War, Censorship, Genocide. The Attempted Clampdown of Artists & Activists... Natural Progression of The System.
War, war, war; genocide, genocide, genocide; on and on.
The British government gleefully announced on the 25th of June that its new procurement would be the F-35A, the nuclear-capable version of the F-35 ‘Lightning II’ fighter jet, ready to carry US nuclear missiles. This will be an “upgrade” to the UK’s nuclear capabilities, according to Westminster. The British aim to have a fleet of 74 F-35 aircraft A and B by 2033.
This is alongside its own Tempest project to build a homogeneous modern fighter jet.
A procurement process that comes at a time of economic upheaval, with the British PM having to roll back on plans for cuts to welfare because of the pushback from his backbench and the grassroots campaigns. Discontent has spread throughout Europe, the UK, and Ireland.
While the British and European people struggle to meet their needs at home, wartime economics is now the name of the game. AGAIN. All else failed, the sanctions that were to “cripple Russia” only helped cripple Europe, the sanctions that would see Ukraine “win the war” have done little to help it.
All while people in Britain face the brunt of these decisions. The Labour government now struggles to push its welfare cuts through Parliament.
In attempts to keep Donald Trump on side, the European leaders all came together at the NATO summit, where a cringefest would ensue.
The Europeans falling over themselves to flatter Donald Trump at the NATO summit in The Hague were in dire need to portray a facade of unity among the alliance.
The NATO Chief Mark Rutte, calling Donald Trump “daddy,” was the last thing I’d expect to hear, but I was not surprised.
The US's seeming pivot away from NATO when Trump came to power signalled a new era, one where Europe would foot the bill for their military costs, and the focus of the US turned toward the Pacific with eyes on China. The race for the Arctic becomes a priority for the US as the superpowers clamber for key positions in the resource-rich region.
After World War II, the Marshall Plan, formerly the Truman Doctrine, was enacted, moulding the continent for the coming century, ultimately bringing us to the turning point of today. A turning point with striking similarities to past tumultuous times, turning points in human history.
The departure, at least partially, of the US from concerns within NATO marked a seismic shift in global dynamics, especially in Europe. It shook the European establishment, pushing them to adapt their long-talked-about plans for reforming industry and “defence and security”
The US-led alliance remains as European leaders strive to revitalise it by pledging to increase military spending, thereby ensuring continued support from the United States.
“In an era of radical uncertainty, we can no longer take peace for granted, which is why my government is investing in our national security, ensuring our armed forces have the equipment they need and communities up and down the country reap the benefits from our defence dividend.” - British Prime Minister Keir Starmer
The UK is classified as a tier 1 customer of the F-35 fighter jet, meaning it receives 15% of each F-35 produced. This status is a result of being one of the first nations to join the F-35 development and production programme in 1995, which led to its tier 1 ranking.
The so-called “defence dividend” espoused by Keir Starmer and Chancellor Rachel Reeves in Westminster is used as a way to make these direction choices seem a viable option to the ordinary person. To sweeten the deal, if you will.
Promises of a net positive for communities, these dividends rarely ever reach the working class. Trickle-down economics has always been a myth. The Labour party will continue to use it as a carrot and stick, but the dividends will not arrive.
And when the time comes, the ordinary working-class man and woman will then be sent to fight wars in foreign lands at the behest of the ruling elite.
The Descent Into an Authoritarian Technocratic Fever Dream
Dynamics in the world have changed, especially over the past 10 years, but the underlying system remains, as do the core problems. The exploitation of the masses’ inequality is at its worst; the UK and Ireland, some of the wealthiest nations on earth, struggle to deal with homelessness, and a large percentage of people still have to use food banks!
Seeking war to drive the economy, an attempt by Britain and Europe to kickstart their economies again, they seek to find their place in the new world order.
But war and the funding of the military-industrial complex come first?
The fading away of the old world and the rise of a new one have the West scurrying to retain influence and find its place again; this is certainly one way of doing it. Economic prowess failed, so military might is next.
People continue to rally against such industry and the machinations of imperialist transatlantic politicos. An industry of death. That today helps prop up genocide. A big reason why this industry has been targeted in acts of civil disobedience by Palestine Action, who now face being proscribed as a ‘terror’ organization.
And tomorrow will prop up a war of the US-NATO’s own making.
A self-fulfilling prophecy will make it a reality. This push is in line with a campaign to manufacture consent among the population of Western nations for “a coming conflict”. And it’s not just bloggers, or activists, or analysts saying this; it comes from the horse’s mouth itself.
As recently as five days ago, the British government said that the British people must "actively prepare for the possibility of the UK coming under direct threat, potentially in a wartime scenario." In its new National Security Strategy, the British seek to bolster their forces at home and abroad. Tying in domestic security with international security, police, intelligence the army.
“I am convinced this can be done. We can unleash a ‘defence dividend’ that will renew industrial communities the length and breadth of our country. We can generate the jobs, growth, and wages we need to bring the country together, guided by my Plan for Change”.
“And we can unite society behind a simple argument that economic security is national security. Strength on the international stage has always been vital for our national security. Now, we can use national security to strengthen our country” - British PM Keir Starmer, UK National Security Strategy.
A consistent tempo of rhetoric from the European continent and the warhawks in Westminster, the direction for the coming decade is all but fully set, with talk of a more transnational “NATO first” approach, the push to implement the EU’s white paper “Readiness 2030” is in full swing alongside each nations respective National Security Strategy.
This future is characterised by surveillance, artificial intelligence, militaristic industries, wartime economies, and authoritarian crackdowns. For Ireland, this translates to being drawn further into a militaristic sphere of influence that neither the Irish people desire nor require.
As things develop, crackdowns on activists have intensified, with numerous individuals being arrested and censored in Ireland. Among those censored is Tadhg Hickey, who has publicly condemned the genocidal apartheid occupation in Palestine.
In doing so, he has been largely silenced on mainstream media platforms, facing targeted attacks across various media outlets due to his political views and support for oppressed communities across the region.
A Palestine solidarity group, Mothers Against Genocide, faced the violence of the state when they held a peaceful sit-down protest in front of the Irish Parliament, the Dáil.
The Irish police, An Garda Síochána, took it upon themselves to drag female activists along the ground, arresting two.
One of those female activists then faced a full-body search in custody. The actions described are intended to create a chilling effect, prompting individuals to reconsider whether they wish to risk arrest or charges for participating in such activities. These campaigns are being conducted at varying intensities across different countries.
A campaign to criminalise and terrorise ordinary people for standing up and speaking out against the apartheid regime in Israel, its genocide, and the facilitation of the support of its genocide by the Irish government.
As the continued use of Irish territory and airspace is still being debated, the interconnected nature of these strategies can’t be overlooked; it means Ireland will be fully co-opted to be part of this restructuring of the European transatlantic defence Structure. With the compradors in power in Ireland wilfully partaking in the laying of its groundwork.
To this end, Irish revolutionary Socialist leader James Connolly foresaw this for the island over a century ago.
If the path toward an Irish Socialist Republic is not genuinely sought by those men and women ready to fight for independence from Britain, she would rule Ireland through her institutions.
“If you remove the English Army tomorrow and hoist the green flag over Dublin Castle, unless you set about the organisation of the Socialist Republic, your efforts will be in vain.” - James Connolly
In the halls of power in Ireland and across the NATO bloc, calls came for Ireland to drop its neutrality. Although Ireland retains its neutrality in name at least, it becomes more debatable as the weeks and months progress as to whether Ireland is neutral or not.
The ‘Readiness 2030’ strategy by Europe opens up nations to more comprehensive transnational cooperation between the military and industry. Before the release of this strategy, work was being done in the background to prepare the island and wider Europe for this transformation.
Including the “modernisation” of the armed forces, with none other than the US Department of Defence (DoD) providing guidance and support as part of this initiative, as the Irish government hires a Pentagon-based company to oversee efforts.
All part of Ireland’s national ‘VISION 2030’ Strategy.
In recent days, the Irish government signalled it would speed up its efforts in relation to procurement and modernisation of the Irish Defence Forces. Days ago, the Tánaiste and Minister of Defence, Simon Harris, said he was determined to “provide for the development of a full spectrum of Defence Force capabilities that will bring Ireland in line with other similar-sized European countries.”
“I have agreed, therefore, that the Department of Defence should leverage the common procurement opportunities offered under the SAFE Regulation as much as possible to progress delivery of Ireland’s defence capabilities needs as quickly as possible.” - Tánaiste and Minister of Defence, Simon Harris
The SAFE initiative Ireland joined will also be used to support the Ukrainian military. This initiative provides 150 billion euros for investments in countries to use and boost their capabilities.
A tool that Adam Szłapka, the Polish Minister for the EU, said would allow Europe to boost “security and defence” capabilities and “deter those who would cause us harm”.
From the UK and continental Europe, strategies for the remilitarisation of industry and society are being implemented. The island does not escape this; being on the western flank of Europe, Ireland is in a strategic position, especially regarding the defence of the continent.
Plans to build up Ireland's air defences and early warning capabilities are in the pipeline. The Irish government says it plans to purchase 14 fighter jets for three billion euros and upgrade its radar systems to the tune of 400 million euros.
Who protects Ireland’s Skies?
The UK and Ireland have had a “secret bilateral pact” that allows British military jets and aircraft to enter Irish airspace to intercept and respond to aerial threats. A pact that the Irish government has continued to deny, the questions surrounding the island’s neutrality are apt, especially in a time of such upheaval and transformation.
During the RUSI Land and Warfare conference, the head of the British army, General Roland Walker, said that the British army must prepare by doubling its lethality in three years to “defend the nation”.
"My challenge to the British army is to double that lethality in three years and treble it by the end of the decade."
"We are making what we have got work better, essentially the software that exploits the data to turbocharge our modernisation."
"Software first model-based system engineering approach"
"Together we can double the lethality of the British army in three years and defend this nation." - Chief of the General Staff, General Roland Walker
The theatrics continued at the NATO summit with British PM giving a press conference on the future direction of the UK and NATO, stating that “enemies” are preparing for conflict and that society “must come together” to make each other “safe”.
"After all, we do not need to look too far into our history for an example of a whole-of-society effort, motivated by a collective will to keep each other safe.
"We can mobilise that spirit again and use it both for our national security and the building of our country.
"Meanwhile, some adversaries are laying the foundations for future conflict, positioning themselves to move quickly to cause major disruption to our energy and/orsupply chains, to deter us from standing up to their aggression." - British Prime Minister
For those who want to find out more about the manufacturing of consent, see the documentary by Noam Chomsky here.
From the state level down to the individual, both in Ireland and across Europe, nations are increasingly turning against their populace, initiating ever more regressive campaigns aimed at silencing dissenting voices.
When the history books record these times, they will certainly be called the turning point, a historic time of huge upheaval and transformation.
Now, artists face the campaign of censorship; they first targeted the journalists and the activists; they then went after the artists. The British establishment went after journalist Richard Medhurst twice for his work.
They targeted Sarah Wilkerson's home in a raid for comments she made about the genocide. During this raid, the police poured out an urn carrying her mother's ashes.
We have seen activists brought before the courts in Belfast for putting stickers on Israeli blood products. Activists were arrested for “criminal damage” for placing stickers on ATMs.
During their last visit to Belfast, the Clintons witnessed protest actions by students and local activists for their complicity in war crimes across the globe; police then lashed out, beating several people and arresting numerous others.
The three students arrested were brought before the courts, but their charges were dropped.
Irish rap group Kneecap faced the brunt of establishment propaganda.
Already outspoken about the situation in Ireland, Kneecap was firmly in the sights of the British establishment; Palestine was the straw that broke the camel's back.
When waving a flag is deemed more of a crime than participating in the extermination of an entire people, you know things have reached new lows.
Even for the imperialist West.
The group was then taken to court, with one of the members charged with "terror" offences; now the British establishment is going after Bob Vylan, a punk group who took to the stage in Glastonbury, cheering, "Death, death to the IDF."In a country that claims to love freedom of speech so much, there’s not much freedom.
As Israeli operations continue to expand across the occupied territories, the fabled “ceasefire” is still being sounded for Gaza; reports continue to come from the Strip of more people being killed by Israeli occupation forces.
With Israeli airstrikes killing scores of people in the Gaza Strip on Monday, 30th June.
The Decline of the 'Western Rules-Based Order' Continued
The US, UK, and NATO alliance persist in their political, diplomatic, economic, and military support for Israel, as further evidenced by the US's aggressive actions against Iran in June. And the European leaders continued reaffirmation of “Israel’s right to defend itself”.
The NATO Chief Mark Rutte, the sycophant, praised Donald Trump’s actions against Iran, claiming the attacks “were not in violation” of international law. Although many legal experts state that there was no "imminent threat,". Iran was attacked with the support of the US in the first place.
The concern was never about international law. It shows how far we have come, where they do not even try and use the pretence of international law.
A time when international law was reserved for enemies of Capital, Western values, “human rights”, and “democracy”.
Highlighting again why the global status quo, the old order, had failed and why the world’s institutions had become impotent in the face of such grave injustice in the world.
The world institutions were brought to their knees by the very nations that claimed to uphold and staunchly defend them. The disparity in how the politicians and world institutions reacted to differing situations was glaring.
Even with the most recent attacks against Iran, the International Atomic Energy Agency IAEA pushed and pushed for more access to Iran’s facilities. But nothing had been said or done by the agency about the actual nuclear weapons program that Israel has.
All focus on Iran while the aggressor, who has a confirmed nuclear weapons program, is allowed free rein.
When it came to Ukraine, we had urgency, a determination to "help" oozing from the politicians. The West labels Russia as its number one enemy while, in the same breath, excusing Israel for its genocide of Palestinians.
With Palestine, we get hollow words of condemnation. No sense of urgency, a two-sidedism that kept being pushed, as if what was happening in Palestine were a conventional conflict between two opposing armies.
It is a systematic attempt at erasure of a population by a far more advanced and kitted-out conventional army, the attempted erasure of a people who struggled and fought fiercely to defend themselves.
There are no two sides to genocide.
There has been a global two-tier system, one were one country dominated every sphere of life, with the manifestation of a more multipolar world, the two-tier system is being questioned and is perceived to be under threat. The rise of a multipolar world promised this much.
The rise of nations and the fall of empires.
At worst, we had Keir Starmer greenlighting the full siege of Gaza: no water, no food, no electricity. While also providing parts for the F-35, which has been used to bomb the Gaza Strip.
The genocide of the Palestinians and the gap in how the West deals with certain nations and people compared to others have been stark.
A system rotting from the inside out; the manifestations can be seen and felt in our communities. It can be seen globally. The situation in Palestine only hastened this collapse of the old world laws and norms.
The Palestinian struggle is at the forefront of the struggle against imperialism! It shines like a beacon for those who aspire toward a world free from imperialist ambition or colonial occupation and genocide.