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David Bisset
Skotlando, United Kingdom
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Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Annapolis Conference
Below is a Press Release from the Scottish Friends of Palestine. I am a member of the SFoP, and endorse this cogent statement.
Scottish Friends of Palestine expresses its severe reservations with regard to the prospects of the forthcomimg Annapolis conference. Attempts at peace negotiations which ignore a majority stakeholder - the Palestinian people - is ultimately doomed to failure.
Further, a peace conference which has been cobbled together by those states which
- ignore the democratically elected representatives of the Palestinian people under occupation
- are complicit in imposing conditions, akin to genocide, on the residents of the Gaza Strip
- are complicit in imposing conditions of strangulation on the Palestinian residents of the West Bank subjected, as they are, to concrete walla and razor wire fences which annex their water aquifers, their fertile land and, with the current 700 or so checkpoints, deny basic communication with neighbouring communities
gives succour to those who believe that such conferences are merely vehicles for annihilation of Palestinian rights.
Scottish Friends of Palestine is of the opinion that the Annapolis conference could and should be the start of a fresh, invigorated and sincere approach to addressing the rights and needs of the Palestinian people. The conference can and should take the first step to end the military occupation and control of the West Bank (including East Jerusalem) and the Gaza Strip. Further, the conference should
- take immediate steps to remove the inhuman conditions imposed upon the occupied Palestinian people in the West bank and Gaza Strip
- endorse international law as the basis for addressing the injustices perperated against the Palestinian people - including the failure of the occupier to recognise the Palestinian right of return
- take immediate steps to involve all the Palestinian people in the democratic process - including those under occupation, those refugees and exiles throughout the world - in preparation for the next election. This was done for the Iraqi exiles and refugees, the Palestinian people deserve no less.
Should the conference fail to do this but simply lapse into the Zionist discourse of "concessions" to the Palestinian people, of urging them to give up their "dreams" then there will be no change. Israeli and Palestinian under occupation will continue in the vicious, brutalising spiral with no end in sight.
Scottish Friends of Palestine is a firm advocate of the total boycott of all Israeli institutions, academic and cultural bodies and Israeli products - until as such times that the Israeli state ceases to boycott the rights of the Palestinian people, and international law as it pertains to the Palestinian people.
Hugh Humphries
Sec
Scottish Friends of Palestine
(0141 637 8046)
Scottish Friends of Palestine was formed in 1982 in response to the Israeli invasion of Lebanon and the subsequent attacks on the Palestinian refugee communities. It is an independent organisation with no political or religious affiliations. SFoP supports the inalienable right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, national independence and sovereignty and the right of all Palestinian refugees to return to their homes. These rights have all been acknowledged by the United Nations.
SFoP campaigns for immediate and unconditional Israeli withdrawal from all territories illegally occupied, including East Jerusalem. We work for educational, social and cultural links between the Scottish and Palestinian peoples.
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Victory for Kevin Rudd
The defeat of John Howard in the Australian election is certainly a cause for celebration: Howard pursued singularly unenlightened policies and was, of course, a member of Bush's band of devotees.
Hopefully the Labor Party, led by Kevin Rudd, will pursue left-wing values. His desire to leave the morass of Iraq is certainly welcome.
However, after seeing the swing to the right of the British Labour Party, I am inclined to await events before becoming ecstatic: in Britain we trust no-one now!
Kevin Rudd's support of Hilary Clinton is not particularly good news: Hilary may be superior to George; but concerning many matters the differences appear marginal.
Still, a victory for John Howard would certainly have been infinitely worse!
Hopefully the Labor Party, led by Kevin Rudd, will pursue left-wing values. His desire to leave the morass of Iraq is certainly welcome.
However, after seeing the swing to the right of the British Labour Party, I am inclined to await events before becoming ecstatic: in Britain we trust no-one now!
Kevin Rudd's support of Hilary Clinton is not particularly good news: Hilary may be superior to George; but concerning many matters the differences appear marginal.
Still, a victory for John Howard would certainly have been infinitely worse!
Saturday, November 03, 2007
Incomprehensible Language?
This afternoon I attended a performance of Seraglio by Scottish Opera sung in English not the original German.
It was an interesting production which treated Mozart's early work as serious opera not comic: rightly, in my opinion.
I have just been reading reviews: something which I never do before atending opera or drama.
The music critic of The Guardian complained:
The opera might as well be sung in Esperanto for all that the text comes across.
Now he had a point concerning comprehensibility, as most of the cast were German; but why did he associate Esperanto (a particularly clear language) with incomprehensibility?
If the opera had been sung in the original German, for example, how many in the audience would have understood a single word without surtitles? Very few, I guess! And if Esperanto were the chosen language? Fluent speakers would understand everything; those with a smattering quite a lot; those who who have never studied it more than they would have imagined!
Critics should chose their words more carefully!
It was an interesting production which treated Mozart's early work as serious opera not comic: rightly, in my opinion.
I have just been reading reviews: something which I never do before atending opera or drama.
The music critic of The Guardian complained:
The opera might as well be sung in Esperanto for all that the text comes across.
Now he had a point concerning comprehensibility, as most of the cast were German; but why did he associate Esperanto (a particularly clear language) with incomprehensibility?
If the opera had been sung in the original German, for example, how many in the audience would have understood a single word without surtitles? Very few, I guess! And if Esperanto were the chosen language? Fluent speakers would understand everything; those with a smattering quite a lot; those who who have never studied it more than they would have imagined!
Critics should chose their words more carefully!
