Archive for December 22nd, 2005
The boy that was shot?
Posted by: Gav in Gavin Ayling's blog on December 22nd, 2005
Israel – a solveable problem
Justify This is right when he says that you must watch this video: Debunking the shooting of the boy.
Now like all wars there’s a propaganda war, but there seem to be good arguments in this.
Russia to Germany – Gas
Posted by: Gav in Gavin Ayling's blog on December 22nd, 2005
Fascinating news about the Berlin-Moscow Gas Pact.
Targets
Posted by: Gav in Uncategorized on December 22nd, 2005
Want to meet a target? The good doctor explains how to in Blair’s England.
Of course we’d be much better off without targets and with some genuine looks at where the money is going (a read of the doc’s blog would be a good starting point).
Death Penalty
Posted by: Gav in Gavin Ayling's blog on December 22nd, 2005
I’m uncomfortable with the death penalty. It causes two major problems:
1) We absolutely cannot, ever again, execute an innocent person.
2) If we doubt the guilt of a convicted person, are we suggesting there is something wrong with our judicial system?
A three-strikes and you’re dead policy is sometimes advocated (though not in such colourful language) and I have some sympathy with it except….
Except that it doesn’t account for cases of gross, burning-in-hell’s-too-good-for-them acts of inhumanity like this. If we had an elected head of state we could defer judgements like this to him or her, but as we do not I think the safest option is to keep the option open until there is (or elected judges…).
Lethal injection
Racism – it’s a serious business
Posted by: Gav in Gavin Ayling's blog on December 22nd, 2005
England – be proud
I cannot tolerate racism. To me, the colour of someone’s skin makes no difference. Yes, there are cultural differences, and we must recognise that, but the colour of someone’s skin says nothing about their attitudes, ability, intelligence or worth.
But it becomes very easy to stop taking racism seriously when a spokesman for the anti-racist Kick it Out campaign says:
“Sometimes things that on the surface don’t seem to be racists have undertones. You have to ask yourself what point is this person making by declaring he lives and dies in England. Is he implying that someone else is not English and has no right to live here? That’s how it can be taken.
“The reality is that Asian kids were born in Oldham, are taught and work in Oldham and live just similar lives in Oldham as white kids.”
about the flying of our national flag with an added non-racist slogan.
It waters down the unambiguous message that should be being given out by the organisation, and others like it, and makes people think that they are making a fuss for the sake of it.
The national flag of England is not racist, it is not for whites only and the added slogan “Born in England, Live in England, Die in England” suggests nothing about the colour of ones skin or the worth or rights of someone not born in England.
