Pentagon Chaplain Blesses Sending Badass Apocalyptic "Convert or Die" Game to Troops in Iraq

I just received the following email from someone who takes a particular interest in Christian Zionism - the content speaks for itself.



"How appalling and sick is this? What will they do next? Watched a clip of a video made by the "Christians United for Israel" conference in DC last month. Thousands of "Christians " rose to their feet to flag wave (Israeli and American!!) and shout for Armageddon when the speaker urged that George Bush should go to war against Iran - they have completely lost their orthodox Christian roots and are so very strong and dangerous. Am just reading "Wayward Christian Soldiers" written by Charles Marsh, an evangelical American Christian theologian and professor addressing the issue of this monster movement. He quotes statements from Christian groups around the world who were strongly against the war on Iraq, but the Christian Right heeded none of these. In its own eyes it's superior to the rest of the worldwide church and having its own hotline to God - not the God of the New Covenant, who came to earth as a babe,gave his life on the cross to set all humanity free, and is all Love.

















Courtesy of the Pentagon, and the Pentagon Chaplain's Office, troops in Iraq will soon be able to unwind, after a hard day's urban warfare, by playing a video game in which they command a Christian fundamentalist army waging urban warfare in America ! On the streets of New York City ! Plus, in the game screens appear, between different levels of play, with short, helpful essays such as one that explains how the Theory of Evolution is clearly impossible. And, the game will be provided to US troops free of charge ! How cool is that ?
The United States Pentagon Chaplain likes "Left Behind: Eternal Forces" and the religious warfare the game depicts so much that the Chaplain's Office is sponsoring a prayer breakfast in the Pentagon's main executive dining room this Friday morning, where the founder of an apocalyptic fundamentalist "extreme sports" ministry that will distribute the game to US troops in Iraq (thoughtfully included in care packages along with baby wipes) will address top officials of the most powerful military on Earth.
Religious war is way cool. On the smoking battlefields of the religious wars that erupted in Europe in the wake of the Catholic/Protestant rift, victorious armies would entertain themselves by making small incision in the sides of wounded enemy soldiers and pulling their intestines out to wind those around sticks and so extract the entire intestinal tracts, very, very slowly. In Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins' "Left Behind" series, God does that to unbelievers; God pulls their guts out.
That's religious war. Way cool.
http://www.alternet.org/bloggers/wilson/59184
http://www.leftbehindgames.com
http://www.eternalforces.com
As a taster for my new book, Zion’s Christian Soldiers, here is the text of a recent article written for Al Aqsa Magazine about the Left Behind video game.

Armageddon Now





The video game taking Christian America by storm, aptly titled ‘Left Behind: Eternal Forces’, encourages its players to kill anyone who resists conversion to Christianity. As Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft battle it out for domination of the electronic game world, the games’ creator anticipates a ready market among those who have already bought 63 million copies of the ‘Left Behind’ novels.
The game is set in New York City , a rather unusual venue for Armageddon you might think since New York doesn’t actually get a mention in the Bible. It is, however, the location of the United Nations headquarters and that is the clue. Never popular among conservative evangelicals, in Left Behind: Eternal Forces, the bad guys are the Global Community Peacekeepers, who are on a search and destroy mission in Manhattan . Their target is the remnant of newly converted Bible-believers, left behind when Christians were apparently raptured secretly to heaven. These new believers, left on earth, form a Christian army called the Tribulation Force.
Under the heading ‘Turn or Burn?’ a review by Focus on the Family suggests the game could well be an evangelistic tool for teenagers – “the kind of game that Mom and Dad can actually play with Junior—and use to raise some interesting questions along the way.” Perhaps anticipating a degree of incredulity on the part of some readers, the review asks,
How do peace and prayer go hand in hand with tanks, attack choppers and street battles? … Yes, you're offered sniper rifles, gun turrets, even tanks and helicopters. And there are points at which a gun battle is necessary to avoid a massacre. (When this happens, there's no gore. Units fall to the ground and fade away.) But if you go in guns blazing, nine times out of 10 you fail. It quickly becomes clear that the strongest weapons in your arsenal are your top-level missionaries and worship leaders. It's easier to convert a group of enemies than it is to shoot them. Still, post-Rapture warfare is integral to the game, as it is in the Left Behind books and movies.
In an interview with Tim LaHaye, the author of the Left Behind books on which the video game is based, Focus on the Family asked whether Christians will really be expected to militarize in the future?
He told Plugged In Online that this fictionalized depiction in the books, movies and now video games is a representation "of the self preservation instinct of the much-persecuted saints during the Tribulation."[1]
What a relief. It’s all right then apparently as long as it is “faith-based” killing. Players pray for their adversaries "and try to do good spiritual things for them" But at a certain point, it becomes acceptable to kill them. So killing is OK as long as it is done in the name of Jesus. A rather more sceptical review by Jews on First observes that,
The goals of the game are simple: Spread the gospel, and stay alive. But staying alive may sometimes lead to the taking of life -- "fighting hellfire with hellfire”. And that raises a knotty moral conundrum for any game designer who worships Jesus, the Prince of Peace.[2]
Sadly, the mistaken idea of a secret rapture on which the Left Behind empire is based, and the belief that some will come to faith after Jesus returns, has generated a lot of bad theology and galvanised a belligerent US foreign policy in the Middle East.

Confident that Christians will escape and witness the events from the grandstands of heaven, exponents detach themselves from the Christian responsibility to work for peace and reconciliation in the Middle East . Instead they describe in graphic detail the suffering that will soon take place there. Charles Ryrie, for example predicts this will be, ‘the time of Israel ’s greatest bloodbath.’[3] John Walvoord similarly predicts a holocaust in which at least 750 million people will perish.[4] Tim LaHaye warns that ‘Jacob’s trouble’, prophesied by Jeremiah 30:7, will certainly be far worse than the Spanish Inquisition … or even the Holocaust of Adolf Hitler.’[5] Not to be outdone, in The Final Battle, Hal Lindsey claims, ‘ Israel is in for a very rough time. The Jewish State will be brought to the brink of destruction.’[6] In a later chapter he clarifies what this will mean for the Jews:

The land of Israel and the surrounding area will certainly be targeted for nuclear attack. Iran and all the Muslim nations around Israel have already been targeted with Israeli nukes … All of Europe, the seat of power of the Antichrist, would surely be a nuclear battlefield, as would the United States ... Zechariah gives an unusual, detailed account of how hundreds of thousands of soldiers in the Israel battle zone will die. Their flesh will be consumed from their bones, their eyes from their sockets, and their tongues from their mouths while they stand on their feet (Zechariah 14:12). This is exactly the sort of thing that happens from the intense radiation of a neutron type bomb.[7]
John Hagee takes an even more aggressive approach toward Iran . At the July 19th, 2006 Washington DC inaugural event for Christians United for Israel , after recorded greeting from George W. Bush, and in the presence of four US Senators as well as the Israeli ambassador to the US , John Hagee stated :

The United States must join Israel in a pre-emptive military strike against Iran to fulfill God's plan for both Israel and the West... a biblically prophesied end-time confrontation with Iran , which will lead to the Rapture, Tribulation, and Second Coming of Christ.[8]



The highly speculative and imaginative interpretation of ancient prophecies that under girds the Left Behind books, films and now computer game has a fatalistic view of the future. With its prewritten script, it is inherently suspicious of anything international, anything ecumenical, anything involving the European Community or the United Nations.

Efforts to achieve a lasting peace in the Middle East are spurned as counterfeit and a satanic ploy to beguile Israel . Such paranoia might be deemed a sick joke were it not so pervasive and influential, not least in galvanising US foreign policy with its perpetual war against the ‘Axis of Evil’. Its greatest danger, however, must surely be that it is becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy.

In the Middle East , this kind of apocalyptic theology, which is invariably pro-Zionist and hostile to Islam, is having a devastating effect on relations between the faith communities and on the viability of the indigenous Christian community.

Munib Younan is Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land , and a Vice President of the Lutheran World Federation. He describes how this theology has impacted him and his family.

“My father was one of the 6,500 refugees driven out of Beersheba in 1948, and my mother was from West Jerusalem . She remembers fleeing her home after the Haganah told her family to go and it would be safe for them to return soon, only to look back and see they had bombed her house and it was engulfed in flames. Their families became part of the 800,000 Palestinian refugees that were driven from their homes, more than 200,000 of whom left before May 1948 or before any of the more organized neighboring Arab armies came in. I grew up in the Old City of Jerusalem, through the 1967 war which led to the occupation of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and Gaza , which has dominated our lives since then. Occupation continues to violate basic human rights. The worst part for me, however, was that some of my own Christian sisters and brothers from all over the world began justifying what happened as a part of God's plan. I still remember my first encounters with what I would now call a Christian Zionist who came to tell me that I should be thanking God because the scriptures were being fulfilled in the Six Day War… It is painful to me that in this Holy Land , scriptures and religion have been terribly used, abused and twisted to justify violence, injustice and hate...”[9]

The Right Reverend Riah Abu El Assal, the retired Episcopal Bishop in Jerusalem , also said recently,

"Nearly a thousand years ago, European Crusaders tried to colonise Palestine , fuelling religious hatred and bringing the indigenous Christian community close to extinction. It is tragic, if ironic, that misguided Western Christian Zionists, by their one-sided political support for Israel , are today succeeding where the Crusaders failed… It is heartbreaking to see misguided Christians identifying more with Ahab and Jezebel than with Naboth. On a daily basis we are seeing our land confiscated, our vineyards destroyed, our homes demolished, our children traumatised and our future negated for the sake of an earthly kingdom which the Lord Jesus has plainly repudiated. I [call] Evangelical Christians, in particular, to break the spiral of violence and hatred. Instead we must obey the teachings of the Prince of Peace who has called us to a ministry of reconciliation.”

In the Summer of 2006, members of the EMEU Executive were invited to assist the heads of the local churches in Jerusalem to draft the "Jerusalem Declaration on Christian Zionism" rejecting the tenets of this movement. The Jerusalem Declaration included this statement:

“We categorically reject Christian Zionist doctrines as false teaching that corrupts the biblical message of love, justice and reconciliation.

We further reject the contemporary alliance of Christian Zionist leaders and organizations with elements in the governments of Israel and the United States that are presently imposing their unilateral pre-emptive borders and domination over Palestine . This inevitably leads to unending cycles of violence that undermine the security of all peoples of the Middle East and the rest of the world.

We reject the teachings of Christian Zionism that facilitate and support these policies as they advance racial exclusivity and perpetual war rather than the gospel of universal love, redemption and reconciliation taught by Jesus Christ. Rather than condemn the world to the doom of Armageddon we call upon everyone to liberate themselves from the ideologies of militarism and occupation. Instead, let them pursue the healing of the nations!”[10]
The new Left Behind video game seems a very long way from the simple teaching of Jesus who promised “Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called children of God” (Matthew 5:9).

PS from me..........can anyone technical please tell me how to post my pix so I don't end up with all the text down the side???!

Shout out for all Lib Dem Bloggers

Dear Paul Walter has kindly described me as a "diamond in the Lib Dem jewel box".......(before going on to have a pop!) so I just wanted to return the compliment to him and all my other fellow bloggers. Paul you are a star in the Lib Dem firmament - I love reading your blog, even if you are hanging me from the nearest lamp post! I wish I had the time/opportunity to be so prolific, but I will be on leave soon - and if I finally get online at home - be warned......I may defend myself somewhat - but frankly I am proud of our party that we can have these spats and still be friends (so anyone out there who has decided they don't want to be my pal any more had better let me know!)

The Ming Thing - Jackgate or Jackdoor?

I have been warned by a pal to count to 1000 before writing this so..........1,2,3,4.........1000!

If you are prepared to dish it you have to be prepared to take it (in my case in spadefuls!) So, I have read carefully the fall out from my mild criticisms of Ming this week - criticisms that others far more important than me had also made, off the record, it has to be said. I certainly didn't expect "Jackgate" - but hoped for more of a "Jackdoor" - an open door to enable us to deal with some of these concerns which lets face it, even if they are only shared by a few percent of the party and 10% of the shadow cabinet, ignoring them could lead us down the same sorry road as 18 months ago with Charles.

I have tried to do a little bit of analysis - in order to learn for myself (and possibly save myself from the metaphorical stocks in the future). I observed what is a common pattern in these things - firstly the "who is she?!" syndrome in an attempt to denigrate my analysis because for example - she was 'only FPC - not FE' presumably had I been FE that would have come out as 'only FE - not MP' and failing that 'only MP not Shadow Cabinet' frankly I find that quite shocking as one of the values I thought I shared with my fellow Lib Dems was one of egalitarianism? If I was the woman who emptied the bins and delivered the leaflets - would I as a consequence forfeit my right to an opinion?

I looked carefully to see if there was anyone who shared my concerns about Ming but felt I shouldn't have aired them. I didn't find them - those with concerns supported me, thanked me for having the guts to speak out and in some cases shared their own despair. Those who thought I was bang out of order thought Ming was doing a grand job - so of course they disagreed with me. Some disagreed with my analysis but respected my right to speak out. So - we have a dilemma it seems to me. We all want to do well in the elections don't we? We'd be a rather sorry excuse for a political party if we didn't. We are where we are, we can't have another leadership election (if my motivation in speaking out had been that I would not have been so mild in my criticism), so surely the aim has to be to get Ming to raise his game (unless of course you are one of those who think he is doing just fine). How to do that? Maybe some training and or coaching would be a good start. Ming is clearly a skilled parliamentarian, orator, lawyer - but has he ever lead anything before? He is clearly comfortable with those of similar standing, particularly if they have had a classical education, but maybe some communication skills training would be helpful for when he has to deal with those of us nearer the bottom of the barrel? He clearly knows his erstwhile portfolio very well and is excellent in most areas to do with crime, the legal system and the constitution, but what about other domestic issues? He gives me the impression he doesn't know much about key domestic issues, such as health, housing, the benefit system (which is fine he can learn) but the problem is he doesn't seem to be interested. So maybe he could take more of an interest in these issues. I have been chastised for using the term 'possibly over promoted' - yes he was elected, including by me (as second preference), as a party we promoted him. We thought he could do the job - but he wasn't tried and tested as a leader - when else has he ever lead anything? This doesn't always matter, some are natural leaders and will fall into the role easily. Remember Neil Kinnock? Before he was elected he looked and sounded like the perfect choice for the Labour party, but when had he been tried and tested in the role? Equally Cameron, I can remember discussing him in his honeymoon period - yes I thought he looked and sounded good - but I cautioned about being too smitten, a leader doesn't only have to be the public face of his or her party s/he also has to be able to lead that party. Leadership skills are not synonymous with great PR skills.

I do accept that leaders need the support of their members, I have tried to give Ming the benefit of the doubt, but I have had these concerns for a long time. At Federal Conference last year I did an interview on the Today programme, I was asked about Ming's leadership and frankly felt very uncomfortable having given an answer that masked all my concerns and tried to be positive - we needed to give him time etc.

So, to those of you who criticised me, I accept your criticisms, just ask you to consider if you would have been as vitriolic had you shared my views? Chris Leslie in particular chastised me over my lack of collective responsibility. This was a particular stinging criticism for someone who has been an active trade unionist as well as party member for so long. So I gave this particular consideration. In my trade union I challenged the leadership through internal mechanisms when I believed that they were colluding with management, or in some cases the Labour Party. Only once did I do this publicly - when my local branch colluded with the leadership of the County Council to try to get a long serving activist sacked. I had evidence that the leader of the council had lied and so I went to the local press. I was castigated for this since I was putting the union facilities agreement at risk and should have been prepared to sacrifice the one member (despite the injustice) for the greater union. Er...........no, sorry I don't work like that, my attitude would have been, (as it was on a previous occasion when as Branch Secretary I was threatened with the same thing) bring it on! In terms of my collective responsibility within the party, I am at a loss to understand where this comes in? Of course shadow cabinet members, who are appointed by the leader, have collective responsibility and should resign if they want to criticise him. However, I was not appointed by the leader to the FPC, I was elected by conference (which I certainly get the impression our current leader would prefer didn't have the powers it does). My accountability is to conference. Given that my strap line was "vote Jack, you won't get the oyster you'll get the irritant that produces the pearl" (!!?) people shouldn't be surprised if I sometimes say things that some people don't like. I made very clear my views and I assume those who voted for me did so because they thought I would represent theirs, as I say on the doorstep, if you don't like me, or what I stand for, don't vote for me - it's called democracy, you have a choice!!!!

So, rant over, back to the naughty corner.................
Luv Cruella
xxx

Flambe Goose a la Loo

Whoops!

Never knowingly been one to shirk from the temptation to poke my head over the parapet.......today was no exception. It appears I have been vilified and praised in equal measure (well OK, maybe more vilified, but I am sure my fans amongst you will leap to my defence???!)

Some clearly view my decision to talk to World at One as inexcusable. But, it was a decision taken with a great deal of thought and soul searching. As Leo helpfully points out on Lib Dem Voice this could well scupper any ambitions I may have for a winnable seat, or keeping my seat on FPC. Don't think I didn't think of that. Of course, World at One only used my comments because they were perceived as somewhat critical, I am not so stupid as to think it was due to my scintillating wit and awesome powers of analysis, but I am frankly sick to death of the party trying to pretend all is well in the state of Denmark.........

As I hope I have made clear my first commitment is to the party, because I firmly believe in the values and (most of) the policies of our party. Because I believe our party can really change people's lives and their futures not only in this country but in the wider world. Because, fundamentally I am a Liberal Democrat! So, I would have kept my mouth firmly shut had I thought my comments would be more damaging to the party than continuing the current pretence. Frankly burying our heads in the sand helps only our political opponents.

To those who attribute my decision to a desire to "be on the radio" please, get a life! I think that's what is politely called "projection". I have done my fair share of national and local TV and radio in my time, both as a Lib Dem and a national Unison activist, and believe me, if I wanted to get myself noticed (as was noted in my last work appraisal) I am well able to do so!!!!

So apologies to those I have upset, anyone who knows me knows that as much as I hate making myself unpopular (I do like being loved!) I hate hypocrisy, duplicity and lilyliveredness more. The general public, typified by the London taxi drivers I encounter on a regular basis agree..........we are being disingenuous by pretending we have the right leader. I was once asked on an interview on ITN what I thought of Charles (in the height of the is he a chair or a leader debate), my response was that I thought he was a great leader but that at the next general election we may need someone with different skills, he was perhaps the Moses who had seen the promised land when what we needed was a Joshua to lead us into it........................sadly we have ended up with............well Biblical scholars amongst you will have an idea of who I am thinking of....................

The Scandal of Mental Health Care in the UK

I am sorry that I am back into occasional blogger mode, this is not only due to the fact that I am still not online at home, but that I have been dealing with a very poorly sister. Having grown up with a manic depressive father, I am quite well acquainted with psychiatric units, they are always going to be difficult places both as a patient but also for visitors.



Last week, after a few weeks of a deterioration in her condition my sister was admitted to a psychiatric unit which will remain nameless. They put her in a room with a long narrow window which made it look like a prison, she was very distressed. She was on a mixed ward (who remembers all that chat from Patricia Hewitt about dealing with this?) and at 5.30am she called me absolutely frantic because a man had come into her room in the night and started kissing her hands and face (she is not well, but not hallucinating). I went to visit her the following day. The room she was in was an affront to human dignity, disgraceful. Dirty, chunks out of the walls and door, marks all over the walls. When I suggested to the charge nurse that you wouldn't put a prisoner in a room like that he said, Oh I've been in prisons and they are worse than this! (oh that's OK then!!!) I took her out for a few hours, but in the middle of the night I got a call from her daughter to say she had run away. At 2.30am she was discovered. The police who took her back advised her daughter to get her out of there because it was so dreadful. To cut a long story short, I returned the following day to take her home with me as I was told she couldn't be transferred to another unit (Oh, so much for patient choice........).

Yesterday I heard Gordon Brown talk about the importance of human dignity. I am sure he believes in it, but as long as we have such an archaic Victorian approach to dealing with mental health there is a sizable percentage of people in this country who will at some time in their lives experience life in a psychiatric wing similar to the one my sister was in. Some are wonderful, some are not, but whilst mental health services are regarded as such Cinderella services I fear there is little chance of change.

A Leftie and Proud of it!!!!

Frustratingly my sister's PC will not allow me to open a pop-up (even when it says it will) to leave a comment about lefthandedness on Nich Starling's blog. So will have to make my point here...................apparently whilst only 10% of the population are left handed, 66% of geniuses are left handed...........I rest my case!

Oh...........and the propensity for accidents, have to confess, that will have to be my excuse in future!

Beds CC Abolished!

At last – the news I have been longing to hear for so long…….my erstwhile employer has been abolished and not a minute too soon! For so long Bedfordshire was the worst performing county council in the country……………this is good news for all the long suffering people of Bedfordshire, and great news for Bedford.

Beds CC Abolished!

At last – the news I have been longing to hear for so long…….my erstwhile employer has been abolished and not a minute too soon! For so long Bedfordshire was the worst performing county council in the country……………this is good news for all the long suffering people of Bedfordshire, and great news for Bedford.

Lindyloo Meets Millenium Elephant.....................

What a treat.............forget going to Southall to win by-elections, the highlight for me will be my cuddle with the inimitable Milly E! (Thanks Daddy Richard). Oh and the spectacle of Tony Lit Tory campaign convoy, 5 loudspeaker vans in convoy with only one spouting forth. Can someone tell me what on earth is the point of that????????

Shirley Williams et al......Taking the Brown Shilling is it a nail in the Lib Dem coffin?

Many years ago I followed Shirley Williams into the SDP and then the Lib Dems because she was and still is one of my political inspirations. For me she is one of our greatest assets, so I find myself somewhat perplexed at the idea of her, along with others, joining the Brown "war cabinet".



To quote a pal, "this is not a Lib Lab pact - where we negotiate terms, howsoever unfavourable. This is not 'negotiated' with the government party, and we have thus, nothing in return. This is a major change in government without an election*, and the new government is picking off senior Lib Dems at will, without any coherent strategy from the LibDem leadership."



It seems to me that Brown is playing a very clever game - what's that saying about tents and "relieving" one's self?! What we are seeing is a new, all inclusive paly sort of a guy......charming (and I'm easily charmed!). It sounds so appealing, what the punters want, people working for the national interest, like in the war, hmmmmmmm, maybe that's what we are preparing for??? However, to flourish, democracy surely depends upon choice. Already we get the lament on the doorstep, "You're all the same".......how will this play? How will this help to reinvigorate democracy? Instead, methinks the velvet glove of inclusivity hides the iron fist of the ultimately promised Brown Stalinist tendencies. Why, Tories are clearly floundering, the only real moral opposition lies within our party, so lets pull us in and ultimately neutralise us.



No this has little to do with inclusivity and a whole lot more to do with Brown attempting to ensuring his and Labour's reign go on for time immemorial..............

"Off the Map" will Blair consider the whole picture?

A couple of days ago, just as Mr Blair and Mr Brown were changing places, I took a taxi to Waterloo. As I usually do I got chatting the the driver about politics, Iraq, Blair's new job and the situation in Israel/Palestine. He came up with the sort of nonsense I had been brought up with as a former Zionist..........namely, there was no such thing as a Palestinian before 1967 and that before 1948 the land was an uncultivated wasteland. It got me reminiscing about my first visit to Mar Elias, when I drove with Abuna Chacour (now Archbishop) to his ruined village of Biram in Upper Galilee. On the way we drove through neglected olive groves and he was close to tears as he told this story. He told us these had been his father's olive groves. He explained that when a Palestinian plants a tree it is rather like having a baby. His father lay on his back to push the boulders to clear the land. He then dug the holes for the trees and had to bring water from the stream in heavy clay pitchers to water the saplings. He nurtured these trees until his land was stolen and his village destroyed.





In May 2003 I visited the Negev for the first time. It was a time when allegedly we had "won" the war in Iraq, when we were all having the "Roadmap" dangled in front of us to make us feel better about the travesty which was Iraq. It was a moving experience for me and I wrote an article at the time entitled "Off the Map" which reflects a little of my anger and frustration about a community who although Israeli citizens, are being treated like scum to be disposed of as quickly as possible. Israeli citizens who have occupied the Negev for centuries and yet, for those who live in the 45 "unrecognised villages" which do not even appear on the map, there is by law, no access to water or electricity. No roads and few schools or health care facilities, houses regularly demolished and crops sprayed to destroy them. Earlier this week I wrote about the latest demolitions, demolitions in order to steal land on which only Jewish Israelis will be allowed to live.



The reason I take such an interest in the Neqev is because I believe it gives the lie to current Israeli policy. There is no Intafada in the Negev, no suicide bombers, no rocket launchers. And yet, on a smaller scale admittedly, the Bedouin are suffering similar injustices to those Palestinians living in the West Bank and Gaza. Houses demolished, land confiscated, crops destroyed.............and no excuse that it is as the result of terrorism. Let's be very clear, this is about the Judaization of the land. The Israeli government and some Israeli Jewish citizens would far rather there were no Palestinians in the land, that Israel was just for the Jews. On one of my early visits to Israel to attend a conference on behalf of the British Council, I was surprised that one of the seminars was on the demographics of Jerusalem. But of course, as someone once said, the biggest threat to Israel is not the terrorist bomb but the Palestinian womb.



In my article I quoted Moshe Shohat, the Bedouin Educational Authority Director, speaking in 2001 - "Bedouins are a bloodthirsty people who commit polygamy, have 30 children, and continue to expand their illegal settlements."



When challenged about providing indoor plumbing in Bedouin schools he responded...
"In their culture they take care of their needs outdoors. They don't even know how to flush a toilet."



And yet, there are many committed Israeli Jews who work for the human rights of the Bedouin, because as Devorah Brous from Bustan would say, that is in the long term interests of the state of Israel.



Elijah Trust, for whom I am a trustee, partners with Mossawa a human rights organisation based in Haifa. Their site contains a lot more background information about the work they are doing to challenge injustice and inequality in Israel.



So, if Mr Blair is to take his new role seriously I hope he will consider the big picture. We are inviting him to accompany us on our next visit to see for himself........I wait with baited breath to see if he accepts!

The Gordon Brown definition of change.........what you do when you have run out of loo paper.....

Change.............now there's a thought, it's something we all talk about, desire, in our optimistic moments believe in, in our pessimistic moments, despair of. It is something we all look for when we are unhappy with the status quo, so like most of us I wondered about the Brown definition of change. In my house I have quite a few spare loo rolls, they all look the same, they all came out of the same packet, they all do the same job........and when I run out of one I replace it with a "different" one........I "change" it. Sorry about the metaphor, maybe some of you can come up with a better one (there's a challenge Laurence!).

So, Gordon chats about change and we all feel a sense of hope that it is possible. I listened to his and HRH Harriet's on Sunday and felt physically sick. Frankly there was so much they said I would agree with, support, understand..........but one has to ask.......where have you guys been for the last 10 years? You both, and all in the new cabinet, sold your souls for the mess of pottage which was your political future. So GORDON, if change is such an imperative please tell me how come you have colluded and been at the heart of all the decisions you now decide need changing? And also, we can all spout the rhetoric of families and tackling poverty and better education and housing.........but it has eventually to add up. My view is we should have a new campaign against the new Brown government.........YOU SAY THIS (for example immigrants should learn English) YOU DO THAT........(cut funding for teaching English as a second language)...........I think we could come up with quite a few examples?

So, let's see what, if anything really changes. And if he is looking for a few quick wins maybe he could start by listening to his military advisers and getting our troops out of Iraq, abandoning plans for ID cards and 90 day detention and restoring the 10p rate of income tax.........

OK Mr "Middle East Peace Envoy" Blair, what are you going to do about this?

The Government of Israel have demolished 25 homes of Bedouins in the Negev, in the village of Attir Im el Hiran leaving over 150 men women and children homeless in the scorching desert.

The government of Israel moved the family of Abu el -Qian away from their ancestral lands in 1956, and placed them where they are now in the village of Im el Hiran. Now the government wants to relocate them again so that in the place of their village the government can build a Jewish village. But the people are not moving fast enough for the government authorities. Two years ago they received demolition orders. Last night the authorities were at their home, enjoying true Bedouin hospitality a lamb was slaughtered, with the understanding that this morning the people will be willing to sign a compensation agreement and move. Instead of an agreement, instead of compensation, they received bulldozers and demolitions. The government does not supply alternative accommodation, they have nowhere to go, so now hundreds are homeless in the Israeli desert.

For more information contact: Yeela Raanan, RCUV. yallylivnat@gmail.com

Defections and Resignations - What have Blair and Davies got in common?

I wonder at the surprise that a supposedly dyed in the wool Tory like Quentin Davies should defect to Labour. Blue may allegedly be the new Green, but Red has been the new Blue for some time!

Blair the Peace Envoy........like putting Bin Laden in charge of airport security

The news that the man who was prepared to collude, lie and condemn hundreds of thousands to death in Iraq is now likely to be appointed an envoy to the Middle East beggars belief. I remember the contempt with which Blair was regarded by Palestinians when I was there a couple of months after the Iraq invasion. The idea that Blair will do anything other than collude with US and Israeli objectives to weaken the Palestinian cause and ensure the Palestinian state remains untenable, seems to me Alice in Wonderland politics. No, the most appropriate job for Blair would be to go and work with an NGO working in Iraq with the victims of that illegal, immoral and disastrous war - maybe that will at least go some way towards his own much needed rehabilitation.

Gordon Brown Meme............

Sorry to Duncan Borrowman for the huge delay in replying to this........had to check with Colin Ross what I was supposed to do if I was tagged.........(!!!) but here we go, better late than never, and of course I may well change my mind by tomorrow......


2 things Gordon Brown should be proud of

• Being Scottish
• Er.........being Scottish (sorry that's a hard one to find anything he's actually done to be proud of)

2 things he should apologise for

• Not standing up to Blair over Iraq
• cynically cutting the 10p rate of income tax - robbing poor Peter to pay rich Paul

2 things that he should do immediately when he becomes PM

• Withdraw from Iraq
• Abolish all attempts at 90 day detention

2 things he should do while he is PM

• Abolish all targets and replace with frameworks which empower local decision making - trust professionals to do the jobs they were trained to do - and liberate children from the stress of constant testing
• Redirect funding from punitive criminalisation of children and young people and invest in youth services

Jumping into bed with Gordo.........why not?

Well, how about that - Lib Dems headlining the news two days running, can't be bad! I have read with interest fellow bloggers' perspectives on this (see Stephen Tall, Nich Starling, Paul Walter et al) so I thought I would put my tenpenneth in. Give him his due, that Gordon Brown is a shrewd operator.......a clever wheeze, tie the hands of the only party with the integrity to really hold you to account and, done and dusted, a clear road through for all your unnecessary unwanted "reforms" of everything that moves - and mark my words that is what we are in for. Its a bit like the chairing technique of sitting your potentially most difficult participant next to you - much easier to control.



Now, the question for me, as well as why not, is why? Why did Gordo think he may get anywhere with Ming? What other conversations had taken place previously? Or was it that he knew what the answer would be.........hmmmm, have to wait for one or other's diaries I guess.

So to answer the why not question.........in a climate where we are being accused of being "....in the awkward position of shying away from power in order to preserve a virtuous but uninfluential independence" it would be easy to think we are throwing up a golden opportunity. And on this issue I identify with the dilemma such an offer put our party in. A few years ago our directly elected mayor went behind the back of my party leader to offer me a portfolio in his cabinet. He even offered to create a special responsibility - Youth. I agonised about it, the area I cared most about, had the most expertise on and believed I could really have an impact on changing things for the young people of Bedford. But.....my party had rightly made it clear I would be thrown out if I accepted. I turned it down, for one simple reason. I joined the party because I believe in collective action and collective responsibility. If my party had accepted any seat on his cabinet they would have had to be bound to his policy agenda and his budget. I joined this party because I believed it accorded most closely with my values - as I frequently say to those on the doorstep who dare to suggest "you are all the same" - if I believed that why on earth would I join the Lib Dems???!

So - to answer my why not....................................because we are democrats, because we believe people deserve a choice (and at the moment that choice is between us and the other two Tory parties), because to do so would turn us into the worst kind of opportunist flim-flammers and because, at the moment the people have chosen a Labour government, not a Lib-Lab coalition.

The Lib Dem Story part 2.....Campbell v Cameron

I have been giving a good deal of thought to the conundrum I first raised a few days ago about the relationship between a party and its leader. To be credible there has to be some sense of integrity between them. Thatcher and the Tory party of the 80s, Blair and New Labour.....but somehow it doesn't quite work the same way for Cameron. The Tory party would be much more comfortable with someone like Ming - not in terms of politics clearly, but certainly in terms of image. And so, what resonates with people is the discordance between party and leader - as demonstrated in recent polls showing that the public see the Tory party as being far to the right of their leader.

And for us, a party with a natural appeal to young people, a free thinking, forward looking radical party, we appear to have a contradiction with the persona of Ming. Now I don't necessarily think this is insurmountable, I have always been one to embrace contradictions - as a teenager I was a bit of a hippy but liked to dress in two-tone just to confuse people (apologies to those of you under 50 who don't know what I am on about)! And sometimes contradictions can actually help convey a more powerful message. But it is an issue. It has nothing to do with his age (think Nelson Mandela - has anyone ever mentioned his age as being a problem?) for me, far more to do with image. Now there are lots of far cleverer people than me working for the party, it should not be beyond them to develop a strategy for promoting Ming that deals with these contradictions. Duncan Borrowman pointed out (by the way Duncan - is there a transcript of the Saturday night Speech?) that he has seen Ming being inspiring and passionate and radical - it just needs to extend beyond the relative safety of the Bedfordshire countryside...........

The Spikey Pinstriped Radical..........some thoughts from a fellow traveller

I always seem to be the one to say what everyone else is thinking but very few want to say, I think it started with my first attempts at collective bargaining in the army……….it didn’t go down well then and I guess it still doesn’t go down well now! Well, as ever, I will grit my teeth, prepare to suffer the slings and arrows of my fellow Lib Demmers – and say my piece.

Now, it may have something to do with the company I keep but I rarely come across a party member who thinks we are on to a winner with Ming. Most people keep shtum on the grounds of loyalty. However, I think it's difficult if your first loyalty is to your party. Now, some may well argue that the leader is the party, and there is an element of truth in that. If the leader is damaged the party is damaged – but there has to come a point (and some may argue that point was reached with Charles) when the leader him/herself is doing more damage to the party by being there. So where are we when it comes to Ming?

I have to admit I voted for Ming. He got my second preference mainly on the grounds that I was not a Huhne fan. I also had enormous respect for him given his outstanding performance over Iraq. However, now, he often seems to be out of his depth as party leader. He doesn't have a broad base of knowledge and I don’t get the impression he is the sort of person who can easily ask for help. I also get the impression that he may be one to bear grudges, which then makes it difficult for people to be completely candid. All that said, we are where we are. Regardless of Ming's standing in the party or the country, he is the leader we as a party elected and we as a party have a collective responsibility for. It would clearly be a disaster if we ended up with a premature leadership election, so let's deal with it and look at making the most of our "Spikey Pinstripe Radical"!

As someone who believes strongly that one of the few benefits we have as a third party is the luxury to take risks and be radical, a radical Ming would make enormous sense. He might start with a re-examination of our tax policy, that could do with a bit of radicalism if we are really to tackle poverty in this country! Oh, and what about being radical on Trident…………now there's a thought????! And how about being radical in the delivery of public services and bringing an end to the scandal which is PFI and the role of private sector companies (including the whole army of ridiculously expensive consultants) milking the public purse til the pips squeak (sorry I do like to mix my metaphors!). We already have a radical edge when it comes to the environment and civil liberties, but we need to do a lot more to ensure our voices are heard above the cacophony of Tory spin and Labour indifference. I could go on…………..but you get my drift!

Ming is who he is, any attempt to change that and try and be someone else (remember the Arctic Monkeys?) will damage him. It will weaken his integrity and his authority. So, let's see more of the gravitas for which he was once revered, that is his strength. A combination of that gravitas and radicalism could be lethal. And.....the more spikey and radical he becomes the more comfortable and content I will become!

Greg Simpson............Really Rocking Now!

My admiration for Greg has just increased a hundredfold after reading this article in the Indy. Greg suggests Ming should be more "spikey" and portray himself as the "pinstripe radical". Greg I LOVE IT!!!!

As I suggested yesterday, our narrative has to be built around our leader, now a spikey radical, I could live with that! Yes, as Paul Walter comments, Ming is a liberal, I have never doubted that, so lets contrast that with the illiberal Labour Party. And yes he is passionate about poverty and inequality so lets contrast that with the Labour record and the Tory rhetoric. So I have my fingers and toes crossed.............

The Lib Dem Narrative, what does it have to do with Ming?

I have had a pretty manic week, augmented by a very interesting FPC meeting on Tuesday evening (I know, easily pleased me - don't get out much!). There was much debate about what our narrative should be, following the production of an excellent paper from one of our FPCers (not sure if I'm allowed to say who and you know I never say anything I shouldn't). One of the points s/he drew attention to was the importance of the leader in any narrative. Thatcher, Blair, now Cameron all have stories which coalesce around them as individuals. And so it has to be for us, whatever our story it cannot be disconnected from the leader. Love him or hate him he has to be our starting point, any story that appears at odds with who he is will lack integrity.

So, this concept has been playing on my mind all week. We have to find a way to express why and how what we stand for is different to the other parties, but it has to hook into our leader. Hmmmmmm.

For me, I think we should express ourselves in terms of three virtual worlds (actually one of them is sadly real!) what the Labour world looks like, what the Tory world looks like and what our world looks like. What would be different if we were in power? What would be happening that isn't happening now, what wouldn't be happening that is happening now? We all believe our world would be the fairest, the most just, the most green and the most free - but these are all values the other parties claim to espouse. So how can we tell our story in a way that expresses the differences clearly and succinctly? And how is that story expressed in the man we have elected as our leader?.............................

.................................and how long have we got to come up with an answer?!

(answers on a postcard please)

A Bridge to Peace? - Simon Hughes, Alistair Burt and Patrick Hall host Archbishop of Galilee in Westminster

One of my particular concerns is the situation of the 20% Palestinian Arab Israeli Citizens who suffer daily discrimination in the State of Israel. Part of the reason their plight is usually overlooked is that the situation of course is so much worse in Gaza and the West Bank.

On Monday night, the charity for which I am a trustee, Elijah Trust brought Archbishop Elias Chacour from the Melkite (Greek Catholic) Archdiocese of St. John of Acre, Haifa, Nazareth and all Galilee to address parliamentarians in the Jubilee Room at the House of Commons. The event was hosted by Simon Hughes, Patrick Hall (Labour) and Alistair Burt (Conservative).

The Archbishop is a significant representative of this 20% minority community within Israel. He shared that at 67 years, he is older than the State of Israel, but has lived all his life in that tiny piece of land which has been at the heart of so much conflict and ongoing violence and insecurity. Born into the land of Palestine in the Christian Arab village of Biram in 1939, he became a citizen of the fledgling State of Israel at the age of eight years old, one of the group of Palestinians, mostly the poorest who remained in the land after 1948. Driven from Biram by Jewish soldiers at that time, the villagers were granted the right of return to their village in 1952 by the Israeli High Court. Upon approaching the village to return on Christmas Day 1952, they witnessed the military blow it up and it remains to this day a memorial to the tragedy of more than 460 Palestinian villages destroyed in or after 1948 on the land which became the State of Israel.

Elias or Abuna (father in Arabic) as he prefers to be called talked about his identity as a Palestinian, an Arab, a Christian and an Israeli. A contradiction maybe but one he embraces. As he said, he wasn’t born a Christian – he was born a baby – with no control over where he found himself.We were reminded that through the many occupations of this land whether by the Crusaders, Ottomans or the British at the time of the British Mandate the grass roots indigenous Jew, Muslim and Christian lived together in peaceful unity within their diversity.Today within the Jewish state there is no equality for non-Jewish citizens. Fakhira Halloun, board member of Mossawa the Advocacy Center for the Arab Citizens of Israel (one of the organisations supported by Elijah Trust) and Iman Abu Attar, two young Israeli Palestinian citizens present, added their life experience to affirm the Archbishop’s message. They explained that this minority community remain second class citizens in Israel suffering discrimination at all levels, including formal exclusion by law, racism, social and economic injustice aggravated by Israel’s definition as for the Jewish people.In October 2000 13 Palestinian Arab citizens were killed by Israeli security forces, one of them a pupil at the school which Elias Chacour founded, merely watching a demonstration from under an olive tree and wearing his "Seeds of Peace" t-shirt at the time. 18 more Palestinian Arab citizens have been killed by Israeli security forces since October 2000. In March 2004, Arab construction workers were required to wear helmets marked with a red “x”. As of 2003, 53% of the Jews in Israel state they are against full equality for Arabs. 57% think Arabs should be encouraged to emigrate.
Elias expressed his view that there can be no two state solution whilst the wall and daily humiliation of the Palestinian people continues. For me one of the most powerful things he said was in relation to suicide bombers. He said that they committed 3 crimes, a crime against themselves, a crime against society and a crime against God - but that if we didn't try to understand why these young people's lives were so devoid of hope to make such a choice we would never stop them. He also criticised the idea perpetrated in the Western media that part of the motivation was the idea that they would go straight to heaven and as he put it "have 70 girls to play with" - he asked the question, what about the young women who do the same?

The grim conclusion and challenge of Archbishop Elias to the gathering on Monday night was the sober reality that if Palestinians and Jews cannot make peace with justice together all will be losers – as he puts it, “We must learn to live together or we will surely die in the land together.”

Elias was also interviewed by the World Service so I will put a link up to the programme when it is aired at the weekend. His books, “Blood Brothers” and “We Belong to the Land” are must reads – anyone who would like a copy please let me know.

On Fonts and Ken Livingstone's problem with dissident bus drivers

I got a very polite request from Paul Walter asking me to reduce the size of my font, which being as I am always keen to please I have dutifully done. Sorry Paul, its what comes of ageing gracefully, eyes and ears start to fail!



Witnessed an interesting incident whilst trying to board a bus in Old Street the other night. I had arranged to meet Yasmin W-K for a "quick" drink after work. We decided to eat something and ended up with a platter that included fizzy hummus - yes fizzy hummus. Ever tried it??? We sent it back twice and then got something which tasted hummus like.........so decided to move on to Upper Street (yes my definition of quick stretched rather). Anyway we ran for the bus.............which was stationary. Stationary because an altercation was going on between the bus driver and a man in a motorised wheelchair. The bus driver was refusing to let him on because he said his training said he couldn't allow motorised wheelchairs on. The man was remonstrating that he had caught the same bus down to Old Street so how come he couldn't take this one back? The people on the bus were getting angry. Most of them didn't give a **** about the man in the wheelchair, why couldn't he get another bus so they could get home? One guy agreed that it was important to protest but asked why couldn't we take our protest somewhere and sometime else? One guy was really upset as now he was going to miss Prison Break. So........into the fray come Linda and Yas.........never ones to knowingly miss an opportunity in the fight for truth and justice! We of course dived straight into the argument, but the driver wasn't going to be swayed. I'm not racist says he, I'm black too. No says I we aren't saying you are racist - but you are discriminating against him on the grounds of his disability. No says he, its the grounds that he has a motorised wheelchair. Bus Driver calls the police. Yas calls the number displayed on the bus for London Transport - they are very rude.............London Transport must know about this problem because under this number is another number - please ring this number if you are not satisfied. Very clever, especially as they are now closed until morning! Police arrive. Yas declares to everyone she will call her pal who is the disability adviser to Ken. That should do it. Yas gets him to speak to police. Ken's adviser asks said man to call him in the morning. Police are exceptionally understanding, also ask the driver to take the man home. Driver refuses, anyway says he, I'm out of service now. End up having to put him on the next bus where that bus driver has no problems whatsoever allowing the guy on.Well????! One day maybe, people will really get a handle on what equality is all about. In the mean time I guess we will have to put up with self interest and jobsworth attitudes.

So will it be fisticuffs with Ming at Conference?

In an attempt to catch up with the threads of debate on the blogs I happened upon Jeremy Hargreaves piece on getting into fisticuffs with Ming at conference. As you might imagine I couldn’t quite let that go without comment.

I am still, it has to be said, learning the ropes on FPC – however, I think I have attended enough meetings now to begin to get a handle on things. Firstly, I know of members of the said committee who despair as they see it as nothing more than a rubberstamp for the Shadow Cabinet. Secondly, there is a view, which has been expressed (but as you know under Chatham House Rule my lips are sealed as to who by), that goes something like this. FPC is the policy making body of the party, so, should conference get above itself and vote against FPC policy (let’s say on something like Trident), that is very damaging to the authority of FPC and we should all be jolly glad it hasn’t happened.

So, the implications………….Shadow Cabinet may well take an opposing view to the leader, but loyalty means they are unlikely to push it, FPC similarly may (although I have not yet witnessed it) take an opposing view to the leader, but they may also feel constrained by loyalty/emotional blackmail, so that just leaves conference to tackle to ensure the leader always gets his way. Hence, the same implied disloyalty, damage to the party, emotional blackmail line – enhanced by an appeal to the fact that the press are always looking for stories of splits and challenges to the leadership. The irony is, whatever my beliefs about whether Ming should or should not be leader, I don't see him as someone who insists on having his own way, maybe it is our insecurities as a party that lead us to worry about being at odds with him.

The logical conclusion of Jeremy’s argument is that dissent should be suppressed to enable the leader to appear to have the support of the whole party on absolutely any and every issue. Sound familiar? If this is the road we are being corralled towards I think far from strengthening the party and the leader, it will weaken both. What will be the point of conference? And fairly soon after that what will be the point of FPC? Don’t want to sound like a broken record, but dissent surely is the lifeblood of democracy. Ming’s best approach to dealing with it is to say “Bring it on”. Sometimes (rarely if previous experience is anything to go by) he may lose, but more often than not he will win. This is about his confidence, not only in himself but also in his party. What boxer goes and sits in the corner and sulks every time he gets a bloody nose or loses a round? The mark of a fighter is their ability to get up and go right back to the battle. (Sorry about the fighting/military metaphor but I couldn’t think of a better one!) And frankly, what’s that saying about all publicity being good publicity? Let’s get real - we have enough of a problem attracting the attention of the media as it is, if there was no debate on contentious issues at conference we would receive even less.

So Jeremy, I understand your concerns but don't share them. The media will always be peeping round the corner for the next leadership contest, regardless of party. We have to continue to make a virtue of the fact that we are the party that actually allows the membership a voice and consequently has more chance of making policy that is in touch with the grassroots of our country. And Ming has to take the high moral ground in this and show he is able to take the odd sling or arrow of healthy dissent amongst his troops. (whoops that's my army background leaking out again!) Those battles he wins will make him stronger and those he loses, wiser.

Jack's Back............But for How Long?????

I have been having unbelievable troubles trying to log in to my blog, OK, so I've had an enforced hibernation for a few weeks, but then, rather than welcoming me back with open arms Blogger told me s/he didn't recognise me????? The ultimate insult! I have been round and round in circles,now have another blog somewhere in bloggosphere, but, by a route I know not how, I managed to break back into the Muze.

So let's see, what to chat about...........firstly, can someone let me have a reduced Shakespeare version of the last few weeks of the blogs? Then I can at least try and catch up and attempt some semblence of an informed opinion!

All my problems with BT (still unresolved) boring but resulting in me still being offline in my Old Peoples Home..........but, may well get there this weekend, watch this space!

Ciao for now

xxx

Serious withdrawal symptoms........FPC and men in white tights

I have to say I am suffering from the same kind of feeling I had when I moved to Disley (in Cheshire) from the great metropolis that is Luton........life with one's PC still lying on its back in its box..........what's the point of getting it out with no internet access?.........Feeling detached, what is going on out there in the big bad blogging world that I don't know about? I have to confess, I have always been far too nosy to be content with a reclusive life. I've even taken to watching the odd bit of telly???! Anyway, a few lunchtime minutes courtesy of work to catch up.

I am now kinda moved into my ready made old people's home (who said I was no good at planning ahead?) - trying to fit in work et al is proving a challenge.

I have spent a couple of evenings in Westminster this week. Monday was to meet with Patrick Hall, (Bedford MP) Eve Burt (wife of Alistair MP for North East Beds) and Simon Hughes to discuss the event they are sponsoring for Elijah Trust in June. Patrick kindly took Gill (Director of Elijah Trust) and myself for dinner in the Adjournment restaurant in Portcullis. We had a lovely meal and on the way out bumped into one of my Tory boys - Bedford Councillor Peter Hand (who is a researcher). Didn't think anything of it until we were on the way home and my phone rang. It was that other Tory boy, rascal Andrew McConnell (who has now blogged about it here) - what's all this I hear about you having dinner and pink champagne with Patrick? says he. He also kindly informs me that he is in the Crown with editor of our local rag Steve Lowe...........hmmm. Anyway Andrew all I have to say is that at least Lib Dem bloggers are an egalitarian lot, unlike you Tories who keep your blogging site for MPs only!

Tuesday night, being the martyr that I am, I forgo the chance for a slap up dinner with McKinsey to go to FPC.....actually its more to do with my innate nosiness! Although I was fashionably late and missed part of the debate on Immigration. Whilst we already have recent policy on Immigration, it is clearly a huge issue for the electorate. I am encouraged that on this issue we are prepared to be bold, it is something we cannot afford to ignore. The likelihood is that there will be a Spokes paper coming to Autumn conference on it. Then on to Climate Change and Health. More about that later. ..........and the men in white tights..........off to a meeting.

A Night in the Life of Lindyloo - my vist to Bedford's Premier Gay and Lesbian Venue....the Crown

Well, tonight I was invited to visit Bedford's new premier gay and lesbian venue the Crown on Brittania Road (by Bedford Hospital). They are offering discounts for County Council, Borough Council, NHS and police staff, is it something about uniforms??? Sadly, I no longer qualify, having left Beds CC last year and stood down as Borough Councillor 2 weeks ago. But exhausted as I was, having just moved, it was an offer I couldn't refuse.

The pub (which in a former life it has to be said was a bit of a dive) has had a makeover. The slightly art decoish lighting was great............although it has to be said, the curtains.......did leave a little to be desired. Having just moved into a former care home, which still bears the signs of such .....flowery furniture, flowery curtains, flowery everything...........(plus glass windows in every door, just to make sure they know what you are up to).......the curtains in the Crown, er, sort of reminded me. I did make my views clear to Landlords Chris and Bradleigh, they reckoned that the vote was 50/50 of those what loved them and those what hated them!

It has to be said whether you are gay, lesbian or straight this is a place which immediately makes you feel welcome and safe and is somewhere I will certainly visit again soon.

There are already plans afoot to have the biggest TV screen in Bedfordshire for the Eurovision Song Contest in May..........sadly I will be off gallivanting in Barrow with my army chums for a reunion and "bonding session" that weekend, what a pity!

So now I have popped in to pal Andrew's, who recognising my chronic blogging withdrawal symptoms kindly offered me the use of his laptop....also providing me with his customary late night supper, which it has to be said sometimes go on to the wee small hours!

Women..........what are they good for...certainly not the front line?

The storm engendered in the press this morning about women in combat raises many issues. Their deaths, coming as they do hard on the heels of the Iran incident where, heaven forbid a bloody woman complicated the situation, has sadly unearthed the sexism still lurking just beneath the surface in some quarters

As someone who, like one of the women killed yesterday, served with the Intelligence Corps, it made me think long and hard about the issues.

What really gets my goat is the sort of comments that are being made about this. There is concern (expressed by Colonel Bob Stewart) that what is really wrong about having women serve on the front line is that it "has a debilitating effect on the men". The argument to my feeble female mind is rather reminiscent of that used against women in skimpy clothing, that they shouldn't do it because they invite rape. Also that the role of men is to protect women and they can't do that if women want to be treated as equals. SORRY! Actually I think the stronger, whether that be physically, emotionally, intellectually, should always protect the weaker, regardless of gender, race or political persuasion! If I can't lift something because I am 5 feet nothing and have a dodgy back, I have no qualms about asking anyone physically stronger than me to help and I get fed up with the snide comments of the "ah you need a man now" variety. Yes, sometimes I need a man, sometimes a woman, sometimes a child, to help me........and sometimes they need me to help them, that is the nature of an interdependent society and ought to be the nature of an interdependent world.

There was an excellent discussion on the Today programme this morning between Kate Adey and Bea Campbell, Bea rightly drawing attention to the fact that in modern urban warfare it is women and children who are disproportionately killed and maimed. So, yes, let's be shocked and horrified that we have lost two of our brave service women, but let's also hope it draws attention to the fact that we have lost far more women through the very act of war itself.

OK, that's me done ranting for now..........back to the packing!

Loos Muze Bluze

I am already suffering withdrawal symptoms as I am likely to be offline for a few days or more (depends if I can organise myself really).

On the move.....again.....but at least just round the corner so hopefully won't be that traumatic. But apparently I can't get my broadband set up for about 10 days...how will I cope???!

Anyway, planning the house warming for after the elections.....all fellow bloggers and readers invited, (well I can easily squeeze in another 3!) let's hope we have some results worth celebrating.......

Big Brother - aka - Dr (I can do anything except run the Home Office) Reid

I couldn't help giggling at the government's latest edition.......or should that be addition.......of Big Brother. It frankly beggars belief. That nice little Dr(Strangelove) Reid thinks it will send a clear message "act anti-socially and you will face the shame of being publicly embarrassed" if some ethereal voice bellows out at you if you are seen doing anything "anti-social". This displays a complete lack of understanding of personal motivation. I can see it now........how many groups of young people are going to deliberately challenge "Big Brother" just to be able to have a giggle when he, or she, bellows out at them? I have to admit to being a little tempted myself.......


Dr Reid..........you've been watching too much TV.......heaven's next we will have mobile Diary Rooms, broadcast live as litter droppers, spitters, drunken singers et al, are asked to explain themselves to the nation........hmmmmm, maybe not such a bad idea, perhaps we could all take turns at being Big Brother and start with you, or your boss?????

Young Scot Awards, and Men in Kilts.........

Oh dear me blog has bitten back, can't change size or colour or insert links anymore.........what did I do to deserve this?

Anyway, I had waited until today to write about my trip to Glasgow last week for the Young Scot Awards, since I figured I would be able to put a link to the Sunday Mail (who were sponsoring) sure enough the Sunday Mail is full of articles, though no pix on line. There is a great article by Elaine C Smith who compared here: http://www.sundaymail.co.uk/opinion/columnists/elainecsmith/

It was an awe inspiring evening, captured by Elaine far more eloquently than I could manage. I did get one pic though of the amazingly talented Raj Joshi - chair of the Scottish Youth Parliament and an inspiration for all young people if ever I met one. He deservedly won the Democracy and Citizenship award.

The event was attended by over 500 people, including first minister Jack McConnell. What a pity we don't have something similar UK wide to recognise the huge contribution so many of our young people make.

So yet again huge congratulations to everyone at Young Scot, the young people of Scotland owe you an incalcuable debt.

Oh.........and as for the kilts, I have to say I was well impressed with the number of kilts on display, particularly loved the combination with the "Culloden" shirt...........hmmmm, should have got my camera out earlier!

Haley's Pix

Just got these pix from niece Haley who is on a round the world tour with her partner Lawrence......they have now reached Australia. Posting here to make it easier for friends and family to view.....and to make myself jealous!