Regime - a dirty, dangerous word

During today's Prime Minister's Questions David Cameron referred to the "Russian Regime", and immediately I thought this to be dangerous phrasing. Regime is the term used by the Press and Parliament when they speak of the "bad guy"; the Iraqi 'regime', the Libyan 'regime', the Syrian 'regime'. Indeed the phrase "Regime Change" has become so closely associated with war that Governments dare not use it.

The clear modern connotations for the word 'regime' are nearly all negative. In my mind I think of tyranny, oppression and dictatorship. Arguably, these words may be apt descriptions for Russian society but surely this is not what Cameron was meaning to infer. Even Russia's historical nemesis the United States would be more diplomatic with their wording when it is Russia to whom they refer.

Could it be that Cameron is itching for a fight with Russia? If this is the case, which I don't fully believe it is, I think it would be foolish. It is true that Russia has seen great decline in recent decades but they still command one of the World's largest military forces and Putin has his finger on the button for the second largest nuclear arsenal in existence.

I can see the case for disagreement with Russia over the ongoing events in Syria, indeed it was in this context that Cameron's comments were made, he claimed that it was naive to think that the "Russian Regime" had not been supplying Syria with weapons for many years, which in itself is a potentially incendiary remark,  but I do think it unwise to even suggestively offend the "Russian Regime".

Whether or not the connotations which I have drawn were intended, it was easy for me to draw them, and I have seen that others have drawn them too. I would suggest that it was not Cameron's intention to discredit the Russian Presidency and Government but if I were in his position I would certainly have been more careful with the words I chose as I would not wish to initiate in any conflict with Russia.

Sparks start fires, and fires will burn

On May 23rd I posted about the horrific events that took place in Woolwich. The brutal murder of an innocent soldier was met with plain disgust and condemnation from most but some, a vocal minority, were always going to take it too far and as is made clear in my earlier post it didn't take long for them to do so.

But the violent and unjust retaliation for the crimes in Woolwich continue. Last night a community centre in North London was burnt to the ground, a community centre owned and managed by an Islamic Somali community group. On the side of the wreckage the letters E D L were found. The graffiti was not there before the fire. The English Defence League (EDL) has denied any knowledge or collusion of the attack but that is not to say that none of their members or sympathisers are responsible.

Marches, protests and violence by the EDL and affiliates have not been limited to London. But it seems that away from the Capital the cause lacks meaning or voice. In York, a large EDL march on a Mosque concluded when the Islamic Community Leaders invited the protesters in for a cup of tea. After spending an evening drinking tea and playing football it is said that both sides agreed to peacefully coexist and parted amiable company. Meanwhile in Exeter, a rally organised by the EDL at a local war memorial in memory of the murdered Lee Rigby attracted the grand total of naught attendees, indeed the organisers of the event did not even turn up.

These examples give us, as human beings, hope. Hope for a peaceful coexistence with those who may be a different colour, or may believe different things, or be from a different place to ourselves. We can hope that those who are attacked by violent, racist fools do not retaliate. We can hope that they seek justice through the proper legal channels. We can hope that things will get better and that Terror and Violence will always loose, as they will, so long as us right-minded are in the majority.

I will aid your cause, if I wish to.

It would seem that I am the kind of person who likes to volunteer. I help Seaton's Voice, I help Labour, and now, it would seem, I help Exmouth Town Concert Band. It would also seem that it takes someone I know to have an affiliation with an organisation in order for me to want to help them. With Seaton's Voice it was Elga, my Uncle's partner, with Labour it was, albeit loosely, father and with Exmouth Band it is Kelly.

Whenever I begin to volunteer my time to some cause I usually gain a great sense of good from it but that is just a happy side effect. I just happens to be that I enjoy devoting my time, often unasked, to aid others in their pursuits.

Working with Seaton's Voice has been one of the most rewarding things I have ever undertaken. To be involved with such a devoted and dynamic community group is a true pleasure and being able to assist them as they manage Seaton Town Hall as a community asset seems a truly just thing to do.

I've mentioned before the passion and joy that I gain from political volunteering and to me it is one of the simplest and most vital forms of voluntary service possible. I believe that it is fundamental to the success of any democracy that the electorate feel involved and connected with those whom they are asked to vote for and trust to run the country on their behalf. I know people (Mrs L.) who often see issue with what some of my political peers do, namely obstructing voters at polling stations, and whilst I myself take great care not to offend or obstruct anyone, be they political friend or foe, I can see the arguments of those who disagree with me but I stand by my point that the work that me and others like me is essential for the sake of democracy.

Don't I sound humble.

Now I have begun to do things for Exmouth Town Concert Band. Its Kelly's fault, she plays flute in the band and was recently elected to its committee as the Publicity Officer. We both saw that things could be improved for the band's sake so we have jointly set out to improve them. Kelly has set up an ETCB Twitter account and has become an Admin for their Facebook Page, she is also responsible for issuing press releases for the band's concerts and, dare I say it, they might be half their length if I was around to be consulted on their content (cue scowls when she gets home...). But then, without request nor sanction I drafted a new poster for the band, something which Kelly has admitted she would probably never have done and now she is consulting with the committee on further changes to those drafts and soon these posters will be the band's primary advertisement. Also, somewhere along the line it appears that I have volunteered to be a kind of informal band photographer, it is after all difficult o have photos of the band when the band's photographer is playing in the band. Heck, I even bought a tripod so that I can take pictures and videos of the band.

It looks like I do quite a lot, but in truth I am quite capable of doing much more, indeed I would like to. I have so much time on my hands at the moment, being unemployed, that I could quite happily spend all day volunteering.

Links to organisations mentioned in this post:

Seaton's Voice

http://seatonsvoice.co.uk/

http://www.seatongateway.co.uk/

www.facebook.com/TheGatewaySeatonTownHall

Labour

http://www.labour.org.uk/

Exmouth Town Concert Band

http://www.exmouthtownconcertband.org.uk/

www.facebook.com/ExmouthTownConcertBand

https://twitter.com/exmouthband @exmouthband