Harry's Place

Morgan Tsvangirai, leader of Zimbabwe’s ‘Movement for Democratic Change’ was hailed as a new sort of Southern African leader. The name of his party said everything you thought you needed to know: where Zanu-PF was stuck in quagmire of paranoia and corruption, they offered movement; where Zanu-PF was an autocratic party transforming into a personality [...]

This is a cross post from Nick Cohen of Standpoint
The longest period of left-wing rule in British history is all but over. Guess how Labour MPs use their last few precious days in power. By comforting the afflicted and afflicting the comfortable? By standing up for the one-million-strong army of young unemployed? By reforming a [...]

Back in October, on the 60th anniversary of the founding of the German Democratic Republic (aka East Germany), The Morning Star and the Socialist Unity blog published an affectionate remembrance of that Stalinist police state now happily consigned to the dustbin of history (to borrow a phrase from Leon Trotsky and Ronald Reagan).
That account included [...]

The UK libel laws are ridiculous and politicians are waking up to the fact.
The Times reports:
A new “public interest” defence for responsible journalism will be included in reforms to be brought forward if Labour wins the election.
Jack Straw, the Justice Secretary, said that ministers were convinced” that libel law reform in England and Wales was [...]

This is a cross post by Maurice Cousins of There is Nothing British about the BNP
A screen grab of Richard Lumby attacking the Royal Family
British voters are disgusted by a senior West Midlands British National Partyorganiser who told local activists that the Royal Family are “traitors”.
In a February 2010 regional meeting Richard Lumby spoke about the treachery of the [...]

Here is some news from the East London Advertiser:
POLITICIANS from the major parties are boycotting a seminar about anti-Muslim hatred staged by the controversial Islamic Forum of Europe.
The IFE had invited the main candidates from Poplar and Limehouse to speak at the seminar entitled confronting Anti-Muslim Hatred in Contemporary Britain in Whitechapel tonight .
…
The current [...]

During the contentious “town hall” meetings on health care reform last summer, I noted a photo of a woman clearly eligible for Medicare holding a sign denouncing “Gov’t Run Health Care.” Since Medicare– the health insurance program for senior citizens– is in fact government-run health care, I wondered if she was refusing on principle to [...]

Tommy Sheridan, top Glasgow Trot, has finally been given a date for his perjury hearing:
The case has been scheduled to get under way at the High Court in Edinburgh on September 21, with the trial expected to last up to 12 weeks.
Twelve weeks eh? that’s a pretty lengthy spell.
A previous procedural hearing was told as [...]

IHH is a Turkish Islamist charity. It has been banned by Israel for supporting Hamas.
Israel sure got that one right. Here is IHH’s president, Bülent Yildirim, being received by Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh during the last Viva Palestina convoy to Gaza. IHH was a major contributor to the convoy.

And here he is [...]

This is a cross-post from Shiraz Maher at Standpoint Magazine
IEngage have written a letter to Charles Farr, Director General of the Office for Security and Counter Terrorism, complaining about the Quilliam Foundation.
Earlier this week Quilliam released a report about the Islam Channel revealing that it sometimes gives a platform to preachers who espouse extreme and reactionary [...]