http://www.pickledpolitics.com Current affairs for a progressive generation Fri, 09 May 2008 21:10:04 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Women are often involved in 'honour' killings as perpetrators, but it has tended to be older women (such as aunts and mother-in-laws) who help with the murder. This case in India is the first I have read about in which it was the daughter of the victim who arranged the ... http://www.pickledpolitics.com/archives/1950 In recent months I've been reading a fair bit about feminism and attending feminist events in London. 'Third wave feminism', as it is being dubbed, is attracting a lot of interest, and the vitality at these events is very awe-inspiring. I have no trouble calling myself a feminist - the ... http://www.pickledpolitics.com/archives/1949 Burmese state radio states the official death toll of last weekend's Cylcone Nargis to be 22,980 with over 40,000 missing and thousands injured. If this data is not devastating enough, fears are now growing that the figure might be as high as 100,000 deaths. According to the UN, more than ... http://www.pickledpolitics.com/archives/1948 The other day Sunny and I were discussing the use of carefully collected data in targeting distinct groups of voters. Essentially this works by dividing people into different demographics, allowing campaign literature and policies to be tailored accordingly. To a large extent this seems like common sense. However in recent ... http://www.pickledpolitics.com/archives/1941 I'm calling for Obama to be the Democrat nominee for race. Heck, if the TV stations can call it, why can't a blog? Especially after last night's rout, which I stayed up all night to watch and glee over. Check the math: There are only six contests remaining in the Democratic primary ... http://www.pickledpolitics.com/archives/1946 This is a guest article by Genevieve Maitland Hudson In a recent article for the Guardian’s Comment is Free pages I questioned the way in which nationalism is being used to give rhetorical power to environmental politics and I was surprised by the vehemence of some of the blog responses. I ... http://www.pickledpolitics.com/archives/1945 I know Sunny doesn't want anymore posts which give fuel to the Tories about Brown but this shouldn't be ignored. A new poll has found that even Labour voters (see it's not just normal people) want him gone. Sensing perhaps a better future without him 55% want him to resign: More ... http://www.pickledpolitics.com/archives/1943 The Pakistani government and the CIA have forced local villagers in the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) to effectively abandon their traditional game of yak polo (an important source of income), because the game takes place near a CIA listening post: Officials want to deter foreigners from visiting the area which ... http://www.pickledpolitics.com/archives/1942 The New York Times reports: More than two decades after President Ronald Reagan escalated the war on drugs, arrests for drug sales or, more often, drug possession are still rising. And despite public debate and limited efforts to reduce them, large disparities persist in the rate at which blacks and ... http://www.pickledpolitics.com/archives/1940 I have a short article in the Media supplement of today's Guardian. The full article, before it was edited down, can be read below the fold: Politics down the YouTube The Evening Standard may have helped Boris Johnson enormously in his election campaign, but its impact in influencing the Mayoral race four ... http://www.pickledpolitics.com/archives/1939 So, Rupa Huq isn't too impressed by Ruth Fowler's article stating that she "had a thing for Asian boys". A few people emailed me after Ruth's piece and said omg wasn't it offensive? I didn't think so. Partly, the thing is that Ruth Fowler wants to be talked about so ... http://www.pickledpolitics.com/archives/1938 I love this parody... happy bank holiday weekend! http://www.pickledpolitics.com/archives/1937 Ken Livingstone's concession speech impressed many, including me. Despite his many failings, he clearly cares about London, and I hope that he stands again in 2012. Some on the left could learn from his dignified exit, as numerous left-wing commentators have turned their scorn on the great unwashed for daring ... http://www.pickledpolitics.com/archives/1936 I only wish British Muslims (and other brown Britons) were this politically astute. Asim Siddiqui has written this article on CIF pointing out how the Muslims4Ken made things worse for Ken Livingstone. Whilst Muslim lobby groups are to be commended for encouraging Muslim Londoners to register, vote and take part in ... http://www.pickledpolitics.com/archives/1935 Richard Barnbrook, a BNP councillor, has won a seat in the London assembly after the BNP passed the 5% threshold. This is a shame in a number of ways, yet there are still some positives to be taken from it. Tensions over immigration are running higher than before, whether it is ... http://www.pickledpolitics.com/archives/1934 ... ha ha! Oh boy, I wish I could spend some time taking apart the dynamics of mixed-race relationships. Anyway, Ruth Fowler has this article on comment is free which starts with, "I have a thing for Asian boys." Is that Asian boys or Asian men? Anyway, this reminds me ... http://www.pickledpolitics.com/archives/1933 Labour are getting a battering at the polls, the biggest losses in 40 years. Full coverage with a useful table of results on the BBC here. BBC research suggests Labour won 24% of votes cast in England and Wales, behind the Tories on 44% and Lib Dems on 25%. So far Labour ... http://www.pickledpolitics.com/archives/1932 I wrote a few weeks ago about the dominance of identity politics in the American elections... I said at the time that the fight between Clinton and Obama was starting a split between race and gender activists. There's a brilliant article in the American liberal magazine The Nation this week. Betsy ... http://www.pickledpolitics.com/archives/1931 There's a good article on the Guardian blog about the lack of Asian artists at the Loe Music Hate Racism festival. I saw this mentioned somewhere else too, but can't remember it now. MIA is of course fantabulous, but they missed out Bishi. I would have gone to see her. http://www.pickledpolitics.com/archives/1930 Phrases are often misused by those who do not understand their origins. ‘Midas touch’ exemplifies this trend. Nowadays it is used to describe someone for whom everything is going right. Gordon Brown is often held to have the opposite of the Midas touch, as everything he comes into contact with ... http://www.pickledpolitics.com/archives/1929