Tag Archives: politics

Robocop policing: A warning about future riots

Posted on February 5, 2012 by Samira Ahmed

The  former Deputy Assistant Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Brian Paddick gave me an interview for The World This Weekend on Radio 4 in which he issued a warning about a fundamental breakdown in the police’s social contract with the … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Justice, Politics, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Lessons from the Cabinet Room: An Interview with Gus O’Donnell

Posted on December 4, 2011 by Samira Ahmed

My interview with Gus O’ Donnell — his first in depth interview as he prepares to retire as Cabinet Secretary and head of the Civil Service is here in today’s Observer. Partiularly noteworthy is his strong opposition to aspects of … Continue reading →

Posted in Business/Economics, Politics, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

St Paul’s can hear the alarm bells ringing.

Posted on November 1, 2011 by Samira Ahmed

1pm GMT The latest statement from St Paul’s confirming that they are NOT going to take legal action against the protest camp. St Paul’s Suspends Legal Action Against Protest Camp St Paul’s, 1 November 2011 (All Saints Day) The Chapter … Continue reading →

Posted in Business/Economics, Politics, Religion, Uncategorized | Tagged , | Leave a comment

A very English coup at St Paul’s Cathedral?

Posted on November 1, 2011 by Samira Ahmed

Do we have some kind of South American style regime change in St Paul’s Cathedral? The governing Chapter of St Paul’s put out this “clarifying” statement this morning, to distance themselves from the announcement by the Corporation of London that … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics, Religion, Uncategorized | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Fighting press unfreedom: Lessons from the Iron Curtain for the Arab Spring

Posted on October 12, 2011 by Samira Ahmed

The name “Arab Spring” suggested to Europeans and Americans that the popular uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa shared much with those in the Sovet Bloc that ended more than 40 years of Communist rule. But do they? … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Afghanistan: NATO’s 10 year feminist experiment

Posted on October 7, 2011 by Samira Ahmed

This is some of the further detail from my feature for today’s Guardian that was not in the final edit. It makes reference to two major  reports on women and Afghanistan put out this week by Action Aid and  Oxfam. … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, journalism, Politics, Uncategorized, War | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

1951 then and now: Britain Mended, Britain on the Make

Posted on September 25, 2011 by Samira Ahmed

If you want to know what Britain was like before The Festival of Britain you should watch the masterful 1950 film noir, Night And The City. It features a chase around the industrial chimneys and postwar rubble of what was … Continue reading →

Posted in Comics/graphic novels, Culture, Design, Film, Religion, Science, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Second World War and 9/11

Posted on September 10, 2011 by Samira Ahmed

Something happened to Time and our concept of War over the past decade. The Second World War, which still fascinates children today, saw global power shift one way and then the other; a clear victory over Axis (of Evil) power. … Continue reading →

Posted in journalism, Politics, Religion, Uncategorized, War | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

The Libyan exile’s tale.

Posted on August 27, 2011 by Samira Ahmed

How must the events unfolding in Libya look to exiles? Today I met Jalal Shammam, a Libyan exile who was protesting outside the Libyan embassy in London in 1984 when someone inside opened fire. In an interview for the PM … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Justice, Politics, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

How To Loot It — Who’s defining the riots?

Posted on August 13, 2011 by Samira Ahmed

UPDATE: Monday August 15th How interesting that the Prime Minister has today come out with a nation healing speech which concludes with a reference to bankers’ bonuses, MPs’ expenses and an insistence that “There is no them and us. Only … Continue reading →

Posted in Business/Economics, Crime and Justice, Culture, journalism, Politics, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment