WORLDbytes - The School of Citizen TV » Democracy

The View On The Streets: The European Union

admin — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 16:18:43 +0000

On the streets of Walthamstow in East London, we ask the public what they think about the European Union. It’s clear that opposition to the EU is not the preserve of bigoted ‘little Englanders’, far from it. Eloquent, well-informed citizens are seriously concerned at the EU’s undemocratic set-up and want to have their say. Individuals backing the EU are hard to find and are against a referendum as they see their fellow citizens as ignorant and too ill-educated to ‘understand the issues’.

Recommended links:

Article by Bruno Waterfield: The EU crisis
The People’s Pledge website

The rise of the clicktivists: will the revolution be digitised?

admin — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 15:49:35 +0000

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:

Article by Brendan O’Neill, Facebook doesn’t cause riots – or revolutions
Article by Martyn Perks, The revolution will not be digitised
Book by Paul Mason, Why It’s Kicking Off Everywhere: The New Global Revolutions

Trust us, we’re parents

admin — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 17:13:02 +0000

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.

Is individualism bad for society?

admin — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 16:48:32 +0000

Everything from social fragmentation to the economic crisis, and the riots that broke out across English cities in the summer, have been blamed on a modern ‘cult of individualism’. But isn’t there something to be said for individualism? Strong individuals have been admired for their courage and imagination and valued for their unique contributions to society. Speakers in this debate filmed at the Battle of Ideas bring fresh thinking and include Dr Maurice Glasman, author, Unnecessary Suffering: managing market utopia; Clifford Longley, leader writer and columnist, Tablet; John Sutherland, author, The Lives of the Novelists; Bruno Waterfield, Brussels correspondent, Daily Telegraph; author, No Means No!

Recommended links:

Article by Kathryn Ecclestone, Remaking citizens for the ‘Big Society’

Eurozonia: too big to fail, too small to succeed?

admin — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 16:39:59 +0000

Is it conceivable that the euro could fail? Can the bureaucrats weather the storm, keeping dissent to the margins? Or is the whole project doomed to failure regardless of their efforts, because it has been fundamentally and deliberately undemocratic all along? Speakers for this illuminating debate filmed at the Battle of Ideas include Philippe Legrain, advisor to Jose Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission (speaking in a personal capacity); Simon Nixon, European editor, Wall Street Journal’s Heard on the Street column; author of The Credit Crunch: how safe is your money?; Bruno Waterfield, Brussels correspondent, Daily Telegraph; author of No Means No!

Recommended links:

Article by Simon Nixon, Solution is at hand – with little courage
Article by Angus Kennedy, La morte de l’Europe
Article by Bruno Waterfield, Eurocrisis: the politics of no-longer great powers

Middle East ‘revolutions’: Hopes and Fears

admin — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 12:28:44 +0000

This year’s uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa came out of the blue. Beginning with the ‘Jasmine revolution’ in Tunisia, and spreading to Egypt and Yemen, popular protests called for freedom and democracy, with further political drama following in Syria and Libya. While the success of the uprisings has been varied, the toppling of apparently stable regimes challenged many assumptions. So is this truly a new revolutionary moment and will the overthrow of authoritarian governments lead to democratic alternatives? Filmed at the Battle of Ideas, speakers include Dr Maha Azzam, associate fellow, Middle East and North Africa programme, Chatham House; Ghazi Gheblawi, author; blogger, Imitdad; former cultural editor, Libya Today, Dr George Lawson, lecturer in international relations, LSE; author, Negotiated Revolutions: the Czech Republic, South Africa and Chile, and Karl Sharro, architect; writer; Middle East commentator.

Recommended links:

Article by Rob Lyons, Mubarak is gone, but Mubarakans still rule
Karl Sharro’s blog: Karl ReMarks

Has tolerance gone too far?

admin — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 12:25:12 +0000

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:

Book by Frank Furedi, On Tolerance: In Defence of Moral Independence
Article by Christopher Caldwell, Fear masquerading as tolerance
Book by Anna Elisabetta Galeotti, Toleration as Regulation

Wikileaks is good for Democracy?

admin — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 10:27:17 +0000

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:

The view from the streets: London riots

admin — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 16:04:58 +0000

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:

Article by Patrick Hayes, ‘The police are just scratching their arses’
The Huffington Post, UK Riot Vigilantes Attempt To ‘Reclaim The Streets’

Don’t shout at the telly: uprisings in the Middle East and intervention in Libya

admin — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 17:24:59 +0000

After disastrous interventions in Afghanistan and Iraq, the UN-sanctioned NATO intervention in Libya has revived support for “humanitarian intervention” in the name of saving lives. In this gripping on-the-sofa discussion, Middle East commentator and writer, Karl Sharro argues that such interventions far from helping, deny people the very freedom and self determination that people throughout the region are fighting for.

Recommended links:

Article by Karl Sharro, The No-Fly zone in Libya: hijacking the Arab Uprisings
Article by Rashid Khalid, Preliminary Historical Observations on the Arab Revolutions of 2011
Article by David Chandler, There’s nothing ‘good’ about the war in Libya

Whose social justice is it anyway?

admin — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 16:23:05 +0000

Twenty years ago the UN published the hugely influential Human Development Report. Drawing on the work of Amartya Sen, it aimed at ‘putting people back at the centre of the development process…going beyond income to assess the level of people’s long-term well-being’, something that has been carried forward in contemporary debate around social justice. But, should social justice be primarily about subjective well-being or should it be about material and political development? Speakers in this outstanding panel debate include Bruno Waterfield, Brussels correspondent at Daily Telegraph, Sabina Alkire, author and director at Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative; Ann Bernstein, executive director, Centre for Development Enterprise, South Africa; Anil Gupta, professor at the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad; Stewart Wallis, executive director, new economics foundation (nef).

Recommended links:

Book by Danny Dorling, Injustice: why social inequality persists
Book by Daniel Ben-Ami, Ferraris for All: in defence of economic progress

The Empty Square

admin — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 15:40:23 +0000

The 2010 election saw unprecedented attempts to get into our heads with opinion polls, while online petitions and televised leaders’ debates were meant to ‘engage’ us in new ways. Universities are told to reach out to the community; news organisations beg us to text/tweet our views. Is this democratic, or merely patronizing? Discussions about the public and what it is thinking invariably seem to come from an elite perspective and display contempt for the man in the street. In today’s individuated society, is there really a public to engage? In this vital debate filmed at the Battle of Ideas, speakers include: Frank Furedi, professor of sociology, University of Kent; Deborah Mattinson, Director, BritainThinks consultancy; Joyce McMillan, chair, Hansard Society Working Group in Scotland; Graham Stuart, MP Conservative Party.

Recommended links:

Book by Deborah Mattinson, Talking to a Brick Wall: How New Labour stopped listening to the voter and why we need a new politics
Article by Dolan Cummings, Ideas, Intellectual and the Public

The View on the Streets: The Royal wedding

admin — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 18:08:30 +0000

WORLDbytes intrepid reporters hit the streets to investigate what the British public really think of the Royal wedding. Despite the hype and the millions expected to wedding watch from around the world, in the UK it’s clear, lots of people love a wedding, a celebration, a party or a day off but very few are planning to get the flags out and even fewer would call themselves ‘monarchists’. Cynicism is rife particularly about splashing the cash and the timing of the wedding and may only foster fatalism but is a disparaging attitude to unelected rulers unhealthy?

Recommended links:

Article by Frank Furedi, Hating Wills n’ Kate: the new conformism
BBC article, Royal wedding: Cameron urges street party celebrations

Pointless

admin — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 18:04:27 +0000

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:

Manifesto Club’s Visiting Artists & Academics Campaign
Valerie Hartwich’s Free Movement Blog
Goldsmith’s student union Students NOT Suspects campaign
WORLDbytes video: The More the Merrier

The TUC Anti-Cuts Demo: Tragedy or turning point?

admin — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 17:59:59 +0000

A WORLDbytes crew followed the TUC March for the Alternative demonstration in London from Temple tube to Hyde Park. The turnout exceeded all expectations yet alternatives to government cuts were hard to find as cutting ‘someone else’s’ income seemed to be the main message. Growth scepticism it seems is rampant.

Recommended links:

TUC Demo website
Article by Mick Hume, The phoney war of Oxford Street

Trust in an age of cynicism

admin — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 10:27:51 +0000

“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:

A Question of Trust, BBC Reith Lecture Series
Article by Richard Sexton: Trust in an age of cynicism
A review of Anthony Seldon’s book “Trust: How We Lost it and How to Get it Back”, by Patrick Hayes

Seeing through the Veil

admin — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 17:18:31 +0000

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:

Article by Tim Black: Banning the burqa is an assault on secular values
Article by David Mitchell, Guardian Online: If Britain decides to ban the burqa I might just start wearing one
From banning burqas to B&B bigots: can Europe tolerate religious tolerance?

A Taste of the Battle of Ideas

admin — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 13:59:44 +0000

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

The Fight over Flight: what’s the problem with air travel?

admin — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 07:43:30 +0000

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:

Battle of Ideas Debate website
Dr Mayer Hillman website
Timandra Harkness website

Question Dine: A row is on the menu

admin — Wed, 26 May 2010 13:09:03 +0000

In the final episode of WORLDbytes’ Royal Society of Arts award winning series, prospective MPs including Diane Abbott are given the third degree in a cafe in East London. Volunteer Naomi Lamb remains unconvinced and says she is not going to vote. The Conservative Mayoral candidate for Hackney, Andrew Boff puts the boot in and tells Naomi to at least vote against him. Diane Abbott argues that blacks in South Africa and suffragettes died for the right to vote and says that those who do not vote are letting the middle ground win. Spiked’s Brendan O’Neill argues this amounts to blackmail and contempt for the public. The suffragettes and black activists fought for the right to vote to bring about social change he points out, not to elect this lot. What do you think?

Recommended links:

Brendan O’Neill, Editor of Sp!ked online
Labour PPC: Diane Abbott’s website
Liberal Democrats PPC: Keith Angus’ website

The Suffragettes: Where is Sylvia?

admin — Wed, 26 May 2010 13:05:47 +0000

Sylvia Pankhurst fought for the right to vote with a capital “V”. She believed in social transformation and supported the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917. Statues of her mother Emmeline Pankhurst and a plaque commemorating her sister Christabel Pankhurst feature outside the Houses of Parliament but where is Sylvia? This taster of a film in the making suggests Sylvia is a woman worth remembering. There are numerous opportunities to get involved in the development of this film. If you are interested, do drop us a line.

Recommended links:

Website dedicated to the life and works of Sylvia Pankhurst
The Sylvia Pankhurst Memorial Committee
Book Sylvia Pankhurst: A Life in Radical Politics by Mary Davis
Article by Patrick West, Open Democracy: The Stone Bomb
Articles from the Workers Dreadnought socialist newspaper largely run by Sylvia Pankhurst

On the streets: Is voting a duty?

admin — Wed, 26 May 2010 13:04:59 +0000

On the streets of East London, volunteers take the public seriously, investigate preferences and whether voting is considered a duty. The responses are salutary.

Recommended links:

Article by Alexandra Topping, guardian.co.uk: The voters’ verdict so far: ‘All the parties are identical’
Comment piece by Balaji Ravichandran, Guardian Comment is Free: Blank votes would reform democracy
Article by Nathalie Rothschild: We don’t owe politicians our vote

Institute of Ideas: Election Pledges

admin — Wed, 26 May 2010 13:03:46 +0000

In the studio, Saleha Ali interviews Dave Bowden from the Institute of Ideas on their 21 pledges for progress 2010 campaign. The IoI proposes 21 pledges to put to your MP from open borders to an end to booze bans. The charity WORLDwrite is backing their campaign to re-enfranchise the electorate by putting big issues back on the agenda not sound bites or voting for the sake of it.

Recommended links:

Institute of Ideas: 21 Pledges for Progress 2010

Battle for Politics: Vote for what?

admin — Wed, 26 May 2010 13:03:01 +0000

This storming debate filmed at the Institute of Ideas’ Battle for Politics Pre-election summit asks us to reconsider what voting means. Professor Frank Furedi explains that politics historically meant refusing to bow to fate and taking control of our own destiny. Today, he argues, if everything is considered politics, from sexual behaviour to eating habits to personal health, then politics has been degraded and rendered meaningless. Panel speakers also include Wes Streeting, President of the National Union of Students, Pam Giddy, Director Power 2010 and David Seymour, leader writer for the Daily Mail and co-author of Why vote – a guide for those who can’t be bothered.

Recommended links:

Article by Brendan O’Neill: A manifest lack of inspiring ideas
Filmed debate on WORLDbytes: Battle for Politics – they know what we’re thinking
Frank Furedi’s latest book: Wasted: Why Education Isn’t Educating
Article by Stuart Wilks-Heeg and David Ellis, Open Democracy: The state of an ambivalent nation
Article by Pam Giddy: If we are to trust our politicians they must give power to the people

Battle for Politics: Evidence based policy

admin — Wed, 26 May 2010 13:01:58 +0000

In this ‘in conversation’ debate at the Institute of Ideas’ Battle for Politics Pre-election summit Tony Gilland, Science and Society Director, Institute of Ideas, asks panel speakers if politicians are evading responsibility by hiding behind science? Too often the phrase ‘the science shows…’ is used to close down any possibility of debate and facts are used to trump morality and politics. Is this indicative of a new respect for science, or rather a lack of political principle? Panel speakers include: Dr Evan Harris, science spokesman for the Liberal Democrats, Jeremy Webb, Editor-in-chief New Scientist, Nick Dusic, Director of the Campaign for Science and Engineering and Robin Walsh Editorial assistant for a medical publishing company.

Recommended links:

Article by Brendan O’Neill: The ‘revolt of the experts’ is revolting
Article by David Nutt: Government should get real on drugs
Article by Frank Furedi: Turning peer review into modern-day holy scripture

Question Dine: Election candidates served raw

admin — Wed, 26 May 2010 13:00:48 +0000

Would you vote for this lot? In this second episode of WORLDbytes’ Royal Society of Arts award winning series, election campaigners and parliamentary candidates from lesser-known political parties get a grilling at a local café in London’s East End. On the menu are unemployment, education, housing, free speech and voter apathy. The Green candidate advocates building on the green belt, the Respect rep says free speech should be qualified and the English Democrat chap says they’re not for profit. The arguments dished up suggest there is no right or left anymore. Watch it and let us know your thoughts.

Recommended links:

The English Democrats PPC: Andrew Osborne’s official website
Respect representative: Abul Hussain’s Respect website
Claire Fox, Director: Institute of Ideas
Green Party PPC: Matt Sellwood’s blog

Elections: The view on the streets

admin — Wed, 26 May 2010 13:00:00 +0000

Who will you vote for? In the run-up to the UK elections, as the government panics over voter apathy, WORLDbytes volunteers check out public opinion on the streets of London. This snap shot provides some interesting insights. Most people do intend to vote but the lack of enthusiasm is obvious. Some feel the elections will change little. Others say politicians are out of touch and MPs no longer represent our hopes and aspirations for the future. So, does voting now mean putting a tick in a box as a duty? One contributor suggests we need young people to stand for election and get rid of the old brigade.

Hidden London: The Real Battle of Cable Street

admin — Wed, 26 May 2010 12:58:21 +0000

The magnificent mural in Cable Street in East London, depicts the 1936 battle of Cable Street, when East end residents stopped Oswald Mosley and his fascist followers marching through their streets. In this powerful dissection of what happened, the real battle we learn was three way, between the police, the fascists and local people. Interwoven with eye witness testimony from Bill Fishman, Alan Hudson provides a riveting account of the events, the context and many hidden truths. The official labour movement tried to stop the anti-fascist protests and organised an alternative rally in Trafalgar Square. Lessons for today come thick and fast and we are left to contemplate the mural’s contemporary meaning. It may only strike a cord locally Alan explains if we support today’s migrant population and oppose all immigration controls.

Recommended links:

Podcast of Alan Hudson’s lecture: East End Figures
WORLDwrite’s London Behind the Scenes alternative tour: Brick Lane
Article by Kenan Malik: Race, pluralism and the meaning of difference

Don’t shout at the telly: Vote for what?

admin — Wed, 26 May 2010 12:56:07 +0000

In this episode of WORLDbytes’ on the sofa discussion, young volunteers get stuck into election and voting issues. With a UK general election looming, co-author of the To The Point Manifesto, Joe Kaplinsky, explains what he thinks are the most important issues of the day. Joe argues for: open borders; more infrastructure; house building; wealth creation and an end to booze bans. Not everyone is convinced. One volunteer remarks that more growth will fail to deal with social inequalities and another argues that open borders would be a disaster for cities such as London.

Recommended links:

To The Point manifesto

Battle of Ideas: Reform or Revolution?

admin — Wed, 26 May 2010 12:55:05 +0000

Following parliament’s series of scandals from MPs’ expenses, to lobbygate and Gordon Brown’s reported bullying antics, respect for parliament is perhaps at an all-time low. So where do we go from here? Are our traditional democratic institutions worth defending, or should we do away with them and what is the alternative? In this filmed debate, the panel of top speakers include editor of Progress Magazine Jessica Asato, author and former MP Martin Bell, politics lecturer James Panton and Republic’s campaign manager Graham Smith.

Recommended links:

Article by Suzy Dean: A book to set democratic alarm bells ringing
Book by Martin Bell: A Very British Revolution
Article by Brendan O’Neill: The tories and the tyranny of anti-politics
Article by Jeremy Seabrook, Guardian Comment is free: Reinventing politics
BBC article: Pirate party launches UK poll bid
Website: Republic

Battle for Politics: They know what we’re thinking

admin — Wed, 26 May 2010 12:54:10 +0000

All mainstream parties support initiatives to connect with our concerns and win our votes. While flattering us as active political subjects though, they increasingly view us as objects: cross-party enthusiasm for behavioural science means our brains and psychology are studied with anthropological zeal. Is there a danger of viewing the ‘public’ as lab rats in need of nudging to entice us to make the right choices? Contributors to this fascinating debate, at the Institute of ideas Pre-election summit, suggest we may be technically enfranchised but politically disenfranchised and some nasty ideas from a pre-democratic age are re-emerging. Speakers include Spiked editor Brendan O’Neill, Professor Gerry Stoker, the founder of Involve Richard Wilson and Director of the RSA’s Social Brain project Matt Grist.

Recommended links:

Article by Martyn Perks: ‘Nudging’: the very antithesis of choice
Article by Matt Grist, New Humanist Magazine: Neuroscience can help tame the elephant
BBC article: Can politicians shape our behaviour?
Book by Gerry Stoker: Why Politics Matters: Making Democracy Work

Question Dine

admin — Wed, 26 May 2010 12:51:12 +0000

As the elections loom, should we vote? Who should we vote for? What about those of us too young to vote? Do principles matter or should we make the best of what is on offer? In Question Dine, a new WORLDbytes series, parliamentary candidates and campaigners get closer to the electorate in their own dining room, or local cafe. Over supper or a cuppa, volunteers grill prospective MPs, not literally, but the discussion is certainly heated.

Recommended links:

Tory PPC: Darren Caplan’s blog
Labour PPC: Alex Hilton’s blog
Lib Dem PPC: Rhodri Jamieson-Ball’s blog

Freedom to film

admin — Wed, 26 May 2010 12:50:26 +0000

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:

Article by Nathalie Rothschild: Hands off my camera!
Photography e-petition: It is not illegal to photograph in public spaces
Metropolitan police: On freedom to photograph & film

Policing the Public Gaze

admin — Wed, 26 May 2010 12:49:37 +0000

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:

Report by Pauline Hadaway: Policing the public gaze: the assault on citizen photography
Article by Nathalie Rothschild: Hands off my camera!
Photo essay by Nathalie Rothschild: Warning! These photos may be useful to terrorists
Photography e-petition: It is not illegal to photograph in public spaces
Metropolitan police: On freedom to photograph & film

Activism

admin — Wed, 26 May 2010 12:43:52 +0000

Recent revivals of activism include the G20 demonstrations in 2009, runway invasions at Heathrow airport and climate campers a-plenty. But is activism today really a response to the recession and politics at large or, as critics have argued, merely a militant reflection of mainstream cynicism? This debate filmed at the Battle of Ideas dissects contemporary activism. The expert panel of speakers include author and campaigner Josie Appleton; writer and columnist at The Times, Hugo Rifkind; leader of the UK’s Pirate Party Andrew Robinson and Royal College of Art Student Union president, Jack Tan.

Recommended links:

Article by Josie Appleton: A new type of activism is being born
Times online archive: One day in the students’ revolt

Nepal: The struggle for a democracy

admin — Wed, 26 May 2010 12:37:55 +0000

For 400 years Nepal was a Hindu kingdom, ruled by successive monarchs. However in 2006 there was a massive uprising, millions of people took to the streets calling for democracy and freedom. Tasi Lama and the head of the People’s Liberation Army Commander Anant give accounts of the uprising and talks about their vision for the transformation of Nepal, currently one of the poorest nations on earth.

Recommended links:

Article by Brendan O’Neill: A great day for democracy
Article by Brendan O’Neill: Nepal: now that’s what I call democratisation
Article by Achin Vanaik: The New Himalayan Republic
NY Times article: Nepal elects a Maoist to be Prime Minister
Reuters article: No US timetable to remove Nepal Maoists’ terror tag

The EU & the Irish referendum

admin — Wed, 26 May 2010 12:32:09 +0000

Are you for or against the EU? On the streets of London the public are split down the middle, most want more information and certainly a chance to vote. In the studio, Oxford University lecturer Chris Bickerton, discusses the nature of the EU and the Lisbon Treaty. Having apparently ‘got it wrong’ and voted no to the treaty the first time the Irish were asked to vote again. Chris explains this is how the EU operates. To be seriously pro European he argues, we have to abolish the EU.

Recommended links:

Article by Josie Appleton: Are EU deaf or what?
Essay by Bruno Waterfield and Chris Bickerton: No means no: On the eve of the European Council Meeting
Article by Bruno Waterfield: A hollow victory for the Yes campaigners
Article by Brendan O’Neill: Ireland: A defeat for the democratic instinct

Making History: Thomas Paine

admin — Wed, 26 May 2010 12:23:31 +0000

On the 200th anniversary of his death, this programme examines the role and legacy of Thomas Paine, founding father of the American Revolution. Born in Norfolk, the son of a Quaker corset maker, Paine went on to become one of the most influential men in history. Planting the seeds of revolution in the minds of Americans, farmers and intellectuals alike, Paine created prose that stirred the hearts of the fledgling United States and quickly became known as the voice of the common man. With a direct call to all Americans in 1776 to fight against British colonial rule and gain independence, the 18th century revolutionary had a grand vision for society and a deep-seated belief in human freedom and integrity. Paine’s ideas continue to inspire, not least his belief that “we have it in our power to begin the world over again”.

Recommended links:

Article by Brendan O’Neill: Who was Thomas Paine?
The Thomas Paine Society
Rothermere American Institute
Thomas Paine’s pamphlet: Common Sense

Don’t shout at the telly: Hate speech

admin — Wed, 26 May 2010 12:11:01 +0000

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:

Guardian profile: Munira Mirza
BBC News: Islam film Dutch MP to be charged
Collection of material on international law regarding hate speech: Article 19
A Manifesto Club Thinkpiece: Don’t Play the ‘Offence Card’ by Josie Appleton

G20: Catch 22

admin — Wed, 26 May 2010 11:42:12 +0000

Reporter Luke Gittos filed these reports from the much hyped G20 protests in London where he searched in vein for a clear message and purpose. An interview with economy blogger and cscape CEO Rob Killick puts the need for a serious political rethink on the table and vox pops with the public suggest few were impressed by the G20 summit.