Category Archives: Politics

Government, North Korea, Politics, Society, United Nations, United States

UN General Assembly – Trump: I’ll destroy North Korea and its Rocket Man

UNITED NATIONS

President Donald Trump delivers tough-talking at the UN General Assembly. Mr Trump gave warnings on North Korea, the Iran nuclear deal, Venezuela and on Socialism.

IN a blistering address to the UN General Assembly in New York earlier this week, Donald Trump vowed to “totally destroy” North Korea if it targets the United States or its allies with nuclear weapons. The US President labelled North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un a “Rocket Man on a suicide mission”.

Mr Trump accused the “depraved” regime in Pyongyang of starving millions of its own people to fund its nuclear programme, and of torturing and killing “countless others” in its efforts to retain power.

Kim has shocked the world with a series of nuclear and ballistic missile tests in recent months and has vowed he will not rest until he has a nuclear arsenal to rival America’s.

Mr Trump vowed merciless reprisals if North Korea acts on its threats.

“No nation on Earth has an interest in seeing this band of criminals arm itself with nuclear weapons and missiles,” he said. “The United States has great strength and patience, but if it is forced to defend itself or its allies, we will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea.”

The uncompromising language at the world’s leading diplomatic forum will dismay those hoping to avoid war on the Korean peninsula.

Downing Street has said the Government remains committed to finding a “peaceful resolution” to the crisis.

A spokesperson for Number 10 described Pyongyang’s recent actions as “provocative and destabilising”, but added: “No-one wants to see military action, but as we progress with efforts to secure a peaceful diplomatic resolution it would be wrong to rule anything out.”

In a wide-ranging speech, Mr Trump also took aim at a string of other countries on collision course with the US, including Iran, Venezuela and Cuba.

And he issued a veiled warning to China and Russia over their expansionist ambitions and their willingness to trade with North Korea.

The President savaged the Iran nuclear deal signed by his predecessor Barack Obama – and suggested the US could pull out of it.

The deal lifts sanctions against the Tehran regime in return for assurances it will drop its dream of building a nuclear bomb.

Mr Trump described the Iranian regime as a “corrupt dictatorship… which has turned a wealthy country, with a rich history and culture, into an economically depleted rogue state whose chief exports are violence, bloodshed and chaos”.

He added: “The Iran deal was one of the worst and most one-sided transactions the United States has ever entered into. Frankly, that deal is an embarrassment to the United States, and I don’t think you’ve heard the last of it. Believe me.”

Israel welcomed the intervention, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying he had “never heard a bolder or more courageous speech” at the UN. But veteran Democratic Senator Diane Feinstein said: “The goals of the United Nations are to foster peace and promote global co-operation.

“Today, the President used it as a stage to threaten war.”

“He aims to unify the world through tactics of intimidation, but in reality he only further isolates the United States.”

In an ominous warning, Mr Trump also warned the US “cannot stand by and watch” while the socialist regime in Venezuela “destroys a prosperous regime”.

Rounding on dictator Nicolas Maduro, he said: “The situation is completely unacceptable.”

He added: “The problem in Venezuela is not that socialism has been poorly implemented, but that socialism has been faithfully implemented. From the Soviet Union to Cuba to Venezuela, wherever true socialism or communism has been adopted, it has delivered anguish and devastation and failure.

“Those who preach the tenets of these discredited ideologies only contribute to the continued suffering of the people who live under these cruel systems.”

Mr Trump also issued a warning to world leaders on the need to tighten borders to stem the flow of migrants around the world. He said mass migration was “deeply unfair to both the sending and the receiving countries”.

And he warned that “substantial costs of uncontrolled migration” were “borne overwhelmingly by low-income citizens whose concerns are often ignored by both media and government”.

Mr Trump said he would not back away from his “America First” agenda – and urged other nations to follow suit.

“As President of the United States, I will always put America first,” he said. “Just like you, as the leaders of your countries, will always and should always put your countries first.”

Mr Trump also served notice on the UN that, like NATO, it could not expect the US to continue to pay an “unfair burden” towards its running costs.

The packed General Assembly hall greeted Mr Trump’s tough rhetoric with periods of silence punctuated by polite applause during his 42-minute speech.

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Britain, Government, Legal, Politics, Society

Trolls could be stripped of the right to vote

ELECTION LAW

SOCIAL media trolls who abuse MPs could be stripped of their right to vote.

The Electoral Commission, the elections watchdog, said existing legislation on elections, which in part dates back to the 1800s, should be reviewed to bring laws up to date.

It suggested punishments for existing electoral offences, such as losing elected office or being disqualified from being registered as an elector, could also be used for those who abused MPs and candidates online.

“It may be that similar special electoral consequences could act as a deterrent,” the commission said.

A reform of electoral legislation would help in “clarifying and strengthening” existing offences and identifying any gaps in the law, the commission said in evidence to the Committee on Standards in Public Life, which is investigating the intimidation faced by parliamentary candidates.

The commission also recommended updating electoral law to take proper account of social media posts, so people could see who is responsible for material placed online.

Tom Hawthorn, head of policy at the Electoral Commission, said: “Our strong tradition of free elections are an essential part of a healthy democracy, and people should be able to stand for election and campaign without fear or abuse or intimidation.

“However, many offences in electoral law have not been reviewed or updated since they were first created in the 19th century.”

A Downing Street spokesman said Theresa May viewed the abuse and intimidation of candidates during the election as “unacceptable”, adding: “I think what she should say is that there is a clear difference between legitimate scrutiny and conduct that is fuelled by hate and personal abuse.”

COMMENT 

This is a good step forward by the Government in dealing with internet trolls who are clearly a menace to society. In addition, this writer would like to see additional measures to be considered by the UK Government in dealing with many of these social outcasts who appear to have nothing better to do all day. Other measures to be considered should include the sanctioning of benefits against those internet trolls who encroach or border on the criminality. Internet Service Providers (ISPs), too, should be made liable in banning such individuals from the internet. These measures, and those already announced by the Government, would go some way in removing this unwanted scourge from society.

Vile, rancid and spleen-venting abuse has no part to play in any society that wishes to preserve its freedoms, not jarred by thuggish morons intent on causing misery for others. We need legislation to reflect not only the protection of MPs and parliamentary candidates – who, it has to be said, have suffered the most appalling of abuses – but all citizens of this country wishing to make their voice heard.

In an opposing view:

“There are already perfectly adequate laws. It is an offence to incite violence, to act in a way that puts anyone in a state of fear and alarm, to make a breach of the peace or to indulge in racist, sexist and homophobic abuse.

“It may also be rather more difficult to draft effective new legislation than you might think. Words such as ‘trolling’ and ‘online abuse’ are dangerously nebulous, especially in the context of our long British tradition of cheerfully pillorying those in power. And there is no such thing as a right, in law, not to be offended.” [John MacLeod, Scottish journalist – September 21, 2017]

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Britain, European Union, Government, Politics, Society

Brexit: Boris Johnson’s 9 key points

BREXIT

IN a 4,000-word essay by British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson which appeared in the Daily Telegraph over the past few days, critics have accused Mr Johnson of trying to bounce the Prime Minister into backing his version of Brexit. Supporters say his upbeat assessment is a vital antidote to the gloom of Remainers. This article examines what he said – and what he meant.

. Johnson’s Red Lines

“Before the referendum we all agreed on what leaving the EU logically must entail: leaving the customs union and the single market, leaving the penumbra of the ECJ; taking back control of borders, cash, laws. That is the programme that Theresa May set out with such clarity… and that is what she and her government will deliver.”

What he means: This might appear to be a simple restatement of government policy. But Mr Johnson’s decision to highlight it days before the prime minister makes a major speech on Brexit is designed to stop her moving an inch on his key red lines.

. Not A Penny More

“We would not expect to pay for access to their markets any more than they would expect to pay for access to ours. Once we have settled our accounts, we will take back control of roughly £350million per week.”

What he means: This is the point on which Mr Johnson is most at odds with Mrs May. He appears to set himself against making payments during a transition out of the EU. And his claim that the UK will repatriate £350million a week leaves no scope for any ongoing payments to Brussels.

Boris Johnson, the British Foreign Secretary, has set out his vision of post-Brexit Britain.

. A Pledge To The NHS

“It would be a fine thing, as many of us have pointed out, if a lot of that [£350million a week] went on the NHS, provided we use that cash to modernise.”

What he means: Mr Johnson has been stung by claims that he lied about increasing funding for the NHS in last year’s EU referendum. He and other Cabinet Eurosceptics are pushing hard for an increase in NHS funding after Brexit.

. Slashing Red Tape

“As we take back control of our cash, and our borders, and our laws, we will of course not jettison what is good… But over time we will be able to diverge from the great accumulated conglomerate, to act with regulatory freedom.”

What he means: Mrs May is expected to use her speech this week to reassure EU leaders she will not lead a regulatory ‘race to the bottom’ after Brexit, giving the UK a competitive advantage over the EU. But Mr Johnson is anxious Britain does not abandon the opportunity to ditch decades of red tape blamed for stifling innovation and the economy.

. Taxes

“We should seize the opportunity of Brexit to reform our tax system. Andy Haldane, the Bank of England’s chief economist, argued in 2015 that our system is currently skewed so as to discourage investment. He believes that reform could raise output by around 20 per cent.”

What he means: Mr Johnson is keen to ensure that Mrs May and Chancellor Philip Hammond do not lock Britain into following the EU’s high-tax model after Brexit.

. Border Control

“We will have an immigration policy that suits the UK, not slamming the door, but welcoming the talent we need, from the EU and around the world. Of course we will make sure that business gets the skills it needs, but business will no longer be able to use immigration as an excuse not to invest in the young people of this country.”

What he means: Taking back control of Britain’s borders was a key Vote Leave message. Mr Johnson is serving notice to business leaders that they will have to start training British youngsters rather than relying on an endless supply of cheap migrant workers.

. Don’t Trust Corbyn

“We have a glorious future, but hardly any of this would be possible under the bizarre and incoherent plans of the Labour Party. It seems that [Jeremy] Corbyn has chickened out. Now it appears he wants to remain in the single market and the customs union. He would… turn an opportunity into a national humiliation. It would be the worst of both worlds, with the UK turned into a vassal state – taking direction from the EU but with no power to influence the EU’s decisions.”

What he means: Mr Johnson saves his fiercest criticism for Labour, pointing out that Mr Corbyn’s flip-flopping on the issue has betrayed traditional Labour supporters who voted in vast numbers to leave the EU.

. Proud To Be British

“When people say that they feel they have more in common with others in Europe than with people who voted leave I want to say, ‘But that is part of the reason why people voted leave.’ You don’t have to be some tub-thumping nationalist to worry that a transnational sense of allegiance can weaken the ties between us; and you don’t have to be an out-and-out nationalist to feel an immense pride in this country and what it can do.”

What he means: This is very much in line with Mrs May’s attack on self-proclaimed ‘citizens of the world’ who end up being ‘citizens of nowhere’. Both believe Britain is in danger of being undermined by a lack of patriotism in sections of society and key institutions.

. Forget Project Fear

“I do not underestimate the scale of the task ahead as we take back control of our destiny. All I say is that they are in grievous error, all those who write off this country, who think we don’t have it in us, who think that we lack the nerve and the confidence to tackle the task ahead. They have been proved wrong before, and believe me they will be proved wrong again.”

What he means: Mr Johnson fears gloomy talk about Brexit will become a self-fulfilling prophecy unless challenged publicly. He notes that many of the ‘Project Fear’ claims made by the Remainers turned out to be utterly baseless.

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