I'm sure that Keir Starmer knew the 'reputational risk' in appointing Mandelson but balanced it with the need to have someone who could "speak Trump" & both promote & defend the UK in the White House. Sadly, it was a risk that materialised, but I guess he thought it worth taking.
Violence & abuse against Muslims is wrong & reprehensible, but that does not mean that it should have the status of a special crime compared to that against anyone else. Conversely, criticism of Islam or the Koran should be allowed as much as against any other faith or holy text.
The Iran war is important but I do question BBC editorial decisions as to how much coverage to give it at the expense of so much other news - Ukraine has dropped off the radar, while for a while there was hardly any home news. Oh, and what's happened to the Uighurs or in Sudan?
It's noticeable how public opinion of the Iran war is being shaped by constant reports of the mayhem caused in Tehran & elsewhere; we may never have continued WW2 if we'd had minute-by-minute reports of the death caused by our bombs. War in the age of social media is so different.
What do British Jews think about life in Britain, what's happening in the Middle East, their relationship with Israel and the way they are portrayed in the BBC? Answers (well, some) in the podcast I just did with legendary broadcaster, Roger Bolton: podfollow.com/beebwatch
Pleased that the Crown Prosecution Service has decided not to call male circumcision at birth as child abuse - did the late Queen really abuse her three sons in doing so? - but we do need to regulate the practice & use only those medically qualified:
www.theguardian.com/society/2026...
I was at the station ticket machine yesterday when a man shouted a torrent of abuse at one of the rail staff and then tried to get through onto the platform. At that point another staff member blocked him & said: "Sorry sir, you're not using the trains today". Good for him.
Spoke at the House of Lords yesterday on why so many people of faith favour the assisted dying Bill (despite the hierarchy opposing it). Lord Falconer chaired & Sophie Blake (stage 4 breast cancer & exceedingly unwell despite her glamorous looks) spoke too. We were well received.
Today is the Jewish festival of Purim about the Jews of Persia, today's Iran, centuries ago (see Book of Esther in the Bible). Jews lived there until the Iranian Republic began and then had to flee. If democracy returns (a big "if" but still a hope), then they will return too.
Pleased to say that the session at the London Book Week on my new book "A Better Death - The Case for Assisted Dying" (Reaktion Books) went well. There was no vote, but it was clear that 70+% were in favour (as with the national polls). Five more literary festivals lined up.
In Iraq we won the war but lost the peace....let's hope the desperately painful lessons have been learnt and will apply to Iran....lest a possible act of liberation (both for Iran's neighbours and for its citizens) turns into another catastrophe. It may be a long wait to know.
What led to the Greens winning Gorton & Denton yesterday? Was it the cost of living crisis (fair enough) ...or was it stirring up religious divisions by referring as much to the Indian & Israeli Prime Ministers as local potholes & bread prices? If so, it disgraces Green values.
What if Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor never faces criminal charges? Mandelson too? (both are complex situations where moral wrong & legal wrong may differ). But even if not, they will have been punished by fall in status, loss of future plans & (I'd imagine) an exodus of friends.
What an astonishing medical advance that allowed a child to be born to a mother who had no womb but had one transplanted from a dead donor. What joy for the parents and, hopefully, some comfort for the family of the donor (who also helped 4 other people):
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
All credit to the people of Ukraine for still holding out after 4 years of Russian attack, whose anniversary is today. What courage, resilience, determination, and of course enormous sacrifices. Putin must be cursing the biggest mistake of his life (should he even realise it).
Does the Andrew debacle show how democratic or autocratic Britain is today? Why should brothers get along? And forget Andrew, what can we do re. youth unemployment? see my News Review @BBCRadioLondon, with @JumokeFashola at
www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/... forward to 1.38.30
When at the newsagent this morning, every paper had the same photo and virtually the same headline; there was not an Andrew-free front page....that's ok so long as it does not distract from exposing all the other, less prominent people who were part of Epstein's sex circle.
Why can't politicians understand the law of unintended consequences: making it hard to end tenancy agreements means less people willing to rent; making minimum wage higher means less people in work. Fair or not, its the reality, so work with it rather than lead to bad outcomes.
Curious how, if it wasn't for a Christian friend, I would not know from general conversation that Lent starts today. If people keep eating chocolate but give up hostile language (at home, at work, in the street, on social media) what a transformation that would be. Worth a try?
yes, I get the cynicism point, but I agree that it could so easily not exist...and it's importance is that it shows it's possible...(and no thunderbolts from heaven, even if a few mutterings here on earth!) while it may also become a template for elsewhere, as applies to the one in Tblisi, Georgia
Just back from USA where took part in a conference about a Church, Synagogue and Mosque all operating in their own space but in the same building. Many might object but it sounds so sensible if we actually believe in "love your neighbour as yourself" - rather than just mouth it.
The judges may have been right that by banning Palestine Action the Government was being disproportionate legally, but I reckon it was justified morally, given that they also said that the PA did engage in acts of terrorism. So target the offenders rigorously & ignore the others.
Just finished reading Richard Harries autobiography, "The Shaping of a Soul", well worth reading and great line at the end about how when two aging musical friends meet they always begin with an organ recital.
They look very happy, but the female police officer attacked with a sledgehammer isn't & was left with a fractured spine. How does that help the cause of Palestine? And why were they acquitted by a jury? I bet those 12 jurors wouldn't like to be attacked with a sledgehammer.
It's obviously more newsworthy to focus on the high-profile individuals involved in the Epstein affair, but surely the search for the truth should focus on the employees who ran his homes and transports: they know the overall system he had (as with Al-Fayed's personal staff).
Strange how former Prince Andrew can be stripped of his title in an instant, but Lord Mandelson needs a special Act of Parliament. An honour or title that is awarded by any organisation should be able to be retracted if it was found to be gained falsely or grossly dishonoured.
What was the best way of upsetting your parents? Traditionally it was by rejecting their god & becoming godless or Buddhist. Are we seeing the reverse today, with so many being brought up in totally secular households who are now asserting their independence by adopting faith?
What astonishes me about the high profile people revealed in 'unusual positions' in the Epstein files is that they allowed themselves to be photographed that way (some shots may have been taken surreptitiously, but others openly). What did they think would happen to the photos?
Esther Rantzen's foreword to my book: "Why can’t terminally ill patients who no longer have the choice between life and death, at least have a choice between a good death and a bad death?…to read the caring views put forward by Jonathan is a huge relief". It's out today.
If the assisted dying Bill fails because a few Peers sabotage it, there will be a cry of national outrage - by those who value fairness, by those dying in pain who hope it might help them, by those healthy but who want the option if they were ever to suffer badly at their end.
