Politics

Greta: the voice of climate activism who says ‘don’t listen to me’

She’s the voice of a global movement who mobilised millions of young people to demand action against climate change. Yet Greta Thunberg’s message to the US Congress – a hotbed of climate scepticism – was: “I don’t want you to listen to me. Little more than a year ago, we hadn’t heard of Thunberg. That changed after August 2018 when she held her first skolstrejk för klimatet, a ‘school strike for climate’, ducking out of class to protest outside Sweden’s parliament. “I want you to listen to the scientists.” Before long others joined her school strikes and, within a matter of months, a global movement was born. By March 2019, more than 2 million students across 135 countries were holding school strike demonstrations. Thunberg has come a long way in a year, both literally and figuratively. Just weeks after her 16th birthday she attended the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting in Davos, where she famously urged world leaders to “panic” at the seriousness of the situation. “I don’t want your hope,” she told the audience. “I want you to panic. I want you to feel the fear I do. Every day. And want you to act. I want you to behave like our house is on fire. Because it is.” In March Thunberg was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize. Time magazine named her one of the world’s most influential people ans put her on its cover. She has addressed the European Parliament, the French National Assembly, the UK’s House of Commons, and met with Pope Francis. Now she is addressing the United Nations Climate Summit, a meeting she travelled to by carbon-neutral yacht. “It is insane that a 16-year-old would have to cross the Atlantic to take a stand,” she told reporters on arrival at the harbour. “The climate and ecological crisis is the […]

Three Lessons from the Hong Kong Protests

Protests this month in Hong Kong over a proposed extradition law have revealed the depth of citizens’ concern for their way of life, and of their anger at Chief Executive Carrie Lam’s gross mismanagement. Lam now seems unlikely to serve out her full term in office – but China also has lessons to learn from recent events. LONDON – The massive protests in Hong Kong in recent weeks have demonstrated the depth of its citizens’ determination to uphold their democratic way of life – something they were supposedly guaranteed when the United Kingdom returned sovereignty over the city to China in 1997. Moreover, the protests hold three powerful lessons: for Hong Kong’s chief executive, Carrie Lam, for the demonstrators themselves, and for China’s rulers. The Roots of Our DiscontentTITO BOERI interviews RAGHURAM G. RAJAN about the plight of left-behind communities, migration, and the war on expertise.9Add to Bookmarks Over the past few years, the Chinese authorities have steadily increased their interference in Hong Kong’s affairs, gradually eroding the “one country, two systems” principle that was meant to ensure a “high degree of autonomy” for the city after 1997. The current crisis stems from China’s desire for a legal framework to return fugitives from the mainland who have allegedly used the city as a safe haven for ill-gotten wealth. In many respects, the extradition law introduced by Lam represented an extension of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s anti-corruption campaign to Hong Kong, and was intended to avoid further incidents like Chinese security officers’ 2017 abduction of tycoon Xiao Jianhua from the city. There is no evidence that China gave Lam detailed instructions on enacting the law. Instead, she seems to have taken it upon herself to introduce it. However, Lam exceeded her remit by making the proposed extradition law applicable not only to fugitive mainland Chinese, but […]

Aung San Suu Kyi fall from grace

It is her international reputation that is most in tatters. The Nobel Peace Prize laureate, imprisoned for 15 years over a 21-year period in her struggle for human rights and democracy, has suffered a swift and dramatic fall from grace as a global icon. She is now widely seen as an enabler of ethnic cleansing and genocide. In just the last few days, Canada stripped Suu Kyi of her honorary citizenship and the Malaysian prime minister stated publicly that she has lost his support. Failures of Suu Kyi’s government Suu Kyi has been the subject of much criticism since taking power 2½ years ago, but the most recent and vociferous condemnation has centred on two events: the jailing of two Reuters journalists who exposed a massacre of Rohingya civilians by the military, and her government’s failure to respond to international investigations into allegations of ethnic cleansing and genocide. In September, the two Reuters journalists were convicted of possessing official secrets, despite testimony by a policeman that they had been entrapped. The journalists had reported on a 2017 massacre of Rohingya Muslims by security forces, which resulted in the eventual conviction of seven soldiers for murder It is notable that it was Suu Kyi’s civilian government that prosecuted the journalists, not the military. Suu Kyi could have ordered the charges dropped, as she did for student protesters during her early days in office. Instead, before the trial was over, she commented that the reporters were guilty of violating the Official Secrets Act, and once even allegedly referred to them as “traitors”. Reuters journalists Wa Lone (center) and Kyaw Soe Oo (top left) are escorted by police after their first trial in January. Lynn Bo Bo/EPA The second great disappointment has been the government’s response to the UN Human Rights Council’s report into the violence that drove almost 700,000 Rohingya Muslims to flee to Bangladesh last year. The report, released in full in September, […]

Another American dream

Doc, in Back to the Future, laughed when he heard that Ronald Reagan (‘an actor’) was President of the United States. How would he react now if he heard that Donald Trump (a game show host), had indeed reached that pinnacle? Donald Trump winning the presidency is a very big and disturbing subject indeed, as it would have been had Hillary Clinton won. There are so many issues involved which talk about the unhappiness of the American people and their hand in life that I am sure the world will still be trying to figure out what is really going on even when he is out of office. Trump appealed to: the unemployed, those who had lost their jobs to government policies and to globalisation; he resonated with those opposed to Hilary’s east coast supporters, the people who live in the heartland; he appealed to blue collar workers; to all the people who didn’t care for the Obama/ Democratic style of presidency and the result of eight years of frustration, including with Obamacare. And it doesn’t end there because the issues he will deal with will be felt around the world for a long, long time. Immigration, bringing manufacturing back home from China and if he is sincere, making the lot of the average American family better. He has to deal with leaders of nations in a nice way. he will be part of making decisions concerning American security, business and attend G12 and such like conferences. He has a Republican Senate and House and will answer to them on major policy. Politically he will tow the line, which is what presidents do. So much of the presidential campaign over the past 18 months was, of course, driven by the media (after all, who else is going to tell you […]

Jeremy Corbyn Takes The Lead In The Labour Leadership Race

The unspun Jeremy Corbyn

Nobody expected a veteran, rebel leftwing MP to be elected to lead the UK Labour Party. It’s going to be hard for him to manage his own members, let alone convince the country the party is electable. by Alex Nunns Hours after being announced as the new leader of the British Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn was addressing tens of thousands of demonstrators at a rally in support of refugees in London’s Parliament Square. Behind the stage, as his speech drew to a close, a phalanx of young volunteers in bright red “TEAM CORBYN” T-shirts arranged themselves into a protective cordon ready to speed their leader through the throng of ecstatic supporters, TV cameras, journalists and selfie-seekers waiting for him. Just three months earlier, after another large rally in June, Corbyn had lingered in exactly the same spot, undisturbed, chatting freely with passing well-wishers. It is impossible to overstate how unlikely it seemed then that Corbyn, a veteran rebel MP from the left wing of his party, would soon be leading Her Majesty’s official opposition. For decades marginalised by his parliamentary colleagues and ignored by the media, he is the ultimate outsider, swept to victory by a grass-roots phenomenon that elected him with 59.50f the vote, a whole 40 points clear of his nearest rival on 19It is a mandate unparalleled in British political history. In fact the June rally, at which Corbyn spoke, gave the first sign that something extraordinary might be about to happen. Called in an atmosphere of despondency on the left after the Conservative Party’s general election win in May, the anti-austerity protest unexpectedly attracted hundreds of thousands of demonstrators — and potential Corbyn voters. “There was a movement looking for a home,” says the comedian Mark Steel, one of the founders of the People’s Assembly, the […]

Aren’t we having fun?

Russia has moved into Syria and America doesn’t like it. What’s not to like? The United States has been controlling the Middle East and restricting the power of other allied nations. Now Russia is seeing a role for itself in the conflict and whether by stealth or compassion is most certainly making itself felt. They have put America on the back foot. America, currently is not on the front foot. The history of these two superpowers in the Middle East is long and awfully complex. Russia couldn’t make it work in Afghanistan and then America came along and didn’t do very well at all. America went a lot further and really helped in the Arab Spring and a total stuff up of the life of millions of people some – who lived – are desperately finding refuge in Europe. What interest me is the pose of Barack Obama. He meets with Vladimir Putin at the United Nations overnight and is cold, staunch, serious…and quite frankly, looks really boring. What is he trying to prove with his demeanour? Obama came to office as an open and friendly president who promised much for his people but has ended up as a bit of a grouch. He is not on top of his game and he is dealing with both houses being controlled by the republicans. Putin looks compassionately at Obama as he does to someone with a head cold or an attack of appendicitis. He isn’t that bothered by the withering stare or the cold energy when they are together. He knows why he is in New York, gives his address, makes his point and goes back home. Back to Syria. The Russians have to be careful. They are seen to be backing Assad and their ground troops and jets need to […]

Cyclone Donald around for a year

It’s a good year out from the US 2016 election and good old Fox Network are at it already with their panel discussions on the potential Republican presidential candidates. Talkfest after talkfest is surrounding us with Megyn Kelly and Donald Trump not exactly getting along in the latest instalment. You have to give it to Trump – he sure knows how to win friends and influence people without outlining exactly what he do will if elected president for the unemployed, Middle East, and illegal immigrants. Somehow a firm grip needs to be kept on this presidential candidate so the issues are out there and not the personalities. If Trump doesn’t shoot himself in the foot and stays in the race he may well become a huge distraction to the real issues affecting the American people. There will be so much concentration on his hair and abrasive personality that the centre of the Republican Party will have a darn hard job keeping the focus on exactly what they are doing in an election year. Fox will ride this personality for all it is worth. Even if he blights his copy book, think of the continual high media profile which will be seen across the network? What he doesn’t do will not matter; what he stuffs up will bring a lot of attention. Rupert Murdoch and Peter Ailes may not see eye to eye on Trump and the way he appears on Fox. Or maybe they do? Maybe it doesn’t matter because it draws viewers, commentators and so called experts from other media to watch Trump, Hannity and the team dribble in their coffee how no news…is just about as good as news can be!

Book Review: How Propaganda Works

Our democracy today is fraught with political campaigns, lobbyists, liberal media, and Fox News commentators, all using language to influence the way we think and reason about public issues. Even so, many of us believe that propaganda and manipulation aren’t problems for us—not in the way they were for the totalitarian societies of the mid-twentieth century. InHow Propaganda Works, Jason Stanley demonstrates that more attention needs to be paid. He examines how propaganda operates subtly, how it undermines democracy—particularly the ideals of democratic deliberation and equality—and how it has damaged democracies of the past. Focusing on the shortcomings of liberal democratic states, Stanley provides a historically grounded introduction to democratic political theory as a window into the misuse of democratic vocabulary for propaganda’s selfish purposes. He lays out historical examples, such as the restructuring of the US public school system at the turn of the twentieth century, to explore how the language of democracy is sometimes used to mask an undemocratic reality. Drawing from a range of sources, including feminist theory, critical race theory, epistemology, formal semantics, educational theory, and social and cognitive psychology, he explains how the manipulative and hypocritical declaration of flawed beliefs and ideologies arises from and perpetuates inequalities in society, such as the racial injustices that commonly occur in the United States. How Propaganda Works shows that an understanding of propaganda and its mechanisms is essential for the preservation and protection of liberal democracies everywhere. Jason Stanley is professor of philosophy at Yale University. He is the author of Knowledge and Practical Interests,Language in Context, and Know How. Review: “”[T]he book crackles with brilliant insights and erudition, while also managing to explain the arcane preoccupations of analytic philosophy in a way that’s accessible to a wider audience.”–Bookforum “How Propaganda Works deserves huge praise and should be […]

The romance of the blue bloods

The victory of David Cameron’s party at the UK elections shows a continuing romance of countries with the middle-class side of politics when you also consider similar governments of such countries as Australian and New Zealand. All British – based political systems going back a long way. The three leaders – Cameron, Abbot and Key – are cut from the same cloth and adhere to similar political philosophies and ways of being. And as they are inclined to govern, they rule over three countries that are leaving a lot of their people behind. This is not to say their parties control the destiny of every citizen’s lives. But it can be said that they are seen to be hugely linked with the status-quo and indicate a push for the blue bloods to continue ruling, maintaining financial control above all else. Today, two days after the British elections there are demonstrations in the streets of London from people concerned about the proposed cuts from the re-elected government.

Bloggers jailed for abusing democratic freedoms

Reporters Without Borders condemns the sentences ranging from 12 to 18 months in prison that a people’s court in the southern province of Dong Nai imposed last week on three bloggers ¬– Le Thi Phuong Anh, Do Nam Trung and Pham Minh Vu – under criminal code article 258, which penalises “abusing democratic freedoms.” The sentences, passed on 12 February, were clearly unjust and violated freedom of information and expression. Arrested while covering an anti-Chinese demonstration by South China Sea oil rig workers on 15 May, they were accused in connection with their Facebook posts (see here, here and here) about anti-Chinese protests and China’s violations of Vietnam’s territorial waters. The issue often gives rise to accusations by members of the public that Vietnam’s ruling Communist Party is too lax with China. In its verdict, the court said the bloggers had used their Facebook account to “disseminate content (articles and photos) that incited and led to anti-state demonstrations.” Ruling that a total of 157 posts had “insulted the prestige of the state and Communist Party and undermined the trust of the people, especially workers, students and young people, in the Party,” the court sentenced Anh, Trung and Vu to 12, 14 and 18 months in prison respectively. “We strongly condemn the court’s verdict and call for the immediately release of these jailed citizen-journalists,” said Benjamin Ismaïl, the head of the Reporters Without Borders Asia-Pacific desk. “These harsh sentences show that the Communist Party does not fear the consequences of its violations of fundamental freedoms and human rights. To put pressure on the authorities, we urge the international community to react and to demand the release of all bloggers and citizen-journalists imprisoned in Vietnam.” The authorities also confiscated two motorcycles, several mobile phones and cash from the bloggers, whose sentences reflect […]

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