Tag: genocide

How have your political views changed over time? Political views that change ‘over time’ are most often based on political interests. This blog is stimulated by Peter Oborne (2025) ‘Complicit: Britain’s Role in the Destruction of Gaza’.

December 23, 2025

Political views that change ‘over time’ are most often based on political interests. Free-standing, and relatively independent thought, feelings and action regarding politics – about how different kinds of power are distributed and used –  probably do change over time in reflection of learning, provided we allow ourselves to continue learning over our lives. However, … More How have your political views changed over time? Political views that change ‘over time’ are most often based on political interests. This blog is stimulated by Peter Oborne (2025) ‘Complicit: Britain’s Role in the Destruction of Gaza’.

‘Nothing so true as what you once let fall: / Keir Starmer has no Character at All’. A case study.

December 22, 2025

I ought to apologise to Alexander Pope for twisting his tritest lines – the opening of ‘Epistles to Several Persons: Epistle II: To a Lady on the Characters of Women. But the lines are indeed trite and bear nothing much beside the most rank misogyny – but pointed at political women. But it does have … More ‘Nothing so true as what you once let fall: / Keir Starmer has no Character at All’. A case study.

Violence: How should we respond, and how do we respond? The tragedies about to be born out of inappropriate and thoughtless response.

October 3, 2025

Violence: How should we respond, and how do we respond? The tragedy born out of inappropriate response Above are the bare facts of the violence that occurred at Heaton Park Synagogue m Manchester. People died as a result not only of the violence of one man (and others if others backed him up) but also … More Violence: How should we respond, and how do we respond? The tragedies about to be born out of inappropriate and thoughtless response.

Marianne Hirsch, ‘a retired professor at Columbia University, whose field, traumatic memory, is interwoven with Holocaust and genocide studies’, says, “Genocide prevention is a responsibility,” but despite that, “Now, we’re watching on our iPhones, and still people are holding back.” Why study genocide at all, then?

December 24, 2024

Will there ever be a vocabulary that describes  adequately the vengeful annihilation of a whole people? This is the more poignant in that this is a people that is already displaced and sequestered  by international agreement and deprived of the definition and identity held by other  recognised nation-states. Palestine 🇵🇸 is a nation whose very … More Marianne Hirsch, ‘a retired professor at Columbia University, whose field, traumatic memory, is interwoven with Holocaust and genocide studies’, says, “Genocide prevention is a responsibility,” but despite that, “Now, we’re watching on our iPhones, and still people are holding back.” Why study genocide at all, then?