UK politics

Police murderer says Ian Tomlinson “almost invited a physical confrontation”

Police Murder, UK politics
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From the Evening Standard:

The policeman who pushed Ian Tomlinson to the ground moments before he died blamed him for provoking the clash, the inquest heard today.

Pc Simon Harwood said that 47-year-old newspaper seller had “almost invited a physical confrontation” during the G20 protest in London .

He went on to claim that his police training entitled him to use his baton against someone who was posing no threat. He also refused to accept that video evidence proved he had pushed Mr Tomlinson in the back.

As the video show Simon Harwood was of course lying, but he says he’s sorry so that’s alright — no trial is needed. What do we call Ian Tomlinson’s death if it had been a civilian who struck him from behind with a baton, then pushed him to the ground? Murder? Manslaughter?

Most workers would rather bugger off today then tomorrow

Life under Capitalism, UK politics
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Found at Pere Le Brun, this offensively stupid quote by Iain Duncan Smith:

Most workers want to work on when they reach 65, Iain Duncan Smith claimed yesterday. He insisted that higher life expectancy meant people should – and usually want – to work for longer before taking their pension. The Work and Pensions Secretary made the extraordinary claim on the eve of unveiling reforms that could push the retirement age beyond 70.

It’s the same old tired propaganda any government puts out when they’re wanting to fiddle with pension ages: people like to work and want to work longer than they’re allowed to. Usually you then get some wanker complaining about age discrimination because he’s forced to retire at age sixtyfive and he would like to play at being a g.p./lawyer/accountant for a few years longer. Oddly enough you never get a builder saying the same…

But honestly how many people really want to continue to do their jobs if it’s not necessary to survive? I know that if I could retire now and still get the same money I earn, I would take that offer in a heart beat. And I don’t think I’m the only one. Work is a necessary evil and even with our current supposedly too low a retirement age of sixtyfive, on average you’ll have worked and gone to school some sixty years, starting with kindergarten at age five. For the overwhelming majority of people that’s long enough, if not too long.

That LSE – Khadaffi scandal

Life under Capitalism, Real Life Revolutions, Sleaze, UK politics
Published on 2 Comments on That LSE – Khadaffi scandal

Justin puts it in perspective:

So, we’re all jolly cross at the London School of Economics for taking Gaddafi’s cash. We’re less cross (if at all) at the arms trade for doing the same. I haven’t heard any calls for the head of BAE Systems to resign, for instance. After all, BAE Systems were only flogging anti-tank missiles while the LSE were flogging management training, the bastards.

Which is fair enough, but when this sentiment mutates into something like what Charli Carpenter argues:

The graduation of a plagiarist raises my eyebrows (as you might guess) but as recent discussions have suggested going easy on academic dishonesty is hardly a problem limited to LSE. And simply the choice to make good-faith engagements with authoritarian elites or their children should not be treated, in hind-sight, as evidence of collusion.

Then methinks you’re protesting too much. If getting easy PH.Ds for the children of dictators as part of a general buttering up for the purpose of getting lots and lots of arms and other sales for British industry is not collusion, what is? Why should the LSE “make good-faith engagements with authoritarian elites”9or their children) in the first place? What does that even mean?

From where I’m sitting it’s clear the LSE let itself be used in a general campaign to butter up Khadaffi so that he would buy loads and loads of weapons and other equipment from British industry while also allowing Khadaffi to improve his own p.r. image through that research fund his son set up at the LSE. Now it’s reaping the whirlwind of that decision to get in bed with a dictator. That this is s.o.p. for most or even all UK elite universities does not make it right. It’s hard to feel sorry for them and it’s no use to bray about “politics of the mob” when you’re so clearly in the wrong, even if others were just as wrong or more so. That just means there are others that need to make amends too. No gangster’s pal ever won his trial by pointing out others were friends with Capone as well.

More generally, this attitude that it’s alright to do business with dictators as long as they’re our dictators is why the Middle East has never managed to become free: because our governments, businesses and universities always priviledged money over morality. It no longer suffices to argue that we should be realistic and not blame people for getting into bed with dicators because there was no alternative: the people of Egypt, Libya and Tunesia have shown us otherwise.

It’s always about money: if it looks like it isn’t, look closer

Life under Capitalism, Real Life Revolutions, Sleaze
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Gin and Tacos highlights one of the lesser known parts of the Wisconsin emergency budget repair bill, one that would let the governor sell off public infrastructure at fire sale prices:

16.896 Sale or contractual operation of state-owned heating, cooling, and power plants. (1) Notwithstanding ss. 13.48 (14) (am) and 16.705 (1), the department may sell any state-owned heating, cooling, and power plant or may contract with a private entity for the operation of any such plant, with or without solicitation of bids, for any amount that the department determines to be in the best interest of the state. Notwithstanding ss. 196.49 and 196.80, no approval or certification of the public service commission is necessary for a public utility to purchase, or contract for the operation of, such a plant, and any such purchase is considered to be in the public interest and to comply with the criteria for certification of a project under s. 196.49 (3) (b).

Noted in comments, a nice added bonus:

“(c) If the department sells or contracts for the operation of any state−owned
heating, cooling, and power plant under sub. (1), the secretary may identify any full−time equivalent positions authorized for the state agency that has operating authority for the plant, the duties of which primarily relate to the management or operation of the plant, and may decrease the authorized full−time equivalent positions for that state agency by the number of positions so identified effective on the date that the state agency no longer has operating authority for the plant.”

Meanwhile on the other side of the Atlantic, David Cameron is helping Middle East states on the road to democracy by selling them weapons:

So, following Cameron’s logic, it’s cool to flog things that kill people to countries as long as they’re on an ‘open and participatory’ trajectory. If people get killed or maimed on the journey? Let’s not think about that. That British weapons seem to be being used to prevent states becoming ‘open and participatory’ rather than being used to usher in democracy and universal values has passed the Prime Minister by.

Cameron can point to testimonies from satisfied customers like Khadaffi, who is using British bullets and tear gas to put down his people’s longing for democracy. Money trumps morals and has always done.