Craig Murray

https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2024/07/existence-vs-expansion/

In its reaction to the International Court of Justice’s crystal clear ruling on occupied Palestine, the Labour government has disgracefully attempted to ignore the ruling and to contine the Tory policy of total support for Israel.

The UK statement says that:

The Foreign Secretary was clear on his visit to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories earlier this week that the UK is strongly opposed to the expansion of illegal settlements and rising settler violence.

But of course it is not the expansion of Israel’s illegal settlements that is at issue. It is their existence.

New Labour’s position is that the 800,000 Israeli illegal settlers currently in the West Bank and East Jerusalem should stay in their illegal settlements. That is the opposite of what the International Court of Justice said in its Opinion, which is that Israel must undertake restitution.

270. Restitution includes Israel’s obligation to return the land and other immovable property, as well as all assets seized from any natural or legal person since its occupation started in 1967, and all cultural property and assets taken from Palestinians and Palestinian institutions, including archives and documents. It also requires the evacuation of all settlers from existing settlements and the dismantling of the parts of the wall constructed by Israel that are situated in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, as well as allowing all Palestinians displaced during the occupation to return to their original place of residence

Plainly “It also requires the evacuation of all settlers from existing settlements” is fundamentally different from Lammy/Starmer line that Israel must not further expand the illegal settlements.

This is extremely important. Maximum pressure must be brought on the Labour government to align with the ICJ. The official policy is that the UK does respect and follow ICJ judgments.

MPs need immediately to press ministers on this precise point. Does the UK accept the ICJ ruling that all illegal settlers must be removed from all settlements?

You can help by writing to your MP asking for their view on this specific question, pointing out the UK’s legal obligation to follow the rulings of the ICJ.

Furthermore the Court specifically stated that states may not trade with Israeli interests in the Occupied Territories. The ICJ said at Para 278 that all states are obliged:

…to abstain from entering into economic or trade dealings with Israel concerning the Occupied Palestinian Territory or parts thereof which may entrench its unlawful presence in the territory…and to take steps to prevent trade or investment relations that assist in the maintenance of the illegal situation created by Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

Again the Labour government must be pressed to meet its legal obligation to comply with the ICJ ruling. I fully support direct action by activists to destroy products in shops imported from Occupied Palestine, and thus ensure compliance with international law.

The second part of the British government statement is an attempt to maintain the position which was roundly rejected by the International Court of Justice. The zionist states had attempted to argue before the court that the general principles of international law had been superceded in this case by the Oslo Accords...

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Existence vs Expansion - Craig Murray In its reaction to the International Court of Justice’s crystal clear ruling on occupied Palestine, the Labour government has disgracefully attempted to ignore the ruling and to contine the Tory policy of total support for Israel. The UK statement says that: The Foreign Secretary was clear on his ...

New Post: Existence vs Expansion- In its reaction to the International Court of Justice's crystal clear ruling on occupied Palestine, the Labour government has disgracefully attempted to ignore the ruling...- https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2024/07/existence-vs-expansion/

https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2024/07/scotlands-rampant-corruption/

Under Sturgeon, Scotland was in thrall of an incredible degree of rampant corruption that included government, civil service, police, prosecutors and judiciary.

Listen to this simply stunning speech in Parliament yesterday by David Davis MP and you will understand precisely why I spent four months in jail, almost all in solitary confinement.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2-CUoyQFlM

The Slow Grind Sir David Davis MP speaking in the adjournment debate in the House Of Commons, 18 July 2024.

New Post: Scotland's Rampant Corruption- Under Sturgeon, Scotland was in thrall of an incredible degree of rampant corruption that included government, civil service, police, prosecutors and judiciary. Listen to this...- https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2024/07/scotlands-rampant-corruption/

https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2024/07/a-shocking-paucity-of-ambition/

An old man in a comic opera uniform was dragged by carthorses in a gilded carriage through the streets of London, then bedecked in diamonds and more gold, all to very little purpose.

That we truly have a uniparty could not be better proven than by a new captain taking over the ship of state, and not moving the tiller one inch, instead merely making minute adjustments to the trim of the sails.

Take the centrepiece Great British Energy company, to be sited in Scotland as a butcher’s apron branded beacon of unionism. GBE will invest in renewable energy with a bugdget of £8.3 billion over 5 years.

£1.6 billion a year. That sounds impressive until you realise that the turnover of the renewable energy sector is already £80 billion a year. And that the UK has to invest £77 billion a year in renewables, insulation and the grid to meet its carbon reduction obligations – of which it is estimated that £26 billion a year needs to come from the public sector.

£77 billion a year. Of which on these plans 2% is to come from the public sector.

This is what remains of Labour’s Green New Deal plans after being gutted by Starmer.

The other big headline announcement is that Thatcherite staple of deregulation. In particular planning controls on housebuilding are to be relaxed in order to stimulate housebuilding by the private sector.

By reinstating compulsory housing development plans for councils to hit housing targets, New Labour boldly rolls the regulatory regime back to… err back to…[checks notes again]… 2023.

Yes, this great measure reinstates the situation in place under Tory governments until last year, when Michael Gove gave more powers to local councils in England and Wales to protect green belts.

The timidity on public investment in both energy and housing is ludicrous. Nothing is being done to build more public housing. Nothing is being done to address the fundamental problem of the housing market, which is rentier landlordism.

What keeps house prices so high is...

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A Shocking Paucity of Ambition - Craig Murray An old man in a comic opera uniform was dragged by carthorses in a gilded carriage through the streets of London, then bedecked in diamonds and more gold, all to very little purpose. That we truly have a uniparty could not be better proven than by a new captain taking over the ship of state, […]

New Post: A Shocking Paucity of Ambition- An old man in a comic opera uniform was dragged by carthorses in a gilded carriage through the streets of London, then bedecked in diamonds...- https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2024/07/a-shocking-paucity-of-ambition/

New Post: The Muslim Vote- With Gaza genocide as the galvanising issue, in seats where Muslims are over 30% of the electorate, Labour's vote share plunged from 65% in 2019...- https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2024/07/the-muslim-vote/

https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2024/07/the-muslim-vote/

With Gaza genocide as the galvanising issue, in seats where Muslims are over 30% of the electorate, Labour’s vote share plunged from 65% in 2019 to 36% at the 2024 general election.

In Blackburn, where I stood, Labour’s vote share dived incredibly, from 65% to 27%. This in a general election where Labour won a huge majority.

The strategy to stand anti-Gaza genocide candidates and show Starmer that Labour cannot, as in the past, take the support of Muslim voters for granted, was therefore a success. Four anti-genocide Independent MPs were elected, taking seats from Labour.

However, if you look beneath this headline, the situation is less celebratory for a Left/Muslim anti-war alliance than it may appear on the surface.

To look into this requires a granular look at my own experience in Blackburn that I hope you will find interesting.

In the early 2000’s, the Stop the War movement was a highly successful example of a broadly Left/Muslim alliance in which I was deeply involved. It went on to oppose not only the war in Iraq and Afghanistan but also the wave of officially inspired Islamophobia and the attacks on civil liberty in the “War on Terror”.

This video is of me addressing a Stop the War conference on Islamophobia in 2007.

Stop the War’s work goes on and is closely linked with the pro-Palestinian movement, of which I have been a member since the 1970’s and which has also been broadly a successful Left/Muslim alliance.

So what is the problem?

Well one pointer is that, of the scores of specifically anti-Gaza genocide candidates, over 20 of whom were standing in constituencies with more than 30% Muslim voters, the only 4 elected were themselves Muslim.

None of the anti-genocide non-Mulsim Left candidates, myself included, were able to be elected on the basis of Muslim support.

This is not a fluke statistic, as I hope to explain.

Firstly, there is a problem for many Left candidates in fitting in with the social conservatism of Muslim communities. In Blackburn I found previous writings of mine, for example on abortion, gay rights and on legalisation of cannabis, being widely circulated and used against me.

Muslim supporters urged me to say my views had changed, but naturally I could not lie in this way.

I was also contacted by panicked supporters the day before the election over a quote from the Koran being...

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The Muslim Vote - Craig Murray With Gaza genocide as the galvanising issue, in seats where Muslims are over 30% of the electorate, Labour’s vote share plunged from 65% in 2019 to 36% at the 2024 general election. In Blackburn, where I stood, Labour’s vote share dived incredibly, from 65% to 27%. This in a general election whe...

https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2024/07/assassination-and-trumps-mentality/

Six months ago I said to a well known public figure that the US intelligence agencies had destroyed Trump’s first Presidency and that, in a second chance, he would have to uproot their entire leadership or simply let them continue to run the country and concentrate on making money for himself.

My contact replied that they had recently been told by Tucker Carlson that Trump was very aware of the danger that the intelligence services would have him assassinated. Trump was therefore likely to go for the second option. The last sentence was the musing of my contact, not of Tucker Carlson.

I am not suggesting that the intelligence services were behind the assassination attempt this weekend. I have no idea. I am however wondering what thoughts are currently flitting through Trump’s head about his near death experience.

I was incidentally trying to calculate what fraction of a degree the rifle was mis-aimed by, to miss his brain by one inch at a range of 120 yards. My maths were not up to it, but it is a margin of the tiniest tremor of the hand on the trigger.

I think it is almost certain that Trump has wondered whether the security lapse were not, at the least, caused in part by a lack of zeal and enthusiasm on the part of those state actors co-ordinating his security.

That is no criticism of Trump’s immediate bodyguards, who acted admirably. It is also fair to note that Trump’s own defiance was courageous. He could not have known if other shooters were around, nor how seriously he had himself been hit already.

That personal bearing has almost certainly increased his election chances. Even more so is the fact that, by some strange political alchemy with little relationship to logic, it appears to be accepted wisdom that this incident makes it much more difficult for Democrats to make Joe Biden stand down.

In his address from the White House, Biden did not mistake Trump for Frank Sinatra or forget why he was there. It is thus touted as restoring his position. It was however a typical Biden performance, snide and partisan, particularly in restating his 6 January narrative as though that were a serious threat to democracy and not a stupid, isolated riot.

That democracy in the United States is meaningless is plain from the choice offered to the electorate between two incredibly flawed individuals. It is a scenario you could not make up.

If you were to put Donald Trump and Joe Biden into an entirely random yoga class in Oklahoma...

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Assassination and Trump's Mentality - Craig Murray Six months ago I said to a well known public figure that the US intelligence agencies had destroyed Trump’s first Presidency and that, in a second chance, he would have to uproot their entire leadership or simply let them continue to run the country and concentrate on making money for himself. My ...

New Post: Assassination and Trump's Mentality- Six months ago I said to a well known public figure that the US intelligence agencies had destroyed Trump's first Presidency and that, in a...- https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2024/07/assassination-and-trumps-mentality/

New Post: The Election Where Nothing Changed- What exactly has changed as a result of that election, other than a different team of snouts in the trough? Starmer's first act as Prime...- https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2024/07/the-election-where-nothing-changed/

https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2024/07/the-election-where-nothing-changed/

What exactly has changed as a result of that election, other than a different team of snouts in the trough?

Starmer’s first act as Prime Minister of the UK was to attend a NATO warmonger fest and promise unlimited resources to keep going the terrible and unwinnable war in the Ukraine. In addition he is pledging to increase UK “Defence” spending to 2.5% of GDP, or over £18 billion a year extra – a massive bonanza for the arms industry.

Let us be absolutely plain that this is not “defence”. There is no country which has any plan or even vague intention to invade the UK. In modern history, only Germany, France and the Netherlands ever had such plans (the Netherlands actually succeeded but nobody noticed as the victors write the history).

Russia and China in particular have no intention whatsoever of attacking the UK. Let me write that again because, while it should be a basic fact of international relations, it is one that our entire geopolitical system depends upon denying. In fact I am not sure I have ever seen it stated plainly anywhere else.

Russia and China have no intention whatsoever of attacking the UK.

Our “defence” expenditure is not for defence. It is for power projection overseas. It is spent on aircraft carriers and worldwide nuclear submarines, not on anti missile defences around British cities.

Our “defence” expenditure is geared to attacking other countries. And attack other countries we do. Serbia, Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Syria, Yemen to name but a few. We are currently attacking Russia by proxy...
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The Election Where Nothing Changed - Craig Murray What exactly has changed as a result of that election, other than a different team of snouts in the trough? Starmer’s first act as Prime Minister of the UK was to attend a NATO warmonger fest and promise unlimited resources to keep going the terrible and unwinnable war in the Ukraine. In addition ...

New Post: How the Establishment Functions: The Real Dark Web- Alison Levitt, the lawyer appointed by Keir Starmer to produce the report which "cleared" him of involvement in the decision not to prosecute Jimmy Savile,...- https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2022/02/how-the-establishment-functions-the-real-dark-web/

New Post: Scotland and Me- I left Scotland during this election campaign simply because I thought I could do more good campaigning explicitly for Gaza in a seat where Starmer...- https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2024/07/scotland-and-me/

https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2024/07/the-rejection-of-starmerism/

Millions fewer people turned out to make Keir Starmer Prime Minister than turned out to attempt the same for Jeremy Corbyn. That is the most important fact of this election, and the one the mainstream media works hardest to hide.

TOTAL LABOUR VOTE

Corbyn 2017: 12,877.918
Corbyn 2019: 10,269,213
Starmer 2024: 9,634,399

I don’t think any Prime Minister has ever come to power with less popular enthusiasm than Keir Starmer.

Here in Blackburn we had an astonishing result. I was working on projections which had the Labour vote falling from 29,000 to 15,000 which seemed amazing enough. Although on the doorstep the Labour vovte seemed extremely soft, I didn’t imagine it could fall from 29,000 to 10,000 in one election.

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The Rejection of Starmerism - Craig Murray Millions fewer people turned out to make Keir Starmer Prime Minister than turned out to attempt the same for Jeremy Corbyn. That is the most important fact of this election, and the one the mainstream media works hardest to hide. TOTAL LABOUR VOTE Corbyn 2017: 12,877.918 Corbyn 2019: 10,269,213 Star...

New Post: The Rejection of Starmerism- Millions fewer people turned out to make Keir Starmer Prime Minister than turned out to attempt the same for Jeremy Corbyn. That is the most...- https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2024/07/the-rejection-of-starmerism/

New Post: Closing Blackburn Rally With Roger Waters- Yesterday was unforgettable. We have campaigned with open hearts and honed minds, against the slough of corruption which is politics under modern capitalism. Free Palestine...- https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2024/07/closing-blackburn-rally-with-roger-waters/

https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2024/07/closing-blackburn-rally-with-roger-waters/

Yesterday was unforgettable. We have campaigned with open hearts and honed minds, against the slough of corruption which is politics under modern capitalism.

Free Palestine and free us all!

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Closing Blackburn Rally With Roger Waters - Craig Murray Yesterday was unforgettable. We have campaigned with open hearts and honed minds, against the slough of corruption which is politics under modern capitalism. Free Palestine and free us all! Liked this article? Please share using the links below. Then View All Latest Posts Tweet Share 0 Reddit Pocket...

New Post: The Happiest of Days- I cannot tell you how happy I am at Julian's release. It is 4.00am and I haven't been to bed yet. I have spoken to...- https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2024/06/the-happiest-of-days/

New Post: What Really Happens in Blackburn- When I stood in Blackburn against foreign secretary Jack Straw in 2005 as an anti-Iraq war candidate, Jack Straw's campaign manager was Ibrahim Master. He...- https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2024/06/what-really-happens-in-blackburn/