“He who fights, can lose. He who doesn't fight, has already lost” (Brecht) ... From the Plough to the Stars & the River to the Sea ...
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Joined July 2014
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db (I/We) retweeted
As someone who loves Uppsala University (I was even selected as alumni of the year in 2016), I am so proud of its students for confronting former German foreign minister Annalena Baerbock for her undeniable complicity in Israel’s genocide in Gaza.
It is a disgrace that she was asked to deliver the Dag Hammarskjöld Lecture in the first place. Hammarskjöld must be rolling in his grave.
But it is a sign of how far Sweden - and its institutions - have veered off its old path of supporting international law, peace and multilateralism.
And as it has abandoned the very values that earned Sweden the soft power it still partially enjoys today, Sweden has become an increasingly irrelevant player on the international stage.
For instance, it's been almost two months since the Swedish elections, and the country still doesn't have a new government in place. Yet, no one on the international stage seems to have taken note, let alone cared about Sweden's political chaos.
Sweden used to be a moral superpower that punched way above its weight. Now, no one even notices it.
These students in Uppsala, however, give me hope for Sweden.
PS. Baerbock defended and legitimized Israeli attacks on civilian infrastructure in Gaza, and she ensured that Germany’s military support for Israel's genocide continued.
db (I/We) retweeted
It was a real privilege attending Macklemore’s concert last night.
A few observations:
1. The arena fits 12500 people. All proceedings would go to help three Palestinian people. IT SOLD OUT IN 10 MINUTES.
2. Listen to Macklemore’s message in the clip below. It could not have been more inclusive, pro peace, and pro love. THIS IS THE PERSON THAT THE PRO-ISRAEL CROWD HAS TRIED TO CANCEL - AND WHO ED SHEERAN BETRAYED.
3. Looking at the crowd, the stadium was packed with Brits of all backgrounds and races who were all there for the music AND for the cause of Palestine. Their dedication was impressive. I suspect most of them were unaware of the situation just 4 years ago. But the genocide has been a FORMATIVE experience for them, particularly for the young. The Palestinian cause will remain with them for the REST OF THEIR LIVES, I suspect, just as the anti-apartheid fight has for those who combated apartheid South Africa in the 70s and 80s.
4. Israel is well aware what it has done to the Palestinians, but it appears oblivious to what it has done to itself. An entire generation of young people, including in the West, will likely never side with Israel again.
db (I/We) retweeted
Ahead of what will clearly be a coordinated assault on Zack Polanski - some basic facts.
1 - Yes, Polanski's own net approval ratings have dipped sharply in recent months. This is primarily the result of more people becoming aware of him and forming an opinion. His actual approval ratings have been remarkably steady and, at 19%, he remains considerably more popular than his party.
2 - By comparison Adrian Ramsay's approval rating when he was co-leader in June 2025 was 5%. 81% had either never heard of them or had never bothered to form an opinion. His fellow co-leader Carla Denyer was only marginally better on 9%.
3 - Reportedly 18,000 members have left in recent months. But this is in the context of an unprecedented surge in membership which took the party from 70k to close to quarter of a million members after Polanski became leader.
4 - The party now has more than 1300 local councillors, compared to less than 900 when Polanski became leader.
5 - Yes, the Greens have dipped in the polls recently. But even now they are at the same level they were when he became leader. And they are primarily victims of their own success having obliged the Labour Party to ditch Starmer - a level of influence the Greens could previously only dream of.
6 - The Zionism is racism motion is held up as having done huge damage to the party. An Opinium poll showed 56% of Green Party members supported it - and just 13% opposed it. A clear majority among all voters under 34 who expressed an opinion supported it.
By any logical criteria, if your aim is for the Greens to become Britain's first genuinely radical, mass political party, capable of holding the balance of power in parliament, it makes no sense whatsoever to get rid of Polanski.
It makes sense only if that is precisely what you don't want to happen.
thetimes.com/uk/politics/art…
db (I/We) retweeted
I waded into controversy on Piers Morgan with @s_m_marandi: which is older, a European settler colony founded in 1948 or one of the most ancient nations in the world?
db (I/We) retweeted
OK Lads question..
Is Derry more Irish than Belfast 🤔
The atmosphere in Derry this weekend shows just why the city’s Halloween celebrations are world-renowned, with the streets full of costumes hours before the famous parade had even begun.
Gabrielle Swan reports from Europe's largest Halloween festival.
belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/…
db (I/We) retweeted
Lockhart, the masked UVF/UDA mob leader at the peaceful Scarva march is leaving the DUP as it won’t implode & pull down Stormont for the very last time! “The Lisburn Mafia” cutting each other’s throat for the leadership. This is the death rattle of Unionism we all knew would come
db (I/We) retweeted
what's quite jarring is the other-side thinking their march is perfectly normal.
It's like Germans demanding to goosestep up Champs-Élysées, every June 14th, waving their colonialist flags & banners, "coz are culture innit!".
the lack of self awareness is quite something.
db (I/We) retweeted
“A commission investigates. Survivors testify. Findings are published. Governments express concern. The machinery of impunity keeps turning.”
~Colin Sheridan
Irish Examiner
☕️🥐
db (I/We) retweeted
❤️
What I love about this video more than anything else is for everyone to watch it and then watch the smile on the professor @s_m_marandi at 2 minutes and 7 seconds.
It’s a thing of beauty
db (I/We) retweeted
There is undoubtedly a huge issue with selective and inconsistent application of the law.
db (I/We) retweeted
This is the essay the government doesn't want you to read.
Andreas Malm's overarching theory of the present — as an age of 'ultra-fossil' empire — in the new Tribune.
The rest of the issue isn't out yet, but we've released this early on our website:
tribunemag.co.uk/subscribe/?…
db (I/We) retweeted
“Massacring innocents has become as impersonal as picking off animation figures in Grand Theft Auto”
~Justine McCarthy
The Irish Times
☕️🥐
db (I/We) retweeted
Helen McEntee’s Department of Foreign Affairs won’t release draft versions of its EU propaganda book for schoolchildren because doing so could damage Ireland’s international relations and EU presidency.
‘Causing measurable harm,’ said an official.
ontheditch.com/helen-mcentee…
db (I/We) retweeted
Interesting from Galbraith. I think he must be talking about the new Chinese AI infrastructure, 90% cheaper than the US setup. This will render US AI investment unprofitable, similar to what happened in the shift from coal to oil in 1929. 1929? Yes, 1929. ineteconomics.org/perspectiv…
institutionalised unionism ...
