The letters this week begin with a post from a group of senior lawyers who are active within Lawyers for Palestinian Human Rights. As if the situation for the Palestinians within the West Bank and Gaza were not bad enough, the British government, which claims to be a vacillator for a two state solution, has rented space for its new Embassy in Tel a Viv from one the major Israeli corporations, who are involved in building settlement’s on Palestinian land. Settlements I might add that have been deemed illegal by the United Nations and most of the worlds governments.
This is followed by letters from two of the left stalwarts, Tony Greenstein and Keith Flett, which tackle the current economic crises. Alan Walter's of the Defend Council Housing Campaign points out that the economic downturn offers the government an opportunity to solve the housing crises by building more Council houses, this is followed by a letters about the Labour Party conference and Gordon Brown.
The governments attempt to smooth the way so that the heir to Betty’s crown, Billy Windsor can marry his girl friend and turn out little princelings, gets some stick from Peter Evans, whilst another correspondent sees it as a Blairite plot to gain the throne.
The concluding letter is one I held over from last week due to the Banking crises. Many people may not realize it, but some of the more progressive laws that were passed in the 1960’s by the Westminister parliament, never became law in the north of Ireland. Barbara Muldoon points this out when she writes, “ the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill, is expected to be debated and passed this autumn. An amendment to the bill calls for the extension of the 1967 Abortion Act to Northern Ireland. If passed this would give women in NI access to free, safe and legal abortions for the first time."
If you support this extension I have place the ULR of a petition you can sign at the end of Barbara’s letter.
Mick Hall
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Dear Sir
We are alarmed to hear of Foreign Office plans to rent three floors in the Kirya Tower in Tel Aviv from African-Israel Properties Ltd for use as the British embassy. African-Israel Properties is chaired by Lev Leviev, who acts as a major settlement builder.
Renting space from his company is tantamount to HM Government condoning Israel's settlement-building, supporting clear violations of international law, which in some cases amount to grave breaches of the Fourth Geneva Convention, and hindering the possibility of peace in the Middle East.
It constitutes precisely the kind of action that the International Court of Justice Advisory Opinion points to as being in violation of the third-party obligations to the Palestinians living under Israeli occupation – see para 159 of the Opinion of 9 July 2004: "They [states] are also under an obligation not to render aid or assistance in maintaining the situation created by such construction."
As Mr Leviev's activities involve settlement-building, and the route of the wall is directly affected by his settlement- building activities, to have an economic arrangement with him or his companies of any kind is indeed rendering aid and assistance in maintaining the construction described in the Advisory Opinion.
Further, the FCO's actions are contrary to the statement made by Prime Minister Gordon Brown while in Ramallah in July 2008; namely that, "we want to see a freeze on settlements...[they] make peace harder to achieve...erode trust...[and] heighten Palestinian suffering". We urge the FCO to follow this policy and its practical and legal consequences.
By not engaging in financial transactions with Mr Leviev or anyone else furthering the developing of illegal settlements on Palestinian land HM Government would be in good company: Oxfam and Unicef have both rejected financial relations with Mr Leviev because of his companies' settlement construction. In addition, HM Government would be acting in compliance with its declared policy objective of persuading Israel to end the construction of illegal settlements, promoting adherence to international human rights and humanitarian law and brokering a lasting peaceful solution for the Middle East.
Daniel Machover; Michael Mansfield QC; Louise Christian; John McHugo; Sarah McSherry; Andrew Sanger
Lawyers for Palestinian Human Rights
London WC2.
The Independent. 20.09.2008
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Sir
Naomi Klein is right (After a week of turmoil, has the world changed?, September 20). The ideology of the free market is not dead. Vampire economics will survive because, like its more famous counterpart, it is not only parasitical but is also based on the ability of capitalism in the United States to employ overwhelming force on behalf of its interests. In this way it is no different from the British imperialism of free trade in the 19th century.
Whereas productive industry, like Rover, was allowed to go to the wall in the name of standing on one's own two feet and not supporting lame ducks, a completely different attitude has been taken to the banks and finance sector.
Although financial commentators are usually too polite to point it out, what the Bush administration has done is entirely consistent with its philosophy. Having cut the taxes of the rich, it has now rescued them from the consequences of their own gambling. And who pays? Those mug enough to pay taxes in the first place, ie the working and middle classes, who stand to lose their own homes.
Tony Greenstein
Brighton
Sir
Tristram Hunt misunderstands Marx and Engels. They did indeed predict both the inevitability and unpredictability of a capitalist crisis, personified in Robin Goodfellow, the old mole of revolution, burrowing in the earth and popping up in unexpected places. But the inevitability of the demise of capitalism? Forget it. As Marx himself noted in 1864, the emancipation of the working class is the act of the working class itself.
Keith Flett
London
Guardian 23.09.08.
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Sir
The government has a chance this week to tackle housing need, meet its own target and show it's listening (Government 'must step in' to hit deadline for 3m homes, September 19), but that depends on it dropping the dogma and investing in first-class council housing.
Three consecutive Labour party conferences have voted for the "fourth option" of direct investment in council housing to enable local authorities to improve existing homes and estates and start building a new generation of first-class council homes.
The case is stronger than ever, as private developers and lenders have all but shut up shop. Housing associations, while taking billions in public subsidies, have had their chance and failed to deliver too. Through a process of mergers and takeovers, the third sector is morphing into a few multibillion-pound businesses that are less and less accountable but, of course, paying ever-higher salaries to senior managers.
If the public is going to put subsidies into housing then it makes sense for the outcome to be publicly owned.
The Local Government Association predicts that council housing waiting lists, now at 1.67 million households, will rise to 2 million (5 million people) by 2010. Massive investment in first-class council housing, providing secure tenancies, low rents and an elected landlord that can be held to account, offers the only practical solution to housing need.
Alan Walter
Chair, Defend Council Housing
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Dear Sir
Politicians and journalists are forever moaning about lack of public participation in the political process. Yet when I turn on BBC News 24 to see coverage of the substantial protest I know to be occurring outside the Labour conference, I find it's omitted and edited out of public consciousness. The massive "steel fortress" - reminiscent of second world war anti-tank emplacements - erected around the city centre is also omitted from coverage. Instead we get coverage of PR stunts - including JK Rowling's £1m donation to the Labour party and the 20 MPs who have signed a letter of support for the PM. So the voices of 21 privileged individuals are elevated over those of the many thousands of grassroots Labour supporters proclaiming that this is no longer our party. This a sorry excuse for journalism and democracy.
Gavin Lewis
Manchester
I'm sorry, Gordon, you may have swung the faithful, but I'm afraid your speech was all hot air. When you have to choose between keeping the fat cats sweet and helping the needy, we all know which way you'll go. Will you regulate the City? Will you tax the wealthy? Will you tax the non-doms? Will you drop ID cards? Will you scrap Trident renewal? Will you adopt a policy that encourages industry? Will you build council houses? The answer to all these questions will be maybe a little, but not a lot.
The problem is that you've given away too much power. Virtually all the things that are wrong in Britain are a result of relinquishing too much power to the wealthy by means of privatisation and private finance initiatives. Despite your speech, the polls will continue to show your party out of favour not because the Tories have the right ideas, but because you and your party lack the basic ideological beliefs and the courage to put them into practice.
Rod White
Dursley,
Gloucestershire
The Guardian 25.09.08.
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Dear Sir
I don't care which member of that bloody family ends up as our monarch - still less about their gender or religion. The biggest human rights violation here is that we do not have the right to vote for our own choice as our head of state.
Peter Evans
Walton-on-Thames,
Surrey
Sir
I hope that this is not the start of a Blairite plot to make him king.
Jim Waight
Hertford
Guardian 26.09.08.
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Dear comrade
Women in Northern Ireland have more reason than most to be excited about the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill, expected to be debated and passed this autumn.
An amendment to the bill calls for the extension of the 1967 Abortion Act to Northern Ireland. If passed this would give women here access to free, safe and legal abortions for the first time.
Today if a woman wishes to terminate an intolerable pregnancy in Northern Ireland, she must raise up to £2,000 to travel abroad. If this fails she must continue with the pregnancy.
Disgracefully all of Northern Ireland’s main parties oppose the extension of the act.
The politicians claim that no one in Northern Ireland wants to see the act extended. But no one told the packed audience in the Europa Hotel who turned up to the launch of the Alliance For Choice campaign recently.
The clear message was that the fight is on to correct the historic injustice against women in Northern Ireland. There is a real sense that we can win!
We are calling on the solidarity of our sisters and brothers in England, Scotland and Wales.
Write to your MP calling on them to vote for this amendment. Pass motions at your local trade union branch and ask for donations for the campaign. Send messages of support to alliance.forchoice@yahoo.co.uk
Barbara Muldoon,
Belfast.
http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/abortionNI/
Socialist Worker 20.09.08.
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