Talking Points for 29 May

Good morning It’s Karnie..

Thank you to Dwight in the US for looking after the blog for us overnight. A couple of good stories about today..

First up, Nepal votes to abolish its monarchy – as of today, it’s the world’s newest republic. An overwhleming majority voted against a Monarchy – the declaration clearly stating – “Royal privileges will automatically come to an end”. Only 4 members of parliament voting FOR and 601 voting AGAINST. Where Nepal leads, should the world follow? Is it time to abolish Monarchies? Or do some serving Monarchies still deserve a place in society?

On air: Human Rights at 60. Whose rights? Whose responsibility?

On today’s show, the Secretary General of Amnesty International, Irene Khan, is joining us to talk about human rights. What they are, whether they are universal and if organisations like her own have an impact on our lives. She’s already in the news today, as Amnesty’s annual report has been released and it lambasts the world’s commitment to human rights. She’s written this post for you to read and respond to, so please do and you can talk with her live at 1700GMT. Leave your phone number if you want to come on air – we won’t publish it we promise. Here’s what Irene has to say…

Fuel for thought

If you want to get a heated discussion going around the watercooler anywhere in Europe, then bring up one topic: the rising cost of fuel. For the past few days across Europe, truckers and fishermen have been holding protests against rising world oil prices, demanding government action to hold down prices at the pumps. Yesterday in Britain, hundreds of truck drivers shut down highways in protest against green automobile taxes. Do they have a point? Or do they need to accept that the world is changing and oil is a finite commodity which is only going to get more expensive? If you live in Europe, would you be willing to pay higher taxes to combat climate change? Let us know what you think: would you prefer lower petrol prices, or a cleaner environment? Or can we have both?

Would you welcome an Islamic school to your town?

This story has been getting a massive response. We’d welcome your thoughts.