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| Plan of a British empire slave ship showing how slaves were stowed, manacled, into the hold |
Mick Hall @ Organized Rage writes:
How some Labour MP's responded to the latest brouhaha over the British honours system told us a great deal about their own values and political beliefs.
The self proclaimed socialist radical Owen Smith, the Labour leadership challenger, has proposed a five-year ban on party donors, MPs, advisers and staff receiving honours in the wake of David Cameron’s controversial “cronies list” that rewarded his allies.
As the SNP’s Pete Wishart, its shadow leader of the Commons, said:
The British honours system is rotten to the core, it's steeped in blood and privilege and must be abolished immediately
How some Labour MP's responded to the latest brouhaha over the British honours system told us a great deal about their own values and political beliefs.
The self proclaimed socialist radical Owen Smith, the Labour leadership challenger, has proposed a five-year ban on party donors, MPs, advisers and staff receiving honours in the wake of David Cameron’s controversial “cronies list” that rewarded his allies.
As the SNP’s Pete Wishart, its shadow leader of the Commons, said:
Is that it? He would ‘end cronyism’ by delaying cronyism? Labour seriously need to get on the Lord's abolition agenda.
Frank Field MP, suggested Philip Green's knighthood 'could' be at risk if the retail crook did not pay £571m to close the gap in the BHS pension fund. Tom Watson rather than condemning the system, is calling for an inquiry into the leak of David Cameron’s “crony list” of honours nominations. Tom seemingly believes the current system of honours is fine as long as no one leaks them before they're officially announced.
All implied these honours are something of value to retain, and fine tune, rather than one of Betsy's wretched baubles which reek of class prejudice and privilege and have long passed their sell by date.
Not only that, they seemingly believe removing this reactionary Ruritanian bauble is an appropriate punishment for the likes of Philip Green, whose dastardly crime lost eleven thousand people their livelihoods and significantly reduced their pension pots.
As that awful woman once said, a crime, is a crime, is a crime.
These honour's are not a piece of harmless fun which can be democratised with a few tiny tweaks as Owen Smith would have us believe. They're an inherent part of the undemocratic, top down, British class system which allows a small, political, corporate, business, and religious elite to dominate the UK state. The establishment pretend the honours system is steeped in history and goes back a thousand years and more. If that were true it would surely be reason enough to abolish them. But no, today's system goes back less than a hundred years. The clue is in the wording of some of these gongs, Member of British Empire, Order of British Empire, Commander of British Empire.
The ruling class regard the British empire as their finest hour, when they and theirs plundered much of the world at will and enriched themselves in the process. I haven't the time or inclination to cover in full the sheer wickedness of this period. The slavery, theft, famine and mass killings the British state inflicted on totally innocent souls is there for all to see.
The great tragedy of British life is those who benefited from such pillage, carried out on an industrial scale, have never been brought to account. This means many of their heirs are members of both houses of the British parliament right up to this day.
In Ireland alone it's estimated that at least one million people died from starvation and its attendant diseases in the great famine, whilst a further one million emigrated during those years. The population of the island dropped from over 8 million in 1845 to about 6 million in 1850, even today it's still well under 7 million.
Well over 50 million people died in famines on the Indian subcontinent during the years of British rule in India from 1765 to 1947. Similar incidents to the Jallianwahla Bagh massacre happened throughout the empire. Also known as the Amritsar massacre, British soldiers fired into a crowd of nonviolent protesters, and Baishakhi pilgrims killing 1000 and wounding approximately 1500.
Eleven million enslaved people were transported across the Atlantic from Africa to the British colonies, in ships out of Bristol, Liverpool, Glasgow and other British ports. The ship owners and their investors grew rich on this filthy trade, yet when it was finally made illegal it was not the slaves or their heirs who were compensated but the slave owners. The families of former British prime minister's like William Gladstone and David Cameron amongst them. Is it any wonder we have never had a reckoning which would have helped us purge this crimes from the body politic and national consciousness?
It is bad enough the history of the British Empire has been buried, but to have a system of honours today which is based around it is shameful and dispiriting. But, hey, Owen Smith and his ilk believe a few tiny tweaks will make it fine and dandy.
When prime minister's talk about the joys of a multicultural society and then hand out gongs which cannot but celebrate the British Empire, it displays a contempt and lack of empathy towards millions of their fellow citizens.
The British honours system is rotten to the core, it's steeped in blood and privilege and must be abolished immediately.
To misquote Cromwell:
All implied these honours are something of value to retain, and fine tune, rather than one of Betsy's wretched baubles which reek of class prejudice and privilege and have long passed their sell by date.
Not only that, they seemingly believe removing this reactionary Ruritanian bauble is an appropriate punishment for the likes of Philip Green, whose dastardly crime lost eleven thousand people their livelihoods and significantly reduced their pension pots.
As that awful woman once said, a crime, is a crime, is a crime.
These honour's are not a piece of harmless fun which can be democratised with a few tiny tweaks as Owen Smith would have us believe. They're an inherent part of the undemocratic, top down, British class system which allows a small, political, corporate, business, and religious elite to dominate the UK state. The establishment pretend the honours system is steeped in history and goes back a thousand years and more. If that were true it would surely be reason enough to abolish them. But no, today's system goes back less than a hundred years. The clue is in the wording of some of these gongs, Member of British Empire, Order of British Empire, Commander of British Empire.
The ruling class regard the British empire as their finest hour, when they and theirs plundered much of the world at will and enriched themselves in the process. I haven't the time or inclination to cover in full the sheer wickedness of this period. The slavery, theft, famine and mass killings the British state inflicted on totally innocent souls is there for all to see.
The great tragedy of British life is those who benefited from such pillage, carried out on an industrial scale, have never been brought to account. This means many of their heirs are members of both houses of the British parliament right up to this day.
In Ireland alone it's estimated that at least one million people died from starvation and its attendant diseases in the great famine, whilst a further one million emigrated during those years. The population of the island dropped from over 8 million in 1845 to about 6 million in 1850, even today it's still well under 7 million.
Well over 50 million people died in famines on the Indian subcontinent during the years of British rule in India from 1765 to 1947. Similar incidents to the Jallianwahla Bagh massacre happened throughout the empire. Also known as the Amritsar massacre, British soldiers fired into a crowd of nonviolent protesters, and Baishakhi pilgrims killing 1000 and wounding approximately 1500.
Eleven million enslaved people were transported across the Atlantic from Africa to the British colonies, in ships out of Bristol, Liverpool, Glasgow and other British ports. The ship owners and their investors grew rich on this filthy trade, yet when it was finally made illegal it was not the slaves or their heirs who were compensated but the slave owners. The families of former British prime minister's like William Gladstone and David Cameron amongst them. Is it any wonder we have never had a reckoning which would have helped us purge this crimes from the body politic and national consciousness?
It is bad enough the history of the British Empire has been buried, but to have a system of honours today which is based around it is shameful and dispiriting. But, hey, Owen Smith and his ilk believe a few tiny tweaks will make it fine and dandy.
When prime minister's talk about the joys of a multicultural society and then hand out gongs which cannot but celebrate the British Empire, it displays a contempt and lack of empathy towards millions of their fellow citizens.
The British honours system is rotten to the core, it's steeped in blood and privilege and must be abolished immediately.
To misquote Cromwell:
Take away that fool’s bauble, you have been sat too long here for any good you have been doing. Depart, I say, and let us have done with you. In the name of god, go!
British Honours For Crime System
Mick Hall @ Organized Rage writes:
How some Labour MP's responded to the latest brouhaha over the British honours system told us a great deal about their own values and political beliefs.
The self proclaimed socialist radical Owen Smith, the Labour leadership challenger, has proposed a five-year ban on party donors, MPs, advisers and staff receiving honours in the wake of David Cameron’s controversial “cronies list” that rewarded his allies.
As the SNP’s Pete Wishart, its shadow leader of the Commons, said:
The British honours system is rotten to the core, it's steeped in blood and privilege and must be abolished immediately
|
| Plan of a British empire slave ship showing how slaves were stowed, manacled, into the hold |
How some Labour MP's responded to the latest brouhaha over the British honours system told us a great deal about their own values and political beliefs.
The self proclaimed socialist radical Owen Smith, the Labour leadership challenger, has proposed a five-year ban on party donors, MPs, advisers and staff receiving honours in the wake of David Cameron’s controversial “cronies list” that rewarded his allies.
As the SNP’s Pete Wishart, its shadow leader of the Commons, said:
Is that it? He would ‘end cronyism’ by delaying cronyism? Labour seriously need to get on the Lord's abolition agenda.
Frank Field MP, suggested Philip Green's knighthood 'could' be at risk if the retail crook did not pay £571m to close the gap in the BHS pension fund. Tom Watson rather than condemning the system, is calling for an inquiry into the leak of David Cameron’s “crony list” of honours nominations. Tom seemingly believes the current system of honours is fine as long as no one leaks them before they're officially announced.
All implied these honours are something of value to retain, and fine tune, rather than one of Betsy's wretched baubles which reek of class prejudice and privilege and have long passed their sell by date.
Not only that, they seemingly believe removing this reactionary Ruritanian bauble is an appropriate punishment for the likes of Philip Green, whose dastardly crime lost eleven thousand people their livelihoods and significantly reduced their pension pots.
As that awful woman once said, a crime, is a crime, is a crime.
These honour's are not a piece of harmless fun which can be democratised with a few tiny tweaks as Owen Smith would have us believe. They're an inherent part of the undemocratic, top down, British class system which allows a small, political, corporate, business, and religious elite to dominate the UK state. The establishment pretend the honours system is steeped in history and goes back a thousand years and more. If that were true it would surely be reason enough to abolish them. But no, today's system goes back less than a hundred years. The clue is in the wording of some of these gongs, Member of British Empire, Order of British Empire, Commander of British Empire.
The ruling class regard the British empire as their finest hour, when they and theirs plundered much of the world at will and enriched themselves in the process. I haven't the time or inclination to cover in full the sheer wickedness of this period. The slavery, theft, famine and mass killings the British state inflicted on totally innocent souls is there for all to see.
The great tragedy of British life is those who benefited from such pillage, carried out on an industrial scale, have never been brought to account. This means many of their heirs are members of both houses of the British parliament right up to this day.
In Ireland alone it's estimated that at least one million people died from starvation and its attendant diseases in the great famine, whilst a further one million emigrated during those years. The population of the island dropped from over 8 million in 1845 to about 6 million in 1850, even today it's still well under 7 million.
Well over 50 million people died in famines on the Indian subcontinent during the years of British rule in India from 1765 to 1947. Similar incidents to the Jallianwahla Bagh massacre happened throughout the empire. Also known as the Amritsar massacre, British soldiers fired into a crowd of nonviolent protesters, and Baishakhi pilgrims killing 1000 and wounding approximately 1500.
Eleven million enslaved people were transported across the Atlantic from Africa to the British colonies, in ships out of Bristol, Liverpool, Glasgow and other British ports. The ship owners and their investors grew rich on this filthy trade, yet when it was finally made illegal it was not the slaves or their heirs who were compensated but the slave owners. The families of former British prime minister's like William Gladstone and David Cameron amongst them. Is it any wonder we have never had a reckoning which would have helped us purge this crimes from the body politic and national consciousness?
It is bad enough the history of the British Empire has been buried, but to have a system of honours today which is based around it is shameful and dispiriting. But, hey, Owen Smith and his ilk believe a few tiny tweaks will make it fine and dandy.
When prime minister's talk about the joys of a multicultural society and then hand out gongs which cannot but celebrate the British Empire, it displays a contempt and lack of empathy towards millions of their fellow citizens.
The British honours system is rotten to the core, it's steeped in blood and privilege and must be abolished immediately.
To misquote Cromwell:
All implied these honours are something of value to retain, and fine tune, rather than one of Betsy's wretched baubles which reek of class prejudice and privilege and have long passed their sell by date.
Not only that, they seemingly believe removing this reactionary Ruritanian bauble is an appropriate punishment for the likes of Philip Green, whose dastardly crime lost eleven thousand people their livelihoods and significantly reduced their pension pots.
As that awful woman once said, a crime, is a crime, is a crime.
These honour's are not a piece of harmless fun which can be democratised with a few tiny tweaks as Owen Smith would have us believe. They're an inherent part of the undemocratic, top down, British class system which allows a small, political, corporate, business, and religious elite to dominate the UK state. The establishment pretend the honours system is steeped in history and goes back a thousand years and more. If that were true it would surely be reason enough to abolish them. But no, today's system goes back less than a hundred years. The clue is in the wording of some of these gongs, Member of British Empire, Order of British Empire, Commander of British Empire.
The ruling class regard the British empire as their finest hour, when they and theirs plundered much of the world at will and enriched themselves in the process. I haven't the time or inclination to cover in full the sheer wickedness of this period. The slavery, theft, famine and mass killings the British state inflicted on totally innocent souls is there for all to see.
The great tragedy of British life is those who benefited from such pillage, carried out on an industrial scale, have never been brought to account. This means many of their heirs are members of both houses of the British parliament right up to this day.
In Ireland alone it's estimated that at least one million people died from starvation and its attendant diseases in the great famine, whilst a further one million emigrated during those years. The population of the island dropped from over 8 million in 1845 to about 6 million in 1850, even today it's still well under 7 million.
Well over 50 million people died in famines on the Indian subcontinent during the years of British rule in India from 1765 to 1947. Similar incidents to the Jallianwahla Bagh massacre happened throughout the empire. Also known as the Amritsar massacre, British soldiers fired into a crowd of nonviolent protesters, and Baishakhi pilgrims killing 1000 and wounding approximately 1500.
Eleven million enslaved people were transported across the Atlantic from Africa to the British colonies, in ships out of Bristol, Liverpool, Glasgow and other British ports. The ship owners and their investors grew rich on this filthy trade, yet when it was finally made illegal it was not the slaves or their heirs who were compensated but the slave owners. The families of former British prime minister's like William Gladstone and David Cameron amongst them. Is it any wonder we have never had a reckoning which would have helped us purge this crimes from the body politic and national consciousness?
It is bad enough the history of the British Empire has been buried, but to have a system of honours today which is based around it is shameful and dispiriting. But, hey, Owen Smith and his ilk believe a few tiny tweaks will make it fine and dandy.
When prime minister's talk about the joys of a multicultural society and then hand out gongs which cannot but celebrate the British Empire, it displays a contempt and lack of empathy towards millions of their fellow citizens.
The British honours system is rotten to the core, it's steeped in blood and privilege and must be abolished immediately.
To misquote Cromwell:
Take away that fool’s bauble, you have been sat too long here for any good you have been doing. Depart, I say, and let us have done with you. In the name of god, go!
It both baffles, and offends me that people still call the Irish Holocaust a famine. Surely by now, we all know how much food was exported to Britain at that time, and how many troops were sent to protect it?
ReplyDeleteGood point martohanzo
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