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The Labour Website of the Year, an annual competition sponsored by LabourStart, is a chance for trade union members to vote online for their favourite union websites. In last year’s competition, over 5,500 trade unionists voted for more than 460 sites. This year, one of the 100 officially nominated sites belongs to the Iraqi Federation of Trade Unions (IFTU). A large number of votes for the IFTU site would significantly raise the profile of the organization and its online presence. Labour Friends of Iraq encourages its members and supporters to vote for the IFTU site today by clicking here

Ghaith Abdul-Ahad writes in the Guardian on the spirit at the Iraqi Communist Party election rally in Baghdad. “Hundreds of women, men and children, poured from all over Baghdad into a big indoor basketball court. All were waving little red flags, singing and chanting old communist slogans. But the funny thing was, they were happy. The whole atmosphere was entirely unlike any other rally, especially a march I had witnessed two days earlier to commemorate the father of Moqtada al-Sadr, at which thousands of men dressed in black happily whipped themselves with metal chains, while others bashed their skulls with … Continue reading ‘Maybe Now We Have a Future’

Ann Clwyd MP, The Prime Minister’s Special Envoy for Human Rights in Iraq (and Joint President of Labour Friends of Iraq) has been reporting from Iraq for BBC Radio 4’s ‘Today’ Programme. To listen to yesterday’s clip, from Kirkuk, (14 December) go here and scroll down to 08.46 on the Running Order. (Alan Johnson)

Its not just the brand-mangers at the Premiership who scream about the power of football. And football is not just a tool used by ruling elites to whip up nationalism or to bond to them an otherwise potentially rebellious working class. Football can be a negative political tool but it can also be a force for strengthening community networks and inter-communal ties.

(LFIQ found these documents posted on the website of the journal What Next? http://www.whatnextjournal.co.uk and as such in the public domain) LFIQ invites readers to study these letters very carefully. We would draw our readers attention to just two points before encouraging them to read the entire exchange. First, Rix objects first to the StWC’s expressed support for ‘any means necessary’ used by the Resistance. Rix writes to Murray ‘If you think I am going to sit back and agree with beheadings, kidnappings, torture and brutality, and out right terrorization of ordinary Iraqi and others, then you can forget it’. … Continue reading A new exchange of letters between Mick Rix, ex-General Secretary of ASLEF and Andrew Murray, Chair of the Stop the War Coalition

Saddam’s Mass Graves Saddam’s mass graves are being uncovered. There are 62 pages of powerful and moving photographs of the mass graves at http://massgraves.info

Alex Gordon conducted interviews with IFTU members in Britain as part of an exchange with Unison. They outline how they defeated anti-women proposals and took back their headquarters from US troops. The full text can be found at the IFTU web site by clicking above.

Extract from Commons debate on 29th November Mr. Harry Barnes (North-East Derbyshire) (Lab): How widely known is the holding of the general election in Iraq among the Iraqi people? A short time ago, it seemed that it was not well known; perhaps people had other things to be bothered and worried about. There might be some indication in terms of the number of people who have registered to vote or are expected to register and in the number of local elections that have already been held to prepare people for a coming general election.

We note the view of the Iraqi Deputy Foreign Minister Hamid al-Bayati “Using force that kills civilians on a large scale is a mistake. The logic of occupation must end.”

This CLP is alarmed that military action against the terrorists in Falluja and other towns will result in large scale loss of civilian life. The aerial bombardment of a built-up civilian area will drive ordinary Iraqis towards the men of violence. We implore the Labour government to exercise all its influence to prevent these casualties and to pursue all political and humanitarian channels to resolve the crisis. We urge the Labour Government to do all it can to support the UN process that envisages a democratic sovereign Iraq and to support all democratic forces within Iraq, including the newly emerging … Continue reading Labour Friends of Iraq model motion on Military Action and Falluja