Hostage release should be ‘pre-condition' to recognise Palestinian state
We asked him why the hostages' families were so upset at the Government's proposal to recognise a Palestinian state with certain conditions.
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Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Daily Mirror
'I watched nuclear attack docu-drama deemed 'too horrifying for TV' by BBC'
The War Game is one of the most harrowing pieces of television every produced Anyone of a certain age will have less-than-fond memories of the terrifying public information films that would be shown in school and on TV, warning us of the dangers of playing on building sites or messing around with matches. The War Game, a 1966 docu-drama, which the BBC deemed 'too horrifying for the medium of broadcasting' and banned from TV for almost 20 years, takes this to the extreme. Framed as a factual documentary, the film shows the brutal reality of what would happen if the UK was hit by a nuclear attack, narrated by the authoritative tones of newsreader Michael Aspel. The 47-minute film written and directed by Peter Watkins wasn't aired on TV until 1985, although it was shown in cinemas in the 1960s, and won the 1967 best documentary Oscar. While it's often been difficult to track down a way to watch The War Game, it's now available on BBC iPlayer. Comparisons with 1984's infamous TV film Threads, which graphically depicts a nuclear attack on Sheffield, are perhaps inevitable. The War Game isn't quite as graphic as Threads - which at one point makes the viewer watch a child burn alive - but it's no less horrifying. The black and white film begins with a depiction of rising tensions between the East and West, with the British government declaring a state of emergenc, and people are evacuated from larger towns and cities. The film doesn't skirt around the social and racial tensions of the time - with rationing in place, people are shown protesting that they already don't have enough food to feed their own families, and one woman's first question when she's told she'll have to house a group of evacuees asks what ethnicity they are. The actual moment the missiles strike is brief, but shocking, with Michael Aspel grimly describing horrors such as melting eyeballs and burning skin, and a young boy is shown screaming in pain after being blinded by the flash. Aspel's description of the shockwave sent by the detonation as sounding like 'an enormous door slamming in the depths of hell' is genuinely chilling. The scenes following this show what is left of the UK descend into bleak chaos, with police struggling to hold back starving masses desperate for something to eat and every doctor attempting to treat hundreds of patients. It doesn't shy away from the stark decisions faced, with doctors shown shooting patients who are beyond help in the head and police executing agitators by firing squad. It's a far cry from the stiff upper lip Spirit of Dunkirk of just a couple of decades before. The spectre of the bombings of Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and Dresden looms large. Key to the impact of the film is how real it all looks. There's no Hollywood glamour at play - the people look, speak, and dress like real people you'd see on the street, and the nondescript part of Canterbury much of the footage is set in looks like it could just be around the corner. Years later Threads would use a similar trick by setting its action around the working-class communities of 1980s Sheffield. And if you're expecting a sense of hope or light at the end of the tunnel, there's none to be found here. Seeing a traumatised small boy asked what he wants to be when he grows up reply 'don't want to be nothing' is one of the bleakest things I've ever seen on screen. Harrowing though it may be, its impact is undeniable, with a 93 per cent rating on film reviews site Rotten Tomatoes. One reviewer said: "The stark documentary realism of the film makes it effectively scary and unsettling even today, the retina burning images of despairing children in the aftermath of nuclear war will stay at the front of your mind for a long time." Another wrote: "Despite this being made over 40 years ago it is still hard-hitting stuff and I'm not surprised in the slightest the BBC banned it." Another, however, suggested it amounted to "scaremongering propaganda". "Almost seems a bit insulting to a modern audience but there's no arguing that this is excellently done," they said. With international tensions building day by day, The War Game stands as sobering viewing of a reality which isn't as far removed from our own as we might hope. If you've got the stomach for it, The War Game is available now on BBC iPlayer.
ITV News
2 hours ago
- ITV News
More than 25,000 sign petition demanding answers on 1994 Chinook disaster
More than 25,000 people have signed a petition demanding answers around the 1994 Chinook disaster. 25 senior intelligence experts and four special forces crew, died when an RAF Chinook ZD576 crashed on the Mull of Kintyre en route from RAF Aldergrove in Northern Ireland to Fort George near Inverness on 2 June 1994. The incident was initially blamed on pilot error before being overturned in 2011. A BBC documentary last year, Chinook: Zulu Delta 576, revealed the files related to the tragedy had been sealed by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) for 100 years. Families of the 29 people who died have set up the Chinook Justice Campaign to demand "truth and transparency" from the MoD. In a petition, the family of the victims have urged for the full release of all documents. They also call on the Prime Minister to undertake a judge-led public inquiry. The families have demanded the Government introduce a legal "duty of candour" on all public bodies "so that no family ever has to battle for the truth again." The petition reads: "Twenty-nine people boarded Chinook ZD576 on 2 June 1994. All of them died. "31 years later, we – their families – still have no answers. "We have been denied truth, transparency and justice by the Ministry of Defence. "Our loved ones were forced to board an RAF helicopter with fatal software flaws that MoD test engineers had deemed 'positively dangerous' and 'not to be relied upon in any way whatsoever'. "We know key evidence was withheld or ignored in previous investigations. Former ministers say they were misled by the MoD and doubt airworthiness issues were investigated properly." The family of the victims have welcomed the BBC's decision to re-air Chinook: Zulu Delta 576 this month as they push for answers, with the first part airing on Sunday, 17 August on BBC2 at 9pm and the second part a week later. Dr Susan Phoenix's husband, Ian, a detective superintendent in the RUC, was among those killed. Dr Phoenix, 76, who lives in Portland, Dorset, said: "It was solely down to this excellent two-part BBC documentary by Fine Point Films that brought all of the Chinook Justice families together to fight for truth, transparency and justice. 'Why would files on this horrific crash be sealed for 100 years without there being something to hide, not just from the widows of those on board, but from their children, and grandchildren? 'There is something rotten at the heart of the MoD that continues, having put 29 people on an aircraft that was not airworthy, to insult and patronise us all, just as it dishonours our loved ones. 'We are determined to find out the truth and we believe the British public want that too.' Esme Sparks was seven and her younger siblings were aged just two when their father Major Gary Sparks was killed in the crash. A secondary school teacher, from Darlington, Co Durham, Ms Sparks said: "The Prime Minister must urgently introduce a legal duty of candour on all public bodies, including the MoD which placed our relatives on an aircraft it knew to be unairworthy, to prevent this type of unacceptable secrecy and wrongdoing happening over and over again." An MOD spokesperson said: "The Mull of Kintyre crash was a tragic accident, and our thoughts and sympathies remain with the families, friends and colleagues of all those who died. "The accident has already been the subject of six inquiries and investigations, including an independent Judge-led review. "The closed records held at The National Archives contain personal information relating to third party individuals. The early release of this information would breach those individuals' data protection rights."
New Statesman
2 hours ago
- New Statesman
Britons increasingly fear future political violence
Photo byA large majority of the British public are concerned about the potential for political violence according to new polling conducted by Looking for Growth and Merlin Strategy. A survey of 2000 adults between 25 and 27 July found that 7 in 10 (70 per cent) are concerned about the potential for political violence. A further 1 in 5 (21 per cent) say that political violence in the UK is acceptable in some conditions. A similar number (18 per cent) say they would consider participating in violent protests as the state of Britain declines. Broken down by party affilation, the survey found that 1 in 3 (32 per cent) of Reform UK voters say political violence is acceptable in some conditions. The Green Party had the second highest number saying violence was acceptable in some conditions (24 per cent). The findings come a year after the murder of Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Bebe King, six, at a Taylor Swift dance class in Southport sparked days of violent rioting across England and Northern Ireland. Riots in Aldershot, Tamworth and Rotherham targeted so-called 'asylum hotels'. The hotels have become a flashpoint once again this summer. Protests around so-called asylum hotels have taken place in Epping, Diss and Canary Wharf in recent weeks. On Saturday clashes took place between anti-racism demonstrators and anti-asylum hotel protestors outside the Thistle Hotel in central London. The Home Office says fewer than 210 hotels are now being used to house asylum seekers, down from more than 400 in the summer of 2023. Meanwhile the number of asylum seekers crossing the Channel has surpassed 25,000 this year, the earliest the figure has been reached. Britons are split on whether it is acceptable to protest outside an asylum hotel, with 47 per cent saying it is acceptable, and 44 per cent saying it is unacceptable. Only 14 per cent say it is acceptable to riot outside an asylum hotel, and only 1 in 5 (19 per cent) of Reform UK voters say it is acceptable to riot outside an asylum hotel. [See also: One year on, tensions still circle Britain's asylum-seeker hotels] Subscribe to The New Statesman today from only £8.99 per month Subscribe Related
