Weekly Briefing
Good Afternoon, here is all you need to know from the last week of news and opinion …
21st July 2017
The Week’s Top Headlines
China Is The One To Stop North Korea’s Deadly Regime by Matthew Jaffrey
The North Korean Crisis, is an extremely complex scenario and there is certainly no quick fix. However, the best and most likely route to success is undoubtedly for China to pressurise Pyongyang through diplomatic means and economic sanctions. China is North Korea’s largest trading partner, accounting for 90 per cent of their trade and 100 per cent of its aviation fuel. This gives China unparalleled influence over North Korea, exemplified in 2003 when their sanctions forced North Korea to come to the negotiating table
Why British Democracy Needs A Good Kick Up The A**E by Matt Gillow
It’s clear, then, that there are still barriers to political engagement that we need to bring down. One is education. Thousands, through little fault of their own, barely know the bare minimum about our politicians and our institutions. One remarkable stat claimed that Tim Farron, currently leader of (arguably) the third largest party in the UK, was only known to half of the population. Another barrier is disillusionment. For too many, Westminster is distant and irrelevant — it doesn’t understand them, and they don’t understand it. Politics seems stuck in the nineteenth century.
Louise Haigh, Labour member of Parliament and Shadow Policing Minister, wrote to me recently that:
‘An opt-out electoral register would give everyone the chance to take part in democracy without having to jump through hoops and worry about deadlines’.
Entrepreneurs That Will Inspire You To Act On That Brainwave! by Shout Out UK
Every now and again you may come up with a brainwave that you feel could make you or your business millions of dollars. The idea may seem like the best idea anyone has ever come up with, but after careful consideration of the duties you need to carry out to get the idea into action, you may decide not to act on the notion, and abandon it. Others may choose to put a plan down and start working towards their ultimate goal.
From the conception of social media to children’s toys, have a look at these entrepreneurs who have made a lot of money by acting on what was initially just an idea.
See how Mark Zuckerberg and others have converted their dreams and ideas into reality and a lot of money.
Quote of the Day
‘Words are, in my not-so-humble opinion, our most inexhaustible source of magic. Capable of both inflicting injury, and remedying it’ — J.K. Rowling, the quote was spoken by Dumbledore in Harry Potter.
On This Day … in 1998
After eight years of attrition, the Iran-Iraq War ends with Iran’s Ayatollah Khomeini announcing he is prepared, reluctantly, to accept the UN Security Council’s Resolution 598 that lays out terms of the ceasefire. By now, nearly three million are dead or injured and millions more homeless.
Shout Out Social
From Our Correspondents …
Erik Green
My Exclusive Interview with @LuisAlvarodoMa. To be released online soon. Here is a sneak peek. click here
Patrick Ireland and Matteo Bergamini
Shout Out UK are about to begin production on their next short film: a mockumentary-drama on homelessness.
Homelessness is one of the most significant issues facing modern Britain. Indeed, according to recent statistics, there are more than 6,000 people living on the streets of London alone.
Moreover, homeless people are often thought of as being lazy, criminal or drug addicts — but this just ISN’T the case. And that’s what this new film aims to challenge!
The Director tells the story of a young filmmaker’s desperate attempts to make a ‘serious’ documentary on homelessness. However, things rapidly spiral out of control in this powerful comedy with a social heart and important moral message.
Written and directed by Patrick Ireland, a graduate of the London Film School, and produced by Matteo Bergamini; the film will be the duo’s third cinematic collaboration after the success of previous projects, Anonymous: A Million Men (2015) and One in a Million (2016).
What‘s happening today??
In Politics …
- Parliament has now entered recess and will not return until September
In Sport …
- It is Stage 19 in the Tour de France, which is 138.3 miles long and will see the cyclists move out of the Alps and towards the Mediterranean on the longest stage of the race
- The UEFA Women’s Euros will continue with Group B in action: Sweden vs. Russia and Germany vs. Italy
Read of the Week … by Shivani Govindia
Poor Government Policy Is Failing 700,000 People With Autism
The Latest from our offices
When Truth Is Dangerously Blurred, Political Education Is The SOLUTION! by Max Pietrangeli
In his recent Article, Max Pietrangeli, the serving Youth Parliment Member for Richmond wrote how he was pushing for the Youth Parliament to make political education one of its national campaigns for 2018. He also writes:
‘I sincerely hope that the online political literacy course launching in September will be the success it so desperately needs to be, and that the government will begin paying serious attention to the grave democratic deficit — something that is spearheading the re-emergence of unsettling populist and nationalist movements across the globe’.
Have a great Friday and weekend!
DISCLAIMER: The articles on our website are not endorsed by, or the opinions of Shout Out UK (SOUK), but exclusively the views of the author.
