So you’ll be hard pushed to find many or any column inches on the historic FIRST EVER debate in Parliament devoted to conflict prevention yesterday. And this despite Simon Hughes’s shaming soundbite: “For every dollar that is spent on conflict prevention, states spend some $2,000 on weapons and military budgets – that is an absolutely central and telling fact.”
They’ve never thought it worth debating before?!
The press should play its part in bigging up initiatives like this so that people who care about peace — that would be most of us — know they are happening. So we can let politicians who need our votes know that we want more like this and less of the hundreds of hours wasted on petty legislation.
A dry but rewarding hour and a half can be spent watching the debate here
Now that IS interesting. They think this news won’t sell newspapers? Is that it?
I hope they are not right.
It’s food for thought. Do we prefer to tutt and sigh and watch and read about people fighting than take an interest in keeping things quiet and peaceful.
Perhaps it’s that same school of thought that makes shows about people shouting at each other so popular.
Good point.
It’s so not a good time for sensible debate on anything at the moment. The general election is just tainting everything politicians say and do. If there’s no media mile in it, they aren’t interested just now. They need pressure about this though. If they see people care, and it gets them coverage it might just do some good.
It’s pretty shocking that they haven’t discussed this before. Unbelievable really. I’ll listen to the debate later and come back with further comment…
The $ spent on preventing v military is shocking :(
Can’t help wondering if it’s because there is political glory in fighting.
mmm good point – there are no medals for preventing conflict are there?
If the press don’t think it’s worth reporting, many MPs won’t think it’s worth attending. Unless more people who can actually affect events give time and thought to conflict resolution the Big Ideas are unlikely to emerge. It’s important to me that my MP recognises that it’s a priority, but my MP won’t necessarily feel obliged to move his arse if my opinion is a lone voice in his in-box. If he’s going to be applauded more generally he might think it’s worth showing his face, or, more importantly, thinking deeply about it.