As economic recession tears into Britain, millions of us spend our nights fearing for the future. More than half of all workers are worried that they might be on the dole by the end of the year.
The BBC is refusing to broadcast a charity appeal for the people of Gaza, breaking an agreement stretching back to 1963 whereby charities are granted free airtime for responses to major humanitarian disasters.
A wave of student occupations in solidarity with the people of Gaza is continuing to spread across Britain. There are currently occupations at Kings College London and Oxford, Sussex, Newcastle and Kingston universities. There have also been sit ins at Warwick and Manchester Metropolitan.
Israel has been using banned weapons such as white phosphorus and Dime bombs during its assault on Gaza, according to eyewitness evidence from Irish activist Caoimhe Butterly.
The fundamental test that Obama faces is not so much about the timescale or extent of his policy changes, but about the conflicting bases of his underlying support.
The conventional view is that Barack Obama’s presidency is going to struggle with the contradiction between the huge expectations invested in him and the glum realities of office. I don’t think it’s quite as simple as that.
