Ireland :The Case of Liam Hannaway : Letter to Michael Gove Justice Minister from IRPSG

 Liam Hannaway

Rt. Honourable Michael Gove MP

Minister of Justice

102 Petty France

Westminster

London. SW1-9AJ

Dear Mr Gove

This letter is to draw your attention to the situation in HMP Maghaberry, County Antrim.  I know you are aware that a Remand prisoner  is currently on hunger-strike for almost three weeks now. The prisoners' name is Liam Hannaway and although he has been fasting for this length of time he has not had a visit from the prison doctor. I understand any one on hunger-strike protest by law should be seen by a physician on a weekly basis.  This has not happened in this mans' case. Why is this?

I have also been made aware that Liam Hannaway needs treatment by a CPAP machine - used to treat his Respiratory Distress Syndrome - and Bronchopulmonary Dysplacia which can be life-threatening in many cases.

He is apparently being refused this treatment since going on hunger-strike. How can this be justified?

Liam Hannaway has been forced to draw attention to his medical neglect in Maghaberry Prison by undertaking this protest which has not been taken lightly. 

He has also requested to be moved from a prison wing which houses "Ulster Defence Association" prisoners and "Ulster Freedom Fighters"  (and others like drug dealers etc) for himself and a number of other prisoners on his wing. I believe he intends to continue on hunger-strike unless his demands are  met.

As someone who has dealt with prisoners issues over a number of years I respectfully suggest a way to resolve this matter is to have Liam Hannaway and those with him moved to a place of safety inside Maghaberry Prison - or even to another prison like HMP Magilligan in Co. Derry.

I believe this would bring Liam Hannaways' protest to an end immediately. Being held on a prison wing with those who are his sworn enemies is tantamount to attempted murder.  No one wants a death in custody again - there have been far too many of them in the past.

I hope you will consider what I have suggested Mr. Gove.

  

Yours sincerely

  ( Secretary )

IRPSG London.

Remembering the 16th September the revolt of Owain Glyndwr leader of Welsh National Liberation

There are international restrictions on watching these videos

Cefn Caer - Replica's of the Sword of the Nation and, Owain Glyndwr's Crown, also copy of Pennal Letter

Remembering the 16th September the revolt of Owain Glyndwr - Leader of Welsh National Liberation

Cefn Caer - Replica's of the Sword of the Nation and, Owain Glyndwr's Crown, also copy of Pennal Letter

The Welsh Imagination and The Political Economy of Independence and Socialism by Nickglais

"what distinguishes the worst architect from the best of bees is this, that the architect raises his structure in imagination before he erects it in reality"  Karl Marx

The Welsh mind in the 21st Century needs to have the imagination to construct an Independent Socialist Wales before it is constructed in reality.

Yr Aflonyddwch Mawr is dedicated to that task  of reawakening the Welsh mind so that it thinks beyond the "British" box.

To that end we welcome ideas that can help construct a new political economy for Wales.

Yr Aflonyddwch Mawr was very interested in the Bank Of North Dakota as something that could be emulated in Wales to create a Independent Welsh Banking System. We thank our Norwegian emigrant brothers to USA for that idea,

We  came  some time ago to the conclusion that the pound nor the euro served Welsh national development but that we required a new currency to get the local Welsh economy going and recent events in Greece reinforced that position.

Look at our 10 point emergency plan for Wales for discussion here.

This paper below outlines the idea of ScotPound a digital currency for Scotland run by BancaAlba - we think that as a transitional stage the Scotpound is an idea worthy of serious study - but we see a new paper currency for Scotland and for Wales in the longer term.

The idea of a Bank of Cymru operating a digital currency in Wales alongside the pound in a transition to a Welsh paper currency has some appeal to us.

In fact one of the opportunities of the Greek crisis that was missed was the creation of a digital Drachma alongside the Euro to allow for the local economy in Greece to develop instead of being trapped in the Euro. We believe Varoufakis when Finance Minister did a study of this - but he resigned and the idea went with him.

We always like new ideas and thanks to Duncan McCann and Josh Ryan - Collins of the New Economic Foundation for this one in Scotland


SEPTEMBER 10, 2015 // WRITTEN BY:

Duncan McCann, Researcher, Economy & Finance

Josh Ryan-Collins, Associate Director, Economy and Finance

Digital innovation has opened up exciting possibilities for new kinds of money and exchange.
As a clearly defined economic and physical area of 5.3 million people, with a strong national identity, and a devolved parliament, Scotland is perfectly placed to create a new digital currency and payment system. Such a scheme could stimulate local economies, create a level playing field for small businesses, and support social justice for all its citizens.

The question of currency loomed large in the Scottish independence referendum campaign. The fear of losing sterling was one of the decisive factors in the eventual result. But the debate lacked an informed analysis of what independence would mean for the pound, or what a new Scottish currency could look like.

Crucially, Scotland does not have to give up sterling in order to introduce its own new domestic digital currency. Such a new payment system could operate alongside sterling and provide social and economic benefits that complement the continued use of the UK’s national currency.

Money is one of humanity’s greatest inventions and a powerful social technology. But most people, despite using it every day, have never considered what money really is, how it works and its impact on society.

A growing group of innovators have realised the potential to change the design of money so that it better serves people and the planet. So far, most such schemes have been on a small scale, but developments in internet and mobile phone technology are offering new, bigger opportunities.
In the UK, 97% of new money is created by commercial banks in the form of interest-bearing debt - loans. Scotland, like the rest of the UK, would benefit from a pluralist monetary system that includes forms of money not based on bank debt creation to mitigate the worst consequences of the current system and create a more diverse and resilient economy.

This report outlines the creation of a new national digital currency, ScotPound, and free-at-point-of-use payment system, ScotPay, for Scotland. Our proposals draw on over two decades of research into top-down reform of existing national currency systems and bottom-up local and complementary currencies.

The new Scottish currency would be non-convertible and purely digital, operated through an arm’s length public enterprise – BancaAlba.

The introduction of such a scheme, even if relatively small-scale at first, would have a number of social and economic benefits:

An economic boost: We propose a 250 ScotPound (S£) dividend be given to each Scottish citizen, increasing the overall purchasing power within the economy. The injection of funds would not add to the UK deficit and we estimate the payment infrastructure of the system would be low cost – in the region of £3 million – all at a time of austerity.

Lower costs for business: A new payment system – ScotPay – would provide the world’s first publicly owned, not-for-profit national payment system, enabling Scottish businesses to accept payment for goods and services without being charged fees by banks and global credit card firms.

Socially inclusive: The currency would be available to all, with mobile phones the main instrument for making payment via text message or on an app. For those unable or unwilling to use the technology, a voice recognition system would also be implemented to ensure inclusion.

Leading by example: The project would demonstrate that a new national currency can be created and implemented. Successful implementation could significantly reduce the chances that any future debates about independence would be unduly influenced by the fear of losing sterling. The programme would improve understanding about how money works and its potential uses. Scotland would position itself as a world leader in financial innovation.

The specification and design of the ScotPound currency, the ScotPay public interest payment system, and the arm’s length public enterprise operator BancaAlba set out in this report are not final blueprints. In highlighting the huge economic and social potential of financial innovation, we hope that Scotland’s people and political parties will debate and consider such a scheme, with or without another independence referendum.


source : http://www.neweconomics.org/blog/entry/scotpound-a-new-digital-currency-for-scotland

See Also : http://democracyandclasstruggle.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/wales-may-day-2013-great-unrest-group.html

Wales is a Nation not a Principality

Leanne Wood currently leader of Plaid Cymru in 2011 lobbied for Wales to be given recognition as a country after it was pointed out to her that an influential newsletter for the international community referred to Wales as a principality.

Why won’t the term principality do for Wales?

Well, strictly speaking it refers to a sovereign state whose ruling monarch is a prince or a princess with an executive role in administration.

And since the Prince of Wales has no role in administrative control over Wales, not having had any for centuries, the term is archaic in constitutional terms.

The offending ISO newsletter said the United Kingdom consisted of two countries, England and Scotland, with Northern Ireland described as a province and Wales a principality.

In a letter to Ms Wood, the chairman of the BSI, Paul Woodman, said: “The ISO entry originated in a traditional understanding of the status of Wales as given in reference works such as the 1976 Oxford Illustrated Dictionary.

“Earlier this year we were alerted by the Welsh Government to the fact that the notion of Wales as a principality is now outdated, and that Wales should properly be considered a country.

“Having subsequently received an official statement to this effect from that Government, I wrote on behalf of BSI to the ISO Secretariat in Geneva to request that a change be made from principality to country at the first available opportunity.”

After contacting the First Minister’s office, Ms Wood also secured a commitment from Carwyn Jones to “continue to liaise with the ISO to confirm that the change of status for Wales from principality to country is included within the next edition of the newsletter”.

Mr Barnaby, who is an editor on the internet encyclopaedia Wikipedia in his spare time, campaigned to get the status changed after getting dragged into long and drawn-out debates about Wales’ status with fellow editors.

He said: “Describing Wales as a principality has no modern geographical or constitutional basis and is contrary to the views of the Welsh Government, academics, commentators, historians and the Welsh population.

“The Principality of Wales existed only between 1216 and 1542 and its area was significantly different to that of modern Wales.

“I was also concerned that describing Wales as a principality may lead people to believe that the Prince of Wales may have some constitutional role in Wales, or that Wales’ status could be considered to be less than that of the countries of Scotland or England.”

Ms Wood said: “I hope this once and for all puts an end to the debate on whether Wales is a country or a principality.

“Wales is a country and has been for a long time. Now that we have proper lawmaking powers for our legislature, I think it is time we consigned any references of Wales being a principality to the rubbish bin.

To some people this matter may seem inconsequential but there is a lot of misunderstanding and ignorance about Wales, especially outside of Europe.

Inaccuracies like the one printed in the last edition of the ISO Newsletter, no matter how esoteric the publication is, can engender a false impression of Wales and fuel ignorance.

“Furthermore, given that this document was circulated to a key council of the United Nations, it had the potential to damage our reputation on an international stage among a select band of very influential people.

“I hope this message will be received loud and clear"

Yr Aflonyddwch Mawr says this message has not been received loud and clear by the Welsh Rugby Union and we call on people to sign the petition below:

https://www.change.org/p/welsh-rugby-union-na-i-ail-enwi-stadiwm-y-mileniwm-stop-the-renaming-of-the-millennium-stadium?


Source of quotations : Wales Online 2011

Land Question in Wales and Scotland : Fears Scottish Government lawyers are holding back land reform proposals

Yr Aflonyddwch Mawr looks to Scotland for inspiration for our campaign for a Welsh Land Act which we launched on our formation in 2012.

The largest Land Sale in the United Kingdom has just occurred in Wales with the Sale of the 25,000 acres Vrynwy Estate which was broken up into different land packages - and what did we hear about that from the nationalists and the socialists ?

This month we will be starting our Yr Aflonyddwch Mawr campaign in North Wales to educate people to the necessity of a Welsh Land Act as ignorance on this question is in part responsible for the dire state of nationalism and the pathetic British cosmopolitanism of the Left in Wales.

We note Scotland''s problems in the article below and their new Land Reform Bill but we in Wales do not even have even the rights of the earlier Scottish Land Act of 2003.

Adfeddiant - Cymrwch y Tir yn Ol - Reclaim - Take Back the Land




Proposals to restrict tax havens ownership of land have been excluded from the Land Reform Bill

CAMPAIGNERS fear that government lawyers are preventing action on land reform due to possible threats over private property rights.

The Land Reform Bill, which will be scrutinised for the first time in parliament tomorrow [Wednesday 2 September] lacks several of the key recommendations made by the Land Reform Review Group to the Scottish Government last year.

Now figures - including campaigners and experienced land reform experts - have expressed concern that timid legal advisors are placing barriers in the way of government action.

The Scottish Government Legal Directorate provides legal advice to government ministers on prospective legislation.

A source close to the bill drafting process told CommonSpace that lawyers were blocking proposals due to fears of legal challenges under the European Convention on Human Rights, which includes protection for private property rights.

Jen Stout, organiser with the Scottish Land Action Movement, said: “The much-needed land reform measures must not be derailed by an over-cautious approach based on legal fears. There is little that is democratic about how our land is owned and run, and this bill must change that. The measure to restrict ownership to companies registered in the EU must be re-instated.

“We are going to press for as strong a bill as we can get.” Rob Gibson MSP, Chair of the Rural Affairs committee

Chair of the rural affairs, climate change and environment committee (RACCE) Rob Gibson MSP confirmed to CommonSpace that legal advisors and outside legal challenges played a substantial role in the limits of government action on land reform, and that there were fears of a legal challenge.

Land reform campaigners Andy Wightman and Graeme Purves raised specific concerns over the removal of a requirement to register land in the European Union from the bill.

Wightman, author of The Poor Had No Lawyers, asked: “It is not clear why this proposal has been dropped. The explanation given is wholly unconvincing. What then is the real reason?”

Speaking to CommonSpace, Wightman suggested a full explanation was required over whether legal fears were stalling the land reform process.

The land reform public consultation last November returned popular support to require land registration in the European Union. This change would prevent land being registered in offshore tax havens and increase transparency surrounding ownership.

In response, Gibson said he did not expect civil servants to comment directly on legal advice when the Scottish Government Bill team face questions in parliament. However, he hoped that these issues would be “teased out” over the coming months.

He warned that groups seeking a legal challenge would be “rubbing their hands with glee” over the bill. “They’re the ones who call the shoots - nothing is surer than that this will end up in the courts,” he warned.

Other excluded proposals from the bill supported by the Land Reform Review Group or farming campaigners  include a right to buy for tenant farmers and a maximum limit on private land ownership.

However, there are hopes that the bill could be strengthen before it is eventually passed.

Mike Russell MSP, former education minister and a member of the RACCE committee, told CommonSpace: “I will be looking for improvement to the bill, including within areas of beneficial ownership.”

Russell pointed to the example of the Community Empowerment Bill, which had amendments added to strengthen the community right to buy.

Gibson added: “We are going to press for as strong a bill as we can get.”

Legal advice to the Scottish Government is not released publicly. The proposal for minimum pricing of alcohol, passed in parliament 2012, is still bogged down in the courts after several legal challenges by the Scotch Whisky Association.

Fears Scottish Government lawyers are holding back land reform proposals

On the reasons behind dropping a requirement for land to be registered within the European Union, a Scottish Government spokesperson told CommonSpace: “We consulted on the Land Reform Review Group’s EU entities proposal, however, as corporate transparency is not consistent across Europe it was found that complex corporate structures could still obscure ownership and, therefore, the LRRG’s proposal would not actually increase transparency.”

Others within the Scottish National Party want far greater land reform. MP Angus MacNeil has called for a right to buy for tenant farmers and an end to vast private estates.

“Anything that can be done to break up the vast tracts of land that are owned by one of two people would be a good thing. It brings societal benefits. If one person has that control then that’s a problem compared to the democratisation of land that gives many people opportunities, no matter how smart that one person is,” he said.

The government aims to pass the Land Reform Bill before the Scottish elections in May.

Source: https://www.commonspace.scot/articles/2305/fears-scottish-government-lawyers-are-holding-back-land-reform-proposals

See Also :

http://greatunrest2012.blogspot.co.uk/2015/08/who-really-owns-scotland-aristocrats.html

http://greatunrest2012.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/adfeddiant-welsh-land-reform-now.html