1. society
2. unrest and war

2014 no.7 £5.50 (free to members)
Optimism at South Sudan's independence is fading fast.
Egypt: India: NATO: Syria: Ukraine.
EVENTS
CONTENTS
From the Chair…
Page 3
The Dysfunctional Childhood of the World’s
Newest Nation - South Sudan
Rebecca Tinsley
Pages 4 – 6
Putin’s Punchbag
Page 6
Glasgow conference notices
Page 6
Egypt’s Identity: Hovering Between Love
and Rule of Law.
Mohammed Nossier
Pages 7-8
Can we use Immigration as a tool for future
cooperation and collaboration? (India).
Anuja Prashar
Pages 9-10
Why The Sykes-Picot Borders Are Here To
Stay– And Why We Should Talk To Bashar
Al-Assad.
John McHugo
Pages 11-13
LIBG North West Summer Tea Party.
Pages 13-14
LI extends cooperation on R2P policies.
Page 14
Glasgow conference: Scotland’s Global
Empire
Page 14
Ukraine - From Spring Revolution to a
Hard Winter.
For bookings & other information please contact the
Adam Nathan
Pages 15-17
Chair below.
Liberals deliver verdict on the NATO
NLC= National Liberal Club, Whitehall Place, London summit.
Pages 17-18
SW1A 2HE
Reviews
Pages 19-24
Underground: Embankment
The Friends of Israel's perspective on Gaza.
Matthew Harris
Pages 25-27
Liberal International Exec. Hong Kong
Page 27
Maintaining the UK's commitment to
international development
Michael Moore
Page 28
International Abstracts
Page 29
Over the Edge (Gaza).
Liberal International (British Group)
Page 30
Chair: Wendy Kyrle-Pope, 1 Brook Gardens, Barnes, Jonathan Fryer
@Glasgow…
the
international
bits
(from
the
London SW13 0LY
Liberal Democrat conference agenda)
Pages 31-33
email [email protected]
4th –8th October Liberal Democrats Autumn
Conference, Glasgow
7th October Liberal Democrats for Peace and Security
Fringe Meeting: Rethink Trident: The 2015 Manifesto
Debate. Campanile - Picasso 2. 18.15-19.15
7th October LIBG Fringe Meeting: Europe of the
Regions and the Demise of the Nation State - 20:00 21:15, Shuna Room, Crowne Plaza Hotel Glasgow
3rd November LIBG Forum: Sex Trafficking. The
acclaimed Indian film "Lakshimi" will be shown,
followed by discussion. NLC 7.00pm
7th - 10th November 193rd Executive Committee
Meeting of Liberal International, Hong Kong
20th - 22nd November 35th ALDE Party Congress,
Centro de Congressos de Lisboa, Portugal.
22nd November Scottish Autumn Conference, The
Vine Venue, Dunfermline.
12th January 2015 LIBG executive. NLC 7.00pm
2nd March 2015 LIBG executive. NLC 7.00pm
29th June 2015 LIBG AGM. NLC 7.00pm
Photo credits: Eric Reeves (South Sudan), Robert
King/Schilt Publishing (Syria), Adam Nathan
(Ukraine), India – as credited, Stewart Rayment (other)
InterLiB is published by the Liberal International
(British Group). Views expressed therein are those of
the authors and are not necessarily the views of
LI(BG), LI or any of its constituent parties.
Comments and articles can be sent to
Lockhart & Hastings, Creative Media Centre,
45 Robertson Street, Hastings TN34 1HL,
email [email protected]
From the Chair…
The importance of punctuation
professional interests and
the work she has done in
When we (the LI Executive) decided in January to
the Lib Dems for over
have a Catalan/Independence- themed Fringe meeting
twenty years. Ideally, Julie
at the Glasgow Conference, the polls showed those in
will also spend time on
Scotland who wanted to vote Yes at about 30%. So the
other international issues as
title chosen for this Fringe was “Europe of the Regions
well, though the rush to
and the Demise of the Nation State?” The question
constitutional reform
mark implied that the subject was theoretical, at least
following the Scottish 'No'
as far as the UK was concerned. However, the events
vote might make limit the scope for anything else for a
of August and September in the lead up to the 18th
September ballot showed how close we came to losing while.
that question mark, because, without it, this debate
The second is the development of branches up and
would have an entirely different meaning.
down the country, inviting people to discuss the
The No result was welcomed by most of our European, pressing issues of the day, in informal or more formal
NATO, Commonwealth and trading partners. Only the surroundings, be they universities or pubs. The North
West Branch, coordinated by Howard Henshaw, is off
Russian expressed a suspicion that the huge 85%
to a great start. The success of April’s meeting in
turnout had North Korean overtones of coercion,
Preston has been followed by a meeting-cum-gardenmissing the point that the Independence Debate in
party this September, on Ukraine. A report appears in
Scotland proved, without doubt, that democracy is
this issue, and will, I hope, inspire other LI members
alive and well and so exciting.
to hold meetings in their regions. We hope to organise
Now the Scottish question has been put to rest (for the
events in the Midlands, Oxford and Cambridge.
moment, at least) all eyes are turning to Spain. We are
The third are our set piece events. June saw a busy
very fortunate to have as our guest speaker Jordi
month with a meeting on Iraq ( a situation which has
Xucla, the Catalan MP from our sister Convergencia
party, to put his case. Cllr Graham Garvie who sits on escalated since), The Lord Garden Lecture given by
the EU Committee of the Regions, and is Convener of Sir Ming Campbell on the subject of Europe, and, to
commemorate the start of the First World War, our
the Scottish Borders Council will also join us, with
Phil Bennion, another member of the Committee of the post- AGM talk was on Internationalism and how this
war impacted on its evolution in the C20th.
Regions. The meeting will be chaired by Robert
Woodthorpe Browne . (Tuesday night at 7.45 after the Our next London meeting at the NLC on 3rd
International Reception).
November will be on the subject of Sex Trafficking.
The Referendum debate frightened us, although it was The acclaimed Indian film "Lakshimi" will be shown
peaceful for the most part, and thoroughly democratic. after a discussion with a panel with expertise in this
area. Do come, as this evil practise has no borders and
Many peoples know real, visceral fear as wars and
disease rage through many parts of the world, and LI’s insinuates itself into all nations.
role must join battle to change this, bring peace, be
We will be holding our annual Diplomats' Reception
advocates of freedom and democracy, of human rights in February/March, and will announce the date on our
and international cooperation. Our weapons are
website.
information and influence; we need to reach more
Wendy Kyrle-Pope
people, to inform and inspire, so that they too can
speak for those without voices, without power, without
country. Our battle plan is in three parts.
The first is strong voices in our own Parliaments. We
have a new champion in the House of Lords in our
former chair, Dr Julie Smith, who was ennobled this
summer. Many congratulations to her, (and to those
who had the wisdom to appoint her). Julie tells me that
she very much hopes to focus on European and
defence matters in the Lords, in line with her
3
The Dysfunctional Childhood of the
World’s Newest Nation - South Sudan
Rebecca Tinsley
South Sudan emerged from decades of bloodshed in
2011, liberated from its brutal Islamist masters in
Sudan. Yet, ever since the heady independence
celebrations in the new capital Juba, the fledgling
nation has been sliding toward civil war. In August
this year, the situation deteriorated to the point that aid
workers now warn of a massive famine, and Sudan
experts see little chance of a lasting cease-fire.
planning, there are reasonable grounds to believe that
the crimes against humanity of murder, rape and other
acts of sexual violence, enforced disappearance and
imprisonment have occurred.”
To make sense of this horror, one must go back to
2005 when the ‘troika’ of UK, the USA and Norway
negotiated the Comprehensive Peace Agreement. The
deal made secession from Khartoum possible, via an
It is not unusual for a guerrilla army to hold together
until it reaches its goal, and then fracture into political
feuds. Add to that several bloated egos who
manipulate ethnic tensions to their own ends,
indifferent to the thousands of innocent, unarmed
civilians who are slaughtered to serve their gross
ambitions.
Underlying tensions within the ruling Sudan People’s
Liberation Movement (SPLM) came to head on
December 15th 2013 with a dispute about the need for
governmental reform. A fight between factions of the
Presidential Guard quickly spread, taking on ethnic
overtones, with majority Dinka killing minority Nuer.
Rebels led by the recently ousted Vice-President Riek
Machar, (an ethnic Nuer) soon had the army in retreat.
John Ashworth, advisor to Sudan’s Ecumenical
Forum, and a long-time resident, believes the
government would have fallen within days had it not
been for troops from neighbouring Uganda, which has
economic interests in South Sudan.
The writing on the wall at Bentiu, a UN-protected
camp were approximately 46,000 ethnic Nuers are
taking refuge. Photos Eric Reeves.
interim SPLM government, followed by a 2011
referendum. The Southern Sudanese had endured
decades of ethnic cleansing by their northern rulers,
leaving an estimated two million dead. Their land had
been marginalized, while its oil funded infrastructure
Soon atrocities were being committed by all sides,
projects in the capital, Khartoum. At independence
with radio stations inciting people to rape and murder,
there were 160 kms of paved road in a nation the size
echoing Rwanda twenty years before. Recently, a “one
of France. There were 120 doctors to serve a
month special campaign of rape” was declared by one
population of nine million, and a girl was statistically
group against another.
more likely to die in childbirth than finish primary
school.
Farmers have been unable to plant or harvest, millions
have fled to squalid camps, and the UN believes four
Disaster struck when the charismatic SPLM leader,
million (out of a population of nine million) face
John Garang, died in a helicopter crash in 2005. His
severe food insecurity. UNICEF predicts 50,000
deputy, Salva Kiir, instantly recognisable because he
children will die shortly.
always appears in the black cowboy hat given him by
George W Bush, took over. Kiir soon bewildered his
According to the United Nations Peacekeepers’
international backers as SPLM worthies stole billions
(UNMISS) human rights report, “In the light of the
of dollars of aid. Rather than prioritising much-needed
widespread and systematic nature of many of the
infrastructure, health or education projects, Kiir’s
attacks and information suggesting coordination and
4
government proposed building a series of cities in the
shape of African animals.
More seeds of self-destruction within the SPLM were
sown by Kiir’s ambitious deputy, Riek Machar. In
1991 he had split the rebel army, opportunistically
siding with his oppressors in Khartoum. An ethnic
Nuer, he was responsible for the Bor Massacre which
the Dinka have understandably never forgotten. He
eventually returned to the fold, and for the sake of
national unity Riek was made Vice-President to the
ethnic Dinka leader, Kiir, after elections in 2010.
Sudan expert Eric Reeves predicts there will be no
meaningful peace deal in the short term: “It would
seem that the rebel forces that Riek controls—and
there many he does not, even as he is not
representative of most political opposition in South
Sudan—are simply unwilling to reach an agreement,
even if the cost is continued war that poses the gravest
possible threat to all the people of South Sudan. It is
on the basis of this decision—and the decision to
refuse Salva Kiir's offer of an "immediate cease-fire"
President Kiir sacked Riek in July 2013, along with
other rivals, arresting journalists and creating a one
party state. Riek abruptly distanced himself from the
wholesale corruption and mismanagement he oversaw
for years. Once the fighting began in December 2013,
Riek retreated to the bush to lead his SPLM-In
Opposition (SPLM-IO). He refused Kiir’s offer of an
immediate cease-fire, and has kept the wretched IGAD
(Intergovernmental Agency for Development) regional
negotiators tied up in fruitless talks ever since.
The Nuer White Army militia in South Sudan.
As the fighting has spread it has become clear that
Riek has only partial control over the various rebel
militia groups, some of whom are being armed by
Khartoum, ever the spoiler. At one point when he
controlled the oil fields, Riek was rumoured to be
trying to sell South Sudan’s oil to Khartoum. At the
time of writing conflict still rages for control of Bentiu
in the oil-producing area.
For its part the international community made a
critical mistake in the early stages of the civil war:
they condemned all sides equally. Kiir’s financial
backers (the US and EU) were naïve to have been
disappointed by the hapless president; they had
assumed if they threw enough money at South Sudan
they could turn it into Finland. Their moral
equivalence overlooked the fact that Kiir had won a
democratic election in 2010, and it emboldened Riek
to believe he had their implicit backing, so he fought
on.
The delivery of humanitarian aid is almost impossible
without ceasefires, and UN and NGO officials are
targeted for robbery, abuse and attack. In unusually
blunt terms Navi Pillay, the UN’s High Commissioner
for Human Rights, said she was, “appalled by the
apparent lack of concern about the risk of famine
displayed by both leaders.” She continued, “It is clear
the conflict has taken a dangerous trajectory and
civilians are being deliberately targeted based on their
ethnicity and perceived political affiliation.” She
called the attitudes of Kiir, Riek and other so-called
leaders, “a shocking display of indifference.”
on 27 December 2013—that Riek will be judged by
history.”
At the end of August a rebel group led by Peter Gadet
allegedly shot down a UN helicopter, killing three
people who were delivering food aid. Gadet’s men
tormented an African IGAD negotiator to the point of
having a fatal heart attack. Riek has also just rejected
IGAD’s latest cease-fire deal which outlined plans for
a transitional government in which Riek would have
been prime minister to Salva Kiir’s president. Riek
accused IGAD of bias, but commentators suggest he
does not wish to be associated with something he
knows will fail.
The authoritative Juba-based Sudd Institute believes
no deal is possible without Kiir and Riek, yet it is by
no means clear they have the nation’s interests at
heart. “The behaviour of the elites in the construction
of the new state, coupled with deplorable economic
and social conditions, catalysed the spread of violence.
In essence, the allegiances of the elites to the state
institutions and to the central tenets of state building
have been virtually non-existent.”
What now? The Sudd Institute highlights the need for
a broad, nation-wide consultation process on the future
shape of South Sudan’s institutions. Any transitional
government made up of Kiir and Riek should begin by
apologising to the nation, they say. The Sudd Institute
also criticises the seniority principle that has
5
dominated the SPLM and the army, meaning merit and
talent take second place. (This author was told that
47% of members of the interim parliament between
2005 and 2011were illiterate). Added to this is a lack
of infrastructure, health facilities, schools and security,
International Office / Africa Liberal Network
without which South Sudan is unlikely to break out of
Liberal Democrats: Pioneering work in Africa.
the cycle of conflict. The Small Arms Survey points
out that the recent flood of weapons has turned
A discussion on the work of the Liberal Democrats in
traditional cattle raiding by gangs of unemployed
young men into a deadly occupation, accompanied by Africa helping shape economic and human rights
policy.
rape and atrocities.
However, tackling South Sudan’s structural problems
requires a massive investment. International backers
who were initially so over-optimistic had their fingers
burned by Kiir and the SPLM. China, India and
Malaysia have investments in the oil business, but they
are exploiters rather than nation-builders. South Sudan
has little obvious strategic importance in a new world
order concerned with limiting the spread of terrorism.
Yet, if Khartoum has its way, playing its old game of
divide and rule, arming rebels, it could regain its
fundamentalist Islamist foothold in the oil-rich region
it so reluctantly gave up in 2011. That possibility
alone should concentrate the minds of world leaders.
Rebecca Tinsley is Director of Waging Peace.
Speakers: Rt. Hon Andrew Stunell MP, Iain Gill,
International Office/ Westminster Foundation for
Democracy, Baroness Kishwer Falkner and reps from
Africa Liberal Network.
SECC, Carron 2 Saturday 4th October 20.15-21.30
International Office / ALDE - European Liberals
LibDems & Europe - In or Out Referendum
Martin Horwood MP, Chair of the Backbench Committee on International Affairs, Lousewies Van Der
Lann of D66 Netherlands and ALDE, and Iain Gill,
Head of International Office, will lead a strategic
discussion on the in/out referendum.
SECC, Leven Sunday 5th October 18.15-1915
PUTIN’S PUNCH BAG
@GLASGOW
Telling the Russian people what’s really going on with
Ukraine is a risky business. Olga Radayeva, International Secretary of Yabloko, has contacted us
regarding the assault on Lev Shlosberg, a Yabloko
elected member of the Pskov regional parliament. He
has been highlighting the fact that a number of the
Europe of the Regions and the
Russian soldiers who have been fighting in Ukraine
Demise of the Nation State
and have been killed there, have had funeral services
in Pskov and been buried there. Conducting that kind LIBG Fringe meeting held jointly with the Liberal
of research and publicising led to him being assaulted Democrat European Group.
quite seriously on 30th August and ending up in
After the Scottish referendum on independence, what
hospital.
are the implications for other parts of Europe where
some wish to break away from the nation state of
Lev has a long career as a bit of a trouble maker for
which they form part?
Adolf Putin, though he would probably fit into your
local Focus Team quite well. Last year he spoke
Speakers: Jordi Xucia (Catalan MP), Cllr Graham
against Putin’s decree that Russian orphans could not Garvie (European Committee of the Regions) and
be adopted by Americans – a somewhat petty ruling.
others to be announced. Chair: Robert WoodthorpeThe Kremlin had demanded that all regional Russian
Browne
parliaments pass resolutions in support of the ban. In
October 7, 2014 8:00 pm - 9:15 pm
Pskov, following Lev’s speech, the motion failed to
get the 23 (of 44) votes needed to pass. 6 voted
Shuna Room, Crowne Plaza Hotel Glasgow
against, 21 for, while the rest abstained.
More power to his elbow, and a speedy recovery.
6
Egypt’s Identity: Hovering Between
Love and Rule of Law
Mohammed Nossier
Egyptian rulers gamble when they think that they can
manipulate the national identity to serve their political
goals. Each ruler has his own perception of the
Egyptian identity that he wants to impose on society
either through expressing love or by applying harsh
laws that aim at fine-tuning citizens to fit into a
specific identity. Such efforts will certainly never
succeed, because rulers cannot formulate identity.
entire life talking about their ancient history and
events that occurred thousands of years ago, or do they
want to successfully fulfil vital material needs, which
would enable them to live happier, healthier, more
decent lives, thereby strengthening their love for, and
attachment to, their country.
There is no doubt that Egypt has a very rich culture
and history and that Egyptians, as a result, are proud
of themselves. But do Egyptians want to live their
Capitalizing on the above tactics won’t make citizens
love their country more; on the contrary, they will
discover the fragility of these techniques sooner rather
than later. Unfortunately however, most Egyptians
Citizens often need to feel a sense of recognition and
belonging; it is what makes citizens proud of saying
that they belong to their respective countries. This
Identity is a term that can have different meanings.
This piece, however, refers to the modern formulation attachment doesn’t come naturally; it isn’t a blood
relationship that citizens inherit - regardless of how
of identity that is made up of dignity, pride and
much the State may try to advocate the opposite. The
honour; and I am attempting to address the question:
do Egyptians, generally, acknowledge their identity on sense of attachment to a country is formed by the
accumulated efforts that a State presents to its citizens;
the basis of these qualities?
in return, citizens offer not only their love, but also
their life.
Prior to thinking about identity, let’s identify the
Egyptian cultural values that formulate our identity. I
The vast majority of Egyptians are working hard
personally found it difficult to identify those values!
simply to survive; earning very low incomes; they
Individual Egyptians will most likely give different
have no access to decent education or health services.
answers to the question; who are we? What kinds of
Meanwhile, the tiny minority of wealthy Egyptian that
values distinguish us from the rest of the world?
is living under far better circumstances is still living
Through my observations, I personally notice that
far below the living standards in advanced countries.
Egyptians highly respect the role of family that
Moreover, the entire population suffers daily from
religion is an essential part of their lives, and that
traffic violations, pollution, dirt, insecurity and lack of
privacy is a very important Egyptian trait.
basic human rights. These attributes are more than
Nevertheless, a number of contradictions do exist that sufficient to weaken the relationship between the State
and its citizens, which is continuously deteriorating.
raise various question marks! Can Egypt continue to
claim to be a conservative and religious society, when
sexual harassment and general violence have become Various Egyptian governments, starting with the
Mubarak Presidency to the present, are aware of this
so widespread? Can we claim to be a united society
when most of citizens are individually driven and have dilemma. However, rather than working on fixing and
improving their governments’ performances, they try
become less tolerant and less accountable to their
country? Can we claim to respect confidentiality when to compensate this gap by strengthening the emotional
TV programs that impinge upon privacy enjoy such a relationship between the State and its citizens. This is
done by exaggerating a few, irrelevant, successes
high viewing rate? By noting the above deterioration
(such as winning a football game), attempting to unite
of values, we can easily conclude that Egypt has
citizens by warning of internal or external threats, or
experienced a major setback in some of the moral
by developing a mega project that promises a better
values that used to constitute an integral part of
future for all Egyptians - in addition, of course, to
society, such as honour, dignity, trust and respect.
using patriotic songs as a mobilization tool since
Should these values be lost, our identity will become
Egyptians tend to be more emotional than rational.
blurred and indistinct.
7
rulers work hard to change Egypt’s identity, both in
order to serve their political goals and to give them
room to manipulate ordinary citizens. The two main
Egyptian political forces (the Deep State and the
Islamists) typically use this philosophical principle combined with a number of expediencies - to gain
more ground.
Both of these political forces put considerable effort
into developing a constitution that would serve their
goals. However, no nation’s identity will be changed
by the introduction of specific articles into a
document. The Egyptian identity already exists; it only
needs to be well defined in the nation’s constitution
(and eventually enforced by implementing the law),
thus enabling us to reclaim our missing values.
the country on the right track. Love for your country
should be expressed by action, not words - even if you
tune your words into a song! Saluting the flag in
public is not proof of love or loyalty. Egypt will not be
changed by the number of people who are singing for
the country; but by those people who are keen to
improve its performance on the ground. This could be
done by rejecting and criticizing the current status, as
well as by providing ideas for change aimed at
improving the country’s performance.
The relationship between the State and its citizens
should be formulated from an extremely well balanced
combination of love and law enforcement. There must
be a well-demarcated line indicating when laws must
be applied and when love should be conveyed. This is
comparable to the founding of a new family; it should
The deterioration and abandonment of values provided be within a legal framework - but only love
a propitious opportunity for various Islamic political
strengthens the day-to-day relationships among its
forces to advocate for Islamic values, placing them
members.
above the values advocated by the State. Evidently, the
motivation behind this is not love of country or
President Al Sisi often expresses his love for Egypt
religion, but the achievement of political ends.
and encourages Egyptians to imitate his loving
Nevertheless, with the deterioration of the State
behaviour. Nevertheless, this is not the most essential
values, this approach managed to give Islamic forces a trait of a President who is supposed to work on
wider base and increased popularity. For millions of
improving the country’s performance by providing fair
citizens, claiming to belong to the Islamic state rather and equal opportunities to each citizen, which will
than to the Egyptian one has managed to become a
eventually strengthen the loving relationship. The
very appealing argument. This phenomenon was
manner in which love of country is expressed may
eventually imitated and reproduced in other Arab
vary from one citizen to another, but laws and the
countries.
legal system constitute the common factor providing
the structure of the relationship.
As a sign of disaffiliating themselves from the State
and to magnify their own status, some of the Islamic
Identity should reflect the behaviour of mainstream
political entities recently decided not to salute the
Egyptians, habits and traditions that they have been
Egyptian flag. As a reflection of this behaviour, the
practicing for centuries and that will serve to unite
former interim liberal government decided to
society, instead of discriminating among its members
overcome this weak sense of national belonging by
or polarizing them. Harming citizens’ pride, dignity,
formulating a law that allows the State to bring
or self-esteem will eventually damage the relationship
criminal charges against citizens who don’t salute the between the State and its citizens, and serve to alienate
Egyptian flag. In my opinion, it would be much more the latter from the country. In my view, large portions
effective to first identify those who disrespect the State of Egyptians feel alienated in their own country due to
by not saluting the flag, and then to work on correcting the above-mentioned missing elements that the State
this behaviour by providing appropriate tutoring has not supplied sufficiently. Egyptians, in general,
rather
tend to settle their conflicts peacefully. Thus, identity
than by threatening to imprison.
should not be forced on people, nor should it be used
as a tool to mobilize them.
The Egyptian government is under the impression that
imprisoning citizens who are indifferent to the ruler
Mohammed Nosseir is an Egyptian Liberal Politician
and continuing to sing and broadcast patriotic songs
working on reforming Egypt on true liberal values,
will strengthen the relationship between Egyptian
proper application of democracy and free market
citizens and their country. Meanwhile, anyone who
economy.
gives voice to constructive criticism is being accused
of not being loyal enough to the country and in some
cases, of working on behalf of the enemy.
In my opinion, citizens have obligations towards their
8
Can we use Immigration as a tool for
future cooperation and collaboration?
Anuja Prashar
Several race relations theorists have suggested that
Immigration in western nations has been used as a tool
for social management and has been largely divisive,
resulting in greater social tensions, through
establishing binary discourses of ‘insiders’ and
‘outsiders’. (Gilroy, Hall, Vortevec, Said, Babba) It
has become vital that immigration should become an
instrument for inclusion and not exclusion. Keeping
up the notion of ‘outsiders’ may have been useful
when the dominant social desire, for identity, was
associated to national identity and the need to be
accepted and seen as an ‘insider’.
However, in the 21st century global era of fluid
identities and rapidly emerging economies, social
desires have also changed and national priorities have
to be reassessed for economic viability and long term
sustainability. The Immigration discourse can no
longer be confined to ‘insider’ ‘outsider’ binaries of
the past, as the complexity of the movement of people
and resources increases rapidly. It has now become
even more important to understand the impact of this
complexity when dealing with Emerging Economies
and seeking to engage with greater trade and
cooperation.
In an interview Nick Clegg confirms the UK
government’s position on immigration from India,
“Let me be clear that Britain is open to Indian
visitors, students and business-people. There is no cap
on the number of Indian students that can come to the
UK. We want to help more of Indian's people gain the
skills and education they need to succeed in an ever
more globalised world. We want to attract the
brightest and best to work and study at our worldleading universities.” (Chaudury, August 2014)
Deep contrast to the actions of Tory MP Teressa May
only a few months earlier, just prior to David
Cameron’s visit to India to meet PM Manmohan
Singh. “The visa bond scheme, announced by Home
Secretary Theresa May in June, was to come into force
this month. Hugo Swire, Britain’s Minister of state for
Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs said recently that
“no decision was taken on the visa bond scheme”. The
decision to scrap the scheme is thought to have been
taken after Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg
threatened to block it.” (Nation, March 2014)
Nick Clegg with Biocon chairman Kiran Mazumdar Shaw
and former Infosys board member Mohandas Pai, UK
India Business Centre in Bangalore on Wednesday,
August 27, 2014.
Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg has led the 3rd
UK high profile meeting with Prime Minister Modi,
and the 1st trade delegation with the current BJP lead
Indian government, focusing on four areas where
the UK has a real competitive edge: retail, food &
drink, aerospace and education.
In the 21st century we are beginning to see a ‘shift’ of
distribution of wealth towards the so called ‘emerging
economies’ that suggests a significant redistribution,
over the next 30 years of wealth, consumer power and
wealth creation across the globe. The ‘shift’ of global
economic growth and capital is going to cause a need
to engage with the emerging economies of the BRICS
9
and CIVET countries, and with India and China in
particular as the engines of global growth.
The recognition of an opportunity for greater
cooperation and collaboration is apparent when Nick
Clegg says “Prime Minister Modi has set out a
visionary agenda and the UK wants to be India's
partner of choice on its economic journey. I want to
rekindle the Great British love affair with India, and
keep attracting top Indian talent to the UK to study
and work. I want to increase trade and investment,
improve our strong historic education links and bind
our cultural ties further. What this means is jobs,
growth and security for our two nations.” (Chaudury ,
2014)
Today engagement with Emerging Economies will
only become successful when there is a greater
acceptance of a two way flow of people, resources and
knowledge. Of all the new Emerging Economies, India
is the closest to the UK in terms of political, social and
economic proximity and therefore Nick Clegg’s efforts
and focus on prioritizing cooperation with India is a
welcome move. Although British firms have invested
up to $85 billion in India, more than any other country
and about 30% of all FDI into India, the trade in goods
is still disappointing. India ranks 18th on the list of
Britain’s export destinations and 17th as a supplier of
imports. The India-China weekly trade volume
surpasses that of India–Britain monthly volumes.
India and China are both nations with the largest
populations in the world and both have a rapidly
growing middle-class. China’s middle class now
surpasses 40% of the workforce & India is set to hit
that target by 2020. In both cases, 40% of the work
force respectively, is almost equivalent to the whole
population of the EU. This new middle class of
consumers has a potential to drive the future recovery
and growth of developed nations. No developed
country can afford to ignore this market.
courageous action towards the future. Embracing the
challenges of the 21st Century and resisting the
temptation to look to the comfort zone of the past, is
the only way towards towards a more robust and
cooperative relationship between the UK and India
that will guarantee sustained growth and prosperity for
both nations.
UK’s future Immigration rules and regulations will
need to be managed more carefully in order to ensure
that we do not alienate the very people we need to
work with. Developing robust and collaborative future
relations between UK and India or other Emerging
Economies can be facilitated through the student
population. This year has seen a 25% drop in the
number of Indian first-year students and this follows a
32% fall the previous year. That means the number of
Indian first-year students has halved in just two years.
This negative trend must be reversed if the UK is to
benefit from the innovative and collaborative networks
which often result from studying and working
together.
Anuja Prashar is Lecturer of International Business
and doctoral researcher of the Role of Indian Transnational business and society, in North-South &
South-South trade.
Bibliography:
Dipanjan Roy Chaudhury, (Aug 2014) ET
Bureau•[Accessed Aug 24, 2014, 07.06PM IST]
Nation (March, 2014) Indian Express [Accessed 26th
Aug 2014]
John Morgan (16 January 2014) Times Higher
Education [Accessed 30th Aug 2014]
Gilroy,P. 1993 The Black Atlantic - Modernity and
Double Consciousness
Hall,S. 1997 Representation: Cultural Representations
and Signifying Practices
Said, E. 2003 Orientalism
Bhabha,H. 2004 The Location of Culture (Routledge
Classics)
Photographs from cited news sources
Source: The Calibre, Current Affairs Analysis, 7th Feb 2013
The UK delegation led by Nick Clegg emphasizing
collaboration on key issues such as renewable energy,
higher education and technological research, is a
10
Why The Sykes-Picot Borders Are Here
To Stay– And Why We Should Talk To
Bashar Al-Assad
John McHugo
first of several waves of refugees from neighbouring
countries it would be forced to accommodate in the
twentieth century. As a sovereign state, Syria was
The borders between the old British and French
mandates which carved up the largely Arabic-speaking always going to be a fragile creation.
Ottoman territories after the First World War gave us Yet despite all this, we cannot rewrite history. Even if
Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Jordan and the Israeli-Palestinian the impulse for a redrawing of the boundaries seems to
be coming from conflicts within the region itself, we
issue. It is fast becoming received wisdom that these
borders are in the process of being replaced with new should remember that partitions and exchanges of
frontiers based on ethnic and sectarian identities. This populations are invariably bloody and shatter hundreds
of thousands of lives. Often, by their very nature, they
is increasingly seen as inevitable.
create new, repressed minorities. Unless all parties can
sit down and reach a civilised agreement (rather
As Paddy Ashdown put it in a powerful piece in the
unlikely in the present circumstances), any new states
Guardian on 14th August, “What is happening in the
can only come into being by bloody wars of secession.
Middle East, like it or not, is the wholesale rewriting
of the Sykes-Picot borders of 1916 in favour of an
IRAQI KURDISTAN
Arab world whose shapes will be arbitrated more by
religious dividing lines than the old imperial
conveniences of 100 years ago”. He continued, “For The one possible exception is Iraqi Kurdistan. It has a
people with a strong sense of identity, a functioning
as long as Western policymakers deny, even tacitly,
government, armed forces in all but name, and control
that this is the most likely outcome of present events,
of its territory. Yet even here there would be problems
so they will fail to find solutions to the conundrums
which could lead to new conflicts. For a start, it would
that confront us”.
almost certainly come into existence with territorial
disputes and quarrels over resources with the rump of
I respectfully disagree, at least so far as Syria is
concerned. For Syria, a redrawing of the international Iraq. Access to this landlocked state would be a
borders at the present time would be a disaster. But in delicate subject for negotiation by its neighbours,
order to explain why this is my view, let me begin by which would line up against it whenever this suited
them.
acknowledging the problem that leads Paddy and
others to think along these lines.
Furthermore, if- which Heaven forfend! – Da’ish (I
prefer to adopt the Arabic acronym used by most
It is indisputable that the boundaries contained in the
people in the region rather than the misleading
final Anglo-French settlement of 1920 (often loosely
“Islamic State”: a designation which should be seen as
referred to as “the Sykes-Picot borders”) were not
offensive to Muslims) becomes a permanent feature of
drawn with the benefit of the people of the area in
the local landscape, many Arabic speaking nonmind. Syria is certainly a case in point. Aleppo and
Kurdish refugees currently in Iraqi Kurdistan would be
Damascus, which had previously been capitals of
forced to stay in its territory. This would give it a
separate Ottoman provinces, were thrust together as
the principal cities of a new political unit, even though substantial non-Kurdish minority at its inception.
But perhaps the most crucial question would be the
they were shorn of much of their natural hinterlands.
Before then, Damascus had been politically, culturally, new state’s relationship with Kurds in neighbouring
countries. Once Iraqi Kurdistan was independent,
and commercially closer to Jerusalem and Beirut,
Turkey and Iran would be petrified by fears of
while Aleppo had stronger links to Mosul and
irredentism. The Kurdish majority areas of Syria, the
Anatolia. The rudimentary transport networks of the
day reflected this. At the same time, the new Syria was self-styled Rojavo (“West” or “Sunset” in Kurdish),
do not abut neatly onto Iraqi Kurdistan and contain
put under the strain of a flood of Kurdish, Armenian
and Syriac Christian refugees from Anatolia– only the many non-Kurds, while there are substantial numbers
WE CANNOT REWRITE HISTORY
11
of Kurds elsewhere in Syria, including a large Kurdish
community in Damascus which has been there for so
many generations that many of its members now only
speak Arabic. As yet, there has been no call for
secession by Syria’s Kurds. Instead, they are prudently
calling for a transition to democracy in Syria and
recognition of their rights.
Consider the downside to failing to adopt this
approach. Quite rightly, there has been an immense
outpouring of sympathy for oppressed groups whose
suffering has received the selective spotlight of the
media over this summer. The tribulations inflicted on
the people of Gaza, the Yazidis, and the Christians of
the plain of Nineveh in northern Iraq spring to mind.
Yet what of the many other atrocities that do not
THE WAY FORWARD IS NOT SECESSION
receive equal attention? The statistics of those killed in
Syria’s civil war have been revised upwards, so that as
This, I believe, should be seen as the way forward
of April 2014 the total is thought to have reached
rather than secession and the redrawing of
190,000 (rather than 150,000 as previously believed).
international borders. It should not be forgotten that
The majority of these will be Sunni Arabs.
up to a quarter of Syria’s population belong to Arabic The international community cannot afford to be seen
speaking religious minorities: Alawis, Christians,
to help and support minority groups unless it is equally
Druze and Ismailis. Although they are all threatened
supportive of majorities. That is the way to propagate
by the violent streak in Sunni Islamism, they are also
sectarian and ethnic militancy, and is a large part of
proudly Arab and Syrian. They have no desire for their the story behind the emergence of organisations like
country to be partitioned. Contrary to the assumptions Al-Qa’idah and Da’ish. Selective compassion is bad
behind some ill-informed comment in America, they
politics as well as morally wrong. There must be no
do not live in compact little enclaves that could be
more favouring of dubious actors on grounds of
easily hived off into new states founded on
ideology, expediency, or solidarity with ethnic or
confessional lines.
confessional kith and kin; an end to “good guys” and
“bad guys”, to “our bastard” and “their bastard”. It
We should never forget that the demonstrators who
also means that if people sympathise with a group that
started the Syrian revolution in the spring of 2011
is currently being persecuted but do not also
were certainly not asking for their country to be
sympathise with other groups which are suffering in
dismembered. Secularism, despite everything that has an equally atrocious way, they have serious questions
happened since then, still has strong roots in Syrian
to ask themselves.
society, while some of those fighting for the overthrow
of the regime have only supported Islamist
TALKING TO BASHAR AL-ASSAD
organisations (including Da’ish) because of their
military effectiveness.
Let us test this approach by asking whether we should
talk to Bashar al-Assad.
Before the drive for independence by Greater Syria
was frustrated by Britain and France in 1920, the Arab
Robert King/Schilt Publishing
nationalists led by the Sharifian Prince Faisal realised
the need for what we might now call subsidiarity as a
key feature of any pan-Arab state or confederation of
independent Arab states. Strongly centralist Arab
nationalist currents like Ba’thism and Nasserism rose
essentially in reaction to the Anglo-French partition
and the disastrous experience in Palestine in 1947-9,
when the Arab states of the day were unable to save
the Arab population from the dispossession which the
secession of Israel entailed.
So how can we encourage the peoples of Syria, Iraq
and the other states to work towards repairing the
defective state structure of the area and democratising,
rather than dismantling, it? The key is to stick to what
Robert King/
ought to be our guns: the impartial pursuit of the
Schilt Publishing
agenda of human rights and respect for international
law generally. This includes support for ideas of
Probably the best hope that the Syrian revolution ever
federalism and autonomy at a sub-state level when
had was Moaz al-Khatib. A former imam of the
these are appropriate.
Umayyad Mosque in Damascus who was also a
12
trained geologist and (like many Syrian Islamists
across the decades) a sincere advocate of democracy,
he could appeal to Syrians of all religious persuasions
and none, and was endorsed as chairman of the
opposition National Coalition by secularists such as
the feminist Rana Kabbani. Yet he resigned from the
chairmanship of the NC in March 2013 because of
wrangling between factions backed by outside powers,
notably the USA, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. One of the
sticking points was that he wished to negotiate with
the regime in order to end the bloodshed. If Moaz alKhatib was prepared to do this, there should be no
objection to others doing the same. But this has to be
qualified as far as the UK, the EU and the USA are
concerned: Western powers must be ever mindful of
the history of their involvement in the region, and they
must always stick to their support for the principles I
mention above: human rights and international law.
LIBG North West
Late Summer Tea Party.
On Sunday 14th September the Liberal International
North West branch held their second meeting at
Councillors Howard and Karen Henshaw’s residence
in Lytham St. Annes. Howard is the Chairman of
LIBG North West. Although located in a typical
English town, their old farmhouse could not have been
more apt for the multi-cultural event. Having lived
abroad for around 25 years, their home reflects the
blend of styles of the many countries they have visited
and lived in. Interesting pieces of furniture, artefacts,
statues, pictures, photographs and totems from all over
the world enlivened the meeting. Almost everything in
the house had a story related to it and Howard very
kindly took the guests on a tour of the property,
recalling incidents connected with the various
artefacts. Many of the audience had their own African,
Asian and other international connections.
The meeting commenced with Howard welcoming the
20 guests in Indonesian/Malay to give us a flavour of
the International gathering. After explaining the
concept of Liberal International, he recounted some of
his political experiences whilst working as General
Manager of Standard Chartered Bank in Borneo,
Zambia and Uganda where he was also the Honorary
Finnish Consul to the country. Gordon Lishman then
gave an excellent précis of the strength of Liberalism,
worldwide, which his wife Maggie complemented
with her knowledge of recent developments within the
We cannot, therefore, be seen to take sides between
the regime and Da’ish. That would be disastrous short- European Union and with EU regional investment in
East Lancashire where she is a Borough Councillor in
termism. If we soon find ourselves fighting Da’ish
Burnley. She advised that plans were afoot to speed up
either directly or by proxy, we should do so in ways
that ensure that the regime does not benefit – unless it the rail links from Burnley/Blackburn to Manchester
which should greatly assist the business community of
is willing to make appropriate compromises which
would ultimately include the removal of Assad and the both centres. While Gordon has been a Liberal
Democrat representative on Liberal International work
clique surrounding him. At the same time, we should
for many years, Maggie is now a member of the EU
use the agenda of human rights and international law
Committee of the Regions.
to do what we can to repair the damage Western
involvement in the region has caused across the
The guest speaker, Kiron Reid, an honorary research
decades. A serious drive to pressurise Israel into
fellow in Law at the University of Liverpool, then
accepting peace on the basis of the Arab League plan
of 2002, which is predicated on the rights of all parties gave an up to date assessment of the problems in
Ukraine which he visited in May, this year as an
(including Israel) in international law, would
demonstrate that at along last we are prepared to act in Election observer and is due to revisit in October when
he will be on attachment to Zaporizhia National
good faith.
University in south east Ukraine. Kiron explained that,
in his opinion, the evidence was now clear that
John McHugo is author of Syria: From the Great
War to Civil War (www.saqibooks.co.uk/books/syria) President Putin was directly fuelling the conflict,
including Russia supplying the missile launcher used
and A Concise History of the Arabs
to kill all the victims on MH17. However Putin had
(www.saqibooks.co.uk/book/concise-history-arabs/)
stolen a PR march on the west, when he sent in a
He is also Chair of the Liberal Democrat Friends of
recent highly publicised aid convoy to Luhansk where
Palestine, although this article is written in his
civilians suffer while the separatists are besieged by
personal capacity.
13
Ukraine Government forces. Speakers and members of
the audience questioned whether Putin was trying to
rebuild a Russian empire but hoped that the shaky
ceasefire would hold and peace talks end the fighting
and civilian casualties.
@GLASGOW
Scotland’s Global Empire
Saturday, 4th October 2.30 pm
Jock Gallagher will be at the LIBG stall (D2 –opposite
the video wall) for a book signing. Scotland’s Global
Empire will be available at a special ‘conference price’
of £15.00
Kiron Reid expands on Ukraine.
A special word of thanks to Karen Henshaw for her
gracious hospitality. The guests tasted a mix of sweet
and savoury snacks with an international flavour while
African music played softly in the dining room.
Gitanjali Gordon.
LI extends cooperation on R2P policies
LI Treasurer, Robert Woodthorpe Browne, has met
with the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) Officer of the
United Nations Association of the United Kingdom
(UNA-UK), Alex Buskie, to discuss ways in which the
two organisations can cooperate on the development
of cross-governmental genocide prevention policies.
Leading the meeting at LI headquarters, the LI
Treasurer explained the ways in which LI can support
the development of the R2P programme of UNA-UK,
with its active international network of liberal
parliamentarians working on human rights issues.
Explaining the significance of such cooperation Robert
said: “R2P is a key priority under LI’s Human Rights
Project and as such it has been discussed within the
framework of multiple LI statutory events as well as
during last year’s meeting of liberal human rights
parliamentarians at the UNHRC in Geneva.
“A chunky book in praise of Scots. I turned to ‘The
Power’ since politics is our primary interest. Scotland
has generally pulled above its weight.”
interLib review 2013-04
“... Jock Gallagher truly shows us the power and
influence of Scotland’s global empire. A sturdy,
informative, meaty volume for your bookshelves; and
eye-catching not least for its excellent typeface, paper
quality, and (for the true Scot) inspiring cover: a map
of the world bristling with Scottish flags! “ Stuart
Millson The Journal (of the Chartered Institute of
Journalists)
“...Jock Gallagher uncovered an amazing array of
lesser-known explorers and visionaries... Today, we
take a look at some of these forgotten heroes who
helped shape the ‘Scottish Empire’.” Sunday Mail
The meeting was also attended by member of the
“...writes in a racy style while packing the 450 pages
British Group, Jonathan Fryer, who stressed that
full of memorable facts and figures.” Rampant
cooperation on this issue in the European Union, and
its advancement in EU foreign policy, is key. Jonathan Scotland
wrote the theme report for the 187th LI Exec meeting
in London entitled, ‘R2P: A Liberal Approach?’
JOIN US AT D2
.
14
Ukraine - From Spring Revolution
to a Hard Winter
Adam Nathan
Spring’s “revolution of dignity” in Ukraine, EuroMaidan, was followed fairly swiftly by a Russian
military invasion first into Crimea and then into the
most eastern provinces of the nation.
Summer was marked by more than 3,000 Ukrainian
deaths – many of them young volunteers – in military
operations against Russians soldiers and Russianbacked separatists in the eastern border territories of
the Donbas. It also marked 23 years of independence
for Ukraine.
The country brief held independence from 1917-20
before becoming part of the monolithic Soviet Union.
In the 1930s, the country suffered devastating peacetime famines brought about by Stalin’s peasant
collectivisation policies. At least four million
Ukrainians died in what is known as the Holodomore,
a modern tragedy matched only its human cruelty and
horror by the wartime Holocaust of the Jews.
writing complex computer software as part of the
country’s burgeoning IT sector, value their freedom.
Independence Day celebrations on August 24th this
year were widespread and characteristically coloured
by the nation’s bright yellow and blue flag that has
come to symbolise the struggle for freedom
worldwide. Children returning to school in early
September wore distinctive national costumes, banned
in Soviet times along with Ukrainian language books.
Patriotic pride is at a high and a feeling of national
unity palpable.
Jewish community leaders have publically endorsed
President Petro Poroshenko, Prime Minister Arseniy
Yatseniuk, and Mayor of Kiev Vitali Klitschko, the
three most high-profile leaders of the EuroMaidan,
who together symbolise the country’s new,
progressive leadership.
In contrast, the Tartar community of Crimea, who
make up 300,000 of the Black Sea peninsula's two
million people and widely opposed Russia's
annexation, suffer political repression. In September
2014, with Crimea under Russian annexation, armed
and masked men shut down their main assembly in the
region.
The totemic centrepiece of Maidan
Mikhail Shishkin, Russia’s best-known modern
novelist and a dissenting voice, wrote recently in
the Guardian that the increasingly despotic Russian
President Vladimir Putin wants “Kiev to return on its
knees, like a prodigal son, to the fatherly embrace of
the empire”. Shishkin continues: “Russia is already in
a state of war, an undeclared war against the west.
Coffins with fallen Russian soldiers have started
coming to Russian cities from Ukraine. Europe has
fallen behind; it is still enjoying the relaxed pre-war
peace.”
Prior to 1918, large parts of modern Ukraine were
under Russian imperialist rule for more than 350
years. Ukraine is a nation that, in he eyes of many
Russians, does not fully exist at all. A view
encouraged by Russia’s revisionist leadership and
state-controlled media. Its people, characterised as
simple farming folk – Ukraine has some of the world’s
richest agricultural lands – but just as likely to be
German commentator and visiting scholar at Carnegie
Europe in Brussels Ulrich Speck has claimed that the
concept of soft power has been thrown into disarray by
Putin’s actions in Ukraine. “Soft power was the dream
of the 1990s and early 2000s,” he said on his
Facebook page in September. “Europeans now must
make up their minds whether they want to accept the
reality of hard power or have no power.”
15
Winston Churchill once said that governments that
chose shame to avoid war would get both. Some
critics argue that it is exactly what President Petro
Poroshenko achieved when Ukraine signed a ceasefire with Russia and Kremlin-backed separatists on
Sept. 5 and pushed through a bill that gives separatists
de facto control over huge swaths of eastern Ukraine
on Sept. 16.
Another political concession to Russia aggression was
having the free trade deal with the European Union go
into effect on Jan. 1, 2016. Ukraine and the EU,
furthermore, may have to amend the trade terms of
their landmark association agreement under the
watchful eye of Moscow.
Rafał Sadowski, of the Centre for Eastern Studies,
warned in a research note that: “Deferring the
implementation [of the trade agreement] will not
satisfy Russian expectations, and will harden
Moscow's position in further negotiations. In light of
the armed conflict in Ukraine, this diplomatic success
will convince Russia of the effectiveness of its current
policy of exerting pressure, including military, on
neighbouring countries.”
rewriting) the EU-Ukraine DCFTA and Putin’s
continuing regional ambitions for a Eurasian Customs
Union.
The peace might allow at least for successful
parliamentary elections in Ukraine. President
Poroshenko’s announcement of snap parliamentary
elections to be held October 26th represents an
attempt to bring to an end the influence that political
leaders Yanukovych and Tymoshenko have had on
Ukrainian politics over the past decade.
In the 2012 parliamentary elections, Yanukovych’s
Party of Regions held the dominant position with over
34 % of the popular votes. Longstanding opposition
leader Tymoshenko’s Fatherland party held close to
31%.
Today, according to a recent poll by the Centre for
Social and Marketing Research, the disintegrating
Party of Regions is polling at under 2% and Fatherland
at under 5%. In contrast, Bloc Poroshenko is polling at
close to 25% of all respondents and 46% among those
intending to take part in the October elections.
Most Ukrainians realise that the concessions were
unavoidable – the “political price of peace” – after a
series of military defeats suffered by Ukraine
prompted by an invasion by regular Russian troops in
August. Ukraine had to acquiesce to Russia’s demands
because it had no means to resist the Russian invasion
as the West has opted not to supply weapons to
Ukraine.
Anton Gerashchenko, an adviser to the interior
minister, wrote on his Facebook page on Sept. 17 that
Poroshenko had no choice because, if he had refused
to conclude the deal, Russian troops would have
continued moving closer to the EU’s eastern border of
Poland, assimilating regions such as Dnipropetrovsk,
Zaporizhia and Kharkiv “given that not a single
country in the world agreed to supply weapons to us
and openly support us in our conflict with Russia.”
So for now, backed by autumn’s talks in Minsk
between the EU, Ukraine and Russia, the west has its
“peace” in the form of a new frozen conflict in the
Donbas regions of eastern Ukraine to add to those
created previously by in Georgia – South Ossetia –
and Moldova – Transdnistria.
The existence of frozen conflicts in Georgia and
Moldova has not prevented has prevented those
countries from signing Association Agreements with
the EU, but it remains to be seen if their
implementation will in fact be tolerated by Russia
given its success at delaying (and now potentially
Prime Minister Yatseniuk shakes EU President
Herman Von Rompuy’s hand.
Such a change in composition in the Ukrainian
parliament will be welcomed by many, if it takes
place, as fewer deputies will owe their political
allegiances to Moscow and the economic and political
reform measures needed to revitalise Ukraine and
move it closer to Europe should find stronger
support. Closer and deeper ties between the European
Parliament and the Ukrainian Parliament should be
encouraged via European liberal pan-nationalist
groupings such as the ALDE Party. The ALDE Party
and Liberal International should be mindful of the
changing political landscape in Ukraine and look to
woo and nurture new credible partners who are part of
the country’s positive change.
16
There are hidden pitfalls to international political
cooperation. For example, the long-time dormant
Ukrainian Liberal party has recently been rejuvenated
by Mikhail Opanaschenko, a serving member of
Parliament who was elected in 2012 as a member of
the now discredited Party of the Regions of former
President Yanukovych and who voted on 16 January
2014 for the authoritarian laws used against
democratic protesters in the EuroMaidan.
Dialogue might more suitably take place with parties
such as the new Popular Front party of Prime Minister
Yatseniuk – one of the most talented of the Maidan
politicians – and Interior Minister Arsen Avakov,
which should do well in the October elections; as well
as with smaller political parties bursting onto the scene
such as Samopomich (“self-help”), led by Andriy
Sadoviy the Mayor of Lviv, who should do well in
coming years and possess many fine liberal, reforming
qualities.
Liberals deliver verdict
on the NATO summit
LI member parties from countries that are part of the
North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) alliance
have delivered their verdicts on the decisions taken by
heads of state – some liberal – for the Alliance’s new
strategic priorities. The meeting was the last to be held
under Anders Fogh Rasmussen - former liberal Prime
Minister of Denmark for LI full member, Venstre. The
Summit was held at the Celtic Manor Resort, Newport
on the 4th & 5th September.
Anders Fogh Rasmussen - NATO Secretary
General and former leader of LI full member,
Venstre - Denmark
"Together, we've shaped NATO of tomorrow. An
alliance that is ready, robust and resolute." The NATO
summit has strengthened the "transatlantic bond
enhancing security and ensures a more fair and
balanced sharing of costs and responsibilities. [...] We
took historic decisions which will keep NATO
strong".
Martin Lidegaard – Minister of Foreign Affairs of
LI full member, Radikale Venstre – Denmark –
party in government
Adam Nathan
If possible such ties should be integrated with similar
liberal connections with Georgian and Moldavian
parliamentarians and political parties in order to
bolster the political resilience needed to drive through
reforms in the region and deliver on Europe’s Eastern
Partnership promises of economic and social
empowerment in the face of stiffening Russian
opposition.
Meanwhile, as winter fast approaches, there is a huge
potential for a humanitarian crisis in the east, driven
by internally displaced persons (IDPs) from the
conflict. If Russian forces now attack the strategic seaside city of Mariupol, this will be made far worse with
up to 500,000 more IDPs to feed and home over what
could be a brutal winter. And with Russia, as ever,
threatening to completely withdraw gas supplies vital
for heating, Ukraine’s troubles are far from over.
The historic NATO summit has ended. Denmark has
“a new role in the world coalition against ISIS” and
hopefully we have worked towards a ceasefire in
Ukraine.
"We have made contributions to the mission in Iraq,
and we will continue to do so. One cannot exclude that
we will provide other forms of contribution. We will
look at what we can contribute [primarily in the]
humanitarian and the political sphere."
Airis Meier - International secretary of LI full
member Reform Party - Estonia - party in
government
“From Estonian perspective the latest NATO Summit
was one of the most successful for the past ten years.
The continuation of the presence and further
enforcement of NATO troops in the eastern Europe,
including Estonia, was approved by the Readiness
Action Plan.
Adam Nathan is Director of European Influence and “The reaction time of forces in case of an emergency
was also a subject of discussion and there will be
Senior Consultant to Liberal International in
further steps taken to improve this further. This is the
Ukraine
17
guarantee of NATO’s core principle of collective
defence.
of the alliance is of crucial importance in these times
of turmoil. D66 is pleased to see that those present in
Wales have recommitted themselves to Article 5 –
“This summit showed a united, critical attitude
which states that an attack against one is an attack
towards Russian aggression in Ukraine – including the against all.
annexation of Crimea. Further support, including
material, will be given to Ukraine.
“NATO currently faces too many challenges to be
mentioned here – it is therefore of vital importance
“Regardless the current crises in several parts of the
that all members do everything in their capacity to
world, NATO will continue its open door policy and
keep the organization vigil and ready to act when
positive attitude towards a possible future extension of called upon.”
partners.”
Rt Hon. Nick Clegg - Deputy Prime Minister and
Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson – Prime Minister leader of LI full member, Liberal Democrats and Leader of LI full member, Progressive Party - United Kingdom - party in government
Iceland - party in government
Britain should play a part, a sensible part, a
“The Prime Minister announced Iceland´s intentions to proportionate part, a part obviously in line with
reinforce participation and contributions to its national International law, to combat the scourge of these
defences and NATO. This entails an increase in
medieval, barbaric people in ISIL. All efforts should
numbers of civilian experts under the auspices of
take place in coalition and in support of other
NATO and further financial contributions to NATO
countries in the Middle East.
programmes, including in Ukraine.
Publications from the Summit can be found at
“At a meeting with the President of Ukraine in the
https://www.gov.uk/government/topical-events/natoNATO-Ukraine Commission… the Prime Minister
summit-wales-cymru-2014
reiterated Iceland´s support and solidarity with the
Ukrainian Government, and condemned Russian
They include:
actions in the country and the illegitimate annexation
1) NATO Summit 2014: Wales Summit Declaration
of Crimea. The Prime Minister encouraged parties to
find a peaceful solution to the conflict.
2) Wales Summit Declaration on Afghanistan
“The Prime Minister underscored the importance of
3) NATO Summit 2014: Joint Statement of the NATOthe transatlantic bond and collective defence in a
Ukraine Commission
transformed security landscape in Europe…
emphasis[ing] the value of cyber defence and maritime
security, and the effective implementation of UNSCR
1325 on Women, Peace and Security.”
@GLASGOW...
some international meetings
Xavier Better - Prime Minister and leader of LI full
member, Demokratesch Partei – Luxemburg –
Sunday 5th October Liberal Democrat Friends of
party in government
Palestine - "Anti-Arab Racism in Israel and
elsewhere". Campanile 6.15 pm
The adoption of the Transatlantic Declaration creates
"an alliance that would guarantee our security and our
Sunday 5th October Liberal Democrat Friends of
values through a strong transatlantic relationship that
Israel Fringe - Israel/Palestine: Peace possible or
grows and takes into account the changes in our
escalating conflict inevitable?
security environment".
Gavin Stollar, Chairman LD Friends of Israel, Sir Alan
Beith MP, Christine Jardine, PPC for Gordon, Dermot
Sjoerd Sjoerdsma MP – Foreign Affairs
Kehoue, Chief Executive, BICOM, Simon Hughes MP
Spokesperson on Foreign Affairs of LI full
Crowne Plaza: Jura 19.45-21.00 Refreshments
member, D66 – Netherlands – in Opposition
provided
“The Summit in Wales has proved to be a historical
one in NATO’s existence. The fact that all NATOmembers have once more underlined the importance
Tuesday 7th October LIBG "Europe of the Regions
and the Demise of the Nation State" Crowne Plaza
Shuna 7.45-9pm
18
opinion of the author. It argues rapprochement with Al
Assad. I look back over the last year. Did to ‘no vote’
give Putin the confidence to invade Ukraine? ISIS was
a factor then, could we have predicted its success? By
the time that debate had taken place it was already too
Democratic Desert, the War in Syria, late.
by Robert King
Schilt Publishing 2014 £35.00 Read on of Loyd; he explains some of the short-
reviews
This is an ugly book. It is easy to say that war is ugly,
but that is not enough. ‘Some of the scenes may be
distressing’ warn the news bulletins. King’s photography equally qualifies for that disclaimer, but with a
book you can hold it in your hands and meditate on the
distress. Anthony Loyd’s accompanying essay is
comings of the information we have before us; he
gives us another example of how bad ISIS acolytes
really are. To some extent he gives some argument for
sitting safely in an office, miles from any conflict
trying to keep these issues informed.
This is a horrible book. King makes no excuses ‘it’s
not my job to aspire towards aesthetically pleasing
images of war that are palatable to the public’. King’s
photographs speak for themselves. Buy this book and
put alongside Goya’s Disasters of War as a reminder
of what war is. You cannot under-estimate the
courage of the Syrian people and those who are telling
their story on the ground,
Stewart Rayment
Inventing the Individual, the Origins of Western
Liberalism by Larry Siedentop.
Allen Lane, 2014
The canonists’ egalitarian concern for individual
conscience and free will led them gradually to recast
natural law as a system of natural rights: pre-social or
moral rights inhering in the individual. In that way,
the canonists converted the primordial Christian
concern with ‘innerness’ into the language of law.
That conversion laid the foundation of modern
liberalism.
almost unreadable – enough your eyes cry out, I’ve
read enough.
I have a dilemma. Almost a
year ago I sat where I am
now in my office and spent
two hours agonising on how
to vote on British military
intervention in Syria. A
pacifist of over 40 years I
finally opted ‘against’. Part
of my reasoning was that
Britain had screwed up in the
region for too long and
notwithstanding R2P, had no
clear idea of the objectives;
China & Russia blocked UN
action. In this issue of
interLib there will be an
article on Syria & Iraq,
June 1, 2012 Al Qusayr, Syria
which like all articles, is the
Robert King/Schilt Publishing
19
By the time Larry Siedentop makes that statement,
we’ve already had 12 centuries of Christianity. Early
in this book I realised that I would have to reconsider
Paul. I have conventionally argued that any understanding of western Liberalism had to begin with
Christianity. Either man is born fallen and therefore
needs to be governed, which is an authoritarian
(conservative, most socialists) view, or man is not
fallen, or if he is, is capable of redemption and quite
capable of governing himself – the liberal view. The
Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles are thoroughly
radical documents, but the Letters seemed to constitute
a reining in, an orthodoxy. This led me to conclude
that there wasn’t much wrong with early Christianity
until it fell into the hands of Paul and Constantine. My
reading of the New Testament seemed to confirm that
view. Whilst there are clear roots, you can’t really talk
about Liberalism as a political philosophy before
revolutions of the late 18th century, a liking for
Machiavelli and Milton aside, I’ve paid little attention
to anything between them and Plato. Now I have to
look deeper.
interest has been in French 18th & 19th century
philosophers, his work on de Maistre perhaps
influencing Berlin and sowing some of the seeds of the
present volume (de Maistre holding the erroneous
view that the Roman Pope should have ultimate
authority in temporal matters). His work on François
Guizot has a clear stamp on the work. Siedentop
follows Hazlitt as an editor of the Histoire de la
civilisation en Europe (1828 [Penguin 1998]). There is
also a biography of Tocqueville (OUP 1994), who
influences Siedentop’s Democracy in Europe (2002)
which doesn’t mince words about the difficulties of
establishing a supranational democratic state. Guizot,
notably commenting on a post-revolutionary France
where market forces had created a democratic
capitalist society that cannot return to aristocratic
privilege, but at the cost of an over-bearing
bureaucracy and lack of autonomy, tells us something
of the development of the European Union.
A Classical Liberal, Siedentop regrets that modern
Liberalism, particularly in Europe, has practically
reduced itself to an economic doctrine; for Siedentop
the central value of Liberalism is equal liberty. He
regards utilitarianism as a heresy – reductionist. Postwar thinkers like Berlin and Rawls have paid too little
attention to the State. We can’t have everything, and it
is a shame that as we move closer to modern times we
lose the detail Siedentop that paid to the early
Christians – the next volume maybe? I do hope so.
Stewart Rayment
The Highland Clearances, by Eric Richards
Birlinn 3rd edition 2013 £12.99
One of the first books that I ever reviewed was on
Scottish Nationalism and published in the mid 1970s I
Siedentop causes me to rethink a lot of this. In so far
think. One of the arguments that diverse Scottish
as I’d given any consideration to proto-Liberalism
communities put up (& I think 6 ethnic subgroups
before the 17th century, there were family connections, were identified), particularly the Gaelic, was that rule
and the high-points of the Whig interpretation. Whilst from London was more benign that rule from
Edinburgh was ever likely to be. The urban/lowland
one doesn’t doubt that the barons of Magna Charta
prejudice against the highlander and the rural, with
were no less robbers than good King John, their
religious and linguistic connotations, was unlikely to
actions had unforeseen outcomes; ditto the appalling
change. A government from Edinburgh, they said,
De Montforts. To an extent Siedentop follows a
would never foster a Gaelic radio service. I doubt the
similar thesis. The Christian focus on the individual
soul as the point of redemption would slowly percolate situation has changed much. We are in a time when we
should be removing national borders (look at the
down; the soul of the emperor and the soul of a slave
progress in Ireland) rather than creating them.
are equal in the eyes of God. This in turn would
eventually lead to a Christian rejection of slavery and
What is the history that leads to this reaction? The
serfdom in its progressive projections.
Highland Clearances must rank amongst it. One of the
difficulties of early Liberal ideology (which follows
Larry Siedentop is an American political philosopher
who has spent most of his academic career in Oxford, through) is its attachment to property. In days of
earlier state formation, property could be a guarantee
where he studied under Isaiah Berlin. His major
20
against the arbitrariness of central power. It remains a
central feature of the franchise through to the earlier
Reform acts – a stakeholder (an abused term) literally
did have a plot of land or at least a rent. In respect of
the notorious Sutherland clearances, Richards quotes
Lord Acton: We have attached political influence to
property so closely that rich old women like the
Duchess/Countess [of Sutherland] or Lady Londonderry, are dreadful powers in the land. Richards
himself adds That she [Elizabeth, 19th Countess & 1st
Duchess of Sutherland] used that power to clear her
people from the glens seemed like the ultimate crime
of the aristocracy over the loyal clansmen. Sutherland
was particularly vicious in her clearances; her factor
Patrick Sellar was even charged with homicide, though
acquitted, over the burning of a croft in Strathnaver.
James Loch, who also served her in the clearances,
later represented Tain Burghs as Whig, and Wick
Burghs as a Liberal, where he was ultimately defeated
by another Liberal, Samuel Laing. Loch’s attitudes
were typical of the lowland prejudices against
highlanders mentioned above. Mr. Gladstone would
finally pass the Crofters’ Holdings (Scotland) Act in
1886. But not all of our antecedents were on the side
of the angels.
Stewart Rayment
Empire of Sand, how Britain Made the Middle
East, by Walter Reid
Birlinn 2013 £12.99
Gertrude Bell summed it up (on the disastrous Kut
Campaign in April 1916) ‘politically… we rushed into
the business with our usual disregard for a
comprehensive political scheme’. How true is that of
practically every act of British policy in the area ever
since – particularly on Iraq.
Colonial Office, without taking account of the strong
opinions of politicians, of whom Balfour, Churchill,
Curzon & Lloyd George all spar with each other.
The nub is that mid-war the Entente was no longer
cordiale; without thinking too much of how and why,
a buffer was desirable between French Syria (by which
they really meant the whole Levant) & the Suez Canal.
A land route to Basra & the Gulf was also desirable,
and Lloyd George – ahead of his colleagues as usual,
had his eye on the oil around Mosul (notionally to
France, but ending up in British Iraq). Reid cautions
however that it would be wrong to overstate oil in the
early days of the mandates. Paradoxically, the current
split between Sunni/ISIS, the Kurds and the Shia south
is rather more what might logically have happened,
assuming of course that we hadn’t just left them to get
on with it.
However bad Iraq is, Palestine/Israel is the great
millstone around the neck of Britain and the west. On
an India/Suez based policy it is clear that Britain either
wanted control of Palestine or for it to be neutral
(probably an American mandate) but certainly not
French. The Balfour Declaration was at best naïve, it
became clear at the peace conference that Zionist aims
were greater than anticipated and that whilst the
nationalism awakened in the Arabs from the war made
rejection of the mandate a logical course, its impact
was negative – no form of representative government
was developing in Palestine. Thus, whereas the Jewish
Agency had diplomatic representation at the League of
Nations Mandates Commission, the Arabs were
represented by the British, and whereas those on the
ground tended to be pro-Arab, those in London were
more usually in the ‘Gentile Zionist’ camp. Sir Herbert
Samuel, as High Commissioner from 1920-25 is found
to be even-handed (& thus denigrated by Arab and
Israeli alike). The sorry story gets worse and worse.
Sometime in the 1980s I reviewed a book on British
Middle East policy around the First World War – it
was messy, but a lot of it was blamed on the French,
who wanted Syria, so we wanted ‘our share’. As more
and better information comes to hand we can review
that position. Certainly the French share the blame,
and generally made a pig’s ear of anything they got
involved with… but the conniving British…
You will be aware of the key contradictions – the
Sykes-Picot agreement between Britain & France vs.
McMahon-Hussein correspondence (& the Arab
revolt) vs. the Balfour Declaration. Setting aside the
differences between the protagonists of these, British
policy is marred by the interests of the Indian Empire,
the administration in Cairo and in Whitehall. There
you can at least divide the Foreign Office from the
Summing up, Reid concludes that 40 years of British
rule in Iraq did provide one of the pillars for victory in
ww2. He suggests that of the protagonists France
21
September 27, 2012 Aleppo, Syria
Robert King/Schilt Publishing
might have best claims to being aggrieved by British
policy. However given the French record in Syria &
Lebanon one can’t shed many tears for them.
Palestine & our contradictory statements proved a
poison chalice. The Arabs with whom policy makers if
not key politicians had most sympathy, played their
hand badly but the mal-intent of the Jews should have
become clearer to the mandatory much sooner evictions of Arabs after land purchases from the 1920s
for example. Unfortunately the turn of events leading
up to the holocaust could not have been foreseen. The
American response to this shows their usual dumbness
in foreign affairs - rampant Zionism without any
thought for the consequences (except of course,
limiting the number of Jewish refugees to the USA).
The American role in winning WW2 cannot be
understated, but the accusation that they did this to
almost the last Russian soldier and the last British
pound has much going for it. On the one hand they
wanted Britain to hold the Middle East for them after
the war whilst undermining what they saw as British
imperialism on the other. America couldn't have it
both ways.
Race Plan by
Jeremy Browne
Reform 2014 £10.00
Many years ago the seminal
book for Green economics
“Small is Beautiful” was
published. In it the author
Fritz Schumacher contrasted
his views with the
“Economics of the Forward
Stampede” that caused so
much damage to the
environment. 40 years later
we see in Race Plan yet
another contribution to the
“Forward Stampede”.
According to Jeremy Browne
this country is engaged in a
race which we must – if not win – then at least keep up
with the leading pack. In order to do that this country
has to be “leaner and fitter”. We must reduce the size
of the state and learn to do more with less. We must
keep up, be competitive, work harder, and pass more
difficult exams with higher scores.
So who are we in a race with? China mainly, also
South Korea and India. There are other races –
arguably much more important - such as tackling
climate change. However although Race Plan
acknowledges that carbon targets needs to be met,
virtually nothing is said about how.
The publication of the Orange Book in 2004 signalled
a new ideological direction for the Liberal Democrats,
although only 2 chapters hinted at that. Given how
Orange Book Liberalism is now portrayed you could
say that the Orange Book now needs to be properly
written. But I wonder how many Orange Book
Liberals would want to claim Race Plan to be that
book?
It is almost as though the book itself was written in a
race. It is a wide ranging book with a lot left out and
what content there is leaves a lot of unanswered
With the independence of India British strategic
questions. According to the preface; “ The era of big
thinking suddenly changed. Reid gives Bevin a good
state social democracy ended with the financial crash
report. I tend to castigate him for a multitude of ills of 2008”. This seems odd thing given the massive
India & especially the betrayal of Tibet. But on Reid’s
market failures at the time due to the withdrawal of the
testimony he did at least try on Palestine only to be
state in regulating the banks, which could only be
stabbed in the back by the Yanks.
remedied by a massive expansion of the state – with
Vince Cable leading the charge – by nationalising the
Unfortunately Suez is beyond the remit of this book
banks. However you just have to work it out; that is
but it would have made an intriguing after word.
beside the point, the point is that the state is currently
unaffordable the size it is given the state of the public
Stewart Rayment
finances and has to be reduced.
22
We are also informed that concerns about multinationals seeking cheaper labour in any country does
not amount to the “race to the bottom”, but we have to
take his word for it as there is no explanation. There
are many examples of this in Race Plan.
By the end you wonder who the book was written for.
It doesn’t address possible critics within the Liberal
Democrats even though many of the policies he
supports would not get passed at a Liberal Democrat
conference even today. However it does prove to right
wing free market think tanks that it is possible to be a
Liberal Democrat MP and support some of their
radical policies. It is towards them he is seeking to
impress, it would seem.
Geoff Payne
The Irish Dancing, cultural politics and identities,
1900-2000 by Barbara O’Connor
Cork University Press 2013
Bill Whelan’s Riverdance: A Symphonic Suite got its
UK premiere at this years Proms. It was a bit tame and
flat to my liking, lacking the percussive dynamism of
the original. Jac van Steen and the Ulster Orchestra
had already romped through three of Dvorak’s
Slavonic Dances, so the problem didn’t lie at their
door. Was it really twenty years ago? One of my
memories of, it must be the 1997 general election, is
the Reverend Ian Paisley asked by a radio interviewer
for his views on line dancing; ‘It should be banned’ he
said (you’ll have to imagine the accent and the
obvious humour in his voice). A seven minute set
while the judges deliberated in the 1994 EuroVision
Song Contest, it is one of the few memorable
occasions of what is normally one of TV’s most
forgettable shows.
Paul Healy, in his account of Roscommon life in the
mid 20th century (God Save All Here) devotes half a
chapter to dancing and dance halls. In this he tells of
‘young and carefree people who took every
opportunity to leave life’s worries to one side. With
little or no interest in alcohol (which in any case most
couldn’t afford) they danced deep into the night and
dreamt of finding love.’ Smartly turned out, in the
Astor Ballroom or Harrison Hall, Roscommon or
travelling on foot or by bicycle to a neighbouring
town, he evokes an age of innocence, dancing to local
ceili bands. In another chapter Healy recounts how
religion ruled, firmly until the 1960s, and onwards
until the misdemeanours of the Roman Church
provoked a revolt early in this century.
search for cultural identity, as the Famine generation
dwindles and nationalism develops a new course. This
was paralleled in Scotland and across Europe – even in
England. Whereas England lost much of its folk dance
on the fields of Flanders (and would have lost more if
women hadn’t kept the traditions alive), this was
probably less so in Ireland, with 40-50,000 fatalities of
a UK/Ireland total of some 680,000 fatalities. The
Molly Dancing tradition of rural Essex was lost
completely for instance.
Life is relatively simple when dancing is done at
home. It becomes a commodity when associated with
the ballroom. Despite a chapter whose connotations
reflect the same, O’Connor makes no reference to
William Trevor’s short story The Ballroom of
Romance, (Bodley Head, 1972); perhaps its
melancholia is too grim for the theme, though it
resonates in an alienated rural Ireland to this day, to
say nothing of wider alienation. Having embraced the
inter-war wave of globalization with the ballrooms,
there is a revival of ‘traditional’ forms with a more
mobile generation from the 1960s. Émigré
communities and affinity communities play their parts
in this – my acquaintances will travel considerable
distances to participate in singing or set dancing
sessions.
Sociology aside, one thing comes through and that is
up to Riverdance at least, the Irish, like the rest of us
who don’t make a living out of it dance for sheer
enjoyment.
Stewart Rayment
Six Weeks of Blenheim Summer, by Alastair
Panton and Victoria Panton Bacon.
Biteback 2014 £16.99
This is a ripping yarn. Fortunately it is compiled in
Barbara O’Connor, at a deep academic level offers a
similar story. She begins with the Gaelic Revival, a
23
Conference Caption Competition
Never let it be said that Simon Hughes is a
man of few words… but what is chair
Wendy Kyrle Pope saying to Nick Harvey?
Hand your answers into the LIBG stall at
Glasgow (or email to
[email protected])
four readable sections, so you can put it down for a
moment when you let the cat out. Subtitled ‘An RAF
Officer’s memoir of the Battle of France 1940’ – that
tells you pretty much all you need to know. Alastair
Panton has a brief, but exciting military career, with
everything you’d expect; its moments of heroism, its
moments of tragedy, of comradeship, humour,
stoicism, sadness. As the news is full of refugees
fleeing the so called Islamic State, the detail on that
generally over-looked corner of war is fascinating.
One of the much heard complaints of Dunkirk is
‘where was the RAF?’ Panton answers this admirably,
but I’ll leave that for the book – I wouldn’t want to
spoil a word.
Eventually he is shot down and captured, spending
most of the war as a prisoner (that forms a further
section of the book –leavened with humour). And like
the best ripping yarns, found in a box in the garage,
and brought together by Panton’s granddaughter.
Whilst much of Biteback’s output is pretty predictable,
one wonders how they picked up a gem like this. The
answer is simple (though not in a disparaging sense).
Victoria Panton Bacon is married to Richard Bacon,
Coalition MP for South Norfolk (though not one of
ours). Bacon, you may recall, had the good sense to
vote against the Iraq War in 2003 - what a lot of
trouble might have been saved if the rest of his party
had followed suit.
But to return to the book. I have deliberately avoided
spilling the beans, because there is so much in it for
you to enjoy for yourself. I’m not sure how good the
Blenheim was as an aircraft - except to say that in
1939 it was probably one of the better that we had.
Panton was lucky to fly her primarily for reconnaissance. It was certainly not up to the Messerschmitt
bf 109 in its fighter-bomber role. Panton’s career
reflects these things. In a year when we are mostly
focused on 1914 a reminder of 1940 is not amiss.
Adventure, it none the less brings home the realities of
war and for that is doubly to be valued.
Stewart Rayment
The Friends of Israel's perspective on
Gaza.
Matthew Harris
At time of writing on 25 September 2014, the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas appears to be holding. This is
a great relief, as this summer’s conflict was deeply distressing for all friends of Israel. Although Liberal Democrat
Friends of Israel (LDFI)1 includes Lib Dems of all faiths and of none, some of our Jewish members have family
members living in Israel. It was heartrending for those members to receive emails from those Israeli relatives,
describing how they could not stray too far from home for fear of being unable to reach a bomb shelter if another
Hamas air-raid occurred. One LDFI committee member (Matthew Harris)2 blogged about the emotional impact
of reading such emails.
The conflict was also deeply distressing because of the large number of people killed and wounded, with Gaza’s
Palestinian population clearly being the hardest hit numerically. While some of Israel’s supporters3 placed the
blame for Palestinian civilian casualties squarely at the door of Hamas, and while some commentators suggested
that Israel’s actions (and the consequences of those actions) are no different from the actions of other Western
democracies engaged in similar conflicts, LDFI set out its own position in this statement on its website, on 15
August 2014:
“In light of the events of the past month in Israel and in Gaza, the Liberal Democrat Friends of Israel (LDFI)
believe that it is important to outline our views. It should be borne in mind that LDFI is not a Jewish organisation.
It is what its title says: Liberal Democrats who are friends of the State of Israel. Our membership includes people
of all faiths and of none.
“LDFI does not subscribe to or uncritically support the policies of every Israeli government, particularly not one
led by Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud Party, whose values are quite different from that of the Liberal Democrats.
We remain absolutely committed to the State of Israel and her right to live within secure borders and to supporting
peace in the region. We believe that this can and will be achieved by negotiation, on the basis of an imaginative
two-state solution that will benefit Palestinians and Israelis alike.
“LDFI condemns Hamas as the terrorist group it is recognised to be internationally. Hamas is committed to the
destruction of Israel in both word and deed, and its refusal to accept Israel’s statehood is an integral obstruction
to peace. Attacks on Israel by means of both the terror tunnels and the unceasing, indiscriminate missile
bombardment are without question intolerable and unacceptable, and have been rightly countered.
“The level of casualties in Gaza and beyond is a human tragedy. Hamas’ policy of using the Gazan people as
human shields to protect their arms caches around hospitals, schools, densely populated neighbourhoods must be
understood and recognised in the UK and internationally. As Nick Clegg has written, “[Hamas] has shown it is
willing to sacrifice its own people for military advantage.” As such, Hamas must bear a heavy responsibility for
the tragically high death toll in Gaza to date.
“Following the absolute confirmation that Israel will cease all military responses as long as missile fire does not
recommence, we call on the UK and international community to bring pressure to bear on Hamas to cease their
1
http://ldfi.org.uk/
2
http://matthewfharris.blogspot.co.uk/2014/08/my-minute-of-rage-for-gaza-and-israel.html
3
http://www.thejc.com/news/israel-news/120792/richard-kemp-analysis-the-war-crimes-have-beencommitted-hamas
missile fire indefinitely. This will give way to a period of calm which will allow pause for reflection on all sides.
Further aggression and provocation from Hamas will not allow negotiations, led by Egypt, to conclude towards
an enduring ceasefire.
“What is clear is that any continuation of the situation of the past month will not deliver the Liberal Democrat
dual aspiration of removal of the existential threat to Israel’s security and the creation of a viable Palestinian state.
Furthermore, we call on Israel to demonstrate continued restraint in any targeting of terrorist targets in Gaza.
Civilian causalities in Gaza are not just a tragedy but also give Israel’s enemies at home and abroad both political
and public relations ammunition to espouse a worrying anti-Zionist and sometimes actually anti-Semitic rhetoric
which LDFI finds as deplorable a consequence as the prospect of further hostilities.”
A further reason that the conflict was deeply distressing was that it sparked a widely-reported increase in antisemitic
incidents in the UK and around the world1. While it is, of course, as reasonable to criticise the actions of Israel
and its government as it is to criticise the actions of any other country and its government, it is entirely unacceptable
for the rhetoric associated with such criticism to become antisemitic, especially when the rhetoric has actually
spilled over into physical violence in some instances2, and with the UK also witnessing some highly distressing
incidents3. As Liberal Democrat Leader and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said in a speech to LDFI in 20104:
“It is outrageous…that some people’s feelings about a conflict in the Middle East should create a climate of
opinion in which British Jews are attacked and threatened both verbally and physically. No amount of anger about
overseas events can ever justify hostility, let alone hatred, towards British Jews.”
Throughout the conflict, LDFI Chairman Gavin Stollar sent regular email updates to LDFI’s contacts list, and
we are very pleased with the positive response to these updates. If you would like to be added to the mailing list
for such updates, please email [email protected]. These updates are only one example of LDFI’s work in the
past year, which also included this recent article in The Jewish Chronicle by Gavin Stollar6, and successful
visits to Israel and the West Bank by senior Liberal Democrats7. LDFI’s core mission remains “to support and
promote policies which lead to peace and security for Israel in the context of a comprehensive and lasting
Middle East peace settlement”, and this is reflected in our fringe meeting at the 2014 party conference, on the
theme of: “Israel/Palestine: Peace possible or escalating conflict inevitable?”, in the Jura room at the Crowne
Plaza on the Sunday evening of Conference, from 19.45-21.00, and we look forward to welcoming you there if
you are attending Conference.
Also at Conference, Conference Representatives choosing an Emergency Motion for debate have the option of
voting to debate the following:
“Conference welcomes the open-ended ceasefire in Gaza which came into force on 26 August.
1
http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/aug/07/antisemitism-rise-europe-worst-since-nazis
2
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/10992886/Anti-Semitism-on-the-march-Europe-bracesfor-violence.html
3
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/11041391/Removing-kosher-food-from-shelves-is-giving-into-hatred.html
4
http://ldfi.org.uk/2010/11/08/pressreleases/
5
mailto:[email protected]
6
http://www.thejc.com/comment-and-debate/comment/121786/its-naive-think-david-ward-true-voice-libdems-israel
7
http://www.thejc.com/node/112280
26
“Conference hopes this will lead to the resumption of
meaningful peace talks between Israel and the
Palestinians on Quartet Principles leading to a Two State
solution.”
LDFI strongly hopes that Conference Representatives The 193rd Executive Committee to focus on growth
will vote to select this Emergency Motion for debate.
and tackling inequality.
Liberal International Exec.
Hong Kong
Matthew Harris is a committee member of the Liberal With confirmation from the 59th Congress, Liberal
Democrat Friends of Israel
International will return to Asia for the first time in
four years, where it will hold the 193rd Executive
Committee meeting in Hong Kong. Liberals from
Editorial note: The hyperlinks in this article have been
around the world will meet to discuss the globally
a problem - this hasn’t been completely resolved, but
significant theme, ‘Liberalism: promoting growth,
life is short and the Lib Dem Autumn Conference
reducing inequality’.
draws nigh. I have thus added the hyperlinks as
footnotes and hope that they now work.
In collaboration with LI’s only individual member, Mr
Martin Lee of the Hong Kong Democrats, and
cooperating organisations FNF and the Council of
Asian Liberals and Democrats (CALD), the Executive
Committee will take place from 7-10 November 2014
in Hong Kong. With liberals in the region holding
many high-level and influential positions, the 193rd
EC will provide delegates with an exceptional
opportunity to network with prominent party leaders,
legislators and representatives from regional NGOs.
Registration for the 193rd Executive Committee will
open between 1st October – 21st October 2014 via the
LI website www.liberal-international.org
The hotel for the Executive Committee, which is also
the main EC venue, is the Hyatt Regency (Tsim Sha
Tsui). Bookings can be made now and full details are
available via the LI website.
Many delegates will not require a visa when travelling
to Hong Kong, but please be aware that any travel to
mainland China will require a visa prior to arrival.
The deadlines for submitting resolutions to the 193rd
Executive Committee should be made in line with
Liberal International’s standing orders, which can be
found here.
Don’t forget to keep up to date with the latest EC
developments by engaging with us on Facebook and
following LI on Twitter where we will be using the
hashtag #LIEC
27
Maintaining the UK's commitment
to international development
Michael Moore
Over forty years ago the United Nations agreed that
In a globalized world, problems do not stay local for
the richest countries in the world owed it to the poorest long. Whether it is financial contagion, environmental
people in the world to do their bit to end poverty.
degradation, political instability or migration, the
problems of the developing world are firmly those of
The 1970 resolution of the General Assembly
the developed world, too. In this situation, there is no
anticipated that by 1975 developed countries would hit awkward choice between altruism and national
the target of contributing 0.7% of their gross national interests - development makes a difference to us all.
income every year as official development assistance.
Unfortunately, it remains work in progress.
An entirely different argument is that, since we do not
make this kind of budgetary commitment in other
Last year in 2014, however, the UK became the first of areas of UK spending, then we should not do so here.
the 'G7' wealthiest nations to reach the target. On
Indeed, a separate bill is being proposed to make a
Friday 12th September, in Parliament, my
similar pledge in defence, to make sure we maintain
International Development Bill received its second
NATO's target of 2% of GDP spent annually on
reading, a first step towards making this level of
military expenditure.
spending a recurring commitment for the years to
come.
As far as aid spending is concerned, this is about
leadership - the chance to set the clearest example to
The bill has the support of all kinds of aid charities
other wealthy countries to persuade them to join us in
and NGOs - I am very grateful for the huge amount of the commitment. And it will also allow the focus of
work they have done in support of it so far.
the aid debate in the UK to switch decisively from
Encouragingly, there is also cross party consensus that how much money we spend to how we spend the
we should legislate. In their 2010 election manifestos, money.
the Liberal Democrats, Labour and the Conservatives
each promised to legislate; and the Coalition
It is also sometimes argued that because some aid is
Agreement included it as a firm proposal.
squandered we should not provide this level of
financial support or ongoing commitment from the
Aid is making a huge difference to the lives of
taxpayer. We certainly owe it to both recipients and
millions of people across the world. But making our
taxpayers to ensure that development support is
spending an ongoing commitment matters because the appropriately used. That is why my Bill introduces
scale of poverty in the world remains scandalous.
provisions for independent evaluation of the relevance,
Fifteen years of work to reduce extreme poverty and
impact, value-for-money and sustainability of the UK's
hunger by half, under the banner of the Millennium
development support, making sure that it is spent
Development Goals, has not yet succeeded. Ditto the
efficiently and effectively.
goals of ensuring universal access to primary
education or to improve maternal health. There is a
It has been a great privilege to introduce the
long list of things still to do.
International Development (Official Development
Assistance Target) Bill to Parliament and for all the
And yet there are those who oppose the level of
reasons I have given, I hope it will soon be turned into
development assistance provided by the UK or believe legislation and commit the UK to continue to be a
that it should be left to charitable donations rather than force for good around the world.
the state. If the basic premise, that helping the most
disadvantaged on the planet 'is the right thing to do',
Michael Moore is Liberal Democrat MP for
does not persuade some (and it does for most people), Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk
then the idea that it is in our national interest surely
_
ought to appeal.
28
International Abstracts
BBC World Service and British Council
BBC World Service and British Council - Full debate http://davidalton.net/2014/07/11/bbc-world-servicebritish-council-the-use-of-soft-power-and-the-promotion-of-british-values-and-interests-overseas/
BBC World Service and British Council: Full debate
http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/hansard/lords/todays-lords-debates/read/unknown/189/
Religious Intolerance/Iraq/ISIS
http://davidalton.net/2014/07/24/as-the-last-christian-is-expelled-from-mosul-by-isis-times-article-on-why-the-worldmust-respond-to-the-cryhttp://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/10989576/Social-media-fuelling-surge-in-back-to-the-dark-ages-religiouspersecution-Lord-Sacks.html
Columbia Trade Deal
http://davidalton.net/2014/07/30/colombia-trade-deal-that-threatens-indigenous-colombians-afro-colombians-humanrights-advocates-natural-resources-and-the-environment-good-for-british-business-and-bad-for-colombian-human-rig/
Australia & ISIS
Fools rush in: Tony Abbott joins a war without definition
Paul McGeough: Chief foreign correspondent, The Sydney Morning Herald, September 14, 2014
http://www.smh.com.au/world/fools-rush-in-tony-abbott-joins-a-war-without-definition-2014091410gtib.html#ixzz3DStKk0o9
also commentary on the article by Steve Yolland posted on the Liberator facebook blog and at
http://wellthisiswhatithink.com/2014/09/16/when-the-knife-hits-the-throat-of-an-aussie-flyboy-thats-when-therubber-will-really-hit-the-road/
Germany
The Collapse of Germany’s liberals, the FDP, and why it matters in two charts. Alberto Nardelli. The Guardian
15th September 2014
http://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2014/sep/15/collapse-of-germanys-liberals-fdp-in-two-charts
Neue liberale Partei will Maximaldistanz zur FDP. Von Günther Lachmann. Die Welt
Also posted at www.garethepps.org.uk & the Liberator facebook blog, which has considerable comment on
these articles.
USA
G.O.P. Gains Strength and Obama Gets Low Marks, Poll Finds, by Megan Thee-Brenan. The New York
Times. Sept. 16, 2014
No real surprises, but the detail is a sad reflection on the polarity in the US electorate.
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/09/16/us/politics/gop-gains-strength-and-obama-gets-low-markspoll-finds.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&version=LedeSum&module=first-columnregion®ion=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=0
29
Over the Edge
Jonathan Fryer
The Israeli Defense Force (IDF) is a past master at
inventing Orwellian names for its military operations.
“Protective Edge” sounds so reassuring and 100%
defensive, but for the people on the receiving end in
Gaza this summer it was anything but. The completely
disproportionate response to Hamas provocation led to
well over 2,000 Palestinian deaths, two thirds of them
civilians (according to the UN), including several
hundred children. Many more were injured and over
half a million displaced; the psychological trauma,
particularly of the very young, has been incalculable.
Whole districts were flattened, homes demolished;
even some UN schools and facilities were attacked.
Night after night we had to witness the sickening
spectacle of the region’s foremost military power
pounding a people trapped in a narrow strip of land
from which there was no escape. It was like shooting
fish in a barrel.
cleansing has been going on in East Jerusalem. The
Palestinians want to have East Jerusalem as the capital
of their dreamed-of Palestinian state. But the Israeli
government is doing everything it can to prevent that
happening, instead working to claim all Jerusalem as
the undivided capital of the Jewish State, despite the
fact that the city is holy to all three Abrahamic faiths.
There are noble Jews in Israel, as well as in the
diaspora outside, who are horrified by the way that
what started out as an idealistic vision after the
genocide of the Holocaust has turned into a nightmare.
They are sickened how successive Israeli governments
have acted in contravention to the very teachings of
the Jewish religion. Israel has become a rogue state,
violating both the Geneva and Hague Conventions on
a daily basis. It uses targeted assassinations, subjects
Palestinian prisoners to torture and inhuman treatment,
incarcerates children, and is steadily making the
I curse Hamas and whichever other militant group was creation of a viable independent Palestinian state
responsible for firing rockets into Israel, for that was
impossible. Binyamin Netanyahu puts two fingers up
itself a terrorist act, albeit on a far more limited scale.
to the United States and the rest of the West, because
There can be no justification for targeting civilians in
he knows he that so far he has been able to get away
that way, though the rockets were so primitive that it is
with murder. The settlements expansion continues
maybe absurd to use the word “targeting” anyway. Six
apace; immediately after the Protective Edge
civilians were killed in Israel, including a child and
operation, the biggest land-grab by the Israeli state for
one Thai national. That’s six too many. 66 Israeli
30 years took place, near Bethlehem.
soldiers also perished in the conflict, some from
“friendly fire”. I curse Hamas and other militant
For me, Protective Edge was the final straw. The
groups for undermining attempts at getting some sort
callous indifference of the Israeli government – and, I
of negotiated settlement to the Israel-Palestine dispute.
regret to day, of a significant proportion of the Israeli
But I also curse them for letting Israel portray itself
population – to the suffering wrought on the people of
once again as the victim, whereas for decades it has
Gaza made me want to vomit. As the brave Israeli
increasingly been the oppressor.
journalist Gideon Levy wrote, it was if they
Gaza itself has been under a tight blockade by Israel,
considered killing Palestinian children no more
denying the territory true autonomy. Even Gaza’s
important than killing insects. Accordingly, I believe it
fishermen have regularly been prevented from going
is time for Britain officially to take a principled stand,
out to catch their fish, often risking arrest or attack
as increasingly large numbers of Britons are doing.
when they do so. Over in the West Bank, the
The UK should recognise the state of Palestine now.
Occupation continues unabated. Palestinians there are
And individuals should seriously consider whether the
regularly harassed and humiliated by the IDF and
time has not come to boycott Israel, and Israeli
militant Israeli settlers, some of whom have stated
produce, as I have decided to do, until the blockade of
overtly that their aim is to push all the Arabs out of
Gaza is lifted, the Israeli settlements in the West Bank
Palestine into Jordan. Water is diverted to serve Israeli
removed, the disgusting apartheid barrier (“security
settlements, Palestinian olive groves are frequently
wall”) is pulled down and Palestine is set free.
uprooted, houses demolished, building permits for
Palestinians routinely refused. Moreover, for several
Jonathan Fryer lectures at SOAS & is a member of the
years now, what can only be described as ethnic
LIBG Executive.
30
@GLASGOW...
the international bits
SATURDAY 4TH OCTOBER
Fringe Sunday lunchtime 13.00–14.00
Fringe Saturday lunchtime 12.00–13.00
Transform Drug Policy Foundation
Ending the War on Drugs: Taking the political lead
The Rt. Hon. Norman Baker MP and Danny Kushlick,
Head of External Affairs,
Transform, discuss the principles of liberal drug
policy. Followed by a question and
answer session exploring how to make the case for
reform.
SECC, Ness
Liberal Democrats for Seekers of Sanctuary
AGM and forward planning meeting of Liberal
Democrats for Seekers of Sanctuary AGM of
LD4SOS, to both conduct formal business of AGM,
and look at how we work in future with and for
seekers of asylum. Speaker: Norman Baker MP (to be
confirmed). All interested in asylum issues welcome.
http://libdemfocus.co.uk/
ld4sos/
Campanile, Monet 2
Fringe Sunday early evening 18.15–19.15
VSO and International Citizen Service
Is this the generation to end poverty?
Join ICS Director Brian Rockliffe and a panel of
CONFERENCE CHAMBER
young ICS volunteers for an interactive discussion
session.
14.00 Policy Motion: Reducing Poverty and
Discrimination. The motion opens ‘It is unacceptable SECC, Global Development Hub
that anyone, anywhere in the world, should live in
absolute poverty in the twenty-first century…’
International Office / ALDE – European Liberals
LibDems & Europe – In or Out Referendum
14.20 Policy motion: Towards Safer Sex Work.
Martin Horwood MP, Chair of the Backbench
Civil liberties issues aside, this clearly has an
Committee on International Affairs, Lousewies Van
international context, citing the experiences of New
Der Lann of D66 Netherlands and ALDE, and Iain
Zealand, and the frequent impact on marginal migrant
Gill, Head of International Office, will lead a strategic
individuals.
discussion on the in/out referendum.
SECC, Leven
Fringe Saturday mid evening 20.15–21.30
International Office / Africa Liberal Network
Liberal Democrats: Pioneering work in Africa.
A discussion on the work of the Liberal Democrats in
Africa helping shape economic and human rights
policy Speakers: Rt. Hon Andrew Stunell MP, Iain
Gill, International Office/ Westminster Foundation for
Democracy, Baroness Kishwer Falkner and reps
from Africa Liberal Network.
SECC, Carron 2
SUNDAY 5TH OCTOBER
CONFERENCE CHAMBER
10.50 Policy motion: Doing What Works to Cut
Crime (Crime and Criminal Justice Policy Paper)
Aside from the obvious international aspect of
crime (which the Tories & UKIP seem unconcerned
about), the motion references Female Genital
Mutilation issues.
Her Majesty’s Government of Gibraltar
Her Majesty’s Government of Gibraltar, Reception
Speakers: The Chief Minister, The Hon Fabian
Picardo QC MP; The Deputy Chief Minister, The Hon
Dr Joseph Garcia MP.
Crowne Plaza, Argyll 1
Liberal Democrat Friends of Palestine
Anti-Arab Racism in Israel and elsewhere
Details to be confirmed, but speakers will include
Chris Doyle of CAABU, a speaker from Gaza and a
representative of a Jewish organisation.
Campanile, Picasso 2
Liberal Democrats for Seekers of Sanctuary with
Liberal Democrat Christian Forum
How does society end destitution among asylum
seekers in the UK?
Jonathan Ellis, Head of Advocacy, The British Red
Cross, and Eileen Baxendale, Chair of the Refugee
Survival Trust, with live testimonies from asylum
31
seekers, chaired by Sir Andrew Stunell MP. To look at MONDAY 6TH OCTOBER
lasting solutions to this unacceptable situation.
Fringe Monday lunchtime 13.00–14.00
Campanile, Picasso 3
Fringe Sunday mid evening 19.45–21.00
ActionAid and Islamic Relief
Progress in Peril: How can we secure and build on
recent gains in Afghan Women’s Rights?
With NATO withdrawal, the UK is set to co-host an
international conference to discuss Afghanistan’s
development. Join us to discuss what more UK actors
can do to secure gains made since the fall of the
Taliban and prevent the reversal of progress on
women’s rights.
SECC, Global Development Hub
International Office / International Relations
Committee
International Appreciation Reception
An evening reception to celebrate the work of the
various components of the Liberal Democrats
International operations. Speakers tba.
Crowne Plaza, Argyll 3
BY INVITATION
Liberal Democrat Friends of Israel
Israel/Palestine: Peace possible or escalating conflict
inevitable?
Gavin Stollar, Chairman of Liberal Democrat Friends
of Israel; Sir Alan Beith MP;
Christine Jardine, PPC for Gordon; Dermot Kehoue,
Chief Executive, BICOM; Simon Hughes MP
(invited).
Crowne Plaza, Jura
Fringe Sunday late evening 21.30–23.00
The European Azerbaijan Society
TEAS Jazz Reception
A reception with live jazz by Sabina Rakcheyeva and
the Deco Ensemble, where
they will perform a vibrant mix of standards, tangos
and their own compositions.
Refreshments and food will be provided.
Crowne Plaza, Argyll 2 & 3
NASUWT
Iraq is in crisis
Over one million people have fled their homes to
escape violence and children’s rights are being
violated. This fringe meeting will discuss the
mounting humanitarian
and political crisis in Iraq. Speaker: Chris Keates,
General Secretary NASUWT. Other speakers invited.
SECC, Carron 2
WDM
In whose interests? The EU-US trade deal and global
big business
As negotiations for the Transatlantic Trade &
Investment Partnership (TTIP) heat up, we ask
whether this is a treaty for jobs and growth, or one
which challenges Europe’s hard-won social and
environmental protections to benefit big business.
SECC, Global Development Hub
CONFERENCE CHAMBER
15.00
Policy motion: Adapting to Climate
Change in the UK
15.00-16.0 International Development; Lynne
Featherstone: Ministerial Q&A sessions,
Carron 1, SECC
Fringe Monday early evening 18.15–19.15
Cruelty Free International
Is it time to end animal experiments on cats and
dogs?
Animal experiments on our best friends, cats and dogs,
cause particular controversy. Sewing up kittens’ eyes,
expanding breeding of dogs for industry – the issue
keeps hitting the headlines. Is it time to call a halt?
SECC, Carron 2
Amnesty International UK
From the Human Rights Act to Diplomacy Abroad –
Consistency and Human Rights
Join Julian Huppert MP, Martin Horwood MP, lawyer
Niall McCluskey, and Director of Amnesty
International UK Kate Allen, who will examine the
importance of consistency in the UK’s approach to
human rights both at home and abroad.
SECC, Dochart 1
32
Christian Aid, Oxfam, CAFOD
Continuing to lead on climate change – a priority for
the next Government?
Lynne Featherstone MP (invited); Stephen Tall
(Chair); Duncan Brack; others tbc.
SECC, Global Development Hub
CONFERENCE CHAMBER
Fringe Monday mid evening 19.45–21.00
Ethnic Minority Liberal Democrats
What are the Liberal Democrats doing about Racism
and Xenophobia Panel discussion chaired by Issan
Ghazni with Baroness Meral Ece, Don Flynn,
Migrant Rights Network, Simon Woolley, Operation
Black Vote, and Phil Bennion, on the rise of UKIP and
exploring how the Party can combat racism and
growing
intolerance.
SECC, Ness
Holocaust Educational Trust
Holocaust survivor Mala Tribich MBE shares her
testimony
Holocaust survivor Mala Tribich MBE shares her
testimony and talks about life with
Baroness Grender of Kingston upon Thames. With
introduction from Rt. Hon Simon
Hughes, Minister of State for Justice.
Crowne Plaza, Hebrides
United Nations Association - UK (UNA-UK)
Can Britain still cut it on the world stage?
A reception to launch UNA-UK’s foreign policy
manifesto. Keynote speaker tbc.
SECC, Dochart 2
Bond
The International Development Reception
Together, we want to make sustainable development a
priority for the next UK government. Join us to hear
about what sector leaders and politicians will do in
2015
and beyond to create a world free from poverty.
SECC, Global Development Hub
TUESDAY 7TH OCTOBER
Fringe Tuesday lunchtime 13.00–14.00
15.10
Speech: Rt Hon Edward Davey MP,
Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change.
Fringe Tuesday early evening 18.15–19.15
Liberal International (British Group) and European
Liberal Democrat Group
Europe of the Regions and the Demise of the Nation
State
Scotland will have voted on whether or not to stay in
the UK by the time of this Fringe. Whatever the result,
we will be examining a more regional-centric Europe,
with speakers from Catalunya, Scotland and
elsewhere.
Crowne Plaza, Shuna
Glee Club
Where? Argyll 1, Crowne Plaza
When? Tuesday 7th October, 22.00 to 02.00
Join us for the ultimate end-of-conference celebration!
Cash bar. Special bar prices:
Bottle of beer £3.75
Free post mix mixer with any spirit bought
175ml glass of house wine £4.25
Pint of Beer £3.55
Soft drinks £1.50
APPG on Migration
Pick up your copy of the Liberator Songbook and
How can Liberal immigration policies be delivered?
come and ‘raise the roof’!
Vicky Pryce; Sir Andrew Stunell MP; Ibrahim Taguri,
PPC, Brent Central; Margaret Burton, Ernst & Young;
Ruth Grove-White, Migrants’ Rights Network.
REPORTS OF INTERNATIONAL EVENTS
Crowne Plaza, Hebrides
Transport Hub – ABTA and Airport Operators
Association
Trade, tourism, aviation – is Britain winning the
Global Race?
New runways. Visa liberalisation. Lower Air
Passenger Duty. Incentivising sustainable aviation
fuels. Is there more that the Government can and
should be doing to support the aviation and tourism
sectors?
Campanile, Picasso 1
AT THE CONFERENCE ARE WELCOME.
WRITE THEM WHILE THEY ARE FRESH
IN YOUR MEMORY, INVITE SPEAKERS
TO MAKE A CONTRIBUTION AND
EMAIL TO [email protected]
DEADLINE 31st OCTOBER 2014
33