#freeHisham Hisham Al-Omeisy kidnapped 10 days ago whose only crime reporting what is going on in #Yemen

When staying silent on the kidnapping of advocates of peace, is no longer an option #FreeHisham

On Monday at 2:45, Hisham Al-Omeisy , a civil rights activist and documenter of Yemen’s often-ignored war  and voice of Yemen,  was taken from his family by armed  guards loyal to the  Houthis . In 2014, these people swept  into Sanaa, the capital of Yemen,   and overthrew president Abed-Rabbo Mansour Hadi’s internationally recognised Government  and sought to secure military support from Arab Gulf states. 

In March 2015, a Saudi -led coalition , which  have led many to label this war as the Saudi Proxy War,  began a campaign in support of the Government and against the  Houthis , allied with the ousted President Ali Abdullah Saleh.
This conflict has led to over 10,000 civilian deaths and displaced over 3 million people, whilst starvation and cholera are further adding to the country’s misery. Much of this would never have been known without the constant Twitter feed, reporting and criticism of both sides from Hisham.

Samah Hadid , Amnesty,s head of Middle East campaigns , said al-Omeisy’s detention  “illustrates the lengths to which local Houthi-saleh authorities are willing to go to silence activists”. Whilst the Washington Post  newspaper, calling for his release stated, “ What makes Hisham’s detention surprising is that he was critical of the Saudi-led coalition backing the government  of President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, who is seeking to oust the rebels from Sanaa and much of the north. 

In recent months , dozens of activists, journalists and lawyers, critical of the rebel Houthi government  have been arrested or vanished into the security shadows. Human rights groups report that many have been tortured or have died in custody.

Hisham Al-Omeisy has been held without charge or a court appearance, in breach of Yemen’s own constitution , which requires anybody arrested to be presented to court within 24 hours.


  This humble man was able to use his social media platform to raise awareness globally of the plight of Yemen. This was necessary because the western media are loath to be critical of the Saudis, who have bombed hospitals and schools with weapons bought from the UK Government and made in the UK.

 Hisham’s reports and films gave a real human insight and built a global awareness, demonstrating a love for his country and country men to his 24,000 Twitter followers.  His ability to speak and communicate in English,  insured he was able to report live from Yemen  exclusively  on the  monthly  Talk Radio  Europe show I was co- hosting with one of the finest broadcasters of her day, Pippa Jones. Due to these broadcasts, many of us became enlightened by his insight and were warmed by his friendship.

Across the world, more people are demanding his release so he can return to his wife and children and carry on reporting in his fair and balanced way on this war that no- one really wants to talk about.  Hisham’s kidnap is a campaign none of us should ignore; staying silent on the kidnapping of this advocate of peace is NOT an option. We can all, from the comfort of our sofa, demand  #FreeHisham  , lobby MPs, take part in radio phone- ins and use our social media to keep his name alive and insure his safe return.

We are all Hisham  

Sanctions and Welfare reform freedom information request exposes Government gerrymandering of the stats.

My latest published article on Goverment gerrymandering the Welfare , Sanctions , Disability & Pension figures .......Surprise .Surprise

Welfare reforms allowing government to "massage down" true figures of those sanctioned

A freedom of Information request shows that new welfare reforms are allowing the government to distort the true figures of those sanctioned on welfare, disability…

THELONDONECONOMIC.COM

London Bridge terror attack and the homeless and Hungry movement launched to remember Christine Archibald #chrissySentUs #ChrissySentMe

Please , please support this project so we can get hot soup and drink flasks to every street out reach project in the UK and that every volunteer out reach worker will be kept safe with the #ChrissySentUs out reach high visibility jackets !
London Bridge attacks robbed us iof Christine Archibald , help us carry on her work & keep her spirit alive and on every street we're people are in need !

Homeless charity starts support in name of London Bridge terror victim

With so much terror and misery on our streets these past few months, we can be excused for wondering how any light or positivity can come out of these dark…

THELONDONECONOMIC.COM

Christine Archibald the victim of London Terror Attacks who launched a movement

This My latest homeless and Hungry project . Anyone that needs or wants a flask or high visibility jackets for out reach work please contact. They are FREE......... Please make a donation to this project to We Care Food Bank . Co Op bank account number 65659328 sort code 089299  . Every Penny Counts. /£7 buys Tea Shirt £10 a high visibility jacket with ChriisySentUs logo and picture. £30 buys a hot soup-Drink flask , £50 allows you to chose which street project or area you would like us to give   #ChrissySentUs pack . 

Londoners follow through with #ChrissySentMe request | Metro Calgary

Charity uses money raised in Calgarian's memory to get hot soup and coffee to homeless

METRONEWS.CA

Right To Buy ; Whose interest does it serve? #HousingBritain

My latest published article , please read and share widely

Right to Buy: Whose interest does it serve?

Right to Buy, the policy no one wants to talk about, is decimating local councils’ housing stock and costing us all dearly in state subsidy. In London alone, this amounts to £104,900 per discount. The Grenfell

THELONDONECONOMIC.COM

Deptford .What became of the Deptford 500 who left with Peter the Great 2 build the first Russian Navy? latest update

The Deptford Russian 500 Update. come to Deptford Heritage festival tickets ;https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/deptford-heritage-festival

Some of you may be aware for the past 3 years since the first Deptford Heritage Festival i have been working with the Russian Government to discover what became of the 500 skilled ship builders and craftsmen that left #Deptford #Lewisham in the 1700 with Peter the Great to build the first Russian Navy, as This weekend was Russian Navy day i was able to put further pressure on the Russian Government to give us something after all these years a...

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Mosul Syria zoo rescue during War, my powerful new article .Please share

My latest and i think my best published article on a subject close to my heart . Animal welfare.
This is a good news story, please read and share.

The Zookeeper's Wife: How a lion and bear halted a war in Mosul

By Ray Barron-Woolford Night after night the misery of war is pumped out across our TV screens, our social media and on the pages of our newspapers, and yet, even in…

THELONDONECONOMIC.COM

#NotOneMoreDay my images from the day

Grenfell Tower Fire This Video alone should bring down the Government. A MUST read and share

https://www.facebook.com/114927232442336/videos/121610458440680/ 

Food Bank Britain the no book from the founder largest Indy food bank in UK with guide how 2 set up your own

Please click on link to buy this book Food Bank Britain direct t from AMAZON NOW .

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/offer-listing/099308091X

#Deptford history walks and tours.

After this years  third successful Deptford Heritage  radicle walk and talk as part Goldsmith Radicle book fair, Tim Gluckman and myself have started giving  private tours around Deptford .

We offer a general guide tour or very specific, such as Deptford and the Slave trade. Housing activism. The Civil rights movement in Deptford. Kath Duncan . The Pirates and the ships that shaped Deptford.  The Russians in Deptford . Christopher Marlow  and more , the walks last around 2 hours children are free and adults are £12.50 per person with smallest group being 5 .

You can also order my book Deptford £10 from any bookseller or from any of the online booksellers. 

Email raymondwoolford@aol.com  to book . Tours are most weekends and private bookings organised by what days and time works best for you. Come to the festival .Toickets;https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/deptford-heritage-festival

Just click on this link to buy your copy of DEPTFORD  ...

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/offer-listing/0993080901

Poverty costs a staggering £78 billion we are told we do not have have

<sub>The real war we need is on poverty: killing thousands and costing a staggering £78 billion a year.
The Times report this week that Prime Minister May plans to drop Austerity is not just overdue, but has always been about the Neo- Liberal political agenda and nothing to do with economics.
Austerity has always been a political choice, not an economic necessity as the Conservatives may claim. Yet, The Rowntree Foundation’s ( hardly a hot- bed of Socialism)  report into Poverty in The UK , which is  featured in my book,  Food Bank Britain,  researched the true cost of poverty in the UK. It is a subject that no- one really wants to talk about, referring to it as the Third Sector; part of the Social Justice Equality agenda, anything, in fact, but what it is... POVERTY . It kills thousands every year, their research reports, and costs us all, through high taxation and loss of earnings, a staggering £78 billion per annum. Much of the hardship is caused by false economy, buying unhealthy food may be cheaper but creates terrible health issues that put further pressure on the NHS, whilst how can it make any economic sense these days to sell off Council homes with a 70% discount when it costs a staggering £44,000 a year to keep the average family in a hostel or B&B.  Moreover, the Housing Benefit bill that we all contribute to as tax payers ,increasingly goes to private Landlords , whereas building council homes gives Councils an income year after year, reduces the cost of emergency housing and helps them, through this income, to plan and develop services for us all long term.  How can Austerity, therefore, be anything else than a political choice?  Clearly, it’s a scam that needs to stop and be stopped NOW.

Poverty is the shadow looming over most families in the UK. Our sense of who we are and what we aspire to be, does not include poverty, nor a monthly visit to hunt down the nearest food bank.  The reality that 68% of working people in London get some type of benefit highlights the craziness and un-sustainability of what is going on in the name of good governance.

Is it really right that multi -million pound businesses are able to pay such low wages? Or  that the state , that’s you and me , top up the workers’ wages, which is nothing less than a tax- payers subsidy to big business, at a time we are constantly told we have no money?

When our Government tell us that privatisation of our NHS and public sector is a great idea, how can this be so? How can taking money needed for investment and given to shareholders and offshore hedge funds be great economics?

Poverty, as that  great man and world leader, Nelson Mandela, once said is,  “Man- made and can be un-made.”  How right he is.

Jeremy Corbyn is correct that increasing wages would take more people out of poverty and off welfare but, in my view, Jeremy Corbyn’s policy agenda must be as radical as Attlee’s was in 1945. Building Council homes and investing in our schools and NHS is a no- brainer, but why not be truly radical and set your goal, a real aim and objective, for the eradication of poverty in the UK by appointing a Minister for Poverty that oversees all aspects of Government policy and how it can impact on the eradication of poverty? Many of us have the ideas and vision, if listened to.

When at my food bank I became increasingly alarmed at the number of people not just in food crisis, but also in fuel poverty, we set about holding a public meeting and launched a Green Energy Not- for -Profit business that would use roofs of schools, churches and community centres to bring down their fuel bills.  By using the Government’s own feed-in tariff, we could raise a share issue to cover the cost of solar panels, whilst offering shareholders a 4% return and using the surplus profit to tackle fuel poverty here in our community. We have since had 2 successful share issues. Could this not be a Government model that ALL new- builds and roofs of ALL suitable public buildings have solar panels to fight climate change, reduce bills and end fuel poverty? We have done it in Deptford, so why not nationally, so fuel bills are reduced for all homes, public spaces and small businesses? Think of the huge savings that could be used to improve and develop services and business opportunities.

Renting a property is a huge outlay for people in, or out, of work and it is great that letting charges will soon be outlawed, but should we not be abolishing the whole rental deposit idea? Deposits, which can  be thousands of pounds, by law, must be held by a Government approved tenants’ protection scheme ,but as a deposit is only to protect contents, or part payment  of unpaid rent, is it not a better idea for consumers that we scrap deposits altogether  and have Deposit Insurance so tenants only pay rent? This would help huge numbers of people on low income rent decent housing and not get exploited by slum landlords. Additionally, it cannot be un- realistic to insure that ALL landlords give a national insurance number on tenancy agreements, so the Government can insure full tax is paid and that slum landlords are noted and acted upon. Why should tax- payers’ money via Housing Benefit get exploited by unscrupulous landlords? The cost would be non- existent, but would have a huge positive impact on people’s pockets, well-being and home choices.</sub>

 <sub>A poverty Tsar could also move on to deal with food waste and distribution.
Is it really acceptable that tons of food, mostly  fruit, veg and proteins , such as fish and meat, is sent to expensive landfill whilst tins of beans and loaves of bread are the main- stay of the diets of food bank clients? 

We can do so much more. Poverty at £78 billion is clearly a cost we can no longer afford when we have in Jeremy Corbyn a leader who could and should put poverty at the top of a’ We must end’ agenda.</sub>

_{My book Food Bank Britain £10 on sale from ALL book shops as well as online.}