Austria opens the polls to 16 year olds

This weekend, Austria becomes the first European country to give its 16 year olds the right to vote in a general election. It has however brought up alot of widespread controversy and critisism, even from the teenagers going to the ballot box for the first time themselves. The new move from changing the voting age from 18 to 16 was passed last year by Austria’s grand coalition government of conservatives and Social Democrats, The law was supported by four of the five parties in parliament, but opposed by the right-wing Freedom Party, and now new Austrian voters ages 16 – 17, 200,000 of them will get get a chance to vote next Sunday.

Alot of critisism has been said, that the youngsters have not been given enough time to vote given the snap elections, also some of the would-be voters can purchase beer and wine even though they cannot drive or do military service. Even some of the teenagers themselves do not agree with the new policy. “I don’t agree with the idea of teenagers of my age being given the right to vote,” said Julia Tauschek, a 16-year-old high school pupil from the Austrian town of Linz yesterday. “We simply don’t know enough about politics and we are not taught much about them at school either.”

The party members of course feel that we should be showing young people how politics can change the world.” A social democrat MP. As the contest at the moment seems to be neck and neck, alot of attention will be aimed to gain the new generation of votes.

Will Boris Island replace Heathrow?

The mayor Boris Johnson came up with a plan to replace Heathrow airport, despite the millions of pounds spent on it in recent years, with an artificial island east of London.

Passengers would have their luggage checked in at a train station in central London, and from there they would take a high speed train to the Island.  He also hopes that the new airport would solve the congestion problems in Heathrow, and would create many new jobs.  Boris Johnson says that it could be up and running within the next six years.  He said “If you look at what is going on in other countries around the world, in Hong Kong, in Washington – it’s not impossible to move the capital’s biggest airport.”

Since the 1960s, 13 major cities including Paris, Milan and New York have moved their airports further out. In Hong Kong, the government spent six years and $20 billion building an airport on an artificial island and linking it by bullet train to the city, very similar to the Boris Island idea.

However, this is not a new idea as a proposal for an airport in the Thames has been around for nearly 40 years.

He also said “What we don’t want to do is entrench a planning error of the 1960s by further expansion at Heathrow. We should look at whether there’s a solution to the east, in the Thames estuary.”

This idea has caused a lot of controvercy among politicians and citizens, people who live near Heathrow are thrilled with the idea, and the thought of a third runway and a sixth terminal would destroy their area and would cause a huge amount of pollution.

It has been said by Gordon Brown that he would make an announcement on the matter before christmas.

Labour conference: Gordon Brown to appeal for more time

There is expected to be a cabinet reshuffle at the end of next week as Gordon Brown tries to renew his leadership.  He will appeal to MP’s, activists and voters with a very personal speech at the labour party conference in Manchester. Talking more about his background and personal life. He hopes to reintroduce himself to the British public. Gordon Brown is trying to, in his impassioned speech appeal to the country and his party for more time to steer us in the correct direction at the moment with its economical downturn and will talk about his personal experience of previous world financial crises.

Gordon Brown in an interview has infact admitted his mistakes but has made it clear he will not ‘ give up’ or ‘bail out’ when he is facing pressure  “Of course I always want to do better and I will do better,” he said. Cabinet ministers expect the Prime Minister to continue his political fightback with a purge of his critics before MPs return to Parliament. Senior ministers caused even more humiliation on their leader last week by leaking a damaging account of a Cabinet meeting last Tuesday. Mr Brown is being urged by his close allies to sack those suspected of disloyalty. However supporters feel that Gordon Brown does infact seem to have limited access at this time for manoeuvre and shouldnt risk sacking leading Blairites such as John Hutton for fear of triggering a full-scale leadership challenge.

During this speech it seems as if Gordon Brown is going to be completely truthful about what has gone wrong, he has been advised to do this by the foreign secretary if he is to engage with his voters,’ honesty is the best policy’ Gordon Brown is going to do all he can to win back support and for faith in him  to be reinstored.

Bombing in Islamabad

A suicide bomber targeted the Marriot Hotel in Islamabad on the evening of Saturday 20th September. The bomber drove a truck loaded with explosives through the first gates of the hotel complex, when stopped by security guards before he could get through the second barrier he blew himself up causing two expolsions the second of which left a crater some twenty feet sdeep and fifty feet wide, killed more than fifty people and injured over two hundred. The timing was particularly poignant as people were sitting down to eat their evening meal after fasting for the day as it is the month of Ramaden. Although no group has yet claimed responsibilty for the bombing it is suspected that alQeada were involved. It is also suspected that the original target was the Pakistan Parliament building and it was only when the bomber could not gain accesss to the Parliament that he decided to target the Marroit, a hotel popular both with Parkistanis and foreigners. British Airways has suspended its flights to Islamabad for the time being amid Foreign Office warnings against travel to Pakistan at present.

Brown backs Obama

There have recently been many protests after Gordan Brown seemed to start a transatlantic row concerning John McCain, the Republican president running for the 2008 US election againt Barack Obama as Gordan Brown seemed to be supporting Obama in a recent article. If McCain wins however this could cause alot of tension. In the article Gordan Brown comments on Obamas “progressive ideas” and “it is the Democrats who are generating ideas to help people through difficult times.” Gordan Brown also praised Obamas ideas to prevent householders having their homes repossessed when they were struggling to pay their mortgage.

However it has been said however Mr Brown has been infact giving equal time to both the Republicans and Democrats during London and Washington meetings and did not draft the piece and may not have even approved the article. Many are saying Gordan Brown should have learnt on the dangers of interfering with elections after John Major’s Tory government was accused of helping George Bush Senior in the 1992 presidential race.

Green peace uses vandalism as an acceptable way to protest

Six members of the pressure group ‘green peace’  caused more than £35,000 worth of damage to a coal-fired power station in Kent.

The activists painted the word ‘gordon’ on a chimney, calling On Prime minister Gordon Brown to stop building new coal power stations that are adding to global warming

The group were cleared of all charges, their defence was that, under the criminal damage act of 1971, damage could be caused to prevent further damage, such as breaking a window to save a person in a burning house.

They also pleaded that global warming was a ‘lawful excuse’.

This act, which is on the brink of vandalism, shows other green activists that vandalism is ok for the greater good, this argument would be extremely controversial and many would argue that the government should of taken stronger action.