A roundup of progressive news…

1.The Culture War Funded by Russian Roubles-Byline Times

Byline Times features a piece on how the culture wars in the UK have been funded by the same powers bombarding Ukraine.

The piece highlights how the Russian Federation makes up a significant chunk of the funds that have been spent on anti-gender disinformation. It states: “As reported in this paper, the two main Russian funders of anti-gender disinformation are Vladimir Yakunin and Konstantin Malofeyev – oligarchs sanctioned for their alleged involvement in the annexation of Crimea, after Russia’s 2014 invasion.”

It also highlights the ‘various crossovers between GB News and Russian disinformation, not least through prominent Brexiteer Nigel Farage’ as well as Oliver Dowden’s ‘war on woke values’.

2. Lawyers should be put in the dock for accepting oligarchs’ stolen money –openDemocracy

Loopholes in UK law allow legal professionals to take dodgy money for their services, openDemocracy highlights, as it takes a deeper look at how lawyers have accepted money from Russian oligarchs.

‘There is only one reason why London’s legal, tax, accountancy and other professional services have been so happy to serve kleptocrats of all nations – money’, writes George Turner.

A loophole in the UK version of the Proceeds of Crime Act contains a provision allowing people to acquire stolen money in return for “adequate consideration”. This allows professionals to provide services, paid for out of the proceeds of crime, if those services are provided at the market rate, the piece states.

However, the loophole does not apply if a professional deploys their services in furtherance of a crime (for example, tax evasion).

The piece makes a strong argument against the claims of some lawyers that ‘they are under some moral obligation to accept the proceeds of crime in pursuit of the maintenance of justice and the rule of law’.

3. Staff Are Occupying Northern Ireland’s Only Women’s Hostel to Stop It Being Shut Down –Novara Media

Anna Cafolla writes for Novara Media about how Northern Ireland’s only women-only hostel which has provided housing and support for domestic abuse survivors, the homeless and women with addictions and mental health issues is at risk of imminent closure.

Regina Coeli House is now being occupied by staff who are in a desperate bid to stop its closure.

“It’s baltic, my hands are frozen off,” says Sandra Kane, a former staff member and occupier fighting to save the facility who Novara Media met at the picket line. “But we’re not going anywhere.” So far, they’ve kept their promise: on 3 March, the workers marked 50 days in occupation’.

Anna writes that the threat to the hostel comes from its landlord, the Legion of Mary – the world’s largest organisation of lay Catholics – who claim they can’t pay for building repairs, understood to amount to £500,000. The figure is in dispute, however – Taryn Trainor, Unite’s Regional Equalities and Women’s Officer, believes it has been “grossly exaggerated” to ensure the facility’s closure.

4. Mark Drakeford at Welsh Labour’s 2022 conference: “There is another way” –LabourList

A full list of the speech given by First Minister and Welsh Labour leader Mark Drakeford to the 2022 Welsh Labour conference is available on LabourList, where Drakeford spoke of the need for the UK government to play its full part when it comes to accommodating Ukrainian refugees, set out his plans for voting reform and said climate change would be at the heart of the agenda.

Drakeford also told the conference that climate change was the ‘great emergency’ of our time.

He said: “I’m also very proud that in our first year, with a new climate ministry at the heart of our government, we’ve made huge progress in repaying that trust.

5. Families of people deported by the Home Office driven into poverty-Morning Star

Families of people deported by the Home Office have been driven into poverty and forced to rely on foodbanks, the Morning Star reports.

The findings are based on a study by Families for Justice and Detention Action, which also found that children had developed signs of post-traumatic stress and depression following deportation.

The report calls for automatic deportation rules to be scrapped.

‘This law has made many of us into single parents, depriving our children of their fathers and leaving us financially and socially disadvantaged, with no additional support from the government,” said Families for Justice — a group of wives, daughters, mothers and partners affected by deportations’.

Basit Mahmood is editor of Left Foot Forward

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