Category Archives: World news

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

 

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

Sex is not the enemy

by suzannahrobinson

David Cameron is set to announce a new set of proposals for child-proofing the internet. A new opt-in scheme to be unveiled today would have internet providers blocking access to pornographic material to all but those users who request it. Clearly children, some teenagers and even adults can be shocked and upset by explicit imagery.

I don’t think we should run (seek to understand exotic acts and complex power games) before we can walk (understand a basic ideal of sex between adults who respect each other). But wouldn’t it be nice if the government were to replace one (misleading, fantasy-based) source of sex information with another (safe, inclusive) source?

The classically repressed British are living proof that ignoring sex does not make STIs or unwanted pregnancy go away. Only proper education, support networks and open adult discussion can do that.

I think we have some things to learn from our friends down under: http://www.sexparty.org.au/index.php/policies

Suzy

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

 

Meeting terror and violence with more democracy

by maxattacks

Flowers are placed at the Utvika campsite where victims were evacuated to from Utoeya Island (background) during Friday's shooting massacre, July 24, 2011. REUTERS/Sindre Thoresen Lonnes

“We meet terror and violence with more democracy,” are the words of Eskil Pedersen, leader of the Worker’s Youth League (UAF), the youth-wing of Norway’s Labour party, the governing party and our sister party, upon leaving the island of Utoeya. Given what he and the around 200 other UAF members endured during those fateful and horrific hours on the island can only give you hope in humanity’s ability to better itself and strive for a better world.

This has been a test for the very fabric of Norway which has always prided itself upon, openness, freedom of expression, their feeling of safety, tolerance and equality. The stories and witness accounts of Breivik shooting teenagers in the tents they fled in to. Teenagers attempting to swim away from the island. And Breivik checking the bodies for signs of life of those who decided to play dead for two hours. This shows nothing less than the very worst of humanity. Breivik was fuelled by hate and intolerance for progressive politics and multiculturalism so much so to murder 95 innocent victims with a bombing in Oslo and a horrific shooting spree.

But Pedersen’s words I hope are the ones that truly endure in Norway’s darkest hour. For when presented with the worst humanity can throw at us we must always emulate the very best in our ability to do good.

Max

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

Rambling all-purpose post-Guttenberg higher education rant

by suzannahrobinson

(it is a machine that copies)

Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg´s gone at last. He´s lied denied and compromised his way through two tricky weeks of scrutiny at the hands of the media, his political opponents and even his own party the CDU. His situation reminds me of Andy Coulson´s in January, but was inherently more critical because he had been tipped as Merkel´s successor. As a campaigner for the SPD I am not an unbiased observer, but my feeling is that zu Guttenberg did not deserve a doctorate and does not deserve to remain an MP with such blatantly compromised judgement.

I hope this will be a lesson to those members of the older generation patronising enough to moan about how much easier it is these days to get good grades, or how the standard of higher education is dropping, or how this generation is lazy. Or to the traitors in our midst who decry the degrees taken by their contemporaries as worthless.

Because this kind of copying simply can´t happen anymore. Electronic submission through specific software is common practice in modern universities, and plagiarism is one of the gravest academic crimes we can be convicted of, worse than a lack of imagination, a lack of passion, or even unpunctuality. Degrees are tough and marks are harsh, and all of us have worked hard to get into and stay at the University of Birmingham.

This is why we have to keep campaigning for fairness and accessibility. Funding for all that want it, places for all that can meet reasonable requirements, and serious long term investment in all institutions of education.

Suzy

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

Midterm Elections

by suzannahrobinson

Some questions for BULS, since I can’t ask y’all in the flesh…

Was the Rally to Restore Sanity a waste of time when people should have been spending their time campaigning on actual issues such as the conflict in Afghanistan?

Can the Tea Party movement be separated from misogyny and islamophobia?

Is the Tea Party movement grass roots in any credible way?

What will happen to the economy if the Democrats lose control of the House?

Is the Guardian perpetrating a witchhunt against O´Donnell?

To what extent has “I`m just like you” come to mean “I`m ignorant, naive and gullible” and “common sense” come to mean “the literal word of the Bible” in middle America?

Which pose a greater threat to the US – Christian extremists or Muslim extremists?

And finally…

How much will Obama have to compromise following the shift in power?

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

Of saints and sinners

by suzannahrobinson

Mary MacKillop, Australia's first saint

The pope’s latest round of canonisation has created the world’s first Australian saint. But why?

Sister Mary MacKillop did many wonderful things in her life for the poor, for the aboriginal community, for children. She was a good and pious nun. But she had been excommunicated for her role in exposing a priest as a paedophile.

This canonisation might be more than just the remembrance of a forgotten continent. It might be a gesture towards acknowledging the pope’s own criminal concealment of paedophilia. If so, then it’s a step. But it’s not nearly enough.

Aside from common decency, humanity and remorse, what could be more Christian than to make a full confession and beg for forgiveness? It’s too late to maintain the illusion of infallibility. All that can be given now is a semblance of moral goodness and honestly.

Suzy

 

Health and sex workers.

by suzannahrobinson

Following the recent HIV scare in LA’s “Silicone valley” all prominent US porn companies have suspended business until those at risk can be quarantined and carefully checked. Once again the question of condom use in the industry has been raised by The Adult Industry Medical Health Care Foundation.

Meanwhile South Africa’s first porn film to feature an all black cast was produced this week. In a nod to the growing AIDS-awareness campaign both male actors wear condoms throughout.

Health-concious porn is highly important for three reasons. Firstly because diesease can spread through the worldwide industry very quickly and affect a huge amount of people. Secondly because it’s often the first exposure young people have to the act of sex itself, and therefore has a duty to educate. Thirdly because the good health, self-respect and self-worth of porn actors are crucial to bringing the idea of legitimate sex work into the 21st century and promoting a dialogue around safe and healthy stripping and prostitution.

Feminism needs to acknowledge that putting paper bags over lads’ mags in shops is not going to make sexuality go away. Extensive legislation is necessary to protect those involved, but also necessary are a greater awareness and a broader dialogue of and around the subject. Tarring the entire industry with the brush of “chauvanism” is not doing anybody any favours, because it makes it difficult to tell what is sexist and what is simply sex.

To end with a quote from the wonderful Wendy McElroy: ”What I am saying is that truth is usually more complicated than any one perspective can capture. Prostitution is not a monolith. Each woman experiences the profession in a different manner. And nothing can be gained by having different groups of feminists or prostitutes — all of whom are probably telling the truth of their own experiences — attempting to discredit each other.”

Suzy

Rescate Mineros

by suzannahrobinson

It’s incredible how personal interest stories can so effortlessly transcend borders. As BULS’ twitter officer I have been following “trending topics” very closely this year, and I can safely say that I have never seen such concentrated interest in one topic. As the 33 are being winched to the surface (as I write they are rescuing number 7 – José Ojeda Vidal) the story swamps 9 of the 10 top trending topics worldwide.

BULS would like to offer congratulations to all the brave people involved, particularly Luis Urzúa, the shift leader, who kept himself and his co-workers alive by dispensing sips of milk and teaspoonfuls of tuna every 48 hours for the 18 days before they were discovered, and wish them well over the recovery period. Here are some of the twitter highlights:

@Marijke51 #Chilean mine rescue It’s like the first moon landing all over again.The waiting,the tension.Tears down my cheeks with every rescued miner.
@MsLucius_C Rescued Chilean miner vows to return to work underground… Brave Souls!!
@mikegoldmantwit The first Chilean miner leaves the mine. How does he look so good after that ordeal? He’s really, really good looking!

@Rosental Way Chilean authorities transformed #miner rescue into an emotional TV show will become classic case study

@w12_macaulay Chilean Miner merchandise ideas? Top Trumps definite goer. Psychological state, Number of skin lesions, Number of wives/mistress on top etc

and my personal favourite:

@SamMannion: I do love the irony, it’s Thatcher’s birthday and the whole world is focused on a mine.

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

Not so top of the mornin’

by maxattacks

As you may be aware the IMF recently endorsed the Coalition’s deficit reduction plans, much to the glee of those in BUC”F”, etc. However, similar compliments were said to that of the Irish Government’s austerity actions two years ago. Now no one is saying that the UK and Irish economies and their features are the same (unlike the DC, Gideon and Cleggy who hopelessly used Greece and Canada as examples to justify their austerity measures in a downright scare campaign), but it does give a tell tale sign of what MAY happen if you slash spending, force thousands more to the unemployed register and consequently lowers tax receipts.

Also, if you were watching tonight’s Question Time, the IMF’s credibility was absolutely decimated. Given it was pointed out by members of the audience and the panel that they are totally inept at understanding the social impacts of any real policy they support and how little progress they’ve made with child poverty in Africa.

Max

Pre-Thatcher media rules

by suzannahrobinson

Following the election of the new leader the Fabian Society has invited us to offer him some “miligrams” – special pieces of advice. Polly Toynbee and David Walker have taken up the challenge in their open letter to Ed in today’s Guardian. Among many other wise, considered and well-researched ideas they suggested “restricting multiple ownership [of the press] and disallow non-British taxpayers [from owning papers and TV channels]“.

And why not? As with many other aspects of the British economy the press has only been a “free market” since Thatcher’s reforms. Higher state involvement in other countries leads to higher quality journalism as there is less need for a “race to the bottom” – the bottom being low-brow sensationalism. Better funding, better research, more original material are all desperately to be desired in a highly-educated but largely tabloid-consuming country.

We’re all in thrall to the moguls, particularly Murdoch. Parties, policies and individuals can all be spun by one of the many branches of News Corporation, and it is chilling that there seems no way out.  But we are free to make our own laws. If he wants to go elsewhere, let him coerce ad terrorise the citizens of America or Australia, and welcome if they’ll have him. To buy up US enterprises he had to take American citizenship, but the Conservative government’s reforms allowed him, as a non-domicile tax exile, to seize a large fraction of our media outlets.

The Daily Mail was bought by the first Viscount Rothermere, and in a family history that could have come straight out of a Jonathan Coe novel, has been inherited by his son, grandson and great-grandson respectively. The family is related by marriage to the Thatchers, and surprisingly enough, is openly Tory supporting.  The Barclay twins, owners of the Telegraph, are notorious millionaire tax avoiders, and they have a zero-tolerance policy towards criticism. Like the Murdoch and Rothermere enterprises their business is characterised by hypocrisy and nepotism.

Whereas the Guardian, Private Eye and other left-wing, relatively independent publications are making huge losses every year. The founder of Wikileaks is subject to libelous claims and has little power to refute them.

Kicking up a fuss about nobility and millionaires in the cabinet is all very well, but the fourth estate is monopolised by them in a far less transparent sense. If “Red Ed” is the man I hope he is then heads, one day, will roll.

Suzy

The lady doth protest too much

by suzannahrobinson

Wearing a headscarf can and has been construed in many ways. Here in İstanbul, as in Birmingham, women can receive a lot of unwanted attention from lascivious observers for venturing out without one, especially in some areas of the city, and especially at night. In terms of keeping conservative parents happy, covering the hair seems a small concession to make for many teenage girls. For casual muslims, it`s nice to be ready to pop into mosque whenever the mood takes them.

So for scarved women who date, or have close male friends, or don`t fast during ramadan, or wear sexy underwear for their husbands, it`s a blow to be labelled hypocrites as lightly as they often are. The visibility of the scarf makes it impossible to disguise seemingly contradictory behaviour, and the woman in question must resign herself to even more unwanted attention. As with nuns and priests, people find it funny to catch scarved women out.

There is another problem with this attitude, that casual hypocrites like myself  notice – as imperfect humankind can never hope to follow all the rules all of the time, isn`t it better to at least try to adhere some of the rules laid down by whichever holy book you profess to follow? And is it really unethical to put a scarf to start with just because it`s the most obvious symbol?

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

Before we miss the sparkly bandwagon…

by suzannahrobinson

Stephanie Meyer`s Twilight Saga, heaven knows, gets its fair bit of exposure. Precisely because of this I want to give it some space on our own venerable blog. The amount of impressionable people worldwide hopelessly in love with its characters or  ideas make it worth taking seriously.

The ”twilight is sexist” debate can be argued convincingly from either side. While Bella replaces her absent mother in exclusively performing traditionally female chores for her father, suffers from a lack of professional ambition in terms of a career outside the home, is perpetually in need of rescuing and puts up with an emotionally abusive boyfriend who also supervises her every move 24/7, bruises her during sex and prevents her from seeing her friends; there is plenty of objectification of the male characters to counterbalance it, from lingering descriptions of male beauty in the books to many many minutes dedicated to the sight of muscly topless men in the films. By the fourth book Bella is strong enough to stand up for herself, and becomes a protector instead of a victim, albeit mainly in the role of a wife and mother. Also the author, screenplay writer and director are all women, the audience is predominantly female and there is some attempt at a reversal of the Adam and Eve story in terms of who is tempting whom into sexual maturity.

So much for gender.

What I`m concerned with is the heteronormativity of it all.

In the world of Twilight borderline inter-species sexuality, necrophilia, paedophilia and sado-masochism are allowable and more or less practised. Nothing is off limits but the same sex. Werewolves undergo a process of “imprinting” when they find their soulmate, and whenever it is discussed the subject is represented as “he” and the object as “she”. Vampires never seem to bite a human of the same gender, and following in the footsteps of Buffy there is a certain devotion developed towards to the one who changed you. There is no exploration of sexual identity, all the characters are introduced in ready-made boy-girl pairings, in fact there is no possibility, in this world of societal outcasts, counter-culture and misunderstood teenagers, of any LGBT experience.

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

Two cents…

by suzannahrobinson

Having a bad feminist time of it in Turkey in terms of female employment,  roles in the home and freedom of clothing, but am really thrilled about Gillard! A bit of progressive news in traditional times ^_^

Interestingly it is forbidden for Turkish women to be scarved at uni, as it damages the precious separation of church and state. The really orthodox wear wigs to hide their hair all the same.

Thought I’d understand Islam more after a fortnight living in Istanbul, but the variety of practice here is bewildering! Hope to educated myself over the next few months and I’ll blog if I can think of anything good.

Suzy

How to lose a PM in 30 days

by Nash

Observing recent political events in West Island from across the ditch, I have been struck by both the swiftness and the apparent brutality of Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s removal by his own party in favour of his second-in-command Julia Gillard. The justification for his removal apparently a decline in Labor support in the polls during an election year; for which he as leader was deemed responsible. To a UK political observer the initial comparison is inevitable (and Martin Kettle at the Guardian milks it for all its worth).

But UK Labour is not Australian Labor, and we should be glad of this. Firstly Australian Labor is institutionally factionalised in a way which makes Blairite-Brownite “rifts” look like trivial squabbles over soccer team affiliation. Rudd had no core faction behind him, hence when the challenge came they swung behind Gillard. In addition, Rudd had probably alienated the powerful union factors with miner membership though his proposals for a new supertax on mining profits. The plan to reinvest these profits to the benefit of all Australians is in principle a sound idea, but one which threatened the interests of mine workers. Consequent hostile advertising from this sector likely cost a few points in the opinion polls and encouraged Rudd’s colleagues (with union backing) to act. Some of us in English circles may smile wryly at the thought that there is somewhere in the west where miners can still bring down a PM.

It is also much easier to stage a coup when only MPs have a say in their party’s choice of leader. Much of the action happened overnight in this time zone – talk of speculation coming around midnight followed by the news of Rudd’s resignation when I woke up on the floor the next morning. By teatime Gillard was meeting the Governor-General. Had Milliband, D. ever followed through on his many threats to stick the knife in we’d have gone through the whole nominations, campaigning, and membership ballots palaver. Arguably this grants the incumbent a significant advantage, but if it saves us the undignified spectacle of a brutal internal coup whilst being notionally more democratic then I for one am grateful.

Rudd had been in office for just under two and a half years, after a landslide victory in ’07. He had brought the Labor party back into power after 13 years of opposition. He’d initially taken a bold stand on global warming in a country with a deeply sceptical (and Murdoch-tainted) media, and at least attempted to redress historical grievances with the indigenous peoples. Until a matter of months ago he had polled as the 2nd most popular Australian PM in history – now he becomes the only to be ousted from office in a single term. 3-year term limits mean that an election was likely before the end of this year; with a change at the top it will likely come about even sooner (as Gillard herself has stated). We shall see if the Labor party’s gamble pays off. If it does, there may well be many a forlorn “what-if?” in the Milliband camp (though Labor’s defeat is not as likely, let alone as certain, as ours appeared in ‘09). I’m not sure which reflects worse on a party – regicide against a successful election winner, or the prospect of changing leaders twice in one term. “Unelected Prime Minister” rhetoric is disingenuous yet potent amongst the electorate, especially when there is very little to hide the naked ambition of those who make it to the top. I’ve seen identity politics used already to justify the outcome; a seemingly desperate spin. On this note it may be worth considering the success of other welsh redheaded Labo(u)r leaders.

I’m glad this undignified spectacle never befell Gordon. Rudd gave a gracious albeit tearful resignation speech, worth watching if only for his parting joke of “I’m still Prime Minister for another 30 minutes… I’m no longer leader of the Labor Party but I am Prime Minister… anything could happen folks”. To an outsider he seems a decent, honourable and principled man – I only hope his party don’t wind up regretting what they’ve done.

Comrade Nash

- BULS Southern Hemisphere correspondent

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

“oh, i don’t really *get* the news, can’t we watch britain’s next top model?”

by suzannahrobinson

In the same way that Young Money’s inclusion one female rapper in “Bed Rock” does not prevent the overall tone from being misogynist, the inclusion of 126 women MPs in parliament has, according to Caroline Flint at least, not done a great deal to shake up the status quo.

If the main political parties fail to catch the attention of young women they are at risk of losing them, not to the BNP or UKIP, but to ostensibly “private” rather than “public” organisations such as the fashion and beauty industry.

Like female rappers, female politicians worldwide are pioneers. In a country in which all-male shortlists have been the norm for a very long time, our Labour Party is imposing all-women shortlists on many secure seats in the Midlands. These will ensure greater representation in two ways: firstly having women actually present in parliament is a step towards equality, and secondly: women who are willing to be included in all female shortlists are more likely to be feminist sympathisers who really want to serve other women.

The idea of greater merit is often used to justify successful selection for PPC, but it is naïve to suggest that merit is the sole factor involved. If the woman PPC selected is incompetent the electorate will soon let us know!

Suzy

Earthquake Disaster

by suzannahrobinson

I think I can speak for BULS in expressing sympathy for the people of Haiti, admiration for the aid workers, belief that Gordon Brown will deliver on his promises of assistance, and hope that the people of Haiti can not only rebuild their lives but eventually benefit from a country stabilised by international efforts.

I also hope that aid will be given intelligently in a sustainable manner, and that the emotional trauma undergone by survivors will be attended to. A small first step would be to allow families to view the bodies of loved ones and be involved in their burial in marked graves.

Suzy, BULS Guild Council Rep

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

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

Madonna’s shopping trip doesn’t go to plan…

by chrisblewitt

Madonna failed to adopt an orphan from Malawi today after being turned down by the Malawi court on the grounds of not having stayed in Malawi long enough before adopting. In my opinion this was quite right, as it does seem a little bit sickening to go into an African orphanage with several hundred million pounds and choose just the one you like the most. Lets face it, would you see a 50 year old single mother being able to adopt in the UK? No, of course you wouldn’t. She should continue investing in Malawi’s schools and orphanages (and encourage her rich pals to follow suit), although I think I would prefer it if she treated the adoption process a little less like going for a nice afternoon walk down Oxford Street. After all, there are many children in the UK crying out to be adopted, but I’m sure its far ‘cooler’ these days to adopt African children (I mean if Brad and Angelina can do it…)

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

Wen will we learn: Thoughts on China, overpopulation and shoes

by Nash

Given that I have never found snow in winter by any means newsworthy, only two stories have really attracted my attention this week. The first occurred on Monday in Cambridge when some self-righteous dipstick took it upon himself to lob a shoe at the Chinese premier Wen Jiabao, in addition to objectively assessing him a “dictator”. Presumably a more civilised form of protest was beyond the man, as indeed was devising one that was remotely original. – Further proof perhaps that our home-grown extremists and fringe groups look increasingly towards the Middle East for guidance.

The second story, seemingly unrelated (though I’ll do my best to shoehorn) comes from a statement from Jonathon Porritt– a man I once had the pleasure of receiving an award from – who chairs the government’s Sustainable Development Commission. He has called for serious global measures to curb population growth in an attempt to tackle climate change. In addition to making some very valid points about the need for personal responsibility in procreation, he also criticises a number of ecological pressure groups for their apparent hypocrisy on the issue:

“Many organisations think it is not part of their… You [friends of the Earth, Greenpeace, etc] are betraying your members by refusing to address population issues and you are doing it for the wrong reasons because you think it is too controversial”

Controversial? He’s not wrong there. Barely skimming through the list of comments on the related Times online page could tell me that. A large number come from serial breeders in the US who have littered the planet with numerous (presumably) like-minded offspring. More often than not god(s) or scripture are invoked as justification for such recklessness. Despite all this, the US isn’t really the problem; whilst their disproportionate use of natural resources and consumption per head is nothing to shout about, natural population growth has pretty much evened off. Same goes for most of Europe.

So here’s where the real controversy rears its ugly head. What to do about the vast hordes of Africa, Latin America and Asia? Whilst discussing this may ring the distant alarm bells of xenophobic and even racialism, cold hard facts are that the enormous increase in global population from less than 1 billion in 1900 to over 6.7 billion today (and potentially up to 9 billion by 2050) predominantly comes from precisely these regions.

Now call me cynical, but I know that even suggesting that this growth is a significant global problem puts me at the risk of attack from all sorts of agitators. Labels like Eurocentrist, Neo-colonialist, and even racist would no doubt be applied (and consequently devalued) to any economist or ecologist who seriously proposed large scale cuts (“Population reduction”) in third world population growth.

So this is where China comes in. Twenty-nice years ago, the Chinese government made what was, in my view, one of the most difficult governmental decisions ever made; they introduced the One Child Policy. Now I personally have numerous criticisms of the Bejing regime; but on this issue I believe they draw a lot of unwarranted attacks. Someone famous (I forget who) once said that government is about the “choice between the unpalatable and the disastrous”. The One Child Policy was an ultimate last resort for China; a last ditch attempt to avoid the population explosions and famines which have dogged the nation’s history.I’m not proposing anything so “draconian” for sub-Saharan Africa quite yet, but it’s worth noting that if humanity doesn’t take steps to limit our numbers, nature will do the job herself.

as the Tories once argued that it is not necessarily racist to discuss immigration, I will argue that it is neither racist, nor an infringement of human rights to talk about population. And it is a discussion that needs to start soon.

Comrade Chris Nash, BULS Controversey Officer

Israel and Gaza: Looking to Peace

by Birmingham University Labour Students

I have kept my gob very shut about Gaza. Very. I’ve not been phoning my friends to tell them what I think unless they’ve called and asked, my facebook status does not tell you how many Qassam rockets are hitting Israeli towns and I’m not engaging in any ‘online debate’. Still, this is not necessarily about the current situation, its more about my time in the Middle East over the last four years and my experiences with the conflict.

First, a little about me. I’m Jewish, but not that observant, and I’ve spent about 11 months of my life in Israel, 9 as part of a gap year which I mostly spent teaching English in the North by the Lebanese border where I had the good fortune of being bombed by Hizbollah waaay before it became trendy (November 2005) and learning various leadership skills regarding a Jewish youth organisation which, until last week, I was fairly involved in. I am also involved in the Union of Jewish Students and am currently attempting to co-ordinate their LGBTQQ campaign ‘Bagels’. I love the country of Israel and its people, I have, for years, been concerned with the actions of the Israeli government as regards military action and various other things it lacks. Notably civil marriage and the way Israeli Arab villages’ schools, which are not Druze or Bedouin seem to get less funding.

When I first arrived in Israel to stay long term in September 2005 just after the withdrawal from Gaza when I was vaguely shy and retiring (yes, I really was) and fairly shy about being ‘out’ the first part of my gap year involved a 3-week ‘ulpan’ or Hebrew school session. It was awesome; we got taught Hebrew by weird old ladies, chilled in our abysmal rooms, which seemed to crumble around us, and watch Samurai Jack on cartoon network. In the evenings we’d smoke nargilla or hang on the beach. For those of you that care enough this was also where I got my eyebrow pierced. OK, none of you care enough… The following quote is from the blog I was writing at the time, which I updated whenever I got near any functioning computer for long enough.

Written January 2006 about events in September 2005 – ‘One of the more harrowing experinces at Ulpan was that the facility was half occupied by those moved from settlements during the disengagement. These people generally moped around the Ulpan, letting their dogs run everywhere, taking what they wanted, sticking together and generally being bloody miserable (not that you can blame them). Sean arranged for one of them, Ogan, to talk to us about his experiences during the pullout. I spoke to Ogan a few times after his talk, Tiff liked to call him Ugah (cake) due to Ugah being our favourite word during Ulpan breaks, ahh, the notorious havsacat ugah (cake break). Ogan was a private detective by profession and did not look like a chap to be messed with; when I asked him how active he was in protesting the disengagement he told me he hospitalised three soldiers who pushed him, meaning they were both battered and sent to military prison for a brief stint ‘But’, he assured us, ‘I am nice.’ And I’d have to agree he was the nicest bloke who ever beat up a bunch of people and almost shot the defence minister…..a story he didn’t share with the whole group. Still, whatever my own views on the pullout it was hard not to feel incredibly sorry when the Jerusalem Post (crap paper, Ha’Aretz is so much better) came in with the pictures of Gaza riots on the front.’

With regards to that last sentence, I can still remember that so vividly. Coming into the main reception at Ulpan, seeing these people opening the paper and the front image being a young Palestinian man in Gaza holding a banner in glee whilst all around him was burning in the initial riots after the pullout. It was probably the only time I really questioned myself on being pro-disengagement. I shrugged it off and hoped that those living alongside us in temporary accommodation would, with the allowances given to then by the government, be able to rebuild their lives elsewhere. I can’t help but feel that these events seriously damaged the moderate-left in Israeli politics; the downfall of the Meretz party (the only party calling for recognition of Reform Judaism and same-sex unions) is perhaps testament to this. This was still back when, especially in cities like Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, people had ribbons everywhere, cars, backpacks, bikes which were orange (anti) and blue (pro) the unilateral withdrawal from Gaza and a few of the West Bank settlements. There was a lot of hope for peace, the second intafada had died down, the barrier was halting major terrorist attacks (well, most of them) and recent polls had shown around 70% of Israelis in favour of a two-state solution. After Sharon ended up looking like a cabbage patch president Olmert had been banging on about sorting the final borders of the state and ending it all and moving on with other national issues. Israel used to be 11th in the world for education; this figure has been in freefall due to the defence budget. I could bang on about my experiences working in Israeli schools but I’m not sure this is the place.

Obviously between Olmert’s election and my leaving Ulpan Hamas were elected as the main party in Gaza. When I did exit polls for the 2006 elections not one person answered that Hamas running Gaza had changed their vote. I’m one of the few, I guess, who thinks Israel should negotiate with Hamas. In a situation like this I think you talk to whoever’s listening. I do recall, however, the sort of confusion that followed the Palestinian election. The editorials about the largest protest vote (against Fatah) ever going slightly gonky or something. Id’ve thought it was a bit of a coverup or overcompensation but I’ve always found mainstream Israeli media to be quite centre-left and very willing to criticise the government.

I guess, what I’m trying to say amongst the rambling, is that until 2004, there had been years of the bloodiest terror attacks and retaliation ever. There had been mass violations of the sanctity of human life on both sides. And somehow, for a brief little period in late 2005/early 2006, after all that, after the withdrawal, there was so much hope for peace. The government was on about it, the papers were on about it and the people wanted it. With regards to the current conflict, I no longer care who instigated it, I’m not going to play the numbers game with human lives lost and I don’t care about the political ruminations. Not anymore. Because somewhere in amongst this is a silent majority, who are scared shitless of what’s either going over or coming from the walls next to them. Who in Jerusalem, won’t get on a bus or go near a bulldozer, or in S’derot hear the rocket alert dozens of times a day, who in Gaza have seen their mosques politicised, their homes invaded by both Hamas and the IDF, and who in the West Bank fear an internal civil war. I hope that when the rockets stop flying, the troops withdraw and when the dead are buried, we can remember how we felt in 2005. That after years and years of pain we could see a future.

This post was written by Alex Wright, BULS member

I don’t think she likes us.

by daveborland

Well I was reading the monthly issue of the University of California Berkeley Democrats journal, “Smart Ass” and happened to come across this article about the UK. Any Opinions?!? :)

“It could be worse… we could be English!”

England: land of quid, fish and chips, adorable accents, and… golden thrones?

As intelligent, politically aware individuals stuck with a Republican executive, it is easy to take what we have for granted. With Bush still in office despite his atrocious ratings, the threat of global warming growing ever more present, and a sad number of people not receiving the help they need from their government, many of us have become depressed and cynical about our political system. I know I have, and I have talked to many people especially at Berkeley, who feel the same way.

What we need to remember, the thing that will keep us from becoming too disillusioned between now and next November, is that things could be much worse.

Those words usually bring to mind images of poverty in Africa and destruction in the Middle East. Certainly, we are lucky to live in a country where we do not need to fear for our lives on a daily basis. However, we have even more than we realize.

I am studying in the U.K. for the semester. When we think of countries under whose political system we would bot want to live, present-day England does not usually spring to mind. Nevertheless, learning about the way this government works makes me glad to be an American.

I was lucky enough to take a tour of Parliament a few weeks ago – lucky because tours only exist when the legislative body is not in session. The tour guide gave us a detailed overview of how the English government works as we walked through the grand halls of Parliament.

Let me first emphasize the basics. Though England still has a monarch, she has virtually no power except what she can glean from hero-worship (and this is more than you might think; her name is everywhere). Though the Queen is supposed to approve every law before it can become an official act no monarch has refused to do so since 1707. Power resides in Parliament. Parliament has two houses. One is made up of lords, and in it the Lords Spiritual (or the clergy) and the Lords Temporal (mostly men with hereditary titles) may sit. The other, the Commons is directly elected by the British people. Every potential law is voted on by both houses, and every member of Parliament has an equal vote. Currently, the numbers of people in each house are about the same. The Prime Minister heads the executive office, and he is chosen by the monarch based on the majority party in Parliament.

Most of us do not usually think about how lucky we are just to get to elect all of our representatives. The idea of the Senate being made up of people who inherited their titles is absurd to us, as is the idea of not electing the President. The British people only get to elect one house of their legislature! That is more or less the extent of their involvement in their government. They do not even have a constitution to protect people’s rights or outline the powers of the central government. I cannot imagine wanting to live in a country where I was that powerless.

That isn’t what shocked me though. That I already knew. The thing that bothered me most about Parliament was the grandeur of it. The building is beautiful, inside and out. It looks more like a well-funded, ancient church than a governmental body. As lovely as it was to look at, I couldn’t help wondering hpw many tax dollars (or pounds, as it were) were put into its construction and maintenance and its growing number of marble statues. In the House of Lords, there is a magnificent throne made entirely of gold that is very intricately adorned with golden decorations and reaches the ceiling. It is used once a year when the Queen invites Parliament to begin its session.

Who needs that kind of waste? Yes, it’s pretty but a governmental body is much more than looks. THe money that went into buying that gold, not to mention shaping it, should have gone to helping the people instead of to a monument that is used once a year. I know the American government has it extravagances as well, but I cannot imagine our people standing for one like that.

Britain is trying to improve its government. In 1999, Tony Blair reduced the number of members of the House of Lords, which also reduced the power of their vote. He also made it possible for about thirty “normal” people to be appointed to the House of Lords. However, these improvements are small and should have started a long time ago.

I do not think that Britain rules its people poorly. No one I have talked to has a problem with their government. Still, I am glad to live in a country where my rights are protected and I have a say in my government. No matter how bad things get, we are really lucky to live in one of the freest countries on earth.

Nicole Thomas

*typing errors are mine, factual are hers*

Shocking Exclusive: The Tories are Death Eaters

by Gary

In a random yet socially important and highly academic literary point, I just watched the J K Rowling programme which followed her through the final year of Harry Potter.

In talking through her characters lives, she mentioned the death of Fred Weasley.  The astute among you will remember that he died in the Battle of Hogwarts (Rowling 2007: 512).  Later that same night, Harry Potter and He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named duelled and the Dark Lord was vanquished and happiness and light spread througout the land.

The very observant among you will have spotted that the books are set in the nineties  (see for example Rowling 2007: 272).  Rowling actually put a date on the Battle of Hogwarts – 1st May 2007.

This means that the night that You-Know-Who died was the General Election in 1997 which saw the eighteen years ruled by fear and suspicion of evil people swooping in and killing everyone replaced with hope and joy and general rejoicing.

A parable for our times indeed.  Someone give that woman a knighthood.