UK Met Police to use lethal “hollow point” bullets that are banned in warfare

Image via Wikipedia

The Metropolitan Police is to arm all of its firearms officers with a lethal type of ammunition known as “hollow point” bullets which flatten and expand upon penetration, causing maximum damage to tissues and vital organs. The use of these rounds are prohibited in warfare under the Hague Convention.

Wikipedia describes hollow point rounds as being “intended to cause the bullet to expand upon entering a target in order to decrease penetration and disrupt more tissue as it travels through the target.”, “maximizing tissue damage and blood loss or shock.”

The Met says that the rounds are less likely to harm bystanders, as the bullets are less likely to over-penetrate and harm others when used in crowded spaces. These special rounds were used in the shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes, a Brazilian who was falsely identified as being a suicide bomber, and was shot dead in 2005. The BBC says: “After it emerged he was killed with the ammunition, cousin Alex Pereira said: “I am shocked and angry. I had no idea. How can the police in the UK use bullets that the Army is not allowed to use?”

According to Channel 4 news, “talks have begun with other police forces to make this type of bullet standard issue in time for the 2012 Olympics.” The head of the Met’s Firearms Unit, Commander Jerry Savill, said he was confident that it will be standard among all UK police forces by next summer.

These special rounds are already standard issue in France, though whilst being used in police ammunition, hollow point rounds are prohibited in warfare under the Hague Convention, due to their being seen as inhumane to opposing soldiers.

David Dyson, a barrister and ballistics consultant, commented on the use of the ammunition. Asked whether the rounds were unsurvivable, he said: “Yes. They don’t use these bullets in the anticipation that people will survive. They expand, so you get the mushroom effect when the bullet hits the body.”

“Much more energy is being imparted into the victim.”

Mr Dyson added that deer stalkers are compelled to use them because they do not go right through the animal.

David Cameron and the Corporate Coup D’Etat (Britain: The New Tax Haven of Europe Pt. 2)

It has been described as a “corporate coup d’etat” – Cameron’s plans to “engineer the greatest transfer of wealth from the poor and middle to the ultra-rich that this country has seen in a century.”

“At the moment tax law ensures that companies based here, with branches in other countries, don’t get taxed twice on the same money. They have to pay only the difference between our rate and that of the other country. If, for example, Dirty Oil plc pays 10% corporation tax on its profits in Oblivia, then shifts the money over here, it should pay a further 18% in the UK, to match our rate of 28%.”

Under new proposals, companies will not pay any tax at all in the UK on money made by their foreign branches. This will mean that money that has passed though tax havens will remain untaxed when it reaches the UK. Amazingly, the UK will be only the second country in the world to allow this – Switzerland is the other.

The proposal, however, will only apply to “large and medium companies” – it is not available for smaller firms. Surprise, surprise. The government states that it expects “large financial services companies to make the greatest use of the exemption regime.” So who are the government implying? The banks. Yes, in a move that will shock… well, no-one, Cameron and the Conservative Party are introducing proposals to ease of the strain off of the poor banks and to help create a new European tax haven in the UK.

“While big business will be exempt from tax on its foreign branch earnings, it will, amazingly, still be able to claim the expense of funding its foreign branches against tax it pays in the UK. No other country does this.”

The measures will accompany the large reduction in corporation tax from 2014: down from 28% to 24%. George Osborne stated that he wants to bring corporation tax to “the lowest this country has ever known” whilst a Treasury Minister boasted that the rate will be the lowest “of any major western economy.”

Cameron to let bankers off with extortionate bonuses

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David Cameron has warned that it would be wrong to take “revenge” on the bankers despite the fact that it has emerged that thousands of bankers are in line for extortionate bonuses whilst the general public suffers with cuts, hikes in VAT and attacks on public services.

JP Morgan has revealed that it will give 10,000 Bristish-based staff an average of nearly £250,000. The Royal Bank of Scotland, which by the way is now 83% owned by us (the taxpayers), is set to pay around £1 billion in bonuses to staff. It is claimed that Goldman Sachs is to hand out £8 billion in salary and bonuses for 2010 (down from £10 billion for 2009), and Bob Diamond, the head of Barclays, is expected to be handed a “meagre” £8 million bonus for last year.

Whilst the general public suffers the brunt of the cuts, the hike in VAT, the removal of state support for many (such as with Derek Carpenter), the marketisation of our education system, the shakeup of the NHS, the attack on our public sector, the bankers are lavishing themselves with huge bonuses and giving themselves pats on the back for… what, exactly? Why are they not showing the slightest signs of remorse, or giving something back to the country that they helped bring to the edge of ruin? As the average citizen begins to feel the strain of the coalition’s measures, the banking sector simply carries on as usual.

Video footage of police man-handling disabled protestor

Video footage has surfaced of a disabled protestor being pulled from his wheelchair by police, dragged along the pavement several yards and then dumped on the curb of the pavement. Sympathetic protestors attempt to save the man from the police but to no avail. One police officer is then seen to be aggressively pulled to the side by a fellow officer! Evidently due to the fact that he was too heavy-handed and thuggish in his actions towards a handicapped protestor. Each day more footage and imagery are coming to light showing the police brutality in the recent demonstrators – many with no identifying numbers on their lapels meaning no accountability! Watch the video for yourself and make up your own minds, however. (Warning – some strong language is used by the shocked witnesses)

The BBC interview with Jody McIntyre, the disabled protestor in the video above, can be found below. It must be said that the BBC interview seems slightly biased and accusatory, but I will leave it up to you to form your own opinions. Leave comments below to share your view. Big respect for Jody McIntyre and much sympathy for him and his cause.

“Now is the winter of our discontent…”

Image by chrisjohnbeckett via Flickr

– Richard III, William Shakespeare. 1594

So on Thursday 9th December, 2010, Parliament voted to raise the cap on tuition fees and condemn future generations to a lifetime of debt. All the protests, marches, demonstrations and petitions thus far have clearly had no impact on the government, which begs the question – how do people get the government to listen to their pleas?

This is our winter of discontent. The winter that has begun with London burning – images of fires and smoke trailing into the night sky as Big Ben watches over the chaos. Winston Churchill standing hunched over his cane, hand in pocket, as metal fences litter the pavements and graffiti is sprayed on stone monuments. Shattered windows and broken buildings highlight the less-obvious damages  – the damage done to the people, an electorate who believed in the lies they were fed, the false promises and pledges from a party that wanted “an end to broken promises”.

The cuts have not even started to bite yet, but already mass movements have been generated from the ground-up – bringing sympathisers from various movements under one shared cause.  Trade unionists, socialists, anti-war protestors, UK uncut demonstrators, students, sixth formers, school kids, teachers, lecturers, anarchists… all  have shown their faces at recent demonstrations.

This is only the beginning. Rather than discouraging demonstrators, the recent protests have actually inspired a generation who has found their voice – and found that they are not alone in their anger. The police violence of late has only served to fuel the cause, to promote solidarity amongst the groups, to educate the uninformed. These young protestors have had a crash-course in demonstrating – Protesting 101. They have had to learn quickly, and the results are beginning to be seen: protestors kettling the police, protestors breaking through the containments in small groups instead of large masses, bringing supplies and learning to hide their faces. There are those who show up just to cause trouble – from full-fledged anarchists to groups like the EDL who show up to cause trouble. Some “gang” members mugged several people on Thursday – stealing their phones or belongings whilst the police watched on, laughing or simply not giving a damn. But the protestors are learning. They do not stand for the violence, and ostracise those who incite it. Just like at Millbank when the fire extinguisher was thrown, the crowd turned on the culprits shouting: “Stop throwing shit!”. But what do you do when the ones instigating the violence are the police?

Captain SKA – Liar Liar

Brilliant song and video focusing on the coalition government’s damning cuts – a protest song with a beat and a real message. Check it out and buy the single! There is a movement to get this song to Xmas no.1 – let’s do it!

Released 12th December for XMAS no 1.
Available from:
http://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/liar…

Proceeds to: Crisis, Disability Alliance, FalseEconomy and Women’s Health Matters. Launch gig for “Liar Liar” and FalseEconomy website 13th December, Vibe Bar Featuring Captain SKA, comedian Josie Long, Hackney Colliery band and DJ Jamie Renton (Chilli Fried)

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Captain…
http://www.wegottickets.com/event/100780
http://www.falseeconomy.org.uk

Related Articles

• Hit anti-cuts song to battle X Factor winner for Christmas No. 1 (leftfootforward.org)
• Rebels bid to deny Cowell’s X Factor the Christmas No 1 single – again (guardian.co.uk)
• Liar, Liar, protest music on fire? | John Harris (guardian.co.uk)

The Police: The Arm of the State?

The police have come under fire lately for their handling of the recent student protests – the tactics that they have used and the level of force utilised. There are at least two sides to every story, we are told, and two differing sides have clearly been portrayed in the protests of late.

On the one side we have the view that the student protests have been mainly violent affairs, with the majority creating havoc and destruction and damaging their own cause. Supporters of this view praise the police for their actions and for showing “restraint” against the rampant “mobs”. On the other side, we have the view that the police have over-reacted and they have been the ones who instigated the violence, with supporters of this view claiming that it is the police who have been acting violently and over-extending their powers, detaining or “kettling” protestors for many hours on end with no access to food, water, toilers or shelter – effectively removing their civil liberties. What doesn’t help either side is the biased media shows that are played out, with many only showing the most sensationalist aspects of the protest, whilst ignoring the peaceful majority.

It is times like these when the people must ask the question: “who do the police really work for?” Are they there to facilitate peaceful protest and work for the people? Or are they there to support the government, with the people coming second? At the Whitehall protest, I asked one officer who was refusing to let us leave: “Do you work for the government, or the people?” He replied: “Well, the government pays me”. In that case, who pays the government?

Broken Promises, Broken Buildings

A peaceful protest turns violent as protesters storm Conservative Party HQ, smashing windows and lighting fires

[This is a video montage that I created using footage of the student protest in London, November 10^th. It includes video clips from several sources, and I have included footage of Nick Clegg filmed prior to the General Election. I in no way advocate the violence or the damage to property that occurred during the demonstration, however the aim of this video is to convey the emotions and feelings of the activists engaged in the protest in contrast to the promises made by Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg prior to the election. This video is not-for-profit and I do not own the rights to the footage used. I will be happy to remove any or all footage if asked to by the owners.]

Over 50,00 students turned up in London on Wednesday to protest the government’s proposal to raise University tuition fees by more than 200%, which could leave many students paying back the debt for the rest of their working lives.

The student protest began peacefully despite the unanticipated scale of the demonstration and the underwhelming police presence. The demonstration marched from Horse Guards Parade, central London, and past Westminster, however when the march reached the rally point at Millbank, the protest took a turn for the worse.

At around 1.37pm it is reported that over a hundred protestors broke off from the crowd and stormed Millbank Tower, the Conservative party’s headquarters, occupying the lobbies and waving flags from the rooftops, shouting “Tory Scum!” and “Nick Clegg, we know you, you’re a fucking Tory too”, according to the Guardian’s Matther Taylor, who was present.

Workers were evactuated from the building shortly after as the protestors smashed windows, threw missiles, lit emergency flares, spray-painted anarchist logos and anti-Tory messages on the walls,