Suspension of Ken Livingstone from the Labour Party is a dark day for Labour and the very act of his suspension has brought the Labour Party into disrepute.
Ken Livingstone has been suspended from the Labour Party in what has all the hallmarks of a McCarthy-style witch hunt.
Let us step back a couple of days.
John Mann MP, a loud-mouth bully, accosts Ken Livingstone on the street and hurls a torrent of abuse. John Mann just happens to have a TV crew in tow.
Set up comes to mind.
We have been here before.
Some months ago, a politician resigned live on TV. Spontaneous? Er, no. The whole affair had been orchestrated by a TV producer.
We had a witch hunt against an advisor to Jeremy Corbyn.
Later in the day on Wato, BBC Radio 4 lunchtime news, Ken Livingstone was subjected to an appalling interview, even by the piss-poor standards of the BBC. This was followed by an interview with a critic of Ken Livingstone. So much for BBC balance and impartiality.
We then had Labour London Mayoral candidate Sadiq Khan jump on the bandwagon and smear Ken Livingstone. If nothing else demonstrating Khan to be unfit to be London Mayor.
BBC Any Questions on Friday evening, a Labour panellist and member of Labour NEC describing comments from Ken Livingstone as vile and obnoxious. Same panellist saying he could not prejudge the issue as he was a member of the NEC who would decide whether or not Ken Livingstone be kicked out of the party. Er, he had already prejudged.
Fair hearing or kangaroo court?
Claire Fox another panellist. BBC once again scraping the bottom of the barrel. It is bad enough listening to her drivel on Moral Maze. She claimed she had once been on a rally and had actually heard with her own ears, someone shout abuse against Jews. What abuse, she did not say. Relevance? Absolutely none.
For good measure, Claire Fox added there should be no boycott of Israel.
The other panellists had obviously done their homework, researchers on overtime, to dig dirt on Ken Livingstone.
So what is this heinous crime Ken Livingstone is guilty of?
He has stated Zionists worked with Hitler to ship Jews to Palestine.
No one has actually said, not true, not a historical fact.
Haavara Agreement: Hitler worked with Zionists to ship Jews to Palestine, to occupy land that was not theirs.
In the event, Hitler decided the Final Solution was a more expedient way of ridding Germany of Jews.
Israel was founded on terrorism. British solders were massacred at the King David Hotel. The atrocities used by Zionists to seize Palestinian land were not dissimilar to that used by ISIS.
Anyone who dare criticise Israel is subject to a knee-jerk reaction ftom the Jewish lobby.
Since taking office, Jeremy Corbyn has been subjected to months of attacks by Blairites. The BBC and mass media only too willing to grant them a soapbox.
If anyone should be kicked out of the Labour Party it is war criminal Tony Blair, whose hands are dripping with the blood of innocent people.
Israel is running scared of Jeremy Corbyn.
The BDS boycott of Israel is starting to hurt.
Today, Ken Livingstone is being attacked for having the audacity to defend himself.
Please sign the petition calling for immediate reinstatement of Ken Livingstone to the Labour Party.
It is John Mann who should be suspended and kicked out for bringing the Labour Party into disrepute, not Ken Livingstone.
Yanis Varoufakis on Democracy Now discussing the fiscal waterboarding Greece was subjected to.
Greece dared challenge the EU dictatorship. For that Greece had to be punished.
The loans to Greece did not bail out Greece, they were bailouts for French and German banks. The money flowed into Greece, and straight back out again.
A Ponzi scam: Money flows in, the scheme appears to be growing, but it is not growing, it relies upon finding fresh investors to keep pouring in money to give the illusion it is growing. Indeed, the fund is shrinking because those running the scam are creaming off from the scam. Eventually the bubble bursts.
We are seeing the same Ponzi scams with high tech scams. The value of the company is entirely dependent upon finding fresh mugs to pour in money to inflate the value of the company. The intention being to flog off the company at its inflated price before the bubble bursts.
Ponzi austerity is a variant of pretend and extend. Keep lending money to an insolvent entity, in this case a country, to enable it to pay off the existing loans. In the meantime, strings attached, in the trade known as conditionalities, to implement austerity. The economy shrinks, making it ever less likely to be able to repay the loans.
Lame duck President Obama, visited first UK, to try and intimidate the Brits to stay in the UK. It was then visit Germany to discuss forcing through TTIP that strips us of democratic accountability, handing control to global corporations, then on to Saudia Arabia to sell weapons to the corrupt House of Saud, which when the corrupt House of Saud falls, the weapons will be in the hands of ISIS.
IMF is wishing to trigger a crisis in Greece.
62% of the Greek people in a referendum last year said No to the EU. This was in spite of the intimidation they were subjected to (similar intimidation we are seeing in the UK to force Brits to vote Yes to the EU). The Greek people showed courage and voted No. They were betrayed by Syriza who capitulated to the EU.
Greece is now ruled by diktat from the EU. The government a puppet of the EU.
At the end of the Second World War, the Americans created the Bretton Woods system. Currencies in Europe were linked to the dollar, the dollar linked to gold. US, as the surplus country, recycled its surpluses through Europe.
J M Keynes wanted to create an international body to recycle the surpluses. The Americans vetoed this as it was their money that was being recycled.
This worked fine until 1971, when US flipped from being a surplus country to a deficit country.
US then decided as a deficit country, it would recycle the surpluses through Wall Street.
Yet another retailer, closing down sale, vote of no confidence in Aldershot and the crass policies pursued by the dysfunctional council.
The latest retailer to decide Aldershot has no future is the home furnishing store a little below the derelict M&S store.
Mango Bean next door is up for sale. Though their failure is self-inflicted, the inability to serve a decent cup of coffee, and it was fairly obvious, once the money ran dry they would be closing. If opening a coffee shop, it does help to know something about coffee.
Since the beginning of the year, the streets of Aldershot have been deserted. Those on the streets have no money in their pockets, what they do have is courtesy of the state or pay day loans.
Look around, three pound shops, all empty. Maybe demand for one, but not three.
The likelihood of any major retailer moving into Aldershot is zilch. Even if they had free rent, they would still lose money.
What we are seeing is the result of decades of bad planning decisions, a council that has no understanding of what constitutes good town centre planning, of how local economies function, the need to recycle money within the local economy.
One and a half million was squandered repaving a couple of streets. Most of this was money poured down the drain.
A lorry bay was retrofitted after the street had been repaved at the back of Poundland. It is the width of a van. There is a failure to enforce parking restrictions.
The council has laid waste to Aldershot. When is it going to admit it got it wrong? When is the imbecile leader of the council going to do the decent thing, apologise and resign? When are local people going to say enough is enough?
Is the dysfunctional local council going to continue laying waste to Aldershot until there is nothing left?
Beginning of the month, the council withdraw funding to TechStart. They closed a couple of weeks ago. Funding has been reinstated for four months, but not before all the wiring had been stripped out. A major job to rewire, that is why TechStart has not reopened. They should hopefully be open next week.
The Galleries in which TechStart is located is deserted. Instead of berating the developer for the fact it lies empty, we should view it as an opportunity.
Designate The Galleries as ReSpace, open up the units to social enterprises, business start-ups. They would pay no rent, in return, the developer would pay no business rates. The central space could be used for music, exhibitions, theatre, conferences.
Now possible to walk into Gostrey Meadow via the War Memorial. It is difficult to see how such a small area took three weeks, or even that work needed doing.
No soup in Krema, Barista Lounge and Downing Street Deli French onion soup. Yuk. Made do with cappuccino and a flapjack in Krema.
Sad to see the greengrocer in Downing Street closed. They closed last week after more than a century in business, A pity no one could be found to take it over the business.
The butcher is now selling a very limited range of fruit and vegetables. The deli also has fruit and vegetables but it is difficult to know if for sale or show.
Idiot parked a van in churchyard, outside church door. Blocking footpath, forcing people onto the grass. For the disabled or buggies, no access.
Church doors left wide open letting all the heat out.
The church must clampdown on the idiots who are abusing the church hospitality.
Waitrose must clampdown on the girl on their deli counter. Hair hanging down, pigtails hanging down. If Waitrose cannot resolve, then maybe an environmental health prosecution will help focus minds.
Aldershot is a dead town, boarded-up shops, charity shops, betting shops, fast food outlets. A very depressing place to visit. Which is why few do. The dead town centre the result of decades of bad planning decisions, a dysfunctional local council that has not a clue what constitutes good town centre planning, how local economies function.
In the midst of this desolation is an empty shopping centre, The Galleries. It could be the film set for a post-apocalyptic movie. The occasional zombie is even seen to walk through negating the need to hire extras, though could hire locals and ask them to be themselves, no acting required. The shopping centre has been derelict for years, is likely to be for the foreseeable future.
What to do with this empty space?
The local council claims to have plans for redevelopment.
This should set alarm bells ringing.
This is a local council that has:
got into bed with a developer and destroyed Farnborough town centre
got into bed with a developer and destroyed The Tumbledown Dick for a Drive-Thru McDonald’s
got into bed with a developer and destroyed Firgrove Green to erect an eysore Premier Inn
got into bed with a developer to construct Wastegate which has laid waste to Aldershot town centre
Hence the last thing we need is the council involved in redevelopment of this dead shopping centre.
The top down approach of the council, contempt for the views of the local community, has been an unmitigated disaster for Aldershot.
In is now time for an alternative approach, bottom up, the local community in charge.
First, as it has been empty for six months, the dead shopping centre should be designated as ReSpace. This opens the way for negotiations with the property developer for use by the local community, for social enterprises that contribute to the common good, irrigate the collaborate commons. These social enterprises would pay a peppercorn rent, the property developer no business rates.
There is already one social enterprise occupying the dead shopping centre, TechStart.
TechStart, run by volunteers, recycles computers, carries out repairs, provides training and help, a net café is available for walk in use.
TechStart last Saturday, closed, its funding had been pulled. Luckily, common sense has prevailed, and a four month extension of funding has been made available.
We now need to build on TechStart, open the dead shopping centre to other social enterprises.
The claim in the local rag that TechStart is ‘unviable’ is simply not true.
I arrived half an hour later than I would have wished as I caught two buses from Waterloo, rather than one, but at least arrived, and alighted more or less at the correct bus stop on Kingsland Road in Dalston.
I recognised where I was as the social enterprise café established by Russell Brand is nearby.
Initial impressions, a legalised squat, though they would probably object to my description.
Up a flight of stairs, then a vast open space, but arranged into smaller areas, a kitchen cum café in one corner, a little rooftop garden outside. There were upper floors, these I did not explore.
Everything I saw, the chairs the tables, the stage, all had been salvaged and put to use.
Although half an hour late, an hour later than start time, I was still one of the first.
Did I understand Skipping Breakfast? Yes, food from skips.
We are told to recycle. Do we? No.
We waste food, we waste materials, we waste space.
Derelict building are everywhere. The Hive was a derelict building. In Aldershot, a dead shopping centre, with TechStart occupying one large unit, but begging to be used.
The Hive approached a developer, and with reservations, he agreed to let them use. A very short lease, the volunteers provided everything, all of which was salvaged.
The developer Michael has been completely won over, he is now a big cheer leader for ReSpace, putting derelict buildings to use for the community.
What is ReSpace?
ReSpace is a planning designation that any local council or planning authority can use.
Any property that is empty for six months can be designated ReSpace. It is then open to local communities to use, pay a peppercorn rent, the developer pays no businesses rates.
Everyone benefits.
There is now a petition calling for ReSpace to be written into planning law. Everyone is urged to please sign.
We are losing community space. We are losing green space, pubs, libraries.
Who runs these reclaimed spaces?
Volunteers.
How de we found them?
We don’t, they appear.
Nomadic Community Gardens: Two people toiling away at derelict land, bringing back into use. They did not ask for volunteers, the community joined in.
This is what happened at The Hive.
It is not only materials and spaces we need to recycle, we also need to recycle people. Idle hands, idle minds, that can be put to use on behalf of the community.
The Hive is a not for profit. The space is for use by not for profit, even for profit, they have helped set up several business, but they have to contribute to the common good. In other words they have to contribute to the collaborative commons.
The next step, having demonstrated the feasibility of The Hive, not forgetting an enlightened developer who wishes to contribute to the local community and without who The Hive would not be possible, is to establish a network of Hives, Holistic Urban Regeneration in action.
The question is how do we regenerate them? Top down does not work. It has to be bottom up, small businesses, social enterprises, open coops, collaborative commons, sharing economy.
Aldershot is one such dismal town. Decades of bad planning decisions, a dysfunctional council with no understanding of what constitutes good town centre planning, no understanding of how local economies function, the need to recycle money within the local economy. The streets are deserted, the shops boarded up, homeless in the shop doorways, the few who are on the street, no money to spend.
In the midst of this deprivation lies a derelict shopping centre. It could be the set for a post-apocalypse movie. There is even the occasional zombie walking through, saving on the need for extras.
The question is, what to do with it? It has been derelict for years. It is likely to remain derelict for the foreseeable future.
The one ray of hope, TechStart opened two years ago. Run by volunteers, they recycle old computers, run a net café, carry out repairs, provide training.
Last Saturday, TechStart closed, their funding had been pulled. The good news is, an outbreak of commons sense, funding for four months. But they have to become self-sufficient.
The empty shopping centre, instead of being seen as a liability, should be seen as an opportunity to showcase that alternatives are possible, that we do not have to be drawn into the addiction of consumerism.
Look what could be possible:
TechStart
social enterprise café
repair shop
tool swap
credit union
start-ups
conferences
exhibitions
All it requires is vision.
Replicate across the country, make a difference.
What uses can that derelict building in your community be put to?
Does the local council maintain a list of derelict buildings, is it made public, are they designating as ReSpace?
For the developer, nothing worse than a derelict building, it soon falls into disrepair, becomes vandalised. Added to which the cost of securing the building. Occupation, put to community use, is better than sitting empty.
At the very least there has to be an exploration of what the The Hive in Dalston are doing. Hive started with just £250.
As a showcase building, The Hive in Dalston has demonstrated the feasibility of such a model and in only nine months has seen over 4000 people, held 17 art exhibitions, numerous performance, environmental, political and cultural events and helped about 50 local charities. Has enabled people to start businesses and even had a skate park. This has all been achieved using a system that is self-sustaining and utilises volunteers, donations, up-cycling, recycling and sharing.
Local councils are almost an irrelevance. If they wish to work with the local community fine, if not bypass and work directly with a property developer.
The Hive are fortunate in not only having an enlightened local council, but also an enlightened property developer, who wishes to work with the local community, put something back into the local community.
Where else other than The Hive would you find activists praising a property developer, and vice a versa the property developer heaping praise on the activists?
Discussion of the London Mayoral Hustings to be held at The Hive the following day. Questions people wished to put. What are they going to do to resolve growing homelessness, we cannot sweep under the carpet or push into neighbouring boroughs. Air pollution, expansion of Heathrow and Gatwick. Encouragement of growing food locally cf Dig for Victory during WWII.
A handful of groups were invited to pitch their ideas to a panel of experts. The ideas in themselves not that interesting. What was of more interest, was the advice given and the constructive criticism that followed. One important piece of advice, have a property lawyer with you to help negotiate and draw up a contract.
The Hive held their ReSpacing Conference on Wednesday 20 April 2016. A second day will be for London Mayoral Hustings.
The only reason I was here, Home Slice was busy and I had an hour to kill.
On walking in, very noisy, oppressively so.
All the tables were taken. I was invited to take a bar stool, sit at a shelf overlooking the kitchen.
When taking the order, neither I nor the person standing in the kitchen, could hear each other, such was the level of oppressive noise.
Turkish lentil soup, tasty, generous portion size, but like everything else on the menu, expensive and overpriced.
When paying over a fiver for a bowl of soup, expect at least the bread to be free. But no.
Did I want bread. No.
I then changed my mind, and ordered what I thought was seeded bread. No, what appeared was a minuscule portion of seeds, somehow glued together, not much bigger than a 50p piece.
staff fare
One of the staff came and sat with me. I asked what she was eating. She explained, adding, it was not on the menu. Staff apparently get a far better deal. It looked marginally better than what I saw being served from the kitchen.
Pretentious, noisy and overpriced, Wild Food Cafe very poor compared with Food for Thought, which is sadly no more, closed down last year, much loved and much missed, driven out of business by a greedy grasping landlord driving up the rent to unaffordable levels.
I then departed for Home Slice where I knew I would get an excellent pizza.
Wild Food Cafe is located in Neal’s Yard in Covent Garden.
Pleasant ambience both inside and the outside seating area.
An excellent cappuccino.
I thanked the barista. In part his skill, also the quality of the beans they are sourcing from Square Mile Coffee Roaster, a local coffee roaster just down the road.
The beans are on sale.
Curio Cabal, a strange name, and no, I did not ask.
Located by The Hive in Dalston, on Kingsland Road, close by the canal.
Ignore the bad reviews on TripAdvisor. I had no problems with staff, service or the coffee.
Staff were pleasant. Yes, several minutes before my cappuccino arrived, they were serving folk sat outside. And it was worth the wait, as when my cappuccino arrived, it was excellent.
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