Published in The Guardian  

Hurricane Katrina not only destroyed New Orleans, but also laid bare the ugly truth about America's racial divide. Former MP Oona King set out on a personal journey through the southern states to see what has changed since her black father was forced to flee the US

The first time I met Yasser Arafat was in 1998.  I had been an MP for just over a year, and I was keen to meet the man who told the United Nations “I carry an olive branch in one hand and a freedom fighter’s gun in the other”.  His Ramallah headquarters were spartan yet neat.  There was no sign of the rubble and bombs that would engulf the compound when I returned five years later. 

by Tristram Hunt and Oona King. Published in The Guardian

Western commerce still feeds the war in Congo

Early next week a French-led contingent of multinational troops will pull out of the Congo town of Bunia after barely three months of peacekeeping. Thankfully, some high-level diplomacy at the United Nations by the secretary general, Kofi Annan, has secured a replacement force to serve a further year in an attempt to end the regional conflict which since 1998 has claimed more than 3.3 million lives.

Published by Make My Vote Count

I support electoral reform on a point of principle. I don't support it because it means my party wins more seats - although it's likely the left would gain. I support it because I believe in representative democracy. But in making the case for reform it's important to consider whether 'fair votes' could let in the far right. This is a legitimate concern for all on the left who want a more democratic electoral system.