Archived entries for Foreign Policy

Middle East Delegation Travellog – Palestine’s UN bid

As part of our Middle East delegation 2011 travellog, Roxanne Mashari explains why she now supports Palestine’s UN bid for independent statehood.

September 21st 2011 is not just the day I turn 25, but also the day that the Palestinians will take their bid for independent statehood to the United Nations. You can see faces of the Palestinians that we talk to light up with a sense of hope and energy at the prospect of the bid succeeding and there is a real sense of excitement in the air in the Palestinian Territories.

Dr Sabri Saydam, technology and science advisor to the Palestinian Prime Minister, beamed into our meeting with Fateh Youth this morning clutching a tiny cube in his hand. Taking his seat, Dr Saydam held the cube up for the delegation to see. Inside was a miniature blue chair with a tiny Palestinian flag. The message on the cube reads ‘Palestine’s Right, A Full Membership to the United Nations’.

The overwhelming sense of optimism and pride radiating from Dr Saydam as he speaks is contagious. It’s hard not to get caught up in the energy surrounding the preparation for the bid and sitting here with the Young Fabians, Fateh Youth and Dr Saydam, it becomes difficult to contemplate a down side to the September bid.

We have been reminded throughout our trip of the potential dangers of such a move by the Palestinians. Mark Regev, Spokesman for the Israeli Prime Minister, put to us yesterday that the Palestinian bid was unilateral in nature and that granting statehood to the Palestinians in this way would allow them to avoid some of the more tough concessions that would have to be made in order to secure a mutually acceptable bilateral agreement with the Israelis. Peace, Mr Reghev argued, must be secured before Palestinian Statehood and not the other way round

As far as I can see, opposition to the Palestinian bid rests primarily on three main points:

  1. While raising expectations, the bid will do little to change the reality on the ground for the Palestinians.
  2. This is an unilateral move by the Palestinians which seeks to undermine Israel’s role in the peace process.
  3. Any UN agreement for the Palestinians will make negotiations with the Israeli’s far more difficult as the Palestinians will be unwilling to deviate from the UN agreements.

Until yesterday I was intrigued but sceptical of the Palestinian bid for statehood. Today, my doubt turned into support.

Putting our concerns directly to Dr Saydam, Dr Mohammad Shtayyeh and members of Fateh Youth, counter arguments to the bid were refuted in a measured and comprehensive manner.

I was particularly concerned that if the Palestinians were granted statehood via the UN that Israel may be undermined or side-stepped in any future negotiations. Between them, Dr Saydam and Dr Shtayyeh were clear that this bid was in no way a substitute for negotiations with the Israelis, that the reality of any borders would need to be decided face to face with the Israeli authorities, that an independent Palestinian state would be a demilitarised in the interim with an invitation to Nato or the UN to remain within Palestine in order to ensure the security of the Israelis.

The Palestinians believe that the bid this month will ‘transform the nature of the peace talks’ and grant the Palestinian people basic state rights and recognition that will place them in a far stronger and clearer position to negotiate a lasting peace settlement.  A clear narrative behind the reasons for the bid began to emerge throughout our various meetings today. The Palestinians claimed that unilateralism hasn’t worked, bilateralism has failed again and again and so the last port of call must be a multinational route.

The quartet, the UN, America and Israel have all backed the concept of an independent and fully functioning Palestinian state. If the Palestinians are committed to ensuring Israel’s security through demilitarisation and the presence of NATO forces as well as clearly stating that this bid is in no way a substitute for tough talks with Israel (as we heard today) I see no reason why the Palestinians should not take this non-violent multinational route to self determination and statehood.

Dr Saydam said today that he would put off his own daughter’s marriage if it fell in the month of September due to the bid. He is right in his measurement of the scale and unique nature of the opportunity in front of us. Today, every concern we have heard about the bid by the Isrealis was answered and answered convincingly by the Paslestinians we spoke to today.

If this is backed up with action, this bid for statehood could very well be a monumental and non-violent victory for the moderates within the Palestinan Authority and breathe new life into the peace process.

Roxanne Mashari is a member of the Young Fabians and a delegate on the Young Fabian Middle East Trip 2011.

Middle East Delegation Travellog – Securing peace

As part of our Middle East delegation 2011 travellog, Siobhan Randell reflects on whether Israeli security measures will help achieve lasting peace.

Second day on the delegation, already – by the amount of information I have absorbed – it feels like I have been here a lot longer! I’ve felt impressed by the variety of perspectives, both Israeli biased and Palestinian, we’ve heard so far in the programme. Each one an impressive speaker, I’ve felt like my opinion has altered slightly after every meeting and discussion.

Yesterday, I ended the day with the opinion that, at least for the moderates, there was a consensus that they wanted peace and a two state solution. The Palestinian UN bid did not seem to be the biggest deal, as on the ground it wouldn’t change anything, and would simply act as a motivator for further progress in achieving that two state solution.

However, after today visiting Hebron and hearing from Al Haq (who document Human Rights violations – including through very engaging Youtube/Google Earth presentations), followed by a lively discussion with Mark Regev, Spokesperson for the Israeli PM, I am beginning to understand the complexity of the conflict and the final status of borders in particular.

I found the situation in Hebron really unnerving. It felt as if the Palestinians were secondary citizens, that the security wasn’t there to protect them and that the effort by the Israeli government was completely and entirely dedicated to ensuring the ability for the Jews to live in settlements, regardless of the effects it would have on the lives of the Palestinians.

Palestinian shops and livelihoods were closed down, streets cornered off and Palestinians banned from driving on 10km of road in their own city, and even walking on 800m of road, meaning that some people had to enter their houses through their roofs, or leave their house entirely. Their appeared to be no sympathy towards the Palestinians or recognition of their right to be able to get into their own house, or walk along a route to work that was quicker than the one they were told to use by the Israeli’s. Simple things that made their lives so difficult were imposed, and, yet, I couldn’t see how it helped secure the state of Israel.

The main thing I took from Hebron was that although the Jewish population needed protecting, all Palestinians were treated as ‘threats’ instead of human beings and thus had fewer rights.

And yet, after speaking to Mark Regev, I understood more fully the Jewish narrative, history and need to have security. I learnt that ‘the wall‘ was (justified as) only a temporary measure and that it had reduced suicide attacks against Israeli’s by 90%; Regev claimed this saved Palestinian lives as Israel had reduced need to protect itself using violence and killing. After hearing this, the wall, which infringes internationally recognised borders for the West Bank, isolating Palestinian villages and separating Palestinians from their farmland and each other, seemed almost to be for the best.

In my opinion, the key issue is whether the wall really is temporary or whether it is an attempt by Israel to take land that has internationally been recognised as Palestinian.

I’m looking forward to my opinions being altered, dashed and/or developed over the coming days.

Siobhan Randell is a member of the Young Fabians and a delegate on the Young Fabian Middle East Trip 2011.

Middle East Delegation Travellog – Two sides of the coin

As part of our Middle East delegation 2011 travellog, Natalie Breslaw explores two contrasting opinions of the conflict.

What a day! Following a briefing over coffee, we were taken around the poverty ridden streets of Hebron with Al Haq, a Palestinian human rights NGO, concluding the day with a meeting with Mark Regev, the Israeli PM’s official spokesperson.  As I write this, we’re sitting in the beautiful terrace surrounded by trees and flowers with a gorgeous breeze in the Yitzhak Rabin youth hostel in Jerusalem.

During our time exploring Hebron, Al Haq showed us examples of many human rights violations allegedly being made by the Israelis on an everyday basis to the majority Palestinian population. What they showed us was appalling and shocking, and I say this as a pro-Israeli.

I am certain that the majority of Israelis are not aware of the troubles of everyday life for many Palestinians. For example, to gain access to their own houses, many have to climb the roofs of other housing, or climb through windows, as access to their own front doors has been shut off by Israeli authorities. This is done for the protection of the minority – 1,000 Israelis in the city compared to 200,000 Palestinians.

And the violence between the two groups – with murders on both sides and other attacks, such as rock throwing – shows the urgent need for peace, which is only likely to arise from a two state solution.

I’ve not been convinced by those who argue that Zionism is the problem and with the removal of such a concept the conflict would be solved. My opinion was later reinforced by Mark Regev. Our evening was spent throwing a barrel-load of unanswered questions at the poor man! His answers were direct and honest, and often sympathetic. And bringing together my thoughts for this blog has helped me develop a much clearer opinion following such a busy day.

Time, now, for a drink!

Natalie Breslaw is a member of the Young Fabians and a delegate on the Young Fabian Middle East Trip 2011.

  • You can follow updates from our Middle East delegation via Twitter by searching for #yfmep. And find out more about our Middle East programme by clicking here.

Middle East Delegation Travellog – Justice For All

As part of our Middle East delegation 2011 travellog, Joani Reid reflects on a an unexpected image of unity.

It’s easy to look at Israel and Palestine through the narrow prisim of the confilct; to define the people and their communities as being on one side or the other.

What I’ve found most surprising since arriving here, albeit less than 24 hours ago, is that the hot issue off the press isn’t a recent explosion or failed peace talks but rather an explosion of social protests.

Jewish and Arab Israelis alike recently united in their demand for social justice, better housing, better prospects and an end to hardship. It seems to be a demonstration which involves the middle and upper classes, but classes across the community divide. It may seem ironic or crude but I find the idea of over 430,000 people coming together, some Rabbis and some Israelis Arabs, in their outrage at lack of affordable housing, over priced health care and sub-standard education, promising, even romantic.

Joani Reid is a member of the Young Fabians and a delegate on the Young Fabian Middle East Trip 2011.

  • You can follow updates from our Middle East delegation via Twitter by searching for #yfmep. And find out more about our Middle East programme by clicking here.

Middle East Delegation Travellog – The Muslim Room

As part of our Middle East delegation 2011 travellog, Shazia Yamin reflects on her personal experience of entering Israel.

My first experience of Israel, as part of the Young Fabians Middle East Delegation, was not a positive one.

I’m accentuating the point in this blog to help provide an insight about what it feels like to be racially profiled and to have to endure a three hour long security interview process. I understand the need for Israel to contain security and terrorist risks. However, I fear that my small glimpse of ‘security assessment’, and the slight on my time and dignity, may just be the smallest fraction of what Muslims living in Israel and the OPTs endure on a regular basis.

As I sit in a little room in Ben Gurion airport, I begin to wonder about the justification for my detention. The room, as I am later told by a young Muslim man from London who joins me, is commonly referred to as the “Muslim room”. He describes passage through this room and the interrogation which accompanies it as rite of passage for any Muslim wishing to enter Israel. To my left sits Sara Ibrahim, my alleged co-conspirator and vice chair of the Young Fabians. It turns out that our co-detainee is an old hand at this; having been stopped a number of times as he travels to visit his fiancé in Ramallah. He explains that my initial interview was only the start of the process and what awaits me behind the other door is ‘Big Brother’. ‘Big Brother’, he continues, will confront me with lots of information that he will have obtained about me from their extensive ‘databases’.

As I sit in the room I reflect on my journey. The experience started at Luton airport; whilst I was still on British soil. I spent 15 minutes being asked questions about my Pakistani heritage. After being allowed to check in into the flight, I notice a large post-it note which has been stuck to the inside of my passport and the yellow tag attached to my case. I also notice that my fellow Fabians have not been allowed access to yellow tag club. I decide at this stage to remove the padlock I had lovingly applied to my case only a few short hours ago. I, after all, have nothing to hide. Predictably, when boarding the aircraft I am taken into a side room where my hand luggage is searched and my shoes are swabbed for what I assume is explosive residue.

As the hours tick away in the Muslim room, I begin to feel like more of a Muslim; almost as if an invisible nikab has started to grow across my face fertilised by the anger within me. The reasons for my detention soon become apparent to me. The only other members of the delegation who are in the room with me are those with Muslim or Muslim sounding surnames. There is no getting away from the fact that this is racial profiling, of the type that would cause an outcry on BBC Question Time were it a UK authority involved. My mind moves to consider the paranoia which no doubt underlies my treatment and the affect that living with such paranoia has upon the psyche of a nation. I also feel an overwhelming sense of empathy with those who have to deal with such treatment at the hands of the Israeli authorities on a daily basis. Whilst the Muslim room is no doubt an annoying inconvenience for me, I begin to appreciate exactly how annoying the ‘Muslim checkpoint’ would be as I go about daily life.

Sadly, I was unable to keep my date with ‘Big Brother’ as I was rescued from the Muslim room by an angel from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, tasked by the Israeli Embassy in London who very kindly responded to the pleas of the delegation organisers.

As I leave the Muslim room after just over three hours, I make peace with my time there and re-arrange my date with ‘Big Brother’ for the date of my departure. A heightened sense and application of security is something I’m sure we will experience more of during the visit… I’m interested to know from our meetings whether, in any way, the Israeli response to the security threat might be of a nature that actually exacerbates the very threat it seeks to contain.

Shazia Yamin is a member of the Young Fabians and a delegate on the Young Fabian Middle East trip 2011.

  • You can follow updates from our Middle East delegation via Twitter by searching for #yfmep. And find out more about our Middle East programme by clicking here.

Labour in the World – Reflections on the Arab Spring

In this guest post, Debbie Moss, Chair of the Young Fabian Labour in the World Policy Commission, reflects on our webchat with young Egyptian activist Hannan Abdalla.

On Tuesday, the Young Fabian Labour and the World Policy Commission held a web chat with a young British-born Egyptian activist, Hanan Abdalla.  When the Cairo uprising began Hanan took a break from her career as a film-maker to support her compatriots in transforming their nation.  She has since been charting progress in the region via Twitter, amongst other media.

In a week which has seen the world transfixed by the apparently imminent demise of Gadaffi at the hands of NATO-backed rebels, Hanan offered a fascinating perspective on events in the Arab World, focussing on social media, the role of the young generation, prospects for future stability and the role of the West.

We in the West inevitably experience world events through the prism of our predominantly inward-looking media outlets.  When a foreign dictator’s power comes under threat our thoughts quickly turn to the domestic political implications and the impact on our national self-interest.  Hanan’s responses were particularly refreshing because of her focus on the lives of people living in the Arab world.  This was encapsulated in her opening remark: “What’s been happening in Libya has been exceptionally moving and for me serves as a real testament to the strength of the will of a people and how they will stop at nothing for change.”

Predictably, Young Fabian members wanted to know about young people and social media.  Yet Hanan cautioned against the temptation evident in much of the Western media  to view technological advance as the cause of revolution, rather than a means of organising against anachronistic regimes. The “sexier” aspects of recent events have received disproportionate attention, detracting from other, more significant aspects.

Similarly, our focus on speculation that the Muslim Brotherhood could gain power was challenged.  Western fear of the potential rise of extremist Islamic groups distracts the world’s attention from the more immediate enemies of human rights – in this case the Egyptian army, supported, Hanan emphasised – by the United States, Saudi Arabia and Israel.  These uprising do not just challenge rulers – but global power structures.

And what of the role of the West? First of all, we should remember that it’s not all about us.  The uprisings were initiated by and remain the property of oppressed peoples forging a new political and social path.  But recent events, especially in Libya, do have significance for NATO and the international community, providing an opportunity to rehabilitate the doctrine of “liberal interventionism” and free it from the legacy of Iraq.

The Labour Party and all those who believe in progressive foreign policy should, all being well, draw on this to articulate a new formula for future interventions abroad.

Debbie Moss is Chair of the Young Fabian Labour in the World Policy Commission.

  • Replay the webchat with Hannan Abdalla here. Find out more about the Young Fabian Policy Commissions here.

Young Fabian delegation to the Middle East

On Sunday, a delegation of Young Fabian members will leave Luton airport and travel to Tel Aviv for the start of this year’s delegation to the Middle East. It is the first time in 25 years that we are hosting such a trip, and although Israel and Palestine are always fascinating places to visit, our visit could not have happened at a more interesting time.

The Arab world is waiting anxiously for the meeting of the UN General Assembly at the end of September, where a large majority of countries is expected to recognize Palestinian statehood. The Palestinians have been lobbying hard to convince the international community that they have established the necessary infrastructure to survive as a state, and the mood seems to be changing in their favour. But the actual consequences of the results are unclear – the Americans have already announced that they will veto the move, continuing to put their backing behind a negotiated two state solution, whilst Benjamin Netanayu’s speech in front of the American congress in May demonstrated clearly that the Israeli PM will be resilient to international pressure. Recent terror attacks on Israeli civilians in the South and Tel Aviv underline once again the volatile situation in the region. A true end to the Arab – Israeli conflict does not seem any closer – although the rapid developments in the region continue to make future outcomes unpredictable.

During our trip, we will meet with policy makers from both sides, visit key places such as Jerusalem, Ramallah, Hebron and Tel Aviv and meet with young Palestinians and Israelis to hear their perspective of life in a enduring state of conflict.

We will share our experiences and impressions regularly via our website and blog, so do check them both for regular updates.

As Young Fabians and Labour party members, we are progressives in an internationalist movement, and it is vital that we truly understand the aspirations and the concerns of the peoples on all sides, and that we appreciate the crucial need for a secure Israel and a vital, prosperous Palestine.

Marie-Noelle Loewe is International Officer of the Young Fabians

  • The YF delegation is kindly supported by BICOM. You can follow Marie-Noelle Loewe on Twitter (@marieloewe, #yfmep) for regular updates from the trip.

Forward, not back

The Greek debt crisis has thrown into stark relief the challenges that lie at the heart of European integration.

As the Eurozone countries decide whether to endorse a second Greek bailout, many are asking whether the European project has fallen into serial decline. Eurosceptics are rubbing their hands in glee, citing the Euro’s current plight as proof of their earlier predictions.

Yet there is another way of reading current events. As former Foreign Secretary David Miliband argues in the essay in the latest edition of Anticipations, the nature of the crash that sparked Greece’s collapse demonstrates that global problems require global solutions. As China and America increasingly focus on domestic concerns, faced with a leadership transition and election respectively, Europe has an opportunity to take a lead on the world stage.

Europe is well placed to do this.

It is after all the only part of the world that has embraced the idea of shared sovereignty. While integration has not been a cost-free process it has brought with it significant opportunities. In an increasingly interdependent world, dominated by a handful of superpowers, the benefits of economic and political cooperation are more evident now than ever.

Taking advantage of this will not be easy.

Europe will first need to address the deep disconnect that currently exists between the process of greater integration and public support for the European project. This is the outcome of integration by stealth, as the public have grown weary of economic measures being used to promote a broader political goal. Few events more powerfully exemplify this phenomenon than the current crisis in Greece. We now have a single currency, which many in Europe saw as a route into federalism, undermined not only by the weakness of the Greek economy but also by widespread public antipathy towards the EU. Rarely has a strong multilateral Europe been more important or more difficult to sustain.

This has resulted in the widely held view that Europe is a distraction from more important national economic concerns.

However, as Nick Maxwell from Chatham House rightly argues in the latest Anticipations, domestic economic challenges and foreign policy priorities are far from mutually exclusive. Sound economics, just like effective politics, requires strong international cooperation.

In fact Maxwell goes a step further, arguing that the UK should be at the centre of efforts to build a more effective international framework for economic cooperation between nations. It is hard to argue with this position. As power increasingly shifts East, there is a closing window of opportunity for a country like the UK to take a global lead on such defining issues.

However, Britain’s ambitions should not be limited to economic concerns alone.

As Jim Murphy powerfully outlines in the latest edition of Anticipations, we also need to drive forward a coordinated approach to issues of defence. The Arab Spring has turned on its head established notions that non-democratic governments can be stable and sustainable. Security in the future will come not from bilateral relationships with autocratic rulers, but from strong multilateral alliances between democratic nations. This will require countries to facilitate peace abroad in order to protect their interests at home.

It is a challenging task, especially in tough economic times. However, it is one that we can rise to, especially if we are able to coordinate foreign policy at the European level.

As the crisis in Greece has shown, a more integrated Europe brings with it significant risks. However, in an interdependent world dominated by China and America surely these are risks worth taking. Now is the time for Europe to shed its image as a reluctant actor and assert its place on the international stage.

There is space in the world for another superpower. Europe must decide if it ready to become it.

James Green is Editor of Anticipations

Labour and the World: The Rational and the Romantic

Yesterday evening the Young Fabians hosted a round table as part of our Labour in the World Policy Commissions with Labour MEP for London Mary Honeyball. The meeting got a little stuck on the tactics of how Labour talks about Europe, rather than the political direction for Europe. Specifically, the question discussed was: how do pro Europeans make the case for EU membership in a net contributing EU member state?

There seems to be two approaches: the rational and the romantic.

Of the large net contributors to the EU budget, the French and Germans seem to fall on the romantic side, they hold a deep routed historical and ideological commitment to the European project following the aftermath of WW2. However the significant CAP and Structural Funds they share between them bend towards the rational. The Italians have the EU to thank for ridding them of the Lira, another rational argument. But what has Britain got to shout about? And will it be rational facts or romantic ideals that will work to make case for EU membership in any potential future vote on the matter?

During our period in government, departments successively made the case for Britain’s EU membership rationally and dispassionately, dealing with hard-headed facts. We spoke about trade, jobs, market access and a single set of market rules all meaning British companies and jobs are better off with Britain in, even if we pay more to the budget than we get back in hand outs (the rebate included). So our position in effect was (and largely still is) this: we pay more in, but without it, we’d be poorer. So in effect, EU membership is an indirect fiscal benefit to the Treasury and thus UK taxpayers.

So far so rational, but it’s not exactly going to send people rushing to the polling station to cast a yes in any prospective future referenda. So what is?

Do we need instead need to break the issue down to the emotive and evocative, using stories and images backed up by hard-headed facts?

The image that Europe, a continent that had been in conflict for centuries, has been at peace for over half a century is strong but it doesn’t seem as relevant today as in the last century.  But twin that with the rational facts of our inter-dependent trade and we might just have a script.

So to tell a story evocatively, as well as dealing in rational facts, Labour should weave a narrative of Britain needing to stand on the world stage with others and not alone, needing to draw on the resources of others to forge a way forward, needing to help those in their greatest need and a Britain that looks outward not inward and to quote a phrase, looking forward not back.

Brian Duggan is Young Fabian Policy Officer.

You can find out more about the 2011 Young Fabian Policy Commissions by clicking here.

All politics is global

In this member post, Young Fabian member Debbie Moss reflects on last week’s China-EU Year of Youth roundtable event to which the Young Fabians were invited.

All politics is global.  This was the predominant lesson from last Friday’s roundtable event hosted by the Chinese embassy to celebrate the China-EU Year of Youth.  As one of the speakers commented, out on the door-step we almost invariably campaign on domestic issues.  When faced with questions about jobs and cuts to local services, we seek to explain how Labour would do things differently – cutting more slowly, investing in growth and protecting the most vulnerable.  But in today’s globalised world, our economy, and therefore the prosperity and wellbeing of British people, are inexorably linked with that of other countries.  If Labour is to continue its legacy as the party of internationalism we must integrate this into the narrative we present to voters.

On Friday, our Chinese hosts elaborated on two very welcome, interconnected themes.

First, China’s intention to play its part as a peaceful, responsible member of the international community, promoting trade as well as cultural, educational and other exchanges with Britain and Europe.  Second, China’s desire to be seen to be concerned not solely with increasing its GDP (an image often portrayed in the Western media) but also with social justice, human rights and the environment.

Pre-empting Western concerns about China’s one-party state, lack of democracy and use of capital punishment, officials often repeated that theirs was still a “developing” country, implying at times that China was moving teleologically towards more or less European norms in these areas.  Equally though, we were told that China would chart its own course rather than develop according to any Western programme.  Do China’s leaders believe their country will and/or should one day adopt human rights policies like those in Europe? It was hard to tell.

There are some areas though, on which we already agree.  There was consensus among Chinese officials and young people from across the British political spectrum on the importance of our “partnership for growth” as championed by David Cameron and President Hu Jintau.  Trade is of course a key plank in our bilateral relationship with the world’s second largest economy and solutions to the financial crisis must be as global as the problem.  It was reassuring too though to hear support for the presence of the 100,000 or so Chinese students studying in the UK.  I hope that young Conservatives and Liberal Democrats can play a role in influencing their leaders in Government whose controversial proposals to limit immigration, including student immigration, threaten to undermine the excellence and international standing of our universities.

I could not agree more with Nick Maxwell on the need to foster relations between British and European citizens and their Chinese counterparts.  This plays an essential role, complementary to that of diplomatic exchanges.  Meetings of ministers and ambassadors can achieve many things, but cannot alone facilitate the shared understanding and respect between peoples which our Chinese friends rightly emphasised throughout the event.

The discussion shed light on diverse areas of policy: domestic as well as foreign.  Above all, young British speakers as well as those who identified as Chinese-British spoke of the frustrating lack of Mandarin teaching in our schools.  This resonates for those of us who frequently experience embarrassment when traveling in Europe or around the world, as we realise that our language skills pale in comparison to our hosts, who often converse confidently in English and/or other foreign tongues.   To prepare our young people for the globalised 21st century, surely our education system must do more to prioritise language teaching.

Labour’s current policy review is a unique opportunity for fresh thinking.  Hopefully it will have a strong international element.  The party’s new vision for Britain must take account of our role in an increasingly interconnected global community.

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