France and history, still
I've been too busy to blog since I got back from France on Wednesday, so this is terribly out of date.
But then, it's like I've never been away over there. They're still arguing about 'memory and history', 'the positive role of France' during the colonialism etc., with a 1 hour 40 minutes discussion programme on France 3 chaired by Christine Ockrent. There were some good points made, but it ended on a rather absurd self-congratulatory tone, with everybody agreeing that at least France is ahead of other countries, including Britain, in addressing the issue. I don't, however, know of any other countries that have got themselves into the same mess (of politicians telling historians how to interpret history.
On the other hand, Le Monde had some very good coverage on the background to the contretemps between Russia and Britain:
Le Monde also reported that Angela Merkel has quickly established a strong position both in Germany and internationally, with an unprecedented 22% rise in popularity since her narrow election victory, according to Der Spiegel.
Back home, Peter Tatchell on C4 News recalled the 1983 by-election when he was defeated by a young, rising, Liberal star - 'Simon Hughes: the straight candidate.'
But then, it's like I've never been away over there. They're still arguing about 'memory and history', 'the positive role of France' during the colonialism etc., with a 1 hour 40 minutes discussion programme on France 3 chaired by Christine Ockrent. There were some good points made, but it ended on a rather absurd self-congratulatory tone, with everybody agreeing that at least France is ahead of other countries, including Britain, in addressing the issue. I don't, however, know of any other countries that have got themselves into the same mess (of politicians telling historians how to interpret history.
On the other hand, Le Monde had some very good coverage on the background to the contretemps between Russia and Britain:
Stanislav Dmitrievski, le fondateur de la Société d'amitié russo-tchétchène de Nijny-Novgorod est accusé d'"incitation à la haine raciale" et encourt cinq ans de réclusion pour avoir publié en 2004 dans son journal, Pravozachtchita, un appel à la paix du président tchétchène Aslan Maskhadov, tué depuis par les forces fédérales. L'accusation est surprenante lorsqu'on songe aux milliers d'organisations extrémistes, racistes et antisémites qui ont pignon sur rue en Russie sans être inquiétées. L'ONG, elle aussi visée par un contrôle fiscal, est menacée de fermeture. [...] "Les autorités veulent contraindre au silence la seule source d'information fiable sur la Tchétchénie", affirme Oleg Panfilov, militant des droits des journalistes. "On est en train de dire que la liberté d'expression, c'est de l'extrémisme, qu'il n'y a pas de guerre en Tchétchénie et que les journalistes sont des fanatiques", déplore Iouri Djibladze, du Centre pour les droits de l'homme et la démocratie à Moscou."Moscou s'attaque..."
Le Monde also reported that Angela Merkel has quickly established a strong position both in Germany and internationally, with an unprecedented 22% rise in popularity since her narrow election victory, according to Der Spiegel.
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Back home, Peter Tatchell on C4 News recalled the 1983 by-election when he was defeated by a young, rising, Liberal star - 'Simon Hughes: the straight candidate.'
posted by DavidP at 20:52
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