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[Music]

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welcome to Sputnik orbiting the world

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with me George Galloway and me Gayatri

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grass and mud wall villagers burn

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ill-clad villagers bleed and die in

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Southeast Asia it is for someone of my

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age at least a very familiar sight

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Vietnam Cambodia Laos even Korea are

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part of the soundtrack of my life those

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who don't die are forced to flee on foot

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through the land mines or afloat on the

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unforgiving sea with the children's on

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their backs if they're lucky I call it

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Burma you may call it Myanmar I called

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it Cambodia you may call it Kampuchea

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either way we have been faced for years

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not weeks with an actual as opposed to a

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rhetorical genocide an attempt to

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destroy completely a specific category

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of people namely

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the rural India 68% of the Burmese

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people are ethnically Burma the name

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Myanmar is contested as the name imposed

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by the military dictatorship which has

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effectively been in power since 1962 87

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percent of the population are Buddhists

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the military dictatorship has long

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repressed the minorities in the state in

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the name of ethno-religious supremacy

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the former darling of western liberals

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Nobel Peace Prize winner Hong sang-soo

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Chi is the country's political leader

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the lipstick on the pig of the still

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ruling military junta so we have a

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genocide taking place in a Buddhist

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country led by a Nobel laureate you

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couldn't make it up to help untangle

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what's going on now is our first guest

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filmmaker Sofia Rahman who has just

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returned from the frontline in

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Bangladesh welcome to the Sputnik

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Shaffir where have you just been and

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what did you find there thanks George

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I'm happy to be here I've been all along

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the border with Myanmar on the

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Bangladesh side you've seen scenes on

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television but really it's to be there

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it's quite an overwhelming

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you see thousands and thousands of

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people mainly women and children sitting

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in the torrential rain sitting in the

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Sun without very little shelter they're

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exhausted they're having to struggle in

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the mud they can't feed the children

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properly the women are unable to lactate

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they can't breastfeed and sometimes you

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see you get panic you get pandemonium I

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was there in the Gundam border and

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suddenly we heard that two people had

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been shot dead two refugees trying to to

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draw hinge refugees trying to come into

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Paramesh and there was howling and

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crying all around and I filmed these

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refugees trying to retrieve the bodies

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from the no-man's land

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slipping all over in the mud blood

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everywhere it's absolutely terrible no

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you see it's mainly women and children

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which begs the obvious question what's

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happened to the men I think they the

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onslaught of the Burmese military he

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hasn't spared men women or children from

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all the stories that we've heard no one

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has been left in certain villages women

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have been targeted women have been

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targeted for rape women up in target

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they've been corralled into huts and

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torched men have often fled to the

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villages to the hills just before the

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attacks become known but the presence of

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some overwhelming numbers of women as

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opposed to men does beg the question

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where are they this didn't start weeks

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ago

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although the TV cameras showed up weeks

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ago started years ago it's important I

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think for viewers to know that this is

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not some response to a specific event or

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some act of resistance by the Rohingya

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people this is a process over years of

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attrition to ethnically cleanse Burma of

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its Rohingya population isn't it yes I

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think they the bogeyman of the jihadi

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Bay Islamic extremists they would like

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to

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say that revenge er is a very convenient

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handle for the Burmese military but as

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you have said the process has been

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extended the violence really kicked off

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in 1978 when you saw the first large

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population movements from Burma into

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anti-viral ash I've been filming this

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year and there have been numerous

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instances of villages being torched or

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people being raped poor people people

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being killed these episodes provide a

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very welcome and convenient handle for

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the military to go in and if you like

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expedite their tasks is it the case that

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that vigilante militants make the first

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attacks and then the army moves in not

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necessarily we've heard of villages

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where the army have surrounded the

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villages and Rakhine mobs sometimes even

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monks are part and parcel of the process

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of killing people monks yes I I think

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there's even documented evidence from

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2012 where what these people are

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involved let me give you an example of

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one particular village which seems to

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exemplify what's happening across this

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Rakhine State and the village was

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surrounded by the army they were told

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that a Hynde chairman told everyone look

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we're going to torture buildings we're

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going to torture homes but we're not

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going to harm you so please assemble

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they pointed out a place for them to

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assemble but soon that there was a

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realization that this is this is not

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what was going to happen they torched

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the place and then they set upon the

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people and what happened there was quite

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astonishing over a period of three days

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virtually every member of that village

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was slaughtered was killed somehow men

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women and children know this comes as a

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great shock to people even perspicacious

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viewers of sputnik monks Buddhist

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both of whom have a kind of idealized

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image in Western countries the Dalai

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Lama and and chanting in front of the

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Buddha and so on it's quite a shock to

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people as a shock to you is a shock to

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the victims I think those who follow the

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process of those who follow the process

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what's been happening to the Rohingya

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I think it's not entirely a shock and

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it's a very crafted thing that's

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happening here it's often seen in the

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press as a as a communal conflict as a

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religious conflict it's not quite that

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it'sit's very useful angles to have for

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the military to to put it like that I

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think if you see that one of the real

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questions is about land grabbing is

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about resources in that area it's become

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a very interesting area for corporate

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argued culture timber geothermal

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projects and so on and land wrapping has

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also affected the Buddhists put a small

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halters so if you think about it it's

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very useful for for the military to set

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one group up against another in order to

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hide the economic and their business

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interests that they have which is

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affecting both population groups of

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course one population group is being

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targeted as particularly unpalatable

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Amiens as in the revenger but it's not

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to say that buddhists haven't been

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affected also by the military's business

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interests in the region but the

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ideological base of the regime is

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Burmese nationalism Buddhist chauvinism

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other groups over decades have been

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repressed the current people the Hmong

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people who are all small minorities in

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the state one after the other have are

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often something at the same time have

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been targeted so the main driver isn't

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it is the ethno-religious attempt to

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make Burma an entirely burmese an

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entirely Buddhist

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there's no doubt about it that there's

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an ethnic component to this and that

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there's a communist component to this

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the terms that are used to discriminate

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against revenger color and so on they

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are ethnic slurs if you like which

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target darker skinned people we which

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target Muslims without a doubt that's

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that's the case but it's undeniable also

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that the military have very specific

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business interests and hand in hand is a

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very important mix can I just go back to

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the border where you have been going and

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filming for a good year now so mostly

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women and children I think over quarter

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million have now fled into Bangladesh so

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what what is happening to them well

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where they are they is the Bangladeshi

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government just giving them there or is

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there a certain program around it I

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think at first it was the idea of

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containment that people would be somehow

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push back push back into Burma when

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things calm down but that idea soon

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evaporated because things weren't coming

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down as the villages kept being torched

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so now they're being slowly released

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from those areas and they're coming into

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an already very tight situation all the

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camps are completely over capacity

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already so you can imagine the arrival

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of 370 now I believe the figure is three

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hundred ninety thousand so you can

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imagine what the impact of three hundred

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ninety thousand people will do you can

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think about latrines you can think about

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food distribution you can think about

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even even to erect a small Hut for

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yourself or just a plastic sheet or over

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your head is a very difficult task if

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you're an unaccompanied child or if

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you're a mother with lots of children

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and you don't have any money to buy the

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plastic there's no one providing you

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with money or giving you plastic sheets

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there's a flourishing market in plastics

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which I just cannot believe how this can

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be lastly I'm afraid we

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of time the British government is still

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providing military training to the

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Burmese military that is carrying out

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these atrocities how does that make you

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feel I read today that John McCain is

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going to introduce an amendment to the

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American bill and this is John McCain

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someone who is a Republican and someone

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you don't really feel that might engage

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in progressive policies and yet here we

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are in in the UK still going along as if

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nothing has happened it's deeply

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republic of course I'm really grateful

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to you for your firsthand testimony I

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wish we had more time to explore it

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further maybe on another occasion

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shafa'ah Rahman god bless your work and

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thanks for coming on the sputnik thank

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you

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coming up next the elections in Germany

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where there's no Russian interference

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after all don't miss it

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welcome back to Sputnik next week's

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federal elections in Germany will

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determine not just the governance of

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Europe's most important country but will

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shape the next stage in the history of

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the European Union and the flow of

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migrants and refugees into the European

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continent

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and will also be pivotal in determining

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Britain's relations with Europe once we

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leave the EU so important then our

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resident expert in European affairs is

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of course dr. Russel Foster from King's

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College London and were very glad to see

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he's joined us again now dr. Russell we

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we never tired of seeing you in any case

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but there's an election it seems every

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other month in Europe and a cataclysmic

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event can always be counted on in

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between so this is a biggie the German

275
00:13:27,839 --> 00:13:32,070
election how's it looking well I would

276
00:13:30,630 --> 00:13:33,959
definitely agree that this is the big

277
00:13:32,070 --> 00:13:35,850
election and this year of elections that

278
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we've been dealing with it hasn't ended

279
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of course we've got four elections

280
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coming up in Europe in the next few

281
00:13:39,329 --> 00:13:43,199
months but all eyes have been on the

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German one because as we all know the

283
00:13:43,199 --> 00:13:48,569
European Union is dependent upon German

284
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support now in contrast to the Dutch the

285
00:13:48,569 --> 00:13:52,079
British in the French elections which

286
00:13:50,339 --> 00:13:53,279
were in the media because there were

287
00:13:52,079 --> 00:13:55,319
quite touching goes to where the

288
00:13:53,279 --> 00:13:57,600
populist would get in the German

289
00:13:55,319 --> 00:14:02,040
election has been very quiet and quite

290
00:13:57,600 --> 00:14:03,839
calm it's astonishing you have to dig

291
00:14:02,040 --> 00:14:06,060
quite deep now the reason for this is

292
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that Angela Merkel is all but guaranteed

293
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to become Chancellor for a fourth term

294
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in the elections next week the Christian

295
00:14:12,060 --> 00:14:16,920
Democratic Union will win most of the

296
00:14:14,430 --> 00:14:20,339
seats in the Bundestag which will give

297
00:14:16,920 --> 00:14:22,079
them a great deal of control but as is

298
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always the case in post-war German

299
00:14:22,079 --> 00:14:24,569
politics

300
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they'll have to form a coalition with

301
00:14:24,569 --> 00:14:29,610
one of the other major parties now this

302
00:14:27,630 --> 00:14:31,230
is significant because in the upcoming

303
00:14:29,610 --> 00:14:33,480
elections we may see the number of

304
00:14:31,230 --> 00:14:35,880
parties in the Bundestag rising from

305
00:14:33,480 --> 00:14:38,430
four to six with the election of

306
00:14:35,880 --> 00:14:40,560
Representatives for de linka or the

307
00:14:38,430 --> 00:14:43,110
Greens or possibly alternative for

308
00:14:40,560 --> 00:14:44,640
Deutschland as the right-wing well we

309
00:14:43,110 --> 00:14:46,949
will call them right-wing but a little

310
00:14:44,640 --> 00:14:47,480
bit like from nacional or the PVV in the

311
00:14:46,949 --> 00:14:49,970
Netherland

312
00:14:47,480 --> 00:14:51,079
they absorb voters from across the

313
00:14:49,970 --> 00:14:53,660
political spectrum

314
00:14:51,079 --> 00:14:55,820
now Merkel has got essentially two

315
00:14:53,660 --> 00:14:58,880
choices as to who she forms a coalition

316
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with the first one is the SPD under

317
00:14:58,880 --> 00:15:03,380
Martin Schulz who experienced quite a

318
00:15:01,130 --> 00:15:05,510
surge in popularity a little while ago

319
00:15:03,380 --> 00:15:09,139
they're already in coalition with the

320
00:15:05,510 --> 00:15:10,839
CDU and their outlook upon Europe will

321
00:15:09,139 --> 00:15:13,370
be very significant in determining

322
00:15:10,839 --> 00:15:15,949
Germany's relations with other members

323
00:15:13,370 --> 00:15:17,570
of the Union after the elections but

324
00:15:15,949 --> 00:15:19,220
another alternative is that she could

325
00:15:17,570 --> 00:15:21,050
form a coalition with the free

326
00:15:19,220 --> 00:15:23,570
Democratic Party the FDP

327
00:15:21,050 --> 00:15:25,790
who she was in office with prior to to

328
00:15:23,570 --> 00:15:28,760
their allure the threshold a date they

329
00:15:25,790 --> 00:15:30,589
were wiped out in 2013 partly because of

330
00:15:28,760 --> 00:15:33,829
how they are dealt with financial

331
00:15:30,589 --> 00:15:36,139
regulation in Germany but Merkel's CDU

332
00:15:33,829 --> 00:15:39,410
has been in government with both the SPD

333
00:15:36,139 --> 00:15:41,600
and the FDP at different points but each

334
00:15:39,410 --> 00:15:43,579
party has very very different views of

335
00:15:41,600 --> 00:15:45,740
how the European Union should be

336
00:15:43,579 --> 00:15:46,790
structured and what reforms need to take

337
00:15:45,740 --> 00:15:48,889
place in Europe

338
00:15:46,790 --> 00:15:50,690
so although Merkel is going to win the

339
00:15:48,889 --> 00:15:53,000
election and it will be business as

340
00:15:50,690 --> 00:15:54,860
usual in Germany depending on who she

341
00:15:53,000 --> 00:15:57,110
forms a coalition with will send Europe

342
00:15:54,860 --> 00:16:00,410
in one of two very different directions

343
00:15:57,110 --> 00:16:03,199
it's perilous for the SPD which is the

344
00:16:00,410 --> 00:16:05,750
Labour Party equivalent to be in a

345
00:16:03,199 --> 00:16:07,519
coalition government with the torus it

346
00:16:05,750 --> 00:16:10,279
would be like Jeremy Corbyn sitting in

347
00:16:07,519 --> 00:16:12,949
trees amazed cabinet in a junior

348
00:16:10,279 --> 00:16:14,720
position it sounds strange to us but

349
00:16:12,949 --> 00:16:16,910
this is quite the norm for Germany that

350
00:16:14,720 --> 00:16:19,190
they provide us exactly exactly that

351
00:16:16,910 --> 00:16:22,370
they provide a stable systematic

352
00:16:19,190 --> 00:16:23,569
government now the CDU is not really the

353
00:16:22,370 --> 00:16:25,730
equivalent of the Tories they're

354
00:16:23,569 --> 00:16:28,850
probably close to do right-wing Liberal

355
00:16:25,730 --> 00:16:32,000
Democrats they're much more centrist but

356
00:16:28,850 --> 00:16:33,949
with the SPD we could possibly see a

357
00:16:32,000 --> 00:16:36,829
continuation of what we saw in the

358
00:16:33,949 --> 00:16:38,600
Netherlands in France and in the British

359
00:16:36,829 --> 00:16:39,920
local elections before our general

360
00:16:38,600 --> 00:16:43,310
election in which the establishment

361
00:16:39,920 --> 00:16:45,170
left-wing was annihilated I don't think

362
00:16:43,310 --> 00:16:46,699
that that that the SPD is going to be

363
00:16:45,170 --> 00:16:48,529
wiped out but there may take quite a

364
00:16:46,699 --> 00:16:50,690
tumble but they have taken an

365
00:16:48,529 --> 00:16:53,089
establishment turn I mean shorts if he'd

366
00:16:50,690 --> 00:16:56,329
been smart would have taken a carbon

367
00:16:53,089 --> 00:16:58,279
turn he would have left miracles

368
00:16:56,329 --> 00:16:59,850
coalition he would have struck out on

369
00:16:58,279 --> 00:17:03,089
his own with a ball

370
00:16:59,850 --> 00:17:04,770
real labor platform but has done the

371
00:17:03,089 --> 00:17:07,500
opposite well this is one problem for

372
00:17:04,770 --> 00:17:09,809
the SPD that many of the priorities and

373
00:17:07,500 --> 00:17:12,390
policies are not that indistinguishable

374
00:17:09,809 --> 00:17:14,459
from the CDU this means it's very easy

375
00:17:12,390 --> 00:17:16,110
for them to form a coalition but it also

376
00:17:14,459 --> 00:17:18,600
begs the question of why should somebody

377
00:17:16,110 --> 00:17:21,449
for guess be Dean's have CDU there's

378
00:17:18,600 --> 00:17:23,880
also the problem that Schulz is not very

379
00:17:21,449 --> 00:17:25,589
good at managing his own image as a

380
00:17:23,880 --> 00:17:28,559
politician he is still seen as the

381
00:17:25,589 --> 00:17:30,299
Archie uric rat the man who promised to

382
00:17:28,559 --> 00:17:32,669
fight corruption and nepotism in the

383
00:17:30,299 --> 00:17:37,530
European Parliament and then essentially

384
00:17:32,669 --> 00:17:40,860
got in through backdoor practices me

385
00:17:37,530 --> 00:17:45,330
then to delink ax which if you like is a

386
00:17:40,860 --> 00:17:48,450
Carbonite party basically standing for

387
00:17:45,330 --> 00:17:51,720
the same things that labor under carbon

388
00:17:48,450 --> 00:17:55,530
does here they have a a charismatic

389
00:17:51,720 --> 00:17:58,740
leader how do you think they're likely

390
00:17:55,530 --> 00:18:01,080
to do I think they might get one seat

391
00:17:58,740 --> 00:18:03,179
it's but it's debatable whether they'll

392
00:18:01,080 --> 00:18:06,150
even achieve that because although des

393
00:18:03,179 --> 00:18:07,919
linkers policies are quite similar to

394
00:18:06,150 --> 00:18:10,440
those that we see under Corbin's labor

395
00:18:07,919 --> 00:18:12,210
delink Estill has a lot of residual

396
00:18:10,440 --> 00:18:14,340
connection with the old communists of

397
00:18:12,210 --> 00:18:16,740
East Germany so they will gain some

398
00:18:14,340 --> 00:18:18,750
support in areas and old overlooked

399
00:18:16,740 --> 00:18:22,080
post-industrial areas of East Germany

400
00:18:18,750 --> 00:18:23,580
but because of the continuation the

401
00:18:22,080 --> 00:18:25,650
legacy of the Communists they're not

402
00:18:23,580 --> 00:18:28,290
likely to do very well and another

403
00:18:25,650 --> 00:18:30,120
problem is that a lot of the people who

404
00:18:28,290 --> 00:18:32,640
might have voted for de linka are

405
00:18:30,120 --> 00:18:36,210
flocking to alternative for Deutschland

406
00:18:32,640 --> 00:18:38,490
so if there was well if there was no AFD

407
00:18:36,210 --> 00:18:41,340
de link who would probably get a couple

408
00:18:38,490 --> 00:18:42,990
of seats but the AFD just like the front

409
00:18:41,340 --> 00:18:45,210
arsenal in France or you keep in the

410
00:18:42,990 --> 00:18:47,160
United Kingdom have appealed to and

411
00:18:45,210 --> 00:18:50,910
swept up a large part of the vote from

412
00:18:47,160 --> 00:18:54,419
the old industrial working class who

413
00:18:50,910 --> 00:18:56,280
feel ignored and isolated by a distant

414
00:18:54,419 --> 00:18:57,870
metropolitan elite which is not

415
00:18:56,280 --> 00:19:01,679
interested in their concern well this

416
00:18:57,870 --> 00:19:04,710
concept was invented in Germany in one

417
00:19:01,679 --> 00:19:08,750
sense I don't want to go too deeply into

418
00:19:04,710 --> 00:19:13,920
the phenomenon of Strasser ISM but the

419
00:19:08,750 --> 00:19:16,200
Nazi Party itself had a left-wing

420
00:19:13,920 --> 00:19:18,500
around Strasse they were butchered all

421
00:19:16,200 --> 00:19:21,840
of them in the night of the Long Knives

422
00:19:18,500 --> 00:19:25,020
but their stance was both right wing and

423
00:19:21,840 --> 00:19:27,480
left wing exactly the same time this is

424
00:19:25,020 --> 00:19:30,270
the front Nationale and France has

425
00:19:27,480 --> 00:19:30,930
indeed modeled itself on that and from

426
00:19:30,270 --> 00:19:33,570
what you see

427
00:19:30,930 --> 00:19:35,309
so as the AFD tell us well this is one

428
00:19:33,570 --> 00:19:37,080
of the characteristics of populism that

429
00:19:35,309 --> 00:19:40,800
we're seeing in Europe and the United

430
00:19:37,080 --> 00:19:43,320
States today of a continuation of early

431
00:19:40,800 --> 00:19:46,080
20th century policies which are designed

432
00:19:43,320 --> 00:19:48,540
to appeal to people who feel ignored by

433
00:19:46,080 --> 00:19:50,309
an establishment class so we can't

434
00:19:48,540 --> 00:19:53,460
categorize them as left or right wing

435
00:19:50,309 --> 00:19:56,040
now the F D is potentially unique in

436
00:19:53,460 --> 00:19:58,920
European populist s' one reason is

437
00:19:56,040 --> 00:20:01,140
Germany's collective memory in Britain

438
00:19:58,920 --> 00:20:03,480
in America in France we haven't really

439
00:20:01,140 --> 00:20:06,059
faced up to the atrocities that we

440
00:20:03,480 --> 00:20:08,130
committed in our Imperial eras but in

441
00:20:06,059 --> 00:20:10,490
Germany everyone is very what we're very

442
00:20:08,130 --> 00:20:13,620
aware of the consequences of populism

443
00:20:10,490 --> 00:20:15,390
another problem for the AFD is that they

444
00:20:13,620 --> 00:20:18,210
have shifted their rhetoric quite

445
00:20:15,390 --> 00:20:20,190
significantly when the AFD was founded

446
00:20:18,210 --> 00:20:24,200
it was appealing to people who didn't

447
00:20:20,190 --> 00:20:26,220
like germany it was a few years back

448
00:20:24,200 --> 00:20:27,720
relatively new but like a lot of the

449
00:20:26,220 --> 00:20:29,550
populace that we're seeing but they were

450
00:20:27,720 --> 00:20:31,559
founded in order to appeal to people who

451
00:20:29,550 --> 00:20:33,780
didn't like a german money going to

452
00:20:31,559 --> 00:20:35,520
bailout the Greeks and it was

453
00:20:33,780 --> 00:20:38,220
essentially a party formed around

454
00:20:35,520 --> 00:20:40,440
opposition to an undemocratic European

455
00:20:38,220 --> 00:20:43,320
Union and a financial structure which

456
00:20:40,440 --> 00:20:45,690
they felt was disadvantaging Germans but

457
00:20:43,320 --> 00:20:48,690
recently the FDS priorities have shifted

458
00:20:45,690 --> 00:20:51,690
a lot they're no longer financial

459
00:20:48,690 --> 00:20:54,450
sceptics they're now ethnic Euroskeptics

460
00:20:51,690 --> 00:20:56,760
and appealing to an ethnic German as'

461
00:20:54,450 --> 00:20:58,530
which is defined against the million

462
00:20:56,760 --> 00:21:01,260
migrants who came in under Merkel's

463
00:20:58,530 --> 00:21:03,840
policy now this means that the AFD have

464
00:21:01,260 --> 00:21:05,730
lost quite a lot of support precisely

465
00:21:03,840 --> 00:21:07,650
because of the German collective memory

466
00:21:05,730 --> 00:21:09,240
that they remember what happens when you

467
00:21:07,650 --> 00:21:11,150
blame all of your problems on one group

468
00:21:09,240 --> 00:21:13,100
well I hope so

469
00:21:11,150 --> 00:21:16,340
on the other hand if that's not what

470
00:21:13,100 --> 00:21:19,790
happens if they do well that's bound to

471
00:21:16,340 --> 00:21:22,130
impact on the German States attitude to

472
00:21:19,790 --> 00:21:24,380
what by anybody's standards has been a

473
00:21:22,130 --> 00:21:27,320
massive influx of migrants and refugees

474
00:21:24,380 --> 00:21:29,510
and we've already seen that Merkel's

475
00:21:27,320 --> 00:21:31,820
stance on refugees has changed very

476
00:21:29,510 --> 00:21:33,710
significantly so just like mark rotor in

477
00:21:31,820 --> 00:21:35,630
the Netherlands just like to resume in

478
00:21:33,710 --> 00:21:36,860
the United Kingdom we're going to see

479
00:21:35,630 --> 00:21:38,450
the same thing in Germany of

480
00:21:36,860 --> 00:21:41,210
establishment parties which are

481
00:21:38,450 --> 00:21:42,590
maintaining their power by adopting some

482
00:21:41,210 --> 00:21:44,450
of the nationalist rhetoric and

483
00:21:42,590 --> 00:21:47,300
discourse so at the height of the

484
00:21:44,450 --> 00:21:50,150
refugee crisis Merkel said come to

485
00:21:47,300 --> 00:21:51,980
Germany with open arms then less than a

486
00:21:50,150 --> 00:21:53,330
year later she's publicly debating

487
00:21:51,980 --> 00:21:55,490
whether the burqa should be banned in

488
00:21:53,330 --> 00:21:58,160
some places to appeal to people who

489
00:21:55,490 --> 00:22:00,320
otherwise would vote for the AFD but

490
00:21:58,160 --> 00:22:02,240
regardless of how many seats the AFD win

491
00:22:00,320 --> 00:22:04,340
they might win a few but not many it's

492
00:22:02,240 --> 00:22:06,620
not going to impact the coalition's

493
00:22:04,340 --> 00:22:09,140
policies because everyone has ruled out

494
00:22:06,620 --> 00:22:11,660
a deal with the AFD so the coming

495
00:22:09,140 --> 00:22:13,220
coalition between the CDU and either the

496
00:22:11,660 --> 00:22:15,260
SPD or the FDP

497
00:22:13,220 --> 00:22:17,270
will be significant depending on which

498
00:22:15,260 --> 00:22:19,670
one it is if the SDP

499
00:22:17,270 --> 00:22:23,090
come in we're going to see demands for

500
00:22:19,670 --> 00:22:25,730
more European integration greater reform

501
00:22:23,090 --> 00:22:28,490
of Europe and an extension of the euro

502
00:22:25,730 --> 00:22:29,180
zone to include all EU members I think

503
00:22:28,490 --> 00:22:30,680
that's a given

504
00:22:29,180 --> 00:22:33,080
there's only time for one more question

505
00:22:30,680 --> 00:22:37,940
but I do want to hear your answer to it

506
00:22:33,080 --> 00:22:40,460
there was all this babble that Russia

507
00:22:37,940 --> 00:22:42,680
was interfering in the German elections

508
00:22:40,460 --> 00:22:46,190
that's now largely debunked I think but

509
00:22:42,680 --> 00:22:48,320
you can tell me if it isn't well the new

510
00:22:46,190 --> 00:22:50,930
German government take a different

511
00:22:48,320 --> 00:22:53,930
approach to for example sanctions

512
00:22:50,930 --> 00:22:57,380
against Russia then Merkel has been

513
00:22:53,930 --> 00:22:59,750
forced to take by the US until now again

514
00:22:57,380 --> 00:23:01,280
it depends if it's the SDP then we'll

515
00:22:59,750 --> 00:23:04,160
see Germany's policy towards Russia

516
00:23:01,280 --> 00:23:06,350
remaining much the same if it's the FDP

517
00:23:04,160 --> 00:23:09,500
their leader has pushed for Germany to

518
00:23:06,350 --> 00:23:11,540
accept Crimea's admission into the

519
00:23:09,500 --> 00:23:14,540
Russian Federation and we'll see a weak

520
00:23:11,540 --> 00:23:17,330
sorry add a taunt of German Russian

521
00:23:14,540 --> 00:23:18,950
relations this issue of hacking it's

522
00:23:17,330 --> 00:23:20,540
something that seems to crop up in every

523
00:23:18,950 --> 00:23:24,380
election and the Germans have a

524
00:23:20,540 --> 00:23:26,660
remarkably insecure system for callate

525
00:23:24,380 --> 00:23:29,570
votes at the local level to the federal

526
00:23:26,660 --> 00:23:31,820
level so expect to see more accusations

527
00:23:29,570 --> 00:23:35,240
of Russian interference in an antiquated

528
00:23:31,820 --> 00:23:37,940
system dr. foster your students are are

529
00:23:35,240 --> 00:23:39,920
lucky to have you you distill all of

530
00:23:37,940 --> 00:23:41,840
these issues down so perfectly

531
00:23:39,920 --> 00:23:48,050
Thank You chefs for joining us thanks

532
00:23:41,840 --> 00:23:49,730
for joining us on the Sputnik and now

533
00:23:48,050 --> 00:23:51,710
it's your turn to tell us what you think

534
00:23:49,730 --> 00:23:52,970
through the portals of social media

535
00:23:51,710 --> 00:23:55,610
what's rattling Gayatri

536
00:23:52,970 --> 00:23:58,280
so we asked whether America will sleep

537
00:23:55,610 --> 00:24:00,470
walk into a fourth term basically in the

538
00:23:58,280 --> 00:24:03,320
upcoming elections but we know the

539
00:24:00,470 --> 00:24:06,740
answer to that now it's an obvious yes

540
00:24:03,320 --> 00:24:09,430
Denzil Defoe replies to that probably

541
00:24:06,740 --> 00:24:12,680
Germany is kaput and they deserved a

542
00:24:09,430 --> 00:24:15,440
hole they've got it is the German voters

543
00:24:12,680 --> 00:24:18,140
who are sleepwalking and Brian says

544
00:24:15,440 --> 00:24:20,930
unfortunately it's likely Merkel will be

545
00:24:18,140 --> 00:24:23,390
re-elected with the sickening macro

546
00:24:20,930 --> 00:24:26,630
numerical neoliberal alliance I look

547
00:24:23,390 --> 00:24:32,420
forward to brexit more it is amazing

548
00:24:26,630 --> 00:24:35,240
that she wants to continue and call

549
00:24:32,420 --> 00:24:37,040
attack that is the first surprise but

550
00:24:35,240 --> 00:24:40,040
the second surprise for me is that the

551
00:24:37,040 --> 00:24:41,570
SPD are in coalition with them what kind

552
00:24:40,040 --> 00:24:44,120
of choice therefore to the German people

553
00:24:41,570 --> 00:24:47,960
have either the far left or the far

554
00:24:44,120 --> 00:24:50,090
right or a center party which basically

555
00:24:47,960 --> 00:24:52,610
contains everybody sorry go on

556
00:24:50,090 --> 00:24:55,610
no no that's that's that's about right

557
00:24:52,610 --> 00:24:57,080
about the Rohingyas I would rather not

558
00:24:55,610 --> 00:24:59,180
go into that because I've got some

559
00:24:57,080 --> 00:25:01,150
surprising bio responses about that

560
00:24:59,180 --> 00:25:03,530
there are actually people who are

561
00:25:01,150 --> 00:25:05,870
agreeing with this genocide so let's not

562
00:25:03,530 --> 00:25:09,290
go into it well there's such anti-muslim

563
00:25:05,870 --> 00:25:12,470
hatred out there that some idiots and

564
00:25:09,290 --> 00:25:14,600
some educated idiots their default

565
00:25:12,470 --> 00:25:16,850
position is to blame the Muslims even

566
00:25:14,600 --> 00:25:18,920
when we can see on our television

567
00:25:16,850 --> 00:25:21,050
screens that they're being massacred and

568
00:25:18,920 --> 00:25:23,030
that they're defenseless they don't even

569
00:25:21,050 --> 00:25:25,280
have bicycles nothing to get away on

570
00:25:23,030 --> 00:25:27,080
nothing well that's all the time we've

571
00:25:25,280 --> 00:25:29,210
got a lot of tweets today which alas

572
00:25:27,080 --> 00:25:30,860
means that's the end of the show but you

573
00:25:29,210 --> 00:25:33,020
can stay in touch with us on social

574
00:25:30,860 --> 00:25:35,810
media on Facebook Sputnik on Russia

575
00:25:33,020 --> 00:25:38,150
today or on Twitter and Instagram our

576
00:25:35,810 --> 00:25:40,220
the underscores put me it's goodbye from

577
00:25:38,150 --> 00:25:43,300
me Gayathri and for me George Galloway

578
00:25:40,220 --> 00:25:43,300
it's been marvelous

579
00:25:47,850 --> 00:25:52,760
[Music]

580
00:25:50,700 --> 00:25:52,760
you