The Talking Point

 

Cue “The Star-Spangled Banner” because I’m wearing flag flip-flops today. Left foot stripes, right foot stars. Stars, stripes, stars, stripes, walking down the street.

 

I’m an American in London on THE 4th of July; the anniversary of the date when my country fiercely declared its independence from this one. It’s a little uncomfortable behind enemy lines, but, of course, I made it more so.

 

Combined with my flashy footwear, I also carried a red handbag and wore a white shirt and jeans. Red, white, and blue. And flag flip-flops. Borderline obnoxious. The tube ride in to work was fun.

 

Coincidentally, I ended up standing next to an older couple also decked out in red, white, and blue on the tube. We just nodded at each other in silent recognition of our awkwardness, while the natives around us gave us, (mostly me, the obnoxious flag flip-flop woman), severe elevator eyes and the occasional chuckle. Some rolled their eyes and went back to reading the Metro or the FT, but I wondered what they all thought in their heads that wasn’t reflected by the expressions on their faces.

 

I also wondered why I had chosen to dress as I had. No one was forcing me to. I don’t have family in the military or work in government service, or even particularly agree with the way my country is being run, but for some reason, wearing any other combination of colours today just seemed inappropriate. I wore the flip-flops. Stars, stripes, stars, stripes step after awkward step.

 

I am proud to be an American, but was my display a reflection of that pride or just a repetition of what I had been expected to do as an American since I was young?  Is patriotism a habit?

 

However the natives on the tube really felt, their demure reactions to my showy shoes really put things in perspective for me. More than two centuries after we Americans became “we the people,” I’m amazed at where we are. I’m able to sit here in a London branch of an American company, as an American, dressed (clearly) as an American, and I’m not being stoned to death. It’s amazing what 232 years can do.

 

Is patriotism a habit? Do you feel compelled to display your patriotism on national holidays, or is that feeling uniquely American? Post your thoughts here.

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Vegetables do not magically grow out of your living room rug and prawns don’t swim through the air to flavour your sandwich, but both have to reach your fork by way of a human or two. Hauliers are often the method of choice to transport Britain’s necessities from town to table or port to pub, but the cost of fuel threatens the sustainability of the lorry companies, and their abilities to face off with continental competitors. 

 

I headed out to the Old Palace Yard today, across from the Houses of Parliament,  where three trade organisations came together to shout the concerns of Britain’s hauliers to the government. The Road Haulage Association, TransAction 2007, and Transport Association groups all sent representatives to the foot lobby, and, along with haulier company owners and lorry drivers, were there to highlight the struggle against high fuel duties crippling their livelihoods.

 

Many of the people I spoke to voiced concern not only for the trickledown effect on the economy, but also for competition from hauliers operating out of the rest of Europe, where fuel duty is much cheaper. One haulier even said that he had given up a large portion of the business he used to have because he simply could not compete with the lower prices offered by European competitors to firms that need goods. Another man highlighted the fact that interest in getting into the hauling industry is not exactly stellar either, adding insult to the injury of the struggling trade. Another question, posed one haulier, is why diesel is more expensive than petrol, when petrol is more expensive to make?

 

In one way or another, we are all affected by the high cost of fuel duty in the UK. How have you been directly or indirectly affected by the high fuel costs? How do you think the government should react to the requests of the hauliers?  Post your comments here or head over to our message boards.

 

Watch: Truckers have their say (click play below)

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The National Health Service turns 60 this year, and has decided to publish a constitution for itself, outlining exactly what the public should expect from the institution that provides free health care for nearly 60 million people. As an American, my experience with nationalised health care is practically non-existent, so I’m curious to hear how your lives have either been helped or hurt by the NHS and what you hope to see in a review by Under Secretary of State Lord Darzi, going before Parliament today.

 

 

The Times reported this morning that some possible policy changes to the current NHS standards might include sending more accident and stroke victims to specialist centres and giving patients with chronic illnesses, like diabetes, more control over their own treatment budgets. Also expected in the review is the proposal to create 150 new GP- led “ health centres” and 100 new practices, offering closer proximity to health care.

 

One of the key issues addressed in the new constitution is the wide variety of prescription drugs available to different localities. Different citizens have differing access to different drugs, a policy far from the promise to “reduce health inequalities” the NHS holds dear.

 

With the economy on the downturn, the role that free public health care serves in the UK seems to be as valuable as it has ever been, taking the financial burden of staying healthy out of the monetary equation, but higher taxes in other areas may counter the allure of free care for some.

 

 

What has your experience been with the NHS?  What changes would you propose if you were given the chance to do a review like Lord Darzi has done? Post your comments here or head over to our message boards.

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One of the few unique characteristics of every human being is the fingerprint. Even with the varying patterns of loops and swirls, squiggles and ridges, everyone has their own set, making the fingerprint both an isolating and unifying symbol. 

 

Italy’s interior minister, Roberto Maroni, has put forth a proposal to start fingerprinting all Roma (or Gypsy) community members living in camps, including children. Those that have the right to stay would be allowed to, while those without would be forced to leave.  The entire premise behind the fingerprinting campaign is reduce crime, but opponents of the proposal, such as Unicef, claim that the only thing that would be reduced are the rights of the Roma children, as the proposal would separate them from other children in Italy simply based upon their ethnic identity.

 

With the emergence of this plan, it made me reflect on the situation regarding immigration throughout the world. As we are all increasingly global, with technology connecting the far reaches of the Himalayas with the steamy streets of Havana, and the pyramids with Panama, every citizen in the world could almost claim to be a citizen of the world, yet there are so many sociological barriers that trump the loss of the physical ones.

 

Economic dependency and racial tensions play key roles in the immigration issues between the US and Mexico, while religion and the free access policy of the EU are also concerns for immigrants and citizens of the UK.  Job market changes, fuzzy national identities, and new languages and religious customs are all concerns we “citizens of the world” face, but how we respond to the strains that come with immigration will truly determine a large portion our collective historical fingerprint.

 

Are we afraid to lose old national identities instead of creating new ones? Or is the issue more grounded in tendencies toward racial and religious preference and discrimination? What do you make of the situation in Italy? Post your comments here or speak your mind on our message boards.

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Iran, Iraq, and North Korea, dubbed by Dubya’ as the the “axis of evil,” could soon become just a gruesome twosome as North Korea handed over a report on its nuclear programme to China today. The US has claimed that it will consider taking North Korea off of its terrorist blacklist within 45 days, if, and only if, the report is complete. In addition to the actual declaration document itself, North Korea is also hosting US inspectors to view the destruction of a cooling tower at their Yongbyon plant, which produces bomb-grade plutonium. Just for show? Or a verifiable step toward disarmament?

 

After the successful testing of a nuclear weapon by the North Koreans two years ago, the true intentions and sincerity of their sweeping move of compliance this week is anything but reliable.  US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice insisted that North Korea “not try to cheat,” and to follow through on the declaration.  As reduced sanctions and opening trade agreements are implied with the removal of the North Korean name from the US blacklist, implications for the rest of the world will likely follow suit in the economic arena.

 

What do you think about North Korea’s declaration? Do you think the US should take North Korea off of its terrorism blacklist if the declaration is deemed complete? Post your comments here or head over to our message boards.

 

 

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