Punishing the poor
July 22, 2008
On Monday, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions James Purnell presented his green paper entitled No-one Written Off to the House of Commons. His opening lines were: “The welfare state is a vital part of the fabric of our country. We take pride in it. It is how we come together as a nation to support those who are vulnerable and in need of help.” Read more
EDM 2139: Murder of Munir Said Thalib
July 22, 2008
That this House recognises and supports the work of KASUM (The Committee for Solidarity With Munir) to bring those responsible for the murder of Indonesian human rights defender Munir Said Thalib to account; welcomes the progress made so far in connection with the case; further welcomes the recent arrest of Major General Muchdi Purwoprandjono, a former member of the Indonesian state intelligence agency BIN; requests the UK Government to ask the Indonesian government to make public the report by an independent fact-finding team into the Munir case, ordered by the Indonesian President, and to ensure that all those responsible for Munir’s death are brought before the courts; further requests the UK Government to monitor closely the continuing developments in the case; and encourages the UK Government to support human rights defenders, independent journalists and civil society activists in Indonesia.
EDM 2076: Mayors for Peace
July 16, 2008
That this House deplores the decision of Boris Johnson to withdraw London from the worldwide Mayors for Peace network; believes that elected representatives of cities in all continents declaring their opposition to nuclear weapons is a positive development in promoting disarmament and peace; and deeply regrets Mayor Johnson’s decision and the message it sends to the world from London.
EDM 1958: Human rights in Papua
July 3, 2008
That this House notes the continued repression and intimidation of the indigenous people of Papua by the military (TNI), and other elements of the Indonesian security forces; further notes the climate of fear, intimidation and violence under which human rights defenders in Papua have to work, referred to in the January 2008 report of the UN Special Representative on Human Rights; and accordingly calls on the Foreign Secretary to make representations to the Indonesian government urging it to look carefully at the role of the TNI and other security forces in Papua, to account for its failure to implement special autonomy in Papua, to allow the Papuan people to voice their concerns and aspirations by exercising their rights to freedom of expression, association and assembly, and further to allow free and unfettered access to Papua by foreign journalists and international human rights organisations.
EDM 1957: US military bases in Iraq
July 3, 2008
That this House notes that, according to an article in the Independent on 5th June, the US administration is attempting to negotiate an agreement with the Iraqi government to maintain 50 permanent US military bases in Iraq; further notes that this would create a permanent occupation of Iraq, a state of affairs which has no legal or moral basis; and calls upon the Government to resume and complete the withdrawal of British troops from Iraq to demonstrate opposition to the US administration’s unacceptable policy.
Radical change is needed
July 2, 2008
Labour must reconnect with its traditions or face electoral defeat.
The Labour government has suffered enormous problems in the past few months, many of which are of its own making. As Gordon Brown surveys the scene of plummeting opinion poll ratings and ever-looming problems of the economy and social justice, he would do well to consider the very basic question of why Labour was elected in the first place and why the vast majority of Labour support comes from working class voters and people with a passion for social justice and international peace. Having done that, he might start to think about what the government has done right since 1997 and done so disastrously wrong at certain times. Read more
EDM 1931: Freedom of expression in Yemen
July 1, 2008
That this House notes with concern the conviction and sentencing to six years in prison of leading Yemeni journalist Abdulkarim al-Khaiwani; commends the courage and resilience of journalists and activists who continue to tackle sensitive political and human rights issues despite the harassment and risks faced in what appears to be part of a wider clampdown on freedom of expression in Yemen; and calls on the UK Government to use its influence to press the Yemeni authorities to release Abdulkarim al-Khaiwani, stop prosecuting journalists, activists and critics of the state for peacefully exercising their right to freedom of expression and to release all prisoners arrested solely for the non-violent expression of their opinions.
