Roberts Bogus Journey!

Today was most non-triumphant! *sigh*

My grand re-entry to University was dashed by bureaucratic incompetence and a lazy Webmaster. Firstly, the Access pack that was promised last week had still not arrived by this morning. I was hoping for some detail about what I should be doing with regards to enrolling and meetings with my Advisor of Studies but alas, nothing. My pursuit of clarity was further hindered by the revelation that the woman in charge of such procedure is in Glasgow today, but she will be back tomorrow. I found the Convener for the Summer School I attended there in the summer. He told me to just start classes as normal and everything would be sorted out in time and that brings me to the second annoyance.

The Campus website has .pdf files of the Semester Timetables that they state are "Drafts and subject to change". However, you'd think that on the day before/morning of the first day of the new semester they would have posted updated timetables, especially since they had classes down for today! YAY! In at 10am to find answers, leave at 12.45pm when meeting with Philosophy lecturer reveals that the advertised 1pm class is actually a 2pm class on Tuesday!

I suppose its a good thing though, because I did get a good walk and an absolutely welcome cup of hot chocolate. I also read a few good articles in the... damn, what paper was I reader? Either the Guardian or the Daily Express. I cant be quite sure. One was about Jeff Stelling taking over at Countdown, another about "Bitch Culture" amongst British Schoolgirls and the last about one of the newspapers correspondents in Gaza, who wrote the article while under fire and amongst tens of thousands of Palestinians displaced by Israel and their disproportionate assault on Gaza. His wife is pregnant and they had to leave their home in the night because the bombing got closer and closer until it was too dangerous to stay.

I don't really know what to think about this whole Israel/Gaza conflict. I'm hardly learned about the finer points of the arguments from both sides I cant help but form what are undoubtedly opinions influenced by the press. Its easy to feel sorry for the Palestinians in both Gaza and the West Bank. Considering my own Scottish history, I'm inclined to support to a degree the Palestinian cause. A Small nation of people supressed by a richer, more powerful neighbour. While suicide and rocket attacks against civilians are a tactic I don't condone, I can understand that these people who take a stand feel like caged dogs and this is their only way of fighting. Gaza has been under seige by Israel for years and its energy and food supplies at at the mercy of Israel.

Even in this heightened conflict, Israel is limiting Humanitarian aid to the area. Foreign journalists aren't allowed entry, they say for their own safety, but its plainly obvious that Israel does not want the world to know of any horrors unfolding there. They release their own propaganda videos. "The Israeli military says it is operating within humanitarian law and takes all possible steps to minimise civilian casualties." But then there have been accusations of using civilians as human shields and a projected 270 children dead amongst 450 civilian Palestinians. I can't, of course, deny the allegations of Hamas fighters also using human shields. Using school and medical centres as bases of attack, and my support of their cause falls due to it. Israels use of force should be universally condemned but with the USA seemingly happy to let Israel continue, there is no end close to Military Operations. This is where the EU should flex their muscle and influence on the region and become a viable, unified force in International politics.

My understanding of the history of the greater conflict is not the best. Whether its as simple as Muslims fighting Jews, people fighting for a better life, or whether Israels acquisition of the land was legal or not, I don't know. What I see now in 2009, however, is an Industrial 1st World nation in Israel, funded by the USA and laden with all the most powerful weapons overreacting against mostly insignificant rocket attacks by a 3rd World, crippled strip of land in Gaza. Israel wants to be taken seriously in the world and be seen as a mature state. They should heed International calls to stop.

Britain should take Israel to the side and give them a good talking to about dealing with "terrorists". We fought terrorism and bombings from Irish Republicans for decades, eventually came to ceasefire and improved relations. Apart from the odd murder and beating, Religious violence in Northern Ireland is usually only found in Glasgow, Scotland at Football matches! Daft, I know. Now the old Terrorist leaders are in office in a Devolved Northern Irish Assembly, power sharing with the Loyalists. A member of the Metallica Message board I post at described what would have happened if it was Israel in charge of Britain's effort against Irish Terrorism, Embersfire - "I suspect that if the Israelis had been dealing with Northern Ireland they would have reduced Belfast to rubble, bombed Dublin, and invaded the South."

Again I'd like to point out that my opinions are based on things I've read in the newspapers and read from discussion on blogs and boards (with references provided in most cases - usually to Internet versions of newspapers!) More research is needed, indeed. But if anything I've said seems absolutely stupid and you take issue, please talk to me and explain where I'm blatantly wrong.