Talking Points for 20 June

UPDATE: Ros here. We’ll be broadcasting live today from the Civicus World Assembly in Glasgow. We’ve just met with some of the people who are coming along . Here are their five suggestions for you to consider.

1. Are you satisfied with how your government is tackling the threat of ‘terrorism’?                              

2. Is a Western lifestyle something to aspire to?

3. Should leaders be left to lead? Or do you want more involvement in the decisions they make?

4. Should the developing world be left out of the fight against climate change? Why should it compromise the wealth and lifestyle that it’s only just getting?

5. Are there some services, such as trasnport, healthcare and education, which should always be in the hands of the state?

Let us know what you think. Here are the other stories that we’re considering….

On air: Should the world increase its search for oil?

President Bush thinks so. He’s called on Congress to end a 27-year ban on drilling for oil in US coastal waters, to reduce dependence on imports. Is he on to something? While the world searches for alternatives to oil, should we not lose sight of the fact that increased oil exploration, means more oil, means cheaper fuel and a lessening of the pressure on the world’s energy requirement and on the cost of living for all of us?

Are you having a quarter life crisis?

One of the best phrases I heard yesterday came a couple of hours after we came off air. I was speaking to a young woman who’s taking part in the Civicus World Assembly, and we were chatting about her career and what she kind of job she wanted to do. Should it be the media, aid work, policy research or campaigning and lobbying she wondered out loud? Needless to say, having hardly chartered my own career with a great deal of precision, I wasn’t a font of wisdom on the subject. ‘Mmm,’ she said,’ maybe I’m having a quarter life crisis’. We laughed about it, but it got me thinking.

Talking Points for 19 June

Good morning! It’s Priya blogging in London while the team are up in Glasgow. We will have another live programme from there today, but the debate has yet to be decided. So if you have any suggestions, get in touch below.

So here are a few thoughts: