Politics

Oct 6, 2006

Double Jack’s standards

Comment is free, The Guardian, October 6 It has become routine in this country for those who wish to give vent to prejudice to insist that they only wish to start a “debate”. How could anyone object? Debate is always a good thing. But when the premises informing the putative debate are riddled with double… Read more

Oct 1, 2006

Multi-culturalism and the politics of white identity

LEVEL PLAYING FIELD The Hindu, 1st October FOR many years, attacks on “multi-culturalism” in Britain were confined to the far Right, which argued, like its counterparts in other countries, that the nation could only survive if it was homogeneous, welded together by a single racial, religious or cultural identity. However, since 9/11, “multi-culturalism” has come… Read more

Sep 17, 2006

Misbegotten Afghan adventure

LEVEL PLAYING FIELD The Hindu, 17 September NEARLY five years after the U.S.-led coalition dispatched the Taliban and proclaimed a new dawn for Afghanistan, foreign troops are waging a full-scale war against insurgents said to control as much as half the country. Meanwhile, millions of Afghans face starvation, and the development and democracy promised by… Read more

Sep 3, 2006

The voice within – a pilgrimage to Walden Pond

LEVEL PLAYING FIELD The Hindu, 3 September ON a recent visit to the United States, I made a pilgrimage to Walden Pond, a glistening body of water prized for its depth and clarity (only 20 miles from Boston) as well as for its association with the visionary writer, Henry David Thoreau. From July 1845 to… Read more

Aug 19, 2006

“Proud of Israel”? The Chief Rabbi talks rubbish

LEVEL PLAYING FIELD The Hindu, 20 August As a Jew, I’ve been asked if I’m ashamed at what Israel has been doing in Lebanon. And the answer I give is that I am disgusted, I am angry, I am appalled, but, no, I am not ashamed. Why should I be? I bear no personal responsibility… Read more

Aug 6, 2006

Imperial whitewash

LEVEL PLAYING FIELD The Hindu, 6 August As of November last year, anyone applying for British citizenship has to pass a test demonstrating both proficiency in English and “sufficient knowledge of life in the United Kingdom”. In preparation for the test, applicants are asked to study a booklet that begins with a brief history of Britain…. Read more

Jun 25, 2006

London: police and “terrorists”

LEVEL PLAYING FIELD The Hindu, 25 June At 4 AM on June 2nd, another grim episode in the war on terror was played out on a quiet residential street in east London. In what the media initially hailed as a major anti-terrorist triumph, 250 heavily armed police descended on a house where, it was alleged,… Read more

Jun 18, 2006

Fateful triangle: India, Israel and the US

Palestine News, July 2006 Presumably because I’m Jewish and write about India, I received an invitation to a ‘Jewish-Indian Reception’ held earlier this year at Columbia University in New York. “Did you know that Jews have lived in India for over 2000 years without any signs of Anti-Semitism?” the invitation began. “Did you know that… Read more

Jun 6, 2006

Anyone but Ingerland?

A dialogue between Mark Perryman and Mike Marqusee Red Pepper, June 2006 Mark Perryman puts the case for flying the St George cross at the World Cup, while Mike Marqusee explains why he’ll be rooting for anyone but England to win it. Mark Perryman kicks off the discussion: The beginning of June must be a… Read more

May 18, 2006

Who’s singling out Israel?

Comment is free, The Guardian, 17 May In breach of international law, Ehud Olmert has declared that Israel will redraw its boundaries unilaterally, incorporating the major West Bank settlements and maintaining a military presence adjacent to the Jordan. Meanwhile, the EU and the US have suspended aid to the democratically elected Palestinian authority, threatening Palestinians with a collapse of public… Read more