London Mayoral Elections:Best choice “None of the above”?

 Jessamyn McArdle, British/Canadian (AC, 07-09)

 

The 2008 London Mayoral elections are soon upon us, galloping, ever faster towards the forefront of our minds, whipping up a storm of political debate and foolhardy promises. On May 1^st Londoners have the choice of, in the right corner, Boris Johnson, better known for his television chat-show appearances and scandalous affairs than his hard hitting policies on knife and gun crime in the capital. And in the left corner, Ken Livingstone, current mayor of London, whose complacency has been jolted by Boris’s surprising surge in the polls and whose Congestion Charging has divided the city. And in the middle, (apparently), neither left, nor right, ‘just English’ is Matt O’Conner, whose picture in the campaign booklet wouldn’t look out of place in a John Frieda advert, and who bases his campaign on removing money from Scotland and placing it in circulation in London.

Yemen – terrorist country or rich new world?

 Roisin Taylor (Scotland/Ireland AC 07-09)

 “We advise against all but essential travel to Yemen. There have been a series of recent terrorist attacks both inside and outside the capital, Sana’a, including against the US embassy on 18 March, There is a high threat from terrorism in general in Yemen, including against Western, and British, interests. You should be particularly vigilant in public places frequented by expatriates and foreigner travellers. We believe that terrorists continue to plan attacks.”, The British and Foreign Commonwealth Office website, 11^th April 2008.

In February of this year, a group of eleven students including myself travelled to Yemen and we would tell you that we experienced a completely different side to Yemen to that which is quoted above.