Dean O'Brien / Дин О'Брайeн - Freelance Photographer

An admission now by Sheffield City Council that a project to refurbish a Council Estate (which I grew up on) has had to be abandoned in part because of increased costs caused by the war in Ukraine.

The Council has fully supported the War on the side of Ukraine, notwithstanding that Sheffield has for decades been twinned with Donetsk, whose pro Russian residents have been defending themselves from a war waged upon them by their own government since 2014.

Furthermore, during the SMO, Sheffield City Council took the decision to enter into a provisional twinning arrangement with Khmelnytskyi, a city in the west of Ukraine, whose Mayor is a member of the Nationalist / Neo Nazi Svoboda Party.

The cost increases to the said project are a result of illegal sanctions which all Political Parties who in large part form Sheffield City Council (Labour, Liberal Democrats and Greens, have supported.

The Gleadless Valley Ward, in which the Estate lies, is run by three Green Councillors, one of whom who stood against me in the General Election on amongst other things a pro Palestine ticket (his mother is active in the local pro Palestine movement) even though the Green movement is in general pro imperialist and pro Zionist (the German Greens are a good example of this).

The Estate lies in the Constuency of Sheffield Heeley, whose MP is Louise Haigh, the Transport Secretary and a member of the Cabinet.

Not only has the U.K’s financial and other support for Ukraine meant that there is less money to spend on social housing, but the inflation caused by illegal and ill conceived sanctions on Russia, that have backfired on the G7 Alliance, which of course includes the U.K. has made certain urgent projects no longer financially viable.

This is no doubt one of many such cases throughout impoverished, austerity Britain.

S Roy, Sheffield Branch
👍 Workers Party

Patriotic graffiti somewhere in Russia

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Relocate to Russia: a new opportunity for foreigners who reject the 'destructive' West

President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree simplifying obtaining a temporary residence permit in Russia for foreigners who support the country’s traditional values. The decree will come into force on September 1.

Sputnik has explored the new opportunities Russia offers.

1️⃣ First, applicants need to submit a letter at a Russian embassy or consulate explaining why they want to relocate.

Foreign nationals may state as the reason for their application the rejection of their own countries’ policies "aimed at imposing destructive neoliberal ideals on people, which run counter to traditional Russian spiritual and moral values."

🌏 Russia’s traditional values listed in its state policy include strong family values, historical memory and continuity of generations, unity of the peoples of Russia, high moral ideals, patriotism, service to the Fatherland, and priority of the spiritual over the material.

🌏 “Destructive neoliberal ideals” could refer to the promotion of gender change and LGBT policies, as well as criticism of traditional religions. Russia’s Supreme Court designated the international LGBT movement as an extremist organization in November 2023. That same year, Russia’s president signed a decree banning gender reassignment surgery.

2️⃣ Approved applicants would not need to prove proficiency in the Russian language, or sit for exams on knowledge of Russian history and laws – something that was previously a prerequisite.

🌏 Permits may be granted outside the Russian quota on the number of foreign citizens relocating annually.

3️⃣ After receiving a three-month single-entry visa to Russia, applicants may apply for temporary residence.

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