Comment is free

Archive: 27 June – 3 July 2011

• Friday 1 July 2011

• The echoes of Gettysburg

  

  'We here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain': the only known photograph of President Abraham Lincoln at the dedication of the civil war cemetery at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, 19 November 1863. Photograph: Library of Congress

  Jane Eisner: As the 150th anniversary of the bloodiest battle of the American civil war approaches, Lincoln's sentiments still ring as true

  Continue reading...
  Posted by Jane Eisner 18.00 BST

• I may disagree with marriage, but I will fight for your right to do it

  

  'At the very moment that heterosexual couples are deserting marriage in droves, lesbian and gay couples are rushing to embrace it.' Photograph: Mark Ralston/AFP/Getty Images

  Peter Tatchell: The ban on same-sex marriage is discriminatory. Gay and straight couples must be free to choose the same legal bonds Continue reading...
  Posted by Peter Tatchell 17.30 BST

• Introducing Comment Out Loud

  Gwyn Topham: Talking shop: Got a point you'd like to make to camera in 60 seconds or less? We'd like you to send in your contribution and get a debate going Continue reading...
  Posted by Gwyn Topham 16.23 BST

• Private sector pensions are largely pointless

  

  'Instead of cutting public sector pensions, perhaps our leaders should be investigating why private sector savers are paying such huge sums in fees and commissions.' Photograph: Mike Kemp/In Pictures/Corbis

  David Craig: Suffocatingly high fees mean nine out of 10 would lose more in benefits than they would get from their pension savings Continue reading...
  Posted by David Craig 15.41 BST

• Ed Miliband is on a byelection roll

  

  Labour Leader Ed Miliband campaigns with Inverclyde candidate Iain McKenzie. Photograph: Murdo Macleod

  Tom Clark: Everything seemed in place for his party to take a dive, but the Inverclyde byelection was the Labour leader's fourth solid win Continue reading...
  Posted by Tom Clark 15.18 BST

• What do you want to talk about?

  Post your suggestions for subjects you'd like us to cover on Comment is free. Want to write for us? Follow this guide

  Continue reading...
  Posted on 14.48 BST

• Welcome South Sudan, from your northern friends

  

  Supporters of Sudan's president, Omar Hassan al-Bashir, in Khartoum. South Sudan splits away from the north on 9 July. Photograph: Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah/Reuters

  Nasredeen Abdulbari: The challenge for the south now is to build a democratic nation that respects liberty and human rights. We give you our support Continue reading...
  Posted by Nasredeen Abdulbari 14.00 BST

• Fukushima spin was Orwellian

  

  A baby is tested for nuclear radiation at an evacuation centre in Koriyama, Fukushima Prefecture. Photograph: Kim Kyung Hoon/Reuters

  John Vidal: Emails detailing how the UK government played down Fukushima show just how cosy it is with the nuclear industry Continue reading...
  Posted by John Vidal 13.30 BST

• William and Kate's visit highlights Canada's weirdness

  

  The Duchess of Cambridge meets Canadian fans. Photograph: Fd/ Francis Dias/DiasImages

  Colin Horgan: A US girl travelled 21 hours to report that Will 'smelled amazing'. Nice, but there's a Canadian effort to make the visit mean more Continue reading...
  Posted by Colin Horgan 12.22 BST

• Has Ed Miliband lost credibility for failing to back the strikes?

  

  Ed Miliband is facing an online backlash after failing to come out in favour of the June 30 strikes. Photograph: Martin Argles

  Ed Miliband is facing a backlash after saying the June 30 public sector pension strikes were 'wrong'. Do you think the Labour leader has lost credibility?

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  Posted by 11.27 BST

• The cult of Bashar al-Assad

  

  A protester holds a picture of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad during a demonstration in support of the regime held in Lebanon. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images

  Joseph Willits: As a teacher in Syria I saw the effect of Assad's culture of fear, but his regime is pandering to social sensibilities Continue reading...
  Posted by Joseph Willits 11.08 BST

• Labour must fashion a new patriotism

  

  A member of EDL gestures during a rally in Luton earlier this year. Photograph: Carl Court/AFP/Getty Images

  Jon Cruddas and Jonathan Rutherford: To regain power, Labour needs to engage with people's fears over immigration and seize the politics of identity from the right Continue reading...
  Posted by Jon Cruddas and Jonathan Rutherford 10.00 BST

• Lundbeck and pentobarbital: pharma takes a stand

  

  Pentobarbital: Danish manufacturer Lundbeck has now prohibited its use in the US as an execution drug. Photograph: Alessandro Della Bella/AP

  David Nicholl: The decision by the Danish firm to ban use of pentobarbital as a US execution drug may deal a fatal blow to capital punishment

  Continue reading...
  Posted by David Nicholl 08.00 BST

• Goodbye Habitat, hello knowledge hub

  

  Fourteen per cent of high street shops are now empty. Photograph: Graham Turner for the Guardian

  Andrew Simms: As more of our famous stores close down, the high street can be reinvented as a place where we not only shop, but learn and do Continue reading...
  Posted by Andrew Simms 07.00 BST

• Steve Bell on Rupert Murdoch's BSkyB takeover

  An inquiry into the bid has all but ended after Jeremy Hunt put the finishing touches to a series of undertakings aimed at safeguarding 'media plurality'

  Posted by Steve Bell 00.01 BST

• Thursday 30 June 2011

• It's not true that we found a link between crime and armed service

  Response: There are probably familiar social reasons behind the number of ex-servicemen offenders, says John Nutting Continue reading...
  Posted by John Nutting 22.29 BST

• Bones, hairs and blood: relics that stretched pilgrims' grasp of humanity

  Karen Armstrong: An understanding of the medieval cult of martyrs' relics can help open our minds to the otherness of beliefs in today's world

  Continue reading...
  Posted by Karen Armstrong 22.00 BST

• In praise of ... provincial councils

  Editorial: Afghanistan's provincial councillors have little to work with beyond glasses of tea and their own wits. But they represent a rare seed of democracy in a barren state Continue reading...
  Posted by Editorial 21.45 BST

• Palestinian activists: unwelcome guests?

  Editorial: In arresting Mr Salah for remarks he denies he made, a British home secretary is being even more intolerant than Israel

  Continue reading...
  Posted by Editorial 21.45 BST

• Nasa's costly space ride

  

  Space shuttle Endeavour touches down at the shuttle landing facility at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Photograph: Bill Ingalls/Getty Images

  Tim Radford: The shuttle's 30 years advanced science – but the investment and risks required were colossal

  Continue reading...
  Posted by Tim Radford 21.30 BST

• Today Greece. Tomorrow Europe's Gucci-clad elite

  

  Peaceful protesters in Athens including many old people now find themselves a target for police teargas. Photograph: Louisa Gouliamaki/AFP/Getty Images

  Paul Mason: Protesters in Greece are on to something: the country's solvency crisis poses survival issues for the entire eurozone Continue reading...
  Posted by Paul Mason, Athens 21.00 BST

• Thank God for Rupert Murdoch

  

  Rupert Murdoch: cynical eyebrows were raised when he gave assurances over the independent future of Sky News. Photograph: Mark Wilson/Getty Images

  Kelvin MacKenzie: Twenty years after flirting with disaster, the News Corp chief is on the verge of his biggest deal. We need more like him

  Continue reading...
  Posted by Kelvin MacKenzie 20.45 BST

• These strikes could become the coalition's Iraq moment

  

  Placards lie on the floor following a one-day strike against public sector pension changes. Photograph: Chris Ison/PA

  Martin Kettle: David Cameron owns this dispute. If he's not careful, he might end up irreversibly alienating the public

  Continue reading...
  Posted by Martin Kettle 20.30 BST

• Rupert Murdoch: Empire of the Sun

  Editorial: No well-functioning democracy should allow one man to frame its window on the world Continue reading...
  Posted by Editorial 20.29 BST

• Some advice on manners for a future mother-in-law

  

  Carolyn Bourne, whose withering email to her future daughter-in-law went viral. Photograph: SWNS.com

  Alexander Chancellor: It's probably too late, but I offer some advice to Mrs Bourne on how she should behave towards her future daughter-in-law Continue reading...
  Posted by Alexander Chancellor 20.00 BST

• Comment is free readers on … attending gay pride

  The people's panel: On the eve of Pride London, four Comment is free readers explain what the parade means to them

  Continue reading...
  Posted by The people's panel 19.38 BST

• How to make short work of unemployment

  

  The Opel car manufacturing plant in Eisenach, Germany: by enabling companies to cut staff hours rather than jobs, Germany has avoided widespread unemployment since 2008. Photograph: Jens-Ulrich Koch/AFP/Getty Images

  Dean Baker: Germany has actually reduced joblessness through the recession – by cutting working hours. We could make it work too

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  Posted by Dean Baker 19.08 BST

• David Mitchell's Soapbox: Naming your child - video

  David Mitchell: David advises parents against choosing original names for their newborns. Mostly because names don't really matter at all

  Posted by David Mitchell 17.32 BST

• Lloyds job losses are sad for those affected, but banking had to shrink

  

  Lloyds Banking Group is to shed 15,000 jobs, 'an inevitable consequence of our over-banked high street'. Photograph: Ben Stansall/AFP/Getty Images

  Phillip Inman: Our bloated banking sector grew from dodgy selling and lending on overvalued properties – their profits were a tax on us all Continue reading...
  Posted by Phillip Inman 17.30 BST

• Critics of the BSkyB deal are suffering a slow-motion death

  

  'Sky News is one element of huge deal that will alter the UK’s media landscape for the next two decades.' Photograph: David Moir/Reuters

  Martin Moore for Left Foot Forward: A final consultation on NewsCorp's takeover of BSkyB can't disguise the fact that the deal is as good as done Continue reading...
  Posted by Martin Moore for Left Foot Forward, part of the Guardian Comment Network 17.15 BST

• Carolyn Bourne and the matriarchal perfect storm

  

  'Castles are cool. I'm going to get married in a castle, you just see if I don't.' Photograph: Stockbyte/Getty

  Carrie Quinlan: Debrett's, sadly, has no ruling on the rudeness of a potential mother-in-law sending a rude email about perceived rudeness Continue reading...
  Posted by Carrie Quinlan 17.01 BST

• The Right Word: Michele, my belle

  Sadhbh Walshe: The talkshow hosts wax lyrical at the idea of Michele Bachmann becoming a serious Republican presidential contender

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  Posted by Sadhbh Walshe 15.30 BST

• Is France right to arm Libyan rebels?

  

  France has confirmed it has been arming Libyan rebels. Photograph: Ricardo Garcia Vilanova/AFP/Getty Images

  Live discussion with Brian Whitaker: France has been arming Libyans for their 'self-defence'. Debate the rights and wrongs of this with our Middle East editor Continue reading...
  Posted by Brian Whitaker 14.54 BST

• In Greece, the painful start of the first advanced-democracy revolution

  

  A protest on Syntagma square turned into battles with riot police as Greece approved new austerity measures on Wednesday. Photograph: Thanassis Stavrakis/AP

  Matina Stevis: As an Athenian, watching my city being torn apart is a very different experience from reporting on it as a journalist Continue reading...
  Posted by Matina Stevis 14.13 BST

• The Kabul hotel attack was destined to happen

  

  Local Afghans take in the Intercontinental hotel, Kabul, after it was attacked by the Taliban this week. Photograph: Ahmad Masood/Reuters

  Nushin Arbabzadah: Afghanistan's culture is too polite and fatalistic to take security seriously – plus Afghans are in denial over the roots of terrorism Continue reading...
  Posted by Nushin Arbabzadah 13.30 BST

• HS2 has turned me from nimby to true sceptic

  

  The anti-HS2 ad, copywritten by Tony Brignull, takes an ironic tone

  Tony Brignull: The well-funded pro-HS2 lobby continues to propagate the falsehood that speed will solve this country's problems

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  Posted by Tony Brignull 12.12 BST

• Public sector pensions: What is fair?

  Head to head: Bryan Freake and Matthew Oakley debate whether the proposed changes to public sector pensions are justified

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  Posted by Bryan Freake and Matthew Oakley 11.10 BST

• Are you on strike today? Tell us why

  

  Hundreds of thousands of public sector workers are striking over pension provisions. Photograph: Susan Gotensparre for the Guardian

  We asked readers to tell us why they were striking today. See their replies, from Cif, Twitter and across the web – updated throughout the day – below. Tweet us @commentisfree. [Mobile users click here for desktop version]

  Continue reading...
  Posted by Jessica Reed and Bella Mackie 10.49 BST

• Morocco's king is destroying hope for democracy

  

  Morocco's King Mohammed VI greets the crowd in Marrakech after the February protests. Photograph: Azzouz Boukallouch/AFP/Getty Images

  Ahmed Benchemsi: With the protest movement weakened, the Moroccan king is forcing constitutional change and retaining absolute power Continue reading...
  Posted by Ahmed Benchemsi 10.00 BST

• Are bankers more boring than media types?

  

  Soho House private members club in New York is attempting to cut back on the corporate element of its list. Photograph: Jon Helgason/Alamy

  Open thread: As a US private members club prunes its list of 'suits', have your say on which profession harbours the most boring people Continue reading...
  Posted by Open thread 07.00 BST

• In praise of … cheques

  Editorial: Banks have stopped the cheque card, but it is not time yet to sign and date the warrant killing off the cheque Continue reading...
  Posted by Editorial 00.01 BST

• Public sector pensions: after the strike, the settlement

  Editorial: It is easy to predict the rival but equally self-reinforcing ways in which some will seek to frame the strikes Continue reading...
  Posted by Editorial 00.01 BST

• Wednesday 29 June 2011

• Greece and austerity: Brussels v the people

  Editorial: For anyone who has ever worried about the democratic deficit in Europe, here it was, laid bare Continue reading...
  Posted by Editorial 23.32 BST

• Public spending has not been cut, it's just been stopped from rising

  Response: If Osborne does not spend, he does not borrow, so the money stays in the private sector, says Meghnad Desai

  Continue reading...
  Posted by Meghnad Desai 22.29 BST

• China's Confucian makeover

  

  A statue of Confucius at the entrance to the renovated Confucian Temple in Beijing. Photograph: Adrian Bradshaw/EPA

  Isabel Hilton: The revolutionaries of 1911 might recognise the system they fought in today's communist China

  Continue reading...
  Posted by Isabel Hilton 22.00 BST

• Universities: a half-baked Ivy League that spells two tiers of unfairness

  

  Yale University: the coalition wants to impose an Ivy League model on English universities. Photograph: Alamy

  Peter Wilby: In imposing a market on universities, ministers are reproducing the divisions that scarred grammars and secondary moderns Continue reading...
  Posted by Peter Wilby 21.30 BST

• Why public sector strike deserves your support

  

  Hundreds of thousands of public sector workers are striking over pension provisions. Photograph: Susan Gotensparre for the Guardian

  Mark Serwotka: The real danger to 'hardworking taxpayers' is not our strike, but the attack on pensions Continue reading...
  Posted by Mark Serwotka 21.15 BST

• The new Rome is not the new Greece yet, but the US must look to its laurels

  Timothy Garton Ash: It's encouraging to see Americans acknowledge the hole they are in. Pity they can't agree how to get out of it

  Continue reading...
  Posted by Timothy Garton Ash 21.00 BST

• An Israeli trap for Britain

  

  Sheikh Raed Salah, the leader of the Islamic Movement in Israel, has been arrested in Britain. Photograph: Pavel Wolberg/EPA

  Haneen Zoabi: In arresting Sheikh Raed Salah, the UK authorities support the persecution of Arab citizens of Israel

  Continue reading...
  Posted by Haneen Zoabi 20.44 BST

• Can a feminist rejoice in the likes of Beyoncé or Lagarde?

  

  Put a ring on it: Beyoncé, the first woman to headline at Glastonbury and still talking about marriage. Photograph: Alicia Canter

  Zoe Williams: Powerful women help society muddle towards equality – even if the R&B star is marriage-fixated and the IMF chief is a neoliberal Continue reading...
  Posted by Zoe Williams 20.30 BST

• It's time defendants were given less carrot and more stick

  

  Levi Bellfield was able to inflict yet more cruelty on the Dowler family (above) during his trial for the murder of Milly Dowler. Photograph: Stefan Rousseau/PA

  Deborah Orr: The trial of Levi Bellfield for the murder of Milly Dowler has shown that change is needed. So, instead of promising privileges for guilty pleas, we should threaten loss of privileges for failed and 'mischievous' not guilty pleas

  Continue reading...
  Posted by Deborah Orr 19.59 BST

• Energy: the new thirty years' war

  

  More oil wars like Iraq are likely to follow. Here, a US missile destroyer in action during March 2011. Photograph: Nathanael Miller/AP

  Michael Klare for TomDispatch: We are heading for a global succeed-or-perish contest among the energy big hitters – but who will be the winners and losers? Continue reading...
  Posted by Michael Klare for TomDispatch, part of the Guardian Comment Network 19.00 BST

• Christine Lagarde as IMF chief? This is a gift to the fund's critics

  

  Christine Lagarde arrives at a press conference on 25 May in Paris to announce her IMF candidacy. Photograph: Bertrand Langlois/AFP/Getty Images

  Peter Chowla: She may be the first woman boss but she's no reformer, and won't address wider equalities to rebalance the global economy Continue reading...
  Posted by Peter Chowla 18.30 BST

• Kabul hotel attack is down to political gameplay

  

  The Kabul Intercontinental hotel blazes during a battle between the Taliban and Nato-led forces. Photograph: Reuters

  Bette Dam: It's no good asking why Afghan forces didn't prevent this attack – the problem is a political one of corruption and patronage Continue reading...
  Posted by Bette Dam 18.00 BST

• The pope tweets – and not just about eggs benedict for breakfast

  

  Pope Benedict XVI announced the launch of a Vatican news website on Twitter this week. Photograph: Ho/AFP/Getty Images

  Alan Wilson: His holiness has beaten Rowan Williams on to Twitter. But can the infallible one learn to follow, as well as preach? Continue reading...
  Posted by Alan Wilson 17.26 BST

• Are you striking on Thursday?

  

  Members of University and College Union campaigns team get ready for Thursday's strike. Photograph: Reuters

  As the country gears up for the biggest strike in five years, we want to hear from readers who will be joining the industrial action. Tweet us @commentisfree

  Continue reading...
  Posted by Open thread 17.22 BST

• Where did Thorntons go wrong?

  

  Thorntons is to close up to half of its 364 stores. Photograph: Andy Rain/EPA

  Tim Richardson: Once a model of homegrown entrepreneurial spirit, Thorntons has failed to find its place in the new 'chocolate landscape' Continue reading...
  Posted by Tim Richardson 17.04 BST

• Divine dispatches: a religion roundup

  

  Get off our land! … what the archbishops of York and Canterbury should be saying to the Anglican Mission in England. Photograph: Anna Gowthorpe/PA Archive/PA

  Riazat Butt: Divine dispatches: If You Seek Amie; CoE opportunity – gay people and divorcees need not apply; go-to rabbis; and a rush on sharia law

  Continue reading...
  Posted by Riazat Butt 16.30 BST

• Free Florida's 'food terrorists'

  

  A shanty town housing Florida's poor and homeless, in Miami. Florida has been hard-hit by the housing market crash. Photograph: Joe Raedle/Getty Images Photograph: Joe Raedle/Getty Images

  Amy Goodman: How can it be a crime to hand out food to Orlando's hungry and homeless? What's criminal is the hunger and homelessness

  Continue reading...
  Posted by Amy Goodman 16.02 BST

• Come fly with easyJet – unless your disability is inconvenient

  Scott Jordan Harris: Equality for disabled people must mean equality for all disabled people. Even those with heavy wheelchairs
  Continue reading...
  Posted by Scott Jordan Harris 15.31 BST

• What do you want to talk about?

  Post your suggestions for subjects you'd like us to cover on Comment is free. Want to write for us? Follow this guide

  Continue reading...
  Posted on 15.11 BST

• Bridesmaids didn't invent the feminist chick flick

  

  Bridesmaids has been celebrated as a feminist chick flick. Photograph: Sportsphoto Ltd/Allstar/Universal Pictures

  Lara Williams: There's a proud tradition of chick flicks that subvert the genre and allow feminist ideas to flourish – here's my top five Continue reading...
  Posted by Lara Williams 15.00 BST

• Pakistan's civilian victims of drone strikes deserve justice

  

  The unmanned Predator drone aircraft: Mirza Shahzad Akbar represents Pakistanis who are suing the CIA and US defence department on claims that they, as innocent bystanders, have been injured or lost relatives in drone attacks. Photograph: Sipa Press / Rex Features

  Mirza Shahzad Akbar: If the US believes in the rule of law, it should not be hindering my advocacy of claims against the CIA for wrongful death and injury

  Continue reading...
  Posted by Mirza Shahzad Akbar 14.00 BST

• If you're HIV positive, safe sex isn't just about condoms

  

  The use of condoms has been at the forefront of the HIV prevention strategy. Photograph: Linda Nylind for the Guardian

  Deborah Jack: With advances in HIV drug therapy, the option of 'treatment as prevention' is a real possibility – though it's not right for everyone Continue reading...
  Posted by Deborah Jack 13.30 BST

• Blogging from Bangladesh – more poverty tourism?

  

  Blogger Heather B Armstrong travelled to Bangladesh with Every Mother Counts, where she reported 'her mind was blown'. Photograph: Munir Uz Zaman/AFP/Getty

  Rowan Davies: Sending bloggers to developing countries is well meaning, but without a completion strategy risks being just groovy PR Continue reading...
  Posted by Rowan Davies 13.05 BST

• French feminism is back – with beards

  

  La Barbe activists are forcibly removed from the French Senate Photograph: La Barbe

  La Barbe collective: Spurred on by the Dominique Strauss-Kahn case, our collective is taking direct action to challenge sexism in French society

  Continue reading...
  Posted by La Barbe 12.00 BST

• MPs want to reform their pensions. Just not yet

  Tom Clark: MPs taking an axe to civil servants' pensions have failed to trim their own benefits

  Continue reading...
  Posted by Tom Clark 11.45 BST

• Are you satisfied with Johann Hari's apology?

  

  Johann Hari protesting the state visit of Pope Benedict XVI to the UK, last year. Photograph: Jason Alvey

  Poll: Johann Hari's use of unattributed quotes in his interviews for the Independent sparked a storm of protest on Twitter and raised questions about journalistic ethics. He's now said sorry, but is that enough?

  Continue reading...
  Posted by 11.32 BST

• Charge of the union brigade need not end in glorious failure

  

  Michael Gove has attracted ire for saying teachers will lose respect for striking on Thursday. Photograph: David Jones/PA

  Dan Hodges: Teachers – and Cameron's propensity for turning – will help the strikers. Plus the belief they have no other option Continue reading...
  Posted by Dan Hodges 11.12 BST

• A short story of academic oppression in Egypt

  

  No censorship … students protest against Mubarak-era staff at Cairo University in March. A female dean for the arts faculty has since been democratically elected for the first time. Photograph: Peter Andrews/Reuters

  Amira Nowaira: The real scandal at Cairo University is not the lesbian scene in a reading list text, but the cynical propaganda launched against it Continue reading...
  Posted by Amira Nowaira 10.02 BST

• These attacks on Blue Labour are hollow

  

  Maurice Glasman, the architect of Blue Labour. Photograph: Antonio Zazueta Olmos/ Antonio Olmos

  Marc Stears: Blue Labour isn't about harking back to an oppressive past – it's about building a future based on a spirit of mutual responsibility Continue reading...
  Posted by Marc Stears 09.05 BST

• France: Socialist sunrise

  Editorial: In a Europe that has turned en bloc to the right, France is living up to its role as a land apart Continue reading...
  Posted by Editorial 00.47 BST

• In praise of … those who fought for Spain

  Editorial: More than 4,000 British people volunteered on behalf of the Spanish Republic in the civil war of 1936-39 - and they should be remembered in honour Continue reading...
  Posted by Editorial 00.45 BST

• Discobolus: Greece erupts as government sells assets - cartoon

  Thousands of Greeks brave police teargas to march against austerity measures

  Posted by Steve Bell 00.18 BST

• Tuesday 28 June 2011

• Our mental health service is far from crisis, it's a world leader

  Response: Improved staffing levels and care tell the real story, say Louis Appleby and Hugh Griffiths Continue reading...
  Posted by Louis Appleby and Hugh Griffiths 22.30 BST

• Can a dog feel forsaken?

  

  A dog sits at an abandoned village covered with ash from the eruption of Mount Merapi in Indonesia in 2010. Photograph: Trisnadi/AP

  Marek Kohn: It may be the wrong question. We should base our ideas about animals' understanding on evidence, rather than sentiment

  Continue reading...
  Posted by Marek Kohn 22.15 BST

• Needed: a world leader

  

  Bono and Bob Geldof listen to UN secretary general Kofi Annan on the sidelines of the 2005 G8 summit in Gleneagles. Photograph: Alastair Grant/AFP/Getty Images

  David King: At home, the PM is doing well on green issues. Now he needs to take the fight into the global arena Continue reading...
  Posted by David King 22.00 BST

• Universities: Summer assessment

  Editorial: A near-tripling of fees was always going to spark student rage, but eliminating most teaching subsidies made other enemies Continue reading...
  Posted by Editorial 21.52 BST

• North Carolina's reparation for the dark past of American eugenics

  

  Oil magnate John D Rockefeller, in 1930. Millions of dollars from the Rockefeller Foundation, as well as from steel magnate Andrew Carnegie and the railroad fortune of the Harrimans, funded racial 'science' eugenics programmes in the US and Nazi Germany. Photograph: AP Photo

  Edwin Black: North Carolina's compensation to victims of forced sterilisation is a chance to illuminate a gruesome US tradition of racial 'science'

  Continue reading...
  Posted by Edwin Black 21.30 BST

• In this golden age of ageing, old people are met with fear and loathing

  Anne Karpf: A hatred of the elderly lies behind both the idealisation of the fit 'third ager' and the abuse of those in care homes

  Continue reading...
  Posted by Anne Karpf 21.15 BST

• In this era of capitulation, the log-rollers are rampant

  

  'The senior civil service is one profession that has not prospered since the 1980s'. Photograph: Chris Young/PA

  Simon Jenkins: The higher civil service, once the government's purring Rolls-Royce, has been taken for a joy-ride by the great professions

  Continue reading...
  Posted by Simon Jenkins 21.05 BST

• Why Margaret Thatcher's bag is truly legendary

  

  The handbag that created a legend – and a new verb: Thatcher's military black, sold for £25,000. Photograph: Neil Hall/London News Pictures

  Steven Connor: Now Thatcher and her handbag have been parted, its mumsy, nurturing qualities can be restored Continue reading...
  Posted by Steven Connor 20.45 BST

• Which artist will dare break this deathly cultural silence?

  

  Wham! performing on Razzmatazz in 1984. Photograph: ITV / Rex Features

  John Harris: In the 80s, even Wham! supported the miners. But tomorrow's strike has yet to find any expression in the wider culture Continue reading...
  Posted by John Harris 20.30 BST

• My Hollywood tips for Kate and Wills

  

  Wills and Kate. Photograph: WPA Pool/Getty Images

  Hadley Freeman: Take my advice on how to enjoy Los Angeles after you've suffered the Canada experience Continue reading...
  Posted by Hadley Freeman 20.00 BST

• Is this the end of anonymity?

  

  The next generation of drones 'will stay invisible while making everything else accessible to view'. Photograph: James Lee Harper Jr/AFP/Getty Images

  Zygmunt Bauman for Social Europe: From micro-drones to the internet, technology is invading the private sphere – with our encouragement

  Continue reading...
  Posted by Zygmunt Bauman for Social Europe 18.00 BST

• Why the insurance industry gets climate change

  

  A damaged car in Joplin, Missouri, 22 May 2011 after a tornado hit the town; Reuters has estimated the cost to insurers of tornado damage in Joplin alone at $3bn. Photograph: Str/Reuters

  Jules Boykoff: Insurance companies understand risk – which is why, unlike our myopic political class, they do not have their heads in the sand

  Continue reading...
  Posted by Jules Boykoff 17.00 BST

• The secret history of Britain's Spanish civil war volunteers

  

  The MI5 files cover radicals, including George Orwell, that British intelligence suspected of intending to fight in Spain. Photograph: Bettmann/Corbis

  Tom Buchanan: Do records newly released by MI5 suggest the British battalion were freedom fighters or communist dupes? Continue reading...
  Posted by Tom Buchanan 17.00 BST

• Write for us on … attending gay pride

  

  Crowds in Trafalgar Square at London's gay pride parade in 2009. Photograph: Paul Brown/Rex Features

  The people's panel: As the UK gears up for gay pride, we're looking for four readers to share their pride thoughts and experiences

  Continue reading...
  Posted by The people's panel 16.00 BST

• Why does China love Shakespeare?

  

  Chinese premier Wen Jiabao said his visit to Stratford was inspired by his boyhood love of Shakespeare. Photograph: Simon Dawson/AFP/Getty Images

  Frances Wood: Wen Jiabao's visit to Stratford was graceful cultural diplomacy – but reflects China's real fascination with Shakespeare Continue reading...
  Posted by Frances Wood 15.00 BST

• Greece's crisis, Europe's nemesis

  

  Banners set up by protesters in front of the Greek parliament in Athens compare European leaders to Nazis. Photograph: Simela Pantzartzi/EPA

  Carne Ross: The very idea of European union, always a top-down project without popular assent, faces serious questions of legitimacy

  Continue reading...
  Posted by Carne Ross 14.30 BST

• Boxing trash talk that stings like a bee

  

  Boxer David Haye (right) failed to impress Wladimir Klitschko with his fighting talk. Photograph: Scott Heavey/Getty Images

  Open thread: David Haye's attempts to psyche out his opponent Wladimir Klitschko were lyrically lacking. What's your favourite put-down? Continue reading...
  Posted by Open thread 14.09 BST

• Arab governments are failing on human trafficking

  

  Hillary Clinton speaks at the Interagency Task Force on human trafficking. The US global report for 2011 has been released. Photograph: Evan Vucci/AP

  Brian Whitaker: The poor record of Middle Eastern countries on trafficking stems from the primacy given to protecting regimes over individuals Continue reading...
  Posted by Brian Whitaker 13.30 BST

• Victims don't want the US's death penalty

  

  Rais Bhuiyan is campaigning against the death sentence for his attacker Mark Stroman, who lost a sister in the 9/11 attacks. Photograph: Greg Martin/Corbis Sygma

  Nina Martyris: A hate-crime victim's campaign against his attacker's sentence has reopened the US debate on capital punishment Continue reading...
  Posted by Nina Martyris 13.00 BST

• Our Glastonbury U2 protest was a call for an ethical tax culture

  

  Art Uncut's Glastonbury protest highlighted U2's irresponsible tax behaviour. Photograph: Dave Hogan/Getty Images

  Philip Goff: The Bono Pay Up protest was about irresponsible tax behaviour undermining democracy, public services and global development Continue reading...
  Posted by Philip Goff 12.49 BST

• Syria's opposition meeting was a PR exercise

  

  Syrian opposition figures take part in a discussion about the future of their country in Damascus, 27 June 2011. Photograph: Khaled Al-Hariri/Reuters

  Fadwa al-Hatem: Allowing opposition figures to meet openly was an attempt to show the world Syria is serious about reform – if only it were true Continue reading...
  Posted by Fadwa al-Hatem 12.00 BST

• Hackers are being radicalised by government policy

  

  Increasingly radical hacker groups are spurred on by government attempts to control and monitor the internet. Photograph: Alamy

  Loz Kaye: LulzSec is not an isolated phenomenon – official efforts to control the internet are responsible for increasing online radicalisation Continue reading...
  Posted by Loz Kaye 11.00 BST

• Would you opt out of organ donation?

  

  Organ donation could become mandatory unless you decide opt out. Photograph: Graham Turner

  Delegates to the British Medical Association's annual conference will debate a system of presumed consent for organ donation. But would you opt out of donating your organs?

  Continue reading...
  Posted by 10.57 BST

• Are charities' unpaid interns really 'volunteers'?

  

  Tony Blair speaks at an event organised by his Africa Governance Initiative. The AGI is recruiting for a three-month unpaid internship. Photograph: Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty

  Tanya de Grunwald: A legal loophole means charities needn't pay their interns. But pricing graduates out of the sector is damaging and unfair

  Continue reading...
  Posted by Tanya de Grunwald 10.00 BST

• France needs to talk about nationality

  

  France has become accustomed to increasing dissatisfaction, illustrated by the banlieues riots in 2005. Photograph: Pierre Le Masson/Photopqr/La Voix du Nord

  Agnès Poirier: A report attacking dual nationality is just one sign that something has gone awry in France – the left must stop closing its eyes Continue reading...
  Posted by Agnès Poirier 09.00 BST

• Greece is no Lehman Brothers

  

  Greece has been frequently compared to Lehman Brothers. Photograph: Linda Nylind for the Guardian

  Raoul Ruparel: Politicians are using misguided comparisons in their efforts to ignore Europe's sick, undercapitalised banking system

  Continue reading...
  Posted by Raoul Ruparel 07.00 BST

• In praise of ... senior backbenchers

  Editorial: More Labour veterans should emulate the example of Mr Straw Continue reading...
  Posted by Editorial 00.15 BST

• Ministry of Defence: Too many chiefs

  Editorial: No battle plan, it is said, ever survives the first contact with the enemy. It seems to be a bit like that with British defence planning too Continue reading...
  Posted by Editorial 00.02 BST

• China and the EU: The longest of marches

  Editorial: The Chinese are coming, and for some, like the workers at Saab's Trollhättan plant in Sweden, they cannot come fast enough Continue reading...
  Posted by Editorial 00.01 BST

• Monday 27 June 2011

• How corporations award themselves legal immunity

  Laura Flanders: Whether it's in your employment contract or the paperwork for a cell phone, it's odds on that the small print says you can't sue

  Continue reading...
  Posted by Laura Flanders 23.20 BST

• To delay the privatisation of Royal Mail is simply wrong

  Response: While it's in the public sector, efforts to improve the company are doomed to failure, says Chris Nicholson Continue reading...
  Posted by Chris Nicholson 22.29 BST

• Why Sunderland and Stoke are the tomorrow's world of the UK economy

  

  The Nissan Leaf: the Nissan plant in Sunderland plans to produce 50,000 of these electric cars a year. Photograph: Nissan

  Julian Glover: I shared the country's gloom about Britain's manufacturing future – until a visit to a car plant and a ceramics factory

  Continue reading...
  Posted by Julian Glover 22.00 BST

• Lacking aim, support and cash, Nato still bombs Libya

  

  Mourners carry coffins during funeral for nine clerics allegedly killed in a Nato airstrike in Tripoli on 14 May. Photograph: Darko Bandic/AP

  Andrew Murray: A ceasefire is resisted by Cameron and Sarkozy, trying to save face after starting another costly war that can't be 'won' Continue reading...
  Posted by Andrew Murray 21.30 BST

• How Britain persecutes visiting artists

  

  The Wu-Tang Clan told the Glastonbury crowds they had been treated like the Taliban by UK border officials. Photograph: PR company handout

  Kamila Shamsie: Britain's great tradition of cultural exchange is being damaged by its absurd visa bureaucracy Continue reading...
  Posted by Kamila Shamsie 21.00 BST

• We all own this strike

  

  Michael Gove suggested that parents act as strikebreakers, babysitting children in schools to keep them open. Photograph: Chris Ison/PA

  Alex Long and Steve Walker: J30 has grown virally into a UK-wide day of action involving many who've never been in a union Continue reading...
  Posted by Alex Long and Steve Walker 20.45 BST

• Social care is on the critical list. But Dilnot won't cure it

  

  Residents sit outside a London care home belonging to the financially troubled Southern Cross group. Photograph: Paul Hackett/Reuters

  Polly Toynbee: A nation that spends less than 0.5% on old age can hardly expect anything other than a decrepit system. We can do better

  Continue reading...
  Posted by Polly Toynbee 20.30 BST

• Defence review: a foresight saga

  

  Crowds in Portsmouth wave to the aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal last December as it enters harbour for the final time ahead of decommissioning. Photograph: Luke Macgregor/REUTERS

  Jim Murphy: The defence review will be unfit for purpose until it meets the challenges of the Arab spring

  Continue reading...
  Posted by Jim Murphy 20.15 BST

• How Bob Crow is saving the economy

  Aditya Chakrabortty: When unions throw their weight around, the result is more sustainable growth Continue reading...
  Posted by Aditya Chakrabortty 20.00 BST

• The criminal folly of criminalising bath salts

  

  The Ivory Wave brand of bath salts, a 'legal high' rapidly becoming illegal as several US states pass emergency bans. Photograph: Rex Features

  Colin Kalmbacher: The 'legal high' of bath salts, or mephedrone, is the new target of drug prohibitionists. Because that worked so well before

  Continue reading...
  Posted by Colin Kalmbacher 19.46 BST

• This arrest warrant could make Gaddafi more dangerous

  

  The Libyan leader, Muammar Gaddafi, has been charged with crimes against humanity. Photograph: Mohamed Messara/EPA

  Simon Tisdall: The international criminal court's decision to charge the Libyan leader means he has nowhere to go. He may simply dig in Continue reading...
  Posted by Simon Tisdall 18.30 BST

• Mikhail Prokhorov: the new kid in the Kremlin

  

  Russian businessman and billionnaire Mikhail Prokhorov. Photograph: Konstantin Zavrazhin/Getty Images

  Natalia Antonova: An oligarch who is both Putin-approved and open to reform may one day fulfil his ambitions to be Russia's prime minister Continue reading...
  Posted by Natalia Antonova 18.00 BST

• Macedonia's monument to discord

  

  The statue of Alexander the Great stands in Macedonia Square, in the centre of Skopje. Photograph: Georgi Licovski/EPA

  Hajrudin Somun for Today's Zaman: A statue of Alexander the Great in Skopje has irritated Greece and reignited the debate about the naming of Macedonia

  Continue reading...
  Posted by Hajrudin Somun for Today's Zaman 17.30 BST

• This car insurance racket must be stopped

  

  Driving up premiums … The selling of customers' personal details is an open secret in the insurance industry. Photograph: David Levene for the Guardian

  Miles Brignall: Jack Straw has lifted the lid on the widespread practice of insurers selling customers' data to claims companies Continue reading...
  Posted by Miles Brignall 17.00 BST

• A whip-round for the Windsors

  

  Please give generously … Parliament has been asked to pay for a stained glass window for the Queen's diamond jubilee. Photograph: Lewis Whyld/AFP/Getty Images

  James Mills: MPs and the Lords have been asked to donate £85,000 for a gift for the Queen – sounds like a great way to pay for the royals Continue reading...
  Posted by James Mills 16.30 BST

• France's Socialist presidential hopefuls prepare for battle

  

  Primary candidates … Socialist party leader Martine Aubry (centre) flanked by Ségolène Royal and Francois Hollande. Photograph: Bertrand Guay/AFP

  Pierre Haski: The downfall of Dominique Strauss-Kahn has left the playing field wide open for Socialist party contenders

  Continue reading...
  Posted by Pierre Haski 16.02 BST

• Do you suffer from boredom burnout?

  

  Monotonous work can be exhausting. Photograph: Action Press / Rex Features

  Open thread: Dull jobs can make us stressed, according to new research. We want to know if you've ever found a job too tedious to bear Continue reading...
  Posted by Open thread 15.32 BST

• How Europe can welcome the Chinese

  

  David Cameron shakes hands with Chinese premier Wen Jiabao outside 10 Downing Street. Photograph: Lefteris Pitarakis/AP

  Linda Yueh: China offers much-needed investment – but Europe must understand its aims and political constraints if it is to benefit Continue reading...
  Posted by Linda Yueh 15.13 BST

• Where next for our series about life beyond Whitehall?

  

  We want your stories to be the antidote to the world as seen from Westminster. Photograph: Tim Ireland/PA

  John Harris: Anywhere but Westminster is six months old – tell us exactly where we should go next, and what you think the story should be Continue reading...
  Posted by John Harris 14.00 BST

• Libya is not ready for a political solution

  

  A portrait of Libya's leader, Muammar Gaddafi, is held up by a volunteer on a guided government tour for journalists in Tripoli. Photograph: Mohamed Messara/EPA

  Ranj Alaaldin: Any ceasefire must give no reason for Gaddafi to believe the international resolve for defeating him is diminishing Continue reading...
  Posted by Ranj Alaaldin 13.37 BST

• My journey from homophobe to equality activist

  

  Pilgrimage of repentance … 'My opposition to homophobia is motivated by a belief in the radical nature of Jesus's message.' Photograph: Dan Chung/The Guardian

  Symon Hill: This month I am walking 160 miles to repent for my former homophobia and to encourage the church to support equality Continue reading...
  Posted by Symon Hill 12.29 BST

• 'Our armed forces will be smaller than they should be' – video

  Comment is free interviews: Former head of the navy Alan West on the role of Nato and how cuts to defence will reduce British influence in the rest of the world

  Posted by David Shariatmadari, Mustafa Khalili 12.00 BST

• Carl Jung, part 5: Psychological types

  Mark Vernon: The Myers-Briggs test is but one offshoot of Jung's attempt to show how radically people's perceptions and instincts can differ Continue reading...
  Posted by Mark Vernon 11.00 BST

• What do you want to talk about?

  Post your suggestions for subjects you'd like us to cover on Comment is free. Want to write for us? Follow this guide

  Continue reading...
  Posted on 10.32 BST

• Will you lend a helping hand?

  

  Education secretary Michael Gove Photograph: Anthony Devlin/PA

  Education secretary Michael Gove said he believed it was 'wrong' for teachers to contemplate strike action and called on parents to help out in schools during this week's strike. Will you volunteer to keep the schools open?

  Continue reading...
  Posted by 10.11 BST

• Britain's unions face a battle for survival

  

  Unions such as Unison 'can defend the public services on which so many millions of people rely'. Photograph: David Sillitoe for the Guardian

  Peter Lazenby: With the coalition following a Thatcher-era anti-public sector, anti-union agenda, we must strike back on 30 June Continue reading...
  Posted by Peter Lazenby 09.59 BST

• Who listens to Britain's cleaners?

  

  Out on the street: as jobs are outsourced the most vulnerable are suffering the results of mistakes made at the top. Photograph: Janine Wiedel Photolibrary/Alamy

  Ellie Mae O'Hagan: Politicians are deaf to those at the bottom of a recession-hit market, and managers cut their jobs. So it's down to the union

  Continue reading...
  Posted by Ellie Mae O'Hagan 09.00 BST

• Unmade in Britain

  

  Evan Davis prepares for a test flight aboad a BAE systems' Typhoon military jet on Made in Britain. Photograph: BBC

  Gavin James Bower: Shifting manufacturing jobs overseas has been 'good business', says TV presenter Evan Davis. Tell that to the north Continue reading...
  Posted by Gavin James Bower 08.00 BST

• Greece is standing up to EU neocolonialism

  

  Parliament and the people ... Protesters in Athens' Syntagma Square, June 2011. Photograph: News Pictures/Rex Features

  Costas Douzinas and Petros Papaconstantinou: The usurious conditions of the Greek bailout reveal Brussels' colonial mindset – but Athens is showing citizens can resist Continue reading...
  Posted by Costas Douzinas and Petros Papaconstantinou 07.00 BST

• Martin Rowson on David Cameron's meeting with Wen Jiabao - cartoon

  Centrepiece will be multi-million pound gasification deal, although PM says he will raise human rights issues in private

  Posted by Martin Rowson 00.01 BST