Britain

70 Years After Iranian Coup, The British Still Won’t Confess To Crimes

August 20, 2023 Chris Hedges, The Real News Network. Resistance Report Big Oil, Britain, Coups, Iran, Oil and Gas

On Aug. 19, 1953, 70 years ago this week, the democratically elected prime minister of Iran, Mohammad Mosaddegh—who had seized Iran’s vast oil fields from the British and put them under Iranian control—was removed from power in a coup organized and financed by the British and US governments. He was replaced by the dictatorial Shah, who immediately signed over 40% of Iran’s oil fields to US companies. The coup ushered in a long nightmare of repression, buttressed by Iran’s brutal secret police, SAVAK, trained and equipped by the CIA. The Shah not only crushed the democratic aspirations of Iranians, but enriched US oil companies and purchased billions of dollars of weapons from US weapons manufacturers.

US And Britain’s Submarine Deal Crosses Nuclear Red Lines

March 19, 2023 Prabir Purkayastha, Struggle La Lucha. Educate! AUKUS, Australia, Britain, Nuclear Weapons, Wars and Militarism

The recent Australia, U.S., and UK $368 billion deal on buying nuclear submarines has been termed by Paul Keating, a former Australian prime minister, as the “worst deal in all history.” It commits Australia to buy conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarines that will be delivered in the early 2040s. These will be based on new nuclear reactor designs yet to be developed by the UK. Meanwhile, starting from the 2030s, “pending approval from the U.S. Congress, the United States intends to sell Australia three Virginia class submarines, with the potential to sell up to two more if needed”.

No2NATO: New Efforts To Free Britain From NATO

February 27, 2023 Lowkey, Mintpress News. Resist! Britain, NATO, Russia, Ukraine, Wars and Militarism

NATO’s war has led to the death of 100,000 soldiers on each side and at least 6,900 Ukrainian civilians, the displacement of over 14 million and the destruction of at least eight percent of its houses and 50 percent of the country’s energy infrastructure. Despite the staggering loss of life, the United States and at least 27 other countries continue to transfer weapons to Ukraine, increasing the likelihood of sparking a nuclear war. With talks of sending F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, it’s no surprise that we have “seen massive jumps of value in the shares of companies like Lockheed Martin and BAE Systems.”

Strike Wave Rocks Britain, As Unions Confront The Cost-of-Living Crisis

November 19, 2022 Marcus Barnett, Labor Notes. Resist! Britain, Labor Movement, Protests, Unions, Worker Rights and Jobs

In Britain today, anyone asking a worker about the direction the country is headed will be unlikely to receive a printable answer. Stumbling from crisis to crisis, the country is on its third prime minister of the year. Energy bills have skyrocketed by 96 percent since last winter, and rent has shot up by as much as 20 percent, while inflation—which currently stands at 12.3 percent—has been predicted to rise as high as 18 percent by the first few months of 2023. This is happening in a country which was the first in Western Europe to register 200,000 deaths from the coronavirus and has already been subject to brutal austerity measures that have wrecked the social fabric. An analysis by the Trades Unions Congress (TUC, the British equivalent of the AFL-CIO) released earlier this year found that British workers earned £60 ($70) less per month in real wages in 2021 than at the start of the financial crisis in 2008—the longest wage slump since the Napoleonic Era.

#Britainisbroken: Trade Unions And Social Movements Rally

November 7, 2022 People's Dispatch. Resist! Britain, Inflation, Mass Action, Neoliberalism, United Kingdom (UK)

On Saturday, November 5, over 15,000 people marched in London to protest the policies of the Tory government that have failed to tackle the soaring cost of living crisis and its attack on working class sections and social movements. The protest demonstration was called by the People’s Assembly Against Austerity, trade unions, including the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT), National Education Union (NEU), Communication Workers Union (CWU), Unite the Union, Trade Union Congress, and ASLEF, and groups such as Stand Up To Racism, Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, Just Stop Oil, Extinction Rebellion, and Keep Our NHS Public. Political parties including the Communist Party of Britain (CPB), Young Communist League (YCL-Britain), and MPs from the Labour Party also participated in the protest.

Caribbean Activists Turn Up The Volume For Reparations

September 21, 2022 The Voice, Black Agenda Report. Resist! Britain, Caribbean, Reparations, Slavery

Demands for reparations are growing across the Caribbean, following the passing of Queen Elizabeth II. The British monarchy have come under heightened demands from several Caribbean countries to undergo the reparatory justice process and issue an apology for their part in the slave trade. It comes after Royal tours of the Caribbean earlier this year led by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, followed by Prince Edward and Sophie, the Countess of Wessex were bundled by photo-ops disaster and tone deaf gifts. Niambi Hall-Campbell, Chair of the Bahamas National Reparations Committee, said: “As the role of the monarchy changes, we expect this can be an opportunity to advance discussions of reparations for our region.”

CIA And Western Special Ops Commandos Are In Ukraine

June 29, 2022 Ben Norton, Multipolarista. Resistance Report Britain, Canada, CIA, France, Russia, Ukraine, United Kingdom (UK), Wars and Militarism

The CIA and special operations forces from NATO members Britain, France, Canada, and Lithuania are physically in Ukraine, helping direct the proxy war on Russia, according to a report in The New York Times. These Western forces are on the ground training and advising Ukrainian fighters, overseeing weapons shipments, and managing intelligence. At least 20 countries are part of a US Army-led coalition, guiding Ukraine in its fight against Russian troops. Some Ukrainian combatants are even using US flag patches on their equipment. This is all according to a June 25 report in The New York Times, titled “Commando Network Coordinates Flow of Weapons in Ukraine, Officials Say.” The Times is a de facto organ of the US government. Although technically private, the paper closely follows the line of the CIA and Pentagon.

Has Britain Drafted A Law To Protect Israel’s Weapons Makers?

June 24, 2022 Kit Klarenberg, The Electronic Intifada. Educate! Britain, Israel, Lawfare, Palestine, Weapons makers

ust this week, it was confirmed that Israel’s top weapons exporter Elbit Systems is closing down its offices in London. The decision follows numerous protests against Elbit and Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL), the letting agent for those offices. It is the second time that Palestine Action, the group organizing the protests, has compelled Elbit to quit a site in Britain – a country identified by the firm as a priority for sales and investment. Earlier this year, Elbit confirmed it had sold Ferranti, its subsidiary based in Oldham, near Manchester. Palestine Action’s protests – which often involve smashing up weapons facilities – have angered Israel and its supporters. One of Israel’s most influential backers in Britain is Priti Patel, the home secretary. She has effectively declared war on Palestinian solidarity activists by claiming that the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement is racist – without presenting any evidence.

The Plot Against GrayZone And Suspicions About Consortium News

June 10, 2022 Joe Lauria, Consortium News. Educate! Britain, Censorship, Journalism, Media

The Establishment’s war against independent media took an even darker turn with revelations by The GrayZone on Thursday that the British government and private disinformation “experts” discussed how to damage The GrayZone’s credibility and funding, while raising suspicions about Consortium News. The Gray Zone is the main target discussed in leaked emails between Paul Mason, a British journalist now running for Parliament, and Amil Khan, a former Reuters Middle East correspondent embedded with jihadists, who later helped spread the notion of moderate terrorists in Syria. He now runs a counter-disinformation firm called Valent Projects. The emails were leaked anonymously to The GrayZone and were authenticated through their metadata, GrayZone reporter Kit Klarenberg, who co-authored the piece with GrayZone editor Max Blumenthal, told Consortium News.

Let Them Eat (Jubilee) Cake

June 5, 2022 Laura Clancy, Red Pepper. Educate! Britain, Democracy, Monarchy, wealth inequality

When Marie Antoinette discovered her subjects were facing a bread shortage and starvation in around 1789, due to multiple poor crop harvests and rodent infestations, she apparently exclaimed ‘let them eat cake!’ Her hereditary privilege meant she had no grasp of the severity of their suffering, or the fact that cake was much more expensive than bread to produce. Inequality during this period, immediately before the French revolution, was very high. Historians have estimated that around 90 per cent of working-class families lived at or below subsistence level, meaning they could only afford bare necessities. Marie Antoinette’s comment made her a symbol of hatred, which fueled the French revolution and the fall of the monarchy.

No To US Nukes In Britain: Peace Activists Rally At Lakenheath

May 22, 2022 Steve Sweeney, Morning Star. Resist! Britain, NATO, Nuclear Weapons, US Imperialism

Hundreds gathered at RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk yesterday to reject the presence of US nuclear weapons in Britain after a report detailed Washington’s plans to deploy warheads across Europe. Protesters arrived from Bradford, Sheffield, Nottingham, Manchester and Merseyside with banners opposing Nato, raising them at the airbase’s perimeter fences. Veterans from previous struggles including Greenham Common stood alongside those attending an anti-nuclear demonstration for the first time. Malcolm Wallace of transport union TSSA made the journey from his Essex home to stress the importance of stopping the US from placing nuclear weapons on British soil.

Brits Hit The Streets As Anger Over Cost Of Living And P&O Sacking Erupts

April 2, 2022 Morning Star. Resist! Britain, Cost of living, Finance and the Economy, Protests

Thousands of protesters will take to the streets today to vent their anger at the soaring cost of living and the brutal sacking of 800 P&O workers. The protests come as the Insolvency Service launches criminal and civil investigations into P&O’s behavior. The People’s Assembly, a national forum campaigning against austerity since 2013, has organized demonstrations across Britain in protest at the spiraling cost-of-living crisis. In London, protesters will gather outside Downing Street from 2pm. Demonstrations will also be held in Birmingham, Bournemouth, Bristol, Cardiff, Cambridge, Coventry, Derby, Doncaster, Glasgow, Hanley, Hull, Ipswich, Lancaster, Leicester, Liverpool, Manchester, Milton Keynes, Newcastle, Peterborough, Portsmouth, Preston, Redcar, Sheffield and Southampton.

The Blood Never Dries

August 29, 2021 Richard Gott, Red Pepper. Educate! Britain, British Empire, Genocide, Imperialism

Twenty years ago, when Tony Blair tried to restore something of the old militarism of empire, invading Afghanistan and Iraq with little understanding of what had once happened there, he did so with the words and music of ‘Onward Christian Soldiers’ echoing through his speeches. In like manner, the work of Niall Ferguson (Empire: How Britain made the Modern World, 2004) sought to revive the old imperial dream, and, for a moment, it seemed as though what was called ‘humanitarian intervention’ was going to usher in a new imperial era. Other distinguished historians were there to provide support: Lawrence Friedman, Andrew Roberts, Max Hastings – quite a cohort of armchair imperialists enjoyed a spring offensive.

Extinction Rebellion London Protests: Happening Now

August 23, 2021 Chiara Giordano, The Independent. Resist! Britain, Climate Change, Extinction Rebellion Protests, Protests

A giant pink table inviting Londoners to “come to the table” and discuss climate change has been erected by Extinction Rebellion protesters near Leicester Square.

How Workers Are Fighting For Better Amid Reopening

June 5, 2021 Ryan Desmond, Tribune Magazine. Resist! Britain, Pandemic, Restaurants, Worker Rights and Jobs

In my twenty-year career in the hospitality sector, I have never experienced such a demanding week as the one that started on 17 May. The re-opening of pubs and restaurants may have been eagerly anticipated by customers, but hospitality workers have been through hell and back. After months of rest and recuperation, chefs have been once again thrown into intolerable conditions. My work colleagues and I were put in a situation with new huge and unmanageable menus, and a new Kitchen Management System (KMS), which took the form of an automated tablet-to-screen order system and crashed frequently. The workloads were backbreaking, too, seeing several of us put in a 75-hour week. If this wasn’t bad enough, the sheer pressure of reopening saw two of our chefs leave after just two days.

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