1967: The settlers' story
Seth Freedman
June 9, 2007 11:00 AM
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/seth_freedman/2007/06/1967_the_settlers=
_story.html
"Why are you writing a book about us?" From the Yemeni man in the
pizza shop, to the 19-year-old soldierette on guard duty, to the mayor
of the town grilling us in her living room, this has been the first
question on everyone's lips when they make Josh's and my
acquaintance.
We've come to the Shtachim (literally, the Territories) to spend two
months meeting the people behind the stereotype - the ordinary folk
who have, for whatever reason, taken the Israeali state's shilling and
come to dwell on the other side of the Green Line. To the outside
world, settlers are often seen in a homogenous light - religious
zealots with a Bible in one hand and an Uzi in the other, hate in
their hearts and G-d on their side.
Getting left behind
Chuka Umunna
June 9, 2007 10:00 AM
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/chuka_umunna/2007/06/getting_left_behin=
d=2Ehtml
Many, myself included, feared the Labour deputy leadership election
would be nothing more than a personality contest. Whatever Roy
Hattersley and others may have said about the post, the contest to
become deputy leader has been anything but a beauty parade. It has
turned into a genuine policy and values debate about Labour's future,
as Polly Toynbee rightly points out.
Some of the contenders have shown they have the courage to say things
many Labour people only dared whisper during the height of Blairism.
Peter Hain, Harriet Harman and Jon Cruddas have all wondered aloud how
we can make our society more equal than it has been over the last 10
years. They do not believe this is as good as it gets and they think
Labour can do better.
The death of an issue
Ezra Klein
June 8, 2007 11:00 PM
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/ezra_klein/2007/06/the_death_of_an_issu=
e=2Ehtml
Ding-dong, the bill is dead. Despite darkness-before-the-dawn
statements from some of the immigration bill's mains supporters, it's
hard to imagine that the legislation will see a quick resuscitation
after its two successive defeats in the Senate on Thursday. And that's
a shame. For all the blather to the contrary, this really was a
delicate compromise - one that would likely have gotten better as it
went to the House, and one that will be hard to reproduce in the
future.
The moment was as good as it could be. Immigration is an almost
uniquely troublesome issue in American political life. Most of those
who'll be directly affected by the policy can't vote, and can't
threaten political retaliation in the absence of a solution. Democrats
are caught between a discomfort with cheap labour and an understanding
that cross-border flow is inevitable, and it's better if the cheap
labour is regulated than encircled in shadow. Republicans are caught
between their nativist base and business interests, the latter of
which want the ability to import high-skills labour and low-wage
workers.
Power to change
Tinashe Nhete
June 8, 2007 10:30 PM
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/tinashe_nhete/2007/06/power_to_change.h=
tml
Just two years ago, African nations were filled with hope after
leaders of the world's most powerful nations stood shoulder to
shoulder and said they would Make Poverty History.
Two years on: what happened to the euphoria surrounding these grand
promises and what improvements have we really seen?
The last optimist
Brian Brivati
June 8, 2007 10:00 PM
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/brian_brivati/2007/06/the_iraq_commissi=
on_has_been.html
The Iraq Commission has been meeting this week to consider
recommendations for British policy in Iraq. By the end of the weekend
all the witnesses will be up at the Channel 4 web site. Submissions
will be accepted until June 15th, so if you have expertise in the area
please do make a submission.
Today's evidence followed the pattern established over the week with a
range of pessimisms from the mildly despondent to the cataclysmically
depressed. Then Fred Kagan came on the satellite link up from
Washington. We were suddenly in the world of full spectrum counter
insurgency deployment and the first bit of optimism that the fight on
the ground could actually be won. Kagan is one of the author's of "the
surge" policy: the idea that Baghdad can be taken back block by block
and that reconstruction can be made to work if reconstruction workers
are embedded in combat units. He was asked to assess the impact of the
surge so far and he was positive. There was a stunned silence in the
room. Kagan's assessment is in marked contrast to the view of the
leaked internal report.
Conservative family feud
Quin Hillyer
June 8, 2007 9:30 PM
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/quin_hillyer/2007/06/family_feud.html
Most American conservatives are quietly celebrating Thursday's
derailment of a massive and controversial immigration reform bill that
had been the talk of Washington for the better part of a month - but
their celebration has more the air of relief, and wary relief at that,
than of triumph.
Worse for the conservatives is that even their relief is a paper-thin
gauze over an underlying grief that is deep enough to be not easily
assuaged.
Friend or foe?
Conor Foley
June 8, 2007 9:00 PM
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/conor_foley/2007/06/friend_or_foe.html
Compare and contrast the following two statements:
Iran and Afghanistan have never been as friendly as they are today. In
the past five years Iran has been contributing to Afghanistan's
reconstruction, and in the past five years Afghanistan has been Iran's
very close friend.
With:
In Afghanistan it is clear that the Taliban is receiving support,
including arms, from, again, elements of the Iranian regime. They have
learnt from elsewhere. They believe that if they inflict enough chaos,
enough casualties of Western soldiers we will lose the will. It will
become another "mess".
American dynasty
David Boaz
June 8, 2007 8:30 PM
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/david_boaz/2007/06/dynastic_politics_in=
_the_american_republic.html
We Americans know that the head of state in a monarchy is an inherited
position. But we rebelled against that system and created a republic,
in which men (and later women) would be chosen to lead the republic on
the basis of their own accomplishments, not their family ties. Sure,
we had the Adamses, and we may well be fortunate that neither George
Washington nor Thomas Jefferson had a son. And there are other
dynasties, often combined to one state, like the Longs of Louisiana
and the Breckinridges of Kentucky. Representative Rodney Frelinghuysen
is the sixth member of his family to represent New Jersey in Congress,
dating back to the 18th century. One of his ancestors inspired the
classic campaign song, "Hurrah, hurrah, the country's risin'/For Henry
Clay and Frelinghuysen!"
And today, of course, we face the prospect of replacing the son of a
president in the White House with the wife of a president. We may have
24 or more years of Bush-Clinton-Bush-Clinton. One leading Republican
strategist has recommended that Florida governor Jeb Bush run for
president this year, on the grounds in this of all years he won't lose
points for being a dynastic candidate: what are they going to say,
"don't vote for the president's brother, vote for the other
president's wife instead"?
Out of the frying pan
Robert Fox
June 8, 2007 8:00 PM
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/robert_fox/2007/06/out_of_the_frying_pa=
n=2Ehtml
It's Yogi Berra time for the Americans and Brits and the wars in
Afghanistan and Iraq - as in the baseball man's dictum "it's deja vu
all over again". The governments of both nations seem caught in a
spasm of indecision - hardly surprising perhaps as London awaits
regime change between Blair and Brown.
This week President Bush's new policy czar for Afghan and Iraqi
operations, Lieutenant General Douglas Lute, was a model of caution
and moderation at his confirmation hearings before the Senate. He said
that it was too early to assess General Petraeus' "surge" initiative
for clearing and securing parts of Baghdad and the Euphrates valley
towns like Ramadi, but did admit, "no one is satisfied with the status
quo".
Behind the violent scenes
Peter Tatchell
June 8, 2007 7:30 PM
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/peter_tatchell/2007/06/russias_new_poli=
ce_state.html
The recent suppression of Moscow Gay Pride is further evidence that
Russia is fast reverting to autocracy and authoritarianism. The post-
communist democratic opening of the early 1990s is no more.
Despite constitutional guarantees of freedom of expression and the
right to protest, these liberties are now largely dependent on the
whim and fancy of the Kremlin leaders. Under the strongman president,
Vladimir Putin, the Russian regime has more than a whiff of old-style
Stalinism. This is evident in the repeated suppression of democracy
activists like Garry Kasparov and the banning of the anti-war, pro-
human rights Russian-Chechen Friendship Society.
And on the seventh day ...
Jo-Ann Mort
June 8, 2007 7:00 PM
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/joann_mort/2007/06/and_on_the_seventh_d=
ay.html
"The year 1967 is not over. It is still with us today," remarked
Israeli journalist Tom Segev in a talk this week about his book just
published in English, 1967: Israel, The War, and the Year that
Transformed the Middle East.
Segev was referring to the situation between Israel and the
Palestinians, and to the lack of clarity within Israeli society
regarding its national priorities. Forty years after Israel's Six Day
War, the notice of the anniversary is being marked in Israel and
worldwide less for Israel's military victory and more for the
repercussions of the war, especially regarding the Palestinian
occupation. But, the 1967 war also led to a complete transformation of
Israeli society that few in Israel anticipated.
When creative accounting kills
Patrick Watt
June 8, 2007 6:30 PM
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/patrick_watt/2007/06/when_creative_acco=
unting_kills.html
After 36 hours of photo opps, formal dinners, staged moments of
relaxation between world leaders and the usual run of downright weird
parallel events (Cherie Booth and Laura Bush gyrating with a German
oompah band was one of the scenes beamed into the media centre), the
G8 summit in Heiligendamm has closed, and the leaders returned home
after a morning of discussion with heads of government from Africa.
Has anything changed as a result?
The headlines today spoke of a G8 "$60bn aid package" for Aids, which
is one of those dollar numbers that's so large journalists feel
compelled to cover it. This was supposed to be Angela Merkel's rabbit-
out-of-the-hat moment on Africa, after criticisms that the G8 had
stuck global poverty on the agenda for this summit but had no clue
what they would do with it.
Reid's new best friends
Craig Murray
June 8, 2007 6:00 PM
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/craig_murray/2007/06/reids_new_best_fri=
ends.html
I have just been sickened by John Reid putting his new anti-liberty
proposals to parliament. "Terrible things are threatening," he gravely
warned us, "which had not been anticipated or imagined," when our
liberties were adopted.
Candid camera?
Sarita Malik
June 8, 2007 5:30 PM
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/sarita_malik/2007/06/candid_camera.html
Window on the world? Well not quite. The promise of seeing "real
people", warts and all, is now not an option, particularly when the
matter of race is involved. Race has become a reality TV taboo in a
society obsessed with it. Are we really beyond the ability to have a
sustained discussion around race on television?
Now that Channel 4 is apparently under the increasingly-watchful eye
of its regulators and viewers, it has been forced to adopt a kind of
ritualistic and conformist etiquette. The gaze has well and truly
turned onto a broadcaster already lamented for its loss of the radical
edge it once had. The screening of the latest "race row" episode
involving Emily Parr's use of the word "*****" to fellow housemate,
Charley, was preceded by a warning of racially offensive language and
followed by an announcement outlining the broadcaster's position on
the situation. It left one with the impression that Channel 4 was
making these statements with a gun held to its head, coming as they
did just over a week since the series was launched with Ofcom's ugly
verdict of Channel 4's shoddy handling of the Celebrity Big Brother
race row.
Calling Washington's bluff
David Hearst
June 8, 2007 5:00 PM
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/david_hearst/2007/06/calling_washington=
s_bluff.html
Russian diplomacy can be rough, and for some of its neighbours, it can
be a contradiction in terms. But in an age where the international
agenda has been set by the occupant of the White House and a
relatively small clique of advisers around him, it is refreshing to
see multilateralism rear its head again, even if it is in the heavily
guarded confines of the G8 summit.
It is clear that Vladimir Putin's proposal to conscript a Russian-
controlled radar station in Azerbaijan for the purpose of George
Bush's missile defence shield, wrongfooted the US delegation. Stephen
Hadley, the US national security adviser had to admit that it was a
"bold proposal". It is more than that. It calls Washington's bluff
about which rogue state - Iran or Russia - the missile defence system
is really pointed at. It separates America's domestic defence needs
from the issue of deploying frontline systems in eastern Europe, which
is a neuralgic one not only for Moscow, but for public opinion in
Poland and the Czech Republic. It takes Mr Bush's offer of
"participation" in the missile defence shield and returns it in kind.
Last train for Paris
Sasha Abramsky
June 8, 2007 4:30 PM
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/sasha_abramsky/2007/06/two_systems_of_j=
ustice.html
"There are two systems of justice: one for the rich, one for the rest
of us" is a standard refrain one hears in discussions about courts and
prisons. Usually, this two-tiered justice system plays out in the
courts, with the rich hiring top attorneys and paying for the
testimony of an array of experts. That's the OJ Simpson version of
justice. It's unpleasant, but it's still technically about playing
within the rules of the game.
If, despite the attorneys and the experts, a jury still brings in a
guilty verdict, on the whole the stewards of the system at that point
are pretty careful to give the impression of impartiality. Hence the
spectacle of Martha Stewart behind bars, of the Enron chiefs receiving
long jail terms, of Scooter Libby getting a 30 month sentence.
What guarantees, Gordon?
Menzies Campbell
June 8, 2007 4:00 PM
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/menzies_campbell/2007/06/what_guarantee=
s_gordon.html
Today, a new film about the erosion of Britain's civil liberties will
be released. Some critics have compared Taking Liberties to Michael
Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11, but a better comparison is with Al Gore's An
Inconvenient Truth. The former American vice-president made his
documentary because senior figures in US politics and industry were
seeking to hide or deny clear evidence of global warming. He wanted to
make the truth available succinctly to a mass audience. Similarly,
Taking Liberties lays out five core rights and freedoms that people
often take for granted, and demonstrates the way in which they have
been devalued by the Labour government.
The prime minister has not always tried to hide the truth about his
intentions. On one occasion, he said that civil liberties are not so
much wrong as just made for another age. He is honest about his
scepticism, but his attitude is wrongheaded.
Simply the Beast
Neil Clark
June 8, 2007 3:30 PM
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/neil_clark/2007/06/simply_the_beast.html
He's too old. He's too lazy. He sells fags. He would split the party
and in any case he's not as popular as people make out.
So the neocon arguments went - in 2001 and 2005 - as to why Ken Clarke
should not be Tory leader.
Knowing your own mind
Yvonne Roberts
June 8, 2007 3:00 PM
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/yvonne_roberts/2007/06/memories_are_mad=
e_of_this_but.html
Hope I die before I ... start forgetting who I am. Scientists have
found the gene that may trigger Alzheimer's disease (AD). Presumably
soon, a test will tell anyone who's interested, how they may end up.
In the case of AD, that's not very nice: a shrivelled twisted shell of
one's former self, recognising no one and lost in a world that,
judging from the sometimes terrified screams, is not the easiest place
to be.
Of course, once a cure is found that information may not be so
devastating, but in the interim? My father has had AD for three years,
my aunt for nine years. Both first began to lose their minds in their
70s - but early onset of AD, while rare, can strike people in their
40s.
Bada bing, bada bye-bye
AJ Daulerio
June 8, 2007 2:30 PM
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/aj_daulerio/2007/06/bada_bing_bada_byeb=
ye.html
Finally. Thank god The Sopranos will finally be over. Just a couple
more days and then, poof, it's back to normal life.
The first few episodes of the series were low on bloodshed and big on
psychological hand-wringing, and it appeared the final send-off season
was going to be a lifeless dud, content on showcasing the inner
turmoil of many of its characters and putting the mob thuggery to bed.
The cerebral nature of the series was always part of its charm but
there were certain fans (myself included) who were expecting just a
little more senseless violence before it shuffled off the airwaves.
Mystery demo
Inayat Bunglawala
June 8, 2007 2:00 PM
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/inayat_bunglawala/2007/06/mystery_demo.=
html
Fly posters calling on British Muslims to "rise against British
oppression" and demonstrate outside No 10 Downing Street on Friday
June 15 have appeared in several parts of the country. They have
caused concern in local communities, including in Birmingham and East
London.
The posters provide a contact website address, BritishOppression.com,
where we are told that transport will be provided to take people to
central London from "Brimingham [sic], Manchester, Bradford, Leeds,
Leicester, Wolverhampton, Derby, Stocke-on-Trent [sic], Bedford,
Luton, London East and London West".
A foot wrong?
Open Thread
June 8, 2007 1:30 PM
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/open_thread/2007/06/a_foot_wrong.html
Flip-flops are a summer staple: they can be dressed up or dressed
down; they go with absolutely everything and rate highly in the
comfort stakes. No wonder workers at Oldham council in Greater
Manchester have flipped out following news that the footwear is to be
banned.
Tripping through the minefield
Jonathan Freedland
June 8, 2007 1:00 PM
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/jonathan_freedland/2007/06/tripping_thr=
ough_the_minefield.html
Well, I did say it was a minefield. On Wednesday, I wrote a column
about the call for new rules aimed at migrants becoming British
citizens and for a new bank holiday celebrating Britishness. In what
was meant to be a careful analysis of the pitfalls in this area, I
promptly fell into a pit myself.
One passage sought to highlight the inherent difficulties in setting
one standard for migrants and another for people born here. But by
blending a dash of irony - which some commenters were kind enough to
call Swiftian - with a couple of serious points, this argument got
mangled, leaving the impression that I believed something I don't. I'd
like to clarify that here - and to tackle some of the other issues
raised in the ensuing thread.
1967: All or nothing?
Seth Freedman
June 8, 2007 12:30 PM
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/seth_freedman/2007/06/1967_all_or_nothi=
ng.html
A full withdrawal to the 1967 borders would guarantee peace between
Israel and its neighbours, according to Ismail Haniyeh, among others.
If this is the case, and the ultimate goal of the Israeli government
is to provide a safe and secure environment for its citizens to live
in, then why has nothing of the sort happened in the 40 years since
the Six-day War?
If, as the right wing claim, it is down to the Arabs' all-out refusal
to cease hostilities with the Zionist entity, regardless of the
inducements on offer, then there would seem little point in pursuing
land-for-peace as a viable strategy. Only yesterday, on our tour of
Israeli settlements, Josh and I encountered just such an approach from
one of the local Jews, who told us: "Compromise is not a word that
Arabs understand. If they have to compromise, they feel that they have
lost. It's the law of the jungle when dealing with the Arabs - either
we have it all, or they do."
Promises and priorities
Larry Elliott
June 8, 2007 12:00 PM
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/larry_elliott/2007/06/promises_and_prio=
rities.html
At the time it seemed like a pretty simple promise. Two years ago, the
G8 met at Gleneagles and promised universal access to treatment for
HIV/Aids by 2010. I don't know about you, but I've always thought that
universal meant everybody that needed medical care would get it.
Certainly that was what the development charities thought. Indeed, the
G8 promise on Aids was one of the reasons the Gleneagles declaration
was welcomed by the NGO movement.
Come dancing
Eva Allen
June 8, 2007 11:30 AM
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/eva_allen/2007/06/come_dancing.html
I read the story Children told to waltz to fitness in China, with
great interest. Although waltzing itself for a couple of hours per
week is not a miracle cure for obesity, it can have an impact on
children's waistlines if done rigorously enough and often enough.
Dancing has always been one of the greatest forms of exercise. Unlike
the gym, which can be boring, dancing involves both your body and
mind. In dancing you concentrate on the music, steps and your partner;
you socialise and forget you are exercising. It gets even more
interesting if taken competitively. Introducing dancing to schools
means China is building a very wide-based pyramid of dancers, and a
simple rule about pyramid building says: the bigger the base the
higher the top.
Does it mean that in a few years China is going to have the best
dancers in the world? Most likely so. A decade ago, England used to
lead the world in ballroom dancing. At the Blackpool Dance Festival
(the British Open Dance Championships), the oldest and most highly
respected dance festival in the world, British couples used to win
many competitions and be well-represented in the finals. But this
year, Chinese formation Guang Dong China won the formation
championship beating seven other teams from the UK and Europe. Chinese
couple Danny Liang Zhao and Jasmine Ding Fang Zhang won the
professional rising star Latin championship, beating 484 couples from
the rest of the world. Altogether Britain did not win any competition
and China won one. In 12 different finals Britain had two couples and
China four. Considering that only a few years ago Chinese dancers did
not even appear there, the progress they made is unbelievable, and
this is just a beginning of the things to come.
1967: Losing but surviving
Najwa al-Imam
June 8, 2007 11:00 AM
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/najwa_alimam/2007/06/pal4.html
In Palestine, everybody remembers their Tawjihi year, at the end of
which they sit for their secondary school qualifying finals. Our
society is obsessed with education and when the exams arrive nothing
else is discussed and everyone braces themselves, neighbourhoods
somehow growing quieter, students and parents anxiously awaiting the
results. My Tawjihi year was different. In 1967 people were not
talking about the finals, but about the upcoming war. Not long after I
had finished my exams, the Israeli army invaded, occupying our city.
My family has lived in Jerusalem for centuries. Our house - passed on
from one generation to the next - is located in Bab el-Silsileh, close
to the Noble Sanctuary and overlooking the Western Wall. From our
kitchen window I watched as the soldiers marched into the ancient
neighbourhood. They must have known that I and thousands of other
native Jerusalemites were watching in shock, anxious and concerned
about the future.
West isn't best
Brian Brivati
June 8, 2007 10:30 AM
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/brian_brivati/2007/06/west_isnt_best.ht=
ml
The full filming of proceedings at the Iraq Commission will be up
within 48 hours on this web site. Tuesday and Wednesday are now
available.
There were moments in the first two days of evidence when people
confused Iraq and Iran in what they were saying. Today you might have
thought you had walked into the Iran Commission. Even yesterday the
centrality of Iran to the situation in Iraq came through strongly but
in a markedly different tone. Yesterday the editor of the Jerusalem
Post painted a bleak picture of the way in which Iran and Iranian
possession of nuclear weapons are viewed from Israel.
The future isn't orange
Paul MacInnes
June 8, 2007 10:00 AM
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/paul_macinnes/2007/06/the_future_isnt_o=
range.html
Often, when I awake, I have a tendency to feel a little grotty or
teary. I had, in the past, believed that this was the result of my
predilection for over-the-counter pharmaceuticals. It turns out,
however, that this was not the case. That, in fact, my ailments are
the result of being a member of a benighted minority. The benighted
ginger minority, to be precise.
When historians come to look back on the rise of the gingers (if
historians are still tolerated under the rule of the freckly fist),
they will classify this week as a defining juncture: the point where
ginger transcended from being a simple hair colour to an ethnic group.
In order to reinforce the point these historians will, if they have
any sense, adorn the covers of their books with a Che-like silhouette
of Newcastle househusband Kevin Chapman.
The mirror image prime ministers
Daniel Levy
June 8, 2007 9:30 AM
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/daniel_levy/2007/06/the_mirrorimage_pri=
me_minister.html
The Israeli and Palestinian prime ministers, Ehud Olmert and Ismail
Haniyeh, have much more in common than either would feel comfortable
contemplating.
Olmert and Haniyeh had back-to-back opinion pieces in the Guardian on
June 6, and I doubt much would have been achieved had they met face-to-
face instead. Not at first, at least. But reading their respective
comments one could discern the outlines of a route to navigate not so
much a flowery path as a thorny accommodation between the two.
We of little faith
Sue Blackmore
June 8, 2007 9:30 AM
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/sue_blackmore/2007/06/we_of_little_fait=
h=2Ehtml
"Religious faith is not inconsistent with reason."
I nearly choked on my breakfast when I heard this on the Today
programme. These words were spoken by Mr Blair, in his inimitably
sincere style. He was addressing an Islamic conference in London, on
June 4, and pledging more money to support Islamic studies in British
Universities.
A black and white rule
Vanessa Walters
June 8, 2007 9:00 AM
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/vanessa_walters/2007/06/big_brother_had=
_no_choice.html
Big Brother had no choice. Keen to shake off its reputation as the
obstreperous child, it had to expel Emily Parr - or give ground to
those critics who say Channel 4 is happy to capitalise on racism.
Emily has been the rather unlucky fall guy in Channel 4's bid to
appease Ofcom. As can be seen in the debate that has erupted, it is
not at all clear that this is a racist incident, although it was
offensive to many. Some argue that if it is OK for hip hop artists and
their corporate bosses to profit from the word ***** then why is it
racist when a white middle class girl from Bristol uses it in familiar
banter - especially in the context of Charley using the word herself
previously in the house, possibly giving Emily the impression that it
was then OK for her to use it too.
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/weekbyweek/2007/06/03-week/
We could pay a grave price for our addiction to arms deals
http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,2099034,00.html
Working at the Foreign Office I saw how exports took precedence over
human rights. With the Saudis, this could backfire
Carne Ross
Saturday June 9, 2007
The Guardian
The story of possible corruption between BAE and the Saudi government,
and how the British government ignored it, is shocking. But we should
not regard this episode as an aberration. Instead, it should force us
to question the way foreign policy is thought about and practised in
government today.
For decades British policy towards Saudi Arabia has been dominated by
al-Yamamah, the massive BAE deal to provide aircraft and supplies.
When I worked on the Middle East at the Foreign Office in the mid-90s,
it was widely assumed that, along with uninterrupted oil supplies,
this was what Britain's Saudi policy was "about". Any other concern,
whether of human rights or the export of radical Wahhabi Islam, was by
and large secondary.
No, Labour has not turned Britain into a police state
http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,2099036,00.html
They chose a good week to launch a film about loss of rights and
liberties - but the basic premise simply does not stand up
Martin Kettle
Saturday June 9, 2007
The Guardian
If he has one, Chris Atkins must have whispered a prayer of thanks to
his deity when he saw the newspapers this week. With Gordon Brown's
spinners promising that the new prime minister would steamroller the
objections of civil rights groups in a fresh anti-terror crackdown,
and the departing home secretary John Reid unveiling another counter-
terrorism package, this was a very good week for Atkins to launch a
movie that asserts the Labour government has destroyed our rights and
liberties.
The n-word is never cool
http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,2099035,00.html
As Big Brother shows, all racial abuse is vile. So we should resist
those who try to normalise it
Joseph Harker
Saturday June 9, 2007
The Guardian
Channel 4 got it right this week when it evicted a Big Brother
housemate for using a racial insult. But let's face it, it was hardly
a difficult decision. OK, Emily Parr is young, and she may have been
naive, but you can't go around using the n-word to refer to black
people. And, scarily, her defence was that many of her white friends
use it - a believable claim considering that the word slipped out
without a thought.
Withdrawal won't happen
http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,2099037,00.html
The US plans permanent military bases in Iraq, confirming to many that
it really was all about oil
Patrick Seale
Saturday June 9, 2007
The Guardian
Almost unnoticed, the war in Iraq entered a new phase last week.
Laconic statements from the White House and the Pentagon confirmed
what had long been suspected - the US is planning a long-term military
presence in Iraq. This is a geopolitical development of the first
importance. In spite of current difficulties - May was the most lethal
month for American soldiers since 2004, with 119 killed - the United
States firmly intends to maintain control of Iraq and its vast oil
reserves. Iraq's neighbours, and energy-hungry states and oil
companies, will take note.
Ken on the offensive
http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,2099184,00.html
Labour's deputy leadership contenders are 'spineless' and spout
'vacuous waffle', while the US ambassador is a 'venal crook'. In
short, the London mayor is in fine form
John Harris
Saturday June 9, 2007
The Guardian
'I don't know what Gordon Brown is going to do," says Ken Livingstone.
"It's almost like trying to work out where the old Soviet Union was
going, by poring over small things and then guessing." If London's
mayor is "waiting to see, just like everybody else", that isn't much
of a surprise. Back in the government's late 90s salad days,
Livingstone - then seeing out "the least productive years of my life"
as the MP for Brent East - repeatedly decried the chancellor's cutting
loose of the Bank Of England and his two-year obeisance to Tory
spending limits, and called for Brown's resignation.
Face to faith
http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,2099054,00.html
The New Sanhedrin's approach to public issues is rooted in Jewish
traditions, says Mordechai Beck
Saturday June 9, 2007
The Guardian
The word Sanhedrin may trigger negative associations for those brought
up to recall the legislative body that handed over Jesus to his Roman
executioners. Yet in Jewish tradition the Sanhedrin was one of the
triumphs of ancient Judaism. The legal processes it dealt with became
the foundation stone of Jewish jurisprudence. Its reputation for
delving into the most complex issues in order to find for an accused
person was legendary. The Talmud says that a Sanhedrin that sentenced
someone to death once in 70 years was considered a bloody Sanhedrin.
'Blair is an idiot ...'
Chris Atkins
June 8, 2007 3:15 PM
http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/film/2007/06/taking_liberties_blog.html
Taking Liberties started out as a story of social injustice, a
portrait of people who had suffered as a result of their loss of
social liberties. My initial thesis was this: how much do you have to
increase the crackdown on civil liberties in order to decrease the
threat of terrorism? I imagined this thesis would be illustrated by
some kind of sliding scale. But shortly after starting work I had a
revelation that my whole concept was totally flawed. There is no
sliding scale. Removing civil liberties doesn't decrease anything but
civil liberties. You might as well wash your car as a way of
protecting yourself from terrorists.
There's no doubt that the people at the top have done a great deal
over the past few years to ***** off the people at the bottom. I think
that Blair is an idiot. I think he's lost it. I think he's blinded by
power, and I think he is fundamentally not up to the job. But my
father always brought me up to have a healthy scepticism for
conspiracy theories. Nine times out of ten, these things are a case of
pure incompetence. I believe that the government panicked in the wake
of 9/11 and the 7/7 bombings and have got it spectacularly wrong. I'm
not sure there is any darker, Machiavellian agenda behind their recent
actions.
West 'fearful' of Russia, says exasperated Blair
http://www.guardian.co.uk/g8/story/0,,2099133,00.html
=B7 Talks with Putin were frank but fruitless
=B7 'Real issues' will not be resolved easily or soon
Patrick Wintour, political editor
Saturday June 9, 2007
The Guardian
Tony Blair admitted differences with Russia would remain unresolved
for a long time after one hour of very frank but wholly fruitless
talks with President Vladimir Putin at the close of the G8 summit in
the Baltics yesterday.
An exasperated Mr Blair admitted: "There are real issues here that are
not going to be resolved any time soon". He warned the west was
"worried and fearful" at the political direction of Russia.
General 'sacrificed' to clear decks on Iraq
http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,,2099084,00.html
=B7 Chairman of joint chiefs of staff to stand down
=B7 Senate hearings would have been controversial
Suzanne Goldenberg in Washington
Saturday June 9, 2007
The Guardian
The Bush administration yesterday attempted to wipe the slate clean on
the Iraq war and chart a new way forward with the surprise
announcement that it was replacing General Peter Pace as chairman of
the joint chiefs of staff.
The defence chief, Robert Gates, said he had reluctantly decided on
the reshuffle - despite his initial support for Gen Pace - to avoid a
"divisive ordeal" at the Senate which would have had to approve an
extension of the general's term.
Olmert 'in secret offer to return Golan Heights to Syria'
http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0,,2099056,00.html
=B7 Israel demands deal to end Damascus support for Iran
=B7 Paper says message sent via Turks and Germans
Rory McCarthy in Jerusalem
Saturday June 9, 2007
The Guardian
The Israeli prime minister, Ehud Olmert, has passed a secret message
to Syria offering to return the Golan Heights as part of a broad peace
deal, a well-connected Israeli newspaper reported yesterday.
There was no confirmation of the claim and Syrian diplomats were
reported as saying their government had received no such overture.
Isolated Bush sees divisive immigration bill killed off
http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,,2099061,00.html
Ewen MacAskill in Washington
Saturday June 9, 2007
The Guardian
President George Bush's proposed reform of the US's crisis-hit
immigration system, intended to be the administration's lasting
legacy, was in tatters yesterday.
His bill, destroyed by a combination of Republicans and Democrats in
the Senate, highlights the extent of his weakness and isolation, even
though he still has a year and a half left in office.
Immigration is a hugely divisive issue in the US - the hottest
political topic after Iraq - and there have been repeated attempts
over the years to fix it. There are an estimated 12 million to 20
million illegal immigrants in the US, mainly from Mexico and elsewhere
in Latin America.
Terror suspects held at CIA jail in Poland, says report
http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,,2099071,00.html
Ian Traynor in Brussels and John Hooper in Rome
Saturday June 9, 2007
The Guardian
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the al-Qaida ringleader who claims to have
masterminded the 9/11 attacks, was held, interrogated, and possibly
tortured at a secret CIA prison in Poland, the leading investigator of
the US policy of "extraordinary renditions" said yesterday.
Unveiling a 19-month Council of Europe investigation into the
complicity of European governments in the practice of whisking terror
suspects to secret sites in Europe before deporting them to countries
where torture is routine, ***** Marty, a Swiss senator, said senior
officials in European governments were fully aware of the policy but
continued to cover it up.
Sharon Stone and Bernard-Henri L=E9vy in race for the White House
http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,2099000,00.html
Italian video artist returns to form with spoof US presidential
commercials
Charlotte Higgins in Venice
Saturday June 9, 2007
The Guardian
At the 2005 Venice Biennale, Italian artist Francesco Vezzoli caused a
huge buzz with his hilarious Trailer for the Remake of Gore Vidal's
Caligula.
A five-minute frenzy of outrageous images, it starred Vidal, Helen
Mirren, Milla Jovovich, Benicio del Toro and Courtney Love as the mad
Roman emperor. In another project, also shown at that Biennale, he
created an entire TV programme, a sort of Blind Date - only the women
picking out the eager, competing young men were stars, including
Catherine Deneuve, Marianne Faithfull and Jeanne Moreau.
Flares and medallions live again on Chavez's socialist TV
http://www.guardian.co.uk/venezuela/story/0,,2099046,00.html
=B7 Public service channel dominated by US reruns
=B7 Station meant to replace opposition broadcaster
Rory Carroll in Caracas
Saturday June 9, 2007
The Guardian
Big hair, big teeth, big cars: the American way might have a 1970s
look but it is alive and well in the crucible of Venezuela's socialist
revolution.
A public service TV channel launched by President Hugo Ch=E1vez is
relying on low budget US movies to fill the airwaves, giving a new
lease of life to forgotten films featuring medallions, flared jeans
and synthesizer music.
Televisora Venezolana Social, (TVes), has a mandate to wean
Venezuelans off western-style capitalist consumerism with programmes
that promote the government's leftwing agenda.
As the last Sopranos episode is broadcast, a nation of addicts braces
itself for its final hit
http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,,2099079,00.html
Ed Pilkington in New York
Saturday June 9, 2007
The Guardian
The epitaphs have been written. David Remnick, editor of the New
Yorker, has set the tone for the communal lament over the passing of
the Sopranos by dubbing it the "richest achievement in the history of
television". Being the New Yorker, he goes on to compare the show's
quality to works by Updike, Roth, Dickens and Aristotle.
The wake has been prepared, with newspapers across the US publishing
dinner menus for the final episode on Sunday. The Philadelphia
Inquirer recommends a six-course feast including linguine con vongole
and orecchiette with sausage and rapini.
Call for wildlife reserve to cover 30% of oceans
http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,2098972,00.html
Alok Jha, science correspondent
Saturday June 9, 2007
The Guardian
Scientists have called for almost a third of the world's oceans to be
turned into protected areas for marine wildlife - to maintain food
supplies and stop damage to underwater habitats and wildlife.
More than 250 scientists from around Europe signed a declaration
yesterday to coincide with World Oceans Day.
"We need to radically rethink our relationship with the sea," said
Callum Roberts of the University of York, who is heading the
initiative. "What that means is putting back refuges in the ocean for
larger, more vulnerable wildlife. Placing areas off-limits to fishing
and exploitation so we can rebuild those ocean food webs that are so
important."
Oiling the wheels of war: smuggling becomes the real economy of Iraq
http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,,2099072,00.html
In his second dispatch from southern Iraq, Ghaith Abdul-Ahad
investigates how illegal shipments fund militias and corrupt
politicians
Saturday June 9, 2007
The Guardian
On the banks of the Shatt al-Arab in southern Iraq, a family business
is thriving. For the Ashur, a small clan of about 50 families, it's
worth several million dollars a week. Costs are steep, especially for
security. But profits are tidy and business is booming.
The Ashur smuggle oil. For years under Saddam Hussein, they worked as
mere guards at Abu Flus terminal at the mouth of the Gulf. But as the
state collapsed after the US and British invasion in 2003 and economic
anarchy set in, they took over the port and became the quasi-official
authority there. Never have the family's fortunes flourished as in the
last three years. They built their own underground oil tanks in their
farms, where fuel tankers empty their cargoes to be pumped later into
small pontoons. A cousin of the family estimates that they make about
$5m (=A32.5m) a week from smuggling oil.
Irate judge orders Hilton back to court
http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,,2098985,00.html
Dan Glaister in Los Angeles
Saturday June 9, 2007
The Guardian
The hotel heiress and celebrity Paris Hilton was handcuffed and taken
in the back of a police car to a court appearance demanded by an irate
judge yesterday morning. Judge Michael Sauer was expected to decide
whether her medical condition was so serious that it justified her
early release from jail to complete her sentence for drink-driving
under house arrest.
She was released early on Thursday morning by Los Angeles sheriff's
deputies, against his wishes, and her anticipated court appearance
came at the end of a morning of frantic activity as the media lined
the narrow road outside Hilton's West Hollywood villa.
Boycott will destroy British academia, warns US professor
http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0,,2098961,00.html
=B7 Dershowitz says Israel petition is immoral
=B7 Top lawyer accuses union of double standards
Matthew Taylor and Suzanne Goldenberg
Saturday June 9, 2007
The Guardian
The prominent British lawyer Anthony Julius has teamed up with Alan
Dershowitz, the Harvard law school professor whose clients have
included Claus von Bulow and the OJ Simpson defence team, to fight
possible boycotts of Israeli universities by UK academics.
The pair are planning to publish a paper outlining their objections to
a pro-boycott motion passed by British academics last month and Mr
Dershowitz has threatened to "devastate and bankrupt" those he
believes are acting against Israeli universities.
Lady of the Raj
http://books.guardian.co.uk/review/story/0,,2098478,00.html
Fanny Parkes's exuberant journals trace her journey from prim memsahib
to sitar-playing Indophile and provide one of the most enjoyable
accounts of colonial India, discovers William Dalrymple
Saturday June 9, 2007
The Guardian
I first heard about the great early Victorian travel writer Fanny
Parkes when I was given a first edition of her book, Wanderings of a
Pilgrim in Search of the Picturesque, by an old lady who in many ways
resembled Parkes, and whose life had been greatly influenced by her
writings.
Iris Portal was in her late 70s when I met her, a feisty yet
remarkably liberal and intelligent relic of the Raj. She was the
younger sister of the politician Rab Butler and had grown up in an
academic family in Cambridge, where her father was the master of a
college. But in her teens, to her family's horror, Iris had fallen in
love with a dashing polo-playing cavalry officer, and suddenly found
herself transported from the bookish banks of the Cam to a bleak
military cantonment in central India. There the commanding officer's
wife soon warned her not to let it be known that she wrote poetry, "as
it might give the wrong impression".
Where the wild things are
http://books.guardian.co.uk/review/story/0,,2098449,00.html
Mark Cocker finds beauty and pagan energy in Jay Griffiths' pilgrimage
to the heart of the world's remaining tribal cultures, Wild: An
Elemental Journey
Saturday June 9, 2007
The Guardian
Wild: An Elemental Journey
by Jay Griffiths
384pp, Hamish Hamilton, =A320
Jay Griffiths is a five-star, card-carrying member of the hellfire
club. In just a few pages of her strange, utterly compelling travel
book, this rebel deluxe tells us of her opposition to mining, logging
and missionaries (especially the American rightwing evangelist sort).
She also savages golf, factory farming and out-of-town shopping
centres, and adds to the tally of complaints with tirades against
cartography, walls, corridors, timekeeping, television, capitalism and
Christianity.
Bad chemistry
http://books.guardian.co.uk/review/story/0,,2098448,00.html
The Vitamin Murders by James Fergusson allows Josh Lacey to examine
the shocking and unexpected consequences of a real-life murder
Saturday June 9, 2007
The Guardian
The Vitamin Murders
by James Fergusson
264pp, Portobello, =A312.99
In the summer of 1952, the eminent biochemist, Sir Jack Drummond, was
in France on holiday with his wife, Anne, and their 10-year-old
daughter. While camping in Provence, they were attacked in the middle
of the night. Anne was shot as she slept. Drummond struggled with her
killer, but was shot too. Their daughter managed to run a hundred
yards before she was caught and her skull crushed by the butt of the
same gun that had killed her parents.
Hell optional, heaven postponed
http://books.guardian.co.uk/review/story/0,,2098452,00.html
Keith Thomas salutes Tim Blanning's deft encounter with the
contradictions of Europe's Enlightenment, The Pursuit of Glory
Saturday June 9, 2007
The Guardian
The Pursuit of Glory: Europe 1648-1815
by Tim Blanning
707pp, Allen Lane, =A330
In the mid-20th century, the Pelican Histories of England provided
hundreds of thousands of students with their first reliable
introduction to the past. ST Bindoff on Tudor England and JH Plumb on
the 18th century became instant classics and their sales figures must
have been immense. Fifty years later, Penguin Books is attempting to
repeat that success with two new history series, one on Britain, one
on Europe, both edited by David Cannadine, the JH Plumb de nos jours.
Tim Blanning's admirably capacious The Pursuit of Glory is one of the
first volumes in the Penguin History of Europe.
Boors, quacks and humbug
http://books.guardian.co.uk/review/story/0,,2098450,00.html
Virginia Rounding finds clear echoes of today in Ben Wilson's
impressive study of early 19th-century Britain, Decency and Disorder
Saturday June 9, 2007
The Guardian
Decency and Disorder: The Age of Cant 1789-1837
by Ben Wilson
510pp, Faber, =A325
Britain and the British, it seems, do not change - at least that is
the impression one gains from Ben Wilson's depiction of the
preoccupations of our forebears from the time of the French revolution
until the accession of Queen Victoria. Some of those preoccupations
sound depressingly familiar. Politicians and pundits feared, for
instance, that the humane provisions of the Poor Laws might have the
lamentable effect of removing the connection between idleness and
starvation, so that paupers might be dissuaded from earning an honest
crust. Likewise the rehabilitation of prostitutes might lead to girls
choosing prostitution as an easy way to get state support. Substitute
"single mothers" for "prostitutes", and you can hear the same argument
today. The Society for the Suppression of Vice, founded in 1802,
believed that society's ills stemmed from a lack of obedience to
parents, schoolmasters and employers, and that the dreadful result was
that "modern youth are destitute of that decency of deportment and
propriety of manner, which we denominate Respect". So we haven't made
much progress on that agenda for at least the last 200 years.
Revolting peers
http://books.guardian.co.uk/review/story/0,,2098451,00.html
John Adamson's The Noble Revolt reveals that, in 1641, England's
future was balanced on a knife-edge, says Daniel Hahn
Saturday June 9, 2007
The Guardian
The Noble Revolt: The Overthrow of Charles I
by John Adamson
576 pp, Weidenfeld & Nicolson, =A325
The year 1641 is one of English history's great turning-points. A bold
group of disaffected peers has just petitioned King Charles for
significant constitutional change, including the surrender of many of
his prerogative rights, such as the appointment of senior officials
and the raising of revenue through taxation. They're also calling for
fundamental religious reform, for a restoration of the purity of the
church - in particular by undoing the work of the king's loyal
archbishop, the almighty Laud, who they feel has started the country
on the road back to "popery".
Bruce Springsteen saved my life
http://books.guardian.co.uk/review/story/0,,2098453,00.html
Diamond Duggal enjoys Sarfraz Manzoor's unpretentious story of a young
British Muslim's unlikely role model in Greetings from Bury Park:
Race, Religion and Rock'n'Roll
Saturday June 9, 2007
The Guardian
Greetings from Bury Park: Race, Religion and Rock'n'Roll
by Sarfraz Manzoor
269pp, Bloomsbury, =A312.99
There is nothing unfamiliar about the lives of second-generation
British immigrants. The tension between traditional and liberal values
and the disconnection between first- and second-generation immigrants
has been well documented; most notably in Hanif Kureishi's books The
Buddha of Suburbia and The Black Album, as well as Jhumpa Lahiri's
Pulitzer prize-winning short stories, Interpreter of Maladies. There
is a timeless reality to diaspora, a sense of soul-searching that is,
somehow, relevant to us all. However, since 7/7 there seems to be a
greater urgency to comprehend the particular challenges for British
Muslims, and the conflicts they face between traditional and western
lifestyles. In this aptly-timed memoir, it is Bruce Springsteen's
lyrics that provide a route into that territory.
The G8: What they said and what they meant
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/politics/article2636243.ece
By Andrew Grice in Heiligendamm and Daniel Howden
Published: 09 June 2007
Leaders of the world's richest nations were accused of watering down
pledges to help the poorest countries after they failed to get back on
track to deliver aid promises they made two years ago at Gleneagles.
The G8 summit in Germany agreed a $60bn (=A330bn) package to relieve
suffering from Aids in Africa. But the leaders angered aid campaigners
by merely reaffirming their 2005 pledges, which are already $8bn
behind schedule, without taking action to bridge the gap.
Bush U-turn as 'surge' sceptic to oversee war
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/article2636169.ece
By David Usborne in New York
Published: 09 June 2007
The White House has sidelined the main proponent of "troop surge" in
Iraq in what looks a tacit acceptance that, after several months, the
much-vaunted strategy is not working.
Final responsibility for guiding President George Bush on conduct of
the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan has been shifted from his National
Security adviser, Stephen Hadley, and handed instead to his new war
tsar, Lt-Gen Douglas Lute, who has long voiced doubts about the surge.
Bush U-turn as 'surge' sceptic to oversee war
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/article2636169.ece
By David Usborne in New York
Published: 09 June 2007
The White House has sidelined the main proponent of "troop surge" in
Iraq in what looks a tacit acceptance that, after several months, the
much-vaunted strategy is not working.
Final responsibility for guiding President George Bush on conduct of
the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan has been shifted from his National
Security adviser, Stephen Hadley, and handed instead to his new war
tsar, Lt-Gen Douglas Lute, who has long voiced doubts about the surge.
Cordial but still icy: Blair and Putin fail to bridge the gap
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/politics/article2636244.ece
By Andrew Grice in Heiligendamm and Anne Penketh
Published: 09 June 2007
Relations between Britain and Russia remain in the deep freeze after a
cordial but frosty 50-minute meeting between Tony Blair and Vladimir
Putin.
The two leaders, who met for a one-to-one session yesterday at the
close of the G8 summit in Germany, failed to resolve widening
differences over democracy and human rights in Russia, its economic
and energy policies and its refusal to extradite Andrei Lugovoy, the
former KGB agent Britain wants to face trial over the death by
poisoning in London of the Kremlin critic Alexander Litvinenko.
'Sickness' of suicides plagues South Korea
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/asia/article2636170.ece
By Daniel Jeffreys in Seoul
Published: 09 June 2007
Ahn So-young hanged herself in January. She was 22. Like more than
12,000 South Koreans every year, Ahn chose suicide to escape her
problems. She left a note saying she could not endure the shame of
losing her job. Her father, Ahn Ki-min, hanged himself six weeks
later. Neither gave warning to family or friends.
The country's suicide rate has accelerated at breathtaking speed in
five years to become the highest of the 30-nation Organisation for
Economic Co-operation and Development, with about 30 Koreans a day
killing themselves.
Zambia feels the reality of G8's empty promises
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/africa/article2636166.ece
By Steve Bloomfield in Chongwe, Zambia
Published: 09 June 2007
Zambia was not promised the Earth - just $1bn. At the Gleneagles
summit in 2005 the world's richest nations promised to double the
amount of aid granted to Africa each year by 2010. Around $1bn of
Zambia's $3bn annual budget is made up of foreign aid. Doubling it
would increase the government's budget by 33 per cent.
Watching the announcements from Scotland on television, Dr Brian
Chituwo, Zambia's health minister, could have been forgiven for
thinking that he would be spending some of that money on much-needed
extra doctors, nurses and equipment.
Reporting on life behind the wire: The Sudanese journalist held in
Guantanamo Bay
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/article2618558.ece
Sami al-Haj is a Sudanese journalist who was captured on his first
assignment for Al Jazeera and has been detained without charge in
Guantanamo Bay since June 2002. But, remarkably, imprisonment hasn't
stopped him reporting on life behind the wire. Andrew Buncombe tells
his story and talks to those he left behind
Published: 09 June 2007
Sami al-Haj spends his days alone, thinking of his wife and the son he
barely knows.
He spends his time thinking of the world beyond the razor wire, of the
world away from the walls and bars, the orange jumpsuit he is forced
to wear and the military guards that oversee him. He thinks too of his
fellow prisoners incarcerated along with him at Guantanamo Bay and the
anguish they endure.
Reid clashes with Hain on terror law
http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/politics/article2636215.ece
By Nigel Morris
Published: 09 June 2007
Peter Hain has been accused by John Reid, the Home Secretary, of
protesting over planned new anti-terror powers in an attempt to boost
his deputy leadership bid.
The extraordinary break-down in cabinet discipline has been exposed in
a leaked letter of complaint from Mr Reid to Tony Blair. A newspaper
had reported that Mr Hain, the Secretary of State for Northern
Ireland, had told other ministers he was worried about plans to give
police the authority to stop and question anyone.
Leading article: The G8 summit succeeded - but only in avoiding
outright failure
http://comment.independent.co.uk/leading_articles/article2636165.ece
By the time the summit opened on Wednesday evening, onlookers were
primed for disappointment
Published: 09 June 2007
We should, of course, have known better. But when the leaders of the
world's seven richest countries and Russia get together for their
annual bean-feast, you cannot but hope that they will change things.
You cannot but believe that, with the money, the technology and the
power at their collective disposal, they should be able to achieve so
much more than they ever do.
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