NEU fights Child Poverty

 

The NEU and its predecessor unions have a record of fighting on the issue of child poverty. No Conservative government will eradicate poverty because their power and privileges depend on it. However as we have seen with the Marcus Rashford campaign, they can have their hand forced.

The NEU website has the following demands

The Government must act on 5 pressing issues to give children trapped in poverty the access to the education they need

1. Expand the Free School Meal (FSM) scheme to include every child (up to the age of 16) from a household in receipt of Universal Credit, or equivalent benefits.
2. Eradicate holiday hunger by extending FSM provision of at least £15 per child per week during all school holidays.
3. Reform all school uniform policies to ensure uniform options are affordable for families in the local community.
4. Provide free household internet access for children and young people in households on Universal Credit.
5. Establish a new, dedicated technology budget for all schools to combat the digital divide.
   

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New Year Dishonours

 The New Year Honours list is conclusive proof the prime minister still thinks there is a British Empire. Will you tell him or shall I? 

I have more respect for Benjamin Zephaniah who dismissed with contempt the suggestion he should join the British Empire.

 

Socialist Reviews

Keir Starmer silent on Israeli atrocity

 

The Israeli government's constant search for peace in the Middle East has led them to commit another atrocity. 

Israeli airstrikes and artillery attacks damaged a paediatric hospital, a centre for disability services and several homes in the besieged Gaza Strip early Saturday morning. These brutal attacks on civilians (including children) are justified by the Zionists as "retaliation" for Hamas attacks.

The story is here

Sir Keir Starmer has been silent about this.

Zionists have accused Socialists of supporting Hamas Naturally they don't need any evidence. The Socialist Party has never said anything a sane person could take for support for Hamas. 

A series of tit for tat killings going back several decades have not brought about peace in the middle east. Every single one of them could be described as "retaliation" and what good has this "retaliation" done?

A Socialist solution to the ongoing crisis in the Middle East will require a sustained political struggle. It is obvious to everybody that bombing civilians just isn't helping. 

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Derek-McMillan/e/B009FUXHWY 

 

 

There is no such thing as a "whites only church"

The consequences of Trump will outlive his presidency.

For example, the City Council in the tiny Swift County town of Murdock voted 3 to 1 to allow a controversial religious group that worships ancient Norse gods to use a former church as a regional gathering place. 

It is described in the media as a "whites only church". There is no such thing but the disgusting capitulation of the officials to a racist group is a sign of the continuing poison of Trump and the racist ideology of the alt right and other Trump-supporting scum.

I wouldn't personally worship Norse gods but there is no indication that such worship needs to be for whites only. It is racism pure and simple.

The "Black Lives Matter" demonstrations around the world are a fair indication that the racists will not have it all their own way.

120,000 people opposed the decision in Murdock. This issue is not over. The racists will never win.

You can add your name to the petition here

Unite

 

Computer Doublespeak

 Computers make mistakes

That is one thing computers very rarely do. The progammers might make an error. Politicians who introduce IT systems without much thought may very well make mistakes. To blame it all on the computers is doublespeak.

Technical errors

Translated into English this means "we do not know what went wrong." Politicians blame "technical errors" when either they have sought to conceal the truth or they do not understand the IT systems they have installed.

A "technical error" is to blame for many of the errors in track and trace and the simple pack of lies which underestimates the level of the Corona Virus.

The Christmas relaxation of precautions is not based on any thought. The politicians just sucked it out of their thumbs. And if it all goes "tits up" it will of course be a "technical error".

#worthingflash

 Worthing Flash has stories every week and is currently seeking stories for 2021. 

Stories should be between 85 and 1000 words. The range of subjects and genres is open.

Since the Christmas message the number of visitors to the blog has gone up to 28,000.

Which is nice.

Happy Christmas everyone.

Lord Patten and Hong Kong

 The pro-democracy campaigners in Hong Kong have shown great courage and tenacity in standing up to the Stalinist regime in China. And how did the Today programme on the BBC celebrate this? They paraded Lord Patten, former Tory Party Chairman and the last governor of Hong Kong.

How can a member of the privileged House of Lords talk about democracy with a straight face?

Nobody in Hong Kong had any say in who the governor of this colony would be. Nobody elects the House of Lords. He didn't believe in democracy then, so why the change of heart?

Is it because the calls for democracy are not directed at the vestiges of the British Empire but at the Chinese regime? Is the Baron Patten of Barnes playing a dirty political game or is he really on the side of the pro-democracy campaigners? You decide.

 

Socialist Reviews

Covidiots

 The greatest rate of increase in Covid cases is in the secondary school age range according to the government. This is the very same government which has sworn to keep schools open come Hell or high water. This is the same government which has ignored the advice of the National Education Union to provide serious support for anti-covid precautions in schools. 

And meanwhile this is the government which is allowing a free-for-all at Christmas and making their scientific advisers nervous because that is a recipe for a new spike in infections in the new year.

The Welsh government has finally agreed to close schools, more than a little too late.

Vaccination queue-jumping

 So the Queen is getting the vaccine 'pour encourager les autres.' I thought at first it was just another bit of Windsor family queue-jumping.

I am sure every covid patient would rather have her Majesty at their bedside than a qualified nurse. 

 

 A group of actors in the best advertisement for republicanism ever.

 

Postscript

I subsequently found out that the taxpayer is to make sure the Queen is one of the few people to make a killing out of the virus. 

The story is in "The National" as well as the Daily Mail 

 

Coats for Refugees

 At a time when a vocal minority of football supporters are booing their own team for supporting Black Lives Matter, this is a practical way to oppose racism.

Anti-racists are collecting coats in Southampton for refugees - a basic requirement in this weather.

You don't have to go to Southampton, in fact I would not recommend it under Covid restrictions, there is a giving page

https://care4calais.enthuse.com/coats4calais#!/