Myanmar coup condemned

The Myanmar military has reportedly staged a military coup due to alleged voter fraud.

This shows how fragile Myanmar’s democracy still is.

Aung San Suu Kyi has come in for her criticism of her treatment of the Rohingya internationally, now Myanmar’s whole democracy is in peril.

The military action will not protect the Rohingya and in the context of what is happening in Hong Kong this sits within other democratic challenges in the region.

The US has responded with violence to some of their own democratic challenges, but there has been no coup.

Biden and the UN has spoken up, but this still leaves Myanmar’s democracy in a very dangerous situation.

The military needs to cede control immediately and allow another vote if fraud is really suspected.

Rule Brittania

To sing or not to sing that is the question.

The issue of the words to Rule Brittania and Land of Hope and Glory came up again recently.

Both glorify the British empire and rule Brittania is said to be a dark reminder of slavery.

There is some question over how offensive they really are, but the creative decision had been taken to play the music without the words.

This was said to be a non-political decision.

However, now the decision has been taken to bring the words back.

Presumably this decision is the final one, but it all seems a bit trivial when people are still being killed by police seemingly because of the colour of their skin.

Though I suspect the fight over Rule Brittania is set to continue.

Hong Kong armed mob violence

The Hong Kong protesters were set upon by a masked armed mob wearing white t-shirts.

The masked men stormed Yuen Long train station.

Footage posted on social media showed dozens of men attacking people with wooden rods and metal sticks inside the station.

Forty-five people were injured, with one person in a critical condition.

The protesters were travelling back from a rally where they had already been attacked with tear gas and rubber bullets.

Many criticised how slow the police were to respond to the attacks on protesters.

Video footage also surfaced of pro-Beijing lawmaker Junius Ho, shaking hands with men in white and giving them the thumbs-up signal.

He said he did not know the men and was just responding to their greeting.

The men in the white t-shirts were suspected of being in organised crime syndicates.

This is a sinister turn in the pro-democracy protests.

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe in psychiatric hospital

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe is being held in psychiatric hospital

Her transfer follows her hunger strike last month in protest at her "unfair imprisonment".

In January, Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe, from London, went on a three-day hunger strike in protest against being denied specialist medical care. 

Mr Ratcliffe said he had felt "euphoric" when he first heard his wife had been moved to a hospital, thinking it could be a prelude to getting treatment or even her release.

However, after her father was refused access to visit her in hospital or even allowed a phone call, the family has grown increasingly concerned.

Nazanin is still being held in Iran and now more than ever the campaign is in full swing to free her.

Sudan livestream massacre

There has been a live-streamed massacre In Sudan.

They are just fighting for democracy and they are being killed.

Trump criticises US ambassador

Downing Street has reaffirmed its "full support" for the UK's ambassador to the US after Donald Trump said he will no longer work with him.

Leaked e-mails revealed that Sir Kim Darroch had called the administration inept.

Donald Trump’s declaration that he would no longer work with him was in answer to these leaked e-mails.

Number 10 called the leak "unfortunate" and said the UK and US still shared a "special and enduring" relationship.

This is yet further evidence that the special relationship isn’t so special.

Trump also criticised Theresa May’s handling of Brexit, saying it was a “mess”.

Stella Creasy’s maternity struggles

Stella Creasy has spoken out about her maternity rights.

She said she is having to beg for extra staff funding.

“For all the talk of being family friendly, Westminster is still struggling to offer deeds instead of words," she wrote.

"And if we can't get this right for MPs, how can we get this right for parents elsewhere?"

If Stella Creasy can’t get the maternity cover she wants what chance do the rest of us have?

Catalonian fractured beauty

Illness and sadness have a funny way of halting the lyrical muse.

Brexit is painfully negotiated and years of agreements initially inspired to cement European peace are squabbled over by some politicians in a way to shame even the most head strong.

Trump turns American politics into a heartbreaking farce that sees a man given power who wields it seemingly only to self aggrandise.

And so it is the turn of Catalonia to raise it's head and fight about what politics is really about, the freedom to democratically define our own futures.

I have never known what it is like to be a Catalan, but there is a strength of purpose always having given it a strong voice within Spain.

And so their leader in Exile looks to me a little bit like an older Democrat fighting for something bigger than themselves in a time when Brexit and Trump have made us knowing and disillusioned.

Catalonia seems to be saying in a mass of ballot boxes, a quieter and humbler yes we can be bigger than our times.

Yes, democracy does mean something.

They are at the turning point of something uncertain to us all.

Freedom as farce

It was with true sadness I heard of the incidents surrounding far right groups in the United States.

It is even more painful to see someone come out and try and defend the violence.

I have no rights to this content, all work credited to IBTimes

I can understand the anger causing a mob to descend on this man, but it puts any sense of political debate and progress into the most painful farce.

America, the land to present us figures like Martin Luther King, Aretha Franklin, Mark Twain, Louisa May Alcott and countless others seems to be descending into a kind of tragic fight where all lose.

I would urge you to look on the BBC website for a full report on these incidents.

Streatham's hustings

Last night there was a general election hustings in Streatham Baptist Church for the local seat.

Six parties were present to contest the seat: Conservative, Green, Labour, Liberal Democrat, TUSC and UKIP.

The church was nearly full.

Chuka Umunna who is returning to try and hold his seat put in a patchy performance compared to how strong he has been in the past, he looked dangerously close to resting on his laurels.

The Green and TUSC candidates spoke strongly and are likely to draw Labour votes, challenging Chuka for actions taken by Lambeth council in forcing people out of their housing association properties.

However both the Greens and TUSC are suggesting policies that may cause significant political and economic upheaval in contrast to Labour's slightly more evolutionary approach, it is not clear whether the electorate is ready for these moves.

The Green Party emerged as the most internationally focussed party, seeing problems faced here in Britain as wider issues affecting the international community.

The Liberal Democrat candidate put in a considered performance, aligning herself with the anti-war movement and business concurrently she certainly presented as a leader in waiting and I suspect that she will not disappear.

TUSC also identified themselves as anti-war but picked up the issue of comprehensive education rather than business.

The Conservative candidate seemed weak on policy, making vague comments such as mixed communities being a good thing without offering concrete pledges on actions she would make while in power.

UKIP appeared to only offer a pledge of winning back Britain without any suggestion of exactly what he meant by this statement.

People seem to think that Chuka will win the seat and it is merely a question of lessening his majority.

However, Labour seats have been lost by a split vote in the past, the seat is not won yet.

This is merely a short report of my view on the hustings, I would encourage interested parties to read reports in the local paper.

Do you remember this guy?

It's nice to have an American president that engenders respect.

I mean, do you remember this guy:

George Bush

Things are getting better.

But that's mainly because they've been so awful.

Obama is a long way from being perfect, but at least he has a brain.

Progress, people.

The votes are in

Boris has won the London mayoral race, again, but it was a tight run thing.

Boris Johnson gained a total of 1, 054, 811 votes, or 51. 5 per cent, to Ken Livingstone, the Labour candidate's, 48.5 per cent in the race for mayor.

Those that went to the polls were still disappointingly low in number according to the BBC.

All those silent voices upset me, if you want them to represent you, you need to vote.

It is no surprise given the state of the country's finances and the levels of youth unemployment, but saddening none the less.

Labour now holds a majority in the assembly, having upped their vote by four seats, the Conservatives have lost two but still retain a sizable minority, the BNP have thankfully been ousted from the chamber - long may they be kept out of politics.

Let's see what forthcoming year's bring.

Decision time again London

London goes to the polls on thursday to decide on the mayor and the london assembly.

I have never felt so negative about a vote.

I am not fired up, I don't feel that I am going to be able to change anything.

I feel flat.

Maybe it's because despite his idiocy I feel that Boris Johnson will win again.

When he got in I was crest fallen to say the least, even though part of me expected it.

Now with two far right candidates standing and conversations of apathy all around me I fear that nothing will ever get better.

We will present our city to the world with a man that I despise and for whom I have no respect.

I think I know who I will vote for, but I've given up trying to persuade anyone.

Everyone seems to like living in this inequitable, money obsessed and dehumanising city with a man that wants the congestion charge to shrink by the second and has the nerve to use language you don't even hear in BNP party political messages.

London I love you, Boris I hate you, please vote.

Politics is not a dirty word.

Is money all it takes to make policy?

So the Cruddas affair has come to a rather predictable conclusion.

The truth is I wasn't even shocked when I heard the news, in truth I had simply been waiting for it to happen.

Boris Johnson seems incapable of picking advisers with any moral integrity: why should it be better further up the Conservative food chain?

Money may make the world go around, but must it eradicate all principle and integrity from the world that we live in!

At times like this it seems so.

Peter Cruddas has gone, as well he should.

Call me biased, but I'm just waiting for the next money related scandal.

Although, on an optimistic note, the 50p tax sounds like a good idea.

A sad day for health

My soul burnt a little less brightly today:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2012/mar/20/nhs-reform-health-bill-passes-vote

Leave our NHS alone!

38 degrees, an internet campaigning organisation, have just passed their £300,000 total to start a poster campaign to attack the NHS bill that the government are still trying to push through Parliament.

The campaigning poster reads:

“Dear Mr Cameron: You’re making a big mistake with the NHS.

Please, please listen to us.” Dr Brigid Sheppard.

The billboard campaign launched today.

More than 130 huge billboards are going up in London, with more to follow in high streets across the country.

Over 20,000 38 Degrees members have chipped in over £300,000 to make this happen.

Hopefully the extent of this campaign will make the government see how unpopular and ill advised this bill has proven.