Show Solidarity with Palestinian Workers, Buy a Yarmulke

The keffiyeh or Arab head-dress has been a must-wear symbol of chic. Originally a sartorial compromise against the desert sand and winds, it was popularized by being worn by the tea-leaf in chief, Yasser Arafat; and commericial production started by Palestinian Arab entrepeneur, Yasser Hirbawi in 1961.

As that link shows, demand amongst the politically conscious Western activists grew so much that Hirbawi and other producers in the dilapidated Middle Eastern economy could not rise to the challenge; and sales slowly passed to Chinese factories. Shortly after this article was written, Hirbawi’s factory closed and domestic production ceased.

All has not been lost, however, for traditional Palestinian Arab weavers seeking to export their wares. Haaretz reports on the village of Deir Abu Meshal in which women have, for 40 years, been producing yarmulkes or Jewish skullcaps.

Almost every house in the village of 3,000 west of Ramallah makes the little caps. It’s a social event as well as a helpful cash-earner. Women bring their wool and needles to each other’s home to crochet and chat.

“We make qors (the Arab name for kippah translates as ‘disc’) while having a gossip,” said Umm Ali. “We meet each other and we make money at the same time,” added the mother of three, whose husband is unemployed.

The women make around five caps a day, worth about 12 shekels each.

“Women here can’t sit down without knitting. We’ve gotten used to it,” jokes Ruqaya Barghouthi.

Six Palestinian skullcap dealers distribute the wool, needles and the models to women in this village and 10 neighboring villages.

Although I understand yarmulkes in Israel are more likely to be either weaved by family friends or imported from Romania, the womenfolk of Deir Abu Meshal have a supplemented their income generously with exports to the Israel, the USA and elsewhere.

SNP Supports Racism Against the Dutch

A state-funded political protest group which launched a foreign tourism campaign with images of tartan and shortbread tins has launched an official complaint with Germany’s advertizing association because of the use of the term Schotten Preise (Scot’s Price) for bargain basement.

It believes the long-established marketing technique is offensive and promotes an unfair racial stereotype of Scots people as mean.

Angus Robertson, the SNP’s group leader at Westminster, is to write to officials in Germany seeking an end to the use of the phrase, which has promoted products ranging from fast food to air fares. Robertson, the son of a German, said it was unacceptable to portray Scots in such a pejorative way, which he believes could harm the country’s reputation.

Many discount stores in Germany begin with the prefix “Mac”. Geizkragen, one of the country’s most popular price-comparison websites, depicts a Scot wearing a kilt and tartan hat chasing coins and advising Germans how to save money.

Travel agents regularly advertise “Scottish prices” for bargains and last year the ADAC, a German motoring club, sent an e-mail to 15 million customers featuring a kilt-wearing Scot, with the caption: “It doesn’t have to be this way.”

There is putting the angry brigade in charge of Scottish politics, ands there is being unforgivably dim. Like most of Scotland, these grievance-merchants are a disgrace to Scotland.

Robertson went on to say:

“You wouldn’t do it with orthodox Jews, so why do it with Scots?

Oh, good, Jews have been brought into the discussion. Presumably, Robertson would have less objection to Liberal or Reform Jews being so portrayed.

The constant association of our country and people with meanness and cheapness is beginning to hit at the borders of defamation and insult.”

Cannot say I have noticed. Formal positions such as this, however, do a lot to present Scotland as a nation of humourless prigs. And, by their own standards, hypocritical prigs.

At the SNP annual hate fest party conference, John Swinney, cabinet secretary for finance and sustainable development, said:

At the UK party conferences over the last few weeks, there has been a Dutch auction about public spending cuts and the effect on public services.

Well, considering that the PPC for Glasgow North East, David Kerr was either arrogant/stupid/naive enough to contradict his place-of-birth on separate campaign leaflets, this open contradiction is not that surprising.

Scotland, wha’ like us? None, thank fuck.

A Moment of Realization

Salmond: Mammy!

BNP Candidate Charged with Firearms Offences

(Crossposted at Harry’s Place, with real Nazis and Strasserites in the comments-box!)

David Lucas was the fifth BNP list member for East of England during the Euro 2009 elections. Also a farmer in Suffolk, he appears to have made a better stab at it than his party boss, over by Welshpool, but I do not know if he has taken advantage of EU farming subsidies.

This direct descendent of peat-bog man has no doubt shared his party’s antipathy to the EU since been barred in 2006 from supplying gallows and other execution paraphernalia to foreign states, for as much as £100,000. He had boasted that his examples of English workmanship could dispatch as many as five people at once, and advocated the death penalty for terrorism-related offences.

The East Anglia Daily Times is reporting that Lucas has been charged in connexion with firearms and explosives, with the intent to endanger life, found following his arrest in April.

This is not unheard of behaviour for BNP supporters.

Redmond O’Neill: a Career to Be Judged

This was not an obituary for Redmond O’Neill.

Dave Osler and David T have more.

Darcus Howe on Race in the Military

I do not think that Baroness Scotland should remain in the position of Attorney General, and that her disregard for the legislation which she had championed when vetting for employment for what turned out to be an illegal immigrant is a principle reason for the current Labour Party not being fit for purpose (as opposed to a war which finished anywhere between four and six years ago).

I remain in disagreement with everything which Darcus Howe said when linking her arrogance of power to the increase in the foreign-born personnel in the British military. And that includes his usage of the word “the”.

Speaking of how Britain, apparently, wishes immigrants only for war, Howe insists on describing Scotland as “Dominican-born”. There is something quite vile about reminding immigrants, or even the progeny of immigrants, that they are not and never will be real members of their adopted society: even where, in the case of Scotland, they have been in this country since she was three years old. Howe, at least, arrived here in 1961 when he was 18 (three years after Scotland), so has arguably known a different society.

Contradicting his own title, Howe cites the case of Loloahi Tapui, who was employed as a housekeeper by Scotland. We are informed that Scotland has foregone the right to identify with a homogenous mass known as ‘not-white’, on her being being “promoted” to “the ruling-classes”: thus becoming a ‘wallah’, ‘kitchen toto’, ‘Uncle Tom’ or whatever term from the racial arson lexicon is being used today.

Determined to view events through the prism of the Iraqo-Afghan fault-line, Howe also states:

Firstly, the gathered throng of Afghanistan’s children at the French border were dispersed by state violence and brutality of a kind that I have never witnessed in the 50 years since I arrived in the UK.

These children are here because the British Army are visiting upon their country tons of bombs and bullets.

The same goes for Iraqis who risk their lives sliding beneath lorries in an attempt to gain entrance to the land which justified the military invasion, claiming to rescue those citizens from the rule of Saddam Hussein.

The chickens are coming home to roost.

There are myriad reasons for those Iraqis and Afghans leaving their countries to attempt to enter Britain: economic prospects; existing family networks; commonality of language. If detailed geo-political considerations, such as recent invasions of their countries were concerned, I would have thought that there would have not been noticable immigrations beforehand (there was) and the Afghans, at least, would have been just as likely to seek refuge in France who was also involved in the invasion of their country. Furthermore, it does not explain immigration from Turkey or Ghana or China or India or Tonga which Britain has not occupied for at least 50 years.

Returning to the actual touted theme of his rambling piece, Howe states:

The British Army have been quietly recruiting citizens from far away places like Tonga, from the Caribbean islands which are not yet republics – St Vincent, Grenada, Jamaica, St Lucia – to fight and die in the poppy fields of Afghanistan.

This would be the poppy cultivation which is in decline.

While the dead bodies of British soldiers are returned here in splendour, those bodies of dead soldiers from these tiny island states are shipped to their respective homes as cargo. No bugles, nor eulogies to their bravery.

If the potrayal of disregard for foreign-born soldiers is accurate, I would find this reprehensible. I am, however, highly skeptical. I appears entirely proper that bodies are returned to where the soldiers’ family reside, and it is for individual states to stage commemorations.

Following efforts by the BNP to present itself as supporting British troops by… well… comparing their respected commanding officers to Nazi war-criminals, it appears unfortunate to accuse the British military of not caring for foreign-born troops considering the praise lavished on Grenada-born Johnson Beharry.

Or Fiji-born Sergeant Talaiasi Labalaba who, with eight other SAS soldiers, held back 250 Adoo rebels at the Battle of Mirbat in Oman, 1972. Taking single-handed control of a WWII 25-pounder artillery piece, which normally required three men to operate, he fought alone before being shot dead.

A statue to him will shortly be unveiled at the SAS Regimental Herefor Headquarters.

Howe’s final words in his piece were:

Be sure of one fact, white labour, now demoralised in northern towns, will never return for jobs beneath the stairs for £6 an hour.

Nor will the children and grandchildren of immigrants who came here from the Caribbean, India or Pakistan.

Not true, as I can attest to from personal experience. There is the distinct possibility that Howe is peddling pompous, racist lies.

SNP Supports Modernization of Royal Mail

THIS IS A GUEST POST BY DHAIBHIDH C MHAC DHUIHDHLHEIGH OF THE LENINIST VANGUARD (DRUMNADROCHIT CHAPTER).

Greetings, Friends. I believe it was William Blake who said that man does not live by bread alone. I consider it vital that we all agitate for the downfall of the worldwide capitalist system and to eradicate all forms of racism and militarism, but I also know I need to earn a crust.

As such, I work in the systems department of a well-know private postal provider. Currently, we are negotiating a truly inspiring contract with the Israeli Post Office, but I digress.

I have no doubt my readers are aware of current disagreements between Royal Mail workers and upper management. This truly troubles me.

In March of this year, our brother, Michael – or, Mike, as he likes to be known – Weir MP highlighted some concerning news:

SNP Postal Affairs spokesperson, Mike Weir MP, has expressed bemusement at news HM Revenue & Customs have awarded a £4.5 million-a-year contract to deliver its internal mail to TNT – just a week after it was revealed the company had been forced to hand over tens of millions of pounds in unpaid tax to HMRC.

The Dutch company, which was also blamed for losing the personal details of 25million child-benefit claimants in 2007, is also a front-runner to take a stake in Royal Mail if controversial plans led by Lord Mandelson are approved.

Mr Weir said:

“I think people will struggle to understand why a firm, which just repaid millions in unpaid taxes, has been awarded a multi-million pound contract from the Inland Revenue.

“HMRC really need to explain what their thinking is on this one.

“To make matters worse this is the firm that appears to be front-runner to buy into Royal Mail if Lord Mandelson’s privatisation plans come to fruition.

“Privatisation would spell the beginning of the end for Royal Mail, and open the door to job losses, service cuts and a deterioration in the working conditions of postal workers.

“A private partner will only be concerned with profit, and Royal Mail must not loose the social focus which is essential for rural areas.”

It appears to be that Mike is able to see the bigger picture, and his not to perpetuate a state monolopy just as our brother, Alex Salmond recognizes the need for international investment in our golfing services.

Just a fortnight ago, Mike said:

“I understand the concerns and frustration that postal workers have, however many people, and in particular businesses, are deeply worried about the damaging impact this strike action will have.

“Conciliation is the right way to seek a resolution, and both sides must pull back from the brink and get on with meaningful negotiation.”

Our brothers and dsisters in TNT and other private postal providers need to earn an honest crust. I am sure none of my readers are prepared to return to letters and post-cards rather than e-mail and texts. I certainly am not! Solidarity has its limits!

One cannot be too doctrinaire, and I find it truly inspiring that Procurement Scotland has vindicated the decision by the Scottish Executive to award public sector contracts according to value for money. Just this week, I saw that TNT has been awarding an £8 millions contract for deliveries to public sector bodies.

As Sure As Eggs Is Eggs…

Originally posted on 9 June. Plus ça change, plus c’est la même (see Iain Dale).

… out come the Squadists. Flush from his the success of his party at the Euro Elections 2009, Nick Griffin organized a press conference in front of *another* legislature… the Palace of Westminster. He was cornered and pelted with eggs by United Against Fascism, formed by a coalition of the Anti Nazi League and NAAR.

What a disaster. As much as I derived visceral satisfaction from watching Grffin flee like a sinister Billy Bunter, this has given wall-to-wall coverage of a democratically elected [racist scumbag] representative being assaulted in the street by a gaggle which scored a fraction of his party’s vote in the Euro Elections. One rebranding effort of the BNP has been to present itself as caring for the views of the white working-classes (appealing to, as UK Polling suggests, Tory-inclined voting working-classes more than Labour-inclined) which is under assault from a grimoire of political freaks and unrepresentative loonies. Which a lot of observers have seen happen right here.

Not that this is uncharacteristic behaviour for the UAF. Its ANL component was seen as a front for the SWP, which included active Squadists who, after their Kronstadding by Tony Cliff in 1981, went on to form a pro-IRA group called Red Action; at least two members of whom were convicted of gun-running for Irish Republican terror groups. In this respect, I compare the peripheries of the SWP to those peripheries of the BNP which go to join Combat18.

Twenty years on, the SWP helped turn the opposition to the invasion of Iraq; arguably the greatest mass-movement – crossing racial and political and social barriers – since Dunkirk into a withered shell of political cranks, racists and more-than-objectively pro-fascists.

The NAAR component was a front for serial-entriest Socialist Action which, I assume, is smarting after the loss of its influence in the London Mayoral office with the defeat of its patron, Ken Livingstone.

Four years ago, both helped force out the thoroughly decent Searchlight from the UAF on the grounds of its being “Zionist”. Now it and others in the UAF have found another tinder-box part of British politics to toss a match into. Bless.

Meanwhile, the latter-day Miss Jean Brodie, John Wight who believes that Hamas is the democratically elected government of the Palestinian Territories and should, therefore, be engaged with, is delighted at this assault on a democratically elected British fascist.

UPDATE – commenter Dan at Harry’s Place makes an apposite observation:

The situation would be made far worse if the UAF mob came along and harassed the BNP and then left the local residents to deal with the consequences. The UAF and the BNP are very similar in this way – they march into an area, cause problems that didn’t exist before and then march away again looking smug while the people who live there pick up the pieces. The UAF are unelected, unaccountable, extremist and violent, just like the BNP. But unlike the BNP, they have no concept of community-led action, only direct action fly pickets fuelled by illusions that the 1970s are back again and it’s time to riot.

If the UAF are reading this, kindly piss off and don’t come near Essex again until you bother, just for once, to communicate and co-ordinate with local people who know better than you (which is never, I guess).

FURTHER UPDATE – See Bob in the comments for a more sympathetic view of Red Action and Squadism.

Lee John Barnes Looses It

Lee John Barnes (LLB Hons, JJB Sports), the legal eagle for the BNP is following the party line in presenting it as supportive of British troops. He currently hosts the following photoshopped image on his blog:

Mad. As mad as a waltzing mouse.

Alex Salmond Compares Kenny Macaskill to Gandhi

Tom Harris admits to having “religiously avoided coverage of this year’s [SNP party] conference on account of my embarrassment threshold being too low”.  This is probably wise.

Still under the impression that compassion can be offered on behalf of others, Alex Salmond gone further when describing the decision by Justice Secretary, Kenny Macaskill to release Abdelbasset Ali al-Megrahi:

Mr Salmond told delegates in Inverness of a recent visit by Mahatma Gandhi’s grandson, Arun.

The first minister told the conference: “One of the things he told me is that his grandfather’s philosophy is much misunderstood.

“His resistance was not passive, but active. His dedication to non-violence a strength, not a weakness.

“Sometimes, someone has to break the cycle of retribution with an act of compassion – that is what Kenny MacAskill did and we should be proud of him for doing it.”

Setting aside the issue of the “cycle of retribution” having already been broken when al-Megrahi was not only not executed but provided with comfortable prison accomodation we well as visitation rights from his family, one can almost see Salmond’s star-struck eyes in having a personal audience from *the* Arun Gandhi.

Gandhi the Younger had said of a belief that justice was first and foremost to be delivered to the victims of crimes:

The consequence of that is that you carry that burden all your life, with all the pride, anger and prejudice that comes with it, and you can end up destroying you own life in the process.

Having eschewed the life of religious aesthetics as followed by his grandfather in favour of lecture circuits and comfortable Western-style affluence, one would have thought Gandhi the Younger was not an unimpeachable authority on the dangers of pride.

He is, however, highly accomplished at offering forgiveness and sympathy on behalf of others. In January 2008 he had dismissed [the] Jews as being the biggest players in a world cycle of violence:

Jewish identity in the past has been locked into the holocaust experience — a German burden that the Jews have not been able to shed. It is a very good example of a community can overplay a historic experience to the point that it begins to repulse friends. The holocaust was the result of the warped mind of an individual who was able to influence his followers into doing something dreadful. But, it seems to me the Jews today not only want the Germans to feel guilty but the whole world must regret what happened to the Jews. The world did feel sorry for the episode but when an individual or a nation refuses to forgive and move on the regret turns into anger.

Although unable to comprehend why anyone would have thought his article to be couched in antisemitic imagery in which Jews were going to destroy the human race – he is the grandson of the Mahatma, who could argue? – he quickly resigned from the Gandhi Institute of Non-Violence (and sacrificing others in the name of peace).

Pride remained in his way, and acceptance of his own involvement in his fall was hard to come by. In April 2008, it was reported on rense.com, which also hosts Holocaust Denial material, that Gandhi the Younger had been interviewed by the site owner, Jeff Rense. I will not link to this, only provide a split URL:

http://www.rense.c
om/general81/gandhi.htm

No doubt Salmond was referring to some other judgement when he quoted Gandhi the Younger. Maybe he was suggesting that Macaskill was a randy old goat who likes to lie with nubile teenage girls to test his sexual resolve.