Citizenship revoked

If the government can revoke citizenship at the drop of a tabloid, presumably very few of us are safe. 

My father was born in Canada in 1914. I have had British nationality all my life. The new dispensation means I could be deported to Canada, Canada could say ‘not on your nelly’ and I would be up that well-known creek without a paddle. 

It is not only Shamima Begum’s rights which are on the line. Javid is attacking the rights of thousands of citizens in the UK. He has been described as a 'human shield’ for May's right-wing policies. It is no accident that the majority of the citizens affected will be from racial minorities - the very target of May's disgraceful 'hostile environment'.

Lord Acton observed that "all power tends to corrupt, absolute power corrupts absolutely." Javid was a Tory to start with, so he began from a low baseline. However this latest display of arrogance takes the biscuit.

People have had enough of this government. They can go. They never will be missed!

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Not-so Magnificent Seven

Billionaire Blair once had a vice-like grip on the Labour Party. Internal democracy was destroyed. Labour's Socialist objective was erased from the constitution, an orgy of privatisation followed, and a vicious imperialist war against Iraq led to thousands of unarmed civilians losing their lives.

To have the support of seven traitors is not all that magnificent in comparison. To read the Sun and the Daily Mail you would think this was the death of the Labour Party. On the contrary, to coin a phrase, "better out than in".

And any socialist would curl up and die of shame to be supported by the right wing press and fawned over by the BBC.

The honourable course would be to stand for re-election and see if the voters really want them but they are not the people for honourable courses. Chuka Amunna's volte-face on the issue of anti-semitism is a case in point.

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Heroes and Villains

John Mcdonnell's comments about Churchill's role in Tonypandy has sent the right-wing media and - to their shame - the BBC into hysterical fits. And yet the facts cannot be disputed, Churchill sent troops against striking miners. The odious Nicholas Soames leapt to Churchill's defence but failed to mention any of the historical events involved.Instead he implied that Churchill had single-handedly won the Second World War.

History is not made by heroes or villains and very few people can be summed up by one word.

Churchill did not originally oppose Fascism, he gave his wholehearted support to Mussolini in his "triumphant struggle against the bestial appetites and passions of Leninism."

No one person was responsible for the outcome of the war, millions were involved and millions died, many of them Russian. Presumably they had the "the bestial appetites and passions of Leninism," which Churchill so disliked.

It was, as Soames presumably forgets, a *world* war. It was not a single-handed conflict.

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This is Going to Hurt - Comedy and tragedy judiciously mixed

I think this is like several works of flash fiction in one book (except that it is non-fiction) and the diary format enables the writer to do that. 

The anecdotes elicit a range of responses. Some of them will cause you to p*ss yourself laughing (incontinence pads are available). Others will make you think about the ridiculous hours junior hospital doctors are working and wonder whether this is good for patient safety (it would seem not). The argument that "it was ever thus" gets short shrift. 

There are stories which will simply make you wince on behalf of the patients and some that are heartbreaking as well.

I enjoyed reading this book and I will not be giving any spoilers. I would just suggest that Adam Kay doesn't become an advertising copywriter for Jack Daniels or a bodyguard for Jeremy Hunt.

Adam Kay defends the NHS against the privatisers and he does it in a witty and engaging way. 

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Civil War over Brexit?

The Worthing Journal compared the dispute over Brexit with the English Civil War, Readers were asked to comment. I did, you can too.

I think both Remainers and Leavers have to admit that they *do not know* what the economic consequences of leaving or remaining will be. Britain could still leave the EU - a corrupt and unpopular institution - but remain in a customs union. Nobody voted to "leave Europe" that would be physically impossible.

I find the insults of Remainers objectionable. They imply (or indeed state) that anyone who voted differently is ignorant and stupid. That is not the way to gain votes for their cause

(My spelling checker wants me to replace "Remainers" with "remainders" but I won't). 

(The Levellers were the real democrats in Cromwell's army. I realise that as a Catholic the Roundheads might not have welcomed me with open arms but the fact is that "religious freedom for Catholics" was one of the original demands of the Levellers)

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May RIP?

Political obituaries for May have been written prematurely. Now she goes to the EU with demands they have rejected in advance and she will be glossed as the gallant leader standing up to the Eurocrats.  She has learnt that politics doesn't have to make sense, just satisfy the parliamentary Conservative party.

Backstop?

@theipaper has decided my name is Denis McMillan 😀

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Brexit Schmexit

The "Today" program on Radio 4 is getting ridiculous. John Humphrys has been castigated for saying the Irish Republic should join the UK. This firecracker was probably intended to liven up an interminable debate. I don't believe it would be a good idea. I would wager good money that John Humphrys doesn't either.

The BBC continues to push ad nauseam the story of the shortages of food and medicines which will 'inevitably' follow Brexit. There are only two problems with this crystal-ball gazing: a) nothing is inevitable except death and taxes b) the only shortages will be a result of gross incompetence on the part of the Tory government.

Posh Dave called a referendum with the intention of outfoxing his Eurosceptic opponents in the Tory Party. Instead the result was that Posh Dave had to resign and Theresa May took over.

Before anyone applauds, it is worth remembering May has been the worst Prime Minister since Margaret Thatcher. She has pandered to the worst racist elements by her "hostile environment" policy towards migrants. And for any Tory the main enemy is their own poor. Universal Credit has been a universal disaster driving down living standards and making more business for the ubiquitous food banks which are an index of the Tories success in waging war against those least able to defend themselves.

Most recently May has supported the US attempts to unseat the government of Venezuela. US-backed regimes do not have a particularly good track record.

As the CWI has pointed out (http://www.socialistworld.net/index.php/international/americas/venezuela/10089-venezuela-for-mass-mobilization-of-workers-to-build-real-socialism-and-put-an-end-to-corrupt-bureaucracy)



"Latin American governments that stand out for their reactionary and antisocial policies and their servility to Washington enthusiastically support the coup while cynically claiming to stand “for democracy.”

"You only have to see who leads this ‘Holy Alliance’ to understand what is at stake: the Colombian president Duque (linked to Urribe narcoparamilitarismo), the Ecuadorian President Moreno (The Judas of the Ecuadorian left) President Macri (responsible for the brutal cuts that have provoked the Argentine people to rise up on their feet and fight) or the Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández (organizer of an electoral fraud with the support of the White House last year and responsible for the repression and murder of dozens of protesters).

"As is to be expected applauding enthusiastically from the other side of the Atlantic are the European right and far right in Spain with Pablo Casado from the PP, Albert Rivera (Cuidadanos) and the fascistic elements of Vox in the front.line."

Nice friends Theresa May has.

If Brexit can remove this blot from the landscape it will be no bad thing. However, the Blairite policy of a second referendum is mainly motivated by the fact that a general election would expose the complete uselessness of 'bog-standard' Blairites like Alistair Campbell.

A general election would bring to the fore the issue of austerity. A victory for "Remain" in a referendum would be a green light for the EU policy of austerity which was imposed on Greece. And a victory for "Leave" would be a green light for more of the same from the British Tories who never needed any encouragement to attack the living standards of the working class.

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Tombland

Tombland
CJ Sansom
ISBN 978-1447284482

"Tombland" is the latest of the Shardlake series by C.J. Sansom. It is a murder mystery set in the 16th Century. There are no spoilers in this review about who the murderer was. However, the story is set against the real historical background of the Kett rebellion.

In the reign of Edward VI (when real power resided with his uncle, the Duke of Somerset who reigned in his name) the gentry and yeoman farmers had taken to enclosing land and giving it over to sheep. They forced small farmers off the land which was also given over to sheep production. Not only did the people lose the use of common land for their own sheep but agriculture was devastated. 

As a result of a disastrous war with Scotland and the debasement of the currency prices rose out of control while wages stagnated.

One Norfolk yeoman farmer, Robert Kett, was approached by rebellious commoners who demanded he remove the enclosures he had made. Not only did he do so but he ended up leading the rebellion in Norfolk which became the largest of its kind in the country.

An estimated force of 16000 rebels set up a massive camp on Mousehold Heath to the North of Norwich. Under Kett's leadership, the rebels stormed Norwich and took the city. The workers in the city sympathised with the rebels and assisted the takeover. The forces of the aristocracy thought the rebels would be a walkover and sent an army against them under the Marquess of Northampton. He was comprehensively defeated.

The rebels however had faith that the government genuinely intended to deliver on its promise to end illegal enclosures. That is a bit like expecting the 1 percent to act in the interests of the 99 percent. Instead the King's army under the Earl of Warwick was sent to massacre the rebels with the aid of 1200 mercenaries.

The story is a useful antidote to books and TV series about the pomp and ceremony of the Tudor court and the intrigues of the aristocracy. The flip side of that coin was the unimaginable brutality with which aristocrats like Warwick treated the commoners. He only stopped because the gentlemen did not fancy putting their own hands to the plough so repentant commoners were spared.

Even a book about the 16th Century has a valuable lesson. Not only does it show the power of the common people to fight for justice but also the perfidious nature of the upper classes.

Page and Spine - the Derek McMillan page

Page and Spine - the Derek McMillan Page. Someone has done their homework! I edited "Pieces of Eight" I wrote some of the stories I didn't write all of it. 
I can't take credit for "Death Agony of Capitalism" either but I did write an intro and notes on Trotsky's classic. The rest are mine.

The link is here

About Worthing Flash

The blog, http://worthingflash.blogspot.com has been going since 4th July 2018. It was launched at an event at the Chichester Festival. However, the people who attended that event were from Worthing so I think it would be a good idea to hold an event in Worthing, for example at St Paul's, on 4th July to showcase your flash fiction.

I appreciate some of our writers are from India, New Zealand, Nigeria and the United States so this is a call to those a little nearer to home.

For a change this year I would invite members of the audience to bring their own flash fiction (stories of less than 1000 words, sometimes a lot less) so they can participate more.

I promise faithfully that I will not use a powerpoint!

I will go ahead if I have volunteers to take part. This is your cue to volunteer. email me on derekmcmillan1951@gmail.com

If a lot of people cannot make 4th July but (for example) 3rd July then we can probably compromise on that. We have a reasonable amount of time.

I was proposing to sell tickets on the door for 1 pound which will not break the bank!

Derek McMillan

Les Miserables

The character played by Dominic West, prisoner 24601, Jean Valjean, dominates the narrative of the BBC production of Les Miserables. There are no spoilers in this review but his fate represents the incredible injustice of the regime in France and the appalling treatment of the poor in the wake of the defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo.

Fantine and her impossible task of keeping her daughter and her job is brilliantly portrayed by  Lily Collins. If the poor in general had a rough deal in that period, the working class women suffered it twofold.
The vicious behaviour of Javert, the policeman played by David Oyelowo is a personalisation of the cruelty of the law.

Those familiar with the musical version will remember the comic roles of Thernardier and his wife. The dark side of the characters is much more to the fore in this adaptation. However, the scene in episode three where Mrs Thernadier (Olivia Colman) is making a game out of beating Cosette to the great amusement of the clientele of their inn is brilliantly choreographed. It is a situation in which the laughter of the audience is crueller than the actions of the actor.

For all the darkness, the novel and this adaptation both offer a message of hope. Jean Valjean's personal struggle for redemption could be a metaphor for the redemption of French society which the revolutionaries of the day, like the Gilet Jaune of today, seek to bring about.

Socialists should be inspired by this story.

Derek McMillan

WSO Viennese New Year Concert

We attended the Worthing Symphony Orchestra Viennese New Year Concert in the Assembly Hall on Sunday 6th January.

The concert was a blend of the familiar and the unfamiliar. There were a total of four works by Johann Strauss the Second and one by Johann Strauss the First (the Radetzky March). The common theme of the music was gaiety.

Leon Jessel's "March of the Tin Soldiers" was included. The program recorded the fact that his work was banned in Germany and Austria because of his Jewish ancestry.

Perhaps the most unexpected addition was the inclusion of "The Teddy Bear's Picnic" by John W Bratton as the penultimate work.

The whole evening was a wonderful experience.

Conductor, John Gibbons did an excellent job although he did tend towards the anecdotal. The audience went away knowing more about his rose garden than they realised they needed to know.

The BBC? Misleading?

You will be as shocked as I was to find the BBC being misleading. And it was about Brexit - they talk of little else.

Polly Toynbee of the Social Democrats was giving instructions to the Labour Party  as is her habit and she said that a majority of Labour voters supported Remain.

In fact in 60 percent of Labour seats the majority was for "Leave" and the electoral system means that winning seats is what counts in a general election. You might think she would know that.

Bullying and workload - Coronation Street hits the target

Coronation Street has a storyline about a teacher being bullied by senior management. It rang a few bells for me. 

I ran a helpline for stressed teachers and SMT were often more of a problem than the most ‘challenging' pupil. My advice to Brian in Corrie or anyone else who recognises his plight? Ring the union: you shouldn’t have to face this alone. The relentless piling on of workload and the consequent health problems are 100 percent a union issue.

And well done Corrie, 10/10 for relevance to the problems of #workload and #bullying.

Classroom Teacher Manual- advice for teachers from teachers

Universal Credit

Universal Credit has not been a universal success.

Universal Credit replaces:

• income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
• income-related Employment and Support Allowance
• Income Support
• Child Tax Credits
• Working Tax Credits
• Housing benefit.
• 
  

However people have had to wait months to get the money. In general these people are not in a position to live on daddy's money for a month. The government simply didn't think of that. That is how out of touch they are.

Then there is the fact (verified by www.learnmyway.com) that "Universal Credit is an online service so you need to be able to use computers and the internet."

They also state that users will require a mobile phone, an email address and a bank account. Not everyone has all these things. How someone who is receiving no money is supposed to get a mobile phone is a question which is not answered.
Sanctions are part of the government initiative to create a 'hostile environment' for the poor. Sanctions vary but potentially they can be harsh. 

And what kind of crimes can you be sanctioned for? "If you are judged to have used offensive language in person, on the phone or in writing, it could be seen as failing to meet your claimant commitment. This could leave you at risk of sanctions.If y

The longest sanction is for 3 years. This would be because of serious failure to meet commitments 3 times in one year. And how you live on nothing for three years? Do the Tories look like they care?

Usually, sanctions will apply until you carry out the action you have been sanctioned for plus one week.

http://www.learnmyway.com provides useful information. A French solution - (going out on the streets and bringing down the government) is also an alternative.

Unite has a campaign against this farcical system on behalf of members like myself who are not in employment. I have a pension. Plenty of people do not.

1. Abandon the long waits for claimants to receive money.
2. Allow people to apply for Universal Credit in a jobcentre, not just online.
3. Provide people with better help when the system fails them.
4. Pay landlords directly to stop people getting into rent arrears and losing their homes.
5. End benefit sanctions for all claimants.

A Thatcherite is dead

@BBCBreaking baroness Trumpington will be mourned by Pugh, Pugh, Barney McGrew, Cuthbert, Dibble and Grub. Nobody else mourns a Thatcherite. 

Idoku trick

I am no expert on sudoku but a useful trick with the i sudoku is shown here.

Whatever number is at the z location in the bottom square will be the same as the number labelled z in the centre square and vice versa.

 With the x/y numbers, whichever numbers are in those positions in the lower square will be replicated in the top square. This trick cuts both ways. If a number cannot be at one z location it cannot be at the other z location.

Likewise, if a number cannot be at either of the x/y locations in the top square it cannot be at those locations in the bottom square.

Look at the idoku. The central line of nine squares contains the same numbers as the i shape. The rule of idoku is that the numbers one to nine must be in the letter i on the sudoku

The number at z in the bottom square precludes any of the small orange squares in that larger square from being that number. It also precludes three of the orange squares in the central square and the solitary orange dot in the top square.

I hope that is clear.

Tim Loughton MP

Tim Loughton MP fines anyone at the DfE who begins a sentence with the word, "So". So what?

According to Wikipedia:
"So is an English word that, apart from its other uses, has become increasingly popular in recent years as a coordinating conjunctive opening word in a sentence. This device is particularly used when answering questions although the questioner may also use the device."

So perhaps Loughton could put that in his pipe and smoke it while relaxing in his bath?

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OpenDyslexic font

I have begun the process of putting my books into OpenDyslexia Font. This font makes it easier for people with dyslexia to read. It is a pity that blogger do not include it.

Amazon were unable to do this so I resorted to Lulu self-publishing. My page is here

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Lest we forget

In the First World War over 16 million people died. The war killed almost 7 million civilians and 10 million military personnel.

For the generals and the politicians it was a great war. For everybody else it was great that it was over. 

Nobody can appear on the BBC without wearing a poppy of some description but this is sheer hypocrisy.  Of course any personality on BBC could give money to a good cause without making a song and dance about it.

The BBC also avoided mentioning the words of the longest surviving World War 1 veteran:
"The politicians who took us to war should have been given the guns and told to settle their differences themselves, instead of organising nothing better than legalised mass murder" - Harry Patch, Britain's longest surviving WW1 veteran. Died 2009 #RemembranceDay2018 


The money from sales of poppies provide welfare predominantly for war veterans. In other words the poppy fund subsidises the work the government ought to be doing. Politicians don't die in war but they send better people than themselves to die or be horribly injured. The politicians then appear in public wearing their hypocritical poppies too. 

The Russian revolution put an end to the first world war but the BBC can hardly be expected to mention that!