Monday 12 February 2024

"The Death of British Liberalism" Pt.1: #DataProtectionBill #HouseofLords #PublicOrder #PostOfficeScandal #Monarchy #CERN #Horizon #DEFRA #surveillance #totalitarianism #truehorrorshow #LoS #emergence #sustainability #economics #stockmarket #FentanylofthePeople

As part of their opposition to the recently passed Data Protection Bill Organise Network suggested that campaigners state, quote; "In (their), own words, why should the DWP never scrutinise the bank accounts of benefit claimants?”. My response was as follows, quote;“For one thing any transactions regarding; political affiliations, memberships of organisations, campaigns and/or trade unions should become open to scrutiny only after due process in specific cases and that only in extremis, knowledge of other financial activity such as investments or shares (esp. in community groups etc.), should also only be available to scrutiny in such circumstances.” Go to: https://the.organise.network/surveys/dwp-scrutinising-bank-accounts-review-follow-up

Nb. If you wish to comment please first sign the petition against the bill, quote; "Disabled people claiming PIP and other disability-related benefits buy the things they need to make life more tolerable and to help them to overcome barriers and difficulties, like mobility aids and care. These things could be classed as "luxury" purchases by others, but they are necessary for disabled people.The dignity and right to privacy of benefits claimants must be preserved." Go to: https://organise.network/actions/petition-prevent-the-dwp-from-scrutinisi-gtXE9yQv?utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=share&utm_campaign=1imYUb6kUvts

Quote; "George Orwell’s iconic novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, published in 1949, warns of a dystopian world where The Party or the government undermines people’s rights, independence and autonomy through fear and propaganda. Constant surveillance is a key weapon for disciplining people and shaping their minds.**

That world has arrived in the UK, the self-proclaimed mother of parliaments. The new tyranny isn’t ushered in by some communist, socialist or military regime but by a right-wing elected government.

The latest weapon is the Data Protection and Digital Information Bill which puts the bank accounts of 22.4m people under constant surveillance. In true Orwellian doublespeak, the government claims that the Bill allows “the country to realise new post-Brexit freedoms” and links surveillance to people’s fears about frauds.

The Bill uses developments in electronic transactions and artificial intelligence to place the poor, disabled, sick, old and pregnant women under surveillance. It gives Ministers and government agencies powers to direct businesses, particularly banks, and financial institutions, to mass monitor individuals receiving welfare payments, even when there is no suspicion or any sign of fraudulent activity. No court order is needed and affected individuals will not be informed. The Bill enables Ministers to make any further regulations without a vote in parliament.

Currently, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) can request details of bank accounts and transactions on a case-by-case basis on suspicion of fraudulent activity.

The government says the Bill “would allow regular checks to be carried out on the bank accounts held by benefit claimants to spot increases in their savings which push them over the benefit eligibility threshold, or when people send more time overseas than the benefit rules allow for. This will help identify fraud [and] take action more quickly.”

A pernicious aspect of the Bill (clause 8) is that makes it very difficult for people to find out the information held about them by government agencies. Requests can more easily be dismissed as vexatious or excessive.

On 29 November 2023, the Bill was passed by the House of Commons by 269 to 31 votes. A Labour Party spokesperson said “We support the Bill” and the party abstained on the vote. It will now come to the Lords.

The new surveillance powers are to be applied to around 22.4m people claiming a variety of benefits. The UK has some 12.6 million recipients of the state pension, and many retirees claim means-tested benefits because the state pension is too low to live on. So retirees too are included in the 22.4m people subject to surveillance.

How prevalent is benefit fraud? The government estimates that for the year 2023 the benefit fraud was £6.4bn (2.7% of total). The government claims that mass surveillance would reduce fraud by £600 million over the next five years though this somehow became £500m during the debate in the Commons, i.e. £100m-£120m a year. During 2023-24, the government is expected to spend some £1,189bn. So, how significant is a potential saving of £100m-£120m in that context? Or is the Bill just distracting attention away from other objectives by demonising the less well-off?

The focus on bank accounts suggests that the government is looking for unusual patterns. So, if you give a lump sum to a loved one for Christmas, birthday, holiday or home repairs, and it passes through a bank, the government could seize upon that as evidence of excess resources and reduce or stop benefits. Suppose a poor person pawns some household items for a few pounds and that temporarily boosts bank balance. Would that person be penalised?

Any government serious and even-handed about tackling fraud would arguably extend surveillance to arenas other than just benefits, but it does not. Billions of pounds have been lost due to government related frauds in pandemic management, Covid loans and contracts for cronies, but none of the individuals involved are under financial surveillance.

The Bill only targets the less well-off. There is no equivalent surveillance of legislators who accept payments to advance the interests of their corporate paymasters. Earlier this year, in a sting operation former chancellor, Kwasi Kwarteng, and former health secretary, Matt Hancock, agreed to work for £10,000 a day to further the interests of a company, but there is no surveillance of the bank accounts for former ministers.

There is no surveillance of the bank accounts of bankers engaging in illicit financial flows. The defence industry has a long history of engaging in bribery and corruption to secure contracts, but its bank accounts are not subject to surveillance. Energy companies also do the same, but neither theirs nor their directors’ bank accounts are subject to surveillance.

Since 2010, HMRC has failed to collect between £450bn and £1,500bn of taxes due to evasion, avoidance and errors. Most avoidance schemes are designed and marketed by bankers, accountants and lawyers, but the Bill does not put their bank accounts under surveillance. Major accounting firms are central to concocting abusive avoidance schemes, but despite strong court judgments, no major accounting firm has been investigate, fined or prosecuted. Research shows that people are 23 times more likely to be prosecuted for benefit offences that tax offences." Go to: https://leftfootforward.org/2023/12/prem-sikka-how-the-data-protection-and-digital-information-bill-is-the-governments-latest-erosion-of-hard-won-rights/ for full article.

The bill received its second reading on Tuesday 19th December 2023, quote; "

Members Speaking

Viscount Camrose (Conservative), Minister for AI and Intellectual Property, opened the debate and responded on behalf of the government.

Members contributing to the discussion included:

  • Lord Allan of Hallam (Liberal Democrat), former director of policy for Europe at Facebook
  • Baroness Kidron (Crossbench), Data Protection Foundation board member, campaigner for online safety and film director
  • Lord Sikka (Labour), Professor of Accounting at the University of Essex

Despite the presence of five Queen's Councillors and twelve former judges* in the House of Lords both this and the also recently passed Public Order Bill (quote; "

What do these new laws mean?

In short, this Public Order legislation will see yet more restrictions people’s rights by:

  • Setting a very low threshold to define disruptive protesting
  •  Giving police significant new powers to prevent protests occurring outside of major transport networks, oil and gas and energy supplies
  • Making “locking on” a new criminal offence
  • Extending the use of stop and search powers  – including suspicion-less stop and search – to protests

Some concerns were raised about the Data Protection Bill, in an apparently rather half-hearted way, during its process through the House of Commons, quote; "Labour argued at report stage that the bill should be re-committed to a public bill committee to allow further scrutiny, but this motion was defeated. Labour welcomed a government amendment at report stage removing the secretary of state’s power to veto codes of conduct drawn up by the information commissioner. MPs raised concerns about new provisions added at report stage to enable the government to require banks and financial institutions to provide data about accounts linked to benefit claimants, which the government argues is necessary to tackle benefit fraud. MPs questioned why state pension claimants were included. They also raised concerns about the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) having powers to look at people’s bank accounts without grounds for suspicion. The provisions were added to the bill after a division." Go to: https://lordslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/lln-2023-0050/ Italics mine.

*Nb. Quote; "Highly qualified, full-time judges, the Law Lords carried out the judicial work of the House of Lords until 30 July 2009.

The final appeal hearings and judgements of the House of Lords took place on 30 July 2009. The judicial role of the House of Lords as the highest appeal court in the UK has ended.

From 1 October 2009, the Supreme Court of the UK assumed jurisdiction on points of law for all civil law cases in the UK and all criminal cases in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Justices of the Supreme Court

The 12 Lords of Appeal in Ordinary (the Law Lords) were the first justices of the 12-member Supreme Court and were disqualified from sitting or voting in the House of Lords. When they retired from the Supreme Court they could return to the House of Lords as full members but newly-appointed Justices of the Supreme Court do not have seats in the House of Lords." Go to: https://www.parliament.uk/about/mps-and-lords/about-lords/lords-types/law-lords/

Why, we ask, were such crucial provisions only introduced to the bill during report stage (after a division), and why in God's name did his majesty's opposition allow it to pass unchallenged (even saying "we support the bill")?

The Death of British Liberalism

Quote; "David Cameron perpetrated on the British people one of the nastiest and cheapest bits of political slight-of-hand we've seen in these fair Islands for a while, something he could not have attempted without the support of? The Liberals, who (conveniently stuffing 200 years of "Liberalism" down the plug-hole), abandoned their principles to shake the hand of every neo-con nonentity/their "respect" for our electoral and political system even extending to The House of Lords/where they are being encouraged and enabled (and funded too -not officially of-course-?), to remove any lingering vestiges of democratic process from the patient. Funnily enough ("if my dear you have a native's taste for such humour"), the one person who does actually comprehend what's been going on is our monarch, however, which one of you would or does expect their nonagenarian grandmother to do the washing-up during the festive season? The buck does indeed stop at the house but; ..

"Who's the little see-you-next-tuesday just out of shot with his hand in the air?"" Go to: https://www.arafel.co.uk/2016/12/a-place-to-talk.html Now the only "liberals" left are "neo" themselves.

Credit where credit is due though for the British people did severely punish the Liberal party for its perfidy at the poles, however, the damage had already been done and the upper house properly greased to allow more illiberal and draconian legislation to be enacted. This suggests that both chambers are now passed their sell-by-date and that their reform is overdue.

The legal profession in this country has a responsibility to protect the public against the machinations of dictators of every hue more especially so, of course, as we do not have a written constitution and yet in recent decades their ability to do so appears to have been increasingly compromised.

It must be impressed upon the Leader of the Labour Party that the illegality and unconstitutional (even by our standards), nature of such recently enacted legislation cannot be countenanced and that should such iniquities be allowed to continue to be inflicted on the British People Britain will have finally and perhaps irrevocably achieved the status of a failed state.

Post Office Scandal

Qui Bono?

Quote; "The Post Office won’t receive benefit payments anymore so millions are having to move accounts. Cashplus charge a fortune for transfers and transactions, VISA at the Co-Op also requires 3DSecure. None of the three are signed up to any kind of switching service so there is no benefit to changing acc. (as I am doing to the Co-Op), it’s outrageous, we are being targeted by the big financial players! 

Nb. The Job Centre called me in to verify my identity when I changed my recipient bank for U.C benefits. I will be forced to see them again when I change from Cashplus to the Co-Op (Cashplus is now unworkable as a day-to-day because of the expense of transferring money, transactions and accessing cash -not issues when my Post Office Savings Acc. was my benefit recipient-). Outrageous!!!" ... "(I had one of the old Post Office benefit recipient acc.s, myself, and many others, simply switched to a savings acc. when those acc.s were closed). This suggests the machinations of private interests ... "No benefit for the benefit recipients only those with pre-existing capital are rewarded, what a disgusting attack on the vulnerable, it’s a mugging on the public purse."...

"Nb. This also means I am having to transfer all my direct debits “manually” (as it were), because none of the three institutions (Post Office, Cashplus and Co-Op Bank), are signed up to the switching service, thus we do all the spade work too (but you mustn’t call it that)!

Furthermore think of the number of people with disabilities affected by this who are literally being pushed around in order to confirm their identities (whilst the faceless money-movers retain their anonymity)! Many have difficulty managing their money, I myself use an advocacy service because I have a stress-related mental health condition! Clearly the issue of the negative effect on the physical and/or mental health of those affected was not taken into consideration by any of the politicians, regulators or financial institutions concerned when the decision was being made to allow the, increasingly privatised (see post below), Post Office to behave this way.
Also, with reference to the “Royal Mail”, as was, does it not seem strange that Charles Windsor did not show any interest in protecting the institution thus preserving it for the people? Makes me wonder just who was (and still is), holding which knife to the throats of our dear monarchy."..."the Co-Op bank I’m switching to has a branch in the city several long miles away…West End Village (half a mile or so away), has a Post Office but no other financial institutions of any kind…such must be the case all over the country (where there still are post offices), …what a terrible indictment of our financial structure! It is precisely those people most vulnerable and most susceptible to the machinations of big capital who are being discriminated against and disenfranchised.
In case you are wondering why I am using these three institutions Co-Op Bank, Cashplus and Post Office Savings it is because I haven’t trusted the High St. Banks (although on the high st. the Co-Op is, notionally at least, “ethical” in its conduct), since the credit crunch…What sane person would?..I don’t want the money-movers grubby hands on my finances (I also have a savings account with Wessex Community Bank, a “not-for-profit” community bank, that currently receives payment from my Cashplus acc. but whose payments I must move to the Co-Op myself). Does it also not seem rather more than serendipitous that it is customers utilising such institutions who are being penalised? We need oversight on this, we are being shafted."...

"Furthermore this is a direct attack on community based organisations and campaigns, quote; “The notions are very different, for a socialist there is no “communal filter” between the individual and the institutions of the state but for a communist the state doesn’t exist without one (the capitalist, of-course, their actions being anathema to community, doesn’t believe in society at all). This exemplifies the veracity of the maxim; “the trouble with “-isms” is that they are full of “-ists”!”"...

"If individuals are not empowered they cannot form effective communities. The vested interests know this so they are monopolising the financial services industry by-the-back-door in order to ensure control of (as Elon Musk might have it); “the memes of production”, after all that which cannot be said cannot be! It is a very anti-Schumachian exercise (for it is indeed “anti-social!”)." Go to: https://forum.5filters.info/t/email-to-the-shadow-chancellor-re-postofficesavings-benefits-disability-advocacy-financialmanagement/2978/11

So far no-one (to my knowledge), has spoken up about this to any significance in either house.

Furthermore the inadequacies of the "Horizon" software responsible for the, so called, Post Office Scandal are not the only software concerns to be exercising our administration, quote; "A major UK government department is relying on ageing technology and IT infrastructure, thereby reducing the resiliency of vital services and increasing the risk of cyber-attacks, a new report has found.

Almost a third (30%) of applications used by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) are unsupported, meaning security or software updates are no longer being issued for them, an investigation by the National Audit Office (NAO), the UK’s independent public spending watchdog, revealed.

Defra is the government department responsible for numerous critical environmental services, including disease prevention, flood protection and air quality. A major cyber incident could have severe societal consequences.

The NAO’s investigation concluded that while Defra is taking steps to address urgent service risks and vulnerabilities in its digital systems, “it does not have a plan for the wider digital transformation that is needed.”

In addition, the NAO noted that it was not until the government’s 2021 spending review that the department was given the necessary funding to tackle the problem in a strategic and planned way, with £366m ($445m) provided for IT investment in the period 2022-2025.

Since receiving this funding, Defra has begun making progress on tackling its most pressing digital legacy challenges. However, “the additional funds are not enough to reduce risks to an acceptable level, nor fund a broader digital transformation,” according to the NAO.

The report added that the department and its associated arm’s length bodies are not expecting to fix its legacy systems until 2030.

The new analysis followed an investigation carried out by the NAO in July 2021, which identified IT legacy systems as one of six key areas of concern across government." go to: https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/government-department-unsupported/

BBC Countryfile identified a badly-judged (underfunded), software purchase as being responsible for huge delays in the payment of subsidies from DEFRA to farmers in recent years and I had a poor experience myself when trying to use a government website when the Ministry of Justice simply lost an urgent submission I had made to them (apparently the on-site pro-forma was never received), strange when none of the commercial enterprises I was corresponding with at the time ever lost such a submission. 

These inadequacies are simply explained, however, as they represent yet more penny-pinching on behalf of an administration who would rather do anything (including holidaying in the Maldives), than invest in public services (including governmental ones). 

Loss of Signal 

Our access to financial services is being restricted and we are being directed in other ways too. Having checked with a number of the credit agencies who offer purchase plans for a number of the biggest retailers including Halfords (who use "Klarna" as do Ideal World & many others), Curry's (who use Creative Finance), Argos and a number of smaller specialist retailers I was for the most part (although one online retailer advised me recently that, quote; "Yes you can get V12 without a mobile just enter 07000000000 but you must have a landline" -ridiculous-), told that I could not raise any finance with them because I did not own an sms-text enabled phone. I do, however, own a text enabled phone but it is a landline phone which, apparently, is no good either! Here, again, one must surely enquire "qui-bono" (who benefits)? The only benefit I can see is to the tech companies who make the phones and the service providers of the (now also 5G), WiFi service. Does this not sound rather like the same nonsense that informs crypto-currencies being both a false economy and a self-deception? The current boom in AI stocks seems to suggest that such is the case especially as they come at the same time that real estate values in China are crashing.

Quote; "Data analytics software maker Palantir (PLTR) on Monday issued strong 2024 guidance. Meanwhile, shares in chip maker Nvidia hit an all-time high on Feb. 5 amid a bullish Goldman Sachs report on artificial intelligence.

Nvidia isn't the only AI chip stock that investors are watching. Shares in Arm Holding (ARM) jumped on its earnings report and outlook for ARM stock.

Microsoft is the biggest investor in startup OpenAI, the leader in gen AI training models. Cloud computing giants Amazon.com (AMZN), Microsoft and Google sell AI services to business customers.

META Stock Hits Record High

In the December quarter, Microsoft Azure cloud revenue jumped 28%, topping estimates by 1%.  Microsoft's cloud business now has 53,000 Open AI customers.

Shares in social media giant Meta Platforms (META) hit an all-time high on its December quarter results and AI outlook.

Meta management forecast accelerating revenue growth for the current March quarter. "We think it's a matter of at least four powerful product cycles all clicking — AI-infused product improvements that are improving engagement/time spent, AI-infused product improvements that are improving advertiser returns on the platform, Reels monetization tailwinds and Click-to-Message ads ramping," said Evercore ISI analyst Mark Mahaney in a report.

On its Q4 earnings call with analysts, Google forecast a big jump in 2024 capital spending amid AI investments.

The Nasdaq composite jumped 43% in 2023, boosted by buzz around AI stocks.

The top artificial intelligence stocks to buy span chipmakers, software companies, cloud-computing service providers and technology giants that utilize AI tools in many applications.

Arista Networks (ANET) is among AI stocks doing well in year two of the gen AI boom. ANET stock has climbed nearly 16% in 2024. Earnings for ANET stock are due Feb. 12.

So far, the biggest demand for AI chips has come from cloud computing giants. Nvidia earnings have boomed amid demand for AI chips built into computer servers.

But analysts expect a market for "edge AI" — on-device processing of AI apps to emerge. While "training" AI models is now the biggest market for chipmakers like Nvidia, the market will shift to "inferencing," or running AI applications, in the long run.

Qualcomm (QCOM) aims to build Snapdragon AI chips for Android smartphones and the "internet of things."" Go to: https://www.investors.com/news/technology/artificial-intelligence-stocks/

Quote; "China's troubled property market ended last year with the worst declines in new home prices in nearly nine years, despite government efforts to prop up the sector that was once a key driver of the world's second largest economy."..."The sustained downturn in the sector that accounts for around a quarter of China's economy could drag on the country's broader recovery and heap pressure on policymakers to roll out fresh support."...""The success of 2024 will largely be driven by how effective officials are in turning the property market around," Moody's Analytics said in a note on Wednesday.".."Several Chinese developers, including China Evergrande Group, opens new tab and Country Garden , have defaulted on their offshore debt and entered into restructuring processes." Go to: https://www.reuters.com/world/china/chinas-dec-new-home-prices-fall-fastest-pace-since-feb-2015-2024-01-17/

I find it difficult not to reject the characterisation by Swiss (Sigma), Research that, quote; "spillover into a broader financial crisis with global ramifications is unlikely" Unsurprisingly they don't appear to have heard of "quantitative easing" (or even quantum physics #emergence). Go to: https://www.swissre.com/institute/research/sigma-research/Economic-Insights/china-property-market.html

 

 

One might observe and not for the first time that neoliberals of every hue (including the reddest), are successfully disappearing up their own a**eholes. Is it any coincidence I wonder, that Britain and China are the must surveilled countries in the world?

Because I don't own a smart phone I cannot even hire a municipally provided scooter!

What of the millions in this country who, like myself, don't want to own a WiFi device? I do own a p.c that is connected via Ethernet to a router that has had the WiFi signal it emanates turned off (online), by the customer. Many older people are alienated by WiFi technology why should they be excluded from services they are otherwise entitled to receive (I have a decent credit score), simply because they do not wish to be assimilated by the Borg?

Furthermore how does this benefit the finance companies in the long term? Surely the more customers who are able to access the service the better it is for business. I would also think that such companies' position is dubious in that their practices would appear to constitute "undue influence", "restraint of trade" and/or "anti-competitive behaviour" (as may the issue with the Post Officetm Savings Accounts I mentioned earlier)*.

*Nb. For such practices to constitute same may engender some updating/rewriting of current UK law.

Entanglement

Quote; "..since the discovery of the Higgs boson, the collider has not revealed any significant new physics that might shed light on some of the deepest mysteries of the universe, such as the nature of dark matter or dark energy, why matter dominates over antimatter, and whether reality is permeated with hidden extra dimensions.

Cern drew up plans for the next machine, the Future Circular Collider (FCC), in 2019. The €20bn (£17bn) machine would have a 91km circumference and aim to smash subatomic particles together at a maximum energy of 100 teraelectronvolts (TeV). The Large Hadron Collider achieves maximum energies of 14TeV.

The proposal has its critics, however. Sir David King, the UK’s former government chief scientific adviser, told the BBC that spending billions on the machine would be “reckless” when the world was facing such grave threats from the climate crisis.*" Go to: https://www.theguardian.com/science/2024/feb/05/cern-atom-smasher-unlock-secrets-universe-large-hadron-collider

*Italics mine, I couldn't agree more, however, I believe that this "recklessness" extends not only to our environmental and economic practices but also to the possibility for the continued evolution of all life in the universe. Think of it this way: "Damn thing never gives me what I want when I want it consequently I will smash it to pieces!" In other words such (so-called) technology represents the tantrums of the immature and many modern (so-called), physicists are simply throwing their toys out of the pram! They seem incapable of admitting that the much vaunted "discovery" of the Higgs bosun has not provided them with the answers they had hoped it would. Surely at a time when economising is our greatest priority this infantile indulgence should not be tolerated, quote; "“unsustainable economy” is an oxymoron” No? I thought about this…many would argue (and many on the “left” also), that “short-term” “profit-taking” exploitative economies exist…but do they? Can we truly call them “economies”? For one thing; “how long is your piece of string?” We define economies by describing relationships (they are “relative”), there is a chronological imperative concerned, one cannot (surely), argue that a 5 year “un-sustainability” is an economy whilst a 3 month one is not! 

Economy, of-course, also can be “of effort”, in other words efficient…there is no “economy of effort” in an inefficient system, therefore, we can argue that any economy that is not sustainable does not exist!

If one “economises” one makes one’s actions more efficient…literally one creates an economy.

One can argue that the economy existed for a five year period…but one cannot say it was “un-sustainable” for the same period…period

…and, therefore, sustainability is a necessary component of economy

The system is “open ended” (#opensource), it is emergent

Quote; "Words Based on the Eco- Root Word

Following is a list of words based on the Eco- Root Word:

1. Ecoactivist: One who actively opposes the pollution or destruction by other means, of the environment.
2. Ecobabble: Using the technical language of ecology to make the user seem to be ecologically aware.
3. Ecobiology: The study of the relationships of organisms to their natural environments.
4. Ecobiosis: The conditions pertaining to a mode of life within a specific habitat
5. Ecocatastrophe: Major damage to the environment, especially when caused by human activity
6. Ecocentric: Centering on the environment
7. Bioecological: A reference to the interrelationships between plants and animals and their abiotic enviro ments.
8. Bioecologist: Someone who favors, or specializes, bioecology; such as, an ecologist.
9. Bioecology: The science of organisms as affected by the factors of their environments.
10. Ecocidal: Designed or tending to destroy the environment.
11. Ecocide: Destruction or damage of the environment
12. Ecoclimate: The climate as an ecological factor; the climate of a habitat.
13. Ecocline: Reflecting ecological conditions in general.
14. Econometrician: A student of, or specialist in, econometrics.
15. Econometrics: The branch of economics concerned with the application of mathematical economics to economic data by the use of statistical methods.
16. Economics: The study or the social science of the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services and with the theory and management of economies or economic systems which include material goods and financial resources.
17. Economist: Someone who studies, works, or is an expert in the field of economics." https://wordpandit.com/eco-root-word/ Here we can see how closely related the notions of ecology and economics really are, this seems to indicate that the Industrial Revolution (esp.), saw a perversion of the language describing transaction/exchange in order to underpin a Socially Darwinistic model of human evolution, allow this exploitative model to gain ascendancy and fulfil (esp.), capitalism’s imperial and “manifest destiny”. It may, therefore, be the case that a misapprehension of the nature of economic theory has stemmed directly from the exploitation of non-renewable resources.

Go to: https://forum.5filters.info/t/declining-sperm-counts-natures-answer-to-overpopulation/1227/10

Democracy must be “open source” (Mr.Gates), only then can it be open-ended." Go to: https://www.arafel.co.uk/2021/06/a-dangerous-conflation-socialism.html


In other words if you are burning up resources for no discernable benefit you must be doing something wrong and I for one have yet to hear of any benefit to our quest for sustainability from the research at CERN, quite the reverse in-fact.

Comparison of circumference of current HADRON collider with the proposed "update"

Are not all of the above simply examples of the desperation that should be understood as characterising the neoliberal?

Monday 21 August 2023

“Depleted Uranium use IS a (Nuclear), War Crime!” Pt. 3 #oligarchy #infrastructure #intelligenceshortfall #depleteduranium #environmentalmonitoring #NuclearJanus #nuclearpowermeansnuclearweapons #NATO #Putin #Ukraine #Russia #cheapwarsforcheapwhores #Oppenheimer #ClimateChange #UN

Many don't seem to understand what nuclear radiation is, this failure is rooted in denial of the one true constant in out lives, death. Why do I say this? Because nuclear radiation is evidence of decay. 

Quote; "As the nucleus emits radiation or disintegrates, the radioactive atom (radionuclide) transforms to a different nuclide. This process is called radioactive decay. It will continue until the forces in the nucleus are balanced. For example, as a radionuclide decays, it will become a different isotope of the same element if it gives off neutrons or a different element altogether if it gives off protons.

The series of transformations that a radionuclide goes through to reach stability and the type of radiation produced is characteristic of the radionuclide. The stages form a decay series.

What is the difference between radioactivity and radiation?

Radiation is the energy or particles that are released during radioactive decay. The radioactivity of a material refers to the rate at which it emits radiation.

The activity of a sample of radioactive material is determined by measuring the number of disintegrations per unit of time. A disintegration occurs each time a nucleus ejects particles or energy. Activity is measured in a unit called the becquerel - 1 becquerel is equivalent to 1 disintegration per second.": https://www.arpansa.gov.au/understanding-radiation/what-is-radiation/ionising-radiation/radioactivity

Quote; "No matter where you live, some natural radiation is to be expected. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) estimates that radiation exposure from natural sources like radon and thoron averages 2.4 millisieverts (mSv) per year, although it can fluctuate by a few hundred percent. For comparison's sake, a single chest X-ray puts out a radiation dose of 0.2 mSv. A "radiation worker" (such as one at a nuclear power plant) should be limited to 100 msVs over five years*, according to the International Commission on Radiological Protection.": https://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/earth/geology/hot-not-what-makes-some-places-naturally-high-radioactivity.htm

It's called "decay" for a reason, after all one can cope with having to clean a latrine one does not, however, go skinny-dipping in a sewer (U.K govt. take note). 

Denial merely increases the power of that which we fear..

 

Certainly true at the moment as Death slips silently up from behind (again), it is, therefore, time to furnish ourselves with the correct data and arm ourselves against the foe.

Quote; "In nature, U-235 only makes up a very small part of the uranium ore. Given its importance for nuclear power and nuclear weapons technology, U-235 is often removed from the natural uranium ore and concentrated through a process called uranium enrichment. DU is the material left behind after enrichment. Like the natural uranium ore, DU is radioactive. DU mainly emits alpha particle radiation. Alpha particles don't have enough energy to go through skin. As a result, exposure to the outside of the body is not considered a serious hazard. However, if DU is ingested or inhaled, it is a serious health hazard. Alpha particles directly affect living cells and can cause kidney damage.": https://www.epa.gov/radtown/depleted-uranium

Quote; "All isotopes of uranium are radioactive. Both uranium and depleted uranium, and their immediate decay products, emit alpha and beta particles and a small amount of gamma radiation.

Depletion of U-235 during processing leaves DU appreciably less radioactive than naturally occurring isotopic mixtures. It typically contains 30-40 per cent of the concentration of U-235 found in natural uranium, or about 0.2 to 0.3 per cent by weight. This means that the radioactivity of newly produced DU is only about 60 per cent of natural uranium.

DU munitions collected in Kosovo also contained trace amounts of other radioactive elements, but they increase the overall radioactivity by less than one per cent.

All natural uranium isotopes emit alpha particles – positively charged ions identical to the nucleus of a helium atom, with two protons and two neutrons. Their beta and gamma activity is low. Alpha particles are relatively large, and do not penetrate far in tissue – they are stopped by the skin, for example. This means uranium only poses a radiation hazard if it is breathed in, eaten or drunk, or enters part of the body exposed by injury*.": https://ec.europa.eu/health/scientific_committees/opinions_layman/depleted-uranium/en/l-2/4.htm

*Italics mine, I love this masterly downplaying of the hazards of d.u "only".

I found one dosimeter specifically for mushrooms and other forage (retails at £255), however, it only measures gamma radiation and estimates beta, detectors specifically for alpha particles seem much more difficult and costly to acquire

Because depleted uranium is a slightly "different animal" to standard man made isotopes the thing we really need to know re: dosimeters is the
sensitivity necessary (esp. re: alpha and beta emissions), for adequate testing of forage. This applies especially to mushrooms as they have the marked tendency to bio-accumulate toxins from their environment.

Quote; "The ionising power of beta-emitting radionuclides is intermediate between the more ionising alpha particles, and gamma radiation, although they are similarly harmful on penetration into human tissue. When entering the body, they may be harmful to humans."

"Macrofungi have been documented to be good bioindicators of environmental contamination of some anthropogenic agents, including radioactivity."

"The available literature has indicated the artificial beta-emitter, 90Sr, has been accumulated at the highest levels (13 kBq/kg dry weight) in macrofungi from Ukraine, while among natural beta-emitters, the highest level of 210Pb (0.202 kBq/kg dw) was reported in Spain. Wild macrofungi foraged for consumption from areas of high natural radiation background or anthropogenic pollution pose a health risk through potential exposure to radiotoxic decay particles produced by beta emitters. This pathway's total effective radiation dose could range from 0.163 to 518 Î¼Sv/kg dw and depends on geographical location and actual consumer behaviour. Following pollution episodes, such consumption may expose consumers to radiotoxic beta particles in addition to other emitted nuclides."

"Mushrooms are the spore-bearing fruiting bodies of macrofungi. They are a unique group of organisms because they are an important, if not the most important, vector for the long-term transmission of artificial radioactivity in the food chain of humans for years after global pollution events (Johnson & Nayfield, 1970; Horyna, 1991; Falandysz, Zalewska, et al.,2019, Falandysz, Saba, et al., 2021, Falandysz, Zalewska, et al., 2021)"

"From the point of view of radio-toxicologist, the nuclides of the most significant concern for food consumption are alpha-radioactive isotopes*(StrumiÅ„ska-Parulska & Falandysz, 2020). In comparison, beta particles are seen as having medium penetrating power and medium ionising power – beta is less ionising radiation than alpha particles but more ionising than gamma rays."

"In comparison to alpha particles, β particles travel at a much higher velocity of equivalent energy. Like the alpha particle, the beta particle interacts with matter via ionisation and electron orbital excitation as it dissipates its kinetic energy. Beta particles are moderately penetrating in living tissue, causing mutation and death in cells and can cause spontaneous mutation in DNA. Thus, the ingestion of food contaminated with a beta emitter would be a source of health concern because of its potential effect on internal organs (IAEA, 1963; L'Annunziata, 2016). Sufficient external intensity of beta-radiation can generate burns, rather like extreme sunburn. If beta emitters are ingested or inhaled, they can also damage internal cells and organs in a number of ways. This radiation can cause the early death of cells, prevent or delay cell division, alter cell properties and pass these changes onto daughter cells.": https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0924224421003897?utm_source=pocket_saves

*Italics mine. Well there you have it, don't mess with the alpha! 


Two Sides of the Same Coin

Quote; "The US and its European allies are importing vast amounts of nuclear fuel and compounds from Russia, providing Moscow with hundreds of millions of dollars in badly needed revenue as it wages war on Ukraine.

The sales, which are legal and unsanctioned, have raised alarms from non-proliferation experts and elected officials who say the imports are helping to bankroll the development of Moscow’s nuclear arsenal and are complicating efforts to curtail Russia’s war-making abilities.

The dependence on Russian nuclear products – used mostly to fuel civilian reactors – also leaves the US and its allies open to energy shortages if Russian President Vladimir Putin were to cut off supplies. The challenge is likely to grow more intense as those nations seek to boost production of emissions-free electricity to combat climate change.

“We have to give money to the people who make weapons? That’s absurd,” said Henry Sokolski, executive director of the Washington-based Non-proliferation Policy Education Centre.*"

"Rosatom, which says it is building 33 new reactors in 10 countries, and its subsidiaries, exported about $US2.2 billion worth of nuclear energy related goods and materials last year, according to trade data analysed by the Royal United Service Institute, a London-based think tank. The institute said that figure was likely much larger because it was difficult to track such exports.

Rosatom chief executive Alexei Likhachyov told Russian newspaper Izvestia that the company’s foreign business should total $US200 billion over the next decade. That lucrative civilian business provides critical funds for Rosatom’s other major responsibility: designing and producing Russia’s atomic arsenal, experts say.

Zelensky’s plea

Ukrainian officials have pleaded with world leaders to sanction Rosatom to cut off one of Moscow’s last significant funding streams and to punish Putin for launching the invasion. Ukrainian President Volodmyr Zelensky again pressed Western leaders to target Rosatom after Russian forces captured the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.**

“Ukraine does not understand why sanctions have not yet been introduced against Rosatom and its leadership,” Zelensky said in May.

Nuclear energy advocates say the US and some European countries would face difficulty in cutting off imports of Russian nuclear products. The US nuclear energy industry, which largely outsources its fuel, produces about 20 per cent of US electricity.": https://www.afr.com/world/europe/putin-profits-from-global-addiction-to-russia-s-nuclear-fuel-20230810-p5dvlx

*Italics mine. A nonsensical objection and a good example of neoliberal double-think for, as we have examined in the previous posts on this subject, nuclear power was and still is, primarily, a nuclear weapon enabling activity and will remain so until such is finally eschewed, it is the nature of the beast.

**Italics mine. Zelensky is once again "outed" for this is surely evidential of how the Ukraine is being exploited by globalised interests.

Janus

It seems very clear that Putin was posing a very specific question to the NATO member state's electorate when he attacked the Khmelnytskyi ammo-dump, that being; "Do you know that your governments are not only sanctioning the use of depleted uranium munitions but also supplying them to the Ukrainians?" He was able to indulge in such propaganda so effectively not only because the munitions were easily targeted but also because, it seems obvious, the Russians knew they were there! Porous security being an inevitable aspect of this proxy war. Depleted uranium (and other "high-tech" -and very expensive-, munitions), should have been stored securely in hardened bunkers not left out in the open. This reveals several things:

a). Communication between the Ukranian and Western military intelligence services is far from secure.

b). That the necessary infrastructure to conduct the conflict to both its current level and above does not really exist in the Ukraine.

c).  That both shortcomings are a function of NATO's Janusian position in that it must be seen to be doing one thing whilst actually planning another.

It's not unlike Putin to show his own hand a touch by posing the question; "Are not your pots the same colour as our kettles?" By so doing he obviously seeks to add veracity to his claim that Russia is the injured party and that he feels that it may do is, perhaps, enough of an indication that he may, indeed, have a point. 


The Sword Cuts Both Ways (either way people die)

Surely such two-facedness exemplifies the nature of globalised, untrammelled capital. The truth would seem to be that a faux pluralised, neoliberal (and I would include China*), oligarchy is attempting to secure a future for itself regardless of the consequences for future generations.

*Quote; "With an installed capacity of 56 GWe, China has the world’s third largest fleet of civil nuclear reactors after the U.S. and France and its ambitious expansion programme will give it the largest fleet by 2030. The government’s policy objectives driving this programme are fourfold: enhancing security of energy supply, reducing carbon dioxide emissions, promoting advanced industrial and technological development, and boosting technology exports. In 2021, nuclear power provided roughly 4.8 per cent of China’s electricity supply, 2.3 per cent of primary commercial energy supply and 25 per cent of non-hydro, low-carbon electricity. The country has made great progress in catching up with the most advanced developments in other countries, notably with Generation III and high-temperature gas-cooled reactors. However, it still struggles to deliver more sophisticated technologies such as fast reactors, advanced fuel development and reprocessing. Despite claims that up to 30 nuclear reactors would be built across the world by 2030 as part of the Belt and Road Initiative, the only new overseas plants to have been built recently are in Pakistan. Meanwhile, construction of new reactors within China continues apace and installed capacity could exceed 300 GWe by 2050. At the same time, new technologies are being developed that could allow Chinese companies to become the world’s dominant vendors of nuclear reactors in the future.": https://www.oxfordenergy.org/publications/nuclear-power-in-china-its-role-in-national-energy-policy/

In a recent publication (16 August 2023), three leading researchers in the fields of environmental science and economics (are they really different things, quote; "we can see how closely related the notions of ecology and economics really are, this seems to indicate that the Industrial Revolution (esp.), saw a perversion of the language describing transaction/exchange in order to underpin a Socially Darwinistic model of human evolution, allow this exploitative model to gain ascendancy and fulfil (esp.), capitalism’s imperial and “manifest destiny”. It may, therefore, be the case that a misapprehension of the nature of economic theory has stemmed directly from the exploitation of non-renewable resources.": https://www.arafel.co.uk/2021/06/a-dangerous-conflation-socialism.html ?), concluded, quote; "In a decarbonizing world, delays in nuclear constructions translate to increased emissions. If governments and economic actors believe that nuclear power will come online at a certain date, they will not make alternative plans, and without alternative plans, the current carbon-intensive electricity system will remain in place—rendering climate targets unachievable*.": https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2542435123002817#bib14

*Italics mine. The article tends to soft-pedal on both nuclear power's CO2 profile and it's raison d'etre (that of producing nuclear weapons), yet still concludes that it does not represent a solution for man-made climate change issues.

I call on campaigners like Greta Thunberg to properly acquaint themselves as to the facts regarding nuclear power and not to be swayed by the nuclear cabal's "greenwash"! If one allows oneself to be seduced there will, inevitably, be consequences.

Quote; "Despite the shocking risks that Russian forces have created by their occupation and shelling of nuclear power reactors in Ukraine, the push to keep selling nuclear reactors, even in war zones, continues.

The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists in January moved its Doomsday Clock to 90 seconds to midnight — the closest to global catastrophe it has ever been. It cited Russia’s threat of nuclear weapons use in Ukraine, its occupation of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant “violating international protocols and risking widespread release of radioactive materials,” and the undermining of efforts to deal with climate change. But the global resurgence of interest in new nuclear, most notably among several of Ukraine’s neighbors, but also among countries in Asia and Africa, sets us all up for even more trouble.

Russia’s invasion and occupation of the six-reactor Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant on Mar. 4, 2022 was not the first time an operating nuclear plant had come under military attack; nor is it something unforeseen. Since 1980 the Middle East has seen some 13 attacks on reactors (in Iran, Iraq, Syria and Israel), according to a July presentation by Henry Sokolski to the Los Alamos National Laboratory. Luckily, these attacks by aerial bombing or missile strikes either failed or avoided massive radiation releases because the reactors were mainly small research reactors that weren't operating. Only one, Iraq’s Tuwaitha research reactor, was actually operating when the US struck it in 1991. And, unlike Ukraine’s situation, none of the reactors attacked in the Middle East were large-scale commercial power plants or situated in heavily populated areas as is Zaporizhzhia. In all of these attacks, the aim of the perpetrator, whether the US, Israel, Iran or Iraq, was to destroy a facility seen as integral to a clandestine nuclear weapons program.

Russia’s ground invasion and occupation of Zaporizhzhia, in contrast, demonstrates why commercial plants might become targets in future wars. Russia has used the plant to shield Russian troops and military personnel and equipment, gain control over Ukraine’s energy system, and provide a lever against European intervention through the threat of radiation contamination, according to a paper by the Royal United Services Institute for Defense and Security Studies.

Wider Threats

The idea of using nuclear plants as pawns in war is hardly unique to Russia, however. In Asia, North Korea has over the past decade suggested that nuclear power plants in both South Korea and Japan could be fair game for strikes; similar suggestions or alleged threats have been reported out of both Taiwan and China against each other. A US war manual actually permits attacks on nuclear plants if they serve military objectives*, including their use to deny power to enemy forces or to pre-empt enemy forces from hampering the movement or advance of US or allied forces. And it rejects any military-civilian distinction, stating that “under customary international law, no legal presumption of civilian status exists for persons or objects.”

But attacking nuclear plants, and ignoring the distinction between civil and military targets, or people, totally ignores the 1949 Geneva Convention and protocols to that convention added in 1977. These protocols, signed and ratified by 174 countries, tightened rules regarding military conflicts and discouraged military actions against nuclear power plants. The fundamental idea was to distinguish between combatants and non-combatants — including both people and facilities — and to prevent any attacks that would cause widespread harm to civilians. The US, alongside Iran and Pakistan, signed but did not ratify the protocols, and a further 20 countries, including India and Israel did neither. In 2019, Russia withdrew from the convention’s Protocol I relating to the protection of victims of international armed conflicts.

It’s important to understand that while some features of existing plants might mitigate a combat type attack, nuclear power plants are not designed to withstand a deliberate state-sponsored military attack. Nuclear safety and security rules are crafted to address conceivable accidents or terrorist threats but don’t address how to prevent or respond to full-on military attacks.": https://www.energyintel.com/00000189-bbea-dbd9-a9df-fffe811a0000

*Italics mine. "Quelle suprise!" 

Update (07/09/2023)

US to send depleted-uranium munitions to Ukraine

Quote; "The Biden administration will for the first time send controversial armor-piercing munitions containing depleted uranium to Ukraine, according to a document seen by Reuters and separately confirmed by two U.S. officials.

The rounds, which could help destroy Russian tanks, are part of a new military aid package for Ukraine set to be unveiled in the next week. The munitions can be fired from U.S. Abrams tanks that, according to a person familiar with the matter, are expected be delivered to Ukraine in the coming weeks.

One of the officials said that the coming aid package will be worth between $240 million and $375 million depending on what is included.

The value and contents of the package were still being finalized, the officials said. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Although Britain sent depleted uranium munitions to Ukraine earlier this year, this would be the first U.S. shipment of the ammunition and will likely stir controversy. It follows an earlier decision by the Biden administration to provide cluster munitions to Ukraine, despite concerns over the dangers such weapons pose to civilians.

The use of depleted uranium munitions has been fiercely debated, with opponents like the International Coalition to Ban Uranium Weapons saying there are dangerous health risks from ingesting or inhaling depleted uranium dust, including cancers and birth defects.

A by-product of uranium enrichment, depleted uranium is used for ammunition because its extreme density gives rounds the ability to easily penetrate armor plating and self-ignite in a searing cloud of dust and metal."..."The United States used depleted uranium munitions in massive quantities in the 1990 and 2003 Gulf Wars and the NATO bombing of former Yugoslavia in 1999."": https://www.reuters.com/world/us-send-its-first-depleted-uranium-rounds-ukraine-sources-2023-09-01/

Read the rest of the article if you wish, however, at the moment all the major MSM, both press and broadcast, are downplaying the effects of particulate depleted uranium so don't expect to find any critical work. Check this from Al Jazeera, of all people, quote; "The health effects of depleted uranium have been a subject of debate. While some scientists link depleted-uranium ammunitions to many ailments, including cancer, other studies dismiss such risks.

The issue surfaced in the past decade after some researchers blamed depleted uranium for upticks in birth defects near US military bases and battlefields in Iraq.

The US military, which says it has used depleted uranium since 1991 when it was involved in the first Gulf War, has described the ammunition as only “slightly” radioactive. It says depleted uranium only poses long-term health hazards if inhaled or ingested in large amounts.

The United Nations nuclear watchdog, the IAEA, says the main health risk of depleted uranium is its chemical toxicity, not radioactivity.

“High concentrations in the kidney can cause damage and, in extreme cases, renal failure,” the agency says. “The general medical and scientific consensus is that in cases of high intake, uranium is likely to become a chemical toxicology problem before it is a radiological problem.”": https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/9/7/what-are-depleted-uranium-munitions-and-why-is-us-sending-them-to-ukraine

Straight from the neoliberal handbook and despite the concerns of the international community, quote; "Qu:  So, does the Secretary-General have anything to say about the US decision to send depleted uranium munitions to Ukraine?

Deputy Spokesman:  Just to reiterate our concerns about the use of depleted uranium as munitions anywhere in the world.

Qu:  So, the UN is against use of depleted uranium?

Deputy Spokesman:  The concerns expressed including by our Office for Disarmament Affairs apply to Ukraine, as they do to any other country*.": https://press.un.org/en/2023/db230908.doc.htm

*Italics mine.

Quote; "British courts have found in favour of at least two Gulf War veterans who suffered ill health from contact with DU.

A tribunal in Edinburgh upheld a war pension appeal by Kenny Duncan. His three children were born with deformities after he had helped salvage tanks destroyed by DU shells.

And an inquest in the Midlands found it was “more likely than not” that exposure to DU caused cancers which killed Stuart Dyson, an ex-soldier who cleaned British tanks in Iraq.

Toxic aerosol

UK military safety studies from 1986-88, found by Declassified, show that an accident in which DU rounds caught fire was regarded as “the most serious hazard”.

A DU round could combust “if it is in a fire whose temperature exceeds 500 degrees celsius”, forming a “toxic aerosol”.

Another document states that “ignition arising from petrol or propellant will produce an aerosol smoke containing radioactive particles. There is danger from breathing this smoke.”": https://declassifieduk.org/contamination-fears-after-ukraine-loses-british-tank/