INTERNATIONAL POLITICS GREAT BRITAIN:

INTERNET CENSORSHIP IN ENGLAND:





The London Metropolitan police have jumped on one of their critics, the website 'Fitwatch' (no longer operational for reasons that will become plain below) which was originally set up 3 years ago to oppose heavy handed tactics on the part of London police. The recent development comes in the wake of student demonstrations against English government austerity measures which ended in occupation of Conservative Party headquarters. With egg all over their faces for failing to anticipate the level of militancy amongst some of the demonstrators the police have reacted with a show of bravado by flailing out at their critics. Things haven't turned out as well for themas they expected. Here's a brief report on this incident from the eGov Monitor.


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Police Ire Forces Shut Down Of Fitwatch Website - But The Offending Post Unsurprisingly Is Now On Various Websites


The Metropolitan Police has forced the suspension of the Fitwatch website last evening arguing that it was "being used to undertake criminal activities".

The website has been suspended, however, unsurprisingly, the particular blog post has now been published on thousands of websites across the internet beyond the Met's jurisdiction.

The move came following a blog post was published on the Fitwatch website which gave advice to students who were afraid of police action against them following their protest and occupation of the Millbank complex last week, the Guardian reported today.



Following the protest, the blog post on Fitwatch advised students to stay calm, and not hand themselves over to the police as well as change their appearances. In addition, it asked those who are worried about being arrested to stay away from similar protests planned later.

The website's hosting company, Justhost.com was approached by the Met's public order branch C11 to request the site be removed - following which a more formal request came from the Met's e-crime unit, which argued that the blog was providing "guidance" to offenders.

The letter seen by the Guardian says: ""We hereby request [you] de-host this website for a minimum period of 12 months. The website is providing explicit advice to offenders following a major demonstration in central London. The demonstration was marred by violence and several subjects have already been arrested, with a major police operation under way to identify and arrest further offenders."

An acting detective inspector, Will Hodgeson authorised the action against the website, according to the letter.

Fitwatch was set up in 2007 to campaign against what it saw as heavy handed police tactics of the Met's Forward Intelligence Teams - who take photographs of people participating in protest.

If nothing else, this decision was not thought through at all - and once again proves that police forces do not really understand how the internet works. In fact, it could be argued by taking the action, the police ensured that the particular blog post gets massive publicity and is published on various sites around the world.
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As is argued above the police merely ended up with yet more egg of their faces through their actions as the advise given went viral and began appearing on blogs and websites across the world. Always ready to do her little bit Molly reproduces the article below courtesy of the Another Green World blog. For the life of me I cannot see any counselling to commit a criminal act in what follows. Actually it seems quite akin to what some police officers do when they retire ie set up a business to counsel people on how to get out of their traffic tickets. As a point of interest you can read more about this case and other incidents of internet censorship at the Committee To Protect Bloggers website.
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16 Nov 2010
Banned Fitwatch article here, please re-blog.
THIS IS THE BANNED FITWATCH ARTICLE
I DON'T CONDONE DROPPING FIRE EXTINGUISHER BUT PROTEST IS ESSENTIAL....any way on to the banned.

The remarkable and brilliant student action at Millbank has produced some predictable frothing at the mouth from the establishment and right wing press. Cameron has called for the ‘full weight of the law’ to fall on those who had caused tens of thousands of pounds of damage to the expensive decor at Tory party HQ. Responsibility is being placed on ‘a violent faction’, after the march was ‘infiltrated’ by anarchists.

There are an encouraging number of initiatives to show solidarity with the arrested students – something that is vital if they are to avoid the sort of punitive ‘deterrent’ sentences handed out to the Gaza demonstrators. A legal support group has been established and the National Campaign against Cuts and Fees has started a support campaign. Goldsmiths lecturers union has publicly commended the students for a ‘magnificent demonstration’.

This is all much needed, as the establishment is clearly on the march with this one. The Torygraph has published an irresponsible and frenzied ‘shop-a-student’ piece and the Met are clearly under pressure to produce ‘results’ after what they have admitted was a policing ‘embarrassment’.

51 people have been arrested so far, and the police have claimed they took the details of a further 250 people in the kettle using powers under the Police Reform Act. There may be more arrests to come.

Students who are worried should consider taking the following actions:

If you have been arrested, or had your details taken – contact the legal support campaign. As a group you can support each other, and mount a coherent campaign.

If you fear you may be arrested as a result of identification by CCTV, FIT or press photography;

DONT panic. Press photos are not necessarily conclusive evidence, and just because the police have a photo of you doesn’t mean they know who you are.

DONT hand yourself in. The police often use the psychological pressure of knowing they have your picture to persuade you to ‘come forward’. Unless you have a very pressing reason to do otherwise, let them come and find you, if they know who you are.

DO get rid of your clothes. There is no chance of suggesting the bloke in the video is not you if the clothes he is wearing have been found in your wardrobe. Get rid of ALL clothes you were wearing at the demo, including YOUR SHOES, your bag, and any distinctive jewellery you were wearing at the time. Yes, this is difficult, especially if it is your only warm coat or decent pair of boots. But it will be harder still if finding these clothes in your flat gets you convicted of violent disorder.

DONT assume that because you can identify yourself in a video, a judge will be able to as well. ‘That isn’t me’ has got many a person off before now.

DO keep away from other demos for a while. The police will be on the look-out at other demos, especially student ones, for people they have put on their ‘wanted’ list. Keep a low profile.

DO think about changing your appearance. Perhaps now is a good time for a make-over. Get a haircut and colour, grow a beard, wear glasses. It isn’t a guarantee, but may help throw them off the scent.

DO keep your house clean. Get rid of spray cans, demo related stuff, and dodgy texts / photos on your phone. Don’t make life easy for them by having drugs, weapons or anything illegal in the house.

DO get the name and number of a good lawyer you can call if things go badly. The support group has the names of recommended lawyers on their site. Take a bit of time to read up on your rights in custody, especially the benefits of not commenting in interview.

DO be careful who you speak about this to. Admit your involvement in criminal damage / disorder ONLY to people you really trust.

DO try and control the nerves and panic. Waiting for a knock on the door is stressful in the extreme, but you need to find a way to get on with business as normal. Otherwise you’ll be serving the sentence before you are even arrested.

AMERICAN LABOUR:

NOMINATIONS FOR 'SCROOGE OF THE YEAR' AWARD NOW OPEN:

It's now the 11th year that the Jobs With Justice organization has held their annual 'Scrooge of the Year' award. Nominations are now open for 2010. In light of the upcoming holiday season you are invited to nominate the most repulsive member of the ruling class in the past year. Here's the notice from the AFL-CIO Blog.

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Nominate Your Choice for ‘Scrooge of the Year’
by James Parks, Nov 15, 2010

It’s the holiday season and time once again to say “bah humbug” to the most cold-hearted and greedy CEOs, corporations and politicians who exemplify the spirit of Ebenezer Scrooge.

This is the 11th year that Jobs with Justice (JwJ) will “honor” the person or group that has done the most to “scrooge” workers. And the floor is open for nominations. Beginning today, you can nominate your candidate for Scrooge of the Year, along with a brief description of why he or she deserves the award by clicking here.

The winner will join an infamous group. Last year’s winner was the Chamber of Commerce. Voters singled out the Chamber for its narrow, radical agenda advocating anti-worker, profit-focused solutions to the broken health care, labor and environmental systems.

In 2008, voters picked the entire lot of Wall Street executives whose unchecked corporate greed led to our nation’s economic disaster.

CANADIAN ANARCHIST MOVEMENT VICTORIA:
BUY NOTHING DAY SALE AT CAMAS BOOKS:


This one is puzzling. A 'Buy Nothing Day Sale' ? In any case it's happening out Victoria way at Camas Books. Drop by if you're in the neighbourhood.
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Buy Nothing Day SALE!


Time Friday, November 26 at 11:00am - November 27 at 1:00am

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Location Camas Books
2590 Quadra St.
Victoria BC

More Info
That's right! Buy Nothing day is coming up soon, and to celebrate we are having a SALE on all used books!
For one day only November 26, we are reducing all used books in the store you buy by 20%!

Come sell-ebrate anti-consumerism and buy your rebellion with us at Camas Books at 2590 Quadra st. Victoria BC, Coast Salish territories.


Come at 4pm for a game of ANTI-MONOPOLY and Settlers of Catan, as well as other board games.

INTERNATIONAL LABOUR GERMANY:

PROTESTING NEO-LIBERALISM IN GERMANY:

It's official now. You know that a ruling class plot has serious opposition when there are mass protests against it in Germany of all places. I speak of the practically worldwide move by governments to make the ordinary person suck it up for the bank and corporate bailouts of recent memory. Yes, even governments have to at least pretend to balance their books occasionally (despite social democratic illusions) or at least not get swamped in a visible sea of red ink. Thus Germany, like many other countries, is trying to download the cost onto its average citizen, and German workers are responding with opposition to this attempt to make them pay for a crisis they didn't create. Here's the story from Deutsche Welle. But I would not be true to form if I didn't make a plug here for my own people, the German anarcho-syndicalist union the FAU, and the German language section of the IWW. Look to them for more consistent opposition than social democratic unions are wont to present.

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Thousands march as German unions protest Merkel government

Tens of thousands of protestors took to the streets of a host of German cities, marching against what they say are unfair social policies espoused by the coalition government of Chancellor Angela Merkel.

A day ahead of an important gathering of heavyweights from Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democratic Union (CDU), tens of thousands have marched across Germany on Saturday protesting government policies and what they say is social inequality.


Umbrella union group DGB, which helped organize the demonstrations, said nearly 100,000 people marched in Stuttgart, Dortmund, Nuremberg and Erfurt to voice their disapproval with the Merkel government.


Chief among the complaints was the offloading of the costs of the financial crisis on taxpayers.


"We don't want a republic in which powerful interest groups decide the guidelines of politics with their money, their power and their influence," Berthold Huber, head of IG Metall, Germany's largest trade union, told demonstrators in Stuttgart.


The union is demanding higher wages and the introduction of a minimum wage, arguing that ordinary Germans should benefit most from the country's economic upswing following the financial crisis.
Pressure mounts on coalition


The protests were timed to coincide with the CDU's annual party congress, at which it's expected Merkel will be reelected to the leadership. The three-day gathering in Karlsruhe in Germany's south begins Sunday.


The congress will be held under the specter of sagging opinion poll figures for Merkel and the CDU. Just over a year into Merkel's second tenure as chancellor, many Germans are angry over a lack of progress on key campaign promises.


Her center-right coalition now trails the center-left grouping of Social Democrats (SPD) and Greens in opinion polls.


Merkel's government has also been dogged by infighting between the CDU and their government partners, the liberal Free Democrats (FDP) and the CDU's Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU).


Most recently, the public was angered when the Merkel government decided to extend the lifespan of the country's nuclear reactors. Nuclear energy remains deeply unpopular in Germany, witnessed most recently last week when tens of thousands protested the transfer of atomic waste from France to a storage facility in the north of Germany.


Merkel has also been criticized from the rightist faction within her own party, who believe she has not been conservative enough in her leadership of the CDU and the country.

CANADIAN LABOUR ALBERTA:

ALBERTA FEDERATION OF LABOUR CAMPAIGNS FOR SAFER WORKPLACES:



The Alberta Federation of Labour has announced a new plan and campaign for safer workplaces in that province.
Alberta, of course, has never been at the pinnacle of such things, but the AFL is hoping that the province can do better. Here's the story from the AFL website.

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New union campaign says Alberta can – and must – do better on workplace safety:

AFL unveils 10-point plan to stop return to boom-style carnage
Friday, 05 November 2010 Edmonton

- The Alberta Federation of Labour today releases a 10-point plan for immediate action (click here for full text of plan) to improve workplace safety in the province.

"The government has taken some steps in the right direction to improve health and safety at work, but Alberta can - and must - do better," says Gil McGowan, president of the AFL, which represents 140,000 workers. "As the economy picks up, especially in the oil patch and construction sectors, the government needs to take immediate action to improve health and safety. If simple changes aren't made today, Alberta will return to the highest number of workplace fatalities in Canada. Only last month, three workers died in workplace accidents in three days. These are the kinds of tragedies that Alberta must prevent," he says.

"The recession gave us a short reprieve. Now is our chance to lead the country, instead of consistently being the most dangerous place in Canada to be a worker," continues McGowan.

Representatives of the Ironworkers and Electrical Workers' construction unions joined McGowan for the release of the 10-point plan. The AFL also presented 2,500 signed postcards to the office of Employment Minister Thomas Lukaszuk, calling for health and safety improvements.

"Most of these ideas are not radical - they are policies that work very well in most other provinces," he says. "The minister begins a three-day Work Safe Alberta Minister's Forum on Monday. This is the perfect opportunity to adopt these simple but effective policies."

The AFL 10-point plan for occupational health and safety includes:

•More occupational health and safety (OH&S) inspectors performing more inspections.
•Empowering inspectors to issue on-site administrative fines and stop-work/stop-use orders, addressing health and safety issues before they become an injury or fatality.
•More resources for Crown Prosecutors to pursue charges.
•Reform at the WCB: ending bonuses for employees who deny claims and restoring employer premiums to reasonable levels.
•Including farm workers in health and safety and employment standards legislation
•Working-alone legislation: Alberta is in a minority of provinces without special protections for those working alone, especially at night.
•Protection for workers who blow the whistle on unsafe worksites, equipment, or practices.
•Posting employer safety records online: the government's current practice leaves out 85 per cent of injuries. Reforming this system includes posting stop-work/stop-use orders, actual injuries or deaths on a job site, and inspection reports.
•Giving Certificates of Recognition only to safe workplaces.
•Mandatory joint health and safety committees for workers and employers.
- 30 -

Media Contact:

Gil McGowan, President, Alberta Federation of Labour @ 780-218-9888 (cell)

CANADIAN LABOUR WINNIPEG:

THE WORKERS' STRUGGLE WITH THE MODERN POST:

I've been meaning to highlight this local blog for some time. The Workers Struggle With the Modern Post is a blog set up by a militant in Local 856 of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) here in Winnipeg. It has the approval of the Local. I've been following this blog for some time, and I've been very impressed by what I saw there. The "modern post" model, also called the "multi bundle delivery model", is a management scheme whereby there will be a speedup in processing at mail depots and also a change whereby individual mail carriers will be responsible for delivering not just ordinary mail but also parcels. This will involve a shift to vehicle delivery as opposed to the present walking mail delivery. It also involves a lenghtening of the workday. This "model" is being tried out here in Winnipeg before being implemented across the country. Front line postal workers have a different opinion about its effectiveness than management has.

The blog in question was set up to oppose this change, but its circle of concerns has expanded far beyond the original intent to embrace other matters of working conditions at Canada Post as well as the effect of the changes on the public. In terms of the latter here is a recent post from the blogsite. Please go to the original blog to read all of the many expressions of discontent of the employees of Canada Post here in this city.

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Customer Service? What is that?
I am a concerned carrier out of SW Depot - i would like to hear some thoughts on the situation that has occurred on a daily basis for more than a week at SW - NON DELIVERY OF MAIL!!! It was not too long ago that even one letter left in a turnaround case could mean discipline to any one carrier. We now have entire routes not being delivered on a daily basis - Priors, Expresspost, registers etc remaining often for days in our Depot. What has become a priority for CPC - obviously not customer service. Has CPC put a freeze on hiring? A freeze on training new staff for all aspects of the job ( ie driving - VOP )? It astounds me that this new "delivery model" of CPC's was touted as "improving service to have only one employee doing all aspects of delivery/pickup for CPC in a given area". Well if the public only knew what deterioration has come from "Modern Post" they would be in an uproar. Daily, entire routes are not delivered, portions of others for days at a time, and Priors, Express Post and other expensive service options such as Registered and Re-Direct mail are left behind! What is CPC trying to do to this company? Is this really a purpose full self destruction of CPC - if so, we all better ready ourselves for a dismal financial future for CPC.... our jobs and our pensions with this company. Worried at SW.

AMERICAN LABOUR:

HYATT WORKERS FIGHT BACK:

Hyatt Hotels has profited even in hard times, yet they want to put the thumbscrews on their workers even tighter. the workers are fighting back. See the following item from the international union federation the IUF.

HWHWHWHWHWHW

Earnings up, Hyatt Hotels seeks to lock workers into recession
News 05-11-2010
Revenue and earnings are up at the upscale Hyatt Hotels chain, and the company is sitting on a pile of cash on the prowl for acquisitions. Hyatt workers, however, say the company is seeking to lock them into recession through outsourcing, speedup, bargaining concessions and fierce resistance to recruitment and organizing by the IUF-affiliated Unite Here!

Hyatt’s third quarter results show an increase in revpar (revenue per available room) of 7.5 percent at full-service hotels in North America and a whopping 17 percent internationally. Hyatt’s share price is up 40% for 2010. But as contracts expire in cities in Canada and the US, management is insisting on rolling back conditions and benefits for already low-paid workers.

Last year, Hyatt fired 98 room cleaners at its three hotels in the Boston area. Before getting the sack, however, the long-serving workers were required to train their own replacements – subcontracted workers paid the minimum wage.

Hyatt, says the union, is inflicting physical pain, injury and even permanent disability on its workers as well as economic hardship. Speedup has room cleaners called upon to clean up to 30 rooms in a single shift – double the normal work load. A recent article in the American Journal of Industrial Medicine showed Hyatt housekeepers having the highest rate of injury of all the hotels studied - and double the injury rate for the lowest.



The union is fighting back with demonstrations, boycotts, industrial action, including national strike action, and coalition building. The call to boycott the Boston Hyatt until the workers are rehired has received wide support, including from the state governor.

News and updates on union action at Hyatt are available on the websites of Unite Here! and Hotel Workers Rising.

CANADIAN POLITICS:

LABOUR SAYS BILL C-49 ANTI-REFUGEE:

The following news story comes from the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC-AFPC). It's about the new Conservative Bill C-49 which purports to be against "human trafficking". In actual fact as one BQ member of Parliament said, it should be called the Tamil Bill. You can read more of the Parliamentary debate on this Bill here at Open Parliament. Molly has repeatedly blogged on the situation of the Tamil "boat people", now into their third month of captivity in BC where they expected safety. In particular I have mentioned the solidarity efforts of No One Is Illegal Vancouver. Now others are coming onboard. Here's the story from the PSAC.

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Human Smuggling Legislation Violates Refugee Rights
The government's bill to prevent human smuggling does not meet Canada's domestic and international human rights and refugee protection obligations said the Public Service Alliance of Canada. The government should tackle the problems of criminal smuggling in ways that do not punish refugees.

Bill C-49, the Preventing Human Smugglers from Abusing Canada's Immigration System Act tabled on October 21st, violates the rights of refugees and migrants. By restricting the rights of refugees who arrive in Canada as part of a group that the government designates to be a “human smuggling event,” the Bill creates two classes of refugees.

The restrictions include harsh powers of mandatory detention of those designated persons, including children, for one year without independent review; denial of the right to appeal a negative decision to the Refugee Board's Refugee Appeal Division; prohibition to apply for permanent resident status for five years; and serious limitations on freedom of movement and family unity.

If Bill C-49 becomes law, Canada would be violating its legal obligations under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the 1951 Refugee Convention, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

“Measures to address criminal smuggling must ensure that refugees' and migrants' rights relying on smugglers are protected,” said John Gordon, National President of PSAC. “People at risk of torture and who fear for their lives may turn to smugglers out of desperation, regardless of penalization.”

Detention of refugee claimants should only be used as a last resort and must be for reasons that are established in international law, such as demonstrated concerns about security. Detention should never be used as a means of deterring other refugees who are seeking safety.

The legislation also gives the government the power to arrest and detain any non-citizen, including a permanent resident, based on a mere suspicion of criminality. It appears that this provision is not limited to designated persons or refugee claimants, and would apply to all non-citizens. Although the bill deals with refugees, it is also an attack on the rights of newcomers – and long-term residents.

The PSAC believes workers dealing with refugees should have clear guidelines and tools on how to do their job. In addition, it is important that Canada work with other countries to take action to combat human smuggling as it involves serious human rights violations against vulnerable migrants. However, policies to combat human smuggling must respect the rights of refugees seeking asylum in Canada.

This legislation is part of a continuing trend by the Harper government to disregard Canada's human rights obligations.

To take action against this bill, please visit Amnesty International and the Canadian Council of Refugees. ( Canadian Council "FOR" Refugees actually- Molly )

LOCAL EVENTS WINNIPEG:
MARIACHI GHOST AT ESTUDIO LUNA:


Nothing political about this item, merely Winnipeg's favourite Latin band Mariachi Ghost at the Estudio Luna.
W♫W♪W♫W♪W♫W♪


THE MARIACHI GHOST AT ESTUDIO LUNA- LA MUERTE-
Time Saturday, November 13 · 9:30pm - 11:30pm

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Location ESTUDIO LUNA- http://www.estudioluna.org/about - 220 McDermot

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Created By Mariachi-ghost Ánimas

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More Info
We are opening for the DEATH SHOW at the Estudio.

MUSIC:
FAMOUS ANTI-WAR SONGS:

It's almost time to close out another Remembrance Day, but just to leave you with something a little less dry here's a couple of songs that give something other than a glorification of militarism. Yeah I know, just when you thought you were finally really and truly free of 'Molly's Poetry Corner'. Well I promise you no 'high culture' this time. No promises for the future.
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'AND THE BAND PLAYED WALTZING MATILDA'

It seems like this should be the granddaddy of them all, but this was actually written in 1971 by singer songwriter Eric Brogle. It tells a story of an old Australian veteran and his bitter thoughts at the commemoration of ANZAC Day, the Australian version of Remembrance Day and Veterans' Day. You can hear this song sung by Marjorie Roswell at this link.


AND THE BAND PLAYED
WALTZING MATILDA
When I was a young man I carried my pack
And I lived the free life of a rover
From the Murrays green basin to the dusty outback
I waltzed my Matilda all over
Then in nineteen fifteen my country said Son
It's time to stop rambling 'cause there's work to be done
So they gave me a tin hat and they gave me a gun
And they sent me away to the war
And the band played Waltzing Matilda
As we sailed away from the quay
And amidst all the tears and the shouts and the cheers
We sailed off to Gallipoli

How well I remember that terrible day
How the blood stained the sand and the water
And how in that hell that they called Suvla Bay
We were butchered like lambs at the slaughter
Johnny Turk he was ready, he primed himself well
He chased us with bullets, he rained us with shells
And in five minutes flat he'd blown us all to hell
Nearly blew us right back to Australia
But the band played Waltzing Matilda
As we stopped to bury our slain
We buried ours and the Turks buried theirs
Then we started all over again

Now those that were left, well we tried to survive
In a mad world of blood, death and fire
And for ten weary weeks I kept myself alive
But around me the corpses piled higher
Then a big Turkish shell knocked me arse over tit
And when I woke up in my hospital bed
And saw what it had done, I wished I was dead
Never knew there were worse things than dying
For no more I'll go waltzing Matilda
All around the green bush far and near
For to hump tent and pegs, a man needs two legs
No more waltzing Matilda for me

So they collected the cripples, the wounded, the maimed
And they shipped us back home to Australia
The armless, the legless, the blind, the insane
Those proud wounded heroes of Suvla
And as our ship pulled into Circular Quay
I looked at the place where my legs used to be
And thank Christ there was nobody waiting for me
To grieve and to mourn and to pity
And the band played Waltzing Matilda
As they carried us down the gangway
But nobody cheered, they just stood and stared
Then turned all their faces away

And now every April I sit on my porch
And I watch the parade pass before me
And I watch my old comrades, how proudly they march
Reliving old dreams of past glory
And the old men march slowly, all bent, stiff and sore
The forgotten heroes from a forgotten war
And the young people ask, "What are they marching for?"
And I ask myself the same question
And the band plays Waltzing Matilda
And the old men answer to the call
But year after year their numbers get fewer
Some day no one will march there at all

Waltzing Matilda, Waltzing Matilda
Who'll come a waltzing Matilda with me
And their ghosts may be heard as you pass the Billabong
Who'll come-a-waltzing Matilda with me?

♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪
Here's another one, 'I Ain't Marching Anymore' by Phil Ochs. This was originally released in 1965 for the album of the same name during a period of time when America's war in Vietnam was building up. This song became Ochs' most famous piece. It takes the point of view of a soldier from all the wars in American history from 1812 on. You can see a video of Ochs performing this song at this link.
♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪

Phil Ochs
I Ain't Marching Anymore

Oh I marched to the battle of new orleans
At the end of the early british war
The young land started growing
The young blood started flowing
But I ain't marchin' anymore

For I've killed my share of indians
In a thousand different fights
I was there at the little big horn
I heard many men lying
I saw many more dying
But I ain't marchin' anymore

It's always the old to lead us to the war
It's always the young to fall
Now look at all we've won with the sabre and the gun
Tell me is it worth it all

For I stole california from the mexican land
Fought in the bloody civil war
Yes I even killed my brother
And so many others
And I ain't marchin' anymore

For I marched to the battles of the german trench
In a war that was bound to end all wars
Oh I must have killed a million men
And now they want me back again
But I ain't marchin' anymore

(chorus)

For I flew the final mission in the japanese sky
Set off the mighty mushroom roar
When I saw the cities burning
I knew that I was learning
That I ain't marchin' anymore

Now the labor leader's screamin' when they close the missile plants,
United fruit screams at the cuban shore,
Call it "peace" or call it "treason,"
Call it "love" or call it "reason,"
But I ain't marchin' any more.
♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪
Finally we have Buffy Ste. Marie's 'Universal Soldier'. A little local patriotism here. Ste. Marie was born a mere 20 miles or so from where I grew up in the Quapelle Valley. this song debuted in 1964. it gathered little attention at first but took off when it was rerecorded by folk singer Donovan in 1965. You can see various videos of Ste. Marie performing this song at this link.
♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪

Universal Soldier
Buffy Sainte-Marie
He's five feet two and he's six feet four
He fights with missiles and with spears
He's all of 31 and he's only 17
He's been a soldier for a thousand years

He's a Catholic, a Hindu, an atheist, a Jain,
a Buddhist and a Baptist and a Jew
and he knows he shouldn't kill
and he knows he always will
kill you for me my friend and me for you

And he's fighting for Canada,
he's fighting for France,
he's fighting for the USA,
and he's fighting for the Russians
and he's fighting for Japan,
and he thinks we'll put an end to war this way

And he's fighting for Democracy
and fighting for the Reds
He says it's for the peace of all
He's the one who must decide
who's to live and who's to die
and he never sees the writing on the walls

But without him how would Hitler have
condemned him at Dachau
Without him Caesar would have stood alone
He's the one who gives his body
as a weapon to a war
and without him all this killing can't go on

He's the universal soldier and he
really is to blame
His orders come from far away no more
They come from him, and you, and me
and brothers can't you see
this is not the way we put an end to war.

CANADIAN POLITICS VANCOUVER:

WEEKLY NOISE DEMONSTRATION FOR THE TAMIL DETAINEES:

Meanwhile out on the west coast the Tamil "boat people" continue to be detained as the federal government makes a glacially slow decision on their fate, more likely than not trying to find a way to ship them back to Sri Lanka with the minimum possible fuss. As has been reported before on this blog Canadian citizens in Vancouver have organized weekly demonstrations in solidarity with the Tamils, demanding that they be allowed to stay in Canada. They call them "noise demonstrations". Here is the latest announcement from the immigrant solidarity group No One Is Illegal Vancouver calling for more noise in the upcoming two weekends.

◄►◄►◄►◄►◄►◄►

Nov 14 Noise Demo: Release Detained Tamil Refugees
Weekly Noise Demos:
Release Detained Tamil Refugees: Let Them Free, Let Them Stay!

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Sunday Nov 14 at 1:30 pm
Sunday Nov 21 at 1:30pm
Shuttles Leaving Edmonds station starting at 12:45 until 1:15

Burnaby Youth Custody Services Centre where mothers and children who
arrived aboard MV Sun Sea are being detained.

LOCATION: 7900 Fraser Park Dr, Burnaby

If you can, please make a small donation so we can continue to rent
the equipment needed to make this happen!

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

HUMOUR:

REMEMBER:

HISTORY:

REMEMBER AND PREVENT:

November 11 is Remembrance Day in the anglosphere, a day set aside to remember the war dead and hopefully resolve to avoid such tragedies in the future. But how much of this remembrance is actually glorification of militarism ? This is especially apt in the case of WW1, where the actual reasons for the war cannot be honestly discussed without criticizing societies founded on profit and the state. Here's a Remembrance day item from the Canadian anti-militarist group Cease Fire asking your opinion.

RDRDRDRDRDRD

Is Remembrance Day too much about war, and not enough about peace?
Add your comment below


Remembrance Day is changing as the veterans of the First and Second World Wars, and the Korean War, pass away. Today more attention is being paid to the veterans of recent conflicts, such as Afghanistan, and the speeches from Government officials freely connect the battles of the past, such as Vimy Ridge, with the current fighting in Kandahar.

This is leaving many to wonder why we gather together each November 11. Is it to mourn the dead, or to adulate them? Do we lament war, or commemorate it?

Remembrance Day was first marked within the British Commonwealth (which included Canada) on November 11, 1919, at 11 a.m. to commemorate the end of the First World War upon the German signing of the Armistice.

According to the Government of Canada, we continue to celebrate this date to

“… honour those who fought for Canada in the First World War (1914-1918), the Second World War (1939-1945), and the Korean War (1950-1953), as well as those who have served since then.”
Red poppies became a popular symbol of Remembrance Day due to John McCrae’s poem “In Flanders Fields” and their blood-red colour. His famous poem is hardly a call for peace. Instead, through McRae, the voices of the dead soldiers urge the reader to fight on, and “Take up our quarrel with the foe.”


However, this militarized focus on Remembrance Day is not shared by all. One of the most prominent examples of this is the white poppy campaign, which dates back to 1933. This poppy is meant to symbolize the need for peace and to commemorate the war-related deaths of both civilians and service men and women.

The white poppy campaign is not without controversy even today, as some peace groups seek to revise the anti-war symbol. The Royal Canadian Legion and other groups feel that it denigrates the symbol of those who have died while serving their country (as well as infringing on the Legion’s trademark of the red poppy symbol, used in their fundraising – page 41 of the Poppy Manual).

What is your opinion?

Do you feel that Remembrance Day has become a commemoration of war, or does it remain a time to think about peace?

INTERNATIONAL LABOUR IRAN:

FACEBOOK PAGE FOR IMPRISONED IRANIAN WORKERS:

The following brief announcement of a Facebook page to support Iranian workers jailed for their union activities is from the Support Workers' Councils In Iran group.

IWIWIWIWIWIW

A short ABC Workers msg!
A) A Facebook page has just launched in support of jailed workers in Iran. You might be interested to join as it will be updated regularly in English, French and Farsi
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Workers-in-Iran/161687717205109

You might want to follow its twitter acct at:
http://www.facebook.com/l/97291CiyB3ajUNZVYu2_8u6rpBQ;twitter.com/workersiniran

B) A reminder to sign and pass on the petition to free jailed workers at:

http://www.facebook.com/l/97291jmdCgxrFOQjjVeJgue7YZA;workersiniran.org/jworkers

C) You might be interested in this picture album of the Workers in Iran
http://www.facebook.com/l/97291Laj0qOrfYyMYctxK3e_ZJQ;abbasgoya.com/1259

AMERICAN LABOUR:

NO TO LAYOFFS AT BIG Y GROCERY:

The following appeal for solidarity with American grocery workers comes from the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Union.

! ▼!▼!▼!▼!▼!▼!▼

Take Action: Grocery Workers Need Your Help!‏

Workers in Connecticut and Massachusetts NEED YOUR HELP on Facebook and Twitter!
The Big Y grocery company has been buying A&P stores and reopening them as Big Y stores in Connecticut--and has barely hired back any of the experienced, long-time A&P workers who were already working in those stores. At the same time, Big Y has laid off many of its own workers and has encouraged full-timers to take voluntary layoffs.

It's terrible any time someone loses a job, but when a company is expanding--what sense does that make? Why get rid of experienced workers from our communities, only to hire new ones to replace them? Full time OR part time, these grocery jobs should all be good jobs--jobs that offer good wages and benefits and a path to advancement.

We're forced to ask: Why, Big Y? What kind of a company does Big Y want to be? The kind that rewards loyal, hard-working employees? Or the kind that lets them--and their customers--down? The kind that creates good middle class jobs in our communities, or the kind that destroys them? The kind that offers a real path to advancement for part-timers and full-timers alike? Or the kind that offers only low wage, dead-end jobs?

Please help us support these laid-off workers and fight for good middle class jobs. With your help, we want to hold Big Y accountable--by asking Why, Big Y?

Please join us in asking the tough questions on Big Y's Facebook page and Twitter feed, like:

►Why did Big Y lay off so many of its own workers, and ask others to take voluntary layoffs—when the company is expanding and hiring?
►Why did Big Y refuse to hire back most A&P workers when it re-opened old A&P stores under the Big Y banner?
►Why is Big Y making these tough economic times even tougher for working families?
►Why won't Big Y listen to loyal A&P shoppers--who’ve asked repeatedly for Big Y to re-hire the A&P workers who customers have come to regard as family?
►Why won’t Big Y reward years of hard work and loyalty, so full-timers AND part-timers alike can have the opportunity they deserve?

Just ask any of the above questions--or Why, Big Y? on Facebook or Twitter to show your solidarity with laid-off Big Y workers.

You can find Big Y's Facebook page here: http://www.facebook.com/bigyworldclassmarket

And Big Y's Twitter feed is: @BigYFoods

Thank you so much for all your help on this, and please spread the word--we can't fight for good jobs at Big Y without you!

CANADIAN POLITICS ONTARIO:

OTTAWA AND TORONTO- TWO EVENTS TOMORROW:



Ewww, the politicians will be unhappy tomorrow and Friday as the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP) plans not one but two protests to disrupt the money making machine of the provincial Liberal Party, now in power in the province. Here's the notices....

OCAPOCAPOCAP
Ottawa Wednesday: Crash the Liberal Party Fundraiser‏
No One Is Illegal, the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty and Under Pressure invite you to CRASH THE PARTY!

When: Wednesday November 10th 6:00pm SHARP

...Where: Ottawa Crowne Plaza - 101 Lyon Street North



On Wedneseday November 10th the Ontario Liberal Party will be hosting a fundraiser dinner for themselves in downtown Ottawa, with Premier Dalton McGuinty as their special guest. Tickets to this event are 500$ and a table costs 5000$.



This year the Liberals have upped their attacks on poor people across Ontario in an unprecedented way. Not since the Conservative Party of Mike Harris has a provincial government not only let people live in poverty, but actually cut and gutted the money that those on welfare and disability receive.



Poor people in Ontario often have difficult decisions to make: pay the rent or pay the bills. Food on the table or a winter coat on their kids. But one thing we do not have a choice about is to fight. We are a community of struggle and we always have been. We know that to survive we need to fight these governments and their anti-poor agendas. Many of us in the struggle today were born into the Common Sense Revolution that saw poor people attacked viciously. Now we are seeing a new wave of attacks, by a different government with the same policies. But just as we have before, we are ready and willing to fight back and be disruptive. On Wednesday November 10th we invite all of our friends and allies to a disruptive noisy demo at the Liberal Party fundraiser supper. Let's makeit clear that they will have no peace as long as people are starving, dying on the streets and unable to pay their bills. Bring signs, flags, noisemakers and banners. Be ready to be loud! The aims of this demo are to deliver a clear, angry and disruptive message to the Liberal party, thoughwe will keep in mind that some participants may not be in arrestablesituations.

When: Wednesday November 10th 6:00pm SHARP

Where: Ottawa Crowne Plaza - 101 Lyon Street North

OUR DEMANDS

•raise welfare and ODSP rates 40%

•hands of the Special Diet

this demo is organized by:

No One Is Illegal – Ottawa

Under Pressure Coalition Against Poverty

Ontario Coalition Against Poverty
OCAPOCAPOCAPOCAP
And also happening this Friday.
OCAPOCAPOCAPOCAP

CALL FOR SUPPORT FOR ETOBICOKE ACTION IN SUPPORT OF THE SPECIAL DIET‏

Support is needed outside the office of Shafiq Qaadri, MPP. 823 Albion Road at 11.30 AM
Those coming from downtown, meet at Islington Station (bus area) at 11.00 AM

On Monday evening, an OCAP delegation, mainly comprised of women from Etobicoke?s Somali community, crashed a fundraising event held by "their" MPP, Shafiq Qaadri. They were confronting him over his Government's attack on the Special Diet for people on Social Assistance. Qaadri agreed that he would meet with a delegation this Friday at noon at his constituency office and we are asking for maximum support for this.

We are going to gather outside the constituency office in numbers to show the support that exists for the right to decent income, the raising of welfare rates and for maintaining the Special Diet. However, we are not going to give Qaadri any excuse to cancel the meeting so we stress that only a small delegation from the local Somali community will be going in to meet with him. Qaadri chairs the Standing Committee on Social Policy, is himself a doctor and represents an area where the attack on the Special Diet is causing misery and ill health. He will have a lot to answer for this Friday and so do his fellow Liberal MPPs throughout Ontario.

Please come out on Friday and show your support.

INTERNATIONAL LABOUR RUSSIA:

FULL TIME WORK DEMANDED AT HEINEKEN IN ST. PETERSBURG:

The following news story highlighting the struggle at the Heineken brewery in St. Petersburg Russia comes from the international union federation the IUF.

RLRLRLRLRLRL

Heineken St-Petersburg union demands restrictions on precarious jobs
News 05-11-2010
The union of workers at the Heineken brewery in St-Petersburg, Russia held a picket at the plant’s gates on October 18 to highlight their call for negotiations to reverse the creeping expansion of agency labour at the plant. Members of the city’s other unions in the food and beverage sectors took part in the action.

Since last November the union has been in negotiations with Heineken management to develop a program for safeguarding permanent jobs, including restrictions on the use of agency labour. But after nearly a year, management still insists that it’s only obligation is to respect the minimum requirements of the Labour Code. The union naturally contends that this is hardly a negotiating position, since the Labour Code simply specifies the minimum legal conditions which have to be adhered to.

Eleven months of fruitless negotiations prompted the union to hold a picket to publicly highlight the negotiating deadlock and the wider, negative impact of precarious work on Heineken workers, on trade union rights and on tax revenue and public finances. The union has received support for their struggle from the Heineken European Works Council and the Dutch FNV, in addition to local support from the IUF.

CANADIAN ANARCHIST MOVEMENT VICTORIA:

POLICE RAID CAMAS INFOSHOP IN VICTORIA:

On Friday November 5 police entered the Camas Books and Infoshop on Quadra Street in Victoria BC and removed computer equipment and other documents for which they had obtained a warrant. The statement of the bookstore follows as originally published in the Vancouver Media Co-op.

This raid followed hard on the heels of an incident in the early morning hours where the car and garage of the Mayor of Victoria Dean Fortin was vandalized. the group which did this sent an email explaining their actions as retaliation for the City of Victoria's continuing war on the homeless. You can read their communique here.

Now I can't say that I am much of a fan of petty vandalism as a "political" tactic. It accomplishes nothing, and feeds nothing but delusions of importance amongst both the perpetrators and their supporters. It was interesting, however, to note how quickly almost all of the "poverty industry" organizations in Victoria fell in line to not only distance themselves from the action (understandable) but more significantly to praise the Mayor for being a good friend of the homeless. I wonder if being recipients of government money has anything to do with such loyalty ? The one notable exception was 'Committee to End Homelessness' who actually voiced criticism of the City's policies.

Another significant thing to note is the speed and diligence of the police response in this case. Something about having their boss pissed off I guess, and having to appear to be diligently hunting down the vandals. I would have serious doubts that any incriminating evidence could be found on the computers at Camas Books. At best it is a data gathering operation for names, addresses, phone numbers, etc. of people unconnected to the vandalism. More busy work for Victoria's equivalent of a Red Squad. I wonder if the Mayor is going to fall for it ?

But before we go on to the communique from Camas consider one more thing. I don't know all that much about Victoria, but I do know that in the city where I live the police would be highly unlikely to even show up for a broken window and some graffiti. Let alone go through the motions of pretending to search for the vandals. Once more something about actually personally pissing off the boss. Some are indeed served and protected better than others.

In any case here is the communique from Camas.

CBCBCBCBCBCB
Police Raid Camas Educational Bookstore
by Camas Educational Bookstore


NOVEMBER 8, 2010 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Police Raid Camas Educational Bookstore
Victoria, BC on November 5, 2010: the Victoria Police Department entered Camas Books, 2590 Quadra Street with a warrant to search and seize computer equipment and documents. Four volunteers were detained while officers searched the premise, seizing 2 computers, a Camas Educational Society annual report, and Shaw and Telus account bills.

The Camas Educational Society is a not-for-profit registered society that functions collectively to operate the volunteer run Camas Books and Info. Camas Books first opened its doors in September 2007, with the intention of providing a voice for social justice perspectives, and helping to foster a spirit of solidarity with other such struggles taking place globally. The Camas Collective has a mandate to keep the store and space as accessible and inclusive as possible in order to provide free access to internet and print information that follows our mission statement, akin to a library.

The Camas collective has received no information from police about any incident that the search and seizure may be pertaining to, or what lead police to the book store.

For more information on Camas Books or the Camas Educational Society go to www.camas.ca

Media Contacts: Meaghan MacDonald Email: Meaghan.j.macdonald(at)gmail.com Phone: 250-896-7588

CANADIAN ANARCHIST MOVEMENT:

THE NEXT MONTRÉAL ANARCHIST BOOKFAIR:

Now this is the way to do things. The next Montréal Anarchist Bookfair is six months in the future, but already they are planning this event which is the largest of its kind on the continent. Here`s their anouncement.

@C@C@C@C@C@C
21-22 MAI 2011: Inscrivez-le à votre agenda! Mark your calendars!: MAY 21-22, 2011
[English below]

Nous souhaitons faire savoir à tout le monde que le prochain SALON DU LIVRE ANARCHISTE DE MONTRÉAL aura lieu le 21 et 22 mai 2011. Le Salon se tiendra donc pendant deux jours au CEDA (2515 rue Delisle) ainsi qu'au Centre culturel Georges-Vanier qui se trouve à proximité.

Nous enverrons davantage d'information concernant le Salon du livre anarchiste de l'an prochain et le Festival de l'anarchie (qui aura lieu pendant le mois de mai) plus tard en novembre et en décembre. Cela inclura de l'information concernant l'appel pour la tenue d'ateliers, les tables, les films, l'exposition Art & Anarchie et les événements du Festival de l'anarchie.

Pour rester en contact et pour des mises à jour à propos de l'organisation du Salon du livre, veuillez joindre notre liste de courriels (nombre réduit de messages). Vous pouvez vous abonner à travers notre site web http://www.facebook.com/l/97a9dpuJG_S4aWnEKg4Iflzhp4g; www.salonanarchiste.ca : cherchez "Liste d'Annonces" dans le coin inférieur droit de la page. Entrez votre adresse courriel et appuyez sur Envoyer.

Nous sommes excités à l'idée d'organiser le prochain Salon du livre. On restera en contact!
-Le Collectif du Salon du livre anarchiste de Montréal

----------

We wanted to let everyone know that next year's MONTREAL ANARCHIST BOOKFAIR will be May 21-22, 2011. The Bookfair will take place over two days at the CEDA (2515 rue Delisle) as well as the nearby Georges-Vanier Cultural Center.

We will sending more info about next year's Anarchist Bookfair & Festival of Anarchy (taking place throughout the month of May) later in November and in December, including callouts for workshops, tables, films, Art & Anarchy exhibits, and Festival of Anarchy events.

To stay in touch, and for updated information about Bookfair planning, please join our low-volume e-mail announcements list. You can sign up via our website http://www.facebook.com/l/97a9dIcb_wJgmJJ7I4tLPRlcESQ ; www.anarchistbookfair.ca ; look for "Announcements List" on the bottom right of the page, enter your e-mail address, and press send.

We're excited about planning the upcoming Bookfair. We'll stay in touch!
-- The Montreal Anarchist Bookfair Collective.
-----

CONTACT :
-> courriel: info@salonanarchiste.ca
-> web: http://www.facebook.com/l/97a9dejX1OinDo5tkQcK2EwHhQw;www.salonanarchiste.ca
-> tél: 514-679-5800
-> liste d’annonces : http://www.facebook.com/l/97a9d4cozHRteH0Mm9s385PVRRw;https://masses.tao.ca/lists/listinfo/salon -annonces
-> facebook: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=71082453058
-> twitter: http://www.facebook.com/l/97a9d8qUZkhQNhaS24Yi0fOwDiQ ; www.twitter.com/BookfairAnarMTL

PERSONAL:

HERE AT MOLLY'S BLOG:

Oh the guilt. Oh the shame. After having had a personal conversation with a friend where he remarked about "how I was able to keep the links current" I was visited by a comrade from Bosnia who pointed out some dead links on this blog. It takes me way back to an internet conversation with an "anarchist hero" I shall refer to as "Dink Ass", and his refusal to list a certain anarchist site because it had "dead links". This was despite the fact that he had "dead links" in his own listings that were at least 7 years dead and perhaps ten years in the grave.

All that being said those words plus the undeserved admiration and the unexpected help from Bosnia put me on a campaign track. As far as I can determine this blog has the most complete listing of the libertarian left in the entire world. It is, of course, a work in progress, and will continue to expand. The way that I have devised is; whenever I add a new listing is to go four or five listings both above and below the new one. I look for things that have to be either deleted or put into the 'Zombie' (long inactive ) category. The latter is not entirely useless. Some things actually do come back to life. Recent examples include the 'Institute For Social Ecology', 'Barking Coins Blog' and the 'Centre For A Stateless Society' which were inactive for a long time but are quite alive today. The 'Zombie' category has its uses.

This is how I hope to keep the links on this blog current (something that anyone with experience with anarchist websites knows is a problem). Quite frankly I cannot go down the lists of literally hundreds of items to try and eliminate dead links, but this method will allow me to "punt the corpses" rather efficiently. Once more I request anyone who detects dead links to report them at the 'Molly's Suggestion Box' link on this blog. Until then I hope this method serves everybody well.

HUMOUR;

THINGS TO DO AS THE EMPIRE FALLS APART:

AMATEUR ASTRONOMY:

MOON, MARS AND ANTARES AT DUSK:

Early evening tonight 9too late) and tomorrow is a good time to spot an interesting triplet in the dusk sky towards the southwest. on these nights Mars and the Moon pair with the red supergiant Antares shortly after sunset. Antares is the brightest star in the constellation Scorpio and is so large that if it were in our solar system it would extend to somewhere between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. it is about 600 light years from us, and has the visual luminosity of about 10,000 suns. Despite this its distance means that it is "only" the 16th brightest visual star. catch this triplet tomorrow evening (see diagram). look for Mercury as well.

CANADIAN ANARCHIST MOVEMENT:
HEALTH CARE ACTION IN SAGUENAY:


Yesterday, November 6, the Collectif Emma Goldman of the Québec UCL, along with the student employee's union of the University of Québec in Chicoutimi organized a demonstration against the privatization of health care and fees for service. The following is translated from the original French at the Québec City Voix De Faits Blog. More details and photo reportage are available at the Collectif Emma Goldman site.
@C@C@C@C@C@C


Action In Saguenay


The comrades of the Collectif-Emma Goldman (UCL-Saguenay) and the Union of students employed by the University of Québec at Chicoutimi organized a demonstration on Saturday, November 6 action against fees for service and the privatization of health care.

About fifty people gathered outside the hospital in Chicoutimi. Hundreds of leaflets, stickers against the privatization of health and the Cause Commune Express Newspapers were distributed to passers-by and motorists. This action was intended to oppose the last budget tabled by the Minister Bachand and the gradual commodification of health, through fees for service and privatization.

"The " health franchise " of Minister Bachand is a real shame. Quietly what they want with this kind of measure is to introduce into popular opinion that the idea that everyone should pay for health care. We are going back to 50 years ago. Moreover, on November 1st, we celebrated the 40th anniversary of universal health insurance. The idea behind the scheme was to ensure universal quality free health care to everyone funded through a progressive tax. "The Charest government is taking the ax to an important part of our gains and our struggles ", said Stephen David Bellemare, President of the Student Employees' Union of the University of Québec at Chicoutimi.

Stephane Turcotte, spokesman for the Collectif Emma Goldman:

"Over the last thirty years we have seen attacks by successive governments, whether Liberal or PQ. Anything that is not beneficial to economic growth is considered unnecessary. Education, health care, social programs, public services in general are all affected by this ideology of capitalist profitability. These attacks are occurring throughout the West. Greece, Spain, England, France, everywhere they ask workers to tighten their belt when we know that all these governments have given billions of dollars to banks. It is an international struggle, we must never forget that. "

"Always in the service of the rich and business, this government despises the working class and poor. Charest and his cronies have chosen their camp for a long time and it is not ours. The government is working hard to destroy everything that was built in the public interest to ensure a society that is a little more fair and equitable ", Stephen David Bellemare expressed indignently.

==> More details and pictures on the blog of the Collectif Emma Goldman

INTERNATIONAL LABOUR SOUTH KOREA:

CALL FOR SOUTH KOREA TO HONOUR WORKERS' RIGHTS:

Beginning November 11 South Korea will play host to the latest meeting of the G20. Being as that is Remembrance Day here in Canada let's not forget what happened in Toronto during the last meeting of the G20. International unions are calling for a different sort of response from the Korean government ie that they act to respect rights rather than trample them down. Here's the story from the AFL-CIO Blog.

§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§

On Eve of G-20 Summit, Global Unions Call On Korea to Honor Workers’ Rights
by James Parks, Nov 4, 2010

When the leaders of the world’s top 20 economies, also known as the G-20, meet Nov. 11–12 in Seoul, Korea, the global union movement will shine a light on the Korean government’s repeated violations of workers’ rights.

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka today joined the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) in calling on the Korean government to honor its international commitments and respect workers’ rights. In a letter to Korea’s President Lee Myung-bak, Trumka said:

Repeatedly workers and trade unions in Korea are subject to violations of human and trade union rights. The number of arrests and severity of prison sentences as well as physical violence is increasing.

The AFL-CIO calls on the Korean government to honor your international commitments and respect workers’ rights.


In the week leading up to the summit, workers around the world are taking actions at their workplaces, in rallies and in cyberspace to convince Korean leaders to treat workers with respect and dignity. They also will visit Korean embassies and express solidarity with Korean workers.

When Korea joined the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in 1996, it made a commitment to reform its labor laws and meet international standards on workers’ rights. OECD is a global coalition of governments to coordinate worldwide economic development. Now, 14 years later, Korea’s laws still do not comply with international standards on protecting workers’ rights and Korea is one of the worst countries in the world for the repression of its workers and trade unions..

Specifically, the ITUC claims the Korean government “repeatedly and systematically violates workers’ rights by:

•Using criminal sanctions against “obstruction of business” to arrest union leaders and deny workers the freedom to join a union.
•Restricting union rights for workers in dangerous employment situations or workers who are employed by subcontractors.
•Restricting union rights for public sector workers.