here's an interview with the Beatles from New York at the time.

Available from: codarecords.co.uk

Bubblerock Is Here To Stay (The British Pop Explosion 1970 -73)

Playing this album is like putting on the radio in the early seventies. Looking through the track list when ordering this triple CD collection there were lots of bands and/or songs I recognised but equally many I didn't. In fact when playing many of these are simply "forgotten tunes" that those of my generation will recall though I have to say there are a few that I either do not recall or may not have heard.

This is the third compilation of early seventies music I have picked up from Cherry Red Records ( the previous ones New Moons In The Sky and Peephole In My Brain being collections of Prog music from 1970 and 1971 respectively. 

As I started to collect records in my schooldays prog Rock and early Metal became very much the scene that influenced my musical tastes however these songs were for sitting and listening to and not for parties or discos! The "Pop" music scene was quite lively and there were plenty of 45's that could be played either to dance to or just have a general bit of fun.

Bubblerock Is Here To Stay contains no less than 85 tracks on 3 CD's beginning with this featured track from Mr Bloe which is instantly recognisable and features Blue Mink, St Cecilia, The Piglets, Mungo Jerry, Peter Skellern and Middle of the Road amongst so many other acts from the early seventies and is highly recommended for both those who want a trip down memory lane or simply to explore old music.

Available from Cherry Red Records: here

Labour To Win: Young Labour Elections. Stand up to bullying & entryism

 

It's been many years since I was either eligible for or took any particular interest in the youth wings of any party. Like Peter Hain I started off life as a Young Liberal way back in the early seventies when Militant took control of the Labour Party Young Socialists as a springboard to their other operations in the Labour Party. We all know where that that led and having joined the Labour Party in the late seventies I remember the events that led to the expulsion of Militant and the closing down of the LPYS.

Youth groups have always been vulnerable to entryist groups and Militant was far from the first group the Labour Party had problems with. The Socialist review group was kicked out in the early sixties. It eventually became the Socialist Workers Party. The Young Socialists then became under the influence of the Socialist Labour league & got booted to form the Workers Revolutionary Party. 

Today is no different. Although small groups like Socialist Appeal and the Alliance for Workers Liberty (AWL) are trying to make inroads these modern groups are eclipsed by Momentum the modern Militant for all intents & purposes.

It remains important that Young Labour remains the official youth group of the Labour Party and is as free as possible from outside influences so that young members can develop rational and reasoned politics that we will need for the future.

One of the candidates for Chair one Eluend Anderson has withdrawn from the contest due to a huge on-line attack over some "off colour" joke she allegedly made some time ago. Besides the atrocious bullying that led to Eluend closing all her social media accounts this holier than thou approach to politics i dangerous. 

After all who amongst us has never in all their lives said or done something "off colour in in their lives, I mean FFS I was a teenager and young adult in the seventies. Nobody, I repeat nobody is a saint and the expectations put on young people these days by the (for want of a better word) "woke" brigade who think everything is a micro-aggression or discriminatory for some reason has led to a shutting down of debate even at university level.

Something the Party as a whole needs to address one day.

In the meantime Labour to Win has recommended the following individuals for the internal Young Labour elections. They are from a variety of traditions apparently and I'm happy to reproduce their list for young members to consider though don't ask me any questions about the individual candidates because until the last couple of days or so I had not taken much notice of what is going on. 

Young Labour Elections If you're under 27, you'll also have received a ballot for elections for Young Labour's National Committee. As with the NEC elections, we're recommending candidates that represent a broad swathe of traditions in the Labour Party, but are all committed to engaging constructively with the party to build a better, kinder and more open youth wing. The candidates are as follows: Chair - Cathleen Clarke NEC Rep - Kira Lewis International Officer - Rosie McKenna U18s Officer - Jimmy Sergi Student Representatives - Alli McKelvey and Dylan Patel Eastern Rep - Tina Bhartwas London Rep - Henna Shah North - Adam Ellison North West - Holly McCormack South West - Marley Bennett Wales - Jack Dunne West Midlands - Jennifer Maidment Yorkshire and the Humber - Jess Raspin

Labour Against Antisemitism: Statement on Len McCluskey’s Newsnight Comment

 

Euan Philipps, spokesperson for Labour Against Antisemitism, has said:

“Len McCluskey’s “count his gold” comment about Peter Mandelson (whose father was Jewish) on last night’s Newsnight programme appeared to promote a blatant antisemitic trope.

It is unsurprising but still shocking to hear one of the most senior figures in the British Labour movement seemingly reveal such a poisonous view. Over the last four years Mr McCluskey has at times appeared to dismiss antisemitism in the Labour Party, describing it as “mood music”, but this is the first time he has made such a seemingly antisemitic comment himself.

We hope the still to be published Equalities and Human Rights Commission into institutional antisemitism in the Labour Party will provide a framework for tackling this kind of anti-Jewish racism, and we look forward to Mr McCluskey’s forthcoming retirement as General Secretary of the Unite union.”

Labour NEC Elections: Reclaim the Party! Vote for Change!

The ballot for the National Executive Committee of the Labour Party opened today. Labour First have issued a list of recommended candidates that will reclaim the party and help Keir Starmer make Labour electable again. This will be no easy task. Despite the decline of the hard left they are far from out of the fight. Momentum and the other factions are organising so it's time for moderates and their allies to do the same.

Every vote will count. Contact fellow party members and ask them to use their vote to restore hope and reason in the Labour Party.

Voting Guide We have six candidates standing to be CLP reps. It’s a transferable voting system so you have to number the candidates, not put crosses. The important thing is to number all our six candidates as your first six choices, numbers one through to six. We aren’t recommending a set order to vote for our six candidates as it would be unfair on the candidates we didn’t put at the top; we think they are all great and they all deserve a chance to win. And it would be patronising to our supporters to tell them the exact order to vote. Our six candidates are listed here in alphabetical order, so you can find them on the ballot, but you can rank them in any order you prefer: Luke Akehurst - NEC member 2010-2012, former Chief Whip of Hackney Council and parliamentary candidate in Essex and Hampshire Johanna Baxter - NEC member, Cunninghame North CLP Chair, Scottish Executive Committee member Gurinder Singh Josan - NEC member, antiracism campaigner, Vice Chair of Sikhs for Labour, Sandwell Unite branch secretary Terry Paul - Cabinet Member for Finance and Corporate Services on Newham Council and former PLP Campaigns Officer Michael Payne - Deputy Leader of Gedling Borough Council & Notts County Councillor; Deputy Leader of the LGA Labour Group Shama Tatler - Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Property & Planning, Brent Council In the interests of ensuring a politically pluralistic NEC, and to ensure gender and regional balance, Labour to Win is only standing six candidates itself, and also urging its supporters to vote for three other candidates, from the left of the party, with your 7th, 8th and 9th preferences. 7 - Ann Black – Open Labour - NEC member 2000-2018 as part of the Centre-Left Grassroots Alliance, South East Regional Board Member, Secretary of Oxford & District Labour Party 8 - Theresa Griffin – Tribune Group - MEP for the North West Region, 2014-2020 9 - Paula Sheriff – Tribune Group – MP for Dewsbury, 2015-2019 We need you to vote for all six Labour to Win candidates with your six highest preferences because although the STV voting system usually produces proportional results i.e. if we get one third of the vote we get one third of the seats; this only works if people vote for all a team’s candidates, if you start lending high transfers to other candidates it could lead to us getting less than our fair share of seats. The STV voting system is incredibly complicated but it usually produces fair results where all strands of opinion get represented. If a candidate gets more than 10% of the vote they will be elected straight away. Any surplus votes a winning candidate gets above 10% are redistributed to their 2nd preferences and so on. The candidates at the bottom are knocked out and their 2nd preferences redistributed and so on. This carries on until all nine seats are filled. For Treasurer we recommend voting for the incumbent, Diana Holland. If you live in Wales, we recommend voting for Carywn Jones for Welsh Rep. If you are a Labour Councillor, we recommend you vote for these two candidates for local government representatives: Nick Forbes - Leader of the LGA Labour Group and Newcastle City Council, incumbent NEC member Alice Perry - Islington Councillor and LGA Labour Group Deputy Chief Whip, incumbent NEC memberIf you are under 27 years old, we recommend you vote for Kira Lewis for Youth Representative. If you have registered with the party as a disabled member, we recommend you vote for George Lindars-Hammond for Disabled Members Representative. Further info: www.labourfirst.org

World Anti-Slavery Day - Support the Modern Slavery (Victim Support) Bill

 

It's difficult to imagine in this modern 21st century world that slavery continues and it's not just men,women & children in chains being owned and used for all purposes imaginable with no respite, no rights, no hope yet...

Slavery continues unabated not just in the traditional fashion but in so many other forms in the form of domestic servitude, forced prostitution in prison camps across the world and more. 

In recent history we have seen the use of slavery by the ISIS extremists as they raped and murdered their way across a swathe of the Middle East particularly targeting the vulnerable Yezidi people. Slave markets opened in Libya as criminals captured black migrants and sold them. In fact there are many countries in North Africa where traditional slavery (even where formally banned continues to exist in counties like Mauritania, Mali and Chad. 

The abuse of Asian domestic servants by employers in Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries continues despite the protests of the Philippine and Indonesian governments. But such slavery has been found in the West even in the UK where African children have been sent ostensibly for a better life in this country but ended up in servitude a lot of which has been exposed but continues.

The use of Vietnamese and other Asian immigrants in the drug trade such as cannabis factories and even in nail bars remains an on-going problem that the authorities need to deal with.

Then there are government penal institutions such as the worlds largest in North Korea where people are sent for the slightest infringement against the regime and as has been shown in China the Uyghur people are being used as for slave labour as part of their so-called "rehabilitation".

However we must not be complacent. Slavery exists in the UK. It's hidden. From the abused men found in a few "travellers" camps to women trafficked as prostitutes against their will.

More needs to be done to protect victims of modern slavery in England and Wales. That’s why the Modern Slavery (Victim Support) Bill is so important. If the Bill is passed, victims of modern slavery will be guaranteed the help they need, including somewhere safe to stay and the medical and psychological care they need to begin their recovery.

Please sign our petition and ask the Home Secretary, Priti Patel MP, to put the Government’s weight behind this crucial Bill. Britain led the fight to end slavery in the past. The fight isn’t over yet – please sign our petition.

 

Please sign the Anti Slavery International's petition: www.antislavery.org/take-action

Howie's Corner blocked by Facebook

Image: By Time3000

Over the last few months Facebook users have been facing a number of problems caused in the main by the use of algorithms which restrict and censor users without any good reason. One of the problems that I suddenly faced was the imposition on limits on the sharing of posts from this blog.

When I first started using Facebook I was able to share posts with impunity but the algorithm suddenly started restricting me to no more than two which when I was taking an active part in discussions in four Labour Party Discussion groups caused a problem.

Trying to appeal this seemed occasionally to work but after sharing the post about the on-line Labour to Win Rally to just five groups I found not only that post removed as "spam" but a comment using a link on four other posts. Even my single post on John Lennon's new compilation album was removed as spam.

I sent in multiple appeals and other messages to Facebook yesterday but have had no response in the mean time every single post from my blog has now been blocked and removed along with the link on my home page though the comics blog remains unaffected.

Whilst I realise that problems of spamming exist I would hardly think four or five shares really counts as such from a private user. Considering the material Facebook allow on their pages I am understandably vexed. I have no idea if any appeal will now work and have to consider the future.

Despite erratic posting since my illness and retirement this blog has contained not just my opinion pieces and other interests particularly music and the occasional Doctor Who related post I have tried to make Howie's Corner a campaigning blog. Amongst the campaigns I have supported are Free Tibet, Free West Papua and the work of Council of Ex Muslims in the UK. 

Howie's Corner has also stood against both political & religious extremism taken part in the fight against antisemitism and is now fighting for the modernisation of the Labour Party. Whilst not a full member I have joined an affiliated organisation the Jewish Labour Movement.

In response to Facebook's actions I have hurriedly set up a new blog to continue my work and will have to consider how both of my sites will work as in recent times the bulk of my readership has come via Facebook but not all. This editorial will appear her and on my new "back-up" site where I will be more careful with sharing as "staggering" shares over the day may allow me to continue my blogs interventions in the on-going debate inside Labour.

Readers can be assured that I will not be silenced by algorithms or anything else and I will continue to campaign on social media for the causes in which I believe through whatever methods are open to me. I maybe physically unable to intervene at meetings and on marches like in my youth but my mind remains intact unlike my body!

Please note: For the time being both blogs will continue to be updated until I make a decision on how to proceed. Howie's Corner has had well over a million reads, small beer perhaps but an audience exists. 

New blog: Howie's Corner Too

For Free Speech and Human Rights!

Howard Fuller 

Vote Alice Cooper for President in 2020!

In these days of crisis there can only be one choice for President: 

Alice Cooper says:

"I have absolutely no idea what to do"

and reminds voters that:

"I can do nothing as well as they can do nothing!"

And now from the man who wants to be "Elected"

Election material available from: alicecooper.com

Howie's Corner Too: Now open for business

Due to some recent problems I have opened a back-up blog to  Howie's Corner so that some of the articles published there can be shared elsewhere.

Posts on here will be less regular than on my main blog which you are cordially invited to follow. 

Links to Howie's Corner, Howie's World of Comics and my Facebook and Twitter accounts can be found at the side of the page.

Just for fun a post on the US Presidential Election will follow

Shalom Aleichem!

Howie