The Poppy Appeal: Politicising Memories

I thought maybe I’d try writing this despite how taboo criticism of wearing poppies has become in recent years. That our way of remembering the tragedy of death in war should be so totally controlled by one organisation is something we should be concerned about; memories are personal, but also disputable, and the singular, and highly selective branding is hugely problematic to myself and many others.

Understanding the American balance of Power

We’ve had a couple of rounds of griping at Obama again. People this side of the Atlantic in particular seem rather disgruntled by the lack of outcome on certain key issues, and possibly even confused by the outcome of some of the others, and in several cases I think this comes down to one thing: American politics is more complex and less dictatorial that we imagine.

Israel declares war permanent

Avigdor Lieberman, Israel’s Foreign Minister, has told Israelis that the conflict between Israel and Palestine is not going to be resolved. Citing the example of Cyprus, he has called on Israelis to stop seeking peace and make the best of his countries oppression of the Palestinians. In a sense, this isn’t anything new, but it would be easy to see this as merely an admission of hopelessness, rather than a calculated position for Israel to put itself in.

How do you recruit war victims?

There are many victims in wars. Its easy to vent about how innocent people in Iraq and Afghanistan have become victims of war. But what about the victims behind the guns, those who, for whatever, are compelled into joining an army they otherwise wouldn’t and who often become the frontline casualties of even the most high-tech wars?

The Rise and Sprawl of the Security Industry

I recently saw a presentation that contained a list of the five most common jobs people are being recruited to in York at the moment. Admin and Hospitality & Catering were no surprise, Retail seems to have picked up and I think IT support was on the list, all of which are pretty morally neutral. Half way through the list was “Security”, a worrying if not totally surprising revelation.

When Ethical Labelling Fails

When it came in to effect, the Kimberley Process was hailed as a triumph in the struggle to stop Africa’s mineral, and specifically diamond, wealth on internal conflict and human rights abuses. Overseen by the UN, it is possibly one of the most monumental and well established “Ethical Consumerism” labelling schemes that there is. Sadly, as the BBC recently reported, all is not going well for Kimberley Certification.

Is Israel milking the bare minimum?

Perhaps the biggest ongoing argument over the Gaza offensive that Israel launched at the start of this year has been willingness of Israel to allow injured Gazans to get treatment. Those who support Israel all know the line by heart; Israel has been happy to let injured civilians pass through the border into Israel and receive treatment in its hospitals.

Going Back to Afghanistan

The tired old analogy of Iraq as the new Vietnam now not only looks like hyperbole, but appears to be targeted at the wrong war, the one many of those, myself included, had happily forgotten. Thousands of years of history seem to have taught the Americans and the British nothing, as they find themselves almost hopelessly bogged down in Afghanistan.

UK Press Ignores Reality of UK Racism

This was passed to me via a friend on Twitter, and its left me absolutely stunned. A man has been planning to bomb places of worship in Glasgow and behead people, and has admitted just as much, and yet he hasn’t received a single mention in the UK national media. Why? Probably because his targets, not his beliefs, are Muslims.

A Web of Hatred Worldwide

On Friday, news broke that the perpetrator of the shootings at the Holocaust Museum in Washington had supported American Friends of the BNP until its disbanding in 2001. But was this an isolated connection, or does this fit a growing trend of hate-parties and hate-groups making contact and working together?