The Soldiers - Coming Home

Despite my youthful good looks I’m not really that up-to-date with contemporary popular music. I was a student in Leeds during the early 80’s so you can guess my musical preferences. So until I looked at my RSS feeds tonight I knew nothing about this fine record and video - so hat-tip thingy to Mac Uaid who of course like most of his ilk just doesn’t get it (and they never will).

Debut single from The Soldiers available to download now with all proceeds going to the Army Benevolent Fund.

The album, also titled 'Coming Home' is out on Monday 26th October featuring the this single and 14 other moving tracks. A share of the proceeds are going to the Army Benevolent, Help For Heroes and The Royal British Legion.

Visit http://www.the-soldiers.co.uk/ or find them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/thesoldiers to find out more.

Veterans against the BNP

The BNP appear to want to hang all British generals (and I suppose all the soldiers carrying out their orders) who have served in Afganistan and Iraq as "war criminals". Hmmm. Check out Nothing British about the BNP website (the site appears to have been hi-jacked at the mo.)

RED FRIDAYS

I don’t usually pay all that much attention to email chain letters. You can normally goggle them to find out if they are urban myths. They can sometimes be quite unpleasant.

This week I received this particular chain email (below) from my sister-in-law in Suffolk and from a former female work colleague in Kent.

I suspect many people have also received this message recently. Both kept referring to the “English” which is grating given the disproportionate numbers of Welsh, Scots and Irish troops currently out in harm’s way while in the service of our country, but there you go. Non-English Brits are pretty used to this.

While it is easy to dismiss and mock such messages I think that even those who oppose the British involvement in Afghanistan and Iraq should respect and try to understand these sentiments behind it.

But it would appear that this chain letter was actually started by Canadian families and has now spread to America and the other NATO countries.

On any investigation it is pretty obvious that these emails have been, let us say, “Adapted”. This is dishonest since it is quite clear that this scene never happened in a “West London airport” in the way in which it pretends to have done so.

I also feel somewhat uncomfortable as a “red blooded Briton” (aren't we all?) with such apparent nationalistic flag waving sentiment. After all, that sort of thing is not really British – is it?

What about the bravery of our NATO and Commonwealth allies and their dead and injured soldiers? What about the Afghan and Iraqi government troops and police who have suffered huge losses. Never mind the numerous innocent civilities caught up in “collateral damage”. Don’t they deserve a mention at least?

Despite this anyone frankly IMO who reads this passage and does not have a tear in their eye at the end has a heart of stone. We also do not want to leave such important messages hostage to our home grown Nazi's such as the BNP - who have heads of stone as well as hearts and will abuse such imperfect collective solidarity for their own essentially unpatriotic ends.

Also it is important that those who we send out to fight and suffer on our nation’s behalf receive our active, vocal and visual support for our bidding. Let us not forget that this should be in deeds as well as words or symbols.

Despite my reservations this is I think going to be a part of our future national folklore.

Last week I was in West London attending a conference. While I was in the airport, returning home, I heard several people behind me beginning to clap and cheer. I immediately turned around and witnessed one of the greatest acts of patriotism I have ever seen. Moving through the terminal was a group of soldiers in their uniforms, as they began heading to their gate everyone (well almost everyone) was abruptly to their feet with their hands waving and cheering.

When I saw the soldiers, probably 30-40 of them, being applauded and cheered for, it hit me. I'm not alone. I'm not the only red blooded Briton who still loves this country and supports our troops and their families. Of course I immediately stopped and began clapping for these young unsung heroes who are putting their lives on the line everyday for us, so we can go to school, work, and enjoy our home without fear or reprisal.

Just when I thought I could not be more proud of my country or of our service men and women a young girl, not more than 6 or 7 years old, ran up to one of the male soldiers. He knelt down and said 'hi,' the little girl then asked him if he would give something to her daddy for her. The young soldier didn't look any older than maybe 22 himself, said he would try and what did she want to give to her daddy. Suddenly the little girl grabbed the neck of this soldier, gave him the biggest hug she could muster and then kissed him on the cheek.
The mother of the little girl, who said her daughter’s name was Courtney, told the young soldier that her husband was a Corporal and had been in Afghanistan for 5 months now. As the mum was explaining how much her daughter, Courtney, missed her father, the young soldier began to tear up.

When this temporarily single mum was done explaining her situation, all of the soldiers huddled together for a brief second. Then one of the other servicemen pulled out a military looking walkie-talkie. They started playing with the device and talking back and forth on it. After about 10-15 seconds of this, the young soldier walked back over to Courtney, bent down and said this to her, 'I spoke to your daddy and he told me to give this to you.' He then hugged this little girl that he had just met and gave her a Kiss on the cheek.

He finished by saying 'Your daddy told me to tell you that he loves you more than anything and he is coming home very soon.' The mum at this point was crying almost uncontrollably and as the young soldier stood to his feet he saluted Courtney and her mum.

I was standing no more than 6 feet away as this entire event unfolded. As the soldiers began to leave, heading towards their gate, people resumed their applause. As I stood there applauding and looked around, there were very few dry eyes, including my own.

That young soldier in one last act of moment turned around and blew a kiss to Courtney with a tear rolling down his cheek. We need to remember everyday all of our soldiers and their families and thank God for them and their sacrifices.

At the end of the day, it's good to be an Englishman.

RED FRIDAYS Very soon, you will see a great many people wearing Red every Friday. The reason? British men and women who support our troops used to be called the 'silent majority'. We are no longer silent, and are voicing our love for Country and home in record breaking numbers. We are not organized, boisterous or over-bearing.

We get no liberal media coverage on TV, to reflect our message or our opinions. Many British people, like you, me and all our friends, simply want to recognize that the vast majority of Britain supports our troops.

Our idea of showing solidarity and support for our troops with dignity and respect starts this Friday and continues each and every Friday until the troops all come home, sending a deafening message that every Briton who supports our men and women afar will wear something red.

By word of mouth, press, TV -- let's make Great Britain on every Friday a sea of red much like a homecoming football team If every one of us who loves this country will share this with acquaintances, co-workers, friends, and family, It will not be long before Britain is covered in RED and it will let our troops know the once 'silent' majority is on their side more than ever, certainly more than the media lets on.

The first thing a soldier says when asked 'What can we do to make things better for you?' is...'We need your support and your prayers'... Let's get the word out and lead with class and dignity, by example; and wear something red every Friday.

IF YOU AGREE -- THEN SEND THIS ON IF YOU COULD NOT CARE LESS THEN HIT THE DELETE BUTTON. IT IS YOUR CHOICE. THEIR BLOOD RUNS RED---- SO WEAR RED! ---

Lest we Forget.

Please don't forget our boys & girls

Please forward.

Diss-Respectful Liars

I missed this until today. Check out Ilford South Labour MP, Mike Gapes web and his astonishment on finding out the lies that the George Galloway “Respect” Candidate in the local Council by-election in Valentines Ward had put out. This Candidate claims to be the Director of the government sponsored “Redbridge Against Islamophobia and Extremism (RAIE).”

A totally fictional public meeting supposedly organised by RAIE with Respect dork Galloway and Mike Gapes was invented with the headline “The Iraq War was good for Britain!” Posters were even placed in local schools and handed to people outside mosques in the area (paid for by whom?). Mike had not been invited and was totally unaware of this meeting.

The extremist Galloway Respect candidate has now resigned as "Director" (believe it or not) from the anti-extremists group RAIE – but apparently not as a "Respect" candidate?

The best way of countering these utterly vile people is of course to help out with the Labour campaign

Remembrance Sunday in West Ham

In a contrast to yesterday’s events this morning I attended the Remembrance Sunday service at the historic 12th century West Ham Parish Church of All Saints.

I think, like most people, it is important that we remember today the sacrifices past and present that British servicemen and women have made on our behalf.

Even if you don’t agree with today’s war in Afghanistan and Iraq, there are still ordinary British servicemen and women (and many UNISON members who are military reservists) risking their lives and this is a time to think of them and their families.

There were 4 remembrance services in Newham today. West Ham is a place shaped and still scarred by war. It was of course heavily bombed during the Second World War, killing thousands of civilians. On the church walls there was a standard of a local First World War “Old Contemptibles” association who were decimated in trench warfare. There was also a simple plaque to the Royal Marine bandsmen murdered by the IRA in Deal 1989 with the words “Thank you for the Music”. I assume a local connection? The British Nuclear Test Veterans Association had a newer looking plaque. With the words “All we seek is Justice”.

The West Ham service had local dignities such as Newham Civic Ambassador Councillor Omana Gangadharan present with the Council Mace (and bearer), the Deputy Lord Lieutenant, local Labour MP Lyn Brown, local Labour Councillors (including Councillor Winston Vaughan who I think saw active service in Aden? and Councillors who are Muslims) as well as the council's interim director of “children and young people services” Liz Graham.

There were serving soldiers (in combat uniforms – odd in a church but it’s an honest statement on such a day I suppose) from the local TA unit The Rifles (based just around the corner in West Ham Park). Their web site reports that 140 of their TA comrades based at Reading were flown out to the Helmand region of Afghanistan last month.

The Royal Legion were there, as were the local Sea cadets (some looking incredibly young), and scouts.

The congregation (as well as the TA soldiers and cadets) also reflected the community with many West Indian and African parishioners. The vicar himself, the Revd Stennett Kirby MA was black and he reminded the service of the (often forgotten) valuable contribution made by Black and Asian, Christan, Muslim and Hindu, commonwealth servicemen in British Wars. He pointed out that his own relatives had “proudly” served.

I felt that everyone present identified themselves as British regardless of race or colour. Perhaps we are getting like the Americans where it is argued that “the military” nowadays helps to “unify” that racially divided and complex nation? Not that this is any argument for “war”, of course.

His sermon was a careful balancing act between praising the obvious bravery and suffering of the troops currently at war with his equally obvious Christian abhorrence of war for practically any reason. He encouraged people that as well as praying for peace they should get involved and join political parties since this is where the power lies in this country to change things.

Ironically despite being a convinced atheist I enjoy such occasional religious services especially in historic churches. Maybe its just nostalgia? Being brought up nominally as an Anglican must have had some sort of impact I suppose?

The organ player and the choir were very good. The “Last Post” was played by the organ. I sang (very badly) the hymn “Jerusalem” in very different surroundings from the last time. Its lyrics “nor should my sword sleep in my hand” seemed to be at odds with the previous biblical reading ISAIAH 2 verses 1-5 which famously calls for swords to be beaten into ploughshares and spears into pruning hooks.

The service ended with the singing the first two verses of the national anthem. The first verse went OK but hardly anyone knew the 2nd verse, so there was a pause and shuffle while we all had to look at the words in order of the service booklet.

All in all, a typically British finish to a very British ceremony.

SERTUC International Conference

On Saturday I went to South East Region TUC International conference, held at Congress House, London. Finally, in this age of “globalisation it appears that the trade union movement is starting to wake up about “international issues”. Not just NGO and single issue “pressure group” concerns, but the recognition that mainstream trade unions need to think and act outside narrow national boundaries. In many ways it complimented the "Union Ideas Network" meeting that I went to last month. Many of the same issues were discussed and debated. A running theme of the conference is that “Internationalism” is not just an excuse for a “jolly” abroad of trade union worthies, but should be a core activity.

Tony Benn kicked off the conference talking about “Global Solidarity and the Labour Movement”. I have a soft spot for Tony even thought I have nearly always disagreed with his politics. I enjoyed his reminiscing of being on a British troop ship sailing back to “blighty” after the war. He was at the time a RAF pilot and Labour Party parliamentary candidate in the 1945 elections. He remembered the debates on board on why was it possible to have full employment when the country was at war killing German’s but not in peacetime when they could be building hospitals and schools?

TUC deputy general secretary Frances O’Grady spoke about “Trade Union Internationalism”. Good stuff – internationalism is not just about merging unions, foreign travel, committees and rule books. It is about practical campaigning to organise and promote solidarity.

Professor Keith Ewing (Institute of Employment Rights) spoke about “Workers Rights in the International Context”. He started with the UK which he thought was 1. Becoming a country of minimum standards not decent standards. For example we have a minimum wage but not a living wage, a 48 hour maximum week but the right to work longer etc. 2. The focus on worker rights was changing from being protective or regulatory to now being subject to economic policy. There is an emphasis on increasing Labour supply to meet the demands of globalisation rather than promoting workers interests. 3. British trade union rights still do not meet international ILO standards e.g. ban on all forms of secondary strike action, unions find it difficult to legally expel BNP members etc.

He was also concerned that in the UK only 35 % of workers pay and conditions are protected by collective agreements. In 1979 it was 85%. . The lowest by far in the EU. Austria has 98%! One of the reasons for continued inequality in the UK is that vulnerable workers by definition cannot exercise many of their “legal” employment rights. This makes sense to me. He did however acknowledge the many positive developments such as the Warwick agreement and union learning reps.

Barry Camfield (T&G Unite) “Developing the International Workers Movement”. He started by quoting former T&G leader Jack Jones “you cannot be a trade unionist no matter how hard you try if you do not think as “we” rather than” I”. Barry urged unions to develop “new international strategies” to enable and empower” activists. We should have “action plans” in the same way as global business plan ahead. In 1922 the T&G Dockers declared “Capital is well organised, labour must do like wise”. So back to the future.

The only thing that I was surprised and disappointed about was that there was not mention at all about the role of “Workers Capital” (organising trade union representatives who sit as trustees on our pension funds who actually own relatively big chunks of many national and global companies).

I went to the morning “trade unions in Iraq” workshop. In the workshop the vocal audience were pretty much divided between “Labour Friends of Iraq” (Iraqi trade unionists want coalition troops to leave but not yet since they face slaughter) and “withdraw immediately” (you are causing more problems and deaths by coalition forces remaining). It was interesting to hear the chair, Sue Rogers, describe her surprise (as an anti-war protestor herself) at the support the war had and the continued presence from coalition troops had from Iraqi trade unionists she had met.

I attended the afternoon workshop “Global Bargaining with Global Corporations”. Dave Spooner (general secretary of the IFWEA) started off by pointing out that ethical agreements are all well and good, but do they result in any trade union members being recruited? Need to make sure that global agreements are actually agreed with all the unions involved not just the well organised ones in the “west”. He described the controversial “change to win” union organisers in the US who invest heavily to organise in key targets. Some international trade union associations as not being “fit for purpose”. They need to organise not service (we have heard this argument before), the under funding of global issues by nearly all trade unions.

Stuart Howard (assistant branch secretary of ITWF) gave a positive contribution on the possible strength international trade unions can have due to the modern day “time sensitive” supply lines e.g. the 2001 west coast US Dockers strike. Transport Unions have potentially massive industrial strength and bargaining power if they can organise in international transport “key hubs” (certain ports and airports).

John Fetherston, Unite (T&G) convenor, General Motors Ellesmere Port (a fairly major employer where I grew up) spoke about the difficulties and successes in General Motors European Works Councils. Far more success than failure I thought?

The closing plenary had Colombian trade unionist Asdrual Jimenez (who still had bullets in his back from an right wing assassination attempt), Cuban doctor Juan Carlos Dupuy Nunez, Baljeet Ghale NUT president, UNISON own Keith Sonnet and rousing speech by Rodney Bickerstaffe (Solidar and of course ex-UNISON: seen above with London UNISON deputy convernor Gloria Hanson). Keith stressed the importance of international solidarity while Rodney reminded everyone that this day was also the 139th anniversary of the first meeting of the Trade Union Congress in 1868.

Pre-emptive strike against Iranian Nuclear Facilities?

This is the sort of person who is the "leader" of the country currently detaining 15 British Sailors and Royal marines. "Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has described the Holocaust as "a myth" Israel "must be wiped out from the map of the world." CNN. It seems that the present Iranian leadership, by carrying out such provocative action, are doing their very best to encourage a pre-emptive strike against their Nuclear facilities. I am not normally a fan of conspiracy theories but you could almost think that these people are in the pay of Israel or America? If they don’t release the Brit sailors/marines soon (or God forbid harm then) then the Neo Cons will enjoy “Christmas Come Early”.

Why are such people in responsible positions so thick? Whatever happened to my wise and gentle Iranian friend “Freddie” (Henry Price Building, Leeds University, 1981)

Photo of Iranian missile (top right)