The Ukraine… Is it Really Over?

Anybody who’s been keeping tabs on the situation in the Ukraine at the moment will have noticed that things have finally come to a standstill. What does this mean for the future of the country considering its larger problems?

Over the course of the weekend it seems that the leaders of the Ukraine have finally come to an accord. The president was kicked out, the protesters have stopped marching and elections have been called for May.

It would seem that the situation has finally settled. However Oliver Rawlings readers I would argue that this is part of recurring problems that elections aren’t going to solve.

Ukraine has been in this position before, multiple times. I would argue that in order to solve the problem for good we need to go deeper than just calling for another election. We need to look at the basic cultural divide that haunts the Ukraine and has done for decades.

The Ukraine for a long time was either under direct Russian control or a client state of the much larger nation. Indeed for most of its life it was either a part of the Russian Empire or the Soviet Union. However the west of the Ukraine has been, at other points in its history, Polish, Austrian, Hungarian etc.

This means that there’s a basic cultural divide in the country, indeed this divide is what led to the clash in the first place. The protests were sparked by the Russian friendly government after they turned down a trade deal with the EU in favour of closer ties with Putin’s autocracy.

This is what sparked the riots. People in the East rely on Russia and when they threatened to pull away trade, the government had to protect their interests. However the people in the west of the Ukraine were hoping that EU trade deals would bring living standards more in line with those enjoyed in the west.

This is a problem that runs deeper. What will happen in May is that the Ukraine will most likely elect a EU friendly government, then things will be quiet for a time before they make a decision that’s unpopular with the other half of the country. The merry-go round goes round and round as it were.

The nation needs to address this cultural divide if it ever hopes to survive. Should it even survive?  I’m guessing that this may be a question those in the Ukraine ask themselves in the coming days and months.

Read More

The Internet Block: Was There Even Any Point?

The British government put a new scheme blocking certain websites from being accessed into place which officially began on 1^st January 2014. A month later and people are already up in arms about what this ban is doing to their right to surf the net. With this in mind we ask was there any point in the first place?

Have you encountered this ban Oliver Rawlings readers? The chances are that you will; the funny thing is that unless you’re a regular viewer of illicit websites (not judging if you do) then you shouldn’t have.

So this brings up the question, if you don’t view these websites then why are you coming up to banned webpages. It was never meant to actually be this way; however it looks like the people who have carried out this policy have made some mistakes.

The policy was brought in by the coalition government to curb access to porn. Basically Cameron introduced legislation that required internet providers to block porn and other controversial websites. However there’s more to the policy.

Naturally the ban was put in place to protect children; they’re too young to legally be viewing such content anyway. However many have argued that it’s a sort of shaming device. This is because you have to contact the internet provider to have the ban removed.

However it’s had unintended consequences. This ban was only supposed to effect websites with content viewed as a risk. However ever since the ban has been put into place, it has effected a whole host of websites that nobody could ever consider harmful.

It’s blocked access to harmless sites such as the BBC and there’s another unintended consequence. It’s blocking access to sites that provide help and education such as sex education websites and LGBT rights websites.

It’s clear to see how this has happened; these types of sites, whilst not gratuitous, do have content that is in some way linked to adult issues. However it’s clear that there are people out there who need access to these types of websites to get the type of information they need to make sure they stay safe.

So in this way the ban hasn’t worked. Would it ever have done really? I can see where David Cameron was coming from; however blocking these sites is a violation of freedom of speech, even if it is a somewhat minimal one. Should we ever be encouraging a restriction to freedom of speech in a democratic society?

So Oliver Rawlings readers it’s not a question I’ve got an answer to. What is clear is that the current system definitely isn’t working and it needs to be reformed. Only time will tell where it all goes from here. 

Read More

It’s Coming Up: Valentines

February has officially dawned, Oliver Rawlings readers and with it comes that most loved up of hallmark holiday, Valentine’s Day. How should you handle the day of hearts and flowers?

There’s a reason that they call it the ultimate hallmark holiday; that’s because it most certainly is. The corporations of the retail world come together to convince you that your relationship will be unable to survive unless you buy the most expensive item on the list.

I can only speak from my own experience readers, but doesn’t this kind of negate the whole point of Valentines? This may seem odd but keep up with me here.

If you go around splashing the cash then it makes sense that eventually this is going to eat into your bank balance. If your bank balance only has a certain amount (like with most people) then eventually it’s going to drain it if your partner has particularly expensive taste.

Doesn’t this go against the very idea of a relationship?  Money is one of the most common problems in this country and statistically it is one of the most common causes of stress. Stress can actually have physical side effects such as high blood pressure. These are bad for your health.

Why would someone who loves you (or at least cares for you very much) want to put you in that position? At the end of the day your health should matter to them more than whatever you’ve bought them.

I’m not saying don’t spend any money; sometimes if you have a great idea that you know will appeal to your partner, you might need some cash to carry it out.  However when it comes to Valentine’s I believe that there should be one guiding principle; it’s the thought that counts.

This brings up a more central point about the Valentine’s Day phenomenon; it’s about showing you care. Spending nothing and writing a poem with your deepest feelings in it can be just as, if not more effective than buying a diamond bracelet. It’s a day about love so how about actually communicating that love.

Valentine’s Day really is the ultimate hallmark holiday and that’s not always necessarily a bad thing. When it comes down to it Oliver Rawlings readers, concentrate on the intention behind the gift rather than the price tag it carries. 

Read More