Current Affairs

 

The Boris election, or how to stop him.

Vote/Pen/Marking

It seems like it was just yesterday when we last had a general election, and here we are with a new one on our doorsteps.

This time, it seems the Conservatives have a runaway lead and nothing will stop him. Which, well is pretty similar to last time.

However one difference this time is that many mainstream media outlets do not seem to be following the usual "purdah" rules for impartiality. If you look at political editors for the BBC and ITV, you will notice a whiff of... something.

Slippery Boris

It cannot be denied that Boris Johnson is a formidable opponent/politician. Mostly because unlike most, he seems to have absolutely no scruples and there probably isn't anyone who he hasnt lied to or betrayed so far.

Relationships, Sexual Education and the Santa Clause

Child drawing on paper

Education has been a hot topic in the media recently. The question of what should be taught when has been a major concern since the effectiveness of some parents in Birmingham who opposed the changes that are to be brought into the Relationship and Sexual Education (RSE) curriculum, which includes normalising alternative or non-binary family structures.

One of the major arguments arguments brought in support of the change is that children will be taught what exists in the real world, so they will be better prepared. The argument goes that homosexuality exists, is real and many children will have parents that are homosexual, so the children need to be taught about it in order to prevent discrimination.

Venezuela and Elliot Abrams

Venezuela President Marudo's 2nd Inauguration

Recently Venezuela has hit it big in the media. It is currently experiencing financial hardship leaving many people without food, it has a president with an authoritarian streak and the opposition leader has sworn an oath of presidency saying he is the legitimate president.

Quite a bit going on there.

Are people in Venezuela starving and in need of help?

Yes. The local currency has crashed.

Venezuela has the typical problem of a former colonialist state - its economy had been rigged to provide for the needs of the coloniser. Unlike a self sufficient state, it had to historically rely upon importing its needs, while exporting its main product. Historically this was coffee. These days it is oil.

Who are your Friends? Who are your Enemies?

Who are your Friends? Who are your Enemies?

Tough question, but do I know the answer? No, but I believe that I can give a few pointers, leaving the rest up to you.

We [or the world] as been going through some trying times. What with the Arab spring, starting with the Tunisia, then Egypt with the election of the Muslim Brotherhood, and its rise and fall?

Great Return march Massacre(s) at the Gaza Fence

Waving the Palestinian Flag

It's almost like Israel is ashamed that its place as the most vile regime in the middle east has been challenged by Assad of Syria and Saudi Arabia.

Today was the 70th anniversary of the destitution of many Palestinian people and in Gaza they took part in an unarmed protest. They were met with bullets and massacre.

This has happened the past few weeks and shows that the Israeli regime is no different to Assad - they are just faced with less people capable of even protesting peacefully.

The Conservatives are still on course for victory

Vote/Pen/Marking

Dont believe the opinion polls which suggest that the Conservative lead is slipping. My blog posts on and will explain my views on how the system works and what the polls are really saying.

In short, Conservative voters are more likely to actually actually turn up to vote than Labour voters, who will be busy tweeting and posting on facebook telling others to vote.

No Platforming a speaker due to support of genocide in Syria is not economic terrorism

Syrian Flag

Recently a public debate has been stirred about whether actions preventing someone from public platforms (and therefore depriving them of the money they would have been paid) is “economic terrorism”.

The answer is no. No one has an automatic right to use a platform to spread their message. They can do so on their own, but they do not need organisations to support or pay them for it.

The Trump Presidency on Palestinian rights

President Donald Trump being sworn in on January 20, 2017 at the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C

The Trump Presidency has started and barring any intervening acts, will last for either 4 or 8 years.

Now most people on social media are hyperventilating with either deep despaire or deep hope. Both are probably mistaken about their fears and hoples, but some of the things they fear /hope will happen.

While there is much debate about the impact of the Trump presidency on many things, there is less debate about its impact on the rights of Palestinians – where it will likely be a bigger catastrophe than previous American involvement.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israeli right wing already considered it a major win when Trump won the US presidential elections.

David Cameron shouldn't be given a mandate to extend war into Syria

Eurofighter Typhoon

David Cameron is seeking to extend the UK's bombing campaign of ISIS from Iraq and into Syria.

I will ignore the issues of international law (No Syria invitation, no UN mandate) for the simple reason that international law is a joke and might is often right.

The question is a simple one: should the UK bomb (ISIS in) Syria. The answer is even simpler: No.

A major argument used to support such an idea is a flawed one: By definition any individual attacking people in the UK will not be in Syria.

If that individual was in Syria, at that point in time they wouldnt be a threat to us in the UK.

The use of the attacks in Paris are just a ruse, a useful excuse to push an interventionist policy and one that should be countered.

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