alanjjohnstone
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David Beckham rewarded by millions for being an apologist for Qatar rationalises his role tells a US newspaper through a spokesperson that he “has always believed that sport has the power to be a force for good in the world”.
“We understand that there are different and strongly held views about engagement in the Middle East but see it as positive that debate about the key issues has been stimulated directly by the first World Cup being held in the region,” the statement continued.
It added: “We hope that these conversations will lead to greater understanding and empathy toward all people and that progress will be achieved.”
In a wartime article, the Socialist Standard found the news of the death camps incredulous and questioned if it might be Ally propaganda. Cherry-pick that quote and one could claim the SPGB was holocaust deniers. Ignore the context of the time and conditions it was made.
Likewise the Russian massacres in Bucha. Rely on early reports and ignore the follow-up investigations by the UN where witnesses are interviewed and describe what happened.
Similarly, Grover Furr excludes testimony that does not agree with his hypothesis. An example is the Katyn Massacre.
With TS and his promotion of Grover Furr, we have been here many times before.
But TS never raises the question of why a scholar of medieval literature is not using his time to bring to the public the rich wealth of the writings from that period in time. Instead, Furr offers articles and books denying the accusations laid against Stalin and his regime by its critics.
Why is that?
Another contributor on the forum always reminds us to look at the ideology of a writer to determine what are his or her intentions.
In all the time I have had to read his articles, Furr fails to declare his own politics and instead presents himself as an objective historian communicating the real facts.
Like so many other biased bourgeois historians, Furr conceals his true reasons. Unlike someone who follows where the evidence leads, Furr, on the contrary, because of his political allegiance, begins with the a priori case that Stalin can be absolved of the charges against him and Furr sets out to accumulate the proof.
An example of how it brings a misinterpretation to events, that I already raised in my earlier reply. Because Poland and its allies did not declare war on the USSR, Furr concludes it confirms the Soviet Union’s rationale for the invasion.
Workers at the armament factories in Russia move to 6-day week and 12-hour shifts and suspend holiday entitlements when required
https://www.rt.com/russia/568381-urals-defense-industry-ukraine/
Kissinger’s peace proposals
https://www.rt.com/news/568389-kissinger-ukraine-peace-proposal/
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/12/17/manipulate-public-opinion-moldova-suspends-six-tv-channels
Moldova has suspended the broadcast licenses of six television channels, accusing them of misinformation, inaccurate coverage of Russia’s war in Ukraine, and “attempts to manipulate public opinion,”
So once again your “authority” is a medieval literature professor who repeats the USSR’s justification.
Indeed, on September 17, 1939, Molotov declared that the Polish government has ceased to exist and as such was the pretext for the invasion, a convenient reason to renege on the 1921 Polish-USSR Riga Peace Treaty
But the Polish resistance to German had not ceased. Warsaw and many other regions had not yet surrendered. Fighting went on til October
There was active cooperation between German and Soviet forces. And Furr uses the argument that Poland’s army did not seek a two-front by resisting USSR as supporting his claim that USSR did not invade. Similarly, the acquiescence of Romania, UK and France are also used to support that claim. Real Politik.
The “disappearance” of the Polish state was brought about by the invasion of Poland by the USSR. It was the day AFTER the USSR invaded that the Polish government
went into exile in Romania.If Furr wishes to resort to legalism as a defence
On 17 September 1939, the President of the Polish Republic, Ignacy Mościcki, issued a proclamation about his plan to transfer power and appointing Władysław Raczkiewicz, the Marshal of the Senate, as his successor. This was done in accordance with Article 24 of the Constitution.
The government of Poland did not disappear, it went into exile.
As the World Cup reaches its climax, the French right denigrates the immigrant members of the team
“Immigrants are over-represented in the French national team in the World Cup,” a far-right politician has said adding, “I do not think this team represent France”.
Marion Marechal is the niece of far-right politician Marine Le Pen, and belongs to the recently formed Reconquête party, whose name refers to Spain’s “Reconquista” period when Christians drove Muslim rulers out of the country.
Don’t expect miracles
Ron DeSantis Is a Case Study in the Threat of Fascism in the US
“DeSantis’s lies, policies and embrace of historical revisionism cannot be separated from either an egregious fascist history or the current attempts by the GOP to erase migrants and Black and Brown people from history in order to prop up a white nationalist agenda.”
Japan announced its plan to embark on a five-year, $320 billion military buildup to secure offensive strike capacity. Japan plans to buy long-range weapons capable of striking China, including hundreds of Lockheed Martin’s Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles and Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles.
“Japan also plans to develop its own weapons, including advanced fighter jets, hypersonic missiles, and armed drones.”
Japan “faces the severest and most complicated national security environment” since the end of World War II, according to the new blueprint unveiled by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s conservative government, which named China as its “biggest strategic challenge,” followed by North Korea.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin on Friday warned Japan that “hyping up the so-called China threat to find an excuse for its military build-up is doomed to fail” and urged the country to “reflect on its policies.”Ukraine’s oligarchs
The education and culture ministers resign
Congress fails to pass a constitutional reform that would bring forward presidential elections to December 2023, to bring the vote forward by more than two years from 2026.
Supreme Court decides to hold Castillo in pretrial detention for up to 18 months during an investigation into charges of “rebellion and conspiracy.”
