Monthly Archives: February 2011

The Religion Question in the Census: ‘A Vital Tool of Communal Service Provision’

Posted on 28/02/2011 by Antony Lerman

This is an updated piece cross-posted from Eretz Acheret, with a new title. This year’s decennial census of England and Wales may be the last of its kind, but if so, at a cost of $782 million, it will go … Continue reading →

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Revealed in the Arabian Gulf: the Values-Shaped Hole at the Heart of Cameron’s Government

Posted on 25/02/2011 by Antony Lerman

When I saw David Cameron defending his ‘passionate’ belief in the Big Society, I found myself giving him credit for his sincerity. My opinion of the policy, idea, concept, or whatever you want to call it, was damning—the Tories just … Continue reading →

Posted in British politics | Leave a comment

The Libyan Crisis: Western Complicity and Why Action is Unlikely to Follow UN Security Council Condemnation

Posted on 23/02/2011 by Antony Lerman

We might wish it was like the Egyptian revolution – and the fact that it isn’t may be making some people avert their gaze – but despite the fragmentary images of horror, the absence of a continuous Al Jazeera-type visual … Continue reading →

Posted in Middle East | Leave a comment

Why I’m Not Doing a Lance Armstrong and Retiring from Running, Just Yet

Posted on 19/02/2011 by Antony Lerman

I’ve never tested positive for drugs and can still manage 7 miles across the Heath on a cold February morning, but, like Lance Armstrong—if you’ll excuse the comparison—perhaps, after 6 marathons in 10 years, it’s also time for me to … Continue reading →

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A Sensitive Television Drama on the Israel-Palestine Conflict

Posted on 17/02/2011 by Antony Lerman

This piece is cross-posted from Eretz Acheret where it was published today. British television viewers are currently being treated to a 4-part dramatised lesson in the history of the Israel-Palestine conflict. And so far, there has been virtually none of … Continue reading →

Posted in Middle East | 1 Comment

A Few Things I Learnt From the Egyptian Revolution

Posted on 14/02/2011 by Antony Lerman

On Thursday and Friday I was glued to the internet and rolling news on the television. Along with millions around the world I was able to share in the frustration, pain and then euphoria of the Egyptian people as they … Continue reading →

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Could 61-Year Old Rabbi Julia Neuberger Become Britain’s Foremost Jewish Leader?

Posted on 13/02/2011 by Antony Lerman

This piece is cross-posted from Eretz Acheret, where it was published under a different title. Hard on the heels of the announcement that Jonathan Sacks is retiring as Chief Rabbi of Britain’s mainstream orthodox denomination comes news of a new … Continue reading →

Posted in Religion | 1 Comment

Egyptian Revolutions: 1919 and 2011

Posted on 10/02/2011 by Antony Lerman

Gripped by the Egyptian uprising from the very beginning, as I followed events hour-by-hour my thoughts turned to Naguib Mahfouz’s masterpiece, The Cairo Trilogy. Although my memory of the details of the first volume, Palace Walk, is very patchy, I … Continue reading →

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Hague Rebukes Israel for ‘Belligerent Language’, But Who’s Listening?

Posted on 09/02/2011 by Antony Lerman

Whether he was talking sense or not there is something rather pathetic about British Foreign Secretary William Hague’s intervention in the Israel-Palestine conflict. Interviewed by the BBC during his tour of a number of Middle Eastern countries, he said: Amidst … Continue reading →

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Cameron’s Attack on Multiculturalism: Deja Vu All Over Again

Posted on 07/02/2011 by Antony Lerman

My heart sank when I heard that David Cameron was to make a speech at a security conference in Munich attacking ‘state multiculturalism’. There have been so many negative speeches and comments made about multiculturalism by prominent politicians and public … Continue reading →

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