26 January 2009

British politics in the 1980’s



In 1979, following Jim Callaghan’s inability to stand up to the trade unions, the Conservatives came to power. Mrs Thatcher was Prime Minister and the British people were given a wake-up call. Thatcher was the classic autocrat, rather like former US president GW Bush. Once she had a position on an issue she wouldn’t move. “The lady’s not for turning”. This, along with the Falklands war and her attitude towards Ireland, would help define her political leadership. Thatcher angered many people: her contempt for the unions, her embrace of nuclear arms and the failure to challenge the racist regime in South Africa were some of the issues that characterised her time in office.

In regard to Ulster, this writer has some sympathy. In 1979 her colleague, Airey Neave, was killed in a car bomb attack in the House of Commons car park and, in 1990, the Conservative MP Ian Gowe was murdered in a similar way. Both at the hands of the IRA. These events along with the bombing of the Conservative Party Conference (1984), made it hard for Thatcher to trust, never mind agree, with Irish politicians of any political persuasion. It is pretty clear she didn’t see eye-to-eye with the then Taoiseach, Charles Haughey.

But British political history of the 1980’s will cite the economic transformation that occurred during the 18 year Conservative rule (1979-1997). In that time the UK economy flourished and many companies that had been under government control were privatised. At the same time Labour didn’t endear itself to the voters and lost elections mainly because they were unable to clarify their taxation policy. ‘Labour isn’t working’ was the legend on Conservative election billboards – reminding everyone of the dire economic state of Britain in the late 1970’s under Labour.

Throughout the 1980’s the UK government held steadfastly to an aggressive defence policy. Nuclear weapons were seen as the best deterrent against any military threat. US president, Ronald Reagan was a staunch ally of the ‘Iron Lady’ and the two leaders prided themselves on their respective, united, foreign policies. Some commentators have praised Thatcher for bringing Russia (then known as the Soviet Union) to heal. But it was the emergence of a moderate leader in the Kremlin, Mikhail Gorbachev, that came a distance to making peace with the west after years of distrust. Thatcher and Reagan, it is fair to say, didn’t make any real concessions. It was the softer tone of Gorbachev that took Russia out of the ‘Cold War’ while the leadership of the US and UK wanted to keep the relationship with Moscow firmly in the deep freeze.

At the close of the decade however, Mrs Thatcher’s popularity, among Conservative voters, had been exhausted. The crazy policy of the Poll Tax made her extremely unpopular and subsequently her colleagues in cabinet, most notably Geoffrey Howe and Nigel Lawson, no longer felt they could tolerate her. By the end of 1990 Thatcher was no longer Prime Minister and British politics was once again in transition.

Obviously John Major (her successor as party leader and Prime Minister) had little charisma, however he was definitely not an autocrat and the future looked less fraught. Along with better relations with the Irish government (under Albert Reynolds) the ‘Peace Process’ in Ulster went up a gear. A new era had dawned and the word progress could be spoken again. The polarisation of British politics had come to an end and with it the career of one of the UK’s most controversial leaders.

19 January 2009

The importance of moderation.

Arguing and losing one’s temper may be hard to avoid at times but it is moderation that brings us to our senses. No matter how spectacular the row, we can be reconciled by moderation but it requires guts, and the ability to see ‘the big picture’, to reach that point. By not understanding our duties to keep a lid on things we only cause hurt and bitterness to ourselves and others.

The people of Israel and the Gaza militants should be aware of the need to be moderate, otherwise the alternative is destruction. In recent weeks the Israeli’s have been bombing Gaza. In order to try and get a glimmer of knowledge on the problems there, it is EXTREMELY important that a moderate position is adhered to. In Dublin, last week, the Irish ‘Friends of Israel’ group marched to Leinster House only to be confronted by pro-Palestinian activists. Unfortunately there were some unseemly scenes and, even if no-one was injured, it was a sad and sorry event. Thousands of miles from Gaza, in a different country, the same factional conflict was being replicated – horrible.

The gas being brought through Europe from Russia is of vital importance to us. Even more so to the eastern European nations, closer to Russia. These countries frequently suffer harsh winters of sub-zero temperatures. If negotiations had failed, in allowing the importation of gas, many people would quite literally freeze. Moderation is essential in a situation like that.

Our neighbours in Ulster would never be co-operating together in government if it weren’t for the ending of republican violence alongside the recognition of the rights of nationalism by Unionists and the ‘peace process’ has given the opportunity for Ulster folk to take more of a responsibility for their lives. A positive development.

But not only eastern Europe and Northern Ireland have benefited from moderation, central Europe is no longer in conflict. Flanders is now at peace. In the aftermath of World War Two, a war in which many millions died, Europe was divided. It is now, in 2009, more united than ever. Most of the rowing is now not about territorial control: German – Franco relations couldn’t be closer and that is a stunning achievement when you consider the wars fought through the centuries between these two fine countries.

No, the problems Europe faces now are mainly to do with economic matters. England and France will never go to war over the ‘Common Agriculture Policy’. There are different ways of objecting these days. Indeed so united is Europe that it has its own currency in most of its member states – the Euro. We have come a distance and that is due to moderation.

Difficulties, no matter how bad, cannot be remedied without moderate ideas coming to the fore. Indeed the world will be in constant paralysis without the George Mitchell’s (NI peace process), Kofi Annan’s (United Nations) or the Nelson Mandela’s of this world – all moderate men. It is true ‘united we stand, divided we fall’. Moderation is the Holy Grail, it is not through extremism that humanity develops. If only more of us could understand this we would all be better for it. We would be free to love and not to hate.

12 January 2009

Wilf Mbanga - A profile

Wilf Mbanga is a journalist from Zimbabwe. In 1999 he set up a national daily newspaper, The Daily News, and it became the best selling newspaper in the country. However it was eventually forced into closure in 2003. "Controversial and unconstitutional legislation enacted in Zimbabwe during the past two years has virtually destroyed freedom of the press in the country", Mbanga said.

Mr Mbanga is never one to shirk a challenge: "I cannot let obstacles stop me from going forward..." He is obsessed with news . Indeed he has no hobbies and all he does in his spare time is read newspapers and watch television news. His children know him as 'the newsman'.

A colleague, Linda Christmas, says how disillusioned Mr Mbanga has become by Robert Mugabe (president Zimbabwe): "This is a man who once adored Mugabe and looked to him as a saviour. He is disappointed and he can see what Mugabe is doing to Zimbabwe and is doing something about it", Ms Christmas says.

During his 18 years working for state-run media in Zimbabwe, Mr Mbanga travelled and joked with the Zanu - PF leader. He says he even knew Mugabe's children. But the Mugabe he knew then is not the one he sees now. Colleagues of Mr Mbanga talk of his determination and say his long experience in journalism will make him succeed in his future ventures.

Following the closure of The Daily News, Mbanga now resides in the UK. He is the founder and editor of The Zimbabwean, a newspaper simultaneously published in South Africa and Britain and it is published on a weekly basis. The journalist speaks of his optimism for its success and says an estimatd 3.5m Zimbabwean diaspora will support the publication. "The West Africans have their newspapers and Zimbabweans can do the same as well", he says.

In two years the Zimbabwean authorities have closed down four newspapers. Mr Mbanga hopes The Zimbabwean will not continue this sad pattern. One thing is certain though, Mbanga's newspaper will be a thorn in the side of the Mugabe regime for some time to come.

www.thezimbabwean.co.uk

05 January 2009

The current state of Irish politics

Goodbye 2008, hello 2009. The big political news of last year, in Ireland, was the resignation of Bertie Ahern and the ascent of BIFFO, (Brian Cowen). Initially the portly gentleman, from what used to be known as the King’s County, was given a warm welcome as Ireland’s latest Taoiseach. However the disastrous Lisbon Treaty referendum and the death of the Celtic Tiger economy have conspired to scrape the sheen from Mr Cowen’s visage.

Irish politics is full of cliques and the new Minister for Education, Batt O’Keefe (satirically dubbed ‘Battman’ by Phoenix magazine), as well as Mary Coughlan and Brian Lenihan Jr (Tánaiste and Minister for Finance respectively) are rather inexperienced at cabinet. Mr Cowen has thus surrounded himself with a selection of senior ministers that are struggling to achieve, even if they are his mates.

The government’s punishment of the over 70’s by threatening to remove the Medical Card benefits due to them has severely damaged Fianna Fáil in the eyes of the electorate. If a second Lisbon Treaty vote also fails to go his way, our current Taoiseach could find himself closer to Bertie than he’d perhaps like – on the back benches. Unlike Mr Ahern, Cowen can’t be described as the ‘Teflon Taoiseach’. He has a distinct lack of appeal which the famous Nortsoider had in abundance. Cowen makes Eamonn Gilmore (Labour leader) look like Bill Clinton.

2009 will be a tough challenge and if Mr Cowen’s government does exit the political scene, due to overwhelming unpopularity, a certain golden haired boy from Co. Mayo could replace the overweight bruiser from the midlands as Taoiseach. Yes Enda Kenny possesses even less charisma than our current leader. But Kenny has overseen a change in fortunes for his party, Fine Gael. From a state of disaster following the 2002 general election, in which they lost 20 seats, to the 2007 election where they recovered well and gained seats handsomely. The state’s principal opposition party now has 50 seats in Dáil Eireann and are increasingly being seen as a party of government. However Fine Gael haven’t been in office since the mid 1990’s and they will have to raise their game considerably if they are to be in a position to legislate.

Corruption may not be to the fore in Irish politics these days but no longer can we leer at the ding dong politics of the 1980’s (Charlie v Garrett). Mr Kenny’s speech at the last Fine Gael party conference was delivered in a wooden, bland manner but in his favour his party is studiously disciplined, always an advantage. A good example of this has been the silence of his critics within FG. This suggests that the party have closed ranks and are preparing for power. One thing to note though: Nowhere on the cover of the 2008 Phoenix Annual is there a cartoon picture of Enda. Voters may be profoundly unhappy with the Cowen dog’s dinner er…government but at least they know who he is. Can the same be said of the FG leader?

Walking through Dun Laoghaire recently I saw Eamonn Gilmore strolling around. My initial thought was: where are the security men? Then it struck me, it’s only the Labour leader – hardly Gordon Brown or Barack Obama in the pecking order. All the huffing and puffing he expends in opposing the Taoiseach in the Dáil will not get him a seat in cabinet and it is daft for any Labour TD to think they can simply waltz into government on their own with an overall majority. The political scene in this country will ensure that Labour always occupies the thin end of the wedge.

The best way to accessing power for Ireland’s main party of the left would seem to be in striking a deal with either FF or FG. It might not please all his comrades in the party but Mr Gilmore would do a considerable service to the Irish people if he were to persuade his colleagues that going it alone is not an option open to them. An electoral pact would be the best course of action for Labour at this time. They need to know that more can be achieved inside government than outside, even if that means being junior partners in a coalition.

The death of Conor Cruise O’Brien occurred recently and a few words are in order here. Mr O’Brien was a fine, principled statesman and I was a regular reader of his articles in THE IRISH INDEPENDENT each Saturday. When certain elements of the media were soft on Sinn Fein people like Conor challenged their views. He was an unwavering democrat and I always found him to be a stimulating read. May he Rest in Peace.

02 January 2009

I HATE NEW-YEAR’S

The turkey bones are now residing in bins, the Christmas tree is starting to shed it’s pines, there’s no presents left to open, no beer in the fridge and all the shops are closed. This is New Year’s Day and the Christmas anti-climax is starting to kick in, along with the hangover.

Last night’s telly was full of Jools Holland trying to be hip and trendy (although it was good to see Dave Edmunds still rockin’) with his over-tried/over-tested Hogmanay celebration. Like chewing stale meat. Holland’s New Year’s Eve TV show is as annual an event as the Queen’s speech or the Leopardstown races and this writer is bored rigid with the feeble attempts to push the boundaries. A recent review of The Damned’s latest album stated that it was about as ‘Punk’ as David Cameron. Well Jools’ efforts are probably as cool as Gordon Brown strolling on a beach, whilst on holidays(?), wearing a suit – a total turn off. Come on BBC, do something different for a change and send Holland packing to MTV.

Over on RTE we were subjected to a casual wearing Ryan Tubridy (that means not wearing a tie). Mr T never seems to dispense with a blazer/suit jacket and, on this year's effort, he looked no different. People either warm to, or are supremely irritated by the Dalkey Dad and my feelings fleet between the two emotions. He comes across plummy and posh yet he’s sincere and after a while you can relax to his shtick.

Leo Sayers was one of Tubridy’s guests but I couldn’t retain my interest and switched over to Channel Four where a group of comedians and TV personalities were displaying their humorous talent on The Big Fat Quiz of the Year. Hosted by the uber polite Jimmy Carr, the laughs were a little saucy in style but they still got me cackling (not a pleasant sound to be around, according to my mother). The programme featured: Davina Mc Call (Big Brother), Dara O’Briain (Mock the Week), Michael McIntyre, Sean Lock, Claudia Winkleman and, rising star James Corden (co-writer of Gavin & Stacey). This show was my port of refuge on a night of anti-climaxes. Holland’s show has no future but this, even for Channel Four, was worth viewing.

It’s now New Year’s Day and, as bombs and missiles are exchanged in Gaza, the famous Vienna concert is being performed. Each year TV networks around the world beam the music onto our screens and guess what? 2009 is no exception. This year the main conductor is Daniel Barenboim, who has lived in Israel even though he was originally born in Argentina. The music is joyous but tinged with sadness as Barenboim’s adopted homeland is at a dangerous ebb right now. Greater efforts will have to be made to end hostilities in the Middle East and the famous conductor will be aware of the turmoil there as he leads his excellent group of musicians.

The Christmas/New-Year season is drawing to a close and people who’d never be seen out of their cars are now ‘Power Walking’, desperately trying to lose weight gained during the festivities. Someone once said that the Ulster Fry killed more people than over 30 years of violence in Northern Ireland and the guilt of excessive feasting can be seen on everyone’s faces, not to mention the bellies. Maybe it’s not that bad that Christmas only comes once a year.

2009 a note: As the year progresses I hope to continue to blog and by year's end I hope to start to get some recognition as a writer/journalist and to get stuff published. Of course if the women of Dublin get any better looking I'll probably end up dying of a heart attack and then all my problems will be solved. That's not the plan though. Best wishes to all my viewers and please stay tuned!
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