Monthly Archive for August, 2006

Tough on Crime, tough on the causes of crime

Published
by
Aaron
on August 31, 2006
in politics and uk
. 7 Comments

Blair has finally hit on the real causes of crime, and he intends to tackle it too.

He plans to stop chavs shagging.

From the BBC:

Tomorrow’s potential troublemakers can be identified even before they are born, Tony Blair has suggested.

Mr Blair said it was possible to spot the families whose circumstances made it likely their children would grow up to be a “menace to society”.

He said teenage mums and problem families could be forced to take help to head off difficulties.

He said the government had to intervene much earlier to prevent problems developing when children were older.

Ok, ok. It’s a gross misrepresentation of a story for comedic effect. But let’s be honest, it’s still the silly season and if New Labour can’t make up a load of new pretend policies, then we may as well all carry on with the parliamentary merry-go-round through the summer.

Imagine how boring that would be?

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Me bad.

Published
by
Aaron
on August 31, 2006
in admin and journal
. 1 Comment

Been very quiet today on the blog. I have been busy at work and went to mums for dinner – good boy that I am. And to be honest, I’m a bit engrossed in this book.

Anyway needless to say normal service will resume soon enough; and anyway, what are you doing skulking around the blogosphere? Go outside and get some fresh air. Bloody vegetables.

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Rummy says you’re intellectually and morally confused

Published
by
Aaron
on August 31, 2006
in middle east and usa
. 1 Comment

Irony is not your strength, is it Donald?

Read Keith Olbermann’s post, here.

Hat-tip – Nosie, she knows who she is.

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The truth behind Katrina

Published
by
Aaron
on August 30, 2006
in usa
. 4 Comments

I may be late on the scene, but don’t miss this excellent article by No Logo author, Naomi Klein.

Also, one should read Klein’s seminal essay on Iraq, here.

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Terrorist attack in San Fran?

Published
by
Aaron
on August 30, 2006
in media and usa
. Closed

Have the media missed a terrorist attack, or was it just some crazed loon in an SUV who happened to be a Muslim?

You decide, here.

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Tories attack Labour over number of Press Officers

Published
by
Aaron
on August 30, 2006
in media, politics, scandal and uk
. 4 Comments

The Tories, spurred on former-Nazi-fanzine The Daily Mail, have criticised the number of press officers the government employs on the public purse. The Tories claim there are some 3,200 press officers employed by the state – Labour argues that many of these press officers are not just press officers, but do various other tasks such as carrying out ‘road safety and crime prevention campaigns’. (source: BBC)

Labour admits there has been an increase in the overall number of press officers since 1997, but that it is no where near the number quoted by the Conservatives.

But, as the Tories forget to mention, the media is vastly bigger than it was in 1997, and with 24-hour rolling news, online news outlets, and the blogosphere, the government must react quicker and savvier than ever before. It’s another cheap shot from a Conservative Party light on polices yet big on rhetoric.

Knowing this administration, it probably does employ too many press officers, but someone has to employ all those feckless media studies students, because the media certainly won’t. If they weren’t spinning the government line, they’d be begging on the streets. Consider it a public service.

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Annan: Israel must lift blockade

Published
by
Aaron
on August 30, 2006
in middle east, politics and world
. 3 Comments

From The Guardian: -

Israel must lift its air and sea blockade of Lebanon, which the Lebanese people see as a “humiliation and infringement of their sovereignty”, Kofi Annan warned today.
The UN secretary general renewed his call for the end of the blockade in Jerusalem after meeting the Israeli prime minister, Ehud Olmert.

Mr Olmert rebuffed the call, making no commitments on the blockade and sidestepping the issue during a press conference.

Have Israel ever listened to the international community?

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US plans to oust Chavez

Published
by
Aaron
on August 30, 2006
in politics, usa and world
. 8 Comments

Venezuala solidarity UK

It shouldn’t come as any surprise, but reports are emerging that the US government has been filtering millions of dollars to groups in Venezuela who oppose South America’s socialist darling, Hugo Chavez. [link]

Of course the left have been saying for the last couple of years that Bush has a hidden hand in Venezuela’s affairs; and the right even publicly encourages such interventionism – remember last August when evangelical nutjob, Pat Robertson, argued live on air that the US should assassinate Chavez? You know the rule Chavez: you can piss off the US, just don’t do it while stood on millions of barrels of oil. Now, see me after class.

The United States is on the precipice of an economic downturn that will make the DotCom bubble seem like a losing a dollar down the back of the sofa. House Prices are flatter than a family of hedgehogs on a daytrip to the M25, and those in the know, are aware that China’s economic stability (which fuels much of the US consumer’s rabid lending) is precarious at best. Experts predict that US businesses may have to slash up to 73,000 jobs a month if the housing market crashes [link]. A socialist paradise, just a hop over the Caribbean Islands, will not help those ideologically nervous Americans.

America has a history of meddling in the affairs of its lowly neighbours, indeed the Monroe Doctrine establishes it in principle, and such interference was rampant during the Cold War; especially in Central American states such as Nicaragua.

I have been critical of Chavez in the past (I was hasty and probably wrong), but there is no justification for removing an elected leader from a sovereign state. The Venezuelan people overwhelmingly support Chavez, and Bush and his henchmen should respect that, even if Chavez really gets up their noses. Of course they won’t, and Chavez should watch his back.

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The Al-Qaeda Newsletter

Published
by
Aaron
on August 29, 2006
in media, politics and usa
. 4 Comments

Have you ever wondered why it is rightwingers read The New York Times and dismiss it as little better than Pravda?

Take a look at this explanation…

…the word is cognitive dissonance.

Via Green Gabbro

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transpero.net is born

Published
by
Aaron
on August 29, 2006
in meta, politics and uk
. 3 Comments

Adrian McMenamin, a Labour blogger, has come up with a manifesto of Labour Bloggers, here, which deserves your attention.

Who was the best PM of the 20th century?

Published
by
Aaron
on August 29, 2006
in media, politics and uk
. 3 Comments

The Guardian asks, here.

Kennedy was planning to go public in ‘04 about alcoholism

Published
by
Aaron
on August 29, 2006
in politics, scandal and uk
. 8 Comments

Charlie Kennedy, who at the turn of the year was involved in an alcoholism scandal that cost him the Lib Dem leadership, is the subject of a new biography, which again highlights the politician’s long-term problems with the sauce.

In a forthcoming biography by the Times correspondent Greg Hurst, who has followed the Liberal Democrats for the past five years, new allegations of the Scottish MP’s drinking emerge, not least the attempts by his inner circle to cover up for him.
The author claims they brushed off allegations that Mr Kennedy smelt of alcohol, saying it was aftershave, or alcohol-based mouthwash.

The book, entitled Charles Kennedy: A Tragic Flaw, also claims that, contrary to rumours, it was not whisky or champagne that was Mr Kennedy’s preferred tipple, but wine and gin.

[...]

The book also alleges that, during the budget of March 2004, Mr Kennedy failed to turn up for work at the Commons. It claims a junior aide was dispatched to his flat in Kennington to rouse him, only to find him incapacitated.

Source: The Guardian.

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Support Children Walking Tall

Published
by
Aaron
on August 29, 2006
in asia and meta
. 1 Comment

Readers may or may not be aware but this blog supports a charity called Children Walking Tall. CWT is a charity run by a friend of the family, Shermina Ganatra. Shermina is a former mathematics teacher and has been involved in helping Indian street children for several years, before starting her own charity, Children Walking Tall, with Robert Lyon.

Children Walking Tall

The reason I’m reiterating my support of CWT is that readers can register and vote for the charity on Charity Box, this costs nothing yet still generates revenue for your selected charity (it’s based on divvying out advertising revenue, in case you wondered).

How register to support Children Walking Tall

1. Click here to register to be able to vote for Children Walking Tall. 

2. Create a unique user name and password (NOT YOUR EMAIL PASSWORD!) and enter your email address (so the vote reminders can be sent to you).

3. Sit back and wait for your voting email. 

How to Vote for Children Walking Tall

1. Once you receive the voting email (once a month) click on the link the provided.

2. You have the option (on the right hand side to vote), enter ‘Children Walking Tall’. If we don’t come up try deleting a character and re entering the text, or…..

3. There is also the option to enter the registered charity number 1106528 further down the page.

4. Once it has found Children Walking Tall click on the charity and the Vote now Button will activate, click it and you’ve voted for Children Walking Tall .

 

So what are you waiting for? Get Voting.

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TUC: UK workers Europe’s most vulnerable

Published
by
Aaron
on August 29, 2006
in economics, politics and uk
. Closed

Further to my post, here, on the vulnerability of Brits with high levels of personal debt to any global economic downturn, the TUC (Trade Union Congress) has come out with the argument that UK workers are also more prone to be outsourced:

UK employees undoubtedly benefit from the cheap goods and greater prosperity brought by globalisation, but are more vulnerable than their European colleagues to the downsides of globalisation.

[…]

The TUC report says that UK employees are more vulnerable than their European colleagues for three main reasons:

  • More workers in the UK are at risk from international trade, compared to our EU neighbours, because Britain buys more than it sells on the global market.

  • The UK is home to more multi-national companies who can easily relocate operations overseas.

  • The typical UK business strategy of keeping down costs, such as wages and investment in skills and training, risks work moving to countries where it can be done more cheaply.

    • Source: TUC

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    Don’t miss…

    Published
    by
    Aaron
    on August 29, 2006
    in philosophy and usa
    . Closed

    …the Chomsky profile in The Independent, here. The proff answers reader questions.

    Thanks to RWS for the tip.