How to discuss September 11
| 14:28 UK time, Monday, 11 September 2006
Hi there. I've not been working on the programme for the past few weeks (a new daughter has been keeping me entertained) and it's really good to be back. I have been reading your comments on the blog between nappy changes, but it'll be good to talk to you on air later. It's not too often on this programme that you know what we'll be talking about on the morning of a show, let alone several weeks in advance. But when I went off on paternity leave a few weeks ago, I noticed my first shift back would be on September 11th and I was pretty sure what would dominate the programme today. I listened to Friday's programme when some of you clearly felt there was too much discussion of 9/11 but there is no doubt that many more of you still want to talk about it.
As I'm sure you're aware, it's the of the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon which killed several thousand people. We discussed at length in this morning's meeting how we might structure today’s discussion. There are broad issues such as whether America is , and also the personal experiences of those who were directly affected by the attacks. In the end, we decided to simply invite you to tell us what about this anniversary you would like to talk about.
What does this anniversary mean to you? What issues does it raise and where do you stand on them? Do you think such anniversaries deserve the attention given to them by the media?
You’ll not have trouble finding extensive coverage of 9/11 through all the major news sites. I’ve been watching CNN’s coverage of the day itself which it’s .
As I'm writing this, we're also getting news of in the Palestinian territories which could lead to a government of national unity. The significance of this could be (and that's a big 'could') that Hamas is prepared to acknowledge Israel's right to exist, which, Tony Blair signalled yesterday, would allow Western donors to end the aid boycott of the Palestinian Authority. Lots of ifs and buts in a situation which has known many false dawns, but what do you make of this... Is it something you want to talk about? Either way, I'll speak to you later at 18 GMT.
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