Aim: Put People First. Method: Kill neo-liberal capitalism

We are in the midst of an interesting few days.

The G20 summit is in town, Brazil's Lula has pointed the finer of the great financial crime at 'blue-eyed bankers', Gordon Brown looks like a total goon, Obama's coming to town and Wednesday looks like it will be fun.

The movement for a superior resolution seems quite parsimonious to me. There was a demonstration yesterday, which had a lot in common with the recent 6 Billion Ways conference. With military occupation, financial, social, developmental and environmental failures colliding with each other, the arguments resonate louder. They make more sense together.

• The economy is declining and people are losing their jobs, so lets invest in setting up a greener infrastructure.
• Developing world doesn't want Aid, but fair trade rules.
• Agricultural sector is the mainstay of food sovereignty.
• The banks are ours now, lets stop them arming tyrants.
• Do not let the ideas (neoliberalism, light-touch regulation) and institutions (WTO, IMF, WB) that created the mess we are in, any chance to resolve it.
• We will be ok so long as we can find a way to bridge what we are capable of to what we actually do.

Detractors usually write off these human urges for pretty blue-blooded reasons and with pretty compelling quantitative seemingly 'practical' logic. Yet their system's failure and humiliation has created an environment where better ideas may be heard more seriously instead.

Yesterday green helmets were donned by thousands marching across London. Green helmets symbolising the willingness to work through these problems, together and creatively. Brass bands played, babies were cooed over and yes the weather was crap with sunny intervals.

Tony Robinson (from Time Team and the unforgettable Maid Marrian and her Merry Men) compered for the afternoon in Hyde Park and there was inspiration to be had. From individuals like Susan George and this cool Indian South African activist (something Naidu) fresh from hunger strike to organisations like Focus from the Global South and the new economics foundation.

I recommend people attend the Alternative London Summit at the University of East London on Wednesday after the March of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Mark Thomas's parting words to any police thinking of acting to form amused, "Remember is was Jackie Smith who cut your pay".

An alignment of bogeys

Its strange the kinds of alliances that are forming these days.

• 1971 obsessed Bangladeshi seculars rail against any Muslim organisation and dont think twice about allying with Zionists intent on creating a public equation between al quaida and those resisting Occupation with more than their pens.
• Skanky UK journalists talk to their bedfellows in Bangladesh to create the beautiful idea of the climate terrorist.
• Jionijom and Zionism look decidedly similar.

I'm sensing a new possible addition to this particular variety of bogey alignment.

Government-speak in the uk is full of terrorism (as it is in Bangladesh). In the past few days the UK government has issued a new policy on countering terrorism and a cabinet minister has tried to wave her willy at the MCB and make one of its office bearers resign. Meanwhile the unfortunately incumbent government in Bangladesh has similar bogeys up its nose.

The Awami-minded Bangladeshi smells rotting flesh in all Islamic philanthropy and is keen to establish blame for the BDR mutiny at the feet of the Islamically orientated. It is annoyed I guess that Muslim Bengalis in Britain have grown more religious in their modernised lives. Awami educational thinkers are eager to reduce the religious character of education, particularly in the madrassa stream.

Without referring to its own dubious funding culture, Awami forces routinely overplay the economic power and influence of their (minor) Islamist rival and continually link it to the terrorist group JMB. Its like some kind of anti-jew propaganda: on the campus, in the media organisation, in the parliament or with Americans around. It will get worse with time.

One of the reasons why I find the Awami political brand annoying and lacking in honour is the ease with which they go crying off to foreign allies for intellectual, economic, financial and military assistance. They are very good at lying and are constituted from that useless bourgeoisie class (sorry, civil society) that have become fat, stupid, aloof and inept on foreign development dollars.

So I think twice over accepting that a British run charity is a knowing supporter of militant training activity. It just ticks too many boxes.

Allahu'Alam.

A prejudicial ode to contest two

Contest Two, oh Contest Two
did Maajid really ghostwrite you?
will we be safe from killers and liars
who make their bread from human fires?

Contest Two, oh Contest Two
I do not seek funding from you
the answers to ummahtic riddles
cannot be found in your reeking piddles.

Contest Two, political fawning
Over you I'll find it quite annoying
Of course i see your legitimate aim
but must you cause such colonial pain?

That is not the way

Strange court-based news over the passed few days.

A Muslim man who has been in legal limbo and incarceration for years was awarded £60k for being beaten sadistically and abused by uk security forces six years ago. If you dont beleive me his injuries were documented by an expert. What matters is how his appeal against extradition unfolds in the European Court.

Today I rode the tubes and learnt of another story where the 'award' dwarfs this. £400k for an ex-headmistress who stood accused of Islamophobia and Racism, leading her to depression and playing a big role in her decision quit the profession. Her county council (Surrey) was judged to have tolerated 'troublemaking' Muslim governers to a blinding extent and did not support her.

Local government is rather wierd like that. The fear of being accused a racist, especially amongst white people(and ridiculous exploitation of the term), is retarding our ability to improve socially. Needless to say this event pressed all of the buttons of the 'political correctness gone mad' collective, but thats not my interest.

Adjusting for the right wing media family's portrayal, it appears to me like a story of muslim governers participating and engaging rather much with their local state educational infrastructure, and of a primary school head teacher being completely out of her depth.

I wonder what actually happened? Woking mosque is the oldest in the country, features a pretty garden and general elegance, and was built with a donation from the Begum of Bhopal (a queen of India). Muslim parents and citizens have been generally encouraged to take more responsibility in school governance in recent years. I don't think this case of spastication is the general one but it should give us lessons in how not to go about it things.

Where is the edge between our religious rights and taking the piss?

Given that the thinktanks are closed minded and dont actually do research and that the universities are busy reproducing themselves. Where can we know whats going on?

non-heroism in the eye of this beholder

No, I am not proud and grateful for what UK soldiers have done to Iraq. I would like to express my annoyance that their operations have been such a hazard inducing influence (mainly) on the Iraqis and (slightly) on the UK. It is not as if they did not have a choice, or that the information wasnt available to them. They were wrong, and so were the bankers, so no kudos for them. No crocodile kudos either.

Perhaps the UK Govt should only have defensive armed capability. Turning countries upside down shouldn't be rewarded. I do not believe my government responsible enough to wield such weapons of national disintegration. Besides, think of all the afforestation programmes the troops could be involved with. They could take guerillla gardening to new levels.

I wonder how if I could fit all these words on a banner.

a poem about getting real about climate change in development-speak

Climate Change, Fries my brains
Reveals so many growing pains
No noble, elegant paradigm
another organised development crime.

With one great science, they'll justify
entrench their interests, they'll multiply
subvert your knowledge and expertise
with CDM's contrived to please

No charity case, will cure our ills
no westoxifying development pills
Can't we just be our better selves
and make our own good book of spells

Undistracted by Sharia Satirised Social Spastication, by Ummahtic Overstretch, or by Secularist Surrender...

I think we will be fine.

It really is funny how easily government 'Muslim castration' policies are lampooned in khutbas.