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  • Credit crisis ‘is God punishing us’

    Credit crisis ‘is God punishing us’

    Wednesday, October 29, 2008

    An Anglican bishop says the credit crunch is God’s way of punishing Britain for being too materialistic.

    The Rt Rev Wallace Benn, Bishop of Lewes, thinks the country is obsessed with cash, which has a ‘stranglehold’ over our lives.

    The credit crisis has been caused by greed and ‘God has allowed it for good’, he writes in a newsletter.

    The Adam Smith Institute think-tank criticised the comments, saying: ‘Many people who have not worshipped materialism have seen their lives made poorer.’

    Source: METRO, 28 October 2008

  • BBC boss says Islam should be treated more sensitively than Christianity

    BBC boss says Islam should be treated more sensitively than Christianity

    Islam should be treated more sensitively by the media than Christianity, according to the director general of the BBC

    By Martin Beckford, Religious Affairs Correspondent
    Last Updated: 2:39PM BST 15 Oct 2008

    Mr Thompson had earlier warned of a “growing nervousness about discussion about Islam” Photo: OLI SCARFF

    Mark Thompson claimed that because Muslims are a religious minority in Britain and also often from ethnic minorities, their faith should be given different coverage to that of more established groups.

    His comments come after the comedian Ben Elton accused the BBC of being scared of making jokes about Islam, while Hindus have claimed it favours Muslims over other religions.

    But Mr Thompson, speaking at the annual public theology lecture of the religion think-tank Theos, insisted the state broadcaster would show programmes that criticised Islam if they were of sufficient quality.

    The director general, whose corporation faced accusations of blasphemy from Christians after it allowed the transmission of the musical Jerry Springer -The Opera, also said his Christian beliefs guided his judgments and disclosed that he had never watched the Monty Python film Life of Brian which satirises the story of Jesus.

    In his speech last night, Mr Thompson claimed there are now more programmes about religion on BBC television and radio than there have been in recent decades, whereas coverage has declined on ITV.

    But asked whether it was correct that the BBC “let vicar gags pass but not imam gags”, as Elton claimed, he admitted it did take a different approach to Islam, which has 1.6million followers in Britain, compared to its approach to the Church of England or the Roman Catholic Church.

    Mr Thompson said: “My view is that there is a difference between the position of Christianity, which I believe should be central to the BBC’s religion coverage and widely respected and followed.

    “What Christian identity feels like it is about to the broad population is a little bit different to people for whom their religion is also associated with an ethnic identity which has not been fully integrated.

    “There’s no reason why any religion should be immune from discussion, but I don’t want to say that all religions are the same. To be a minority I think puts a slightly different outlook on it.”

    However he pointed out that he had commissioned the comedy series Goodness Gracious Me, which he claimed had made fun of many religions, and claimed the BBC had shown more of the controversial Danish cartoons of the prophet Mohammed than other newspapers and television channels had done.

    Earlier this year Mr Thompson had warned of a “growing nervousness about discussion about Islam” and said no debate about religion should be censored.

    Mr Thompson said the broadcast of Jerry Springer – The Opera, which features Jesus as a talk show guest who admits to being “a bit gay”, had been the most controversial programme he had dealt with during his time at the corporation.

    “No political issue has so far come near Jerry Springer in terms of anger and emotion. It wasn’t politics that put a security guard outside my house, it was a debate about how the BBC handles religion.”

    However despite the storm over the programme, Mr Thompson, a practising Catholic, said his beliefs do play a part in the editorial judgments he makes and disclosed that he dislikes watching shows about the Bible.

    “I’ve never seen Life of Brian,” Mr Thompson said. “I’ve taken a personal choice very seldom to watch programmes that have depictions of Jesus.

    “I’m very sensitive about depictions of the Gospel story.”

    He also dismissed the idea that television is a “wellspring or accelerant” of immorality in society, and also that the BBC gives too much weight to the secular ideals of science or employs “moral relativism” when covering contentious issues such as medical ethics.

    Mr Thompson defended programmes that have been accused of promoting selfishness or nastiness, such as The Apprentice and The Weakest Link, claiming that viewers know they are only entertainment and do not ape the behaviour shown on them.

    He said that programmes such as EastEnders and The Archers deal with the consequences of people’s actions, even when they cover controversial topics, and claimed even science-fiction series such as Doctor Who have a moral backbone.

    “Doctor Who is not just about Daleks and Cybermen, it is about mothers and families and friendships,” he said.

    However Mr Thompson did admit the corporation had given over too much coverage last month of the launch of the Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland.

    “I must say that by the end of that week, even for those of us who share my love of the Higgs-Boson, there did seem to be an awful lot of it on the air.”

    A BBC spokesman said Mr Thompson did not mean Islam should be given preferential treatment, just that all religions are different.

    He said: “People should look at his actual comments rather than trying to infer additional meaning that isn’t there. What Mark Thompson said is that all religions are not the same – he did not say Islam, or indeed any faith, should be treated more sensitively than Christianity. In fact he made it crystal clear that no religion should be regarded as off limits for the BBC.”

    Source: www.telegraph.co.uk, 15 Oct 2008

  • Gap years: Make sure you do something useful

    Gap years: Make sure you do something useful

      

     

     

    By Miranda Green

    Published: October 13 2008 11:00 | Last updated: October 13 2008 11:00

    As Will Morgan begins his final year at Southampton University, his career plans are undergoing a thorough rethink.

    After he emerges with a masters degree in electrical engineering next year, Will had intended to start a career in finance: he is interested in becoming a trader because “I’m quite a hands-on guy”.

    However, the financial crisis has made him postpone a decision and keep his options open. He now intends to live in Marseilles for a year and do some work experience in a French engineering consultancy firm where he has a family contact.

    “Because of the economic downturn, I think I want to see what’s going on and wait until it all settles down. I’d like to take a month or two off but then do something constructive because I know employers take a dim view of people just having fun.”

    Will is probably one of the lucky ones. A degree in engineering, because it proves his problem-solving abilities, makes him a sought-after recruit either in industry, business or finance. He is likely to have more than one path open to him when he returns from France, especially because he will have acquired good working use of the French language and several months experience of the world of work.

    But among Will’s friends, and across the undergraduate population in general, similar decisions to take a post-university gap year are become more widespread.

    In a survey published last month by TMP Worldwide, the recruitment advertising company, 54 per cent of the final-year undergraduate interviewees were thinking about taking a gap year and one in 10 was planning to wait for a year to escape the financial chaos and wait for the economy to either improve or for the picture to become clearer.

    Some of Will’s contemporaries have managed to defer banking jobs for a year for similar reasons.

    Some have other motivations: “A lot of my friends are doing a similar thing because, if they didn’t take a year off between school and university, they have been doing exams solidly for 10 years. They need a break and they want to see the world.”

    But Jayne Cullen, head of graduate solutions at TMP has a warning for any soon-to-be graduates contemplating such a step. “They need to plan it carefully to make sure they’re more employable when they return and look for permanent jobs.

    “They need to make sure they not only develop the right skills, such as communication and teamwork, but also ensure they can demonstrate what they have learnt to potential employers.”

    The company conducted the research after finding that more graduates were taking time out and then failing to reappear as potential recruits to training programmes – companies were concerned about how to reconnect with this “lost” group.

    The survey also showed that those who had already taken a gap year were bad at selling the way the time off had developed their skills: 20 per cent did not think their employer would be interested in their experiences and another 13 per cent did not even mention their time away from the job market in conversations with potential employers.

    Recruiters say this is a mistake. “People tend to box off career from the rest of their life,” says Sedef Buyukataman, graduate recruitment manager for the UK, Ireland and the Nordic countries at Cisco. “But we are looking for potential. If you can’t find what you want in the current business environment, I would say take that year off but find something that will develop you.”

    She recommends, for example, a community role or volunteering, which even if not directly relevant, shows commitment, and “it will all be useful”.

    Morgan McKinley, which specialises in banking and financial services recruitment, says employers can see the advantages of both work experience and travel but only if potential recruits can prove their experiences demonstrate “resourcefulness, drive, responsibility and inquisitiveness”.

    Debt, however, is another consideration that may dissuade soon-to-be graduates from putting their job search on hold. Some students run up large amounts by opening multiple bank accounts with overdrafts, and 37 per cent of UK undergraduates use credit cards for some of their expenses.

    Will and his friends say they are not worried about debt in the form of student loans, because the interest rate is so favourable and it will not have to be paid back until they begin to earn a decent salary.

    But he is keeping his attitudes flexible: “I’ll still be looking for a City job. I’ve always wanted to live in London. And if an offer comes up that’s too good to refuse, well…”

    Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2008

     

  • British Ambassador to Kabul ‘says Afghanistan mission is doomed’

    British Ambassador to Kabul ‘says Afghanistan mission is doomed’

    The British Ambassador to Kabul has been drawn into an embarrassing row after a French newspaper published quotes purporting to come from a diplomatic cable that claimed he said the Afghan government had “lost all credit”.

    By Henry Samuel in Paris
    Last Updated: 1:21AM BST 02 Oct 2008

    Sir Sherard is quoted as saying that the American strategy in Afghanistan 'is bound to fail' Photo: AP

    In the diplomatic cable written by François Fitou, the deputy French ambassador, Sir Sherard Cowper-Coles is also quoted as saying that the coalition’s military presence is “part of the problem not the solution”.

    In the cable, dated Sept 2 and published in the investigative and satirical weekly Le Canard Enchaîne, Sir Sherard is quoted as having said that “the current situation is bad. Security is worsening, but also corruption, and the current government has lost all credit.”

    He is alleged to have gone on to say that “the presence, notably military, of the coalition is a part of the problem, not the solution.

    “Foreign forces are assuring the survival of a regime, which, without them, would quickly crumble. In doing so, they are slowing down and complicating an eventual end to the crisis (incidentally, probably a dramatic one).”

    France has just agreed to increase its deployment in Afghanistan despite public resistance, and send more drones and helicopters.

    In other quotes from the coded cable, addressed to President Nicolas Sarkozy and Bernard Kouchner, the foreign minister, the British ambassador is cited as saying that sending extra French troops “would have perverse effects: it would single us out even more clearly as an occupying force and multiply the number of targets (for insurgents).”

    He is quoted as saying that the only solution at present is to support the Americans “but we must tell them that we want to be part of a winning, not a losing strategy.”

    According to the newspaper, Sir Sherard said that the best scenario was that “in five to ten years,” when British troops were no longer present on Afghan soil, the country would be “governed by an acceptable dictator”.

    “This is the only realistic outcome, and we must prepare public opinion to accept it … In the meantime, the American presidential candidates must be dissuaded from getting further bogged down in Afghanistan. (Their) strategy is bound to fail,” he reportedly said.

    However, a British embassy spokesman said the views were not the Ambassador’s.

    “It is not for us to comment on something that is presented as a French telegram, but the views quoted are not an accurate representation of the Ambassador’s views.

    “The UK, with international partners, is committed to working in support of the government of Afghanistan to deliver solutions to the challenges facing the country, through both civilian and military effort.

    “The UK has always acknowledged that success in Afghanistan is a long-term objective, and requires a comprehensive approach to address security, political, social and economic development.

    “The UK and the US are united in the Afghanistan strategy. We work closely with our US allies in all aspects of decision making and regularly review our approach.

    The Foreign Office said yesterday that Britain had decided to withdraw the 60 children of diplomats based in neighbouring Pakistan in the wake of the bombing at the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad last month. A spokesman said that spouses would also be offered the opportunity to leave.

    While the review was triggered by the terrorist incident, it reflects the growing instability of the country and reflected the broad views of diplomats. Officials said the ruling will be lifted as soon as conditions permit.

    Speculation was mounting that one of the suspects in the hotel bombing, the leader of the Pakistani Taliban, had died of kidney failure. Baitullah Mehsud, who is in his mid-30s is also accused of being responsible for the assassination of the former prime minister, Benazir Bhutto, was known to have been unwell for months.

    A doctor who has treated him insisted that Mehsud had a kidney problem but was still alive. But if the rumours prove to be true his death would prove a triumph in anti-terrorist efforts by Pakistan and the West.

    Source: www.telegraph.co.uk, 02 Oct 2008

  • War in Afghanistan ‘cannot be won’, British commander warns

    War in Afghanistan ‘cannot be won’, British commander warns

    The war in Afghanistan cannot be won, Britain’s most senior military commander in the country has warned.

    By Caroline Gammell
    Last Updated: 11:33AM BST 05 Oct 2008

    Brigadier Mark Carleton-Smith warned the the public should not expect

    Brigadier Mark Carleton-Smith said the British public should not expect “a decisive military victory” and that he believed groups of insurgents would still be at large after troops left.

    He said it was time to “lower our expectations” and focus on reducing the conflict to a level which could be managed by the Afghan army.

    Brig Carleton-Smith, commander of 16 Air Assault Brigade which has just completed its second tour of Afghanistan, said talking to the Taliban could be an important part of that process.

    He insisted his forces had “taken the sting out of the Taliban for 2008” as winter and the colder weather approached.

    But he told a Sunday newspaper: “We’re not going to win this war. It’s about reducing it to a manageable level of insurgency that’s not a strategic threat and can be managed by the Afghan army.

    “We may well leave with there still being a low but steady ebb of rural insurgency… I don’t think we should expect when we go, there won’t be roaming bands of armed men in this part of the world.

    “That would be unrealistic.”

    Brig Carleton-Smith said the aim was to move towards a non-violent means of resolving the conflict.

    “We want to change the nature of the debate from one where disputes are settled through the barrel of a gun to one where it is done through negotiations,” he said.

    “If the Taliban were prepared to sit on the other side of the table and talk about a political settlement, then that’s precisely the sort of progress that concludes insurgencies like this.”

    “That shouldn’t make people uncomfortable.”

    A Ministry of Defence spokesman defended the brigadier’s comments and said the aim was to provide a secure infrastructure for the Afghan National Police and Afghan National Army.

    “We have always said there is no military solution in Afghanistan. Insurgencies are ultimately solved at the political level, not by military means alone,” the spokesman said.

    “We fully support President Karzai’s efforts to bring disaffected Afghans into society’s mainstream with his proviso that they renounce violence and accept Afghanistan’s constitution.”

    Source: www.telegraph.co.uk, 05 Oct 2008

  • Britain’s top policeman resigns

    Britain’s top policeman resigns

    Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Ian Blair has announced his resignation, blaming a lack of support from London mayor Boris Johnson.

    Sir Ian said that “without the mayor’s backing I do not think I can continue”.

    Mr Johnson, who took over as chairman of the police authority on Wednesday, praised his service but said the Met would benefit from “new leadership”.

    Sir Ian, who became the UK’s top police officer in February 2005, said he would be stepping down on 1 December.

    Prime Minister Gordon Brown said Sir Ian had made a “huge personal contribution to the safety and security of our country”.

    He paid tribute to Sir Ian’s leadership at the time of the July 2005 suicide bomb attacks on London’s transport system.

    Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said deputy commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson would take over as acting head of the Met should no successor be found by 1 December.

    Ms Smith said: “I pay tribute to Sir Ian for the massive reductions in crime that his leadership of the Met has overseen and his continuing efforts to tackle gun, gang and knife crime.”

    “His part in leading neighbourhood policing across London has led to Londoners being safer and more confident.”

    Mr Johnson, who has repeatedly avoided publicly backing Sir Ian since being elected mayor in May, had called for the commissioner to be directly accountable to City Hall.

    Speaking after Sir Ian’s resignation, the mayor said: “There comes a time in any organisation when it becomes clear it would benefit from new leadership and clarity of purpose. I believe that time is now.”

    ‘No secrets’

    Sir Ian, who became the UK’s top police officer in February 2005, said he would be stepping down on 1 December.

    Defending his record, Sir Ian said: “I am resigning not because of any failures of my service and not because the pressures of the office and the many stories that surround it are too much.

    “I am resigning in the best interests of the people of London and of the Metropolitan Police Service.”

    He said he had wanted to stay on until his contract ran out in February 2010.

    “However, at a meeting yesterday the new mayor made clear, in a very pleasant and determined way, that he wished there to be a change of leadership at the Met.”

    Sir Ian’s tenure has been dogged by controversy.

    MPA auditors are in the process of examining Scotland Yard contracts given to consultancy firm Impact Plus, run by a friend.

    Sir Ian has said he had been “open and straightforward in informing both the MPS [Metropolitan Police Service] and the MPA about my relationship with someone who was subsequently awarded a contract with the MPS”.

    Sir Ian has also faced criticism over the racism row involving the Met’s most senior Asian officer Tarique Ghaffur.

    There have been questions too about his handling of events surrounding the 2005 death of Jean Charles de Menezes, who was shot dead at Stockwell Underground station in south London after being mistaken for a suicide bomber.

    The Met Police were later convicted of a health and safety offence over the incident.

    Erionaldo da Silva, speaking on behalf of the de Menezes family, said Sir Ian should have resigned three years ago and the decision to do so now should not deflect attention from Jean Charles’ ongoing inquest.

    Shadow home secretary Dominic Grieve said Sir Ian had taken the “right decision” in standing down.

    “We have been calling for Sir Ian to step down for almost a year – since the serial and systematic failings at the Metropolitan Police [service] disclosed during the de Menezes trial – whilst cabinet ministers from the PM onwards continued to express total confidence in him.

    “It is now clear that they have shown a serious lack of judgment about the leadership of the most important police force in Britain.

    “It is vital that a successor is appointed who can restore public confidence.”

    Lib Dem home affairs spokesman Chris Huhne said Sir Ian “had become part of the Met’s problem, not its solution”.

    “His resignation is long overdue following a string of embarrassments for his force… the Met now needs a tough professional, not a wannabe politician.”

    The former London mayor Ken Livingstone said the circumstances of the resignation appeared to be a political decision.

    “Whoever now takes the job as Sir Ian’s successor will know that they may be asked to leave at a change of election.”

    Sir Edward Henry was the last commissioner of the Metropolitan Police to quit in 1918. His departure came after the hugely damaging police strike of that year, the last time officers were allowed to walk out.

    Sir Ian Blair Video:

    Sir Ian Blair says leading the Met Police was ‘the proudest time’ of his life

    BBC  2 October 2008