SIDELINES

News snippets from around the Globe.

Brighton Bombing, Part Deux

A BRITISH Labour Party councillor and former deputy leader of Sunderland City Council has been suspended from the party after she was spotted to have “liked” a comment on Facebook calling on the IRA to bomb the next Conservative Party conference.

The comment was posted by a group called “Thatcher doesn’t have to be dead before we give her a funeral”. It read: “We are appealing to the IRA to find it in their heart to bomb the next Tory conference.” Councillor Florence Anderson gave the statement a thumbs up from her Facebook account.

Anderson had previously said she hoped Thatcher would “burn in hell”  and stood by her comments after she was widely criticised. Speaking in 2010, she said: “I’m a miner’s widow. I remember 1984/85 as if it was yesterday. I hate Thatcher for what she did to my community.”

Mad Max lashes ‘RTÉ scum’

American broadcaster and financial pundit Max Keiser has hit out at Fox News, BBC and RTÉ, accusing them of broadcasting propaganda and lies about the financial and political crises across the globe.

Keiser is a former stock trader who shot to fame several years ago following a series of accurate predictions about the economic crash. He is currently the host of financial news programme The Keiser Report on Russia Today and a former presenter for BBC World News. He said that while working for BBC his programme was censored by the station:

“Those who think that the BBC is impartial are dead wrong. At least with Fox News the propaganda is in your face and you’d have to be a complete moron to miss it. At the BBC, the propaganda agenda is presented more subtly and therefore some might argue even more insidious. Considering that the UK licence fee payer pays to be lied to it’s also quite shameful. Having said that, what I can tell you is that as bad as the BBC is, RTÉ of Ireland is completely shambolic and even worse. RTÉ is truly state-sanctioned scum that does nothing but lie to people 24/7.”

David Cameron, anti-colonialist

DAVID CAMERON, Prime Minister of a Western power built on plundering by the British Empire, has accused Argentina of “colonialsim”.

The Old Etonian’s attack came after Argentina and other South American states blocked ships flying the Falkland Islands flag in opposition to what they deem the illegal occupation of the Malvinas (Falklands) by Britain.

Leading Argentine politician and lawmaker Carlos Kunkel responded: “The islanders are a transplanted people who live in an occupied British enclave. You cannot talk about self-determination in those circumstances.”

Of the 22 pending cases at the UN Decolonisation Committee, 16 involve territories held by Britain - none involves Argentina.

RAAD killers of Derryman urged to disband

THE group styling itself ‘Republican Action Against Drugs’ (RAAD) has again been called on by Sinn Féin to disband after it claimed responsibility for the murder of Derryman Andrew Allen in Donegal.

Sinn Féin Foyle MLA Raymond McCartney said: “All of your actions are anathema to the republican ethos and the use of a republican pseudonym besmirches a proud tradition.” He added:

“The rationale being put forward by this gang for its existence is redundant and it has created nothing but grief in the community. Contrary to what this pseudo group claims, there is no measurable support in the community for their actions.

“I appeal to those within RAAD who mistakenly believe that they are acting in the best interests of the people of Derry or harbour any affinity to republicanism to take the only credible step open to them and walk away now.”

Florence City Council names street after Bobby Sands

FLORENCE CITY COUNCIL in Italy has voted to name a street after Bobby Sands MP, who died on hunger strike in 1981 fighting for political status. There was a discussion and when it came to a vote 33 city councillors out of 34 voted in favour of the street naming with just one abstention.

There were three other streets newly named: after Oriana Fallaci, a well-known journalist and writer from Florence; Ilaria Alpi, a brave young journalist killed in an ambush in Mogadishu, Somalia; and world-renowned Italian film director Mario Monicelli.

Irish republican supporters hope that the move will encourage other municipalities to act and honour Bobby Sands and his comrades in similar ways.

WikiLeaks whistleblower nominated for Nobel Peace Prize

BRADLEY MANNING has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by an Icelandic political party. The 24-year-old US Army intelligence analyst who served in Iraq was arrested in May 2010 under suspicion of passing on information regarding US war crimes to the website WikiLeaks.

One of the videos allegedly leaked by Manning showed a US helicopter gunship massacring a group of 11 men, including two Reuters journalists, in Baghdad in July 2007. Another showed a US air-strike on a crowd of unarmed people in Granai, Afghanistan, in May 2009, which killed 93 children and 47 others.

Birgitta Jonsdottir, MP for The Movement, the political party which nominated Bradley, said they “wanted to raise awareness about the situation with Private Bradley Manning, whom way too few people know of”. She added that it is important that people expose crime “be it corporate, state or military”.

British queen’s cheeky welcome

‘MOONING’ Queen Elizabeth during her visit to Brisbane last October has cost an Australian barman A$750 (€611).

Liam Warriner (22) ran alongside the royal motorcade while holding an Australian flag between his bare buttocks while a large crowd looked on open-mouthed. Warrier said his actions were political and he was opposing an “elitist”. He added that he would happily repeat the gesture, suggesting Barack Obama and Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard as suitable targets.