Falling slack of my blogging recently, I thought I would drop in again and explain.
Firstly, I've not been lazy, just exceptionally busy, in a good way. I have 5 assignments in for the next 2 weeks, and I've only just about finished 2... because of various reasons.
Along the way, I've been able to interview some very interesting people. In the space of 4 days, I managed to interview someone from an underground anti-fascist organisation in the UK; the secretary of a TU anti-racism group, and the a prominent member of the BNP. It's been educational, to say the least.
Since I've begun studying journalism, I've realised just how naive I have been. The world will never fall in the 2 categories of good and evil, nor will anything ever be simply black or white. Just as I believed that all forms of anti-fascism were a great thing, I believed that all BNP members were unable to see how inhuman they were.
What worries me most about this is that neither are particularly all they seem. This might come across as an obvious statement of being to some, but honestly, I wholeheartedly believed that both parties were the polar opposites of each other. I have always believed that your principles make up the most of your personality and being. I'm not so sure of that now.
Interviewing both parties was mindblowing. I had been trying to get out of getting in touch with anything to do with the BNP for quite some time, until I was advised that in order to write a good story about the BNP, it really is neccessary to speak to one. With a heavy heart, I dialled the number I had found on the BNP website.
He was thrilled to "have a platform" to speak from. He was civil. He was defensive. He attempted to speak logically. And of course, he had no idea I was Chinese, so that made the interview a whole lot less complicated.
Meanwhile, I emailed a member of the underground anti-fascist organisation, and pleaded for an interview. After a few responses, I was granted what can only be called, a statement from the group. Thrilled with the result, I began typing up my story.
That was when I realised that elements I thought were restricted to the BNP side of my argument, seeped through to my anti-fascism argument, and vice versa. Things were not as they seemed. Like a cheesy indie flick when the protagonist finds out the truth a little too late and they are left out in the rain with a sad look in their eyes, my moment of realisation and disappointment arrived.
You cannot fight fire with fire. Anti-racism, anti-fascism, anti-anything cannot be combatted with the same forces. Violence may only be one resort, but it should never be the one of the first. Without trying to come across all Dalai Llama, I think some of the strategies we employ to fight bigotry can be less violent and confrontational. I regret shouting at the BNP on my doorstep now, not because I think I was in the wrong, but because they were in the first place, and the worst thing I could have done was rise to the occasion.
It's been a strange week, but I've learned a lot. I abhor the several wars that the UK have participated in with such vigour recently, and why should I not feel the same about violence on my doorstep? I still say that the basis of all understanding begins with "education, education, education". Even misdirection is a form of learning, even though it is wrong.
Without education, where would any of us be?
Thursday 26 February 2009
Wednesday 18 February 2009
Marc Jacobs, the saviour of the Recession
So according to The Guardian today, Marc Jacobs can't "fix the economy". As fashion's famed and notorious awaited his new collection in New York this week, many expected him to be the silver-lining to America's recession by giving them something, anything, to talk about.
Little did they expect that the vibrancy of his latest 1980's inspired collection would not encapsulate the sombre mood of 2009 to their liking. "What, is it going to help the economy if i do an all-black collection?" he reportedly spat backstage after his fashion show.
He's right. If fashion cannot bring back hope, then what can? Who can forget also that the eighties, that decade of excess and large, permed 'do's, lived through that recession? The world reared it's head afterwards triumphing and re-building its economy with even more panache for consumerism than ever before.
Marc Jacobs is not a politician, or even an economist. He is a businessman. He may not be able to single-handedly turn the rueful and now frowned-upon frivolity of the fashion industry around, but he will undoubtedly make his mark doing so. A man whose creative energy captures today's zeitgeist so accordingly is hard to fault.
According to The Guardian he even slashed his guest list by 60%, ensuring that the seats on the front row were occupied by none other than Anna Wintour, and Desiree Rogers, the social secretary to the Obamas. There was no other celebrity present. Whether this was a political move or not, Jacobs has managed to make headlines for the right reasons.
People like to blame fashion for not being conscientious enough and too consumerist and indulgent. But who is to say you can't be economically conscious and fashionable? The stigma attached to loving clothing paints the average fashionista as empty and narcissistic, making it hard to be considered a serious thinker of today. At the same time, such people expect designers such as Jacobs to "downplay" their role as innovator in a time of need.
Such people need to be reminded that if the world needs hope, one needs to look no further than today's fashion designers for just that. Stella MacCartney, Eley Kishimoto, Katherine Hamnett, and now, to add to the long list of names, Marc Jacobs.
Jacobs is hope for the future. His colourful and non-defeatist collection screams happiness, hope, and fun is the way forward and out of this recession. Like it or not, his designs make a lot of people happy, and give them something to look forward to every season in these bleak, money-orientated times. I have never needed a better reason to purchase another Marc Jacobs bag than now.
Thank you, Marc, thank you.
Little did they expect that the vibrancy of his latest 1980's inspired collection would not encapsulate the sombre mood of 2009 to their liking. "What, is it going to help the economy if i do an all-black collection?" he reportedly spat backstage after his fashion show.
He's right. If fashion cannot bring back hope, then what can? Who can forget also that the eighties, that decade of excess and large, permed 'do's, lived through that recession? The world reared it's head afterwards triumphing and re-building its economy with even more panache for consumerism than ever before.
Marc Jacobs is not a politician, or even an economist. He is a businessman. He may not be able to single-handedly turn the rueful and now frowned-upon frivolity of the fashion industry around, but he will undoubtedly make his mark doing so. A man whose creative energy captures today's zeitgeist so accordingly is hard to fault.
According to The Guardian he even slashed his guest list by 60%, ensuring that the seats on the front row were occupied by none other than Anna Wintour, and Desiree Rogers, the social secretary to the Obamas. There was no other celebrity present. Whether this was a political move or not, Jacobs has managed to make headlines for the right reasons.
People like to blame fashion for not being conscientious enough and too consumerist and indulgent. But who is to say you can't be economically conscious and fashionable? The stigma attached to loving clothing paints the average fashionista as empty and narcissistic, making it hard to be considered a serious thinker of today. At the same time, such people expect designers such as Jacobs to "downplay" their role as innovator in a time of need.
Such people need to be reminded that if the world needs hope, one needs to look no further than today's fashion designers for just that. Stella MacCartney, Eley Kishimoto, Katherine Hamnett, and now, to add to the long list of names, Marc Jacobs.
Jacobs is hope for the future. His colourful and non-defeatist collection screams happiness, hope, and fun is the way forward and out of this recession. Like it or not, his designs make a lot of people happy, and give them something to look forward to every season in these bleak, money-orientated times. I have never needed a better reason to purchase another Marc Jacobs bag than now.
Thank you, Marc, thank you.
Monday 9 February 2009
And hurrah!
... Only a few moments after my rant, Mr Prescott is only speaking to my hero on Channel 4,the one and only Jon Snow!
A Slow Day
I have to say that today has been pretty uneventful in regards to blogging, as in, nothing of particular in the news has riled me up for a change.
Well... there is of course the fact that our dear Alastair believes that even after all the rowing with various people of some state of importance, he feels that it is still acceptable to make "discretionary payments" to the RBS' "best staff" in order to keep our economy afloat. Otherwise, you see, some of our "best" executives up there may be tempted to abandon our economy in order to receive bonuses. And this would hurt our economy how?
There would be plenty of people to fill their self-important shoes. Plenty of people are qualified to do their jobs better than them. I'm sure they couldn't put the country into further recession than these amazingly talented bankers have done already.
Even Mr Prescott has started (of all things) a FACEBOOK appeal to call for a public campaign to stop the bonuses. The idea of Prescott "poking" me aside, I think the man has a point. His intervention says to me what I know has been clear all along: capitalism has gone too far. Where on earth do these bankers think they would be if it was not for the floundering businesses and homeowners now who put them in their wheelie leather chairs?
All this too, and meanwhile UBS Financial Services have resorted to "stealing" brokers from rivals Merrill Lynch and Morgan Stanley by offering brokers a whooping 260% "compensation" of the previous year's profits.
I can't believe I am living in a world of monetary madness. Every day I see hard working people struggle to make ends meet as the recession slowly seeps into their homes. Women in America are trying to keep their families together while their husbands are being laid off. And now, it appears, bankers all over are being rewarded for putting us into this fine mess.
And I thought it was a slow day. I think I may have just found some material for my assignments.
Well... there is of course the fact that our dear Alastair believes that even after all the rowing with various people of some state of importance, he feels that it is still acceptable to make "discretionary payments" to the RBS' "best staff" in order to keep our economy afloat. Otherwise, you see, some of our "best" executives up there may be tempted to abandon our economy in order to receive bonuses. And this would hurt our economy how?
There would be plenty of people to fill their self-important shoes. Plenty of people are qualified to do their jobs better than them. I'm sure they couldn't put the country into further recession than these amazingly talented bankers have done already.
Even Mr Prescott has started (of all things) a FACEBOOK appeal to call for a public campaign to stop the bonuses. The idea of Prescott "poking" me aside, I think the man has a point. His intervention says to me what I know has been clear all along: capitalism has gone too far. Where on earth do these bankers think they would be if it was not for the floundering businesses and homeowners now who put them in their wheelie leather chairs?
All this too, and meanwhile UBS Financial Services have resorted to "stealing" brokers from rivals Merrill Lynch and Morgan Stanley by offering brokers a whooping 260% "compensation" of the previous year's profits.
I can't believe I am living in a world of monetary madness. Every day I see hard working people struggle to make ends meet as the recession slowly seeps into their homes. Women in America are trying to keep their families together while their husbands are being laid off. And now, it appears, bankers all over are being rewarded for putting us into this fine mess.
And I thought it was a slow day. I think I may have just found some material for my assignments.
Thursday 5 February 2009
Are the media to blame for the recession?
In one of the first interviews I conducted for an assignment about the recession, I remember a shopkeeper saying to me, "You're not going to like me for saying this, but I blame the media." The shopkeeper had seen a steady decline in her sales since the end of summer, and I couldn't blame her for wanting to blame someone for it.
On Tuesday evening this week, I went to a lecture with a panel of several journalists and editors of today's papers such as The Guardian and The Financial Times and Robert Peston, the business editor of the BBC(I love how important that sentence sounds, yes!).
On the panel, was also the publisher of Crane's Business Weekly, Arthur Porter, who tried to convince us that "a salesman is not any different to a journalist". I'm absolutely positive that journalists all over the world would disagree with that notion, not least the one sat next to him on the stage who attempted to hide their smirks and guffaws.
The fact that he was invited to participate in the lecture led me to think about the roll in which the media has played during the past 8 months of the recession. I guess journalists are as hated these days as salesmen. I draw the line at any further comparisons.
Peston seemed distracted, and his replies to questions Kevin Anderson of the
BBC asked, seemed awfully disjointed and hesitant. I had to admit I was a little disappointed, this was not the outspoken Peston I had expected.
At the end of the panel discussion, the floor was invited to ask questions. A lecturer raised his hand in request for the mic. "Do you think the media are to blame for the reporting of the recession either, by panicking the public, or reporting it too late?" The question on the tip of many journalists' tongues.
Peston paused. Again my heart sank. Where was this controversial reporter I had expected so much from? Eventually, he cleared his throat and said, "Ah, unfortunately I'm not able to talk much about that because I'm due in court at 9 o'clock tomorrow morning to give evidence on the issue."
I breathed a sigh of relief. One of the world's best reporters was not being a fence-sitter. He was just not at liberty to discuss anything! The very next morning our lecturer told us that he also had the Chairman of the BBC breathing down his neck the whole duration of the evening lecture.
I learned from the FT today that Peston had been 1 of 5 journalists invited by The Treasury to give evidence about "sparking a run on Northern Rock by reporting its troubles and later failing to break the story early enough".
I would like to comment that by today's standards, no journalist can do right. If journalists had reported a recession, they are blamed for the panic that ensues. If they remain silent, the public are outraged that such important information is withheld from them. What is a journalist to do?
Peston was singled out because his reporting "had caused a run by retail customers on the bank, which was subsequently nationalised" to quote the FT. Was that not just caused by the incompetence of the few fat cat executives at the top? As Peston's argument was yesterday, "What led to the collapse of Northern Rock was not the retail run, it was the wholesale run, it was the institutions refusing to fund that bank."
And that, my friends, is your answer.
On Tuesday evening this week, I went to a lecture with a panel of several journalists and editors of today's papers such as The Guardian and The Financial Times and Robert Peston, the business editor of the BBC(I love how important that sentence sounds, yes!).
On the panel, was also the publisher of Crane's Business Weekly, Arthur Porter, who tried to convince us that "a salesman is not any different to a journalist". I'm absolutely positive that journalists all over the world would disagree with that notion, not least the one sat next to him on the stage who attempted to hide their smirks and guffaws.
The fact that he was invited to participate in the lecture led me to think about the roll in which the media has played during the past 8 months of the recession. I guess journalists are as hated these days as salesmen. I draw the line at any further comparisons.
Peston seemed distracted, and his replies to questions Kevin Anderson of the
BBC asked, seemed awfully disjointed and hesitant. I had to admit I was a little disappointed, this was not the outspoken Peston I had expected.
At the end of the panel discussion, the floor was invited to ask questions. A lecturer raised his hand in request for the mic. "Do you think the media are to blame for the reporting of the recession either, by panicking the public, or reporting it too late?" The question on the tip of many journalists' tongues.
Peston paused. Again my heart sank. Where was this controversial reporter I had expected so much from? Eventually, he cleared his throat and said, "Ah, unfortunately I'm not able to talk much about that because I'm due in court at 9 o'clock tomorrow morning to give evidence on the issue."
I breathed a sigh of relief. One of the world's best reporters was not being a fence-sitter. He was just not at liberty to discuss anything! The very next morning our lecturer told us that he also had the Chairman of the BBC breathing down his neck the whole duration of the evening lecture.
I learned from the FT today that Peston had been 1 of 5 journalists invited by The Treasury to give evidence about "sparking a run on Northern Rock by reporting its troubles and later failing to break the story early enough".
I would like to comment that by today's standards, no journalist can do right. If journalists had reported a recession, they are blamed for the panic that ensues. If they remain silent, the public are outraged that such important information is withheld from them. What is a journalist to do?
Peston was singled out because his reporting "had caused a run by retail customers on the bank, which was subsequently nationalised" to quote the FT. Was that not just caused by the incompetence of the few fat cat executives at the top? As Peston's argument was yesterday, "What led to the collapse of Northern Rock was not the retail run, it was the wholesale run, it was the institutions refusing to fund that bank."
And that, my friends, is your answer.
Tuesday 3 February 2009
British?
These past few days, I've been observing the news as usual. I have come to the conclusion, that even though I was born in the UK (Newcastle upon Tyne to be precise), was schooled all my life here, and have paid tax to the British government for the year I worked between finishing my undergrad and doing my MA, some people still do not consider me to be British.
The recent contractor strikes in Lincolnshire and Sellafield have made British workers heard. "British jobs for British people" their placards read. Well, what then is British?
The current state of the economy is not boding well for many. Or any to be truthful. What the strikers do not see is that their protests will not suddenly open up job opportunities. Blaming immigrants is not the right answer, merely the easiest.
Without immigrant workers, the economy in the UK would be brought to its knees. Never mind a recession, there wouldn't be an economy. This isn't an immigrant issue at all. Article 39 of the E.U. treaty guarantees movement of workers throughout Europe, and no union leader anywhere should have a problem with that. Article 49 of the treaty allows firms to bring workers from the native country in which they are based as part of a service agreement. Would the strikers still complain if their rights were no longer protected when the firm they work for is contracted for work abroad? That the rights they have in their native country are void upon touching foreign soil?
Understand that an E.U. ban would go both ways. No more cheap flights to Magaluf. No more quality brie from France. And no more cheap seamstresses in the market to mend your fabulous party dress.
I am unsure whether I still want to classify myself as British. Why pigeon-hole myself? Especially since people in my own country do not seem to realise what the true nature of being British means.
The recent contractor strikes in Lincolnshire and Sellafield have made British workers heard. "British jobs for British people" their placards read. Well, what then is British?
The current state of the economy is not boding well for many. Or any to be truthful. What the strikers do not see is that their protests will not suddenly open up job opportunities. Blaming immigrants is not the right answer, merely the easiest.
Without immigrant workers, the economy in the UK would be brought to its knees. Never mind a recession, there wouldn't be an economy. This isn't an immigrant issue at all. Article 39 of the E.U. treaty guarantees movement of workers throughout Europe, and no union leader anywhere should have a problem with that. Article 49 of the treaty allows firms to bring workers from the native country in which they are based as part of a service agreement. Would the strikers still complain if their rights were no longer protected when the firm they work for is contracted for work abroad? That the rights they have in their native country are void upon touching foreign soil?
Understand that an E.U. ban would go both ways. No more cheap flights to Magaluf. No more quality brie from France. And no more cheap seamstresses in the market to mend your fabulous party dress.
I am unsure whether I still want to classify myself as British. Why pigeon-hole myself? Especially since people in my own country do not seem to realise what the true nature of being British means.
Sunday 1 February 2009
Another day, another resolution
At the beginning of this week, my friend Lucy and I had, as a challenge to ourselves, agreed to give up pork of any kind for a month. As February 1st was looming, we chose this month.
Coincidentally, last night I sat and watched Jamie Saves Our Bacon as part of the Great British Food Fight series. My oh my. I never imagined that killing animals was particularly humane of course, but the conditions in which pigs are kept for breeding purposes are horrific. The process of actually (humanely) killing pigs is disgusting. It looks like Hugh and Jamie may have converted many meat eaters in their time, but I never would have thought I would be one of them.
I have decided that if this month works out well, I see no reason to ever eat pork again. I've never been an animal lover (my friends are more than willing to vouch for that), but there was always something about pigs that I felt quite fond about. Cows scare me unless they are on my plate medium-rare. Sheep are evil and lamb tastes like soap. I will never cross duck off my menu, and the same goes for chicken. But pigs are... cute.
I once read an interview with Cameron Diaz years ago. She explained the reason why she was and is a vegertarian is because a fully grown pig has the mental age of a three year old child. Putting it into that context, really made me think. While I don't often take anything Cameron Diaz says as gospel, it seemed a valid point. Don't farmers always say that on their farm the pigs are more intelligent than their dogs?
There is one issue with this dietary adjustment however. My family love food. Our social events are usually based around food. They also only eat the best. Organic, free range chicken from a Cumbrian farm. Organic beef. British pork. Fresh water lobster and mussels. In fact, one of the main criteria for choosing a boyfriend if I ever wanted to take him to my family was that they loved to eat, and were not fussy. If I told them I was cutting anything that wasn't life threatening from my diet, I think I would be ostracised.
So the plan is, I shall cut out pork from my diet for as long as I can cook for myself, but at special family occasions, I shall make sure my family only eat British meat (something you know they already do) and not say a word to them. It's ok to give up resolutions for your family isn't it? Noble almost...
And who can actually say no to some beautiful, succulent, fresh out of the oven, pork crackling?
Coincidentally, last night I sat and watched Jamie Saves Our Bacon as part of the Great British Food Fight series. My oh my. I never imagined that killing animals was particularly humane of course, but the conditions in which pigs are kept for breeding purposes are horrific. The process of actually (humanely) killing pigs is disgusting. It looks like Hugh and Jamie may have converted many meat eaters in their time, but I never would have thought I would be one of them.
I have decided that if this month works out well, I see no reason to ever eat pork again. I've never been an animal lover (my friends are more than willing to vouch for that), but there was always something about pigs that I felt quite fond about. Cows scare me unless they are on my plate medium-rare. Sheep are evil and lamb tastes like soap. I will never cross duck off my menu, and the same goes for chicken. But pigs are... cute.
I once read an interview with Cameron Diaz years ago. She explained the reason why she was and is a vegertarian is because a fully grown pig has the mental age of a three year old child. Putting it into that context, really made me think. While I don't often take anything Cameron Diaz says as gospel, it seemed a valid point. Don't farmers always say that on their farm the pigs are more intelligent than their dogs?
There is one issue with this dietary adjustment however. My family love food. Our social events are usually based around food. They also only eat the best. Organic, free range chicken from a Cumbrian farm. Organic beef. British pork. Fresh water lobster and mussels. In fact, one of the main criteria for choosing a boyfriend if I ever wanted to take him to my family was that they loved to eat, and were not fussy. If I told them I was cutting anything that wasn't life threatening from my diet, I think I would be ostracised.
So the plan is, I shall cut out pork from my diet for as long as I can cook for myself, but at special family occasions, I shall make sure my family only eat British meat (something you know they already do) and not say a word to them. It's ok to give up resolutions for your family isn't it? Noble almost...
And who can actually say no to some beautiful, succulent, fresh out of the oven, pork crackling?
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