This page is dedicated to my friend and comrade Steve Wheeler, who died of cancer on New Year's Day 2005.

SUE BLACKWELL's Political Links

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Sue's Political Links - in roughly alphabetical order

• Abortion Rights
• Activists' Legal Project
  Excellent briefings on your legal rights when taking part in protests.
• Activist Security
  Practical secruity for campaigners and activists regarding the use of phones, letters and the Internet.
• Al-Jazeerah
  News you won't find on CNN or BBC - the website of the famous Arab TV service.
• Alliance for Green Socialism
• Amnesty International
• Anarchist Federation: anarchistfederation@bigfoot.com
• Anti-Nazi League
• Asian Dub Foundation: adf@easynet.co.uk
• Archaeologists for Global Justice
  Based at Sheffield University.
• Agnosticism / Atheism USA-based site on Free Inquiry, Skepticism and Religious Philosophy.
• AWAAZ - South Asia Watch
  Awaaz is a UK-based secular network of individuals and organisations committed to monitoring and combating religious hatred in South Asia and in the UK.

• Baby Milk Action
  Nice to see this campaign is still going: I remember it from Cambridge in the 70s! Still focusing its energies on Nestlé.
• Banner Theatre
  Political music and theatre group based in Brum. Books and CDs for sale.
• Basque Country: see the Elkarri newsletter
• Better World Links
  30,000 Links on Peace, Human Rights, Social Justice, Environment etc
• BLINK - Black Information Link
  Has a good forum - open to white anti-racists as well as black and Asian members.
• Sane BP
  Sane BP campaigns for BP to move away from fossil fuels to more sustainable forms of energy.
• BURMA Campaign
  Burma Campaign is putting pressure on British companies to disinvest from the military junta in Burma, one of the world's most repressive regimes.

• Campaign Against the Arms Trade: enquiries@caat.demon.co.uk
• CIA World Factbook
  How the other side sees the rest of the world!
• CampusWatch-WATCH.com!
  The antidote to Daniel Pipes' Campus-Watch.com, a site designed to target students, activists and professors who dare to stand for justice in the Middle East. CampusWatch-WATCH says "No!" to McCarthyism, "Yes!" to academic freedom, and "Yes!" to justice and human rights.

• Center for Justice and Accountability
  In September 2003, the Center for Justice and Accountability (CJA) filed a lawsuit against Alvaro Rafael Saravia, who was living in Modesto CA, alleging that he played a key role in organizing the assassination of Archbishop Romero. That case is currently being heard.
  You can follow the case here, on the CJA site. There are daily trial summaries and much more.

• Centre for Political Song
  A project based at Glasgow Caldeonian University. All your favourite anti-war songs plus much more ....
• Chumbawamba
  Well-known anarchist band. Some good song lyrics on this site.
• Colombia Solidarity Campaign
  Horrific violations of human rights are occurring daily in Colombia, including the murder of Trade Union and community activists. Support desperately needed.
• Commission for Racial Equality: info@cre.gov.uk
• Countercurrents
  Good source of alternative news and opinion articles from around the world.
• Communist Party of Great Britain
  Hey, the Communist Party has made it into the 21st century against all the odds, with a surprisingly impressive website including their publication the Weekly Worker and a whole range of lefty books you can buy online.

• The Democrat's Diary
  Political blog with an anti-war slant, with some very sound articles about Chomsky, George Galloway, Iraq, Iran, Israel and more.
• Earth First! The Land is Ours: email: mailto:office@tlio.demon.co.uk
• Enrager.net
  "anti-authoritarian resource and community building in Britain"
• Esso campaign: Stop Esso
• Ethical Atheist

• Fair Trials Abroad
  Email: Sarah de Mas, Deputy Director
• Federation of American Scientists
  Much more political than it sounds. All sorts of documents here about US intelligence, foreign policy, nuclear weapons, etc. etc. etc. including some quite damning minutes etc. detailing US financial deals with Saddam Hussein AFTER he gassed the Kurds.
• The flag-burning page
  Great fun. Choose a flag of any country you (don't) like and set it on fire. Virtually, of course.
• Freecycle main homepage
  A network for people who want to give away unwanted items instead of binning them; or people who want to avail themselves of free stuff! You have to join the Yahoo! group in order to participate.

  Birmingham Freecycle
  (That's Birmingham UK of course, not Birmingham Alabama ...)

• Campaign for Freedom of Information
  Plenty of information and an on-line petition opposing current Government plans to restrict the amount of material one is allowed to request.
• Friends of the Earth

• www.gapsucks.org
  "Dedicated to both saving redwood forests from the Gap Fishers and ensuring a living wage and dignity to Gap contract workers."
• Global Exchange
• Globalise Resistance (Birmingham)
• Globalise Resistance national web site

• Global Women's Strike
• Greenpeace International

• The Haldane Society of Socialist Lawyers
• The Handstand The anarchic online journal from Ireland, for authors of political enquiry, poetry, philosophy and art.
• Haymarket Books "A non-profit, progressive book distributor and publisher, a project of the Center for Economic Research and Social Change."
• Her-Stories: Women's history website
• Jim Higgins Archive
  Jim Higgins (1931-2002) was a leading light in the early days of the IS and SWP, and a close comrade of Duncan Halls.
• The Hobgoblin - Journal of Marxist Humanism
• The Holocaust History Project "The Holocaust History Project is a free archive of documents, photographs, recordings, and essays regarding the Holocaust, including direct refutation of Holocaust-denial."
  The site is alive and kicking despite suffering a denial-of-service attack.
• Holocaust Memorial Day UK 27th January is now designated as Holocaust Memorial Day. This site gives further information about it.
• Howie's Stupid GOP Quote Page
  (GOP = Grand Old party, I'm told.) All the things Republicans wish they hadn't said, with particular emphasis on George W. Bush of course ....
• Human Rights Watch

• INDEPENDENT MEDIA (INDYMEDIA) WEB PAGES

  The Independent Media Center is a network of collectively run media outlets which are dedicated to the creation of "radical, accurate, and passionate tellings of the truth"

  Warning: Indymedia is an open publishing site which allows users to upload their own text and images without any editorial intervention. Inevitably there are some who abuse this democratic principle and post material which causes offence.

• Indymedia general web page

• Injustice - the Film
  Injustice presents clear evidence that serving police officers have committed crimes of manslaughter and murder. On its release in April 2001 the Police Federation and individual police officers tried to suppress the film through threats of legal action. The police claim the film is an incitement to riot and that it libels the police officers involved in the deaths. Since its first public showing, Injustice has had hundreds of screenings in cinemas, film festivals, community centres and universities. Despite continued screenings, the police have not taken any action to defend their names in court. All television channels in the UK have refused to broadcast the film. See the website above for details of screenings.

• Information Clearing House
  "News you won't find on CNN"
• Institute of Race Relations: Arun Kundnani info@irr.org.uk
• Internationalist Group - league for the 4th International
  Masterful use of the English language, comrades: the words "bourgeois" and "imperialism" appear on this site almost as often as the exclamation mark. Still, some interesting international coverage.

• The Internationale You can download MP3 files for the famous socialist anthem in almost any language you like, from Albanian to Yiddish, and sing along with the Artistic Ensemble of the Yugoslav People's Army Home ...
• Iran - see "Organisation for Women's Liberation" under "O".

  Iraqi Sites

  • Iraq Research and Documentation Project
    The IRDP website, based at Harvard University, is a collection of resources documenting the government, politics, and society of modern Iraq. This online collection is made available to the public to provide a window into the inner workings of the repressive state system evolved under the aegis of the Iraqi Ba'th Socialist Party in Iraq since 1968.
  • The Organisation of Women's Freedom in Iraq
    NB This organisation is affiliated to the Worker Communist Party of Iraq.

  • Iraq - more links on the BU Stop the War site

• Israel - click here for a page of links

• Jubilee 2000: mail@jubilee2000uk.org
• Jubilee 2000, Bristol: andy@inwebs.co.uk

• Sharen Keim's pages"Making the personal political"
  Sharen argues that rampant rates of depression throughout the West, and now spreading globally, are not "natural" nor are solutions to be sought at an individual level. She rails against the way in which our self-help culture blames the victim and calls for more research into the subject.
• Kurdish Sites:
  • Freedom for Ocalan
  • Kurdish Media
    "KurdishMedia.com is an independent information provider, not affiliated to any political or non-political organisation. Its vision is to become a one-stop-shop information provider on Kurds and Kurdistan."
  • Kurdish Democratic Party
    Halabja Remembered On March 16th, 1988, the Kurdish town of Halabja suffered the worst chemical attack committed by the Iraqi regime: 5,000 civilians perished. This site contains graphic images and documentation of the atrocity.

• Labournet UK
  "LabourNet promotes computer communications as a medium for strengthening and building organised labour."
• Liberty

• John Marek (ex-Labour, independent Welsh Assembly Member for Wrexham)
  Marek's campaign website, in Welsh and English.

• The Mark Thomas Comedy Product
  Mark Thomas Info
• "Karl Marx's smoking gun" - on the BBC site, a preview of the National Archives "Movers and Shakers" exhibition.
• In defence of Marxism
• Marxists.org
  A fantastic multi-lingual site with huge archives, including Selected Works of Mao Tse-Tung (Mao Zedong) and many other authors.
• Media Lens
  "A UK-based media-watch project which offers authoritative criticism of mainstream media bias and censorship, as well as providing in-depth analysis, quotes, media contact details and other resources".
• Mike Marqusee
  Read Mike's article "Formations for the Next Left" in Signs of the Times, 10th July 2003
• Mathaba News Network An alternative news service run by African Americans in the USA.
• Mind Freedom
  "MindFreedom International is where mutual support meets human rights activism... and where democracy meets the mental health system."
• Miscarriages of Justice (on the Forensic Linguistics Site)
• Mobilization for global justice website
• Movements for Socialism
  "A non-aligned forum for all socialists, trade unionists, green and left radicals".
• Music WeaverAn anti-war, pro-Palestinian site run by Brian Robinson, with stuff about secularism and - as the name implies - music.

• National Civil Rights: info@ncrm.org.uk
• National Coalition of Anti-Deportation Campaigns: John O, ncadc@ncadc.org.uk
  http://www.ncadc.org.uk/

• New Left Review
• News Gaming
  "Simulation meets political cartoons" ... should be fun.
• Nick Savage's Political Links Page (Cambridge-based, some CB local links)
• No Sweat
  "An activist, campaigning organisation fighting sweatshop bosses, in solidarity with workers, worldwide".

•   Organisation for Women's Liberation
  An Iranian women's group campaigning against Shariah law.
• OXFAM, national website
• OXFAM, Bristol: briscamp@oxfam.org.uk

• Palestine - click here for a page of links

• PAMBAZUKA Weekly forum for social justice in Africa.
• The People Media Project
  "Dedicated to dialogue, democratic discourse and the availability and viability of such values in today's media, the project characterizes itself as the facilitator of productive communication between a large array of experts who represent diverse views - especially those often overlooked or discounted entirely by the media - and existing media channels."
  You can add your own details to the database here.
• People & Planet Society
  "UK student action on world poverty, human rights and the environment" - formerly known as Third World First.
  • P&P national website
  • P&P at University of Birmingham
  • people@peopleandplanet.org>P&P e-mail - national
  • e-mail - P&P at University of Birmingham

• Political Compass
  A brilliant site. You answer a series of questions and receive a rating on two scales: "authoritarian vs. libertarian" and "left vs. right", the latter being used only in the economic sense. The two dimensions intersect to give you a point on a matrix. Sue was very relieved to end up in the bottom left-hand corner, well away from not only the "authoritarian right" (fascism) but also the "authoritarian left" (Stalinism).

• PolitX
  "Politx is a loose grab-bag of left-leaning individuals with a mixture of views, sympathies and interests. We write whatever we choose about whatever we decide." I've just discovered this site - looks good, worth exploring.

• Privacy International
  A London-based human rights group. There are excellent pages of resources on freedom of information, the proposed introduction of ID cards, etc. - click on "issues" to see current topics.

•   Public Interest Lawyers
  "Public Interest Lawyers (PIL) advise individuals and groups in the UK and around the world on matters of public interest. We regularly represent those challenging decisions and acts of governments, corporations, local authorities and other public bodies."

• The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists - on the TUC Union History site.
• Red Pepper: Amanda Sebastian antam@compuserve.com
• Red Rebel membership@redrebel.org.uk
• Refugee Council: Nick Hardwick nick.hardwick@refugeecouncil.org.uk
• RESPECT: the Unity Coalition
  Judge for yourselves. Sue is not a member: see the "Socialist Alliance Democracy Platform" site for why.

• Save the Redwoods / Boycott the Gap campaign
  "Dedicated to both saving redwood forests from the Gap Fishers and ensuring a living wage and dignity to Gap contract workers."
• Revolutionary History
  E-zine with articles by sundry socialists.
• Steven Rose Strong political comment on his blog in the Guardian.
• Michael Rosen
  Children's writer and poet with strong socialist views.
• David Rovics A friend says: "If you're into folk, or even if you're not, you're bound to enjoy his unique style of Bush/war/Coca-cola bashing - and he's not a bad musician either! Like Bill Hicks with a guitar ... You can download all his songs for free at www.davidrovics.com. my particular favourites being "Operation Iraqi Liberation", "After We Torture Our Prisoners", "The St. Patrick's Battalion" and 'Song for Hugo Chavez'."

• Julian Samuel A Canadian documentary maker, novelist and political campaigner
• SchNEWS: weekly direct action newsletter, based in Brighton.
• Searchlight: the international anti-fascist magazine
• Stop Sequani
  Animal rights demos aren't normally my cup of tea, but the current trial at Birmingham Crown Court of 6 activists from this group has important and worrying implications for civil liberties. They are on trial under the recent SOCPA legislation for conspiracy to “interfere with contractual relationships so as to harm animal research organisation”. Please give them your support.
• SEREN - Socialist Environmental REpublican News
  A Welsh e-weekly, in Welsh and English.
• Sherwood Tribune An Italian site promoting non-violent action against global capitalism, with pages in English, French and Spanish as well as Italian.
• Sloganeers

• Social Justice
  "Social Justice is an electronic magazine (e-zine) designed for free distribution through the internet. SJ now reaches approximately 10,000 e-mail recipients in eight dozen countries. Stories from SJ are then broadcast on radio stations throughout the world. Feel free to make copies and share with friends (or enemies). Think of this as a regular magazine without the recycling."
  To subscribe, send an e-mail to: sjzine@netscape.net
  

• Socialist Alliance
• Socialist Alliance Democracy Platform
• and for those interested in following the fight currently going on within the SA between the SWP-led faction who want to submerge it into Respect, and the Democracy Platform who want to build the SA, here is an interesting item on the Weekly Worker website: a Legal Opinion by senior Oxford University Law don, comrade Mike MacNair arguing that the Task Group motion passed at the SA conference on 13th March is clearly unconstitutional. Plenty more detail about that conference, and the SA in general, can be found on the Weekly Worker site (q.v.).

• Socialist Democracy
  Based in Belfast, this is "a Marxist organisation standing in the tradition of Marx, Engels, Lenin, Trotsky and Connolly".
• Socialist Future
• Socialist Teachers' Alliance
• Socialist Unity
  "A group of socialists supporting the Socialist Alliance, RESPECT and the anti-war movement who advocate more collaberative and friendly left politics." Should be a refreshing change, then.
• Socialist World
  Site of the Committee for a Workers' International, which appears to be linked to the Socialist Party.

• Socialist Worker
  Socialist Workers Party
  e-mail: enquiries@swp.org.uk
• Why we were right to leave the SWP
  Sue and another former member express their concerns about the party's lack of internal democracy and unprincipled behaviour in relating to other organisations.
  International Socialist Organization - website of the US branch of the IS

• Solidarity Federation: shaun.ellis@dial.pipex.com
• Spinwatch
  "SpinWatch exists to provide public interest research and reporting on corporate and government public relations and propaganda. ... We aim to foster greater public and political awareness of spin and to campaign against the manipulations of the PR industry in the public interest.
• Statewatch
  e-mail: Katrin McGauran titchy@dialstart.net
• Stop Police Terror
  This site draws attention to the thousands of Muslims in Britain who have been arrested and detained, supposedly as part of the "war against terror". Only a handful have been charged with any offence at all.

• Student Action for Refugees: star@bugs.bham.ac.uk
• Student Christian Movement
  Actually not as Christian as you might expect: quite a lot of political campaigning.
• Students Against Campsfield: suke.wolton@sant.ox.ac.uk

• Peter Tatchell Gay Archive
  Home page of the tireless and controversial "queer" rights campaigner, with plenty of useful links, e.g. on Section 28, HIV/AIDS and sex education. Much of the material has an international flavour so it's a good source of information on LGB rights - or lack of them - in other countries.
• Free Tibet Campaign
• "Boycott China for Tibet"
• The Trotsky Museum
  Av. Churubusco 410, Coyoacan, Mexico: where Trotsky spent his last days in exile before being murdered by a Stalinist agent.
• Please note I have removed my link to Arlene Johnson's "True Democracy" since it was drawn to my attention that her blog quotes, favourably, large chunks from the "Protocols of the Elders of Zion". Enough said.

• Unite Against Fascism, West Midlands
• Urban75: http://www.urban75.com/Action/

• Venezuela Solidarity Campaign
• Weekly Worker - paper of the Communist Party of Great Britain (q.v.). Curently the best source of internal gossip on the British left and generally pretty accurate IMHO.
• West Midlands Anarchists
• What next?
  Socialist web-based magazine, looks good.
• Women Against Fundamentalism
  This brilliant organisation - founded in London primarily to defend Salman Rushdie against the Fatwah - has been re-launched, and not a moment too soon.
• Women Against Rape
• World Bank Bonds: boycott campaign
• World Socialist Web Site Published by the International Committee of the Fourth International. Some good articles here.
• World Development Movement: nat@wdm.org.uk

• Yellow Times
  Alternative news and views on international topics.

• Z-Mag
  Independent monthly US e-zine.

Some "critical" links!

• NEW! Richard Bartholomew's notes on religion
  A blog with a difference! Includes sections on "Theocracy in the USA" and "Christian Zionism and Apocalypticism". Great stuff.

• "Ideological intransigence, democratic centralism and cultism: a case study from the political left"
  An interesting academic analysis of what used to be known as the Militant Tendency, comparing it to a religious cult.

• ISIS - Institute for the Secularisation of Islamic Society
  Secular critique of Islam and Koranic texts - includes a "Personal Testimonies" page to which contributions are invited.

• Cloak and Dagger
  "Talk Radio for Spies" - this site almost makes you believe in conspiracy theories! It's a Canadian site but discusses global politics including UK.

• This Modern World
  Excellent political cartoons by "Tom Tomorrow", mostly sending up George W. Bush's foreign policy.

Linguistics in politics

More from Lakoff - on how Conservatives use language to dominate politics

Embassies, Consulates and High Commissions

Embassy World
An international Embassy site with a searchable database.

Here are some addresses for miscellaneous embassies:

Egyptian Embassy:

Consulate General
Head of Mission: Ambassador Samiha Amin Abu-steit
2 Lowndes Street, LONDON SWI X9ET

City London (Consulate)
Tel +44-(0)207-2359777/2365562/2359719
Fax +44-(0)207-2355684

Israeli Embassy:

• Website to find your nearest Israeli embassy or consulate

• Israeli Embassy - London:

  Embassy of Israel
  2 Palace Green
  London
  W8 4QB

  Tel: 020 - 7957 9500
  Fax: 020- 7957 9555
  Website: http://www.london.mfa.gov.il

  
  E-mail: public1@london.mfa.gov.il (Mr. Daniel Silverstein)
  E-mail: public3@london.mfa.gov.il
  General Enquiries & Public Affairs: info-assist@london.mfa.gov.il
  Consulate: cons-sec@london.mfa.gov.il
  Press Office: press@london.mfa.gov.il
  Military Affairs: defense@london.mfa.gov.il
  Administration: adm-assist@london.mfa.gov.il

  
  Director of Public Affairs Department: Ronit Ben Dor
  Tel: +44-(0)20-7957 9541
  Fax: +44-(0)20-7957 9555
  E-mail: dpa@london.mfa.gov.il

• Prime Ministers Office: pm_eng@pmo.gov.il
• Ministry of Defence: pniot@mod.gov.il
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs: feedback@mfa.gov.il
• Ministry of Justice: YaelK@justice.gov.il

Jordanian Embassy:

6 Upper Philimore Gardens
London

Phone: 44 (0)171 937 3685
Fax: 44 (0)171 937 8795

Jordan Information Service, London: info@jiblondon.org

Russian Embassy:

Mr. Yury Viktorovich Fedotov
His Excellency, Ambassador of the Russian Federation in Great Britain
13 Kensington Palace Gardens,
London W8 4QX.

e-mail: office@rusemblon.org

The White House

You can also submit comments on a specific issue at http://www.whitehouse.gov/webmail. It may not make a damn bit of difference to what the President of the United States does, but hell, you'll feel better for getting it off your chest.

The Attorney General

The Prime Minister

The Foreign Secretary

The Rt. Hon. Margaret Beckett
Foreign Secretary
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
King Charles Street
London SW1A 2AH

E-mail addresses for sundry Members of Parliament, mostly local:

• Richard Burden (Labour, Northfield)
  Website: http://www.richardburden.com

• Jeremy Corbyn
  Phone: 0207 219 3545

• George Galloway (ex-Labour, Glasgow Kelvin)
  Also: SAMIL@parliament.uk (Lara Khalidi, GG's office)
  Phone: 0207 219 6940

• Roger Godsiff (Labour, Sparkbrook and Small Heath)
  c/o secretary, Maggie Novell

• Lynne Jones (Labour, Selly Oak)
  phone: 0121 486 2808 between 1 and 4pm.
  Lynne Jones' website

• Patricia Hewitt
  (Secretary of State at the Department of Trade and Industry, and Minister for Women))
  Telephone: 0116 2516160

• Oona King (Labour, Bethnal Green and Bow)

• Steven McCabe (Labour, Hall Green)
  e-mail c/o secretary, Linda Spencer

• John McDonnell MP (Hayes & Harlington)
  Phone: 020 8569 0010
  Fax: 020 8569 0109

• Andrew Mitchell (Sutton Coldfield)

• Khalid Mahmood MP (Labour, Perry Barr)
  Constuency office no.: 0121 331 7744

• Claire Short (Labour, Ladywood)

• Sion Simon (Labour, Erdington)
  c/o secretary, Jane Davies
  Another one for Sion Simon
  Constituency office no.: 0121 373 1147

• Gisela Stuart (Labour, Edgbaston)
  Gisela Stuart's Website
  Office Manager for Gisela Stuart is Lesley Bagshaw - phone no. 0121-428-5011.
  Her surgeries are 6.30pm on, the first Friday of every month at the Clocktower on Harborne High Street, and the first Saturday at various times in Quinton, Bartley Green and Edgbaston - see web page (above) for details.

• Jenny Tonge (Liberal Democrat, Richmond Park)

Another site for finding your MP

This site will find your MP's telephone number.

Fax or e-mail your MP, MEPs or local councillors for free here via the Write to Them site. Recommended!

Look up your MP in the official Register of Members' Interests to find out what shares they own and who pays for their trips abroad!

Early Day Motion web site
Find out what the current motions are and which ones your MP has signed.

Links to the media, and e-mail addresses for contacting them:

B'ham Evening Mail	B'ham Post	Metro News
The Independent	The Times	The Telegraph	The Guardian	The Observer
Independent letters	Times letters	Telegraph letters	Guardian letters	Observer letters
The Daily Mail	The Express	The Mirror	The Sun
Mail letters	Express letters	Mirror letters	Sun letters
Snail-mail address for Express and Sunday Express:	United Media Ludgate House 245 Blackfriars Rd London, SE1 9UX
BBC news	BBC Drama: complaints	BBC Drama: Praise or general feedback	BBC: general contact e-address
ITN	ITV	ITC complaints about advertisements	C4	C5

This site is owned and maintained by Sue Blackwell.
It was last updated on 21st June 2008.