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A Balkan spring and simmering tension.
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Uploaded at 11.11.51pm BST (GMT +0100) Sat 20th Sep 2008
Kiron Reid returned from Macedonia in June 2008 after an OSCE election observation mission with SOLACE Enterprises. Here he writes about visiting this Balkan country in the Spring; about the dispute with Greece over the name 'Macedonia', ethnic tensions in the region and disputes in the country. He also writes about current politics and hopes for cooperation on tourism to boost the economies of all the countries of the southern Balkans and increase stability for all of Europe.
This article was published by "Liberator" magazine (edited for publication by Frances Willmott; Mark Smulian / Liberator) 'What's In a Name?' Issue 329 November 2008, pp. 18-19.
http://www.liberator.org.uk/article.asp?id=152604078
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Attitudes to children and young people: examples of media reporting.
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Uploaded at 10.42.50am GMT Mon 14th Dec 2009
Two stories that I belive illustrate the same issue.
My comments on 'Inspiring hope, not promoting fear', what Barack Obama is doing and British politicians and the media should do but often do not.
The second story is related to the same theme, how much of the media and many local and national politicians have pandered to and created prejudice about young people, creating an unrepresentative negative image of young people.
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Northern Renaissance in the early 21st Century.
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Uploaded at 10.05.01pm GMT Sat 13th Mar 2010
A Review article in Liberator covered my thoughts on two books and what they tell us about the revival of the Northern towns and cities in England in the first decade of the 21st Century. This longer piece includes my background analysis of the renewal of the English cities, particularly the Northern ones. Most of the first two pages and conclusion are additional material. Two very different books provide a snapshot of northern life at the peak of the renewal: the comic travelogue Pies and Prejudice, by Stuart Maconie, and academic report Whose Town is it Anyway? on local democracy and community engagement comparing Harrogate and Burnley, by Stuart Wilks-Heeg and Steve Clayton. This article omits Scotland because my knowledge is limited. The impressive development of Glasgow, albeit still with huge social problems in areas, is well documented and was copied by Liverpool. Arguably Edinburgh has always been a jewel, but like Cardiff has benefited greatly from the huge influx of public money, extra attention and status, lobby groups and campaign groups that devolution has brought. Cardiff has had a vibrant Welsh cultural revival as well as enhanced political influence so has made up more distance. Belfast too has benefited greatly turning itself into a modern European city, though a minority still want to turn the clock back there. A look at the great European or American cities should show them what a tolerant inclusive life for people they will be missing out on if they do.
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On recession, tolerance, diversity, violence, good and evil.
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Uploaded at 5.23.15pm GMT Sat 3rd Jan 2009
On recession, tolerance, diversity, violence, crime, good and evil.
I'd intended to write a short article welcoming work on increasing tolerance and highlighting the need for that work in the recession. Also pointing out that mindless thugs and hooligans appear to feel they have it hard while people have real difficulties with recession, losing or fear for their jobs, with terrorism and war and poverty abroad. And pointing out that there are good people who do good work which we should recall and be optimistic about. Instead this is a very long article that covers the following themes:
Tolerance, stopping violence and rehabilitation.
Politicians must work together and act responsibly.
'ITSEEMSIMPOSSIBLE' that people are using the Holocaust to promote political points.*
Why terrorists cannot defeat a democracy and the military do not alone defeat terrorists.
Cultural and generation clashes, intolerance and ignorance of the lessons of history.
There are people who do good work - philanthropists, politicians, rich and poor, it may be you or I.
*A Powerpoint file is circulating the internet with a fake statement about education in Britain designed to stir up hatred of Muslims. Teaching about the holocaust has not been banned in Britain and the statement in the "ITSEEMSIMPOSSIBLE.pps" is a made up untrue lie. Completely.
Two contrasting extracts from the article:
"The best writing about different cultures in a country, understanding and misunderstanding, how tolerance and hope can be replaced by despair and extremism is a play by Tariq Ali and Howard Brenton, Iranian Nights. Written at the time of the persecution of Salman Rushdie, Tariq Ali and Howard Brenton's play should have been read by every Government Minister and military strategist after September 11 2001 and is just as relevant today. I hope that Iranian Nights will be revived."
"The British Government is not anti-Muslim or anti-Islam has taken much action to help and protect Muslims, both abroad and by legislation in this country."
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The recession was obvious if you used common sense.
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Uploaded at 11.32.42pm BST (GMT +0100) Thu 24th Sep 2009
The collapse of the debt and credit bubble was obvious six years ago to anyone who used common sense to think about it. Friends often ask me, when I say myself and Liberal Democrats warned for several years about the unsustainable nature of the economic boom, whether we really knew that the economy was highly unsustainable. Two years after the recession started (though we didn't realise it for a while) seems a time to review briefly and say "Yes, we did tell you so on the debt bubble in the economy".
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Web consumer issues 1209
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Uploaded at 8.31.39pm GMT Sat 12th Dec 2009
An update on Consumer issues published on the website last December. This includes some personal views on a really bad family law solicitors who have now gone out of business (the Kennedy Partnership, Ormskirk, West Lancahsire); a review of the law on insurance; and comment on problems with the digital switchover process for television in the UK. On the switchover to digital tv I am more upbeat in this update.
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Website front page old version.
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Uploaded at 9.00.39am BST (GMT +0100) Thu 24th Sep 2009
Originally the website was largely about promoting me and the Liberal Democrats, and I've tried to use it to promote political ideas. I'd also added to the original content about me, to explain more of my experience. That meant too much text on the front page which detracts from encouraging debate with my posts. So I've cut the front page text but keep an earlier version here for reference. KJCR 24/09/09.
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What went wrong in Liverpool?
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Uploaded at 1.02.25pm BST (GMT +0100) Tue 16th Sep 2008
Liverpool City Council was the flagship Liberal Democrat local authority for ten years. Here Kiron Reid writes about how the first major city the Lib Dems ran went from being the urban success story of a decade to perceived political turmoil. The successes and failures.
This pamphlet may be useful for other Lib Dems as well as those concerned with urban regeneration and local government improvement generally to see how such a promising administration could go wrong and what they did right as well!
Kiron Reid was councillor for inner city ward Anfield from 1998 - 2007 and assistant to the Leader of Liverpool City Council.
A short article in Liberator 326, June 2008, summarised my account. (Printed as 'Misery on the Mersey' pp. 14 - 15).
http://www.liberator.org.uk/media/lib-0608.pdf
This full article was written in April & May 2008, with a few later corrections. It has not been updated. It is a personal account by Kiron Reid and does not reflect anyone else's views.
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Printed and hosted by Prater Raines Ltd, 98 Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY.
Published and promoted by Kiron Reid, 48 Abbeygate Apartments, Wavertree Gardens, High Street, Liverpool L15 8HB.
The views expressed are those of Kiron Reid, not of the service provider.
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