Monthly Archive for May, 2006

Basra no longer a “success”

Published
by
Aaron
on May 31, 2006
in middle east, politics, uk and usa
. Closed

So, democratically elected Prime Minster of Iraq, Nuri al-Maliki, has declared a state of emergency in the city of Basra (which is overseen by British Troops), amid mounting violence between rival militias. Yet our own PM, Tony Blair, is moving 10% of the forces based in Basra, to Afghanistan, to support the British operations there.

Now this violence has been steadily increasing for months, so how can we, the British, possibly argue that we will stay until the job is done, if, just when violence boils over, we ship out some of our troops? Unless of course, we’re only staying in Iraq because we have some gentleman’s agreement with Washington, and to leave now, would shaft an increasingly weak president.

Is our Prime Minister allowing British servicemen to die, because of a personal commitment he has made to a foreign leader?

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Gore ‘08? Don’t bet on it

Published
by
Aaron
on May 31, 2006
in beltway, politics, polls, science and usa
. Closed

Well, I read the Al Gore interview in today’s Guardian, where he refers to Dubya as a ‘rightwing extremist’, and I have to say, I don’t think he’s going to run for president again in ’08.

Why should he? Everyone knows he was a reluctant politician, thrust into the limelight by incredibly pushy parents, and we know he’s not short of green, thanks to his links with Apple (he’s a director) and Google (special-advisor). So why should this relaxed, chilled-out, “recovering politician,” want to get stuck into the face-off of a presidential bid? He’s not a catholic, so why should he put himself through a year of self-flagellation?

The US presidential elections are no joke, you’re talking about the most powerful job in the world, and yet the campaigning is an exercise in sophistry and bullshit. The ills of the world are addressed in 30-second sound bites, the media trashes the personal lives of the candidates, and their ‘political advisors’ furiously iron out any just ideological positions they still cling to. What you get is a bleached-white version of the scumbag opportunistic liar who served you last time, or as we say in Nottinghamshire, “mutton dressed as lamb.”

Al Gore has real credibility. He took the nonsense of the 2000 election on the chin, to the immense irk of many Democrats, who claimed he was weak, but, in acquiescing to the Supreme Courts decision, he didn’t descend into counterproductive sulking and bitching. Rather he retained a sense of dignity, and got on with his life, while the ‘winner’, George W. Bush, went about bringing down America from the inside. I wonder how many Americans wish they hadn’t wasted their votes on Ralph Nader, or, been sold on the “compassionate conservatism” baloney of the Bush-Cheney ticket?

And who, other than ‘death wish’ Hillary, would want to take the White House reigns right now? The US is embroiled in a war it can’t win, the federal finances are a shambles, the infrastructure is crumbling, and the concept of Pax Americana is a joke. Gore clearly doesn’t need the headache, and can probably do more to raise awareness on climate change, as a travelling salesman, than he ever could as another President crippled by a myopic Congress.

Enjoy yourself Al, don’t even think about ’08.

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Heavens above

Published
by
Aaron
on May 31, 2006
in science and world
. 3 Comments

Perfect storm

Check out these pictures, over on Backing Winds blog.

Go away Mardy Bum

Published
by
Aaron
on May 30, 2006
in culture, liberty and politics
. Closed

When I first started taking the net seriously, a couple of years ago, I joined a couple of Political Forums. I was pretty wet around the ears back then, an idealistic liberal, I walked into a few sucker punches, and it must be said, ruffled a few feathers myself, but it was always enjoyable.

Things all started to get a little strained around the time of the London Bombings, back in July of last year. People were angry, reactionary, and in the case of the right-wingers, emboldened. Those whose agenda was served by the attacks, jumped on the incident, and exploited it for legitimacy. A politically disparate, but friendly group, was fractured, and the comradeship was never repaired. A few heated exchanges ensued, and I resigned from the group in a fit of pique.

Over the past year I have returned to the group, and left again, several times, usually because tempers had flared, or, because I had just had enough. But I feel this experience has taught me a valuable lesson. Taking offence is a complete waste of time.

There is simply no point in debating politics if you’re at all touchy. You will get offended, upset, and will probably flounce off in a huff. And what will be the result of your strop? You will leave the floor open for your opponent – you will have lost. My dad always refers to insults and tirades as, “water off a ducks back,” and he is, as is usual, absolutely right. To take offence is a futile expression of hubristic insecurity. And I’d argue, liberals are the biggest hypocrites.

It’s true. Liberals are always demanding freedom. They want religious freedom, political free speech, and limitless liberty to communicate expressions of sexuality. All of which are commendable, but it’s rather surprising, that so many of these liberals, are also those who get offended when people express their god-given right to hold prejudices. Because a man’s right to practice his own brand of bigotry, as long as he doesn’t physically harm anyone, is just as fundamental as political or cultural freedom. And why do they want personal prejudice suppressed? Because, they say, such opinions will ‘offend’ minority groups.

Have you ever heard such poppycock?

Free speech, is free speech, is free speech. I completely, and unreservedly, defend the right for a moron, to hold and propagate his moronic views. Your ‘right’, not to be offended, does not concern me. I couldn’t care less. And equally, you can offend me in any way you please - and if I get offended? Tough shit hombre, I’ll just have to exercise my right to flounce off in a huff.

Free Speech includes the freedom to hold and communicate unpalatable views. The orthodoxy of political correctness, enforced so vehemently by the state, is an affront to the enlightened Whigish foundations of liberalism, and we, the liberals, have lost sight of these roots.

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Hastings gets hot and heavy over Dave

Published
by
Aaron
on May 30, 2006
in politics and uk
. Closed

In a twelve hundred-word love letter to David Cameron, Max Hastings contextualises the impact of the uppity Tory Leader, since he took over the party reigns from the shadowy Michael Howard.

Like a rabbit, caught in electric-blue headlights, Hastings professes his unending admiration for Cameron, and all but proposes to the Eton-educated member of the Nottinghill Set, as he waxes lyrical about his virtues.

The Guardians Comment is Free:

[...]

If I sound somewhat starstruck, so I am. Two years ago I doubted that a politician as inexperienced as Cameron could gain the Tory leadership, and I did not believe that a clutch of old Etonians would ever again prove acceptable to the British electorate as its rulers. Today my respect for Cameron is almost unbounded. As Michael Heseltine says: “He has transformed the face of British politics.”

[...]

…it now seems overwhelmingly likely that Cameron will sooner or later become prime minister. Sure, he was born at the right time. But he is also working his passage with dazzling style.

Go clean yourself up Max.

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You snooze, you lose

Published
by
Aaron
on May 29, 2006
in admin and journal
. Closed

Snooze

Just enjoying an extra day off, it’s the May Bank Holiday here in ol’ Blighty.

I suppose, I gotta get stuck into my novel this afternoon…

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Gore begs that you listen

Published
by
Aaron
on May 29, 2006
in culture, film, media, science, uk and usa
. Closed

Al Bore

Tonight, at 7pm BST, President Al Gore will be delivering a live Webcast on the Guardian Website, here. Gore is at the Guardian Hay literary festival, where he is promoting his film about climate change.

I would watch Al, I promise I would, but I’m washing my hair.

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Roo-ining the World Cup

Published
by
Aaron
on May 29, 2006
in sports and world cup
. Closed

Is anyone else fed-up with the Wayne Rooney saga already?

He’s a decent player. That’s it. Steven Gerard is twice the player Rooney will ever be.

(sorry for the cheesy title…)

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Sullivan on Gore

Published
by
Aaron
on May 28, 2006
in beltway, politics and usa
. 3 Comments

But, despite his tenacious, unelectable Goreness, the logic behind him as a future political entity is still solid. I know of very few Democrats enthusiastic about Hillary. The left-liberal base is enraged by her calculated centrism; the Republican party at this point could unite only if she ran against it; and questions about the Clinton marriage appeared on the front page of The New York Times last week as a virtual editorial begging her not to run.

Gore, moreover, has been proved right about a subject he’s been boring on about for decades. The past few years have revealed an accumulation of new data that have persuaded even sceptics like me that global warming is real, man-made and potentially hazardous. In politics, timing is everything, and, finally, Gore has it.

Andrew Sullivan, in his weekly Sunday Times Op-Ed, runs the rule over the man-of-the-moment, Al Gore, here.

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The irrepressible march of truth

Published
by
Aaron
on May 28, 2006
in liberty, media, meta, politics, uk, usa and world
. 22 Comments

Something close to all our hearts should be the Observer newspaper’s partnership with Amnesty International, as they tackle the growing interest in the Internet, by our governments.

Called Irrepressible.info, the campaign looks to undermine censorship by creating a web of conspiring dissidents (or simply supporters), who will act in controlled unison to spread information and raise awareness. Now of course us in the west have it easy, our governments are not quite as authoritarian as some of the more oppressive regimes, but they are becoming more and more inquisitive into our lives, and what we have to say. Indeed, both the American and British governments have passed legislation that further empowers them to covertly monitor our behaviour.

Of course many will say that if you’re not a terrorist, you have nothing to fear. This, we now know is nonsense, as we know the Bush Administration was monitoring the phone records of reporters, at the leading American newspapers. It was spying on the American people.

Many of the stories that have exposed the subterfuge and illiberal practices of our leaders, have been broken, or have been debated, on the net. And we must ensure that our political freedom, our rights to free speech, and our subsequent safety from authoritarianism, are protected.

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More excuses

Published
by
Aaron
on May 27, 2006
in admin and journal
. Closed

Will be out most the day, you know, the usual woolly liberal pursuits, sipping coffee & eating paninis in town; and then tonight, we’re off to some Portuguese friends for some traditional Iberian fodder.

I hope it’s the fried cod they made last time, yum, yum.

Oh, and last night we went to the Asha Tandoori, very nice night. You can read my restaurant review here.

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Ferguson on Question Time….TONIGHT!

Published
by
Aaron
on May 25, 2006
in media, politics and uk
. 2 Comments

British readers should make sure they catch tonight’s Question Time, with the excellent historian Niall Ferguson.

Ferguson’s column, syndicated in The Sunday Telegraph & The L.A. Times, is required reading.

The other guests, are Galloway victim Oona King, Lib Dem hotshot Nick Clegg, Tory Vice-Chair Sayeeda Warsi, and the offering from the trenches, into the inevitable volley of bullets, is Labour’s ‘Europe’ Minister, Geoff ‘The Goon’ Hoon.

It should be fun!

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Daft, daft, Cherie Booth

Published
by
Aaron
on May 25, 2006
in politics, scandal and uk
. Closed

To: Number 10 Downing Street

We believe that raising funds for the Labour Party by auctioning copies of the Hutton Report signed by Mrs Cherie Booth QC is an act of appalling bad taste and is disrespectful to the family of the late Dr David Kelly. We further demand that:

• Mrs Cherie Booth QC publicly apologises for her conduct on this matter
• The Prime Minister apologises for the misconduct of the Labour Party in this matter.
• That the Labour Party donates any funds raised from the auction of this item to an appropriate charity, matched by a similar donation from Mrs Cherie Booth QC

Sincerely,

The Undersigned

Join tyger and sign the petition, here.

Read all about it, here.

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Are you listening Mr. President?

Published
by
Aaron
on May 25, 2006
in media, politics and world
. Closed

I stumbled across this thread, from the Downing Street Says blog. It’s a fairly harmless post about President Musharraf’s sojourn to Britain, back in late 2004.

The interesting thing, about this deeply uninteresting post, is that tens of Pakistani readers have used the comments option, to communicate directly with the Pakistani leader, venting their substantial spleen about the state of the nation.

Of course it’s unknown, but highly unlikely, if Musharraf has ever heard of the blog, least of all actually read it.

I guess this phenomenon tells us two things…

One. Pakistani’s are not particularly happy with the state of their country

Two. They are so desperate for some political representation, that they’ll use an obscure British blog

The thread is still receiving comments, the latest being posted last night, so I thought I would give it some coverage, to show that someone is taking note, even if the intended recipient couldn’t care less.

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An open letter to a reader

Published
by
Aaron
on May 25, 2006
in economics, politics, russia, uk and world
. 23 Comments

In response to this comment, from regular reader and valued contributor, Richard W. Symonds.

Dear Richard,

Every economic system is fundamentally fallible. But no system beats the simple agreed exchange of good between two people – the ‘market system.’

Of course in practice, and certainly with the Anglo-Saxon model, the capitalist market system has resulted in huge disparities in wealth and quality of life – but this is because, those who control the capital manipulate the market to reward themselves. The post-feudal system facilitates the control of the masses through credit, the ‘perception’ of freedom, and a steadily increasing quality of life – be this real or perceived.

But, regardless of these obvious shortcomings, the capitalist system does reward invention and risk, which are fundamental to the betterment of humanity.

I have been to Russia, and even now, a decade or two after Perestroika, I chose to have minor surgery there, rather than here in the UK. But let’s not forget, the Soviet Union collapsed. Horrendous bureaucracy and immense political instability, made the Empire fundamentally weak. And this is my main problem with communism; the system is also open to abuse, manipulation by our betters, and has a tendency to be atrociously over-bureaucratic and inefficient.

We shouldn’t have an education system that constantly undermines the market system. It would be much better to teach fundamental Smithian and Marxist economics at school, on an even keel, and let our bright young minds make their own decisions. I’m only 28, I left university less than a decade ago, and I can vouch that I left harbouring left-wing sensibilities, having studied under leftist professors and lecturers. I would have much better equipped, less naïve, and better informed, had I received a more balanced education.

Acolytes of both models can point to critical flaws. Our experience of capitalism, a perfectly scientific and enlightened concept, has been poisoned by its exposure to man. Equally, every communist experiment we with have undertaken has resulted in corruption and oppression, regardless of the egalitarian roots of the endeavour. And why have both these economic models failed? Because man is fundamentally selfish and corruptible – and this is the real lesson Orwell taught us.

The reason I’m a libertarian, is that I believe that any institution is flawed, because it is an extension of the utter fallibility of man. I have enough trouble getting through life, providing for my family, with my own shortcomings; so I don’t need some inept, self-serving institution, such as the state, interfering as well.

This is not to suggest capitalism is perfect, it’s far from it, but to paraphrase another famous man, it’s the least imperfect.

Yours,
A.S. Heath

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