NUJ - Get your priorities sorted

I am absolutely outraged that this is deemed acceptable action by a Union meant to manage the actions of the media - not world politics. What right do the NUJ - which incidentally I have paid my measly ten pounds to be a member of this year - (for the perks I have yet to receive - other than a pretty membership card) - have to start delving into issues that are not within their remit?

To say the boycotting of Israeli goods is necessary in order to "condemn the savage, pre-planned attack on Lebanon” last summer and the “slaughter of civilians in Gaza” over the last few years - I'd say that a) they are a little late to come to the rescue, b) the attack was not pre-planned in the way inferred - it was responsive to hundreds of Katusha rockets flying into Israel every day and c) if America, Britain and Israel cannot sort this out - let alone the leaders of the Palestinians - who seem to favour imprisoning their own people in settlements to use them as political pawns (cf Arafat) - how are the NUJ planning to make an impact with their token boycott?

I would like to stress here that although I am pro-Israel, this does not mean I do not have immense sympathy for the victims of the Lebanese war - on both sides or some awareness that Israel makes errors too. The scenes of terror on the streets of Lebanon were incredibly upsetting - but as were the scenes in Israel. (Obviously much less reported in the mainstream British press)

Regardless of anybody’s political views on the Middle East, we must all urge the NUJ to stop getting ideas above its station. It is not as if the British media is free of problems - far from it. So why not actually do the job we journalists rely upon you to do?

And speaking of that...A few months ago I blogged about the NUJ trying to help all those people trying to break into the media by stopping the frequent exploitation that goes on with work experience. It is still very much happening so sort it out NUJ. Your meddling in world politics is stupid, totally misplaced and making our Union look utterly ridiculous.