At a time of great division in the US in the 1960s, then president Lyndon Johnson asked Americans to unite to solve their problems. “Come let us reason together,” was one of his frequent pleas, a resonant phrase with its roots in the Bible. It was a sincere attempt but Johnson could not heal all the divisions after the Kennedy assassination, the Vietnam war, racial unrest and America’s so-called culture wars, which pitted traditionalists against progressives in fundamentally different ideas of national identity.
America is now divided again, only this time over Donald Trump's wall – a wall he said Mexico would pay for. Mexico won't. Neither will Congress. The result is the longest government shutdown in US history.
Meanwhile, Britain is also split, over its future post-Brexit, with no real vision of how to move forward. And France is so divided over the gilets jaunes protests that French President Emmanuel Macron last week launched Le Grand Debat, two months of public consultations held up and down the country to give them a chance to "reason together".
But let’s be optimistic. People who are vehemently opposed to one another can sometimes forge a kind of peace. It happened in 1997. That summer, I was moving furniture into a new house in London, covered in dust and grime, when the telephone rang. It was Ken Maginnis, a Unionist politician I had known in Northern Ireland. Ken had been a major in the British army, the Ulster Defence Regiment, which had been a target of deadly IRA terrorist attacks. He knew he was an assassination target and so what he said to me on the telephone was a total shock.
He told me he wanted to debate the future of Northern Ireland on television with Sinn Fein, the political wing of the IRA. Was I interested? For years – it seemed like centuries – Unionists like Mr Maginnis had refused to meet or even sit in the same TV studios as Sinn Fein representatives. But by 1997, the icebergs were melting. Within a few days, I was chairing a BBC debate between Mr Maginnis and Martin McGuinness, a Sinn Fein representative and former senior member of the IRA. There was heat and some light in this debate. Both men’s surnames are variations of the same family name and I joked that they must be brothers under the skin. They had the good grace to laugh but they argued strongly with each other, especially over the use of violence. Mr Maginnis demanded Mr McGuinness ensure the IRA handed over their guns.
Nothing was solved that night but the moment was nevertheless both symbolic and significant. Behind the scenes, the British governments of John Major and then Tony Blair had been working with the Irish government and the Clinton administration in Washington to bring together Protestants and Catholics, Unionists and Republicans. The Maginnis-McGuinness double act was the start of a long series of face-to-face debates, often confrontational, which helped set the tone for what became the Good Friday Agreement and peace – an imperfect peace, but peace nevertheless – on the island of Ireland.
Fast forward two decades to 2019. Unlike the era of the IRA, political groups in Washington and Westminster are firing verbal salvos rather than real bullets at their opponents. But they are doing great damage to their parties, their governments and democracy itself. Mr Trump appears to be enjoying his government shutdown. After all, he is the beneficiary of nearly 40 years of Republican rhetoric that claims the US federal government is often the problem rather than the solution.
Ronald Reagan once joked that the nine most terrifying words in the English language were: “I’m from the government and I’m here to help". But when I reported from Washington during the 1995 government shutdown, Americans who attacked big government often softened their tone once they no longer received their military veterans' pension cheques, were denied medical treatment or were unable to access state services. Yet in this shutdown, Mr Trump and Congress remain deadlocked.
In Britain, there is also political paralysis over Brexit. Prime Minister Theresa May and the Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn clearly loathe each other. Unlike Mr Maginnis and Mr McGuinness, they find convenient excuses not to talk seriously together. Instead they argue about "red lines" as if in a competition to see who can be the most unreasonable. Fortunately there are better people in both main parties seeking unity on the issues that matter. The British Parliament is full of intelligent, well-informed, decent MPs. At a rally last week in favour of a final referendum on any Brexit deal, I chatted to Conservative, Labour, SNP and Green MPs, all co-operating across party lines, all "reasoning together".
The tricky bit is how to turn goodwill into good deeds, especially since time is short. In one of her many serious political errors, Mrs May created a hard March 29 deadline for Brexit, setting a definite time limit without agreeing a clear destination. That self-inflicted deadline, known as Article 50, must be delayed or rescinded. Britain today is like a group of determined mountaineers setting off on a great expedition but without agreeing which mountain to climb. We need to reason together or we risk a serious fall. To do that, we need more time – and much, much more common sense.
Gavin Esler is a journalist, author and television presenter
Cricket World Cup League 2
UAE results
Lost to Oman by eight runs
Beat Namibia by three wickets
Lost to Oman by 12 runs
Beat Namibia by 43 runs
UAE fixtures
Free admission. All fixtures broadcast live on icc.tv
Tuesday March 15, v PNG at Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Friday March 18, v Nepal at Dubai International Stadium
Saturday March 19, v PNG at Dubai International Stadium
Monday March 21, v Nepal at Dubai International Stadium
Ain Issa camp:
- Established in 2016
- Houses 13,309 people, 2,092 families, 62 per cent children
- Of the adult population, 49 per cent men, 51 per cent women (not including foreigners annexe)
- Most from Deir Ezzor and Raqqa
- 950 foreigners linked to ISIS and their families
- NGO Blumont runs camp management for the UN
- One of the nine official (UN recognised) camps in the region
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What is double taxation?
- Americans living abroad file taxes with the Internal Revenue Service, which can cost hundreds of dollars to complete even though about 60 per cent do not owe taxes, according to the Taxpayer Advocate Service
- Those obligations apply to millions of Americans residing overseas – estimates range from 3.9 million to 5.5 million – including so-called "accidental Americans" who are unaware they hold dual citizenship
- The double taxation policy has been a contentious issue for decades, with many overseas Americans feeling that it punishes them for pursuing opportunities abroad
- Unlike most countries, the US follows a citizenship-based taxation system, meaning that Americans must file taxes annually, even if they do not earn any income in the US.
TO A LAND UNKNOWN
Director: Mahdi Fleifel
Starring: Mahmoud Bakri, Aram Sabbah, Mohammad Alsurafa
Rating: 4.5/5
The design
The protective shell is covered in solar panels to make use of light and produce energy. This will drastically reduce energy loss.
More than 80 per cent of the energy consumed by the French pavilion will be produced by the sun.
The architecture will control light sources to provide a highly insulated and airtight building.
The forecourt is protected from the sun and the plants will refresh the inner spaces.
A micro water treatment plant will recycle used water to supply the irrigation for the plants and to flush the toilets. This will reduce the pavilion’s need for fresh water by 30 per cent.
Energy-saving equipment will be used for all lighting and projections.
Beyond its use for the expo, the pavilion will be easy to dismantle and reuse the material.
Some elements of the metal frame can be prefabricated in a factory.
From architects to sound technicians and construction companies, a group of experts from 10 companies have created the pavilion.
Work will begin in May; the first stone will be laid in Dubai in the second quarter of 2019.
Construction of the pavilion will take 17 months from May 2019 to September 2020.
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Match info:
Real Betis v Sevilla, 10.45pm (UAE)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
THE SIXTH SENSE
Starring: Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, Hayley Joel Osment
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Rating: 5/5
FIGHT CARD
Welterweight Mostafa Radi (PAL) v Tohir Zhuraev (TJK)
Catchweight 75kg Leandro Martins (BRA) v Anas Siraj Mounir (MAR)
Flyweight Corinne Laframboise (CAN) v Manon Fiorot (FRA)
Featherweight Ahmed Al Darmaki (UAE) v Bogdan Kirilenko (UZB)
Lightweight Izzedine Al Derabani (JOR) v Atabek Abdimitalipov (KYG)
Featherweight Yousef Al Housani (UAE) v Mohamed Arsharq Ali (SLA)
Catchweight 69kg Jung Han-gook (KOR) v Elias Boudegzdame (ALG)
Catchweight 71kg Usman Nurmagomedov (RUS) v Jerry Kvarnstrom (FIN)
Featherweight title Lee Do-gyeom (KOR) v Alexandru Chitoran (ROU)
Lightweight title Bruno Machado (BRA) v Mike Santiago (USA)
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
The Land between Two Rivers: Writing in an Age of Refugees
Tom Sleigh, Graywolf Press
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
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City's slump
L - Juventus, 2-0
D - C Palace, 2-2
W - N Forest, 3-0
L - Liverpool, 2-0
D - Feyenoord, 3-3
L - Tottenham, 4-0
L - Brighton, 2-1
L - Sporting, 4-1
L - Bournemouth, 2-1
L - Tottenham, 2-1
APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits
Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Storage: 128/256/512GB
Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4
Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps
Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID
Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight
In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099
Company%20Profile
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If you go
Flying
Despite the extreme distance, flying to Fairbanks is relatively simple, requiring just one transfer in Seattle, which can be reached directly from Dubai with Emirates for Dh6,800 return.
Touring
Gondwana Ecotours’ seven-day Polar Bear Adventure starts in Fairbanks in central Alaska before visiting Kaktovik and Utqiarvik on the North Slope. Polar bear viewing is highly likely in Kaktovik, with up to five two-hour boat tours included. Prices start from Dh11,500 per person, with all local flights, meals and accommodation included; gondwanaecotours.com
'Downton Abbey: A New Era'
Director: Simon Curtis
Cast: Hugh Bonneville, Elizabeth McGovern, Maggie Smith, Michelle Dockery, Laura Carmichael, Jim Carter and Phyllis Logan
Rating: 4/5
Farasan Boat: 128km Away from Anchorage
Director: Mowaffaq Alobaid
Stars: Abdulaziz Almadhi, Mohammed Al Akkasi, Ali Al Suhaibani
Rating: 4/5
The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
