the RESPECT party

Nato claimed it would protect civilians in Libya, but delivered far more killing, say Seamus Milne. It's a warning to the Arab world and Africa

Kevin Ovenden reports from Athens on the 48 hour General Strike

The huge strike wave and protests in Greece of the last 48 hours have shown just how isolated the Pasok (similar To Labour) government of Giorgos Papandreou's is. Yesterday (Thursday) was the big day for the protests. Estimates for the turnout vary, as is usually the case. But they were huge everywhere and probably involved about 10 percent of the Greek population taking part directly.

The strikes involved workers across the public and private sectors as well as taxi drivers, kiosk owners, shopkeepers and many small businessmen who also feel they cannot go on making sacrifice after sacrifice to pay the money demanded by the European Union and the bankers.

In May, 1000s of disabled people marched in London, to speak up about planned cuts to benefits and services. The Government are deciding whether these cuts happen this Autumn.

We are marching in Norwich, to tell the Government that cutting services will make life very difficult for disabled people and people with long term conditions. Disabled people will be the Hardest Hit by cuts. Disabled people are also being hardest hit by cuts to local services.

People from disability groups and disabled people from across the region will be speaking about the cuts. Join us!

By Abjol Miah, Respect Party National Chair

"It reads like a Hollywood film script" said the FBI Director Robert Mueller at the podium on the breakfast news unveiling what might be an Oscar-Winner at least in the "Wag the Dog" category.

Iran it seems, at least in the script, planned to blow up the Saudi Ambassador to Washington in a restaurant frequented by American senators and scores of other diners. And it contracted, through an Iranian-American citizen ( who appears to have been convicted long before his presumably forthcoming trial) guided by a named "member of the Quds Force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard", a Mexican Drug Cartel to do the job for a price of $1.5 million. Only the hired assassin was in fact an FBI operative, turned by them from his drug-dealing past into a sting operator. Thus the $100,000 down payment the Iranian-American allegedly paid into the agent's bank account goes to the US Treasury to reduce President Obama's deficit. Which may, of course, be where it came from in the first place.

The autumn 2011 edition of Respect Quarterly has arrived. With articles on the economy by George Galloway, the EDL by Kevin Ovenden, the defence of multiculturalism by Salma Yaqoob, Libya by Diana Raby, the plight of students by Mary Roberston, a report on the electricians dispute and, last but not least, a report from Tower Hamlets by Abjol Miah, this Quarterly is a must read.

Make sure you get your copy free by joining Respect. Individual copies and bulk orders can be purchased using Paypal. Please use the button below - prices include postage and packing.

Surveying the media on the 10th anniversary of the war on Afghanistan yesterday left little doubt - the war is lost, was ill-conceived and all that is left is to limit the damage.

How different it all seemed a decade ago - the Taliban were routed, women's rights were coming to Afghanistan along with democracy and Kabul was to be redeveloped as the jewel in the crown of a country now rescued from decades of neglect and war.

Some of us said at the time that it was bunkum. We said it again five years ago when British forces were deployed in Helmand - to Helmand, of course, because the much-routed Taliban had regrouped across the Pakistan border and were now firing an insurgency across the south and east.

THEY DID NOT PASS
THEY WILL NEVER PASS
1 9 3 6 - 2 0 1 1

On 4 October 1936 tens of thousands of anti-fascists stopped the anti-Semitic British Union of Fascists from marching down Cable Street, an area that was home to thousands of East End Jews.

75 years later thousands gathered again to stop the Islamophobic and racist English Defence League from marching through Tower Hamlets. We are gathering to commemorate the battle of Cable Street and the best traditions of anti-fascist and anti-racist struggle.

Please join us at the Cable Street mural near Shadwell tube station.

WITH GEORGE GALLOWAY, former MP Bethnal Green and Bow and ABJOL MIAH, Respect Party national chair and others

organised by Tower Hamlets Respect Party
SUNDAY 9 OCTOBER FROM 1.30PM