Ten web tools beyond Twitter and Facebook activists should consider

by Guest    
January 23, 2011 at 10:20 am

contribution by Sean Gittins

Though social media tools such as Twitter, Facebook and blogs are the foundations upon which much online activism is anchored, the evolving demands of campaigns require activists to develop and expand upon this base.

And there are many such tools to help you, even if they appear daunting at first. Here are some websites and explanations on what they can offer activists to gather information.
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Protest against abuse of women by police spies

by Sunny Hundal    
January 23, 2011 at 10:00 am

A group of women are holding a protest tomorrow morning in London against what they call an abuse of women by police spies.

It comes in the wake of revelations in the Guardian about police spies infiltrating peaceful green movements.

The front page of the Observer today states that undercover policemen were cleared to have sex with activists.

Undercover police officers routinely adopted a tactic of “promiscuity” with the blessing of senior commanders, according to a former agent who worked in a secretive unit of the Metropolitan police for four years. The former undercover policeman claims that sexual relationships with activists were sanctioned for both men and women officers infiltrating anarchist, leftwing and environmental groups.

Sex was a tool to help officers blend in, the officer claimed, and was widely used as a technique to glean intelligence

In reaction to the revelations, a “blockade” of Scotland Yard is being organised for tomorrow.

On their Facebook page they say:

Women in the UK should not have to worry about being sexually abused by policemen. It is as simple as that.

In response, we call for women to come together for a blockade of Scotland Yard, in protest at political policing and in solidarity with all women who have been exploited by men they thought they could trust.
…
It is likely that the police officers and their superiors have committed the criminal offence of misconduct in public office, which carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.

The plan is to meet outside Scotland Yard at 8am on Monday morning, January 24th.

The protest will be led by women but men are also welcome.

There are also calls for a fully independent judge-led public inquiry into policy spying.

Ed Balls goes for the attack over Tory cuts

by Sunny Hundal    
January 23, 2011 at 9:20 am

In the opening salvo to his attack on the Conservative economic plans, the new shadow chancellor Ed Balls wrote on his blog last night:

2011 is a critical year for Britain’s economy and public services, and the coming weeks and months will tell us whether David Cameron and George Osborne’s reckless gamble has worked. With no plan for jobs and growth, they have instead staked the whole future of the economy on one card – the fastest, deepest deficit reduction plan in Britain’s peacetime history.

They inherited an economy which was beginning to recover strongly, with unemployment falling, interest rates at historic lows, and the public finances better than the Treasury’s forecasts. Britain had weathered the first economic storm and was on track for jobs, growth and – with tough choices on spending, tax and supporting growth – we were on a credible and sustainable path to deficit reduction.

The Tory-led government has deliberately and needlessly taken Britain down a different path with cuts that go too far and too fast, and tax rises which directly hit family budgets. They have cut jobs programmes, withdrawn government investment from the economy, raised VAT, and cut government support to millions of families. And in the autumn – before the impact of these measures had even begun – George Osborne and David Cameron boasted that their gamble had already succeeded and that strong growth was secure.

Instead, we are now starting to see the real consequences of their decisions: unemployment now rising, economic growth forecast to slow, mortgage lending at a 20 year low, and tax revenues falling. Over the coming months, as the impact of the VAT rise, deep spending cuts and rising inflation starts to hit home, we will be able to gauge the true impact of the Tory economic plan, and see whether their gamble has worked. If they are proved wrong and growth is slow this year, it is millions of ordinary workers, families and homeowners who will pay the price.

Labour’s alternative plan would put jobs and growth first. Instead of doing backroom deals with the banks on the disclosure of their pay, we would apply the bank bonus tax again. It brought in £3.5 billion last year which could be used this year to help create the jobs and growth we need.

The lesson of history is that good economics is good politics. But when Chancellors put political ideology or expediency before economic logic, the country pays a heavy price. This Tory Chancellor and this Tory-led government are repeating the mistakes of the 1930s and 1980s, but they just keep ploughing on. They had a choice about which path to go down, and it is already becoming clear they have made the wrong choice.

It is not too late to change course. It is not too late for an alternative. And if they do not provide it to the British people, Ed Miliband and I will. Of course we do not oppose every cut, but the Tory-led government is cutting too far too fast. And over the coming weeks and months, we will hold them to account for the reckless gamble they have taken, and the historic mistake they have made.

As expected, Ed Balls is staying in line with Ed Miliband’s plans (the leader sets the line, not the shadow chancellor), but the return to focus on jobs and growth is very welcome. Alan Johnson focused far more on trying to get credibility with the right on his deficit reduction plans.

Ed Balls’ plan will be to put the government on the defensive over the lack of their own growth and jobs strategy.

How could UKuncut deal with attempts at sabotage?

by Guest    
January 22, 2011 at 2:28 pm

contribution by Tim Hardy

PR companies are bringing in “big guns” to protect their clients from UK Uncut and as part of their strategy they plan to use “threat detection” software.

This is an interesting development. By tweeting we are always visible and we make our networks of influence visible. Our meetings are in public, coordinated by hashtags that let people find us.
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The left’s international way forward

by Jennifer O'Mahony    
January 22, 2011 at 10:20 am

I am working my way through Christopher Hitchens’ Hitch-22, which is at turns infuriating and enlightening, and often very funny.

What struck me, however, more than any detail about Hitchens’ personal life, is the international solidarity of the movement of which he was a part in the late sixties and early seventies.

The International Socialists may have possessed this trait to a greater extent than other socialist and social democrat groups of the era, but I know from experience of talking with older leftists that it would not have been uncommon to hold meetings and protest against dictatorships in Greece and Portugal during this time, or to march against the Somoza dynasty in Nicaragua.
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The Andy Coulson affair: a LOLcat reaction [updated]

by Sunny Hundal    
January 21, 2011 at 3:27 pm

No scandal can be complete with its own lolcat impressions. (for the uninitiated, they are pictures of cats with funny captions in pidgin English).

So thank you to all those who responded to my twitter call out. I’m adding to this as we speak, if you want to make your own one, see this site.

* * * * * * * * *

New ones

two by @DarrellGoodliff

and

.

by @clarewhite

@BellaMack illustrates Andy Coulson’s reaction

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Cutting bank bonuses won’t solve the deeper malaise in capitalism

by Guest    
January 21, 2011 at 11:28 am

contribution by Iain Miller

Since the recent banking crisis, governments in the USA and Europe have grappled with reform of the banking industry’s system of pay.

But despite the rhetoric from politicians, and rampant public and media criticism, the banking sector has up until now made a torpid response to tackling the issue themselves. Changes to remuneration schemes is widely regarded as the necessary solution.

But perhaps that doesn’t get to the bottom of the problem.
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Tory MP talks about building a ‘police state’

by Sunny Hundal    
January 21, 2011 at 9:15 am

Yesterday morning, a debate was held in Parliament about the policy of pre-charge detention at 28 days, which is being allowed to lapse to 14 days.

Up pops up Charlie Elphicke, Conservative MP from Dover

Is not proper border control an essential part of a review to deal with terrorism? It is no good building a police state at home if we allow pretty much anyone, be they friend or foe, to wander into the country. Will the Minister consider stronger measures?

To which Damian Green MP simply replies:

Damian Green: My hon. Friend makes a good point. Clearly, having strong and secure borders is one of the essential elements in our fight against international terrorism, and that, as he knows, is why one of the Government’s priorities is to make our borders more secure. We have been making significant progress on that over the past nine months.

via Steven Sumpter, who adds:

Does he honestly talk about building a police state not only as though it is happening, but also as though it is not a bad thing?! Outrageous. What where you thinking, Charlie?

Indeed! Can’t wait for the “libertarian” Tories get all heated up about this one. Or not…

Ed Balls and the Tory trap

by Sunder Katwala    
January 21, 2011 at 8:50 am

Those Conservatives who are over-excited about Balls’ appointment for this reason risk luring themselves further into the trap of preaching only to the converted.

If their core problem in May 2010 was that running against Gordon Brown was not enough, it seems rather curious to hope that it might be their salvation in 2015.

Last May, three-quarters of the public wanted a change from Labour. Where the Conservatives failed was in making their own case.
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Why the Labour left should welcome Ed Balls’ appointment

by Owen Jones    
January 20, 2011 at 6:59 pm

Alan Johnson was put in charge of Labour’s economic strategy for two reasons. The first was for fairly gimmicky purposes. It was taken as read by the media that Ed Miliband would appoint Ed Balls or – on an outside chance – Yvette Cooper.

By not doing so, he won plaudits from right-media commentators as a leader with the capacity to ‘surprise’.

But the second reason was more important: it was to placate the still-powerful Blairite faction within the Labour Party who were incandescent that their man, David Miliband, had his supposedly rightful place on the throne usurped by his cocky younger brother.
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