ADM in the news April 16, 2007
Posted by rosieniven in ADM, Israel boycott, politicisation, press coverage.trackback
The union has been causing quite a stir in the press. Most of the coverage has centred round one particular motion on boycotting Israel, which was narrowly passed by the union. Here’s the Guardian’s coverage of the debate. They also have a blog covering the ADM.
Some people in the union believe that the union should concentrate on bread and butter workplace issues rather than wider politics. Journalist Craig McGinty shares this view. The NUJ’s own ADM blog contains a post by someone about this emerging debate.
But others argue that members benefit from the union taking a stance on important issues. There is also a precedent already set, with the union opposing aparthied in South Africa during the 1980s. Some argue that these boycotts helped to bring democracy to South Africa in the early 1990s. Muslim Public Affairs UK notes that boycotts are effective tools and that a number of unions already boycott Israel.
Please feel free to add any relevant links you find in the comment section.
Well, this Israel issue doesn’t seem to be going away. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office have now waded in. Read the news article here: http://uk.news.yahoo.com/afp/20070418/tuk-britain-israel-media-boycott-diploma-a7ad41d.html. Jeremy Dear’s quotes injects a bit of sense into the whole thing. It seems that press coverage has distorted things - reading the motion again is probably a useful thing to do!