END OF THE DECADE - PART TWO

IT is just about a week to go now until the New Year and the new decade. This is the second part of the review of the Noughties. War, terror, climate change and the boom and bust economy have all played a big part in the last 10 years.

JULY 7^TH BOMBINGS

The first week of July 2005 was one of London’s most memorable of the decade. London had just played host to a global concert (Live 8) to persuade G8 leaders to end poverty in Africa. On July 6^th London was announced as the host city for the 2012 Olympics but the party atmosphere was short lived. On July 7^th suicide bombers detonated explosives on the capital’s tube network and a bus. 52 people were killed and almost 700 injured.

The 7/7 bombings in London like 9/11 changed the way we now live. Government, under the guise of anti-terrorism, have tried and sometimes failed to enforce draconian legislation impacting on civil liberties. The failed 90-day detention law, the over use of section 44 of the anti-terrorism act (stop and search) are just a couple of examples. We live in constant suspicion – which is often over hyped by government and the media. If we are not careful our rights and liberties will be taken away in the name of anti-terrorism, and the Terrorists will have won.

WAR

In the Noughties, Britain was taken into two major conflicts. Both were in the name of anti-terror. Former Prime Minister Tony Blair and President George W Bush acted together to invade Iraq – under what can be seen as false pretences. Although the cruel dictator, Saddam Hussein was removed from power, the US and UK’s reputation was severely damaged.

The war in Afghanistan is seen to be more justified, but since 2001 it has taken the lives of many service men and women. The war has spanned most of the decade and looks set to continue into the next.

THE RECESSION!

We started off the decade in fairly good economic health. House prices increased considerably, we spent large amounts of money and we thought we had never had it so good. But, by the later part of the decade Britain and most of the world were plunged into economic doom and gloom. Due to huge amounts of debt, endless credit cards, ridiculously large mortgages, and a great deal of doggy bank activity the UK is in one of the worst recessions ever which we are yet to recover from.

CLIMATE CHANGE

Climate change has become one of the world’s most important issues this decade. In the early years of the noughties it was a thought in the back of people’s minds, now we can barley escape it. Most world leaders are facing up to the consequences that could arise from a rise in global temperatures. Yet the recent climate summit in Copenhagen will probably change little. There could well be problems into the next decade as water, food and land becomes scarce, especially in the poorer developing countries.

FACEBOOK, MYSPACE & A LOT OF APPLES

Technology and the Internet now play a really big part in our daily lives. This was probably unimaginable ten years ago. The popularity of twitter, Youtube and Facebook changed how we communicate. We expect things instantly, TV on demand or through the Internet and BBC iplayer or 3G and WI-FI on our phones. Blackberries and iphones and countless other gadgets have revolutionised our lives, and sometimes not for the better.

So that's it for the round up of the Noughties. If you think something was missed out or you have something else to say then do feel free to add your comments.

I hope you enjoyed it and have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

END OF THE DECADE - PART ONE

THE Noughties are fast drawing to a close. At the end of first decade of the 21^st century the world is a changed place. We started off the new millennium with great hopes, the only fear was an over hyped computer bug, which in the end never existed. We leave the decade in recession, facing huge debt, worries over climate change and a great number of other global concerns.

Here is the first part of the top ten events that have shaped our decade. It’s one opinion so you are welcome to add your thoughts to it.

SEPTEMBER 11^TH 2001

The Al-Qaeda terror attacks in New York, in which two passenger jets were crashed into the World Trade Centre Twin Towers, shaped the decade. In the early days of the Noughties the world’s biggest concern had been Y2K bug. Over a year and a half later, the West was fast approaching a road to war that would last longer than World War 2.

The 9/11 terror attacks have to a great extent shaped our decade and the way we live. The fear of terror has been used greatly by politicians, the state, and even police to control citizens lives like never before. More surveillance, an erosion of human and civil rights are just a few of the consequences.

BUSH ELECTED AS PRESIDENT

George W Bush was elected to the White House in 2000. Bush, probably one of the most prominent politicians of the decade, but not always for the right reasons, led the US to war in two countries and took it upon himself to ‘fight terror’.

Though he may have done more harm to the democratic state of the world then good he certainly gave us much entertainment. Whether it was chocking on a pretzel or giving somewhat unintelligible speeches, he is defiantly one President the US will not be able to forget in a hurry.

THE BEIJING OLYMPICS

The 2008 Beijing Olympics signalled a big turning point for global politics. As the Communist super state with ever increasing wealth could no longer be ignored by the West. Near the end of the decade emerging super states and powers like China, India and Brazil slowly started to become more powerful on the world stage. It seems that power maybe slowly shifting from the West to East.

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA

History was made in the US in 2008 when Barack Hussein Obama became the first black man to be elected to office of President of the United States. Promising hope, change and reform he also embarked on a much-needed attempt to change the world’s view of America, which had been eroded by President Bush.

SUSAN BOYLE & CELEBRITY BIG BRITAIN’S STRICTLY GOT THE X-FACTOR

Susan Boyle, now a global sensation, represents the craze and obsession over reality TV. Whether it was Big Brother, Pop Idol, Popstars, Strictly Come Dancing, I’m a Celebrity, the X-Factor or Britain’s Got Talent, in the noughties we became a nation obsessed by reality TV. Whether it was the z-list celebrities or hard done by sob stories from contestants, the cheap to make, formulaic shows, have become a staple of prime time television.

And in an age of digital diversity and the ability to choose from a vast number of channels these shows have drawn the country together, lately amassing audiences of up to 19 million.

WORLD AIDS DAY

WORLD AIDS DAY 2009

Today (Tuesday 1^st December) is world aids day, a day to raise awareness and help to remove the stigma associated with HIV/AIDS.

HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) attacks the immune system, making it harder for the body to fight off illnesses. This will often develop into AIDS – where the sufferers’ immune system becomes too weak to fight off infection. It is estimated that 33 million people around the world are living with HIV, and about two million people die every year.

The sad thing is that HIV/AIDS is preventable, with the right education and protection the rate of infections could be reduced. Added to this there is a big stigma attached to those who are HIV positive. The disease is most commonly passed on through unprotected sex or sharing infected needles, syringes or other injecting drug equipment. It is not passed on by kissing, shaking hands with or being in the same room as an HIV positive person. World Aids Day attempts to break down the barriers, dispel the myths and stop the discrimination.

In the UK HIV/AIDS is often seen as a disease caught by gay men. Although the majority of the HIV positive population are gay or bisexual, in 2008 more heterosexuals were diagnosed with HIV then gay men. People need to remember that anybody can catch HIV/AIDS. No one is immune.

Elsewhere, Sub Saharan Africa is affected by HIV/AIDS more than any other region in the world. It is estimated that 22.4 million are living with the virus in the region. Access to antiviral drugs is limited due to a lack of funding. And support for those with HIV/AIDS is not always available. The stigma is much worse in Africa and life can be really tough for those suffering from the disease due to the ignorance and lack of education about HIV/AIDS. (Find out more about HIV/AIDS in Africa here).

Maybe one thing you could do today for World Aids Day would be to find out the truth about HIV/AIDS, help dismiss the myths and remove the stigma after all isn’t everyone human?

EUROPE. SO WHAT?

THIS week the Lisbon treaty was officially ratified by all 27 member EU states.

The Czech Republic after weeks and months of deliberating has agreed to sign, meaning the Treaty could become law by December. There has been a lot of Euro-scepticism in Britain, especially over the Lisbon Treaty, which we have already signed and ratified.

The Treaty, when in effect is supposed to ease the operation of Europe, will make the EU, "more democratic, more transparent and more efficient". More details about it can be seen here.

Britain’s relationship with America isn’t looking too ‘special’ and it is becoming increasingly obvious that there is a shift in world power from West to East. China and India are growing into strong economies and global powers. We have to accept it. This is why it’s important that Britain doesn’t isolate herself from Europe. We need to be part of a bigger community and power.

I’m not suggesting that the EU should become a super version of the USA, far from it. Britain needs to stay part of a community that can share employment, resources, energy and trade easily.

We have to remember, we are no longer an Imperialist country anymore. The Empire was dismantled almost half a centaury ago. We seem to still hold this Imperial idea of Great Britain in our heads. Wakeup and get over yourself Britain. We need Europe now if we are to survive on the world stage.

AFTER QUESTION TIME

NICK Griffin was left shaking like a leaf at the end of BBC’s Question Time tonight. After what some might have expected to be a big PR, publicity stunt for the BNP was almost completely the opposite. Auntie should be looking for her receipt, as Mr Griffin was probably not too happy with his Christmas present.

Griffin failed to dispel the notion that his party is racist. He even stated that he believed successive governments had committed genocide towards the ‘indigenous people of Britain’ through immigration policies. His constant flip flopping performance - trying to deny racist, homophobic, anti-Semitic and Islamic comments he had previously made – was plain embarrassing to watch.

So has his appearance on Question Time helped to raise the profile of the BNP? I don’t think it has, but we’ll have to wait and see. It might have helped to raise the issue of immigration in Britain as being a topic needing more debate. The appearance of Mr Griffin on QT reminds us once again of the price we pay for democracy. There can be a very fine line between free speech and censorship.

BNP ON TV

TONIGHT, Nick Griffin the leader of the British National Party (BNP) will appear on BBC One’s Question Time. It is the first time that a member of the far right ‘political party’ has been invited and allowed onto the panel.

The decision by the BBC to invite Griffin was a very controversial one. For a start the BNP are about as close to the Nazi party as you can get in British Politics. One of their objectives is to be “committed to stemming and reversing the tide of non-white immigration and to restoring, by legal changes, negotiation and consent, the overwhelmingly white make-up of the British population that existed in Britain prior to 1948.” You can’t get more racist then that really.

The press and politicians have been trying to argue whether the BNP should be allowed to appear on national television. The right to free speech has been brought into consideration, alongside the want to suppress such controversial and hateful political views. It is a tough decision to make. Do we let such views get suppressed and grow underground? Do we let the views be heard and let them be rubbished and realised for what they are? Or do we risk the views being heard and supported further?

The BNP faces legal challenges about their membership policy and have been heavily criticised with using images of the army in their election campaigns. However illegal the BNP’s methods of selecting members are or however sickening their policies and campaign techniques might be. It might be more important to ask why nearly a million people voted for the BNP at the European elections and why there are now two BNP members in the European Parliament.

Surely this is the bigger and more urgent question to ask rather then whether the BNP should be allowed onto Question Time tonight?

WILL THE VIEW BE THAT GREAT AT THE SUMMIT?

TODAY, David Cameron gave his closing speech at the Conservative Party conference. Against the backdrop of blue skies he announced that it would be a steep climb but the view from the summit would be worth it. He was talking about pulling through the recession but could the phrase be used in relation to the battle for victory at the next election?

The public haven’t really warmed to the Tories yet. The polls put them ahead of Labour, but it is not due to their policies and fundamental party beliefs. It’s more to do with the fact that Cameron is not Gordon Brown. Voters want change but some still probably fear the Tories.

With Cameron’s climb to the economic summit, it will be a lot steeper for some then it will be for others. It can be difficult to believe that ‘we are all in it together’ as George Osborne (shadow chancellor) hammed on in his speech earlier this week. Very difficult when the men who might be leading the country are ex-Etonians, with rather large bank balances. Obviously they wont be feeling the squeeze quite so much as the rest of us.

That’s the end for today, and the end of the conference season. Now the very long road to the general election begins.

BOOMERANG BLAIR

AFTER a week that has been neither good nor bad for Gordon Brown, his old boss has managed to overshadow him once again.

If all goes to plan, Tony Blair the former Prime Minister, could take the new position of European Union President. The Irish public need to vote yes today to the Lisbon Treaty for this to happen. If so within a few weeks Blair could be adding a new job title to his CV.

This is certainly a kick in the teeth for Cameron and the Tories. Just when they thought they were in luck - The Sun, proclaiming earlier this week it has switched alliances to the Tories – Blair comes back to cause trouble. If Blair becomes President of the EU, the Conservatives would have to assess their stance on Europe.

It is quite funny to consider that the next government - be it Labour or most probably Conservative – will have the shadow of New Labour and Tony Blair hanging over it.

WHERE IS BRITAIN’S OBAMA?

ANOTHER week, another storm for the Prime Minister. Gordon Brown’s leadership skills were once again called into question by the media and a number of Labour party heavy weights.

After the furore to get a one to one with US President, Barak Obama at the UN and G20 – which left many pondering the ‘special relationship’ –Brown has ambled on to Brighton and to the Labour Party conference.

It has made me think about the up coming general election next year. Labour seems to be floundering and as Alistair Darling put it, has ‘lost the will to live’. The Conservatives don’t seem to be offering anything new or different apart from ‘savage cuts’, which could possibly worsen the UK’s economy. What choice is there?

Britain needs a change, the public are crying out for it. After the events earlier in the year regarding the MPs expenses scandal, there was a chance for real change and reform in British politics. The public felt disconnected to Westminster and many had lost confidence in their MPs. So far nothing has happened and it looks as though nothing will.

Remember though, It is not just Parliament that needs reform. The gap between rich and poor is the greatest since the 60’s. There need’s to be a tighter grip on the financial system to prevent a repeat of last September. The list could go on.

So it seems Britain is crying out for it’s own Obama, who unfortunately doesn’t seem to exist.

A LITTLE NIBBLE TO KEEP YOU GOING

YES I am back. Two weeks later then promised. I couldn’t even keep to my word of a regular blog each week. Lets forget about the blank spaces and pretend we were all in a coma for a good few days. Good. Frankly I was feeling a little uninspired by the news. It wasn’t as though there were no important stories, it was just I wasn’t gripped by any to investigate further. Not good news for a ‘journo’ in training.

Don’t worry I haven’t been completely uninspired. I have a few ideas I want to develop over the next few weeks. Until then here is a little nibble to suppress you literary hunger.

We are firmly into the annual party political conference season. Kicking off with the Lib Dems. I am sure a vast majority of the population have little, to no idea that this is taking place. It seems that this how politics seems to work in Britain today. Nick Clegg, the Lib Dem party leader (apparently a third of voters have never heard of him) announced that the party will need to seriously consider outlining policies on cuts in public spending prior to the election in contrast to previous elections. There are also hints that the vote winning policy of scrapping student tuition fees could be dropped from the next manifesto.

If only tuition fees had been scrapped already. The past few weeks have seen thousands of students wondering if they will be able to go to university at all this term. The government and Student Finance England, have - to put it bluntly - cocked up big time. It is estimated that 50,000 students will be left without finance at the start of the term due to a delay in processing applications. With a phone line that is permanently busy and a Direct Gov website that is constantly useless it’s a case of waiting for the post. We’ll just have to wait around and twiddle our thumbs nervously.

Back to party conference, Clegg makes his key speech tomorrow. We might find out a little more about the party’s direction, if we are lucky.

BACK TO BLOG

FIRST of all, welcome back from the summer and welcome to a slightly refreshed and newly re-named blog.

It has been a bit of a disappointing summer this year. The promised BBQ weather from the Met Office failed to ignite confirming that we now only have two seasons; the rainy, cold season and the very rainy, very cold season.

If you want to try and get a little sun and top up on your vitamin D the only way is to go abroad. It’s no use relying on the good old ‘British Summer’. I myself have just come back from a two-week holiday in Europe and there was something that really stood out to me. It wasn’t the continental café culture, or the slower pace of the Mediterranean lifestyle. It was the amount of large people that I saw. I’m not talking about the odd paunch or bingo wings, I mean the almost obese. Weight has really become an issue.

I’m not trying to write this in an offensive or hurtful way, but the number of really fat people on the beach was shocking. People would sit and eat rubbish purely for sake of having something to do. This really wasn’t an expected sight on a Greek Island.

We, the west are consuming too much food, not only junk food either. It seems wasteful and counterproductive. It’s almost offensive to those in the world who do not have access to the amounts of food that we do.

Not only do we eat too much food we also waste too much as well. According WRAP (a quango who work to reduce waste) we throw out an estimated 6.7 million tons of food in the UK alone. This is a staggering amount and I am sure we are all guilty of throwing good food away. Love Food, Hate Waste, is a website which can give you recipes for left over food in your fridge. It may just be worth taking a look at before you start throwing out the almost off carrots at the bottom of your fridge.

Finally on another note, I must hold my hands up to the fact that I have been very bad at posting on this blog. When I started in 2008 I had intended to add a new entry at least every week. But as you can see from the vast white spaces below this hasn’t really happened. I have decided to set myself the task again, so it’s back to blog and watch this space. Hopefully it will be filled by next week.

FIGHTING FIRE WITH FIREARMS

LAST week I caught a disturbing report on a change in gun law in Tennessee, America. The change could allow people to take guns into public spaces including restaurants and wait for it – bars.

To me this just shouted out stupidity, surely this was some sort of joke. Lets be honest mixing alcohol with firearms is completely safe and rational, just as drink driving is harmless and has never killed anyone! It doesn’t take the brightest mind to put guns and drink together to work out what could happen on a rowdy Friday night. A misguided comment is all that it could take for the local to turn into a blood bath.

Those in favour of the altered law suggest that it would make their lives safer if they could carry around guns in public spaces. Of course the best way to stop someone murdering your loved one is to pull out a gun on the gunman. The argument supporting the change in law seems to suggest fighting fire with firearms. How a weapon can ever be used in a positive way is beyond me.

To an extent the proposal does not surprise me that much, this is the South of America we are talking about. Many Americans are sickly devoted to the Second Amendment of the US Constitution, the 200 year-old right to bear arms. Some estimate that one in four Americans own a gun, which is roughly 76,000,000 people. That is a large number of guns.

All I can say is that I am glad that my constitution does not permit me or my neighbour the right to bear arms (all be it there is no written constitution but that is a completely different minefield).

A Little Rant About Media Coverage.

THERE has been pretty much wall-to-wall coverage of the sudden death of the ‘king of pop’ Michael Jackson. The story, although very shocking and unexpected, has taken over most of today’s news coverage.

This morning I listened to the Today program on BBC Radio 4. Much of which was dedicated to the story of the pop star’s death. I can honestly say there were few facts being given on the flagship morning news program. The story was even being talked about on ITV’s ‘This Morning’.

I was forced to watch Sky News today, not my preferred source of news. I was watching for the best part of an hour and no other news was mentioned. The headline ‘Michael Jackson has died’ was permanently on screen with the perverse juxtapositions of an archive clip showing the singer announcing his would-be comeback concerts in London at a press conference. It was as if Sky was showing a press-conferencing being held in the afterlife. Viewers were also shown footage from a helicopter showing the megastar’s body being moved into a private ambulance.

This blanket coverage is quite sickening and disturbing. We have been made voyeurs of what should be a respectful and sombre event. However, this is now not shocking. We saw this treatment with the death of Jade Goody not many months ago. The pointless live links and two-ways outside the Hospital or Estate, in which the report repeats the same information he told us not more than 10 minuets ago. The flashy graphics, dramatic scripts and the dreadful ‘have your say’ texts messages and emails from the viewers. It doesn’t make me feel proud of the industry.

Is it right to cover the passing of public or popular figures in such a way?

 

With little else but Jackson on the news today here are a couple of news stories from the UK and around the world.

• A 15 year old boy from Manchester has today been convicted of beating a two-year-old to death who was in his care for 90 minutes.

• Network Rail bosses are to receive bonuses totalling over £1.2m. Two directors will each receive more than £300,000 in bonuses. The bonuses have been awarded despite the company’s annual profit falling and its debt level increasing.

• A bomb in the Iraqi capital Baghdad has killed at least 15 people today. The bomb was hidden in a motorcycle. The bike had been packed with ball bearings and nails. The bombing comes after a week of violence in which 200 Iraqi’s were killed. US combat troops had been planning to pull out of cities in the country in just four days time. US and Iraqi officials state that the withdrawal will still go ahead but expect more violence.

• A senior Iranian Cleric has called on the government to harshly punish riot leaders. Ayatollah Ahmed Khatami was speaking at Friday prayers in Tehran today. The call on the government comes days before the election results are to be ratified by Iranian officials.