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U13912239

Listed below are comments made by U13912239 between Saturday, 2nd May 2009 and Tuesday, 5th May 2009.

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Democracy, the Arab world and the West 11:24am on 05 May 2009 Mr. Lustig:

What format could be used to overcome the soundbyte assertions of partisans?

The history of Iran since 1950 is exactly a case in point, as would be the history of Egypt over a similar period.

Perhaps a series of discussions, with only two participants each, could develop the salient arguments?

The BBC needs to have something closer to an essay or lecture format to go into an issue in depth.
Jones looking for Pakistani nuclear certainty 05:36am on 05 May 2009 The proliferation of nuclear weapons is inevitable.

How is the World to learn to live with this fact?

What changes need to be made in our approach to international relations?

Are our mentalities too many thousand years behind our technologies?

How much time do we have left in which to get smart?
Fixing the Have Your Say fault 4:14pm on 04 May 2009 1. Most of us may be unrealistic and naïve concerning HYS and WHYS and this particular thread.

2. If you read the rules carefully, you will see that those who wrote the rules may publish only what they please and may release your personal data to whomever they wish.

3. Specifics of the actions of WHYS management have been suppressed
on this thread. However, almost any action is within the rules of 2 above.

4. The bloc "recommendations" on HYS are evidence of the abuse of a systemic weakness. Perhaps a more responsible level of management may ask why it is continued.

5. The question about continuing WHYS and or HYS and the form and management that any such continuation should have are matters that should be addressed by a higher level of BBC management. If this is not done, the inevitable exposure will redact to the detriment of the BBC.
Is Brown's Afghanistan strategy too broad? 11:17am on 04 May 2009 #19 Delightful, Hercule!!
Democracy, the Arab world and the West 11:05am on 04 May 2009 Kudos to Mr. Lustig for approaching an important and difficult topic!

Are Kuwait and Quatar representative of the "Arab World", and is a passing Western female in a good position to understand what is going on?

In attempting to get a handle on the prevalent ideology, I find a wide spectrum of ideas, of ideologies, all under the umbrella of a proclaimed Islam.

One reductionist truth is the dictatorships are easier for the USA to manage. This augments the exploitation by the ruling classes. The university students then agitate for what they believe was the ideal state in the past and call for Sha'ria law with a just ruler guided by the ullama.

If one studies in detail Iran since 1950, most of the problems and vectors become evident.

If one studies Egypt during the same period, a different reaction to Western governmental influences is evident.

This would be a great topic for the thinking pundits of the BBC, but it is too complex to be handled in soundbytes.
Fixing the Have Your Say fault 09:00am on 04 May 2009 From the bulk of the foregoing comments, it should be clear that HYS and WHYS share common problems.

If it is genuinely desired to tabulate "public opinion", then the format is grossly unsuitable.

If it is desired to channel and filter what is purported to be "public opinion", then the present system seems well designed for that purpose.
By imagining how a Communist cell might operate in management with certain collaborators in the "public", one can see how susceptible the present system is that sort of manipulation.

A possible course of corrective action would be to dissolve both HYS and WHYS and to establish a "Letters" function. Meaningful letters could be featured.

For those who think tabulation of response is meaningful, then the response to selected letters could be tabulated. Real print journalists are well-acquainted with the ethics of such editorial journalism and the management could be selected from those with such editorial page experience.
Is Brown's Afghanistan strategy too broad? 6:33pm on 03 May 2009 The point is missed: troops will not and cannot kill off the hostiles.

What is required is the the locals get the capability to have their own government.

This applies to both AF and PAK.
Fixing the Have Your Say fault 1:33pm on 03 May 2009 43. At 09:31am on 03 May 2009, TrueToo wrote:
"..
Those who have followed HYS from the beginning will know that a number of improvements were made over the years, for example the "Comments Recommended" facility was introduced at a later stage and vastly improved the openness of HYS with the ability of registered members of the public to express their opinions by recommending comments even when their own comments were not published."

The "recommendation" is, indeed, a useful facility for the organized clique to exploit, with the connivance of the WHYS management. A particular number of posters, the number scarcely varying, will "recommend" a post- one that is invariably very pro-Israel. These two characteristics: the constant number and the pro-Israel issue, identify the block.

Naturally, one who "knows WHYS pretty well" will be well aware of and in favor of this ploy.

Again, such practices are so entrenched in WHYS that only a change in management or a dissolution of the program can remedy the situation, before the rest of the BBC is tarnished by it.
Fixing the Have Your Say fault 12:52pm on 03 May 2009 Note that comments #45 and #48 have been "referred to the moderators" at
10:54 and at 11:46 on 3 May, respectively.

Let us follow their fate and inquire whether weekend moderation is accomplished by the same personnel as daily moderation.

The key to clean up is responsibility and avoidance of annonymity.
Is Brown's Afghanistan strategy too broad? 09:21am on 02 May 2009 # 15

It does seem that the idea of supporting Pakistan with 1.5 billion dollars a year over five years reflects the intent to bolster the normal civil population.

Downplayed facts include: the concern of the Pakistan military with the threat of India and the consequent support for the AQ as a counter force to Indian strength and the fact that nearly everyone is Pakistan is said to hate the USA.

Obviously these are diplomatic and civil challenges.

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