The 99% against Austerity, The People’s Revolution
Dan Morgan
Dan Morgan, a former soldier, has called an anti-austerity protest in Trafalgar Square on May 4th. He set up a facebook group by himself and more than two thousand have responded to his call. Not being part of the traditional left here he explains his journey from soldier to activist.
My journey from Soldier to a Left Unity Revolutionary
Dan Morgan
Dan as a young soldier
Growing up in a working-class household in the heart of Gloucestershire during the 80s was definitely a fun time – from going on “Stuff the wedding” marches when I was five to taking part in “Ban the Bomb” marches. My father was a member of the SWP (I say “was” as he passed away in 1998) so all that going on in my youth had a large impact on my political direction.
As with most people my age (37) jobs were few and far between, Margaret Thatcher had just been ousted and it was the time for the Major’s Millions as it was known. So as with many I joined the infantry, which was one of the best times in my life. The conflict in Bosnia had just begun so we were all kept rather busy. Unfortunately I was badly injured and left with a broken back plus many other injuries which left me wheelchair bound for almost six months. Luckily I regained my fitness and got back on my feet with the help of the RAF Hedley Court rehabilitation centre.
Now I was at a point in my life with no direction and the job market in the UK had not changed in over 10 years. With the skills and experience I had the only option was for me to move to the Middle East and work as a private contractor. I was lucky and secured a job as management with a local private security company based in Bahrain, body-guarding for celebrities and politicians alike, some were nice, some were just blatantly spoilt and nasty individuals. Whilst living there I was made more aware of the capitalist corruption that goes on around us, working with companies such as Haliburton and Invest Corp bank, watching them and the Bahraini royals and their elite bring in millions of dollars, whilst the majority population of Shiite Muslims were suppressed.
I moved on in my career and secured a job as a senior security consultant working on government contracts. This opened my eyes even more, especially to the amount of American and British involvement with the running of the country. At this point I was put into contact with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to assist them in certain “tasks”. I have a wide knowledge of both Sunni Islam and Shiite Islam plus being fluent in Arabic and Farsi so they used me to their advantage.
Then the worst happened to me: the capitalist greed of the managing director of the company that I was working for. Instead of paying his staff he decided that the high life in Bali was more to his liking, so he decided to take the millions the company had and left the country leaving myself and colleagues with no income. The financial crisis had already begun and a mass exodus of expats was leaving the country (the airports have never had so many rental cars abandoned there before). But if you have any financial commitments in Bahrain they do not let you leave the country until you have paid off any debt. But you are not allowed to work, so you are stuck in a catch 22 situation. The FCO and British Embassy would give no support as all they are interested in is business not people, so I was on my own. Fortunately I was helped greatly by local people and I’ll forever be in their debt.
The Shiite population was lucky when the Arab spring started in Tunisia and Egypt as Bahrainis had already been fighting a resistance against the ruling family since the 1980s but gained no media attention, so something that they were passionate about was finally getting the international voice that was needed. But again, as the Americans and British have such large financial investment in the country (Bahrain is the financial hub of the Middle East) no support was given and the arrival of the Saudi military soon stopped the uprising. I was one of a few Europeans that were actively involved in the Bahraini uprising. My hatred for capitalism was secured and for me corporatocracy needed to end. I returned to the UK with my wife and can no longer return to Bahrain for I would face many years lost in their prisons due to my political ideas and financial debt.
Dan with his Dad who was in the SWP
Upon arriving in the UK nothing had changed, or it had even got worse. I suppose if you constantly live here you don’t notice it as much, but for me it hit me so hard. The general cost of living was crippling us; we had to survive on crisis loans. Housing became a nightmare and we ended up living in an Irish traveller community. My wife became pregnant and we were lucky enough to be offered a bedsit with local housing so we jumped at the chance. We had a roof over our heads which was a start, but still no job. In Christmas 2011 I managed to get a temporary job with the Royal Mail, but my old army injuries meant I couldn’t walk around all day and carry pouches and I ended up with a triple hernia in my abdomen.
So back to the drawing board about work. This time my wife got a decent job in an office and I stayed at home looking after our son. Then we found out she was pregnant again which was great news. We decided that I’d look for a job so she could take some time off. I found a job with a local housing company as a youth worker, but again this is only a part-time six month placement on minimum wage.
So here I am struggling to pay the bills and having to go through a debt relief order whilst the government is forcing even more hardship on us. I started joining groups in Facebook regarding the Welfare Reform and came across “Welfare Reform Join the Fight here”. I was in communication with Ann Mum Carey and she asked me if I would organise a protest in Gloucester back in January. Seeing that I didn’t have much time to organise – and with little help from certain left-wing parties – I decided we need to take this fight to the capitals.
The 99% against the coalition was the original name for the events but I came to realise our fight isn’t just with the coalition. It’s against all the parties that support the political system that we have in place, and most importantly we don’t have a true representation for the working class. The SWP, Socialist Party etc., will tell you we have them – and the TUSC – but that is not at a national level and all the decisions are made at the top without any consideration or investigating.
So The 99% against Austerity, The People’s Revolution was born. The aim is to show this country that we won’t just sit there and be told this is the only way. And to show that scaremongering us with national conflicts and terrorism to take our minds off the real problem is not going to happen any more. With a network of like-minded individuals and the creation of a new Left Unity party that caters for all the people’s needs we can change this broken Britain into a Great Britain again.
Visit Dan’s Facebook page here
17 comments
17 responses to “The 99% against Austerity, The People’s Revolution”
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We’re not behind you Dan… we’re with you all the way :0) xx
Can not just sit back and watch our country go down the pan.Hope for mine and for the future of everybody’s children is just not enough.
I agree,we must try to return broken Britain into Great Britain again.
I am 100% in agreement with you. It is time that this Country had a government that was for the people not their own self interest. In my opinion the system is corrupt and should be changed.
Thanks for sharing your story Dan – the majority of the General Public dont see or hear this side of life .But it does epitomise the way Governments use you for their own agendas then drop you as in any of the services .I have posted your link on my website for others to be able to read at first hand your well presented account of your experiences .Keep up the fight . http://www.brokenbritainundertories.com
BROKEN BRITAIN UNDER TORIES – GOVERNMENT THE ENEMY WITHIN
What do successive Governments tell us – DO AS I SAY IM A POLITICIAN .
Can anyone recall the last time we had sound Government advice about anything ,they use so called ‘experts’ to back up any claim they want us to believe .These so called experts have some knowledge in their particular field but have sold out their principles for money and power .Any real experts will go against Government because 99% of the time they are selling the Public a duff idea .
Dr David Kelly – no weapons of mass destruction .Professor Harrington – reform Welfare Bill .David Nutt – dismissed Government claims on drugs – they were all on our side but sadly ignored and put on the back burner .What person can send another man to his potential death on Lies and Deceit any Government minister ,our troops are used as the muscle behind any Government agenda not publicly known and yet we and them are told your fighting in Britain’s interests .
Our troops are for our protection not to be used as cannon fodder for some jumped up privileged idiots own agenda .Governments of our time have had their chance and blown it .Its time the public learned to DISREPECT those in power because you are the last of their concerns ,we are used as their given permission to do as they please in a rich man ‘s playground we pay for .
Brtokenbritainundertories.com
well done DAN, keep fighting and helping people, the likes of myself that is agoraphic and can not get out and get to any demonstrations, please stick up for the ones that can not make meetings
As much as I agree with what you say I don’t believe a march on London or any city is going to make a blind bit of difference the only thing these people respect is money and money is the only thing that sways any decision in politics, if you want change in the way the country is run you need to withhold paying your taxes as I believe it is illegal to contribute to crime! so if you go to your local council and ask whomever is in charge of your local council if they would sign a document that says they will give you all of their assets 50% of their income for the rest of their life and their pension if there is any corruption in government, local council or police or indeed any public sector that uses tax payers money.
If you where guilty of a crime against a corporation like the government the above is everything the courts could take from you and give to them, so really what we all need to do is learn more about the law and use it on them.
If they want my tax money they will need to enter into a contract that states what I’ve said above and also that the elected government would have to fulfil all of their party election promises or they don’t get paid!
Where else can you paid for not fulfilling the job you’ve been taken on for?
I agree with Dans principles, why should the working class be subjected too such harsh reprisals from blood thirsty Tories. They want to systematically crush any fight within the british system, be that peaceful or other means
BROKEN BRITIAN UNDER TORIES – HORSEMEAT SCAREMONGERING
As typical of Government they have to justify their concentrated effort on a lesser issue to detract from the real impact of their Policies creeping upon us .They have found an overweight man Robert Powell to try and reinforce all the time and effort wasted on the horsemeat saga .Apparently he was hospitalised following a feast of dozens of Findus Lasagne that attacked his liver .Professor Mark Bowan said “this is an incredibly rare case” the meal was probably undercooked .The Social Cleansing that is taking place in and around London seems of less importance ,families are being moved to places such as Birmingham and Leicester .The hospital whistle blower paid off for his silence .Homelessness figure rising ,Suicide figure rising Unemployment rising but the most important issue pumped down our throats is about horsemeat .
The only meat that is dangerous to us the General Public is of the Human kind and it sits in the House of Commons . http://www.brokenbritainundertories.com
BROKEN BRITAIN UNDER TORIES – CAMERON & MILLIBAND IN IT TOGETHER
The Justice and Security Bill weaving its way through Parliament at present ,once passed will hide all the harsh realities of Governments – this bill will be a total cover up .Hence we have the Horse Meat Scandal to detract the General Public’s gaze away from the more important issues at stake .Blair and Straw’s (Straw the man who made it illegal for children in care to complain about child abuse) arrangement with Gaddafi over the UK jailing and torture of anti Libyan dissidents in exchange for business deals will be hushed up .Miliband is in total agreement with Cameron over this issue to shield the Labour Party from Public Outcry as more paperwork is released by Libya .Other issues this Bill would cover up is the inadequate equipment our troops around the world are made to use .Whenever the Government go overboard on a minor issue be sure it is to detract from a major one that will affect the British Public’s right to know .Email your MP if this Bill goes through it gives Governments the green light to do whatever . http://www.brokenbritainundertories.com
BROKEN BRITAIN UNDER TORIES – CAMERON STICHING BRITAIN UP LIKE A KIPPER
Cameron has now got in place Police Commissioner’s his Political watchdog within the service .
He is now getting his new Justice Bill through its stages to totally sew up any loose ends concerning Democracy as we now know it .The Police Service has been refused the right for strike action but the Police Federation will ballot its members in the near future on the Right to Strike .
What are Cameron/Miliband actually agreeing on with this Bill and why .The pair have already agreed on all the draconian Welfare Rights we had .The Law Society and the Bar Council are opposed to the Bill because it proposes Secret Hearings within Civil Courts solely by Ministerial decree Miliband totally goes along with it because it will cover up all the indiscretions of Blair/Straw now emerging from Libya and over Iraq .It’s a case of you scratch my back I’ll scratch yours hence no opposition on Welfare Reform .We would not get to know about NHS Deaths and many other malpractices .Life in Britian now is just a game between 650 players ,the Public are just a necessary interference to be ignored . http://www.brokenbritainundertories.com
When is it a crime to pay tax?
Most taxpayers know that evading tax is a crime, but how many of us know that paying tax can also be a crime? Chris Coverdale a lawyer and tax resister explains.
When David Cameron took the comedian Jimmy Carr to task last summer for tax avoidance and persuaded him to pay income tax to the British Government, he inadvertently involved him in the worst crimes known to mankind – genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.
Under the domestic and international laws of war citizens are forbidden from taking part in war on the side of the aggressor and are legally bound to disobey the orders of any Government that takes part in an illegal war or supports acts of genocide, crimes against humanity or war crimes. This duty to refuse to obey unlawful Government orders includes orders to pay tax. If a government uses funds raised by taxation to wage illegal war or to commit acts of genocide, crimes against humanity or war crimes, then a taxpayer’s normal duty to pay tax is reversed and becomes a duty to refuse to pay tax.
“ The very essence of the Charter is that individuals have international duties which transcend the national obligations of obedience imposed by the individual State. He who violates the laws of war cannot obtain immunity while acting in pursuance of the authority of the State, if the State in authorising action moves outside its competence under international law…”
Nuremburg War Crimes Tribunal 1946
War is never lawful; it was outlawed in 1928 when 63 nations ratified the General Treaty for the Renunciation of War (Kellogg-Briand Pact). This treaty, which formed the legal basis for the Nuremburg War Crimes Trials, is still in force. The only occasion when the use of armed force is lawful occurs when a State is under attack and it acts in self-defence to repel the attackers. On all other occasions the use of armed force is illegal.
“War between nations was renounced by the signatories of the Kellogg-Briand Treaty. This means that it has become throughout practically the entire world an illegal thing. Hereafter, when nations engage in armed conflict, either one or both of them must be termed violators of this general treaty law…. We denounce them as law breakers.”
Henry Stimson, USA Secretary of State 1932
Wilful killing during warfare is always a crime. If a person is killed as a consequence of a planned military action then the death is unlawful and the perpetrators can be charged with a war crime, a crime against humanity, genocide, murder or conspiracy to commit such crimes.
WHEN WAR IS ILLEGAL PAYING TAX IS A WAR CRIME
Under the laws of war each of the wars fought since 2001 against Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya is illegal. Not only do they violate the Treaty for the Renunciation of War and the UN Charter, but by killing 1.5m civilians the leaders and taxpayers of every State involved in these wars committed murder, crimes against peace, war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.
Under the common law doctrine of joint enterprise or Article 25 of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court every citizen of a NATO or ISAF State who has paid tax since October 2001 is technically an accessory to the crimes committed by their Government, and is criminally liable for arrest, prosecution and punishment for complicity in war crimes.
The fact, that taxpayers can be arrested, tried, convicted and punished as war criminals alongside the civil, political and military leaders responsible for starting the wars may come as an unwelcome surprise to those who are not familiar with the laws of war. But it should be no surprise to anyone who has experienced or even considered the horrific consequences of war. Starting a war, in which tens of thousands of totally innocent men women and children are injured and killed is the world’s most evil act; so supporting a war by providing the funds that purchase the weapons and pay the troops ranks alongside it as a monstrous crime.
The legislation however provides relief for taxpayers who have unwittingly supported illegal wars. Providing they end their participation in the crimes and refuse to pay any further taxes to their government or its agents until the wars and the crimes have ended, they will not be punished for aiding and abetting the crimes.
To make sure that you cannot be prosecuted, ask you employer to pay your PAYE and NI payments into a trust account to be withheld from the Government until it abides by the laws of war. By paying taxes into a trust or escrow account you fulfil your national duty to pay tax as well as your international duty to withhold tax. However if you or your employer continue to pay tax to the government after you know that it is a criminal offence, you are liable for arrest and prosecution as an accessory to murder, war crimes, crimes against humanity or genocide .
By joining together in international tax resistance taxpayers can force our Governments and leaders to stop their illegal wars and end the indiscriminate killing of civilians. So it is now down to us to end the carnage. Each of us has a choice; we can stop the wars and end the killing by withholding tax, or support the wars and continue the killing by paying tax.
“War is essentially an evil thing. Its consequences are not confined to the belligerent states alone, but affect the whole world. To initiate a war of aggression therefore, is not only an international crime, it is the supreme international crime differing only from other war crimes in that it contains within itself the accumulated evil of the whole.”
Nuremburg War Crimes Tribunal 1946
BROKEN BRITAIN UNDER TORIES – JACK STRAW & GADDAFFI DEALS COVER UP
What does the new Justice & Security Bill ,Blair ,Straw and Gaddafi have in common – the new Bill is to cover up the millions of pounds it will cost the Country in Claims against Illegal Detention and Torture .One man’s claim so far has cost the Tax Payer £2.2 Million .Blair and Straw made Detention Deals with Gaddafi in exchange for lucrative business deals ,anti Gaddafi opponents were interrogated and incarcerated by the British Secret Service .Straw is the same Home Secretary that made it illegal for Children in Care to complain of Abuse .Secret Courts will become the ‘Norm’ –Austerity ,the sick disabled and unemployed have had Benefits cut to the bone to pay for this total illegal underhand practice .How much more don’t we the Public know .www.brokenbritainundertories.com
BROKEN BRITAIN UNDER TORIES – Discretionary Payments
Smug Smith must think we all are all as thick as he is .Discretionary Payments are nothing new and have been in place for years .What he isn’t telling you is that Central Government give Councils a Quota so when that Quota has run out there is no more – leaving thousands without that ‘safety net’ and there is a time limit on how long you are able to receive them it is a temporary arrangement http://www.brokenbritainundertories.com
BROKEN BRITAIN UNDER TORIES – ASPIRATION NATION – JOKE
Cameron obviously hasn’t got it yet ,he’s building an’Aspiration Nation ‘ what do the General Public have to aspire to and from what .Economy in ruins ,Unemployment rising,draconian Laws taking us back to the Dark Ages and a Gagged Press if not in favour of Government Policies .That’s the from part what are we aspiring to – the Very Same .Change the rhetoric record Cameron it has worn very thin like your veneer .brokenbritainundertories.com
BROKEN BRITAIN UNDER TORIES – WHO WON THE WAR
The amount of clout Merkel the Ex East German Politician has you would think Germany had .They have a much stronger Economy than ours and even our basic Democracy has been eroded and replaced with a shambolic veneer .She has declared to the Cyprus Government “of course we will lend you money but you must rob your citizens in order to qualify “.Cameron and Osborne’s silence says all because we have to go cap in hand to borrow more .And what’s headlines whether Cameron backs Press Barons or us the British Public – better ask Merkel another Hitler in Drag .
http://www.brokenbritainundertories.com
BROKEN BRITAIN UNDER TORIES – GERMANY ANOTHER NAME FOR EU
The Draconian Cameron Benefit Cuts are similar to how the EU are treating Cyprus any connection. Since when has Merkel been the main influence within the EU ,it seems Germany’s voice on EU Policy is louder than anyone elses .The EU is NOT WORKING obviously or why would so many of its member states be in financial trouble with the exception of Germany .Germany is basically blackmailing Cyprus to either rob their citizens or they wont lend them any money .But for Cyprus to go to Russia for a bailout after Laundering Russian money is a bit rich similar to the bunch of Lying Thieving Cheats in this Country relying on our vote .www.brokenbritainundertories.com