Power of trees

Trees have a vital role in the battle to overcome climate change. They absorb carbon dioxide and contribute much to biodiversity. The true complexity of how trees operate is revealed in a fascinating new book, the Power of Trees, by German forester and teacher Peter Wohlleben. Wohlleben describes the intricate, interdependent world of the ancient woodlands. How trees are linked together and provide mutual support. The connected fungi and micro-organisms. He is very critical of the forestry industry across Germany and beyond. Many of the old deciduous forests have been cleared, being replaced with conifers and other fast timber producing trees. Cutting down the trees, destroys the forests as carbon sinks and sources of cooling. Then, many of the trees cut go to create wood pellets for fuel, thereby releasing more carbon. The answers really come from the rewilding school of thought, namely to leave the ancient woodlands that remain alone to regenerate. Then, when planting new trees make sure the type and conditions are right to replicate what has gone before. What is heartening is to see how forest lands are managed in the local area. The fantastic trees in local woodlands like Wanstead Park , Bushwood and Hainault Forest are all managed in the sustainable style. When trees fall or have to be felled, they are left to become part of the regenerative process. Insects, fungi and much else vital to progressing the biodiversity prosper. It becomes a virtuous circle. The challenge going forward is how to expand the tree cover. It is something being promoted by the Mayor of London. There has been much planting of new areas in Redbridge. This work must be ongoing, it also has to be done in an appropriate way that gives the time and longevity to be of real biodiverse value. But also remember the best way of advancing woodland is to leave what is already there alone. Trees are great at regenerating and spreading, when left to their own devices. Let the woods regenerate and spread. In the end, they might just save us all.

A Century of Labour by Jon Cruddas

Labour MP Jon Cruddas has produced a timely account of the 100-year history of the Labour Party. The retiring MP for Dagenham and Rainham poses a number of challenging questions throughout, not the least being does the party have a purpose? He is pretty scathing of the present leader Keir Starmer, noting that "apart from his actual name, little ties Starmer to the ethical and spiritual concerns of Labour's early founders, figures such as Keir Hardy and George Lansbury." Though, whilst critical of Starmer's ditching of his 10 pledges, from the original leadership contest, that presented him as the unity candidate, he intriguingly suggests if anything his program is Wilsonian. So neither Corbynism or New Labour restoration but a program seeing an active state role in increasing investment and growth. Cruddas runs through the history of the Labour Party, from its formation, examining the different governments of Ramsey MacDonald in 1924 and 1929. Then, the 1945, Clement Attlee government, Harold Wilson and James Callaghan and finally the Tony Blair/Gordon Brown years. Interestingly, he always seems to see the party reverting to a gradualist, utilitarian approach, too often shaped by events rather than taking charge of them. There seems to be a constant tendency to revert to austerity based policy or seeming just to represent a lighter shade of blue conservatism Cruddas identified three traditions of justice in the party, which he constantly refers to throughout the book.These are human welfare, freedom and virtue. The three traditions were best interwoven with the Attlee government. One criticism of the book is that the style of writing can be somewhat turgid. One wonders, as the author labours through various academic theories whether readers maybe lost. Once, through this early part of the book, the narrative relatively gallops along but many could fall at the early fences. Other themes that could have been developed a little more are the what ifs, such as if Callaghan had gone to the country in autumn 1978, if John Smith had lived, if Al Gore had won the 2000 US Presidential election and if Gordon Brown had called an election in autumn 2007. Cruddas never stakes out his own position clearly, though at a guess John Smith may well most closely represent his views. This book though is full of excellent analysis of the first 100 years of the Labour Party. Thorough, it also poses many questions. The retiring MP seems no fan of Starmer but also seems to suggest the jury is out in terms of what sort of Labour government he is likely to lead. One theme that runs through the book is that of the death of the Labour Party lurking never far from the surface. The question ofcourse is most prevalent during the long periods out of power. The Party, though, has proved remarkably good at reinventing itself and will need to do so again over future years. Cruddas suggests that finding or refinding its purpose will be fundamental to the future of the Party - what that cannot mean is being a lighter shade of blue. Published by Polity £25 Review published in Morning Star - 25/1/2024

Mr Bates v the Post Office shows what can happen when people come together to fight injustice

The recent ITV dramatisation Mr Bates versus the Post Office highlighted a huge miscarriage of justice. The ongoing injustice has been running for more than 20 years, since the Post Office introduced it's Horizon computer system. The malfunctions in this system saw 100s of sub-postmasters and mistresses recording deficits on their accounts. None could understand what was going on.Some frightened people used their savings to make up shortfalls. The inhuman Post Office managers seemed happier to believe that hundreds of their loyal staff were dishonest, than they might have a malfunctioning computer system. They pushed on prosecuting hundreds of people. Some went to prison, a number committed suicide, others had mental breakdowns. It was a truly scandalous story. The drama tells how Alan Bates refused to break under Post Office intimidation. He lost his business but continued the fight against injustice. The key to the successful campaign was bringing people together. The Post Office repeatedly told those they were accusing that no one else was being effected in the same way. This made people feel powerless, isolated and alone. Once there was some media coverage, the dots began to be joined, with Bates bringing the people together. Then, lawyers became involved plus Parliamentarians joined the effort to get justice. Former Conservative MP for Wanstead and Woodford (1987 to 1997) James Arbuthnot played a key role in advancing the case in Parliament and bringing the Post Office to account. He was MP for North East Hampshire, when advancing the cause. What the case proved is how important an effective campaign is in attaining justice. Miscarriage of justice cases succeed when people come together in an effective collective campaign. Lawyers, politicians and journalists all have a role to play but the campaign is essential. Bates played a vital role in getting the sub-postmasters campaign underway. There is still a long way to go, lots more penalised sub-postmasters have come forward, since the drama was aired. Many have still not been compensated or had their convictions quashed. Those who committed suicide will never be compensated. A terrible loss. There are lessons to be learned in terms of bringing corporate power to account. Bringing people together in a collective voice is key. Something else to keep in mind is that more such computer based scandals are likely to occur, as we all blindly bow to the power of the machine over people. People need to come together in opposition, refusing to be isolated, atomised and made to feel powerless at the behest of some bottom line defined dystopia. Power to the people!!

John Pilger - a hero to the end

The world will be a worse place, without journalist and peace advocate, John Pilger, to shine the light of truth on injustice. Australian by birth, Pilger died on 30 December 2023, at the age of 84. He, initially, rose to fame, for his international reporting on the Vietnam War, Cambodia, Bangladesh, Burma, East Timor, Australia and the Middle East. Together with filmmaker David Munro, he broke the news of devastation in Cambodia, caused by four years of tyrannous rule by Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge. In America, Pilger was accompanying Robert Kennedy on his Presidential campaign in 1968, when the senator was shot in the Ambassador hotel. Reporting for the Daily Mirror on 5 June 1968, Pilger wrote: "He's the next President Kennedy! said a woman standing next to me. She then fell to the floor, with a bullet wound to the head (she lived)." He also did much to bring to light, the inhuman treatment of indigenous people in Australia. Born in Bondi, New South Wales, Pilger moved to Britain in 1962. The multi-talented journalist, communicated stories of injustice via his work for the Daily Mirror newspaper (1962 to 1986) and documentary films, mainly for ITV. He was also, later, a columnist for the Guardian and New Statesman. Pilger also wrote many books. On the domestic side, Pilger brought the story of the struggle of children to get compensation in relation to the damage done by the drug Thalidomide to national attention. He won a stream of national and international journalistic awards, being declared Journalist of the year in 1967 and 1979. Pilger, though, remained a true advocate of speaking truth to power, a real seeker after justice. "Secretive power loathes journalists who do their jobs, who push back screens, peer behind facades, lift rocks. Opprobrium from on high is their badge of honour," said Pilger, who remained a stern critic of the mainstream media to the end. He particularly loathed those who used their positions to parrot establishment PR, rather than doing the job of bringing the powerful to account. He warned of fake news long before it became a term. Pilger was a peace campaigner throughout his life. Over recent decades, he exposed the tragedies of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Long before the last Gulf War of 2023, he was writing about the crippling sanctions on Iraq, that were killing thousands of children. Always an advocate for the Palestinians, he was campaigning to the end for recognition of the crimes being committed by the present onslaught. He was a passionate supporter of the Stop the War Coalition, regularly addressing rallies down the years. In later years, Pilger stood by Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, as he was persecuted, standing bail and visiting him at the Ecuadorian embassy and prison. Unlike, many media people, Pilger stood by Assange till the end. Typically in his final published piece, a month before he died, Pilger, called on everyone to stand up to authority. He called Assange a Spartacus figure. "The Palestinians are Spartacus. People who fill the streets with flags, and principal and solidarity are Spartacus. We are all Spartacus, if we want to be." On a personal note, John Pilger was a great inspiration, friend and support, particularly when starting out in journalism. It was his work that played a major part in inspiring me to want to write. Later, I did research on his films, books and columns. The generosity of time, encouragement and support given by John over many years are something that I will never forget. He was also a strong supporter of the Star, which ran his columns for a number of years. He often contrasted the content of the paper with much of the sycophancy found in the mainstream media. A truly inspirational journalist and human being, he will be sorely missed. A man who remained true to his principles to the end, admired and respected internationally, the body of work he leaves behind will stand the test of time. He was also an inspiration to so many, some of whom he helped along the way.

Democracy under threat

The coming year will see a general election, with the possibility of a new government. Many expect (and hope) Labour will win. Whatever the outcome, things have to change, if our democracy is to sustain. The antics of the present Conservative administration have brought the whole political class into disrepute. The Downing Street parties during COVID stand out in the hall of infamy. Then, there is our unfair and unrepresentative electoral system. The last election saw just 14 million vote for the Conservative Party, yet it won a majority of 80 seats. Some 17 million voted for the other parties and 23 million did not vote at all. The system is so skewed that the election is really decided in a few marginal seats. Political commentator, Ian Dunt, has highlighted the better deployment of resources in these constituencies. Better to get ill in a marginal, they have more hospitals etc. There needs to be a change in the electoral system to Proportional Representation. This would see a fairer reflection of how people vote in Parliament. Everyone would believe their vote counted. Then there is selection. Are the people representing the electorate really the best on offer? Are they people from the communities, campaigners, those prepared to stand up for others? Do they have skills that can be utilised and when they do, are those skills used? There needs to be change made in the selection processes of all parties to encourage people with the skills from all backgrounds to come forward and represent their communities - at the moment this is not happening. Also, at the top in terms of leadership elections something needs to change. The merry go round of incompetent leaders to take up the role in the Tory Party has not served the country well, from David Cameron and Theresa May to Boris Johnson, Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak. On the subject of selection processes, a look across to the US shows what can happen. There, former President Donald Trump stands indicted with a number of criminal and other charges. Yet, even if convicted, it seems possible he will go forward as the Republican candidate at the next Presidential election. If Trump wins that will effectively be the end of democracy in America. So there is much that needs to change to restore, if not save, out democracy. There needs to be leadership that looks outward to embrace change, not inward, struggling along with more of the same.

New Year must bring peace in Gaza and Ukraine

The major hope for the New Year must be for peace in the world. The ongoing human catastrophe in Gaza should be brought to a halt, with an immediate ceasefire Some 20,000 have been killed in Gaza, since the Israeli military action began - more than half of them children. Disease, caused by the destruction of the infrastructure, is now also claiming many lives. The Israeli hostages, taken on 7th October, by Hamas need to be released. What has been breathtaking over these months has been the way Western leaders have sat on their hands and supported the violence. The UK and US have actively encouraged Israel to use violence to right the wrong of 7 October. Vengeance has been encouraged, as British and American arms have flowed into the region. No doubt at a later date, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak with be bleating about a few desperate souls seeking asylum here. No reference to the very culpable role his government has played in help cause their plight. The regular marches for peace in Gaza, through London and other cities across the country, have shown how disgusted the mass of British people are about the situation and the role of their government. Literally, millions have taken to the streets, as part of these protests. The shame is that mass media has at best offered sporadic coverage. Many of the protest have been virtually ignored or covered totally in public order terms. There was a time when 100,000s of people marching through major cities, on a weekly basis, calling for peace, would have merited some serious consideration but not in 21st century Britain, apparently. Whilst, the atrocities in Gaza have dominated, the conflict in Ukraine has slipped down the news agenda. The main concern seems to be that the flow of arms from Britain and America to the Ukraine side continues. The conflict is coming up to the two year anniversary but still little talk of a ceasefire or peace. All sides seem happy with perpetual war. This really cannot go on - the voices for peace need to be heard and acted upon. It must be hoped that peace comes about in Gaza, Ukraine and right across the world in 2024. We all have a role to play in articulating the need for that peace. Sitting by, doing nothing, whilst the bloodshed continues is morally unacceptable. Doing nothing enables the slaughter. There must be action now to bring peace in all the theatres of war.