Ten weeks after Parliament voted to bomb IS (Islamic State) in northern Iraq, US Secretary of State John Kerry has admitted that it could take years for them to be defeated. Since Parliament’s vote in September, other European countries have lined up to take part in the campaign – but it remains uncertain whether these […]
Emily Thornberry’s tweet – double standards at play?
Nov 22nd, 2014 by Mike Phipps.Am I the only person who thinks that the reaction to the picture of a house in Rochester decked with St George flags tweeted by Labour MP Emily Thornberrry might be a tiny bit over the top? Anne Perkins in The Guardian described it as “stupendous, crass, insensitivity” adding, “It may be the most devastating […]
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The rise and rise of Podemos: a movement for popular empowerment
Nov 16th, 2014 by Mike Phipps.One of the highlights of the recent AGM of the Labour Representation Committee was the address from Leticia Bernues Caudillo from Podemos which took 8% of the vote in the European elections and won five MEPs just three months after being founded. Podemos (“We can!”) was inspired by the radical left force in Greece, Syriza. It grew […]
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Eleven things you should know about Ebola
Nov 12th, 2014 by Mike Phipps.Mike Phipps offers some elementary facts about the epidemic and what it tells us about western priorities. 1. Ebola is fuelled by poverty. It broke out in west African countries that had been devastated by long civil wars. Given the resultant collapse of the public health system, if it hadn’t been Ebola, it would have […]
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Bombing Iraq: just the start?
Oct 7th, 2014 by Mike Phipps.Barely a week after Parliament voted for air strikes on Iraq, Isis are on the outskirts of Baghdad and there is a growing call from military hawks for the deployment of western ground troops. Belgium and Denmark are the latest countries to join the coalition of western military action against Iraq, but in practice it […]
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Parliament debates bombing Iraq
Sep 28th, 2014 by Mike Phipps.Reading the Hansard record of Friday September 26th’s debate on going to war, one is struck by the paucity of voices raised against this folly. Caroline Lucas, the sole Green MP and George Galloway, the Respect MP, both made telling points, but of the 24 Labour MPs who voted against, very few got to do […]
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After Gaza, some accounting
Sep 26th, 2014 by Mike Phipps.The Israeli bombardment of Gaza may have left the headlines, but only now is the full story of destruction and abuse coming to light. The Russell Tribunal on Palestine has been meeting in emergency session in Brussels, taking evidence on Israel’s Operation Protective Edge. It has found evidence of war crimes and crimes against humanity. […]
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After the referendum, now the backlash
Sep 20th, 2014 by Mike Phipps.The panic is over. The neck and neck opinion polls that led the Westminster party leaders to make uncosted promises of greater devolution to Scotland and guarantees of bigger grant funding from the centre have unravelled within hours of the result. The “vow” to which party leaders committed, offering extensive new powers to the Scottish […]
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Fear is changing sides in Spain
Sep 16th, 2014 by Mike Phipps.Hundreds attended a meeting packed to overflowing – mainly young people, many Spanish – in London this weekend to hear a three-way debate between Owen Jones, Ken Loach and leaders of the new Spanish organisation Podemos, which took five seats in the European Parliament in May just three months after being formed. One of the new […]
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A Tory minister’s revenge operation?
Jul 24th, 2014 by Mike Phipps.Mark Harper, the Immigration minister notorious for the racist “In the UK illegally? Go home or face arrest” vans who left the Government in February, is back in office. After just six months on the back benches, he returns to the Coalition as Minister of State at the DWP. He resigned from the government earlier […]
