The British always seem to amaze me to no end. There is the UK War inquiry that I have written about. There is the National Health Service and of course, Queen Elizabeth and all she represents in tradiition and continuity. But, Britain is also a country that continues to be in transition especially in light of the financial implosion we have all been witness to.
Gordon Brown is in the fight for his political life. The reports I am seeing are that Labor is going to lose. Some say it might be a hung parliament. Some say that Conservatives will attain a simple enough majority to form the next Government. The Conservatives have the edge. They control a large percentage of local councils that will be able to mobilize votes to turn out. What will push it over the edge, though, are the debates. I will be quite keen to see who comes out ahead. Whenever I have had a chance to catch Prime Minister's Question Time, I have seen both Nick Clegg and David Cameron each Gordon Brown for lunch.
What I do find troubling is David Cameron's message that somehow British Society is broken. Although I have written of his courage and his respect for British Institutions, it seems to me that he ought to be a bit more tempered and not instill fear. He has committed to preserving the National Health Service. I am also profoundly concerned as to what he has talked about in terms of cutbacks at the BBC. What the BBC announced as a result of the strategic review may not be enough to prevent the Government from cutbacks at the BBC. I have to question why would David Cameron sacrifice this iconic British institution and trust the country to the likes of Rupert Murdoch.
Strangely enough, I like Gordon Brown. He is tough and is a streets smart politican. He has made some strategic mistakes. I also think that the British Public may have tired of Labor. That explains why the Conservatives have been able to dominate local Government. The conservatives, though, have to get away from the politics of blame and fear. They have to figure out how to Govern. The scepticism is showing in how the polls seem to have tightened. I regard the race as too close to call.
On a side note, I nearly fell off my chair when I reviewed reports of the Indepedent of London being sold to Alexander Ledebev, the Russian Billionaire, for $ 1.50. That's One Dollar Fifty cents!!! This is the newspapers that is home to Robert Fiske, the Veteran Middle East Reporter who has been a thorn in the side of Israel ever since he uncovered Sharon's culpability in the Sabra and Shatila massacres of 1982. I hope that the Indepedent Survives in some form. If he turns it into a free paper--as he did the Evening Standard--more power to him!!! That's also one of the many stories that must be watched as we continue on with reflecting upon our world and how it is as exciting and fun as ever to write about and reflect upon.
I have been seeing in awe as the planet continues to go through a profound sense of change in its' climate. I also continue to watch in amazement as the sceptics seem to be having a field day trying to make the case that everything is OK. Just the past 48 hours saw France being hammered by storms unprecedented. California has seen rains as never before. I have to really wonder when will the sceptics come around and figure out that we have to do something drastic soon?
I eagerly await the rollout of a new BBC master plan by the BBC's Director General. The rumours are that it will see cutbacks in web presence and close downs of certain of its entitites. The World Service is exempt becasue I understand that it is funded by the British Government through the Foreign Office.
This apparent retrenchment is of profound concern to me. If this is in response to what James Murdoch said, it will quite tragic. James Murdoch is worried about independent media. If his definition of independent media is the trash he and his father push through Fox News in the U.S, my response is no thank you. This is also ever so with Murdoch Media Properties in the UK. Murdoch already has too much power and influence. This outright power grab should not be allowed because Mr. Murdoch needs to understand that he has to be held to account.
Mike Pouraryan
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