Source: Politics | The Guardian
On BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour last week, chef and food writer Yasmin Khan went on air to promote her new cookbook. When the conversation turned to the war in Gaza, she became visibly emotional, describing how mothers there are struggling to feed and care for their children. Her tears captured a sense of moral urgency that many listeners feel.
Guardian columnist Gaby Hinsliff argues that mainstream politicians have become dangerously disconnected from that sense of solidarity. While many people across Britain are horrified by the humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in Gaza, she notes, senior political leaders have largely avoided speaking out for fear of alienating voters or upsetting allies. This reticence, Hinsliff writes, has left a void where principled leadership should be.
In her view, addressing Gaza’s crisis should not be a partisan issue but a matter of basic empathy and international law. If politics is to mean anything, it must represent the feelings of ordinary citizens and give voice to the voiceless. You can read more in Guardian’s column and the BBC’s analysis of the growing gulf between public opinion and Westminster silence.
