Liberty Alone

Catching up from my holiday I’ve read several very good posts recently.
I’m sharing them in Google Reader and they can be found on my sidebar.

In particular I’ve come across some fascinating articles detailing the history which has led to some current situations.
First up is a potted history of Persian/Arab animosity at The Art Of The Possible and a commemoration and condemnation of the shooting down of an Iranian civilian aeroplane during the US’s covert war againt Iran during the Iran-Iraq war at LewRockwell.com
Both of these give an important insight into the situation today in the Middle East and the US administration’s duplicity when it comes to these issues.

Closer to home we have Nosemonkey’s short history of Belgium which gives a good glimpse into the tensions which may split the country in two (hopefully in a peaceful manner).

A film made, in part, by Alfred Hitchcock, documenting the Holocaust and the freeing of Belsen. It was originally not released due to it being too grisly.
It is very disturbing and really brings home the truly evil nature of the Nazi concentration camps.

(hat tip: Shagya blog).

The artwork on Soviet propaganda posters is often very striking and powerful as well as chilling.
I’ve recently come across a great blog which is just these posters and some information about them.
The author also has two other blogs. One is dedicated to Cuban propaganda posters and the other contains videos of strange musical instruments

All are interesting and well worth a browse (now where are the fascist, right wing and western propaganda posters? Or election posters…)

I’ve noticed a few references to Freedom Day being the bicentenary of the end of slavery.
This is of course incorrect - 2007 is 200 years since the trans-Atlantic slave trade was abolished. This is still a very important event, it marked the end of the horrendous inhuman trade in people across the Atlantic, and makes the calls for the government to improve its shameful record on human trafficking even more relevant.
I doubt, but cannot say for certain, that this marked the end of slave trading in the British Empire, which since slavery was still legal could probably still happen.

It wasn’t until 1833 that slavery was finally abolished in the British Empire. This also occasioned something of note in the history of the Liberal Party, W.E. Gladstone’s maiden speech. Not, as you might expect from the Grand Old Man of the Liberal Party, in favour of the abolishment, but against it, defending his father’s interests in the West Indian colonies.
This of course was characteristic of the young WEG who was as Tory as you could get, it would have shocked anyone who knew him that one day he’d disestablish the Church of Ireland and work for Home Rule…