Since Ahmad al-Sharaa came to power in Syria, the Damascus government has been given carte blanche to use maximum force against any threat to its continued rule, writes VIJAY PRASHAD
A year of boycotting Southern Water
We ‘can't pay, won't pay’ – till Southern Water cleans up its act, explains JULIE WASSMER
Julie Wassmer (right) with sewage protester Hayley Yoga
Keir Starmer’s hiring Tim Allan from Tory-led Strand Partners is another illustration of Labour’s corporate-influence world where party differences matter less than business connections, writes SOLOMON HUGHES
Britain’s proud asylum history, from sheltering the Kindertransport escaping Hitler to Basque children fleeing fascist Spain, required tireless campaigning against persistent opposition — and it’s up to all of us to do our part today, writes SABINA PRICE
The truth will out: we are here to unveil the full scale of the government’s complicity in genocide and to hold it to account for the monstrous bloodshed in Palestine, writes JEREMY CORBYN
As the Alliance of Sahel States and southern African nations advance pan-African goals, the African Union must listen and learn rather than parroting the Western line on these positive developments, writes ROGER McKENZIE
KEITH BENNETT reflects on witnessing the grand parade in Beijing marking the 80th anniversary of China’s Victory Day, which impressively showcased advanced military technology
IN JULY 2021, Southern Water was fined £90 million for criminal charges relating to illegal dumping of raw sewage into protected waters. The case, and the record fine, soon became high profile news but Southern Water is, in fact, a serious and serial offender having previously incurred penalties of over £120 million following an investigation by Ofwat in 2019. It therefore seemed unlikely that the fine would succeed in having any deterrent effect on the company, so in October last year I decided to take independent action by withholding my payments to Southern Water.
In Whitstable, Southern Water is responsible for wastewater while South East Water provides fresh water and also bills customers for both services. Having spoken at protest events organised by the local campaign group, SOS-Whitstable, I was well aware that Southern Water’s sewage pollution had affected local swimmers and that there had been reported cases of stomach and ear infections. Southern Water may have become adept in responding to criticism but the bottom line is: it cannot be right for residents to have to sweep sewage from their streets and doorsteps while families have been forced from our beaches and out of the sea. Clearly there are also implications for local businesses connected to Whitstable’s historic oyster trade – as well as those involved in tourism and water sports, so, together with three other concerned Whitstable residents, Emma Gibson, her partner Steve Wheeler and a local councillor, Ashley Clark, I duly informed South East Water that I would continue to pay only for the provision of water while withholding payment to Southern Water due to the company’s unacceptable record on sewage dumping.
Emma, Steve and I took legal advice on our position and decided against promoting this action widely in case any debt recovery action affected vulnerable residents. However, as a small group of committed individuals we agreed to accept the consequences in order to make a stand against Southern Water’s environmental pollution.
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