Teddybear-gate escalates
Reason #27856 that you shouldn’t listen to politically charged religious “leaders”: ‘Sudan demo over jailed UK teacher‘.
30th November, 2007
Teddybear-gate escalatesReason #27856 that you shouldn’t listen to politically charged religious “leaders”: ‘Sudan demo over jailed UK teacher‘. Morrissey and immigrationJeevan Vasagar at the Guardian has written a piece titled: ‘Why this British Asian doesn’t listen to Morrissey any more‘. Obviously it would be annoying to find out that your music idol was a raving lunatic (although that’s not clear here because Morrissey is suing NME for allegedly twisting around his words on immigration). On this CIF article, which I broadly agree with, a commenter sums up my own views: “Any chance that someone can let us know what English culture is and how it is being strangled by immigrants?” Denying Genocide and Rape at the LSEOn Tuesday 4 December, the Indian-American historian Dr Sarmila Bose (Department of Politics and International Relations, University of Oxford) will be delivering a talk, hosted by the Pakistan Society, at the London School of Economics. Today I signed a joint letter to the LSE to voice, in the strongest terms possible, disgust that the LSE has given Dr Sarmila Bose a platform for her work on genocide denial. Continue Reading...Free Speech in DenmarkIts been almost 2 years since the world went crazy over some cartoons. In today’s Guardian, there’s a fascinating article about 7 people in Denmark, who have been arrested for ’sponsoring terrorism’, by selling and publicising t-shirts which support the PFLP in Palestine and Farc in Columbia. Before you think that this is a simple case of Danish double standards, there are a number of very interesting ironies. For instance, both the PFLP and Farc are listed as terrorist organisations by the EU (and the US), but not by the UK. Also, while most people reading this site will probably have sympathy for the Palestinian cause in general, I doubt that they see Columbian resistance movements in the same way. On the whole, I think that the people on trial are harmless activists and that it undermines the legitimacy of anti-terror legislation, if it is used to put them away for upto ten years. However, its very interesting and I encourage everyone to read the article and make up their own mind. Hindus also in faith-school tizzleIt’s not just the Jewish possibly falling foul of the law on faith schools. Yesterday the Hindu Council UK sent out a circular stating:
How. Funny. Is. That. And someone said faith schools would help create cohesion? Continue Reading...Behold the Gulabi Gang: Crimefighters with a DifferenceThey have a uniform of pink saris and go after corrupt officials with sticks and axes. Yes, you’ve heard it – the Gulabi Gang are in town! After having grown disillusioned with second-class treatment from officials and NGO groups, the local ladies of Banda , Uttar Pradesh, have taken justice into their own hands. Pink-clad vigilantes have thrashed men who have mistreated their wives over the last two years. They have also unearthed corruption in the distribution of grain to the poor. The ladies have also taken caste discrimination into their hands, using the weapons of mass protest and humilation. They’ve even got male members joining the ranks of rebellion against rural India’s patriarchy and feudalism, unsurprising given the lack of political participation available to the poor. Here’s to hoping the gang’s actions go on to improve the lives of many, many more. Should faith schools be allowed to discriminate?A faith school was forced to change its admissions policy yesterday for fear that it breached anti-discrimination laws: Continue Reading... Petro-dollars and the Middle EastThis article in the New York Times is interesting:
Coincidentally, I have an article today on Comment is free about the growing economic power of Dubai and how it may impact the Middle East. I just hope these people would invest the money in building local employment than buying American assets. It would be good for all of us. Musharraf steps down… as General, so he can be sworn in as President.
It looks like the pressure wasn’t all international. Dawn reports:
Good to see that the desire for democracy is still strong within Pakistan. Meanwhile, Bhutto wants to have a chat with Nawaz Sharif. Maybe all this won’t come to a messy end? ———————– Talk on ‘Multiculturalism’I’m going to be speaking today at this talk at 5pm: Has multiculturalism done more damage than good, is it an outdated concept? Why have many minority communities in Britain found themselves with little option but to fall back on their own cultural resources, in their own areas, creating their own employment opportunities? Why is White British racism on the rise and are Muslims right in feeling that they are at the heart of the tabloid agendas? Academics, activists, journalists and members of the public are invited to take part and contribute to the discussion that has been making headlines. Speakers representing both sides of the debate will discuss the above issues amongst others. Update on BangladeshReuters Alternet has an update on situation in Bagladesh:
If you know of any fundraising events taking place please mention them below. Letting the BNP speakBNP leader Nick Griffin and Holocaust-denying ‘historian’ David Irving spoke at the Oxford Union yesterday. There had been intense pressure on the Union to cancel the debate, and the event was marred by protests: Continue Reading... Double standards on women’s rightsOver at openDemocracy, Zohra Moosa (PP reader and commenter) is blogging on ‘16 days against gender violence‘ along with others.
No doubt the usual suspects will come along in a bit complaining about ‘anti-American bigotry’, but there is a wider point to be made here. Like Zohra, I believe that individuals and organisations should apply the same standards of human rights to everyone, equally. So what if the laws in Saudi Arabia are different, that is no excuse to say it is acceptable for a woman to be treated so badly. And why shouldn’t we hold governments to the same standards? Undercover AsiansBBC.co.uk has an interesting article on British Asians (a Hindu woman and a Muslim man) who work for the MI5 and have spoken out briefly on why they joined and their experiences. Quite interesting. I have no objections to people joining the intelligence services of course (as with any other part of government). It’s exciting work but someone’s gotta do it hey? Sajjad KarimSajjad Karim, 37, was the first British Muslim elected to the European Parliament in 2004, as a Liberal Democrat candidate. Today Conservative HQ announced that he’s ditched the Libdems and defected to the Tories. Update: Guess who said this on their blog in June this year?
And now: “It’s David Cameron and the Conservatives who are now setting the political agenda in Britain. Only the Conservatives are capable of putting right Labour’s continued failure.” Unsurprisingly Iain Dale and Guido are slavishly trotting out the party line. Heh. Update 2: Duncan Borrowman has more contradictory quotes by Karim. Will Kabaddi encourage you to join the Army?Erm, apparently they think it will.
Well, none of the quotes by Army personnell state that so it may amount to the journalist’s take. I can’t think of anything more silly. But the idea of British soldiers playing Kabaddi is funny though. During my first year at university, a huge group of us drove down to Margate for the day. Randomly, we decided to play Kabaddi on the beach while onlookers watched in amusement. Happy days, I tell you. Politics and the internet<shameless plug>Yesterday, Radio 4’s Westminster Hour had a special supplement on Power and the Web, presented by Spectator editor Matthew D’ancona. Although I briefly feature near the end (plugging PP), the programme is well worth listening to despite the damage I may do to your ears. The second part goes out Sunday December 2 at 10.45pm and will mention Liberal Conspiracy.</shameless plug> New IVF rules: Demise of the Traditional Family?It’s rare to find I agree with Minette Marrin. Whilst I admire the way she writes without fear, I find the ‘doom-mongering’ can get a little heavy sometimes. Alas, she has made some interesting points regarding the new proposals for fertility treatment. The most contentious of the proposals is to remove the requirement to consider the “need for a father” when deciding whether to offer IVF. This is part of ministerial efforts to make it easier for homosexual couples to have test-tube babies. This has (unsurprisingly) caused outrage amongst religious and conservative circles, with Iain Duncan Smith saying it would “drive the last nail in the coffin of the traditional family”. Marrin has also considered the necessity of men in today’s society. There’s the “widespread use of the word testosterone as a term of blame and abuse”, in addition to women increasingly blaming their difficulties on men. She proposes the argument for a serious revaluation of men thanks to the numbers of women living capably without them, in addition to reprising traditional roles. She also argues the benefits to offering fertility treatment to lesbian couples.
Is the Brown Premiership coming to an end?The moment Gordon Brown announced there would be no election something clicked into place for me. I couldn’t put my finger on it at the time but a few weeks later I was struck by this sudden sense that Gordon Brown’s days were numbered. This fed into a conversation with a good friend (and Labour party supporter I might add), we both concluded that he’d be gone in six months but without doubt within twelve. Uttering out loud those words I was almost shocked to hear myself say them! I had no special knowledge, no divine insight or great analytical skill just this strong instinct that this was it for him. I usually don’t make judgments on such abstract grounds. Since the ‘no announcement announcement’ the government has come to look more and more like the last days of Major premiership. Crisis and incompetence, one after another have come tumbling out into public view. Brown’s controlling style has become a great deal more transparent and more embarrassing for his Ministers and supports. It transpires I’m not alone in thinking his time is running short:
I agree, that last line is my sense also; I think we’re seeing the last days of Gordon Brown’s Premiership (and possibly the Labour Government). I think his time as leader and Prime Minister is running out, and running out fast. Update: Paul Linford and OurKingdom have also picked up the scent. Ben Brogan joins the fray with this piece. And for those that think we’re being far fetched or don’t think it’s possible, ask yourself this: six weeks ago did you know that Ming was going to be gone all of a sudden? ————————— The Really Very Quick Open ThreadHello, Still there’s nothing like fiddling while Rome burns, so lets have your jokes, funny tales, amusing links, weekend plans and banter below please! Oh and if you’ve spotted anything wonderful on the the net this week, please alert the good folk at the Britblog Round Up at britblog@gmail.com. Update: Don has very kindly drawn my attention to the above video clip. It’s a hoot- though I suspect Jeremy Kyle would be less than amused by it. Uttar Pradesh hit by multiple blasts; at least 14 deadIndia’s most populous state was today rocked by a series of blasts: Continue Reading... Pakistan suspended from the CommonwealthSounds like the right decision to make. Hopefully it’ll put more pressure on Musharraf to hold free elections as soon as possible. The right terminology for terroristsIn yesterday’s Guardian Timothy Garton Ash said Jihadists is the best term he can think for the current threat of terrorism, eschewing that silly term Islamofascism. Works for me. Anyway, language is constantly evolving and I see this as a good development. Are you confused by all the phrases people use? Provide some examples… Ministry of Truth / ChickYogMinistry of Truth has a slightly different domain now, please update your blogrolls. And Chicken Yoghurt is down again. Justin, sort out your hosting company mate! Does ‘leftwing’ politics equal welfare politics?I was reading this piece in the New Statesmen about the rise of BME candidates in the Conservative Party when something Shaun Bailey said stood out:
It’s an interesting and I assume widely held rightwing belief that leftist politics will always equate to state dependency. A question I want to ask is how true is it? Does ‘leftwing’ (let’s pretend for a moment the right/left dichotomy is still relevant) politics equal welfare politics? Is the solidarity and dare I say collectivist tendencies of the left always doomed to keep people poor and a slave to the state? Or is this a convenient myth from a political ideology that likes to ignore the corporate welfare state dependency of the private sector? |
||
Pickled Politics © Copyright 2005 - 2009. All rights reserved. Terms and conditions. |