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Interested in maladministration. Estd. 2005

offsite link RTEs Sarah McInerney ? Fianna Fail?supporter? Anthony

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Kim Leadbeater's assisted suicide bill has been described by MPs as a "farce", an "embarrassment" and "beyond a joke". But last night's damning statement from the Royal College of Psychiatrists may be the fatal blow.
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offsite link The Hidden Mechanisms of Unfreedom Wed May 14, 2025 15:41 | Alex Klaushofer
When politicians claim the public supports extreme measures like banning meat or digital ID you can be sure that behind it is a Citizens' Assembly or other dubious method for manufacturing 'consent', says Alex Klaushofer.
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offsite link Saving Greenery From the Greens Wed May 14, 2025 13:00 | Sean Walsh
Greens have hijacked environmental concern and turned it into a branch of radical Leftist politics. But in truth conservatism cares about conserving our home. Conservatives need to reclaim green politics, says Sean Walsh.
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offsite link Ed Miliband Set to Lose Seat to Reform at Next Election in Labour Wipeout Wed May 14, 2025 11:10 | Will Jones
Ed Miliband is set to lose his seat to Reform at the next election in a Labour wipeout, the most comprehensive analysis of this month?s?local election results?has found.
The post Ed Miliband Set to Lose Seat to Reform at Next Election in Labour Wipeout appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link Thirty-Five People Died the Same Day as Their Covid Shot ? But Authorities Did Not Investigate Wed May 14, 2025 09:00 | Rebekah Barnett
35 people died the same day as their Covid shot but authorities in Australia failed to investigate, and then claimed the cases had been "carefully reviewed", according to FOIs obtained by Rebekah Barnett.
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Voltaire Network
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offsite link Will intergovernmental institutions withstand the end of the "American Empire"?,... Sat Apr 05, 2025 07:15 | en

offsite link Voltaire, International Newsletter N?127 Sat Apr 05, 2025 06:38 | en

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offsite link Voltaire, International Newsletter N?126 Fri Mar 28, 2025 11:39 | en

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The circle of rendition

category international | rights, freedoms and repression | other press author Saturday April 21, 2007 17:56author by Clive Stafford Smith Report this post to the editors

The great-grandfather of a Muslim man held in Guantanamo was likewise held without trial and tortured by a colonial superpower

Amir Yakoub Mohammed Al Amir Mahmoud is from Sudan and is a prisoner in Guantanamo Bay. For him, extraordinary rendition has come full circle. British colonial powers held his great-grandfather over a century ago and he is in the hands of US authorities today.

On 25 January 1885, General Charles Gordon died trying to maintain British control over Sudan.
A clamour to avenge Gordon's death and re-establish British dominance in Sudan followed, but despite Britain's superiority in military technology, this wasn't easy. Eventually, on 2 September 1898, Colonel (later Lord) Kitchener wreaked revenge at the Battle of Omdurman. The Khalifa's army, betrayed by rival Sudanese Muslims, charged Kitchener's Maxim guns with desperate but futile valour. The day lost, the Khalifa refused to save himself, but sat awaiting death on his prayer rug as his enemies closed in.

Many of the Khalifa's family were captured. One such prisoner was the great-grandfather of the Guantanamo detainee Amir Yakoub. Al Amir Mahmoud wad Ahmed was the Khalifa's cousin. The 19th-century abuse of Amir Mahmoud began with minor humiliation: he was brought bare-headed before Kitchener. Kitchener then despatched (or, in modern terms, rendered) him, along with many Sudanese civilians, to Egypt where they were held in a prison called Abbasiyah.

Clive Stafford Smith is the legal director of Reprieve, a UK charity that provides front-line investigation and legal representation to prisoners denied justice by powerful governments across the world, from death row to Guantanamo Bay. He writes this column monthly. Contact Reprieve at PO Box 52742, London EC4P 4WS. Tel: 020 7353 4640. http://www.reprieve.org.uk

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Related Link: http://www.newstatesman.com/200704230026
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