Category Archives: International Politics

A vile culture 30 years in the making

by maxattacks

Neo-liberalism has had its day.

There are points throughout history where established cultures near a breaking point. Today is one of those days.

£13 trillion ($21tn) is the rough size of the US’s and Japan’s economies combined. That same £13 trillion (and this actually a conservative estimation) has been hoarded and hidden from tax by a mere (estimated) 90,000 individuals.

I don’t think any one individual can truly comprehend what this £13 trillion could have been effectively used for. To find a cure for cancer, to vaccinate millions of vulnerable people in third world countries, to fund an almost infinite supply of scientific research or to provide free education for millions of children worldwide.

This is what has happened under the culture of neo-liberalism. The right has found it fitting to shift the blame onto “benefit scroungers”. What is apparent instead that this has been a mere smokescreen for a far wider problem. We have also been encouraged to not question and even idolise these “wealth creators”.

As Labour members we must accept that our party had helped facilitate such actions, we’re not innocent in all this.

I can only hope that one day soon, the established culture will finally break.

Max

Le Changement, C’est Maintentant

by bulsonline

Change, it’s now. The campaign slogan for the new French President will be felt across Europe, and most heavily in Berlin and London. It remains to be seen exactly how the new French President changes Europe, but one thing’s for sure; it’s going to change. Cameron has once again been proven to be behind the curve. After national and local elections in France, Britain, Greece and Germany, people are telling their leaders that they must change tact and get the economies in Europe moving once more.

The election of Francois Hollande will certainly shift the debate in Europe, with how to get growth into our continent now being the primary focus. In his victory speech , the new French President spoke of breaking with austerity, of making a better world for the next generation and how the young will be at the centre of his presidency. Listening to his priorities, it felt in stark contrast with the current situation we are in on this side of the Channel and indeed in many countries throughout Europe.

Throughout his campaign, Hollande also spoke of wanting to unite people, of a dislike of divisiveness. This also tells us something about how President Hollande will lead Europe, on a night when neo-Nazi’s made gains in Greece. Attitudes towards immigration within the EU and the divisiveness they have created have for too long gone unchecked and have only got worse during these times of economic crisis. It’s not just growth that Europe needs, it’s inclusion, unity and, in that most French of words, fraternity.

Cameron, watch out. Change is here.

By Hannah Johnson, BULS Member

 

Santorum Pulls Out

by Nash

A belated comment from me, because I’ve overdone it on caffeine and can’t sleep. If you hadn’t already heard, Rick Santorum, latest incarnation of the US extreme-right, has suspended his presidential campaign. This is slightly earlier than I had expected; as a political geek and election junkie I’m disappointed. There were so many contestable primaries still to go, with most of New England and the Mid-Atlantic states due on the 24th of this month. Shame on the anti-choice candidate for aborting his campaign and not carrying it to full term!

As far as I can make out, Santorum has two positive qualities. 1) He’s seemingly quite fond of a drink before noon, and 2) he wears those lovely sleeveless jerseys (great for keeping your core body snug while letting your arms and armpits breath!) I liked having an “underdog” candidate in the race, and I was sympathetic to his plight of being massively outspent by the Romney campaign.

Copyright from left: Jim Wilson/The New York Times; Josh Haner/The New York Times; Jim Wilson/The New York Times; Jim Wilson/The New York Times

Not too hot, not too cold. By far his most sensible policy decision.

Then again, I loathe nearly everything that Rick Santorum stands for. There’s far too much for one post, so I shall focus on two prominent issues. Firstly the man is a bigot. He is a homophobic bigot. You cannot justify homophobia, not in the 21st Century, not in a civilised society. Dressing it up as a feigned defence of the “traditional family” cuts no ice; its like saying you don’t want any black kids in your white children’s class because you’re afraid they’ll learn bad habits. You assume there’s a threat and use that to justify your pre-existing bigotry. This should not just be an LGBT concern – if you’re capable of hating one group solely because of something intrinsic to their being, you can just as easily hate another. As a socialist and a social liberal I find it abhorrent.

Before I was a socialist I was already a scientist. Santorum’s second negative trait is his preference for non-evidence based policy. Here is a man who prefers to substitute his own reality. It is not enough to say that he is anti-science; he is anti-fact. From a genuine objectivist point of view, he is anti-reality. Call it creationism or call it intelligent design, it’s still bullshit. Then there’s the Dutch euthanasia epidemic which doesn’t really exist, except in Rick’s head. An oblate spheroidal 4.54 billion year-old Earth? Just a “liberal” media conspiracy. Probably.

Ultimately I suppose I should be glad he’s gone. Unfortunately there was his speech after Wisconsin last week, where analogies were made to the Republican nomination races in ’76 and ’80. Pick the moderate (Ford, ’76) and lose, pick the conservative (Reagan, ’80) and win was the message. Santorum sees this as his ’76, and he’s now positioning himself as nominee heir-designate for 2016. Be afraid. 2016 would be a much better year for him than 2012 could have been. Romney, near certain nominee, faces an incumbent President with decent approval ratings and an improving economy. The precedents aren’t good. But assuming Obama’s re-election, by 2016 the party political pendulum will be swinging the other way. Apart from 1988 the last time a party retained control of the White House into a third term with a non-incumbent candidate was 1928. Santorum will grow more electable not less, especially if a second “moderate” Republican loses to Obama.

On the other hand, as recently six months ago people were still speculating about Palin 2012. Hopefully Santorum will disappear into obscurity. Either way, the 2012 race just became much less interesting, with the next election results worth staying up for being the Big One itself in November.

Don’t assume from any of this that I like Romney. To me he represents an equally insidious hatred, though in a much more subtle flavour. His evil is a delicately refined one, and the more dangerous for it. I’ll deal with him later.

The old fetish

by maxattacks

Chris Riddell 11 December 2011

Friday was the day the old fetish returned. The day Cameron delved into nostalgia. And the day he set Britain at odds not only with the other 26 EU member states, but rationality itself.

What we saw on Friday was a Prime Minister with his hands tied by dogmatic backbench MPs. But not to worry, it seems Cameron had unveiled his all powerful ‘veto’. The only problem with this is that it’s not a true veto of any sorts. Negotiations will still be ongoing, the remaining 26 EU states will still formulate an agreement and Britain will not be present to have any say in the talks.

This is catastrophic failure for Cameron who has severed any attempts to help salvage the Euro which is not only in the EU’s interest but vital in Britain’s interests. In the words of a Facebook update by my own brother:

“Tory lol. Blame the economic problems on the Euro crisis, then veto the plan to save it knowing full well that the the EU will cut you out and essentially get rid of any say you have in determining the future of Europe, and by extension, Britain“

Some may call it Bulldog spirit, I’d like to call it naively dogmatic.

Max

A great year for Irish Labour

by maxattacks

Michael D Higgins, of the Irish Labour party, is set to be confirmed as Ireland's ninth president. Photograph: Julien Behal/PA

Michael D Higgins and Eamon Gilmore will now go down in History as two of the Irish Labour Party’s electorally successful Politicians. It was announced today that Michael D Higgins is to be elected the 9th President of Ireland receiving almost 40% of the first preference votes. This will make him the first ever Labour Presidential Candidate to have become President without the support of from other parties.

Of course this adds to the great success Irish Labour received in the Irish General Election last May where Eamon Gilmore led Labour to its largest number of seats in the Irish Parliament ever. This meant Labour has entered its 8th time in a Coalition Government where it takes up 8 out of the 20 Cabinet posts.

On behalf of all of us in Birmingham University Labour Students (BULS) I would like to wish our sister party across the Irish Sea a huge congratulations on the results they’ve had this year. And we hope the best is yet to come.

Max

David Miliband

by suzannahrobinson

I’ve just got back from the double David Miliband event, and just wanted to write a report.

I thought the crowd during the first part (In Conversation with David Miliband – in the great hall) was fairly tough, there were questions about Palestine, Iraq, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Syria and Guantanemo Bay. One of the best questions was “What would you say to David Eastwood about the Browne Review?” and David replied in a very diplomatic manner, ending with the comment that he didn’t think it was “all Professor Eastwood’s fault”. I for one hope that Eastwood noticed the resentment in the room and the general jibes against tuition fees and millionaires.

The second part (The Living Wage Launch with David Miliband) was more relaxed and entertaining. Luke asked a great question about solidarity with potential allies and recognising the real enemy. David replied “kicking Lib Dems is pleasure, kicking Tories is business. Politics is business”. He also highlighted the work of his “Movement for Change”, responding to comments that it seemed similar to the Big Society by stating that society is our turf, we have always been known as socialists not statists, and the Tories are only developing policies to promote society because they are terrified of being known as the “there is no such thing as society” party. I’m sure many of us can see through their Big Society strategy to a purely Thatcherite idealism, and recognise that grass roots activity and community organisation always has been and will remain a Labour policy area.

In conclusion, congratulations to the BULS members who helped to organise the talks, and I hope those who missed out come to the upcoming great events!

Suzy

That Old Chestnut

by labourluke

David Cameron has a nerve. Not only has he U-turned over his pledge in opposition to hold a referendum over the UK’s terms of membership of the European Union, but today he had the temerity to force Nicolas Sarkozy to back down and accept his presence at key Eurozone talks to try to deal with the Greek debt crisis on Wednesday.

Once again, only one year into the new government, a Conservative prime minister is becoming about as stable on Europe as Edwina Currie is on her feet. We all know deep down he is a staunch Euro-sceptic, so why doesn’t he have the guts to come out and be frank with the British people, and say that he would love us to turn our backs on our continental partners, but that he also loves us to lecture and patronise them on economic policy, despite the fact that UK growth is anaemic at best, and backwards at worst, thanks to his policies.

A referendum on EU membership now would of course be absurd, but having called for one in opposition, the PM should stick to his guns and create a disunited and discredited government, and do us all a favour by breaking up the coalition and triggering a general election. You can’t have your bun and eat it, and you can’t be half in, half out, of the EU – leaving the Eurozone (or more accurately, Germany) to do all the hard work and then turning up to talks this week to act as one of the key players while facing a referendum proposal at home from your own backbenchers is hypocritical and downright embarrassing for Britain.

It was Ed Miliband, incidentally, who called on Cameron to give up his trip Down Under and attend the meeting, therefore whether or not you agree that Cameron has a right to be there, it is clear that the Labour leader is ahead of the curve on this one, as he was on phone hacking and as he was at PMQs this week.

It might sound like a cheap shot from the comforts of opposition – and we all know Blair and Brown disagreed over the Euro – however it is clear that yet again the Tories are divided over Europe. Europhile or Europhobe, this is one of the few reliable constants of the European project.

Priorities please

by maxattacks

It was announced yesterday (I think) that the UK has rejected a call by the EU to implement a financial tax of a mere 0.01% on bank transactions which could raise £50 billion a year.

I’d like to draw your attention to a video posted on this blog before about the absurdity of the Coalition decision to oppose the so-called ‘robin-tax hood’.

Enjoy

Max

 

9/11 Ten Years On, Coalition Politics and Blood Donation

by labourluke

9/11 – A Warning from Recent History

For someone of the age of the current crop of Labour Students, it is particularly difficult to believe that it is ten years tomorrow since the lives of millions were changed forever on September 11th, 2001. Most of us were still in primary school at the time, and it is perhaps apt that our generation – one that was constantly told we were growing up too fast – had our innocence of the world around us robbed so suddenly on that bright Tuesday morning. Hearing and seeing the images of the planes hitting the World Trade Center still transfixes all of us, and as much as we might want to look away having seen enough, we can’t quite bring ourselves to stop watching.

However it is our generation – the 9/11 generation – who will be the politicians and headline-makers of the coming years, and if anything good can come of the last decade, it is surely the lesson  that those in power have a responsibility not to overreact when faced with such onslaughts. Our party’s most successful leader (in electoral terms) no doubt had good intentions, but made the grave error of marching the troops gung-ho into an unplanned and illegal war, probably creating a whole new generation of terrorists in the process, while at home him and those around him were complicit in eroding many of the freedoms we were meant to be protecting, including detention without charge and freedom from torture. If the horror of terrorism reaches us again, we must pause and assess the causes before acting. The same rule should apply for other crises, like the riots this summer.

Backbench Tories Have Nothing To Worry About

Today is the final day of the Plaid Cymru autumn conference in Llandudno, north Wales. The outgoing leader, Ieuan Wyn Jones, made his final conference speech yesterday after an electoral drubbing for the nationalist party in the Welsh Assembly elections in May. Unlike in Scotland, where the SNP have been successful, he argued that coalition government in Cardiff Bay (of which Plaid was the junior party) meant Plaid’s achievements in government were smothered by Labour, and that the party was punished by voters for not claiming credit for them.

Aside from the fact that Plaid achieved very little in government in a time of economic turmoil other than a referendum with poor turnout which managed to bore even political anoraks, their experience in coalition should serve as a lesson to Westminster politics. This week Tory backbenchers, angry over law and order, Europe and abortion, moaned that the Lib Dem ‘tail’ was wagging the Tory ‘dog’ and that Nick Clegg was being given too many concessions by the Prime Minister. However come the election in 2015, the Tories will have nothing to worry about, as the voters are likely to give them sole credit for any successes – particularly if the economy picks up (not a given considering Osborne’s slash-and-burn approach) – and they will certainly not be looking to make some sort of permanent alliance with the Lib Dems, contrary to what some commentators are predicting. The coalition dog will probably have his tail docked when the voters are next given a choice.

About Bloody Time

This week the ban on gay and bisexual men giving blood for life in Britain was finally overturned (although you’d be forgiven for not noticing the leap forward because the BBC thought Strictly Come Dancing was more important on the news bulletins that night). This is a triumph that equality campaigners have been working tirelessly for for years, and at last gay men will be able to save lives and help tackle the urgent need for more donors. No more will the official policy imply that gay men cannot be trusted to practice safe sex and ‘probably have HIV’.

Although the ban was only replaced with a one-year time lag since a donor’s last encounter, it is still progress, and puts us more in line with the situation in similar countries.

The Euro Takes A Pounding

by labourluke

The single currency was once such a contentious issue; only a decade ago it seemed likely that the UK would be joining the Eurozone. What happened? Today, Jack Straw predicted that the Euro will indeed fail following the inevitable defaulting by Greece of its sovereign debt, leading to a return to those old holiday favourites like the Drachma. As the media keeps reminding us ominously, despite our not being part of the monetary union, a collapse of the Euro would have a devastating effect on our economy, because of the global nature of our trade regime and our over-reliance on our closest neighbours for exports. This begs the question that if we cannot escape the effects of these sorts of economic crises in a globalised world, is it not time to become more unified to prevent the two-track system we have at the moment, where richer nations are being forced to bail out those in trouble?

I am no economist, yet if I learned anything from my second-year Interwar Economy course (between lapses into and out of a coma), it is that the attempt to ‘force’ currencies of varying strengths to use the same interest rates as part of the Gold Standard was in hindsight a fairly disastrous decision, without some sort of accompanying political union where individual nations have the same tax-and-spending and trade regimes – like BULS members’ attitudes to musical theatre, it seems we can only be either completely pro or completely anti EU. Given that Labour is a progressive party, and that in today’s global economy an insular economic nationalism is unthinkable (we have no industry for that), is it not the time to at least ‘float’ the idea of some sort of European federal state, if we are to keep the post-war dream alive?

This idea may be too much for many people to swallow, and the media will never accept it, but do we really have any realistic alternative when we are competing with economies like China and India? We cannot afford to let the European ideal crumble on the back of this financial crisis.

Luke

Something we can agree upon

by maxattacks

It’s not exactly a secret that us in BULS have our, ahem, tad differences with David Cameron. But I personally like to make a point of mentioning areas and events we can agree on (and that is a rather event) and Cameron’s defence of the safeguarding of the international aid spending against the own right of his party particularly that of Defence Secretary, Liam Fox. Never should we balance the books on the back of the poorest people in the world, it is morally wrong and completely unjustifiable. To say other wise is a completely vile idea particularly when Liam Fox advocates this simply as ‘common sense’ which is nothing less than disgusting.

I also welcome Cameron’s pledge for immunisation 243 million children to keep with the millennium development child mortality goal. Far, far too often are third world deaths completely and utterly preventable and especially by such quick and easy means.

We should not be afraid to accept our similarities when they arise and so on this exceptionally rare occasion (and I mean exceptionally rare), thank you Cameron.

Max

So much to talk about

by maxattacks

Apologises for the lack of  blogging lately. Been rather busy with essays, football match against BUCF (kinda) and general stuff back up north. Anyway, in that time there have been HUGE events in which I’d like to focus on. The NHS reforms (naturally), Portugal bail-out (naturally again) and University Minister, David Willetts, on Feminism.

First off, all I have to say on the NHS reforms is, thank god! No one wants these reforms. The BMA opposes it, the Lib Dems oppose it, 60% of GPs oppose the reforms and none other than Lord Tebbit opposes the reforms. If your too right-wing for Lord Tebbit, you know your policies have huge issues. Ian Duncan-Smith (IDS) even admitted that waiting times were already rising due to real term cuts to the NHS. Lansley has been hung out to dry by Cameron, lets only hope his reforms can also, permanently.

Now, naturally with the announcement of the bail-out for Portugal, Gideon jumped on the austerity bandwagon to claim that the cuts were right to prevent a similar situation occurring here in the UK. But if you stop, think and compare us, Portugal and other nation-states that have been bailed out you’ll see that this isn’t the case. For one thing, it’s important to note that prior to the bail-out, Portugal had had two austerity measures and three rises in VAT. Similarly, Ireland had been praised by the IMF in 2008 for “courageous” action for its austerity measures in an attempt to deal with its deficit. This naturally says something more about the problems of austerity than the problems of deficit/debt. For another thing, to say that Britain’s economy is anyway similar to Portugal’s/Ireland’s/Greece’s is absolutely ludicrous. We for one have a far, far larger economy than that of those countries, we have far more time to pay back our debts and most plainly of all, we’re not in the Euro so we can devalue our currency raise and lower interest rates. So please Gideon, don’t jump on the scaremongering bandwagon.

Finally, probably the least well known of the issues I’m focusing on is David Willetts’ comments on Feminism. Now, if you’ve been living in a cave the last couple of weeks what he said was that feminism was the “single biggest factor” for the lack of social mobility in Britain, as women who would otherwise have been housewives had taken university places and well-paid jobs that could have gone to ambitious working-class men. Now this is wrong and completely degrading on so many levels. Don’t get me wrong, Labour really didn’t do enough to tackle social mobility while in government. But feminism is in no way the cause of the problem. The true problem is the lack of aspiration from schools and deprived regions of the country to want young people to aim higher and also the problems of money that entail that. These comments also leave a more distasteful message. It is the assumption that women are out there, taking men’s jobs. Willets’ idea that women’s primary place is in the domestic household represents nothing less than a subliminal form of sexism. This is only exacerbated when he went onto excuse his comments with “It is not that I am against feminism,”.

This hasn’t been a good couple of weeks for the coalition.

Max

Wikileaks

by suzannahrobinson

“When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty.” ~ T. Jefferson.

Julian Assange and his colleagues have acted in a brave and selfless way, persisting in outing secretive documents despite smear campaigns and pressure from the highest levels of government.

Even if Wikileaks’ actions achieve nothing in terms of delaying action against North Korea and Iran, a point has been made. The internet is a weapon for transparency and democracy, and governments have never been more accountable.

Another possible consequence is simply increasing the security of intelligence, which can only be a good thing in a world threatened by terrorists.

Suzy

Some actual sound moves from the PM, for once

by maxattacks

Chris Riddell 21 November 2010

I’m not going to lie, I personally have not been hit that hard by the recession and by the cuts (yet for the latter). But, credit where credit is due, for once the DC has made some sound moves. Lord Young’s comments are completely out of touch, low interest rates are of little concern for those struggling to make ends meet (or meat, not sure which) on minimum wage or a part of the 2.5 million (ish) unemployed. This incident alone does not equate to DC being out of touch, in fact, this shows humility for once (though I can’t say the same for a lot of everything else he stands for).

Other good news, DC has also decided to take his ‘vanity photographer’ off the Civil Service payroll (although it should not have been on it in the first place, we do welcome the U-turn). Also, we welcome the news of aid to the Irish Republic. They are one of our closest trading partners (and the only country to share a land border with the UK). This is in our, and Europe’s interest to help out Ireland (though I do feel and note the sheer irony and contradiction on part of the Tories in regard to government bailouts, which is effectively happening here given their own abrupt u-turn on the UK’s own bank bail out two years ago). But, don’t forget DC, Ireland is in this mess because they went down the road of austerity measures two years ago, take heed of the warning in our backyard.

Max

Thoughts for Armistice Day

by suzannahrobinson

As well as remembering the past and honouring the dead Armistice Day is a great opportunity to look at the role of the Army in today’s world.

Our army has come a long way since the Armistice. Cooperation, sustainability and peace keeping are the new buzzwords, and really have been put into practice, as evidenced by the new deal with France and the ongoing efforts in Afghanistan.

Oxfam estimates that of the 20 million troops currently employed globally, only 150,000 are employed in real peace keeping. Annually $120 billion is spent on global aid, while $1600 billion is spent on global defence.

As Britain struggles with the legacy of Iraq and the justification of war, it’s worth reassessing our priorities on the causes of conflict and the effect our actions have on citizens the world over.

Suzy

The unusual conversion of Lauren Booth

by suzannahrobinson

Cherie Blair´s sister, the journalist and activist Lauren Booth, has recently converted to Islam. I´ve been following her progress with interest through her articles and interviews.

Her conversion has been one of overwhelming spiritual experience rather than intellectual conviction, but she is slowly working through the Qurán and learning to pray five times a day. She refers to lifestyle changes as a welcome relief, her children are enthusiastic about her new modest dress, her father´s alcoholism makes her more than happy to give up drinking, and her ongoing divorce makes it fairly easy to avoid dating.

Her political interest remain centred in the Freedom for Palestine campaign and in changing the way the West looks at Islamic societies. So it´s a shame that she´s brought feminism into the ring to defend herself against media attacks, because I don´t think she understands much about it.

Leaving aside her jibes about the cultural ignorance of white middle class women and women who consider themselves “liberated” [sic] but spend a long time on their appearance, she declares that most of our ideas about women´s roles in the Middle East and Islam are entirely wrong, and biased media coverage has led to this false image of opression.

While the Bible and Torah, when followed to the letter, result in reduced women´s rights, the Qurán goes further, in condoning disciplinary action towards and a form of ownership over wives. Naturally as an educated wealthy single woman living in a mainly secular society she is unlikely to suffer from any ill effects of these guidelines, but her conversion cannot be regarded as progress for the western woman.

Her impression of equality in the societies she visited fail to convince. She describes with delight her experience of bossy or cheeky behaviour from women as evidence of liberation, in the same way that someone mugged in Edgbaston might talk about moving to Ladywood. Her anecdotal evidence about women students and men who do housework count for nothing as soon as the going gets tough.

In everyday life we don´t notice our freedoms. In most countries rights don´t become obvious until we find ourselves without money, protection or physical strength. As soon as we´re out of our comfort zone it becomes blindingly obvious that without the sexual, legal, human rights that women enjoy in Britain and the social norm of being able to do things alone without suspicion, we are not truly safe, or truly respected.

Suzy

Green and pleasant land

by suzannahrobinson

In my capacity as BULS’ tweeter in cheif I have started following Nick Griffin, and my suspicions about him have been confirmed straight from the horse’s mouth. The BNP is “bewildered” by its responsibilities in Europe. Nick himself delights in causing trouble, but is singularly slippery on facts. He expects others to listen, but does not reply to others who comment or engage in any kind of conversation with anyone on twitter. Perhaps inevitable when 90% of the population hate his guts.

He also usefully reminded me that yesterday was Trafalgar Day, and started me thinking about patriotism in its many guises. Being in Germany I find it a very interesting topic, because I sometimes feel as though I am experiencing more than homesickness for my friends and family – an actual longing for England itself.

Where does this feeling come from? Why do I  leap to defend the weather or cuisine when I know it is better in other countries? Why do I seek to protect the concept of Britishness against jokes and slander? I’m poud of our liberties, I’m grateful for our relative economic security and safety from attack. I love the infrastructure and the accents, the music and the telly, the literature and the arts. But Germany’s not bad either. I could have been born here, and lived a very similar life. I wouldn’t be disappointed with Australia or Greece. As the late Linda Smith observed, most people who are proud of being British are taking credit for something they took  no part in forming. No one alive now was alive to invent Britain. Most patriots were born and live here, so to call themselves British is not an achievement.

Nick Griffin’s attacks on foreigners in Britain and Brussels seek to include people like me, who want to feel proud and superior, who can define themselves as British if nothing else, who get excited by history and intrigued by ancestry. But it’s too easy. Patriotism is a luxury we don’t need. Defending the things that Britain does well individually is brilliant. But this concept of there being something more, an essence that runs through all of us and through the place itself is crazy. We see it taken to extremes world-wide, with broad hysteria on immigration, globalisation and EU integration. With MSPs preaching independence at all costs, with the Tea Party movement’s covert xenophobia, with the PKK committing violence in the name of the as-yet-unrecognised Kurdistan, with neo-Nazis in Berlin.

The British media heaps scorn with alacrity on any politician appearing to be less than delighted about their homeland. In the case of Gisela Stuart I more than once had to talk round voters who were unwilling to “let the Germans in” by electing her. Clegg was vilified for his foreign wife and europhile credentials. We have an unhealthy obsession with this second-hand pride.

The human race is entitled to liberty, good health and financial stability. It is not entitled to patriotism.

Suzy

Merkel’s mistake

by suzannahrobinson

In an end to the cosy “Multi-Kulti” rhetoric of recent years Angela Merkel has made the sudden announcement that it doesn’t work. That multiculturalism in Germany has failed, both in terms of community cohesion and economic reality. Her comments come on the back of statements made by her partner in the coalition, the leader of the CSU which specifically represents South Germany, who focussed on cultural purity and the higher birth rates among of immigrants. The comments seem to have been well received, with many Germans (up to 30%) agreeing that the country is “overrun” with immigrants.

In Berlin I’ve seen multiculturalism working. I’ve seen international art on the streets and in galleries, different cultures participating in sports together, learning and teaching together, eating together. Berlin has always thrived from being a real metropolis. Nothing that this city does well comes from cultural “purity” or homogeneity. It’s built on contrasts and mixing. Easteners, Westeners, Danes, Poles, Turks, Italian, Canadians all contribute.

It’s hard for a German Chancellor to make comments on immigration without being accused of holding far-right sentiments by the international community. Merkel is probably trying to reclaim the rhetoric from the real neo-Nazis in a way that our politicians so obviously failed to do before the election of Nick Griffin and Andrew Brons. Sarkozy and Obama have both been able to go much further because they haven’t got the terrible historical reputation that Germany has. The legacy of history can be seen as a blessing in this context, because it acts as a very potent check and balance against racism in the national consciousness.

Suzy

Take off thy sandals, for thou art on holy ground

by suzannahrobinson

The tragedy of 9/11 does not mean that capitalism is now synonymous with freedom. The World Trade Centre was not a symbol of liberty or Christian morals but of great wealth concentrated in the hands of the few. The ground where it once stood is special because of the innocent lives lost there, but these lives were not exclusively those of white American Christians.

Ground Zero must not to be earmarked by a group of hysterically patriotic Islamophobes who believe it belongs inherently to them and their values. The so-called “Ground Zero Mosque” – a cultural centre proposed for two blocks away – is about as far away from al-Qaeda as it is possible to get. The Cordoba Initiative is a moderate, diplomatic Muslim group which aims to improve relations with America and the West, and reconcile us to Islam.

The latest report that 4% of Republicans and 49% of Democrats support the centre includes the incredible statistic that 21% of Republicans would prefer a strip club. This gets right to the heart of the problem, because it shows that it’s not really about morals at all.

Last Sunday the church I attend in Berlin had two visitors from a charitable US Christian Organisation, which helps those who are affected by the new immigration laws in Canada and at the Mexico border. Problems faced by immigrants to Canada are exacerbated if the applicant is Muslim, even if they are also an American citizen. The congregation heard about a project  where immigrants in need of support are accommodated in houses owned by the charity in typical suburban neighbourhoods, and effectively flat-share with Christian volunteers. The spokeswoman testified that she has become a better Christian through living with Muslims, and has learnt a lot about their shared values and how to live a holy and respectful life.

In this land of true liberty and capitalism such a piece of prime real estate should simply belong to the highest bidder. I hope the centre does go ahead, so that all those Muslims who suffer from the effects of everyday prejudice can be remember too.

Suzy

Royal approval

by suzannahrobinson

The swedish royal family is significantly less extensive, overfunded and ridden with controversy than our own. Hoever the recent opinion polls from the SOM institute show support decreasing to an overall low of 56 % despite the recent bounce in popularity created by the wedding of Crown Princess (and 197th in line to the British throne) Victoria.

The opposition is well-organised and highly politicised, with most left-wing parties and groups featuring desposing the royal family on their agendas, and the Republican Association growing in membership.

The Daily Mail, perhaps in an effort to undermine the republican movement, or perhaps in an effort to feature lots of pictures of women in gowns, focussed chiefly on Stockholm joining in the fun of the wedding, relegating campaigners to outsider status.  

The New York Times took a different approach, ending by speculating on the fate of the king if a Swedish republic is ever declared.

Could this be the start of a European-wide (or world-wide, if we`re including Australasia) movement to oust the royals?

Suzy

“making headlines”

by maxattacks

“making headlines” was David Miliband’s take upon David Cameron’s (DC) accusation at Pakistan apparently exporting terror to Afghanistan. Consequently because of DC’s “frankness” Pakistani intelligence officials have cancelled a visit to the UK while opposition politicians in Pakistan urged their President, Mr Zardari to call off his trip, while demonstrators burnt an effigy of DC on the streets of Karachi. It seems that DC has still yet to make the transition from politician to statesman.

It’s as David Miliband pointed out, while yes aspects of Pakistan have exported terrorism DC seems to forget that not only do Pakistan officials play a major role in the stemming of terrorism but Pakistan and its people have been victims of terrorism coming from Afghanistan. International diplomacy is all about making friends so you can influence your friends. Yes, stand up for your values but there is a fine line between “frankness” and making enemies. Thankfully though President Zardari is still set to visit the UK but the Pakistan intelligence service cancelled their visit in direct response to DC inability to understand both sides of the story.

Max

It`s all relative

by suzannahrobinson

Yesterday evening an unknown man was buzzed into our building, entered our apartment through the door we often leave open and offered my flatmate money for sex. After a clear refusal in Turkish, English and Spanish, a violent struggle and threats to call the police he eventually went home, and we were left feeling terrified and dirty.  

The consensus about the event among my Turkish friends is as follows: that it is known in the neighbourhood that our apartment is occupied by young foreign women, who are probably not Muslim and definitely without the support of a large family bent on avenging insults to its women. Our brothers, fathers and uncles are far away, and we probably act like the American women in gossip magazines anyway, so will welcome advances. And if we don`t like it we can go back to where we came from.

Other things I find difficult to adjust to in İstanbul are the poor record on women`s liberation, the high birthrates, the tradition of the hostess never sitting down during a meal but continuing to serve throughout, the constant and indiscriminate leering by men of all ages and the incredible statistic that only 10% of Turkish women are in employment.   

It all makes the Ed/Yvette leadership issue look very, very trivial.

Suzy

This time for Africa?

by suzannahrobinson

It`s been a disappointing world cup, and I don`t just mean for England. The 2004 announcement of South Africa winning the bid to host led to predictions of a massive leap forward for the whole continent, as the World Cup was expected to raise Africa`s profile, increase levels of tourism, bring in revenue in prize money and foreign currency, provide investment and give it a greater sense of pride and identity.

Six years and sixty (?) matches later we have two anthems sung by a Somali-Canadian and a Columbian, a tournament dominated by European teams with Ghana the sole African representative past the group stage, inter-African xenophobia in Johannesburg… Time will tell but I think it`s already safe to say that hosting the World Cup was not South Africa`s holy grail.

Suzy

Apologies and Gaza flotilla thoughts

by maxattacks

First of all can I say that sorry for the lack of blogs lately, exams have been a pain in the rear backside and then last few days been working all day, but anyways as Lawsgate had already been tackled I thought it’d be good to tackle the Gaza flotilla incident.

 Chris Riddell cartoon, 04.01.09

I can easily understand and to a degree, sympathise with Israel’s position, quite evidently if you are attacked with knives and chairs you would naturally defend yourself, though killing around 10 activists kind of shows that the soldiers acted disproportionately to the situation. There are also numerous eye witness accounts from the activists that many were shot with non-lethal rubber bullets or physically assaulted if they were slow to follow Israeli orders. Israel also stormed the ship in international waters which in my view is down-right piracy in itself.

It is also important to note that some activists did indeed assault Israeli soldiers but frankly if you are confronted with a potentially dangerous situation, humans usually choose one of two options. Either, hide in a corner in fear (probably what I would do) or fight back and in this case some did. In some eye witness accounts the activists were the violent aggressors which certainly cannot be condoned.

I can understand the reasoning behind Israel’s blockade of Gaza, a militant regime is dangerous thing to have on your border, but whether you are a friend of Israel or Palestine it is clear that the blockade is clearly strengthening Hamas’ grip. The blockade also prevents fertiliser from being imported, which when basic commodities as mentioned are unavailable it is no doubt that Gaza’s economy is in ruins leaving many to a life of destitute, or the alternative of joining Hamas to throw off the “hated Israelis”. It is hugely aggravating to the world community who wish to see an end to the conflict when Israel rejects an international inquiry into the incident despite it taking place in international waters and the flotilla having a multi-national ship, does Israel have something to hide?

However, while Israel’s actions are disproportionate, I can very easily understand their intent, surrounded by hostile nations they have been at war on and off for the past 50 years it is clear the Israelis are a little jittery. A movement that wishes to eradicate Israel, such as Hamas, is obviously going incite more fear in Israel, but, it does not excuse their actions.

Max

Islam, women and FGM

by suzannahrobinson

Ayaan Hirsi Ali has been making the news recently, as a Muslim woman who ran away from home in Somalia in order to escape an arrange marriage. She has since become an atheist and an outspoken critic of Islam.

“Here are a number of principles within your religion [Islam] which are not compatible with liberalism and democracy”

“To extremist Muslims it is not acceptable that Jews now have their own homeland”

She is impatient of moral relativism, and decrys the tolerance of Female Genital Mutilation by the Western world as “just one of those cultural things”. She says that these are the real issues of feminism, and that feminism in Europe and North America is just a luxury.

The levels of oppression women suffer in Britain do seem laughably small in comparison with the situations in countries like Burkina Faso. If cliteral reconstructive surgery was given to all those who have undergone FGM in Burkina Faso alone the total cost would be 23 billion euros.

http://clitoraid.org/
Suzy

The grill

by maxattacks

Putting aside the Iraq War and Tuition Fees, I have always seen (contrare to many BUC”F” blogs) Blair as quite a good PM. However, these two issues have been so dominant, particularly (and even more so in recent months) Iraq’s legitamity. Now before any Tories pop up and start hurling abuse, don’t forget your party supported it as well (and still do).

Alastair Campbell, Tony Blair’s former communications chief, told the inquiry he would defend “every single word” of the 2002 dossier on Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction, Lt Gen Sir Richard Shirreff said the British Army was effectively providing “no security at all” in the southern Iraqi city of Basra by mid-2006, Peter Watkins from the Ministry of Defence said that one lesson learnt was that the coalition allies should have sought a single agreement with the Iraqis, etc.

But more importantly what’s your take on all this?

Max

Why haven’t we done that yet?

by maxattacks

It was in today’s Gaurdian that same-sex marriages are soon to be legalised in Portugal, a deeply Catholic country. Now what gets me is that not only Portugal but South Africa, Spain, Holland, several South American countries and six US states have also done the same, why are we not joining them already?! Granted Civil Partnerships was a great start, but more is needed, we are the party for progress and equality after all.

Max

No 3 million mark for this recession

by maxattacks

Job centre in Glasgow

According to the latest forecast from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, unemployment will rise to 2.8 million in 2010, Dr John Philpott, chief economic adviser to the CIPD, said it was a “remarkable outcome” that unemployment had not taken off further, given the scale of the downturn.

However, it is in fact unremarkable, the action taken by this Government over the last year has ensured that unemployment would not rise above the 3 million mark unlike in the two previous recessions. He then warned unemployment could also rise higher if …the government imposed deeper spending cuts, blatantly showing that not only do the rest of the political world agrees with out actions, but so do most independant organisations, placing one particlar party in the corner, no guesses who.

Max

Copenhagen result

by maxattacks

Chris Riddell comment cartoon 20.12.09

In case you’ve been too busy “merrying” yourself at this particular time of the year he’s a rather mini sum up of the events over in Denmark. (And yeh, it’s the same cartoonist I’ve used 3 times, Chris Riddell from the Observer, but he’s certainly the best one I know of).

Well, it didn’t go great, the Enviromental Secretary, Ed Miliband, said that the Copenhagen summit was the “most chaotic show on earth”. There were a good few countries, including Sudan and Venezuela, that were threatening to overturn the whole summit with the Sudanese delegate comparing the proposals to the holocaust. Evidently, it is true that many of the 3rd world countries present would have struggled to cut their emmissions, however, it is clear that it is down to us to help those without the means to help the world. There were some agreements though through a deal reached between the USA, China, Brazil, India and South Africa:

• A commitment from wealthy and key developing nations to limit global warming to 2C

• Between $25bn and $30bn in climate funds for poorer nations over the period 2010-12, with an annual sum of $100bn envisaged by 2020

• A mechanism to verify each state’s compliance with its commitment to curb greenhouse gas emissions

However, the fact that, for the time being, the summit is not legally binding shows something of an apparent flaw in the procedings despite the PM, Gordan Brown, argued for such an arrangement. (I told you it’d be a brief sum up)

While (personally) this is certainly better than nothing, do you think is enough, what could be done to built upon this and is this the most world leaders could achieve given the presence of prominent climate change deniers?

Max

Ban on Islamic Minarets

by chrisblewitt

It looks like the Swiss voters have decided to ban Islamic Minarets with 57% of voters in the referendum voting in favour of the ban, seeming to parallel a widespread insecurity over immigration in our country which led to there being BNP MEPs elected into Europe. This ban on minarets seems unashamedly discriminative towards the Islamic population within Switzerland, for me this is totally unacceptable and openly seems to want to condemn Islamic culture in their country. Just a thought…surely if they are going to ban minarets shouldn’t they ban church spires as well?

Chris Blewitt, Former Website Editor

Kiwi Republicanism

by Nash

I’m speaking to you as a former royalist. That’s right, whilst down here in one of Her Majesty’s many Dominions, I’ve gone over to the over side. This blog has seen royalist v. republican rents before – normally crashed by the Tories ad their charming loyalist sentiments, with Comrade Guise leading the charge for the revolution. Ah… the memories.. But i’m coming at it with a kiwi slant. Oh yes.

Why? Well having been long torn on the Republic issue (emotionally drawn to royalty – but with no logical or rational justification for being so), republicanism down ‘ere seemed a different matter. What’s the big deal I figured – It’s not as if you’re the ones who have to pay for them – and you only have to see them every couple of years. Republicanism isn’t as big here in NZ as it has been in Australia. For a long time it has been kept off the political agenda by more pressing issues (as is always the case with any constitutional reform; see Lords, House of.).

But regardless of whether one believes in the institution of Monarchy, or in the hereditary principle at all, what swings it for myself is the idea that choosing ones own head of state is a fundamental part of nationhood. Her Majesty may be Queen of New Zealand, but she is not a New Zealander – nor is a monarch of the Windsor line ever likely to be so. SO I’m a New Zealand republican – whilst remaining undecided in the Motherland. For those prone to yelling “traitor” (I often do, it’s rather fun) here’s another fact to sway you: All immigrants to NZ, including those from the UK, are required to take an oath of allegiance to the Queen as part of becoming a citizen. As a natural-born UK citizen, I have never had to do anything remotely similar to this – not even a reasonable pledge of allegiance to the nation, or to the state, a la USA. It seems somewhat bizarre that were I to repatriate myself halfway across the globe I should have to swear allegiance to one institution I thought I’d left behind.

Despite any banterous and wholly good-natured put downs I may engage in, New Zealand is no longer a colony. It seems entirely appropriate for it to take the final step into full-fledged nationhood that  is choosing its own head of state. For an issue that would have left me confused and torn back home, here it seems simple as.

The website of New Zealand Republic can be found
http://www.republic.org.nz/
. There is also an obligatory Facebook

Comrade Nash, BULS member (in exile, NZ).

“If I could say one thing to Prime Minister Brown, President Obama and the G20…”

by Eriic

If you haven’t seen this yet, here it is.  It’s all taken from http://www.labour.org.uk:

What would you say to Gordon Brown, Barack Obama and the G20?

On 2 April 2009, world leaders from the G20 countries – representing 85% of the world’s output – will meet in London. They will meet against the backdrop of the worst international banking crisis in generations.

The London Summit will take place against the backdrop of exceptionally challenging economic circumstances. But, just as after the Second World War visionary leaders laid the groundwork for 30 years of prosperity and growth, built on international economic cooperation, this crisis is also an opportunity.

The world’s leading economies can come together and lay the foundations not just for a sustainable economic recovery, but also for a genuinely new era of international economic partnership – a global deal, in which all countries have a part to play and all will see the benefits.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown says
“At the G20 we will be discussing ideas to lead the world from recession to recovery, and I want people to feel not just that they have a stake in those discussions, but that they also have a say”.

So tell us what you want to say to the G20 world leaders before the summit and we’ll make sure we pass on as many of your comments as possible.

Why I’ve given up non-fairtrade chocolate for lent

by chrisblewitt

Last week I went to a talk from a friend of mine on the ‘Stop The Traffik’ campaign. The aim of this organisation is to pull together all the different anti-trafficking charities from around the world to put an end to slavery around the world. As well as working with Eastern European migrants in the UK who have been forced to work in factories and brothels against their will, it also fights against slave labour in cocoa bean production in Africa, particularly the Cote d’Ivoire (where 40% of the world’s cocoa beans are grown).

Many of the children found by this organisation had been taken away from their families to do un-paid labour in atrocious conditions. The cocoa beans they pick on these plantations supply many of the large chocolate making firms in our country and across the world. In turns out that although ‘Stop The Traffik’ are working on an equivalent logo to ‘fairtrade’ for ‘slave free’ goods, it hasn’t been released yet and is only on a few goods as a trial. Therefore the only way to know your chocolate is ‘slave free’ is to buy Fairtrade, as there is much greater regulation on the production of their chocolate.

I don’t want to keep funding those who use slaves to make their goods, so I am only going to eat fairtrade chocolate during lent – and hopefully afterwards (although probably with slip ups!).

Also, just as a thought, maybe we should all make an effort to buy fairtrade Easter eggs this year? I certainly will be doing so.

Is having more than two kids selfish?

by chrisblewitt

After an impromptu meeting with our vice-chair elect in the library the other day, I was left wondering whether we should actually feel guilty about having more than two children in our families. I also noticed earlier,  the report that came out from some ‘green’ organisation that it was in fact selfish to have more than two children and more of us should consider having no children at all because of their carbon footprints.

I come from a family of three children, and upon pondering this idea it struck me that if the authors of this report had their way I would not have the younger brother I adore today. What is worth more, him or his carbon footprint? It strikes me as odd that these people would value human life purely in terms of tonnes of prospective CO2 emissions, surely we are worth more than that as humans?

How could this plan be implemented? If it were voluntary surely no-one would follow it unless they valued the environment (in a very tenuous way I might add) more than the life of another child that they could have if they so felt inclined? Would this be an enforced law saying ‘you are not allowed any more children’, through which we lose benefits for children, or get fined, or even more extremely like in China have forced abortions? I would hate to be part of any Neo-Marxist state that implented any of the latter.

It is not the West that are causing world wide population issues, it is developing nations in Africa, South America and parts of Asia. These people rely on their children to support their families, as it is poverty that causes population pressures, not the ‘irresponsible’ people of Western nations choosing out of emotion, not neccessity to have children. The only way to relieve population pressure on the environment is to provide economic support to the people of developing nations so that the people do not need to have so many children, and eventually to aid their development for the prosperity of all.

Zimbabwe: will there be real change?

by chrisblewitt

I took note today that Morgan Tsvangirai had been sworn in as the Prime Minister of Zimbabwe, but will this actually mean anything for his people?

The new PM

Tsvangirai: The new PM

With inflation at meteoric levels, and cholera sweeping through the population, I find it very hard to believe that the new PM will be able to change very much with the Mugabe still casting a shadow over his country.

Surely this appointment is merely symbolic, with Mugabe still mostly in control of the police and armed forces, I cannot see how Tsvangirai’s postion has changed at all after being sworn in. Something more must be done to save these people, but what?

With South Africa claiming this as a victory, there seems to be a worrying consensus that this will be the end of the matter. I am inclined to say “time will tell”, but I am not sure how much time many Zimbabweans have as Mugabe continues his reign of tyranny

Obsessed with Class?

by daveborland

It’s an old stereotype that I have come across multiple times while here but are the British obsessed (or are everybody else for thinking it) with class?

from a Simon Hoggart article recently:

“A wise American reporter based in London once told me that every British news story is, deep down, about class. Every American story, he said, is about race. There’s enough truth in that to be worth considering. Look at Madeleine McCann (middle-class parents, so they can’t be at fault), Shannon Matthews (working-class family, dodgy) or David Cameron (a toff – need I say more?).”

Agree or not? Any other stories spring to mind?

How the World sees each other…..according to a survey.

by daveborland

Overall view on different countries influence on the world.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7324337.stm

The BBC has released its annual survey on which countries are viewed as having a ‘mainly positive’ or ‘mainly negative’ influence on the world. The article is focused on how America has improved in peoples perceptions from the previous survey, but from all the results here are some other ones of interest:

  • Great Britain has second highest positive view of Russia (after Russia) in Europe, albeit at 45%, this compares to the next highest of Germany at 24%.
  • 42% (up from 18%) of the US feel GB has had a mainly negative influence on the world this puts them 4th highest overall after Turkey (48%), Egypt (46%) and Lebanon. (44%)
  • The lowest mainly negative view of GB is Japan at 6% and the highest mainly positive view of GB is Kenya at 85%.
  • Overall positive views on GB have grown from 46% to 50%, with negative views falling from 29% to 24%.  The positive view has mainly gone up in Muslim countries (UAE now 54% positive from 31%, Turkey 36% from 21%, Lebanon 39% from 32%) along with S.Korea, China, France, Italy and Kenya.
  • Those countries who have a lower positive views of GB are the US (45%, down from 67%), Russia (43% from 55%), Portugal (56% from 65%) and India (22% from 37%).
  • Italy has a 70% view of the UK as having a mainly positive influence on the world. This is the highest in Europe.
  • Overall positive views on the European Union have risen from last year (52%, up from 48%) with negative views going from 22% to 21%.
  • All EU countries have robust majorities declaring it a positive influence.
  • GB has a 51% mainly positive rating of French influence in the world, which is second lowest in Europe only to Germany at 49% (down from 60%). GB has the largest negative view of French influence in the world of the European nations at 31%. (compared to Germany in second at 26%)

Any thoughts?

—————————————————-

for a fuller picture here is the direct link to results:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/hi/pdfs/02_04_08_globalview.pdf

Zimbabwe

by Tom Guise

This is a really interesting blog from inside Zimbabwe and has a map showing all the breaches which they say make it impossible to call the election free-and-fair. 

I just hope the actual result will be announced soon and will be honoured by all sides.  The BBCs correspondent said on the today programme this morning that most Zimbabweans had chosen not to go to work today, instead awaiting to hear the political fate of their troubled country.

Potential Pitfalls to the Presidency

by daveborland

The tangible excitement emitting from the Democratic and to a slightly lesser extent Republican primaries has been captivating the attention and emotions of it seems everybody, not just the vast swaths of the American population or the excitable, foreign, political junkie inhabiting here or abroad. It has also also raised the eyebrows and ears of the rest who may only signal it through a joke or passing mention.

American presidential politics has appeared to have this wide reaching hand for a while, leading to the apparent ‘fact’ that the two people who are known by everybody in the world are the American President and Michael Jackson, don’t ask me why the latter is included. It is therefore going to be interesting to see whether this momentum carries on into the General Election in what is likely to be a contest between Hillary or Obama against McCain.

The crucial difference so far between the Republican and Democratic contests has been a Democratic race focused primarily on differences on how to get to a fairly similar set of policies, in contrast to a Republican debate of what policy issue is most critical (McCain – Security, Romney – Economic, Huckabee – Social). This plays into the hands of Democrats who have clearly seen the consensus boost turnout numbers with them averaging the Republicans 2:1. This is a good sign for an election given the strong correlation between those who vote in the primaries and go onto vote in the general election.

However, it is worth speculating on how the policy debate will play out in a General Election, this will in part matter on how McCain intends to woo the social conservatives who Huckabee has been plucking off with apparent ease and whether he will stick to his guns, but pick a socially conservative running mate or try and swing a bit to the right to capture the vote. I would have thought the former would be more appropriate and more in McCains nature. In addition it would leave him less susceptible to the ‘flip flop accusation’ that so effectively battered Kerry and could lead to disenchanted Republicans not turning out to vote for somebody they do not sincerely feel has their interests at heart.

The two leading Democrats both face potential election political pitfalls too though. Clintons are more apparent in that she will garner many Republicans and Conservatives to put aside their different emphasis’ and rally on the ‘anybody but Hillary’. It is also questionable whether the independents whom Obama has enticed out of the woodwork would follow Hillary with quite the same fervor. Obama though may also encounter some tricky issues when, as is likely, the election switches to the policy differences between the Republicans and himself, you can be sure the fact that he was rated the #1 liberal senator of 2007 according to the National Journal will not be overlooked (http://nj.nationaljournal.com/voteratings/) and his oratory ability to convince people that they are not part of a liberal or conservative, but a United America, may show some cracks.

If you are a Democrat though optimism is thankfully rational and the longer the Republicans forgo healing the divisions of the Conservative split (let us pray for Huckabees stubbornness) and the Democrats don’t resort to any negative bitching (no more South Carolinas) then November 4 2008 should usher in a period of anticipation, hope and for me curiosity on what a truly Democratic Washington can achieve.

Jumping on a Bandwaggon of Grief?

by Brigidjones

Browsing the news stand yesterday, every paper bar the Sport led with the murder of Benazir Bhutto. This included the Sun and the Mirror, which led with full pages proclaiming “Don’t let them kill democracy” and “The day democracy died”. I wondered how many mentions Bhutto had been afforded in each publication in life.

A quick search of the Sun’s website brought up fourteen mentions in the last year, the most recent pre-death being the fourteenth of November. The Mirror fared somewhat better with sixteen mentions of her in her in the last year, the last of her alive also in November.

For comparison to the broadsheets, the Guardian managed 401 mentions, the last three days before she was shot…

I am somewhat aware that Bhutto’s only mentions on this blog have been posthumous. However we are not trying to sell newspapers, and I can’t help but feel the tabloids are going more than a bit OTT in trying to cash in.

This made me think

by Brigidjones

A little while ago while Gordon Brown was doing the rounds for his party leadership bid, I attended some pre-election rally and got to shake his hand.

Last week one of the candidates in Iran’s presidential elections pulled out following outrage over a picture apparently showing him shaking a woman’s hand.

The same gesture, 3000 miles apart; one makes for a mildly interesting anecdote, the other brought down a potential president… it’s so easy to take freedoms for granted.

Ever heard the one about the politician, the whip and the CND? No?.. neither had we until yesterday

by Birmingham University Labour Students

Birmingham University Labour Students was privileged enough to have been in parliament yesterday during the Trident debate (for which my thanks go out to Tom Marley and John Ritchie), and what a sight. Parliament square full of protesters (and no, not just the ‘loony left’ so despised by the right of our party) and a real sense of grassroots interest and activism in action.. until we entered the building. The UK is a supporter of, and signatory to, various international treaties concerning the proliferation of nuclear arms and commitments to disarm in return for other states not obtaining them; these include: START I & II, ABM, SALT and NPT. However, despite this, the government yesterday was whipping to renew the independent nuclear deterrent of the UK.

A victory for the government was won despite the 95 Labour rebels who voted to delay the decision (presumably outside of the Blair time to create a legacy). But at what cost to country and Party?

The decision was ONLY made through the support of the Conservative Party, who undoubtedly supported Blair in order to embarrass him, and is a shameful state of affairs for our party to be in. When a Labour Prime Minister is comfortable with passing law without the support of his (normally sizeable Labour) majority and in full knowledge that the Conservatives will support him; we know something is wrong. Even the honourable Baroness Boothroyd, former Labour MP and speaker of the House of Commons, said on the BBC’s Newsnight that Blair is now becoming a lame duck. The BBC highlights that:

“The plans were supported by 409 MPs and 161 were against – a majority of 248. The government needed Conservative support to push the measure through. Earlier 413 MPs rejected a bid to delay the decision, with 167 MPs – including 95 from Labour – wanting a delay.”

Trident and the sacrifice of principles to retain power are moral questions which as a party we must address, and truly reflect on its implications for supporting the Blairite (/Tory) government. It is worth mentioning those MPs (other than the 95) who stood by their principles and integrity over this difficult issue and ultimately decided they could not support it:

  • Nigel Griffiths – Deputy Commons leader
  • Jim Devine – Ministerial aide
  • Stephen Pound – parliamentary private secretary to Labour chairman Hazel Blears
  • Chris Ruane – parliamentary private secretary to Mr Hain.

I hope, although I doubt, that this incident will encourage members such as us to question what we believe in. To question it, and decide where we would like to see the party move in the future and under whose leadership.

The Labour rebels in Trident vote can be found here.

Posted by Tom Hyner.

Trident, sheer MADness!

by Birmingham University Labour Students

£25 Billion renewal costs, £1.5 Billion per year upkeep… no, this is not the latest costs of the Olympic games but the early estimates of the costs of renewing Britain’s independent nuclear deterrent. The ideological grounding for the Trident missile system is a realist concept of mutually assured destruction (MAD) and game theory whereby the individual actors (in this case States) attempt to rationalise all of the options open to them. In a nuclear age, the ‘logical’ outcome of deterrence and the desire to ward off competitors and enemies is to match their destructive capability – through buying yourself a shiny new missile system too!

However, the world has moved on since then, the Berlin wall and the Iron Curtain no longer exist; Western governments claim terrorism is the new enemy; and the US is the global hegemon with forward deployed forces in all areas of the globe. An independent nuclear deterrent is no longer desirable or required. Japan has survived the Vietnam conflict, the Korean War, a nuclear China and North Korean nuclear tests in its region and yet has not developed ANY nuclear deterrent at any point during the cold war. Why is this not the case for Britain? Being the ‘closest ally’ of the US, why do we not also ask to be put under the ‘nuclear umbrella’ that has worked so well elsewhere and save ourselves Billions per year!?

Not only does Britain not need Trident to be protected by a nuclear deterrent, but it may in fact be a breach of international treaties on non-proliferation to develop a new system. The 1970 Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty, signed by Britain, is a self-imposed and binding obligation to halt the spread of nuclear arms and for states already in possession of them to disarm and reduce stockpiles; not doing so is a possible breach and would make a mockery of any policy towards North Korea and Iran developing their own ‘deterrents’. The development of a new missile would also be a clear breach of the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) treaty and START (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty) which commit to the reduction in armaments for nuclear powers.

The trident missile, and presumably its successor, carries three nuclear warheads with the destructive force of 100 kilo tonnes each (or 8 times the size of the Hiroshima Bomb) and will be used only for the most expensive game of tit-for-tat politics ever played.

Tom Hyner is West Midlands Area NUS Ethical & Environmental Officer and BUGS Independent Chair.

UK needs to walk the walk on arms control

by Birmingham University Labour Students

West Midlands Area NUS Ethical & Environmental Officer and BUGS Independent Chair, Tom Hyner, writes the first of many regular blogs, this time on Arms Control. 

As a part of my remit to raise awareness on the issues surrounding ethics and the environment, I have chosen to write a couple of blogs concerning international arms controls. This is as important an issue as any for the contemporary world as Britain plays such a big part historically in this area. The 2005 general election Labour party manifesto proclaimed proudly that Labour had already:

… introduced a strict regime to control the export of conventional weapons, and we led moves for EU-wide measures. We will work actively to secure an international treaty on the arms trade.

The Labour Party, 2005, p.85

However, despite progress, there is still a long way to go to bring accountability and change to the international arms transfer system. The facts are as stark as they are shocking, as between 1996 and 2000 the UK ranked fourth in the world for exporting major conventional weapons systems, cornering about 10% of the world market. In the UK alone, arms exports are worth around £5 Billion every year and supports around 90,000 jobs.

The Oxfam, Amnesty, IANSA report “Arms Without Borders” stated that: “…the US Congressional Research Service estimated that collectively, countries in Asia, the Middle East, Latin America and Africa spent $22.5bn on arms during 2004; 8 per cent more than they did in 2003. This sum would have enabled those countries to put every child in school and to reduce child mortality by two-thirds by 2015, fulfilling two of the Millennium Development Goals.”

Labour Students, amongst other groups still supports important campaigns to change how this sytem operates. The control of arms exports is crucial for any form of ‘ethical foreign policy’ or ‘progressive’ international society as the sales of arms to nations believed to abuse human rights is, in effect, at the discression of the governments involved. Please help to make whatever change we can by putting your name to the petition on the link below:

www.controlarms.org

Birmingham City Council debate costs £588 million per minute

by John Ritchie

Leader of the Labour Group on Birmingham City Council led a massive walkout of last night’s Birmingham City Council meeting, The Stirrer reports today. Sir Albert Bore (pictured right) led a walkout of all opposition members after a debate calling for the withdrawal of British troops in Iraq was limited to a mere eight and a half minutes.

The exiting Labour group was joined by Respect councillor, Salma Yaqoob, who commented that she had never seen debate stopped in such a way. The councillor for Sparkbrook went on to say “we have discussions that just go on and on about far less serious subjects when they go into all the minutiae, but with this one they missed the chance to send out a powerful message on behalf of all the people of Birmingham.”

Birmingham City Council is currently run by a Tory-Lib Dem coalition.

Council Deputy Leader, Lib Dem Paul Tilsley later blamed Labour members for dragging out a previous debate on post offices (proudly advertised on Conservative councillor Deirdre Alden’s blog as being proposed by her), and explained “it’s our duty to protect the interests of the people of Birmingham and so far £5bn has been spent on the war. That’s £50 for every man, woman and child in the city.” I can’t work out Cllr Tilsley’s arithmetic, but I’ve got a simple bit of my own – if the war has cost £5bn and Birmingham City Council cannot spend more than 8½ minutes discussing it, that values the time of our good councillors at £588 million a minute… it’s no wonder Brummies don’t think they’re getting value for money out of the council.

The Deputy Leader went on to state his disgust at the people of Birmingham being left to pay for an “illegal war” based on a “bogus agenda…” yet objected to any more than 8½ minutes being allocated. You’d be forgiven for thinking that the Tory-Lib Dem pact at Birmingham don’t want to engage in a debate over Iraq – I sincerely hope the electors of Birmingham won’t be so forgiving when they try to re-open the debate with some one-sided propaganda against Birmingham’s Labour Group in the run-up to the May elections.

John Ritchie is Chair of BULS