Conflicts in the Middle East and North Africa are now threatening, damaging or destroying the lives of more than 200 million people. Many want to escape from the region, and the flow of migrants is causing arguments in Europe: some people want to welcome them and others want to keep them out. There are now endless arguments about how many migrants should be accepted. Strangely there is less discussion about…
The Economist, a journal that is respected around the world, has joined a growing chorus of reports that democracy is failing [The Economist Essay – May 2015 – What’s gone wrong with democracy?] You might think that this is stating the obvious: democratic governments are often deadlocked and every election seems to trigger arguments, which too often lead to violence. So far the global response has been bizarre. In 2013…
Will the next President of the United States, or others at the top of the US political system, be under pressure and influence from wealthy supporters? To win votes, the candidates and their parties will spend millions of dollars, and those who provide the money often expect something in return. Corporations may say that they create America’s wealth, so they are entitled to influence decisions, but is it acceptable to…
Violence in Yemen has led to military action by neighbouring countries, so another region is sinking further into full-scale war. Countless lives and homes will be lost, prompting us to wonder if Live Forum TV could have saved the situation, or at least made it less catastrophic. The answer is that Yemen faced too many problems and the situation deteriorated too far – but that should encourage a start in…
In the run-up to Britain’s 2015 election, party leaders have again been shouting insults at each other. Politicians in parliament called the Prime Minister a chicken, and the spectacle was shown on national television. Most people would regard that as bad behaviour in a nursery school, but in politics it has become normal. The consequences have spread all round the world: Thoughtful people – those who think seriously about who…
Do we want more police and armed forces to fight extremism? That may prevent some violence – but it could also trigger more. We certainly need security services but should something more and different be done to defend free speech? Most of us want free speech, but don’t want it to be used against minorities or disabled people, so many countries have laws against discrimination to ensure that those groups…
