Recent Articles

Why the assassination of Salman Taseer matters

Just a few days ago I wrote about the tensions building in Pakistan over the proposals to amend the blasphemy laws.

I mentioned in passing high profile Punjabi governor Salman Taseer who was an outspoken advocate of the reforms. He was the focus of much bile and criticism from the religious right.

Today he was murdered.
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Pakistan faces religious riots over Blasphemy law

A one day strike rocked Pakistan last week against proposed changes in the blasphemy laws. Currently those who ‘insult Islam’ can be sentenced to death and, according to the BBC, this has led to around thirty people being killed.

Critics add that the law is used to persecute religious minorities or to pursue vendettas.
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The case for dropping ‘ConDem’ in political sloganeering

I’ve been particularly excised recently by the constant use of the phrase ‘ConDem’ to describe the coalition government. It’s on leaflets, placards, blog posts and even painted on faces. My problem is that it reeks of dogma.

The moment I hear someone use the phrase I know with absolute certainty that this is not a ‘normal’ person but a political activist.

I’ve never heard any member of my family use the phrase, any of my non-activist friends nor come across it in everyday conversation, even when discussing the government.
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Our great housing scandal gets worse

The Comprehensive Spending Review spelled some extremely bad news in the housing sector. It’s a review that will cause hardship for many and homelessness for thousands.

It’s not simply that Osbourne scaled back the plans of building new affordable homes by 30%, there has been a general assault on rights and benefits that will lead to misery and homelessness.

The ending of Secure Tenancies for council house tenants is the end of an era. The post-war settlement that created affordable homes for working people was a massive attack upon one of the great divides in society – decent housing.
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Greens win New Zealand’s capital

In a dramatic neck and neck finish Green Party councillor Celia Wade-Brown has won the Mayoralty of Wellington, the capital of New Zealand.

On Friday night at close of counting there was just 40 votes between her and incumbent right wing Mayor, Kerry Prendergast, with Prendergast in front. Counting was then suspended while the ‘special votes’ came in (votes from embassies, delayed postal votes and others).

The final vote today, Wednesday, was 24,881 to Celia and 24,705 to Kerry.

This comes on top of an already good set of results in the local elections across New Zealand for the left and for the Greens, although it’s beyond me to do the number crunching because candidates don’t use party descriptions, making a proper analysis the preserve of those with a far more in depth knowledge of local politics than I have.

Prendergast was running for her fourth term as Mayor and had a generally good reputation, which made her a tough opponent to beat.

In Celia’s victory speech she described her success as “the ongoing evolution of Wellingtonians’ existing commitment to a resilient, cosmopolitan and beautiful city, a continuation of some trends to a cleaner ocean, renewable energy and protected biodiversity, and definitely a city where there are quality jobs and worthwhile businesses.”

The broad based campaign which focused on transport, technology and communities drew in activists and organisers well beyond the Green Party itself. She also said that her election showed “the Greens can be a credible force in governing communities”.

Why I’m supporting the London tube strikes

There’s a strike on on the London tube at the moment.

I know anything that causes mild inconvenience is always treated as a gross affront to our human rights and anyone exercising their actual human rights is to be automatically denounced as selfish and evil -but I still support the strike.

Is it because I’m a godless communist? Well, yes and no. Certainly being a godless communist helps if you’re going to oppose the press, the government, the Mayor of London and just downright, globally accepted, common sense. However, there is some common sense on my side too.
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What’s behind the rise of German Greens?

According to polls the German Greens, who already have the most MPs they’ve ever had, are seeing an unprecedented rise in the polls seeing them neck and neck for the first time with the SPD, the German version of the Labour Party.

So what’s to account for the rise which, like in Sweden, does not seem to have effected other parties to the left of the centre?

One explanation is that the new right-wing coalition’s decision to extend the life of existing nuclear power stations has hit a nerve in a nation that has had a vibrant anti-nuclear movement for many decades.
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The Green party needs a big debate about its direction

It’s been a few years now since the Green Party made its decision to adopt a leadership model. At the time it was a hotly contested issue and, in a high turnout, the referendum resulted in more than 70% voting to reform the old system.

However, since then there has been little discussion of how to implement the new system, I believe in order to help heal some of the wounds and concentrate on politics, funnily enough.

That’s all very sensible but the fact is with poorly contested elections the party has essentially allowed inertia decide for it what we want from our leader.
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Where New Labour led, the Tories follow

It’s so long ago it gives me a little warm glow of nostalgia, but time was that New Labour tried to ban the largest demonstration in British history, all for the sake of some grass.

No, not the sort Ministers stuff into their crack pipes, the grass in Hyde Park of course.

The demonstration, which eventually attracted over a million people, making it the largest mobilisation in the history of the UK, was to be cancelled because the grass issue may also mean…
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Facebook and Raoul Moat – censorship not needed

David Cameron took a swipe at Facebook users yesterday when he spoke of his disgust that people had been expressing admiration for the wife beating, misogynist murderer Raoul Moat.

I’m all for attempting to understand Moat’s motives but some have bordered on sympathy.

Empathising with a perpetrator of domestic violence without any but the most cursory nod towards the victims of that violence is to place the importance of Moat’s feelings above those of his victims.
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