Friday, 21 September, 2007
- 21 Sep 07, 05:12 PM
Richard Dannatt
Do we actually appreciate the work our soldiers are doing in Iraq? Never one to fear the outspoken word, the head of the army, General Sir Richard Dannatt has voiced his concern about the growing gulf between serving soldiers and the rest of the population. His worry is that men and women returning from war find the public increasingly dismissive or indifferent. Or just don鈥檛 understand the cause for which they've been offering their lives.
Newsnight has looked extensively at the covenant between soldier and public in recent weeks (watch here). But this is the first time a top military leader has explicitly shown his fear of this dislocation. And implicitly, perhaps, criticism of the mission itself?
Back in Business
If Gordon Brown ne Prudence was worried the past week of Northern Rockiness would have cost him his reputation as the Iron Chancellor, his mind may be put at rest after the results of this poll. Newsnight has found Labour comfortably ahead of the other parties when voters are asked whom they would trust to best run the economy. The ICM poll indicated a high level of confidence among the public about the economic climate, and surprisingly perhaps, even their own financial prospects. So armed with this knowledge and a possible spring in his step, is Gordon more likely to announce a snap election next week? We'll discuss the political fallout from Northern Rock and the Labour conference ahead.
Lack of Respect?
Is the Respect party - built upon a coalition of anti-war feeling, fronted by Big Brother inmate and MP for Bethnal Green and Bow George Galloway - on the point of collapse? Michael Crick has the story.
NEWSNIGHT REVIEW
Rosie Boycott, John O'Farrell and Sarfraz Manzoor join Martha for this week's look at film, art and tv.
Up for debate and dsicussion this week: Michael Clayton - George Clooney stars in a corporate law thriller; Billie Piper returns to the small screen as a high-class prostitute with a notorious blog in ITV2 drama Secret Diary of a Call Girl; a major retrospective of the work of German painter Georg Baselitz at the Royal Academy; and Ken Loach's film It's a Free World - a story of the exploitation of the thousands of immigrants who come to Britain each year seeking work.
