Tag Archives: gabrielle giffords

Opinion: God Bless America?

Well, you have to hand it to our American cousins. They can certainly do theatrics. The solving of the (self-inflicted) debt crisis has been a real nail-biter. At the tenth hour last night, there was a bi-partisan vote in the US House of Representatives, including the hugely poignant appearance of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. All House members were on their feet as she returned to Congress for the first time since being shot while carrying out a constituency surgery (as we would call it).

It was pure Hollywood. But beneath the tear-jerking choreography let’s acknowledge that it is genuinely historic for the …

Posted in News | Also tagged , and | 13 Comments

The Saturday debate: Do we pay too much attention to news from the US?

Here’s your starter for ten in our Saturday slot where we throw up an idea or thought for debate…

The tragic killing of six and injuries to thirteen others, including Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, have received heavy coverage in the UK media, not only in response to the shooting itself but also following up the story subsequently. Yet other recent political deaths from countries around the world have received, at most, very little media coverage in the UK.

There are partial explanations – such as the murdered Nigerian politician being a local government figure rather than a national figure and the

Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged , and | 20 Comments
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  • Judy Abel
    @Hywel fair point although second class letters are so slow that I would prefer the French model!...
  • Judy Abel
    @Ynys I stand corrected but at least I got the right playwright and the right play!...
  • Judy Abel
    @Simon yes we should either subsidise the essential services we value and pay for them through progressive taxation or not privatise businesses that then extrac...
  • Judy Abel
    @Peter I agree the media sets the tone in a lot of cases! Look at the disproprtionate number of times Farage appeared on Question Time. Our media is right leani...
  • Hywel
    "La Poste in France delivers six days a week and a normal stamp for a letter delivered within three days costs £1.30." GIven that second class post in the U...