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Empire Falls (miniseries)

Empire Falls is a 2005 American television miniseries directed by Fred Schepisi and written by Richard Russo, based on Russo's 2001 novel of the same name. It aired on HBO in two parts, from May 28 to May 29, 2005. The miniseries was nominated for and won multiple awards, including ten Primetime Emmy Awards (winning one) and four Golden Globe Awards (winning two).

Plot
Empire Falls, Maine is a small, decaying and nearly bankrupt town. Miles Roby, the passive and unassuming manager of the Empire Grill, has lived there his entire life. Freshly divorced from ex-wife Janine, who left him for Walt, the owner of the local fitness center, Miles lives in a small apartment above the Grill. Janine, a selfish and cocky exercise addict who has recently lost fifty pounds, lives in Miles' old house with their teenager daughter, Christina ("Tick"), and Walt, who visit the Empire Grill every day in an attempt to show there are no hard feelings about him breaking up Miles' marriage.

Miles' younger brother, David, is a talented cook at the Empire Grill. Their partnership has made the restaurant successful but not profitable due to restrictions by its owner, Francine Whiting, the town's wealthiest citizen. Whiting, who is outwardly friendly but also condescending and manipulative, seems to enjoy exerting control over Miles. She is the widow of C.B. Whiting, who owned the now defunct shirt factory that employed many of the town's citizens, including Miles' late mother, Grace.

Always complicating matters is Miles' grubby ne'er-do-well father, Max, a rascal who can't resist a handout when it comes his way, but nonetheless loves his sons and his granddaughter.

Miles is plagued by flashbacks of his childhood. He recalls a trip to Martha's Vineyard with his mother and their time with a mysterious man named Charlie Mayne. After discovering his father is in jail for being a public nuisance, Miles suspects an affair between his mother and Charlie. When they return to Empire Falls, it's revealed that Grace is pregnant. After being laid off from the shirt factory, she goes to work for Mrs. Whiting, explaining to Miles that she's done someone "a great wrong" and needs to make amends.

As an adult, Miles reflects on these memories and realizes that Charlie Mayne was in fact C.B. Whiting, who after an argument with his wife accidentally ran over their young daughter with his car. The guilt from crippling her led him to exile himself in Mexico, returning years later determined to kill Francine, only to lose his determination at the sight of his daughter and shoot himself instead.

David pushes Miles to stand up to Mrs. Whiting so they can run a more profitable business, which eventually leads to Miles choosing to go into business with his former mother-in-law, Bea, the owner of a local bar. Whiting attempts to sabotage their plans by pulling strings with the county and the police force, culminating in a confrontation with Miles, wherein he quits the Empire Grill and reveals what he knows about his mother's affair with C.B.

Miles is close with his daughter, Tick, who is fending off angry outbursts from her cruel ex-boyfriend, Zack Minty, and an emotional conflict over her mother's engagement to Walt, whom Tick despises. She befriends John Voss, an emotionally disturbed boy at school whose parents abandoned him with his grandmother after years of abuse. The obnoxious jock Zack and his friends constantly bully John. It's eventually revealed as a result of their meddling and cruelty that John's grandmother died months ago and he has been living in her decrepit home ever since.

John comes to the high school with a gun and shoots several of his classmates. He attempts to shoot Tick, but she is saved by the school's principal. Tick is deeply traumatized by the shooting. Miles takes her on an extended trip to Martha's Vineyard, where she begins to recover after several weeks. He calls Janine and discovers that she and Walt split up. A powerful storm caused the nearby river to swell, which led to Mrs. Whiting being killed, removing any remaining impediments to Miles and Bea's new restaurant.

Max arrives in Martha's Vineyard to ask for money and bring Miles and Tick home. Miles suggests that David might not be Max's son, something Max rejects, insisting that, "a man knows his own child," and that David is his son. Max happily reunites with Tick, who says she is ready to return home.

Characters

 * Miles Roby (Ed Harris) – The middle-aged central character of the story. Miles is the seemingly content manager of the Empire Grill in Empire Falls, Maine and is divorced with one teenaged daughter. A blue-collar gentleman with his principles intact, he lives in an apartment over the restaurant he has managed ever since he dropped out of college to look after his dying mother. However, this has left him constantly accountable to Francine Whiting, causing others to persuade him to open a business of his own.
 * Janine Roby (Helen Hunt) – Miles' ex-wife. She has developed a selfish attitude, damaging her relationship with her daughter and annoying her mother. She gained ownership of the house and custody of their daughter while Miles ended up in an apartment above the Empire Grill. Janine resents the close relationship that exists between father and daughter. As the story progresses, Janine finds that tables are turning on her for the worst.
 * Christina "Tick" Roby (Danielle Panabaker) – Miles' daughter. She enjoys a loving relationship with both her father and grandfather. Tick is smart, friendly, and more sympathetic than most of her classmates. Her mother's engagement has a negative impact on her. She despises Walt, who is trying to act like a father figure, and resents her mother.
 * Max Roby (Paul Newman) – Miles' father. Disheveled and constantly defiant of those around him, Max has no problem saying what he thinks of people, even directly to their faces. He is happy to accept any "handout" (or to take anything he wants) even when it means stealing money from the church. Max has a lifelong affinity for Key West, Florida. Despite being a vagabond, Max loves his sons and granddaughter and is a great deal wiser than people assume him to be. (This was Newman's final onscreen role. He is played by Josh Lucas in flashback)
 * Charlie Mayne (Philip Seymour Hoffman) – A mysterious suitor to Miles' mother and a symbolic figure in Miles' life. Charlie's involvement is pivotal with regard to why Miles has lived in Empire Falls his entire life.
 * Grace Roby (Robin Wright Penn) – Miles' mother (deceased in present). She considers her son the jewel of her eye. Her affair with Charlie plays a crucial role in Miles' life.
 * Francine Whiting (Joanne Woodward) – The town's wealthiest citizen. The manipulative Francine holds puppet strings over the town, in particular Miles, and has no problem pulling them when it suits her unscrupulous agenda. Her condescending manner veils a cunning woman with ulterior motives.
 * David Roby (Aidan Quinn) – Miles' younger brother. A former alcoholic, a reformed marijuana plant grower and a car-crash survivor, David is the chief cook at the Empire Grill. His talent brings a considerable amount of business to the diner. He encourages Miles to take risks, having promised their mother to watch after him. It is also implied that David is actually Miles's half-brother, through flashbacks of their mother and Charlie Mayne.
 * Walt Comeau (Dennis Farina) – Janine's fiance and the owner of a fitness club. Walt is extroverted and arrogant. He lives with Janine in Miles' old house, trying to develop a fatherly relationship with Tick. Walt makes daily appearances at the restaurant to challenge Miles to an arm-wrestling match. He has a couple of skeletons in his closet, hidden (temporarily) from Janine.
 * John Voss (Lou Taylor Pucci) – Tick's awkward, introverted classmate. He is from a deprived family, wears ragged, dirty clothing and is known to live with his grandmother after his parents abandoned him. He's constantly ridiculed by Tick's ex-boyfriend, Zack Minty. His history has created a dangerous aura about him, one that eventually escalates. No one but Tick pays enough attention to him until it's too late.
 * Cindy Whiting (Kate Burton) – Francine's daughter. Despite being permanently disabled by a car accident, she is a sweet woman with high spirits. She has a long-standing attraction to Miles; he is aware of it and is sympathetic but does not feel the same way.
 * Jimmy Minty (William Fichtner) – A dull-witted, unscrupulous police officer and former classmate of Miles. He is not well liked by most of the town, although he believes he is. Francine keeps him in her pocket by providing perks such as a red sports car. He has an eye on becoming chief of police one day, and unfortunately, has keys to most of the town's businesses which he uses to his advantage. He and Miles ultimately come to blows.
 * Zack Minty (Trevor Morgan) – Son of Jimmy Minty, Tick's ex-boyfriend and a high school bully. A football star who is an obnoxious and cruel punk, Zack gets away with his bad behavior because of his popularity and his father's status as a police officer. He loves tormenting John to the point of breaking into his house, and is indirectly responsible for making John reach his breaking point.
 * Bea (Estelle Parsons) – Janine's wise mother. Ex-mother-in-law to Miles, they remain good friends. Bea frequently takes Miles' side rather than Janine's, and often makes rather pointed remarks about Janine's behavior. She owns a local bar and wants Miles to go into business with her.
 * Charlene (Theresa Russell) – Waitress at the Empire Grill. She is aware that Miles is attracted to her, and she's kind to him, but she is dating David.
 * Bill Daws (Stephen Mendillo) – The compassionate chief of police and a friend to Miles. He is dying of cancer and is undergoing chemotherapy which takes a heavy toll on his health, confiding only in Miles with the news.
 * Horace (Jeffrey DeMunn) – A local reporter and a regular patron at the grill. He is an intellectual with a heavy Maine accent and has intimate knowledge of what goes on around town. He has a prominent cyst on his forehead and Max often tactlessly refers to it.
 * Father Mark (Adam LeFevre) – A friendly priest. He works at a decrepit church, which he has hired Miles to paint.
 * Father Tom (Nesbitt Blaisdell) – An elderly priest. He is becoming senile and behaves erratically, even helping Max steal money from the church.
 * Otto Meyer (Larry Pine) – Principal of the high school. A childhood friend of Miles, he is an honorable man who watches out for students like John and Tick. He plays a pivotal role when John "snaps." (Pine also serves as narrator.)
 * Candace (Delia Robertson) – Tick's classmate and best friend. She finds some amusement when Zack picks on John, but is inevitably involved when John reaches his breaking point.
 * Justin (Tony Takacs) – Zack's best friend. Overweight, with a penchant for junk food, he participates with Zack in taunting John, although he draws limits when Zack breaks into John's house. He, too, is affected by John's revenge.

title: Empire Falls (miniseries)


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HMS Glatton (1795)

HMS Glatton was a 56-gun fourth rate of the Royal Navy. Wells & Co. of Blackwell launched her on 29 November 1792 for the British East India Company (EIC) as the East Indiaman Glatton. The Royal Navy bought her in 1795 and converted her into a warship. Glatton was unusual in that for a time she was the only ship-of-the-line that the Royal Navy had armed exclusively with carronades. (Eventually she returned to a more conventional armament of guns and carronades.) She served in the North Sea and the Baltic, and as a transport for convicts to Australia. She then returned to naval service in the Mediterranean. After the end of the Napoleonic Wars the Admiralty converted her to a water depot at Sheerness. In 1830 the Admiralty converted Glatton to a breakwater and sank her at Harwich.

East India Company service
In 1793-4 Glatton made one round trip to China for the East India Company (EIC). Her captain was Charles Drummond and her first lieutenant was William Macnamarra. Drummond had commanded an earlier Glatton and would command a later one too; Macnamarra too would go on to command a later Glatton on a trip to China for the EIC.

Glatton's letter of marque was dated 22 August 1793. The letter of marque permitted her, while under Drummond's command, to assist in the capture of the French brig Le Franc. It was issued after Glatton had left Portsmouth on 22 May 1793. Glatton was part of a convoy that also included the East Indiamen Prince William, Lord Thurlow, William Pitt, Barwell, Earl of Oxford,  Osterley, Fort William, London,  Pigot,  Houghton, Marquis of Landsdown,  Hillsborough,  Ceres, and Earl of Abergavenny, amongst numerous other vessels, merchant and military, most of the non-Indiamen travelling to the Mediterranean.

From Portsmouth, Glatton reached Manilla on 10 November, and then Whampoa two weeks later. On her return voyage, she crossed Second Bar on 17 February 1794, reached St Helena on 18 June, and Long Reach by 12 September.

Fitting out for Royal Navy service
Captain Henry Trollope commissioned her in April 1795 and he was responsible for arranging that her original armament consisted entirely of carronades instead of the standard mix of long guns and carronades that other warships carried. His previous command, some eight years earlier, had been the 44-gun Rainbow, which too had been armed entirely with carronades. With her Trollope had in 1782 taken the Hébé, which the British would go to use as the model for the Leda-class frigates.

Carronades had short, relatively thin barrels and so were half the weight of the equivalent cannon. They did not need as large gun crews and could also fire much heavier shot for their weight than a gun of the same overall weight, but at the cost of the accuracy, velocity and range of the shot. This extremely heavy armament meant that the fourth rate Glatton could discharge a heavier broadside than the first rate Victory. But, in combat Glatton would have to endure the fire of the enemy's long guns while closing the gap to point-blank range before she could effectively return fire — if indeed the enemy would allow her to approach so close.

Glatton was originally armed with twenty-eight 68-pounder carronades on the lower deck and twenty-eight 42-pounder carronades on her upper deck. All were non-recoil, which is to say that they were fixed to the deck. Within a month 32-pounder carronades replaced the 42-pounders. However, Glatton's ports were too small to allow the larger guns to traverse properly, and she had no bow or stern chasers. Her guns therefore could only be pointed straight out the side. The month after the action in July 1796 (see below), she received two 32-pounders and two 18-pounder carronades for her forecastle. Later, the Navy replaced the twenty-eight 68-pounder carronades on the lower deck with twenty-eight 18-pounder long guns, ending the experiment.

Trollope was extremely happy with Glatton's seaworthiness, handling and general fitting out. He wrote to John Wells, the shipbuilder and her former owner, "I sincerely hope... we may meet with a seventy four in the Glatton...she would either take her or sink her in twenty minutes."

North Sea and Baltic
Under Trollope, Glatton first served in the English Channel where she engaged a French squadron on 15 July 1796. The French squadron consisted of a 50-gun ship, five frigates (two of 36 guns and three of 28), a brig, and a cutter. Glatton drove the French vessels into Flushing, having lost only two men wounded, one of whom died later, and despite having at times been surrounded by the enemy and exchanging fire at less than 20 yards. The French vessels may have included Brutus (a 74-gun cut down to 46-50 guns), Incorruptible (50 guns), Magicienne (32 guns), and Républicaine, and one French vessel apparently sunk in Flushing harbour. (It was in this action that Captain Strangeways of the Royal Marines sustained the wound of which he died shortly thereafter, and which the illustration above commemorates.)

In March–April 1797, Trollope kept Glatton's crew from joining the Nore mutiny. By threatening to fire on the 64-gun HMS Overyssel (1795) and the 40-gun HMS Beaulieu (1791), which were in open mutiny, he convinced their crews to return to duty. In August Captain Charles Cobb took command.

In April and May 1798 Glatton participated, with many other vessels, in the capture of sundry Dutch doggers, schuyts, and fishing vessels. On 4 and 5 May Glatton was among the vessels that captured 12 outward-bound Greenland ships. The other vessels included the hired armed cutters Fox and Marshall Cobourg, though most were much larger and included HMS Monmouth (1796), HMS Ganges (1782), HMS Director (1784), HMS America (1777), among others. On 28 May Glatton, HMS Monarch (1765), Ganges, America, HMS Veteran (1787), HMS Belliqueux (1780), Director, HMS Apollo (1799), the hired armed cutters Fox the First, and Rose when they captured Janus. All the British vessels were part of the fleet under the command of Admiral Lord Duncan. Next, many of the same vessels, including Glatton, HMS Proserpine (1798), Fox the First and Rose, captured several more Dutch vessels:
 * Hoop (6 June);
 * Stadt Embden (11 June);
 * Neptune (12 June);
 * Rose and Endrast (14 June);
 * Hoop (15 June); and
 * Vrow Dorothea (16 June).

On 18 August 1798, Glatton, Veteran, Belliqueux, Monmouth, HMS Kent (1798), Ganges, HMS Prince Frederick (1796), HMS Diomede (1798), the sloop HMS Busy (1797), and the hired armed cutter Rose captured Adelarde.

Glatton was with other ships from Duncan's fleet, including HMS Astraea (1781), HMS Scorpion (1785), HMS Cruizer (1797), the hired armed lugger Rover, and cutters Liberty and Hazard, when they captured Harmenie on 21 April 1799. Glatton was in company with Kent, HMS Romney (1762), HMS Isis (1774) and HMS Ranger (1794) when they captured the Dutch hoy Johanna on 16 May 1799.

Then in August 1799, Glatton participated in the Anglo-Russian invasion of Holland. The expedition was under the command of Admiral Adam Duncan and the Duke of York. Some 250 craft of all sizes transported 17,000 troops from Margate Roads and the Downs across the Channel on 13 August. Due to bad weather it was 21 August before they anchored off Kijkduin. The next day Vice Admiral Mitchell sent a summons to Vice Admiral Samuel Story, calling on him to surrender his fleet. When he declined, the Duke of York landed his army near Den Helder on 27 August under covering fire from the fleet. Den Helder was occupied the following day when the garrison evacuated the town. The expedition then took possession of 13 old warships laid up in ordinary. On 30 August, Glatton, HMS Romney (1762), HMS Isis (1774), Veteran, HMS Ardent (1796), Belliqueux, Monmouth and Overyssel, the Russian ship Mistisloff and the frigates, anchored in line ahead in the Vlieter and Mitchel again summoned Story. This time Story agreed to surrender his squadron of 12 modern warships. The Royal Navy purchased 11 of these. The Dutch surrender, without any resistance, became known as the Vlieter Incident. As a result of the surrender, Duncan's fleet was awarded prize money, in which Glatton shared.

On 15 January 1800 a court martial on board Glatton, in Yarmouth Roads, tried Lieutenant James Watson, and the surviving officers and crew for the loss on the Cockle Sands of the 12-gun brig HMS Mastiff (1797) as she left Yarmouth Roads via the Northern Passage for Leith. Eight of the crew had been lost in the incident. The court absolved Watson, his officers, and men for the loss of the vessel, and praised their conduct after the wrecking. In November, Captain George Stephen took command of Glatton, followed in 1801 by Captain William Bligh, formerly of HMS Bounty. Bligh was only captain for about a month, but during that month he sailed her to the Baltic where Glatton participated in the Battle of Copenhagen on 2 April 1801. The battle cost her 17 killed and 34 wounded. In 1847 the Admiralty would award the Naval General Service Medal with clasp "Copenhagen 1801" to all surviving claimants from the action.

Glatton was next under Captain William Nowell and then under Captain William Birchall. In August 1801 she was fitted at Sheerness for a guardship in protected waters. Captain John Ferris Devonshire took command that same month.

Convict transport to Australia
Captain Nathaniel Portlock recommissioned her in May 1802 as a convict ship. Next, Commander James Colnett assumed command and on 23 September Glatton left England, carrying over 270 male, and 135 female prisoners; of these, seven men and five women died on the journey. She also carried some 30 Free Settlers. A family from the Royal Household boarded the Glatton - this was one of the reasons a Royal Navy vessel was used, to ensure a safe passage. She sailed via a resupply stop at Rio de Janeiro to the penal settlement at Sydney, where she arrived on 13 March 1803. When Glatton arrived about 100 of the people on board her were suffering to varying degrees from scurvy.

She then returned to England, arriving on 22 September 1803, that is, after an absence of 364 days. Because she returned via Cape Horn, she had circumnavigated the world; her actual time at sea for this transit was 277 days.

Glatton was one of only two Royal Navy ships used to transport convicts to Port Jackson.

Return to naval service
Between November and December 1803 she was refitted at Woolwich for service as a man-of-war. Still under Colnett's command, she then served briefly as flagship for Rear Admiral James Vashon.

In 1804 Glatton was reduced to a 44-gun fifth rate. On 11 November she, together with HMS Eagle (1804), HMS Majestic (1785), HMS Princess of Orange (1799), HMS Raisonable (1768), Africiane, HMS Inspector (1803), HMS Beaver (1795), the hired armed cutter Swift, and the hired armed lugger Agnes, shared in the capture of Upstalsboom, H.L. De Haase, Master.

Captain Thomas Seccombe recommissioned Glatton in March 1806 and sailed for the Mediterranean on 22 November. On 19 February 1807, Glatton captured the Turkish vessels San Giovanni Pidomias and Codro Mariolo. That same day Glatton and HMS Hirondelle (1804) captured the San Michelle. Four days later, Hirondelle captured Madonna, with Glatton sharing by agreement. On 26 February Hirondelle captured the San Nicollo, and Glatton again shared by agreement.

On 1 March, boats from Glatton cut out a former French corvette in Turkish service from the port of Sigri on the island of Mitylene. The vessel was pierced for 18 guns but only 10 were mounted. The British boarding party lost five officers and men killed and nine men wounded. HMS Hirondelle (1804) provided support.

The next day Glatton and Hirondelle captured three other Turkish vessels, names unknown but with masters, Statio, Constantine, and Papeli. Prize money for these vessels, and San Michelle, was paid in October 1816.

On 4 March Glatton and Hirondelle captured another Turkish vessel. One week later, Glatton captured yet another Turkish vessel, name unknown, Ibrahim, master.

Then on 29 November Glatton captured several transports off Corfu that were transferring troops from Otranto to Corfu. Glatton removed some 300 troops before she destroyed the nine vessels they had been on. Two vessels escaped back to Otranto.

Glatton and the brig-sloop HMS Delight (1806) had received information that the French had captured four Sicilian gunboats and taken them into Scylla, near Reggio, Calabria. On 31 January 1808, as Delight approached the port, a strong current pushed her towards the shore and she grounded. Seccombe went on board Delight to supervise the recovery effort. As they were trying to free Delight, her boats and those of Glatton came under intense fire from the shore. The boats were unsuccessful in freeing Delight, and Delight's captain, Commander Phillip Crosby Handfield, late of Egyptienne, and many of his crew were killed. Although the crew took to the boats, not all were able to escape and a number of the men on her, including Seccombe, became prisoners of war. The French paroled Seccombe, who had been severely wounded, to Messina, where he died on 3 February 1808.

Glatton came under the command of Commander Henry Hope (acting) and in March 1808 under Commander Charles Irving (acting). Captain George Miller Bligh then took command around December. He brought a convoy home from Malta in July and then sailed her to Sheerness for laying up in October. She sailed briefly to the Baltic in 1811.

Fate
From 1812 to 1814 Glatton was under R. G. Peacock (master) at Portsmouth. In 1814 she was converted to serve as a water depot at Sheerness. Between April and June 1830 she was fitted at Sheerness as a breakwater, and in October 1830 Glatton sailed for the last time, to Harwich, where she was subsequently scuttled to serve as a breakwater.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: HMS Glatton (1795)


text:
Talk:Revolutionary Communist Party (UK, 1978)

What was the point of Bobrayner's re-edit?
The previous contributor introduced a quote from the Judge in the ITN libel case, and a quote from the editor of the organization's journal. Hardly evidence of bias - rather the opposite! Jane Bowen (talk) 15:54, 25 March 2014 (UTC) Jane Bowen (talk) 15:58, 25 March 2014 (UTC)

Sources 'warning' box
The box at the front seems a bit pointless.It is a good thing, surely, that the article draws on the stated positions of the organization, rather than making them up.Jane Bowen (talk) 15:52, 25 March 2014 (UTC)

Developing the article
Can I remind people that this is an online encyclopedia and that all entries whould be factual and non PoV. I've started to redress this. Apistogramma 20:22, 7 May 2007 (UTC)

In Cruel Britannia: Reports on the sinister and the preposterous (200), Nick Cohen claims that the RCP held reactionary views on Aids -- you know, the "gay plague" mindset -- and that they refused to support the NHS (on the basis that it was a tool of the capitalist state, presumably) or giving money to charity (on the basis that it prolongs capitalism). I don't know if there is any evidence to support this, because Cohen gives no reference to text sources. Likewise, there are rumours (not related by Cohen) that the RCP were an MI5 set-up or worked for MI5. This might just be jealous bitching, but I do hope its true 'cause it would make a good story. -- james.

The RCP did have a contentious position on AIDS which could seem to be homophobic but waasn't. Rather they were happy that others thought that of them. Dunnno bout the HNS but it doesn't seem likely. Rumours about groups being stuffed with state agents are usually tosh. I mean who would se the RCP as a threat? Gobshites is all they were.

I wasn't suggesting that the RCP were a threat -- more that there must be some other reason (than sectarianism) that there are/were so many far-left groups in the UK. Thing is, the RCP seemed awfully well-funded for a way-out political sect. I read an ad in one of their booklets from the 80's that claimed the summer camp would be in a big hotel w/ swimming pools and that. Anyhoo, god knows what the spooks get up to... -- james

I don't know that they were that rich, in the early '90s their summer camp was at a caravan park somewhere on the east coast, Norfolk I think. They got their money from members contributing 10% of their earnings.

It is true that they believed the welfare state within a capitalist society to be revisionist. I don't think they were M15, I certainly wasn't! but they were gobshites. Jane

No, probably not MI5 - though they might as well have been. that furedi bloke still into entryism? i read an article by him in the daily express! - james

 * If you look at patterns of police work in the US, for example, the sending in of informers seems much more likely. Also, the RCP's cell structure and high security would have acted against the ease of police monitoring. Considering the middle-class nature of the group's supporters, and the highly readable material they produced, plus the agressive selling tactics, I don't think the group's finding is that surprising. --Duncan 19:43, 6 April 2006 (UTC)

 * The RCP published a theoretical journal, Confrontation, which commenced in the summer of 1986. Its still worth reading, I must say. At this point, the RCP had as its declared aim the formation of a vanguard of active workers, which would lay the foundations for a mass party -- it was this vision of a leninist party that, they claimed, caused them to split from the RCG. The fact that they took an oppositional stance to much of the recieved wisdom of the British left -- calling for a ballot during the great miners strike of 1984-5, breaking with the strategy of entryism into the Labour party -- later led them to become contrarian libertarians when they abandoned Marxism. I think the impact of the counterrevolutions in Eastern Europe and the USSR allowed the RCP leadership to wind up the party. One ex-RCP member I spoke to seemed to think that the Spiked! set are still Marxists, but though Mike Hume may refer to himself as a libertarian marxist in the pages of the Times, I doubt very much if they have any serious political commitment. -- mr 9

Clean-up category removed
I took the liberty of removing the 'clean-up' tag, after adding a number of printed and internet references, removing dead links, changing the iffy picture, adding some internal wikipedia links, adding some picture, adding some sections, and, I hope, accomodating the criticisms of the RCP with the proper weight. Please feel free to correct or add errors.Murray McDonald (talk) 22:07, 29 October 2009 (UTC)

attitude to working class
The page did read 'the early ideas of the RCP had it that the working class of the UK were not a revolutionary force for change - being acutely contaminated by what they described as bourgeois ideology'. That might stand up as an interpretation of the RCP's approach from a given point of view, but it is not the stated aims of the RCP, which I have substituted. Also, it is not true that the RCP's early approach to the working class rejected a direct appeal to the working class as pointless, so I have changed that to rejected a direct appeal to the state, which was their stated viewpoint. Later on, when the party was wound up, it was on the basis of an analysis that the working class had ceased to be a revolutionary force, so it does not really make sense of the shift in position to insist that it was held from the outset. Murray McDonald (talk) 11:54, 22 October 2009 (UTC)

Trotskyist?
Could anyone who knows more about them clarify this point? I always thought they described themselves as Leninist if anything (or at least they should have done, based on what I read of their stuff years ago). --Nickhh 09:39, 7 May 2007 (UTC)
 * In the sence that Lenin's supporters divided between Trotskyist and marxist-leninist, they are Trotskyist. They are certainly of trotskyist origin. Their approach to the USSR was rooted in the theories of Burham and Shachtman, leading US Trotskyists. --Duncan 12:05, 7 May 2007 (UTC)

Fair use rationale for Image:Thenextstep.jpg
Image:Thenextstep.jpg is being used on this article. I notice the image page specifies that the image is being used under fair use but there is no explanation or rationale as to why its use in this Wikipedia article constitutes fair use. In addition to the boilerplate fair use template, you must also write out on the image description page a specific explanation or rationale for why using this image in each article is consistent with fair use.

Please go to the image description page and edit it to include a fair use rationale. Using one of the templates at Fair use rationale guideline is an easy way to insure that your image is in compliance with Wikipedia policy, but remember that you must complete the template. Do not simply insert a blank template on an image page.

If there is other fair use media, consider checking that you have specified the fair use rationale on the other images used on this page. Note that any fair use images uploaded after 4 May, 2006, and lacking such an explanation will be deleted one week after they have been uploaded, as described on criteria for speedy deletion. If you have any questions please ask them at the Media copyright questions page. Thank you.

BetacommandBot (talk) 21:42, 26 November 2007 (UTC)

'British occupation of Northern Ireland'?
I have changed a sentence from 'British occupation of Northern Ireland' to 'British rule in Northern Ireland' as I feel it is POV to say the former. I cannot find anywhere else on Wikipedia where Northern Ireland is referred to as being occupied. I also can't find evidence that the RCP used this term. The definition of an occupation is 'The control of a country or region by a foreign army.' Although the republican minority in Northern Ireland consider the British to be foreign, the Unionist majority see Northern Ireland as part of the UK, as does the British government, the UN, the EU and (these days) the Republic of Ireland. --Philip Stevens (talk) 17:28, 20 January 2010 (UTC)

Conflict with far right
I am not sure that the correction to that section is correct. The RCPBML offices were surely in Seven Sisters Road, where they had a bookshop (New Era?). The RCP did indeed have an office in Wandsworth at the time. The RCP was involved in a number of fights with the National Front and the BNP in pursuit of its policy of 'workers defence against racist attacks'. Lecomber says he was going to bomb the RCP, not the RCPB ML. I suggest we change the section back to how it was, unless there are any objections. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Murray McDonald (talk • contribs) 09:21, 1 June 2010 (UTC)

Anyone remember the "science of despair"
When I was a student in Manchester in the early 90s the RCP ran a series of lectures opposing chaos theory, called (as far as I remember) "the science of despair", which many people took as proof that they had finally lost the plot. Unfortunately I can't find any reference to this on the net. Does anyone know anything about it? HairyDan (talk) 21:36, 5 January 2013 (UTC)

RCP Bike Rider
Who was that feller in London, used to turn up on the doorstep after dark, about six-foot tall, big bike and black leathers, and he never took his helmet off! Hardcore geezer when you've had a reef or two. Used to bring the paper over, and once, a book about the chartists. Don't think he ever saw that again. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 81.178.248.10 (talk) 12:23, 11 March 2013 (UTC)

US embassy occupation
The Guardian article referenced in reference 19 does not refer to Campaign Against Militarism or Somalis, and only mentions nonspecific "activists" who were ejected from the building. The reference doesn't support the claim. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 80.7.124.214 (talk) 02:16, 31 December 2020 (UTC)

New Labour mileu
The article states - in common with its pro-RCP propagandist tone:

“When the organisation re-thought its outlook in 1991, it adopted a number of positions that put it at odds with the New Labour milieu:”

One can only assume that the author endorses Gerry Healy’s conception of Marxism as ‘an exact, predictive, science’ in that the RCP were able to take a position on ‘New Labour’ a full three years before Tony Blair proclaimed its existence at the 1994 Labour Party conference. 2A02:C7C:362A:E200:B0AA:2C0E:8A55:2085 (talk) 10:08, 2 June 2023 (UTC)


text:
Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Pirate Timeline

 This page is an archive of the discussion about the proposed deletion of the article below. This page is no longer live. Further comments should be made on the article's talk page rather than here so that this page is preserved as an historic record. The result of the debate was DELETE. Golbez 08:23, Jun 18, 2005 (UTC)

Pirate Timeline
A mix of events from history and attempts to put dates on pirate-related fiction. Not encyclopedic DJ Clayworth 21:30, 9 Jun 2005 (UTC)
 * Oh boy! Delete. I was going to say as 'original research' - but I think better as bs --Doc (?) 22:25, 9 Jun 2005 (UTC)

 * Delete. Not usefull or needed.  Tombride 00:18, 10 Jun 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete. I'd give a reason, but I've just been struck speechless. -- BD2412 talk 01:37, 2005 Jun 10 (UTC)
 * Delete. A pirate timeline could be a useful article but this confusing mess of fiction, fashion, music and movie settings, etc. is not. I don't believe there is enough worth saving here. Double Blue  (Talk) 01:51, 10 Jun 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete shiver me timbers.. a POV mishmash of fact and fiction - not encyclopedic. JamesBurns 06:23, 10 Jun 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete; vanity, or original research, or outright bs. jglc | t | c 14:57, 10 Jun 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete. I don't see either a point or anything salvageable. The parrot on me shoulder agrees. Aaaarrr, matey! WCFrancis 20:00, 10 Jun 2005 (UTC)
 * This page is now preserved as an archive of the debate and, like some other VfD subpages, is no longer 'live'. Subsequent comments on the issue, the deletion, or the decision-making process should be placed on the relevant 'live' pages.  Please do not edit this page .


text:
User:Niteice

Well, let's see....my real name is Cameron, I live in Ansonia, CT, 16 years old, junior at Ansonia High School....that's about all most people need to know...

title: User:Niteice


text:
User talk:ReSearcher

Your WP:AIV listing of John Elder
This doesn't look like vandalism, but more as a dispute over content. I don't know anything about the subject of High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program and can't say who is "right" and who is wrong here. The recomended way to solve content disbutes is to debate it on the article talk page first (as I see you are trying to do). If you after a while find this to be futile and you still can't reach an agreement then you can request mediation or try other ways of solving the dispute (see: Resolving disputes).

I'm sorry that this most likely is not the response or admin action that you wanted, but it's as much as I can do or recomend here. And as this isn't vandalism varanting a block on this user, I am removing your listing from the Administrator intervention against vandalism page for now. Shanes 21:31, 9 Jun 2005 (UTC)

thanks for awesome, incredible link
Re: Full downloadable HTML (or Microsoft Word copy) of Jules Archer's rare book on the subject

wow! I actually checked out the book and planned on doing the same thing this person on this website planned, now I dont have too! Thanks! Travb 02:38, 5 February 2006 (UTC)

 * You're welcome, Travb! --ReSearcher 03:18, 6 March 2006 (UTC)

Your report to Requests for investigation
Hi, I'm responding to your post on WP:RFI. Could you please try and break down that massive body of text down to make it a bit more readable? A few initial comments from what I have read: I fail to see any use of admin powers by Will Beback on the article you mentioned (abuse or otherwise). He is acting as an editor, neither as a member of the mediation committee nor as an admin. Also I cannot see any attempt by you to contact Will on his talk page, to discuss any problem you may have with his edits, which is the first step in dispute resolution. Feel free to point out/link to anything that shows otherwise, but that is my first impression from looking over the relevant talk pages etc. Petros471 11:00, 11 March 2006 (UTC)

 * Hi there. That was fast. Where do I respond? here or on your talk page then? I'll put this in two places? Actually we have been talking on the Skull and Bones discussion page about his plans to "roll back" extensive factual information which is just vandalism on another level of course. Several people are working on editing it up to split the article into smaller sections, though his ideas would be to purge two very documentary heavy sections. Check the discussion page for the article. --ReSearcher 11:06, 11 March 2006 (UTC)

 * Replying on my talk page is probably best as I will get new messages. I'll copy replies over to my page anyway, you can do the same with your talk page if you wish.

 * I did take a look at Talk:Skull_and_Bones. One of the issues raised there is of article size. If you think topics need to be covered, it might be best to create a related article and link to it. See Chemistry as an example of introductory paragraphs, linked to articles on sub-topics. Also you will need to make sure the content is not a copyright violation, or original research. It is not vandalism to talk about rolling back the article, it is being discussed on the talk page to gain consensus. Feel free to join in the discussion about that there, but as far as I can see it seems like Will is acting as a normal editor, discussing how to develop the article. Petros471 11:46, 11 March 2006 (UTC)

Hello ReSearcher. Note that your request for investigation concerning Will Beback was archived or removed because it is a user or content dispute. Such disputes are best resolved through the dispute resolution process; please list the user again if they blatantly ignore that process. Thanks. // Pathoschild (admin / talk) 16:15, 12 March 2006 (UTC)

splitting the article, sources
There's some serious copyvio issues to be handled, but it's spread over so many edits that a bulk revert would have deleted a great deal of effort. Since articles are expected to be under 32K, I did *some* splitting, but the opium artice may need much more splitting (it's massive) or editing/distilling down to core components. Ronabop 17:22, 12 March 2006 (UTC)

 * Can you elaborate? Much of the information does come from existing books and articles (i.e., I don't make things up!), though it is my text as well as my cross-referencing in the documented membership rosters input, which was left out of all these other books because it was not available until 2003, for the most part. Any suggestions? What about a section describing sources in the beginning of the text? I have though of that actually before... --ReSearcher 04:48, 13 March 2006 (UTC)

 * Several portions of text appear to be plagarized or stolen from existing sources. These:  are just a few examples where the *exact* same phrasing was used in both original texts, and in the wikipedia article. While it's perfectly acceptable to quote sources, we have to note that the text is not originally the intellectual property of wikipedia. We can't just copy and paste text into thearticle as if we wrote it. See WP:CITE and WP:FU.
 * Also, because the article subjects (especially the portions alleging large scale conspiracy and/or collusion in drug trades) are likely to be argued about or contested in some way, we need to make sure that any portions which may be debateable have proper in-line citations and referencesso that other editors can verify *exactly* what is being said. See: WP:V and WP:FN for details on how we do this in articles. If you take a look at other controversial articles that have been well foot-noted, such as Intelligent_Design, or Abortion, you can see that the general style allows for a variety of sources and methods of checking text, in such a way that if somebody wants to know exactly *where* something was stated, they can click on the reference number, and find the exact book and page involved.
 * As far as handling topics of great scope and depth, this requires judicious editing as well as splitting article sub-topics out. For one example of how a single article has spawned many sub-articles (in a similar scope/field), there are the Freemasonry articles, which eventually go quite deep into historical issues, scandals, accusations, etc. Another way of reducing article size down is by removing colorful language and metaphors that are not dry and encylopedic, or eliminating superflous phrases and prose. See WP:WEASEL and WP:APT, along with WP:1SP For example, in the main article, there is currently the following sentence:
 * "Some people, like the first rigorous outside researcher of the secret society, the late Dr. Antony Sutton (PhD, Stanford, economics), say that Skull and Bones is a U.S. chapter of an early 1800s German secret society."
 * The word "first rigorous" is a peacock term, "Some people" is a weasel term, some of the information isn't relevant to the article at all ("late"), and some is redundant (that S&B is a US secret society, this is stated earlier in the article). We can strip that sentence down to:
 * "According to Dr. Antony Sutton, Skull and Bones is a U.S. chapter of an early 1800s German secret society.
 * Half the words, yet it still has all of the content relevant to the article (though it lacks a citation at this point). Ronabop 06:57, 13 March 2006 (UTC)

 * as for 1,2,3,4 links you cite, yes, though two of them I do cite clearly where they come from directly (the clipper ships quotes, and the New York Times editorial are already cited in the beginning of the quote). However you are right about the Tarplay issues: I will add in "pre-immediate" notice of where those Tarplay sources come from though. Thanks. --ReSearcher 07:05, 13 March 2006 (UTC)

 * Humorously, I can't see right now the coding for how its done in the Freemasonry article, because it has been sealed from editing and code viewing because of vandalism for a while.... I'll check back. Thanks for pointing it out.

 * Sutton though is the first rigorous one, because he was the first to have the original documents handed to him in the mid 1980s. That is what makes him and his research special, because it was "rigorously" based on this insider's view of their books, and I think that should be maintained--if explained more thoroughly.

 * No objection to other things. --ReSearcher 07:12, 13 March 2006 (UTC)

Just summarize your edit...
That's what the edit summary is for. "wake up to Nazi lovers at Yale!" could be understood as a personnal attack, and tells me nothing about your edit. Tom Harrison Talk 14:59, 18 January 2006 (UTC)

 * Hi Tom, this was directed at the vandalism of removing only the quotes about the Nazi shrine in Skull and Bones's tomb (as reported in the published article from 1979 coeds allowed a canter through the tomb by a Bonesman 'dissident.' Someone went through without being a Wikipedia user, just an IP address, and removed the 10 words or so about that right from the middle of the quote, and making it look like the quote was still full. Very tricky. I hope that explains the citation there, which was actually a bit more full if you check than your rendering of it above anyway. Your comment noted. I was addressing the vandal, mostly, and request others beware of vandals to help out on such politically sensitive information.--ReSearcher 03:13, 6 March 2006 (UTC)

Minor edits
Remember to mark your edits as minor only when they genuinely are (see Minor edit). "The rule of thumb is that an edit of a page that is spelling corrections, formatting, and minor rearranging of text should be flagged as a 'minor edit'." -Will Beback 08:53, 11 March 2006 (UTC)

Thanks for your pointer, El Presidente. I still think that correcting someone's error is minor though as well. Major things are rewriting sections or paragraphs. --ReSearcher 10:34, 11 March 2006 (UTC)

 * That's right. Here, for example, you re-wrote a large section and added 1200 words in an edit that you marked minor. I believe you have a setting in your preferences that marks all edits as minor. -Will Beback 21:49, 11 March 2006 (UTC)

So, how does this get resolved?
What should be done about the state of Skull and Bones and U.S. Education? It is interesting, but it still has problems which should be fixed. Could you start by citing some references at the bottom for starters, then work the footnotes in progressively? Please comment at Talk:Skull and Bones and U.S. Education. Also, some reassurances on copyvio wouldn't go amiss, either.

StrangerInParadise 00:25, 4 April 2006 (UTC)

Synarchism: attack of the trolls
Some of the problems I had cautioned you about are flaring up. Perhaps you might drop in for a visit. --  HK   03:17, 27 March 2006 (UTC)

 * Actually, I would suggest that you try your hand again at editing the article. The Berlet Wikiclique is going to agitate for banning me if I continue to edit it. Their POV is that there is no such thing as Synarchism. --  HK   07:51, 29 March 2006 (UTC)

 * You might want to see what they have done to HK. See his talk page. Together they continue to harass this user (Will Beback - Slimvirgin - 172) and use Arbcom in wrongful way to continue to ban and block his edits. Since arriving here, Will Beback in particular has stalked my edits - claims I am a LaRouche person (I am NOT, as I have repeatedly stated and informed Wikimedia with my real name and affiliations to indicate this) - and these three (along with a few others) continue to violate their administrator privileges here at Wikipedia. HK, I have found is an honorable editor wronged because he belongs to the LaRouche political association(s) or is an adherent thereof. I can see if he blatantly uses LaRouche websites for his edits without other proof, but he does not. The source of the above users accusations against him and LaRouche himself is Chip Berlet and Dennis King, both of whom are not well known but whose material alone is used to spread smear across wikipedia against individual users based on administrator assumptions without any necessity for proof of the same. Does that not smack of MCCARTHYISM? IF you are an administrator, I would ask you lift the block to HK - who is now being accused of sock-puppetry again without real proof - he uses (according to his statement) AOL, we all know AOL accounts are numerous and do not show a verifiable IP to one user alone. God help Wikipedia that states 'Anyone can edit' (unless your a LaRouche person, or ASSUMED to be by administrators without due process - according to Will Beback - 172 - Slimvirgin etc.).--Northmeister 16:23, 2 April 2006 (UTC)

SKull & Bones Politicans: FYI
I have updated my Skull & Bones Political Members listing and would be happy to send you the document if your interested. Just email me at aaron@aaronbaldwin.us

File:Bones family tree straight colored2 50pc1.jpg listed for discussion
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Proposed deletion of File:Bones whrussell bw.jpg

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title: User talk:ReSearcher


title: User:Lovelac7


text:
User talk:Manuel González Olaechea

Welcome!

Hello,, and welcome to Wikipedia! Thank you for your contributions. I hope you like the place and decide to stay. Here are a few good links for newcomers: I hope you enjoy editing here and being a Wikipedian! Please sign your name on talk pages using four tildes (~~); this will automatically produce your name and the date. If you need help, check out Where to ask a question, ask me on my talk page, or place  on your talk page and someone will show up shortly to answer your questions. Again, welcome! , SqueakBox 21:32, Jun 9, 2005 (UTC)
 * The five pillars of Wikipedia
 * How to edit a page
 * Help pages
 * Tutorial
 * How to write a great article
 * Manual of Style

Image:12173006.JPG listed for deletion
An image or media file that you uploaded or altered, Image:12173006.JPG, has been listed at. Please look there to see why this is (you may have to search for the title of the image to find its entry), if you are interested in it not being deleted. Thank you. User:Gay Cdn (talk) (Contr) 01:26, 30 April 2007 (UTC)

ArbCom elections are now open!
MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 13:02, 23 November 2015 (UTC)

title: User talk:Manuel González Olaechea


text:
Linda Gail Lewis

Linda Gail Lewis (born July 18, 1947) is an American singer, songwriter and pianist. She has recorded with Jerry Lee Lewis, Van Morrison, Robbie Fulks, Wanda Jackson, Melanie, Dale Watson, Mitch Ryder and Robert Gordon. She also has recorded with her two daughters, Mary Jean Ferguson and Annie Marie Lewis, in a group called the Lewis 3.

Since 2019 she has been signed with Cleopatra Records and most her albums have been produced by her son-in-law Danny B. Harvey, guitarist with The Rockats, Lemmy Kilmister and The Headcat along with drummer Slim Jim Phantom from Stray Cats and The Headcat. Clem Burke from Blondie is the drummer on her latest single.

She is married to former Stax promotions director Eddie Braddock.

As "The Lewis 3"

 * "Perfect World" (Ame Dane/Castle Music) (2006)
 * "Merry Christmas From Nashville" (Benlin Music) (2006)
 * "Merry Christmas From Nashville - Remastered)" (Cleopatra Records) (2019)

Import CDs

 * Think Twice Before You Go (Swingin' Pig) (2001) (with Van Morrison)
 * The Early Sides of Linda Gail Lewis (Smash Records) (2005)
 * Early Rocking Country Days (Jukebox Records) (2005)

Videos and DVDs

 * The Jerry Lee Lewis Show (various labels) guest appearance
 * Jerry Lee Lewis – I Am What I Am (various labels) guest appearance
 * Micke Muster – Live! (Silverrock Music) (2004) guest appearance
 * Jerry Lee Lewis – Killer Piano (Alfred Publishing Co.) (2007) guest appearance
 * The Queen of Rock 'n' Roll Live in France (Big Beat Records) (2007)
 * The Many Sounds of Jerry Lee (ClassicCountryDVD) (2010) guest appearance
 * The Family Jewels - Live Concert DVD from Crappon France on CLEOPATRA RECORDS

title: Linda Gail Lewis


text:
China–European Union relations

Relations between the European Union (EU) and the People's Republic of China (PRC) or Sino–European relations are bilateral relations that were established in 1975 between the PRC and the European Community. The EU is the PRC's largest trading partner, and the PRC is the EU's largest trade partner.

Since March 2019, the European Union has referred to the PRC as a "systemic rival". In December 2020, the European Union and the PRC announced that they reached an investment deal that was first launched in 2013, referred to as the Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI). In March 2021, it was reported that there would be serious doubts about the approval of the deal in the European Parliament given the PRC's sanctions against members of the parliament, the European Council's Political and Security Committee, and European think tanks. In May 2021, the European Commission announced plans to reduce dependence on the PRC in strategic areas of the economy. The same month, the European Parliament froze ratification of the CAI. The EU has put an arms embargo and numerous anti-dumping measures against the PRC in place.

Agreements
Relations are governed by the 1985 EU-China Trade and Cooperation Agreement. Since 2007, negotiations have been underway to upgrade this to a new European Union Association Agreement and there are already 24 sectoral dialogues and agreements from environmental protection to education.

The EU–China Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI) has been under negotiation since 2014. DG Trade Phil Hogan in the Von der Leyen Commission promised during his September 2019 confirmation hearings that he would seek to complete the negotiations by the end of 2020.

History
Prior to the existence of the European Community, many European states had relations with the Ming dynasty as early as the 16th century. The most important relationship, apart from Britain-China connected China with France and Germany.

In 1979, just after the first direct elections to the European Parliament, the later institution established the "Delegation for relations with the People's Republic of China" (D–CN).

After the end of the Cold War in 1990, relations with Europe were not as important as its relations with the US, Japan and other Asian powers. However interest in closer relations started to rise as economic contacts increased and interest in a multipolar system grew. Although initially imposing an arms embargo on China after the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre (see arms embargo section below), European leaders eased off China's isolation. China's growing economy became the focus for many European visitors and in turn Chinese businessmen began to make frequent trips to Europe. Europe's interest in China led to the EU becoming unusually active with China during the 1990s with high-level exchanges. EU-Chinese trade increased faster than the Chinese economy itself, tripling in ten years from US$14.3 billion in 1985 to US$45.6 billion in 1994.

However, political and security co-operation was hampered with China seeing little chance of headway there. Europe was leading the desire for NATO expansion and intervention in Kosovo, which China opposed as it saw them as extending US influence. However, by 2001 China moderated its anti-US stance in the hopes that Europe would cancel its arms embargo but pressure from the US led to the embargo remaining in place. Due to this, China saw the EU as being too weak, divided and dependent on the US to be a significant power. Even in the economic sphere, China was angered at protectionist measures against its exports to Europe and the EU's opposition to giving China the status of market economy in order to join the WTO.

However, economic cooperation continued, with the EU's "New Asia Strategy", the first Asia–Europe Meeting in 1996, the 1998 EU-China summit and frequent policy documents desiring closer partnerships with China. Although the 1997 Asian financial crisis dampened investors enthusiasm, China weathered the crisis well and continued to be a major focus of EU trade. Chinese leaders were anxious to return the European interest and made high level visits throughout the 1990s, visits that were accompanied by major EU sales to China. Trade in 1993 saw a 63% increase from the previous year. China became Europe's fourth largest trading partner at this time. Even following the financial crisis in 1997, EU-Chinese trade increased by 15% in 1998.

France was leading the EU's desire for closer ties in order to establish a multipolar world and was the first, along with Russia, to establish strategic partnerships with China. Relations between the European Union and China have experienced a cool down after China canceled the EU-China yearly summit in November 2008. This was apparently caused due to French President Sarkozy's plans to meet with the Dalai Lama.

The EU-China 2020 Strategic Agenda for Cooperation, adopted in 2013, calls for cooperation in the areas of "peace, prosperity, sustainable development and people-to-people exchanges." In the document, the EU reaffirmed its respect for China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, while the PRC reaffirmed its support to EU integration. In 2016, the EU adopted the "Joint Communication on elements for a new EU strategy on China" as its strategy on China. An annual EU–China Summit is held each year to discuss political and economic relations as well as global and regional issues.

On the 16th of October 2018, the European Union Naval Force and the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy held for the first time ever a joint military exercise. The exercise took place at a Chinese military base in Djibouti and was completed successfully. Rear Admiral Alfonso Perez De Nanclares said that preparations for future exercises with the Chinese Navy are currently taking place.

China sent medical aid and supplies to EU countries affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell warned that there is "a geo-political component including a struggle for influence through spinning and the ‘politics of generosity’." Borrell also said that "China is aggressively pushing the message that, unlike the US, it is a responsible and reliable partner." During the 2020 China-EU summit, European Council President Charles Michel stated that "Europe is a player, not a playing field" regarding its relationship with China. In December 2020, the EU announced that the Comprehensive Agreement on Investment was concluded in principle. Some analysts said the Agreement may damage relations with the US.

In 2021, a diplomatic spat between Lithuania and China over Taiwan and human rights spilled over to the rest of the EU when China banned the import of goods which contained Lithuanian parts potentially disrupting integrated supply chains in the common market. EU Ambassador to China Nicolas Chapuis supported Lithuania and attempted to intervene on their behalf. The president of the EU Chamber of Commerce in China described the Chinese government's move as "unprecedented." Major German, French, and Swedish companies have been impacted by the ban. The Bundesverband der Deutschen Industrie described the ban as a “devastating own goal.” However, in 2022, the German Chamber of Commerce warned Lithuania that German-owned factories will be closed if relations with China are not improved.

The European Union has been China's most reliable partner with regard to clean energy and addressing climate change.

Trade
The EU and China are each other's largest trading partner as of 2023. The EU is the PRC's largest trading partner, and the PRC is the EU's largest trade partner. In 2023 China accounted for 9% of EU goods exports and 20% of EU goods imports. In 2020, China overtook the US in becoming the EU's largest trade partner in terms of goods. Most of this trade is in industrial and manufactured goods. US is still EU's leading partner when services are included in the calculation. Between 2009 and 2010 alone EU exports to China increased by 38% and China's exports to the EU increased by 31%.

The EU and China signed a geographical indications agreement in September 2020. The agreement developed from pilot programs over the preceding eight years in which China and the EU worked on mutual registering and protection of geographical indications. The 2020 agreement extends mutual recognition of geographical indications to 275 from each side.

On the 31st of December 2020, the EU announced that the negotiations for the Comprehensive Agreement on Investment were concluded and the deal is pending ratification by the European Parliament. The deal is viewed as a significant step towards market liberalisation in China and "the most ambitious agreement that China has ever concluded" by significantly opening up its internal market to EU companies.

French business leaders, including Airbus and Alstom officials, accompanied Macron to the 2023 France–China Summit. Plans for a new Airbus assembly line in China were announced by Macron during the summit.

Trade in goods
In 2016, the EU-China bilateral trade in goods were €514.8 billion. Machinery and vehicles dominate both exports and imports. The top five exports of China are computers, broadcasting equipment, telephones, office machine parts and integrated circuits. China's top five imports are crude petroleum, integrated circuits, iron ore, gold and cars. For what concerns the EU imports of AMA/NAMA product groups the part for industrial products counts for a value of €343.725 million and gets the impressive percentage of 98.1% (of a total of €350.535 million). The same applies for exports to China where industrial products keep the highest ranking in the list and count for €159,620 million (93.7% of the total export volume).

Trade in services
Trade of services play an important role in all modern economies. A resilient tertiary service sector, as well as an increased availability of services, may boost economic growth and enhance industrial performance. In an increasingly localised world, services such as finance, insurance, transport, logistics and communications deliver key intermediate inputs and thereby provide crucial support to the rest of the economy. The European Union representing its 27 Member States and China are both members of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and participate in the ongoing discussions about the Trade in Services Agreement (TiSA). The volume of trade in services of all participating countries corresponds to 70% of the world's total volume. TiSA is an important tool to increase the share of services trade by tackling the existing barriers. With TiSA new opportunities for service providers will be offered while fostering growth, jobs and prosperity at all participating Members. According to the latest statistical information from Eurostat, the EU trade in services balance with China in 2015 present a surplus of €10.3 billion due to a surge of exports (exports reached €36 billion while imports €25.7 billion).

Smart and Secure Trade Lanes (SSTL) project
The SSTL project was launched in 2006 as a pilot project between the European Union and China as the first Asian country. The participating EU member states at the time were the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. As from 2010 (when the second phase of the project was launched) other EU member states joined: Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Poland and Spain. This project tests safety and security related recommendations of the World Customs Organisation Framework of Standards applied to containers, facilitating the "Customs-to-Customs" data exchange, risk management cooperation, mutual recognition of customs controls and trade partnership programmes. The 120 trade lanes involving 200 economic operators between 16 maritime ports will undoubtedly facilitate trade between China and EU participating countries as loading and unloading of containers will require less controls and intervention of Customs authorities.

There have been some disputes, such as the dispute over textile imports into the EU (see below). China and the EU are increasingly seeking cooperation, for example China joined the Galileo project investing €230 million and has been buying Airbus planes in return for a construction plant to be built in China; in 2006 China placed an order for 150 planes during a visit by French President Jacques Chirac. Also, despite the arms embargo, a leaked US diplomatic cable suggested that in 2003 the EU sold China €400 million of "defence exports" and later, other military grade submarine and radar technology.

Science and technology
China and the EU launched their first science and technology cooperation program in 1983. They also drafted an Agreement on Scientific and Technological Cooperation in 1998 which was renewed in 2004 with the aim of linking research organisations, industry, universities and individual researchers in specific projects supported by the EU budget. The current cooperation of the EU and China in the area of science and technology has been made available by the Horizon 2020 program. The Horizon 2020 initiative by the European Commission addresses the following areas: (i) food, agriculture and biotechnology (FAB); (ii) sustainable urbanization; (iii) energy; (iv) aeronautics; (v) and other areas including ICT, water, health, society, polar research, sme instrument, and space.

Debt purchases
During the European debt crisis, several European countries required the EU and International Monetary Fund bailouts. China assisted Europe by buying billions of euros' worth of junk Eurozone bonds; in particular from Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal and Spain. Some analysts suggested China was buying political influence in the EU but China maintains they are building strong trade ties and supporting the European economy so that trade issues can move ahead more smoothly.

EU anti-dumping measures
The EU has put in place numerous anti-dumping measures to protect its market from cheap products from China, such as steel. In 2023, the EU started an investigation into Chinese biodiesel dumping. In May 2024, the European Commission launched an anti-dumping probe into Chinese tinplate steel.

Market access investigations
In April 2024, the European Commission launched an investigation into whether China is blocking market access to EU medical devices.

Arms embargo
The EU arms embargo on China was imposed by the EU on China in response to its suppression of the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989. China stated its position that the embargo be removed, describing it "very puzzling" and amounting to "political discrimination". In January 2010, China again requested that the embargo be removed.

Electric vehicle tariffs
In June 2024, the EU instituted tariffs on imported Chinese electric vehicles.

Internal EU divisions
A leaked US cable indicated the internal divisions in the EU on the ban during negotiations in 2004. France viewed the ban as anachronistic and refused to consider attaching reforms in China as a condition, stating that "China would not accept human rights conditionality." Austria, Belgium, Czechia, Greece, Italy and the UK were all broadly in the French camp. Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands and Sweden wished to attach a lifting of the ban to "specific Chinese steps on human rights." All agreed in principle that if certain conditions were met then the ban should be lifted. Various EU heads of state have objected to the embargo or supported its continued existence. German Chancellor Angela Merkel has previously indicated her opposition to a lifting of the embargo, whereas her predecessor, Gerhard Schröder, had been in favour. The European Parliament has been consistently against removing the embargo. However, High Representative Catherine Ashton put forward plans for lifting the embargo in 2010, arguing that "The current arms embargo is a major impediment for developing stronger EU-China co-operation on foreign policy and security matters." Chinese ambassador to the EU Song Zhe agreed, noting that "it doesn't make any sense to maintain the embargo."

Outside pressure
The United States, which also has an arms embargo on China, states that lifting the embargo will create a technology transfer that will increase the capabilities of the People's Liberation Army. The US has been influential in keeping the EU ban in place. The US sees China as a potential military threat and has pressured the EU in keeping it in place. In 2011 the Chinese EU ambassador suggested that in the future "the EU should make decisions on its own."

Similarly, Japan is equally as against any attempt to remove arms restrictions to China. Japan's government, particularly right-wing members of the cabinet, indicate that any such move will alter the balance of power in Southeast Asia strongly in favour of China at Japan's expense. China described Japan's position as provocative. Meanwhile, Japan stated that the EU's proposal to lift the embargo in 2010 was a mistake in which caused great concern to Japan.

In 2020 and 2021, the Comprehensive Agreement on Investment drew a "firestorm of criticism" from US politicians and political commentators, who complained that the EU had not consulted the US before agreeing to the deal. However, as the US itself had signed a trade agreement with China a year prior without first having consulted the EU, the criticism was largely dismissed as being "hypocritical". Additionally, the Biden administration has claimed that the US will be "at the head of the table again", which some analysts say might be viewed as a threat towards the EU's goal of strategic autonomy from the US by implying that the European Union "[should] play second-fiddle to Washington".

During the 2023 France-China Summit, French President Emmanuel Macron called for Europe to reduce its dependence on the United States in general and to stay neutral and avoid being drawn into any possible confrontation between the U.S. and China over Taiwan. Speaking after a three-day state visit to China, Macron emphasised his theory of strategic autonomy, suggesting that Europe could become a "third superpower". in a follow-up speech in The Hague to further outline his vision of strategic autonomy for Europe. On 7 June 2023, a report by the pan-European think tank European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) found that most Europeans agree with Macron's views on China and the United States.

Other trade
Whilst the embargo remains, China buys much of its arms from Russia. China had turned to Israel for surveillance planes in 2007, but under pressure from the U.S., Israel refused to go through with the deal. Despite the ban, another leaked US cable suggested that in 2003 the EU sold €400 million of "defence exports" to China, and later approved other sales of military grade submarine and radar technology.

Chinese cyber-attacks
On 22 June 2020, amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called out the People's Republic of China for allegedly conducting cyberattacks against EU hospitals and health care institutions.

COVID-19 pandemic
During the COVID-19 pandemic, a number of EU countries bought medical equipment including personal protective equipment and test kits from China, a number of which were found to be defective. Due to the defective medical equipment and for China having initially failed to disclose information on the COVID-19 virus, on 21 April 2020 a cross party group of 10 MEPs wrote to the President of the European Council, Ursula von der Leyen and EU High Representative Josep Borrell requesting they take action against China. On 1 May 2020, the EC President Ursula von der Leyen backed investigation into the coronavirus origin. By 17 May 2020, a coalition of 62 countries backed a joint Australian, EU push for an independent inquiry into the COVID-19 outbreak.

Human rights
On 6 October 2020, a group of 39 countries, including most of the EU member states, issued a statement denouncing the Chinese government for its treatment of ethnic minorities and for curtailing freedoms in Hong Kong.

In December 2020, France said it will oppose the proposed Comprehensive Agreement on Investment between China and the European Union over the use of forced labour of Uyghurs. In January 2021, France's junior minister for trade Franck Riester said that France "will sign, the European Union will sign [the investment agreement] with the provision noted in the text, which is to make sustained and continuous efforts for ratification" of an International Labour Organization convention banning forced labour.

On 30 March 2022, the Human Rights Watch urged that European Union leaders should announce specific policy responses to the Chinese government's atrocity crimes. A virtual summit between the EU and China was scheduled for 1 April. The European Parliament has been a staunch critic of the Chinese government's crackdown and has repeatedly denounced its abuses. On June 9, 2022, the European Parliament adopted a motion condemning measures taken against the Uyghur community in China, stating that "credible evidence about birth prevention measures and the separation of Uyghur children from their families amount to crimes against humanity and represent a serious risk of genocide" and calling on authorities "to cease all government-sponsored programmes of forced labour and mass forced sterilisation and to put an immediate end to any measures aimed at preventing births in the Uyghur population, including forced abortions or sanctions for birth control violations".

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and French President Emmanuel Macron raised the issue of human rights in China during their visit to China in April 2023, amid growing international criticism of China's repression of ethnic minorities, political dissidents, and civil society activists. They expressed their concerns over the situation in Xinjiang, where the Chinese government has detained an estimated one million Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims in internment camps, subjected them to forced labor and surveillance.

Russian invasion of Ukraine
China's relations with Europe became challenging following the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine when the US accused both Moscow and Beijing of aligning themselves. According to a New York Times report on February 25, 2022, the US government shared intelligence with China on Russia's troop buildup over three months and beseeched China to tell Russia not to invade, which Chinese officials rebuffed, saying they did not think an invasion was in the works, while sharing the information with Russia. On March 2, the New York Times reported that a Western intelligence report indicated that Chinese officials had asked Putin to delay the invasion till after the 2022 Winter Olympics China was hosting. The Guardian reported a source confirmed the claim to Reuters, but that the Chinese embassy in Washington vehemently denied it as a 'smear' to blame China. Richard McGregor wrote that China was "struggling to settle on a clear message over Ukraine" because it was "trying to reconcile the irreconcilable" between Russia and Ukraine.

In February 2024, the European Union proposed sanctions that would target Chinese companies aiding Russia's war effort in Ukraine. On 25 June 2024, China requested that the EU revoke sanctions on Chinese firms accused of supporting Russia in the Ukraine conflict, highlighting its opposition to unilateral sanctions and noting formal protests to the EU.

Standpoint on Taiwan
China's most 2018 policy paper on European Union relations (its most current such policy paper as of at least 2023) states China's view that the EU should uphold the One China Principle, explicitly oppose Taiwan independence in any form, and limit EU-Taiwan exchanges to non-official and people-to-people contacts.

In April 2023, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and French President Emmanuel Macron paid an official visit to Beijing to assert particularly economic ties between the two largest global markets. China is the largest source of imports into the European Union. Von der Leyen and Macron underlined the EU's commitment to the One China policy.

Macron went even further to announce his position to no longer follow an exclusive American model, and instead develop a European "strategic autonomy" towards the issue. He urged that the EU must avoid being "dragged into a confrontation" between China and the U.S. over the issue of Taiwan. Two weeks later, von der Leyen accused China for its implied 'divide-and-conquer tactics', a strategy that China firmly rejects. The push by the U.S. to include the EU in its opposition against Chinese hegemony had split the European Union into differential opinions among its members, with regard to Taiwan. The European Commission president had warned that any military intervention on Taiwan would have cataclysmic effects on the global economy.

China's foreign relations with EU member states

 * 🇦🇹 Austria
 * 🇧🇪 Belgium
 * 🇧🇬 Bulgaria
 * 🇭🇷 Croatia
 * 🇨🇾 Cyprus
 * 🇨🇿 Czech Republic
 * 🇩🇰 Denmark
 * 🇪🇪 Estonia
 * 🇫🇮 Finland
 * 🇫🇷 France
 * 🇩🇪 Germany
 * 🇬🇷 Greece
 * 🇭🇺 Hungary
 * 🇮🇪 Ireland
 * 🇮🇹 Italy
 * 🇱🇻 Latvia
 * 🇱🇹 Lithuania
 * 🇱🇺 Luxembourg
 * 🇲🇹 Malta
 * 🇳🇱 Netherlands
 * 🇵🇱 Poland
 * 🇵🇹 Portugal
 * 🇷🇴 Romania
 * 🇸🇰 Slovakia
 * 🇸🇮 Slovenia
 * 🇪🇸 Spain
 * 🇸🇪 Sweden

title: China–European Union relations


text:
Talk:Hrothgar (The Inheritance Cycle)

I removed the stub notice because I feel it would be difficult to expand this article until the next book in the series comes out. Aznph8playa 21:33, 9 Jun 2005 (UTC)

title: Talk:Hrothgar (The Inheritance Cycle)


text:
Redbud Woods controversy

The Redbud Woods controversy was a dispute between protesters and the administration of Cornell University in Ithaca, New York over the demolition of a patch of woodlands known as the "Redbud Woods." The area received this name because of the many Redbud trees that grew there and whose blossoms gave the woods a pink tint in the springtime. The website of Cornell University Plantations contained, on September 3, 2005, a description of the woods, and used the name Redbud Woods, so it had some official status at Cornell under this name.

History
Early in Cornell's history, at the turn of the 20th century, banker and hardware magnate Robert H. Treman, Class of 1878, built his family estate on University Hill, just west of today's West Campus. Treman hired his friend Warren Manning, a pioneer of American landscape architecture, to design the site.

On November 2, 1901, The Ithaca Daily News reported that the west lawn would be "left to nature as the best gardener." Upon his death in 1937, Treman, who preserved all of the Ithaca area's gorges, donated $5000 to the University specifically for the beautification of the campus. Much of his west lawn grew into the Redbud Woods, which retains many original Manning design elements and boasts locally rare yellow oak and hackberry trees as well as an unusually dense stand of redbuds.

Redbud Woods was part of the landscaping of Robert H. Treman's historic estate. In the late 19th century, Warren Manning designed the landscape of the Treman family estate (now Von Cramm Hall, 660, and the Kahin Center) so that it would grow into natural woodlands and beautify the campus. The woods, if left to grow untouched, might eventually reach the stage of a climax forest. Over time, Redbud Woods became perceived as a buffer between the University and the surrounding community.

In 1970, the University proposed to construct a parking lot behind Von Cramm Hall. This proposal was dropped after by protests led by Gordon G. Chang.

Background
As part of its "West Campus Residential Initiative," Cornell decided to relocate approximately 176 parking spots to the area occupied by the Redbud Woods, about 2 blocks from the new dorms. However, in 2001, the Ithaca Common Council named Redbud Woods a historic district. The University sued the city, and in 2005, the New York State Supreme Court's Appellate division ruled in Cornell's favor, allowing construction of the parking lot to proceed.

Points of view
In the fall of 2004, then University President Jeffrey Lehman had presented three challenges to the University, the third of which was sustainability. Lehman went on to more fully articulate Cornell's "institutional commitment to sustainability." Some, including many Cornell faculty, students and Ithaca community members, argued that paving a historic urban green space for a surface parking lot was unsustainable. They suggested that parking needs might be satisfied elsewhere on campus and be further mitigated through demand management, promotion of public transit, and planning.

Those in opposition to construction of the lot also argued that paving the woods might increase localized flooding and allow for the leakage of toxic materials, for example motor oil, into the storm sewer system and ultimately into Cayuga Lake, which supplies drinking water for many living in Tompkins County.

Major protests around the construction of the parking lot continued through the summer of 2005, including the occupation of President Jeffrey Lehman's office on April 28, 2005 by eight students, as well as a protracted direct action occupation of the woods themselves by students, faculty, and community members, in opposition to what appeared to be imminent destruction. Notably, former Ithaca mayor, and Cornell professor emeritus, Ben Nichols was cited during protests against the deforestation plan.

Final agreement
On July 18, 2005, Cornell University interim president Hunter Rawlings visited Redbud Woods and signed an agreement between the University and many of the Redbud protesters, effectively ending the dispute, although some independent protests continued. Along with a pledge by Cornell to offer free travel passes for buses to all new students entering the University in the fall of 2005 and 2006 who did not purchase parking permits, the agreement included commitments on the university's part to involve the community more in administration decisions, as well as to engage in constructive dialogue concerning sustainability on campus. By August 2005 several thousand new students had taken advantage of the free travel passes, which helped to raise demand on the Tompkins Consolidated Area Transit bus system that services Ithaca and the rest of the county

Media documentation
The New York Times published three articles about the Redbud Woods controversy in June and July 2005. The Ithaca Journal and The Cornell Daily Sun published many articles over the course of 2004–2005 about the protests.

Aftermath
A key point in the negotiated agreement signed by student protesters (but not community members) was that students receive free travel passes to encourage sustainable transportation. Cornell began this process for incoming students during the semester immediately following the occupation for incoming students, adding to free passes which were already provided to transfer and graduate students. Two years later, free passes for graduate, transfer, and sophomore students were eliminated, and the program only offered going forward to first year students. A faculty and community committee proposed a memorial plaque to the Ithaca Common Council in early 2006, to be placed on public land adjacent to the parking lot. Despite opposition from Cornell University, the City of Ithaca approved the plaque on July 5, 2006, and it was installed later that year. The plaque reads:

Redbud Woods

The land before you was once home to the extended family of Robert H. Treman, creator of parks and protector of green spaces throughout Tompkins County. The woodland that grew up here was inhabited for decades by diverse fauna and more than fifty plant species, including numerous redbud trees. Redbud Woods was razed on July 20, 2005 by the Cornell administration to build a parking lot.

This plaque has been erected by Ithaca community members in memory of this cherished woodland.

Remember the trees… Remember all who tried to save them.

title: Redbud Woods controversy


text:
Fashion Street

Fashion Street refers to a cluster of over 385 street side clothing shops on MG Road near Azad Maidan and is opposite to Bombay Gymkhana, in South Mumbai, India.

The market is located just opposite VSNL office building at Mahatma Gandhi Road (MG Road). It is a popular tourist destination, and is known for bargaining.

In January 2011, as a part of the green drive of BMC along with Fashion Street Shopowners' Association, the market at Fashion Street stopped the use plastic bags, and switched to paper bag, now they are again using plastics made by the training workshop of the National Association of the Blind. It's a very large shopping place in Mumbai.

title: Fashion Street