Lisa Cumming

@lisacumin.bsky.social

Works in & around conflict grappling. (Local peacebuilding • Nonviolence • Peace practice & thinking.) Worries in the valley, dreams on the moors. Personal account.

"Trump, Andy Burnham and risk of war crimes in Iran:

A substantial US assault on Iranian civil infrastructure is well-nigh certain to involve committing war crimes. Such an air assault would require the continued use of two air bases in the UK, RAF Fairford for deploying B-1B and B-52 heavy bombers and RAF Lakenheath for deploying air-to-air refuelling planes. One of Andy Burnham’s first decisions in Downing Street will be whether to allow this."

Stepping stones across a woodland river to a little stone cottage.

Orange tip butterfly on cuckoo flowers in a grassy wet meadow.

Soft pink hollyhocks with Brighton Pavilion in the background.

Rainbow over a Calder Valley hillside (known as Scout Rock).

Storks in nest with tops of chick's just showing.

Inside of a shiny, clean tram with red & green interior, looking from the back towards the front.

Bright pink flowered foxglove surrounded by green grass & bushes, under bright blue skies.

Cow parsley one side of a drystone wall, a sunny meadow of buttercups the other.

Booted leg stood next to green leaves, tiny dot of white chickweed flowers just about visible.

Top left vetch, top right clover, bottom left cow parsley & billberries (hills & moors is in the distance), bottom right cow parsley.

Cow parsley, billberry bushes in the foreground. Green hills and moors in the background.

"After decades of working in and listening to those working in contexts of violence and polarisation, Lederach offers three gifts...

The gift of clarity: When facing tensions of deep difference, share your best understanding of your views and proposals without judgement or retreat.
The gift of curiosity: Interact with others' experiences and ideas rather than reacting quickly or judging, particularly when you feel confronted.
The gift of perseverance: Find ways to stay in touch. Keep circling back. After all, humananizing always needs a human touch."

"But it is not love and not even sympathy upon which Society is based in mankind. It is the conscience — be it only at the stage of an instinct — of human solidarity. It is the unconscious recognition of the force that is borrowed by each person from the practice of mutual aid; of the close dependency of every one’s happiness upon the happiness of all; and of the sense of justice, or equity, which brings the individual to consider the rights of every other individual as equal to his own."
Pyotr Kropotkin, Mutual Aid: A Factor in Evolution (Annotated)

Woman (Bana Gora) standing next to a banner that says, "Muslim Women's Council".

Orange tip butterfly on cluster of pale pink, delicate flowers.

Quote that says, "The masters of war pretend not to know that it takes only a moment to destroy, yet often a lifetime is not enough to rebuild," he added.

"They turn a blind eye to ‌the fact that billions of dollars are spent on killing and devastation, yet the resources needed for healing, education and restoration are nowhere ⁠to be found."

Subheading says, "A world turned upside down."

"Fake and abusive website pages and scams using the ICRC’s identity or emblem may be reported through available channels, and legal action may be taken as needed. As a reminder, the misuse of the Red Cross, Red Crescent, or Red Crystal emblems are prohibited by law and may result in legal action and sanctions."

Moorland path surrounding a reservoir, deep blue sky above.

Close up of yellow flowers (cowslips), some in bloom, some in bud.

Vibrant pink tubular blooms on a bush with green leaves. Bright blue skies above & a blurred fence in the background.

Very still blue water in a reservoir surrounded by moorland.

"This is not a war for security. It's a war for the political economy of fossil fuels - and the people paying the price are Iranian civilians and working-class communities around the world."

"The UK has flown its fighter jets over a number of Persian Gulf states, shooting down a number of drones. However, through granting permission to the US to use British bases to launch airstrikes, the UK is potentially aiding or assisting an aggressor in the commission of an unlawful act of aggression. Haque outlines that strikes against missile facilities in Iran are ‘an important component of the composite act of aggression’, elaborating that the threat of Iranian strikes would be ended by ceasing the US-Israeli ongoing aggression which represents a war of choice, rather than necessity."

“Drawing Hope exposes the absurdity of the dehumanisation embedded in the divisions we inherit and invites us to learn from the courage of the young, whose imagination keeps humanity from mutual destruction and whose hope awakens our critical agency to grow peace."

Five colourful portraits of young people hung on a wall, some showing hobbies such as martial arts.

"The gift of clarity. When facing tensions of deep difference, share your best understanding of your views and proposals without judgement or retreat."

Person in a t-shirt. T-shirt has an orange life ring with the words, "The UK sells arms, that fuel the conflicts, that create refugees, who the UK turns away." The text is accompanied by images of guns, an arms trader, someone pointing a gun, & an adult & child running away. Below the life ring are the words, "This is not a migrant crisis".

"Take Back Power is a nonviolent civil resistance group in the UK. We aim to put the 99% in charge through citizen’s assemblies. We are ordinary people from all walks of life who believe that in order to fix Britain, taxing the rich is an essential first step, and we want ordinary people to decide how."

With great sadness we share the news that Simon Fisher has passed away -

Simon has made a great many contributions to the theory and practice of peace around the world: He was a great champion and founder of the Applied Conflict Transformation Studies (ACTS) Ma and PhD programs, and deeply committed to making accessible opportunities for people from conflict affected communities to have opportunities to study, reflect, and learn from one another. During his tenure as a CPCS Board member, Simon’s wisdom, steady guidance, commitment, and practice solutions helped CPCS to develop its core approaches and values. Simon has been a teacher and mentor to so many peace practitioners across Asia - and the world - and his teachings are a legacy that will continue.

Please join us in honoring his memory by sharing a story or message of condolences to his family as they celebrate his life.

Liberty Van volunteers drive around to locations such as Home Depots, swap meets, grocery stores and neighborhoods that have been impacted by ICE. Clergy members have prayed with people, while immigration attorneys share helpful “know your rights” information with day laborers and other immigrants they meet. Van staffers offer people water and snacks and connect with local organizers so they know they are there to help.

Drystone wall beside a road alongside green fields & sunlit hills beyond. Blue skies & white clouds above.

We aim to do this by attending elections and empirically reporting our findings in an accessible way through statistical analysis and interlocutor meetings to support this objective. We do this through a strong methodology, based on the international standards for election observation as set out by OSCE/ODIHR and others.

$CODE OF CONDUCT FOR ODIHR ELECTION OBSERVERS  Observers will maintain strict impartiality in the conduct of their duties and will, at no time, publicly express or exhibit any bias or preference in relation to national authorities, parties, candidates, or with reference to any issues in contention in the election process.  Observers will undertake their duties in an unobtrusive manner and will not interfere in the electoral process. Observers may raise questions with election officials and bring irregularities to their attention, but they must not give instructions or countermand their decisions.  Observers will remain on duty throughout election day, including observation of the vote count and, if instructed, the next stage of tabulation.  Observers will base all conclusions on their personal observations or on clear and convincing facts or evidence.  Observers will not make any comments to the media on the electoral process or on the substance of their observations, and any comment to the media will be limited to general information about the observation mission and the role of the observers.  Observers will not take any unnecessary or undue risks. Each observer’s personal safety overrides all other considerations.  Observers will carry any prescribed identification issued by the host government or election commission and will identify themselves to any authority upon request.  Observers will comply with all national laws and regulations.  Observers will exhibit the highest levels of personal discretion and professional behaviour at all times.  Observers will attend all required mission briefings and debriefings and adhere to the deployment plan and all other instructions provided by the OSCE Election Observation Mission. All ODIHR observers are required to sign the Code of Conduct when they receive their accreditation. The Code of Conduct is binding on all ODIHR observers, and any serious infraction of the code will lead to i…$