Diary of Your Week: Difficult thoughts

Hi it’s Paul here, in the time I’ve been working here I established pretty early on that WHYS is privileged to have fantastic contributors and callers .

Are you in a PIGS country?

Hello, Lucy from Europe Today here. We’re going to be looking at the European countries that have been worst hit by the economic crisis, the unflatteringly named PIGS – Portugal, Ireland, Germany, and Spain. Portugal votes on whether to accept the government’s proposed austerity measures. It’s the latest country expected to adopt spending cuts, tax hikes and wage freezes for civil servants.

Videos from We Media Miami Forbes Richest People

Afghanistan: hearts and minds

Nato and Afghan forces are contining their biggest offensive since the invasion of Afghanistan in 2001. Military commanders say they’re making progress in Taliban strongholds in the south. But they know enduring success depends on keeping promises to local communities to bring them a better, safer life. Will this new strategy of counterinsurgency be able to win hearts and minds? On Saturday on Newshour, Nato’s top civilian representative in Afghanistan and the number two in the US military command tell Lyse Doucet about their plans to turn the tide in Afghanistan. Then we put their case to our panel of experts. But what do you think? Can this strategy ever work?

Do we really want to talk?

Here’s a post I’ve just put up on the Wemedia blog. Thought you might want to take a look.

On air: Are you proud of your country’s richest people?

I’m sure he’s coping, but Bill Gates is no longer the world’s richest man according to Forbes magazine. That honour goes to the Mexican telcom giant Carlos Slim. The Chinese and Brazilians are also making a march on the top spots. So is the rise of these developing world billionaires something for their countries to be proud of? Do you look at the richest where you live and think they reflect well on you and your fellow countrymen and women?

Or do you have an issue with anyone having wealth on this scale? Is it obscene for one individual to have more money than whole cities in their country?