Browse content similar to 14/12/2017. Check below for episodes and series from the same categories and more!
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As we seek each other's help and
resolve, to build on our hopes for | 0:00:15 | 0:00:19 | |
the future in which the tragedy that
struck Grenfell Tower will never | 0:00:19 | 0:00:22 | |
happen again. | 0:00:22 | 0:00:24 | |
Tonight, an emotional service
at St Paul's to remember | 0:00:24 | 0:00:26 | |
Grenfell six months on. | 0:00:26 | 0:00:27 | |
We'll speak to one of those
who escaped the blaze that night. | 0:00:27 | 0:00:30 | |
And we spend time at a school
in the shadow of the tower | 0:00:30 | 0:00:33 | |
to find out how staff
and students are coping. | 0:00:33 | 0:00:38 | |
I've had children during my PE
lessons saying, | 0:00:38 | 0:00:40 | |
"Oh, look, that's
where my bedroom was". | 0:00:40 | 0:00:44 | |
It's in their view at playtime. | 0:00:44 | 0:00:46 | |
The one time that they are meant
to be coming out to play, | 0:00:46 | 0:00:49 | |
there's a juxtaposition there,
because we've got the | 0:00:49 | 0:00:51 | |
tower being a shadow. | 0:00:51 | 0:00:55 | |
We'll ask a leading
child psychologist just | 0:00:55 | 0:00:57 | |
what can be done to help. | 0:00:57 | 0:00:59 | |
Also tonight: | 0:00:59 | 0:01:00 | |
A warning about bitcoin
from one of Britain's top | 0:01:00 | 0:01:02 | |
financial regulators. | 0:01:02 | 0:01:05 | |
"Don't buy it", he says, "unless
you're prepared to lose your shirt". | 0:01:05 | 0:01:15 | |
If you want to invest in bitcoin, be
prepared to lose all your money, | 0:01:16 | 0:01:21 | |
that would be my serious warning. | 0:01:21 | 0:01:23 | |
And is a white journalist asking
a black journalist for contacts, | 0:01:23 | 0:01:25 | |
quotes or information
simply "good research"? | 0:01:25 | 0:01:27 | |
Or is it the culturally
inappropriate theft | 0:01:27 | 0:01:29 | |
of intellectual property? | 0:01:29 | 0:01:31 | |
They came to St Paul's Cathedral,
1500 people of all faiths | 0:01:36 | 0:01:39 | |
and none, to remember. | 0:01:39 | 0:01:42 | |
Six months ago, 71 people
died in Grenfell Tower, | 0:01:42 | 0:01:46 | |
an event that shocked so many not
simply because of the horror | 0:01:46 | 0:01:51 | |
but because of what it revealed
about how many people live | 0:01:51 | 0:01:54 | |
today in this rich country,
seemingly out of sight and out | 0:01:54 | 0:01:57 | |
of hearing of so many of us. | 0:01:57 | 0:02:00 | |
Joined by members of the royal
family and the Prime Minister, | 0:02:00 | 0:02:03 | |
survivors and the family and friends
of those who died honoured loved | 0:02:03 | 0:02:05 | |
ones and gave thanks
to the emergency services | 0:02:05 | 0:02:07 | |
who risked their lives
on that fateful June night. | 0:02:07 | 0:02:17 | |
We pray for those who have
offered their support, | 0:02:18 | 0:02:21 | |
for all who sustain us
with their care and friendship. | 0:02:21 | 0:02:28 | |
So now, together, we
remember and reflect. | 0:02:31 | 0:02:40 | |
# Insha Allah, insha Allah | 0:02:44 | 0:02:45 | |
# You'll find your way.# | 0:02:45 | 0:02:52 | |
For a moment, we all lost
our fear of each other. | 0:02:52 | 0:02:55 | |
We lost our obsession
with ourselves, and we reached out | 0:02:55 | 0:02:58 | |
across the city in love
for our neighbour. | 0:02:58 | 0:03:03 | |
# Every time you take one look
around, | 0:03:03 | 0:03:07 | |
# You then remember that
they're really gone.# | 0:03:07 | 0:03:15 | |
With me now is Mohammed Rasoul
who escaped from the fifth floor | 0:03:15 | 0:03:18 | |
of Grenfell tower with his wife,
father and two young children. | 0:03:18 | 0:03:22 | |
He was at the service today. | 0:03:22 | 0:03:29 | |
Thanks very much for joining us. A
difficult day, I am sure, but maybe | 0:03:29 | 0:03:34 | |
uplifting in some senses. Most
definitely. It was a very emotional | 0:03:34 | 0:03:41 | |
day but at the same time deeply
meaningful. It was a day we came | 0:03:41 | 0:03:48 | |
together as a local community and as
a nation, to remember those we lost | 0:03:48 | 0:03:52 | |
in that tragic fire, who were
victims of a gross injustice. To see | 0:03:52 | 0:04:01 | |
people turn up today from our local
community, all around the country, | 0:04:01 | 0:04:11 | |
our country's leaders, it was deeply
significant. And to have it in such | 0:04:11 | 0:04:15 | |
an iconic national landmark, to me,
shows that when that fire happened | 0:04:15 | 0:04:22 | |
and those people lost their lives,
innocent people lost their lives, | 0:04:22 | 0:04:26 | |
men, women and children, that the
country felt our pain and felt the | 0:04:26 | 0:04:32 | |
pain of everyone who was bereaved,
and felt the pain of the survivors | 0:04:32 | 0:04:36 | |
and the whole community. There has
obviously been a lot of mistrust. Do | 0:04:36 | 0:04:46 | |
you feel that an event like today
helped start to build some trust | 0:04:46 | 0:04:55 | |
between the different groups? The
Prime Minister was there, | 0:04:55 | 0:04:58 | |
representatives of those in
authority. Is there a way of this | 0:04:58 | 0:05:01 | |
being at least part of some of the
healing process and building some | 0:05:01 | 0:05:06 | |
trust? Well, we are hopeful of that,
but there is still a long way to go. | 0:05:06 | 0:05:13 | |
You still have four out of five
families, survivors, still not | 0:05:13 | 0:05:17 | |
re-homed. You have some people that
arboretum that are still waiting to | 0:05:17 | 0:05:25 | |
bury their loved ones. But we are
hopeful -- some people that are | 0:05:25 | 0:05:33 | |
bereaved are still waiting to bury
their loved ones. But we are hopeful | 0:05:33 | 0:05:37 | |
that the Prime Minister and others
will listen to our concerns and | 0:05:37 | 0:05:40 | |
amend the mistakes of the
establishment, the system that | 0:05:40 | 0:05:43 | |
failed those people and caused them
to die. There is a petition going on | 0:05:43 | 0:05:47 | |
at the moment which was presented to
the Prime Minister, and we are | 0:05:47 | 0:05:52 | |
optimistic that she will consider
and pay attention to the voices of | 0:05:52 | 0:05:55 | |
the bereaved and survivors, and
allow their to be a panel of experts | 0:05:55 | 0:06:01 | |
alongside the judge that will report
back to her. What is your situation? | 0:06:01 | 0:06:08 | |
I know you have been rehoused in a
hotel and moved at least once. Where | 0:06:08 | 0:06:12 | |
are you living now? In a family with
-- in a hotel with my family, my | 0:06:12 | 0:06:19 | |
86-year-old father, the oldest
surviving resident, my wife and two | 0:06:19 | 0:06:23 | |
children. My son is five and a half,
and my daughter just turned two at | 0:06:23 | 0:06:28 | |
the beginning of this month. She has
spent a court of her life in hotels. | 0:06:28 | 0:06:33 | |
What do you feel about the fact that
you are still in a hotel six months | 0:06:33 | 0:06:41 | |
on? I try not to think about it. If
I let concepts like that... If I | 0:06:41 | 0:06:44 | |
internalised it too much, I believe
I will break down. I just get on | 0:06:44 | 0:06:51 | |
with my daily life. I go off to
work, soldier on. My family and my | 0:06:51 | 0:06:56 | |
wife is a big support in that. You
have touched on the enquiry, do you | 0:06:56 | 0:07:02 | |
think it is moving quickly enough,
and do you think it will ultimately | 0:07:02 | 0:07:06 | |
answer all the questions you have? I
think it is early days but we are | 0:07:06 | 0:07:11 | |
hopeful. I think our community
recovered from what happened, and | 0:07:11 | 0:07:18 | |
because of the neglect we were shown
before the fire, the blatant | 0:07:18 | 0:07:23 | |
disregard and indifference from the
council's side to residents concerns | 0:07:23 | 0:07:26 | |
about health and say the, to the
refurbishment, the community and | 0:07:26 | 0:07:31 | |
people lost a lot of faith in the
justice system. But it's never too | 0:07:31 | 0:07:36 | |
late to build bridges, and it's
never too late for myself or anyone | 0:07:36 | 0:07:40 | |
from the community to be proven
wrong. I am hopeful that, I try to | 0:07:40 | 0:07:44 | |
be optimistic. And today was a day
of immensely deep sadness, but with | 0:07:44 | 0:07:51 | |
everything that has gone on in the
last six months, the public response | 0:07:51 | 0:07:55 | |
has been amazing and deeply moving
at times. We have witnessed beauty | 0:07:55 | 0:08:01 | |
that has moved us to tears, people
from all around the country, | 0:08:01 | 0:08:06 | |
different backgrounds, different
ethnicities, with their differences, | 0:08:06 | 0:08:10 | |
coming to help us and transcending
their differences and coming to help | 0:08:10 | 0:08:14 | |
us and offer us clothes and food and
opening up their hearts and their | 0:08:14 | 0:08:20 | |
homes to us. That has renewed my
confidence in humanity. So for me, | 0:08:20 | 0:08:26 | |
there is a lot of hope there, a lot
of hope. Thank you so much for | 0:08:26 | 0:08:31 | |
coming and sharing your thoughts.
Hopefully that hope will be | 0:08:31 | 0:08:35 | |
rewarded. Thank you very much. | 0:08:35 | 0:08:40 | |
On the morning of the tragedy,
Oxford Gardens Primary School, just | 0:08:40 | 0:08:43 | |
half a mile from Grenfell Tower,
opened its gates not | 0:08:43 | 0:08:45 | |
knowing what to expect. | 0:08:45 | 0:08:46 | |
The school wanted to offer sanctuary
to children who might | 0:08:46 | 0:08:48 | |
have lost everything. | 0:08:48 | 0:08:50 | |
It later emerged that a third
of the children at the school had | 0:08:50 | 0:08:53 | |
witnessed the fire or been
evacuated, some had lost | 0:08:53 | 0:08:55 | |
friends or relatives
or knew people in hospital. | 0:08:55 | 0:08:57 | |
And, though it couldn't be
officially confirmed for weeks, one | 0:08:57 | 0:09:00 | |
of the school's own eight-year-old
pupils died that night | 0:09:00 | 0:09:02 | |
with his family. | 0:09:02 | 0:09:05 | |
For the last six months,
staff have been much more | 0:09:05 | 0:09:07 | |
than everyday teachers. | 0:09:07 | 0:09:10 | |
They've had to counsel children
through their grief, | 0:09:10 | 0:09:12 | |
while also dealing with their own. | 0:09:12 | 0:09:15 | |
And all in the shadow
of the burnt out shell | 0:09:15 | 0:09:17 | |
that is all that is left of Grenfell
Tower. | 0:09:17 | 0:09:21 | |
Last week, Newsnight spent time
at Oxford Gardens Primary School. | 0:09:21 | 0:09:27 | |
I am from this community, I am born
and bred from this community. | 0:09:40 | 0:09:43 | |
It is a very warm community,
it is a very diverse community. | 0:09:43 | 0:09:46 | |
I love the energy,
I love the enthusiasm. | 0:09:46 | 0:09:50 | |
It is a little different
from most areas. | 0:09:50 | 0:09:52 | |
We have got politicians living
right beside immigrants, | 0:09:52 | 0:09:56 | |
David Cameron lives across the road
for example, so such | 0:09:56 | 0:09:58 | |
a melting pot of different
personalities and cultures. | 0:09:58 | 0:10:02 | |
I definitely think that this school
is a microscopic look at the larger | 0:10:02 | 0:10:06 | |
community that we are surrounded by. | 0:10:06 | 0:10:13 | |
At 6am I made a phone call
to my headteacher to say it looks | 0:10:24 | 0:10:27 | |
like there is a very serious
incident on our doorsteps. | 0:10:27 | 0:10:32 | |
They never teach you how to deal
with these things and I just | 0:10:32 | 0:10:36 | |
remember just looking at it and not
believing what I was seeing at all. | 0:10:36 | 0:10:44 | |
I have never seen so much stuff
all over the school. | 0:10:49 | 0:10:54 | |
These grounds, all the three
playgrounds, they were just | 0:10:54 | 0:10:56 | |
covered everywhere. | 0:10:56 | 0:10:57 | |
Black ash, chunks of it. | 0:10:57 | 0:11:00 | |
And I just thought, how
are we going to clear this up? | 0:11:00 | 0:11:04 | |
My first thoughts were with my
friends that were in the tower | 0:11:04 | 0:11:10 | |
and then it dawned on me
the children that we | 0:11:10 | 0:11:13 | |
teach at school. | 0:11:13 | 0:11:17 | |
We decided that we wanted to open. | 0:11:21 | 0:11:23 | |
We knew that this terrible,
terrible, tragic disaster had | 0:11:23 | 0:11:27 | |
happened and we wanted to make sure
that the school was a safe place | 0:11:27 | 0:11:31 | |
for children to come
if they were able to. | 0:11:31 | 0:11:36 | |
We were very aware that we would
have a lot of children | 0:11:36 | 0:11:39 | |
who would not be able to come. | 0:11:39 | 0:11:42 | |
This was done after we found out
Mehdi had passed away. | 0:11:57 | 0:12:05 | |
Some children wanted to say goodbye,
other children just wanted to write | 0:12:05 | 0:12:08 | |
as though he was still here. | 0:12:08 | 0:12:12 | |
We had lost somebody,
he was a member of our class | 0:12:12 | 0:12:15 | |
who was there all year,
he was a beautiful, lovely boy. | 0:12:15 | 0:12:18 | |
He was there one day
and he was gone the next. | 0:12:18 | 0:12:22 | |
Having to explain to a class
of children that somebody has died | 0:12:22 | 0:12:26 | |
and in quite a horrific way was very
sad and quite traumatic. | 0:12:26 | 0:12:34 | |
There is a sense of shock
and disbelief, there is a sense | 0:12:36 | 0:12:39 | |
of anger and outrage. | 0:12:39 | 0:12:40 | |
There is the loss, the anxiety. | 0:12:40 | 0:12:43 | |
You cannot underestimate
the enormity, I think, | 0:12:43 | 0:12:45 | |
for a child to go to sleep and come
in the next day and a whole | 0:12:45 | 0:12:49 | |
family has been wiped out. | 0:12:49 | 0:12:52 | |
I would say it has been very
tough professionally. | 0:12:56 | 0:12:59 | |
At times I felt like a counsellor,
not just a teacher. | 0:12:59 | 0:13:06 | |
I have had to drop particular
sessions to talk about how | 0:13:06 | 0:13:08 | |
they are feeling, how we should deal
with our emotions. | 0:13:08 | 0:13:15 | |
Some of the questions they had
were truly horrific. | 0:13:15 | 0:13:17 | |
How could this happen? | 0:13:17 | 0:13:18 | |
Why has it happened? | 0:13:18 | 0:13:19 | |
How did some people
get out and he didn't? | 0:13:19 | 0:13:21 | |
Really tricky questions and I don't
have all the answers. | 0:13:21 | 0:13:26 | |
I have had children during my PE
lesson saying, "Look, | 0:13:33 | 0:13:36 | |
that is where my bedroom was." | 0:13:36 | 0:13:39 | |
It is in their view at playtime. | 0:13:39 | 0:13:41 | |
The one time they come out to play
there is a juxtaposition | 0:13:41 | 0:13:44 | |
there because we have got the tower
and we are in the shadow. | 0:13:44 | 0:13:47 | |
Move your feet quickly. | 0:13:47 | 0:13:50 | |
Stop! | 0:13:50 | 0:13:55 | |
We have had children saying
they wished they were in | 0:13:55 | 0:13:58 | |
the tower rather than Mehdi. | 0:13:58 | 0:13:59 | |
And when a child says that
to you what can you say? | 0:13:59 | 0:14:04 | |
Do you know what you are
going to do tomorrow? | 0:14:10 | 0:14:13 | |
I knew you would be happy. | 0:14:13 | 0:14:15 | |
There are lots of different
ways that children want | 0:14:15 | 0:14:20 | |
to share their story. | 0:14:20 | 0:14:20 | |
I have had children who want to draw
the tower again and again and again. | 0:14:20 | 0:14:24 | |
What they saw that night,
what they felt that night. | 0:14:24 | 0:14:26 | |
I have got children who wanted
to make the tower, I have got | 0:14:26 | 0:14:29 | |
children who wanted to decorate
the tower with beautiful stars | 0:14:29 | 0:14:32 | |
and to shroud it in something lovely
because it is so ugly for them | 0:14:32 | 0:14:35 | |
at the moment. | 0:14:35 | 0:14:36 | |
I have had people wanting to be
firefighters and save | 0:14:36 | 0:14:39 | |
the people in the tower. | 0:14:39 | 0:14:40 | |
Everybody's story is so different
and everybody needs a different | 0:14:40 | 0:14:43 | |
kind of way through. | 0:14:43 | 0:14:46 | |
What shall we put there? | 0:14:46 | 0:14:50 | |
It is a huge thing to take
in for an adult, let alone a child, | 0:14:51 | 0:14:54 | |
but I do feel like they have been
amazing at handling it. | 0:14:54 | 0:14:57 | |
They have given me strength
because they have just been | 0:14:57 | 0:14:59 | |
so honest and they have
just been themselves. | 0:14:59 | 0:15:09 | |
Morning, boys, morning. | 0:15:16 | 0:15:20 | |
Six months on it is still
fresh because families | 0:15:20 | 0:15:23 | |
still talk about it. | 0:15:23 | 0:15:26 | |
There are still some
who haven't been re-homed yet, | 0:15:26 | 0:15:28 | |
they are still in hotels. | 0:15:28 | 0:15:31 | |
Cabs every day coming to school. | 0:15:31 | 0:15:33 | |
I never imagined that when Christmas
came we would still have | 0:15:33 | 0:15:36 | |
families who were displaced. | 0:15:36 | 0:15:39 | |
We had no idea that it was going
to really impact for this long. | 0:15:39 | 0:15:45 | |
We have a lot of children in this
year group who were not only | 0:15:45 | 0:15:48 | |
there and saw it but were evacuated
and are still in | 0:15:48 | 0:15:51 | |
temporary accommodation. | 0:15:51 | 0:15:54 | |
That is just a constant reminder
of what has happened to them. | 0:15:54 | 0:15:57 | |
Their routine has been
spoiled for six months. | 0:15:57 | 0:16:03 | |
In counselling what we want to do
first of all is make sure that | 0:16:03 | 0:16:08 | |
people's basic needs are met,
so to try and work with their | 0:16:08 | 0:16:10 | |
well-being and emotional health
when they still don't have a home | 0:16:10 | 0:16:13 | |
I think is really hard. | 0:16:13 | 0:16:20 | |
It is only natural that people
want to understand why it happened. | 0:16:20 | 0:16:24 | |
Why in 2017 a modern tower block can
burn from bottom to top. | 0:16:24 | 0:16:34 | |
It has been the most traumatic event
that our community has had to deal | 0:16:34 | 0:16:39 | |
with and it is really
just relief now. | 0:16:39 | 0:16:46 | |
For us it is about bringing
our community back, | 0:16:46 | 0:16:48 | |
uplifting people's spirits,
and we owe that to the | 0:16:48 | 0:16:52 | |
families that we lost. | 0:16:52 | 0:16:56 | |
The things that they have written
in here really show how | 0:16:56 | 0:16:59 | |
they are feeling about it. | 0:16:59 | 0:17:04 | |
It makes you remember that, well,
not that we don't already know it, | 0:17:04 | 0:17:08 | |
but we have got a long way to go,
we know that. | 0:17:08 | 0:17:12 | |
And we will get there. | 0:17:12 | 0:17:15 | |
Through all this terrible mess
and all this sadness we are looking | 0:17:15 | 0:17:19 | |
at how strong we are now. | 0:17:19 | 0:17:23 | |
People have stood together
and people have united | 0:17:23 | 0:17:25 | |
and that is how we move forward. | 0:17:25 | 0:17:31 | |
We all share this grief
and it is a little bit | 0:17:31 | 0:17:34 | |
like losing a family member. | 0:17:34 | 0:17:37 | |
I think it is hard for people to
understand that you were with them | 0:17:37 | 0:17:41 | |
9 to 3:30 every day. | 0:17:41 | 0:17:44 | |
He was a beautiful member
of our class and we do miss him, | 0:17:44 | 0:17:48 | |
we miss him every day, we do. | 0:17:48 | 0:17:52 | |
We should not be saying goodbye
because he should still be here. | 0:17:52 | 0:18:01 | |
Oxford Gardens school,
six months on. | 0:18:03 | 0:18:05 | |
And our thanks to their staff
and students for helping us make | 0:18:05 | 0:18:08 | |
that piece by Sara Moralioglu
and Katie Razzall. | 0:18:08 | 0:18:11 | |
Well, dealing with a community-wide
emergency of this scale demands | 0:18:11 | 0:18:14 | |
a huge amount of those involved. | 0:18:14 | 0:18:17 | |
With me now is Laverne Antrobus,
a child psychologist | 0:18:17 | 0:18:20 | |
from the Tavistock Clinic
who offered support to some | 0:18:20 | 0:18:24 | |
of the first people to respond
to events that night. | 0:18:24 | 0:18:31 | |
Thank you very much for joining us.
What is remarkable that comes out | 0:18:31 | 0:18:37 | |
from the film we have just seen that
teachers changed literally overnight | 0:18:37 | 0:18:42 | |
from worrying about the everyday
things they are teaching like maths | 0:18:42 | 0:18:46 | |
and PE kits who suddenly caring
about the emotional well-being of | 0:18:46 | 0:18:51 | |
the children they were looking after
and teaching. What kind of advice do | 0:18:51 | 0:18:55 | |
you give to people in that type of
situation? As you say it was very | 0:18:55 | 0:19:02 | |
complicated. It was unprecedented
and it was an event nobody could | 0:19:02 | 0:19:06 | |
imagine happening. What the teachers
were saying was they had to change, | 0:19:06 | 0:19:11 | |
they had to start responding to the
needs of the children and I think | 0:19:11 | 0:19:14 | |
that is exactly what you would want.
Children have lots of questions but | 0:19:14 | 0:19:20 | |
I think as adults we can imagine
that we have got to give them much | 0:19:20 | 0:19:23 | |
more information than they are
seeking. It sounds to me as if the | 0:19:23 | 0:19:28 | |
teachers in the school were able to
take their time, slow things down. | 0:19:28 | 0:19:33 | |
We know clear facts about what has
happened, so there are some things | 0:19:33 | 0:19:38 | |
children are able to answer
themselves, but I am never so sure | 0:19:38 | 0:19:41 | |
we need to go into a huge amount of
detail. We need to listen to primary | 0:19:41 | 0:19:46 | |
age children to hear what they think
about what has happened, but also to | 0:19:46 | 0:19:50 | |
build on that. It must be true that
children react in different ways and | 0:19:50 | 0:19:56 | |
you are teaching may be 25 children
in a class and some children may be | 0:19:56 | 0:20:00 | |
do not want to talk about it, they
want to escape a bit, some children | 0:20:00 | 0:20:07 | |
wanted to draw the tower every day.
How do you help each child with | 0:20:07 | 0:20:13 | |
their different responses? Some may
be want to hide away and others want | 0:20:13 | 0:20:17 | |
to really engage. It really is about
watching. The curious thing about | 0:20:17 | 0:20:22 | |
young people is they are very
watchful themselves and they are | 0:20:22 | 0:20:24 | |
looking to see what the adults are
making of their behaviours and | 0:20:24 | 0:20:30 | |
emotional states. Children find it
important to draw and talk about the | 0:20:30 | 0:20:33 | |
things they would like to do when
they are older because that would | 0:20:33 | 0:20:37 | |
help them think about looking after
people. Those are important things. | 0:20:37 | 0:20:41 | |
I thought it was interesting that
the teacher acknowledged that | 0:20:41 | 0:20:45 | |
teachers spend most of their time
with these young people, more than | 0:20:45 | 0:20:50 | |
parents sometimes, and being aware
of the difficulties they find | 0:20:50 | 0:20:54 | |
themselves in is important, but also
keeping things going is also | 0:20:54 | 0:20:59 | |
important. Normality. It is a huge
relief for a lot of children who do | 0:20:59 | 0:21:04 | |
not find themselves in the same
situation, we are going to do our | 0:21:04 | 0:21:09 | |
English lesson today, that gives me
structure and comfort. It would be | 0:21:09 | 0:21:14 | |
quite comforting in and of itself.
What is striking, and this is not | 0:21:14 | 0:21:19 | |
true of all tragedies, is that the
tower is there, very much a monument | 0:21:19 | 0:21:24 | |
as to what has happened, a reminder,
what difficulties can that create | 0:21:24 | 0:21:30 | |
when you are everyday literally
walking to school or playing in the | 0:21:30 | 0:21:33 | |
playground as the teacher said? It
is standing there are always | 0:21:33 | 0:21:38 | |
reminding you. It becomes part of
the community presence. I imagine | 0:21:38 | 0:21:45 | |
for some children there are moments
when they forget about what has | 0:21:45 | 0:21:48 | |
happened for a little bit, but
suddenly the reminder is there. That | 0:21:48 | 0:21:53 | |
is quite tricky. How do you go on?
How do you live your life and move | 0:21:53 | 0:21:57 | |
on and have hope as we heard in that
film? That things can change and | 0:21:57 | 0:22:04 | |
feel a bit better? But also that the
community can feel a bit better. I | 0:22:04 | 0:22:07 | |
am sure a lot of the children are
responsive to the fact that the | 0:22:07 | 0:22:12 | |
community must feel very sad. How do
you go about your ordinary, everyday | 0:22:12 | 0:22:17 | |
business and be happy in the
playground and play games with your | 0:22:17 | 0:22:20 | |
best friend and suddenly be reminded
that something truly terrible | 0:22:20 | 0:22:24 | |
happened? I think it is a really
difficult time for a lot of people, | 0:22:24 | 0:22:31 | |
but you have got to keep sight of
the fact that life does move forward | 0:22:31 | 0:22:36 | |
and children should be allowed to
catch themselves being a little bit | 0:22:36 | 0:22:40 | |
happy and hopeful. Thank you for
coming in. | 0:22:40 | 0:22:42 | |
Thank you for coming in. | 0:22:42 | 0:22:43 | |
The Prime Minister, Theresa May,
arrived in Brussels this afternoon | 0:22:43 | 0:22:46 | |
for yet another crucial summit,
where she's hoping that the other 27 | 0:22:46 | 0:22:49 | |
countries of the EU will decide
to move forward to those | 0:22:49 | 0:22:52 | |
all-important trade talks. | 0:22:52 | 0:22:56 | |
She admitted she was disappointed
by last night's House | 0:22:56 | 0:22:59 | |
of Commons defeat, but insisted
that the necessary legislation | 0:22:59 | 0:23:02 | |
is making "good progress". | 0:23:02 | 0:23:06 | |
Our Political Editor,
Nick Watt, is there. | 0:23:06 | 0:23:13 | |
Nick, how was the atmosphere today
with the EU 27? A little bit chilly | 0:23:13 | 0:23:18 | |
over there there are lots of warm
hugs? We had a rare sight this | 0:23:18 | 0:23:24 | |
evening over dinner with a 28
leaders including Theresa May which | 0:23:24 | 0:23:28 | |
was a UK Prime Minister being
praised by fellow EU leaders. I have | 0:23:28 | 0:23:32 | |
covered more of these summits than I
care to remember and I cannot think | 0:23:32 | 0:23:37 | |
of a president of having a UK Prime
Minister being praised like that. | 0:23:37 | 0:23:41 | |
Tony Blair, the most pro-EU Prime
Minister since Ted Heath, had | 0:23:41 | 0:23:46 | |
stand-up rows with Jacques Chirac
and Gerhard Schroeder. What is going | 0:23:46 | 0:23:53 | |
on? The EU are impressed with
Theresa May's message which is she | 0:23:53 | 0:23:58 | |
was an orderly Brexit, it is a
difficult journey, but she praised | 0:23:58 | 0:24:02 | |
EU leaders for working with her. The
other message was she wants in the | 0:24:02 | 0:24:07 | |
future for the UK and the EU to be
close friends and allies. But these | 0:24:07 | 0:24:12 | |
EU leaders are also making a raw
calculation. They believe Theresa | 0:24:12 | 0:24:18 | |
May is gritty, they quite respect
her and they think she would be far | 0:24:18 | 0:24:22 | |
better than the alternative and that
alternative they believed would be | 0:24:22 | 0:24:26 | |
Boris Johnson. Another point is the
vote in parliament last night and | 0:24:26 | 0:24:31 | |
they have knowledge that and they
have said we are negotiating with | 0:24:31 | 0:24:35 | |
you, Prime Minister, and not your
parliament. Any more news on the | 0:24:35 | 0:24:40 | |
timetable about the all-important
transition phase or implementation | 0:24:40 | 0:24:44 | |
phase, whatever we call it, and the
trade talks themselves? The really | 0:24:44 | 0:24:49 | |
important bit. Well, Theresa May
made clear this evening she would | 0:24:49 | 0:24:54 | |
very much like to move onto the next
stage and particular urgency on | 0:24:54 | 0:25:00 | |
transitional arrangements as the EU
calls them. The problem for her is | 0:25:00 | 0:25:04 | |
the draft Council conclusions are
saying in the two-year period the | 0:25:04 | 0:25:08 | |
entire body of EU law would apply to
the UK and any new regulations | 0:25:08 | 0:25:14 | |
introduced, they were also applied
to the UK and the UK would not have | 0:25:14 | 0:25:18 | |
any votes. That crosses a Boris
Johnson red line. On the future | 0:25:18 | 0:25:22 | |
trade arrangements there will be
guidelines published tomorrow and | 0:25:22 | 0:25:27 | |
the UK is very hopeful that they
will be quite vague and that will | 0:25:27 | 0:25:31 | |
give the Prime Minister Time to talk
to a cabinet next week, to talk | 0:25:31 | 0:25:35 | |
about the future, and not have her
padlocks into a definitive EU | 0:25:35 | 0:25:39 | |
position on that just yet. Nick | 0:25:39 | 0:25:42 | |
Watt, thank you very much. It is the
gift that does not seem to stop | 0:25:42 | 0:25:50 | |
giving. Bitcoin is a so-called
currency created by Bocelli, we are | 0:25:50 | 0:25:56 | |
not quite sure who. A year ago one
bitcoin was worth a measly £5.80. | 0:25:56 | 0:26:03 | |
Then it rose up and suddenly in the
last few months it's spiked up to | 0:26:03 | 0:26:11 | |
£12,400, something of a one-way bet
one might think, despite its extreme | 0:26:11 | 0:26:16 | |
volatility and links to the criminal
underworld. And this week more mania | 0:26:16 | 0:26:22 | |
as people who want to speculate on
the future value were allowed to do | 0:26:22 | 0:26:28 | |
so on the first regulated platform
in Chicago. I spoke to the chief | 0:26:28 | 0:26:31 | |
executive of the Chicago board
options exchange and asked him if | 0:26:31 | 0:26:38 | |
this was another gamble. | 0:26:38 | 0:26:39 | |
options exchange and asked him
if this was another gamble. | 0:26:39 | 0:26:42 | |
We're not endorsing bitcoin
but what we wanted to do was bring | 0:26:42 | 0:26:45 | |
transparency to a commodity
where there was interest. | 0:26:45 | 0:26:47 | |
And your only choice before
we launched on Sunday | 0:26:47 | 0:26:49 | |
was to represent that interest
on a crypto exchange | 0:26:49 | 0:26:51 | |
somewhere around the globe,
one without the oversight that | 0:26:51 | 0:26:53 | |
we're used to. | 0:26:53 | 0:26:55 | |
Reassuring words
from Ed Tilly there. | 0:26:55 | 0:26:59 | |
But on this side of the Atlantic
tonight, a warning, | 0:26:59 | 0:27:01 | |
and a pretty strong one. | 0:27:01 | 0:27:03 | |
I spoke to Andrew Bailey,
Chief Executive of the | 0:27:03 | 0:27:06 | |
Financial Conduct Authority,
an important regulator. | 0:27:06 | 0:27:10 | |
I asked him how concerned
he is about bitcoin's | 0:27:10 | 0:27:13 | |
meteoric rise in value. | 0:27:13 | 0:27:18 | |
It's actually not regulated by us
in its bitcoin form. | 0:27:18 | 0:27:22 | |
Where we come in is where there
are instruments that | 0:27:22 | 0:27:24 | |
are referenced to bitcoin. | 0:27:24 | 0:27:26 | |
It's a very volatile commodity
in terms of its pricing, | 0:27:26 | 0:27:28 | |
if you look at what's
happened this year. | 0:27:28 | 0:27:32 | |
And I would caution to people,
we know relatively little | 0:27:32 | 0:27:35 | |
about what, in a sense,
forms the price of bitcoin. | 0:27:35 | 0:27:38 | |
It's an odd commodity as well
because the eventual | 0:27:38 | 0:27:40 | |
supply is fixed. | 0:27:40 | 0:27:42 | |
If you want to invest in bitcoin,
be prepared to lose all your money. | 0:27:42 | 0:27:46 | |
That would be my serious warning. | 0:27:46 | 0:27:48 | |
What evidence do you have
at the FCA about who is | 0:27:48 | 0:27:50 | |
actually buying bitcoin? | 0:27:50 | 0:27:52 | |
We don't regulate bitcoin, as such. | 0:27:52 | 0:27:54 | |
Isn't that the problem, Mr Bailey,
that you don't regulate? | 0:27:54 | 0:27:56 | |
The technology is ahead of you. | 0:27:56 | 0:27:59 | |
Well, I'll come back to that. | 0:27:59 | 0:28:01 | |
I think the decision
on what we regulate is appropriately | 0:28:01 | 0:28:03 | |
for government and Parliament. | 0:28:03 | 0:28:04 | |
And we don't regulate commodities. | 0:28:04 | 0:28:07 | |
We regulate instruments that
are referenced to commodities. | 0:28:07 | 0:28:11 | |
So if you buy a future or an option,
then we do come into the picture. | 0:28:11 | 0:28:15 | |
But we don't regulate
commodities per se. | 0:28:15 | 0:28:18 | |
And that's clear. | 0:28:18 | 0:28:21 | |
It would be for Parliament,
ultimately, to make that choice | 0:28:21 | 0:28:24 | |
if it wished to do so. | 0:28:24 | 0:28:27 | |
I don't press for that, providing
people understand very clearly this | 0:28:27 | 0:28:30 | |
is a very volatile commodity. | 0:28:30 | 0:28:33 | |
What evidence do you have,
or do you have any intelligence, | 0:28:33 | 0:28:36 | |
on who actually is buying bitcoin
itself, rather than the instruments | 0:28:36 | 0:28:39 | |
referenced to bitcoin? | 0:28:39 | 0:28:41 | |
Well, we have no evidence, as such,
because one of the features | 0:28:41 | 0:28:44 | |
of bitcoin is the anonymity
of who the recorded owners are. | 0:28:44 | 0:28:47 | |
And that emanates from
the technology that supports it. | 0:28:47 | 0:28:51 | |
You can't go somewhere and look up
the record of who owns bitcoin. | 0:28:51 | 0:28:54 | |
The fact that it's called
a currency, the fact | 0:28:54 | 0:28:57 | |
that there are ATMs,
do you think that people actually | 0:28:57 | 0:29:00 | |
realise that they are not investing
in something like the pound | 0:29:00 | 0:29:03 | |
or the dollar? | 0:29:03 | 0:29:04 | |
Well, I think there's
a risk to that. | 0:29:04 | 0:29:06 | |
You're right that by adopting
the name crypto currency, | 0:29:06 | 0:29:09 | |
there is a risk that some people
regard it as the same | 0:29:09 | 0:29:12 | |
as what in an economist's world
you call a fiat currency. | 0:29:12 | 0:29:15 | |
A fiat currency
is backed by a state. | 0:29:15 | 0:29:17 | |
That's what keeps the value,
preserves the value | 0:29:17 | 0:29:20 | |
of fiat currency, | 0:29:20 | 0:29:22 | |
through the actions
central banks take. | 0:29:22 | 0:29:24 | |
Bitcoin is not that. | 0:29:24 | 0:29:26 | |
It's a commodity,
it's not a currency. | 0:29:26 | 0:29:29 | |
Would it make your regulating
of financial stability, | 0:29:29 | 0:29:32 | |
protecting consumers, easier,
if you had more powers in this area? | 0:29:32 | 0:29:36 | |
I don't think bitcoin is prevalent
enough at the moment to be | 0:29:36 | 0:29:40 | |
a systemic threat in the way that
we've experienced obviously | 0:29:40 | 0:29:44 | |
during the financial
crisis other threats. | 0:29:44 | 0:29:48 | |
It needs watching carefully, but I
don't think it's at that point. | 0:29:48 | 0:29:51 | |
If I thought there was evidence that
people are saying, | 0:29:51 | 0:29:54 | |
"You know what I'm going to put my
pension into, Bitcoin", | 0:29:54 | 0:29:56 | |
I would be very concerned. | 0:29:56 | 0:29:59 | |
Now, we don't see
that at the moment. | 0:29:59 | 0:30:02 | |
Maybe it's part of the big
portfolio, but again, if it is, | 0:30:02 | 0:30:05 | |
it should be done by people who say, | 0:30:05 | 0:30:07 | |
"I don't mind losing all the value
of that piece". | 0:30:07 | 0:30:13 | |
Some people might say the technology
is leaving the regulators behind, | 0:30:13 | 0:30:15 | |
that you're racing to catch up
and you simply don't understand how | 0:30:15 | 0:30:18 | |
that market working. | 0:30:18 | 0:30:20 | |
So there's a whole new technology
which is really about the bitcoin | 0:30:20 | 0:30:22 | |
production and sort
of maintenance process. | 0:30:22 | 0:30:24 | |
Pretty opaque. | 0:30:24 | 0:30:26 | |
Yeah, I mean they are mined. | 0:30:26 | 0:30:29 | |
My understanding is I think
21 million can ever be mined, | 0:30:29 | 0:30:33 | |
and I think possibly something
like 17 odd million have been mined. | 0:30:33 | 0:30:37 | |
So that makes it unusual. | 0:30:37 | 0:30:40 | |
And we'd like to understand that,
so that if it does begin to get | 0:30:40 | 0:30:43 | |
widely used, we've got greater
familiarity with it. | 0:30:43 | 0:30:46 | |
Andrew Bailey, thank you very much. | 0:30:46 | 0:30:50 | |
Thank you, Kamal. | 0:30:50 | 0:30:52 | |
For weeks, the United Nations has
been calling on the Syrian | 0:30:52 | 0:30:55 | |
government to allow those urgently
in need of medical help to leave | 0:30:55 | 0:30:58 | |
the besieged, rebel-held,
strategically important enclave | 0:30:58 | 0:31:01 | |
of Eastern Ghouta near Damascus. | 0:31:01 | 0:31:05 | |
More than 100 of those needing
evacuation are children. | 0:31:05 | 0:31:07 | |
But so far those calls have fallen
on deaf ears and some of those | 0:31:07 | 0:31:10 | |
waiting to leave have now died. | 0:31:10 | 0:31:13 | |
Newsnight has been reporting
on the situation in Eastern Ghouta, | 0:31:13 | 0:31:16 | |
which is growing worse by the day. | 0:31:16 | 0:31:17 | |
Here's Mike Thomson,
and a warning there are distressing | 0:31:17 | 0:31:20 | |
pictures in his piece. | 0:31:20 | 0:31:25 | |
After four years of siege
Eastern Ghouta's health care system | 0:31:27 | 0:31:30 | |
is close to collapse. | 0:31:30 | 0:31:35 | |
And it's the young,
like eight-year-old Rowan, | 0:31:35 | 0:31:36 | |
who are suffering the most. | 0:31:36 | 0:31:42 | |
TRANSLATION: She was born
as a perfectly healthy | 0:31:42 | 0:31:44 | |
child who could walk. | 0:31:44 | 0:31:45 | |
Suddenly, she complained of eye pain
and we rushed her to the doctor. | 0:31:45 | 0:31:48 | |
Doctors took biopsies from her head
and then she fell ill. | 0:31:48 | 0:31:51 | |
Now she's completely paralysed. | 0:31:51 | 0:31:57 | |
Little Rowan has kidney failure,
subcranial haemorrhaging | 0:31:57 | 0:32:00 | |
and cirrhosis of the liver. | 0:32:00 | 0:32:03 | |
Like nearly 12% of other
children here she also has | 0:32:03 | 0:32:06 | |
severe malnutrition. | 0:32:06 | 0:32:08 | |
Yet treatment is out of reach. | 0:32:08 | 0:32:12 | |
TRANSLATION: The road was blocked
and I could no longer | 0:32:12 | 0:32:14 | |
provide her with any medical help. | 0:32:14 | 0:32:16 | |
It all stopped. | 0:32:16 | 0:32:17 | |
Her medical condition
is constantly deteriorating | 0:32:17 | 0:32:18 | |
and she's going from bad to worse. | 0:32:18 | 0:32:24 | |
Starved of medicines and equipment
doctors in Eastern Ghouta can't | 0:32:24 | 0:32:27 | |
treat complex cases. | 0:32:27 | 0:32:31 | |
Yet such care is available,
just a stone's throw away. | 0:32:31 | 0:32:38 | |
TRANSLATION: We need
immediate evacuation. | 0:32:38 | 0:32:39 | |
15 people have died and more
are dying on a daily basis. | 0:32:39 | 0:32:42 | |
People have tumours,
heart deformities and others | 0:32:42 | 0:32:44 | |
requiring surgery. | 0:32:44 | 0:32:46 | |
Their lives could have been saved
had they been given medical help. | 0:32:46 | 0:32:49 | |
We only ask for safe passage
to treat them in Damascus, | 0:32:49 | 0:32:52 | |
which is only a few miles away. | 0:32:52 | 0:32:54 | |
Rama has a very serious condition -
she's unlikely to survive for much | 0:32:54 | 0:32:59 | |
longer but if we had more medical
supplies, drips and pain | 0:32:59 | 0:33:04 | |
killers, we could at least
alleviate her pain. | 0:33:04 | 0:33:12 | |
Four year-old Rama has
cancer of the throat. | 0:33:12 | 0:33:15 | |
Her desperate mother
knows that evacuation | 0:33:15 | 0:33:16 | |
is her daughter's only hope. | 0:33:16 | 0:33:19 | |
Yet the Syrian government
still refuses to allow it. | 0:33:19 | 0:33:25 | |
TRANSLATION: I plead
with all humanitarian organisations | 0:33:25 | 0:33:27 | |
and the entire world, | 0:33:27 | 0:33:30 | |
and anyone who's listening
to us for help. | 0:33:30 | 0:33:32 | |
Help Rama by either allowing us
safe passage to Damascus | 0:33:32 | 0:33:34 | |
or by letting medical aid in. | 0:33:34 | 0:33:42 | |
Some in Eastern Ghouta blame
the outside world for not putting | 0:33:42 | 0:33:45 | |
enough pressure on the Syrian
government, saying organisations | 0:33:45 | 0:33:49 | |
like the UN are more talk
than action, an allegation | 0:33:49 | 0:33:59 | |
that the UN children's charity,
UNICEF, strongly refutes. | 0:34:00 | 0:34:02 | |
We are lobbying very heavily
on the ground on all sides. | 0:34:02 | 0:34:05 | |
We talk to all parties
in order to get access, and | 0:34:05 | 0:34:08 | |
we are preparing. | 0:34:08 | 0:34:09 | |
We have the materials
there, in order to be to | 0:34:09 | 0:34:11 | |
get in and to get
these children out. | 0:34:11 | 0:34:13 | |
But unless we are given
humanitarian access, unless all | 0:34:13 | 0:34:15 | |
sides give us a corridor,
it's going to very difficult for us. | 0:34:15 | 0:34:20 | |
The lives of 137 severely
injured or ill children, | 0:34:20 | 0:34:25 | |
as well as more than 400 adults,
continue to hang in the balance | 0:34:25 | 0:34:30 | |
as they wait, so far
in vain, for evacuation. | 0:34:30 | 0:34:34 | |
And as the bombardments continue,
their numbers look likely to grow. | 0:34:34 | 0:34:42 | |
12-year-old Mukdeen was leaving his
school when a mortar struck, | 0:34:42 | 0:34:46 | |
throwing him to the ground. | 0:34:46 | 0:34:49 | |
Several of his friends were killed
and many more injured. | 0:34:49 | 0:34:53 | |
Young Galeb survived, but only just. | 0:34:53 | 0:34:59 | |
Today's peace talks in Geneva
haven't helped morale. | 0:34:59 | 0:35:01 | |
They ended in failure. | 0:35:01 | 0:35:06 | |
Leaving the lives of those
urgently needing evacuation | 0:35:06 | 0:35:09 | |
in continuing, agonising limbo. | 0:35:09 | 0:35:18 | |
Yesterday an Evening Standard
journalist contacted gal-dem, | 0:35:18 | 0:35:20 | |
an online magazine for black
and Asian women, to ask for help | 0:35:20 | 0:35:23 | |
on writing an article about how
to have a "woke" Christmas. | 0:35:23 | 0:35:29 | |
The word "woke" originates
from African American | 0:35:29 | 0:35:31 | |
activist communities
and the Oxford English Dictionary | 0:35:31 | 0:35:34 | |
defines it as "alert
to racial or social | 0:35:34 | 0:35:36 | |
discrimination and injustice". | 0:35:36 | 0:35:40 | |
The magazine called
the Evening Standard's request | 0:35:40 | 0:35:42 | |
"a classic case of women of colour
being asked to provide their input | 0:35:42 | 0:35:45 | |
and knowledge for free". | 0:35:45 | 0:35:49 | |
But does this argument mean
journalists should be stopped | 0:35:49 | 0:35:51 | |
from asking questions from specific
groups of people? | 0:35:51 | 0:35:55 | |
And should any form of knowledge be
considered intellectual property | 0:35:55 | 0:35:57 | |
that one group owns? | 0:35:57 | 0:36:01 | |
Joining me now are
Charlie Brinkhurst-Cuff, | 0:36:01 | 0:36:03 | |
deputy editor of gal-dem,
and Kenan Malik, contributing | 0:36:03 | 0:36:06 | |
opinion editor at the
International New York Times. | 0:36:06 | 0:36:13 | |
Welcome, both of you. What brought
the response when the e-mail arrived | 0:36:13 | 0:36:23 | |
from the Evening Standard journalist
asking about, he wanted to write | 0:36:23 | 0:36:28 | |
about a woke Christmas? What sparked
the anger? The context is that | 0:36:28 | 0:36:34 | |
gal-dem is an online and print
magazine which is hoping to | 0:36:34 | 0:36:38 | |
challenge the homogenous white media
landscape, because we think it's | 0:36:38 | 0:36:44 | |
important that lots of different
voices and narratives are heard. The | 0:36:44 | 0:36:48 | |
problem with the e-mail is that for
the editor in chief, it was a | 0:36:48 | 0:36:54 | |
tipping point for her. We get asked
to do things like this all the time, | 0:36:54 | 0:37:00 | |
and people use us in a very
tokenistic way, as a voice of | 0:37:00 | 0:37:05 | |
diversity. And I think she just had
enough, really. And she was upset | 0:37:05 | 0:37:11 | |
with the fact that instead of
leading the narrative, we were just | 0:37:11 | 0:37:14 | |
being commentators. We want to be
the people running the show, running | 0:37:14 | 0:37:20 | |
things like Newsnight in future. You
are quite welcome to do that! Wasn't | 0:37:20 | 0:37:28 | |
he just a journalist trying to find
things out, which is what | 0:37:28 | 0:37:32 | |
journalists do? Yes, I appreciate
that, but I think you have to look | 0:37:32 | 0:37:37 | |
at the context in which he was
finding it out. This is a white male | 0:37:37 | 0:37:42 | |
journalist writing about a topic he
is not comfortable on. I don't know | 0:37:42 | 0:37:47 | |
whether he challenged his editors on
whether or not he should be writing | 0:37:47 | 0:37:50 | |
the piece, but a lot of the time
people don't. It's important to | 0:37:50 | 0:37:54 | |
remember sometimes that a writer
from gal-dem might be better writing | 0:37:54 | 0:37:59 | |
on a specific topic than the
features writer at the Evening | 0:37:59 | 0:38:02 | |
Standard. We throw around the words
cultural appropriation. Is a | 0:38:02 | 0:38:09 | |
journalist asking for help from a
group of people to write about it | 0:38:09 | 0:38:13 | |
himself, if he is not of that group,
is that cultural appropriation? No. | 0:38:13 | 0:38:19 | |
And I am not sure that Charlie is
saying that. We all get these kind | 0:38:19 | 0:38:26 | |
of requests, journalists who want to
use your knowledge for their ends. | 0:38:26 | 0:38:30 | |
Sometimes it is a genuine request
for information, sometimes lazy | 0:38:30 | 0:38:34 | |
journalism from people who can't be
bothered to do the research | 0:38:34 | 0:38:36 | |
themselves. It's not necessarily a
racial thing. I had a senior BBC | 0:38:36 | 0:38:44 | |
News journalist, non-white, I will
not say more than that, whose | 0:38:44 | 0:38:49 | |
researcher phoned me and said he is
writing a book about | 0:38:49 | 0:38:54 | |
multiculturalism and once a chapter
about Bradford. He doesn't know much | 0:38:54 | 0:38:58 | |
about the place. Can I interview you
to get information? So it is not a | 0:38:58 | 0:39:04 | |
racial or a cultural issue, it's a
question of lazy journalism, | 0:39:04 | 0:39:10 | |
sometimes unethical journalism. What
is cultural appropriation? Is there | 0:39:10 | 0:39:14 | |
an issue there, which maybe this was
not a reflection of, with people | 0:39:14 | 0:39:19 | |
writing about groups they are not
of? I think the problem is to see | 0:39:19 | 0:39:25 | |
some of these issues as cultural
appropriation. Cultural | 0:39:25 | 0:39:28 | |
appropriation is usually defined as
the use of cultural forms from other | 0:39:28 | 0:39:33 | |
cultures without permission. I think
that is problematic the two reasons. | 0:39:33 | 0:39:40 | |
One, because there is no such as
cultural ownership. None of us has | 0:39:40 | 0:39:46 | |
ownership of particular cultural
forms. The second question is, who | 0:39:46 | 0:39:51 | |
gives permission, who is it that
licenses someone from one culture to | 0:39:51 | 0:39:54 | |
use in whatever way cultural forms
from another culture? So the notion | 0:39:54 | 0:40:01 | |
of cultural appropriation is
problematic. You wrote in the | 0:40:01 | 0:40:05 | |
Guardian that white people should
leave writing about issues of being | 0:40:05 | 0:40:13 | |
woke to black people. Is there a way
that non-lack or Asian journalists | 0:40:13 | 0:40:20 | |
can write about issues that are
about black and Asian people? I | 0:40:20 | 0:40:26 | |
think that might have been the
headline, which I didn't write, | 0:40:26 | 0:40:29 | |
actually. I trust that a lot of
journalists out there do their | 0:40:29 | 0:40:35 | |
research and are well versed in
issues around being woke and other | 0:40:35 | 0:40:38 | |
things. In this specific incident,
this journalist did not feel | 0:40:38 | 0:40:43 | |
comfortable writing on this topic
and so should not have been doing | 0:40:43 | 0:40:47 | |
it, or else why did he reach out to
us in the way that he did? Who are | 0:40:47 | 0:40:52 | |
the gatekeepers of a group's
identity and who can write about it? | 0:40:52 | 0:40:59 | |
People who license themselves to be
gatekeepers, who licensed themselves | 0:40:59 | 0:41:03 | |
to say that certain things are
allowed and certain cultural forms | 0:41:03 | 0:41:06 | |
can be used in certain ways by other
people. It is deeply problematic. | 0:41:06 | 0:41:13 | |
Certain people license themselves to
be the arbiter of the good use of | 0:41:13 | 0:41:15 | |
cultural forms. They then get the
power. What is being appropriated is | 0:41:15 | 0:41:21 | |
not culture but their rights to
police cultural forms. Thank you. | 0:41:21 | 0:41:26 | |
That's all for this evening. | 0:41:26 | 0:41:27 | |
Kirsty's here tomorrow. | 0:41:27 | 0:41:28 | |
But before we go, Charlie Chaplin's
family have written an open letter | 0:41:28 | 0:41:31 | |
asking for London's Cinema Museum
to be saved. | 0:41:31 | 0:41:33 | |
It's in the former Lambeth workhouse
where the great man once lived. | 0:41:33 | 0:41:36 | |
They argue that it was
an inspiration to his genius. | 0:41:36 | 0:41:38 | |
And what genius it was. | 0:41:38 | 0:41:42 | |
Here's his first film appearance
as "the little tramp" in 1914. | 0:41:42 | 0:41:44 | |
Good night. | 0:41:44 | 0:41:46 | |
MUSIC: The Entertainer
by Scott Joplin | 0:41:48 | 0:41:58 |