The Week That Was: A Sense of Opinion

War, twerking, the poor and their big screen TVs... nothing was off the agenda as summer drew to a close. Let us start with the serious. Countries going to war, in their own backyard or further afield, deserve debate. David Cameron may be ruing the day he decided that that debate extended to a free vote in the Commons. However, 'the heir to Blair' (as news organisations, ourselves included, labeled the PM this week), may also be wiping his brow that the anti-war marches Blair himself had to witness, will not haunt his legacy.

We are entitled to an opinion. Everyone has one, some more than others, and this week we aired them en masse, online, in person and everywhere else it seemed.

War, twerking, the poor and their big screen TVs... nothing was off the agenda as summer drew to a close.

Let us start with the serious.

Countries going to war, in their own backyard or further afield, deserve debate. David Cameron may be ruing the day he decided that that debate extended to a free vote in the Commons. However, 'the heir to Blair' (as news organisations, ourselves included, labeled the PM this week), may also be wiping his brow that the anti-war marches Blair himself had to witness, will not haunt his legacy.

Sadder though, was the politicking that engulfed a debate that deserved a proper chance to be heard. Children, mothers, fathers, people are dying in Syria, and the world is still no closer to having an answer as to how that can be stopped.

Agree or not with Obama's stance; and I write this in the knowledge that by the time my words are published, things may have changed dramatically; surely watching and waiting for things to get better - after two years when quite the opposite has been the case - is not the answer.

Despite America and France being on the brink of war with Syria; despite the fact it looked like the UK might have lined up alongside them, almost as many column inches were devoted to the scandals of pop culture this week.

Just in time for the Oxford English Dictionary to announce it was adding 'twerking' into its latest (online) edition, Miley Cyrus took it upon herself to give the MTV VMA-viewing public a prolonged example of the practice in public. Shocking? Scandalous? Has no one watched the VMAs before?

That's what they're designed for: American sweethearts to shed their butter-wouldn't-melt personas and be taken, if not seriously, at least for the grown-ups they'd rather be.

I was far more incensed by Miley's boyfriend being urged to 'distance' himself from the singer, post her headline and crotch-grabbing routine. Let the poor boy make up his own mind. His girlfriend is comfortable in latex underwear, I can't imagine he's too upset at the straw he drew.

And so from tongues on show, to feet in mouth. Jamie Oliver this week decided not to educate the Great British public in how to feed themselves and their families in just 15 minutes, but in rather more political matters. Namely, poor families eating unhealthy food, but still managing to equip their homes with big screen TVs. A helpful comment on British diets, or a man weighing in on matters he knows little about? Opinions on that matter came in thick and fast, from rich and poor alike.

For a more educated view on the matter, and certainly from someone who can speak with a great deal of authority, A Girl Called Jack is my new heroine, and that was before she aired her opinion on Jamie's comments this week.

Read her food blog, and you'll be hard pressed not to at least value her side of the story.

Having our own opinions matters, but listening to each other's is equally important.

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