Rhondda Records is with you every day bringing the news ------- that gives a view of world events different to the mainstream media or social media!
Except Sundays - our day of rest.
Image: we're back!
Let Venezuela live ------ in peace and
tranquility, Diosdado Cabello asked.
April 22nd, 2:13pm
(Prensa Latina)
The sectoral vice president of Politics, Citizen Security and Peace
Diosdado Cabello today demanded that the extremist sectors let
the Bolivarian Republic live in peace and tranquility.
Participating this Wednesday in the pilgrimage "United for a
Venezuela without sanctions - and in peace", in the state
of Cojedes (west), the political leader stressed - that
from north to south and from east to west of the
nation, love prevails .......to move this
country forward.
The haters should make their way: and understand that
this Venezuela today, cries out for the blockade and
sanctions to cease, he stressed.
"But, in addition, let us live in peace and tranquility,"
he said, while denouncing that those who call for
this to be an anarchic territory - if they do not
please them, "we tell them: here, there are
Venezuelans willing to work for peace
and tranquility."
The Bolivarian Minister for Relations, Interior, Justice and Peace
said that Cojedes is a land of workers, peasants, youth,
students and women, who have been able to get
ahead without having resources such as oil
and have done so through the work of
each Cojedeño.
Regarding the pilgrimage, which began last Sunday and will
conclude on May 1, with a large gathering in Caracas,
Cabello said that it is not a one-off event, but
a process ---- that will continue.
In this regard, he called to become pastors: to go and talk
with those who still have doubts and feel that this is not
the route of the path of peace.
Just as they rejoiced, he said, when they bombed the country
- as happened on January 3 - when constitutional President
Nicolás Maduro and the first combatant and deputy Cilia
Flores --- were kidnapped - and just as they continue
to ask --- for sanctions and blockades.
The secretary general of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela
assured that the Bolivarian Republic "has the right to fly,
to be free, sovereign and independent, and we
are going to achieve it."
"I tell you that good things are coming for
Cojedes and Venezuela," the political
leader predicted.
In the context of the pilgrimage and as part of the calls of the
president in charge Delcy Rodríguez to achieve coexistence
and peace among Venezuelans, various sectors of the
political, social, business and sports events of
Cojedes ...signed an agreement.
The National Experimental University of the Western Plains
Ezequiel Zamora hosted the symbolic pact between ten
representatives of Cojede's society, led by Cabello.
The document expressed the feelings of the signatories and
the majority of Venezuelans to join the great day of
national pilgrimage .....for "a Venezuela free of
sanctions, the total lifting of the blockade
and for peace."
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China's Foreign Ministry Reaffirms
Support for Cuba ---- in the Face
of Threats
April 21st, 4:56am
(Prensa Latina)
The Chinese Foreign Ministry today reiterated its support for
Cuba in the face of foreign interference and again urged the
United States to listen to the voice of justice.
"Recently, countries and people from various sectors in the
U.S. expressed their opposition to the U.S. blockade
against Cuba. The U.S. government must listen to
the right voice --- and immediately end its
blockade, sanctions and any form of
coercion and pressure against
Cuba," spokesman Guo
Jiakun said.
The spokesperson reiterated Beijing's readiness to work
with all parties to support the island in safeguarding its
sovereignty and national security, as well as opposing
external interference.
China stated on several occasions, that it will continue its
"support and assistance" in the face of repeated threats
from the United States, and condemned Washington's
pressures ----- that "compromise regional peace
and stability."
Recently, a cultural exchange between children and young
people from Cuba and China .....also became an event of
international support for the Caribbean island in the
face of recent threats from the United States.
In statements to Prensa Latina, Cuba's ambassador to China,
Alberto Blanco, said that international solidarity with the
island responds to its historical vocation to support
other countries.
Gabriel Chan, a member of the Central Committee of the
Communist Youth League of China, reaffirmed that
organization's support for the "just struggle of
the Cuban people - against imperialism
and hegemony."
Chan stressed to Prensa Latina that for more than 60 years
the youth organizations of both countries have maintained
exchanges .....to strengthen mutual understanding and
advance the socialist cause.
Also in an interview with Prensa Latina, Argentine researcher
Emiliano Lopez, present at that event, considered that
supporting Cuba in the current context constitutes
"a demonstration of humanity."
López pointed out that the island contributed to the world
"a human vision of revolutionary simplicity and concern
for others."
For her part, the Brazilian Carolina Igomie highlighted the
importance of internationalism -- and expressed her
desire to continue supporting the resistance
of the Cuban people.
The statements come in a context of broad international
support for Cuba after the latest threats from the US
and President Donald Trump.
Image: People hold up a banner as they protest against Israel at the entrance of the International Criminal Court.
Big defeatto big lies: Trump peddles
Iran 'discord' fiction....to mask
US military, strategic defeat
April 23rd 1:02pm
by Press TV Strategic Analysis
After 40 days of the failed military adventure against the
Islamic Republic of Iran, followed by the diplomatic
debacle in Islamabad with Iran calling the shots,
a new reality is settling over the region, one
that Washington is desperately trying
to obscure.
The US war machine not only failed to achieve its stated
objectives – a widely acknowledged reality – but it also
suffered its most significant military and strategic
defeat in decades.
And now, unable to accept that reality, it has fallen
back on its oldest weapon: the "big lie."
A defeat on two fronts
The first battlefield was military, as the US was eager
to reveal their much-hyped “military card,” bragging
of being the “most powerful military in the world.”
For over a month, the United States – backed by its most
advanced naval assets, air power, and the full weight of
its global & regional alliances – attempted to pressure
the Iranian nation into submission or retreat.
The result: A humiliating defeat --- that quickly revealed the
limits of much-hyped US power. From the strategic waters
of the Persian Gulf to the skies over Yemen and Lebanon,
Iran and its allies in the Axis of Resistance not only held
their ground but dictated the terms of engagement,
forcing the aggressors to plead for a ceasefire.
By the time the guns fell silent, it was Washington, not
Tehran, that was begging for a ceasefire – not once,
but twice. The first request ---- came immediately
after the imposed war had completed 40 days --
when the US agreed to Iran’s 10-point proposal.
The second came as a unilateral extension earlier this
week, wrapped in the language of magnanimity but
born of necessity. It was not a sign of goodwill.
It was a strategic retreat.
The negotiating table has proven no kinder to the US.
Time and again, US officials have sought to frame
the post-war dynamic ...as one requiring Iranian
concessions: excessive limits on the missile
program, the removal of enriched uranium,
and the dismantling of ties with the
resistance front.
Yet every single one of these demands has been met with
Iranian steadfastness – backed overwhelmingly by public
opinion. The latest poll by Iran's IRIB Research Centre
found an overwhelming majority of Iranians --- reject
each of these core US conditions.
The survey, conducted during and after the war, revealed
that 85.7 percent of respondents said Iran should not
accept restrictions on its missile industry, while
82.6 percent opposed the removal of 400
kilograms of enriched uranium from
the country.
Also, 79.4 percent of people rejected shutting
down uranium enrichment, as a US condition.
Public opposition extends to core issues of sovereignty
and regional strategy as well. The poll showed that
73.7 percent of Iranians said the country should
not accept the unrestricted passage of ships
through the strategic Strait of Hormuz, and
68.1% opposed severing cooperation with
the Resistance Front.
With this level of popular support, the Iranian side –
which clearly holds the upper hand – has no
reason.... to offer any concessions. The
opposing side - has won nothing: not
on land, or at sea, or on the table.
And in the end it is always the
winner who takes it all.
The manufactured "internal disagreement"
Having lost all military and strategic leverage, Washington
has now – quite unsurprisingly and predictably – resorted
to its trademark practice: the fabrication of lies. In this
context, that means peddling the so-called "internal
discord" within Iran's leadership.
The narrative being pushed by US policy wonks suggests
that senior Iranian figures ..are divided over the future of
negotiations and the continuation of the imposed war.
But this is not intelligence. It is not journalism. It is
propaganda straight from the Goebbels playbook:
repeat a lie loudly enough, and public opinion
will eventually accept it as truth.
The claim is demonstrably false. Iran's silence in the face
of repeated enemy overtures is not a sign of weakness
or infighting. On the contrary, it is a calculated
strategic posture.
For decades, the United States operated on a comfortable
assumption: that Iran's reactions were predictable – a
known diplomatic rhythm that could be anticipated
and exploited.
That era ---- is now over. Iran has entered a new phase of
asymmetrical engagement with the enemy, one defined
by unpredictability, strategic patience, and an absolute
refusal to be read before entering the room. This very
element of unpredictability has left the enemy
bewildered, and it’s no longer a secret.
And that bewilderment is palpable. When the US Secretary
of the Navy resigns in the midst of a naval confrontation –
the most expensive and strategically vital branch of
the entire US military – it signals something far
deeper than routine political turnover.
It signals a deep and irreparable fracture at the very heart
of the US decision-making apparatus. More than that, it
points to a rotten system that is imploding from within.
Strategic silenceas a weapon
Perhaps nothing has unnerved Washington more than
Iran's "silence" regarding reports of the next round
of negotiations in Islamabad. By refusing to
engage with the enemy's narrative, Iran
has denied the US...... the very thing it
needs most: a predictable opponent.
Every US strategy – whether war plan or diplomatic
overture – was built on decades of familiarity
with Iranian behaviour. That familiarity ----
is now worthless.
Their silence, is not an absence of strategy.
It is the strategy: and Iran has mastered it.
If there remains any doubt about Iran's position, the
Iranian people have settled it. The IRIB poll is not
merely a dataset; it is a political document and
a telling statement.
When 66 percent of Iranians believe their country is the
decisive victor of the war, when 87.2 percent rate the
performance of Iran's armed forces as strong or
very strong, and - most crucially - when 57.7%
believe the US needs a ceasefire more than
Iran does, something profound has shifted.
These figures mark a staggering reversal of the familiar
power dynamic. They spell out, in unmistakable terms,
that a new dynamic is at work. The old rules ....no
longer apply.
These numbers are not abstract. They come from a
population that endured 40 days of airstrikes and
bombings, which gave over 3,000 martyrs, and
saw its homes destroyed.
And that same population has delivered a clear message
to its leaders: do not compromise our dignity. Do not
concede our rights. We prefer war over humiliation.
The biggest defeat ...in a generation
The United States - has not lost a battle here or there. It has
lost a major war. It has lost its strategic footing. It has lost
the initiative. And now, stripped of all credible leverage,
it has lost ......whatever was left of its standing on the
global stage.
The fake news about internal Iranian disagreements - is not
a sign of US confidence. It is a symptom of US desperation
after suffering significant losses.
For 40 days, the world watched as the most powerful military
in history was held to a standstill. In the aftermath, that
stalemate has hardened into a new strategic reality:
Iran and the Axis of Resistance are more united
than ever, Iran's hand is stronger than ever,
and the US has nothing to show for its
aggression .........except a string of
resignations and recycled lies.
The big lie will not change the big defeat.
And history ------- will record everything.
Image: Ivo Lola Ribar's Birth Day
Today, April 23rd, in 1916,
Ivan Ribar,
known as Ivo Lola or Ivo Lolo,
communist and military leader,
is born.
In the 1930s, he became one of the closest associates of
Josip Broz Tito, leader of the Yugoslav Communist Party.
In 1936, Ribar became secretary of the Central Committee
of SKOJ (Young Communist League of Yugoslavia).
In 1940, the Kingdom of Yugoslavia authorities
incarcerated him in prison, for being a member of the Communist Party.
During World War II in Yugoslavia, Ribar was among the main
leaders of the Yugoslav Partisans and a member of the
Partisan Supreme Headquarters. During the war, he
founded and ran several leftist youth magazines.
In 1942, Ribar was among the founders of the Unified
League of Anti-Fascist Youth of Yugoslavia (USAOJ).
He was killed by a German bomb in 1943 - while boarding an airplane for Cairo, where he was to become the first representative of Communist Yugoslavia to the Middle East Command.
In 1944, Ribar was awarded the title of People's Hero
of Yugoslavia. Lola was the older of two sons of
Ivan Ribar, the first President of Yugoslavia.
The rest of his family was also involved in the Communist
resistance movement. His younger brother Jurica died in
about the same time in October 1943 near Kolašin. His
mother, Tonica, was killed in the Syrmian village of
Kupinovo.. in July 1944. Additionally, his fiancé,
Sloboda Trajkovic - also in the revolutionary
movement, was imprisoned and gassed to
death.. in Banjica concentration camp
together with all of her family, after
refusing to write a letter...... that
would get him... to give up his
location.. when his letter to
her got intercepted.
The letter he wrote to his girlfriend Sloboda Trajkovic.
She never received it - she was killed before he died.
Dear my one and only,
Writing this letter, I firmly hope - I'm an optimist, as always!
- that it will never reach you but that we will see each other and always remain together. Because this letter is written
for that purpose.
At this moment, as we embark on the final, decisive stage of
the battle upon which, among other things, our personal
future and happiness depend - I want to tell you a few
simple and straightforward things.
In my life, there are only two things: my duty to our sacred
goal and my love for you, my dearest. Our happiness and
the life we wanted could not, like millions of others, be
achieved in isolation, but only through our struggle
and victory. And so these two things are
essentially one within me.
Know, my dear, that you are the only one I have loved and
still love. I have dreamed and still dream of our common
happiness - the kind we wanted, a happiness worthy
of free people. That is the only true happiness, the only one worth desiring.
If you receive this letter - if I do not live to see that great
moment, do not grieve too much, my dearest! In the
world where you will then live, you will find,
always alive, the best part of me and all my love for you.
I am sure that your path will be right and as it should be. On
it, on the path of life, you will find revenge and happiness.
I love you very, very much, my only one! And I hope you never
receive this letter, but that together with you, I will welcome
the great moment of victory. I want to make you as happy
with my love ...as you deserve.
Always yours.
FIFA World Cup boycott‘self-evident’
under Trump’s ‘racist, vile’ regime:
Activist
April 14th, 9:03am
by Mohammad Ali Haqshenas
The United States is no longer a safe or credible host for a global
sporting event ----- with sweeping travel bans, rising internal repression, and an increasingly aggressive foreign policy,
making a boycott of the 2026 World Cup -- not radical:
but inevitable, according to an activist and artist.
In an interview with the Press TV website, Willie Dowling, an
activist .....who also happens to be a multi-instrumentalist,
singer and composer, said there were "enough reasons"
for the world to boycott the FIFA World Cup to be
co-hosted by the US before the announcement
of recent restrictions placed on travel.
Dowling’s case begins with borders - and who is allowed to cross
them. Even before new restrictions were announced in January
2026, he noted that 19 countries were already subject to full
entry bans to the US, with another nineteen ----- facing
partial restrictions.
“Without exception, all of the nations banned
or partially banned ....have mostly non-white
populations,” he told the Press TV website.
“The extraordinarily rapid decline of the United States ---- into an
even more racist, authoritarian nation --- than it has historically
been should be reason enough not to go there for the football.”
The bans, he believes, are not bureaucratic hurdles but warnings.
“This should serve as a warning to everyone that it is not safe
to go to the US, particularly if you are non-white.”
These concerns are no longer theoretical. Campaigns urging fans,
players, and national associations to stay away from the US-
hosted tournament have gained momentum across Europe,
Latin America, Africa, and parts of Asia.
The possibility of a direct boycott by a competing nation
has also become a reality in the wake of the Trump
regime’s acts of aggression abroad.
Iran could essentially boycott the World Cup in response to the
unprovoked US-Israeli war of aggression ---- which began on
February 28 and targeted the country's nuclear facilities,
schools, hospitals, and bridges, as well as its
sports infrastructure.
Pointing to the "malicious actions carried out against Iran,"
Iranian Sports Minister Ahmad Donyamali stated recently,
"Our players do not have security, and fundamentally
the conditions for participation do not exist."
The US government - has also restricted Iran's participation. While
FIFA president Gianni Infantino claimed -- that the Iranian team is
"welcome to compete," the US president warned that the Iranian
team’s "life and safety" would be at risk ------- if it participated in
the event.
Trump administration has also barred travelers from Iran and
three other World Cup-participating countries, and multiple
Iranian delegates already had their visas denied before
December’s group-stage draw.
Activist groups cite visa denials, expanded anti-immigration
policies, internal security crackdowns, and US military
aggression abroad. Some governments.. have quietly
raised concerns about whether fans and journalists
can enter — and remain — safely.
Dowling sees a boycott as leverage. “Nor is it wise to give
Trump and his regime --------- anything they can use as a
successful publicity event,” he noted.
Individual choices matter, he argued, because - they scale.
“As individuals, we can’t do much to help bring down this
vile regime, but little actions by millions of people — like
not buying US goods --- or not travelling to the US — will
start to hit the US economy and thereby affect Trump’s
standing with his own MAGA zealots,” he stated.
The argument extends well beyond immigration. Dowling
pointed to foreign policy and to broken promises. “Let’s
remember Trump campaigned to win the Presidency
on a policy of ‘No more foreign wars’ and ‘No more
regime changes’.”
The reality, he added, looks very different. “And yet in
under a year he has bombed several countries, and
militarily threatened five others, including long-
standing allies.”
In Dowling’s view, these actions are not just aggressive but
also unlawful. “All of his military interventions fly in the
face of International Law and Human Rights."
Against that backdrop --- the idea of hosting the world’s biggest
sporting event in the US, feels absurd to him. “In light of this,
it seems almost extraordinary to me - that there is even a
question about boycotting the World Cup in the US.”
He drew a direct comparison. “The existential threat coming
from the US far exceeds that of any other nation on the
planet, and since Russia has experienced a boycott,
it seems perfectly logical - if not blindingly obvious
that the USA should be boycotted, internationally
isolated and sanctioned.”
For Dowling, the issue is credibility. “What good is ‘rules-based
order’ if the most powerful nation in the world consistently
flaunts any rule they choose to?”
The danger, he hastened to add, is not only external, but
domestic. “Incidentally, it’s interesting that Trump said:
‘No more foreign wars’ - because it looks increasingly
likely that he’s going to spark a civil war in the US.”
Dowling believes internal unrest - may be politically useful.
“I suspect he’s continually provoking dissent and protest
in the US in order to declare a national emergency and
invoke the Insurrection Act, thereby cancelling the
midterm elections --- which he would otherwise
lose and then face immediate impeachment
and probably jail.”
And.. he sees a longer game. “And should he succeed in
cancelling the midterms, he’ll undoubtedly seek a way
to cancel the 2028 election.”
The implications, he noted -- are chilling. “This increasingly
authoritarian grip and the casual willingness of the Trump
regime to either censor, jail, extradite, or even murder
those of a different colour, or those in opposition to
them are reasons enough to boycott the football.”
Some calls to stay away have come from inside football itself.
Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter and several European
officials recently suggested fans would be safer
watching from home .....rather than going all
the way to the stadiums in the US.
Dowling’s criticism sharpened - when it
turned to FIFA’s conduct under Trump.
He cited “the ludicrous ‘Peace Award’ the football governing
body presented to Trump, only days before he bombed
Venezuela to steal their oil.”
The timing, he added, came “long after the US
military assaults on other nations in the
previous months of 2025.”
“The idea of Trump qualifying for any award in the name
of peace is laughable,” Dowling said. “And FIFA
inexplicably made themselves part of that
ridiculous hypocrisy.”
At the heart of the boycott argument is exclusion. “The ban on
travel and the visa policies imposed by the US extend almost
exclusively to nations that have predominantly non-white
populations,” Dowling stated.
“This is typical of the Trump regime … of course, they
consistently deny their racism, but one only needs
to observe their actions: to see that they don’t
match the rhetoric.”
He described a governing style built on misinformation, referring
to the Trump administration. “This is a regime that has adopted
lying --- as its key strategy.” He invokes a phrase popularized by
Trump’s former adviser. “As Steve Bannon said — with strong
echoes of Joseph Goebbels — ‘Flood the zone with shit’.”
The goal, Dowling argues, is distraction.
“I suspect they might have been even further down the line with
their objectives had they not started to attack their own white
population in democratic states, particularly recently --- in
Minnesota,” he added, pointing to the recent violence.
The standard, he said, is racial. “The US and indeed the Western
world -------- tends to be more tolerant towards murder -------- if it’s
non-whites that are being killed.”
Which brings him back to football. And to first principles. “How
can a sporting event be described as ‘global’ ....if 39% of the
world’s nations ---- are exempt from the racist whims of
the Trump regime?”
For Dowling, the conclusion needs no embellishment.
“Taking all of the above into account.... I’d suggest
that the moral case for a boycott is self-evident.”
Image: No thanks to Israeli goods App
The world and her daughter are calling for a boycott of the genocidal colonial apartheid state of Israel.
Place yourself on the right side of joy and sorrow by joining the world's boycott - say ''no'' to evil!
Keir Hardie - Britain's first Labour MP - opposedWorld War One.
His namesake is stammering his way in the opposite direction.
VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV
ROGER WATERS TO MUSICIANS:- "BOYCOTT ISRAEL"
Roger Waters formerly of Pink Floyd, in an open letter, calls on his fellow musicians --- to boycott the Zionist Israeli regime and follow the example of the cultural boycott against the ex S. African Apartheid regime.
“Given the inability or unwillingness of our governments [to act] …. I write to you now, my brothers and sisters … to ask you to join with me, & thousands of other artists around the world, to declare a cultural boycott on Israel,” Roger Waters says in his letter.
Waters says the Zionist regime has been found guilty of major breaches of human rights and international law by international organizations, UN officials and the International Court of Justice.
He touches on two such cases, saying the regime has been identified as perpetrating the “crime of Apartheid”, including in a statement on March 9th, 2012 by the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, and the “crime of ethnic cleansing” including in East Jerusalem (al-Quds).
Waters adds that he has been a member of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign against the Israeli regime’s occupation of the Palestinian lands and Tel Aviv’s violations of Palestinian human rights for 7 years, and now wants other musicians to also join the anti-Israeli front.
“Please join me and all our brothers and sisters in global civil society in proclaiming our rejection of Apartheid in Israel & occupied Palestine, by pledging not to perform or exhibit in Israel or accept any award or funding from any institution linked to the government of Israel, until such time as Israel complies with international law and universal principles of human rights.”
The former Pink Floyd Musician also says he has recently faced a boycott by the US media after his November 29th, 2012 address at the UN on behalf of the Russell Tribunal.
In the address, he sought accountability for the Zionist regime’s violations of the international law and the lack of United Nations resolve that prevents the Palestinian people from achieving their inalienable rights, especially the right of self-determination.
____________________
AT THE FACTORY
Tickets from
www.wegottickets.com/thefactory
www.ticketweb.co.uk
browse venues in Wales
www.ticketlineuk.com
02920 230130
Cash tickets from:
The Factory, Porth Instrumental Music, Penygraig Spillers Records, Cardiff
Indulge in a delicious cake and a cup of tea while enjoying music and sing-along songs from fantastic Welsh musicians.
Ticket information:
The Cultural Services Booking & Information Line:
08000 147 111 or book online at
www.rct-arts.co.ukÂÂ
*************************************************
Mid Rhondda Modelling Club...
7pm - 9pm
Tonyrefail Comprehensive School Mid Rhondda Modelling Club
has been running for over 30 years.
We meet on a regular basis
& enjoy making models for display.
We encourage both Gentlemen
and Ladies to attend, and also young people aged 12+.
However, Young people under 16, must be accompanied by an adult.
Ticket information
£1 contribution every week. Under 16's free
Telephone Mr. Davies on 01443 686658
************************************************
Comedy In The Laughter Lounge
The Park & Dare Theatre, Treorchy.
COMEDY IN THE LAUGHTER LOUNGE
Join us once a month in the intimate setting of the Laughter Lounge for some top notch comedy with some of the biggest and brightest rising comedians on the circuit.
Laugh? You'll snort like a pig!
Hilarious - TimeOut.
www.rct-arts.co.uk
Rhondda Records exists to express the Rhondda's vision --- when it was confident, powerful, caring, and socialist.
A Rhondda very aware of the media's poisonous tricks -- how they con working class people into attacking each other, or racial groups, or, often, even their best allies and friends... instead of seeing their real enemies:--- an elite who hate the very idea that working people can think, create, or achieve a fairer society.
Thatcher said her proudest achievement was Blair and New Labour - who parachuted in careerists and expenses fiddlers - to stop local Labour members having a say, and who made genuine socialist MPs leave the Labour party in disgust and many members and voters to despair... and the young to stop voting.
Jeremy Corbyn was always attacked because he was trying to reverse all that New Labour corruption --- that's why membership was flooding in all over the UK.
______________________________________
Get Involved!
– If you feel you’ve been ‘purged’, take this online survey:
– Request all your own data that the Labour Party holds on you:
http://www.labour.org.uk/pages/privacy
_______________________________________
IF - YOU THINK you HAVE BEEN UNFAIRLY BARRED:
“Any member who is suspended & intends to appeal the decision should throw in a ‘Subject Access Request in accordance with the Data Protection Act’ --- for ALL data that the Labour Party hold on them.
The Labour Party are Data Controllers and therefore have to, by law, provide you with all material/information they hold on you.”
If anyone is in contact with anyone who was barred from voting --- please can you pass this info on:
The Labour leadership election was under the jurisdiction of the electoral reform services.
If you were unfairly deprived of your vote you can call them on 0208 365 8909 and lodge your complaint, and inform them of your Data Protection request.
https://www.electoralreform.co.uk
The notification letters barring new members did not give a clear reason, or information on how to appeal, so Vox Political suggests that anyone in this situation, could also contact Liz Davies here: http://www.whycantivote.com
She is a barrister --- who can advise members on what to do.
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PONCY LABOUR MPS PROBLEM?
A huge drop in working-class Labour MPs, caused a massive drop in support among voters with similar backgrounds, reveals research seeking to explain why support has dwindled in the party’s heartlands.
The study says past leaders like Kinnock and Blair made a concerted effort to pick “more and more middle-class candidates to run for office, during the 80s and 90s, as part of an effort to rebrand” -- which had initial successes at the ballot box.
But this “conscious electoral strategy” stored up problems, as working-class voters who initially, just didn’t vote in response, now seek an alternative.
The solution?Trust each constituency to put forward its own candidates, and don't impose ‘party-approved’ choices who can't do the job.
Now, unfortunately, there are "entryist" MPs who, for decades, have been groomed by CIA cold war relic organisations -- like the Atlantic Council -- and are now trying to misdirect the Labour Party towards cuts, a militarised police, and a US war agenda... - and their anti-Corbyn slant is hobbling Labour.
‘How Can I Deselect My Labour MP?’ A Short Guide to Reselection and Democratic Accountability by Eric Sim, excellent free advice here:
http://novaramedia.com/2016/07/13/how-can-i- deselect-my-labour-mp-a-short-guide-to- reselection-and-democratic-accountability/ CHRIS BRYANT - SUPPORT THE MEMBERS' LEADERSHIP CHOICE & POLICIES - OR GO!
Chris Bryant, the Rhondda's dodgy MP, was on TV -- as soon as the PLP coup started -- telling us that Jeremy MUST go, because it was the ONLY way to act in the Labour Party's interest...
Chris Bryant's voting record: from TheyWorkForYou.com
On Tuition Fees:
On 27 Jan 2004: Chris Bryant voted in favour of university tuition fees increasing from £1,125 per year, to up to £3,000 per year.
On 31 Mar 2004: Chris Bryant voted to allow university tuition fees to increase from £1,125 per year, to up to £3,000 per year.
On 31 Mar 2004: Chris Bryant voted for the introduction of variable university tuition fees (top-up fees) of up to £3,000 per year in place of the previous fixed fee of £1,250 per year.
On 31 Mar 2004: Chris Bryant voted to allow university tuition fees to increase from £1,125 per year to up to £3,000 per year, and to make other changes to higher education funding and regulation arrangements.
On 14 Sep 2004: Chris Bryant voted against: the immediate abolition of all tuition fees, the re-introduction of maintenance grants of up to £2,000 for students from low-income homes, and changes to the country's higher education system.
On 14 Sep 2004: Chris Bryant voted to reject the Liberal Democrat policy of abolition of tuition fees.
On 25 May 2016: Chris Bryant was absent for a vote on Queen's Speech - Forcing Schools to Become Academies - Further Rises in University Tuition Fees
On Human Rights:
Consistently voted for introducing ID cards
Almost always voted for requiring the mass retention of information about communications
Generally voted for mass surveillance of people’s communications and activities
On the Environment:
Generally voted against greater regulation of hydraulic fracturing (fracking) to extract shale gas
On Special Interests:
Almost always voted against limits on success fees paid to lawyers in no-win no fee cases
Generally voted against a statutory register of lobbyists
On War or Peace:
Generally voted for use of UK military forces in combat operations overseas
Consistently voted for the Iraq war
Consistently voted against an investigation into the Iraq war
Generally voted for replacing Trident with a new nuclear weapons system
On 2 Dec 2015: Voted to support UK airstrikes in Syria [without UN authorisation]
On 2 Dec 2015: Voted to support UK airstrikes in Syria [without UN authorisation]
On Independence:
Generally voted for more EU integration
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Chris Bryant Labour MP From Wikipedia
(aka 1962-1986: Mr Christopher John Bryant 1986-1991: The Reverend Christopher John Bryant, 1991-2001: Mr Christopher John Bryant, 2001-: Mr Christopher John Bryant MP.)
Born in Cardiff, to a Scottish mother & a Welsh father, Bryant grew up in Cardiff, Wales (where his father worked for 5 years), and Cheltenham.
He was educated at Cheltenham College, an independent school for boys in the spa town of Cheltenham in Gloucestershire, where he was captain of the school swimming team, and Mansfield College at the University of Oxford, where he graduated in 1983, with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in English. This was later promoted to a Master of Arts degree (MA (Oxon)), as per tradition.
After completing his first degree, Bryant began training to be a priest in the Church of England at Ripon College, Cuddesdon, in Oxfordshire. There, he obtained a degree in theology.
Although a member of the Conservative Party, and an elected office-holder in the Oxford University Conservative Association, he joined the Labour Party in 1986, after leaving Oxford.
He was ordained deacon in 1986 and priest in 1987. He served as a Curate at the Church of All Saints, High Wycombe, from 1986 to 1989; then as a Youth Chaplain in Peterborough, as well as travelling in Latin America.
In 1991 Bryant left the ordained ministry, after deciding that being gay and being a priest, were incompatible. Statements made by Richard Harries, then Bishop of Oxford, also influenced his decision.
After leaving the priesthood in 1991, Bryant worked as the election agent to the Holborn and St Pancras Constituency Labour Party, where he helped Frank Dobson hold his seat in the 1992 general election.
From 1993, he was Local Government officer for the Labour Party; he lived in Hackney and was elected to Hackney Borough Council in 1993, serving until 1998. He became Chair of the Christian Socialist Movement.
He is both a member of the Labour Friends of Israel and Labour Friends of Palestine & the Middle East. From 1994 to 1996 he was London manager of the leader-grooming "charity", Common Purpose.
He was Labour candidate for Wycombe, in the 1997 general election (he lost by 2,370 votes), and Head of European Affairs for the BBC, from 1998.
His selection for the very safe Labour seat of Rhondda, South Wales in 2000, shocked many people given Bryant's background – gay, an ex- Anglican vicar, and someone who was a Tory, while studying at Oxford, and a member now, of the Henry Jackson Society 'think tank' --- described by The Guardian newspaper as 'neoconservative'. It is pro-US, pro-NATO and pro-military intervention, as well as being fundamentally anti-socialist.
Fifty-two people applied for the candidature and a local councillor was hot favourite to win, before Bryant was parachuted in.
In 2004, a photograph of Mr Bryant in his underpants, which he had posted to a gay dating website, was published in 'papers.
When an interviewer suggested he was a 'disgrace to the Rhondda', he replied: "They can't get rid of me."
His pay, allowances and some expenses:
The basic annual salary for an MP, from April 1st, 2016 is £74,962. MPs also get expenses: to cover the costs of running an office, employing staff, having some- where to live in London, plus, in their constituency and travelling between Parliament and their constituency.
His MP's expenses story:
Chris Bryant changed second home twice to claim £20,000: the deputy leader of the House of Commons, "flipped" his second home twice, in 2 years, allowing him to claim almost £20,000 for renovations and fees.
Chris Bryant, MP for the Rhondda, split over £92,000 of expenses between 3 properties in Wales and London --- within five years.
In 2004, he attempted to claim £58,000 to overhaul his second home in Wales, after allegedly complaining that properties in his constituency were "terrace or mine owners' houses".
Mr Bryant, a former Church of England clergyman, wanted the money for a new bathroom & kitchen, and to demolish his conservatory. He'd bought the detached house for £97,500, under a year earlier.
He submitted a claim to the Commons fees office for £58,493.26 --- almost 3 times the annual maximum. He noted that the claim exceeded his allowance.
His alleged justification was disclosed... in correspondence between Commons officials. By email, an official wrote: "He had problems finding a suitable property because in the Rhondda there is a choice mainly of terraced property or mine owners' houses." When approached by the Daily Telegraph, Mr Bryant said: "I have never said or thought anything of the sort".
In all, he successfully claimed over £13,000 for renovations, repairs & appliances, in 2004. Along with other bills, his annual claim was £20,902.
In April 2005, he flipped his expenses to his flat in west London, which he bought for £400,000 in April 2002. He also claimed £630 a month for mortgage interest, along with other bills. After claiming over £3,600 over 3 months, he sold the flat in July 2005 for £477,000.
Mr Bryant used his profits to buy a more expensive flat in west London, which was valued at £670,000. He immediately flipped his second home expenses there, claiming almost £6,400 in stamp duty, legal fees and mortgage fees, incurred in the purchase.
He then began claiming interest of £1,000 a month on the mortgage. He also claimed a further £6,000 a year for the flat's service charge and ground rent.
In all, he claimed £92, 415 in second home expenses, from 2004 to 2009.
Mr Bryant said at the time: "I moved flat in London, so as to be closer to Parliament."
Research by Channel 4 News in 2015 found that at least 46 MPs had this kind of system in place – a move one Labour backbencher described as “a new fiddle”. Channel 4 reported then:
“Our investigation found that many of the MPs bought their London properties with the help of the taxpayer, when a previous expenses system allowed them to claim back mortgage payments. But when those claims were banned, following the expenses scandal, they switched to letting out their properties, in some cases for up to £3,000 a month. They then started claiming expenses for rent and hotels in the capital.”
Among those identified was Chris Bryant, shadow leader of the House of Commons. He had already bought a penthouse in London back in 2005 and claimed around £1,000 a month in mortgage claims under the old system.
But after the expenses scandal, he started renting the property out. It’s since been advertised by estate agents as having a private lift and a porter, with rent at about £3,000 a month. Meanwhile, Bryant moved into a new flat;- claiming his own rent on expenses.
Image: Russian scientists and Scottish ones
Russian/Scottish scientists hail long-range secure quantum communication system.
A group of scientists from ITMO University in Saint Petersburg, Russia, has developed a new approach to constructing quantum communication systems for secure data exchange.
The experimental device based on the results of the research is capable of transmitting single-photon quantum signals across distances of 250 klmtrs or more, which is on par with its cutting edge analogues, the ITMO press-service says.
"Now researchers are on a mission -- to create a fully-fledged quantum cryptographic system, that will generate & distribute quantum keys and transmit useful data simultaneously", ITMO says.
Information security is becoming more and more of a critical issue not only for large companies, banks and defense enterprises but even for small businesses and individual users.
But the data encryption algorithms we currently use for protecting our data are imperfect - in the long-term, their logic can be cracked. Regardless of how complex and intricate the algorithm is, getting around it, is just a matter of time.
Unlike algorithm-based encryption, systems that protect information, by making use of fundamental laws of quantum physics, can make data transmission totally immune to hacker attacks, in the future.
Information in a quantum channel is carried by single photons that change irreversibly if an eavesdropper tries to intercept them. The legitimate users will instantly know about any kind of intervention.
Researchers at the Quantum Information Centre of the International Institute of Photonics and Optical Information Technology at ITMO Uni., Russia, along with their colleagues from the Heriot-Watt University, in Edinburgh, have devised a new way to generate and distribute, quantum bits.
This makes it possible to share quantum signals --- via optical fibres --- 250 kilometres in distance.
"To transmit quantum signals, we use the so- called side frequencies," says Artur Gleim, head of the Quantum Information Centre, at ITMO University,
"This unique approach gives us a number of advantages -- such as a considerable simplification of the device architecture and the large pass-through capacity of the quantum channel. In terms of bit rate and operating distances, our system is comparable to absolute champions in the field of quantum communications."
According to Robert Collins, research associate at the Institute of Photonics & Quantum Sciences at Heriot-Watt University, and one of the authors of the study, this may become a pivotal point for the whole field of quantum communication and cryptography:
"Down the track, this new approach can enable smooth coexistence of numerous data streams with different wavelengths in one single optical cable. On top of it, these quantum streams can be fed into the already existing fibre optic lines --- along with conventional communications."
The research paper is published in the Optics Express journal.
Scottish universities are to be congratulated for their strong & growing links with Chinese and Russian universities....
What a shame, that Wales is lying low --- with academics too scared to break from US military research.
Image: BRICS
Image: March 26 London anti cuts demo
KILLING THE ELDERLY BY CLOSING CARE HOMES
Did you know that each time a local authority
closes a care home for the elderly, within 8
months, around half the residents are dead?
Campaigners liken the cuts and their effect to euthanasia of the UK's elderly. What to do?
We can start by urging our MPs to sign EDM 2251:
EDM 2251: The contents
This House notes with deep concern the worsening crisis for elderly care as growing numbers of local authority and private care homes face closure
Acknowledges concerns that the loss of elderly people's care homes causes fear, anxiety and, in many cases, a higher mortality rate, when vulnerable, elderly people are forced to leave their homes
Further notes that the Southern Cross crisis will increase needs for local authority care
And therefore calls on the government to hold a public inquiry into the deaths after closures, of local authority care homes, and impose a moratorium on the closure of local authority care homes, until that inquiry publishes its results, to ensure that vulnerable, elderly people's lives are not put at further risk.
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MAKING THE CONNECTION IN WALES
Households across three more English areas will be able to access superfast broadband in the latest phase of a Government scheme to connect rural homes and businesses.
The £50 million funding package for Devon and Somerset (£30 million), Norfolk (£15 million) and Wiltshire (£4 million) will aid the roll- out of superfast broadband services unable to be reached by the market alone.
Areas will also receive financial support from their local authorities and private investors, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport says.
So it's Broadband Heaven for England...
and crapola for Wales' broadband - the
slowest, worst Broadband in the UK !!!
Lib Dems in Scotland might have received a pummeling for Clegg and his betrayals, yet, in Scotland, their campaign centred on it becoming the "most connected country in Europe," to massively boost their economy.
In Wales, which political party is now willing to put into practice scientists' recommendations: that Wales' hilly topography requires establishing
free 'wireless' broadband?
It could connect the people of Rhondda and the world, boosting Wales' economic regeneration, like no other move.Wireless technology is now supplying free broadband to an entire island off New Zealand's coast.
Come on; if New Zealand can do it - so can we !!!
Image: China's rapeseed blossoms this Spring.
Western China has embraced "green-mode development" - with painful changes from which, Wales could well learn.
Eastern China has seen fast growth and urban mess. The West, a mining and agricultural area, has not.
Xi'an Chan-ba Ecological District, is a model for reclaiming old mining areas.
It took six hard years, but now Xi'an is showing the world how best to change, by turning a badly polluted rubbish landfill site, into an all new environment-friendly development.
As China's economic focus moves from east to west, it's using the lessons learned during 30 or more years of rapid industrial development.
The green way for China's west, is to combine green industrialization & green urbanization.
The western region's strategy is to adopt effective energy-saving and environmental protection technologies... AND to extend its industry through science and products unique to China's West, together with strong vertical growth in agriculture and all its ancilliary economic & professional spin-offs.
In undertaking this industrial revolution, the western region will keep a sharp eye out - to avoid all polluting non-sustainable industries.
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A BIG DROP OF HONEY !!!
Spring is beekeeping and honey-processing season in Yunnan province, in China.
Waves of bees flit across vast fields of flowers.
Local beekeepers and many from other places, such as Sichuan and Fujian provinces - set up their base in tents among the rapeseed farms.
The 430,000 hectares of rapeseed blooms in Luoping attract myriads of bees, which produce 15 - 20 million tons of honey a year.
Local people now look to brand their county as a honey production base & increase sales to outside markets.
Luoping Tianyuanmiyu Bee Industry Co Chair, Zhu Hongkun, founded his enterprise in 2009.
It mainly produces honey, propolis and propolis powder.
His company works with 270 plus beekeepers, who each earn 80,000 yuan a year on average.
Some earn 200,000 yuan annually, Zhu says.
Who says beauty endowed by nature isn't worth a fortune?
The whole of the uplands of south Wales could be as beautiful & productive, if used wisely!
Image: retirement China style
CHINA's PREMIER POINTS WAY FORWARD
As the Tories threaten a "bonfire of the Quangos", perhaps Wales should take note. Now extracting all our mineral wealth has been stopped (apart from sand and rock) we find ourselves "in" the 1st World of the UK, but with a 3rd World economy, only just kept going by quangos which promise much... but deliver little... and rely on weak public support.
We could WAKE UP & understand that we either do something, or stay as begging bowl cases.
China's premier points the way forward for Wales:
"Industrial restructuring is the key... only by developing energy-efficient, indigenous innovative and high value added products can our companies and economy, achieve sustainable development."
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WHILE FRANCE, GREECE, IRELAND, ETC, STRUGGLE TO STOP THE PENSION AGE RISING HIGHER AND HIGHER...
An online survey on qq.com, a popular Chinese news portal, finds that 91% of its over 800,000 respondents, are against raising the current official Chinese retirement age.
745,123 of those surveyed say they oppose raising retirement ages -- 72,456 support it.
China's scholars & the public have been debating whether to raise the retirement age, for the past few years, but the issue rose to prominence after remarks by an official.
Wang Xiaochu, the official vice minister of the Ministry of Human Resources & Social Security, said at a press conference that the government was "studying the matter"...
The retirement age in China is generally set at 60 for men and 50-55 for women.
Wow! Bet you didn't know that !!!
Image: unemployment in Wales
FARMING AND SCIENCE COULD REGENERATE WALES
A new UN General Assembly report warns "vast areas" of cultivated land are lost each year, and that this could lead to unrest.
The report says up to 30 million hectares, an area the size of Italy, is lost each year to environmental degradation, industry & urbanization - the growth of cities - and all because of speculative building and greed.
The UN special rapporteur Olivier De Schutter, gives the example of eastern Africa, where the amount of cultivated land has declined by half --- in just one generation! "
As rural populations grow and competition with large industrial units increases, plots cultivated by smallholders are shrinking year after year," says De Schutter.
"Farmers are often relegated to soils that are arid, hilly or without irrigation."
The UN officer also mentions India as another example, where the average landholding fell from 2.6 hectares in 1960 to 1.4 hectares in 2000. A cut of nearly half in 40 years!
He says 500 million small farmers suffer from hunger, partly because their right to land is being violated. The expert warns of the devastating consequences, as foreign investors compete for larger and larger areas of the world's land for "their" agriculture.
Rhondda Records says Wales could rebuild its new economy by basing it on a fresh approach to high-value added products, using science and agriculture... such as the Altzeim project in Gwent.