A Green Party candidate shouted “Allahu Akbar!......

I wonder if it's the new posts that are impacting turnout, as I have said I see the police commissioner role as pointless, and to be honest I have never been entirely convinced by the mayor role either. People dont generally think a great deal about politics in its purest sense so possibly this dilutes things even further.

Israel as it exists at present is exclusively ether a good guy or a bad guy.

Really! I thought Israel was the victim of a vile terrorist attack which left some 1200 people dead, and over 200 taken as hostages, with over 100 still remaining as hostages. As a consequence, Israel is now fighting a war with the objectives of freeing any remaining hostages who are still alive, and of disabling Hamas as far as possible, and with the intention of stopping the daily rockets fired into Israel from Gaza.
That doesn’t make Israel exclusively good or bad in my opinion, but it’s clear where your opinions lie.

Maddyone. your post is part-truth. Do mean to say that Netanyahu's bombing and starvation campaign is a proportionate response to Hamas's attack on 7 October?

Galaxy

I wonder if it's the new posts that are impacting turnout, as I have said I see the police commissioner role as pointless, and to be honest I have never been entirely convinced by the mayor role either. People dont generally think a great deal about politics in its purest sense so possibly this dilutes things even further.

You could be right. A few years ago, I was more active locally and I realised when talking to people that many people haven't a clue what councils' responsibilities are, especially when there are multiple layers.

In my area we have a town council, a district council and a county council - and the government, of course. People blamed the wrong councils for all sorts of things, for which they had no responsibility - planning, schools, GPs, social care were the big misunderstandings - and potholes! The county council is responsible for potholes, but people would harangue their local town councillor.

It's daft that anybody thinks that any council can do anything about Palestine - the most they can do is allows demos and flag-flying (but, in all honesty, that won't achieve much).

Not only that, but most people really don't understand much about the financing of local government and what happens to their council tax - not surprising really because the formula for the allocation of funds is complicated.

maddyone

^Israel as it exists at present is exclusively ether a good guy or a bad guy.^

Really! I thought Israel was the victim of a vile terrorist attack which left some 1200 people dead, and over 200 taken as hostages, with over 100 still remaining as hostages. As a consequence, Israel is now fighting a war with the objectives of freeing any remaining hostages who are still alive, and of disabling Hamas as far as possible, and with the intention of stopping the daily rockets fired into Israel from Gaza.
That doesn’t make Israel exclusively good or bad in my opinion, but it’s clear where your opinions lie.

Yes, Israel is the victim of a terrorist attack, but I know you know the history of (and reasons for) the hatred Palestinians feel towards Israel.

Six months don't appear to have been successful in stopping Hamas firing rockets at Israel, so where now?

It’s not part truth, it’s full truth.
Was the almost complete destruction of Germany in WW2 a proportionate campaign?
It achieved its aims, a Europe free of fascism.
Hamas need to be completely disabled in Gaza. I’m aware that their fat cat leaders are safe in Qatar, being funded for their lavish lifestyle by a multitude of other countries and people. When they are no longer able to fire daily rockets into Israel, a period of peace will emerge. The Palestinians will not be safe until until Hamas in Gaza are disabled.
Perhaps you think Hamas should be left in situ so they can reinstate their murderous campaign again. After all, their avowed intention is to kill every Jew in Israel.

growstuff

maddyone

Israel as it exists at present is exclusively ether a good guy or a bad guy.

Really! I thought Israel was the victim of a vile terrorist attack which left some 1200 people dead, and over 200 taken as hostages, with over 100 still remaining as hostages. As a consequence, Israel is now fighting a war with the objectives of freeing any remaining hostages who are still alive, and of disabling Hamas as far as possible, and with the intention of stopping the daily rockets fired into Israel from Gaza.
That doesn’t make Israel exclusively good or bad in my opinion, but it’s clear where your opinions lie.

Yes, Israel is the victim of a terrorist attack, but I know you know the history of (and reasons for) the hatred Palestinians feel towards Israel.

Six months don't appear to have been successful in stopping Hamas firing rockets at Israel, so where now?

As futurologists we may safely say that Israel and its allies will obliterate Gaza Palestiniians , and West Bank Palestininas too.

Maybe it's useless to be armchair warriors . However it would be too bad if we don't care enough to study facts and figures of relative casualties and damages inflicted by both sides.
Why do you think Netanahu has forbidden Al Jazeera to the Israeli people.

Maddy* you speak the full truth . It’s so easily dismissed that Jews have been victims for centuries

With regard to Israel banishing Al Jazeera, censorship of the media is happening here too. Sangita Myska has been taken off the air after an interview with an Israeli government spokesman. The inference is that a foreign country is monitoring and interfering with the questions that can be asked by British journalists about the conflict.
Truth is certainly the first casualty of war and that is something to be mindful of if we are inclined to take sides.

www.heraldscotland.com/life_style/arts_ents/24296143.sangita-myska-taken-off-air-lbc-israeli-argument/

Parsley3 having read your link it’s by no means sure that she has been removed for robust exchanges with an Israeli spokesperson ( tho not hearing the exchange I can’t know if she overstepped the mark, journalists are meant to be impartial in public.) LBC says it’s had a shake up of presenters.

The Green Party are investigating the incident

www.gransnet.com/forums/news_and_politics/1335546-A-Green-Party-candidate-shouted-Allahu-Akbar

I totally doubt what happened was on the Green Party Agenda!

This is England. It is not our fight. Let these extremists go and shout somewhere relevant to the subject.

Urms, many of us have deep concerns about conflict in the region as evidenced above. I am one amongst many who look at global situations not just for reasons of conscience but because we are all inextricably linked - just consider trade for a start - whats happening affects our economic well being - -people movement - ideologies.

This is England. It is multi-cultural. (as is Wales, and Scotland, not sure why you specify England as opposed to the UK?)

Who is "our"? Are our POV not actually very different - and always have been.

I should add, not just trade, but international investment. The UK is "owned" in terms of assets by many other foreign nationals and companies, but "owns" in return.

Wyllow3

Urms, many of us have deep concerns about conflict in the region as evidenced above. I am one amongst many who look at global situations not just for reasons of conscience but because we are all inextricably linked - just consider trade for a start - whats happening affects our economic well being - -people movement - ideologies.

This is England. It is multi-cultural. (as is Wales, and Scotland, not sure why you specify England as opposed to the UK?)

Who is "our"? Are our POV not actually very different - and always have been.

I agree.

Freya5 And you would rather see our country destroyed from the inside. That’s what I call disgusting. Also very naive. Putting aside the fact that you have deliberately.misunderstood what I said.

•Freya5• if the cap fits for my last post please wear it. It it doesn’t please ignore it. I think I lost the plot somewhere along the line. Sorry if I maligned you.

What a vile individual this new councillor is.

Erm Wyllow3 I said “England” because that’s (a) where I live and (b) this councillor (under review by the Green Party already because he also shouted ‘this is for Gaza!’) won in Leeds. Not Scotland, Wales or N.I. You do nit pick!

Hi Urms. No desire to fall out tho we disagree......

I alluded to it because there is a long history of conflating "England" with the UK.

And it gets confusing therefore when talking about values especially 'our' values. Are they different from....etc etc.

This is England. It is not our fight. Let these extremists go and shout somewhere relevant to the subject.

Ah, now there's a problem with that. There is no freedom of speech in middle Eastern countries, particularly in Palestine or Egypt; they face certain imprisonment or death if caught expressing anything but the party line there. So they come here instead.

I wonder if the new Councillor himself is going to end up a bit disillusioned. Local Government is closely regulated and not necessarily responsible for all the things people think they should be. If he does his new job properly he won’t have much time for Gaza or his family. I hope the Officer core are ready in Leeds

Good point luluaugust! He might find council meetings focussing on pot holes etc not to his liking. There’ll be no discussion of Gaza within the council chambers.

PuddyCat

^This is England. It is not our fight. Let these extremists go and shout somewhere relevant to the subject.^

Ah, now there's a problem with that. There is no freedom of speech in middle Eastern countries, particularly in Palestine or Egypt; they face certain imprisonment or death if caught expressing anything but the party line there. So they come here instead.

Makes me realised how lucky we are here in this country, though we do often forget.

Urmstongran

Erm Wyllow3 I said “England” because that’s (a) where I live and (b) this councillor (under review by the Green Party already because he also shouted ‘this is for Gaza!’) won in Leeds. Not Scotland, Wales or N.I. You do nit pick!

Perhaps Urmstongran mentioned England because only England held local Council elections last week.

But no one should be hijacking council elections to make their speeches about a conflict that has nothing to do with the work of the council in question. Gipton and Harehills now does not have a representative to do the work of the council. That is to everyone detriment. Leeds council can’t afford to be a man down because one of the councillors is engaged on other issues.