Rolled-up Trousers

BNP - taking us back to the ice age

Osama Saeed — 2009-10-25T17:43:06+00:00

Nick Griffin has provided us all a villain to unite against. On Question Time his racism was exposed, but this will find resonance in parts of the country, aided by weak opposition from other political parties.

Griffin compared ‘indigenous Brits’ to Aborigines. A people under threat from ‘genocide’ caused by the immigration policies of successive governments. London, he says, is no longer a British city. Seems to be doing all right all the same.

You would think then in mentioning the Native Australians and Native Americans that he would have sympathy with their cause. It was truly bizarre to watch Griffin talk seriously about true British people being the ones who were here when the “ice melted” – from the ice age, not last winter. But let’s follow Griffin’s logic all the way through on the face of what he actually said yesterday. The Native Americans should then be able to send all the Europeans back. We would also welcome 'back' millions of Australians.

This country would be jam-packed. If there is an overcrowding issue now, it would be exacerbated as a much smaller number of people would be forced to Africa, Asia or just to be driven into the sea (or London if Griffin chooses to write it off). But this is more than a matter of immigration as Griffin would now have us believe. In the footage of that meeting in the US with David Duke, he is addressing a loony white supremecist audience, not a Native American one.

It is surreal to be even talking like this about the ice age but this is what the BBC have brought us to. The other panellists were a mixed bunch. Jack Straw squirmed a lot especially at the question of whether Labour’s policies have contributed to the rise of the BNP (Gary Younge is compulsory reading on this). Sayeeda Warsi and Chris Huhne played very comfortably on right-wing territory on the issue of immigration.

When all you do is talk about tighter borders and points based systems, you make it sound like people who are different are a bad thing. None of them defend and extol the positive impact immigration has had in this country. None of them countered the nonsense Griffin spouted about Islam either. Bonnie Greer came off very well, but the panel could have done with someone who showed them all up, not just the BNP leader.

While Griffin seems to have played very badly amongst liberals, speaking to non-political types after the programme I detect sympathy for him. It was him against the rest of the hall (the few people who applauded his Islam points aside). He claims it was a lynch mob, but Question Time operates from the questions people put in. I’ve no doubt that the majority of the questions were about the BNP this time.

If he's on again, it may be different. The reason that this week’s Question Time is as dangerous a development as it is, is not because of the ludicrous talk of ice ages. The danger is that this becomes normal in future.

SNP conference dispatch - the economy

Osama Saeed — 2009-10-21T13:16:10+01:00

The economy naturally was discussed at SNP conference through a number of motions. One speaker criticised Jim Murphy’s ‘Arc of Insolvency’ line, pointing to an 'Arc of Recovery' where Iceland is now faring better arguably than the UK is on growth and unemployment. Norway has hardly been touched at all.

Gordon Wilson, SNP leader from 1979 to 1990, delivered the Donaldson lecture this year, and suggested the SNP should adopt negative campaigning, pointing out that it has worked for Labour over the years. His concrete suggestion was to highlight ‘Bankrupt Britain’, and in the context of the massive public spending cuts ahead, the idea of London as Scotland’s economic comfort blanket is in serious jeopardy. He has a book out.

One of the conference highlights for me was the Saturday lunchtime fringe launching Gerry Hassan’s new book on the Modern SNP. It was hosted by Joan McAlpine of the Sunday Times and had a thought provoking panel who have contributed to the book. Hassan himself said that the SNP has been a “breath of fresh air” on the Scottish political landscape and reflected on what state we’d be in if it was just Labour, Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats in the Scottish Parliament.

Colin Mackay, political editor for independent radio said he felt there was less of a buzz amongst delegates this year compared to the previous two. This hadn’t yet slipped into complacency, but was certainly what he described as a comfort zone. With the aim being to deliver independence through a referendum in the short term, the current trajectory wasn’t going to deliver that. A number of people took exception to this I should add.

The economists Jim and Margaret Cuthbert meanwhile accused the SNP of having joined the Washington Consuses with their economic policy, and adopted neoliberalism (albeit with a heart) just as the whole system collapsed. They advocated strategies that the party could now adopt in moving forward with a different model, allowing Scotland to chart a new and innovative course.

I reflect that it does seem to be very much business as usual as far as the causes of the current crisis are concerned. Regulation and policy remain unchanged across the board internationally and politically there doesn’t seem to be much determination to change this. Could Scotland lead the way on this, just as we have with climate change? Obviously the powers do not reside in the Scottish Parliament on this matter, but a robust articulation of the country’s views and a concrete set of proposals are possible.

SNP Conference 2009 twittering

Osama Saeed — 2009-10-21T12:15:00+01:00

"When Labour fight poverty, poverty usually wins" - David Kerr, SNP's Glasgow NE candidate. Line of the conference for me #snpconf

"Gordon Brown: What a sorry excuse for a Scotsman" barnstorming fraternal address from Plaid Cymru #snpconf

Salmond - taking Scotland's voice and Scotland's values to the heart of Westminster #snpconf

Salmond - on Brown's signalling of reduction of nuke subs from 4 to 3. "Correct number on the Clyde is zero" #snpconf

Compassion signified by Megrahi's release could be that #snpconf

Salmond - Gandhi's nonviolence was active, not passive. Need something to break cycle of violence - #snpconf

Salmond - Scotland has leading climate change legislation and Gordon Brown should let us be represented in Copenhagen #snpconf

Salmond - social democratic contract based on "wealth created and wealth shared" #snpconf

Novo Scotia

Osama Saeed — 2009-10-16T12:24:26+01:00

The nationality debate started last year by the possibility of Spanish-born Nacho Novo playing football for Scotland reared its head again this week with discussion this time centred on English-born but Scottish-educated Andrew Driver.

I’ve been alarmed and uncomfortable at the tenor of the discussion in football circles on this issue, and has once again demonstrated how the sport sometimes thinks itself above normal life. Some of the talk has ruled these men out of because of their “bloodline”, and radio phone-ins even questioned whether the players would be “loyal” to Scotland.

Reality check. People born outside this country, but who have citizenship, can run for political office and even become Prime Minister or First Minister. They can join the army, fight – and die – for this country. It is absurd to argue that someone saying they are Scottish should be ruled out of playing football for the country just because they were born elsewhere.

All that is required to be Scottish is to feel Scottish. It is quite some situation given how difficult it is to get a passport that the Home Office tests for nationality should be harder than that of the Scottish Football Association.

Let’s also face it, over the years there are have been examples of Scottish born players like Kris Boyd who have given up playing for their country after some setbacks. Studies have shown ‘New Scots’ to be more patriotic than ‘Old Scots’. Given the state of the game, we should be welcoming people declaring their desire to play for Scotland.

But are Nacho Novo or Andrew Driver actually any good? That’s the real question surely.

PS Novo means 'new' in Portuguese and not Spanish, which was disappointing for the purposes of the headline above, but I decided to use it anyway!

Prosecuting genocide and war crimes in the UK

Osama Saeed — 2009-10-05T23:54:11+01:00

More attempts have been made in recent weeks to arrest and prosecute Israelis for war crimes due to their roles in the military. First it was Ehud Barak who came for the Labour Party conference in Brighton and now it is Moshe Yaalon. Both attempts were unsuccessful.

It's reignited an issue that had seemingly gone off the radar. In 2005 there was a warrant issued for the arrest of General Doron Almog, only for him to be somehow warned by the Israeli embassy that police were waiting before he disembarked his flight at Heathrow. He flew directly back to Israel as a consequence. It was later leaked that the tip-off was probably resulted from police fears of a 'gunfight' with Almog's security at the airport.

Following the incident, the UK government promised to look into ways that citizen-inspired warrants like this could not be issued. It has for years now continued to be a source of irritation in Israel.

The perfect opportunity surely presented itself to Jack Straw, the minister who apologised to Israel on behalf of the judiciary over the Almog affair, when he announced his proposals to tighten up genocide prosecutions in the UK. Ostensibly the main provisions are that crimes covered can date back to 1991 rather than the current 2001. The accused have to be resident in the UK, and not merely visiting.

This is currently the case with the International Criminal Court Act 2001 so is nothing new. The new plans have been criticised on this basis though and for not dating back far enough and for prosecutions still needing the Attorney General's consent. The further concern would have been on any small print restricting actions under the 1988 Criminal Justice Act, which was the relevant legislation affecting the Almog and Barak moves. The Bill will still have to be scrutinised, but the Jewish Chronicle recently reported that things have changed after the Gaza bombing earlier this year:

"... six months ago, the Foreign Office discreetly notified the Israeli government that, given public reaction to Operation Cast Lead in Gaza, the changes would not possible be in the near future."

I'll finish just now with Jack Straw's own words when announcing the update to ICCA:

‘The government is strongly committed to the fight against these heinous crimes. We must send a clear signal that the UK is no safe haven for those who commit them.

‘Those who have committed genocide, war crimes or crimes against humanity over the last two decades must not escape justice. These people must face up to their terrible crimes and we are doing everything in our power to make them accountable for their actions.

‘We have looked at whether our law at present is strong enough. Our preference is for those alleged to have committed such terrible crimes to be brought to justice in the country where the crimes took place, which allows the community that has suffered to see the perpetrators brought to justice.

‘But when this is not possible, we are committed to ensuring those guilty of these crimes are punished appropriately and to the full extent of the law in this country.’

Fine sentiments, but which need to be backed up with action. Our law shouldn't allow for war criminals to visit the UK unimpeded either. There's also no reason for the words I've highlighted in bold above.

ID card scheme has not been scrapped

Osama Saeed — 2009-10-03T23:30:43+01:00

Sometimes I feel a bit sorry for Gordon Brown. The prime minister is said to have got quite tetchy with some reporters yesterday. Understandably so given how bold the press corps seem to be with him now. We're not used to this kind of lack of deference to a prime minister. I'm not sure it was even like this with John Major.

Brown was named World Statesman of the Year last week. Instead, the press focused on the lack of a one-to-one meeting between him and Barack Obama. On Sunday, Andrew Marr asked him about his health and taking pills. This is a sure sign of lack of authority. Tony Blair actually had to be admitted to hospital with heart problems in 2003 and no one made a big deal out of it.

Listening to Brown's speech at the Labour conference though, the feelings of sympathy quickly pass. The spin on his ID cards announcement particularly leaped out for me. He said "And so, conference, I can say to you today: in the next parliament, there will be no compulsory ID cards for British citizens." This wasn't a new announcement. And it isn't the whole truth either.

The issue of physical cards we may or may not have to carry around is a smokescreen. The main issue is the central identity database. This will hold your biometric data and log any checks that are made on it by government and other relevant agencies.

What allows Brown to say it is not compulsory is that your details only go on it when you apply or renew your passport or driving licence. If you don't travel or drive, then sure, you're fine.

This is part of the soft approach the government take on the issue. Previously there was speculation of what would happen to people who refused to carry one. If the population had been compelled en masse all at once into the scheme it could have led to poll tax-style protests.

Instead the population has been diced up. Recent immigrants were the first to be told to sign up. Then it was airport workers. Manchester pilots boycotted attempts to force them into it.

What is clear is that if this infringement on liberty is to be opposed then it is going to need concerted action against it. It will no doubt be a key issue leading into the next general election.

The Sun are gloryhunters

Osama Saeed — 2009-10-01T23:07:30+01:00

Much has been made of the decision of the Sun to switch sides from Labour to the Conservatives in England.

Labour have made defiant noises about this. Rightly so, but it's twelve years too late to be showing some cajones when it comes to the Murdoch empire.

The truth is they would have won in 1997, 2001 and 2005 without them. And now that the Sun are seeing a different mood in England, they've switched to David Cameron.

In Scotland, the Sun have campaigned hard against the SNP. On polling day in 2007 they tried the tartan version of the 1992 light bulb front page with a noose in the shape of the SNP logo. I don't need to tell you that the SNP still won.

Maybe newspapers aren't as powerful as they once were. Circulations are down, and the internet means people consume news from different sources.

And even more powerful news mediums have been proven not to be all-powerful. Barack Obama had to contend not just with Murdoch's newspapers but his rightwing TV station too. And we know how that ended up.

BNP on Question Time

Osama Saeed — 2009-09-30T22:42:50+01:00

Good times for the BNP just now. Vote is up around the country, a couple of MEPs and now appearing on BBC's Question Time without even appearing to lobby for it.

The argument for the BBC's defence is that now there will be an opportunity for the BNP to be exposed. But the Question Time format does not lend itself to this kind of cross examination (more on this here). The programme consists of politicians essentially making prerehearsed speeches on the issues of the day.

There was an opportunity for the BBC to be badly exposed on this issue but it appears as if a cross party consensus has emerged for them all to eschew the long standing policy of not sharing platforms with the far-right. It appears the lure of TV cameras makes everything different to your normal town hall meetings. One thing that should further make us doubt the likelihood of the BNP being "exposed" on Question Time is the pandering that the mainstream parties have done on matters of immigration, race and faith in recent years.

We may not have heard the last of this. But my other hope is that if the BNP are invited onto the programme in Scotland, that the Scottish parties do at least unite and refuse to take part.

The preposterousness and absurdity of the BNP

Osama Saeed — 2009-05-24T11:02:14+01:00

It's been warned throughout this time of economic crisis, that rising unemployment could lead to a rise in racist tendencies.

But these last few weeks, rather than the country turning in on itself, it has been our MPs that have borne the brunt of anger from a united public. A persecuted and vilified minority they have become!

However, once this has died down a bit, it has also been predicted that the disaffection brought about by MP expenses could lead to a surge in support for the BNP.

I find this logic somewhat warped. Understandably, trust in Parliamentarians is at an all-time low. Everyone is talking about politics, so much so that Question Time was brought forward to a 9pm prime time slot this week.

But what would make anyone think that voting for thugs now wearing lipstick would make things better? The BNP hadn't even got into second gear before they were caught out lying on their election leaflets. Pictures of happy families, OAPs and British workers were found to be actors, and not even British ones at that.

They also had a picture of what was supposed to be an NHS doctor backing them. On the side of the leaflet featuring the now compulsory "British jobs for British workers" slogan, was a man with stethoscope and white coat saying:

"I'm voting BNP because I see what immigration has done to the NHS."

Given the contribution of Asian doctors in particular to the NHS over the last many years, this is a remarkable sector to target to show the pitfalls of immigrations. It should send a shudder to think of the repercussions if the BNP ever succeeded in removing all non-white staff from our hospitals.

Then there's this banner:

Because We've Earned the Right!

Trafalgar - The Somme - Dunkirk - D-Day - The Falklands

What on earth has any of this got to do with the BNP? Are they arguing for the Gurkhas to be given citizenship? Indeed, many soldiers from the Indian sub-continent fought in the World Wars. This means that their descendents have exactly the same claim to this heritage as Nick Griffin.

The BNP can't even get through one side of A5 without tying themselves up in all sorts of knots.

MPs aren't getting it

Osama Saeed — 2009-05-21T13:37:06+01:00

More revelations on MP expenses today. It keeps on coming.

It is horrific, but I also can't understand why weeks into this affair, MPs are still being undone by this.

Today, it's not like David Cameron's Etonian pal Bill Wiggin, or Geoff Hoon, have been caught unawares. They've had more than ample time to review their records and come clean before this was dragged out by the Daily Telegraph.

Surely any spin doctor would have told them that it's better to release news on your own terms rather than have someone else expose it.

But clearly they and many other MPs who we've still to learn about, haven't learned the lesson. What the public are looking for is honesty and transparency.

Today's lot, and tomorrow's, have sat around hoping that the Daily Telegraph wouldn't notice them.

It is not good enough and the public deserve better.

I also wonder how the rest of the media have let so many MPs stay silent on the matter even till now. So many of them have been hiding in the corner hoping this will all blow over. I would have thought that some good reporters somewhere would be trying to steal a march on the Telegraph asking every MP who hasn't been covered yet, whether all their affairs are in order, or whether they'd like to hold their hands up to their constituents and declare anything.

That's what I've been doing with Mohammad Sarwar, and we wait for a response.

Sarwar expenses response criticised

Osama Saeed — 2009-05-21T13:10:27+01:00

Media Release - 20 May 2009

Glasgow Central MP Mohammad Sarwar has come under fire for his response to the expenses controversy engulfing Westminster.

The Labour MP, who was fifth most expensive in the House of Commons last year, broke his silence on the matter by reacting to a statement from SNP Westminster candidate Osama Saeed (below), replying that he would publish his expense claims on his website at a later date.

However, questions have arisen on why there should be a delay on this when the House of Commons authorities gave MPs a copy of all claims in April, with some MPs already having placed the documents on their websites. Sarwar also did not comment on the legitimacy or otherwise of his expenses.

On Monday, he said on his website: "The current controversy over MP's expenses has, quite rightly, raised both concern and anger. I can confirm that once all details are made available by the Fee's [sic] Office, I will be publishing them in full on this website".

Commenting, Osama Saeed, the SNP's Glasgow Central candidate said:

"I welcome Mr Sarwar's prompt response to my request and his undertaking to publish all his receipts. However, he really needs to explain why there should be any time lag before publication.

"The House of Commons authorities have made copies of the documents available for well over a month now, with MPs taking the opportunity to redact information. If there has been no wrongdoing on his part at all, he should say so. At the same time, if mistakes have been made, it is better to be upfront and honest rather than dragging this out.

"Given the level of concern, anger and disgust there is amongst the public right now, constituents deserve to know the exact state of play with their MP."

[ENDS]

Media Release - 18 May 2009

Sarwar urged to publish expense claims

Glasgow Central MP Mohammad Sarwar has been urged to put all of his expenses onto his website, and to make a personal statement on the controversy that has gripped the country.

The call has come from the SNP’s prospective candidate for the constituency, Osama Saeed.

The most recently published figures showed the Labour MP listed as the fifth most expensive in the entire House of Commons, claiming £174,882 during 2007/08 [1,2].

While finishing high in the expense tables, statistics on Parliamentary activity meanwhile shows him to be seventh from bottom among Scottish MPs.

Commenting, the SNP’s Osama Saeed said:

“Westminster has been rocked for weeks now with a soap opera of sleaze. Meanwhile, Glasgow Central’s MP has said nothing on the issue. People round the country are extremely angry at what has gone on, and this constituency is no different.

“It is not good enough to either have to wait till July for the House of Commons to finally publish everything or rely on the media to do it for them. For the sake of transparency I urge Mr Sarwar to break his silence.

“He should place all receipts onto his taxpayer funded website[3] for scrutiny so that constituents can at the very least have peace of mind if everything is in order.”

[ENDS]

Notes

See http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8044207.stm
Mohammad Sarwar also finished as Westminster’s third most expensive MP in 2003/04, and Scotland’s most expensive MP. Figures for 05, 06 and 07 have not been readily available at the time of this release
Sarwar claimed the maximum available £10,000 Communication Allowance in 07/08

Dividing the colonies to extract the oil

Osama Saeed — 2009-02-16T13:24:29+00:00

The new revelations contained in the Times contain more than a whiff of the 'divide and rule' mentality. It's absolutely extraordinary that a proposal could seriously be floated in Whitehall to stoke up independence movements in Orkey and Shetland in order to redraw maritime boundaries all the better for London to take in North Sea oil revenues.

The tone of the proposals and the fact they could even be aired displays once again the utter contempt in which Scotland has been held by successive London governments. Scotland is seen as nothing short of a cash cow, only for us to be further mocked by being told that we’re too poor to be independent. In reality, they knew back then that had we been independent, we’d be running ‘chronic surpluses to a quite embarrassing degree’.

This is no small matter. These deceits have meant that where we could have invested in our national public infrastructure with substantial oil revenues for thirty years, we’ve instead got some of the poorest areas in Western Europe. We could be infinitely better off right now, and it is making Scots angry.

A sensible and long term policy on the oil wealth could also made us into one of the world's major players. Just look at the statistics which put Norway's oil windfall fund as the third largest in the world - bigger than Kuwait and Suadi Arabia's to name two famous oil producing countries.

It's not just a case of what we could have been - it's what we still can be too. There’s estimated to still be around 30billion barrels still under the North Sea, with around 40billion extracted so far. It's up to us - if we get a chance to vote on it next year.

Bashir Ahmad: Judged by the content of his character

Osama Saeed — 2009-02-10T23:53:00+00:00

Four days after Bashir Ahmad’s death, I’m still finding it difficult to think of much else.

Glasgow Central Mosque was jam packed for his funeral which took place only half a day later. It’s customary in the event of someone’s death to pay tribute to them, so it’s difficult to convey exactly what made him so special. There is a reason why literally everyone’s comments about him are to do what his manners and gentlemanliness though.

He came from a culture which puts great stock on hospitality, but from this background, no one excelled him. He had an old school quality. Speaking to people, I’m amazed at how many folk have been dined and plied with food at his house. Mangoes had been delivered to farflung places of the country, where Pakistan’s king of fruit had never been before. Even his family appear to be taken aback by the sheer volume of people telling them how some of his kind words had made them feel special.

Martin Luther King said that he dreamed of a day when people would be judged, not by the colour of their skin, but by the content of their character. And this is exactly the basis upon which Uncle Bashir was loved.

I first met him in 2003, and saw him in action first in his successful campaign to become councillor in Pollokshields. Even at that time, being an Asian in the SNP was to invite ridicule from sections of the community. The charge was variously that being in the SNP was a waste of time, was dividing the us all, and one day the party would be exposed to be a bunch of rightwing xenophobes. SNP is BNP, you see.

One episode will always stick in my mind during this election campaign. The Labour campaign seemed infinitely bigger, there were many of them all rosetted up, with vehicles bearing loudhailers circling the streets. The SNP campaign meanwhile seemed to consist solely of him. Outside the bustling polling station of Pollokshields Primary School, Labour supporters jeered and mocked. He would always take this with a quiet dignity though, and that’s what made me so happy for him when he won.

One of the ladies that was heaping opprobrium ended up slipping on the pavement. Divine retribution? But who was the first to help her up? Yes.

A lot is said about the position of Muslims in the country, and surely Bashir Ahmad’s story should be an instructive encapsulation of all that’s best about Scotland. Someone who was devout, that practiced and believed in Islam, campaigned till his death for the independence of his country. He was centrally involved in politics, and did so without compromising his faith and his values. In fact he was lauded for them on his death.

Bashir Ahmad is a loss not just to the Asian and Muslim communities, but to the country. When people talk of an imbalance in representation, it’s not that our views are not being represented, because you don’t need to be of a specific colour to do that. It’s just the country is now not getting a different perspective that comes from diversity.

I’ve been embarrassed by questions from many people about my own future, and filling the gap that’s said to exist in the Scottish Parliament now. There is no by-election to fight after the death, and for those who have not heard, Anne McLaughlin is now an MSP by virtue of being the next on the SNP’s Glasgow regional list of candidates from the 2007 election. She will not be happy about the circumstances, but I know that she is equipped to do a great job.

So the Scottish Parliament will in all likelihood remain all white till the 2011 elections when this will have to be resolved again. One thing I do know is that Bashir Ahmad inspired and encouraged a generation after him, and his work will continue.

Bashir Ahmad MSP RIP

Osama Saeed — 2009-02-06T22:26:40+00:00

The news has come through this evening that Bashir Ahmad MSP has died of a heart attack.

He was at home with his family. The suddenness has left us all stunned. People with him at work only an hour or two earlier say all seemed fine. From God we come and to Him is the return.

Uncle Bashir, as we called him, was a great man. The best. People admired him because he had those characteristics we all need - exemplary manners, a great nature, warmth and hospitality.

He was a history maker - Scotland's first ethnic minority MSP, its first Muslim MSP.

He epitomised the stereotype of the first generation Asian Scots. Graft, hard work, entrepreneurship. He was also different to most in our elder generation - through his civic engagement. I'm in the SNP largely because of him. In 2003, he made the effort to get to know a lot of us who'd been involved in antiwar activity. Not only had he blazed a trail that a number of us were to follow, but he encouraged and helped others to do so. Often, elders give lip service about getting young people involved - he meant it.

He set up the Scots Asians for Independence as a bridge between the party and the Asian community and there are a tranche of people that owe him a debt for that work. So many in BME communities lack contacts and role models, and that's what made this body so important.

For him, it wasn't about his own personal achievements or glory. His cause was independence. Whenever you were to meet him, most likely you'd be quizzed about what you were doing to achieve it. In more recent times, you could also sense his own personal frustration that with his years, he perhaps didn't have as much energy as he used to.

For me he'll always be an inspiration. Speaking to people this evening just reemphasises the esteem and fondness in which he was held. My thoughts and prayers with his family.

DEC appeal farce: Comment of the day...

Osama Saeed — 2009-01-26T23:49:17+00:00

.. goes to Adrian Wells of Sky News. Announcing his channel's solidarity with the BBC, he said:

"We have to, as an international channel, focus on our primary role and that is to report the story and not become the story."

Mission accomplished?

You can tell how unpopular the decision is even within the BBC. The 10'oclock news and Newsnight both showed clips of the advert in their news items about the episode, with website and phone number clearly on display in the bottom-righthand corner.

BBC must air the DEC appeal

Osama Saeed — 2009-01-25T18:10:07+00:00

The BBC have royally messed up with the farcicial decision not to broadcast the Disaster Emergency Committee's appeal for Gaza.

Thirteen of the UK's leading charities have come together to do a joint iniatiative for the region which was already a humanitarian catastrophe, even before the three week bombing by Israel. 80% of the people there were dependent on UN food because of the twenty month Israeli siege, with the UN running out of food in December.

Since then, 1300 dead, many more thousands injured, even more homeless. These agencies want to tackle this. For the BBC to question whether aid can be distributed, and in effect accuse the country's leading charities of lying about their abilities, is extraordinary.

The main reason the BBC have cited though is the impact this would have on their impartiality. I'm afraid that's totally shot to pieces now, but I don't think anyone can ever feasibly argue again that it's in favour of the Palestinians. It's bad enough they have contributed through their (lack of) reporting to a climate where they clearly have no recognition of the situation in Gaza. To now not just ignore the suffering, but to stop urgent assistance from being collected, is disgusting.

Anyone that would have complained to the BBC because they broadcasted the DEC appeal, would have been an inhuman voice not worth listening to. Pandering to the worst elements of society is an abdication of backbone and principles. Surely the BBC has better guidelines than that.

I urge everyone to complain urgently:
Phone: 03700 100 222
Web: http://www.bbc.co.uk/complaints/

UPDATE: Tony Benn has aired the DEC details in BBC interviews. Watch here. Love the way he gives not the phone number, not the url, but the snail mail address! Long live Tony Benn.

UPDATE 2: I've been sent this link from 2005 about BBC DG Mark Thompson's visit to Jerusalem on a pro-Israeli charm offensive with Ariel Sharon.

UPDATE 3: I hear that BBC Scotland's HQ has been occupied by Stop the War protesters who say they won't leave till the DEC appeal is aired

Bush and the neocons have gone. Time for Al-Qaeda to depart stage-right too.

Osama Saeed — 2009-01-24T00:32:38+00:00

If you were to plan out Barack Obama’s first few moves for him, rolling back the excesses of the Bush years would be the obvious moves. The closure of Guantanamo and other torture sites is welcome, as his statement that the choice between safety and values that we’ve been presented with by Bush, Blair and others over the last few years is a false one.

In future, tougher decisions face him. He must give real hope to the Palestinians, and pressure Israel to withdraw to 1967 borders. When Bush arrived in office eight years ago, it was just after Ariel Sharon had kicked off the second intifada. In the following years, a succession of Israeli conditions have been met including the cessation of suicide bombings and the replacement of Yasser Arafat. There are another set of Israeli demands now before they say they’ll do anything. Very little is ever asked of the Israelis though. The hands-off policy of the Bush administration led to the bloodbath seen in Gaza over the last few weeks.

It was Bush’s farewell speech that capped it all off though. Citing that there hadn’t been any attacks on US soil since 9/11 he crowed that he had kept the US safe since then – crassly ignoring the hit his allies took in Madrid, London and many other places. Spain decided that joining Bush’s war in Iraq had put them in the front line of terror.

The ‘war on terror’ only served to escalate hostilities. It hasn’t made anyone any safer - quite the opposite. Al-Qaeda meanwhile have been at it even longer than Bush, and have similarly ended up further away from their stated objectives. Their declaration of war on the US cited the grievances of US troops in the Middle East, US support for Israel, and for dictators in the Muslim world. All three of these indicators have become worse since 9/11. Their actions gave the neocons the pretext they needed to launch devastating wars, killing hundreds of thousands of people in the process.

George Bush has exited stage right. I hope Al-Qaeda do likewise. There is the chance of a fresh chapter, but it needs space, time and calm. As President Obama said at his inauguration:

“To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect.”

I hope so. The last thing we need at this moment is a terrorist spectacular that would kill off any chances of this. The only way we’re going to bring justice to the world scene is through the political process, and the strength of our argument and endeavour within it. It was always thus, and so many of us have always said it. After so many lives and years lost, now it could be our time.

There is an ‘eye for an eye’ going on and it is making the whole world blind

Osama Saeed — 2008-12-29T22:23:20+00:00

Yesterday's vigil for Gaza in Glasgow’s George Square was unbelievably well attended. Hundreds came at just 24 hours notice in a remarkable mobilisation. Similar events took place at the same time all over the world.

The strength of feeling amongst people about this is as strong as anything I’ve seen since the Jenin massacre in 2002 - even more so than with Lebanon a couple of years ago.

The terrorist attacks on Gaza have killed more people than in the Madrid bombings. More people than in Bali. More than in Mumbai. Many times more people than in London.

Most right thinking people condemn any terrorist attack regardless of the perpetrators, regardless of the victims.

The same cannot be said for our world leaders. Too many of them in the West, and the Arab world have double standards. Too many seek to justify the killing of innocents. Some are driven by ideology.

It doesn’t matter what you believe, or if you’re Israeli or Palestinian. You do not kill babies and children.

The Israelis say they are responding to rockets. Some Palestinians are calling for a Third Intifada. Violence met by more violence. Al-Qaeda say they are motivated by Western atrocities. The US say they are in Afghanistan and Iraq because of 9/11.

There is an ‘eye for an eye’ going on and it is making the whole world blind.

Once our anger at this atrocity has subsided we must redouble our efforts to make peace. Israel’s medieval 18 month siege on Gaza must end. The truce between Hamas and Israel said that the siege would end 10 days into it. Six months later the Gazans were still waiting.

For 60 years they were waiting for a state. Now they just wait for bread and electricity.

I'm back

Osama Saeed — 2008-12-29T22:19:12+00:00

2008 has not been a rich year of blogging for me, with the latter half of the year in particular yielding no posts at all.

I'd managed two to three years pretty consistently before that, and even picked up a few awards and accolades along the way.

I don't think I've dried up or come up against writers block as afflicts many. It's just getting time to physically write things up hasn't been there of late.

It's been an incredible last six months for me personally. There's been plenty to blog about, but I've just not been able to do it. So it's a bit ironic that as things get more interesting, I've not been able to share it.

So I'm going to give this another bash now. As well as thoughts on current events, I'll hopefully also be posting up some of the things that I've missed over the last period too. The end of the year is a good time to reflect on these things in any case.

Centre for Social Cohesion

Osama Saeed — 2008-06-30T00:42:45+01:00

This is an extended version of my article which appeared in yesterday's Sunday Herald.

We officially launched the Scottish-Islamic Foundation this week, with warm words of encouragement and congratulation from three of the country’s four main party leaders and the head of the Catholic Church for what may well be the most innovative, ambitious and forward-looking programme ever laid out by a Scottish Muslim organisation.

At the same time, we were baffled by a briefing put out by the gloriously named ‘Centre for Social Cohesion’ warning people against us. They don’t have as wide a remit as their name suggests, a quick scan of their website shows almost everything is on the topic of Islam and Muslims, and very few escape their wrath.

Their “research” was in reality nothing more than a quick Google job, and a negatively screened one at that. The tactic of these kind of hatchet jobs which emanate from London is to smear by association. Attaching Muslims with someone controversial is like the “six steps to Kevin Bacon” test. It’s a modern day McCarthyism.

We could disavow the A-Z of Muslim groups that are blacklisted, and one or two groups in London have gained celebrity criticising other Muslims on the drop of a hat in a game that never ends. They as a result have no friends, while we’re committed to working with our community in improving things wherever necessary. If there’s criminality involved, then let the police deal with it, but there’s not a hint of that.

We’re a new body with no links to anyone outside of Scotland. Amongst our objectives are the furtherance of human rights and freedom at home and in the Muslim world. These right-wing bodies though say we’re lying about this, that we hate democracy. Some even say this lying is part of our faith, which really is the language of Islamophobia. It’s impossible to win against such a gutter argument.

They say we’re promoting a form of Islam that separates Muslims from wider society, but then they rail against the political connections we have and the influence we apparently wield. Which is it? Melanie Phillips laughably wrote about “Omar Saeed” (sic) mounting an Islamist takeover and setting up a “Caledonian Caliphate” on England’s borders. This conspiratorial nonsense is very reminiscent of how Jewish people have in years gone by been demonised, you could call it the “Protocols of the Elders of Caledonistan”.

Let me finish by briefly furnishing you with my own research on CSC. They have a neocon agenda, and their director Douglas Murray indeed wrote a book entitled ‘Neoconservatism: Why We Need It’. He told the Pim Fortuyn Memorial Conference in 2006: “Conditions for Muslims in Europe must be made harder across the board”. Fortuyn was famous for saying Islam was "a backward culture" and that he was “in favour of a cold war with Islam”. Social cohesion indeed.

The CSC shares a building with Policy Exchange, another rightwing “stinktank’. Last year, PE were subject of a Newsnight investigation which claimed to have uncovered damning evidence that they had forged receipts of extremist literature they said they purchased from Britain’s mosques. Its head Dean Godson said he would sue the BBC. We are all still waiting. The dodgy report’s author, Denis McEoin, sits on the CSC’s board.

And the media outlets that carried this shower’s internet activities are now linked in with all this themselves.