Please say we're not a nation of tricoteuses - the appalling coverage of Gaddafi's death

Before I start, don't think for one moment that I will be shedding any tears for Muammar al-Gaddafi. He was a thoroughly nasty, cruel, manipulative man who cared little for the lives of innocent people, whether his own citizens or those of other countries calmly going about their business in Northern Ireland, or catching a flight across the Atlantic. The world is undoubtedly a better place for him being out of power.

The British media, sadly, isn't showing its best side, though, in its coverage of the dictator's demise. You don't expect much of the Sun, for sure, but for them to splash a photo of a dead Gaddafi on their front page with the headline "That's for Lockerbie, Yvonne Fletcher and IRA semtex victims" defies even the most basic standards of decency. The thought of that image being displayed at toddler height in supermarkets makes me feel ill.

But it's not just the Sun. Decent newspapers like The Guardian and the BBC haven't been as crass, but I really don't think it's right to show video footage of the last, violent moments of a human being's life. There are no exceptions. Technology may make it possible to film such events, but editors should show more discretion than they have. I don't like the self-justifying "these scenes will upset you, but there was a lot worse we could have shown you" argument we were hearing across the tv news networks last night.

This all put me in mind of the "tricoteuses" at the French Revolution, women who would gather to watch the guillotining in the market square, calmly knitting between executions. Now, there's an argument that they had been directly affected by the profligacy of the monarchy, not getting enough to eat. There's also the fact that in those days, mortality rates were pretty high and life expectancy low because medicine and sanitation were much less advanced than they were now. Even with that direct involvement, it wasn't right. Your average Sun reader gloating over Gaddafi's death over their cornflakes has no excuse.

If we accept this sort of thing, where does it end?  Televised executions in the US? After all, if it's right to show the death of one bad person, what about the rest? I'm not going to be buying any papers today because I really disapprove of the way all of them have covered this event.

I think we could all do with learning from the unfailing dignity of Dr Jim Swire. He suffered the loss of his daughter Flora on Pan Am Flight 103 but he's not celebrating Gaddafi's death. Speaking on BBC Breakfast and quoted elsewhere, he said that he'd much rather have seen Gaddafi put on trial.  However unpleasant a spectacle months, if not years, of Gaddafi rants in the International Criminal Court might sound, it would have been much better than what's happened. We might have found out more about his dealings with the US and the UK. And, of course, we now have no chance of finding out the truth about Libya's involvement in Lockerbie from his point of view.

I'll leave the last word to Anna's 12 year old friend. The first thing she said on arriving here was that she'd seen Gaddafi was dead - but she didn't think it was right to show the dead body because he was a human being after all. It's people like her who make you optimistic for the future of the human nature.

Libya: Let's not forget the women

I have to say that it is very good to see that Col Gaddafi and his Green Book appear to be on a very shoogly peg this morning. Why Tony Blair ever thought it was a good idea to bring this man in from international ostracisation is beyond me. We can only hope that the International Criminal Court is going to be kept very busy with big files marked "Gaddafi" for the foreseeable future. The man himself is nowhere to be found, although two of his sons have been captured as rebel forces entered Tripoli to remarkably little resistance.

I'm never one for counting chickens, but this has to be a positive development.

Amid the rejoicing and planning for a post Gaddafi Libya, though, I think it's important to remember the women. Politicians, even those on our side, aren't always good at identifying and talking about issues affecting women. I am fairly sure that Nick Clegg, when he makes eminently sensible remarks to the British Council later today, won't specifically mention women. I single him out but earlier this year, the UN Security Council had a telling off from the UN's special envoy on sexual violence for not mentioning that specific danger in its resolutions.

I've found a couple of interesting articles about issues affecting women in Libya. The first is from the Libya Youth Movement in May this year and it talks about how women may well have been involved in the initial uprising in February, but they are far from powerful within rebel leadership:

Early in the rebellion, the shrill ululating of women mixed with the sound of gunfire celebrating victories over Gaddafi’s forces that prised the region from his grip in mid-February.

Women sat in the rebel headquarters planning their next moves, often taking the lead in speaking to the media and discussing with male rebel leaders their vision for a new Libya.

A group of female lawyers were conspicuous in the first meetings aimed at organising the rebel efforts, the eloquent and bi-lingual women mobbed by reporters after emerging from the closed-door sessions.

One of those women, lawyer Salwa Bugaighis, said she was unhappy that the national council now contained just five women out of 50 or so members.

“Maybe it will take some time to change the mentality, to be a leader, to be in a higher position

The second by Libyan-American journalist and activist Yusra Tekbali discusses the role of women in the revolution and how women's groups are planning for life after Gaddafi:

Zahra Langhi, coordinator of the Cairo-based activist group Friends of Free Libya, organized several workshops and forums that addressed the social, intellectual and bureaucratic vacuum in Libya.  At a recent workshop I attended on developing Libya’s civil infrastructure, Langhi said,  “Women are the center of Libyan society. After the psychology of fear was broken, mothers were encouraging their husbands and sons to go out and fight Gaddafi, which is the biggest change we have seen. ”

There are countless other Libyan women who demonstrate courage and leadership, and competence and humanity, with their work and efforts to support the Libyan people. Now that women are beginning to organize and participate in rebuilding Libya, we can expect to see more organizations spring up. The support from the broader Libyan society-inside and outside Libya- will be critical in the success of these organizations, as they evolve and find their footing in Free Libya.

International women's organisations, including UN Women will have a crucial role in this.


Obviously everyone, male or female, benefits from Gaddafi going, but it's important that the new Libya is founded on a more equal basis. The signs aren't altogether positive on that one so it's one to keep an eye on and our Government must encourage the international community to support women's rights in Libya and elsewhere.

Amnesty urges action on Eman Al-Obaidi

I wrote the other day about the plight of Eman Al-Obaidi, the woman bundled off by Libyan Government thugs after alleging she'd been gang raped by 15 of Gadaffi's militia. She hasn't been seen in over a week and has been dismissed by the Libyan Government as a mentally ill, alcoholic prostitute. Remember this is the same regime that said that the protesters in Benghazi were a few drug addicts.

Amnesty International is asking that people write to the Libyan Government asking for Eman to be released and for there to be an independent investigation into the allegations she made and for anyone participating in rape and torture to be brought to justice.

Yes, I know that Gadaffi is hardly likely to change his behaviour in response to e-mails from the likes of us, but it can't do any harm, might give some indication of the strength of international feeling and might help in some way. In the spirit of not allowing evil to flourish by standing by and doing nothing, I've sent my letter off. Will you do the same?

Eman Al-Obeidi: international community must take action on rape and other violence against women

We still don't know what has become of Eman Al-Obeidi, the woman who burst into a Tripoli hotel last weekend to tell journalists that she had been gang raped by 15 Gadaffi soldiers at a checkpoint.

Ms Al-Obeidi, who comes from Benghazi, was then bundled into a car by various Government thugs and hasn't been seen since. The Gadaffi regime has sought to dismiss her as a mentally ill drunk and prostitute when in fact she is a lawyer. It was reminiscent of Saif Gadaffi's dismissal of the protesters in Benghazi as drug addicts. They said she was safe back with her family, yet Al Jazeera's interview with her mum told a very different story. 

I'm fairly certain that Eman Al-Obeidi is not the only woman to have experienced this sort of horrendous brutality. She must have known that telling her story to a room full of journalists would not end well for her. We're still a long way from rape being taken seriously in these countries under normal circumstances, but it being used as torture by representatives of the Government is a whole different ball game. She showed incredible courage by doing what she did as it will hopefully help other women.

I'm not convinced that the international community is doing enough to tackle this violent brutality and violation of women (and I'm sure it must happen to men as well). We see it being used by rulers as a form of torture, and as a homophobic hate crime in South Africa. 

Sexual violence should never be tolerated and the perpetrators, and those who turn a blind eye to these crimes, need to be brought to justice. There has to be an increased international effort to wipe out these crimes and help the victims.

The way we report and discuss rape was highlighted in a very good article in yesterday's Guardian, called Rape is not a Compliment, taking to task some of the shamefully ignorant reporting of rape. Many thanks to my friend Amy Rodger for highlighting it.

Nick Clegg's e-mail on Libya - and why I tentatively support the international action

This e-mail from Nick Clegg was sent to Party members before the air strikes on Libya began last night but I thought I'd post it anyway.


I am worried about the action and I just hope that it will save and protect lives in Libya. When a leader tells his own people that he's coming to get them and they won't be shown mercy, I do feel that it would be wrong to stand by and just let him commit genocide. It calls for urgent action and the international community has already been dithering for long enough. That's not to say that what we're doing isn't fraught with risk and danger. There could be some very unpleasant consequences if we're not careful. Let's just hope the loss of life is minimal and that Libya, in common with other countries in that region, eventually has a genuine, participative democracy. It's happened across Eastern Europe, something that I as a child thought would be impossible.


To those who say "why Libya and not Bahrain?" I do get what you're saying and I baulked a bit at David Cameron's comments the other day about the King there being willing to consider reforms. He's allowed the Saudis to come in and brutalise his own people and there's no excuse for that and the proposed reforms aren't even baby steps. However, I do accept that he is in a different league from Gaddaffi and there is the possibility of more progress by peaceful means in Bahrain. The Colonel, on the other hand, is now very clearly outside the international tent again and is in a position to embark on all sorts of nastiness beyond his own borders, as he did before. Tony Blair's rapprochement with this character has to be filed away in the already huge file "What were Labour thinking?" 


Anyway, here is Nick's e-mail.


Dear Caron,

As you will have seen in the news our coalition government has successfully led efforts in the UN Security Council to agree a ‘no-fly zone’ across Libya.

Colonel Gaddafi’s treatment of his own people has been brutal, savage and wholly unacceptable. We have worked with Libya’s regional neighbours, especially the Arab League, and countries across the globe, to secure a resolution in UN Security Council. This resolution will allow us to act lawfully  in deploying our forces to up-hold a ‘no-fly zone’ in Libya.

The Prime Minister gave a statement yesterday, which you can read here. And on Monday we will have a full debate in the House of Commons, followed by a vote. In addition we will be publishing a summary of the legal advice of the Attorney-General. 

That is the right approach. This is a coalition government that will act decisively to protect innocent lives and uphold universal human rights. But one which will do so working with, not against, international law and the international community. 

Best wishes,   

Nick Clegg MP

Deputy Prime Minister and Leader of the Liberal Democrats

Will David Cameron make it to Scottish Tory Conference?

So, David Cameron is supposed to be coming up north to address the Scottish Tory Conference in Perth - presumably in the same place that Nick Clegg addressed the Scottish Liberal Democrats a fortnight ago.

I wonder if he'll still make it, given the fact that he may be about to send troops into action to protect civilians in Libya. Is this the right time for the Prime Minister to be out of London? Yes, I know that technology can keep a PM in touch, but is it not best for him to be closeted with the people who know what they're doing during the crucial preparations?

I am sure that all the plans will already have been made. Enforcing a no fly zone is something that I can't imagine you make up as you go along. There may also be jittery world leaders to calm down now the UN resolution has passed.

I guess the judgement call has to be Cameron's - a nonchalant display of high politics might be deemed the sensible course of action.

Cameron's never been PM without our troops being in action and that must be a heavy responsibility - but starting a new campaign must bring its own special kind of pressures.

I'm not normally a great fan of military action, but on this one I can see the very clear humanitarian rationale behind it. When you have a dictator bearing down on people who oppose him saying openly that he's going to show no mercy, there is a compelling case for action.  The discussion about him using weapons we supplied to him on his own people is not one for today but there's a bit of me that thinks we have a moral responsibility to those people.

Let's just hope that it's all over quickly, with the least possible loss of life and that the prospect of international bombardment makes Gadaffi's mercenaries think twice about what they are doing.

Sinister speech by Saif Gadaffi threatens brutal endgame

I had fully intended to go to bed early last night. Listening to the brutal ramblings of a deluded despot's son. Yet at 11pm, which would have been 1am in Tripoli, I found myself transfixed by the 40 minute speech, containing some not very veiled threats, by Saif Gadaffi, son of the Libyan dictator.

I found it quite chilling. He dismissed the brutality of the Police and Army firing live ammunition at protesters as mistakes by untrained officers. Yeah, sure, it's an easy mistake to make. He said that the evil foreign media was exaggerating what was going on and that there had only been 84 casualties. I'm sure anyone looking out of their windows in Benghazi would know different.

Gadaffi Junior looked as if he knew fine he was lying as he kept rambling on about how Libya was not Tunisia or Egypt. His desperate arguments included:

• the protests were being run by a few drug addicts and drunkards
• that the country would be divided and you'd need a visa to get from Benghazi to Tripoli - it would be like North and South Korea
• that a conversation with our foreign secretary William Hague had led him to believe Libya was vulnerable to foreign occupation. You kind of wonder if Saif's dad's mate Tony Blair's illegal invasion of Iraq gives that statement some false credibility.

The sinister bit, though, was his threat that he and Daddy would fight till the last man, woman or child was standing. This vile bunch are not going to give up power easily and despite being brought in from the cold in recent years, they aren't so bothered about upsetting the international community.

I feel for those brave Libyans out on the streets in Tripoli, Benghazi and other cities. They must know that if they continue, they risk a brutal onslaught from Gadaffi, but if they stop, they'll be rounded up and made an example of.  So far they seem to have responded to Gadaffi Jr's rant on state tv by ransacking the HQ of said state tv. Forty years of pent up anger and resentment at a regime that's kept them repressed and in poverty. 

It's all incredibly worrying. I hope that the Libyan people can rid themselves of this vile regime without it turning into a bloodbath. The BBC are reporting that the cities in the east, pretty much under opposition control this morning, are pretty peaceful now, but the violence has now spread to Tripoli.

The Bahrain regime, which I wrote about yesterday, is bad enough, but Gadaffi's response promises to be more irrational and brutal. On Bahrain, I'm glad to see that one of my favourite F1 drivers, Mark Webber, has publicly said what most others are thinking, that the race planned for 13th March should not go ahead.

It certainly looks like much of the old order is being forced to recognise that at least things can't go on as they used to across the Arab world. It'll be a while before we know what the outcome will be. I read yestersday, though, that despite women being part of the protests in Egypt, they are excluded from the body that's discussing the new constitution. That does not bode well. It's not going to be good enough to replace the old guard with new regimes which do not give equality to women, or protect them from abuse.