UN Security Council calls for ceasefire - will it make a difference?
A Scottish Liberal
by Andrew
3d ago
The United Nations Security Council has passed a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in the Israel-Gaza conflict. The wording of the resolution is significant. It calls for a ceasefire during the month of Ramadan and demands the release of all hostages currently held by Hamas. The resolution is not binding on Israel, but it sends a very clear signal that Israel is becoming increasingly isolated. Perhaps more significantly, the US's decision to abstain from the vote rather than use its power as a permanent member to veto it - as it has on three previous occasions - would appear to su ..read more
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Does anyone care about Nagorno-Karabakh?
A Scottish Liberal
by Andrew
1w ago
For a couple of days in early October 2023, the world's news media suddenly became interested in Nagorno-Karabakh, a semi-autonomous largely Christian enclave within largely-Muslim Azerbaijan. After months of unrest an Azerbaijani offensive in September 2023, which followed a nine-month long blockade - essentially, a starvation blockade - resulted in Nagorno-Karabakh becoming quickly overrun. Unsurprisingly, Nagorno-Karabakh capitulated within days with the end result a hastily negotiated ceasefire that required the republic to dissolve itself by 1st January 2024. Nagorno-Karabakh entered i ..read more
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The two-state solution: has its time finally arrived?
A Scottish Liberal
by Andrew
1M ago
From the official Israeli perspective, the war in Gaza has one aim - the elimination of Hamas. So far, it's not going particularly well.  That is not surprising. Despite the IDF being well-equipped and well-funded, a ground war is Gaza was never going to be a walk in the park.  Also, for reasons I previously explained in my post of 25th October entitled "How do you solve a problem like Hamas?", a war with a terror organisation is seldom won through conventional military means. As I pointed out in the early days of the war, "any 'solution' achieved purely through the use of force ..read more
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Blessed are the peacemakers?
A Scottish Liberal
by Andrew
1M ago
Anyone watching business in the House of Commons this afternoon will have witnessed the undignified sight of the SNP, the Conservatives and the Labour Party using the plight of Gazan Palestinians to play an absurd game of political football. None of them come away with much credit from a charade in which party interests come before human rights.  Oh, what a circus it's all been... but the bottom line is that what is happening in Gaza appears to be of secondary interest to the players at Westminster than the usual political games we have come to associate with Opposition Day Motions ..read more
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There must be no room for antisemitism in the Lib Dems
A Scottish Liberal
by Andrew
1M ago
(Photo: Equaliteach) The preamble to the Liberal Democrats constitution reads: "The Liberal Democrats exist to build and safeguard a fair, free and open society, in which we seek to balance the fundamental values of liberty, equality and community, and in which no-one shall be enslaved by poverty, ignorance or conformity." It shouldn't really be too contentious that a party with such beliefs and values would be opposed to racism, sexism, or other forms of discrimination. And yet today it has been confirmed that a Lib Dem councillor - previously leader of the Lib Dem group on the loc ..read more
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The Post Office Scandal - The Scottish Dimension
A Scottish Liberal
by Andrew
2M ago
If there is one think everyone in the UK is agreed upon at the moment it is that the Horizon scandal represents a terrible and devastating miscarriage of justice. The ITV drama Mr Bates v The Post Office follows events through the experiences of Alan Bates, a a former sub-postmaster who identified problems with the Horizon IT system in the early days and later helped to create a campaign group to highlight both the nature and scale of the problem – as well as the impact it was having on so many innocent people. Mr Bates v The Post Office has touched on politics, as it should. In referencing a ..read more
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My predictions for 2024
A Scottish Liberal
by Andrew
3M ago
It’s that time of year again – when I make predictions for the coming year. Unlike this time last year, I’m afraid I can’t indulge in any self-congratulation for what I correctly predicted.  Yes, I forecast more “steady but unspectacular progress” for the Lib Dems, no real improvement for the Conservatives under Sunak, Dominic Raab resigning over bullying allegations and things not being “plain sailing” for an SNP with heightened “internal tensions” emerging. However, none of that will have been remotely surprising for anyone with any understanding of the political climate. Similarly, m ..read more
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What would a "Free Palestine" look like?
A Scottish Liberal
by Andrew
5M ago
In recent weeks there has naturally been what I’ll diplomatically call a lot of talk about “Free Palestine”. Most of this rhetoric is quite clear in one thing: Palestine must be free from Israel. But, aside from that, there is no clear narrative around what a Free Palestine would look like, what it would mean in practical terms for Palestinians, Israelis and geopolitics, or what kind of Palestinian state is being advocated. The complete absence of any clear vision for Palestine means it’s very difficult to know what is being called for, other than an end to the status quo (which can be a use ..read more
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How do you solve a problem like Hamas?
A Scottish Liberal
by Andrew
5M ago
(Photo: BBC) I have previously written of my horror at the events of 7th October and the need for calm heads rather than emotive responses (We Need Calls For Calm, Not War) but in a short time the situation has – both regrettably and predictably – escalated significantly.  And so I turn my attentions to a slightly different question that perhaps isn’t being asked sufficiently as opinion on complex historical, political, religious and social questions descends into simple binary thinking. It is not enough to “stand” with one side or the other, amplifying prejudices and grievances. Instea ..read more
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We need calls for calm, not war
A Scottish Liberal
by Andrew
6M ago
Like many people, I have been horrified by the news coming out of Israel this weekend. I have no intention of detailing those dreadful events. They were particularly shocking, not only because they were unexpected (Israeli intelligence services have some questions to answer on that front) and occurred at the end of Sukkot and the Jewish High Holy Days, but because the attacks were so severe, so devastating and directed at innocent civilians. Reports of rape and disgraceful treatment of the dead make it even more horrendous. To call the force used excessive is not to do justice to the full ho ..read more
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