@GilesUdy's Threads
1/ OTD 10th June 1944, 4 days after #Dday, German SS troops on their way to Normandy entered the French village of #Oradour sur Glanes. They murdered 642 people & destroyed the village. On Gen De Gaulle's orders, it was never rebuilt. This is that story. 
2/ 254 buildings, including those where the killings took place, were torched. Of the 642 dead only 52 were identifiable. 247 women & 205 children died, the youngest just a few months old. Some were just day visitors. Less than 20 people escaped. Photos from my recent visit.
3/ At 2pm on Sat 10th June 1944, responding to a wrong tip off by the collaborationist French Vichy police, lorries of German SS troops arrived in #Oradour. Two drove to either end of the village & blocked the road into it. The population were herded onto the village green.
A #DDay Story: This is British Military cemetery at Hermanville, just inland from #SwordBeach and at the end of a quiet country lane. It was deserted & peaceful when I was there recently. Among the rows of graves, each with its own story, one drew my attention. #DDay75
Four men of the 22nd Dragoons, Royal Armoured Corps killed on #DDay 6th June 1944, but two gravestones, adjoining each other. I guessed the explanation & the 22nd's war diary tells to story of the opening moments of the battle for #SwordBeach and confirms how they died. #DDay75
The 22nd Dragoons operated flail tanks which were to clear path through the mines on #SwordBeach for troops to follow. Awakened on their landing ships a 5am, many were seasick. As the battle began, they examined the shore to see what to expect. #Dday
In April 2018 John McDonnell tried to assure the City that Labour did not have a "shadow manifesto" that it was keeping hidden until after an election.
It does.
This is it.
Full details are in my article, extracts here in this long (apologies) thread... standpointmag.co.uk/february-2019-…
It does.
This is it.
Full details are in my article, extracts here in this long (apologies) thread... standpointmag.co.uk/february-2019-…
The plans were published when the Left never imagined it would get close to Downing Street. They might regret that now.
The tone is messianic: Capitalism has taken us to the 'abyss' & 'must be overthrown’. Only ‘state power in the hands of the working class can save humanity’.
The tone is messianic: Capitalism has taken us to the 'abyss' & 'must be overthrown’. Only ‘state power in the hands of the working class can save humanity’.
The revolution will run through three stages. By stage three, there will be civil war - with counter-revolutionary right-wing death squads let loose to enforce a military dictatorship run by industrialists and newspaper editors.
Maybe even @DailyMailUK journos on the barricades?
Maybe even @DailyMailUK journos on the barricades?
Spent this morning re-reading the report by Belarusian archaeologists into the Soviet killing fields at #Kuropaty outside Minsk for my next book. An estimated 102,000 were shot there in 1937-41.
Nearby villagers witnessed events & gave chilling eye-witness accounts (thread)
Nearby villagers witnessed events & gave chilling eye-witness accounts (thread)
Local kids used to sneak through the fence to collect berries. One 11 year old girl got trapped inside one day when NKVD lorries arrived with more victims. Terrified she watched it all...
The trauma experienced by that young girl watching it all can scarcely be imagined. She was marked by it for the rest of her life
A glimpse into the history of Soviet repression: One of hundreds of pages from 'These Names Accuse', listing the fate of individual Latvians deported to Soviet Russia in 1940-41. Documents like these graphically illustrate the experience of the victims of Soviet Communism. 1. 
The details shown bring home the human tragedy of Soviet repression in the Baltic States & help us to understand why the suffering of that period remains an integral part of the national consciousness of these countries today. The childhood of Vanda Buners (#5 on the list)...
would have ended suddenly at the age of 13 when the NKVD arrived unannounced to deport her family, including her 16 year old brother, giving them no more than a few hours notice to pack, perhaps less. Their father was murdered in front of them as they were arrested... 3/7
1/ Last week I was at @YorkUnion to debate with close Corbyn ally @DerbyChrisW “This house believes Corbyn’s Labour is the new Nasty Party.” I promised to post a report back. Bear with me on this thread as its not simple to tweet, but here goes...
2/ The debate went -
CW: "@UKLabour ‘s 500k members means Corbyn is validated"
My reply: "99% don't know your ulterior aims. They have been duped."
I then gave audience three texts (illustrated below) to outline what had been hidden from them and laid out the case that
CW: "@UKLabour ‘s 500k members means Corbyn is validated"
My reply: "99% don't know your ulterior aims. They have been duped."
I then gave audience three texts (illustrated below) to outline what had been hidden from them and laid out the case that
3/ Corbyn’s ulterior aim was Communisation of the economy, supported as follows. 1st: this 2004 resolution of the Communist Party of Britain to overthrow the Blair ‘clique’ & use Labour as a vehicle for revolution. (quick sidetrack> CPB is close to Corbyn for fwg reasons
