Neda - the tragic symbol of the rebellion in Iran

I should warn you that the video footage below, depicting the death of a young Iranian woman at a demonstration in Iran is very, very distressing -I could not stop crying when watching it.

The young woman in the clip, Neda, was shot dead while being caught up a protest with a companion in Tehran on Saturday. A Facebook group created to mourn her calls her "The Angel of Iran". Others called her "Iran's Joan of Arc". Thousands of people inside and outside Iran have written online tributes to the woman, many condemning the government and praising her as a martyr.
One message on Twitter said: "Neda is everyone's sister, everyone's daughter, everyone's voice for freedom." Neda - the name means "the call" or "the voice" - died during protests over the re-election of hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on June 12.

Does religion have a role to play in British politics?

In 2007, when addressing the 50th anniversary convention of his own denomination, the United Church of Christ, the then Senator Barack Obama, argued that the religious right had “hijacked” faith and divided his country by exploiting issues like abortion, same-sex marriage and school prayer. More interestingly he then went onto praise the people of faith who were using their influence to try to unite Americans against problems like poverty, AIDS, the lack of universal health care, Darfur and the effects of climate change.

In the UK we tend to discourage our politicians from talking about faith, we famously ‘don’t do God.’ Why? I believe that it has long been the case that too many people - particularly those who take a left of centre approach to politics - make the mistake of failing to acknowledge the power of faith in people's lives. With debate raging about the rise of the far-right and the failure of the body politic I wonder if it isn't time for those who espouse the "progressive" agenda to debate just how to reconcile faith with our modern, pluralistic democracy. Too often politicians try and avoid any discussion about religious values altogether - fearful of offending anyone and claiming that politics and religion should never mix.

Yet surely the reality of all political engagement is that we have to meet people where they are - even if we do not agree with or even approve of where they are. If so called ‘progressive’ politicians are to communicate their hopes and values in a way that is relevant to the lives of others, then they cannot abandon the field of religious discourse.

In my view secularists are wrong when they ask – more often insist – that believers leave their religion at the door before entering into the arena of public debate. The majority of great reformers in British history – from Wilberforce to Keir Hardie - were not only motivated by faith, but repeatedly used religious language to argue for their cause. I recognise that democratic engagement will and should make demands of religious believers. It will demand that those who are religiously motivated act to turn their concerns into universal, rather than faith-specific, values. Democratic engagement will also demand that the values espoused by people of faith be subject to argument and debate.

What is needed is a sense of proportion and a willingness – on the part of both believers and non-believers - to engage in public debate openly and fair-mindedly. Many people in Britain today are looking for a deeper, fuller conversation about religion and politics.

This then is the challenge for those who describe themselves as progressive politicians. They too must become more "fair minded" more willing to engage with people of faith so that they might recognise some overlapping values that both religious and secular people share when it comes to the moral and material direction of modern Britain.

Our message to the BNP: No Pasaran

The recent decision by the Spanish government to bestow citizenship on the remaining British members of the International Brigade is long overdue but cause for celebration nonetheless. Over 2,000 men and women from this country were so appalled at the prospect of another European country succumbing to fascism, flocked to the aid of the democratically elected left wing Spanish Republican government. Their courage, idealism and commitment should be an inspiration to us all.

Today, our generation needs to find its own way of countering the fascists in our midst, we too need to take a stand against the vile manifesto of hate and despair articulated by the BNP.

Griffin is 'egged' - a good day for democracy

Nick Griffin and his 'security' are terribly sensitive aren't they? A few eggs and a bit of jeering from the crowd and he is off - only to then give various TV interviews and bleat on about how those horrible UAF people kept telling him they didn't like him. Get used to it Nick - my guess is that it will happen more frequently now that you are an MEP. In fact, I might start carrying a few eggs myself, just in case.

If you are in any doubt what a complete arse Mr Griffin is take a look at this:

Labour must lead the new 'coalition of the willing' and take on the BNP

This is a sad day for all those in Britain who believe in equality and freedom. For the first time ever Britain has elected members of a fascist, racist party to a legislative body. The reasons for this are complex and complicated and in the past few weeks and months I have been expressing my concerns about the failure of the main parties (particularly my own party, Labour) to address the needs of many white working class men and women.

We have known for months that the British National Party has been busy exploiting the economic crisis and that it could end up winning seats in the European Parliament but our campaign lacked drive, focus and energy - for that we must all accept some responsibility. In the coming weeks we need to continue analysing the the reasons as to why so many traditional supporters abandoned the party and we need to start looking for practical solutions that will deal with the underlying problems that have caused thousands of ordinary working men and women embrace the far right. As predicted the BNP did well in some (in fairness not all) of the so-called “forgotten” white areas like Burnley, Barnsley and Leeds. Areas where erstwhile Labour supporters say they feel alienated from modern political discourse and that no one in the mainstream is listening to them.

The BNP's tactic was to target those who had traditionally supported Labour, but felt and feel neglected by this Government. Many of these people believed that last Thursday they had only two viable options: not to vote at all or to vote for the far right. Yesterday Gordon Brown spoke about the need for Labour to get back to its core values. He is right - the sad thing is that he did not choose to lead the campaign to counter the BNP's vile manifesto of hate. It is not too late. He would send out a powerful message to Labour’s core supporters if he threw his weight behind a call for a new “coalition of the willing”, constructed to blunt any further advance of the far right, by addressing some of the genuine concerns of white working-class voters, while forcefully challenging those complaints that have no factual or legitimate basis.The Prime Minister should back the creation of a multi-racial, multi-faith and cross-party movement that could help to unite the great majority of people in Britain who are repelled by the BNP’s rhetoric.

Brown should explain that the reasons for Labour taking on the bigots and the bullies of the far right are not purely tactical and strategic. He should make it clear that the values underpinning the Labour movement demand this be done.

The BNP - not in my name

This is a sad morning for all those in Britain who believe in equality and freedom. For the first time ever Britain has elected members of a fascist, racist party to a legislative body. The reasons for this are complex and complicated and in the past few weeks and months I have been expressing my concerns about the failure of the main parties (particularly my own party, Labour) to address the needs of many white working class men and women. What can we do? In the medium to long terms we need a new 'coalition of the willing' that can counter the BNP's message of hate, division and despair. In the short term The Hope not Hate campaign is organising an on-line petition (NOT IN MY NAME) which will be handed into the European Parliament on the day that the BNP take their seats.

To sign the petition simply click on the link below.


http://action.hopenothate.org.uk/notinmyname

Mandelson gives masterclass on the Andrew Marr show

Peter Mandelson has many detractors but when watching his interview with Andrew Marr this morning you are reminded what a class act he really is - take a look for yourselves.

James Purnell is wrong

Self-indulgent, damaging and foolish. This is how I would characterise James Purnell's decision to leave the Cabinet. If the Labour party does lose the next general election it will not simply be Gordon Brown's fault - it will be because of a collective failure on all parts of the party to show purpose and exercise discipline.

The election does not have to be called for another twelve months and it is clear that the electorate is not convinced that Mr Cameron and his party offer any solutions to the nation's problems - indeed on the big issues of the day he has singularly failed offer any credible solutions. The truth is that the Tories are riding high in the opinion polls because they are not Labour - many people voted in yesterday's elections in order to express what they are against and not what they are for.Gordon Brown needs to use the opportunity of a major reshuffle to articulate what his government stands for. He must make it clear that he is focused on the challenges facing modern Britain and he must steer the Labour party towards representing the higher instincts of the British people. As a leader Mr Brown must become less concerned with wrong-footing his political opponents and more committed to setting out the vision for a fairer, safer and more prosperous Britain.

Can Labour recover and win? Of course it can. In order to do so we must rearticulate our purpose as a movement and we must remain disciplined. We must also make the most of the fact that today's Tory party stands for nothing and its leader is more interested in presentation than in policy. The real threat to a fourth term Labour government comes not from a resurgent Tory party but from the defeatists, pessimists and cynics (and plotters) that exist within the party itself.

This is not the time for the Labour party to look inward and if we continue to do so the country will not forgive us.