Social Items

TPQ
People And Nature ☭ Written by Simon Pirani.  Republished with thanks from Labour Hub

24-September-2026

The disastrous failure of the government’s ECO4 scheme – which was supposed to retrofit homes with insulation, heat pumps and solar panels – is “the next Post Office scandal”, Imogen Thomas of Fuel Poverty Action warned last week.

“It’s that level of outrageous”, Imogen told the campaign’s Make Green Fair conference in Manchester on Saturday.

Campaigners arriving for a meeting with Martin McCluskey, minister at the
Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, in June. Photo by Fuel Poverty Action

Homes wrecked by incompetent or fraudulent contractors are facing their fourth winter without heating. People claiming compensation are given the run-around.

The retrofit measures – that could and should help tackle climate change, while making people’s lives better – have made them worse. And this plays into the hands of opponents of climate action.

Some people tell us we shouldn’t focus on things being done wrong”, Ruth London of FPA told the conference. “We don’t agree. We are taking this up because we want retrofit to be done right.

When the ECO4 catastrophe was exposed in parliament last year, echoes of the Post Office scandal – the victimisation, for years, of more than 900 subpostmasters wrongly accused of theft, to cover up the failings of a Fujitsu computer programme – were unmistakeable.

The House of Commons public accounts committee said the “clear and catastrophic failure” of ECO4 had left 30,000 homes with defects. The National Audit Office and Serious Fraud Office are on the case. (See box at the end.)

But campaigners say that the ongoing failure to repair damage, and to pay compensation, is compounding the problem.

“Some people have gone for four winters without heating”, Imogen Thomas said at last week’s conference.:

People have had tens of thousands of pounds’ worth of damage done to their homes. Some have suffered being without a roof, because badly-installed solar panels collapsed their roof. People have been unable to get insurance policies to pay out. They have been sent round in circles by the government and Trustmark [the agency created by the government supposedly to oversee the schemes].

Signature fraud, where contractors put fake signatures on documents, has been widely reported, but “there is no access to justice”, Imogen added.

Trustmark’s “Find & Fix” scheme, that is supposed to put badly-done work right, produces too few results, too slowly, campaigners say.

Victims of the scandal are “coming together and organising”, Imogen said. In June, a group of them met with Martin McCluskey, the responsible minister in the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ), and put their demands directly to him.

McCluskey promised that all damaged homes would be fixed, at no cost to victims – but when he addressed the issue in the House of Commons, the principal commitment was to launch a consultation on “how we can simplify the current fragmented landscape” … something campaigners have demanded for years.

The damage done by the ECO4 scandal would be sorted out by TrustMark, the National Energy Foundation and Installation Assurance Authority, McCluskey said.

Jonathan Bean of Fuel Poverty Action said in an interview:

McCluskey has left tens of thousands of ECO4 victims suffering for another year. He doesn’t even know how many homes have been fixed, and his new package of measures excludes most of the victims.

At the Make Green Fair conference, Imogen Thomas warned that “the people who are contacting each other, setting up meetings with DESNZ and are Still not seeing remediation” are “the tip of the iceberg”.

Many others who do not have the capacity, or are not well enough, to fight their corner year after year, are being ignored. The scheme was contracted out, often to “completely unregulated cowboys”, who preyed on vulnerable people, going door to door to find those they could make money from.

The conference heard a video message from Katie Barrett, a cell biologist whose home was damaged by ECO4 contractors, and who met with DESNZ officials and with McCluskey.

“Months later, I am still no further in my quest to get the damage to my property fixed. My house is damp and cold – and I am one of many many people in this situation. It’s miserable”, she said.

Members of Living Rent from Lochend, Edinburgh, ran a session on “No Trust No Retrofit”
at an International Retrofit conference this month. Photo by Mel Esquerre, from Linkedin

The complaints procedure has made things so much worse:

We are absolutely ground down by this. It has taken years, and we’re still not there. We’re still living in houses that can’t be redecorated because the insulation needs to be taken out. We have sent hundreds of emails, and wasted hours and hours of time trying to get some kind of justice, and to get remediation.

In a recent social media post, Katie said “residents are being sent around the same loop” in a “failed accountability system”.

Retrofitting of flammable cladding, after the Grenfell disaster, has sometimes been as bad as ECO4 misery, the Make Green Fair conference heard.

Graeme Langton, a resident of the Malus Court council estate in Salford, where flammable cladding was removed, described in a message the multiple problems that ensued. Replacement cladding was installed at snail’s pace, energy bills shot up and equipment did not work.

“The retrofit has been an unmitigated disaster, even though Pendleton Together [that manages housing on behalf of Salford council] receives awards for excellence”, Langton said. The heating and hot water systems installed are difficult to run, “extremely costly”, and had never worked to standard.

Many tenants were unable to use heat pumps that “take up a huge amount of space in tiny kitchens”. Unsuitable windows were fitted. Energy Performance Certificates were “not worth the paper they were written on”.

No-one had been held responsible for what had gone wrong, Langton said. “Retrofitting is good in principle, but requires strong oversight to ensure that it meets the standards on completion.”

The Malus Court scandal has been raging for years. When the cladding was removed in 2020, tenants faced freezing indoor temperatures – and soaring energy bills. In 2022, Pendleton offered £30 a month to help with bills, but the shortfall for some tenants was ten times that. Rents went up too; mould caused more misery.

As well as efforts to defend people from the impact of failed government “green” schemes, the Make Green Fair event discussed the prospects for genuinely transformative decarbonisation, that moves homes off fossil fuels and makes them better to live in.

Ian Madley of Rossendale Valley Energy, a community-owned renewable energy group, described its project to insulate homes and install Smart Local Energy Systems that use ground-source heat, solar and batteries. The systems can cut energy bills by up to four-fifths.

Energy poverty is “not just about people not being able to pay the bill”, Ian said, but also about people having access to the advantages that renewables offer.

RVE has surveyed Victorian terraced houses in Rossendale, where it hopes its systems will operate at street level. They can be economically viable with one-third or more of households participating.

Energy affordability affects people’s health. We want people to have warm, healthy homes, without having to pay up-front for a new system.

Electricity produced by the systems will be sold locally through an energy club, at lower prices than those charged by the companies that dominate the grid.

Ellen Robottom of the Campaign Against Climate Change trade union group called for a “universal programme of retrofit, covering all tenures, free at the point of delivery”. This could be funded by “taxing the wealthy, diverting funds away from false energy solutions and the military”.

Such work could best be done by “local authorities, funded properly for the purpose”, and delivered by local-government-controlled Direct Labour Organisations. These have been run down by neoliberal economic policies, but still survive in some cities and could be revived.

Such a model, supported by training in climate literacy, could create hundreds of thousands of “good unionised jobs”, Ellen said. It would enable “the necessary planning, monitoring, enforcement of standards, dialogue with communities – and accountability to households for any sub standard work – that we all want”.

Forward-looking demands were the focus of an afternoon session at the conference. Working groups highlighted demands including:

  • On the built environment: holistic apprenticeships to make retrofit jobs well-paid and respected, and a focus on supporting women in construction;
  • On electricity networks: nationalise distribution system operators, move the climate levy (a regressive tax) off energy bills to general taxation, remove regulatory barriers to microgrids, and mandate solar and battery storage on newly-built homes;
  • To tackle heat waves: all heat pumps to be capable of cooling, and government to set guidelines that ensure a right to a safe home in high summer heat;
  • On heat pumps: reliable training amd accreditation for installers, and end-to-end support for households, to ensure they know what technology is suitable for their home and how to use it;
  • On heat networks: a price cap, and the same rights as gas and electricity consumers, standards of service, maintenance and back-up; and the unbundling of heat and water charges from rent, transparency of charges and a ban on evictions for non-payment.

The troubles with retrofit

The Energy Company Obligation (ECO) was first launched in 2013. Energy companies were required to finance the decarbonisation of homes. They raised money from energy bills, and offered grants through a patchwork of schemes that favoured higher-income households. Contracts went to certified installers. They usually sub-contracted to small businesses, who were sometimes incompetent and/or corrupt.

ECO4, the latest version of the scheme, was launched in 2022 after energy prices leapt up, and will run until the end of this year. The parallel Great British Insulation Scheme (GBIS) mainly provides for cavity wall and loft insulation.

Regulation of these schemes, by Trustmark, was a disaster. The National Audit Office found “major issues requiring remediation” in 98% of homes fitted with external wall insulation, and 29% of those fitted with internal wall insulation under ECO4 and GBIS.

The offer of government money, and lack of effective regulation, produced dangers of fraud and badly-done work plain as the nose on your face.

Three years ago, a contributor to a popular consumer forum told of “a summer of hell” after an ECO4 retrofit. When he tried to complain, he found that “there is no one body to go to, each element has a different complaint process. So you have to navigate [the electricity regulator] Ofgem, [the quality mark body for renewables] MCS, [the electricians’ certification body] NICEIC, Trustmark, and British Gas (the ultimate funder).”

Two years ago, Samuel Young, a fraud prevention officer at a charity, wrote of his surprise at:

the sheer number of reports linked to the ECO4 scheme”, which was “essentially a neoliberal, free-market approach to carbon reduction.

And this year, journalists are still unearthing stories of blatant fraud.

The root cause of the problem is decades of neoliberal economic policy that has eaten away at housing, the construction industry and local government. The dogma that the market knows best means that the work of decarbonisation is left to small companies who are incentivised to cut corners. The lack of regulation opens the door to corruption and fraud.

Campaigners have warned that, if lessons are not learned and the neoliberal ratchet reversed, the government’s Warm Homes Plan – one of its key policies to meet climate targets – could end in failure on a still greater scale.

☭ People & Nature is now on mastodon, as well as twitter, whatsapp and telegram. Please follow! Or email peoplenature@protonmail.com, and we’ll add you to our circulation list (2-4 messages per month)

Climate Action 🔥 Failed Government Retrofit Scheme Is ‘The Next Post Office Scandal’

Dr John Coulter ✍ The seemingly apocalyptic ‘Be Ready’ plea from Labour Defence Secretary Wes Streeting urging folk to stockpile a three-day supply of cash, water and tinned food has many wondering exactly what ‘emergencies’ the UK should brace itself for.

It’s no coincidence that his plea came within days of France erupting into some of the worst street violence since the student riots of the Sixties. There seems to be a worry in Westminster that the vicious street battles and looting which we saw plastered across our television scenes, could make their way across the English Channel.

Could the UK be about to witness the violent clashes between rioters and police that we haven’t witnessed since the confrontations between police and the miners during the Thatcherite era of the early Eighties?

With only about six months to the next Presidential elections in France and with the Far Right scoring well in the opinion polls, outgoing President Emmanuel Macron will not want his last few months in office, or indeed, his entire Presidential legacy, to be one that he failed to control the streets of his own towns and cities and mob rule and criminal looting were the orders of the day.

And we in the UK and other European nations - whether in the European Union or not - cannot merely dismiss this deplorable rioting as ‘simply a French thing’.

It’s not just the French elections which could be seriously affected. If copycat rioting was to erupt in other nations, such as Spain, which is having its crucial elections later this month, it could set a deeply dangerous precedent for democratic elections across other states.

Countries, such as the UK, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Belgium, Albania and even Southern Ireland, will be concerned that groups with legitimate concerns, especially over the cost of living, could take to the streets - but as in France, see their protests hijacked by Hard Left activists and criminals.

The bitter medicine which Macron and his French authorities must swallow is that for a period of time - albeit a short spell - they totally lost control of their own streets to the mob. Even with the deployment of water cannon, plastic bullets and tear gas, who could forget the scenes of riot places being chased along their own streets by the mob.

In terms of a strategy, the French police were totally unprepared for the initial student protests over cost of living and educational resources when they turned violent.

From the start, the French army should have been deployed as a back-up to the the police. It’s all very well the French authorities saying they had learned from their mistakes and deployed at least 70,000 police for last month’s protests when some 400,000 took to the streets of various cities.

Those 70,000 riot cops plus army back-up should have been on French streets from the start of the initial protests. As the proverb says, its no use trying to shut the door after the horse has bolted!

French authority spin doctors were emphasising the implementation of partial and localised curfews and bans. But equally, the French authorities did not have the resources to enforce them fully.

There also seemed to be a failure on the French intelligence service to clearly identify who the main agitators of the horrific violence were. This was not a spontaneous spate of unrest - this was organised anarchy.

The French are paying the price of implementing a snowflake, woke, softly, softly approach to dealing with student demands.

Yes, the right to legitimate protest is a hallmark of any democratic society. But there is a massive difference between disgruntled students organising a sit-down protest in the street about the cost of living, even participating in a campaign of civil disobedience, and hurling petrol bombs and looting shops.

If French intelligence had been doing their jobs properly, the violent agitators would have been rounded up before the protests began and interned for a period of time until the French government could reasonably address the needs of the protestors.

The real danger is that protest groups in other European nations see that their demands can be met with violent street action as in France, and this cancer of rioting spreads throughout the Continent like a rapidly mutating computer virus.

Was Secretary Streeting preparing the UK for similar rioting when he asked people to stockpile?

The ultimate nightmare which many European nations that are facing student protests have to consider is - could student protests be hijacked as in France by Hard Left extremists which could finally lead to a resumption of terrorist activities as happened in the past?

France suffered in the past from the terror group Action Directe; Germany had its problems with the Red Army Faction; Spain with ETA; Belgium with the Fighting Communist Cells (CCC), and Italy with the Red Brigades. Given the destruction of businesses and looting in France, at what point do the tear gas canisters have to be replaced with lead bullets and the leading petrol bombers shot?

There may be a cost of living crisis, but what about the cost to the French economy to police these protests and especially regain control of the streets? What will be the financial costs of the clean-up operations? What is the economic damage to tourism?

Basically, the French authorities lost complete control of the situation in the early stages when they should have unleashed an iron fist security strategy and implemented marshal law in potential trouble spots using the French army.

Lessons need to be learned, too, by the other European nations as a result of this French debacle. Given the well-organised nature of this rioting, it will not be fixed with a concessionary sticky plaster - it will require tough radical surgery.

Likewise, the Macron regime will be burning the midnight oil to evaluate who politically will benefit as a result of the inability to contain the rioting and regain control of the streets in a fast manner.

The Far Left will be able to say that violent action forced the Macron government to capitulate to their demands; the Far Right will be able to promise an iron fist approach to control the streets from rioters and looters. The centre ground parties will suffer at the ballot box.

But the real sinister question which must be seriously addressed by not just the French authorities, but all European nations facing protests over the cost of living - is there an outside country stirring up all this trouble?

British PM Andy Burnham has already pointed an accusing finger at Russia over alleged interference in the 2016 Brexit vote. Simple follow-on question - could Russia be also interested in allegedly influencing the outcome of this month’s Spanish election and next year’s French elections?

Indeed, is it imaginable that if such French-style rioting was to spread across other European Union member states, the combined influence of the rioting could actually politically and economically destabilise the EU?

Politicians may wish to appear to be the champions of democracy, but the bitter pill they may need to swallow is that to protect that democracy from anarchist rioting and criminal looting, the iron fist strategy may need to be deployed. This is the radical surgery which must now be on the tables of the various government cabinets.

 
Follow Dr John Coulter on Twitter @JohnAHCoulter
Dr Coulter has been a journalist since 1978 and is currently a political commentator with GB News.

Dealing With Rioters Requires Radical Surgery, Not A Sticky Plaster

Lynx By Ten To The Power Of Two Thousand One Hundred And Forty One

 

A Morning Thought @ 3312


Azar Majedi ★ The world has reached an explosive turning point.


Global capitalism is grappling with a vast and decisive crisis. War and destruction have engulfed a large portion of the world. For three years now, the world has witnessed genocide and regional devastation carried out by Israel and the United States, with the full backing of the West. From Palestine to Lebanon and Syria and ultimately the catastrophic war against Iran, the region has been transformed into a living nightmare.

Nearly five years have passed since the onset of the Russia-Ukraine war, with NATO’s intervention; hundreds of thousands have been killed, and the future remains bleak. The United States, the West, and Israel, spearheaded by the UAE have plunged Sudan into a dark, nightmarish scenario. Mass slaughter, starvation, sexual violence, and torture have brought the lives of the people to the brink of total annihilation.

In Latin America, the United States is deeply engaged in "regime change"—interfering with and manipulating elections in Peru, Argentina, Chile, and Colombia; deploying forces and engaging in blatant theft in Venezuela; and imposing starvation on the people of Cuba.

In Bangladesh and Nepal, riding the wave of “GenZ” protests, the U.S. orchestrated two further regime changes.

Fascism is rapidly seizing power. Repression, police violence, and censorship have reached staggering proportions within the very heart of Western democracy. As of January, communism has been banned in the Czech Republic. The British government is arresting and imprisoning—on charges of terrorism—elderly and, in some cases, disabled protesters who support Palestine and call for a ban on arms shipments to Israel. The detention and beating of children by the police have become a commonplace occurrence at demonstrations in European cities.


In response to this onslaught, a broad protest movement has emerged in Europe, engaging in an open struggle against the police and the state. The bourgeoisie has heard the outcry of the dispossessed against the brutal enslavement imposed by capital. These protests are stirring. When “The Internationale” is sung by thousands in the streets, it strikes a chord in the hearts of all who retain a sense of humanity and compassion. One cannot help but think: "Let the ruling classes tremble at the prospect of a communist revolution. The proletariat has nothing to lose but its chains; it has a world to win. Workers of all countries, unite!"

Genocide in Palestine and the Awakening Movement

As the world witnesses Israel’s ruthless slaughter in Gaza day after day, the truth has come to light. The narrative that imperialism had force-fed the world for decades has vanished into thin air. The world had been told that Israel was constantly facing threats and attacks from the "monster" of Islamic terrorism—in the form of Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Islamic Republic (the "Axis of Evil")—and that, therefore, "Israel has the right to defend itself."

Over the past three years, this slogan has turned into a bitter joke. The brainwashing is beginning to fade. Over the past three years, millions of people have taken to the streets to condemn Israel, the United States, and the West, and to stand in defense of the Palestinian people. Despite widespread police violence, these protests have not subsided; rather, they have expanded. For many, the Palestinian flag has now become a symbol of freedom, justice, and humanity—which is why it has been seen flying everywhere during the mass protests all over Europe in recent months.
 
According to the opinion polls, Israel is currently the most reviled country in the world.

A wave of protest and street-level uprisings has now reached Western nations. A deep economic crisis, coupled with a prevailing atmosphere of war, has made living conditions extremely difficult—indeed, unbearable—for the general population. Poverty and homelessness have driven hundreds of thousands of people onto the streets in the very heart of the West —a region that prides itself on its welfare systems, democracy, and human rights. Teenagers, young adults, workers, and the working people of Europe have taken to the streets to fight against poverty, the collapse of educational systems, and the soaring costs of living.

Albania

Over the past year, a broad protest movement has emerged, directed primarily against the government and its rampant corruption. This movement intensified and grew more furious following reports that Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump had acquired two protected areas along the Adriatic coast in southern Albania with the intention of developing a luxury tourist resort. The public rose up against the widespread government corruption, demanding the fall of the prime minister and the government. Every day, thousands of people take to the streets to protest against the government and call for change. This protest movement has come to be known as the "Flamingo Revolution."
 
Following student protests in France, young people in Albania have voiced similar demands. In recent weeks, the protests have been met with widespread police violence. Over the past year, despite extensive protests, the government has repeatedly resisted people’s demands, resorted to police violence, and sought to maintain its grip on power.

Spain

Thousands of people in Spain have taken to the streets, calling for a more equitable system. The right to housing stands at the forefront of their demands. The protests have been particularly widespread in Madrid and Barcelona. In Madrid, demonstrators have staged a sit-in in the middle of a major city square. The suicide of a woman who had been evicted from her home in early September—followed by the eviction of 87-year-old Mari Carmen Abascal from the apartment where she had lived for 71 years—sparked a massive, nationwide protest movement across Spain.

Under pressure from this broad-based movement, the government initially rescinded the eviction order against the elderly woman, though she passed away in the Under hospital shortly thereafter.

Subsequently, the government was compelled to enact temporary legislation prohibiting the eviction of tenants and to call for early elections. Mari Carmen Abascal became the face and symbol of this widespread protest, and thousands have honored her memory.

France

For about a month, thousands of people in France have taken to the streets to protest the dire state of the education system, poverty, the high cost of living, and the threat of war. Paris, Lyon, and other major French cities have effectively turned into battlegrounds where the public—including children—clash with the police. The level of police violence has shocked the world, shattering the country’s carefully cultivated image of democracy, social welfare, and human rights. Hundreds have been injured by the police; one teenager lost a hand, and another lost an eye. According to government reports, at least 1,300 people—including dozens of children—have been arrested and are being held in detention under appalling conditions.


On the Saturdays of October 17, 24 and 31 approximately one million people took to the streets. France is witnessing street warfare between protesters and the police; an open and acute form of class struggle is unfolding. The movement, which began primarily with student protests, has drawn in a broad cross-section of the society, including teachers, parents, university students, and workers. Labour unions have thrown their support behind the movement and have called for a general strike on November 5.

Mainstream media outlets and the state apparatus are attempting to propagate a false and inflammatory narrative. They claim that immigrants and Muslims are responsible for the violence, the clashes, and the arson attacks on buildings and shops. However, the existence of social media—despite the extensive censorship imposed on it—along with the heightened awareness of the public, has exposed these fabrications.

Videos circulating on social media show masked men throwing explosives in the presence of police, only to leave the scene without any police intervention. Some have actually joined the police rank after throwing the explosives.
 
In recent years, the phenomenon of "false flag" operations has been exposed to many. Just this past year, Israel attempted—by orchestrating terrorist operations—to frame Muslims, Palestinians, immigrants, or the Islamic Republic as the perpetrators; such operations have been observed in countries ranging from Australia to the United Kingdom and France. However, most of these terrorist incidents were quickly exposed and subsequently scrubbed entirely from media coverage.

Italy

Shortly after the widespread unrest in France, people in Italy also took to the streets. Protests by youth and workers are unfolding across Italy, where participants are facing police violence. Large-scale demonstrations have emerged in cities such as Milan, Rome, Turin, and Bologna. Labour unions have played a prominent role in these protests. Over the past three years, dockers have repeatedly blocked the loading or departure of ships carrying weapons destined for Israel.

On Friday 30 October over one million people came to the streets of many cities in Italy to protest for better living conditions, better wages, education system, against high cost of living and against war. This was an amazing show of force against fascism and the government.

Greece

Like France, Spain, Italy, and Belgium, Greece has been the scene of extensive protests against the government, poverty, and the high cost of living, with demands for wage increases and improvements to the education system. Young people and workers have taken to the streets, and worker’s strikes have been organised.
 
Furthermore, for the past three years, a broad protest movement has been active—opposing Israel’s genocide and supporting the Palestinian people, while also resisting Israel’s attempts to seize Greek territory. A way of seizing land that has involved setting forests ablaze and subsequently purchasing the scorched land—a process carried out in close collaboration with the staunchly pro-Israel Greek government.

Protest movements with similar demands which have also met violent police crackdowns have also spread to Belgium and Portugal. In Serbia, widespread protests against a right-wing government succeeded, after two years, in bringing about a change in the administration. Now, Germany has also entered the fray.

International strike by dockworkers against the war

On October 30, dockworkers and port employees staged a coordinated international day of action under the slogan “Dockers do not work for war,” halting operations across 113 ports in 22 countries and regions. This is very significant. The power of workers and the Left is being demonstrated against fascist and warmonger states. Against the backdrop of mass protest movements sweeping across Europe, this international day of solidarity with Palestine and other war-stricken countries represents a growing challenge to bourgeois rule and imperialist power.


Brazil—A Five-Day Working week

Recent elections in Brazil triggered a wave of protests. One million people took to the streets in support of Lula—a reformist, left-wing president—opposing Bolsonaro, an unadulterated fascist. In several major cities in northern Brazil—home to predominantly Black and impoverished populations—mayors halted bus services to obstruct mass participation in the election; however, the opposition succeeded in extending the voting period by two hours. Vast numbers of the impoverished and marginalized travelled to the cities by boat to cast their votes.

A massive mobilization effort was organised in remote, impoverished areas to ensure that as many people as possible could participate. Consequently, Lula—who had trailed in the first round—was elected; immediately following the announcement of the results, Bolsonaro fled Brazil via Argentina, escaping to the United States.

Given the extensive interference by the United States and Israel in Latin American elections—which effectively led to regime change in Argentina, Chile, and Colombia—as well as the occupation of Venezuela and the imposition of starvation upon the people of Cuba, this election has rekindled a sense of hope. Not because Lula is a radical who intends—or is even capable of—overthrowing capitalism or bringing about significant improvements in the conditions of the Brazilian working class and the general population, but rather because the prospect of overt fascist rule represents a dark nightmare.


Furthermore, this struggle yielded a remarkable and historic achievement for the Brazilian working class: the establishment of a five-day working week, secured after years of struggle. This accomplishment is highly significant, both in practical and symbolic terms. Reducing working hours and instituting a five-day working week have long been key demands of the international labour movement. At a time when fascism is acquiring grounds globally—and the gains made by the labour movement and the Left in recent decades are being systematically dismantled—this achievement holds great importance for the labour movement and the Left in the ongoing struggle to push back the bourgeoisie and fascism.

The situation is extremely sensitive and critical. The broad, radical protest movement currently sweeping across Europe and parts of the rest of the world offers a glimmer of hope — for change, for pushing back fascism, and for building a better world. However, it must be acknowledged that despite the profound radicalism, extensive organization, and the people's firm resolve to continue the protests, this movement lacks a radical leadership with a clear program for change and for sustaining the struggle against the ruling establishment and capitalism.

A revolution against capitalism requires a strong organisation with a clear program, effective leadership, and the capacity for broad-based organisation. At present, it does not appear that such organisations exist.

Radical slogans reverberate through the streets, people resist with remarkable courage, the labour movement has joined the struggle, The “Internationale” is sung by thousands, and red flags fly high. Yet the uprising remains vulnerable to repression, suppression and the possibility of being driven into retreat.

This historic passage from the "Communist Manifesto" remains valid and relevant:

The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles. Freeman and slave, patrician and plebeian, lord and serf, guild-master and journeyman—in a word, oppressor and oppressed—stood in constant opposition to one another, carried on an uninterrupted, now hidden, now open fight, a fight that each time ended, either in a revolutionary reconstitution of society at large, or in the common ruin of the contending classes.

⏩ Asar Majed is the Chairperson of Organisation for Women’s Liberation.

From The Banning Of Communism In The Czech Republic To A 5-Day Workweek In Brazil

Irish Border Poll ★ Written by Colin Harvey. Recommended by Louth Forever.

Expect the noise levels to increase. Earplugs may even be required.

The major flaw in the ‘reconciliation first’ argument – in the Irish unity discussion – is its apparent antipathy to the fractious and loud nature of democracy. An open invitation to mischievous disruptors/spoilers – local and global – to mess with collective ambitions. Those whose main aim is to impede the necessary planning for the future of Ireland.

Good to note then that serious political and civic actors are not fooled by the migraine-inducing repetitive tools of distraction. People who are mature enough to grasp that the journey to a united Ireland will be difficult and may even be turbulent. As anything worth achieving in life tends to be. Recognising this reality now will help in steeling everyone in advance.

That is one reason why the various unity initiatives are to be welcomed and encouraged. Not because united Irelanders are on the same page (they are definitely not) but because this effort demonstrates a desire to keep pressing on despite bad-faith actors who are determined to derail the project.

Keeping Going

Atheist Ireland ★ The laws around receiving political donations from abroad are skewed towards religious bodies.

22-September-2026


All a foreign third party needs to do is to donate to the religious organisation in Ireland on the grounds that it is donating for religious purposes. There is no limit to what they can donate.


By contrast, organisations such as Atheist Ireland are limited in the donations they can get from abroad. We are registered with the SIPO (Standards in Public Office) Commission as a third party. We campaign politically to change law and policy, especially in relation to the education system.

There are two issues here:

  • One is that the Catholic Church, a powerful global organisation that switches between calling itself a religion and a State, has a privileged position in Ireland with regard to the donations it accepts from within Ireland and abroad.
  • Two is that very conservative religious organisations, and people from other countries with similar motivations, have the same privilege when they want to influence law and policy in Ireland.

Campaigning on Political Grounds

Religious organisations, like all other organisations, are of course entitled to campaign politically within the public square, and to try to influence the outcome of referendums. However, it is only fair that there is a level playing field.

But the law benefits religious bodies more than ethical secular bodies. It does not require organisations to declare how they are funding all of their political activities, just what is being donated for political purposes and how that is spent.

If you donate to the Catholic Church, you are donating to promote their religious teachings within the public square. But that can include seeking to change law and policy. The question is: where does religion end and political campaigning start?

Religious organisations might argue that they use their own money to fund their political purposes, and use donations to fund their religious purposes. If so, the donations for religious purposes free up the other money to use for political purposes.

So this legislation, and its regulation, leaves all religious bodies with the ability to continue to influence political campaigns and policy, while it restricts the ability of ethical secular bodies from getting donations to do the same.

Conclusion

Quite clearly Atheist Ireland, the Catholic Church and many other religious bodies all campaign to change law and policy. The Catholic Church must make returns for the Lobbying Register because they campaign around:

  • The initiation, development or modification of any public policy or of any public programme
  • The preparation or amendment of any law

So why are they given a privileged position? Particularly when third parties from other countries, with similar motivations, are seeking to influence law and policy in Ireland.

A powerful religious organisation, that switches between calling itself a religion and a State, has a privileged position in Ireland with regard to the donations it accepts from within Ireland and abroad.

Keep up with Atheist Ireland.

Where Does Funding Religion End, And Funding Political Campaigning Start?

Ukraine Solidarity Group ✊ A Digest of News from Ukrainian Sources ⚔  26-October-2026.

In this week’s bulletin

⬤ International Solidarity Convoy to Ukraine
⬤ Putin: no humanitarian.
⬤ Reports on rights.
⬤ Evidence of Russian torture and abduction of children.
⬤ Billions in untraceable Russian cash.

News from the territories occupied by Russia

Russian court passes 18-year death sentence against 77-year-old Ukrainian political prisoner Volodymyr Ananiev (Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group, October 23rd)

Gravely ill political prisoner Lenur Khalilov ordered to die in pain in a Russian prison (Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group, October 23rd)

10-year-old girl whose mother died abducted from Kostiantynivka and handed over to "uncle" in Russia (Ukrainska Pravda, October 23rd)

“Building Connections, Fostering Trust and Finding Solutions”: Key Takeaways from the Fourth International Crimea Global Conference (Crimea Platform, October 23rd)

The face of resistance: The story of political prisoner Ekrem Krosh (Crimea Platform, October 23rd)

77-year-old Volodymyr Ananiev gets 18-year “death sentence” (Mediazona, 23 October)

15-19-year sentences in Russia's savage reprisal for Crimean Solidarity human rights activism (Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group, October 22nd)

Russian FSB abduct Ukrainian on 'spying' charges when sentence for social media comment proved too short (Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group, October 21st)

Crimea Global conference showcased exhibitions on the consequences of Russian aggression, unlawful detention and resistance in Crimea (Crimea Platform, October 21st)

Weekly update on the situation in occupied Crimea (Crimea Platform, October 21st)

Young Melitopol man sentenced to 14 years for donating 10 euros to Ukraine’s Armed Forces (Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group, October 20th)

Four Ukrainians sentenced to 25 years or life for partisan resistance after Russian ‘torture so bad you’d confess to anything’ (Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group, October 19th)

Russia is putting Crimean Anatoliy Kobzar’s life in danger over two years after his brazen abduction (Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group, October 19th)

Progress of the war

Starlink speed restrictions still in force (Meduza, 23 October)

Marxist fighters in the Ukrainian resistance (International Workers League-FI, October 18th)

Civilian casualties remain at record levels (Facebook, October 17th)

News from Ukraine

Kyiv's power ring under attack: why the capital faces a winter of blackouts (Ukrainska Pravda, October 24th)

270 Ukrainians Freed from Russian Captivity, Nearly a Third Convicted in Russia (Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group, October 23rd)

Pen pushers help keep Ukraine’s lights on (Centre for European Policy Analysis, 21 October)

What does resilience look like in the country’s education system? (Cedos, October 19th)

War-related news from Russia

Network Case Defendant Vasily Kuksov Released from Prison (Russian Reader, October 24th)

Russian paper paints Ukraine as aggressor, Europe as victim (The Russian Reader, 23 October)

Putin’s “Doppelgängers”: The Insider gets inside the operations of the Kremlin's foreign disinformation network (The Insider, October 21st)

Butter melted down to guns: Russia again cuts social spend to pay for war (The Insider, 21 October)

Russia turns on its scientists (Mediazona, 20 October)

Russia jails severely ill Ukrainian pensioner (Mediazona, 19 October)

Comment and analysis

Oil-covered seas: can war damage to ecosystems be reduced (Ukraine War Environmental Consequences Work Group, 23 October)

An unofficial peace bid, and how it fell apart (Meduza, 23 October)

Putin Is No Humanitarian (Anti-capitalist musings, October 22nd)

Condemn assault on Ukrainian scholar Vladyslav Starodubtsev (Change.org, October 21st)

Countering the Predator: How to Stop Russia Recruiting Foreigners (Crimea Platform, October 19th)

Research of human rights abuses

The Lawyers Who Record a War: The Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group (Tribunal for Putin, October 23rd)

Ensuring history does not disappear: what data are needed for documenting the criminal (Tribunal for Putin, October 23rd)

Prisoners' rights in Ukraine: Chronic problems (Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group, 24 October)

Constitutional human rights and the Russian-Ukrainian war (Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group, October 24th)

ZMINA joined discussion on supporting people affected by war at Tochka Skhodu forum in Kyiv (Zmina, October 22nd)

Shadow Report 2026: ZMINA took part in presenting an independent assessment of Ukraine’s progress on human rights on its path to EU accession (Zmina, October 21st)

Security, democracy, Russian recruitment, the pursuit of justice and AI: What was discussed at Crimea Global 2026 (Zmina, October 20th)

International solidarity

‘With the International Solidarity Convoy to Ukraine, we are rebuilding internationalism’ (Links, October 22nd)

Major winter fundraiser: for autonomous power, heaters and gear (Solidarity Collectives, October)

Also not to be missed

Mali: Army, Russia’s ‘Africa Corps’ Commit New Abuses (Human Rights Watch, October 22nd)

Kremlin payment firm A7 has been pumping billions in ‘untraceable’ cash into global financial system (International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, October 21st)

The Traitor (The Russian Reader, 20 October)

Upcoming events:

Thursday 5 November, 6.0pm, on zoom: Reclaiming Crimean Tatar subjectivity under occupation, organised by UCU Members for Ukraine & Ukraine Solidarity Campaign. Details here.

Friday 13 November, 6.0pm, on zoom: The US midterms, Ukraine and the fight against fascism. Speakers: Tanya Vyhovsky, Vermont State Senator (Progressive / Democratic), Dylan Burns, journalist, streamer and founder of Track Ukraine. Details here.
🔴This bulletin is put together by labour movement activists in solidarity with Ukrainian resistance. More information at Ukraine Information Group.

We are also on twitter. Our aim is to circulate information in English that to the best of our knowledge is reliable. If you have something you think we should include, please send it to 2U022ukrainesolidarity@gmail.com.


We are now on Facebook and Substack! Please subscribe and tell friends. Better still, people can email us at 2022ukrainesolidarity@gmail.com, and we’ll send them the bulletin direct every Monday. The full-scale Russian assault on Ukraine is going into its third year: we’ll keep information and analysis coming, for as long as it takes.

The bulletin is also stored on line here.

To receive the bulletin regularly, send your email to:
2022ukrainesolidarity@gmail.com.
To stop it, please reply with the word “STOP” in the subject field.

News From Ukraine 💣 Bulletin 218

Friendly Atheist ★ The verdict holds Paul Mackenzie and 28 associates responsible for deaths tied to a promise of meeting Jesus through fasting.

Paul ⁠⁠Mackenzie, a Kenyan cult leader who told members they would meet Jesus after starving themselves to death, was found guilty of murdering 191 people.

190 of his victims were kids.

When the story first broke in 2023, the headlines were horrific. 90 bodies were found in shallow graves, with the death toll getting higher with each passing day.

The victims were all members of the Good News International Church, led by Paul Mackenzie Nthenge. Police began looking into the graves after receiving a tip that the bodies were buried in the eastern part of the country.

Mackenzie was arrested by police on April 14, 2023, shouting “Praise Jesus” as he was escorted away. The televangelist began his church in 2003 and soon became a lightning rod for controversy, mostly because he had a habit of urging members to dissociate from the rest of the world. He told members to quit school, leave their jobs, stop eating “worldly food,” refuse medical treatment, and destroy their government documents (like IDs and birth certificates). 

Continue @ Friendly Atheist.

Kenyan Starvation Cult Leader Paul Mackenzie Convicted In Deaths Of 191 People

Merrion Press 🔖 has published a new book by John S. Doyle.




SALT WIND, RISING WATER
Planting a Wood on Ireland's Wild Atlantic Coast

John S. Doyle



‘We started off, my wife Anne and I, with a big field, bare except for grass and rushes and, along one ditch, a couple of old elder trees, and at the end a big willow bush, probably marking a division of land. Thirty years later it is a wood, a garden, with an orchard of apples and soft fruit, and it is full of birdsong. The work of many hands has gone into making it: some hands have been directly laid on; a great many other people provided inspiration.’

Salt Wind, Rising Water is a gentle ode to nature and a captivating account of how two Dubliners transformed two wild, windswept acres on Sligo’s north coast into a thriving wood, orchard, and garden. Over thirty years, John S. Doyle and his family were welcomed into a vibrant community of writers, painters, and small farmers who encouraged their vision and shared in their journey.

Battling harsh winters, salt-laden winds and dramatic storms, the couple learned resilience, patience, and the hard-earned rewards of working with the land. A unique blend of nature writing, memoir, and practical guidance, this is a story of cultivating beauty, nurturing community, and discovering the quiet magic of helping a place take root.

Paperback • €18.99|£17.99 • 248pages • 215mm x 135mm • 9781785375927
Get your copy

About The Author



John S. Doyle is a journalist and presents ‘It Says in the Papers’ on Morning Ireland on RTÉ Radio 1. He was the founder of In Dublin, the arts and current affairs magazine which flourished in the 1970s and 1980s and uncovered the talents of such writers as Colm Tóibín and Fintan O’Toole.

Out Now 📚 John S. Doyle

Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)