Paul Vale2013-05-25T07:15:13-04:00Paul Valehttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/author/index.php?author=paul-valeCopyright 2008, HuffingtonPost.com, Inc.HuffingtonPost Blogger Feed for Paul ValeGood old fashioned elbow grease.Woolwich Attack: Lee Rigby Murder Highlights Twin Threats Of EDL And 'Individualised Jihad' (PICTURES)tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//2013-05-23T10:03:30-04:002013-05-23T16:26:31-04:00Paul Valehttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/paul-vale/Lee Rigby, a 25-year-old serving soldier in Woolwich on Wednesday, and the subsequent rally of 50 hooded men under the banner of the English Defence League (EDL) have highlighted the twin threats now facing the UK.
If Wednesday’s murder, as seems increasingly likely, transpires to be the first terror attack to scar the capital since 7/7, it marks a different type of horror than that which devastated the Tube and a bus eight years ago.
The twin threats of 'individualised jihad' and far-right extremism
In the intervening years between 7/7 and the Woolwich attack the world has moved on; western operations in Iraq and Afghanistan - open wounds in the global conflict - have been scaled back, while western violence against extremism has spread outwards to North Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, where militants and civilians alike suffer under Obama’s expanded drone programme.
“Individualised Jihad” has become the fear for security services, highlighted by a number of thwarted attacks on the UK, and, more recently, a successful attack on the Boston Marathon.
According to Dr Christina Hellmich, a terrorism expert from the University of Reading, this notion of “individualised Jihad” is a product of the demise of al-Qaeda.
“As an organised international movement, it is a spent force,” she told the Huffington Post UK. “A seemingly random murder is truly horrific – but it is hardly the activity of an institution which wields genuine international power.”
Hellmich said this variation on tactics has its origins in the Arabian Peninsula, developed, she argued, as "a distraction against the fact that al-Qaeda was no longer an effective institution".
Rather than calling for groups to unite and carry out attacks, the call is for individuals, wherever they are to take up arms against Western targets,” she said. This call for indiscriminate violence, Hellmich argued, is a new phenomenon, adopted around 2010 by Anwar Al-Awlaki (before his death) and his followers. As such, Hellmich placed Wednesday’s murder in a “similar family” to that of the Boston bombings rather than 7/7.
“The Woolwich attack most reminded me of the 2010 attack on Stephen Timms MP by Roshonara Choudhry,” Hellmich said.
Choudhry, it transpired, had been radicalised by online sermons and had no connections to existing radical groups. When asked about her motivation at her trial, the 21-year-old said that Timms had voted in favour of the Iraq War.
The targeting of soldiers rather than civilians marks a further evolution in extremist methodology, though as Raffaelle Pantucci points out in an article for the Royal United Services Institute, this is not the first time soldiers have been targeted. The academic cites Parviz Khan, who plotted to kidnap and behead a British soldier in Birmingham and Mohammed Merah, the French-Algerian who killed three soldiers before turning his gun on a Jewish school in Toulouse, as similar acts of terror, adding that there was no evidence that either Merah or Khan had been “tasked to do what they did” by an organisation or group.
Roshonara Choudhry tried to murder a Labour MP after being inspired by a radical cleric
The inevitability of a successful attack on the military is not lost on Joe Glenton, a former British soldier who served in Afghanistan and Africa, and a HuffPost UK blogger. “This type of attack has been planned at least twice and foiled before,” he told the HuffPost UK. “Targeting a soldier is a spectacular in one sense,” he said. “British troops will be very worried.”
The world has also altered politically and economically since 2007; Labour was in Downing Street, Bush was in the White House and the European Union was a bastion of economic and political solidarity. A year later and the world lay racked in turmoil as the worst financial crash since the Twenties blighted both Europe and America.
Since then, parties of the far right have enjoyed a surge in support as history’s all too familiar narrative - economic decline leading to an increase in political extremism - played out across countries and continents. Like the Tea Party in the US and Golden Dawn in Greece, Britain too suffered a resurgence in the political fringes, with the EDL gaining support on the streets and the UK Independence Party (Ukip) gaining traction at the ballot box.
It is this increase in far-right activity, as highlighted by Wednesday's EDL gathering in Woolwich, as well as an increase in passive support, that "must be nipped in the bud” said Glenton. “There is space in this country, because of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, where you can comfortably be anti-Muslim, and the EDL… have marched right in.
"There cannot be a blanket punishment for people who haven’t done anything just because these two guys [the alleged attackers] just happen to be Muslim.”
It’s a sentiment Hellmich echoes: “I see sporadic attacks ahead of us, rather than a wave… but these attacks have and will lead to an increase in anti-Islamic sentiment. It just adds fuel on the flame of those looking for a scapegoat.”
Another worry for Hellmich is seeing a similar response to Woolwich as in Boston, what she calls the “heavy militarisation of an entire city”.
Police in tactical gear conduct a search for a suspect in the Boston Marathon bombings
In the wake of the Boston bombings, the city was placed in virtual lockdown as security services scoured the beleaguered city for the suspects.
“This was more threatening that the actual incident itself,” she said. “Thankfully we didn’t see that in the UK, but the incident was very different.”
Wednesday's rally by the EDL was condemned by Unite Against Fascism (UAF) as the work of "fascist thugs trying to use the murder to whip up racism and direct hatred against all Muslims" and an attempt to start a "race riot". Still, anecdotal evidence suggests that support for the group, particularly on social networks, swelled following the murder.
But herein is the problem facing the UK should more horrors unfold; individualised attacks, which are the work of lone men or unconnected groups, are difficult to stop and when they do succeed they play into the hands of the far-right, spoiling for a fight with an al-Qaeda nemesis that barely exists.
Countering these twin threats is the task facing not only the UK government but every citizen repulsed by the brutal murder of a 25-year-old on a south London street.
]]>Woolwich Machete Attack: EDL Clash With Police After Leader Calls For 'Feet On The Streets'tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//2013-05-22T17:06:56-04:002013-05-24T07:19:08-04:00Paul Valehttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/paul-vale/Woolwich on Wednesday evening following the death of a soldier in what is being investigated as a likely terror attack.
More than 50 EDL supporters gathered at Woolwich Arsenal train station, throwing bottles at police, before moving to a nearby pub. The group then marched to the town centre where they were surrounded by police. No arrests are being reported.
On Tuesday afternoon, the leader of the EDL, Tommy Robinson, had called to place “feet on the streets” in South London following the murder.
The EDL’s Facebook news feed said that it had received “3,000 new page likes” subsequent to the attack, while a post on that page suggested “EDL leader Tommy Robinson on way to Woolwich now”.
The EDL gather in south east London
According to Essex Police, a 43-year-old man from Braintree was arrested on suspicion of attempted arson after walking into a mosque with a knife.
He was detained on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon and attempted arson and remains in custody. No on was injured. Essex constabulary said earlier that they were drafting in “additional patrolling resources to reassure our local communities”.
Theresa May confirmed that security was to be increased at army barracks across the capital. On Tuesday evening Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe said that Britain's counter-terrorist unit were in charge of the investigation into the Woolwich murder.
He said: "It is hard to comprehend the shocking and horrific scenes we have seen this afternoon on a busy street as Londoners went about their day as normal. We have launched a murder investigation, being led by the Counter Terrorism Command. Two men have been arrested in connection with that murder."]]>Altaf Hussain Faces British Police Probe Following Accusations Of Threats Against Karachi Protesterstag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//2013-05-20T15:44:25-04:002013-05-21T10:29:25-04:00Paul Valehttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/paul-vale/
Altaf Hussain, who is a British citizen and who made the remarks following the conclusion of the Pakistani general election last Sunday, may have violated UK law when he allegedly threatened violence against protesters in Karachi.
A supporter of Altaf Hussain holds his picture during a protest rally in Karachi
Hussain’s Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) won 18 of 19 national assembly seats in Karachi. However, the victory was immediately subject to accusations of vote rigging and electoral fraud, particularly from the second-placed Movement for Justice Party (PTI), led by former international cricketer Imran Khan. Amid the accusations, Hussain told the crowd in London that should his party’s victory in the election not stand, Karachi would be forced to separate from Pakistan.
The political recriminations have been exacerbated by the brutal murder of Zahra Shahid Hussain, 60, the Karachi-based senior vice-president of the PTI, who was gunned down by two assailants in the city on Saturday night. Khan quickly blamed Hussain’s MQM for the murder, a charge the MQM party has strenuously denied.
After the reported murder, Khan said in a statement: "Her death has sent shockwaves across the rank and file of the party."
He also wrote a series of tweets accusing the MQM:
Following the tweets and a similarly toned address from his hospital bed (Khan injured himself falling off a stage), the MQM reportedly moved to sue the former cricketer for defamation.
Hussain is alleged to have made the threats in London against the Karachi protesters following accusations of electoral fraud. Hussain told the crowd: "Those people who are protesting - and grandstanding - near Three Swords - I don't want to fight or quarrel, but if I order my supporters now, they will go to Three Swords and turn them into a reality. MQM is blamed for everything. I say, oppose us with respect and decency, and with proof, otherwise I will soon unleash my supporters." Hussain subsequently said his comments were taken out of context.
Despite having lived in London since 1991, Hussein retains a firm hold over his party from exile. The MQM is estimated to boast more than 18million supporters in Karachi alone.
The national vote witnessed Nawaz Sharif and his Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) secure a landslide victory.]]>David Beckham's Final Game: Footballer Receives Standing Ovation In Paris (PICTURES)tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//2013-05-19T03:58:01-04:002013-05-19T08:27:16-04:00Paul Valehttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/paul-vale/David Beckham, the world’s most famous footballer, whose spectacular career has spanned countries and continents, finally left the pitch for the last time on Saturday night, retiring after securing the Championship for Paris St. Germain after more than 20 years in the game.
The 38-year-old former England international, who was made captain for the night, was clearly emotional as he headed for the touchline on 81 minutes, receiving a standing ovation from the Parisian crowd, as well as his team mates who had congregated in the middle of the pitch to wish him farewell.
At the final whistle he was was tossed in the air in celebration by his teammates, while wife Victoria looked on. The game, which PSG won 3-1 against Brest, was a sideshow.
After the match Beckham addressed the crowd: "I want to say thank you to everybody in Paris - to my team-mates, to the staff, to the fans. It's been very special to finish my career here. It could not have been any more special.
Beckham bids farewell on a spectacular career
"I just feel that it's the right time. I feel that I've achieved everything that I could in my career. I wanted to go out as a champion. I've finished my career in a team that has treated me like I've been here for 10 years. After 22 years of playing football I'm going to take a few months to enjoy time with my family."
Debate has raged over the past week as to the substance of Beckham’s career – footballer, fashion brand or marketing icon? League titles in England, Spain, North America and now France, added to a Champions League winners medal and countless other trophies, should ensure the player’s legacy in the pantheon of footballing greats.
Even if he wasn’t quite in the league of his peers – Zidane and Scholes – it is unlikely football will ever see his like again. ]]>Rome Austerity Protesters Take To Streets Over High Unemployment (PICTURES)tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//2013-05-18T09:34:32-04:002013-05-18T10:23:36-04:00Paul Valehttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/paul-vale/
The demonstration, organised by the left-wing Italian metalworkers' union FIOM, witnessed thousands of disgruntled workers stricken by high unemployment figures wave flags and chant slogans.
Italy’s fledgling prime minister, Enrico Letta, is already under pressure to ease the country out of recession, while the ramshackle coalition cobbled together between Letta’s Democratic party and Berlusconi’s People of Freedom party after the election looks increasingly likely to fracture.
Demonstrators gather in Rome's Piazza San Giovanni
Letta’s credibility is not helped by his election promise to make jobs his top concern, an assurance the protesters say he has not kept, with unemployment at record numbers, including 38% youth unemployment.
Speaking to Reuters, demonstrator Enzo Bernardis said: "We hope that this government will finally start listening to us because we are losing our patience."
He was just one of thousands who rallied in on the city’s ancient streets demanding better conditions for the country’s beleaguered work-force. ]]>Stoke City Pig's Head Prank Leaves Kenwyne Jones 'Furious'tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//2013-05-17T13:13:45-04:002013-05-17T17:15:07-04:00Paul Valehttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/paul-vale/footballer Kenwyne Jones, leading Stoke City’s manager Tony Pulis to launch an investigation.
In response, it has been reported that a "furious" Jones smashed the car windscreen of a fellow player he believed responsible for the prank.
The pig's head was found in Jones' locker
Jones’ team-mate, defender Brek Shea, tweeted a picture of the pig’s head, while Jones’ girlfriend Kissa Abdullah, launched a scathing attack on the incident, also on the social network.
Shea referred to the incident as "locker room banter gone wild".
A club statement confirmed the incident, saying: "A full internal investigation will be carried out. Those responsible for any unacceptable behaviour will be dealt with in accordance with the club's disciplinary procedures."]]>Jorge Rafael Videla Dead: Brutal Former Argentine Dictator Diestag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//2013-05-17T10:58:07-04:002013-05-17T11:23:08-04:00Paul Valehttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/paul-vale/
The former dictator at a recent trial for his alleged involvement in 'Plan Condor'
He seized power in 1976 after a coup d’état deposed the fledgling government of Isabel Peron, who had become president after her husband’s death.
Videla, who was jailed in 1983 for crimes against humanity, remained unapologetic about the routine kidnaps and murders that took place under his leadership. "I was on top of everyone else," he said at a recent trial, taking responsibility for the brutal crimes that scarred the country. The 87-year-old died of natural causes in the Marcos Paz prison in Buenos Aires on Friday.
Videla in 1977 commemorating the first anniversary of the military coup
Speaking to Reuters, Argentine human rights activist Adolfo Perez Esquivel, said: "He spent his life doing great damage, which left a mark on the life of the country. His death ended his physical presence but not what he did to the country."
This year, Videla attended a trial for Plan Condor, the disputed campaign of political repression speared by right-wing dictatorships in the Southern Cone of South America, which aimed to remove Soviet influence from the region's governments.]]>Cannes Film Festival: $1m Theft Of Chopard Jewellery Due To Be Loaned To Stars From Hotel Roomtag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//2013-05-17T09:41:46-04:002013-05-17T11:02:19-04:00Paul Valehttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/paul-vale/Cannes.
The charms and trinkets were set to be loaned to 'Red Carpet' celebrities due to attend the annual film festival on the French Riviera, which opened on Wednesday.
Cara Delevingne wearing Chopard at the Opening Night Gala Premiere for The Great Gatsby
The items were stolen from a safe in the Novatel Hotel, booked by Swiss jewellers Chopard, who have sponsored the event for the past 16 years.
Adding a bizarre twist to the theft, the jewellery was stolen on the same day as Sofia Coppola debuted her latest film, The Bling Ring, which details the theft of celebrity valuables by high school students while their owners are on the Red Carpet. ]]>Twitter Celebrates Announcement That Star Wars Will Be Made In UK With #Britishstarwars Trendtag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//2013-05-11T06:56:10-04:002013-05-11T07:13:24-04:00Paul Valehttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/paul-vale/next Star Wars film, Episode VII, would be filmed in the UK in 2015, Twitter embarked on a trend that saw lines from the famous franchise given a distinctly British flavouring.
Here are some of the best of #britishstarwars. Yes - these are the tweets you're looking (waves hand).
]]>Star Wars Seven To Be Made In UK, George Osborne Announcestag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//2013-05-11T04:48:26-04:002013-05-11T08:04:48-04:00Paul Valehttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/paul-vale/George Osborne has announced. In a coup for the beleaguered chancellor, the seventh instalment of the seminal sci-fi fantasy series will go into production next year, with Lucasfilm set to take advantage of the UK’s generous tax credits for filmmakers.
Osborne announced the news, which will secure thousands of jobs in the creative industries, on Twitter on Friday evening.
Osborne later added: "I am delighted that Star Wars is coming back to Britain. Today’s announcement that the next Star Wars film will be shot and produced in the UK is great news for fans and our creative industries, and it is clear evidence that our incentives are attracting the largest studios back to the UK. I am personally committed to seeing more great films and television made in Britain."
Speaking on Sky News on Saturday afternoon, Osborne called the announcement a “real vote of confidence in Britain’s creative industries”, adding “my favourite character is Han Solo”.
J.J. Abrams, who helmed the Star Trek re-boot, is set to direct the first Star Wars film since 2005; Disney secured the rights to the franchise in a $4bn deal in 2012. The first four Star Wars films featured some production in the UK, with the original film ‘A New Hope’ shot in 1976 at Elstree Studios in Hertfordshire.
The original trilogy was filmed at Elstree Studios in Hertfordshire
President of Lucasfilm Kathleen Kennedy said in a statement: "We've devoted serious time and attention to revisiting the origins of Star Wars as inspiration for our process on the new movie, and I'm thrilled that returning to the UK for production and utilizing the incredible talent there can be a part of that. Speaking from my own longstanding connection to the UK with films like Raiders of the Lost Ark, Empire of the Sun and recently War Horse, it's very exciting to be heading back."
The seventh film, which is so far unnamed, has been scheduled for a 2015 release date. Michael Arndt has been hired to write the screenplay, with an eighth and ninth film expected in 2016 and 2017. The Star Wars franchise has grossed more than £2.8bn at the box office since the first film was released in 1977, with rumours suggesting the seventh film will feature members of the original cast, including Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill and Harrison Ford. ]]>Bangladesh Protests Calling For Stricter Islamic Laws Leave 15 Dead And 50 Injured (VIDEO, PICTURES)tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//2013-05-06T06:07:31-04:002013-05-06T07:40:53-04:00Paul Valehttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/paul-vale/UPDATE: According to Reuters, two policemen and a member of a paramilitary force were among those killed in Sunday's clashes.
Clashes in the capital of Bangladesh have left at least 15 people dead and more than 50 injured after Islamic protesters fought running battles with police. Violence broke out in Dhaka on Sunday with officers forced to use stun grenades to break up a rally by the group Hefazat-e Islam. The clashes have continued into Monday across the city.
According to police, more than 200,000 protesters marched the city centre to demand the government take a more Islamic stance on domestic policy. Many of the protesters had come into Dhaka from rural villages, making their way to the city's largest mosque. However, the gathering quickly turned into a riot as shops and cars were set alight, governments building were attacked and police officers were targeted. Clashes outside the mosque saw police react to stone throwing with tear gas and rubber bullets fired from armoured vehicles.
According to the AFP, the protesters were heard chanting: "One point, one demand, atheists must be hanged." Sky News reported a protester, saying: "This government does not have faith in Allah. This is an atheist government; we will not allow them to live in Bangladesh. Muslims are brothers, we must protect Islam."
Violence erupts on the streets of Dhaka on Sunday
Hefazat-e Islam has long-campaigned for stricter Islamic laws in Bangladesh, even though those in power maintain the country is a secular democracy. The Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina recently dismissed calls for a new blasphemy law. The protesters offered a 13-point list of demands, including a pledge to Allah in the constitution, the end to gender mixing in society and mandatory Islamic education.
The police have banned any further rallies in Dhaka to prevent a repeat of the violence. Having regained control of much of the city, including the business district of Motijheel, which saw some of the fiercest clashes, police are now looking for protesters to arrest.
A police spokesman told the AFP: "We were forced to act after they unlawfully continued the gathering at Motijheel. They attacked us with bricks, stones, rods and bamboo sticks."
Bangladesh is still reeling from a recent garment factory collapse that saw more than 600 workers killed. The search for bodies in the rubble continues, with the death toll expected to finish much higher. ]]>NRA Convention Speaker Rob Pincus Tells Audience To Keep A Gun In kids' Bedrooms (VIDEO)tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//2013-05-05T09:39:42-04:002013-05-05T10:20:34-04:00Paul Valehttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/paul-vale/fatal shooting of a two-year-old girl by her five-year-old brother in Kentucky, the gun lobby has walked into fresh controversy with Rob Pincus, a firearms safety expert, telling a seminar at the NRA convention that parents should store guns in a safe in their child's bedroom.
The logic of what seems an odd assertion is as follows: a parent hearing a noise in the night has to make a choice of whether to grab their gun or go to protect the child. If they’re both in the same room, that choice is removed.
"If that alarm goes off and the glass breaks and the dog starts barking, what’s the instinct that most people are going to have, in regards to, 'Am I going to run across the house to get the gun, or am I going to run over here to help the screaming kid?'" said Pincus in a video of the 'safety' seminar obtained by Think Progress. "And if I’m going to go to the kid anyway, and I have an extra gun and an extra safe, why not put it in their closet?"
On the video, the 'home safety expert's' suggestion seems to receive a mixed reaction from those in attendance.
In the wake of the Sandy Hook massacre, the National Rifle Association (NRA) have become increasingly outspoken in their defence of the multi-billion dollar industry they are paid to protect.
Whereas the killing of 26 people in a school may have caused some lobby groups to adopt a lower profile, the Association and its spokespeople have taken the killings as an opportunity to do exactly the opposite, promoting gun ownership in the U.S. as a way of protecting against such massacres.
Reforms designed to improve background checks on gun buyers failed after Republicans and Democrats in congress bowed to pressure from the the NRA to block a bipartisan Senate amendment.]]>Nasa Mars Rover Makes Second 'Accidental' Marking On Red Planettag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//2013-04-24T06:40:34-04:002013-04-24T07:05:18-04:00Paul Valehttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/paul-vale/Mars Rover had accidently drawn a penis on the surface of the Red Planet, a fresh image released by the space agency on Wednesday morning has revealed a second unexpected mark - the name of ‘Ed Balls’.
A Nasa spokesperson told the HuffPost UK that the daubing of the name of the Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer for Great Britain and Northern Ireland is "certainly one of the more unusual events in the history of human space exploration" but he remained adamant the tracks were made at random by the rover as it searched for signs of ancient water.
]]>St George's Day: Why Is England's National Day Not Celebrated?tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//2013-04-22T07:33:43-04:002013-04-23T06:52:57-04:00Paul Valehttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/paul-vale/
Tuesday is St George’s Day, an annual “celebration” in the national consciousness that is uniquely ignored, despite incessant and often fruitless attempts by organisations, brands and politicians to whip up a collective English spirit.
Last weekend, London mayor Boris Johnson hosted an event in Trafalgar Square to commemorate England's patron saint, telling the crowd it was a "fantastic opportunity to celebrate the very best of what England has to offer, from music to theatre to film".
A St George's Day event it may have been, but the pageant was more a publicity exercise for the city of London (and its mayor), leaving celebrations on the actual day muted or absent.
Johnson: 'Celebrate the very best of what England has to offer'
But why has England's saint been so ignored?
Reasons abound, from the island’s religious history to the more recent appropriation of national iconography by members of the far right. Certainly, for many the English flag represents a facet of the national character that is best hidden away. It's a chauvinism and a narrowness that, outside major sporting events, has come to be identified with the English Defence League (EDL), the British National Party (BNP) and mobs of travelling football fans.
England is, after all, a country in which national outpouring is rare.
Every two years, the population watches the country’s best 23 football players get on a plane, returning shortly after the quarterfinals of either the World Cup or the European Championships.
For the brief interlude in between, flags are hung from windows, colours are worn and England becomes united in an acceptable display of national pride. Then the shirts, the silly hats and the flags are promptly put away… apart from the few left draped over balconies of inner city estates. Similar displays were seen for the golden Jubilee, though this was a more British celebration represented by the Union flag. Likewise the London Olympics.
The St George's flag on display during an England game at Wembley
Historian Diarmaid Macculloch goes even further, arguing that the apathy towards St George’s Day is less to do with secularisation or modern politics and more a consequence of the reformation.
He told the Huff Post UK: "The English, being Protestants for nearly five centuries, have never had much time for saints' days - same with the Scots," adding: "Neither really need their patron saints to celebrate nationhood."
The Welsh, he suggested, despite being Protestants, retain St David's day to "keep their end up against the English".
Is St Patrick's Day an expression of the historically oppressed?
Nationalism too is often borne out of oppression. Scotland, Wales and Ireland have historically been the oppressed members of the Union, giving them a cohesion or national unity against the English. It’s a notion that Robert Ford, a lecturer in politics at the University of Manchester and a specialist in far-right politics supports. “Very often, national identities are expressed in opposition to something," he told the HuffPost UK.
"So St Andrew's and St Patrick's Day celebrations reflect the assertion of an identity distinct from the dominant English identity. It is not clear whom the English define themselves against, or in comparison to. Once upon a time it would have been Catholic Europe, while more recently on parts of the right it has been against immigrants with a different culture.”
According to Ford, smaller, non-dominant nations who may be threatened by neighbours have strong reasons to promote and protect their own sense of identity. What’s more, England has no “great political event to focus identity debate and provide the symbolic furniture - as the Revolution did in France, Garibaldi in Italy, or unification in Germany.” As such, when identity promotion has occurred, for example over immigration, Ford argues the debate often turns “negative, defensive and exclusionary rather than positive and celebratory”.
Members of the EDL at a recent protest carrying the flag of St George
In contrast, the US, despite being the dominant actor in the region, has created a strong national identity - a form of “civil religion”, as sociologist Robert Bellah outlined - focused on the flag, the national anthem, the military and days of national celebration, such as the Super bowl and the presidential inauguration. Every morning, school children across the States are made to recite the pledge of allegiance. In England, there’s no anthem, no pledge and little reference in school to what it means to be English.
Still, this unpatriotic nation may be on the turn. A poll for the IPPR think tank out on Tuesday revealed that more than seven out of 10 backed making St George's Day a public holiday. Of course it did, the public want another day off. Despite the failure of a recent attempt by MPs to have St George's Day and St David's Day declared a bank holiday (the bill was withdrawn despite support from across Tory and Labour ranks), the director of IPPR responsible for the research believes the poll shows "an emergence of an English identity that British political parties ignore at their peril."
David Cameron duly obliged on Tuesday morning sending his best wishes "to everyone celebrating St George's Day", adding: "I think it is important that people in England can celebrate St George's Day, just as other nations of the United Kingdom celebrate their patron saint's days."
For Andrew Rosindell, a Tory MP who has campaigned for more than a decade to have St George’s Day celebrated as a National Holiday, attitudes are changing. He told HuffPost UK: "St. Patrick’s Day, St. Andrew’s Day and St. David’s Day are celebrated so widely now that people in England also want to share in celebrating their unique English traditions and heritage. Of course, it is also proud to celebrate the unifying values that make us British and I am proud of being both British and English, which is a view that I am sure many others up and down the country share.”
That may be so, but English identity remains a difficult question. Richard Wyn Jones, professor of politics at Cardiff University and co-author of the IPPR report, strikes a more nuanced tone: "A cocktail of deepening cultural anxiety, rising economic insecurity and a growing disillusion with the political system has made the English Question something far more complex than simply a response to Scottish devolution and European integration."]]>Boston Marathon Suspect: Seven Things You Need To Know About Chechnya, Russia (PICTURES)tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//2013-04-19T09:14:11-04:002013-04-19T10:24:31-04:00Paul Valehttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/paul-vale/
Chechnya, an oil-rich region in the south of the Russian Republic, has a long history of tension with Moscow, dating back to the middle of the 19th century.
Subsumed into the Soviet empire in 1922 after a brief period of independence following the 1917 revolution, the region suffered heavily during Stalin’s purges, finally declaring independence after the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991.
Smoke rise from a destroyed building in Moscow in 1999, an attack quickly blamed on Chechen militants
In the chaos following the end of the empire, Chechnya was overrun with armed gangs, defiant against Moscow’s growing anger over claims to independence. Russia sent in forces, but losses were heavy, and a peace agreement was reached in 1996.
In 1999, a huge bomb blew up an apartment block in Moscow, an attack which was quickly blamed on Chechen militants.
The same year, an Islamic body in neighbouring Dagestan declared independence from Moscow, emphasising their desire to set up an Islamic state. Chechen rebels crossed the border to support their neighbours, under the banner of a Holy War.
A Russian soldier lies dead as Chechen fighters gather next to a tank outside the presidential palace in 1994
Putin supressed the rebellion within a couple of weeks, however sporadic hostilities continue to this day, with Moscow arguing that the Chechen fighters are part of the global jihad against the West.
Elections were held in 2005, with a pro-Russia party winning a majority. The rebels subsequently dismissed the victory, however Moscow has invested heavily in the reconstruction of the capital Grozny and an uneasy peace remains.
