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Showing posts with label Hope. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hope. Show all posts
10/25/22
EU: France-Germany tensions 'hamstring EU's capacity to act' by lisa Louis
A recent announcement that a Franco-German ministerial meeting is being pushed back to next January appears to have revealed a deepening rift between the two countries. The alliance between Germany and France is often described as "the engine" of the European Union and analysts say the current spat is undermining the EU's capacity to act.
2/5/19
Venezuela: A nun struggles to serve Venezuela`s aged bfeels great hope at the possibility for change
Nun struggling to serve Venezuela's impoverished elderly feels 'great hope' at chance for change
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2/7/17
European integration: Will the EU remain a beacon of openness and liberal democracy? - by Sergei Guriev
The past year has been full of watershed developments. Aside from Donald Trump’s victory in the United States’ presidential election, some of the European Union’s weaknesses were fully revealed, with the United Kingdom’s vote to leave casting the bloc in a particularly harsh light. But Brexit does not have to spell the Union’s demise. Instead, it can serve as a wake-up call, spurring action to address the EU’s problems.
Some European leaders are attempting to heed that call, by urging EU member states to “complete the Union.” Without the UK, they argue, it will be easier to advance integration, as the remaining members are somewhat less heterogeneous, and therefore more likely to agree on steps that Britain might have opposed.
One such step – and a constant focus of attention since the euro crisis began – is a banking union. While substantial progress has already been made on this front, European banking integration is far from complete. Unfinished business includes a deposit-insurance scheme, as well as the creation of a senior tranche of safe sovereign assets, or eurozone-wide risk-free securities.
Another potential step, motivated by the profound asymmetry of eurozone countries’ economic performance during the crisis, would be a joint unemployment-insurance scheme, whereby cyclical unemployment benefits would be financed from the EU budget. Finally, the refugee crisis has led to a discussion of a joint scheme for enforcing the EU’s external borders, allocating asylum-seekers among its member countries, and financing their integration.
All of these – and many other – ideas have been discussed at length, and have even been elaborated to the point that actionable agendas have emerged. Yet little progress has been made. The UK, it turns out, is far from the only source of political resistance to deeper integration.
Of course, who opposes integration depends on the specific proposal, all of which are likely to benefit some EU members more than others. In some cases, a proposal might result in greater long-term gains for all, but carry significant up-front costs for particular countries. At a time when some major EU member countries are set to hold national elections, and when anti-establishment politicians are deposing moderate parties, many national leaders are unwilling to risk their political capital to push through such reforms.
But what if the reforms were made more appealing? Breaking down political resistance may be as simple as packaging proposals together. The proposals with greater benefits for some could be combined with and counterbalanced by those with greater benefits for others, and the short-term costs of one policy could be offset by the shorter-term gains of another.
Consider efforts to address the refugee crisis. Once it became clear that some countries, particularly in Central Europe, were unwilling to accept EU-imposed quotas for resettlement, it was proposed that asylum-seekers be permitted to choose where they want to settle. The EU budget would cover the costs, potentially using newly issued safe bonds.
But this idea could also run up against resistance, not least because the countries that would attract the most refugees are those that already have stronger economies, and therefore need EU funding the least. The solution would be to introduce another measure, producing transfers in the opposite direction, in tandem with the refugee policy.
The best candidate for this role may well be the joint unemployment-insurance scheme. Countries that are undesirable to refugees, owing to high cyclical unemployment, would benefit disproportionately from such a policy, especially in the short term. The expectation that those transfers would eventually be offset by refugee-resettlement funds may be just what is needed to get low-unemployment countries on board.
To be sure, on the refugee issue, in particular, there may be added complications. Social resistance to immigration in a country like Germany, fueled by terrorist attacks and populist political rhetoric, could undermine the appeal of such a program. But, in that case, the specific policy package could be adjusted.
Packaging reforms to make them more palatable may sound like Business 101. But this is not just about quotidian deal-making. Rather, it is about completing – and thus protecting – the EU, by building a more sustainable set of institutions. If the EU is to remain a beacon of openness and liberal democracy, it must forge ahead with integration. If it is to make headway, its leaders will have to ensure that all members benefit equally along the way.
Read more: European integration: Will the EU remain a beacon of openness and liberal democracy? | Euronews
Some European leaders are attempting to heed that call, by urging EU member states to “complete the Union.” Without the UK, they argue, it will be easier to advance integration, as the remaining members are somewhat less heterogeneous, and therefore more likely to agree on steps that Britain might have opposed.
One such step – and a constant focus of attention since the euro crisis began – is a banking union. While substantial progress has already been made on this front, European banking integration is far from complete. Unfinished business includes a deposit-insurance scheme, as well as the creation of a senior tranche of safe sovereign assets, or eurozone-wide risk-free securities.
Another potential step, motivated by the profound asymmetry of eurozone countries’ economic performance during the crisis, would be a joint unemployment-insurance scheme, whereby cyclical unemployment benefits would be financed from the EU budget. Finally, the refugee crisis has led to a discussion of a joint scheme for enforcing the EU’s external borders, allocating asylum-seekers among its member countries, and financing their integration.
All of these – and many other – ideas have been discussed at length, and have even been elaborated to the point that actionable agendas have emerged. Yet little progress has been made. The UK, it turns out, is far from the only source of political resistance to deeper integration.
Of course, who opposes integration depends on the specific proposal, all of which are likely to benefit some EU members more than others. In some cases, a proposal might result in greater long-term gains for all, but carry significant up-front costs for particular countries. At a time when some major EU member countries are set to hold national elections, and when anti-establishment politicians are deposing moderate parties, many national leaders are unwilling to risk their political capital to push through such reforms.
But what if the reforms were made more appealing? Breaking down political resistance may be as simple as packaging proposals together. The proposals with greater benefits for some could be combined with and counterbalanced by those with greater benefits for others, and the short-term costs of one policy could be offset by the shorter-term gains of another.
Consider efforts to address the refugee crisis. Once it became clear that some countries, particularly in Central Europe, were unwilling to accept EU-imposed quotas for resettlement, it was proposed that asylum-seekers be permitted to choose where they want to settle. The EU budget would cover the costs, potentially using newly issued safe bonds.
But this idea could also run up against resistance, not least because the countries that would attract the most refugees are those that already have stronger economies, and therefore need EU funding the least. The solution would be to introduce another measure, producing transfers in the opposite direction, in tandem with the refugee policy.
The best candidate for this role may well be the joint unemployment-insurance scheme. Countries that are undesirable to refugees, owing to high cyclical unemployment, would benefit disproportionately from such a policy, especially in the short term. The expectation that those transfers would eventually be offset by refugee-resettlement funds may be just what is needed to get low-unemployment countries on board.
To be sure, on the refugee issue, in particular, there may be added complications. Social resistance to immigration in a country like Germany, fueled by terrorist attacks and populist political rhetoric, could undermine the appeal of such a program. But, in that case, the specific policy package could be adjusted.
Packaging reforms to make them more palatable may sound like Business 101. But this is not just about quotidian deal-making. Rather, it is about completing – and thus protecting – the EU, by building a more sustainable set of institutions. If the EU is to remain a beacon of openness and liberal democracy, it must forge ahead with integration. If it is to make headway, its leaders will have to ensure that all members benefit equally along the way.
Read more: European integration: Will the EU remain a beacon of openness and liberal democracy? | Euronews
1/1/17
Atheism Versus Spiritual Freedom Is Like Comparing Despair With Hope - even in 2017
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| Albert Camus attempting to rationalize an irrational universe |
Camus was born and raised a Catholic, despite his father’s Protestant upbringing, and received communion at the age of 11.1 Much of Camus’ work is saturated in religious imagery.
His "Myth of Sisyphus" is based on a popular Greek myth and "The Fall" contains references to and symbolism from Catholic theology and cosmology. The title itself is an allusion to the Biblical story of Adam and Eve.
However, Camus ultimately became an atheist and, as a thinker, he considered religious faith to be “philosophical suicide.”3 This idea was based on Camus’ philosophy of the absurd.
According to Camus, mankind was perpetually attempting to rationalize an irrational universe. This process of rationalization resulted in the absurd and religious belief fell into said category.4 He said:
"We turn toward God only to obtain the impossible"
Nevertheless, some maintain that the religious imagery and symbolism in Camus’ work indicated a sort of conflict within him, and that he actually craved something spiritual.6 But perhaps it was only Camus’ struggle with the absurd. He was, after all, one of the men he described.
This brings is to opposing the argument many Atheists have against the inner spirituality of mankind.
" If there were no God, there would be no atheists," said G. K. Chesterton. '
Though atheists may argue that the existence of a supreme being is impossible, their arguments often reveal a belief that God just doesn't behave as they think he should. In a debate,
Christopher Hitchens complained about war and killing in the Old Testament. He said he wrote his book God Is Not Great in response to the murders in Muslim countries that followed the publishing of cartoons of the prophet Muhammad. None of these are arguments against God's existence, but rather arguments against how God and especially his followers act.
That is why traditional atheism is a highly moral philosophy, and one worthy of respect, even while we strongly disagree with it. In his book "The Twilight of Atheism", Alister McGrath describes the atheism that emerged during the Enlightenment as "one of the greatest achievements of the human intellect, capable of capturing the imagination of generations." Lewis shared the same respect for this godless tradition.
Introducing one of his tutors, Kirkpatrick, in "Surprised" by Joy, Lewis calls him an atheist, but hastens to qualify the description: "He was a 'Rationalist' of the old, high and dry nineteenth-century type.
For Atheism has come down in the world since those days." In his science fiction novel "That Hideous Strength", Lewis developed a character based on Kirkpatrick and included him among a small group working to save the world from evil. Maybe Lewis simply harbored fondness for his teacher, but I suspect he saw some spiritual hope in the old man's atheism.
Such hope is not misplaced. Timothy Larsen, professor of history at Wheaton College and author of Crisis of Doubt: Honest Faith in Nineteenth-Century England, says he has come to see doubt as a way in which we can start to take our faith seriously:
"If you haven't doubted, you haven't re-owned your faith."
Victorian atheists, Larsen discovered, that many atheists converted back to Christianity. "Some actually are really trying to answer questions. That's why they sound so angry," he says. "They're in a struggle for their own soul."
The church's often inability to answer the problem of suffering is still atheists' most common complaint against God, and it teaches us how we may be setting people up for spiritual disappointment and failure.
Maybe the modern church puts too much emphasis on better living through God. Or perhaps we don't adequately explain that God suffers with us and redeems our suffering without eliminating it.
Whatever the cause, atheism remains an attractive worldview for those who have witnessed suffering or been in pain and can't reconcile the idea of a good and powerful God with the reality of life on earth.
Let's face it: Atheism is in. Not since Nietzsche have disbelievers enjoyed such a ready public reception to their godless message—and such near-miraculous royalties. But even that hasn't put them in a good mood. Christopher Hitchens, who wrote 'God Is Not Great" and "How Religion Poisons Everything" says "many of the teachings of Christianity are, as well as being incredible and mythical,also immoral."
A feuding Richard Dawkins even suggests that believers "just should shut up." Apparently, many Christians did not get that tmemo.
Other authors—including Douglas Wilson and Francis Collins—have quite capably refuted the new atheist shtick. But remembering Bertrand Russell's famous essay, "Why I Am Not a Christian"
Here is a Reader's Digest excerpt of why you should consider to become a Christian if you are an atheist.
Creation: The universe, far from being a howling wasteland indifferent to our existence, appears to be finely tuned through its estimated 13.7 billion years of existence to support life on this planet. Tinker with any one of scores of fundamental physical laws or the initial conditions of the universe—such as gravity or the cosmological constant—and we would not be here. As physicist Paul Davies has admitted, "I have come to believe more and more strongly that the physical universe is put together with an ingenuity so astonishing that I cannot accept it merely as a brute fact."
Beauty: Beethoven's Ninth, a snowflake, the sweet smell of a baby who has been sleeping, and a sunset beyond the dunes of Lake Michigan all point to a magnificent and loving Creator. And isn't it interesting that we have the capacity—unlike mere animals—to gape in awe, to be brought to tears, before them?
Atheists may have an arsenal of arguments against God his Biblical guaranteed assurance that "it will come to pass".
But at heart, rejection of God seems not to be a purely logical choice against the possibility or desirability of God. Rather, it is often a rejection of God's people.
Atheism's recent popularity should serve as a warning to Christians. Special apologetics conferences and passionate rebuttals may have their place. Certainly Christians should be ready to respond to Atheists with well researched reasons for their faith.
But before we begin dueling on blogs and arming ourselves with television talking points, let's learn to see atheists not only as deniers of God, but as wrestlers with him. And let's always remember that Atheist's deepest arguments against those who believe in God are the people they're arguing with - even in 2017.
EU-Digest - editorial
8/25/16
Israel-Gaza: When Boats Brought Hope to Gaza – by Ann Wright
For years, Israel has blocked international ships from reaching the isolated people of Gaza, thus denying the 1.8 million embattled Palestinians maritime contact with the rest of the world and the hope that comes from knowing that they have the support of many people across the globe.
With all of the tragedy that surrounds Gaza, including the 50 Israeli military strikes on the Palestinian territory last weekend, we need to remember the exhilaration of the people of Gaza one day in August 2008 when two small international boats arrived to show that the Gazans were not forgotten.
After that, four other shipments reached Gaza along with European land caravans, called “Viva Palestina” that travelled into Gaza through the border with Egypt. However, after Israel’s December 2008-January 2009 war on Gaza, Israel forcefully intercepted ships headed for Gaza.
On May 31, 2010, Israel reacted to a flotilla of ships challenging the blockade by launching a military attack on the six boats that killed nine activists on the Turkish ship, Mavi Marmara. Since then, other challenges to the naval blockade have been prevented from taking to sea (Greece 2011) or stopped illegally in international waters, the passengers kidnapped and the boats taken to the Israeli port of Ashdod and the passengers to prison on charges of entering Israel illegally and eventually deported.
The latest challenge to the Israeli blockade of Gaza will be the Women’s Boats to Gaza that will sail in mid-September to again demonstrate that we do care about the people of Gaza.
Greta Berlin, co-founder of the Free Gaza Movement, reminds us of the joy of the people of Gaza when the first international boats in 40 years arrived in the Gaza City port in August 2008 by providing the words of Gamaal Al Attar, who wrote:
The sun was shining on August 23, 2008, and everyone in Gaza was waking up in order to get ready for the D Day. It is the day everyone in Gaza has been waiting for a long time; a day we will feel like there some people in the world who care for our suffering. A day we will feel that we belong to the human race, and our brothers and sisters in humanity care for our daily struggles. Scouts from different scout groups had signed up to be in the welcoming committee on the fishing boats. So, we headed directly to the main port of Gaza at 08:00, and, together with policemen who are there to secure the crowds, we boarded the boats and started the trip to the open sea.
After that, four other shipments reached Gaza along with European land caravans, called “Viva Palestina” that travelled into Gaza through the border with Egypt. However, after Israel’s December 2008-January 2009 war on Gaza, Israel forcefully intercepted ships headed for Gaza.
On May 31, 2010, Israel reacted to a flotilla of ships challenging the blockade by launching a military attack on the six boats that killed nine activists on the Turkish ship, Mavi Marmara. Since then, other challenges to the naval blockade have been prevented from taking to sea (Greece 2011) or stopped illegally in international waters, the passengers kidnapped and the boats taken to the Israeli port of Ashdod and the passengers to prison on charges of entering Israel illegally and eventually deported.
The latest challenge to the Israeli blockade of Gaza will be the Women’s Boats to Gaza that will sail in mid-September to again demonstrate that we do care about the people of Gaza.
Greta Berlin, co-founder of the Free Gaza Movement, reminds us of the joy of the people of Gaza when the first international boats in 40 years arrived in the Gaza City port in August 2008 by providing the words of Gamaal Al Attar, who wrote:
The sun was shining on August 23, 2008, and everyone in Gaza was waking up in order to get ready for the D Day. It is the day everyone in Gaza has been waiting for a long time; a day we will feel like there some people in the world who care for our suffering. A day we will feel that we belong to the human race, and our brothers and sisters in humanity care for our daily struggles. Scouts from different scout groups had signed up to be in the welcoming committee on the fishing boats. So, we headed directly to the main port of Gaza at 08:00, and, together with policemen who are there to secure the crowds, we boarded the boats and started the trip to the open sea.
Read more: When Boats Brought Hope to Gaza – Consortiumnews
With all of the tragedy that surrounds Gaza, including the 50 Israeli military strikes on the Palestinian territory last weekend, we need to remember the exhilaration of the people of Gaza one day in August 2008 when two small international boats arrived to show that the Gazans were not forgotten.
After that, four other shipments reached Gaza along with European land caravans, called “Viva Palestina” that travelled into Gaza through the border with Egypt. However, after Israel’s December 2008-January 2009 war on Gaza, Israel forcefully intercepted ships headed for Gaza.
On May 31, 2010, Israel reacted to a flotilla of ships challenging the blockade by launching a military attack on the six boats that killed nine activists on the Turkish ship, Mavi Marmara. Since then, other challenges to the naval blockade have been prevented from taking to sea (Greece 2011) or stopped illegally in international waters, the passengers kidnapped and the boats taken to the Israeli port of Ashdod and the passengers to prison on charges of entering Israel illegally and eventually deported.
The latest challenge to the Israeli blockade of Gaza will be the Women’s Boats to Gaza that will sail in mid-September to again demonstrate that we do care about the people of Gaza.
Greta Berlin, co-founder of the Free Gaza Movement, reminds us of the joy of the people of Gaza when the first international boats in 40 years arrived in the Gaza City port in August 2008 by providing the words of Gamaal Al Attar, who wrote:
The sun was shining on August 23, 2008, and everyone in Gaza was waking up in order to get ready for the D Day. It is the day everyone in Gaza has been waiting for a long time; a day we will feel like there some people in the world who care for our suffering. A day we will feel that we belong to the human race, and our brothers and sisters in humanity care for our daily struggles. Scouts from different scout groups had signed up to be in the welcoming committee on the fishing boats. So, we headed directly to the main port of Gaza at 08:00, and, together with policemen who are there to secure the crowds, we boarded the boats and started the trip to the open sea.
After that, four other shipments reached Gaza along with European land caravans, called “Viva Palestina” that travelled into Gaza through the border with Egypt. However, after Israel’s December 2008-January 2009 war on Gaza, Israel forcefully intercepted ships headed for Gaza.
On May 31, 2010, Israel reacted to a flotilla of ships challenging the blockade by launching a military attack on the six boats that killed nine activists on the Turkish ship, Mavi Marmara. Since then, other challenges to the naval blockade have been prevented from taking to sea (Greece 2011) or stopped illegally in international waters, the passengers kidnapped and the boats taken to the Israeli port of Ashdod and the passengers to prison on charges of entering Israel illegally and eventually deported.
The latest challenge to the Israeli blockade of Gaza will be the Women’s Boats to Gaza that will sail in mid-September to again demonstrate that we do care about the people of Gaza.
Greta Berlin, co-founder of the Free Gaza Movement, reminds us of the joy of the people of Gaza when the first international boats in 40 years arrived in the Gaza City port in August 2008 by providing the words of Gamaal Al Attar, who wrote:
The sun was shining on August 23, 2008, and everyone in Gaza was waking up in order to get ready for the D Day. It is the day everyone in Gaza has been waiting for a long time; a day we will feel like there some people in the world who care for our suffering. A day we will feel that we belong to the human race, and our brothers and sisters in humanity care for our daily struggles. Scouts from different scout groups had signed up to be in the welcoming committee on the fishing boats. So, we headed directly to the main port of Gaza at 08:00, and, together with policemen who are there to secure the crowds, we boarded the boats and started the trip to the open sea.
Read more: When Boats Brought Hope to Gaza – Consortiumnews
8/15/16
Humanity: Despite what you might think, humans actually evolved to be kind - by David Held
Maybe there's hope for humanity yet. As a species, studies have shown humans to be more willing to help strangers than other types of primates, and we exhibit less conflict within our groups compared with other animals too.
That's hard to believe if you switch on the news today, but new research suggests that we actually evolved the drive to be 'kind' in order to get access to more resources - and hints that it's not impossible for humans to become more welcoming to people of different backgrounds.
To figure this out, researchers from the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) and the Max Planck Institute in Germany surveyed 150 farmers living in Bolivia – a particularly suitable sample for this study, seeing as they regularly need to work with others to protect their land.
"From maintaining access to territory, clean water and other natural resources – collaboration across group boundaries is crucial for many indigenous populations today," said anthropologist Michael Gurven from UCSB.
The goal of the study was to understand more about what might be driving this collaboration, and how we might be able to encourage other humans, who don't have farmland to protect, to be kinder to one another in future.
In total, 150 volunteers, taken from three different population sets of farmers, were asked to play a game where they could donate money to both 'in-group' strangers (from the same religious or ethnic background) or 'out-group' strangers (from different religious or ethnic backgrounds).
Importantly, the participants could see pictures of the people they were giving money to, and the recipients were given the names of the donors – even though this was just a game, that transparency helped reinforce the idea that these transactions could have a mutual benefit for both giver and taker.
The results showed that those who gave the most to out-group strangers were those who felt they were worst off, and who had the most to gain from new friendships.
People who had spent time living in different places and meeting a variety of people were also more generous to strangers of different ethnicities and religions.
This suggests that it's a need or desire for resources, plus positive and direct experiences with out-group people, that helps drive human generosity, trust, and tolerance.
"We have been too preoccupied with thinking about inter-group conflict," said one of the researchers, Anne Pisor. "We know less about why humans are so prone to inter-group tolerance and friendship."
"A better understanding of 'why' will hopefully allow us to better nurture friendships that transcend group boundaries – and maybe reduce the volume of conflict we see in the news."
While the researchers note that different communities are under different social and economic pressures – after all, many of us are no longer as dependent on collaboration to get what we need – the case of the 150 Bolivian farmers gives some clues as to why humans have been generous to outsiders in the past, and might be in the future.
We're more friendly to outsiders when we're more in need, but also when we understand them better – a lesson that's more important than ever in today's society.
Read more: Despite what you might think, humans actually evolved to be kind - ScienceAlert
That's hard to believe if you switch on the news today, but new research suggests that we actually evolved the drive to be 'kind' in order to get access to more resources - and hints that it's not impossible for humans to become more welcoming to people of different backgrounds.
To figure this out, researchers from the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) and the Max Planck Institute in Germany surveyed 150 farmers living in Bolivia – a particularly suitable sample for this study, seeing as they regularly need to work with others to protect their land.
"From maintaining access to territory, clean water and other natural resources – collaboration across group boundaries is crucial for many indigenous populations today," said anthropologist Michael Gurven from UCSB.
The goal of the study was to understand more about what might be driving this collaboration, and how we might be able to encourage other humans, who don't have farmland to protect, to be kinder to one another in future.
In total, 150 volunteers, taken from three different population sets of farmers, were asked to play a game where they could donate money to both 'in-group' strangers (from the same religious or ethnic background) or 'out-group' strangers (from different religious or ethnic backgrounds).
Importantly, the participants could see pictures of the people they were giving money to, and the recipients were given the names of the donors – even though this was just a game, that transparency helped reinforce the idea that these transactions could have a mutual benefit for both giver and taker.
The results showed that those who gave the most to out-group strangers were those who felt they were worst off, and who had the most to gain from new friendships.
People who had spent time living in different places and meeting a variety of people were also more generous to strangers of different ethnicities and religions.
This suggests that it's a need or desire for resources, plus positive and direct experiences with out-group people, that helps drive human generosity, trust, and tolerance.
"We have been too preoccupied with thinking about inter-group conflict," said one of the researchers, Anne Pisor. "We know less about why humans are so prone to inter-group tolerance and friendship."
"A better understanding of 'why' will hopefully allow us to better nurture friendships that transcend group boundaries – and maybe reduce the volume of conflict we see in the news."
While the researchers note that different communities are under different social and economic pressures – after all, many of us are no longer as dependent on collaboration to get what we need – the case of the 150 Bolivian farmers gives some clues as to why humans have been generous to outsiders in the past, and might be in the future.
We're more friendly to outsiders when we're more in need, but also when we understand them better – a lesson that's more important than ever in today's society.
Read more: Despite what you might think, humans actually evolved to be kind - ScienceAlert
5/7/16
Britain: Sadiq Khan: London has chosen ‘hope over fear’ - by Robert Booth
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| Sadiq Khan: London's new Mayor |
Khan took 1,310,143 votes (57%) after second preferences were taken into account, beating Conservative Zac Goldsmith into second place on 994,614 (43%). His tally gave him the largest personal mandate of any politician in UK history.
The 45-year-old son of a Pakistani bus driver beat Zac Goldsmith at the end of a sometimes bitter campaign during which the Conservatives accused Khan of being “dangerous” and “pandering to extremists”. Labour complained that Goldsmith’s campaign was Islamophobic.
In his victory speech Khan said he was “deeply humbled by the hope and trust” voters placed in him, adding: “I want to thank every single Londoner for making the impossible possible.”
He added: “I’m so proud that Londoners have today chosen hope over fear and unity over division.”
The convincing win will provide solace to the Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, after a poor set of election results overnight in Scotland, England and Wales. Khan becomes the first Labour leader at City Hall since the Conservatives’ Boris Johnson unseated Ken Livingstone in 2008.
Note EU-Digest: This is a fantastic victory of hope over fear and bigotry. All Londerers can be proud about this success which shows that there still is hope for a united, multi-cultural, multi-religious EU.
Read more: Labour's Sadiq Khan elected mayor of London | Politics | The Guardian
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