The blight of localism over 1821 – the case of Aegina

by George Kyriakou What do we say to the following article by George Kyriakou in Aegina? (my translation) In the past I have supported Aegina’s claims to recognition, specifically as the site of the swearing-in of Capodistrias on 26th January 1828 and the creation of the modern Greek state. The date of 26th January corresponds to the date of Australia’s controversial national day and as someone born in Australia I was impressed by this coincidence. In fact it was even the inspiration for a function in Athens on 26th January 2019 in honour of Julian Assange. But George Kyriakou’s perspective, which is supported by the historian Panagiotis Paspaliaris (admittedly a Naupliot but also a person with a respect for historical fact) has won my consent, particularly given its joint support from people with such different politics as Kyriakou and Paspaliaris. W.H. On 11th May 2020 at an online meeting of Aegina’s Municipal Council an announcement was issued nominating the membership of the Municipality of Aegina’s Co-ordinating Committee for participating in the celebration of the bicentenary of Greece’s 1821 Revolution. (1). The decision was unanimous and approved by the members of the Committee. But as early as January “the question of … Continue reading

Dr. Katrin Korb on COVID-19

German Medical Doctor Katrin Korb – Speech /Transcript May 2020 Dear fellow citizens, I’m thankful for being able to stand here today. My name is Katrin Korb, I have 3 children and I’m a doctor here in Oldenburg. I’m standing here because I fell the responsibility for the health of my parents, my children and myself. I stand here because I am furious about the attempts to get more control over the people, by attacking them with fear. I am not sure what happens exactly, though I’m sure it has to do with money and power. Firstly, I recognize this principle. It’s the principle of our health-care system! A system which unfortunately is guilty of spreading fear in order to earn money. This fear is on both our sides, my side as a doctor, but also my patients. There are guidelines I have to follow, guidelines for various health problems. But who is writing these guidelines? I will give you an example: There is a European guideline for heart diseases. There are 25 different authors who draft these guidelines, 19 of which are funded by the pharmaceutical industry. They call it an ‘advisory fee’. The guidelines state that I must … Continue reading

THE USA TODAY

by Ian Baldwin (Vermont Independent) The basic situation here is the two Americas. Two CLASSES (yes, classes). On one side, the college-educated and post-grad professionals who make up the software developer and digital engineering class, the media class (all of it, on every layer and in every sector of it), the government bureaucrat and legislator class, the lawyer and medical class, the management class, the university professor class, in short all the folk who do just fine thank you, armed with their laptops, during a politically driven “Lockdown.” On the other side of the Great American Divide are the folk who do farming, manual labor (construction, etc.), services, hair salons, trucking, hauling, electrical and plumbing repair, small retail either as owner-operators or employees, gas station operators and mechanics, small grocers and cafe owner-operators, people who depend on way or another on living—not virtual—walk-in customers, etc. Included in this class are the low-wage workers of the “winners” of the Lockdown Covid crisis, all the people working in low-level-functionary jobs for Walmart, Amazon, and other giant retail operations that directly benefit from Lockdown. The hatred that lofts over the heads of these two camps, which, like electricity itself, rides on polarity, that … Continue reading

Brexit Matters: What Next?

SOURCE: Kalypso Nicolaïdis On February 1, I joined the wonderful France24 team which came from Paris to cover it all from London’s Westminster Tower (see backdrop). Back to back French and English of course. I will continue, as with the last three years working with F24, to try both to explain but also to argue for a more constructive, gentler Brexit. Joined by Femi Oluwole, spokesman for the next generation, anti-Brexit activist who co-founded  “Our future Our choice”.  And by two Brexiters Alex Story, from “Leave EU Business group” and CEO of a property company and former Brexit Party MEP, Ben Habib — envers et contre tout, we must continue to listen to each other’s stories.  In English with Katherine Nicholson: https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20200201-au-revoir-europe-britain-heads-uncharted-waters-leaves-eu and in French, with journalist Caroline de Camaret: https://www.france24.com/fr/europe/20200201-brexit-le-d%C3%A9but-de-la-fin White Cliffs of Dover on the night: Publications “Brexit and the compatibility paradigm“, UK in a Changing Europe, 15 March 2018 “Mutual Recognition: Promise and Denial, from Sapiens to Brexit”, Current Legal Problems, December 2017. “Exodus, Reckoning, Sacrifice: Brexit Mythology Or why I believe that St Antony’s is the best place to advocate a Do-No-Harm Brexit,” in The Antonian Newsletter 2017, p. 11, 2017 “The Political Mantra: Brexit, Control and the Transformation of the European Order,” in Federico Fabbrini, ed, … Continue reading

Eugenics and Boris Johnson

Warning from Jacky Peacock: This is what happens when right-wing elite politicians get to run a country. The London Economic | It’s 2020, and eugenics is back on the agenda It’s 2020, and eugenics is back on the agenda Comment from W.H.: Is woke policy on abortions and homosexuality anything other than a different way of serving the same population reduction agenda? As for equality, it is a desideratum, not a reality. To make issues like this party political is to promote divide-and-rule. It would be good for people on both sides of issues like this to curb their passions and calm down. Or stop feigning indignation. Party politicising is not the only way to express disagreement. … Continue reading