I couldn’t wait until #SocialistSunday to share by latest blog but I still need to give a shout to my comrades, and there’s been a lot happening in the last week. By the time you read this I will have another blog ready for publication.
Further to what I said in my last blog about Palestine Solidarity Campaign and support for Palestine Action, I found that they had organised a petition which I had previously signed and shared. Furthermore, they were among the organisers of the demonstration which took place outside Downing Street while MPs were debating whether to proscribe Palestinian Action. The trial of PSC director Ben Jamal and Chris Nineham, vice chair of Stop The War Coalition, is set to begin on Monday, 7 July. They are charged with breaches of the Public Order Act after a Palestine solidarity demonstration in January. This puts the email that Ben Jamal sent to branches in context.
Although the motion to proscribe Palestine Action passed in the Commons 385/26 it needs to pass in the House of Lords before it comes into effect and is facing a legal challenge. Here is a list of the 26 members who voted against it.
- Abbott, rh Ms Diane (Proxy vote cast by Bell Ribeiro-Addy)
- Adam, Shockat
- Ali, Tahir
- Begum, Apsana (Proxy vote cast by Ian Byrne)
- Berry, Siân
- Burgon, Richard
- Byrne, Ian
- Chowns, Ellie
- Corbyn, rh Jeremy
- Denyer, Carla
- Eastwood, Colum
- George, Andrew
- Gordon, Tom
- Hussain, Mr Adnan
- Hussain, Imran
- Johnson, Kim
- Lewis, Clive
- McDonnell, rh John
- Morris, Grahame
- Munt, Tessa
- Perteghella, Manuela
- Pinkerton, Dr Al
- Ramsay, Adrian
- Sultana, Zarah
- Taylor, Luke
- Whittome, Nadia
Here’s a breakdown by party. No SNP or Plaid Cymric MP is listed so they evidently abstained!
Jeremy Corbyn’s request to vote on the proscription of Palestine Action separately to two neo-Nazi groups was rejected. The good news is that he and Zarah Sultana will be co-founders of a new socialist party which I hope will be accommodate Green.
I’ve previously made a one-off donation to Refuser Solidarity Network, I’ve now committed to a monthly donation. Here’s the link if anyone wants to support some courageous Israelis instead of genocidal monsters https://app.moonclerk.com/c/1z27b1u85jk
Now that I’m retired I spend many more hours online for which I don’t get paid, it actually costs me a lot of money. I’ve written a blog, which needs updating, about where my money goes: The Cost of Online Activism https://thephilosophicalmuse.blog/2024/03/23/the-cost-of-online-activism/ I’ve no intention of monetising my blog to help with costs, subscription will always be free and will ensure you will be notified whenever I post – not everything I publish is shared on #SocialistSunday 😀
My X account no longer has a blue tick, I cancelled my premium subscription several months ago but I had already paid for a year in advance and it’s just expired, but I still have many friends and comrades who haven’t crossed over to Bluesky yet and I won’t abandon them. Also it’s easier for me to post my blogs to X then copy/paste to Bluesky, WordPress doesn’t allow me to post directly.
I’ld love to say it’s only Bluesky from now on. I’m getting sick of seeing tweets by Nigel Farago and Julia Heartless-Brewer every time I switch to X so I’ve blocked them, as I did with Elon Musk and Sir Kidstarver. I’d already blocked the obnoxious Piers Morgan but I’ve now blocked Times Radio for posting one of his diatribes. They trigger an angry response from me when I have better things to do. I have the right to remain silent but lack the ability.
I’ve been asked to inform friends of Cordelia Appleby that she’s been permanently locked out of her X account, but she still on Bluesky @cordeliaappleby.bsky.social
Here’s a list of comrades who followed me on X and are now following me on Bluesky. I apologise to those who have followed me since I created the list and extend a warm welcome to those who do so in future https://go.bsky.app/CS6DZB
thephilosophicalmuse 