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A glimpse of Debating Matters

admin — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 16:07:33 +0000

The prestigious Institute of Ideas Debating Matters Competition runs this national debating competition for sixth form students in the UK and in partnership with the British Council in India. Honoured to be partners with this inspiring organisation which privileges content over style, WORLDbytes volunteers have filmed many debates and edited this short glimpse of the toughest intellectual challenge around for 16-18 year olds. With hundreds of schools involved and top level judges, the competition puts learning on a new level, deals with issues which affect us all and never fails to inspire. For full details of the competition and to take part visit http://www.debatingmatters.com/

Recommended links:

Debating Matters UK website
Debating Matters India 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

The View On The Streets: ethical shopping & fair trade

admin — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 17:08:05 +0000

In the run-up to Christmas, many charities are encouraging us to shop ethically. By making moral choices about what you put in your shopping trolley, these charities say, you will not only have a guilt-free shopping experience but you will be helping millions to escape the worst excesses of poverty. But what exactly are these ethical principles which underlie the fair trade label and what do we really know about it? In this revealing report, we ask the public if they buy into fair trade and the response is a mixed bag. Many base their purchasing decisions on price and need and plenty of people who know the score in the developing world see it as far from fair.

Recommended links:

Article by Tim Black, Why Fairtrade is an unfair deal
Film by WORLDwrite, The Bitter Aftertaste

Is this Africa’s decade?

admin — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 17:03:47 +0000

A far cry from the aid, fair trade and patronising paternalism that still informs NGO speak, the new decade is looking bright for Africa. Speakers in this must watch debate provide the real development picture and shun the West’s myth ridden narrative of Africa as ‘hapless child’ or ‘dark continent’ in need of healing. This year, Angola beat China to the top with annual average GDP growth of 11.1%. In the next five years, African countries are predicted to outperform their Asian counterparts. Of course, it’s easy to grow fast when you are small – but nonetheless the lion is on the move, along with the elephant and the tiger. Growth not aid, we learn is transforming lives and its time to tell the real story. Filmed at the Battle of Ideas, the panellists are: Alice Ajeh, international relations manager, Nigeria, Shell International; Marieme Jamme, CEO, SpotOne Global Solutions; co-founder, Africa Gathering; Angus Kennedy, head of external relations, Institute of Ideas; Sam Mendelson, co-founder, Social Performance Advisory. Chaired by SOAS student Joel Cohen.

Recommended links:

Article by Stuart Simpson, There’s no new ‘scramble for Africa’
Economist article: A road to somewhere: what do Africans need most – aid or infrastructure?

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

Dharavi: Reaching for the sky

admin — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 12:34:05 +0000

Welcome to Dharavi where residents are reaching for the sky. They want Dharavi to surpass London as a great city. Unlike the poverty tourism and accolades awarded to communitarian slum living by the likes of Prince Charles and Kevin McCloud, Dharavi residents think big. Sadhvi Sharma takes us through the streets and introduces us to aspirant families for whom Dharavi is a place of transition. The least we can do, she argues, is support their aspirations.

Recommended links

Article by Sadhvi Sharma, Living in filth is no lifestyle choice
Book by Austin Williams & Alistair Donald, The lure of the cities The Lure of the City: From Slums to Suburbs

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

After Fukushima: The Fear Factor

admin — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 08:22:35 +0000

The ‘apocalyptic’ media frenzy post Fukushima which displaced the real disaster story and horrific loss of life wrought by the earthquake & tsunami, sickened Japanese born Mari Shibata. Along with WORLDbytes volunteers she investigates the fear factor. Why did a nuclear incident affecting only a small area fuel global meltdown stories? In an interview with the Director of the Science Media Centre we learn of news values shaped by a concern to terrify people, journalists removed from stories for being too measured and scientists accused of lying. Granted unique access to Oldbury, the oldest nuclear power station in the world we learn how seriously safety is taken and due to fears of terrorism post 9/11 its tragic shut down to visitors. Through talking to relatives in Japan we learn of the progress being made to clear up the real mess made by a natural disaster, a story neglected by the Western media.

Recommended links:

Fiona Fox’s blog, On Science and the Media
Article by Sophie Knight, Tokyo: a long way from Chernobyl
Mari Shibata’s blog article, The Fear after Fukushima

Debating Matters India: a taster

admin — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 15:35:30 +0000

Now in its third year, Debating Matters is jointly organised by the British Council India and the Institute of Ideas. In this short glimpse of the event in 2010, we see students engaging in debate on contemporary society at the highest level, pushed to think beyond the semantics of the issue and modes of presentation. As former student and Debating Matters participant, Nitin Jayakrishnan remarks: “It is only through debating and through public speech where experts, the public and other people of the opposite opinion question you and criticise, that you learn, it’s criticism that matters, and I think Debating Matters pulls it off brilliantly.”

Recommended links:

Debating Matters website

Is the West still the best?

admin — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 14:25:02 +0000

For centuries, the West was a model for the world. While anti-imperialists condemned the West for betraying its own ideals of freedom, even black radical CLR James declared: ‘I, a man of the Caribbean, have found that it is in the study of Western literature, Western philosophy and Western history that I have found out the things that I have found out even about the underdeveloped countries’.

Today, however, there are those who question some of the most basic values of the West and, in particular, its universality – the very idea that its legacy is for everyone. As capitalism seemingly wanes in the West, and the East is on the rise, is there anything in the legacy of the West we should preserve? Speakers include Ian Morris, author and professor of history and archaeology at Stanford University, Sabine Reul, society and politics editor at NovoArgumente, Gaspar Miklos Tamas, author and visiting professor at Central European University and Tarun J. Tejpal, author and editor at Tehelka, former editor of India Today.

Recommended links:

Article by Lindsay Johns, In praise of dead white men
Times Higher Education, The Tyranny of Guilt
Article by Bill Durodie, The West still needs to think big

The View On The Streets: Nuclear Power

admin — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 17:33:30 +0000

WORLDbytes reporters hit the streets to investigate what the British public think about nuclear power after media scares of a Fukushima meltdown in Japan. Their findings are salutary and a lesson in never underestimating the public or treating their views with contempt. Savvy citizens may worry about waste but few have completely swallowed the nuclear doom mongering now evident in Germany. Eloquent insights on the press preoccupation with Fukushima where no one died, versus the horrific death and destruction caused by the Tsunami abound. For some, fear of climate catastrophe is pitted against nuclear catastrophe and nuclear power has become the ‘lesser evil.’ Perhaps a bigger problem is the idea we should settle for less energy in general.

Recommended links:

Article by Sophie Knight, Tokyo: a long way from Chernobyl
Article by Frank Furedi, Nuclear vs climate change: the clash of the alarmists

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

Prosperity without growth: a contradiction in terms

admin — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 16:33:31 +0000

For two centuries, life expectancy has surged, the food supply has easily outstripped a rising population and science has advanced tremendously. But are the costs of growth beginning to outweigh the benefits? Critics point to rising inequality, and insist people are becoming no happier, while mental illness and obesity are rife. In this fascinating head-to-head, economics journalist and author Daniel Ben-Ami argues with professor of sustainable development, Tim Jackson against a culture of limits. To tackle poverty he explains, we need more growth not less. We are living longer, healthier and more fulfilling lives than ever before – including billions of people in the poorer countries and economic progress has provided huge benefits for humanity.

Recommended links:

Article by Daniel Ben-Ami, Growth sceptics selling the economy short
Article by Kevin Brown, Financial Times, The Asian century calls for a rethink on growth

The great population debate: too many carbon footprints?

admin — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 00:00:45 +0000

Fears about climate change have brought back concerns about global population numbers. With the global population set to reach seven billion in a few years time, some argue we are heading for a crisis, as food supplies and energy sources wane in the face of increasing demand. Yet similar arguments have been made throughout history – most notably by Thomas Malthus – and have been proven wrong, as development and human ingenuity have solved the problems posed by apparently natural limits. In this exhilarating debate filmed at the Battle of ideas Spiked’s Brendan O’Neil takes on the Optimum Population Trust’s Roger Martin and argues against ‘finite-itus.’

Recommended links:

Article by Brendan O’Neill: Too many people? No, too many Malthusians
Article by Roger Martin: Overpopulation is the biggest threat to our climate
Video: Celebrating more people

Trafficking: new slave trade or moral panic?

admin — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 23:50:18 +0000

Human trafficking has been labelled a ‘modern-day slave trade’. Yet there is little evidence out there, is this because it’s a hidden crime? Critics say it’s a misleading label, which refers to diverse forms of migration and employment and the best way to help migrants avoid taking dangerous journeys is to open the borders. ‘Rescuers’ it’s argued compel migrants to present themselves as victims. Leading sex workers’ rights activists claim trafficking has become a powerful tool for prostitution abolitionists to win wider support for a clampdown on the sex industry as a whole. This powerful debate was filmed at the Battle of Ideas.

Recommended links:

Article by Nathalie Rothschild: ‘Rescue’: a new PC term for repatriation
Book by Laura Agustin: Sex at the Margins: migration, labour markets and the rescue industry

Human trafficking has been labelled a ‘modern-day slave trade’. Yet there is little
evidence out there, is this because it’s a hidden crime? Critics say it’s a misleading
label, which refers to diverse forms of migration and employment and the best way to
help migrants avoid taking dangerous journeys is to open the borders. ‘Rescuers’ it’s
argued compel migrants to present themselves as victims. Leading sex workers’ rights
activists claim trafficking has become a powerful tool for prostitution abolitionists
to win wider support for a clampdown on the sex industry as a whole. This powerful
debate was filmed at the Battle of Ideas.

Going nowhere? Staying local in a global village

admin — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 18:01:37 +0000

The newest edition of the Oxford English Dictionary includes the word, ‘staycation’, a vacation taken in your home country. David Cameron took one in Cornwall last summer and has urged Britons to follow his lead. Should we give up on the gains of a more global world and do likewise? Panelists don’t agree in this vital debate filmed at the Battle of Ideas. The speakers are: Philippe Legrain, author, Immigrants: your country needs them; John Adams, emeritus professor of geography, University College London; Michelle Di Leo, director, FlyingMatters, Dr Peter Heller, technology consultant, Innovationszentrum Niedersachsen GmbH, Germany. The chair is Peter Smith, director of tourism, St. Mary’s University College, London.

Recommended links:

Article by James Woudhuysen: Don’t let the miserablists clip humanity’s wings
Article by Michael Hanlon: We’ve only got ourselves to blame for the indestructible Indian superbug

Comedy of Terror

admin — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 11:22:13 +0000

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:

Screens of Terror Blog
Article by Megan LeBoeuf: The Power of Ridicule: An Analysis of Satire
New York times article: Harebrained Plans by Half-Wits
LA Times article: ‘In the Loop’

Reel Bad Arabs: How Hollywood Vilifies a People

admin — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 11:09:15 +0000

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:

Screens of Terror Blog
Article by Scott J. Simon: Arabs in Hollywood: An Undeserved Image
Article by Mazin B. Qumsiyeh: 100 Years of anti-Arab and anti-Muslim stereotyping

Africa and oil

admin — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 01:53:39 +0000

The oil industry in Africa is indicted for causing massive environmental damage, for the role of oil money in propping up corrupt regimes and for disrupting the traditional livelihoods of indigenous people. Yet it is undeniable that oil production directly benefits the economies of many African countries. If growth is not to come from oil, are the critics of Big Oil saying that Nigerians and other countries should go back to the land and develop less? Speakers in this debate include: Dara Akala, Living Earth Foundation; Barnaby Briggs, Shell; Joseph Hurst, Croft Stakeholder Democracy Network and Dipo Salimonu Ateriba, Africa Confidential.

Recommended links:

Article by Nathalie Rothschild: Dam those patronising Western campaigns
Report by Chatham House: Thirst for African oil

Engineering the future: cautionary tale or utopia?

admin — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 01:46:34 +0000

The idea that we might seek actively to determine – to engineer – our future might seem more 19th than 21st century. Today, popular visions of large-scale engineering are often overshadowed by negative views of the man-made world, from climate change to unsustainable growth to the unforeseen side effects of technology. Yet, countries like China and India appear to have a more positive attitude, with ambitious road and rail projects that reshape vast landscapes. Can we make a compelling case for engineering the future?

Recommended links:

Article by Bill Durodie: The West still needs to think big
Article by Clive Hamilton, The Guardian: The powerful coalition that wants to engineer the world’s climate
Chinese super-buses glide over traffic

The energy challenge: can we keep the lights on?

admin — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 01:39:01 +0000

As an energy crunch looms large and existing sources of energy such as ageing nuclear power stations go off stream there is still little investment in future energy resources. Some argue for more nuclear power, some for massive investment in renewables, some have even welcomed the recent recession as a curb on our consumption. Have we got enough energy? Is it imperative for energy policy to be dictated by concern about carbon emissions, or is there an argument for energy for its own sake, whatever the weather?

Recommended links:

Article in The Economist: Engine trouble – A rise in the cost of extracting energy will hit productivity
Book by James Woudhuysen & Joe Kaplinsky: Energ!se: A future for energy innovation

Don’t Shout at the Telly: Ferraris for All

admin — Sat, 09 Oct 2010 12:44:59 +0000

Leading this refreshing on the sofa discussion Daniel Ben Ami author of ‘Ferraris for All’, explains ‘growth scepticism’. Young volunteers grappling with growth raise a wide range of questions from consuming less in the West to bankers, child labour, corruption and war. Daniel is clear: our having less will not make the poor rich; child labour is product of poverty not prosperity; corruption does not cause poverty it’s a symptom of it; bombing a country is unlikely to increase its prospects and political autonomy is key. A positive approach to economic growth he argues, not holding back and accepting ‘limits’ is key to increasing abundance for all globally.

Recommened links:

Daniel Ben-Ami blog

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

Alternative Medicine is Quackery

admin — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 07:02:52 +0000

Filmed in India during the Debating Matters India finals, this gripping debate never fails to engage. Practitioners of modern medicine demystify and challenge alternative medicine in defence of scientific rigour, testing and the reproducibility of treatments. Advocates of alternative medicine claim a holistic approach which is person specific that can not be validated using established methods. The debate gets heated as professor Simon Wessely points out that he is a practitioner of modern medicine by day but like many parents resorts to homeopathy when he goes home. When one of his children comes home with a bruised knee from the playground he kisses it better, but he says, “this is not medicine.”

Recommended links:

Institute of Ideas Debating Matters Competition: website
Department of AYUSH India website

Debating Matters India

admin — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 14:26:44 +0000

Debating Matters India is jointly organised by the British Council India and the Institute of Ideas and has successfully completed its second year in India with plans already underway for year three. WORLDbytes volunteers were delighted to be asked to edit this short glimpse of this year’s event. Filmed by Syncline Films PVT Ltd, Debating Matters India 2009-10 is kindly supported by Shell Companies India and The Wellcome Trust. Speaking about the event as a whole, Sir Mark Walport said: “I’ve seen a series of terrific, first class debates here, demonstrating that these are hard working and thoughtful young people”. WORLDbytes Director Ceri Dingle said “Watching many of the filmed debates from DM India has been an inspiration, encouraging young people across the globe to engage with ideas and issues of substance, is exactly the material our Citizen TV channel seeks to provide a platform for. We look forward to editing further Debating Matters debates from the UK & India and showcasing these on WORLDbytes.

Recommended links:

Institute of Ideas Debating Matters Competition: 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

Man-made Mumbai

admin — Wed, 26 May 2010 12:47:49 +0000

WORLDbytes first overseas report is from Mumbai in India – the largest city in the world. A WORLDbytes film crew travelled there to produce some unique reportage with Sadhvi Sharma, a WORLDwrite volunteer and Mumbai resident. In this first programme Sadhvi shows us around this expanding metropolis and points to the amazing development that has transformed the cityscape and the lives of those who live there.

Recommended links:

Article by Austin Williams: Moving India
Article by V. Gangadhar: Shopping the suburbia way
Article by Sadhvi Sharma: Hands off India’s carbon emissions!
Article by Alka Sehgal: India’s economic progress left in Tatas

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

Don’t shout at the telly: An army of emotion

admin — Wed, 26 May 2010 12:36:58 +0000

In this compelling on the sofa discussion, young volunteers consider the response to the death of British soldiers in Afghanistan. John Conroy argues the terrible tragedy for families should be a personal one and our emotional reactions will not help clarify what’s going on and may undermine the politics we need.

Recommended links:

Article by Seumus Milne: How many more will die in vain before we withdraw?
Article by Mick Hume: Afghanistan, the West has defeated itself
BBC Q&A: Foreign Forces in Afghanistan
Stop the War Coalition website

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

Don’t shout at the telly: The anti-war movement

admin — Wed, 26 May 2010 12:29:24 +0000

In this on the sofa discussion, young volunteers consider whether the anti-war demonstrations that gained momentum in the run up to the Iraq invasion, embody a new era of mass political action. Leading the discussion, Brendan O’Neill, editor of Spiked argues that the anti-war movement is little more than defeatism posturing as political argument. He asks us to consider whether, had the invasion of Iraq or Afghanistan been ‘successful’, if its oppressed citizens had been liberated, would the war then have been okay? For Brendan, the answer is ‘no’, but are his fellow discussants convinced?

Recommended links:

Article by Tim Black: The defeatism of the anti-war movement
Article by Brendan O’Neill: Was the public too stupid to oppose the war in Iraq?
Guardian article by Daniel Nasaw: Men on a mission

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: Humanitarian intervention

admin — Wed, 26 May 2010 12:21:05 +0000

In this discussion on the pros and cons of humanitarian intervention, volunteers examine human rights, economic sanctions, international law and wars waged in the name of humanity. Leading the discussion is Dr Philip Cunliffe, lecturer in international conflict and co-convenor of the Sovereignty And Its Discontents (SAID) working group. Philip argues that historically humanitarian intervention has done more harm than good and this is no mere accident since the problem lies with the idea itself.

Recommended links:

Collection of essays co-edited by Philip Cunliffe: Politics Without Sovereignty: A Critique of Contemporary International Relations
Article by Philip Cunliffe: The legacy of Kosovo? International paternalism

Celebrating more people

admin — Wed, 26 May 2010 12:16:16 +0000

It is now seen as an article of faith that the world suffers from overpopulation but exactly who are there too many of? You, me, my friends? For World Population Day 2009, we should be celebrating our increased numbers and looking forward to more not less of the earth’s richest resource, humanity. Volunteers present the case in this inspiring riposte to modern Malthusians.

Recommended links:

Video: The great population debate, too many carbon footprints?
Optimum Population Trust website
Spiked Campaign: No to Neo-Malthusianism; why we oppose population control
Debating Matters Topic Guide: Population

Debating Matters: Population

admin — Wed, 26 May 2010 12:15:13 +0000

In this preparation seminar for the Debating Matters national finals, Spiked Online’s Brendan O’Neill goes head-to-head with Adrian Stott from the Optimum Population Trust. While Adrian advocates cutting back on humanity to save the environment, paying women not to have babies and tells us African men effectively commit mass rape, Brendan argues that such views are profoundly anti-human, authoritarian and a case of Malthusians finding the latest justification for pure prejudice. Brendan reminds us that the growth in our numbers is the outcome of better health and longer life expectancy and people are not just some biological entity or ‘another mouth to feed’ but creative beings that make great things happen.

Recommended links:

Debating Matters: Population topic guide
Article by Frank Furedi: Population control
Article by Brendan O’Neill: Mixing with Malthusians
Optimum Population Trust website

Cabaret without borders

admin — Wed, 26 May 2010 12:12:39 +0000

Onyeka Igwe reports from Cabaret without Borders an event organised by the Manifesto Club, in opposition to the Home Office’s new visa controls on visiting artists and academics. These controls have already prevented a plethora of creative visitors coming to the UK leading to concerts, exhibitions and international programmes being cancelled. Under the new rules the Home Office effectively determines international programming, what we can and cannot watch, share and experience and whose work merits a UK visit. Meanwhile numerous institutions are co-opted to police and report on visitors they are granted permission to host. This lively cabaret event sees a wide range of artists express their opposition through artistic interventions and personal testimonies.

Recommended links:

Manifesto club: Petition against Home Office restrictions on non-EU artists and academics
Publication: UK Arts and culture – cancelled, by order of the Home office

The Great Debate on water

admin — Wed, 26 May 2010 12:10:03 +0000

Following the North East premiere of the documentary Flush it, in this short report students reflect on water and sanitation provisions across the globe. The featured discussion was filmed by young people taking part in a day of workshops on the media, sustainability and the environment arranged by the Great Debate and WORLDwrite. Learning camera and reporting skills ‘on the job’ they consider key issues in the process.

Recommended links:

The Great Debate website: features discussion and events in the North east
The Flush it website: features background material on the film featured here

Chill out about deforestation

admin — Wed, 26 May 2010 12:07:16 +0000

Science activist Joe Kaplinsky looks at deforestation in its historic and developmental context. Launching a broadside against anti-development prejudice starting with Prince Charles, his noble ancestors and eco-warriors of today, sage commentator Kaplinsky gives a sober assessment of the real impact of current levels of deforestation. We are reminded that deforestation has been key to the growth of civilisation. Virgin forest was slowly transformed from mere hunting grounds for the nobility into bustling cities, industrial areas, transport and leisure amenities, modern agriculture and living spaces. On a world scale, subservient attitudes towards nature are rejected for the nobler aim of taking real control over nature and managing the land for all our benefit.

Recommended links:

BBC News article: ‘Boom and bust’ of deforestation
Encyclopedia Britannica : Deforestation