London as one

This from 21st Century Vision
who describes London at 12 expressing the same sentiment as we did at 18 in Trafalgar Square:
"Locally in the London Boroughs of Enfield & Barnet many people left their workplace and stood silent on the street. We visited the Palmers Green Bookshop and joined them as they shut their doors and stood silent outside. Others came out of their shops and joined together in this act of remembrance. It was an emotional moment that made us all realise that underneath the diversity of this great city, London was at one."

London Together after the Bombings on Trafalger Square

I chose this detail from the pictures I took because of the contrast. Of course it doesn't automatically follow that waving a Union Jack means that person is opposed to a pull out from Iraq. And the people carrying the "London-Fallujah No more bombs" might have just have meant that air attacks is not the right way to fight terrorism in Iraq (but I suspect not). I was a little uncomfortable that was there was a section who took an anti war message from the atrocity on the 7th of July. I think is quite possible that, in the short term, a pull out from Iraq would take the heat off us but it wouldn't reduce suicide bombings. Instead of us in London, other people somewhere else in the world would be victims. But London wouldn't be united if those who are anti war hadn't been there. London being united doesn't mean we don't disagree.

I'm not so sure about the Stop the War Coalition folk tho. I got into an argument with one of them - okay, I picked an argument with one of them. Did he think pulling British and American troops out o Iraq would end the war. Yes he was 100% sure. So why, I asked him, are most of the victims Iraqi? "I don't know." When someone can't attempt a coherent argument they can't blame others for suspecting that they arn't being totally honest in their aims. My suspicion is that they are not anti war but pro war - just they want the Iraqi "resistance" to win.

I have never been to Iraq and don't know whether the terrorists will succeed in dividing Iraqis, one against each other but I do know they won't succeed in London. That was the message that virtually every speaker gave and we standing there didn't mind the repetition - it was what we wanted to hear.

David
London Bombings

The French Reject Blair's Folly

The constitution is a monument to Tony Blair's negotiating skills in persuading the rest of Europe's leaders to accept an anti Federalist constitution that is an unworkable compromise. Only increasing the power of the European Parliament to act will solve the problem of the democratic deficit but that is an anathema to the Euro-sceptics that Blair is pandering to.

There is a plan B. Governments have failed to produce a workable constitution. It is time to elect a Europe-wide constituent assembly.

Only secret ballots are democratic

Monday's Guardian article describing widespread fraud associated with postal voting has again focused concern on the problems with postal voting. What amazes me is not that fraud is going on but that those abusing the system have been so blatant about it that they have been caught. The secret ballot ensures that bribery and intimidation is next to impossible. This is because there is no way that anyone offering a bribe can ensure that that the bribee didn't actually vote for someone quite different. With a postal ballot blank ballot papers can be handed over for sums of money and the cross can be filled in by the buyer. The lack of safeguards is quite breathtaking. One women turned up to the polling station to be told she could not vote because someone had cast a postal ballot in her name. Monday's Guardian on page 4 tels how her father argued with the presiding officer only to be told there was not even a procedure for her to make a complaint. The lack of safeguards is quite rational tho. Postal voting is so open abuse that it relies on people being too honest to abuse the system. Well it is clear now that British people are not above such electoral fraud. Every time a vote is sold or someone votes the way they have only because a member of their family has stood over them while they filled in their ballot paper to ensure they voted the right way then all honest voters are defrauded.

Safeguards are a smokescreen. The postal ballot is not a secret ballot and needs to abolished. It's also clear that we need extra safeguards at polling stations. Index fingers dipped in purple ink may well not be over doing it.


More sensible reforms can be found on the Delyn Democracy blog.

britain