Rupert's Read

O ccupy Norwich are to have a discussion on reform of our monetary system on Wednesday 9th November at 6.15pm at their camp on The Haymarket. (All are welcome, and everyone, whether they regard themselves as Left, Right or neither, will get a chance to have their voice heard.) The discussion will be led by me. I'll talk about how the creation of 97 % of our money by the banks leads to  overments, individuals and businesses becoming more and more indebted. When the debts can no longer be repaid the banks demand a bailout from the taxpayers, and cuts have to be made in pensions, benefits and public services, as happened when the world economy nearly collapsed three years ago. Occupy Norwich are inviting everyone to come along and debate the solutions. The bailout of the banks three years ago did not result in reform of the banking system, which is due to collapse again, as the recent problems in the Euro-zone have clearly demonstrated. We need reform urgently, before the ...

Growth is finished. Greece is going to default within 4 months; the Euro will tumble and disintegrate. Financial interests will give up trying to seek profits in the real economy, and move still further into trying to profit from a bear market, leading to yet more financial and economic disaster. It is pointless - counterproductive - in this context, to keep seeking the hopeless capitalist outofdate 'remedy' of growth. For my critique of Compass's Plan B then, on Bright Green, goto: http://brightgreenscotland.org/index.php/2011/10/plan-b-vs-plan-c/

In a brave and important move that has been as yet barely acknowledged in the press in this country, the Libyan Transitional National Council last week shut the Syrian embassy in Tripoli down, and recognised the Syrian National Council (which has recently unified virtually all the non-violent anti-Assad Syrian Opposition behind its banner) as the government-in-waiting of Syria.* This is an exciting development, an intelligent move. It ought to be copied by Britain. For one of the things that the Syrian protesters now most want (they mostly DON'T want foreign military intervention) is precisely this: serious diplomatic sanctions against Syria, to delegitimise the Assad regime in the eyes of the world. We should support the Syrian democracy-protesters; we can easily give them what they want. Let's close the Syrian embassy in Britain (unless it is prepared to declare independence from its capital, as some Libyan embassies did during the uprising there), and ...

This scientific report by Professor Chris Busby which has just come out shows by hair sample analysis that enriched uranium weapons were used in the attack on Fallujah, where birth defect and cancer rates are rocketing:   http://www.conflictandhealth.com/content/5/1/15/abstract   In this article, Busby talks about the attempts to stop his report being finished, and to stop it being published:   http://www.muslimnews.co.uk/news/news.php?article=21049   DU weapons are wrong, as I've argued previously here and on Liberal Conspiracy. They should not be used on humanitarian missions such as in Libya, because they are anti-human and inhumane.              

Why I won't be attending the launch-conference for Compass's 'Plan B' event, this weekend.   I got an invite from Gavin Hayes and Neal Lawson to attend the launch-Conference this Saturday (tomorrow) for Compass's 'Plan B'. Now, I'm a big fan of Compass. It has been for some time the only real sign of life in Labour. Its full opening up to members of other Parties earlier this year was a genuinely exciting moment in British politics, a key moment in the possible realignment of the Left: http://rupertsread.blogspot.com/2011/03/compass-greens-join-up.html . I am one of the co-ordinators of the effort to get together Greens who are in Compass, to ensure that there are lots of us and that we think together within the Green Party: http://www.facebook.com/notes/rupert-read/announcing-compass-greens/10150290565828687 . I have been since its beginning a member of Compass's 'Sustainability Panel', which seeks to green-validate Com...

My newest on OPEN DEMOCRACY: http://www.opendemocracy.net/rupert-read/libya-has-opened-to-way-to-diplomatic-sanctions-against-syria

Debating the future of the NHS with Simon Wright outside his office, Friday 21st Oct. The Green Party has been actively campaigning across the country in order to keep the NHS public. The party is concerned about plans to remove from the Secretary of State for Health the obligation to ensure that health services are provided across the country and to place the responsibility on GPs to buy health care services for the NHS, often from private companies. The purpose of this protest, organised by the Norwich branch of the Keep Our NHS Public campaign, is to highlight the support that local Conservative and LibDem MPs, including Simon Wright, have given to the plans and to call on them to reconsider. Mr Wright recently voted for the reforms in a crucial Commons vote. The proposals are currently being considered by the House of Lords.