Showboaters – Reaching for the Dream

By Sandy Samra

6th September 2011 | 0 comments | 0 votes yet, click here to agree or disagree

Showboaters is a new eight-part reality TV programme filmed onboard a cruise ship, which sees 10 amateur entertainers battle it out to win The Grand Prize; a contract to perform as part of the theatre show team onboard Thomson Dream, in the Caribbean!

I caught up with Benjamin Johnson, a singer/songwriter from Northampton and one of the contestants on the show hoping for the grand prize…

How did you get into singing and songwriting?
I pretty much sang before I spoke. At 4 years old I was singing ‘Love Changes Everything’ by Michael Ball on camera…scary times. My first songwriting experience though was when I was about 5 years old, during a storm, called ‘Thunder and Lightning’. Creative eh?! Haha.

Do you come from a musical family?
My mum’s side of the family are all very artistic and creative within music and the arts.
My nan was an actress, as well as my mum as a Musical Theatre artist, and my aunty took the rock and roll route with a touring band.
My late great uncle also owns a performing arts school on the outskirts of London, and I always wanted to be part of that from point one.

Is there anyone who inspires/ influences you? Who? Why?
The people that inspire me are the people that succeed. No matter what it is, if someone accomplishes a goal, it inspires me.
Musicians that inspire me vary from all genres. I have a lot of respect for Beyonce who has made the woman she is today by using her own voice and talent, rather than being some pop puppet.
My friends in every day life inspire me, and drive me, as does listening to a random song on a radio. It is amazing what the smallest thing can do to make you driven or open your eyes.

You recently appeared on sky one’s Showboaters. What made you want to appear on the show?
I wanted to appear on the show because the show offered people the chance to sing, move, create, and live a fantastic journey. All the things that I have been striving for for years. Some people hate reality TV contestants and see it as an easy way in, but there is no easy way, and if you want to find your way ‘in’ at all, you have got to take every opportunity as if it is your first and last. That is why, I took on the challenge and opportunity.

Tell us a little about it.
So from November last year, the auditions started, and these went on through to February 2011. Ten final contestants boarded a cruise ship, and we set sail across the Caribbean.  Each week, we would be put into rival teams and go through a series of challenges, including a weekly production show for the crew and passengers. Whichever team was voted the least favourite, two members from that team would then fly home the following day. Rather intense.

Was it what you expected?
I went into it expecting nothing. I went into it to run away from what was going on around me at the time. It was an excuse to run away from things and focus on what makes me happy; music.  The experience was very intense however, and so were some people, and that is something you’ve got to expect after seeing some of the people on other random reality shows.
I don’t  regret it though, as it has made me more driven to get my music and voice heard, and I got killer experience from it, and a tan!

What were your favourite bits from the show?
My favourite bits of the shows were the big production performances of course! I mean, we are talking big staging, costumes, lights, the works.  Every time I would be standing there on that stage singing to 800+ people, I would be thinking ‘Yes…this is where I want to be!’

And the worst?
There always has to be dramas in showbiz. That’s all I am saying haha.

Whats next for Benjamin Johnson?
I am currently working on new material, recording, producing, and just trying to get heard. It is very hard, and so many people are doing the same thing, but you’ve just got to try don’t you? I love doing it, and I do not see any reason to stop yet. I just hope that one day soon, I will be performing my music, rather than pouring pints!

Showboaters will be on air on Sky 1 from Tuesday 13th September.

Benjamin Johnson in photo above styled by Sandy Samra (http://sandysamra.tumblr.com/) and photography by Laimonas (http://www.laimonas.co.uk/)

Britain’s Streets Ruled By Thugs

By Bridget Barrett

12th August 2011 | 0 comments | 0 votes yet, click here to agree or disagree

London’s burning and Birmingham has fallen into mayhem. There is anarchy in the UK and arson attacks on the streets; what is happening to our cities in Britain?

On Saturday August 6th, a peaceful protest turned into a war zone with hell-bent riots where businesses such as Currys, Comet, Poundstretcher and JD Sport were all ransacked and looted.

On the following Monday, two girls who took part in more riots in Croydon boasted to the BBC World Service they ‘were showing the police and the rich that we can do what we want’.

Is this the mentality of the youth of today? Many buildings have been burnt down, such as a carpet shop in Croydon, one which provided a service for over 100 years was left to burn with no police or fire service present. A listed building dating back to the 1930s was burnt to the ground in Tottenham Hale as well as a Sony warehouse in Enfield. It’s London destroyed by thugs.

Other TV and Internet images appeared through the week, such as a woman calmly walking across the street with a shopping basket full of stuff she’s just looted, as if she was in a supermarket. Kids as young as 8 were acting as look-outs for their thuggish order siblings, parents actually collecting their darling offspring in car parks, in their people carriers, knowing they’d just looted a store and were ready to fill up the cars with the stolen goods.

The rioters targeted businesses and residential properties. People were left helpless and running for their lives and were forced to jump from burning buildings to escape the fires. Scenes of the rioting varied from cars set alight, shops looted with thugs ripping TVs off betting shops walls, to an empty, looted Currys on Sunday night.

The four nights of mayhem in London were repeated in other cities throughout Britain. Are the children out of control and why are they doing this to our communities? Is it just because they come from deprived areas, poor communities, dysfunctional families with high unemployment? Does this instill thoughts of little or no opportunities for their future? Or is it because of a more straight forward reason: sinister, selfish, gluttonous opportunistic greed? Because the scum appear to  have absolutely no regard for others in any of the communities targeted.

The country has been complaining for some time about gang warfare and out of control teenagers, so why has it taken so long for the government to see that this is a real problem?  Is it because now, finally, it’s affecting the functioning of London and other major cities in Britain?

The problem stems from the peer pressure gangs use against young children and power that they have. Adults have been powerless for years; rights taken away from teachers and the police that have allowed teenagers to develop gang cultures uninhibited and enforce this way of thinking. They have lost all sense of respect, community, family, while the concept of law and order doesn’t seem to exist in their culture or upbringing.  Thanks to social networking, like Blackberry phones, communicating with each other is easy; they can organise their crimes and cause disruption to the lives of ordinary people and say ‘stuff you’ in the process.

They called the police “feds” and while wearing their “ballys” (balaclavas) brought vans, hampers, the lot; it’s the swagger language they use to communicate to each other. Then, armed with their ghetto gear, hoodies and, in some cases, knives, they headed to the nearest city/town to terrorise and bully communities regardless of colour or beliefs.

However, it’s not just the typical swaggering yobs that have been dragged into this mayhem, it’s since emerged the people that have so far been arrested since Monday night have ranged from a millionaire’s daughter, age 19, a graduate, aged 24, and teacher, aged 31, who, ironically, works with unprivileged kids. There were also a pair of twins, Icha and Micha Livingstone, both age 19, teenage students.  Their mother claimed, “They were just in the area and police rounded everyone up and this will kill them.” Yeah, well, I’m not convinced by these reasons! Excuses are pouring in and some are as flippant as, “I got caught up in the anarchy mindset” or that “I didn’t intend to cause any trouble and I am a good person, I don’t like crime or stealing.” These are not excuses.

I believe these responses are lame and that some parents are defending their children by claiming they are good people.

Good people don’t go around venting revenge on people’s lives, burning cars and destroying businesses for the fun of it, all whilst looking for opportunities to rob businesses blind. These are ordinary folk who have done nothing wrong no matter how angry you are at society.

Even more shocking is that fact that half the people that have been arrested for rioting and looting shops are old enough to know better and have decent jobs and careers.

You can’t go around blaming Facebook and Twitter social networking sites either, it just doesn’t convince me. It is down to the people who use their services, not the service itself. People using the sites could have said no to the planned looting and rioting in the streets. The accused even seem to have the front to demand privacy from being identified outside the Courts; it’s just laughable. Well, I hope they enjoy their stolen HDTVs,  Adidas trainers, new PlayStations and thousands of pounds of food. You wanted to cause mayhem and go on the rampage at all hours of the night, so when you lose your job, you’ve no one to blame but yourself – so well done.

The problem with English law is it’s too soft. As the girls from Croydon said, “We can do want we like” getting nothing more than a light ASBO order. This has to change and it has to change NOW.  There should be no more freebies for rioting opportunists or soft sentences for these low life cretins, who think it’s their God-given right to go around destroying properties, businesses and homes.

The government has to start using hard punishments that demonstrate that this kind of aggressive, violent, thuggish, criminal behaviour will not be tolerated in a way that will make possible perpetrators stop and think; is having a criminal record, ruining my career prospects and losing a perfectly good job really worth a stolen £300 HDTV?

You can’t tell me that an 11-year-old does not know the difference between right and wrong! Especially when we all know that they should have been at home in their beds during the riots but instead they were out at all hours causing criminal damage and looking to smash in the next JD Sport shop window for those must-have trainers.

Rioting is not normal and I certainly don’t want it to become a way of life in the UK.

The fight back has begun.

DJ GSP Returns to Gravity

By Sandy Samra

27th May 2011 | 0 comments | 0 votes yet, click here to agree or disagree

Last month DJ GSP wowed the crowd at Fire in Vauxhall. He is now back again this month to give his new fans another dose of uplifting house music!

I absolutely love your sound. How did you get into House  music?

I started dj-ing when I was still a kid at home. I experimented by mixing various genres of music. House music won me over because it can be very simple to really complicated, something that makes it so unique.

Is there anyone who influences you? Who? Why?

What influences me the most is anyone that goes out clubbing. What I see on the dancefloor is what inspires me for the next track I’ll mix. This means that not only new tracks have to be played, but what will make the crowd go crazy. Of course I have some favourite DJs and producers who’s sound influences me, but they come second.

Is there anywhere you haven’t played yet that you would love to?

Ibiza. It’s a dream that hasn’t come true yet, but hopefully will!

During the last Bank Holiday you were The Special Guest DJ at Sylvia Rebel’s GRAVITY at Fire in Vauxhall. Now you’re playing there again. How does that feel?

It was a big step for me. I was so excited but also so nervous. I have received so much support by my friends and the London clubbers that I couldn’t have achieved anything without them. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart.

You’re from Greece and DJ there, what is it about the party crowd in London that keeps you wanting to come back?

The party crowd in London can receive and appreciate what I give them and that makes me become better and better. My job is not only to play music on some decks, but inspire people to dance and have a great time.

You can check out all the latest podcasts from DJ GSP at http://djgsp.podomatic.com and catch him live at Gravity @ Fire in London on Thursday 26th May AND Thursday 2nd June.

The Ruby Dolls: RUBIES in the ATTIC – A musical masterpiece

By Matt Fricker

8th March 2011 | 0 comments | 0 votes yet, click here to agree or disagree

At a time when London’s West End is populated with musical shows featuring the works of classic rock bands or so called ‘legendary’ musicals, one can find themselves spoilt for choice, or worse, the West End theatre experience can appear to be a very un-original expedition to embark on.

That said, if you want to see something original and truly unique, all you need to do it look in the right places, for me, this meant looking at the off- West End theatres where I came across a show called RUBIES in the ATTIC by The Ruby Dolls.

Described as a performance of Cabaret Theatre which sees the shared histories of the Ruby Dolls explored, “Intertwining Coward with Klezmer and Tango with African folk.” I knew I was in for something a little different when I booked my ticket.

What I found however was more than ‘a little different’, for I had found an extraordinary piece of musical theatre.

The show is as simple as theatre can be, four performers, known as Jen Doll, Susie Doll, T Doll and Jess Doll, one piano, a small collection of props from flat caps to a paper puppet, and the four voices of The Ruby Dolls, harmonising in a truly incredible fashion, the like of which is seldom seen in today’s world of X-Factor girl groups and Britian’s Got Talent performers who’s only musical appeal is sex.

Exploring the personal family histories of the Dolls, RUBIES in the ATTIC sees the performers travel around the world and through the decades using the minimal space that the Jermyn Street Theatre in Piccadilly provides.

As hinted in the title to this review, The Ruby Dolls show is a true musical masterpiece, with this writer, having seen RUBIES in the ATTIC, even deciding to start looking at his own family history in hope that the discoveries made might be as eye opening as the discoveries that the Dolls made when researching their own pasts while writing the show.

RUBIES in the ATTIC is being performed in a limited run at the Jermyn Street Theatre, with performances on Monday 18^th April and two shows on Sunday 22^nd May.

For more details about the incredible group of performers, visit www.therubydolls.com

10 O’Clock Live

By Matt Fricker

24th January 2011 | 2 comments | 2 people like this

Last night saw the launch of Channel 4’s new satire show, 10 O’Clock Live, a programme which saw one of the best stand up comedian’s in the UK (Jimmy Carr) two of the best respected satirical writers (David Mitchell and Charlie Brooker) and a pretty radio DJ (Lauren Laverne) talk about what’s going on in the world for an hour.

10 O’Clock Live is trying to emulate the success of Jon Stewart’s The Daily Show. (So it’s got quite a mountain to climb when you consider that The Daily Show is arguably the most successful news satire programme of recent times.)

The show has a live, hour long format, and while the first episode is always likely to have some teething problems, many, including myself will find themselves judging the show on the basis of its first appearance.

At a time when the UK is crying out for decent satire, 10 O’Clock live makes for a fantastic concept, unfortunately it also tried to do too much, mainly because it had four hosts.

What this format showed was actually very interesting, as the two presenters who haven’t made their name as live performers were in fact the strongest parts of the show (well done Charlie Brooker and David Mitchell)

As the programme ended, I couldn’t help but think it would have been much, much stronger if the entire show was David Mitchell hosting and debating with a 5 – 10 minute cameo from Charlie Brooker with a newswipe-esque insert.

That said, The Daily Show has that very format, with Jon Stewart in the main seat, so maybe I’m just not keen on the UK’s slightly different approach to the satire programme.

The 2011 BAFTA predictions

By Matt Fricker

24th January 2011 | 0 comments | 2 people like this

The 2011 British Academy Film and Television Awards take place on Sunday, February 13 and a number of movie stars from both sides of the Atlantic will be hoping for an early valentine’s present this year in the form of shiny BAFTA.

The BAFTAs, along with the Golden Globes are often seen as a great pre-cursor to who will win the big prize that every member of the film industry dreams of, the Academy Award, better known by many as the Oscar.

For the past few years I’ve attempted to predict the winners of the so called ‘Big Five awards’ (Best Film, Director, Actor, Actress, and Original Screenplay)

Usually I get four out of five correct, however, this year I’m confident I’ll get all five right.

That said, as we’re talking BAFTAs I’m also going to include my predictions for Best Supporting Actor and Actress as well as Best British Film.

My predictions can be found below, in bold. I’ll be back in a few weeks letting you know how I got on.

Best Film

Nominees:

• Black Swan
• Inception
• The King’s Speech
• The Social Network
• True Grit

In the year after Avatar took the cinematic world by storm (although I’m still not sure why it did) many wondered if there would be another major Hollywood special effects blockbuster vying for the Best Film title, and while Inception is a big budget film, it has a very different tone from Avatar (and is actually a good film) that said, I believe this year will see the Best Film award go to The King’s Speech.

Alexander Korda Award for Outstanding British Film of the Year
Nominees:

• 127 Hours
• Another Year
• Four Lions
• The King’s Speech
• Made in Dagenham

Because I think The King’s Speech will win the Best Film title, I don’t think it will win the Outstanding British Film crown as well, in fact, I think the British film crown will go to one of the country’s best loved (or most feared, depending on which side of the fence you sit on) comedians, Chris Morris, for his outstanding debut feature Four Lions.

David Lean Award for Achievement in Direction
Nominees:

• Darren Aronofsky for Black Swan
• Danny Boyle for 127 Hours
• David Fincher for The Social Network
• Tom Hooper for The King’s Speech
• Christopher Nolan for Inception

The Golden Globe for Best Director was won for The Social Network, and after a career which has seen films including Seven and Fight Club be passed up for directing achievements, I think this will be the year when David Fincher is crowned Best Director.

Best Screenplay (Original)
Nominees:

• Black Swan
• The Fighter
• Inception
• The Kids Are All Right
• The King’s Speech

Best Screenplay is arguably the toughest of the categories to call that said, as much as I loved both The Kids Are All Right and Inception, I have a feeling that the BAFTAs will give the award to The King’s Speech.

Best Actor
Nominees:

• Javier Bardem for Biutiful
• Jeff Bridges for True Grit
• Jesse Eisenberg for The Social Network
• Colin Firth for The King’s Speech
• James Franco for 127 Hours

As the winner of the Golden Globe for Best Actor this year, many believe it will be Colin Firth’s year to celebrate at award ceremonies.
While there’s a lot of strong competition in the Best Actor field, the awards normally don’t throw up too many surprises (unless you’re Mickey Rourke, who in my opinion, was robbed of the Oscar two years ago).

Best Actress
Nominees:

• Annette Bening for The Kids Are All Right
• Julianne Moore for The Kids Are All Right
• Natalie Portman for Black Swan
• Noomi Rapace for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
• Haille Steinfeld for True Grit

While many have argued that this will be the year for Colin Firth to win all the Best Actor gongs, they’ve also argued that Natalie Portman will walk away with Best Actress for her performance in Black Swan, which, although released on Friday in the UK, has already drawn up a reputation as one of the best pieces of cinema of all time.

Best Supporting Actor
Nominees:

• Christian Bale for The Fighter
• Andrew Garfield for The Social Network
• Pete Postlethwaite for The Town
• Mark Ruffalo for The Kids Are All Right
• Geoffrey Rush for The King’s Speech

In what is possibly a Superhero fan’s dream, Batman faces off against both Spiderman and The Hulk in the Best Supporting Actor category. While many would like to see the award go to the late Pete Postlethwaite as a tribute to his fantastic career, I think Batman himself; Christian Bale will win the award to go alongside his Golden Globe for The Fighter.

Best Supporting Actress
Nominees:

• Amy Adams for The Fighter
• Helena Bonham Carter for The King’s Speech
• Barbara Hershey for Black Swan
• Lesley Manville for Another Year
• Miranda Richardson for Made in Dagenham

The Best Supporting Actress category is very tough to call this year as Melissa Leo, who won the Golden Globe for her role in The Fighter, has not been nominated for the BAFTA. However, two of her competitors for the Golden Globe have been nominated for the BAFTA, namely Amy Adams, and the actress who I think will win the award, Helena Bonham Carter.

Should we blog our every thought?

By Matt Fricker

14th January 2011 | 0 comments | 2 people like this

As a child of the digital age I blog, I’ve had a livejournal, myspace, bebo, and so on. I have a personal website (http://www.mattfricker.co.uk) a twitter, a facebook, many facets of my life in fact, it could be argued, have a presence on social media sites, but is this a good thing?

I personally share a number of things via social media, including blogging (which is what I’m doing here) some I will promote for all to see, other blogs that I write, I keep for me alone, (It’s a diary, just not written in longhand you see).

Twitter is one of the many social networks I have a small presence on, and with Twitter, I can discover what people really think, or at least claim to really be thinking.

Recently, we’ve seen a great example of the effect that Twitter can have on social media and mass media as a whole, as former Big Brother contestant Kenneth Tong decided to launch a campaign promoting “managed anorexia”

The move, which Tong has since claimed was all a hoax, highlighted the full power of social media outrage, as everyone from teenagers in remote parts of the world, to worldwide celebrities including Rihanna let Kenneth Tong know how deplorable they felt his actions were.

At the time of writing, Journalist Johann Hari has recently released an in depth interview he conducted with Tong, which suggests that, sadly, Kenneth Tong wasn’t actually carrying out a hoax at all, but was very, very misguided. (The Johann Hari article can be found at the following link http://johannhari.com/2011/01/12/kenneth-tong-the-interview)

So the question I’m asking is, should we blog our every thought?

I asked this very question on twitter, so far, I’ve only had two response, one read, “I think that exposing your entire life on social networking sites is asking for trouble. People WILL use it against you”

The other said, “Everyone shares everything online now, the internet gave everyone a chance to be heard, which is both a good and bad thing”

While I’m happy to share some things, (such as my thoughts on Rooney Mara as The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, Lisbeth Salander) there are other things I won’t share openly on social media (basically, anything I deem to be a deeply personal thought).

Others will share every aspect of their life though, from how they’re feeling, to where they are, to what they’ve just done.

In the end, only you yourself can judge how much you choose to share (if anything) on social media, but are you doing more damage than good by sharing information with anyone out there who chooses to look in on your life, even in a digital sense?

Decision Points itself to a Place in History

By David Wynne-Griffith

4th January 2011 | 0 comments | 1 person likes this

Having listened to George Bush’s recent confession that the practice of ‘waterboarding’ helped prevent the successful deployment of terrorist plots at Canary Wharf and Heathrow in London, anyone would be forgiven for thinking that Mr. Bush is not too bothered about his public perception. During a recent television interview, Bush declared that ‘I really don’t care about perceptions at this point. I served, I gave it my all and I’m a content man’.
Whatever the bullish architect of the Iraq War may say, as his memoirs hit the shops it sold over 220,000 copies on its first day, meaning that he is certainly not hidden from the public spotlight. In fact, the ex-president seems to have embarked upon an unprecedented publicity campaign to advertise the book, conducting interviews with everyone from Oprah to The Times. It seems that although Mr. Bush may not care about public perceptions ‘at this point’, he will do with time. Perhaps the most revealing aspect to come out of Bush’s memoirs is that his obsessive habit of reading history books. One year, he competed with Karl Rove as to who could read more in one year. (Rove triumphed, though only just: he finished 110 books to Bush’s 95). ‘Doing the math’ on this reveals that roughly one tenth of the time that Bush spent awake as President (he liked to get at least 8 hours of sleep per night) he was buried in a book. He described his time in the Oval Office as ‘reading history and making history’.
His obvious attachment to historical reference reveals the controversial aspect of Bush’s personality, which became so alienated from the American electorate. His propensity to avoid compromise. When asked to put forward his historical influences, Mr. Bush cites Lincoln or Jesus Christ. Tony Blair, predictably, is compared to Winston Churchill. This are not historical references, but blueprints of goodness. They reveal how black and white the world really appeared through Bush’s clear perspective. It is here where opinion divides most, in a globalized worlds defined by cross-cultural complexity, is such a view admirable or foolhardy?
As an avid digger of historical fact, Mr. Bush must know that many of his lauded predecessors were extremely unpopular as they left Capitol Hill, but subsequent events swept this unpopularity into the dusty halls of antiquity. Ronald Reagan and Harry Truman have both regained substantial credibility as they have aged. Truman left office as a widely derided president due to his role in initiating the unpopular Korean War. Only years later, as the Soviet threat began to bite, was he appreciated for his doctrine against communist expansion, the Marshall Plan and the reconstruction of Europe.
For Bush, Truman represents what he aspires to. He wants to emulate Truman’s image, which ameliorated with time, and turned a contemporary shadow into a historical glow. Even the title of Bush’s memoirs, Decision Points, is modeled on one of the titles of Truman’s volumes, 1945: A Year of Decisions. Mr. Bush seems to reckon that Iraq will turn out to be his Korea, and that the American people will, with time, understand- maybe even applaud- the costly decision that he made.
Nowadays, most statesmen spend their first few months out of office tapping away at keyboards in order to get out a book covering, or in some cases explaining, their career. Most, like Mr. Bush, are not motivated by money, but by a will to influence or in some cases remould their ‘place in history’. It is this elusive and vaunted seat that finally defines an American presidency. Inevitably, the contemporary perceptions of any politician enhance with time, emotions fade, caricatures transform and perceptions wane. Decision Points looks to exploit this trend, by eroding his own stereotype, revealing his wormlike appetite for the pages of history, his sense of humour and his willingness to acknowledge his own mistakes. In some ways, it achieves this well, after all Bush’s extensive reading habit has come as a revelation to many in Britain, despite being well-known on Capitol Hill.
However, there is an unfortunate glitch in the plan. Just as Truman’s legacy cleared with the contemporary escalation of the Cold War and the revelation of Soviet expansionist intentions, so Bush’s legacy will be shaped by subsequent events in Iraq and Afghanistan. Convictive admissions on the papers of his memoirs cannot change this.
Although clarity is the one thing that pulsates through Bush’s memoirs, he should also know that history is seldom clear-cut. It vacillates, obscures and contradicts. As Mr. Bush explains his president, it is simple, a battle between the forces of freedom and ‘the axis of evil’. As we all know, the reality of this is far more complex. For some, his clarity of thought and his moral conviction are a substitute for ignorance. Unfortunately, as historians mull over his legacy, they may not judge him with the clarity with which he sees himself.

Dust Clouds Blur Judgment on North Korea.

By David Wynne-Griffith

4th January 2011 | 0 comments | 1 person likes this

A tiny fishing village bombed on a serene Tuesday afternoon by heavy artillery fire. Burning buildings, sirens and civilian casualties. Just the latest evidence of North Korea’s unmistakable acceleration in aggression towards its Southern neighbour.
Although the dust has settled over Yeonpyeong Island, it is still obvious that this military exchange threatens the stability of the Korean Peninsula in a way unlike any other since the Korean War. However, ironically it is difficult to know how to interpret this act of unequivocal aggression because, like so much else about North Korea, the haze of miscomprehension and a lack of information have obscured a clear Western vision of North Korean objectives.
If we are to believe the Washington rhetoric, there is no reason to panic. The Pentagon claims that this incident will not be a direct corollary for all out war on the Korean peninsula. However, it is hard to ignore the escalation of events, which has led up to this critical juncture. Last year, the North incited widespread condemnation from the international community by completing a long-range missile launch and its second consecutive underground nuclear missile test. North-South relations plunged into further turmoil last March after the unprovoked sinking of the South Korean naval ship, Cheonan due to a North Korean torpedo attack. Tension between two has treaded the diplomatic tight-rope ever since, as speculation swirls around the passing of power from Kim Jong-il to his son, Kim Jong-un.
All that remains certain is the North’s vehement commitment to competitive confrontation. In a conventional scenario, a dictatorship facing an uncertain takeover would be severely reluctant to raise any kind of noticeable profile when the scrutiny from the international community is so intense, but the North Koreans seem intent on initiating shock waves across the Yellow Sea. However, there is a strand of thinking that injects some form of logic into the North Korean madness. As Kim Jong-il is slowly weaned away from power, his son is struggling to earn the support of the all-powerful army within the country. The so-called ‘Young General’ has little or no military credentials to vaunt, meaning that provocative displays of military intent, much like the shock artillery attack and the torpedo sinking last March, may help Kim Jong-un attain some sort of combative credibility and thus ease his accession to North Korea’s military throne.
Ironically, this theory refracts a ray of optimism through the settling dust that surrounds the two enemies. It could be possible that North Korea’s progressive assaults against the South are founded in internal tussles between factions jostling for political power, rather than an expansionist desire to influence international relations.
However, no-one can deny that the direct political rhetoric emanating from both countries is becoming increasingly worrying. A South Korean military official, Marine Commander General Yoo Nak-Joon, appeared hell bent on exacting revenge ‘a hundred and a thousand fold’ on North Korea for the deaths of two marines, who fell as a result of the artillery bombardment. The funeral for the two marines was held, somewhat provocatively, in conjunction with the military exercises of USS George Washington (a nuclear powered aircraft carrier) just west of the Korean Peninsula. Whether the Pentagon felt that this would act as a subtle deterrent against North Korea’s volatile behavior and a show of solidarity towards the South or whether it was simply a routine training procedure is unclear, however, there is no doubt that sooner or later, Barack Obama’s axiomatic skills of diplomacy will be severely tested.
At this point, the situation only seems to be escalating, with North Korea recently sending further artillery shells over the border, although none of the shells actually crossed into South Korea. In retaliation, the South Koreans have launched an extensive propaganda campaign designed to erode Kim Jong-il’s credibility by sending anti-Pyongyang leaflets in balloons over the de-militarized zone between both countries. Although this may be small beer to the North Koreans at the moment, it shows that the South is not intent on ignoring the two countries’ conflictive concoction for long.
If the North Korean threat continues to escalate and the Pacific Basin does indeed spiral into armed conflict, it is the West who will be required to find a diplomatic solution. However, it is unlikely that Britain will experience the level of military involvement that was employed for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Firstly, with £83 billion being axed out of the economy, another £6 billion being reluctantly shifted across the Irish Sea for an economic bailout, and the possibility of more hard cash being shipped across the continent to Portuguese and possibly Spanish recipients, Britain simply cannot afford a war in the Pacific.
Therefore, once again, it will be up to Uncle Sam to don his world policeman outfit and baton. The recent deployment of the USS Washington off the South Korean coast may exacerbate the situation rather than soothe it. Rash actions in the face of raw conflict often exacerbate hostile situations. Indeed, the move has already caused substantial froideur between Washington and Beijing, which regards the Yellow Sea as its ancestral waters and which has, significantly refrained from condemning its communist ally in Pyongyang over the artillery attacks. This kind of breakdown in Sino-American communication and understanding only threatens to destabilize the region further.
The situation in the Korean peninsula is as unstable as it has been at any point since the end of the war in 1954. However, to avoid the engenderment of further conflict and the frightening possibility of a nuclear war in Korea, clear, cooperative and perceptive policies are needed. A sidelining of socio-political differences and an insistence on coercive diplomacy on an international basis against North Korea represents the best way of easing the worrying developments in the Yellow Sea.