JUST after Israel launched its slaughter in Gaza (for which arrest warrants have now been issued by the International Criminal Court) the then opposition leader Keir Starmer was asked for his view on the conflict.
“Israel must have that right, does have that right, to defend herself,” he said. The interviewer asked him to clarify the boundaries. “A siege is appropriate? Cutting off power? Cutting off water?” Starmer replied: “I think that Israel does have that right.”
READ MORE: 'Food availability at all-time low' in Gaza amid Donald Trump warning
That is the vile and detestable individual who now occupies Downing Street. A soulless technocrat with all the charisma of a geranium. A man with no morals, no principles who will tell lies in order to justify whatever his corporate puppet masters command.
For years, the Tories, with the support of the Labour opposition, restricted foundational democratic rights under the pretest that “extremism” had to be eradicated. This repression has been manifest in relation to protests against Westminster’s backing for Zionist war crimes in Gaza.
This course of action not only continues but has escalated under Starmer. It had been expanded to include criticism of the UK role in Ukraine. Starmer’s first action as Prime Minister was to cut the Winter Fuel Payment for pensioners. The propaganda was to show how “tough” he was. But in reality this cut was demanded by the billionaire plutocrats. Starmer caved, as that’s who he works for.
READ MORE: UNRWA suspends aid deliveries through main Gaza crossing amid chaos
Starmer and his Chancellor (the phoney “economist”) Rachel Reeves have pledged to continue economically illiterate and ruinous Tory austerity. His Work and Pensions Secretary is a particularly unpleasant Blairite called Liz Kendall. She is preparing further “reform” of the Work Capability Assessment. In practice this means a tyrannical rule marked by oppression, discrimination and a chilling disregard for human dignity.
400,000 people will be arbitrarily thrown off sickness benefit and forced into work. This will be free labour for big donors to Starmer’s party. They will be demonised by a relentless propaganda campaign with the acquiescence of the media.
Starmer’s support has plunged further since, by 49 points, giving a net approval rating of -38. It is the biggest post-election fall for a new prime minister in modern British history.
READ MORE: Israel condemned for 'heartbreaking' killing of aid workers in Gaza
The prospect now is that England’s electorate will move to the Trumpian right. This is due to a possible alliance between Reform UK and the Tories. This forever smashes the myth of “British” class solidarity so beloved by apologists by the British Unionist Labour Party.
In order for the cause of Scottish independence to move forward the era of Sturgeon must be binned. This would involve booting out John Swinney and all the gender cultists and replacing them with people who will repudiate the fraudulent Section 30 process.
Alan Hinnrichs
Dundee
MARK Robertson’s letter in Friday’s National contains much criticism, real and implied, of every participant in the Middle East crisis except Israel.
It is Israel that has killed more than 42,000 people in Gaza, the majority women and children, and has killed many more in Lebanon. This genocide is completely ignored by Mark Robertson. Yes, the Hamas attacks that killed more than 1200 Israelis were hideous and war crimes, but what do you call Israel’s response? I call it genocide.
READ MORE: Palestinian ambassador responds to Labour plan to prioritise arms firm investment
Whilst he claims that “there is little or no appetite in Israel for the annexation of Gaza”, this excerpt from The Guardian clarifies Israel’s real intent in Gaza and makes his claim appear ludicrous: “The Israeli military will remain in Gaza for many years, fighting against fresh Hamas recruits in the territory and could be responsible for delivery of humanitarian aid there, a senior Israeli minister has said.
“The comments by Avi Dichter, Israel’s minister for food security and a member of the Israeli security cabinet, confirm an emerging picture of a long-term deployment of Israeli troops inside Gaza, with no immediate Israeli plan for any other administration to govern the territory’s 2.3 million people and begin reconstruction there.
READ MORE: The need for balanced sources of news is now greater than ever
“‘I think that we are going to stay in Gaza for a long time. I think most people understand that [Israel] will be years in some kind of West Bank situation where you go in and out and maybe you remain along Netzarim [corridor],’ Dichter said.”
Sounds a bit like annexation to me. Meanwhile, more than two million Palestinians will be subject to Israeli subjugation under military occupation for the foreseeable future. Is it not about time that the spineless UK Government took a stand against Israel and banned all arms exports?
David Howie
Dunblane
I READ Richie Venton’s recent article (Dec 3) and strongly approve of the Green New Deal. The vast profits made by companies can and should be used to fund improvements in society, rather than be squirrelled off shore to the benefit of a tiny minority. It’s amazing to read these views expressed in mainstream media, which trends towards wall-to-wall business-friendly propaganda. I hope The National carries on with these pieces!
Jenny Heubeck
Dundee
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