Sunday Times on Suicide Bombers: "I don’t really mind if they don’t leave the country, so long as they blow themselves up – somewhere a decent distance from where the rest of us live. Tower Hamlets, for example"

I have just made my first ever complaint to the press regulator https://www.ipso.co.uk/complain/ about the article yesterday in The Sunday Times about suicide bombers blowing themselves up in Tower Hamlets. 

Not only I have worked in Tower Hamlets for 25 years and have lived next door in the even more diverse London borough of Newham for even longer. I can remember being woken up by the noise of the 1996 IRA bomb in Canary Wharf, which murdered two people and hurt over a 100, some permanently disabled and disfigured (it also wreaked the headquarters of my employers).

I also remember the Brick Lane nail bombing by a Nazi extremist in 1999, which injured 6 people.

Never mind all the residents in Tower Hamlets I have met who lived through the fear and destruction of the second world war Blitz.

Bombing in Tower Hamlets is not a laughing matter.

So this is what was said yesterday in the (paywall) Sunday Times article about suicide bombers, by their long time commentator, Rod Liddle. He said: “I don’t really mind if they don’t leave the country, so long as they blow themselves up – somewhere a decent distance from where the rest of us live. Tower Hamlets, for example.” (my emphasis)

Is blowing up a bomb in Tower Hamlets supposed to be a good thing or somehow inconsequential? So is he saying "normal people" the "rest of us" - don't live in Tower Hamlets? Only muslims and suicide bombers live there - so who cares?

This is not only clearly discriminative against all Muslims but will also only give succour to violent Nazi racists who make constant threats against the Borough. The Sunday Times may soon have blood on its hands.

Ironically, the ignorant Rod Liddle, does not seem to realise that if a bomb went off nowadays in Brick Lane, it would probably kill or maim non muslim tourists who are in search of a decent curry.

People say that the IPSO is a toothless tiger controlled by the industry. If this is not true then now is the time for it to act.

Hat tip Ejaz

Go Get Him Girls!

Boris Johnson's worse nightmare. This is a great piece of contemporary political art in Southend, Essex. Hat tip Colin Nickless. 

I usually think that as a Labour Party activist it is a bit pointless for me to sign petitions calling for political opponents to resign over something they have said, no matter how stupid or offensive. However, Boris Johnson's vile racism and islamophobia is beyond the pale and should have no place in modern day democratic British politics.

I hope that fair minded Conservative supporters (yes, they do exist) will also support the call by the respected anti-fascist organisation "Hope Not Hate" for Boris Johnson to be suspended from the Tory Party.

SUSPEND BORIS JOHNSON

Boris Johnson uses his national profile to spout racist, hateful points of view. We can't let him get away with it any longer.

We’ve had enough of Boris's loud-mouthed, unashamed racism – and we're calling on the Tories to suspend him from the whip.

Agree? Sign our petition now.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan

I am so pleased and chuffed that Sadiq has been elected our Mayor for London with 1.3 million votes. I am also proud that Londoners have clearly rejected the vile and racist smear campaign that Tory candidate Zac Goldsmith, his advisors and some of his supporters have run.  Following post election comments made by some leading Tories it seems that this view was shared by even them.

The behaviour of the "Evening Standard" was also dreadful. Why do we have such an awful gutter press?

To me the 3 chief policies I look forward to Sadiq pursuing are :-

1. Ordinary Londoners now have hope that they and their children in the future can actually afford to rent or buy a home in the capital.

 

2. No more inflation busting bus and rail fare rises either

 

3. Making sure that we have a real Community Police Service that respects and protects all Londoners.

Looking forward to a similar Labour Victory in 2020 (or hopefully sooner)

Well done to our new Mayor, Sadiq Khan. 

Don't be USED by UKIP

The video of UKIP leader, former stock market trader, Nigel Farage, telling supporters in 2012 that our NHS should be privatised and replaced with an USA insurance scheme is very telling.

Farage was filmed saying “I think we are going to have to move to an insurance-based system of health care. Frankly, I would feel more comfortable that my money would return value if I was able to do that through the marketplace of an insurance company than just us trustingly giving £100bn a year to central government and expecting them to organise the health care service from cradle to grave for us.”

If you value a free at point of need NHS then do not support UKIP and treat their disclaimers that they are not a racist party with the same large handful of salt.

Hat tip Caption to Mark Rayner.

Remember "Britain First" is a Nazi front

Just a gentle reminder that this is the time of year that the fascist organisation currently known as "Britain First" shares seemingly patriotic posts on Facebook and twitter which appear to be in support of British troops and our Remembrance Sunday.

Please do not share these posts. A number of people have been taken in. So called "Britain First" is a fascist and Nazi organisation formed after a split in the racist BNP. 

Remember that the fascists in this Country supported Hitler during the second world war and wanted the Nazi to win who would have turned Britain into a concentration camp. 

So it is completely hypocritical of them to pretend that they are in anyway a "patriotic" party supporting our military veterans.  

The only "veterans" they will support are Nazi SS murderers of brave British commandos and prison of war escapees who were tortured and then shot in cold blood in World War two. 

Check out what a genuine British combat veteran thinks of "Britain First". 

(picture of recruiting poster for British Nazi's during World War 2)

Number of UKIP MEPs imprisoned V number of Romanians

Bearing in mind that UKIP seem to think that all Romanians are criminals.

This is an interesting statistic that you are far, far more likely to have been in prison if you are a UKIP MEP than an Romanian!

You are also far more likely to be in favour of handing the NHS over to private insurances companies, stopping maternity benefits for working mums, ending statutory holidays, getting rid of TUPE protections, reducing taxes for the rich and ending employment rights for workers if you are UKIP MEP or Councillor.

Hat tip Tyron Wilson

Father Ted, Hitler and Farage

An age old argument. So does life imitate art or does art imitate life? is it all random nonsense? Or is indeed UKIP a racist far right Party? 

Discuss!