Sunday 12 April

I’ve been thinking about posting my diary weekly instead of fortnightly – it’s well received, easy to write and there’s no shortage of material – but I have other things to say about issues I think important. I’m pleased that comrades are reading my blogs but #SocialistSunday is more about showing solidarity with a network of socialists than promoting my own work – nobody has accused me of doing such a thing but I can imagine some small minded individual doing so. I’m annoyed by people who demand that I explain everything because they can’t be bothered to click on a link 👎 but I’m delighted when someone is sufficiently interested to want to learn more 👍

Iran controls the Strait of Hormuz and will negotiate passage with any nation except Israel and USA. Trump throws a tantrum and goes from “open the fucking Strait” to “keep it shut”. He that if American ships are denied passage then it’s only fair that everyone else should be too.

From the absurd to the ridiculous: Spain recalls its ambassador to Israel and reopens its embassy in Tehran. Netenyahu calls this “diplomatic warfare” (whatever that means) and expels all Spanish diplomats, thereby slamming the door on any possibility of a diplomatic solution to the war in the Middle East.

While Trump and Netenyahu are allowing Cuban and Palestinian babies to die because the lack of power to keep them alive, a Turkish floating power plant vessel has arrived in Cuba to provide electricity and the Global Sumud Flotilla has set sail again.

Tuesday 14 April

Mr Justice Johnson has directed not guilty verdicts for three members of Palestine Action charged with violent disorder. In Walsall the trial of two activists accused of shutting down Elbit drone engine factory in Shenstone collapsed due to lack of evidence from CPS.

More than 45 civil liberty groups, including the TUC, Liberty and Greenpeace, have opposed the measures in a government amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill to ban demonstrations based on their “cumulative disruption.” more than 30 Labour, Green, Your Party and Independent MPs back a further amendment to have them removed. 

Labour MP Andy McDonald, who tabled the amendment, said: “Protest has never been a one-off event — it is often the cumulative effect of people returning, again and again, to make their voices heard that drives change. These proposals risk turning that democratic strength into a justification for restriction.” Via Morning Star

The Choctaw Nation have blocked the building of an ICE Detention Facility in Oklahoma by purchasing the building they intended to use. In Kansas the Prairie Band of Potawatomi has cancelled its agreement with ICE after public outcry.

The Choctaw Nation has an historical relationship with Ireland, despite their own hardship they sent aid to Ireland during the famine and it was reciprocated in the Covid19 pandemic.

Yanis Varoufakis on the failure of Francesca Albanese on her failure to appear by video link at a conference because her internet connection went down: “I’m not suggesting a conspiracy. These things happen. Not so much to people who support genocide.” Happy birthday Yanis ✊

A supermarket in Turkey has sold out of Spanish grown avocados, priced at €1.29, while the cheaper Israeli avocados remained unsold at €0.75.

Various commentators have their own ideas about who scuppered the US/Iran ‘peace negotiations’ in Islamabad – Jared Kushner, JD Vance and the Pakistani mediators have all been blamed – but to my mind it doesn’t really matter. The USA can’t be trusted to negotiate in good faith, I doubt if Iran expected them to but had to show willing.

Wednesday 15 April

German lawyers have filed a criminal complaint against Chancellor Friedrich Merz and 10 other officials for “aiding and abetting Israel’s genocide in Gaza.” Via Jerusalem Post

Spain begins trying Netanyahu and Israeli leaders in absentia in its local courts on charges of committing war crimes, creating an official judicial record of charges that can be used later to support files in international courts.

It was not my intention to run for election to the Scottish parliament from a hospital bed in Caracas, but sometimes we have to take what life gives us.

Craig Murray

The Met have refused permission for the Palestine movement to march on its proposed route for its annual commemoration of Nakba Day tomorrow, but has allowed a hate march called by racist thug Tommy Robinson to go ahead. But PSC will march for Palestine anyway ✊

A letter from the Torygraph’s new owners, leaked to Owen Jones, makes it mandatory for the paper’s ‘journalists’ to support Israel.

Thursday 16 April

Brazil has expelled the Israeli Ambassador.

The Archbishop of Canterbury has made a statement which has received a lot of criticism much of which ignores the fact that she has only been in office for less than 3 months and a lot of it is misogynistic – they don’t believe a woman should be Archbishop! In short, she’s equally condemned for speaking up or for not speaking 🙄

Friday 17 April – Palestinian Prisoners’ Day

Palestinian Prisoners’ Day – the international day of action and struggle for the liberation of Palestinian prisoners – has been commemorated each year, on 17 April, since 1974 as a day to demand the liberation of imprisoned Palestinians and salute their leading role in the resistance and revolutionary struggle for the liberation of Palestine, from the river to the sea. This year Palestinian Prisoners’ Day is particularly urgent and important as Palestinian prisoners face the most extreme forms of torture and isolation as well as the new “Prisoners’ Execution Law” promulgated by the openly fascist Netanyahu-Ben Gvir-Smotrich government. Via Samidoun: Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network

33 MPs, including all 5 Green MPs, have signed Early Day Motion objecting to the Metropolitan Police prioritising a Tommy Robinson march over one that is held annually to commemorate Nakba Day (15 May).

That this House notes that every year the Palestine Coalition organises a march in London on the anniversary of the Nakba and that this year the march falls on Saturday 16 May; expresses its strong concern that the Metropolitan Police has refused the Palestine movement its preferred route for the commemorative march but have instead allocated, on the same day, London’s political centre, including the whole of Whitehall, Parliament Square and Trafalgar Square, to Tommy Robinson’s far-right protest, claiming this action is necessary because of the expected scale of the Robinson demonstration even though many of the recent Palestine demonstrations have been considerably bigger than last year’s Unite the Kingdom demonstration organised by Robinson; further notes the Palestine marches have been peaceful, while protests backed by Tommy Robinson have ended up in violent attacks on the Palestine movement and on the Metropolitan Police and thus believes that people will not understand why the police are favouring the far right over Palestine on Nakba day; and therefore urges the Metropolitan Police to review this decision.

Hansard EDM3084

Tadhg Hickey has expressed disappointment at not making it into the Israeli Government’s Top 10 Antisemites list although Tucker Carlson squeezed in at No10.

Saturday 18 April

The Government does not support a public inquiry on pro-Israeli influence, and does not have plans to hold an inquiry on wider foreign influence and lobbying more generally. However, the Government takes concerns about foreign influence in politics and democracy seriously, and is already taking action to address this.

Hansard, response to petition

The petition had already obtained >113k signatures in less than 3 months.

Spain will not broadcast Eurovision due to Israel’s participation.

Tuesday 21 April

Reform MP Lee Anderson and Your Party’s Zarah Sultana were suspended and removed from Parliament for calling Cur Starmer a liar – which he undoubtedly is!

Chicago Teachers Unions leads the call for a nationwide shutdown on May Day.

Thursday 23 April (Shakespeare Day)

Trump’s envoy suggested that Italy should replace Iran at the 2026 World Cup. Italy’s Sports Minister said: “You qualify on the pitch. Not through geopolitics.” FIFA confirms Iran stays

Friday 24 April

I’ve been rather unwell lately which has made it difficult to concentrate, hence the gaps in my Diary. I just did a Covid test which was negative, so I hope I’ll be fit enough to attend a Green Party social in the village on Sunday. If some of you receive this a bit late you’ll know I made it 😀👍

Once again a post that I’ve been sharing frequently for several months suddenly started getting a near record response

Saturday 25 April

A petition calling for a referendum to bring the water industry into public ownership has gained 71.5k signatures in less than a month, and growing. The government’s response is so bad it merits a separate blog. That will be a task for next week.

I hope to get this out on time tomorrow but if a few of you on Bluesky get it a bit late it will be because I’ve taken the opportunity to attend a Green Party social in Sherburn, they’re difficult for me to get to in Selby.