United Kingdom

2018: British armed drone operations reach a crossroads

Despite the Iraqi declaration of victory, statements from various UK ministers and officials indicate the intention to keep British drones deployed. In November, the UK’s Air Component Commander, Air Commodore Johnny Stringer, told a press conference that while manned aircraft are likely to be withdrawn soon, the UK’s drones and other surveillance aircraft would continue to fly in Iraq and Syria.

The Disastrous Brexit Plan You Knew Nothing About

Imagine a Britain, with no NHS (US senators have already said they hope the health service in Britain will be up for grabs in any future deal), ever decreasing job security, ever rising inequality, failing education, transport, policing and other public services. All of this is a new market to be exploited. This is where the EU/US trade deal called TTIP failed. But a post-Brexit trade deal with the US will be as Jean Blaylock from the Independent says, it’s “TTIP on steroids.”

BBC Panorama: on location with ISIS

BBC’s Ian Pannell and Darren Conway have recently been reported to the UK National Counter Terrorism Security Office over concerns that they entered into a business relationship with salafist jihadi group Ahrar al-Sham during the production of Saving Syria’s Children.

‘Global Britain’ is Financing Terrorism and Bloodshed in Syria and Calling it ‘Aid’

Boris Johnson preached to the UK State choir, in the Foreign Office, on the 7th December. In Churchillian tones, Johnson announced “when in the course of a prolonged, ambitious struggle, you eventually record a success, it is essential, with due humility and caution, to celebrate that success – so I draw your attention, once again, to the defeat of DAESH in Raqqa […]

White Helmets & ‘Local Councils’ – Is the UK FCO Financing Terrorism in Syria with Taxpayer Funds?

21st Century Wire The UK regime is a primary player in the ostensibly US-led coalition whose objective for the last seven years, has been the removal of Syria’s President Assad and the inevitable imposition of a so called “moderate” Islamic State upon the people of Syria. This campaign has led to the destabilization of Syria and destruction of infrastructure across […]

Monbiot still burying his head in sands of Syria

In what has become an ugly habit with Monbiot, and one I have noted before, he has enthusiastically adopted the role of Witchfinder General. Any questioning of evidence, scepticism or simply signs of open-mindedness are enough apparently to justify accusations that one is an Assadist or conspiracy theorist.

Monbiot, Syria and Universalism

I’m worried about George. An admirer of many years standing of his excellent columns charting what John Smith’s even more excellent Imperialism in the Twenty-First Century refers to as “capitalism’s destruction of nature”, I’m dismayed both by his stance on Syria and manner of defending it. His latest Guardian piece, yesterday – A lesson from Syria: it’s crucial not to fuel far-right conspiracy […]

New analysis of Chilcot Report highlights deception at the heart of the ‘war on terror’

Whilst most debate has focused on questions relating to the overselling of intelligence that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction, the most important information to emerge from the Chilcot Report concerns the formation of the ‘war on terror’, according to an academic at the University of Sheffield. The Chilcot Report, published on June 6 2016, delivered damning criticisms of the […]

What the Priti Patel scandal tells us about the dark operations of the UK’s powerful Israel lobby

Dirty tricks and opaque dealings characterise the workings of lobbyists, writes Jonathan Cook The scandal surrounding Priti Patel, who was forced to resign as Britain’s international aid minister last week after secret meetings with Israeli officials during a “family holiday”, offers a small, opaque window on the UK’s powerful Israel lobby. Ms Patel’s off-the-books meetings with 12 Israelis, including prime minister […]