politics

"Police, STOP!"

Militarised Police

Imagine a scene from any police show. Police officer is outside home of a suspect of some random crime. Suspect sees officer, starts running. Officer give chase, pulls gun. Due to no clear line of sight or presence of others that can be injured, officer heroically decides not to shoot. Story moves along.

How many times have people seen the above without any quesiton of what is actually being displayed?

Granted, this is fictional and not the real police, but it has become normal to expect such behaviour is American copy shows. No one will think that there is something wrong with the actions of the police in the above scenario.

Hysteria over Jeremy Corbyn

The Telegraph's attempted smear of Jeremy Corbyn

It has now been a few weeks since Jeremy Corbyn has been elected as the leader if the Labour Party.

I thought he was a decent person and after initially being underwhelmed by the candidates in the leadership election, I eventually got behind him and even paid to vote. (I am still debating whether to join the Labour Party though, asany of his parliamentary colleagues are off putting.)

As a non establishment figure, he has been faced with hostility from the governing party, his own party and the press.

Re Issue of an article by The Slogg [ref Saudi-Yemen]

  Link to full article

Since last Wednesday, crude oil prices have been rising until the global median reached $45.Tanks need oil, and now that the Saudis have invaded North Yemen – seizing control of two areas in the Saada province – demand may go up. Really? Enough to evoke a 5-bucks rise? The rationale for the invasion is the Saudi need to counter growing retaliatory attacks by Yemeni forces on Saudi soil. Um, just run that past me again: ‘to counter growing retaliatory attacks’? Always get your retaliation in first, that’s what I say.

Labour leadership content

We are now at the starts of a leadership contest for the Labour party following the election defeat and Ed Miliband's resignation.

Today the nomination stage ended.

Unfortunately the biggest lesson from the election defeat has not been learnt: policies don't matter, image does.

If people had focused on the Conservtive party's policies, they wouldnt have done as well - they had massive policy gaps and a £12 billion black hole that will hit the poorest hardest.

However David Cameron was more photogenic.

None of the new Labout candidates are. Chuka Ummuna was, but he has already withdrawn.

Theresa May’s Humiliating Radio 4 Interview on ‘Extremism’

Above is an embarrassing interview Theresa May gave this morning on BBC Radio 4, about Prime Minister David Cameron’s new measures to counter what he calls “Extremism”, by giving more powers to the state to restrict the movement and speech of those who express opinions that are legal yet considered ‘radical’.

Theresa becomes visibly disturbed and discomforted when the interviewer, John Humphrys, poses the most elementary challenge: what does she mean by ‘extremists’?

Why I want 'Ed Miliband to be the next prime minister

Ed Miliband at the Leaders Debate

I do not want David Cameron to remain Prime Minister. I have pointed out the same in an earlier blog post w.

However that was not a ringing endorsement of 'Ed Miliband.

Some people may be put off voting Labour because the leader has Jewish ancestry, and not only that, he is a self confessed zionist.

To many, such as a Conservative council elections candidate in Derby, that will be enough to write him off as no good.

I still want him to be the next Prime Minister of the UK.

Ed Miliband answers question on too many Muslims being killed throughout the world

At an event in Dewsbury today Ed Miliband was asked about the number of Muslims being killed accross the world.

Q: There are too many Muslims dying across the world. When will we realise we are creating more terrorists than we are getting rid of?

There’s three separate issues, Miliband says. First is Islamophobia and just like anti-semitism and other forms of prejudice we should be strong against Islamophobia.

Secondly, we must learn the lessons of the past, such as the Iraq war.

The Coming Election

The coming election

I can see that you are thinking of the current elections, whilst I don’t wish to influence the readers one way or another. I shall give you some of my thoughts.

Democracy is a delicate thing, it is not perfect, but it is much better then most alternatives. There have been so called democracies were people have voted for a party only to find that the party, once elected will not tolerate any opposition. This as been the system in a lot of African countries, hence the term “One man, One vote, Once,” some of these elected democratic governments have been in power for decades.

Nigeria as just had elections, and has changed parties. Hopefully there shall be smooth transition of administration.

Tory candidate Afzal Amin suspended for allegedly colluding with EDL for election votes

From the "you couldnt make it up" category:

Tory candidate suspended for allegedly colluding with EDL for election votes

The Tory candidate in a key general election marginal has been suspended after allegedly hatching a plot with far-right extremists to win votes by stirring up racial tensions.

Afzal Amin is accused of scheming with the English Defence League (EDL) to announce an inflammatory march against a new ‘mega-mosque’ in the constituency of Dudley North, in the West Midlands. The idea, according to the Mail on Sunday, was for the protest to be scrapped, with Amin taking the credit for defusing the situation.

Israel's elections: Netanyahu's predicament does not matter

Israel is going to elections on 17 March 2015.

Recent news reports suggest that Netanyahu's campaign has started to falter recently. But it doesn't matter.

Left or right, "peaceniks" or hawks, it does not matter- none of them are willing to negotiate for peace with the Palestinians.

It was the "moderate doves" that started this new tradition of pummeling Gaza for political gain in 2009. If they return to power, nothing stops them from acting in line with their past performance.

The only glimmer from either side is that Netanyahu's bellicose performances help deligitimise Israel actions.

Pages