In a French heatwave thebattle for change in Iran heats up
I’VE just been to France for the weekend in what was said to be their hottest day of the year so far covering a peace summit organised by the Iranian opposition in exile, the NCRI – not the first time I’ve been to one of their events, but possibly the hottest in every way.
There seemed to be a new mood of optimism around the gathering that the exiled group, led by Maryam Rajavi, may make progress in their bid to end the theocracy that holds a very tight grip on their citizens, and thinks nothing of frequently executiing those who stray out of line.
Police in Paris cancelled the rally on Saturday citing security fears, including a bomb threat – nobody I spoke to believed the claim and a fairly large number or Iranians did turn out for the march, but had a run-in with French police.
The actual meeting took place on the outskirts of Paris, without the demonstrators, and speech after speech condemned the mullahs who govern – or terrorise Iran.
Among the many speakers was former UK defence secretary Liam Fox, who said there will be no peace in Iran as long the country’s current regime remains in place, telling the gathering that a ceasefire in the country “is not a conclusion, but a pause”.
He said the cause of the conflict lay solely with the regime in Tehran: “It is a depraved, murderous and barbaric group, drugged by its own perverted ideology and willing to use any means possible to maintain its bloody grip on power.”
The West had no cause to think that the wolf may lose its teeth, but never its appetite.
“Thousands of people died in Iran, Lebanon, Israel, and the Gulf Arab states, and millions were displaced across the region. No part of the Middle East has escaped, Fox told the Free Iran International Summit, that it had never been simply a regional conflict as the moment Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz, it drove up oil prices “in every economy on earth”.
He said the reopening of the strait under the US memo of understanding (MOU) with Iran had offered some relief, adding: “Energy disruptions of this magnitude do not reverse overnight.
The world has been reminded brutally of its dependence on a narrow waterway … What an easy weapon they have.
“They must be told now, unequivocally, no right of blockade, no right to fees, no breaking of international maritime law and the international community must be willing to face down the challenge by international force if necessary or face anarchy on the high seas.”
Fox said the suffering of ordinary Iranians was constantly overlooked: “They didn’t choose their supreme leader, they didn’t choose their nuclear program, they didn’t choose the regime’s decades of confrontation with the West, but sadly, they are paying the price for it.
“The conflict triggered rapid leadership transition and internal instability while civilians experienced mass displacements, infrastructure damage, internet blackouts, and severe restrictions of daily life with reports of deteriorating humanitarian conditions, increased oppression, and limited access to basic services.
“And, worst of all, the inhuman programme of executions by the regime has continued as the world watches. Young lives snuffed out to send a political message.”
Donald Trump had called on the Iranian opposition to take over the government, a decision that was for summit organisers the NCRI to make.
And Fox had a final message: “Please let’s stop talking about the Iranian regime as some sorts of religious authority.
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Even to call them religious extremists gives them some of the legitimacy that they crave. for theirs is religion without decency … tolerance, mercy, compassion, the love of their fellow men and women, it is not religion at all.”
Rajavi told the gathering: “We are not seeking to seize power. We are prepared to transfer power from the tyrannies of the Shah and the Mullahs to its rightful owners – the people of Iran.
“After 61 years of struggle this is the noblest summit and the highest aspiration before us.”
Password posers, prime ministerial problems and the pernicious right
YOU know that feeling when you’ve written down all your usernames and passwords in some sort of code and haven’t needed to log in for a while and spent hours decoding your own scribblings?
Well, that’s what I’ve been doing for the past couple of days, despite using a decent password manager. But I hadn’t used it for so long that I forgot the app’s password and I couldn’t transcribe it from any of my scribblings.
The waters have been muddied to a significant extent with biometrics – facial and fingerprint recognition are (I think) a great idea, but they do tend to make me lazy.
Every so often they’ll ask you to insert your password before letting you into a site or program and, if you’re not a regular user you can find yourself stumped.
I’ve been doing a bit of travelling since last year and only took my phone with me. That was all hunky dory until the biometrics stopped working and websites and mail accounts started asking me to insert my passwords.
Cue something just short of panic as I was locked out of various accounts before being prompted to change all their passwords. That done I was back in the wired world, but for the past few months I’ve been through a similar process with all the accounts I didn’t use with the iPhone.
I think they’ve all been sorted now – until the next travel time.
Aside from my password posers, something that I find more worrying is the rise of the pernicious right in our domestic politics. Initially I saw this as an English phenomenon, but the Scottish elections disabused me of that notion, along with the baying mob that previously mounted a demonstration outside a hotel in Falkirk housing some asylum seekers.
I never thought we’d witness the spectacle of Farage’s mob of shaven-headed, knuckle dragging goons taking their place in Holyrood.
It’s also worrying to see right-wing violence spreading across these isles with minorities the victims of the thugs.
What about Andy Burnham though – from Greater Manchester to Downing Street?
Let’s face it, almost anyone would be more effective as PM than the hapless Keir Starmer.
I’ve rarely witnessed someone so very publicly out of his depth as Starmer, who doesn’t/can’t answer the simplest of questions without a blank look as his brain cells go into overdrive.
By contrast, I’ve been watching Burnham in interviews and on panel shows and he is a very credible operator.
Even people in Makerfield who are not his natural supporters appear united in the view that he will win the seat.
I wonder how long Starmer will last in No 10 after next week’s poll?