Category Archives: Politics

Alternative Election Night {TV Preview}

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It’s only a couple of days until Britain goes to the polls for the closest general election in a generation. On Thursday night, the BBC will begin an epic 20-hour broadcast from it’s huge studio set, ITV will have Alistair Stewart and Julie Etchingham surrounded by virtual reality graphics and Sky will have it’s presenters at constituencies across the country. Meanwhile, Channel Four will be taking an entirely different approach to election night.

Lauren Laverne, David Mitchell and Jimmy Carr will present a four-hour special, taking an entertaining and provocative look at the results as they come in. They’ll be joined by Charlie Brooker who’ll provide typically acerbic and hilarious comment, an array of guests including a bookmaker with the latest odds and a live studio audience. Viewers at home will also be able to join in on Twitter as night unfolds by sending tweets to @c4altelection and using the hashtag #C4altelection.

As well as the live broadcast from the studio, there’ll be pre-recorded segments using some of the channel’s most popular programmes. Throughout the night there’ll be segments from a special edition of Come Dine With Me featuring the unlikely combination of Edwina Currie, Brian Paddick, Derek Hatton and Rod Liddle. At ten o’clock, just after the exit polls come in, Charlie Brooker is joined by Robert Webb, Sharon Horgan and Peter Serafinowicz for a special edition of You Have Been Watching, looking at election coverage and the world of political television. Plus, from time to time the Fonejacker’s cast of characters will be popping up with prank calls.

The last time an alternative, satirical election broadcast was attempted, it was the utterly fantastic Election Night Armistice in 1997, where Armando Iannucci, Peter Baynham and David Schneider introduced Alan Partridge with the latest results from Norwich, a “prostitute in a helicopter” ready to land wherever the first result is declared to try to produce the first scandal of the new parliament, and a male voice choir performing popular news theme tunes. It’s hard to imagine that Channel Four’s effort will be able to come close to Iannucci’s genius, but with David Mitchell and Charlie Brooker on board, it should be definitely worth watching.

The Alternative Election Night on Thursday 6 May, 9pm on Channel Four.

James Yardley on The Elusive Peace – An examination into the future of the Arab-Israeli conflict.

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The Elusive Peace – An examination into the future of the Arab-Israeli conflict.

Part 1 – What are Israel’s Options Regarding the Occupied Territories of the West Bank and Gazza?

Its now almost 75 years since the first attempt was made to divide Palestine into separate Jewish and Arabic states. Back then the British Peel commission recommended that 80% of the land in Palestine should make up part of a new Arab state. Today it’s hard to imagine such a proposal was ever considered. Since the Peel proposal a Jewish state has been created and gone on to prosper but the Palestinians remain without the state they have been seeking for so long. But Israel’s options over what to do with the occupied territories are limited and diminishing. Has the time finally come for the creation of the elusive Palestinian state?

In 1988 King Hussein of Jordan renounced all claims and ties with the occupied territories (Gazza and the West Bank). This ruled out one of Israel’s major options for the territories which they had been occupying since the 1967 war. Many Israeli’s had hoped that the Palestinian problem could be solved with a peace agreement with Jordan. The West Bank would be divided between Israel and Jordan. Jordan would then take on the difficult responsibility of governing the Palestinians.

After Jordan pulled out of the West Bank calls for a Palestinian state became increasingly vocal. It was much harder for Israel to ignore the Palestinians and the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO) since Jordan stated, ‘the PLO is the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people’. Prior to the withdrawal Israel had always been able to avoid dealing with the Palestinians directly, dealing instead with Jordan. After 1988 this was no longer an option.

Jordan’s decision left Israel with only 2 options over what to do with the occupied territories. The first is a one state solution, whereby the Israel annexes the West Bank and the Gaza strip, thereby assimilating them with the rest of Israel. However this is never considered a realistic option by the Israeli government or Israeli Jews. To assimilate the millions of Palestinians would defeat the purpose of a Jewish state and many fear it would threaten its existence.

This leaves Israel with the only one viable option, a two state solution. The creation of a separate Palestinian state encompassing both the West Bank and the Gazza strip, alongside the existing Israeli state. This is what the Palestinians want and given we know a one state solution is not an option, this is surely what Israel wants as well. A poll in 2007 showed that 70% of Israeli Jews were in favour of a two state solution. So why is it so hard to implement if both sides want the same thing? Why are negotiations always at a permanent stalemate?

Despite that lack of options remaining most Israeli’s are certainly in no rush to create a Palestinian state. It has been 22 years since Jordan renounced it ties with the West Bank and it still appears as if a Palestinian state is a long way off.

There is also a third option for Israel which we have not yet considered. That is a policy of maintaining the status quo or consolidation. A number of the right wing parties openly endorse this policy some of whom are part of Benjamin Netanyahu’s (prime minister of Israel) fragile coalition government. Likud itself (the right wing party Netanyahu leads) does not believe in a fully sovereign independent Palestinian state.

The Palestinian situation is also much more complicated. Many still refuse to recognise Israel’s right to exist. Some will settle for nothing less than the complete replacement of Israel with a Palestinian state.

The situation has been severely complicated by large divisions within both sides. The next article will take a closer look into these internal divisions. Why do some Israelis fear a Palestinian state and should they? Why is Israel still building new settlements in East Jerusalem? Will Hamas moderate? What is the future for Fatah? Is there any hope for a settlement in the near future?

New video from Yahoo! Politics. How much do people know about voting and politics?

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Yahoo! Launches 'The People's Policies'

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Yahoo = Peoples Policies. YAHOO! LAUNCHES ‘THE PEOPLE’S POLICIES’

  • The best ones will be advertised across the site for free to Yahoo!’s monthly UK audience of over 20 million users

  • Election site aims to be UK’s most comprehensive and accessible, with blogs from comedian Steve Punt.

(London, April 6th) Tired of the same old political promises in the lead up to an election?  Convinced you can do better than the politicians?  On the day the General Election is announced, Yahoo! – the UK’s #2 online news site* –  is launching ‘The People’s Policies’ at http://thepeoplespolicies.co.uk – offering you the chance to get your  burning issue out to a UK audience of over 20 million.

‘The People’s Policies’ gives you the chance to have your policy selected as an advertising banner which could then be shown throughout the Yahoo! UK site.  Twenty-two million people see Yahoo! ads online every month in the UK, meaning your policy has the potential of reaching an audience that even Brown, Cameron and Clegg would struggle to reach.

For your policy to have a chance of being featured on Yahoo!, simply submit your own policy for the UK – be it silly or sublime – and watch the votes pour in from Yahoo! users.  As well as potentially being selected to be included in advertising space on Yahoo! UK, each policy will be given its own individual link for self-promotion on your own Twitter and Facebook pages.  The best policy of the week will also potentially be spotlighted on the Yahoo! UK homepage for even more publicity.

In the final week of voting – timed to align with the week before the General Election – advertising will be focused on the best ten People’s Policies for a big finale. These ten will be made up from the top five on the leader board as voted for by Yahoo! users, plus Yahoo!’s five favourites, selected in accordance with the rules of the Site

Yahoo!’s General Election Site

The People’s Policies are one part of a new Yahoo! General Election website (www.yahoo.co.uk/elections) that seeks to be the most accessible source of current and relevant political information in the run up to the General Election– capturing everything that’s going on in the Election in an easy and informative way.

Direct from BBC Radio 4’s The Now Show and sitcom The Party Line, comedian Steve Punt will be casting his satirical eye over the unfolding drama of the Election campaign.  The ex-star of The Mary Whitehouse Experience and one half of Punt and Dennis will be the writer of a blog aimed at providing political observation and a laugh (or two) among the serious issues of the day.

Throughout the build up, the site will be home to interviews with political leaders, live streaming of political debates and Yahoo!’s very own constituency map.  You will be able to get all the background on the politicians with party and candidate profiles and essential information.  You’ll also be able to access analysis on the highs and lows of the main parties and read in-depth articles on their policies and manifestos.

Rich Evans, UK News Editor, Yahoo! said “Over the next month, there’ll be an awful lot of coverage of parties and politicians but very little about the individual and their concerns.

The People’s Policies is Yahoo!’s way of putting you at the centre of the election campaign and giving you the chance to have your voice heard by over 20 million people.”

*As measured by monthly unique users (Comscore)

The Great Political Debate: Part 2: Labour.

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By Alain Lewis

When I was 12 it was necessary for me to become a Labourite. My father was a Postman and a Trade Unionist and my mother a Home Help for the local council.
Mrs Thatcher was about to become Prime Minister and I believed that in her haste to cut taxes she would also make public services suffer. This made me in direct opposition to my best friend Simon Jones, I believed though that my convictions were far more important than that.
I became then a back seat supporter of the Labour Party, I’ve never actually joined the party.
My belief in a fairer society came not only as a counter to Mrs Ts unfairness but partially as a result of my, then, Christianity. I have since lost my belief in God, but I still believe we should make our world more equal for more people. That we shouldn’t discriminate against people because of their race, religion, age, sexuality, gender, class or political convictions. It does though seem a long time ago that Tory MPs were openly racist, apart from Boris that is.
Through my political adolescence I despaired of what was happening. The choices were so obvious, how could Neil Kinnock have lost in 1987 and 1992? When John Smith died big changes were allowed to happen on the Labour Party. It became more attractive to more people in the UK, even some Tories.
I think though this is what’s been happening since the war. The leadership has been to the right of the party, with the exception of 1983 and 1945.
There is also no denying that Labour won in 1997 under the banner of New Labour. They abandoned clause 4 and adopted PFIs.
New Labour though has revitalised the NHS, improved standards in Education. It introduced the Minimum Wage and gave families new opportunities with Sure Start. Professionally I prospered under New Labour as a worker in Information, Advice and Guidance with Adults. For a time I worked in close collaboration in a mult-agency setting, collaborating and not competing with a range of organisations. Those were some of the most joy filled and bitterness free times of my career.
Because of the cylical nature of our politics and the blame attached by the Tories to Gordon Brown for the economic meltdown; we’re now threatened by the return of Thatcherism under the guise of David Cameron. He, as most Tories are, is obsessed with choice and has an unpalatable zeal to force private schools into the state sector.
On May 6th I will be very happy to put my cross next to the Labour Party candidate’s name, Gary Heather, on the ballot paper in the Tunbridge Wells constituency. I know full well that I’m not to be too disappointed if by some chance he fails to get elected.

The Great Political Debate. Part 1: Is socialism dead?

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by Richard Wright

The first of a series of political articles from all the different political parties. This one, by Richard Wright, asks if Socialism exists on any of the political parties anymore

A lonely Socialist (Or living in a past that is no longer the present)

I wander lonely as a cloud. Without a main stream party to call my own. Abandoned by the Blair fashioned Labour Party, reviled by the Conservatives, slightly misunderstood by the Liberal Democrats. When you think the closest thing I have to a voice is Tommy Sheridan you know you might be out of touch with modern politics. And I’m only 26!

“To secure for the workers by hand or by brain the full fruits of their industry and the most equitable distribution thereof that may be possible upon the basis of the common ownership of the means of production, distribution and exchange, and the best obtainable system of popular administration and control of each industry or service.” The original version of Clause IV, drafted by Sidney Webb in November 1917 and adopted by the Labour party in 1918.  A piece of writing that summed up beautifully the socialist centre of this left win party. A party that formed the welfare state and gave this nation the NHS. A party that won the peace when the second world war was over.  And then in 1995 Tony Blair achieve what even the great Hugh Gaitskell had failed to do and brought down this centre of the party. That day destroyed the Labour Party I knew and loved. Yes I was only 12 but the fact was I had been political since a very early age. There had been a mock election at my primary school in 1992 and I had voted Labour. Primarily for the free sweets they had given out – true socialism at work. But the fact was my political nature has been informed by one event.

The Event was the miners’ strike of the 1980’s. I grew up in a little mining village in Durham called Seaham Harbour. It had 3 coal collieries. Due to the miners strike and the actions of Margaret Thatcher all 3 were gone by 1992. The place I used to call home fell into a depression in the 80’s and 90’s and is only now pulling itself out of it. It is still one of the cheapest places to buy property, although that fact is changing dramatically as it redevelops itself.  My father, a Salvation Army Officer at the local corps at the time of the strike, had to go and visit men who were on strike or had been laid off. He had to go and deal with the people who had anger filled hearts. Was it a Tory councilor or MP? No. It was a Salvation Army Officer who had to go and see the anger, fear & utter dejection in the faces of broken human beings. Will I ever forgive the Conservatives for it? No I never will. They broke the heart of the North of England because they could. And I know cheap coal, economic factors but they did nothing to protect the people they were meant to be serving.  When you’re in power you aren’t the government of the people who voted for you!  You do the best for every single one of your people. You look after the whole country, not just the part of the country you like.

So I come to this election. Fired up. Ready to get back into the heart of political battle. And what do I find? Every single party fighting over the centre ground. Pandering to every whim of middle England and taking no chance on the edge. Certainly, there are no main stream left wing parties for me to vote for. Is socialism dead in this country? We seem to be able to protest every time the price of bread goes up in Zimbabwe but we have forgotten about this country. Sure yes we need to support conflicts and situations around the world. But politics begins on your front door. And decisions are made by those who turn up. So where are the socialists? Where is the new breed of Keir Hardy, Ramsey McDonald, George Lansbury, Clem Attlee, Nye Bevan & Harold Wilson? I fear with the political landscape as it is today I will have to sigh, vote for the lesser of three evils in Clegg’s Liberal Democrats and read the 1945 & 1983 Labour party Manifestoes over and over and dream of what could be.

Fanboy letters. To Zack Snyder

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Dear Zack

I cannot express in words how much you mean to me. I am a comic book fan (geek) and forever will be. My love for them almost outweighs my love for Films. But when the two come together to make sweet, tender, passionate love then my experience is so joyful that I cannot contain my adoration for those who create the genius and sheer poetry of such masterpieces.  As I sit here listening to the dulcet tones of Van Morrison telling me how fantabulous the night is all I can think of is how I wish I can watch Watchmen once again. While I don’t want to make Love to you Zack, let’s face it you’re no Ben Affleck, I do want to make creative love to your genius. Some people, like Tim Burton, don’t respect the source material when they make comic book movies but you? You make my geeky dreams come true and take panels from the page and make them come to life. I’ve had a crush on you ever since 300. Your adaptation of the Frank Miller novel I love so much almost made me cry. Almost – I’m still a dude. But as sweeping and grand as 300 is my full on man crush on your creativity and my deep burning passion for your vision can be put down to Watchmen.

Sure you have your critics. Like you took the Giant Squid and didn’t use it. Hey sshh don’t listen to them they just don’t understand that after Jon Peters and the giant Spider idea for Superman Lives that would have been stupid. You don’t have to explain why people are saying the movie tanked in America in its second weekend at the box office. No. You don’t have to explain to people why it’s not doing the expected business. True art doesn’t have to justify itself Zack.  Zack just remember you made an amazing film and that I think you’re great. You’re a huge big time director now!

But…….I have something to tell you. There’s someone else. I know I said we’d be together forever but as much as I love Watchmen. As much as I love 300. As much as there awesomeness makes me a happy man Zack I need to confess that you are merely a cinematic fling. A graphic affair if you will. I’m sorry that you can never be my own true love.  That will always be Bryan Singer. I will always love X-Men 2 more than any other comic book film ever made. Oh sure it’s not as amazingly accurate as your films. It doesn’t have bone crunching action like your films or have trailer lines that make me want to wet myself in geeky excitement at their mere mention. After all THIS IS SPARTA!

But X-Men 2 will forever be me one, true love.  The opening scene will always be the moment my heart was stolen by Bryan Singer. Sure it’s not perfect but what relationship is? I can even forgive him Superman Returns for the sheer fantabulous nature of the opening to X-Men 2. The music. Nightcrawler. The action. The drama. I’m sorry but the times may be a changing but not in my world of comic book love. X-Men 2 will forever be my love. Watchmen will forever be my lust.

Can’t you be happy with second place in my heart? I love you more than Nolan! I do I really do! Nolan could never steel my heart like you Zack. The way you direct makes me want you to direct me. Well not really but it makes me want to direct so that works right? The Dark Knight makes me happy. It’s great. But you make me really happy. Just not X-Men 2 happy! Zack believe me when I say I never meant to hurt you. My love for you is firm and true. But when it’s all said and done and the curtain falls and the credits role all I am left with is the faint and subtle sense that I will forever love Singer more.

Zack you rock. You kick so many other comic directors’ ass.  But you will forever live in the shadow of my love for Bryan Singer. Sorry. You may shout out Love me more than Singer but I’ll whisper…..no

In sheer awe

The Fan Boy
( Written by Richard Wright )

Our writer, Francesca, meets Israeli-Arab journalist Khaled Abu Toameh,

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On Tuesday, I attended a talk by the noted Israeli-Arab journalist Khaled Abu Toameh, held in the flocked wallpaper glory of Westminster. What he said was interesting, relevant, and worthy of a larger audience than that which he attracted. He is not an impartial observer by any means – an Arab Muslim who lives in Jerusalem, and is West Bank correspondent for the Jerusalem Post – he is unashamedly pro-Palestinian. For him, though, being pro-Palestinian does not automatically mean vilification of Israel. As he put it, indelicately – if a man, woman or child in Gaza or the West Bank needs a heart transplant, the only country in the Middle East that will provide medical care is Israel. He excoriates the surrounding Arab countries for so completely abandoning their brothers in Palestine (Jordan is presently revoking citizenship for hundreds of Palestinian families who have been resident in Jordan since 1948 and before), and blames EU and American miscalculations in 2006 for the present situation.

If the US did not want Hamas in government, why did they encourage free and fair democratic elections in Gaza in 2006? Fatah went to Condoleezza Rice and said: “We are perceived as corrupt and spineless in Gaza. There’s a real possibility we might lose this”. The Americans ignored this, and when Hamas won by a clear majority, appeared to back-flip on its commitment to the democratic process – condemning the result and boycotting the new government of Gaza. The Palestinians in Gaza were all at once the victims of the most egregious hypocrisy – elect your own government, but if it’s not the one we want, we won’t be doing business with them. Meanwhile, Fatah groups in Gaza were coming under immense pressure from the new Hamas coalition, and fighting broke out on the streets of Gaza City between the rival factions. Hundreds of Fatah members fled Gaza, heading for the Egyptian border, which was promptly closed. Then they turned to Israel for rescue, and were allowed into southern Israel, only to be swiftly dumped in the West Bank.

Hamas swept to victory on an anti-Fatah, “time for change” platform – which Toameh thinks has now been largely dismissed in favour of hard-line Islamist policies and secretive international diplomacy (mainly with the Iranians and Syrians). The people suffer just the same, only now they are forced into Islamist contortions that many of them dislike and fear. There’s one good thing about Hamas though – they say pretty much the same thing in English as in Arabic. They stand for the destruction of Israel, entirely, and then, for a khalifa-style Arab kingdom, of the sort beloved by Muslim Brotherhood groups everywhere. Abu Toameh reminisces about a newspaper he picked up in Toronto, the headline of which proclaimed that Hamas was becoming more moderate, and about to recognise the state of Israel. Amazing! he thought – what have I missed at home? Upon his return, he headed straight to the house of a senior Hamas politician in Ramallah, and asked what had happened in his absence. The answer was nothing. The newspaper’s headline was the cause of much hilarity that week.

A two-state solution appears to have been implemented already –the Palestinians have two states: one in the West Bank and one in Gaza. Fatah is weak and divided, propped up by the desperate Americans and Europeans. Toameh is quite clear: Mahmoud Abbas calls for Israeli troops to be withdrawn from the West Bank on a daily basis; the moment this happens, he is likely to be dragged into Ramallah’s main square and hung. The bitterness of the Hamas/Fatah struggle is so acute, they appear to have forgotten about the Israelis – they now call each other pigs and dogs, and ignore the Jews. Unless significant pressure is put on both sides to compromise and come together there is no partner for peace for Israel, and more importantly, no chance of a true Palestinian homeland.

The last, and most depressing point: Toameh is constantly amazed by the level of anti-Israel vitriol he experiences in Britain and in Europe. He once telephoned British newspaper editors with a story about Fatah’s corruption and was asked, point blank, whether he was working for the ‘Jewish lobby’. What lobby? he exclaimed – and how much do they pay? Joking aside, he says he is saddened that being ‘pro-Palestinian’ in this country does not mean doing anything for the Palestinian people, it means hating Israel and settling comfortably into a morally righteous narrative that finds facts and reality confusing. When the situation on the ground is this complex, there can be no easy ‘right’ way to think about the conflict. He asked: what do boycotts do to help Palestinians? What do rallies do to help Palestinians? What do changing the lyrics to Christmas carols and passing anti-Israel motions at London universities do to help the Palestinians? Nothing. If you’re really interested in helping the Palestinian people, go to the West Bank and teach in schools, donate books about liberalism and freedom (if you’re a liberal and believe in freedom), donate money to organisations that encourage Arabs and Jews to sit down in the same room and realise their similarities and not their differences. And recognise that no Jew in Israel (who is not a lunatic) has no interest in re-occupying the West Bank or Gaza, and that no Jewish mother wants to send her son into street combat in Gaza.

The best we can hope for is a period of stability, coalition building on the Palestinian side, and improving the internal Palestinian economy. Netanyahu can freeze settlement building, or not, but it will make no difference to the quest for real peace in the region until the Palestinians resolve their rift and start a real campaign for statehood.

By Francesca Rose-Lewis.