Archivo etiqueta «Reino Unido»
Por Henry Kamen, historiador británico. Su último libro es El enigma del Escorial, Espasa Calpe, 2009 (EL MUNDO, 04/03/10):
Suenan tambores de guerra en el Atlántico Sur. Con una extensión de 12.000 km2 y una población de menos de 3.000 habitantes, siempre pareció impensable que las Malvinas fueran a convertirse en objeto de discordia internacional. En medio del frío Atlántico Sur, lejos de la civilización, habitadas antiguamente sólo por ovejas y unos pocos colonos, las islas no poseían atracción alguna para nadie. Pero, pese a todo, han sido disputadas desde el siglo XVIII.
Los exploradores franceses las denominaron … Seguir leyendo
By Ken Macdonald, QC practises at Matrix Chambers and is a visiting professor of law at the London School of Economics. He was Director of Public Prosecutions, 2003-08 (THE TIMES, 27/02/10):
t seems we are having a national debate about torture. Apparently not all Britons agree that the deliberate application of violence to confined and helpless prisoners is unacceptable. This is a shame, not only because the spectacle itself would be hideous, but also because it’s reasonable to suspect that our very British grandfathers would have taken a strikingly different view.
In their troubled and violent generation, they saw … Seguir leyendo
Por Timothy Garton Ash, catedrático de Estudios Europeos. Ocupa la cátedra Isaiah Berlin en St. Antony’s College, Oxford, y es profesor titular de la Hoover Institution, Stanford. Traducción de María Luisa Rodríguez Tapia (EL PAÍS, 21/02/10):
Pongamos nombre y avergoncemos a esos peligrosos, endebles, complacientes e hipócritas liberales que ponen en peligro la seguridad nacional del Reino Unido, sus intereses vitales y la seguridad personal de sus ciudadanos. ¿Quiénes son? Lord Igor Judge, juez-presidente del Tribunal de Apelaciones de Inglaterra y Gales; Lord Neuberger, Master of the Rolls, que preside la Sala Civil; Sir Anthony May, presidente de Queen’s Bench, … Seguir leyendo
Por Salvador Giner, presidente del Institut d’Estudis Catalans (EL PERIÓDICO, 21/02/10):
Algo no va cuando los dilemas morales de nuestro tiempo generan una discusión sustancial solo cuando el mundo mediático se ocupa de ellos. La cosa es así. Es lo que hay.
Hace pocos días, un presentador de televisión inglés, el señor Ray Gosling, fue detenido por la policía por haber confesado urbs et orbi –o sea, desde una televisión– haber puesto fin a la vida de su novio, enfermo terminal de sida, que sufría horriblemente, sin otro remedio que el del sueño final. El hecho de que ambos … Seguir leyendo
By John Hughes, British Ambassador in Buenos Aires from 2004 to 2008. He is currently a Fellow at the Institute for the Study of the Americas, School of Advanced Study, London University(THE GUARDIAN, 19/02/10):
The burning question: are we heading back to a military conflict with Argentina? My answer is unequivocal. No. This is a very different Argentina. A democracy for 27 years, it weathered the economic and social meltdown in 2001 and 2002 without a thought being given to a return to a military government. The shadow of military dictatorship, so long overhanging Argentine democracy, has been removed.… Seguir leyendo
By Captain Doug Beattie, winner of the Military Cross in 2006 and the author of Task Force Helmand (THE TIMES, 11/02/10):
‘I am no hero, but I served alongside heroes.” It is an age-old military saying, one articulated and echoed by each new generation of soldiers, but it becomes no less true through repetition.
As a captain in the Royal Irish Regiment I completed two tours of Afghanistan, one in 2006, the other in 2008. On each occasion I witnessed people I admired and respected suffer the most hideous of fates. Not killed by the enemy — in a … Seguir leyendo
By Richard Dowden, director of the Royal African Society and author of Africa: Altered States, Ordinary Miracles (THE TIMES, 08/02/10):
So now we know a little more. We always knew that in 2001 the British company BAE Systems sold Tanzania a £28 million air traffic control system. The World Bank and the International Civil Aviation Organisation said it was unnecessarily sophisticated and overpriced. At the time Clare Short, then Minister for International Development, claimed that bribery was involved. Some calculated that the BAE system that Tanzania bought cost four times more than the system that Tanzania needed. It was … Seguir leyendo
By Gordon Brown, the British prime minister (THE GUARDIAN, 02/02/10):
There is a paradox at the heart of our politics today. Never has the need for politics to effect change been greater, but never has trust in politicians and the political process been at a lower ebb. People across Britain are still outraged by the expenses crisis, and by what they regard as a betrayal of trust by some of their elected representatives. Many of our citizens either do not vote at all or have been tempted by the fringes and the extremes. That is why I believe … Seguir leyendo
By Anthony Seldon, Master of Wellington College and the author of Blair, the biography (THE TIMES, 29/01/10):
Today is the most important day in Tony Blair’s life since he left No 10 — hence his intense preparation, so desperate is he to clear his name of the accusations against him, and to show that his decision-making over Iraq was flawless in conception and execution. We will know by 5 o’clock today whether he has chosen to conduct himself as his own defence lawyer or as a statesman worthy of the high office he held. At stake is his reputation.… Seguir leyendo
By Paddy Ashdown. Lord Ashdown of Norton-sub-Hamdon, former Leader of the Liberal Democrats, was a captain in the Special Boat Service (THE TIMES, 23/01/10):
We politicians stand accused by The Times of failing to grasp the nettle on defence, of tacitly agreeing to avoid the issue in the run-up to the general election. The issues are so complex that there is a temptation to sweep them under the carpet. But national security should be at the heart of any government’s strategy, and judgments on the fitness of politicians to govern should include a judgment of how well they will … Seguir leyendo
By Stuart Tootal. Colonel Stuart Tootal served in Afghanistan as commander of the 3rd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment. He is author of Danger Close (THE TIMES, 20/01/10):
Far away from Afghanistan, another war involving the British military has broken out. This war is being fought in Whitehall, in think-tanks and in the press. The three Services are battling to ensure that their interests win out in the first strategic defence review in more than a decade. So the RAF is championing fighter jets, the Navy capital ships and the Army more soldiers.
The Army claims that it is shouldering … Seguir leyendo
Por Timothy Garton Ash, catedrático de Estudios Europeos. Ocupa la cátedra Isaiah Berlin en St. Antony’s College, Oxford, y es profesor titular de la Hoover Institution, Stanford. Traducción de María Luisa Rodríguez Tapia (EL PAÍS, 18/01/10):
Poco antes de la una de la tarde del martes pasado, estaba esperando a un amigo para comer en Atrium, un restaurante cercano al Parlamento británico al que acuden con frecuencia políticos, funcionarios y periodistas. En vez de mi amigo, un parlamentario famoso por sus enérgicas críticas al islam, apareció un grupo de islamistas, vestidos con túnicas estilo salwar kamiz y pantalones, gorros musulmanes … Seguir leyendo
By Gordon Brown, British prime minister (THE GUARDIAN, 15/01/10):
Fairness and aspiration are not polar opposites, in fact they go hand in hand. That insight – that all people have the chance to rise as far as their talents take them – remains the driving force behind New Labour today.
But New Labour is also about constantly updating our policies – applying our enduring values to all the new challenges we face. So Labour’s focus will always be on how we help the hardworking majority in Britain not just to get by, but to get on in life.
That is … Seguir leyendo
By Allan Mallinson, the author of The Making of the British Army, and a former army officer (THE TIMES, 13/01/10):
A fifth of the infantry is hors de combat. According to the Ministry of Defence, almost 5,000 soldiers and officers are not available for combat duty.
As ever with MoD figures, it is not that straightforward. Some of these combat troops cannot be deployed because they are about to be discharged. Others are excused from action on compassionate grounds. But there are more than a thousand soldiers recovering from wounds or other incapacity sustained on operations in Iraq and … Seguir leyendo
Por Robert Skidelsky, miembro de la Cámara de los Lores y profesor emérito de Economía Política, Universidad de Warwick. © Project Syndicate. Traducción: Kena Nequiz (LA VANGUARDIA, 04/01/10):
Este año, bajo juramento de fidelidad a la Reina, todos los miembros de la Cámara de los Lores británica – soy uno de ellos-tendrán que firmar un compromiso escrito de honestidad e integridad. Principios intachables, uno podría decir. Sin embargo, hasta hace poco se suponía que las personas designadas para asesorar a la soberana ya tenían la suficiente honestidad e integridad para hacerlo. Se suponía que se les había seleccionado para … Seguir leyendo