When news broke of the Brussels attacks, the reaction of many people across the world was “not again”.
Europe has been the frequent target of Islamic State’s terror attacks, dating all the way back to 2013.
Republican US presidential candidate Donald Trump says that Britain and Europe are not safe places.
This flag has become a familiar sight across the world
“When you look at Brussels, when you look at the way they’ve handled things from law enforcement standpoints, when you look at Paris, when you look at so many other places, no, it’s not (safe)”.
However, it is not just an issue that affects Europe, or even just the western world; all nations are in danger from Islamic State’s violent tendencies.
Most of ISIL’s attacks have been carried out in the Middle East; Iraq has seen eight attacks in the last four years and Egypt has been targeted four times.
Though it would seem that the main targets are the western world and the Fertile Crescent, the rest of the world certainly has cause for concern.
For example, in December 2014, 17 hostages were held in an Australian café by ISIL supporter Haron Monis.
Referred to as the ‘Sydney Siege’, it highlighted the fact that nowhere in the world is 100% safe.
Yusuf Kanali of the Hurriyet Daily News believes that “neither the millionaire nor the beggar at the corner of a crowded street of a slum city somewhere in the underdeveloped world can think for a second that he is safe. No one is safe, anywhere.”
A DATE for the UK’s referendum on EU membership has been set.
On 23rd June this year, the general public will go to polling stations across the country, to decide whether or not Great Britain should stay in the European Union.
In a speech outside 10 Downing Street, Prime Minister David Cameron said “It is time for the British people to have their say. It is time to settle this European question in British politics.”
With the announcement of the referendum, many politicians have been forced to take sides, regardless of party allegiance.
Though David Cameron and most of the Cabinet will be campaigning for a ‘No’ vote – that is, to stay in the EU – some in the Conservative Party have joined the ‘Yes’ campaign.
Cameron’s most notable losses are Justice Secretary Michael Gove, and Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London.
The UK joined the European Union in 1973, alongside Ireland and Denmark, after initially refusing to become a founding member.
According to Edward Heath (who was Prime Minister at the time) the main reason for application was the improved economic connection to mainland Europe.
However, with the European Union continuing to evolve, it has caused many to question whether our membership is worthwhile.
The ‘Labour Leave’ campaign states on their official website that the UK needs to ensure that “our laws are made in London rather than Brussels and that our public services are protected from the provisions of EU free trade deals.”
On his stance for a ‘No’ vote, the Prime Minister says: “ I will not rest until this debate is won. For the future of my country, for the success of the European Union, and for the prosperity of our peoples for generations to come.”
By contrast, economic research consultancy, Capital Economics, believe that the UK’s economic differences inside and out of the EU are negligible.
In their report, ‘The economic impact of Brexit’ they claim “Britain has pulled ahead of the European Union in recent years, and we expect that gap to widen over the next few years regardless of whether Brexit occurs.”
Millions of people will head to polling stations today to cast their vote in the 2015 UK General Election.
A large portion of each party’s election campaign has focused on the interest of young people, in a bid to win their favour. However, young people may not have as big an impact on the outcome of the UK General Election as some might think.
According to UK market research company Ipsos MORI, only 44% of 18-24 year-olds voted in the 2010 election. This can be put down to a number of factors; the rise in tuition fees, uncertainty over house prices and graduate employment.
Less than half of all young people registered to vote actually went to the polls in 2010.
However, most telling is the YouGov ‘British Future’ survey, which reveals that 96% of young people don’t think that politicians pay attention to their needs.
Harry Amos, 20, studies Politics, Philosophy and Economics at the University of Warwick, and believes he understands why this happened. He says that “policies favoured by young people typically get ignored; this means that our turnout figures at general elections are appalling when compared with older generations, particularly the over-65s.”
Mr Amos says that the low turnout from young people is also partly due to Russell Brand’s influence on their opinions; he calls the comedian’s apathetic political stance “ridiculous.”
Russell Brand is well-known for his disliking of the current political situation. In an article he wrote for the New Statesman, Brand states that “I will never vote and I don’t think you should, either.”
Political parties themselves have been attempting to appeal to younger voters with their policies. For example, Labour Party leader Ed Miliband has stated that, if made Prime Minister, he will cut tuition fees by a third, down to £6,000 a year, as well as the pledge of lowering the voting age to 16.
Similarly, the Conservative Party claims in their election manifesto that, despite keeping the £9,000 per year tuition fees, “we will maintain our universities’ reputation for world-class research and academic excellence.”
But what else could have been done to persuade young people to vote?
Another option is to make voting in general elections a legal requirement. This has been in place in Australia since 1924; failing to vote without good reason (e.g. illness or religious grounds) can lead to being given a fine of up to $170. This means that voter turnout is significantly higher than in the UK; according to the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA), in the 2013 elections, 93.23% of the electorate had their vote counted. In turn, this means that people have a greater incentive to make themselves politically aware.
However, it would seem that one of the most effective ways of involving young people in politics is, as mentioned in the YouGov survey, to show an interest in their thoughts and ideas.
Young people will definitely have a huge impact in today’s election, with a larger voice than ever before. Whether their voices will be heard, though, remains uncertain.
Talks have begun to negotiate the unloading of the Singapore cargo ship, according to our sources.
In a report for the Southern Daily Echo, “the owners of the Hoegh Osaka are due to meet with inspectors to see how they go about unloading the 51,000-tonne vessel.”
The cargo ship, which was sailing to Germany, ran aground on Bramble Bank about three weeks ago; mostly containing luxury cars such as Jaguars and Range Rovers, all crew members were rescued within hours of the event. There are also 105 pieces of heavy plant machinery on board.
Water pumping began on the 17th January, but the full extent of the damage to goods on the Hoegh Osaka is currently unknown.
The Hoegh Osaka has been in the port of Southampton since 4th January
Journalists, photographers and other onlookers gathered round the cargo ship all morning, hoping to get an update on goings on. Currently, Hoegh Autoliners are meeting with inspectors from the Marine Accident Investigation Branch, as well as representatives from implicated parties, such as Jaguar and JCB.
It is expected that a decison will be made this evening, with work to begin almost immediately.
American right-wing news channel Fox News claimed this week that the British City Birmingham is 100% Muslim, and a place where non-Muslims just don’t go.
Steve Emerson who is a ‘terrorism expert’ made the claim on Sunday, which has since surprised the people of England and proud city of Birmingham telling them something that they didn’t know.
“In Britain, it’s not just no-go zones, there are actual cities like Birmingham that are totally Muslim where non-Muslims just simply don’t go in,” he said.
“Parts of London, there are actually Muslim religious police that actually beat and actually wound seriously anyone who doesn’t dress according to Muslim, religious Muslim attire,” he proclaimed, without giving examples.
Mr Emerson, who quite clearly has not been to the city, described Birmingham as one of a number of European cities “where Sharia courts were set up, where Muslim density is very intense, where the police…
Consumers across the UK and USA swarmed to the shops yesterday, scrambling to get the best deals as ‘Black Friday’ took the Western world by storm.
Originating from the USA, Black Friday takes place the day after Thanksgiving (a day blessing the year’s harvest). It marks the start of the holiday shopping season, with the idea that Christmas is now rapidly approaching.
Many US states have public holidays on Black Friday, such as Florida, Ohio and New Mexico. However, as cultural globalisation takes hold and creates a ‘brand culture’, other countries, for example the United Kingdom, have now adopted Black Friday as well, despite not celebrating Thanksgiving.
In addition, Black Friday gives stores the opportunity to clear their stock before Christmas, by significantly lowering prices in order to increase the demand for their goods.
However, the results of this are quite shocking, as the following video demonstrates:
The video above depicts an ASDA supermarket opening its doors yesterday. As consumers frantically stormed the store, many people were pushed over and trampled on, forcing a security guard to intervene.
Manchester Police tweeted earlier in the day that “Two arrests have been made already” and warned shoppers to take more care. That being said, it would seem that with bargains on the line, the general public simply disregards the wellbeing and safety of other people.
Another woman had her wrist crushed, in an event which Greater Manchester Police’s Ian Hopkins described as “appalling“.
Materialism is defined in the Oxford English Dictionary as “a tendency to consider material possessions and physical comfort as more important than spirtual values.” What is meant by this is that people no longer tend to value themselves on their relationships and morals; this has been replaced by a desire to have the newest 3D TV, or be in the best paid job position.
Retailers have significant influence in this as well. With the main goal of maximising profits, they tactically manipulate the general public, revealing a limited stock and cut price, in order to generate what can only be described as panic from consumers. Of course, it is only natural for them to do this, but by autonomously changing the length of time these sales last for (initially it spanned an entire weekend) it has exaggerated Black Friday and its importance in Western culture.
But can anything realistically be done about this?
Firstly, consumers need to realise that Black Friday, especially in the UK, is not the Alpha and Omega of shopping deals. In the United States, it is more understandable due to its association with Thanksgiving, but since that is not a festival in the UK, it really lacks any purpose other than to generate hysteria. There are numerous other sales that occur in the run-up to the Christmas period; you don’t have to do all your Christmas shopping on Black Friday!
Secondly, retailers could rethink their sales strategy. Instead of having just one day of sales, perhaps have a weekend, or even an entire week, dedicated to a pre-Christmas sale. This would be more effective in clearing stock, and has the potential to skyrocket sales and, with the increase in aggregate demand, provide an annual short-term boost to the economy.
Unfortunately, both of these options are unrealistic; shoppers thrive off of the panic caused by sales, and retailers are typically hesitant to lower prices for an extended period of time.
Therefore, in conclusion, it would seem that cultural globalisation, stemming from the USA, has led to the creation of a day in the United Kingdom that should never have even existed. With the excessive violence and a callous disregard for other people, Black Friday brings out the selfish, materialistic nature of the general public. That being said, with an improving economy and UK adoption of the festival, things are only going to get worse.
UK prime minister David Cameron has described the Islamic State extremist group as “sick terrorists” following the video released showing the beheading of another victim.
Uploaded on Saturday 15th November, the video depicted the brutal decapitation of a US aid worker, known as Abdul-Rahman Kassig, and 18 Syrian prisoners. It served as a reminder to the Western world that IS were still an influential and dangerous force in the Middle East.
After the killing on Alan Henning on 3rd October, Islamic State seemed to disappear from Western media coverage. This is due in part to numerous other issues arising; reports of Russian tanks moving into Ukraine; the Ebola outbreak; and the sentencing of trialed athlete Oscar Pistorius. However, this most recent tragedy has catapulted them back into the public eye.
Home Secretary Theresa May has labelled the extremist group as a “deadly threat” to national security. But what influence do they actually have in the Middle East?
Kurdistan = area of Islamic State influence
It is clearly shown from this map, that the main focus of Islamic State influence is in Turkey. It is probable that this is due to Turkey’s higher level of interaction with the Western World, potentially giving IS a clear run at European soil. That being said, there is also strong presence in Iraq and Iran.
One thing here, which is very interesting to note, is the significantly smaller IS control in Syria. Many political analysts, such as Nick Robinson, have said that this is down to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s organisation of his military forces.
To cast your minds back 12 months… Syria was considered the major threat to the Western balance of power, as it came under accusations of using chemical weapons. Negotiations were held with President Assad, but seemingly nothing came from it.
Now, with the threat from Islamic State becoming an increasingly larger issue, it would seem that (although politicians would never admit it) the world’s leading states would prefer to have President Assad in power than a religious extremist group. The saying ‘the enemy of my enemy is my friend‘ seems appropriate here since the UN Security Council members (USA, UK, China etc) clearly don’t trust Assad, but know that the alternative is much worse.
David George (Journalism) 