Global Perspectives

From Feb 3rd-7th I joined a parliamentary delegation visiting the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) headed by Lord Alton and Baroness Cox. Here is my daily account: Feb 3rd As we touched down in North Korea, the landscape appeared barren and brown. Although the sun was shining, the lakes were frozen over as a result of minus 13 degree conditions the week before. From the plane you could see small silhouettes of people skating on the ice.　However, my concerns over a frosty reception were allayed when we were met on the tarmac by an enthusiastic welcoming committee, including the DPRK Ambassador. We were ushered into the VIP lounge in which we exchanged pleasantries. After a few minutes, we were asked to hand over our mobile phones。 Although not unexpected, this was a reality check for me。 With my digital umbilical chord temporarily severed, I was driven to our hotel in a brown 1960s Mercedes. Its beige seats and flannel covered steering wheel were symbolic of the...

Feb 4th The first full day started with a visit to the birth place of North Korea's Great Leader. Born in the woods around Pyongyang, Kim Il Sung had gone on to liberate Korea from the Japanese in 1945. Although his son Kim Jong Il has taken power since his death in 1994, Kim Il Sung is still considered the immortal leader of North Korea and is revered by all who live in the North. We left the woodlands to attend a meeting with DPRK ambassador. He expressed real sadness that relations with South Korea had deteriorated badly in recent months and at one point said 'there is no telling how bad this situation can get – our soldiers are angry and indignant'. A new harder line government has won power in the South and is now insisting on new conditions before engaging. For the North, this is seen as reneging on previous bi-lateral agreements and an act of provocation by the South. The second meeting followed soon after with the business sector. These 9 men responsible for ru...

Feb 5th In the morning we went to see the body of Kim Il Sung lying in state. This is not the place to describe what one sees there – suffice to say that it will remain with me for many years to come. We left the mausoleum for the more enlivened environment of Kim Il Sung University. We were welcomed to an excellent English class where a dynamic teacher was instructing a very attentive class. Of course we had to take our turn in addressing the class but it was refreshing to see the students eagerness to learn and enthusiasm to absorb as much information as possible. If students were like this in the UK, the teaching profession would be dream vocation. After lunch we had a meeting with the highest ranking member of the authorities on our itinerary - the Speaker at the Supreme People's Assembly. He had a calm presence and kind eyes and carried a statesmanlike air about him. He welcomed us warmly although repeated the credo about building up a powerful and prosperous nation and ...

Feb 6th We finished our time in North Korea with a visit to the beautiful mountains North of Pyongyang. We visited a museum - perhaps the only one in the world - which contains hundreds of gifts from the leaders of nations who wanted to honour the life of the late Kim Il Sung. Gifts from a list of leaders including Stalin, Tito, Mugabe, Honeker, Chairman Mao, Castro, Ceausescu were a sobering reminder of the lure of totalitarianism that defined the last century. We took the opportunity to visit churches – Protestant, Catholic and Orthodox which are starting to emerge – and we impressed upon those we met the importance of allowing religious liberty to prevail. Some progress has been made in terms of them being able to build new buildings which was positive. The priests we did meet talked enthusiastically about their congregations though clearly allegiance to Kim Jung Il is a prerequisite for all in North Korea. It wasn't clear how easy it is for ordinary citizens to practice...

By the time I completed my third and final day volunteering at Crisis, I was starting to develop my own ideas about how the day centre could be run... Some of the guests had expressed unhappiness at management’s insistence that guests showered before they were able to take advantage of the massage services on offer. I agreed and took this up with some of the ‘green badge’ supervisors. It seemed altogether the wrong message that we considered guests to be in some way unclean – especially as some of the guests were cleaner than the volunteers! My many hours on security had also convinced me that we needed to take a harder line on preventing alcohol into the centre. The day before (Christmas Day) the police had arrived as trouble started to brew between guests. It was all drink related and I thought that was entirely preventable with a zero tolerance approach to allowing alcohol onto the premises. But given that this was my last day, I thought I better concentrate my efforts on engagi...

When Obama launched his presidential campaign 22 months ago in Chicago, Illinois – he borrowed an expression from Martin Luther King when he talked about the ‘ fierce urgency of now’ . Despite only being a senator for little more than 2 years, Obama didn't wait to be invited to apply for the most influential job in the world. His sense was that he could not afford to wait - not due of personal ambition - but because of his conviction that the world desperately needs a new breed of leadership which calls out the good latent in the human heart. Despite his audacious belief that he was the man to do it, that sense of urgency that has propelled Obama – beyond all expectations - to become the 44th President of the United States of America. Obama’s victory is a game changing moment in history. Certainly, on the issue of race, we have taken a huge step forward. It exposes the poverty of equality of other nations. The UK's wretched record on involving ethnic minorities at the top t...

The Statue of Liberty is the only statue in the world to represent an idea and not a person, apparently. So said our softly spoken guide (whose white wavy hair and furrowed brow reminded me of Brookes, the old librarian lag from Shawshank Redemption - minus the pet raven). The statue was given by the French on October 28th, 1886 to commemorate the centennial of the American Declaration of Independance and has come to personify what New York is all about. The famous torch made of 22 carot gold - a reflection of the undying pursuit of freedom, the robe, a symbol of liberty and integrity, the seven points of the crown symbolising the seven seas of the world, the book held in the statue's left hand represents bill of rights which underpins the US constitution and the Roman numerals on the book read 'July 4th 1776' - reminding us of the founding father's vision to build a new nation based on the ideal of democracy. Today, New York means so many different things to people; Jo...

On February 16th, 1977 – days before I was born – one of my great heroes was killed by one the 20th century’s most notorious despots. Archbishop Janani Luwum led the Anglican church in Uganda in the mid 1970s at the height of Idi Amin’s brutal reign. During Amin’s seven year rule from 1971, Amin killed thousands and forced millions more (mostly ethnic Indians) to flee Uganda. Luwum was one of the few not to be quieted by Amin’s intimidation. He found the courage to preach a message love while Amin practised his politics of hate. In spite of the grave risks, Luwum openly exhorted people to follow Christ in defying tyranny, standing up against evil and speaking the truth. Eventually, he was accused of treason and was arrested and put on military trial. Before the trial could take place, Luwum disappeared. It was later verified that Luwum was forced into a confession of guilt, was beaten, abused and eventually shot – his bullet riven body was thrown from a speeding car. While Amin pretend...

If you ever find yourself in the eastern jungles of Burma, you will see hundreds of humanitarian teams seeking to bring help, hope and love to internally displaced ethnic groups. You will also notice that many of the teams risking their lives to venture illegally inside Burma are wearing a green T-shirt. Af first glance, it may look just like a standard army apparel. It is not. It is a Free Burma Ranger shirt. The people wearing those shirts are living the meaning of this poem: Love each other Unite for freedom, justice and peace Forgive and don’t hate each other Pray with faith, act with courage Never surrender As mission statements go, this one isn't bad.

I went to church today. I sneaked into the back so as not to be noticed. It was cold. I knew no-one. I hadn't been for months but I wanted to be there. Nothing spectacular happened. No visions of Christ, no revelation. Yet I did find something. I found that I am closer to the person I want to be when I am bowed in reverence and prayer. I cannot shake this desire to commune with God. Although I have become more sophisticated (so i think), still the green shoots of spiritual longing appear from between the concrete cracks of my soul. I have to nurture those shoots to be fully alive. If I don’t, one day they will disappear. For me, spiritual growth is the willingness to reflect on my life and have the courage to change. We cannot change ourselves or the world without this. Fundamentalist religion is the opposite of spirituality. Dogma replaces the vulnerability of opening yourself to the light and love of God. Yet we all get stuck. Decision by decision. Compromise after compromise, su...

Cohen Mark Rowland arrived on December 10th 2007 (the 58th anniversary of establishment of the UN convention of human rights). He is a diamond, a dude, an absolute star! 1. Entering parenthood is more fun than I imagined. 2. Even young babies are talented – Cohen can pee in his own ear! 3. Patience is a virtue I wished I had practised more frequently. 4. That having a child is like following Brighton FC – its a life-long obsession. 5. Humour can be found in every moment – if you have the eyes to see it 6. Sleep is for the weak…. and I am weak. 7. The ability to invade another’s personal space, at will, is a great joy! 8. Routine is a good friend – it gives you in some semblance of control. 9. Nothing prepares you for the moment you first set eyes on your very own. 10. That mothers are saints. It is a skilled role and I am fortunate to be married to one of the very best…