WORLDbytes - The School of Citizen TV » Civil Liberties http://www.worldbytes.org Don't shout at the telly - change the message on it! Thu, 09 Feb 2012 11:05:55 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 Don’t shout at the Telly: Queer Progress http://www.worldbytes.org/dont-shout-at-the-telly-queer-progress/ http://www.worldbytes.org/dont-shout-at-the-telly-queer-progress/#comments Tue, 31 Jan 2012 16:13:46 +0000 admin http://www.worldbytes.org/?p=2971 Gay rights have vastly improved over the decades, but have we progressed enough? This lively on-the-sofa discussion with Jason Smith a freelance journalist and director of Birmingham salon explores the state of ‘queer progress’ today, from Clinton and Cameron’s advocacy of tying foreign aid to gay rights to Stonewall calling for a policing of anti-gay speech in the playground. Has intolerance of anti-gay intolerants lead to a tyranny of the minority? Are gay individuals so vulnerable they now need posh protectors to police our views and intervene in African states?

Recommended links:

]]> http://www.worldbytes.org/dont-shout-at-the-telly-queer-progress/feed/ 7 The rise of the clicktivists: will the revolution be digitised? http://www.worldbytes.org/the-rise-of-the-clicktivists-will-the-revolution-be-digitised/ http://www.worldbytes.org/the-rise-of-the-clicktivists-will-the-revolution-be-digitised/#comments Tue, 31 Jan 2012 15:49:35 +0000 admin http://www.worldbytes.org/?p=2954 Is the internet just an echo chamber for the already converted, another tool in the activists’ toolbox or has it brought about fundamental changes? Some argue the uprisings across the Middle East are ‘Wikileaks revolutions’. The English Defence League (EDL) counts the people who have clicked ‘like’ on its Facebook as members. Yet, less than a quarter of those said they’d attended a demonstration. As the audience twitter, Paul Mason, broadcaster, author, Why It’s Kicking Off Everywhere; economics editor, BBC’s Newsnight provides a short lecture with respondents David Babbs, executive director, 38 degrees; Martyn Perks, director, Thinking Apart; Phil Booth, director, TRUTH2POWER.

Recommended links:

]]> http://www.worldbytes.org/the-rise-of-the-clicktivists-will-the-revolution-be-digitised/feed/ 6 Trust us, we’re parents http://www.worldbytes.org/trust-us-we%e2%80%99re-parents/ http://www.worldbytes.org/trust-us-we%e2%80%99re-parents/#comments Wed, 14 Dec 2011 17:13:02 +0000 admin http://www.worldbytes.org/?p=2921 Parents, it seems, are no longer trusted to parent. If you fail to take on the latest childcare fad deemed best by policy makers for your baby, then you risk being judged a ‘bad parent’ – guilty of some kind of negligence and abuse. Hence the recent story in the UK of four children being taken away from their parents, without a right to contact, because the family were fat. WORLDbytes Citizen TV makers visited Jennie Bristow, journalist and writer of Standing Up To Supernanny and Alison Small and Jane Sandeman, members of the Institute of Ideas Parents Forum who provide a critical and thought provoking perspective, questioning prevailing distrust.

Recommended links

 

]]> http://www.worldbytes.org/trust-us-we%e2%80%99re-parents/feed/ 20 Has tolerance gone too far? http://www.worldbytes.org/has-tolerance-gone-too-far-2/ http://www.worldbytes.org/has-tolerance-gone-too-far-2/#comments Sat, 12 Nov 2011 12:25:12 +0000 admin http://www.worldbytes.org/?p=2858 Do we confuse tolerance with democratic rights or respect and approval? Should we uphold the idea of tolerance while maintaining the right to criticise and judge? Is tolerating the vulgar, the offensive, the shocking, the price of liberty? Speakers on this esteemed international panel at the Battle of Ideas are: Christopher Caldwell, senior editor, Weekly Standard; author, Reflections on the Revolution in Europe: immigration, Islam and the West; Frank Furedi, professor of sociology, University of Kent, Canterbury; author, On Tolerance: in defence of moral independence; Professor Anna Elisabetta Galeotti, chair of political philosophy, University of Piemonte Orienatale; author, Toleration as Recognition; GM Tamás, president, Green Left; author, Les Idoles de la Tribu

Recommended readings:

]]> http://www.worldbytes.org/has-tolerance-gone-too-far-2/feed/ 3 The View On The Streets: Riot Control http://www.worldbytes.org/the-view-on-the-streets-riot-control/ http://www.worldbytes.org/the-view-on-the-streets-riot-control/#comments Thu, 29 Sep 2011 11:14:21 +0000 admin http://www.worldbytes.org/?p=2757 The decision to punish the ‘Facebook rioters’ with four years in jail is now being appealed, and other cases are sure to follow. Is harsh sentencing the way forward? In this extraordinary report the public are clearly not convinced rather, they suggest, we need to address the loss of adult authority and rift between adults and young people. In other parts of the world we learn, young people know the rules and ‘child centred’ policies have not degraded parent power. This report shows how most people just want to be allowed to raise (and tell off!) their own children with the support of their community but without government interference.

Recommended links:

]]> http://www.worldbytes.org/the-view-on-the-streets-riot-control/feed/ 16 The Battle of Ideas: Don’t miss it http://www.worldbytes.org/the-battle-of-ideas-don%e2%80%99t-miss-it/ http://www.worldbytes.org/the-battle-of-ideas-don%e2%80%99t-miss-it/#comments Thu, 29 Sep 2011 10:35:34 +0000 admin http://www.worldbytes.org/?p=2737 This appetiser reminds us there is no feast for the mind like the Battle of Ideas festival. Challenging new ideas blend with historical insights at this ‘free speech allowed’ weekend. This is a must for anyone interested in cutting edge thinking. With 75 debates and 350 speakers, a huge range of contemporary issues are covered. Mixed with snippets of debate, this programme features vox pops filmed by WORLDbytes volunteers at last year’s Battle of Ideas festival and their excitement is infectious. As one attendee tells us: “it covers issues most politicians won’t touch.” The full programme of debates and tickets for this year’s event on Saturday 29th & Sunday 30th October 2011 are available now; just visit the Battle of Ideas website.

Recommended links:

]]> http://www.worldbytes.org/the-battle-of-ideas-don%e2%80%99t-miss-it/feed/ 9 Wikileaks is good for Democracy? http://www.worldbytes.org/wikileaks-is-good-for-democracy/ http://www.worldbytes.org/wikileaks-is-good-for-democracy/#comments Thu, 29 Sep 2011 10:27:17 +0000 admin http://www.worldbytes.org/?p=2729 This debate was filmed at the Debating Matters 2011 UK competition finals. In this semi-final, panellists debate whether Wikileaks is good for democracy or a hindrance to it. In the wake of the leaking of more than two and a half thousand US Embassy Cables at the end of 2010, Wikileaks became a focal point of public debate. But, are founder Julian Assange and his team making history by increasing accountability and improving the democratic process or are they simply whistle blowers severely damaging diplomacy and democracy whilst giving investigative journalism a bad name?

Recommended links:

]]> http://www.worldbytes.org/wikileaks-is-good-for-democracy/feed/ 9 The view from the streets: London riots http://www.worldbytes.org/the-view-from-the-streets-london-riots/ http://www.worldbytes.org/the-view-from-the-streets-london-riots/#comments Tue, 23 Aug 2011 16:04:58 +0000 admin http://www.worldbytes.org/?p=2676 In the wake of the riots in London, WORLDbytes reporters hit the streets of Enfield and Hackney to find out what the public think. Unlike the over fearful response of the authorities, some residents in these two riot stricken boroughs thought that boarding up shops and not dealing with the looters there and then gave rioters free reign. Sadly the effective stand against the looters many made has been vilified as vigilantism and potentially racist. Yet didn’t they set an example we could all learn from? One member of the public points out, when the authorities dictate every aspect of how we, as adults should interact with children, people are not able to think for themselves and end up scared of the kids.

Recommended links:

]]> http://www.worldbytes.org/the-view-from-the-streets-london-riots/feed/ 11 Don’t Shout at the Telly: Tolerance http://www.worldbytes.org/don%e2%80%99t-shout-at-the-telly-tolerance-2/ http://www.worldbytes.org/don%e2%80%99t-shout-at-the-telly-tolerance-2/#comments Tue, 23 Aug 2011 15:54:01 +0000 admin http://www.worldbytes.org/?p=2670 Claire Fox, Director of the Institute of Ideas is the guest expert on this fascinating in depth, on the sofa discussion on tolerance. After the massacre in Norway, volunteers consider calls for clampdowns on Facebook, the English Defence League and bigoted views. Claire provides a compelling case for allowing the vilest views to be heard in order to challenge them. Outlining the emergence of tolerance as an Enlightenment idea in opposition to the inquisition and tyranny she explains its problematic and demeaning character today as expressed in multiculturalism, non-judgementalism and fashionable intolerance of intolerant groups and views. Not being able to hear, see and judge for ourselves degrades us all she explains and Mill’s ‘harm principle’ provides a useful understanding of the difference between ideas and implementation. Harm, she reminds us, has sadly been expanded to encompass how we subjectively feel, what we can eat, drink and do in our personal lives, justifying state interference, regulation and un-freedom – the opposite of tolerance.

Recommended links:

]]> http://www.worldbytes.org/don%e2%80%99t-shout-at-the-telly-tolerance-2/feed/ 10 Pointless http://www.worldbytes.org/pointless-2/ http://www.worldbytes.org/pointless-2/#comments Tue, 26 Apr 2011 18:04:27 +0000 admin http://www.worldbytes.org/?p=2575 Katja Reinhardt, a student from Germany and WORLDbytes reporter, investigates the impact of the points based immigration system on international students. She hears from campaigners, students and professors who tell of scandalous stories of university staff being pushed to become border agents and maintain surveillance of overseas students; treating them as criminals.

Recommended links:

]]> http://www.worldbytes.org/pointless-2/feed/ 11 Don’t Shout at the Telly: Booze Bans http://www.worldbytes.org/don%e2%80%99t-shout-at-the-telly-booze-bans-2/ http://www.worldbytes.org/don%e2%80%99t-shout-at-the-telly-booze-bans-2/#comments Tue, 26 Apr 2011 17:53:24 +0000 admin http://www.worldbytes.org/?p=2567 Suzy Dean takes government intervention on alcohol to task in this spikey on the sofa discussion. Are we incapable of deciding for ourselves or with our peers what, when, where and how much we drink? Do the army of advisors and advice from students unions to health professionals see us all as out of control victims of the demon drink and treat us like children? Should our social lives be controlled by the new temperance police and is it any of the state’s business what we consume? Suzy is clear the alcohol police will harm more than our livers, but not everyone agrees.

Recommended links:

]]> http://www.worldbytes.org/don%e2%80%99t-shout-at-the-telly-booze-bans-2/feed/ 9 What does it mean to be a liberal today? http://www.worldbytes.org/what-does-it-mean-to-be-a-liberal-today-2/ http://www.worldbytes.org/what-does-it-mean-to-be-a-liberal-today-2/#comments Tue, 26 Apr 2011 17:43:58 +0000 admin http://www.worldbytes.org/?p=2561 Peculiarly, assaults on freedom often come in liberal clothing, from political correctness to burqa bans.  And day-to-day, when it comes to smoking and booze bands or ‘nudges’ to eat healthily and recycle, few self-styled liberals seem confident people should really be free.  From John Stuart Mill’s harm principle to the birth of liberalism with John Locke, in this enthralling panel debate, Frank Furedi, Lisa Appignanesi, Mark Littlewood and Nigel Warburton do battle on what it means to be a liberal today.

Recommended links:

]]> http://www.worldbytes.org/what-does-it-mean-to-be-a-liberal-today-2/feed/ 6 From Banning Burqas to B&B Bigots http://www.worldbytes.org/from-banning-burqas-to-bb-bigots/ http://www.worldbytes.org/from-banning-burqas-to-bb-bigots/#comments Tue, 26 Apr 2011 15:39:13 +0000 admin http://www.worldbytes.org/?p=2535 Belgium and France have moved to ban the face veil in public, while Switzerland has banned minarets.  Is Europe now putting its own ‘secular’ culture before religious toleration?  When MP Chris Grayling said before the election he thought Christian B&B owners should be allowed to turn away gay couples there was an outraged consensus that such bigotry should not be tolerated.  How should secular societies deal with awkward religious practices and beliefs?  Speakers include: Abid Raja, chair at Minotek; Dr Evan Harris,  Ex MP Liberal Democrats, Nathalie Rothschild, commissioning editor at Spiked-online, Bruno Waterfield, Brussels correspondent, Daily Telegraph.

Recommended links:

]]> http://www.worldbytes.org/from-banning-burqas-to-bb-bigots/feed/ 3 Don’t shout at the telly: Should we swallow Foie Gras? http://www.worldbytes.org/don%e2%80%99t-shout-at-the-telly-should-we-swallow-foie-gras/ http://www.worldbytes.org/don%e2%80%99t-shout-at-the-telly-should-we-swallow-foie-gras/#comments Tue, 15 Mar 2011 18:17:52 +0000 admin http://www.worldbytes.org/?p=2430 As restaurants take Foie Gras off the menu, in this ‘on the sofa’ discussion, Kirk Leech argues that we shouldn’t worry about eating it and that the detractors have got it wrong. Our intolerance of life style choices is a problem he argues, force feeding ducks is not. Respondents debate the issue and discuss the animal rights angle, reducing humans to the level of ducks, posh food, production and campaign violence. More than a culinary culture war is on the cards.

Recommended links:

]]> http://www.worldbytes.org/don%e2%80%99t-shout-at-the-telly-should-we-swallow-foie-gras/feed/ 4 Comedy of Terror http://www.worldbytes.org/comedy-of-terror/ http://www.worldbytes.org/comedy-of-terror/#comments Wed, 08 Dec 2010 11:22:13 +0000 admin http://www.worldbytes.org/?p=2322 Dr. Philip Hammond argues that comedy has provided greater insights on the nature of terrorism than straight documentaries and drama. Two of the examples he refers to are the British comedies, Four Lions and In The Loop. He compellingly argues that the absurdity, political emptiness and narcissism expressed by the characters in these films captures more accurately the nature of both suicide bombers and the war on terror. Filmed at the Screens of Terror conference, illustrative clips from the films referred to are included in this report.

Recommended links:

]]> http://www.worldbytes.org/comedy-of-terror/feed/ 1 Reel Bad Arabs: How Hollywood Vilifies a People http://www.worldbytes.org/reel-bad-arabs-how-hollywood-vilifies-a-people/ http://www.worldbytes.org/reel-bad-arabs-how-hollywood-vilifies-a-people/#comments Wed, 08 Dec 2010 11:09:15 +0000 admin http://www.worldbytes.org/?p=2317 Reel Bad Arabs: How Hollywood Vilifies a People, is a documentary created by author Dr. Jack Shaheen. The film explores how Arab and Muslim stereotyping has been projected on silver screens throughout the history of cinema.  But is the demonisation of Arab peoples really comparable to the vilification of the Jews in the 1930′s? Does combating misrepresentation change anything if the occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan are not in question?  Filmed at The Screens of Terror Conference at London South Bank University, this report includes clips from Dr Shaheen’s fascinating work.

Recommended links:

]]> http://www.worldbytes.org/reel-bad-arabs-how-hollywood-vilifies-a-people/feed/ 4 Trust in an age of cynicism http://www.worldbytes.org/trust-in-an-age-of-cynicism/ http://www.worldbytes.org/trust-in-an-age-of-cynicism/#comments Tue, 09 Nov 2010 10:27:51 +0000 admin http://www.worldbytes.org/?p=2215 “I’m the doctor trust me” is no longer a given and from priests to journalists to bankers distrust is the order of the day and they are all on the panel in this illuminating Battle of Ideas debate! Is trust a distinct problem or a symptom of a deeper malaise? The ‘trust industry’ and attempts to ‘restore trust’ one speaker argues will only exacerbate the problem. If you offer to show someone your bank account to prove your worthiness – you must be dodgy.

Recommended links:

]]> http://www.worldbytes.org/trust-in-an-age-of-cynicism/feed/ 7 Seeing through the Veil http://www.worldbytes.org/seeing-through-the-veil/ http://www.worldbytes.org/seeing-through-the-veil/#comments Mon, 27 Sep 2010 17:18:31 +0000 admin http://www.worldbytes.org/?p=2176 As banning the burqa continues to be all the rage, with France & Belgium having already outlawed it, we ask the British public what they think. Should the burqa be banned in the interest of women’s emancipation, integration and national security? Or, should we look beyond the veil and ask, is it the state’s business to tell us what we can and cannot wear, let alone what we should or should not believe in? This compelling report which includes eloquent pro and anti-ban views, does suggest that UK citizens are not ban-happy and many hold freedom of expression and womens’ ability to make their own choices as principles worth defending. As one woman tells us “secularism is not about banning anything it’s about getting along & the idea of banning a piece of cloth takes us into la la land.”

Recommended links:

]]> http://www.worldbytes.org/seeing-through-the-veil/feed/ 15 Shooting Views: The Age of Accusations http://www.worldbytes.org/shooting-views-the-age-of-accusations/ http://www.worldbytes.org/shooting-views-the-age-of-accusations/#comments Thu, 09 Sep 2010 11:07:46 +0000 admin http://www.worldbytes.org/?p=2145 A mother tells her daughter off on a bus, a father chastises his son for naughty behaviour and a parent leaves her toddler with a teenager while she picks up some milk. What do these parents have in common as a result of their actions? A criminal record and an end to their career plans.  In this edition of Shooting Views we meet Mervyn Barrett from NACRO, a charity working with offenders. Mervyn recounts these shocking stories and explains that changes in the law mean accusations are treated as reality and people’s lives are being destroyed.

Recommended links:

]]> http://www.worldbytes.org/shooting-views-the-age-of-accusations/feed/ 5 A Taste of the Battle of Ideas http://www.worldbytes.org/a-taste-of-the-battle-of-ideas/ http://www.worldbytes.org/a-taste-of-the-battle-of-ideas/#comments Mon, 09 Aug 2010 13:59:44 +0000 admin http://www.worldbytes.org/?p=2040 WORLDbytes volunteers report from the last Battle of Ideas festival giving us a flavour of the range of debates and insights of attendees. Judging by the programme for 2010, already available on line, the event at the end of October this year promises even more exciting stuff. For Citizen TV makers and viewers it’s a must. Tickets for this year’s event are available now; just visit the Battle of ideas website. To join the WORLDbytes crew in filming many of the debates, to access subsidised tickets for volunteers and free preparatory film training in the run up, please email us.

Recommended links:

Battle of Ideas: website


]]> http://www.worldbytes.org/a-taste-of-the-battle-of-ideas/feed/ 7 The Fight over Flight: what’s the problem with air travel? http://www.worldbytes.org/the-fight-over-flight-whats-the-problem-with-air-travel/ http://www.worldbytes.org/the-fight-over-flight-whats-the-problem-with-air-travel/#comments Mon, 26 Jul 2010 07:43:30 +0000 admin http://www.worldbytes.org/?p=2028 The now scrapped plans for a third runway at Heathrow sparked fierce debate about air travel. Anti-flying groups opposing the plans, mostly cited environmental concerns. While many are concerned about the impact airport expansion will have, others worry that restricting our freedom of movement is a backward step. Regular air travel has only recently become affordable for most people, and critics argue there is a heavy dose of snobbery in the dismissal of cheap flights. So is there more to the fight over flight than concerns about carbon emissions? Is the freedom of flight now a necessity to be defended, or a luxury we should sacrifice for the good of the planet? This Battle of Ideas debate filmed by WORLDbytes volunteers is revealing.

Recommended links:

]]> http://www.worldbytes.org/the-fight-over-flight-whats-the-problem-with-air-travel/feed/ 8 Freedom to film http://www.worldbytes.org/freedom-to-film/ http://www.worldbytes.org/freedom-to-film/#comments Wed, 26 May 2010 12:50:26 +0000 admin http://www.worldbytes.org/?p=687 WORLDbytes’ crews of young volunteers learning to shoot alternative news programmes are regularly stopped from filming on the streets of London. Yet it is not against the law to film in public spaces, to investigate what the public think and let people have their say on issues of the day. Sick of being stopped, volunteers made a stand against the arbitrary interference suffered by photographers and film makers and achieved a one day victory for citizen journalism. In future they’ll certainly question instructions to ‘move on’ and need your support.

Recommended links:

]]> http://www.worldbytes.org/freedom-to-film/feed/ 7 Policing the Public Gaze http://www.worldbytes.org/policing-the-public-gaze/ http://www.worldbytes.org/policing-the-public-gaze/#comments Wed, 26 May 2010 12:49:37 +0000 admin http://www.worldbytes.org/?p=685 Arbitrary authoritarianism imposed by ‘jobsworths’ who seek to stop photographers providing us with a record of everyday life and critical moments in history are the subject of this compelling interview. Pauline Hadaway is Director of the unique photography gallery Belfast Exposed and authored the report Policing the Public Gaze published by the Manifesto Club. Joe Earle asks Pauline to explain more.

Recommended links:

]]> http://www.worldbytes.org/policing-the-public-gaze/feed/ 6 Chav Bashing http://www.worldbytes.org/chav-bashing/ http://www.worldbytes.org/chav-bashing/#comments Wed, 26 May 2010 12:46:28 +0000 admin http://www.worldbytes.org/?p=677 ‘Chav’ seems to be one of the few socially acceptable slurs today. Regarded with disdain as yobbish, BNP-electing McDonalds Mums and binge-drinking ‘ladettes’, holiday firms now offer ‘chav-free holidays’ and a London gymnasium is able to put on lessons in ‘chav’ fighting. In this debate at the Battle of Ideas, panellists ask what really lies beneath this widespread perception that a significant section of society has values and norms of behaviour that are highly problematic. Do the discussions about ‘chavs’ or the ‘white working class’ describe real problems or are they symptomatic of less tangible cultural anxieties and our disillusionment with material culture?

Recommended links:

‘Chav’ seems to be one of the few socially acceptable slurs today. Regarded with disdain as yobbish, BNP-electing McDonalds Mums and binge-drinking ‘ladettes’, holiday firms now offer ‘chav-free holidays’ and a London gymnasium is able to put on lessons in ‘chav’ fighting. In this debate at the Battle of Ideas, panellists ask what really lies beneath this widespread perception that a significant section of society has values and norms of behaviour that are highly problematic. Do the discussions about ‘chavs’ or the ‘white working class’ describe real problems or are they symptomatic of less tangible cultural anxieties and our disillusionment with material culture?

Recommended links:

· Article by Tim Black: How to beat up chavs

· Article by Neil Davenport: You say underclass, we say white trash

· Article by Nick Britten: Britain has produced unteachable ‘under-chavs’

Report by Runnymede Perspectives: Who cares about the white working class?

]]> http://www.worldbytes.org/chav-bashing/feed/ 2 Bitter Sweet Sixteen http://www.worldbytes.org/bitter-sweet-sixteen/ http://www.worldbytes.org/bitter-sweet-sixteen/#comments Wed, 26 May 2010 12:42:26 +0000 admin http://www.worldbytes.org/?p=667 Volunteer Adelah Bilal, challenges the government’s Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) checking of 16 to 18 year olds. As soon as Adelah celebrated her sixteenth birthday she would no longer be seen as a vulnerable member of society but a potential paedophile. In this report Adelah interviews Josie Appleton from the Manifesto Club who runs the Campaign Against Vetting and the parents of two small children to consider the impact of vetting. Adelah concludes that her generation are growing up under a cloud of suspicion and vetting will discourage her peers from developing their own judgement about who to trust.

Recommended links:

]]> http://www.worldbytes.org/bitter-sweet-sixteen/feed/ 9 The Myth of Racist Kids http://www.worldbytes.org/the-myth-of-racist-kids/ http://www.worldbytes.org/the-myth-of-racist-kids/#comments Wed, 26 May 2010 12:40:55 +0000 admin http://www.worldbytes.org/?p=663 The Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000 made it law for schools to report ‘racist incidents’ to local authorities. A growing race relations industry has moved into schools, and even nurseries, to combat prejudice in children as young as three. In discussion with a studio audience, film-maker and anti-racist campaigner Adrian Hart argues the idea of racist kids is a myth and intervention can in fact create ethnic tensions. Should we leave the kids alone?

Recommended links:

]]> http://www.worldbytes.org/the-myth-of-racist-kids/feed/ 3 From Macpherson to the BNP: Race today http://www.worldbytes.org/from-macpherson-to-the-bnp-race-today/ http://www.worldbytes.org/from-macpherson-to-the-bnp-race-today/#comments Wed, 26 May 2010 12:39:44 +0000 admin http://www.worldbytes.org/?p=661 Everyone got their rocks off about the BNP on the BBC’s Question Time, meanwhile politicians have been competing to say they will limit immigration to the UK in order to stop the BNP. If everyone wants to clamp down on immigration what has happened to anti-racism you may well ask. The highlights of this debate, filmed at the Battle of Ideas, provides some important answers. The speakers featured in the programme are: Karen Chouhan race equality consultant; founder and director, Equanomics-UK; Kenan Malik presenter of Analysis, BBC Radio 4; author, From Fatwa to Jihad, Strange Fruit and The Meaning of Race and Jack Tan president, Students’ Union, Royal College of Art.

Recommended links:

]]> http://www.worldbytes.org/from-macpherson-to-the-bnp-race-today/feed/ 2 Copyright this! http://www.worldbytes.org/copyright-this/ http://www.worldbytes.org/copyright-this/#comments Wed, 26 May 2010 12:22:34 +0000 admin http://www.worldbytes.org/?p=625 School students participating in the finals of the Institute of Ideas & Pfizer Debating Matters Competition debate the motion Copyright benefits the arts. Expert judges raise challenging questions while sixth form students hold their ground. An inspiring preparation seminar featuring Sandy Starr and Tania Spriggens takes us beyond the usual arguments and moans by the music and film industry about illegal downloads and pirate DVDs costing them a packet. We are led to consider the impact of copyright on freedom of expression, how creative ideas emerge and the unique nature of artistic labour. Volunteers also checked out public opinion on the streets of London.

Recommended links:

]]> http://www.worldbytes.org/copyright-this/feed/ 3 Terrorism http://www.worldbytes.org/terrorism/ http://www.worldbytes.org/terrorism/#comments Wed, 26 May 2010 12:19:34 +0000 admin http://www.worldbytes.org/?p=617 The Institute of Ideas and Pfizer Debating Matters Competition gets thousands of school students involved in debating key issues of the day. Privileging content over presentational style, school students get stuck in and never fail to impress. Having expanded the Debating Matters competition to India for the 2008-09 competition, sixth form student winners from S.M. Choksey High School in Pune, India visited the UK to debate the motion “Protecting the public from terrorism should come before civil liberties.”  The judges took the students to task and ruled the Indian students the winners on the day.

Recommended links:

]]> http://www.worldbytes.org/terrorism/feed/ 0 Don’t shout at the telly: Hate speech http://www.worldbytes.org/dont-shout-at-the-telly-hate-speech/ http://www.worldbytes.org/dont-shout-at-the-telly-hate-speech/#comments Wed, 26 May 2010 12:11:01 +0000 admin http://www.worldbytes.org/?p=603 If freedom of speech is a hallmark of democratic society, where does hate speech fit in? Should the ‘N word’ or the BNP be banned? On the sofa, participants discuss restrictions on speech and what might really hurt. Munira Mirza, Director of Policy to Boris Johnson leads the discussion, emphasising that bans on hate speech are largely ineffective in changing people’s views. One participant asks whether we are creating a hierarchy of victimhood and where bans leave our power to criticise, challenge offensive views and stand up for ourselves.

Recommended links:

]]> http://www.worldbytes.org/dont-shout-at-the-telly-hate-speech/feed/ 0 Debating Matters UK: Presumed Consent http://www.worldbytes.org/debating-matters-uk-presumed-consent/ http://www.worldbytes.org/debating-matters-uk-presumed-consent/#comments Wed, 26 May 2010 11:46:39 +0000 admin http://www.worldbytes.org/?p=578 School students participating in the Debating Matters East Regional finals in Cambridge take up the issues surrounding what’s known as ‘presumed consent’ for organ donation. Feisty 16 year-old debaters consider whether the idea can be justified if it saves lives or whether this would let the government off the hook for failing to campaign effectively for organ donors in the face of shortages. To set the scene volunteers  check out public opinion on the streets of London.

Recommended Links:

]]> http://www.worldbytes.org/debating-matters-uk-presumed-consent/feed/ 2 Taking Liberties http://www.worldbytes.org/taking-liberties/ http://www.worldbytes.org/taking-liberties/#comments Wed, 26 May 2010 11:32:11 +0000 admin http://www.worldbytes.org/?p=543 Volunteers gained an exclusive peek at the British Library’s Taking Liberties exhibition, including an interview with curator Matthew Shaw for this special report. The exhibition offers an inspiring array of original documents charting Britains 1,000-year struggle for freedom and rights. The Magna Carta, Habeas Corpus, the Death Warrant of King Charles I, Republican Flags, suffragette Emily Davidsons purse, literature from the OZ trial and more, all feature in this evocative exhibition.  Volunteers also discuss the exhibition with writer Tim Black and consider whether rights handed down have the same value as rights fought for?

Recommended Links:

]]> http://www.worldbytes.org/taking-liberties/feed/ 3 Vetting volunteers with guest Baroness Neuberger http://www.worldbytes.org/vetting-volunteers-with-guest-baroness-neuberger/ http://www.worldbytes.org/vetting-volunteers-with-guest-baroness-neuberger/#comments Wed, 26 May 2010 10:48:23 +0000 admin http://www.worldbytes.org/?p=347 There are growing fears that vetting is putting off volunteers, and casting suspicion on people whose motive is to help. Watch this frank discussion between Baroness Julia Neuberger, Chair of the Commission on the Future of Volunteering; Josie Appleton, from the Manifesto Club’s Campaign against Vetting and Mervyn Barrett, from the crime reduction charity NACRO.

]]> http://www.worldbytes.org/vetting-volunteers-with-guest-baroness-neuberger/feed/ 4 Sexual Monitoring http://www.worldbytes.org/sexual-monitoring/ http://www.worldbytes.org/sexual-monitoring/#comments Wed, 26 May 2010 08:21:04 +0000 admin http://www.worldbytes.org/?p=296 Today, monitoring sexual orientation has become as accepted a method of promoting “good practice” in the voluntary sector as monitoring ethnicity. Kyle Duncan argues it is an unnecessary, intrusive and even absurd category to monitor. It achieves nothing for genuine equality, equality of opportunity or tolerance. In fact, he suggests, it does damage to seriously progressive campaigning for these things. Read Kyle’s article here.

]]> http://www.worldbytes.org/sexual-monitoring/feed/ 14 Ticking our Boxes http://www.worldbytes.org/ticking-our-boxes/ http://www.worldbytes.org/ticking-our-boxes/#comments Wed, 26 May 2010 08:20:00 +0000 admin http://www.worldbytes.org/?p=294 Volunteering is now officially “good”, but why? This short documentary was created by and features volunteers, who together examine all aspects of volunteering in the UK today. Why do people do it? What do they get out of it? What’s great? What’s loathsome? What do young people think about vetting and CRB checks? Why are some people not allowed to volunteer in the UK? From up-front interviews to personal stories and expert evidence, this is an investigative film made by volunteers who have questioned, probed and challenged a whole host of issues surrounding Britain’s new “culture of volunteering”.

]]> http://www.worldbytes.org/ticking-our-boxes/feed/ 9