Hard news from the Gulf

This morning I heard the 8am Today programme's lead headline telling of the killing of several protesters in Bahrain. You have probably heard of the gradual spread of protests since the Tunisian via Egyptian successes, on to Libya and then Bahrain in the last few days.

I took Helena to catch a train to London and after dropping her at 9am, I received a text on her old phone, which she has given to me. It was from her older sister T. who lives in Manama, Bahrain with her husband and two children, where they run their business.

I came home and opened up The Guardian website on my Touch and have put it here side by side with the second page of T.'s text.

The first text page read:
'Well we are ok here - just been up to the mayhem that is Al Jazira - queues at all 3 checkouts, back to the freezer section, as Al Osra closed & ?.'

Another text came soon after:
'We are watching Al Jazeera news. It 's very sad to see this happening on our doorstep. Country is in a state of lock down and no one going to work. We'll see what happens as today develops when the funerals take place.'


I don't know the intricate politics of Bahrain, but was horrified to hear David Mellor trotted out on the Today programme. I fear we have another case of the propping up of an unhealthy regime for geo-political reasons mostly concerned with oil, business and religious division.

Helena visited Bahrain this time last year and she told me stories of the divisions in society and the total reliance on imported workers, particularly from Asian countries. Bahrain is an island but hardly anyone can reach the sea or a beach, as all the land is owned by the ruling family. You have to be able to join a club to get reasonable access to the sea. Why are people surprised that the there is complaint at inequality? I wonder how Russians feel now that the outcome of their original revolution has ended with mafia organisations and oligarchs owning so much and leaving so little for the mass of the population. May be they will have another revolution; round and round it goes.

Here in Britain, both nationally and locally, we have similar decision making by those in power, who now appear happy to destroy our heritage at the drop of a ballot paper. Power for them seems more important than caring for the people they are responsible for.

The funny thing I noticed today was that T. felt it necessary to close her text by saying, ' But BMMI is still delivering alcohol'. Life goes on everywhere, including it would seem in a muslim country beset with Sunni and Shia division. But it might not be life as we have always known it for much longer.

ps
It occurred to me that you might not be able to easily read this page of the text message so here it is:
'.... cash points run out of money. Tanks rolling past City Centre mall and on all highways - all main roads closed. But BMMI still delivering alcohol !!'


pps
I always remember playing the board game called RISK when I was younger, and how whatever happened, there was always a big bundle in the Middle East, about controlling the lands between Africa and Asia, before anyone could win the game! Hmmm!