Northern Ireland: 1968 and now
May 31st, 2018 by Roger Darlington
1968 was a momentous year around the world and there are all sorts of events marking its 50th anniversary. So, earlier this week, I was at the British Library in London for a talk sponsored by the Political Studies Association when the speaker was Bernadette McAliskey (nee Devlin). She came to fame with the outbreak of “The Troubles” in Northern Ireland in 1968 and became the then youngest ever Member of Parliament the next year.
I have a particular interest in this period and in this conflict. In 1969, the week after the troops went onto the streets in Northern Ireland, as a then university student I went over there for a week to walk the streets of Belfast and Londonderry to see for myself what was happening. Some years, later, I became professionally involved in the Northern Ireland situation when I worked at the House of Commons (1972-1974) and the Northern Ireland Office (1974-1976) for Meryln Rees, Opposition Frontbencher and then Secretary of State.
Bernadette McAliskey spoke without a text and seemingly without even notes in a long, fluent and passionate address. She has clearly given this speech before but in slightly different versions. It was a nuanced address and I want to be careful that I do not misrepresent her.
She was clearly against the campaigns of violence on both sides: “War doesn’t work”. But she was critical of the Good Friday Agreement: “We lied to win the peace”. She is a socialist and a republican and takes a class approach to politics, so she asserted: “There is not a nationalist bone in my body”.
She said that the terms of the eventual settlement were essentially available in 1972 (I agree) and that she could not understand why it took almost 30 years of war and almost 4,000 deaths for agreement to be reached (I think I do).
In my view, in 1972 the IRA could not have been persuaded to lay down their guns because they believed – and the Troops Out Movement in Britain encouraged them in this fantasy – that, with sufficient violence, Britain would give up on Northern Ireland, In 1974, the IRA somehow believed – on no credible basis – that a Labour Goverment would be willing to agree to a united Ireland. Sadly it took a long time for them to see that violence was not going to achieve their aims.
As a socialist, Bernadette McAliskey is deeply critical of the whole concept of the European Union but she voted remain (I believe) because it was best for the people of Ireland.
She made two forecasts: that Britain would leave the EU without an agreed deal for Brexit and that, in the face of such a hard departure, the people of Northern Ireland would find a way to vote themselves into a united Ireland. Personally I do not believe that either event will happen. If Brexit does take place, there will be a deal – however messy and however transitional – and a way will be found to minimise the complications on the Northern Ireland/Republic border. The unification of Ireland is nowhere near.
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What is the secret of health and happiness?
May 30th, 2018 by Roger Darlington
“For some, eating alone can be a joyous thing: forking mouthfuls of pasta straight from the pan, peanut butter licked off a spoon, the unbridled pleasure of walking home from the chippie alone on a cold night. But regularly eating meals in isolation is a different story. This one factor is more strongly associated with unhappiness than any other apart from (unsurprisingly) having a mental illness. This is according to a new study by Oxford Economics that found, in a survey of 8,250 British adults, that people who always eat alone score 7.9 points lower, in terms of happiness, than the national average.
This research is far from the first to suggest a link between eating with others and happiness. Researchers at the University of Oxford last year found that the more that people eat with others, the more likely they are to feel happy and satisfied with their lives. The study also found that people who eat socially are more likely to feel better about themselves and have wider social and emotional support networks.”
These are the opening paragraphs of a recent piece in the “Guardian” newspaper. The message may seem obvious but it is still vitally important.
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A review of the movie “Hidden Figures” and the story of three remarkable African-American women
May 29th, 2018 by Roger Darlington
In some ways, “Hidden Figures” (2016) is a (belated) companion piece to “THe Right Stuff” (1983). Both tell the story of the herculean effort by the United States – which failed – to beat the Soviet Union to put a man in space.
Whereas “The Right Stuff” focused on the first seven America astronauts who had the so-called ‘right stuff’, “Hidden Figures” concentrates on the huge team of scientists, technologists, mathematicians and managers (mostly white men) ‘hidden’ behind these astronauts and, most especially, highlights the largely unappreciated contribution of African-American women through the experience of three of them: mathematician Katherine G. Johnson (played by Taraji P. Henson), engineer Mary Jackson (Janelle Monáe), and supervisor Dorothy Vaughan (Octavia Spencer).
The only stars in this film are white: Kevin Costner as Al Harrison, a character largely based on Robert C. Gilruth, the head of the Space Task Group at Langley Research Center, and Kirsten Dunst as a character who reflects the views and attitudes of some of the white women who served in managerial roles at that time but was not an actual historical person.
The movie makes clear the everyday discrimination faced by staff of colour in the NASA of the early 1960s, not least the provision of bathrooms for coloureds. In another interpretation of the title, the film underlines how much complicated mathematics is involved in planning a space launch and return.
Like many other great stories of NASA employees, NASA has been sharing this story for years. In fact, the author of the book on which the film is based, Margot Lee Shetterly, has noted the title is “something of a misnomer.” The women at the centre of the story were not so much hidden as unseen. If this film helps to correct that, it has served its cause since it commemorates the achievments of some remarkable women in a worthy work.
However, even though the movie was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture, as cinema it is rather pedestrian and by the numbers. For sheer entertainment, “The Right Stuff” is much the better film.
Links:
Katherine Johnson biography click here
Mary Jackson biography click here
Dorothy Vaughan biography click here
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If you’re confused about the current crisis in Italian politics …
May 28th, 2018 by Roger Darlington
… it’s not surprising. The country has effectively had no government in the two and a half months since a general election and it is possible that a new set of elections will now have to be called.
The proposed new governing alliance is an unlikely combination of the anti-establishment Five Star Movement (M5S), which has most of its support in the south, and the far-Right League, which has most of its support in the north. This alliance nominated as Prime Minister a virtually unknown law professor with no political experience but, in a matter of day, he has stepped down over the refusal of the President to accept a nomination for Finance Minister of a fierce critic of Italy’s membership of the Eurozone.
Italy is a founder member of the European Union and the Eurozone and this crisis impacts the whole of the EU and of course Britain. At a time when we need a strong Europe to counterbalance the chaos coming from the current occupant of the White House, the Italian crisis has worldwide implications.
You might find it helpful to see the current constitutional conflict in the context of a short guide to the Italian political system which I have written here.
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A review of the 2015 documentary “He Named Me Malala”
May 26th, 2018 by Roger Darlington
‘Me’ is of course Malala Yousafai, the inspirational Pakistani girl who aged 15 was the subject of an assassination attempt by the Taliban. ‘He’ is her father Ziauddin who, in his own way, is a remarkable individual and who – contrary to what she states in this moving film – gave her much more than the name of a Pashtun heroine from history.
This cinematic work was inspired by the biography “I Am Malala” which I have read [for my review click here], but acclaimed American documentary maker Davis Guggenheim (“An Inconvenient Truth”) tells the story of Malala’s life before and after the shooting through a mixture of hand-drawn animation, archive footage, and filming over a year and a half at her English home in Birmingham and on visits to Nigeria and Jordan.
The film demonstrates the passion, bravery, humility, intelligence and fluency of this young woman who at just 17 became the youngest Nobel Peace Prize laureate as production was concluding. Her story has just begun …
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A review of the latest super-hero movie “Deadpool 2”
May 25th, 2018 by Roger Darlington
The original “Deadpool” was made for just $58M but its takings were almost $800M so a sequel, indeed a franchise, was an inevitablity.
“Deadpool 2” was released just weeks after “Avengers: Infinity War” and both super-hero movies star Josh Brolin as big and bad, but the two offerings could hardly be more different. “AIW” brings together a whole plethora of well-established super-heroes in a titantic struggle for the future of the universe, but “D2” introduces totally new characters in a small X-Force that is a million miles away from the X-Men and the contest is simply over control of a kid from New Zealand.
What made “Deadpool” such a blast was its originality: a foul-mouthed, self-centred, camp super-hero of endless witticisms and special regenerative powers. The sequel – which reprises the style and some – can’t have the same originality and it pushes the envelope so far that sometimes – as with an allusion to the most infamous scene in “Basic Instinct” – made me feel more uncomfortable that amused.
But this is a triumph for Ryan Reynolds, who not only owns the eponymous role but this time is co-writer and co-producer, while new director David Leitch (“Atomic Blonde”) makes sure that there is never a dull moment – even during the credits.
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Two of the biggest crises in post-war French history: May 1958 and May 1968
May 24th, 2018 by Roger Darlington
Over the last two weekends, I’ve spent a day at the City Literary Institute in central London on a course looking at a period of crisis in post-war French history which occurred 60 years ago and 50 years ago this month respectively. In each case, the lecturer was the French Sebastien Ardouin. He was very knowledgeable and enthusiastic, providing handouts of 31 pages and 43 pages respectively.
The crisis of May 1958 was the result of turbulent events in Algeria which was then a French colony where a a war of independence had been running for four years. Following the bombing of a village across the Algerian border in Tunisia, the French government collapsed and the Fourth Republic was abandoned. Charles de Gaulle emerged from 12 years outside of politics to take on a much strengthened presidency at the head of a new Fifth Republic with diminished power for the National Assembly and the Senate. Four years later, de Gaulle felt compelled to agree to Algerian independence.
The Fifth Republic remains the political framework for France and you can read my guide to the French political system here.
The crisis of May 1968 began with student protests at Nanterre outside Paris over the ban on male students visiting female students but rapidly expanded to embrace a whole range of demands for educational and poltical reform. When the workers joined the protests some 10 million went on strike for higher wages and improved working conditions. For a time, de Gaulle – still president after 10 years – went missing and the government seemed on the point of collapse. But de Gaulle called a general election which the Gaullists won with an overall majority and de Gaulle hung on to power for another year.
I am old enough to remember the May 1968 demonstrations which were part of a worldwide revolt against authority, racism and the Vietnam War. In many areas – such as racial and sexual emancipation – we still have a great deal to do. The struggle continues …
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In the UK , it’s Dementia Action Week – and I’m a volunteer for a relevant study
May 23rd, 2018 by Roger Darlington
The Alzheimer’s Society has designated this as Dementia Action Week.
There are currently around 850,000 people in the UK with dementia. It mainly affects people over the age of 65 (one in 14 people in this age group have dementia), and the likelihood of developing dementia increases significantly with age. However, dementia can affect younger people too. There are more than 42,000 people in the UK under 65 with dementia.
As I explained in this blog posting, I have been invited to volunteer for a study examining the risk factors for dementia. At the time that I did that posting, I had just spent almost four hours at the Imperial Research Hub at Charing Cross Hospital in London where I was subjected to a whole battery of physical and mental tests.
Since that last blog posting, I have had a brain MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) scan and a PET (Positron Emission Tomography) scan. The MRI checked if there are any existing mental problems. The PET measured the concentration of beta-amyloid in my brain since the study is all about whether the level of amyloid is an indicator of the likelihood of developing dementia.
I’m now waiting to hear if I am judged eligible for the study and, if so, I will then have visits and tests every three months for three and a half years.
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A review of the new film “On Chesil Beach”
May 22nd, 2018 by Roger Darlington
Ten years ago, I read the novella by Ian McEwan [for my review click here] and now he himself has adapated the story for the screen with director Dominic Cooke making his first feature film.
The work was shot on location on the Dorset coast and deploys much use of classical music, but this is a starring vehicle for two young and impressive actors: Saoirse Ronan who made her cinematic debut in another McEwan story (“Atonement”) and newcomer Billy Howle of whom we will soon see a lot more. In fine performances, they play Florence, a music graduate and talented violinist, and Edward, a history graduate whose music tastes are more popular and contemporary.
The time is 1962 before the sexual revolution and the painful heart of the narrative is the wedding night of these two virgins with limiting backgrounds revealed in a series of flashbacks. For the flash forwards over decades, McEwan has provided a neater, but even sadder, sequence than occurred in the novella. It is all achingly painful but so well done.
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Can we really control the tech giants?
May 21st, 2018 by Roger Darlington
The Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media & Sports Matt Hancock has said that the Government will enact legislation to control social media firms and online abuse but, in a television interview this weekend, he admitted:
- When he called in representatives of 14 leading Internet companies to discuss his concerns, only four turned up.
- It is likely to be two years before the Government has worked out detailed proposals and finds the time to legislate.
More information here.
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