A diplomatic solution must take account of the wishes of the people of Crimea

The resolve of the US and EU to ignore the wishes of the Crimean people is arrogant and inconsistent. I am no fan of Mr Putin or Mr Putin's Russia. Far from it. But my view of the Russian regime does not blind me to the clear expression of the overwhelmingly Russian-speaking people of Crimea to be part of Russia. To ignore that is to have a very one-sided view of what William Hague and others call 'legitimacy'. If it is legitimate for an uprising in Kiev to overthrow the regime in Ukraine then it must surely be so for the crowds of people who are now celebrating the outcome of their referendum in the Crimea.

President Obama says he wants a diplomatic solution to the Ukraine crisis. But a diplomatic solution will have to take account of the genuine concerns of Russia about the instability on its doorstep where it has major strategic interests.

There is something unfortunately vague about the British foreign secretary's stance on the events in Crimea. He knows that a diplomatic solution must take account of the wishes of the people of Crimea. We may not wish to be where we are now. The fact is we are, and to ignore those wishes would be to deny the people of Crimea the rights that should be upheld by international bodies.

Comments

Prioritising people in nursing care.

There has been in recent years concern that care in the NHS has not been sufficiently 'patient centred', or responsive to the needs of the patient on a case basis. It has been felt in care that it as been the patient who has had to adapt to the regime of care, rather than the other way around. Putting patients at the centre of care means being responsive to their needs and supporting them through the process of health care delivery. Patients should not become identikit sausages in a production line. The nurses body, the Nursing and Midwifery Council has responded to this challenge with a revised code of practice reflection get changes in health and social care since the previous code was published in 2008. The Code describes the professional standards of practice and behaviour for nurses and midwives. Four themes describe what nurses and midwives are expected to do: prioritise people practise effectively preserve safety, and promote professionalism and trust. The

Ian Duncan-Smith says he wants to make those on benefits 'better people'!

By any account, the government's austerity strategy is utilitarian. It justifies its approach by the presumed potential ends. It's objective is to cut the deficit, but it has also adopted another objective which is specifically targeted. It seeks to drive people off benefits and 'back to work'. The two together are toxic to the poorest in society. Those least able to cope are the most affected by the cuts in benefits and the loss of services. It is the coupling of these two strategic aims that make their policies ethically questionable. For, by combining the two, slashing the value of benefits to make budget savings while also changing the benefits system, the highest burden falls on a specific group, those dependent on benefits. For the greater good of the majority, a minority group, those on benefits, are being sacrificed; sacrificed on the altar of austerity. And they are being sacrificed in part so that others may be spared. Utilitarian ethics considers the ba

The Herring Song

For all the fish that are in the sea, the herring is the fish for me! These are the words of a song my mother used to sing, and the whole family would join in the chorus. But how many fish are in the sea? Estimates of the numbers of fish in the oceans vary, of course. How could it be an exact measure? One figure given by scientists places the number of fish in the ocean at 3,500,000,000,000. That is a lot of fish? So, what about 'the fish for me', the herring? Archaeologists counting herring bones along North America's west coast recently found evidence that herring that had been abundant for thousands of years. Like so many, they are in decline due to overfishing. Herring collapse has signifcant knock-on effects both for humans and for ecological balance. Over time, there have been serveral periodic collapses. Sometimes the recovery has been slow. Herring is the fish for me could be a standard for seabirds, With loss of fish such as herring, the seabird populat

The Thin End

Search This Blog