London Mayor Boris Johnson Could Replace David Cameron Before the Next Election

BORIS Johnson is perhaps as known for his comedic stunts as he is for his political career. But, in 2008 he was elected Mayor of London and re-elected this May for a second term. Now a senior MP has said he may be headed for party leader.

Douglas Alexander, shadow foreign secretary, has said Labour need to take seriously the "possibility" Johnson may replace David Cameron as Tory leader before the next election. This comes not long after Johnson became stuck on a zip wire while celebrating the Olympics, and was left dangling 20m above crowds for around five minutes.

Douglas Alexander said: "It's time that we take Boris seriously. It is not yet a probability but it is a possibility that he will lead the Conservative Party into the next general election."

The Mayor's long list of hilarious "mishaps" may have made him seem like a comedy figure, but there is no doubt that he is also greatly liked by the general public. And with the current cuts and expenses scandals, to be a politician, and be liked, is a very hard feat.

So, with politicians realising that to some extent Johnson must be taken seriously, and him being publicly appreciated, perhaps the idea that he could be party leader is not so hard to imagine after all.


Sources:
http://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/boris-johnson-could-replace-david-cameron-as-pm-before-election-says-senior-labour-mp-8180290.html

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/news/9444065/Boris-Johnson-gets-stuck-on-zip-wire-carrying-two-Union-flags.html

Olympic Torch Celebration Concert - Inverness

So, I haven't blogged in so long, I thought what better to do than write about an amazing event in my home town. The Olympic Torch arrival.

SCOTTISH singer, Emeli Sande, headlined a free concert in Inverness to celebrate the passing of the Olympic torch.

More than 15000 people turned up to watch the celebratory concert on Saturday at the Northern Meeting Park. Aberdeen born star, Sande, tweeted: “What an honour!”

A variety of acts performed, from dance group Twist and Pulse, to local musician Bruce MacGregor. And the streets surrounding the event were filled with people eager to get a glimpse of the famous flame too.

The crowd cheered as local lady, Sandra Ross from Nairn, carried the torch into the Northern Meeting Park and across the stage around 7 o’clock. 

Sandra (62), has dedicated 20 years to Nairn Amateur Athletic Club, as well as playing leading roles with Nairn Highland Games and Sports Council. 

Concert goer Blair Young (18), from Inverness said:  “I arrived at the Northern Meeting Park at 4.30 to make sure I saw everything. I found the whole event very enjoyable and Emeli Sande was talented and sounded good live.”

“My highlight of the night was seeing the Olympic torch light the celebratory cauldron. I thought it was really special, a once in a lifetime experience.”

The event continued until 7.30 and many people headed into the city centre where the celebrations continued in pubs and music venues. 

All Divided Selves - Glasgow Based Director Luke Fowler

World premièring in Glasgow, All Divided Selves, by Luke Fowler is a complex journey through the work of psychologist R.D. Laing.

All Divided Selves is a powerful film which merges art and cinema to show Laing’s work, but also the world through the eyes of someone with schizophrenia. Luke Fowler, director, said: “It’s not what you see; it’s how you see it.”

This was the key message conveyed throughout the film.

Laing was born in Govanhill, Glasgow in 1927 and is now world renowned for his work with schizophrenic patients in particular.

I found that a dark humour which is seen to be typical of the Scottish, was present throughout the film. It seemed to resonate Laing’s sense of humour and his way of dealing with what was a very emotionally difficult job. This was a very enjoyable aspect of the film and gave the audience relief from what was often a very dark subject.

But the film also showed the beauty of life itself, with the words “beautiful” and “moving” used constantly by the audience in the Q & A after the film.

Fowler said: “I employ a powerful use of sound and still imaging to show the complexity of the human mind yet the simplicity with which we perceive it to be.”

The use of sound and still images in this film was remarkable and very emotionally moving. The camera shots were often used as metaphors which gave the audience the feeling of being trapped or shut out from society.

This highlights the everyday problems faced by those with mental illness. Something as simple as a still shot of a fence with the sound of wind whistling through it gave the audience the impression of reality and fantasy intertwined in a confusing and inseparable way.

This film would appeal to history lovers as Fowler used archive footage to show the contrast between Glasgow in the past and present, or Laing’s time and his.The footage also highlighted the Neo-Liberalism movement of Britain which was hugely important to Laing’s work.

Fowler commented: “The neo-liberalism of the new right was a business revolution. The country was run by businessmen and bankers. There were psychological flaws as a result.”

Laing believed that this movement highlighted the way in which psychology did not deal with external issues, only internal ones. The people of this time were suffering as a result of living in this bankers’ world. He felt that they were not cared about or understood.

“All Divided Selves” is a powerful film telling us of the fine line between reality and fantasy. It is as much art as it is film and although complex, and at times, difficult to follow, it captures the essence of cinema in a unique way. Overall, I would say it is one of the best films I have ever seen and director Luke Fowler is hugely talented. I would highly recommend this film to anyone.

Serial Killer Thriller – The Raven

The Raven is a gruesome thriller set in the 19th century, about the last days of famous poet Edgar Allan Poe.

In this film Poe, (John Cusack) is approached by Baltimore police to help catch a serial killer who takes inspiration from his macabre stories.

The plot follows the twists and turns in the case with Poe’s beloved Emily, (Alice Eve) being captured by the killer. He joins forces with Detective Emmett Fields (Luke Evans) to try and rescue her.

This film received mostly negative reviews from critics who seemed to blame in particular the director, James McTeigue, whose previous work includes V for Vendetta and The Matrix. But, I found this film quite enjoyable.

I felt it was a film which relied largely on the atmosphere created through costume, setting and colour. McTeigue created a convincingly gritty and menacing 19th century Baltimore which seemed the perfect place for a murder to be committed.

The dark costumes and drab setting seemed to portray what the city would have been like at that time. It was mostly dark colours used throughout and the only light ones were very pale adding to the threatening atmosphere. Sitting in the audience, the atmosphere felt very oppressive and powerful to the extent I realised I had been holding my breath a little throughout the film.

The acting  in “The Raven” was noticeably well done. There were a lot of semi-famous faces throughout the film but the two main actors, Cusack and Evans, were very convincing. Overall, the acting was the best part of this film in my opinion.

The only aspect of this film which I felt let it down was its gore. In particular the scene from Poe’s story, “The Pit and the Pendulum”, in which a man is chopped in half by a swinging axe. This scene was drawn out with the audience watching an inhuman amount of blood splattering across the room as he was dissected.

I found myself looking away at these parts in the film. My friend who watched them all said she felt “physically sick” when a man’s throat was slit and the blood pulsed out of his neck.

These parts seemed more Tarantino dark humour than serious murder movie as they were so over-the-top and exaggerated. I felt that they only reminded the viewer that an otherwise convincing film that rely drew them in, was indeed a work of fiction.

The Raven is a movie which sheds a lot of light on the type of man Edgar Allan Poe was but none on the circumstances of his death. But what scriptwriter, Hannah Shakespeare, has come up with is an intriguing plot full of twists and turns which keep the audience guessing right to the end. It is like a Sherlock Holmes but with a more enjoyable plot. Although it does have much more gore and is definitely not one for the squeamish.

I would recommend this film for anyone who enjoys thrillers and horrors. In most
British cinemas it seems to only be showing at the weekend as it was released in
the UK on March 9. Catch it while you still can!

All Journalists Are “Scum” – But What About Marie Colvin?

As a result of the recent News Corporation phone hacking scandal, many people ask me why I want to study journalism. In fact one man even went as far as to say “And why would you want to become the scum of the earth?” I think the Murdoch tactics of news gathering have overshadowed the real reason why a lot of people want to be journalists.

Marie Colvin was a hugely influential war reporter who was tragically killed in a Homs shelling two days ago. On the Wednesday Ms Colvin was killed, 60 civilians across Syria also died as a result of the violence between government troops and freedom fighters.

Rosemarie Colvin described her daughter to the press as passionate about her work. She said: “Her legacy is: Be passionate and be involved in what you believe in.” 

“And do it as thoroughly and honestly and fearlessly as you can.”

Marie Colvin was not only a fantastic journalist but also an example of bravery in the battle for justice. It was claimed that Syrian forces said they would kill “any journalist who set foot on Syrian soil” yet she still travelled there and reported from the besieged city of Homs. Ms Colvin’s last dispatch was from Homs telling the story of a dying baby.

She said: “I watched a little baby die today - absolutely horrific, just a two-year-old been hit, they stripped it and found the shrapnel had gone into the left chest.

'The doctor just said "I can’t do anything". His little tummy just kept heaving until he died. That is happening over and over and over.”

The BBC's Fergal Keane said Ms Colvin was "defined by her humanity". She was the perfect example of a “real” journalist, courageous and determined to expose the truth. Perhaps this is proof that some of us are just trying to help others while doing our job. Marie Colvin was an inspiration to people across the globe and her legacy will live on through her war correspondence, with whom she described as the quietly brave citizens. 


Sources:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2104711/Marie-Colvin-Sunday-Times-reporter-leave-Syria-day-died-says-mother.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-17134371
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-17124786

Lives Lost But Nothing Done – Homs, Syrian Capital of the Revolution

Last night I watched a channel 4 special report and was horrified by footage of recent killings, blood-stained hospital floors and brutal murders of innocent people. The battle in Homs continues until something is done.

The UK government was quick to jump into a war with Iraq and Afghanistan to support its allies, the US. But in Syria a “massacre” of innocent civilians is happening daily and what has our government done about this?

Nothing.  

The British army are “officially” training the Afgan army and police so they are able to defend their own country and we can withdraw. This is a worthy and justifiable cause to send soldiers there. Of course the real reason was to support America so if Britain comes under threat in the future, the US will support us too. However…

Innocent people are being murdered by Syrian government troops every day in Homs. Aid and food is not getting to those who need it. The only action the UN has taken is to draw up a crimes against humanity list and request negotiations. People cannot enter or leave the city. For someone who did not shed a tear watching “The Green Mile” or “The Notebook”, and is generally unaffected by what I watch, I will admit it. This footage made me cry. It was simply soul-destroying. We have one of the best armies in the world. Why the hell is this allowed to continue?

But sadly what is happening in Homs does not affect Britain and we cannot gain anything from sending troops in; therefore we are not going to do anything about it. But what could be a better cause for sending the British army to a country for, than to save the lives of innocent civilians? I do not understand how people can sit in their living rooms watching this violence and ignore it because it does not affect them directly. People should be outraged and doing something about this. Donate money to the Red Cross, lobby your MP, hold a peaceful demonstration, sign an online petition. These are not just numbers on a news programme, these are real people like you and I.

The UK government has to do something about this.

People’s lives are worth more than personal gain. 

Students and Bloggers Are Not “Real” Journalists

Today at a film festival in Glasgow (which will remain anonymous) I encountered an organiser who thought it was laughable that I considered myself a journalist when I am “just a blogger” and only write for “a student magazine and radio station.” This got me wondering why students and bloggers are not considered “real” journalists by some members of the industry.

“Just a Blogger?”

“Blogs compete with mainstream media every day. In some cases, they have become more trustworthy as sources of information than some old school practitioners.” - Ellyn Angelotti, The Poynter Institute (The New York Times)

In the current internet-age most professionals seem to agree that online writing is going to play a huge part in the media’s future. People with blogs should be taken seriously. Their writing is usually high quality, and, they spread the word. Fast. In fact some bloggers have become so successful they make their living from it. Heather Armstrong has been writing online since 2001 and advertising from her blog, “Dooce”, has been her household income since 2005. She is one of the best-known personal bloggers of the 21^st century. Kottke, also, has had great success from blogging. (The Guardian) His blog about breaking news and trends often reaching the public before other organisations have released it.

People have to start taking bloggers seriously.

The Student Journalist – Myth or Reality?

The views on whether you can be considered a journalist when you are a student vary among professionals and students themselves. But, there have been examples of successful student journalists. Student, Annie Reed, requested an interview with Eminem, who barely speaks to the press, for her student paper. The rapper himself called her back allowing her a ten minute interview with him, proving one of the most notable moments in student journalism. (http://www.onlinecollegecourses.com) But the bigger problem with this is that organisations should be allowing for giving opportunities to future journalists to let them be the best that they can.

Ellyn Angelotti, The Poynter Institute, said: “Instead of focusing on who is doing the publishing, it is more important than ever to look at how they are doing it.”(The New York Times)

I believe this to be true and that there are little gems of stories to be found in some of the most unlikely places. Being a “real” journalist depends not on whom you are writing for, but what you are writing and the quality that it is.

Leave your comment on whether you believe a student or blogger can be a real journalist below.

Sources:

http://www.onlinecollegecourses.com/2011/07/25/10-notable-moments-in-student-journalism/

http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2011/12/11/are-all-bloggers-journalists/we-need-a-broader-definition-of-journalist

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/mar/09/blogs