Politics and the media

We might think we have a sufficient grasp of terrorism and its influence on the modern world. A definition of terrorism that I read earlier: ‘the unofficial or unauthorised use of violence and intimidation in pursuit of political aims’. For after all, terrorists are just the ones acting alone to destroy our Western civilisation, often pre-meditated and as part of a group, in the name of some form of God. Right? Not quite. Terrorism is a concept that has been deep-rooted in society for centuries, yet the label has only surfaced so vehemently in the last 70-80 years. The word ‘terrorist’ comes from the French Revolution of the 18 th century. The staunchly left-wing group in the country were ‘The Jacobins’ and at the time they were given the tag of ‘terroristes’ due to their attempted brutal suppression of opposition and their failing monarchical system, along with any supporters, in a period that has aptly been named ‘The Terror’. However, historians have traced the roo...

The ongoing struggle between Catalonia and Spain has divided an already politically instable country, and furthermore it raises questions about Western governments that perhaps we may not have previously considered – just how controlling are they? Spain claims the independence referendum that took place at the Start of October isn’t in the Spanish Constitution that has been in place for almost 30 years - thus making it illegal and invalid. That may be correct but does that mean the protestors have no right to stage a vote despite this? You might argue yes, it’s against the law, and mass congregations of people all over the state, including cities such as Barcelona, could be seen as a major threat to the security of people residing there. And you could say that the shock has somewhat been caused just by the result - though that was after the police had intervened, and many ballot boxes were seized, so we don't really know how accurate it was. However, on the other hand,...

This week, it approaches nine years since I visited Kenya for currently the only time. It is a beautiful country that takes on a different level of significance for me, given family ties there. And at the moment, it is a country whose situation is symbolic of Eastern and Western African politics in the last century. In mid-August, it was announced that Uhuru Kenyatta had again triumphed with an overall majority, keeping hold of the Presidential seat that he has held since 2013. He had held off the challenge of 74-year-old Raila Odinga in what seemed to buck the trend of African elections – that it would emerge peacefully. Odinga is a man who is seen as God-like by his supporters, and when he previously failed in the elections of 2007 and 2013, it led to strong resistance against the vote. It must have been inevitable then, that Odinga’s party The National Super Alliance (Nasa) would subsequently describe the result as ‘fraudulent’ and thus refuse to accept the outcome of...

I am sure all are aware of last Sunday night’s tragic events in Las Vegas, with the 64 year-old Stephen Paddock sending shockwaves around the world through undoubtedly the deadliest mass shooting in modern American history. At the time of writing, the death toll stands at 59, and more than 500 have been injured – a number which will surely lead to changes in American gun laws. If they are not too naïve to realise that they must act. The event is also another example of how susceptible we are to vitriolic, bloody terrorist attacks (or hate crimes, depending upon your perspective) and how easy it is to forget about these ever-increasing crimes. Just two days after the massacre, I was scrolling through social media, perhaps oblivious to the severity, when I came across a video. This video showed many of the victims, crucially with names and pictures. And for the first time since I developed an arguably cynical view that death happens every day, and thus that we should not be...

There is often a perception here in the Western world, one that has significantly increased in recent years, that we have the most freedom of speech and least, if any, censorship of press. And so much is this portrayal of countries such as the USA and the UK as saint like on the international scene, that anyone who disagrees with any decision is instantly shot down, so to speak. And what makes this truly staggering, is the simple fact that it is the media, so often the governments harshest critic, who are perhaps protecting them, without any visible influence from the bureaucracy. It seems ridiculous to suggest that even after all we have fought for, the multitude of wars in the 20 th century in which so many perished due to political hostility, that there still exists a concealment in our media. Just why is this? Take Syria, and more specifically Aleppo, as an example. We are all aware that the situation there is currently dire and September has seen the highest death toll ye...