New Music: The Belzebubs

I just couldn't resist publishing this highly entertaining video from the band Belzebubs which is from their new album Pantheon of the Nightside Gods which is out on April 26th. Belzebubs have been around since 2002 but I've only just come across them. My bad!

The band (who hail from Finland) are Hubbath - vocals, bass Obesyx - lead guitars Sløth - guitars, vocals Samaël - drums.

I've pre-ordered a copy. The Vinyl version is only a quid more than the audio CD which is unusual. The CD being expensive. I prefer vinyl anyway.

The Socialist Party (Militant) loses friends and the American Socialist Worker shuts up shop.

If there's one thing that can always be relied on to provide some amusing distractions during time of of political crisis (or ineptitude as most of ordinary folk see the parliamentary antics over Brexit) is the far-left.

Veteran Trot spotters will not have failed to notice the old Militant Tendency now calling itself the Socialist Party had a major split in it's main power base the PCS union losing a considerable number of veteran activists in their desire to protect the useless Chris Baugh, the troublesome priest Assistant General Secretary that Mark Serwotka wants rid of.

The Socialist Party is being sidelined by it's former allies who seem to want to move on to be part of the mainstream Corbynista movement and don't want to have their hands tied by whinging sectarians outside the Labour Party.

The Dear Leader of the SP in one Peter Taaffe who has of late also had problems controlling his co-thinkers in Ireland who also organise under the same name of their British Parents both sides of the border. The Irish section in Eire has seemingly discovered modern issues like women's rights and has been told off for not being working class enough by Comrade Taffe.



The Socialist Party in Eire is relatively far more important than it's British counterpart having some TD's (MP's) and councillors plus a wee bit more of a public profile. Taffe accused them of abandoning working class politics. Older readers will recall the homophobia and thuggery demonstrated by the old Militant Tendency at Labour Party Young Socialist camps before they had to behave themselves.



This dispute has spilled over into Militant's version of the Fourth International known grandly as the Committee for a Workers International (CWI).  Poor old Taaffe had an apoplectic fit when "his" International voted against him over Ireland 14 to 10. So irate did the poor chap and his supporters get they also managed to drive both his Portuguese and Spanish sections out of the CWI.



Careless comrades.

Ted Grant's supporters still deeply buried in the Labour Party with a few hundred members after their split with Taaffe can be heard sneering if you listen very quietly.

Still at least Taaffe still has a party. The former equivalent of the Socialist Workers Party in the USA, the International Socialists organisation who published their own Socialist Worker s have decided to dissolve themselves. The ISO who broke with the SWP over some obscure anti-capitalism issues years ago managed to have their own rape scandal.



Just as the British SWP mismanaged the Delta Affair which split the party asunder the ISO did the same. On March 17th they wrot:

...the SC (as well as several members of the National Committee (NC) and several socialist feminist allies) received a document from a former member (FM from here forward) on March 11, detailing the ways in which the 2013 SC had badly mishandled an allegation of rape in 2013. Moreover, the document explained that the respondent in the allegation had recently been elected to our SC at this year’s convention. FM was on the National Disciplinary Committee (NDC) that originally heard the case. FM’s account has been corroborated by other members of the NDC at that time who remain active members of the organization. We are grateful to FM for having taken the time to write this and reach out to us. FM also copied on the e-mail allies outside of the ISO whom we have worked in socialist-feminist and queer activism.

This led to the following decision.

MEMBERS AND recent ex-members of the International Socialist Organization (ISO) have decided to dissolve the organization and end publication of SocialistWorker.org...

The decisions came in the wake of a severe crisis in the ISO after information surfaced about a horribly mishandled sexual assault accusation in 2013.

Will political parties playground revolutionaries or not learn they cannot replace the police and law in such matters.

Petition against Eurovision Boycott!

Please sign our petition against the calls to boycott Eurovision by anti-Israel campaigners

https://www.webelieveinisrael.org.uk/eurovision

Sadly, thousands of misguided people have signed petitions calling for the Eurovision Song Contest to be boycotted just because it is being held in Israel.

Please use our petition link to let the BBC, as the UK's Eurovision Participating Broadcaster, know that we welcome and celebrate the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest being held in Tel Aviv, Israel.

We welcome the BBC’s statement rejecting the ugly and divisive calls for the UK to withdraw from and boycott the Contest because it is being hosted by Israel.

Boycotting a cultural event that celebrates international harmony is grotesque.

Eurovision is about bringing people from different nations together through music and is the opposite of everything that the anti-Israel boycott movement stands for.

We wish every success to Israel in hosting a memorable 64th Eurovision Song Contest, and to the BBC as the UK Participating Broadcaster.

Please sign the petition here https://www.webelieveinisrael.org.uk/eurovision and share it as widely as possible with your friends and family by email and on Facebook and Twitter.

The Sunday Supplement

Tibet is making the headlines


Photo: Free Tibet

March began with Howie's Corner promoting the 60th anniversary of the Tibetan Uprising against Chinese rule. Despite it's failure the struggle to free Tibet continues. Free Tibet reports:


Hundreds of Tibetans marched through the streets of London on Sunday and stood outside the Chinese embassy to mark the 60th anniversary of the 1959 uprising and protest against Beijing's occupation of Tibet.

The march began outside 10 Downing street and moved through Piccadilly Circus, ending outside the Chinese embassy with protesters carrying Tibetan flags chanting “end the killing” and “China out.”

Tibetan protesters said they marched to show solidarity for their countrymen in Tibet who have suffered from Chinese occupation, claiming they would keep fighting without giving up hope.

Read the full report here: www.freetibet.org/news


Fighting homophobia in schools



I’m sure you’ll already have read with some concern about the significant victories being celebrated by homophobic campaigners in Birmingham, Manchester, and across the country this week. And in response, we need your help today.

Following large protests by Muslim families in Birmingham, one school with an award-winning programme about teaching tolerance to all people has had to suspend its lessons because some religious campaigners believe simply acknowledging that LGBT people exist and deserve equal treatment is ‘inappropriate’.

These protests are now spreading from school to school, and the UK Government is refusing to stand up for LGBT equality. Worse still, MPs from all sides of politics reported in a debate yesterday that they had met with Muslim and Jewish community representatives about these issues with many taking their side over the side of equality.

We need our supporters to act today and sign our petition challenging LGBT hatred in schools. If enough people sign, we can send a clear message to the UK Government - and other politicians watching in Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland - that every school must teach about LGBT equality. LGBT rights cannot be suspended just to placate homophobic religious groups.

What we are witnessing today is not just a battle for our values, but a battle between facts and faith. We want facts taught in school, not buried under ancient, outdated, and factually incorrect religious views. Please, , take a moment now and sign our petition today.

Best wishes,

Andrew Copson
Chief Executive

New Music: Ladybaby

And to finish up here's the latest song from Japanese group Ladybaby. Regular readers might recognise the two sisters Rei Kuromiya and Aya Kuromiya who also front the rock band Brats who have been featured on this blog before. It seems fairly common for artists to be in different projects on the Japanese music scene and why not.

Unlike Brats, Ladybaby is directly available from jpurecords.com/collections/ladybaby in the UK.

New Party: Change UK - The Independent Group

In the last few hours, we’ve applied to register as a political party.

It’s increasingly possible that the UK might end up having to hold European Parliament elections. We believe it is vital that there is a real choice and a party which puts forward a positive voice for Europe.

The Electoral Commission has told us these elections may take place on Thursday the 23rd May, which means we’ve had to move quickly. In order to do this we have to register as a Party with the Electoral Commission.

If approved, the new party will be called Change UK – The Independent Group.

We had wanted to do this with you in the months ahead however the possible European elections means we have had to act quicker than planned. But we will want you to shape our Party and we will still be getting out of Westminster and holding events to do just that.

Heidi Allen, the MP for South Cambridgeshire, has been appointed Interim Leader of the new party for the purposes of Electoral Commission registration until the election of a permanent leader at an inaugural conference in September.

This is a huge step forward for us and we can only do this with your help.Please keep getting your friends and family to sign up as supporters, donating, and sharing our content online.

This will help us to keep the momentum going and together we can #ChangePolitics and Change the UK for the better.

Join us: www.theindependent.group

Various statements on the expulsion of Jackie Walker

LAAS Statement on the Expulsion of Jackie Walker:

We welcome today's decision to expel Jackie Walker from the Labour Party, and we trust it will be a permanent expulsion. Since she was first suspended in 2016 she has, repeatedly, continued to promote what seem to be appalling antisemitic views that rightly have no place in any political party.

However, it would be a grave mistake to assume that with this decision the Labour Party rids itself of its self-inflicted antisemitism crisis. The fact it has taken the party two and a half years to reach today's judgement highlights that it’s disciplinary processes are not fit for purpose, while the removal of one problem case cannot hide the fact that there are thousands more cases of anti-Jewish racism still to consider.

We hope the EHRC will confirm their investigation into the Labour Party shortly so that proper progress in dealing with endemic antisemitism can at last be made.

Statement from Socialists Against Anti-Semitism:

We regret that Jackie Walker has not reflected on her words and actions and realised the hurt and damage they have caused, which might have prevented today's outcome.

In most cases, we prefer to tackle antisemitism through education and debate rather than expulsions, but that relies on people being willing to reconsider their views rather than prioritising their 'right' to spread ideas that promote antisemitic tropes over the interests of the Labour Party, its commitment to anti-racism and its diverse membership.

Meanwhile the comrades of the Communist Party of Great Britain (Weekly Worker) front which contains some of the worst elements that the left has to offer including Walker herself and the vile Tony Greenstein are up in arms:

Jackie Walker's expulsion - of which the Jewish Chronicle was informed before her solicitors - is a great injustice, though it does not come as a surprise.

Walking out of her hearing made no difference to the outcome. The die had been cast long ago.

This decision is a massive set back in the fight for the soul of the Labour Party - the right has been able to claim yet another scalp.

Solidarity with Jackie Walker and all those who have unfairly brandished as anti-Semites, as having brought 'the party into disrepute' or have been expelled because they are supporting left-wing groups in the Labour Party.

I do not link to their website as I class it as "Hate promoting" .

Howie Adds:

The Labour Party has taken far too long to deal with this case as has happened with a whole raft of complaints and has reinstated individuals with whom anti-Semitism will always be associated. It is clear that despite this welcome move which Walkers solicitors will contest in conjunction with a "I wuz framed campaign".

Her lawyer partner and "ex-trotskyist" Graham Bash, editor of Labour Briefing will no doubt be  co-ordinating a campaign with LAW, the Labour Party Marxists in particular. The Labour Party needs to act against these groups as the LPM is in breach of Labour Party rules as they are members of a rival political party (The CPGB/WW).

It's time these cuckoos in the nest were kicked out of Labour.

So many of those who have made clearly anti-Semitic remarks and posts have been readmitted to Labour this is just one case were they cannot cover up. The party remains in my view institutionally anti-Semitic and I blame those who came into the party to support Corbyn. His failure to act gave them succour. These people and the current leadership must go.

Open Letter to The Independent Group of MPs: Time to organise.

The massive march on Saturday showed that there are hundreds of thousands of people in this country looking for a better future. Millions more have signed a petition seeking that future from our politicians. Almost alone the Independent group of MPs has come out of the broken mess that our political parties find themselves in. Labour and the Conservatives are divided. Theresa Mays hold on power is tenuous. Jeremy Corbyn must never be allowed to take power. There needs to be an alternative.

Thousands of people have signed up to help the Independent Group. Thousands of us are waiting patiently for our time. That time is now. There is a lot of good will, experience and most of all enthusiasm out there for something new.

Now is the time to fix that broken politics.

Volounteers must be sought to arrange meetings in each constituency to set up local groups. If there are gaps or too small numbers arreas should be combined. This needs to be organised urgently as the continued crisis in Parliament means we have to be ready for that challenge.

I am one of many waitng to help. I want to help. I know others do as I am part of a facebook group of some 400 people ready to act. We have no direct contact with you. I am sure there are others.

My plea is simple. Organise.

There is a future to win.

I am waiting and not for Godot!

Shalom,

Howard Fuller

(Retired Trade Unionist PCS/Prospect)