Posts Tagged Politics

Police chief says CCTVs have not cut crime in UK

‘Billions of pounds spent on Britain’s 4.2 million closed-circuit television cameras has not had a significant impact on crime, according to the senior police officer piloting a new database.

Detective Chief Inspector Mick Neville said it was a “fiasco” that only 3 per cent of street robberies in London were solved using CCTV.’

This is taken from an article on the Times website, found here.

So a police chief admits CCTVs do not cut crime? Kudos to the chief for standing up and admitting cameras in our streets are not stopping crime. Footage taken from CCTV cameras in the UK, used in courts as evidence, are very poor. Britain has the most CCTV cameras than anywhere else in Europe. The total number of these cameras in the UK is 4,200,000 – one for every 14 people. And they’re not cheap. Billions of tax-payers money is going into a surveillence system that invades people’s privacy and, according to many, does not effectively a) prevent crime and b) provide accurate and clear evidence in courts.

So why are we still being closely monitored by our government? Why do they still spend so much money on these cameras if we still have high crime rates, which the cameras evidently aren’t solving? Every day we hear about another murder, and were the cameras able to prevent that? Were they even able to identify the killer? More often than not, the answer is no.

Cameras are another insidious erosion of our civil liberties – the Big Brother state. We’re practically living in Orwell’s 1984. Up to 90 percent of these cameras are illegal anyway, as they breach the Data Protection act.

I don’t want to appear some form of conspiracy nut, but it is becoming increasingly apparent that the purpose of cameras is not to prevent or solve crime cases, but to spy on us and remind us who’s in control.

Do they forget that the ones they are targeting are clever enough to wear a simple hoodie? In which case, the £15 hoodies are defeating the £500 cameras.

Although I’m sure the government will attempt to solve this problem by installing more cameras…

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Compulsary voting?

From the Guardian:

‘A significant overhaul of electoral legislation to give voters a second vote, open polling stations at weekends and make it compulsory to participate is being proposed by the government to increase turnout and improve the legitimacy of the Commons.’

Let me paraphrase that. The most important and shocking section of that paragraph is the ‘ compulsory to participate’ . This means under the new voting system in the UK, people over 18 will be forced to vote.

This is ridiculous for many reasons. Voting is an essential part of a healthy democracy. Voting is a choice – a conscious, political, voluntary participation. If people don’t want to vote – that’s their decision. Choice is freedom. So forcing what should be a choice upon people contradicts the purpose of a democracy – freedom and choice.

This new voting system would be like the death penalty for attempted suicide – in essence, while they are supposedly trying to bring back democracy, they are actually destroying it. It is a political paradox.

Like fucking for virginity, these radical changes will be futile and stupid. That is what this new voting system is like. The traditional voting system works because people who want change choose to vote. Those who aren’t bothered don’t. And the people who don’t vote are usually not politically opinionated, so would be a bad electorate to be made to vote – people who aren’t interested with the government or don’t like any of the candidates simply don’t want to vote – and that’s obvious. Making people vote is insulting to democracy.

Perhaps they should put more effort in to what the people want rather than going ahead with frankly retarded ideas like this without asking for the People’s views on it. The People giving their views is democratic and is what should separate our country from dictatorships in which the government makes unwanted and unnecessary changes.

I oppose this new plan. It’s not realistic and it’s definitely not democratic. VOTING IS VOLUNTARY.

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V for Vendetta

This weekend I watched an amazing film. V for Vendetta. Finally, a film about England that is, yes mainstream, but more importantly, inspirational, challenging, revolutionary and every so slightly anarchistic. When I say anarchistic, I mean that blowing up the houses of parliament is may not be the correct way to get things changed, but my god, those fireworks looked awesome in the finishing scene.

V for Vendetta is, without exaggeration, one of the best films I have ever seen. Walking along the streets, I keep hoping that I’ll see a large ‘V’ carved or sprayed onto propaganda in my city, sprayed on billboards and buildings. I want it to be everywhere. I keep hoping to see, along with a myriad of ‘V’ symbols, people in V masks, V cloaks. I want a revolution, dammit!

I was surprised, and ecstatic to discover that around 100 people protested outside the White House, all dressed as ‘V’. Click here to read the article.

I hope that this film has made people wake up to the serious issues, the real problems that we face in the UK; the way our liberties are being stripped away in the name of terror; how are privacy is being removed in the name of fighting crime – the issues in V for Vendetta are real. And, more shockingly, if you look around, you can see it happening now.

Despite the film being shunned by many anarchists (e.g. ‘A for Anarchy’) due to the removal of important anarchist scenes, it is still a great film, that I’m sure will have a large impact on the public in the UK, and hopefully, in dictatorships acrross the world.

This is an important film for the UK, and one that should be seen by anyone shocked or angry about what is happening before our very eyes. While the film is not a call for terrorism on the scale of destroying the houses of parliament like Guy Fawkes attempted in the 16th century, it is more a call to arms, a call for unity, revolt and transcendence.

Remember, remember the fifth of November. Because it should never be forgot. Guy Fawkes attempted to destroy parliament because of religious reasons, but our vendetta is different. This is a social, and political vendetta. We want our rights back. And, we most certainly are going to get them.

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Some opinions of mine on anarchist theory.

Anarchism is quite a gray area at the moment. Over the centuries there have been many famous anarchists, all with differing philosophies and opinions (schools of thought). Anarchism also has many ‘denominations’ – anarcho-syndicalism, anarcho-communism, anarcho-socialism, green anarchism, anarcha-feminism, and the rather controversial anarcho-capitalism, to name just a few.

Personally, I feel that anarchism aims not just for abolition of the state, but abolition of hierarchy, authority, inequality, and injustice. It aims to be a socio-political ideology that will end the current class struggle.

At present, the working class are exploited under a capitalist system. They are used, and abused, to benefit the upper classes. While families are working away, struggling to feed their children, the upper classes are getting the fruit of their labor. Anarchist theory suggests that people should work together, to help each other, and to be overall, more self-sufficient.

People often attack anarchism, as I quote from a comment on my blog, ‘People [would be] running rampant and deciding whatever it is they please’. While it is true that people would do what they want, an anarchist society aims to be a community, rather then the current affair of the consumerist, workaholic nightmare we live in. I feel that in a place without ‘the state’, people would learn to live together peacefully; to make use of everyone’s abilities and strengths to build a better place.

In regards to being shot in the back of the head, because of there being, obviously, no laws (although there may be guidelines and/or loose rules in some anarchist societies), murder is often a fundamental bi-product of having to live in a capitalist society, and under coercion and oppression. Murders are often (if not always) crimes of passion, and the killers often do not think of the consequences, so having laws put in place does not stop murder at all. In fact, one will find, that in places with more liberal policies – libertarian states – there are often much fewer murders. This could be because the pressures of harsh capitalism are not there, or at least a lot less. With less stress and pressure, people often learn to deal with their anger, if they have still have their anger and frustration at all.

While all this may sound Utopian. As one of the comments below have stated, we must not lose sense of reality. For the time being, I do not believe it is necessary for us to live in an anarchist society, merely a libertarian society. Anarchy has not really been tried properly, but I would say a society without oppressive government coercion is a lot better then one with. I believe that without government, war would end; the class struggle would end, and exploitation would virtually cease.

Obviously, you should make up your own mind. This is just what I feel, but I encourage you to think about it, and question some of your own preconceptions.

Thanks a lot,

Joe. [liberty-erosion]

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Bush: International criminal

The war machine keeps spitting out propaganda to the masses

Inventing enemies to keep the public waving flags

Wizardry, it can be called, to conjure up evil people out of dust

To gain the ignorant public’s allegiance.

They feel fear, and suddenly,

They’re asking for your guidance,

And as usual, you exploit their concern,

And use it as an excuse to police the globe

All it takes is a mindless propaganda,

It’s enough to make you hurl.

 

Now America is dominating the Earth,

And we’re on the brink of a nuclear WW3

What will it take before we stop

This egoistic, imperialist fallacy?

 

Bush and his cronies,

With the country blissfully dumb,

Can bomb whoever they want,

And steal ANYONE’S oil supplies

Whenever questioned, they just reply,

‘Terrorism is ubiquitous in these times’

 

Despite the fact,

Most of us know

There’s practically no terrorist threat

Thy continue their bloodthirsty massacres

And drive Earth into modern slavery

Controlled by a puppet master,

A fascist autocracy.

 

Yes, the war machine is at work,

Telling stories of boogie men,

To justify the torture of innocent people,

The bombings on small villages,

The invasion of any countries the administration choose to label them simply as ‘terrorists’.

They scare us, into accepting the murder of children and women in the middle east,

the transformation of what was once a democracy into a police state,

A despotic nation of unpatriotic fools,

Unconstitutional crooks

And war criminals.

 

Bush has got his finger on a red button, labeled ‘complete domination’

He’s pressing it,

While the public is distracted with celebrity gossip,

Oblivious to the moves being made.

Oblivious to the blatant disregard for international law and the Geneva Conventions.

 

Why is the public not questioning this evil coercion? Or these atrocities that lie before us.

There appears to be no wisdom anymore, only fear. We are covering our own eyes, we are sedating ourselves, we are poisoning our minds with filth that overpowers the truth.

 

The King Bush administration is ruining the world, is polluting our planet with lies and hypocrisy. Peace is a distant memory that has been erased. They are intoxicated with selfish power.

 

And the war machine continues to manufacture greed and deception, continues to take advantage of the docility of the majority. How long before we arise? How long?

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Die for your country, sucker

Die for your country
It’s ever so heroic
Noble and valiant
And don’t you know it?

Die for your country
In precious dignity
Bleeding to death slowly
For your wonderful king

To perish slowly and in agony
For a false cause
To die for the sole reason
Of getting some oil

Die for your country
It will make you a star
To kill for some fascists
While they watch you being massacred
Or blown to smithereens
While they watch you get shot
Merely to buy them fast cars and mansions for them and their queens

Die for your country
Murder for the king
You’ll be a not-so-living legend
Just you wait and see
Once you’ve been dehumanized
Brainwashed and put through misery
People will love you
Or will they call you a coward?

According to the warmongers
They’ll be ever so proud
Once they’re holding wads of blood-money
Thanks to your sorry ass

You’ll go down in history
Once you’ve died for the bourgeoisie
For they’re sick killing spree
For them it’s just a sport
A barbaric sport to say the least

So, make your decision
What will you do?
Will you join the homicidal jihad
Or be a real hero
And live, flourish, prosper and grow
And not go do their dirty work
They’re illegal wars of corruption
Fight for something worthwhile
Fight against this unjust, political disease

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TV – drawing spurt

tv-drawing-2.jpgA little picture a drew on television.

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Sell me the air I breathe

Analyse
The universe
You can’t get firm answers
Just anger
Intolerance
Victims of Abuse

You get pollution
And exploitation
of resources
and people

I can’t abide by your repressive rules
I won’t deny that you treat us all like fools.

Because these are my views,
My ways
Nothing is what it seems
The world’s a razor blade

You’ve cut me, society
You’ve lied, you cheat
Points of view turn into propaganda
Selling me the air I breathe

Sell me the air I breathe.
Thief.

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What we are

Proselytize me
Indoctrinate me
Make me think uncritically
I will not question Authority

I will not denounce TV
I can’t deduce anything
Dogma, infiltrate my mind

I’m not a human being

I’m metal to be crafted into conscription tools
Weapons of militant kilo-joules
Weld me into a war machine

I’m not a human being

Shape me into servitude
Submission, subjection, subjugation
I’m happy to be sedated.
By government: intoxicated

I’m happy to be pushed around
Happy to be thrown to the ground
I’m happy to be sleep deprived, water-boarded and starved.

For this is who we are.
Compliant, conforming, consumerists.

Potential profits for companies.
Potential dollar signs in corporation’s eyes.
We’re not people. We are a monetary unit.

We are pecuniary cogs in a malfunctioning machine.
We are bricks in a broken wall.
We are cells in a schizophrenic body.

These machines; these bricks; these cells – are a system of corruption. They are this very system, this very society.

I don’t scrutinize what they think I’m worth. I accept that I am worthless, until I have cash to dispense, upon shops and salespeople; to purchase goods with my labour for things I don’t need. For sand that blows away in the wind; for food that rots; for a flicker of temporary light. This is what we are told we need. Things that bring a glimpse of happiness, before a storm of immense depression.

I am not a human being. I am wood that fuels the polluted fire of capitalism.

This is what I am.

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