Should Palestine Action be allowed to protest in ways that the Far Right should not?

Palestine Action are in the news again.  Many consider their actions to be just, and I have discussed how I disagree with this before.  They have engaged in direct action to vandalise companies which have been helping Israel murder Palestinian civilians.  But they have also engaged in direct action which has done nothing to aid those being murdered in Gaza, and may have helped Russia instead. 

We would be wrong to compare the actions of Palestine Action to the Farage Riots.  But we can compare their actions to those who want to prevent refugees seeking asylum in our great nation.  

Palestine Action have engaged in acts of vandalism, one of many examples being where it smashed windows and sprayed red paint at the Milton Keynes premises of the German insurance firm Allianz, claiming alleged links to an Israel-based defence company. Does this mean that acts of vandalism against services helping refugees such as in Peterborough and Merseyside are equally justified? Should the masked men who were found in a hotel housing asylum seekers have been allowed to engage in peaceful direct action? 

Allegations have been made that Palestine Action have engaged in harassment of staff, just like allegations have been made about the harassment of those helping asylum seekers. Comparison’s have been made with The Suffragette Movement, but while I celebrate and treasure many of their actions and achievements, some of their actions were unacceptable. 

Basically, I want to ask supporters of Palestine Action, should The Far Right have the same restrictions and freedom when it comes to to protest as Palestine Action? 

Back from Lewes

Well, actually, it is also Brighton.  

My son had an open day at the University of Sussex, one which we drove him to.  We started later than we planned, but made good time and arrived when we were meant to.  We also made it with one charge of my electric car, though we had to charge it soon after arriving there.  My wife, dog and I went to Lewes, which we had forgotten we had been to before.  My wife recognised it first, but later, when we passed a shop the kids had wanted to go it, I remembered it as well.  The dog loved it, loads of new smells and new places to walk.  My wife found an old bookshop and later we went to a dog friendly café where she ended up accidentally buying some very expensive soap!

Brighton itself was a bit of a nightmare.  We got stuck in traffic as we returned to a hotel we had been to many years before children.  When I tried to park, the barrier came down on my car and it took a while for me to get free.  The food though was great, even the dog had some.  My son finished earlier than we expected and when he met us, he was buzzing.  We suspect that this will be his first choice of university.

Anyway, we are now tired and need to rest.  I suspect we will be returning here in the next year or two.

The Rats: A Witcher Tale

The weekend has been an interesting one.  Yesterday we did some driving, in the rain which tired us out. My wife and I met some friends while my son stayed over at a friend’s. So this morning I had a headache. So we rested, which I needed as I have not been feeling 100% in the last week.  My wife though has had a worse week, having to manage a broken tap and the resulting leak on Thursday. I would think that the highlight of her week was the roast chicken I cooked today.i used to make it years ago,  it I returned to old habits today, something my son, who now has a cold, appreciated. 

I did get a chance to watch this film. It is not good.  It is good in bits, and was better than the 4th series of The Witcher, which it follows, but that is a low bar. As with the series, the production does not flow. The writing could be better as the characters don’t have the depth to get to like them. In summary, find something else to watch.

Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre

First of all, my daughter made a surprise visit on Friday, leaving earlier today.  When I say surprise m the only two in the house who did not know she was coming was me and our dog.  My son had asked about things we could do on the weekend, and although I mentioned Monopoly, I said it was no fun without his sister being present as I would not be able to turn one against the other, which is how I win.

I was rung as they were to collect a takeaway from Gaia in East Bergholt. I did say they should take a picture and send it to my daughter, but I did not know she was with them.  When they got home, they insisted I came home as well.  On getting home our dog ran towards me as she normally does then literally skidded, as she ran back into the living room, which is unusual. I went in, gave my wife a hug and then after putting clothes in for washing, came back to find my daughter in the room!  It was really nice that the family was all together for the weekend.  We had lunch in Grunisburgh and my wife made streak for us all for dinner, even the dog.

During the weekend, I got a chance to relax and during this time together, we watched the film.  When it comes to it, it was enjoyable.  The Guardian described it as slick and silly, but I also think it had the right balance. I honestly would recommend the film as it had memorable and, for a film of this type, well written characters. There were plenty of plot holes, but they were not too big. I am glad I watched it and if there is to be a sequel, I would watch it as well.  

Unions and workers rights

On my YouTube feed, this video was suggested.  I though I should share it as a reminder why unions are important.  There are those on the right who are against workers having rights but they forget that unions want workers to have jobs.  A comparison of what can be done in the USA should be a reminder of the advantages of unions who have striven for workers rights and those victories should not be thrown away.  Lets face it, no one in a job in the UK wants to be treated like the employees of Twitter after Musk took charge of it. 

Arsenal lost

Getting into work today, two people greeted me by laughing about the result as soon as I stepped through the door.  It did not stop there.  Even patients have been talking about it.  The only thing I can say back to them is that we are still top of the league.  Hopefully that will last...

Labour, Andy Burnham and media bias

Andy Burnham has been blocked from standing as an MP for Labour. I do not know if it is the right or wrong thing to do, but what I do know is that him replacing Starmer as leader has risks as well as benefits.  The main advantages of having him as leader is that he has shown that he is capable in his role a Mayor of Greater Manchester but more importantly, he is a great communicator.

One big disadvantage is that Labour have financial handcuffs thanks to the dire economic legacy that they have inherited from the Tories.  The spending plans of Rachel Reeves are accepted by The City and any decision to spend more will result in debt repayments increasing, which means more money to bankers in interest and a smaller proportion to helping people of the country.  Also, like it or not, Starmer has managed to save many British jobs thanks to the way he has dealt with Trump.

But what people forget is the way the media is biased against Labour.  I have no issues with the media holding Labour to account.  Starmer has changed his views on many matters, some of which is right, some of which could be explained with better communication.  It is right that the media scrutinise the government.  What is not right is the way the media ignore Reform UK.  There are numerous examples of where Nigel Farage has been given a pass on matters.

As noted in the video above, Nigel Farage praised the nightmare budget of Liz Truss.  His trip to Davos to stick it to the global elites was not one.  The Guardian stated that he is listed on the programme for the World Economic Forum as a member of parliament and a representative of HP Trust, which describes itself as the “family office of Sasan Ghandehari” with a portfolio value in excess of $10bn (£7.4bn).  His views on how only some people should be jailed for social media posts have also not been challenged or raised either.  There are his dodgy finances where he has accidentally forgotten to declare financial interests on time as well has his views on duplicating ICE from the USA.  

In summary, Labour has to change the way it communicates, because the media bias against them is killing them in the polls.  And a change of leader risks the economic gains we have won.