CoffeeHousers' Wall, 8 February - 14 February

Rosie

Did other people see the disturbing article in The News of the World yesterday? (Guido had a link to it on 'Seen Elsewhere'). It appears that the Unions are awash with money, intend to turn Labour to the left (and to have a say in their manifesto) and to organise huge strikes against any cuts in public expenditure. It's pointless to say "they must know that the economy is in dire straits" - they probably do but appear to be in denial.

Verity

James Murphy, Special Whiner for Gays, Oscar Wilde was a pain in the arse and was asking to be prosecuted. He ponced about in fey, attention-seeker clothes and flung his relationship with Bosie in everyone's faces. Even all this flamboyance would probably have amused the Victorians, especially as he wrote good plays, but the fact was, he was heartlessly flaunting a homosexual relationship when he had a wife and two sons. That was what got on their wick.

There were, I am certain, dozens, if not hundreds of homosexuals embedded in London society at the time - there always have been -, who were recognised as such and respected for their talents and liked for themselves. It was the heartless treatment of his wife and family that motivated people to react so negatively to Wilde.

Like many women, I've always had close friendships with gay men but frankly, James, all this special pleading and whining is getting irritating.

Rachael

The Daily Telegraph reports:

‘Ali Dizaei found guilty of misconduct after framing businessman’

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/lawandorder/7136172/Ali-Dizaei-found-guilty-of-misconduct-after-framing-businessman.html

This is a hugely important case given what Dizaei has been up to in the past (we’ll come to that). Meanwhile, here’s a sample of the mainstream media’s take on the build-up to the case from the Evening Standard. This was a serious criminal trial, yet the Standard chose to talk about it in its ‘Who to watch in 2010’ piece. In other words, it was interesting to readers because defending Dizaei was a fashionable cause. This is what the Standard wrote:

“Matthew Ryder, 42
Barrister
Rising star of the stellar Matrix chambers and one of the most senior black barristers. His profile is set to increase this month when he works alongside Michael Mansfield QC, defending the Met's most senior officer Ali Dizaei, who faces criminal misconduct charges.”

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23791176-who-to-watch-in-2010.do

You get that? He’s black, ergo he’s trendy. Michael Mansfield, well, we all know he’s right on, so he’s trendy. Ali Dizaei faces yet another criminal allegation, but he’s ethnic, so he’s trendy. We’ve got two trendy counsel and a trendy defendant. Solemn justice? "No. Forget that. We want Islington cant, please." This is the way our mainstream media works.

Now that we have a criminal conviction against Dizaei, the mainstream media’s gloves will come off. So who had the guts to take on Dizaei (and no doubt his libel lawyers) when everyone else was running scared, why, many a ‘serious’ journalist’s bete noire, Richard Littlejohn. Let’s remind the po faces, just what they didn’t have the guts to write about way back when:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1059963/RICHARD-LITTLEJOHN-These-spivs-brought-morality-souk.html

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1029802/Crying-racism--resort-chancer.html

I hope Uncle Rich reminds the same spivvy, spineless ‘journalists’ tomorrow of what they failed to follow up.

They - along with Dizaei - are now exposed.

wrinkled weasel

Verity, I think you should spend some time looking into the motivations of Oscar Wilde.

Wilde was set adrift, philosophically, in a world that was coming to terms with what appeared to be the demolishing of certainties, such as the Biblical version of Creation. This issue broke families apart and ruined careers - read "Father and Son" by Edmund Gosse.

The period in which he lived and thought was a time of dynamism and tension in all walks of life, and art particularly reflected this. Wilde was an intelligent man who spent a lifetime in conflict with his sexuality, and as a consequence, his artistic achievements never measured up to his personality and wit.

I prefer to think that Oscar Wilde's writing was in part an expiation of the inherent guilt he felt; guilt foisted upon him by the spirit of the age. He always described his not so secret life in terms of "sins of scarlet" and "feasting with panthers", as if he was well aware of the destructive path he was on.

It does not take much investigation to see that works like "The Importance of Being Earnest" or "The Picture of Dorian Gray" were about the conflict between public life and private life. Indeed, Wilde was conducting a rigorous anatomy of his own failings, through these and other pieces. He was in fact revealing his true self, as far as he dared, through the writing.

Wilde was certainly a promiscuous homosexual and almost certainly a pedophile - his visits to places like Biskra in Algeria were undertaken for the single purpose of procuring very young boys. He was however, propelled into this underworld through intolerance.

When disaster struck, Wilde was prevented from ever seeing his children again, he was bankrupted for a few hundred pounds and sent to gaol for two years hard labour.

The trials were the result of a groundswell of public opinion against homosexuals in general, and those in Society in particular. His affair was one of several high profile cases at the time which became homogenized into one in fact, and in the eyes of the general public.

In essence, Wilde was made a scapegoat to satisfy the ochlocracy. He was no worse than a hundred others, but he chose to put himself on trial because he needed in the end to tell the truth.

Bloody Bill Brock

An interesting theory on Political Betting
by Andy Cooke, suggests all this horlicks about the Tories needing an 11% lead in the polls to get a majority is way of the mark. A lead of 6% could put DC in number 10 with a working majority. I am really cut up about it.

Rhoda Klapp

Be fair, there's a park dedicated to Oscar in Reading, between the jail and the canal. So he has been forgiven, not to say vindicated.

Funny how the modern paedophiles don't seem to get such consideration, you seem to be tried and convicted of you point a camera at your own kid in a public place.

Verity

Gays have always been accepted as part of life - especially in the stratum of society in which he operated. Where would royal courts be without them? Wilde was a self-indulgent show-off and wrecked his innocent wife and family.

He did it to himself. It was nothing to do with "society", which, far from excluding him, lionised him. I hope you are not suggesting, WW, that people didn't "know".

I speak as a defender of gays, but I think Oscar Wilde was a self-indulgent, self-centred, self-promoting, rather unpleasant piece of work. His end wasn't something that "society" did to him. He did it to himself. (I like his plays, though.)

Anne Wotana Kaye 1

Rachel: May the Lord bless you for the simple reason you are not writing about gays. For some reason it has become very popular on the Wall, and I can only say that if a new party was formed, say Gays Unite, they would probably get in with a good majority. Now to the reason for this blog, Ali Dizaei. I am so sick of ALI DIZAEI, his crass oportunist behaviour, milking Nu Labour's political correctness, for all its worth. ALI DIZAEI IS NOT, I REPEAT, NOT A BLACK MAN. Unless he has some skin disease like the late Michael Jackson he is in no way black. I am against organisations for black policemen, just imagine the outrage if there was one for white policemen, or ginger policemen, or tall policemen et al. This wretched man has climbed up the slippery pole by seeing that Nu Labour, crawling to ethnic minorities for votes, decided to call himself black. Racially he is not black, but in today's warped Britain, black can be white, or white black according to expediency.

Battle 2807

I have asked for this before, and will now ask again. The family share of your national debt counter seems to be going up more and more quickly. Could you please also have a space for where it began and the date - so that we can all see that in the last week our share has risen by x-hundred pounds.
Thank you.

Billy Blofeld

I'm enjoying Alastair Campbell's attack on Andrew Marr for having an agenda and being biased.

Of course Marr is guilty as charged. The problem is Marr typifies the organisational bias within the BBC - which is:

- Anti Iraq War
- Pro Palestine
- Anti "Global Warming Deniers"
- Pro Labour (apart from Iraq)
- Anti Tory

TV is the most influential medium - there are academic studies which prove this. Which means that a few like-minded people working in West London have a disproportionate effect on the population - certainly more than most politicians.

The BBC needs to be decimated and reformed - it is intolerable that there is institutional bias in a body funded by us.

MikeF

Oscar Wilde remains a fascinating character and any reading of his life makes a mockery of the cliched concept of 'Victorian' repression. The fact is that late 19th century London was a highly sexually profligate place. There was evidently a not particularly disguised sub-culture involving young men who worked in offices in the City by day prostituting themselves by night with richer older men in the West End. Wilde became part of that though what brought him down was a mix of his own conceit that as an artist the law did not apply to him and the relentless pursuit of him by the Marquis of Queensbury.

Verity is right that Wilde behaved selfishly towards his wife, but let's face it he was homosexual and was just acting as nature made him act. As Wilde himself observed he could resist "anything except temptation". Other people have acted at least as badly - was Alan Clarke any better?

To put it another way Wilde was honest about himself in his art - his plays, books and epigrams. But he was not honest in a formal public sense as Weasel implies. Remember Wilde pleaded not guilty when he was on trial. But ultimately I rather like Wilde - the world would be a much duller place without his contribution to it.

But the real irony in the whole Wilde saga is that he was never a proselytiser for homosexuality. He was not a proto Peter Tatchell. The individual who was, though, was his lover Lord Alfred Douglas. Indeed it was Douglas, not Wilde, who coined the phrase about the "love that dare not speak its name." But Douglas was also a shrill, hysterical, selfish and rather exhibitionistic individual, which is I suspect why the modern 'gay' movement tends to forget about him despite the fact that he was much more its forerunner than Wilde.

It is an irony that Wilde himself would have shrugged off. As he said: "As to modern newspapers with their dreary records of politics, police-courts and personalities, I have long ago ceased to care what they write about me - my time being all given up to the gods and the Greeks."

Verity

Wrinkled Weasel - Life is too short to peel a grape, cook a banana or "spend some time looking into the motivations of Oscar Wilde".

Vulture

@Verity, WW et al.

I'm interested in your Oscar Wilde debate - - as I'm currently writing an article about an aspect of his life that hasn't often been highlighted - probably because it shows our hero in a less than flattering light.

In his impoverished exile, and although it meant risking getting his allowance from his wife cut off, he just couldn't stay away from the man who had caused his downfall: Bosie.

The two went off together on a Boys Own trip to Naples which predictably ended in disaster and Oscar returned (broke) to Paris with his tail metaphorically between his legs.

Now, the week he returned 'tout Paris' was transfixed by the trial of Emile Zola for slandering the French Army in his famous letter J'Accuse..! That army had disgracefully framed an entirely innocent Jewish officer, Capt. Alfred Dreyfus, for passing military secrets to the German embassy. Dreyfus was sent to endure hellish solitary confinement on Devil's Island, while the real traitor, another officer called Esterhazy, swanned around Paris being protected by the Army.

Now, whose side did Oscar take in the great debate that was tearing France - and the world - asunder? With his recent experience of his own 'martyrdom' in Reading Gaol, (which had caused him to write to the Press in protest at Victorian prison conditions), one would naturally expect OW, like his fellow writer Zola, to take up the cudgels for Zola - an innocent man in a living hell.

Not a bit of it: Wilde went out of his way to cultivate the evil Esterhazy, spent many an evening drinking with him in Paris bars, and generally had a fine old time with his friend until Esterhazy, too, had to flee into exile - (bizarrely, to Harpenden, where he spent the rest of his life).

The point of this anecdote is that OW's primary motivation was selfish thrill-seeking. Much influenced by the contemporary cult of sin and evil
(a la Dorian Gray) he could not resist warming his hands at the fires of hell. He was seeking self-destruction - and he found it. His current deification as a gay idol would make him snort in derision.

Incidentally Oscar's arrest and trial was almost certainly a displacement exercise by the current PM, Lord Rosebery. Rosebery's Secretary was a fellow Scottish aristo, Lord Drumlanrig - none other than Bosie's elder brother. Drumlanrig killed himself, almost certainly after a gay affair with Lord R. Drumlanrig's ferocious father, Lord Queensberry, pursued the PM with a horsewhip - just as he famously persecuted Wilde for ' posing as a somdomite(sic.)' with Bosie. To divert attention, Rosebery told his Home Secretary, Asquith, to prosecute Wilde - and resigned for no good reason shortly afterwards.

AndyinBrum

Is Christian religious bigotry and intollerance any different to Islamic religious bigotry and intollerance or has AWK1 been on the meths again?

Wilhelm

Actor Ian Carmichael passed away yesterday at the age of 89, he was in one of my favourite films '' Im alright Jack ''.

The Boulting brothers who were very right wing wanted to do a satire on Britains bolshie, chip on their shoulder, trade union movement, you couldnt pick up a hammer if you werent in the hammer union, you couldnt pick up a screwdriver if you werent in the screwdriver union.

And they also wanted to slag off the greedy lazy spiv twits who ran the management, Terry '' what an absolute shower '' Thomas types, He was brilliant in the film and not forgetting the time and motion man, the wonderful droll John Le Measurier, they always stole the film, these English eccentric character actors.

Now we have foul mouthed garbage '' The Thick of it '' about spin doctors and journalists, who cares ? the BBC thinks that by swearing a lot, that funny. Go figure as the Americans say.

Alexandrovich

WW: "...his visits to places like Biskra in Algeria were undertaken for the single purpose of procuring very young boys. He was however, propelled into this underworld through intolerance."

Just so I get this straight, you're saying that, 'because England would not tolerate him procuring young boys in this country, the poor lamb was forced to go abroad to indulge himself'?

What a heartless bunch of bastards we must have been back then!

Anne Wotana Kaye 1

AndyinBrum:
What a funny lttle man you are. Hick!

Verity

Vulture, what an absolutely fascinating post! Thank you!

Yes, Wilde's chumming about with Esterhazy points to a thrill seeker with a complete disregard for the moral aspect. The manner in which Wilde lived his life, betraying his wife and family and trying to elevate his foolishness and weakness to some sort of courage speaks of a deep and abiding self-regard.

Kevyn Bodman

Wilhelm is right about foul mouthed garbage.
I watched In The Loop on DVD at the weekend.
I was expecting to enjoy some barbed satire but too much of the humour depended on the foul mouthed bullying behaviour of the communications director character.

Does anyone know who was the inspiration for that character? (Not a real question.)

Kevyn Bodman

In praise of the split infinitive:

'to boldly go' is better than 'boldly to go' or 'to go boldly'.
Better than the first because of disambiguity, better than the second because of rhythm.

I can't remember the correct line but let's try these:

'We must set out boldly to go to new frontiers..'

Are you setting out boldly, or going boldly?

'We must set out to boldly go to new frontiers..' crystal clear meaning.

'We must set out to go boldly to new frontiers..' not bad, better than the first but not a pleasing cadence.

So, welcome and enjoy the split infinitive.

Kevyn Bodman

And split infinitives are English.
Infinitives in Latin can't be split because they are only one word.

But English is not Latin. Imposing strictures on one language because of the way a different language worked is rather strange.

And Latin was spoken by Romans, and 'what have the Romans ever done for us?'

AndyinBrum

Awk cheers, your comments are rather hilarious too.

Linda Smith

AndyinBrum “Is Christian religious bigotry and intollerance any different to Islamic religious bigotry and intollerance or has AWK1 been on the meths again?”

Ever heard of a Christian suicide bomber?

egh

Kevyn Bodman: Remembering that English and Latin descended from the Centum branch of Indo-European (as did Celtic, btw), it is not surprising that the Old English infinitive was one word. One may argue, then, that the unsplit variety is natural to English.

Our forebears had a version of the 2-word form - the 'inflected infinitive' - which used 'to' + the dative case of the infinitive in 5 or so different constructions.

Anyway - it all changed when the frogs forced their way in, imposed their mucked up versions of Latin - and almost destroyed English the same time! The extraordinary thing is that the language survived at all: a great compliment to its flexibility, strength and beauty, I do believe.

I agree, then, that English - like the minds that employ it - must be flexible and free to grow. So if you prefer what I call distortion and violence with respect to the infinitive, that is certainly your prerogative!

Personally, I think it's an ugly imposition of 'style' over substance. While I disagree on the "cadence," though, I agree that the perception is a matter of taste and understanding. I think it's rather like the way one reacts to what is termed 'music,' now that the true Dark Ages have descended upon us.

Oh - and I used to like Star Trek anyway!

John Richardson

'AndyinBrum'

Re Christian 'religious bigotry and intolerance'.
You ask, in as far as it exists, if it is any different to Islamic intolerance ?

Is this a serious question ?
Well, after all that you must have read and learned over the years, for you to still not know the answer is a concern.
Have you ever considered a visit to Saudi Arabia ?
You could find out for yourself at first hand.
I'd leave the 'meths' here though.

Ronnie

Sorry to bring this up Linda but a few of those IRA chaps did blow themselves up. I believe they were Catholic.

Tiberius

"Space: the Final Frontier.

These are the voyages of the starship, Enterprise. Its five year mission: to explore strange new worlds; to seek out new life and new civilizations; to boldly go where no man has gone before."

And Fraser will confirm that I can recite that by heart.

The split infinitive is made with artistic licence in this case.

Of the five foreign languages I know, all have the infinitive as one word.

Beer Moth

Just flicking channels last night, stumbled upon 'national treasure' Stephen Fry issuing blood-curdling snarls at Anne Widdecombe on account of her Catholic faith.

Up to him, certainly.

Caught him this evening, sat beside devout Catholic Delia Smith and he's all flashing smiles and compliment; sofa-seated urbanity itself.

The way then to a man's heart, is indeed through his stomach. Or perhaps through his talk-over fees.

Sam ARMSTRONG

Verity: "Oscar Wilde was a pain in the arse and was asking to be prosecuted. He ponced about in fey, attention-seeker clothes and flung his relationship with Bosie in everyone's faces"

Haha! How funny and deliciously subversive. I love it.

Another thing Wilde did was to create the dreadful stereotypical effeminate gay man image, an image for which many, many homosexual men are extremely ungrateful.

wrinkled weasel

Vulture has nailed the very thing I cited obliquely, that is the Roseberry affair. It certainly contributed to the outcry.

V, please email me. My only claim to authority in this is a dissertation for my Honours and a lifetime of reading around it. I get the feeling you have plenty of info on this too.

I can be contacted through my blog.

wrinkled weasel

Alexandrovich, it reads badly. I mean there was a line of descent into OW's lifestyle, brought about by his need to be secretive.

Apart from that, child prostitution in Victorian England was not the preserve of homosexuals. It was as prevalent in London then as it is now in Africa or Asia today.

As with all these things, the OW trials were political and not moral affairs.

Linda Smith

“Sorry to bring this up Linda but a few of those IRA chaps did blow themselves up. I believe they were Catholic.”

Ronnie did those “IRA chaps” intend to blow themselves up?

Alexandrovich

WW: "I mean there was a line of descent into OW's lifestyle, brought about by his need to be secretive."

I am not being obtuse but, having read that several times, I still can't make head nor tail of it.

Your second para' I could - it's a non sequitur. And to what 'things' are you referring in the third para'?

Nicholas

Crikey.

Verity

Wrinkled Weasel writes: "My only claim to authority in this is a dissertation for my Honours and a lifetime of reading around it. I get the feeling you have plenty of info on this too."

I suspect Vulture is far too clever to get suckered into giving you an email address.

And if your comment was addressed to me, likewise.

Not for Prophet

Wrinkled Weasel writes: "Apart from that, child prostitution in Victorian England was not the preserve of homosexuals. It was as prevalent in London then as it is now in Africa or Asia today."

Oh, really? Two continents? Africa and Asia?

Why cite the comparatively small city of London as a comparison with the gigantic, huge, huge, huge continent of Africa ... PLUS Asia?

You compare one city in a group of islands in the North sea to continents?

Have you ever been out of the UK?

I mean, you tried to compare the population of London a hundred years ago with the huge landmass of China, Mongolia, Japan, Korea, Viet Nam, Cambodia, Thailand? Not to mention Nigeria, Kenya, Ethiopia, Somalia, Libya, Chad, etc?

I don't know why, I can't explain it ... but I sense an agenda here.

Verity

Linda Smith - point well scored.

Wilhelm

Ronnie squeeks

The sole purpose of the IRA was to have a united Ireland, not to establish a catholic caliphate from Belfast to Buenos Aries.
Get with the programme, son.

Rachael

Ronnie (for it is he): "Sorry to bring this up Linda but a few of those IRA chaps did blow themselves up. I believe they were Catholic."

Only theirs was a land dispute. They weren't trying to impose Christian ideology the world over and make everyone else submit to it.

If you can't afford a copy of the Koran, we'll have a whip round here, Ronnie.

Nicholas

A Domestic Rant

This is unlikely to detour the Great Homosexuality in Britain Debate and I should really be writing it in my dressing gown. I'm not.

You would think, that with all the emphasis on the Green agenda and re-cycling that those responsible for manufacturing and selling all the associated paraphernalia would ensure quality products, fit for purpose and designed to make life easier for the poor old consumer. But no, not a bit of it.

Refuse sacks that refuse to open and appear to have been welded permanently shut at the intended point of access. Bin bags that split open with nothing more weighty than a brief anxious glance. Perforations that don't perforate but instead result in enraged tearing and prolongued swearing. Flimsy cling film that tears into thin strips and wraps itself around the roll never to be prised free, and then when finally a tiny free end is found that also splits, hydra like, into another river delta of tears and tears. And have any of you ever compared the miserable, pathetic excuses for re-sealable poly bags available here in the workers emporia of The Peoples Republics of Scotland, Ireland & Wales with the infinitely more durable and useable examples available in the Land of the Free (For Now)? Zip-Lok indeed - and quick too, not half an hour spent trying to negotiate the ying bead into the yang canal where it clearly doesn't want to go and wastes no time popping free before you can even get the fridge door open. If ever a country's re-cycling and storage products reflected its current Prime Minister then Britain is it. Buggeration.

Which I suppose brings us back to the Great Debate. Carry on chaps.

Kevyn Bodman

Commander Ali Dezai,the criminal:

I wonder if quota filling, political correctness or affirmative action were contributory factors in any of his promotions.

And how were his colleagues and senior officers not able to spot such a wrong 'un.

Peter Crawford

Three cheers for Kevyn Bodman. I pay little or no regard to the so-called rule on splitting infinitives. As Kevyn says clarity and cadence is often improved.

it's also good fun to, quite wilfully, split an infinitive if you know it will start somebody jumping up and down.

Mr. Green

I don't know how accurate this is, but a post on the BBC asked the following:

Can you explain how Labour have withdrawn the whip from the 3 MPs who are being charged over the expenses affair. in only ask because I remember them having it withdrawn back in May (see guardian article here for example - http://www.guardian.co.uk/global/2009/may/19/brown-expenses-deselection).

Any thoughts?

Anne Wotana Kaye 1

Nicholas: Read your Domestic Rant with empathy. I loathe perforations that don't perforate, baking foil that doesn't cut into neat squares but cuts my fingers. Black garbage bags which stink the kitchen out. The worst thing are the crappy notices our local council keeps sending out, filling letter boxes with the remains of poor destroyed trees. The message is we should be Green. I'll give them green, I take a childish delight in putting all my garbage in one bag, first taking the precaution of shredding all papers which can identify me. Here, Council Officials have been sneaking around poking in the bins to know who has dumped what. I'd like to put sometyhing really nasty, say super-glue on an envelope with a phoney name and address. Well with that literary offering I'll think up some more sabotage

EC

Wilhelm, February 9th, 2010 3:48am

"The sole purpose of the IRA was to have a united Ireland, not to establish a catholic caliphate from Belfast to Buenos Aries."

Fair point, but the Catholic brand had already been established some centuries earlier with franchises all over South and Central America.

If the Catholics want England back they are going to have to fight the Muslims for it. Following of the C of E's implosion, Islam is now the fastest growing religion in the UK.

James Murphy

As a right royal Whiner for Gays (designation officially awarded by by the never-to-be-gainsaid Verity), I surely at least deserve the recognition for having introduced the topic on the wall a while back. This also goes for the Great War and Split Infinitives, both of which subjects I again introduced. I blow my own trumpet since it is a fine instrument which no-one else seems capable of playing, an also because my lack of humility in doing so gives Frank P something to get his (false) teeth into! By the way, Nicholas, loved your aside about the dressing gown. Indeed, many times I have reflected wistfully on the age of the gentleman's smoking jacket - a superb half-way house between being 'up and about' and not really committing oneself to the vulgarity of the day's business!

James Murphy

Nor, Nicholas, did I at any stage in a previous post mean to imply that any days you may have passed as a Boulevardier were coeval with dear old Oscar's - though I accept the inference was there to draw. Rueful apologies!

Verity

Nicholas, I agree about British household products. They're cheap and mean-spirited, but then, by and large Britain is cheap, mean-spirited and bossy. That's why political correctness took off like a rocket in Britain. Everyone could forbid, or report, everything everyone else said.

Americans are expansive - personally and in business. Look, by way of comparison, at the number of drinks (as in plastic/cardboard containers) carriers in American cars and in British cars. Oh, that's right, British cars don't have drinks carriers. You're not allowed to have a cup of tea/coffee as you're driving. (Of course, part of that is the control mentality. Everyone wants to be making rules for everyone else.)

On another subject, how did that Iranian police fellow - can't be bothered to look up his name - ever wangle his way into the "Black" police officers' doo-dah? He's not remotely African. He's Aryan. The word 'Iran' is Iranian for Aryan. I wondered who OKayed his change of race.

Nicholas

Ah, the delights of the smoking jacket and tasselled smoking cap (before it was purloined by that odious horse racing pundit). A veritable quilted and velvety two fingers up at the puritans, representing as it does the insurgency on so many levels. Maybe it will become the chosen fighting garb of the Christian mujahideen duffers in the final face-off against the levellers, mean minds and borers of the new communist bloc. A pack of unfiltered cheroots in one pocket, one clenched between the teeth to light the molotov cocktails and an oversized flask of single malt in the other. The carpet slippers might be somewhat impractical though.

Alas the boulevarderie was brief and fleeting, scarcely remembered in the intervening fog of battle, booze and smoke, but entirely heterosexual.

John Richardson

I'm surprised no-one has yet pointed this out, but The IRA was a Marxist organisation.
Not Roman Catholic.
It's correct title being of course the Provisional IRA. It's stated aim being to set up a Provisional Government of all Ireland. This was to be on the Soviet model, the reason it officialy rejected the State of Eire .
Not even Gerry Adams could twist,'Turn the other cheek' into, 'Blow up the McDonald's on a Saturday afternoon when it is full of children'.
Could he ?

oldtimer

In the unlikely event that are any flat earthers about, I recommend this recent book: The Hockey Stick Illusion: Climategate and the Corruption of Science by A W Montford. Montford blogs under the name Bishop Hill.

Most of it was written before the CRU emails were revealed to the world, but he adds a chapter which ties several of them to his narrative. A good read if you are into science whodunnits. Matt Ridley recommended it in last weeks Spectator

On his blog today he has turned up a rejected comment that was made at the time of the IPCC4 report. It reads as follows:
"There is no scientific merit to be found in the Executive Summary. The presentation sounds like something put together by Greenpeace activists and their legal department. The points being made are made arbitrarily with legal sounding caveats without having established any foundation or basis in fact. The Executive Summary seems to be a political statement that is only designed to annoy greenhouse skeptics. Wasn't the IPCC Assessment Report intended to be a scientific document that would merit solid backing from the climate science community - instead of forcing many climate scientists into having to agree with greenhouse skeptic criticisms that this is indeed a report with a clear and obvious political agenda. Attribution can not happen until understanding has been clearly demonstrated. Once the facts of climate change have been established and understood, attribution will become self-evident to all. The Executive Summary as it stands is beyond redemption and should simply be deleted."

Peter Crawford

After John Terry's masterful performance against Arsenal last Sunday I wondered if the writer of last Friday's Speccie editorial "Bad Sport" was either clueless about football or a Millwall fan or both. Rodders have you been fiddling with the Editor's computer again ?

I am tough on Millwall-ism and tough on the causes of Millwall-ism.

Derek

European embassies are being attacked in Iran - time for the Wall to again get serious.

David Ossitt

Verity.

“On another subject, how did that Iranian police fellow - can't be bothered to look up his name - ever wangle his way into the "Black" police officers' doo-dah? He's not remotely African. He's Aryan. The word 'Iran' is Iranian for Aryan. I wondered who OKayed his change of race.”

It was simple; Commander Ali Dezai has a doctorate in law, and so he became the legal adviser to the Black Police Association.

At one time the entrance exam for those wishing to join the constabulary was made much easier for non whites; (as a form of positive discrimination) possibly this fact necessitated them casting a wider net to find a suitably educated legal advisor.

The wanton; politically correct, moral cowardice that has allowed this despicable crook to flourish is the same as that, which allows such monstrosities as the Black/Gay/Muslim police federations.

It is high time they were abandoned.

Derek

John Richardson

I think you may find that it was the "Official IRA" that was (is?) Marxist and that the "Provisional IRA" came into being partly, if not substantially or wholly, because the Roman Catholic Church was not prepared to support the Marxist organization, but did not have any other great problems with giving its discreet support to a violently anti-British group.

I am sure CHs will correct me if I am wrong on this.

David Ossitt

Nick Robinson; the BBC Political Editor is behaving like a stupid prat.

Each night this week he is travelling round visiting constituencies that the Tories need to win from labour, in order to win the next election.

At each, he is asking people to mark yes or no on a voting slip, the question being, will you this time round vote conservative.

The reason I call him a prat; is because he is asking the question to groups of people who are fellow workers, who’s answers, I suspect, will be not what they might have been, had they not had to speak out in front of their fellows.

David Ossitt

It is now Tuesday evening; and yet we still get last weeks CoffeeHousers’ Wall if we click the link at the top of the Home page, why?

James Murphy

On split infinitives - heartily agree with you Kevyn Bod-person! (welcome to your new PC surname, I promise I'll only use it this once) and Tiberius ( "of the five foreign languages I know, all have the infinitive as one word.") - The astonishing versatility of English constitutes a major part of its beauty and power as a language: its kidnap of so many Romance forms through the Normans and the marriage of Romance and Germanic suffixes and prefixes have given it almost infinite expressive potential it seems to me, though I am told High Sanskrit was a cracking tongue. On the other hand, I do confess to a nagging inferiority to the Continentals when forced to confront our pathetically shrivelled subjunctive. So elegant - and so dead... - Would it were not so!

James Murphy

It's no good. I've tried to button my lip Verity, but I can't have you slagging Oscar off in that manner. Yes, his behaviour towards his wife was unpardonable, but to equate his personality with that one sin is mean-minded and, I'm glad to say, untypical of you. Articulately tart, brusque and brittle your comments may be at times (that's why I read 'em) but pusillanimous against that Spirit of the Age I shall not let you be! Anyway, you say you love Oscar's plays- then hear a plain truth (as William Blake would say): a man may not put more into his art than he in some deep sense possesses in his soul. It therefore follows that if you love his plays you love aspects of his personality too! Furthermore, what on earth is wrong with a stylish dress sense for heaven's sake? Must we all ferret around in drab navy blue and pin-stripes in order to be taken seriously? I think not. Not, I hasten to add, that I support the affectation of cladding oneself in garish colours solely to gain attention! Again, style and cut should always modulate one's colour scheme. Personally, I love the looser, more flowing form of clothing prevalent in ancient cultures - the toga, cloak and gown, etc. Though the virtues of the Victorians were many, a celebratory dress sense was certainly not one of them. Why were they so funereal? What were they mourning? I suspect a schism with Nature in the triumph of industrialism had much to do with it.

Beer Moth

Nothing wrong with a flamboyant dress sense.

As my uncle Jeff was wont to remark: 'Dandyism is the last faint glimmer of the hero amongst decadence'....no, hang on, that was some other erbert.

Uncle Jeff's was 'you and yer little bastard mates touch that motor bike again, I'll break yer friggin back. Oreet?'

AAE

DEREK re:IRA
Yes, you're right about the Officials being the Marxists. In the 1950's when the Officials were at their exercise, the Roman Catholic church actually excommunicated members of the IRA (thus helping to quell their support), in contrast to the Provisional's campaign from 1969, when the Catholic church, despite the late Cardinal Daley's loathing of the IRA, hosted military style funerals for the Provos, and it is widely believed that Clonard Monastry in West Belfast was a safe house for the Provos, and possibly an arms dump too.
The similarity the Provos do have with Marxists is that they point the gun not just at their enemies, but also at their own people should they waver in support.

Noa Zrk

The BBC continues to put out its continuous stream of early morning leftist drivel.
Tuesday's Today had two features in praise of homosexuality, if not smoking jackets, with sycophantic interviews of the self confessed liar Lord Brown of BP and Canadian lesbian KD Lang got a free plug for no discernible reason other than her sexual preference.

It seems anyone called Brown, who lies, is ordained to be treated with an exaggerated deference rather than be challenged on their misdeeds by the Beeb's purveyor's of progressive pap.

In the same programme a potentially interesting debate on the banging up of the criminal cop Desai was hi-jacked by a Black Plod Association member's rant at police racism.
So the bile continues to rise, entirely ruining the taste of the morning corn flakes.

It's no wonder the listener figures ing

Verity

Whoaaah! Control knickers to the max! Harriet Harman's eating too many pies and too many puddings. And too many, "Oh, I shouldn'ts!".

http://tinyurl.com/ydcmbjb

This is the VPL - in American terminology, Visible Panty Line - writ really large.

Verity

Fraser, this may be the green light for your promised piece now that your sister publication has addressed it in The Telegraph ...

http://tinyurl.com/ya8r38x

Most revealing.

Labour, through the engine of the malignant Jack Straw whose Jewish refugee father refused to be called up to fight for Britain against the Germans and was therefore banged up for the duration of WWII in a nice safe prison with free food, and with Blair and Cherie collaborators for who knows why, has a deliberate and planned programme to destroy Britain, our heritage (Straw's an immigrant), our religion and our folkways.

We are all still looking forward to your piece.

Or, never say Neather?

The Telegraph's said Neather.

Verity

Beer Moth, in today's Britain, that threat would earn a prison sentence. Murderers and rapists and paedophiles walk free, with a grimace of pity from the magistrate, but do not threaten to protect your own property.

This is all part of the programme of discomfiture in our own country, which should be our refuge. But the carpet's being slid out from under our feet by sly lizards like Jack Straw, Harriet Harman - a pretty hefty iguana, if I do say so, although I've seen prettier - and others with a bitter agenda.

Derek

The headline at the Daily Telegraph website today is "Labour's 'secret plan' to lure migrants" following release of an uncensored version of a government paper, first published in 2000, as a result of an initiative by Migrationwatch under the Freedom of Information Act.

How much longer can the Spectator postpone taking a principled stand on the assertions of Andrew Neather last year?

Paul B

Good luck to the boys and girls in the City of London and elsewhere today, when they mount their predicted assault/short selling on the Euro. I hope they make lots of money in the process and in doing so fatally wound the Euro, starting the process of its eventual downfall.

Reminds me of the wonderful White Wednesday, when they -the Traders- drove GB out of the ERM. Initially costly to the country, but long term, a great benefit.

Ronnie

It's interesting that we are now able to take such a detached view of the IRA now. Some even think, that on retrospect, they weren't so bad after all. Good for you Wilhelm et al.

Anne Wotana Kaye 1

Verity: Good morning, Verity
Please allow me to correct you as you keep repeating the same mistake.
Straw was born in Buckhurst Hill, Essex, England; his great-grandfather was a German Jewish immigrant. Straw was brought up at Loughton, Essex by his mother, Joan Sylvia Gilbey on a council estate after his father Walter Arthur Whitaker Straw, an insurance salesman and the son of Arthur Whitaker Straw, left the family and condemned them to poverty. This is clearly stated in various sites which you can check. The revolting Straw's great-grandfather was not a refugee, but a legitimate imnmigrant. His paternal descendants become more repulsive after each generation. Jack Straw and his father would have made perfect Kapos. The Straws are a disgrace and a stain on Britain, the Jewish race and the old Germany of Goethe, Schiller and Beethoven

Nicholas

The revelations make my blood boil. I am, literally, red-faced and frothing about it (and still in my dressi . . er smoking jacket). My tin-foil hat has been flung angrily at my Jack Straw dartboard.

Any risk assessment in the leaked paper is non-existent and it appears to have been written by a couple of New Labour wimmin straight out of the local social services creche mentality sisterhood. "Oh, wouldn't it be nice to have lots of colourful, ethnic diversity and street parties with kids and cool-Britannia community projects with Bono and kids and all the other cool communist BBC comedian celebs and kids".

Even without the subterfuge, the vindictiveness and the social engineering aspects (which are as plain as the picked nose on Brown's face) the secret plan was criminally negligent in not adequately considering the risks to society and security. The whole thing absolutely reeks of that vile Britain-hater Straw who deserves to be prosecuted for treason. The architects of New Labour deserve the fate of Saddam's men.

Bloody New Labour bastards. Who will make these creeps pay?

MikeF

Here is how the BBC is dealing with the whole immigration policy issue, by acknowledging that there is something to discuss but completely ignoring what we now know to be a primary causal factor:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8494275.stm

Verity

Nicholas - "the secret plan was criminally negligent in not adequately considering the risks to society and security."

Oh, but they did! What has happened to Britain is not the result of an oversight, but a deliberate, malignant, cancerous, spiteful, vindictive, vengeful, evil, toxic, deliberate assault on our ancient country and our settled society.

Dave Camera-on wouldn't have the bottle, but an honourable prime minister should reinstitute the death penalty for treason, and hanging is too good for them. They should be marched through the streets for the populace to voice its hostility with various missiles, taken to an empty field and shot by firing squad.

Their bodies should be left out for the crows for two or three days before being scooped up by a JCB and dumped in a common grave.

Apologies for this being a little on the mild side, but I'm only on my first cup of tea.

Verity

Looks like you're the only one left in the starters' gate with a Straw hanging out of your mouth, Fraser.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1249797/Labour-threw-open-doors-mass-migration-secret-plot-make-multicultural-UK.html

Nicholas

MikeF, the Radio 4 programme seems to be a flanking move to divert blame away from the central New Labour cabal. "It was never discussed in cabinet". I bet it wasn't. The secret Neather Plan and the report justifying it just materialised out of thin air as a result of decisions taken by "a small group of officials and special advisers before an EU Council of Ministers meeting in Brussels". Was one of these "special advisors" Neather?

Quite remarkable that the BBC report makes no mention of Neather, the secret plan or its revelation to the British public.

"It was'nae me! Some big ba's fro' Brussells did it an' ran away! It started in Europe."

Nicholas

Verity, yes, I realise it was deliberate but the report, supposedly written to explore "the benefits" doesn't even pay lip service to a proper risk evaluation. That is criminally negligent. As I've written before I actually think New Labour's plan is prima facie contrary to the UN Declaration on the protection of indigenous peoples and that some very serious questions need answering. But who is going to police this up properly on behalf of the British people? Clearly not the Tories who have meekly asked for New Labour cabal "to apologise". Apologise? They should be put up against a wall and shot.

There is a good comment by one Colin on the Daily Mail feature:-

"A year or so ago I wrote a paper on the UK's version of "cultural revolution". The aim of China's "Red Guards" was to destroy the "four olds" - old customs, old culture, old habits and old ideas - and they used peasants and workers as the battering ram to shatter the traditional ways they wanted to replace.

My assertion was that with Britain short on peasants, or even a genuine proletariat in the Marxist sense, the liberal/left looked to other groups to achieve a similar rejection of past values. For them minority rights, coupled with multiculturalism and diversity would be used to fracture the traditional structures responsible for what they regarded as the privilege, patriarchy and sexual repression of the past.

Any new group or process that could be identified and used in the fragmentation process, particularly immigration, was to be actively encouraged. It was just an idea I had at the time and I didn't expect such clear confirmation of it quite so soon."

Spot on, Colin. New Labour, the malevolent architects of Britain's secret Maoist Cultural Revolution. Spread the word.

Verity

Nicholas, yes, immigration from the Third World and the importation of a barbaric belief system were the battering ram taken to our ancient civilisation.

But also on the destruction agenda was he cessation of teaching our history or our literature, but spending school time on sex, sex, sex and drip feeding "diversity" into every curriculum. So that children going to state schools don't know where they've come from and have no base.

I've said for years that NuLabour was a programme born of malice and spite. All I had to do was take one look at Blair and the slimy Straw to see the whole road map.

Nicholas

I have just written this letter to my MP. Please feel free to use it as a template:-

"Dear

I received a letter from you on regarding my query about this Government's immigration policy and the revelations of Andrew Neather, for which I thank you. I subsequently also received a referred reply from Mr Phil Woolas MP, Minister of State for Borders and Immigration, basically full of the usual New Labour platitudes and double speak contrived to avoid the heart of the questions and to suppress discontent.

Revelations today by MigrationWatch have re-ignited my serious concerns about New Labour's 2001 immigration plans and their concealed intention to deliberately multi-culturalise Britain by encouraging unrestricted immigration.

This goes beyond the normal cut and thrust of parliamentary politics and must give rise to serious British constitutional and legal questions, as well as questions relating to international law.

In 2007 the United Nations adopted the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). The Britain government was among the countries which voted for the declaration - unsurprisingly, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States voted against it at the time.

The Declaration states that all indigenous peoples have the right not to be dispossessed of their lands but Article 3 states that "indigenous peoples and individuals have the right not to be subjected to forced assimilation or destruction of their culture."

Labour's immigration policy for the declared purpose of making Britain "more multi-cultural" is in clear violation of the United Nations Declaration, so who will take this up with the UN? I find that the UN International Court of Justice only accepts cases on behalf of states rather than individuals. As this is a case where the state itself has committed the violation against its own people how can the indigenous people of England secure justice against those responsible for the violation? What exacerbates this intolerable situation is that New Labour and their agencies have encouraged the belief that there is no such thing as an indigenous English population and this has been reinforced by blatant Government propaganda, the promotion of multi-culturalism, the introduction of draconian speech and thought laws dressed up as "hate crime" laws, all contrived to suppress the identity, culture and expression of the English as a distinct people.

Since devolution the people of England, English people, are dependent upon the British parliament for representation, whereas the Scots, Irish and Welsh have their own representative parliaments and assemblies. Since the British parliament is dominated by the Government which perpetrated this violation against the indigenous English people, it seems that justice cannot be served. That there is no mechanism even to bring a complaint before the UN and no way in which an English person on behalf of his nation and people can pursue this violation to ensure that those who planned and perpetrated it are brought to justice and suitably punished.

As the only avenue open to me as an English individual I therefore bring this complaint to you. That a person or persons unknown, constituting the political party known as New Labour, conspired to subject the English people to forced assimilation and destruction of their culture contrary to Article 3 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) by the deliberate implementation of an unmandated and irresponsible policy of unrestricted immigration and the imposition of multi-culturalism. As an evidential exhibit I cite the document secured by MigrationWatch that sets out the Government's plan and which should be available to you from that organisation.

Yours sincerely, etc."

Verity

That is an excellent letter, Nicholas.

Might I suggest that you copy Lord Tebbitt and any other Tory peers who have a sense of honour and duty.

Might I also suggest that this crime against humanity was perpetrated by the New Labour slime in conjunction with a sinister organisation going by the name of Common Purpose. This organisation needs a motivated, devious and clever journalist/journalists to get to the bottom of it. It is either a handmaiden of New Labour, or New Labour is a handmaiden of Common Purpose. It would be nice to find out for sure, but my suspicion is the latter. No one in the Labour Party is clever enough to have accomplished the destruction that has been wrought. I suspect the most of the major players are stooges of Common Purpose.

Noa Zrk

Nicholas.

I like your letter, and in reading it imagined you feverishly ccribbling under the gas light, Fez tassel curling, indian ink stains wetly forming on your smoking jacket. The manusript itself to be read by Sherlock's brother Myles or a be-whiskered MP arguing for the extension of British Protectionism to encompass ... the world.
The above is not a criticsm, far from it, I agree with it's sentiments and rage at our collective impotency in challenging or retrieving the situation which prevailed through the orthodox channels which should be available to us.
Your MP, possibly now busy calculating his expenses repayments or how he will spend his Parliamentary termination cheque and index linked pension, may or may not wish to take up this noble cause. My guess is the latter.
Who does that leave? Call me Dave. On immigration related issues and the rather uncomfortable range of available solutions, as on other issues in the TFD tray,such as Europe, or Tax or government reform, the Conservative leader has I regret to say, to date displayed the leadership and cojones of a demented centipede, by neither directly or obliquely acknowledging the existance of any significant issue whatsoever.
You could try your MEP, but see my comments above on your MP and also consider the relevance of the statement, "as useful as a chocolate teapot"
The choices then seem to be narrowing down; to UKIP which is riven with dessention and making no coherent case on either Europe or immgration, or to the BNP, presented as ignorant, bigoted and working class, (but at least not Jewish or Roman Catholic)and excoriated for obvious reasons by the New Labour traitors who have created Neatherland.
So what's a chap to do? The head says write to your Conservative MP. The effect of which is nada, the heart says take up the cause of the BNP,and by doing so add to, augment and reform it into an instrument of genuine political reform and empowerment. It might take 5 years or even 10 but, given the demise of of robust Conservatism its rise is almost inevitable.

Or you can take to the barricades during the massive civil disturbances and breakdown in public order that will occur in the future, when our urban ghettoes become the source and driving force for the Islamic dominence of civil and political life in the UK.

Beer Moth

Nicholas

Best of European luck with your pursuit of the destroyers.

Verity

Noa Zrk - Sherlock Holmes's brother was called Mycroft as any skuleboy kno.

John Richardson

In respect of this
'deliberate importation of foreigners to change the country' business; one thing (of so many) strikes me as curious.
Are the political class really surprised at these 'revelations' ?

Often on this blog, the non-political 'working/Welfare' class come in for 'a hammering'.
You know the sort of thing;
'Watching X-Factor', 'Drinking cheap cider' , 'having loads of kids','can't see beyond their noses'.
In fact, these non-political unqualified types, to my knowledge, seemed fully aware that the country was being invaded, that those born, educated and privileged to represent them had, in fact, deserted them.
You had to be Uni/Polyversity educated to buy all that intellectualised c**p about: Asylum or 'historic obligation' or 'a new interconnected world' or whatever.
The chattering classes fell foul of the State's lies more readily than the ordinary 'working man' who just said; 'There's millions coming over, refugees my arse.'
Also, I suppose they didn't waste their time listening to PMQs or 'Question Time' or 'The Moral Maze' or any other civilised balanced and informed BS.
Exactly the same could be said for AGW.
No-one 'down the WM's Club' bought into that c**p.
You had to watch 'Newsnight' or have been on 'A Course' or something.
Believe the consensus ?
Appreciate 'Amnesty's' position ?
Accept the Ministers Statement ?
It's one of those situations where you need brains to be so stupid.
Just saying.

--------------------------------------------

Nicholas.

A fine epistle but......
Wasted on them.
Bullets are needed not reasoned cogent argument.
We are living in our own 1930s (cliched by now I know but still true).
The Party Politicians Are The Problem, not the solution.
The State has turned on the citizens.
It could even be that they reason;
"See how their reserve and civility remain. We will be ankle deep in their blood before they know who we really are."
Without the Law Abiding nature of Europe's Jews, no Treblinka.

Crikey, I'll try to think of something positive........

egh

Nicholas and Verity - great stuff on the "methodology" behind our PROBLEMS (i.e. writ large). My full support - and I say
we should write and speak it large, seeking allies in the solutions: "far and wide throughout this land" ... and beyond, where they have yet to diagnose the disease.

To the 'split infinitive' poseurs---> Never mind Sanskrit; or at least put it on the back burner (US terminology). Old English, Old Irish and Old Welsh are at least as venerable, and they're our very own development of the same roots. They're absolute goldmines of wisdom and beauty (and history), and well worth the study -- so long as you find a non-marxist teacher who won't try to subvert you.

The greatest teachers in the field are shining lights of scholarship, though. Through their treatment of our heritage, we can all learn just pride in who we are. But it takes hard work and intelligence; and maybe some appreciation of our own traditions to start with. The sort of thing that leads us to appreciate Beer Moth's Uncle Jeff, "tha knaws?"

Noa Zrk

Nicholas

A further thought on th us of your magnificent fulmination: dispatch copies, Henry Root style, to Amnesty International, the Matrix Chambers, the Muslim Council of Britain, the National Union of Journalists, the Ministry of Justice, the BBC, East Anglia University's Climate Change Collective, EHRC, and the CPS for starters. Suitably tailored is should provoke some interesting replies and through publication, provide a firm foundation for your Death Tax levy, many many years away of course.
Fight back with ridicule, the pin prick is mightier than the sword!

Verity.
Mycroft it is.
That's my problem when one writes extempore, as you know.(And, if one can write extempore). There is a Myles, a colleague and an accountant and obviously, in the peculiar theme of many of this week's posts, I'm thinking far too much of him.
Lest you draw any erroneous conclusions I assure you, its for business and not for bosiness reasons.

Verity

And speaking of the inexplicable muslim council, which Noa Zrk mentioned above, this, of course, is why. Accord ascendancy to aliens, and the more alien the better, and destabilise the settled ways that have taken centuries to evolve.

This is another reason to loathe Camera-on. He will do nothing to reverse this intentional destruction of British culture and British mores.

William Hague would. John Redwood would. Daniel Hannan would.

Dump Dave and save Britain before it is too late.

Derek

It was established by an all party House of Lords Select Committee that there have been no worthwhile economic benefits from the Government’s unlimited immigration policy. Now it is clear that, all along, it has been driven not just by half baked economics but by a determination to achieve “social benefits”.

We are left to guess what those may be, but I doubt if it was all about more foreign takeaways in the high street. All the evidence is that immigrants from the Third World are more likely to vote NuLab than Conservative.So is that what it was all about? Was it the most cynical dirty act of vote-rigging in our history. Was it part of an effort to change the very nature of British society? Or was it both? And is that why it was all done in secret while Ministers were claiming to have an effective policy to limit immigration?

(Norman Tebbit in today's online Daily Telegraph)

Rachael

It really is a week to reflect on journalistic heroes and villains.

I’ve spoken up for Richard Littlejohn above, who through thick and thin, has never wavered in the face of the disgusting Ali Dizaei. The dogs in the street knew what that man was like, but not The Guardian (apparently one of its journalists attended one of Dizaei’s weddings!) and, of course, we all know about Channel 4 News ‘fairness’ (Dizaei was often a guest with Snow not even bothering to cross-examine him). Would they show any shame? No. The Mail reports:

“Has Channel 4 News's resident leftie, Jon Snow, lost the plot? His presentation of the Ali Dizaei story - corrupt Yard policeman, jailed for four years - was shockingly partisan.

“He asked Nick Hardwick of the Independent Police Complaints Commission: 'Are you convinced Ali Dizaei got a completely fair hearing?' Twice more he queried whether Dizaei had been unfairly victimised.

“Meanwhile the Guardian's friendly-to-Dizaei coverage elicited this online comment from a reader: 'Sorry to inflict the Mail on you, but they seem to have done more investigative journalism on this gangster than the Guardian.'”

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-1249770/EPHRAIM-HARDCASTLE-Why-Jon-Snow-lost-plot-Ali-Dizaei-story.html#ixzz0fAD7zcVp

Channel 4, of course, receives a big slice of its funding from the taxpayer (as if we weren’t paying enough already for the BBC).

Now we move on to another story that has drawn hundreds of comments on this site. Neathergate. When Andrew Neather wrote his original column, Melanie did that silly thing she does that has earned her the sobriquet ‘Mad Mel’, she pointed out what she said. Bad Mel. Mr Neather soon retracted, of course. We all know why. Mel wasn’t so easily gulled:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-1222977/MELANIE-PHILLIPS-The-outrageous-truth-slips-Labour-cynically-plotted-transform-entire-make-Britain-telling-us.html

Why was Mel left virtually on her own? Many journalists (especially on TV) clearly still thought it was much ado about nothing such was their silence on the matter. We can think of others.

There goes Mad Mel again, they no doubt thought. This week, though, the official documents have come to light. And we don’t just have Andrew Neather’s word on what he originally said but these official documents back that up. So Mad Mel’s right. Again:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1249797/Labour-threw-open-doors-mass-migration-secret-plot-make-multicultural-UK.html

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-1249823/IMMIGRATION-Sir-Andrew-Green-decade-deception.html

So having been derided as cheap and populist Mel and Rich are proven right, despite what many of their despicable Mail colleagues think of them.

Which brings us to another favourite cause of The Guardian, Channel 4 News and many a Daily Mail columnist – chief among them Peter Oborne – Binyam Mohamed.

Is Mr Oborne preparing his Valentine to Mr Mohamed as I write? He certainly seems unable to tell Daily Mail readers why Mr Mohamed was caught carrying a false passport.

I wade through his drivel weekly to see if he’s got an explanation. But no, its never forthcoming, just more Oborne drivel about darling Binyam’s rights. And today Con Coughlin reports: “The document that has now been released by the Foreign Office relates that Binyam was subjected to sleep deprivation, rather than the more lurid claims his lawyers have made about him having his testicles slashed with razors.”

Says Con: ‘When the next bomb goes off in London, blame the judges’

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/concoughlin/100025663/when-the-next-bomb-goes-off-in-london-blame-the-judges/

We might also have a jolly good our supine, dreadful journalistic elite that snuff their snooty noses at the few writers that can be bothered to tell the truth about Dizaei, about Neather, about Binyam Mohamed, Islamic terrorism and every other bit of slop that falls out of their nibs.

Is it really too much for them to pursue the truth? Get another job.

strapworld

Thanks Verity.

Common Purpose is a cancer on our country but no journalist will take it on simply because no editor will publish it. Why? Because most have been on a common purpose course!

The spread of this organisation throughout all parts of our society is worrying and nothing short of a long struggle to identify and rid the country of all people belonging to this 'charity'!

But politicians will not do anything. For me this is an open goal for Cameron to score big. The Labour Party can shout as much as they want but they, now, cannot hide from the fact that they have committed the greatest of sins against their oen people.

My view is that we cannot rely on any of the politicians within the Conservative or Liberal Democrat party's. The nationalists are a waste of space and the English do not, as yet, have a credible nationalist party.

So I will be voting for a party that will bring this issue to the top of the agenda. I know they are leftwing but they are the only party who have identified the problem.

AAE

Having for years been castigated as a subversive malignity, and unless the Metropolitan Police ban their various Black Police Officers Associations etc., why don't the Freemasons openly form a Lodge within the Force? All in the interests of diversity of course! And the surrounding outcry would give all interested parties plenty of chance to seriously promulgate Enlightenment ideals and ideas which were a great leap forward in economic, artistic, scientific and political achievements and freedoms to the good of all.

strapworld

AAE they have one!

Anne Wotana Kaye 1

Has anybody else been annoyed by BUZZ? Google mail have dumped a real Micky Mouse load of rubbish onto my mailing faacility. I can't work out how to remove thi All suggests beast or to whom I should complain. All suggestions, except for rude ones will be appreciated. Thanks.

AAE

strapworld - that's very cheering news indeed! And it's members haven't been consigned to filing and making the tea?

Anne Wotana Kaye 1

Apologies for terrible message above. Typing gone to pieces. All the fault of the Buzz! Any ideas as to how it can be removed? Good night.

Derek

The ideology of choice for a multicultural Britain,as selected by our political class:

http://www.israpundit.com/2008/?p=20457#more-20457

AndyinBrum

FFS!

Just a general arrrrgggghhhh, feel better now, carry on

Ghengis

Nicholas, I take note of your kind permission to use the copy of a letter you have sent to your MP as a template. With gratitude I shall use parts of it for the same purpose. Regretfully, one rarely finds in the Spectators columns mention of practical ways in which we may bring pressure to bear in the service of democracy, only dictionary quantities of words which serve no pupose in this context. May I commend to you the only other comment which also serves this purpose
“If any fellow Coffe Housers care, like myself to indulge in a little direct action the 300 plus carpet bagging MP's who aren't being prosecuted may like, at your behest, to provide an explanation as to why they may not have paid any taxes so due, following the 31st January Return deadline. I quote from HMRC website Tax Evasion Hotline:
"HM Revenue & Customs is committed to targeting tax evasion. We know some people don’t pay their fair share of tax and that some businesses get undercut by others not paying tax. Now you can help us do something about it.
The Tax Evasion Hotline has been set up to make the most of vital information from YOU – the public and the business community. It deals with Income Tax, Corporation Tax, Capital Gains Tax, Inheritance Tax and National Insurance.
All information, however trivial it may seem, is important to us. It could be the key to stopping fraudulent or criminal activity. However, in order that we can investigate your report we need you to give as much information as possible to help us identify the person or business you are reporting.
Information can be provided using the following methods:
Email * Make a report online
Telephone Tax Evasion Hotline
Freephone 0800 788 887”

Nicholas

One thing that occurs to me is that the parliamentary position will probably be that there is nothing stopping the English from pursuing their own cultural traditions in parallel with those which have been imported - in a true multi-cultural sense. But in reality it is not as simple as that. When there is ideological pressure (wherever it comes from) to suppress or re-name traditional celebrations (for example nativity plays, Christmas, Maypoles, etc.) to "make them inclusive" or to not give offence to other religions it seems that the English culture is indeed being incrementally destroyed.

I read a comment from a lady whose local village school nativity play had been cancelled and re-invented as a celebration of the children having friends from all parts of the world. Nothing wrong with that if it had been held in addition to rather than instead of the nativity play. The indigenous English Christian children were deprived of the enjoyment of a traditional nativity play for political and ideological reasons. That seems to me to fall squarely within the meaning of the UNDRIP Article 3.

As a nation with a recent history of regligious tolerance, that tolerance includes the right for imported religions not to be offended by our indigenous 1,500 years + religion? Something wrong there.

The problem is that the multi-cultural paradise envisaged by the likes of Straw et al is pursued in a way which oppresses rather than accepts or accommodates the prevailing culture. No surprise from a man who thinks and says that the "English are a race not worth saving". Saved from who, Jack, you and your Neather plan? That quotation, if true, may tell us something about the thinking behind the plan and your involvement in it? Perhaps articulating that view is already a violation of Article 3 if not a "hate crime"? Straw surely deserves investigation for his anti-English stance, if not actual prosecution.

There is more to this than meets the eye, but unfortunately the essence of the issue is easily drowned in the racist/BNP noise.

Verity

In case anyone loses their focus, let us be mindful of the fact that the third worlders worshipping a bloodthirsty alien diety, were infused into our society as a weapon to browbeat and control the indigenous peoples.

Always be aware that immigration, "asylum seekers", illegal immigrants, illegal-polygamous-wives-on-benefits are weapons against the British and the fabric of Britain. They are not an end in themselves.

They were brought in to cudgel us and our ancient society and "teach us a lesson" for being so self-assured, kindly, cohesive and, by and large, generous.

Jack Straw and Cherie Blair are the two chippies-in-chief and immigration was their cudgel of choice to get their own back. The destruction of an entire ancient society. Other weapons, as we know, are thought fascism, and little Hitlerian jobsworthery empowered by local councils, the elevation of the invading religion above all legal and social constraints, and the conversion of the police force into an enemy of the law-abiding.

All these are cudgels. Not ends in themselves. The goal is the destruction of Britain.

Rachael

"The goal is the destruction of Britain."

For Jack and Cherie, it's mission accomplished.

Verity

Has anyone seen any coverage of the kangaroo trial of Dutch MP Geert Wilders? Why is it not being reported?

Wilhelm

We ALL knew what was going on about immigration, you didnt need to be Einstein to work it out. Everytime I go out to the shops or where ever Im tripping over immigrants, I went to Londonistan recently I was the only caucasion on the bus. The city reminded me of Soweto.

Peter from Maidstone last week quoted Churchill, that was great but he sounded like corporal Jones out of Dads Army, the damage is done. The genie is out of the bottle, the toothpaste is out of the tube, its impossible to deport everyone now. Its easier to stop immigrants comming in as soon as they arrive.

Hermann Goerings Luftwaffe dropped a few bombs in the east end of London but he didnt wreck Britains economy by putting it in a £Trillion in debt like liebour and completely shafting the country's cohesion. Goering looks like a jolly chap compared to the nefarious duplicitious liebour party. Nice work lads, thanks for nothing.

I dont have a resentment anymore, its beyond that.
I have a feeling of despair, despondency and pathos.

Wilhelm

The English character is being fair minded, tolerant, root for the underdog. Thats were they have slipped up BIG TIME.

Some people think that these values are good but they can be roughly translated as doormats, suckers and can be taken advantage of by every chancer in the world.

This is what has happened to Holland, a traditional calvinist country in the 1950s. The liberals hijacked the country in the 1960s, lock stock and barrel. Amsterdam is now the Mecca for every cannibas user the world over. hookers in the shop window and Rotterdam is now 51 % muslim due to the high birth rates, its through the roof.

If Liebour gets in at the general election, God forbid, thats whats coming next, man the lifeboats, abandon ship.

Anne Wotana Kaye 1

Wilhelm : I feel sick at the thought of those vile traitors returning after the next election. Looking around my aresa I see that they have an excellent chsnce of succeeding in their aim of completing destroying Britain. On the bus were burka clad women, their bellies full of unborn babies, whilst small children no more than a year apart from each sibling clung to their mothers. The driver was of Somalian appearance, and could hardly speak English, let alone drive. Each time he pulled the brakes, the crumbling bus reeled dangerously. A few young natives sat dispiritedly, holding their tins of drink or eating from take-away containers. They were poorly dressed, had dirty, spotty faces and their children did not appear as well nourished as the islamic children. These miserable children whined to distract their mothers from the mobile phones glued to their ears, but the mothers just shoved more junk food in their hands. The rest of the native passengers were all pensioners, or at least, as seems common now, prematurely old. They sat gloomily staring into space, white haired and cluching their travel passes. All potential Nu Labour voters. The natives would probably like to vote BNP, not from any political beliefs, but from bitterness, but are too scared that the Benefits office will find out. Being in social housing, rent paid for by the 'Benefits' they have signed contracts agreeing not to be 'rascist' and acepting that if they display racist behaviour they will be forced to leave their homes. I am very afraid the swines will get in again, and it can only get worse.

John Richardson

Hi.
Yesterday I said I'd try to think of something positive.
Well, I can relate that the children (OK, mostly the boys) I was teaching today (10yrs) not only displayed a real appetite for for our Second World War history, but also a pretty decent knowledge of it as well.
Great.
The most glorious episode of our island story, when told well, will not inspire any kind of EUurophile nonsense or confusion.
Only national identity and pride.
I promise.

'Yes Mandeep, there were lots of loyal Sikh troops fighting in WW11'
'No, Churchill refused to surrender as the French had done. Instead he vowed we would fight to the end, even without the Americans'.
Who can tell me about 'Their Finest Hour'?

Does that cheer anyone else up ?

John Richardson

JOHN RICHARDSON POSITIVITY PATROL CALLING

A.W.K.1

Hi.
I've just read your 4:53pm posting.
It hadn't appeared before my above effort.
I would not decry anything you say or indeed contradict your overall analysis.
However, was this an urban scene you describe ?
How many English people would chose to move into an inner city today ?
How many of our new Somalia friends look at a picture, such as the one kindly submitted by
Edward McClaughlin
above
and feel; sentimental; excited; romantic ?

It could be that some simply desert the dirty crime ridden cities in the same manner experienced by New York in the 1970s.
I know this is not really 'a solution' but this is the POSITIVITY PATROL after all......

Anne Wotana Kaye 1

John Richardson
Hi John.
Yes it was an inner city bus route in Central London. Save for a little Oasis
of civilization here and there, that is a picture of what London has become. It is called a White Flight, but that isn't correct. I am no rascist, and can state with knowledge that many families originally from the British West Indies and other people, especially Asians whose families lived in East Africa have joined the exodus to the Home Counties and the Shires.
I was heartened by your posting of the schoolchildren. May the Lord protect them from Ed Balls!

Wilhelm

John Ricardson Mr Sunshine says

'' Does that cheer everyone up. ''

Nah.

Michael B

AWK 1. CNET.Com will give you an insight into the workings of unwanted and unrequested Google Buzz. Unfortunately, it looks as though it is a straightforward case of removing it without leaving traces of information. However, once you have gone through the procedures which they suggest, then it would appear that you can do just that. I think that I typed in 'Disable Buzz'
into my search engine and CNET was one of the first sites to come up. Annoying this,
and unwelcome; I did not want this social
network application, I already belong to another.
Just for the record, I go some way in agreement with a lot of what you post. I
share your concerns and feel many of the same frustrations, often on a daily basis

John Richardson

Hi Anne W.K.1

Thanks for your response.
I'm relived that the scene you described related to occupied London*.
As for Ed Balls ?
Well, let's all hope he does not attempt to enter MY classroom.
Otherwise the next time you hear the name 'John Richardson' it'll be on a News Bulletin.

*Not all occupied yet.
Though it's only ten minutes from Forest Gate to Wanstead, the contrast is incredible.
Side by side, England and er...
'Nu Britain' ?

Anne Wotana Kaye 1

Michael B: Just saw your kind posting, and will be following your suggestion. I will let you know what happens.
John Richardson: Please don't get yourself into trouble. We need more dedicated teachers like yourself who really care for the children.

Anne Wotana Kaye 1

Michael B: Many thanks, the Buzz has been squashed!

Noa Zrk

AWK 1

I'm delighted to note the elimination of BUZZ from your laptop. I duly toasted this event in Old Ma Zrk's famous Old Pennine Sloe Gin, nearly spilling a precious drop on my smirking jacket.
Ghengis notes the lack of practical advice on Coffee House and on this I can offer the following:
- If there is sufficient demand, the recipe for the famous old Ma Zrk sloe gin. A sure fire anesthetic for socialist clap trap of the Brownist Ballsian variety.
- If that doesn't work and even more positive direct action becomes necessary, the inspirational Cretan saying:

"Stand still Turk, whilst I reload".

Substitute the appropriate monicker for Turk of course. More theraputic than the old Tri foil dartboard.

Nicholas

"As for Ed Balls ? Well, let's all hope he does not attempt to enter MY classroom. Otherwise the next time you hear the name 'John Richardson' it'll be on a News Bulletin."

I fear that is what it might take to winkle these cod-communist leftofascist bastards out of government.

Wilhelm

God, I hate people who are always chirpy, bright eyed and bushy tailed, very eager types.

Its very irritating, its like people who whistle.

Hereward the Wake

The University of Sussex has announced that there is no point in teaching history before 1700. Presumably so the muslims won't feel inferior about being such newcomers to civilisation.

So the Roman occupation has to go. Forget Watling Street. Forget Hadrian's Wall. Forget vineyards north of York. Forget Henry VIII. Forget William the Norman. Forget me. Forget, indeed, William Shakespeare. Presumably they are also excluding from our national warp and weft, the early settlements in America, which had such consequence for the history of the world.

Austin Barry

One of the curiosities of immigration over the last fifty years is the strange alchemy that living in the UK has on various communities, or at least their stereotypes.

The first wave of West Indian immigration was perceived as one of cheerful, inoffensive, law-abiding calypso and cricket-loving characters. Their children and grandchildren are perceived as sinister and dangerous gun and knife-wielding gangstas.

The first Pakistani immigrants were perceived as quiet, self-effacing, hard-working people. Their children are identified as noisy and alarming fanatics quite happy to murder us all to establish the Caliphate.

How did this happen?

A thought to ponder on our way to Dystopistan.

AndyinBrum

I think the title "University of Sussex" should give away the reason, they wont have the staff to teach various era's, or the demand from the students.

Plus in regards to modern English and European history, the 1700's is when the nation states began to take the form and political shapes that we see today.

Also the 1700's is when people (ie normal types, not Monks, Priests and Civil Servants) began to record their thoughts and write to others, therefore providing better documentary evidence of what was going on at the time. It helps having a brother who's got a masters in History from a proper University to explain these things.

Ian Walker

I see the "Equalities" minister has just described lap dancing clubs as "sleazy."

There's a whole bunch of people without an outdated post-religious morality who find these places entertaining to go to. An another bunch who work there and get good money, frequently using it to get themeslves through college.

Equality for all - except younger, prettier women than Harriet.

Anne Wotana Kaye 1

Noa Zrk: Thanks for your good wishes. I wish Nu Labour could be eliminated as efficiently as Buzz.
Would the sloe gin make Harriet and the other harridans friendlier?

Nicholas

Ian Walker: "Sleazy" indeed, but more "sleazy" or less "sleazy" than Harriet Harmthenation's sleazy government? (People in glass houses, etc.)

Certainly less harmful I'd say, infinitely more use and far more attractive. All in all I'd happily swop the whole rotten cod-communist government for a few more lap dancing clubs.

Private Schultz

As I came out of Moorgate tube station this morning, I saw two soldiers (apparently) in what looked like desert camouflage kit, with a number of buckets labelled something like 'Support the Irish Guards in Afghanistan'. If, as Brown keeps insisting, the troops have everything they need, why are they reduced to begging for cash?

radgie gadgie

There are many folk who, despite all the evidence, still give bears the benefit of the doubt regarding their activities in the woods, or accuse believers of ursophobia. There are also those balanced folk who are unsure or think the jury is still out.
I think the Telegraph's Chief Reporter (take a bow Gordon Rayner) belongs to the latter. He writes today on the front page .."There is a growing belief in Whitehall that human rights lawyers and Islamic activists are, perhaps, unwittingly, helping the cause of Islamic extremism." Unwittingly? How very measured.

Ghengis

Noa Zrk,
My sentence reads, “Regretfully, one rarely finds in the Spectators columns mention of practical ways in which we may bring pressure to bear in the service of democracy, only dictionary quantities of words which serve no purpose in this context.” -- perhaps an excess of the delightful concoction you describe has affected your ability to read accurately

Not for Prophet

radgie gadgie - Ah, yes! Unwittingly! And think of the millions of naive minds who fall for this crapola. How many hundreds of thousands have written to newspapers and blogs over the last 10 years complaining about "this hopeless, inept government! Why do they get everything wrong?"

How is it so few people spotted the agenda, and were aware all along that this government has been very successful indeed?

Ian Walker

radgie gadgie: the commas are quite important in that sentence!

"perhaps, unwittingly" means possibly happening, definitely unwitting.

"perhaps unwittingly" means definitely happening, possibly on purpose.

I expect the intention is the first; many of here would believe the second.

Frank P

Austin Barry

Dystopistan?

Wonderful! Neologist of the year for that one - submit it to the OED.

Frank P

A little gem of satirical art:

http://www.imaksim.com/large/128-party.html

Take the time to click on the faces if the images.

James Murphy

Nicholas, I'd personally perform in a lap dancing club to get rid of these crooks. - Only on a sponsored basis, of course...

Noa Zrk

Anne Wotana Kaye 1

I would gladly donate a gallon, or even two, to the Dromedarys in the cause of anti-cacostopistanianism, as Austin Barry might say. However I suspect , sadly, that only a Nelsonian use of a barrel of the stuff would be effective.

Ghengis, dear old tyrant. I rather suspect you have misread me, but no great matter. It's my round, so cheers!

Beer Moth

The New Economics Foundation have the answer that's been staring us in the face for so long: the 21 hour working week.

Spokesthingy Anna Coote justifies this in a lexicon honed around the sixth form coffee table: "So many of us live to work, work to earn, and earn to consume, and our consumption habits are squandering the earth's natural resources... It is time to break the power of the old industrial clock, take back our lives and work for a sustainable future."

Each worker will be carried in daily by an army of former blinged-up chav sofa dwellers, newly reconditioned into non-smoking, vegetarian rickshaw wallahs.

Archie

Nicholas. A Pedant writes; a true Molotov Cocktail does not rely on a flaming fuse. The explosion is caused by the chemical reaction between the proportions of fluid/air in the tightly sealed bottle and the fuse. Doubtless others more knowledgeable will confirm or dispute this. Oh, and many thanks to yourself, Verity and others for cataloguing the ills besetting us, and some steps we might take to "rage against the machine", as it were.

Wilhelm

Archie a Pedant

Yeah, its the crime of the century. better phone the FBI, eh ?

EC

Beer Moth, February 13th, 2010 8:01am,

Best laugh of the week, cheers!

Polly Gamma

Ian Walker @ 09:19 12th Feb

Back in the day there were certainly many with little education and from humble origins with great looks and great bodies and, yes of course, bills to pay. However strength of spirit and self respect was still heavily supported by a general societal consensus for standards which provided a helpful gauge to measure how much of a sell out it was to even consider offering up those delights to an audience of unknowns. Where’s the merit in this current rallying cry for the young and beautiful to thrust their pelvis and buttocks at strangers so generously?

Harriet Harpic is due no respect as she is a hapless misguided contributor to the decline. At this stage of the deconstruction though there should be more scrutiny of those who purport to be aghast at our decline but have a soppy false naivete about the ‘sex industry’. Those who grew up at the coalface of a society moving out of post war austerity into the new era of (perceived) freedoms have had first hand experience of the evolving changes. Yes plenty of fun but also a memory log charting the parallel tracks of a detrimental decline. Has the fun been worth the decline of the scattered weak beleaguered society that we now hand on to our kids?

Answers on a postcard please…to St Polly’s Association for Retired Ravers.

Verity

Reportage of the in camera kangaroo trial of Geert Wilders on these pages (and throughout the MSM) seems to be as avid and well-informed as the discussions of the Neather report.

Anne Wotana Kaye 1

Noa Zrk:
Hi there,
Dromedarys (sic) Dromedaries are one-humped camels. In the classical World War II ballad, Hitler was sung of as "only having one ball." Who shall we name as a Dromedary? Not Mandelson, he has none, nor Milliband, not evEn Ed Ball! Perhaps Harman can be an Honorary Dromedary.

Rhoda Klapp

Nicholas, and a pedant. I heard just yesterday on the electric radio the BBC telling me there is an approaching shortage of phosphorus. Peak phosphorus has been passed, apparently. How sad if, come the revolution, we have plenty of saved petrol but no phosphorus to light our molotovs.

(Dear domestic terrorist unit, nothing to see here, it's in the nature of a joke. What's that? Oh shit.)

Verity

I was disappointed to read on Iain Dale's blog that he did not get selected at East Surrey. Iain is a clever, energetic, compassionate, generous and well-connected man and I cannot imagine what the selection committee was doing not grabbing him.

Was this former Ghanian, Sam Gyimah, who won the selection someone who was parachuted in by the dire David Cameron, I wonder. Iain graciously says on his blog that Mr Gyimah won on merit. We will be able to judge when we see him in action.

Nicholas

Archie, alas you and the Pedant - if not one and the same person - are mistaken and much is concealed in the use of that generic term "fuse". In the classic street-fighting molotov this was usually just a burning rag. It required ignition prior to launch of the bottle.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molotov_cocktail

Phosphorous was not required.

Archie

Willhelm: Your idioms are those of a Canadian, sir!
Nicholas: I well remember seeing a demonstration of a Molotov Cocktail on a vintage television documentary many years ago and remarking to my father with whom I was watching on the absence of a lit fuse, and he reassuring me that my uncle - his elder brother - had received training on just such a device early in the war. I confess to being the Pedant, a form of address I cribbed from Private Eye in my formative years.

Archie

Rhoda. The fuse chemical wasn't phosphorus, it was in fact a liquid. Nicholas. It wouldn't be the first time that Wikipedia had wrong!

Wilhelm

One of my pet hates are pedants, they dont see the bigger picture.

500.000 immigrants are coming into the country per year changing the country forever. It'll never be the same again.

But the pedant is more concerned about a comma in the wrong place or a hair line crack in the pavement that the council hasnt fixed or a fruit fly in his soup.

Noa Zrk

Hi AWK1

As Mrs Dromey Harpic already gives a great many others beside you and I the hump!

egh

@ Hereward the Wake and Andy ... re Sussex:

So no more Reformation, no more Agincourt, no more: Wars of the Roses, 100 years war, 30 years war, no more Lollards, no more Peasants Revolt [no more fights for independence from the frogs- or the RCs? ] - even no more Margery Kempe and Julian of Norwich, or Caxton (though he was sycophantic about euroland, I think).

No more Magna Carta, Richard the Lionheart (even Robin Hood), establishment of castles in Wales and the Marches, Thomas Beckett, Harrying of the North, Bayeux Tapestry, Edward the Confessor, survival and re-emergence of English [how and why those monks kept it going] (No reason to keep up those old-fashioned stone buildings, then; and no reason to keep fighting off the frogs).

No more Edward the Confessor, Harold Godwinson, Canute, Ethelred the Unready, Alfred the Great and Guthrum, the Venerable Bede, Hilda and the Synod of Whitby, Theodore and Hadrian, St. Augustine, no more Angles Jutes, Saxons, Vikings, and the Celtic Varieties -- let alone Boadicea (yes, I know) and Cartimandua. Hmm. So no more fighting off any foreigners, then. No more understanding of English, English literacy, the development of English Law and Parliament, and how they came about and survived.

No more national identity, really: no understanding of who, what, and why we are. Just the version foreigners and invaders want to foist on us - starting with their version of Mary Queen of Scots'(who she?) very sick little boy and his froggie/euro proclivities. Well, there was a revolution, but the euros nurtured the return wave, including the Dutch contingents and German contingents. And I suppose it all took off because of the froggie enlightenment and the guillotine.

Great. Pure deconstructionist "Transparency." A statement that I of course base on the principle: "To the Pure, all things are Pure."

Wilhelm

Archibald

Thats an old fashioned name, bit like Neville or Stanley.
I reckon you must be in your 70s.

Am I right , son ?

AndyinBrum

egh, i'll try again

When it comes to degree level History, you focus down to a narrow area. Therefore its not too silly to expect an ex polly to narrow its syllabus down to an era where there is primary and secondary documentary evidence of what occured.

Hereward the Wake

egh - Beautifully put, sir!

Wilhelm

egh squeeks

''Mary, Queen of Scots, who she ? ''

I think the title gives it away, duh !

egh

So Wilhelm -- does the title tell us she was Queen of France first? That she, an RC, tried to unseat Elizabeth, etc etc? Does it tell us about her colourful if somewhat bloody adventures in marriage after she got to Scotland? Does it tell you how Elizabeth hesitated to have her executed not only because of politics, but because they were cousins?

My point is that if they throw out Tudor history, nobody will get to know who she was!!

Duh to you too!!

egh

Hereward, thank you.

Andy --- I see what you mean about the ex-poly. Perhaps we are to suppose that their 'specialization' precludes knowledge of just how much primary and secondary evidence there is of the rest. Some interesting 16th and 17th century types managed to salvage all kinds of stuff after the Reformation! But presumably that side of things wouldn't fit in with the euro-commie picture.

Then, as well, there's the inconvenience that your poly boyos would have to learn to read earlier versions of the language from the script on early books and manuscripts!! Second off, they'd do even better if they knew some Latin.

Naturally, nobody would expect them to attain the levels of our greatest scholars, who also know Greek, Celtic, and very often Scandinavian languages.

Mind you, you did say "university," I think.

Peter From Maidstone

AndyinBrum, yes of course you are correct. After all, we know nothing of the Roman Empire, they left us no documentary evidence, indeed the skill of writing was only invented in the 17th century. Before that everything is a blank.

Derek

This is a summary of what our politically incorrect friends in Germany are saying on the fate of our country under Labour:

"Tony Blair’s Labour government consciously promoted mass immigration in Great Britain in order to back the Right up against the wall. Since 2000, Labour has planned in its political goal to have a beautiful new Britain with 50% of the population being foreign. This was disclosed in recently uncovered secret documents.

The change in policy has been very successful, as the apparent increase of immigration shows: In 2001, only 221,000 people immigrated to the UK, by 2007 it was already 333,000. All of this happened in spite of the knowledge that mass immigration leads to increased crime. The reason for this dissolution of their own country was the Left’s pursuit of the possession of political power: They had hoped for additional votes by Commonwealth citizens and immigrants, and planned to free themselves of the Right once and for all, using the club of racism at the slightest hint of opposition when necessary. As a result of the Left’s power struggle, Great Britain is now home to a dangerously high number of extremists. The spirits are now haunting Great Britain, Labour proclaimed."

http://www.pi-news.org/2010/02/blairs-multiculti-was-fighting-against-the-right/

Might this perhaps be a subject for an editorial in the Spectator one day?

daifromwales

The University of Sussex was never a Polytechnic. It was the first of the post-war new universities: founded in 1961.

By all means complain that its particular History courses are limited to the dates you say - but don't be condescendingly snobbish and let's keep the record straight, please.

I think you will find that most (all?) University Arts courses cover narrow areas in detail rather than broad areas in general. That may well be a fault - but, if so, it is a fault of the system and not of individual University Departments.

Austin Barry

Derek @9:38 am

"Might this perhaps be a subject for an editorial in the Spectator one day?"

Don't bank on it.

Fraser is adopting the same strange silence as his Tory chums. Labour's outrageous re-engineering of the very fabric of this country is surely the story of the decade.

The silence and the stench is overpowering.

Anne Wotana Kaye 1

Peter from Maidstone:
AndyinBrum, yes of course you are correct. After all, we know nothing of the Roman Empire, they left us no documentary evidence, indeed the skill of writing was only invented in the 17th century. Before that everything is a blank.
-----------
Your irony is like a ray of sunshine on this dull day. Only one worry, you may be quoted and used as a source in a contemporary "academic" article for NuLabour teachers.

EC

Peter von Maidstone, AndyinBrum

Oo-er, handbags at dawn! Warwick Services, M40.

Rhoda Klapp

Austin, one is beginning to wonder whether the recent history of the Spectator editorship leading to a tory seat is making itself felt.

Is Fraser already hooking up his static line and shuffling to the door before parachuting in to some unsuspecting constituency?

*Courtesy Rhoda's stretched metaphors. If it's one of ours, it's a Rhoda Klapp!

egh

dai from Wales - Oh, thanks. I thought each university department usually maintained a variety of specialists under its umbrella; and each 'College' or 'School' a variety of departments and disciplines, etc.

Silly pre-marxist me!!!

John Richardson

"The silence and the stench is overpowering."
Austin Barry

Regarding the political corruption of omitting awkward facts/debates ; you must be correct Mr Barry.

Yes, the stench is terrible.
Every week that passes without debating the reality surrounding our Nation's demographic/cultural future is terrible. Terrible, that is, for those who imagine
'The Spectator' is an honest and even serious political magazine.
For the rest of us 'Neathergate' is just another reason to be....realistic...about what we can expect from journalists.
This is why we start at the comments, then read the article above IF it seems we might want to contribute.
There are only two 'names' I do not read myself.
As there are only 1 or 2 political journalists I truly respect and trust, I'd say that's a pretty good ratio for the bloggers.

Derek

Janet Daley tackles the subject of Neathergate in an article headlined "Immigration: a plan to alter the nation's soul" in the Daily Telegraph online today dated 13th February followed by a couple of hundred vigorous comments.

The failure of the Spectator to take a position on the scandal must surely have become something of an embarrassment at Old Queen Street by now. The only honourable argument which might have justified silence, before the Daley piece, is that it would be handing Labour a stick to beat the Conservatives with. The question surely though is whether a proper airing of the matter and setting it on the political agenda might not give the people at large a bigger stick to beat the government with at the general election.

Wilhelm

egh says '' Oh thanks, silly marxist me ''

No trouble at all egh, it was my pleasure, always happy to help.

Archie

Willhelm: sixties, actually, and pedantry notwithstanding, I'm regularly to be found hereabouts ranting against immigration, the EU and David Cameron amongst other things, as any fule kno.........................boy!

egh

Wilhelm - Well there you are, young man. Full marks for misquoting and misreading me; maybe you even deserve accolades for meconnaissance. Or you would from a Marxist, but not from me!!

Glad to know you're also Dai: the info I addressed to you as Wilhelm was on Mary Q of Scots!

Alexandrovich

Crikey, even the BBC is doing Neather now and, difficult as I find this to say,it's not that bad. Well worth a listen on iplayer; Analysis Radio 4 at 21:30 Sunday 14th.
The programme is called Foreigner Policy and is trailed as 'David Goodhart investigates the ideological forces behind mass immigration'.

John Richardson

'Wilhelm'

As 'egh' says above,
you
also both misread and misquoted
me earlier in this thread.
I do not follow your posts 'Wilhelm' and so I do not know how much of 'egh's
meaning you managed to garble.
With me you did manage to change the meaning quite a lot.

AndyinBrum

Pvm, where is this copious amount of documentary evidence from Rome?

I appear to owe University of Sussex an appology, but in regards to the educational focus, as you go through the educational stages you get more focused and detailed, GCSE covers most eras, A Level focuses towards 3 areas, mine were British Politics 1832 great reform act onwards, European History and the run up to WW1 and then finaly Nazism

Wilhelm

John Richardson tells a fib

'' I do not follow your posts.''

and then says

'' with me you did manage to change the meaning quite a lot.''

How do you know since you said you dont read my posts.''

To quote Emile Zola '' J' accuse John Richardson a fibber. ''

John Richardson

'Wilhelm'

Re your above (fair) question.

I wasn't fibbing.
No need.
Yep, I began to read when I saw my name quoted. Pretty standard operating procedure ?

John Richardson

'Wilhelm'

Er, inaccuratly quoted.

egh

Andy - Congratulations on the level you've accomplished. Long may you continue.

Pity you assume nobody else here got any further, though. Or even that our grammar schools didn't include good O & A Level courses in Latin and/or Greek (that's why they're called grammar schools, you know... Latin and Greek Grammar). Had your secondary school offered even that, you wouldn't have to ask your question about 'evidence'!!! It does show that someone, somewhere, dropped the ball on your education.

Meanwhile, there are such things as libraries and reference books; or even just plain books. Many of the ancient texts are available in translation.

Wilhelm

Archie,

Im older than you so I can pull rank on you.
Calling someone ' son ' is a form of endearment and affection.
Did you not know that, kid ?