CoffeeHousers' Wall, 21 March - 27 March 

Verity

Please transfer all the comments that were made with today's date onto this new Wall. People wrote those comments in the expectation of them being read. You were tardy - by around eight hours, in putting up a new Wall. You need to either change The Wall at midnight on a Sunday, or at 9 a.m. BST on Monday so that contributors do not waste their time. It's not as though any of you were engaged in writing anything new or challenging.

This sloppiness and disregard for the time of those who contribute is getting old.

Please transfer comments that were written after 1 a.m. GMT to the new Wall.

Puncheon

Ever since the Government announced an inquiry into police terms and conditions I've notice a significant increase in police activity around these parts - every corner now has a bobby with a radar gun, you can't move for patrol cars and the city centre is infested with coppers pretending to be on the beat. I wonder if other CH'rs have noticed the same phenomenon. Is it the police version of the old civil service tactic of 'rush about someone's coming' or is it ACPO trying to manufacture some data for the inquiry? Either way the politicians will be stupid to fall for it.

MV

If I may draw our attention to the cabinet - I am struggling to see who would be moved in a future reshuffle. I'd rather have Cable (somewhat) constrained by Cabinet collective responsibility; Ken Clarke resembles something of an immovable object and Caroline Spelman is one of the few female Cabinet ministers. The only minister who has really disappointed me is a particular favourite of mine, Liam Fox. His SDSR is a national embarrassment and for something who is reducing so much of our military potency he should really stop posturing and mouthing off. A limited reshuffle will be a welcome change from the madness of Blair’s regular overhauls.

Peter From Maidstone

Puncheon, funny you should mention that. Yes, we have noticed lots more police in evidence, both in cars and walking around town. Normally the best you see is a pretend policeman on his bike, but while I was having a coffee in Neros a proper policeman walked past, and then driving home there were two or three police patrol cars parked up around town. Very odd.

In2minds

@Puncheon - March 21st, 2011 2:15pm -

Police activity, perhaps they think that the next revolution will not be in Africa or the Middle East but here in the UK!

Nicholas

Well said Verity. The unpredictability of the new Wall's appearance is an irritation but I'm very surprised that the sensible suggestion to provide a link to the old Wall in the blurb for the new one has not been acted upon.

Anne Wotana Kaye 1

Shall I laugh or cry? Cameron reckons we became involved 'in the nick of time'. Come on - who believes that the Libyans are waiting for a democratic, Wwestern style leader? Even if the madman Gadaffi is removed, an equally vile one is sure to take his place. Anyway, it's not our darn business. All our concern should be is to keep them in their mangy desert country, and watch our ports and points of entry very carefully. If Cameron is so concerned for suffering humanity, he should take a peek at what goes on in hospital geriatric wards, so-called care homes for the elderly and disabled, children's homes, the homeless, the mentally ill, the pensioners who worked all their lives and are too proud to ask for help, Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, this fine institution is overcrowded because of the financial situation. I could go on and on. But of course none of these causes is "sexy", so the Government will continue involving themselves in things which do not concern them.

bullopill

EU In/Out Referendum Campaign
I'm 100% in favour of a referendum, and so is everyone I know. And they all want to vote "Out".
But does the "Out" campaign have a plan to put forward to show what a positive future this country could have outside the EU? It's all very well being "anti bureaucratic sociaist undemocratic EU" but we need a debate about what this country will fit into the world and what the benefits of an EU exit will really be.

Noa

Peter from Maidstone.

Recent major police activity in the North West consisted of my neighbour joining in the chopping and stacking of next winter's firewood, followed by dour deliberations during and after defeat at Croake Park.

But perhaps the writ of the feared Bedfordshire stasi now extends as far as Kent...

Dimoto

THE BUDGET :

Probably far too late, but would be a good idea to wrap up Brown's useless ISAs.
They are a pointless ramp, where the usual "financial service providers" get to package third rate "products" to the naive and unwary, whilst charging them juicy fees and grabbing most of the tax concession.

I don't believe this nonsense encourages anyone to save or invest. Kill them now !

There should be a much clearer and more attractive set of incentives with much better targetting. It has become an annual con, at the expense of the small saver and the Revenue.

Yesterday's Sunday Times "Money" section (for e.g.), was an orgy of misleading articles by "investment advisors", read hucksters, and highly misleading ads.

lescam

AWK; you are so right The only thing that concerns Cameron is his own "world image", and all this grandstanding in Libya makes me sick. Let them fight it out between them, it has nothing to do with this country, and quite "frankly my dear I couldn't give a damn" what happens to Libya, or any other Arab country. We are hovering on the brink of financial meltdown in the UK, yet the govt is quite happy to spend God only knows how much on military ventures, after whining about how we have to cut defences because of the financial situation. Shame on Cameron, shame on the govt, and roll on the next election, when I hope Cameron gets the old heave-ho from the electorate.

Wouldn't be surprised if we are still stuck in Libya in 10 years' time, just as we are in Afghanistan.

Anne Wotana Kaye 1

lescam
March 21st, 2011 5:13pm
Glad you share my views, Lescam, because I respect your views. What worries me, however, is who to vote for to get this lot out. Heaven forbid NuLabour once again. I did vote for Ukip, but they seem hard put getting their act together. Maybe we should take to the streets, a la Revolution!

Anne Wotana Kaye 1

In2minds
March 21st, 2011 4:14pm

Report this comment

@Puncheon - March 21st, 2011 2:15pm -

Police activity, perhaps they think that the next revolution will not be in Africa or the Middle East but here in the UK!
=================================
They're coming! Now, altogether "I'm Spartacus"!

Patricia Shaw

AKW is bang on the money. If Britain cared about innocent victims' human rights, it would bomb the Knesset.

Coeur de Lion

One of the benefits of the current multiple real-world crisis situation is the reduction in the BBC's relentless domestic shroud-waving about the 'cuts'.

Herbert Thornton

Verity et al. - I agree that the transition from the old Wall to the new one - which operates like a complete & sudden closure that seems to happen at some random time on Mondays - is not conducive to coherent debate. It would certainly be an improvement if consecutive Walls could overlap by a day or so.

Meantime I guess we have to make do with the link at the end of the introduction to each new Wall.

The current one reads "CoffeeHousers' Wall (86 more articles)" Clicking on it enables you access the old Wall of your choice.

David Ossitt

Dimoto

“Probably far too late, but would be a good idea to wrap up Brown's useless ISAs.”

Hello Dimoto, the mad bad Gordon Brown loved nothing better than meddling.

We had the perfectly adequate PEP’s as the means to house investments in a tax free environment but the mad man phased them out and gave us ISA’s.

To do as you suggest and wrap up loopy-loo’s ISA’s the Chancellor would need to have a suitable superior replacement to offer or else all hell would break loose.

Verity

Herbert T - I don't see why one Wall has to shut down and another one open.

We can't we have a kind of Great Wall of China that just goes on and on? It would stay current just by the nature of the magazine -- driven by events and politically minded people's inclination to jump in and comment on them.

I mean, it's not as though there's not enough room in cyberspace for an ongoing Wall. Events and comments on them would fall away naturally as events overtake each other.

Verity

It's time for Patrick Mercer, a very fine military man, to increase his profile right now ... Cameron must be shown up for the ignorant, inexperienced twerp he is and the premiership wrested from his effete hands. My God, he was a pr man at 10th rate failed TV company and now he's running a war?

Does anyone else find this ludicrous?

Maria

No I don't find it ludicrous - it's known as having a job, even if not a proper one. What really does interest me, despite the fact I've been trying to restrain myself, is why you Verity sitting in Mexico, I think you tell us, is why you find David Cameron so worthy of continual bile. Surely yo could cast your net a little wider.

Verity

Maria - "What really does interest me, despite the fact I've been trying to restrain myself, is why you Verity sitting in Mexico, I think you tell us, is why you find David Cameron so worthy of continual bile."

I think I have explained in excruciating detail why I think David Cameron is inadequate for the post he is holding. If you hadn't been so occupied in "restraining" yourself, you would know this. Had it not been for a clique who pushed and engineered him in for their own purposes, he would never have got beyond being a back bencher.

He's not up to the job. He is also a vicious little person.

Where I live is none of your business. Why do you care? Herbert Thornton lives in Canada. You might care to twit him next. Hysteria, who hasn't posted recently, lives in Texas. We had Derek who, until recently, lived in China. What on earth business is it of yours, you creepy little person?

Verity

Maria (there's a grand old English name!) writes of my comments directed at the ineptitude and insufferable self-promotion of David Cameron, "Surely yo could cast your net a little wider."

OK. I'll include you.

Verity

Speccie - Can we have some articles that a) aren't written by that long-winded lefty bore Daniel Korski and b) have nothing to do with rioting Arabs? If they've got a gripe, they should take it up directly with allah or the Bedfordshire Police and not trouble the rest of us.

Verity

This: http://euobserver.com/9/32026/?rk=1 Hundreds of Tunisian "migrants" arriving in the Italian island of Lampedusa have sparked large protests among the indigenes.

I don't know if the Bedfordshire Police are aware of this, but they might like to open a case book, just in case.

Malfleur

With reference to last week's conversation:

Nicholas, with respect: (1) the Battle of Nomonhan did not arise from an incident. The campaign, which was in fact a war, not "a series of short, sharp engagements" as yank's cliche would have it, was certainly sparked by an incident, in the same way as may wars are; but it lasted for two years culminating in the Battle. An incident, in English anyway, is something which cannot by definition last two years. (2) the Japanese also have a word for a "battle" and they did not choose to use it; they wished to play down the battle's implications for their military prowess; (3) there is no view expressed in the words which I wrote that the Soviets were the aggrieved party, and there is therefore nothing written there from which you need to be spared; (4) the Japanese Sixth Army was no longer an army at the end of the battle; it was thus "wiped out" regardless of the number of casualties.

yank

Where to begin? The full name (in English...) of the Japanese General Staff is "the Imperial Army General Staff". I thought my abbreviation acceptable to all except the most dedicated picker of nits.

In May of 1939, Japanese troops crossed the Mongolian-Manchurian border. They had not done this for a day's picnic. It was a strategic move quite clearly aimed at the Soviets and was read as such by the Russians. The fact that after the annihilation of the Yamagata Detachment, Tokyo opposed the decision of the Guangdong Army to retaliate later in the year, in July, by throwing the 23rd Division and a couple of tank regiments with air support at the Soviets, does not detract from that strategic decision. In any event, the overall strategic commitment by Japan to move into Manchuria in the first place was in 1931, bringing them at that much earlier date into strategic collision with the Soviet Union, the USA and Europe, but allowing them the option of a drive to the south or to the west. It was not until September 1941, when Richard Sorge's was communicated to Moscow that Japan was going south not west, that the Soviets felt confident enough to switch Soviet divisions from the Far East. The Battle of Nomonhan no doubt played a role in Japan's calculations to pivot on its strategic axis.

Herbert Thornton

The Daily Telegraph has a report with this in it -

"Confusion within Britain's political and military leadership opened up as David Cameron and cabinet colleagues argued the Libyan leader, Muammar Gaddafi, may be a legitimate target while the Chief of the Defence Staff, Sir David Richards, said he was "absolutely not"."

It makes me think that the "No Fly" operation needs to be renamed.

I suggest - "Monty Python's Flying Circus"......

Verity - Right in Every Respect

It's a dark and stormy night and out of cabin fever, I went to the BBC's website. There I saw they boast they have "news in 32 languages".

Why?

Do they really splatter the licence-payers' money on nonentity languages because they believe Third Worlders look up to Britain as an authority on anything any more?

What on earth is the BBC doing splashing out money on the "news in 32 languages", as though there was still a darkest Africa and parts of Asia where they have to listen to the news through secret headsets, when these people's own countries' broadcasting organisations can get the same news instantaneously by satellite?

Verity

I'll tell y'all another thing. The UN lost the tiny amount of credibility it had when it developed a programme of wedging third worlders into the top slot.

I mean, U Thant? of Burma? Then they got some Korean in. And these people from countries that had a long history of accomplishing NOTHING, were chairing diplomats from advanced countries with long histories of invention and developed legal systems.

There is such evil about the Left, but how do they get away with it?

egh

Oh we'll make cam-y-nickers do a fan dance in the Square (rep)
When ............!!!

On Saturday next, so some say -.
One waits to see what, if anything, happens. And also, I hasten to add, exactly who's behind it and why. The TUC seem to be playing Little Jack Horner, which could give us pause...

Augustus

Get a load of that! In the newly reopened
Midland Grand Hotel at St.Pancras station,
now renamed the St.Pancras Renaissance Hotel, the wallpaper in the £3,000-a-night
George Gilbert Scott Suite (who was the original architect) cost £47,000. Some wall,
some suite!

Noa

Augustus @10:09am

Is there a link? I have to do some re-decorating and a few tips on the latest styles might be helpful.

Come to think of it perhaps Liam Fox and his military chief could also use a little help in papering over cracks at the moment....

Nicholas

Malfleur - I had already posted a reply on last week's wall. Here it is again:-

(1) Oh, but yes it did. In fact you admit it towards the end of your first sentence. I would argue not war as it did not require the engagement of all the armed forces of the belligerent nations but the term is used loosely these days. A campaign without war seems odd so "incident" or "affair" seems perfectly acceptable. It wasn't a skirmish. (2) Supposition on your part. There is a linguistic consistency to the use of the two characters in Japanese (koto ken) that has nothing to do with concealment but does infer complexity or duration (3 ) Hmm. If you say so. (4) That would be why the "non-existent" Army was transferred to Hailar where it continued to perform garrison duties and continued to file manpower returns; unless of course you can present before and after returns that support your contention, quantifying the casualties suffered during the incident and demonstrating your evidence for them? To start you off Coox gives 58,925 strength and casualties of 19,714 which include wounded, missing and sick. That is 33% - high, but not "wiped out" (especially if compared to 1914-18 unit losses). Stripping out the sick returns gives 17,364 direct casualties from battle - 29% - of which 8,647 (49% - almost half) were wounded (e.g. not "wiped out"). The "missing" includes the unthinkable prisoners too.

Patricia Shaw

Where's the No Fly Zone over Gaza?

Patricia Shaw

Verity - you appear to paint 'the left' as the blackest of black. Evil you say.

Does that mean the right is righter than right?

Sam Armstrong

Augustus - have you seen what they've built just around the corner? The new UNISON building is - from an architectural perspective - absolutely beautiful. To replace the slightly downtrodden looking building on the other side of Euston Road, that they've occupied until now.

The sad thing is that this new structure for UNISON will have been paid for entirely out of the public purse, and that many hard working, hard pressed legitimate companies in the marketplace will have to make do with whatever brutalist monolithic hellhole they can afford.

So whilst those who are daily forced to work hard by the rigours of the market will have to work in sometimes substandard office spaces (I know of a law firm that is currently 'squatting' because they can't find the rent), the lazy, scruffy, undisciplined lumps of ego and lard that comprise UNISON will get this amazing new building to swan about in.

It really is NOT fair.

Frank P

George Friedman sums up the current full-moon madness in the Middle East; it is also of course full moon over the UK MOD. As for Downing Street, a full moon makes little difference: once you're completely bonkers the moon can add little to the madness:

http://www.stratfor.com/weekly/20110321-libya-west-narrative-democracy?utm_source=GWeekly&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=110322&utm_content=readmore&elq=fbad2020a0c743a48a1fd705e89dfc83

My preamble to the link is not a summary of GF's piece, but I could adduce it as evidence to back up my cynicism. Judge for yourselves.

Maria

1. Well you told us where you live, I didn't ask. I do think it relevant however that you don't live in the UK when talking about day to day UK policies. You may think you have explained why DC is not up to the job (in your opinion) but not why you are so fascinated by his appearance. Anyway enough of this trivia, have a nice day. I'm far too polite to call you a creepy little person or similar.

Frank P

Say what you like about naughty niece, but she sure knows how to dispel the gloom of geopolitical and geological eruptions. This is her latest missive:

Man and Pharmacist

A man walked into a drug store and asked to talk to a male Pharmacist. The elderly woman he was talking to said that she was the only Pharmacist, her Pharmacist husband had died, and she and her widowed Sister owned the store. There were now no males employed there. She then asked if she could help the gentleman.

He said that it was something that he would be much more comfortable discussing with a male Pharmacist.

The female Pharmacist assured him that she was completely professional and whatever it was that he needed to discuss, he could be confident that she would treat him with the highest level of professionalism.

The man agreed and began by saying, "This is tough for me to discuss, but I have a permanent erection. It causes me a lot of problems and severe embarrassment, and I was wondering what you could give me for it."

The Pharmacist said, "Just a minute, I'll go talk to my sister."

When she returned, she said, "We discussed it at length and the absolute best we can do is, 1/3 ownership in the store, a company car, and $3,000 a month plus living expenses.”

Patricia Shaw

Baby Nelson says the Spectator is being investigated by the Old Bill and PCC for racism / inciting race hatred / just being itself.

There's a surprise. About time.

His shallow defense is the 'right to free speech'. Evben though the speech is particularly jaded, partial and one sided.

Same as Abu Hamza's defence then.

Until Zionist Central allows the Spectator to host a Muslim blogger, its shambolic, wafer thin defense veneer of a defence will continue to crumble.

(Only problem is that the only blogger I can think of as intolerant and offensive as Phillips, is Abu Hamza)

Verity

Frank P - Agreed. It is total madness. This is not a war. It's a local uprising against an unpopular leader.

When London has a demonstration, with "angry" (somewhat over dramatic) young people dressed in their best casual wear shouting slogans and dropping things off buildings, does Libya or Bahrain come over to sort it out? When the French have one of their regular lefty hobby demonstrations and bring Paris to a halt, does the Norwegian Army go storming in?

This whole thing is badly manufactured. If we'd wanted Kaddafi over the Lockerbie bombing, we should have gone in and got him and brought him to Britain for trial.

This whole misadventure reeks of Tony Blair and gigantic self-regard.

Verity

Maria, don't stand on ceremony. Your opinions, ill-informed thinking and naiveté are of no consequence.

Do you work for the Bedfordshire Police?

Anne Wotana Kaye 1

Frank P:
Hello, Old Friend,
It is just so good to read your postings once again. Also, your NN's gems of wisdom have been sadly missed. During your absence the rats have been playing havoc with the structure of the Wall, gnawing away with their congenitally deformed teeth. So keep well, and keep posting!

yank

Malfleur,

You're not adding anything new in that point, which is still ahistorical. The Japanese never intended to move strategically in Manchuria following their ititial holdings.

And if Stalin's double dog 007 spy didn't find out 'til September 1941 that the Japs would be going South for rubber and oil, than Uncle Joe needed to find himself a new dog spy. Everybody knew it. The US controlled the Japs' oil tap. They had to go South.

Verity

I think Maria is a previous troll redux.

RocketDog

Augustus, Sam Armstrong
On St Pancras
What about the statuary in the upper concourse (at the end, under the clock, by the champagne bar). If you haven't seen it, take a look

There is a magnificent lifesize Betjeman, with some extracts. Not surprisng in this context

There is also a very peculiar and (it may just be me) strangely prurient giant embracing couple - sort of 'everyman commuters.' The base of this giant construction is decorated with reliefs of people using the station throughout its history. I seem to remember that a theme of the statue is infidelity, as the girl is kissing the man goodbye while looking at a message on her mobile over his shoulder (or she could just have been very busy...)
Anyway, with no wish to be at all rude to the statues creators, or in any way denigrate the general population depicted in the reliefs, this is the sort of thing that you might expect to see in Moscow or Jakarta. How did it get there? What is it supposed to be telling us?

Augustus

Noa @ 12.24pm

Go to retailinsider.com website, down the page click on 'Tour around the St.Pancras
Renaissance Hotel'. Down the page see: Gilbert Scott Suite: the room with the £47,000 wallpaper. Click on for full size.
Very impressive!

Sam Armstrong - Interesting!

Augustus

Patricia(the worm that tries to bark)Shaw -

What's the point of a Muslim blogger on The Spectator 1828? Muslims don't even know how to integrate in 2011.

Verity

Rocketdog - where did you get the idea that such a trite and unimaginative scupture might be found in Jakarta? Jakarta's not the least bit Sovietesque. Indonesia's a very nice country.

Patricia Shaw

Nice to see benji playing to the gallery again with yet another child murder in gaza.

But they re only toe rag headed rats and cockroaches aren't they? Squaters in samaria. Best pop em now before they learn how to retaliate against israeli murder and land theft eh?

Patricia Shaw

Oh by the way, some Muslims to whom i pointed ou this site, will be posting her befo long.

I do hope all the little Israeli propagandists will be polite, not spit on them, call them rats cockroaches and dogs, rag heads etc.

Before long hey will ensure a take over of the wall.

Sorry and all that.

Frank P

I've been monitoring the news through five disparate channels and fitted a bit of Glen Beck into the interstices for the past two or three hours; the planet Earth has suddenly turned into a three ring circus.
All the world's leaders appear to be part of the show. The party piece a few minutes ago was the Chief Clown, Mo Qadaffi jumping on to the backs of two careering camels and doing a cicuit of his bombed palace; vigorously giving the old numero uno (one with each hand) to the Tornado and Typhoon fighter planes overhead, shouting "We will never surrender, you bastards, death to the Great Satan!"

In the spirit of the moment I just ran out into the street, waved my arms, and shouted "Who's in charge of this fucking pantomime???"

I hear the klaxons of the Norfolk Constabulary in the distance. It is clearly The End of Days.

Glancing across at my den's TV screen I note that nobody has yet told George Osborne. He is standing in a floodlit Downing Street holding up a briefcase, a sickly grin spreading across his face. He seems to be talking about budgerigars Or something.

Holy Mary Mother of God - save us poor sinners ....

And that plea comes from a adult life-long agnostic!

Malfleur

(1)Oh no it isn’t...if you think my reference to the Mukden Incident in 1931 was the incident which gave rise to the Battle of Nomonhan, then you would probably take a similarly absurd view that the Gleiwitz Incident “gave rise’ to the Battle of Stalingrad. (2) and (4)Tin fact, the Japanese use the word “jiken” – whic can be blandly translated as “happening” as well as incident. Whichever way you want to look at it, it is a very subjective way of describing a battle involving tanks and bombers on a battlefront front 48 miles long and in which 45,000 of the 60,000 Japanese involved were killed. The 71st Regiment suffered 93% losses. If you calculate the additional Japanese who were left alive but incapacitated or taken prisoner, it is not surprising that the remnants of the “Sixth Army” were not fit for anything but garrison duty – or were, to put it another way, wiped out. (3)”Hm, if you say so” It is not “if I say so”. Nothing in what I wrote suggests that I view either the Soviets or the Japanese as "the aggrieved party".

yank

Yes, the world has gone mad.

They're trying to take back Obama's Nobel Peace Prize.

This is a travesty. After all the work he put in to earn that award, all the sacrifice and commitment, all those long minutes of sweat, doing, well I'm not sure but there had to be something.

Well this will not stand.

We shall fight them.

We shall go on to the end.

We shall fight them from the internet cafes.

We shall fight them from our Starbucks bastions.

We shall fight from Section 8 Housing Projects and public employee union halls.

We shall fight from the faculty lounges and tenured ivory towers.

We shall fight from the the New York Times Book Review.

We shall fight them with growing confidence on our organically farmed land and in our hybrids.

We shall never surrender.

And if by some strange occurrence, that Nobel prize gets taken away, we shall depend upon our great army of picketing rioters who will spray paint graffiti on the guy's house until he changes his mind. Meanwhile our lawyers will sue him.

Frank P

Sorry - slight emendation to my communiqué from the cyber front at 10.52pm, George Osborne wasn't talking about budgerigars – I just heard it again; it was 'budget relief', which, judging from his appearance is probably something like auto-manual relief. I must change the batteries in my hearing aid - and the newspaper in bottom of the budgies cage: the Guardian, as it happens. And no, I do not buy it. My-next-door-neighbour does - then hands it on to me, hoping that I will read it and become a commie, like her, and thereafter stop railing against the full moon. Fat fucking chance!

As for the remainder of my earlier report: stet! But if I might now offer an addendum: after much assiduous research and close observation - over a period of three years; finally, following tonight's news bulletins, I can now confidently define Barack Obama in four letters, the first of which is "c". And for those of you who need a further clue - the last letter is "t". I could be more specific, but I have to consider the sensibilities of the ladies of this parish.

Frank P

Closer and closer:

http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/tampa-judge-islamiccase-mosque/2011/03/22/id/390356?s=al&promo_code=BE9F-1

Frank P

Now I'll stop taking the piss and recommend that you all go to Melanie's latest post on Libya and get your heads straightened. Epic!
The best dissection of one of the biggest-ever major geopolitical fuck-ups that I have ever read. I hope the bastards involved in it read it then look into their own villainous and vainglorious souls and cringe with embarrasment. But that is as unlikely as a positive outcome to this outrageous, suicidal anti-Western adventure embarked upon by juvenile jerks with tiny brains whose balls haven't yet dropped. Chaos!

MairT

@ Patricia Shaw

"Only problem is that the only blogger I can think of as intolerant and offensive as Phillips, is Abu Hamza)"

Nope , you're wrong again hen, it is actually YOU.

Rob Wilson

Verity, many of Jakarta's main intersections and traffic circles

Rob Wilson

Verity, many of Jakarta's main intersections and traffic circles are adorned with large statues donated by the Soviets in the sixties when they were "courting" Sukarno, and to that extent Jakarta is a little "Sovietesque".... You are quite right though...Indonesia is generally a very nice place...

dg

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/columnists/simonheffer/8399288/Budget-2011-Reputations-are-built-on-actions-not-the-half-truths-of-spin-doctors.html

Simon Heffer skillfully punctures George Osborne's overinflated reputation:

"
I think it must have been the second or third time I went round the block of British politics, at the height of the catastrophe of the Major years, when I finally came to understand the way that the people we now call âœspin doctorsâ� do their job.

Diversionary tactics are hugely important to them. This is not just about some days being good ones on which to bury bad news â“ it is also about creating stories where none really exists in order to put up a smokescreen, and inflating the reputation of a politician who might otherwise be subject to harder criticism.

We have seen the last two of these ruses over the past week or so in the matter of George Osborne, who today presents his second Budget. One has hardly been able to open a newspaper or magazine in recent days without reading praise, much of it incontinent and incredible, of the Chancellor of the Exchequer. (It is horribly reminiscent of the things that used to be said about Gordon Brown, in the days before he invented economic disaster.) According to the briefings, the following things are true about Mr Osborne. He has a hand in every policy the Government discharges (and that may even be true, or nearly true), particularly the ones that turn out to be successful. He cares nothing for his inevitable unpopularity as a man presiding over âœcutsâ� â“ which, if true, belies the enormous reputation-management exercise being conducted in his name. Finally, and most interestingly, he is now widely regarded as the natural successor to Mr Cameron and, as I read to my surprise in one Leftish-leaning newspaper over the weekend, he is allegedly preferred by many Tories to the Prime Minister on the grounds that he is âœa proper conservativeâ�.

"One should be sceptical of the reputation management undertaken by Mr Osborneâ™s friends in Whitehall and at Westminster, giving instruction to his lackeys in some parts of the media, because one needs to ask oneself what exactly it was designed to conceal. Why on earth talk about his leadership ambitions at this stage? Unless Mr Cameron falls under the proverbial bus, or contrives to lose the AV referendum, it is hard to see how his position might be imperilled in the short term. So one fears that this has all been a diversion to prevent our seeing the lack of ambition of what may be announced today; when the talking-up begins even before Mr Osborne has stood up, some of us start to think all is not as it should be. "

Here's one example of the unrealistic hype job that is being performed on George Osborne's reputation:-
http://conservativehome.blogs.com/thetorydiary/2011/03/ten-things-you-should-know-about-george-osborne.html
And there are plenty of others on The Spectator website :-)

Nicholas

malfleur - no the "incident" I was referring to was the original Mongolian incursion and the escalation from that.

"in fact, the Japanese use the word “jiken”" - it is composed of two characters and the first is unusually double syllabled - "koto". Although it can be read as "ji" the character is actually "koto". The second is "ken". I'm not sure its use is subjective so much as cultural. But in fact many studies of the conflict in Japan use the character "sen" meaning "war" or "battle" - even from the 1970's.

Now you are using a very subjective phrase "wiped out" to mean something quite different. In your first post you referred to the 6th Army - now suddenly we are discussing the casualties to the 71st Regiment. The 6th was on garrison duty before the incident and on garrison duty after the incident. There is no denying it suffered grievous casualties but it was not "wiped out". I suggest it is misleading to use Communist-era Soviet sources for Japanese casualties which is what you seem to be doing. The casualties I cited are drawn from Japanese Army medical returns which were not published as propaganda.

Nicholas

yank - excellent. You have them nailed.

Anne Wotana Kaye 1

Frank P
March 23rd, 2011 1:22am

Report this comment

Closer and closer:

http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/tampa-judge-islamiccase-mosque/2011/03/22/id/390356?s=al&promo_code=BE9F-1

Frank, I do believe the Ignorant Islamist has promised similar here on the Wall!

Patricia Shaw

@mair t you re like the budget, predictable, annoying and economic with the truth. Go tax others with your micro thinking while the democracies in the region shape your macro prospects.

EC

Frank P, March 23rd, 2011 1:45am

"Now I'll stop taking the piss and recommend that you all go to Melanie's latest post on Libya and get your heads straightened. Epic!"

I note that TreborsDen has absented himself from the Coffee House of late. At the start of all this was Trebor ("they don't like it up 'em Capn Mainwaring") not very keen to lionise Dave, pull on some khakis and pin a map of Libya up on his den wall? What now?

Budgies.

I look forward to Trebor's return, renewed and fortified, and his comments on Sniffy's (©Fat Bloke) Budgie. I feel certain that a reinvigorated Trebor, a minty bit stronger, will Trill ™ us all as we see him Swoop ™ on any gainsayers.

In these uncertain times we have to hold on the constants in our daily lives. There's the shipping forecast, for example, and then there's Trebor reminding us all to Chirrup as he chatters away to a photograph of Dave, "whose a pretty boy then...."

"save us poor sinners"
Amen to that, but while we're waiting anybody fancy a pint?

Frank Sutton

This unappealing creation - a blemish on the Cathedral of steam in which it stands - follows the artistic style of the sketches in those 'true romance' comics from bygone times (of which, by the way, I was not a reader!).

Frank Sutton

There is also a very peculiar and (it may just be me) strangely prurient giant embracing couple - sort of 'everyman commuters.'
This unappealing creation - a blemish on the Cathedral of steam in which it stands - follows the artistic style of the sketches in those 'true romance' comics from bygone times (of which, by the way, I was not a reader!).

Anne Wotana Kaye 1

Patricia Shaw
March 22nd, 2011 10:42pm

Report this comment

Oh by the way, some Muslims to whom i pointed ou this site, will be posting her befo long.

I do hope all the little Israeli propagandists will be polite, not spit on them, call them rats cockroaches and dogs, rag heads etc.

Before long hey will ensure a take over of the wall.

Sorry and all that.

============================
You ignorant pig, "taking over the Wall" is just a metaphor for what you and your ilk do. Aren't you busy enough in Libya, Egypt, Yemen, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain. Tunisia et al? Seems whereever you dump yourselves you create havoc.

Frank P

Characteristically wise and whimsical words from St Mark of Steyn on the current spasm of stupidity:

http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/262803/unipolar-delusions-mark-steyn

It's the sheer g-r-a-s-p, not just the scope of his intellect that is breathtaking. To be able to understand the complexities within the confusion is one thing, but the ability to covert that insight and analysis into a synthesis that we can all understand, is his unique gift.

We ask the question often enough: why can't we benefit directly from his regular input to this magazine? My renewed subscription would follow as surely as dawn follows dark. Many others here feel the same way. Why will nobody answer that question? To have the two sharpest cats in journalism - Melanie and Mark - under the same canopy would be a coup for any editor. So what about it Baby Face Nelson? It would be the coming of your editorial age. Why have you failed to acquire this consummation - devoutly to be desired? Having his web page on the side bar is a start; but it is just not the same as the full embrace of the Speccie family, which has become so -er - diluted in recent years.

Frank P

Anne WK1

"Frank, I do believe the Ignorant Islamist has promised similar here on the Wall!"

She's a bottom feeder, Anne, no crumbs for her delectation, then. Remember ... 'don't feed the trolls' (even with poison - they use it as sustenance and evacuate double strength effluvium accordingly). Btw (and my last word, I promise, on y.k.w) the porcine feminine is 'sow' - a much nastier insult, somehow, dontcherthink?. Keep smiling, we're not winning - yet - but all is not lost as long as the s.o.h remains intact, even in these mad, bad and dangerous times.

Anne Wotana Kaye 1

Patricia Shaw
March 23rd, 2011 3:06pm
Forgive me, I should have said Sow, guess you will not be offered as a virgin reward in Paradise. By the way, you do keep on about teeth. Have you mentioned your Moon's Molars to anybody yet? Of course you are not really to blame, it was your sire or dam (parents) fault.

Anne Wotana Kaye 1

Can't you get this sow for ageism?????

Anne Wotana Kaye 1

Frank P
March 23rd, 2011 2:59pm

Report this comment
Thanks, Frank!

yank

Frank,

Yes, Steyn is an able analyst and communicator, but he didn't in that article broach the game behind the game behind the game.

The frogs and limeys are now being kicked out of Libya forever. They will never return, this time. The Chicoms recently evacuated 40,000 of their citizens from Libya, who will swiftly return and their numbers grow, after final resolution of affairs.

40,000 Chinese citizens, mostly working immigrants... in a country of about 6M?

It's over now... the master plan has been promulgated. The NWO wants the Chicom warlords to colonize Africa. The frogs and limeys were given their chance for decades if not centuries, failed, and now it's time to give the other mafia gangs a look-in.

.

.

.

Steyn can't go there, of course, until Beck stakes out the tin foil hat ground. But it's really hard not to come to these conclusions, if you're one who believes that "great forces" act over time, and towards logical ends. The "great forces" see a declining collection of Euros, and a rising China and India, and seeks to ease them into predefined roles once reserved for the Euros. Makes sense, don't it?

And as for the local islamofascists frolicking about in those places, well, the Chicom warlords will be a tad more efficient dealing with them than the Euros. The NWO likes that, too.

Patricia Shaw

You just 'sow' your magic, annie baby,

...while in the real world people in palestine and israel continue to slaughter one another, and all because Israel continues to play for time, terrorise its neighbours, steal their land and assassinate their children, breeding the kind of generational resentment that breeds violence in perpetuity.

So you just sow your magic, Annie baby, spread your casual careless race hate and leave others to pick up the body parts.

Verity

The ambulatory yawneroo, Patricia Shaw, writes that she has advised some muslims of the existence of this site: "I do hope all the little Israeli propagandists will be polite, not spit on them, call them rats cockroaches and dogs, rag heads etc.

Well. other than Melanie Phillips and the now excluded "Phil", I have never noticed any "israeli propagandists around here". Israel doesn't seem to occupy much of anyone thoughts. We're all more interested in Britain, the West, China and India.

You refer to calling them "dogs" but, even though I prefer cats, I would not so offend man's best friend.

"Before long hey will ensure a take over of the wall."

How exciting for the muslims you know, Ms Shaw, to be exposed to the bracing air of free speech!

However, regarding the proposed takeover of The Wall by violent muslims, not as long as the people running it have the power of the Delete button. Unless you are imagining these muslims storming Old Queen Street, only to find it empty. You'd have to know what pub they're favouring these days.

Verity

Frank P - re the Florida judge - grim. However, I don't think he'll get away with it. American are more robust than we are. Someone will challenge it, and win.

Verity

Rob Wilson, thanks. I'd forgotten those Sovietesque grotesqueries in Jakarta. Surely they will take them down one day.

Yes, Jakarta is a very nice, tolerant, courteous place to live.

Verity

Frank P - I bring you good tidings! St Mark of Steyn has been linked on the Blogroll on the left for the last few months!

David Ossitt

I posted this over on Rod Liddle’s blog, I am sure that some of you will find this link below of interest.

Merlyn

“I would back the scientists struggling with no money to bring us free energy devices.

http://www.free-energy-info.co.uk/ “

If anyone wants a good laugh please go to the web site provided by Merlyn above.

Whoever has written and produced this site are as mad as a box of frogs, as is Merlyn if he truly believes any of this bollocks, scroll down past chapters 1 to 16 and past the appendix 1 to 3 and then click on the ‘Presentation in English’ written next to the flag of Ireland (Eire) for gogs sake.

What follows is pure unadulterated gobbledygook.

Rod you will find this link a treasure house of madness, it might provide you with much to write about.

Verity

Patricia Shaw, may I give you a tip, meant kindly as you are clearly confused and in need of it? Styling people by diminuitives with the spiteful, needy hope of thereby diminishing them makes you look weak, weak, weak and needy, needy, needy. This provincial habit leads us to believe you come from a small provincial town in which you are a minority and you feel very, very resentful, not to say cross.

Move to a big city! Get a life. Mix around more more! Have a mixed drink! Make it a double!

Patricia Shaw

On this day, Verity, you should be mourning the deaths of innocent Israeli civilians, instead of crowing your usual imbecilities.

Verity

Yank, the word Limeys only has resonance in the United States. You continued use of it tells us that you have never lived outside the United States. No one knows WTF you are talking about.

Also, it is stupid to use it in a derisory sense, given that the British sailors were the only ones from the other side of the Atlantic who knew that fresh fruit would prevent scurvy. Everyone else arrived on your shores pululating with sores exuding infected pus.

jon dee

Patricia Shaw.

Why do you persist with unpleasant and obsessive bigotry?

Is it only your intention to insult, with your ugly and intolerant language?

The case you espouse will certainly not benefit from the violent partiality you project, nor attract tolerant debate from others.

There must be a site more suited to your temperament and mania.

RocketDog

Verity
March 22nd, 2011 9:26pm
and Rob Wilson
I suppose that juxtaposing Moscow and Jakarta wasn't entirely fair. I was, however, thinking of statuary as it might function as a self-conscious public statement about a city or a culture. Much as I like Jakarta I must say that it is probably closer to Moscow than London on most measures. Potatable water, armed police in two's,ostentatious motorcades for the ruling elite ... hang on a minute, maybe not...

Anyway, back to this awful sculpture in St Pancras. Apparently it is called 'The Kiss' and I am not the first person to take against it. Why put something so huge somewhere so unobstrusive?

MairT

Patricia Shaw
March 23rd, 2011 8:19am Report this comment

@mair t you re like the budget, predictable, annoying and economic with the truth. Go tax others with your micro thinking while the democracies in the region shape your macro prospects.

Far from being economic with the truth..........and it appears that I have touched a nerve..........just because I placed you on par with Mr Hamza

Noa.

Augustus

Many thanks for the link.

A bit OTT for the Missus, thank the Lord, no doubt it will suit any fleeing arab despots who have to bunk up in emergency accommodation near to the shops.

Probably only they and the Unison top brass can afford it anyway.

Verity

Potable water and armed police usually in twos, which makes sense, although not always in twos. But always armed, of which I approve. Traffic pretty well regulated, although on Fridays parking on pavements, double parking on busy streets and other illegal manouevres outside mosques, with the traffic police sailing by is common. On the other hand, the same blatant traffic infractions take place outside churches on Sundays and the traffic police turn an equal blind eye.

It's a very easy city to live in.

David Ossitt

Frank P
March 23rd, 2011 2:33pm

Characteristically wise and whimsical words from St Mark of Steyn on the current spasm of stupidity:

Superb; thank you Frank.

yank

No, my dear, actually, the venerable "limey" has weight throughout the world, including and especially in Canada, where I learned it.

But then, you'd have to understand the world and the English language and its dialects, in order to know this sorta stuff.

Patricia Shaw

It's Night Meyr, nd the Abu Hamza quote is well timed, given that Baby Nelson would have to stoop to Dr Hook to find a contrarian blogger as repugnant as Melanie Phillips.

Verity

Yank, you are wrong again but I am not going to engage in a discussion with you.

However, note that I am not your "dear", and I'm warning you to drop your creepy over-familiarity.

yank

Well, my dear, as you seem to constantly address posts to me, I'd say it is you that appears addicted to familiarity here, and creepily so... good word choice.

Me? I just think you're a bigmouth with deficient linguistic knowledge.

dg

James Forsyth says "Osborne pulls it off". Hahaha, what a laughable use of hype and excessive praise! Is George Osborne one of Mr Forsyth's sources for all the briefing that goes on? And Dominic Cummings and Michael Gove too? Why the excessive hype for Osborne and his protege Matt Hancock? They don't deserve to have their abilities rated higher than what they actually are.

Patricia Shaw

haha...

Phillips on Louise WindBag, MP for Corby and 'friend of israel'.

Doesn t take long to reveal she is a paid up conservative friend of israel, is a serial bias, partisan supporter and that all this outrage about the slaughter of the fogels was an opportunistic dig at the BBC.

At no point did she declare her interests, or alliance with the Con Friends of Israel.

MikeF

Now here's an unusual thing - an article on the BBC website that features an illustration of a member of an ethnic minority that is not 'positive' and a headline that is an ironic and somewhat derisory reference to a television documentary series that was a typical example of media 'ethnophilia':

http://news.bbc.co.uk/panorama/hi/front_page/newsid_9433000/9433554.stm

I wonder if this had to be approved a higher level than that of a sub-editor or if someone has had their knuckles rapped for 'pandering to prejudice'. Catch it while you can - these things don't come along too often.

Frank P

If this doesn't brighten your day, you need to get your chuckle glands attended to:

President Barack Obama is visiting a Glasgow hospital.

He enters a ward full of patients with no obvious sign of injury or illness,

He greets one.

The patient replies:

Fair fa your honest sonsie face,
Great chieftain o the puddin race,
Aboon them a ye take yer place,
Painch, tripe or thairm,
As langs my airm.

Obama is confused, so he just grins and moves on to the next patient.

The next patient responds:

Some hae meat an canna eat,
And some wad eat that want it,
But we hae meat an we can eat,
So let the Lord be thankit.

Even more confused, and his grin now rictus-like, the President moves onto the next patient, who immediately begins to chant:

Wee sleekit, cowerin, timorous beasty,
O the panic in thy breasty,
Thou needna start awa sae hastie,
Wi bickering brattle

Now totally confused, Obama turns to the accompanying doctor and asks, 'Is this a psychiatric ward?'

'No,' replies the doctor, 'this is the serious Burns unit.'

[h/t my naughty niece - who else?]

AAE

Frank P and NN - Glorious! Thank you.

Derek

Frank P

Nice!

Patricia Shaw

Johnny Doe, your blinded devotion to the cosa zionista does you few favours. Jews like you the rest of who truly
Support Israel we don t need'

Derek

Frank P

By way of thanks for the Burns joke:

A young Chinese couple get married.

She's a virgin & they are both waiters.

Truth be told, he is a virgin too, but she doesn't know that.

On their wedding night, she cowers naked under the sheets, as her husband undresses in the darkness.

He climbs into bed next to her and tries to be reassuring.

"My darring," he whispers, "I know dis you firss time and you berry flighten. I pomise you, I give you anyting you want, I do anyting juss anyting you want. You juss ask.

Whatchu want?" he says, trying to sound experienced and worldly, which he hopes will impress her.

A thoughtful silence follows, and he waits patiently and eagerly for her request.

She eventually shyly whispers back, "I want to try someting I have heard about from other girls ... Nummaa 69".

More thoughtful silence, but this time from him. Eventually, in a puzzled tone he asks her...

"You want ... Garlic Chicken with corrifrowa?"

Derek

lady Shaw-Shaw

When are you going to put some meat in your sandwich? A start would be to respond to my question put to you on a couple of occasion in the last six months: which specific towns and which specific laws did you have in mind when you alleged that "settlements" in Judea and Samaria were illegal?

By the way, have you yet signed the petition calling on King Abdullah to declare that Jordan is the nation stateof Palestinians? http://www.truthprovider.com/page.php?pageID=70

Frank P

And now for some serious shit. Gerard Vanderleun - American Digest Blog - has waxed fluent on Obama and his Libyan adventure. I will reproduce it in full, as I know some of you have difficulty in accessing AD website:

>Presence of Malice: Against the Conservative Portrait of the President

We can survive many traits in presidents, but malice is not among them. In the unfolding saga of the Libyan adventure I note that, even though it is early innings, a popular strain of conservative criticism centers around the always popular idea of 'stupidity in government;' with a variant on the subset of ‘the president is not as smart as he thinks.’ The popular variant this time is: 'deep down, Obama is shallow.' This notion includes various complimentary subsets such as 'he is lazy,' 'he is incompetent,' 'he's hooked on the perks and doesn't care for the work.' All comfortable notions that imply that the critic is, conversely, smarter, more diligent, and more fit to make governmental decisions than the president. The problem here is that the critic is not the president and hence has no power to do anything remotely presidential.

I'm no friend of conspiracy theories. The truthers who imagine that hundreds of people have all kept the federal government's dark roll in 911 hold no attraction to me. Too complex and with a membership that is too substantial to keep such secrets. The birthers who look to finally exposing the odd origins of the president who seems to have sprung from the brow of Zeus? Too irrelevant if true, since it will not alter the election, and, if false, pure fritterware.

At the same time, I acknowledge that there are conspiracies in the world. By extension, the most successful conspiracies would involve a very few people with a lot of access to money and power. Taking one more step, one would have to posit that the perfect conspiracy would not involve even a few people, but only one person with access to money and power.

That person would be a sociopath but if he was the right sociopath in the right place at the right time his native intelligence, high or low, stupid or smart, wouldn't really matter. What would matter would be the level of his maliciousness. It would not matter what his real IQ was but rather his level of cleverness and his innate shrewdness. Indeed, to the clever and shrewd person a critical conversation involving whether he was being "stupid" or "lazy" only works to his advantage since is draws attention away from malice and gives him more time and space to pursue his goals. As Machiavelli knew, and Stalin proved, when the ends secure pure power, the means are irrelevant and history rewritable.

Many pundits love to remind others that when it comes to politics it is best to ignore what politicians say and, instead, to watch what they do. True enough but politicians say so much that ignoring it becomes almost impossible. And so the pundits are inevitably drawn back down into the maelstrom of spin saying, "He said this, but he did this," as if blather resulted in brains splattered on a highway instead of the cruise missile launched from offshore at dawn.

The almost inevitable conclusion to this habit of mind is for dissenting liberal and victorious conservative pundits alike to cite Hanlon's razor ( “Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity.”) when discussing the recent actions of the president. I suspect this is a habit of mind that suits Mr. Obama down to the ground. He would prefer it to other, darker, conclusions.

Hanlon's razor is often called, mistakenly, Heinlein’s Razor in reference to the dean of science fiction writers, Robert Heinlein. Heinlein’s Razor is more to my purpose here since it states, "Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity, but don't rule out malice."

Self-identified conservatives, it seems to me, are only too happy to “rule out malice” when it comes to examining the actions of this oddest, most alien, and most unconnected to the American earth of presidents. I believe this is because it is both comfortable and gratifying for conservatives to do so. Conservatives love to think of themselves as being not only reasonable and right, but polite as well. Progressives are only too glad to help them smother in this self-nullifying delusion.

For example American Thinker’s "Obama in Exile" from yesterday holds him up as a buffoon, an incompetent:

“Obama is being chased by his own incompetence, forced to face it, unable to stare it down. Privately he must admit he is over his head and no one -- not in the legislature, in the labor unions, in the deep pockets of George Soros nor the salons of liberal media apologists and sympathetic academics -- can save his doomed presidency.”

To which I would respond, "Well, maybe in your happy world." In describing the president as he does the writer tags all the bases -- incompetent, secretly shamed, sold-out, "Soros!" (the conservatives "Halliburton!"), media (liberal, bien sur), and by all means let's not forget all those metrosexual intellectuals in the academy.
The portrait here is of some hapless, sad-sack of a fellow ready to be decked out in the bulbous red nose, the clown shoes, and the strap-on poo-poo cushion, as he slinks disconsolately off the center stage of History. It's a mindset that presupposes that the portrait of Dorian Gray is actually to be an Emmet Kelly self-portrait in pastels. It's a comforting vision, but it is wrong. Deeply wrong and more deeply dangerous.

This posture first and last underestimates a man who has, by hooks and by crooks and by force of will, put himself in a place where he can now, at will, fire many cruise missiles into a foreign country without so much as a “Mother Jones, may I.” It is a habit of mind that not only underestimates Obama, it misunderestimates him by several orders of magnitude. It is well to remember that calling an American president "the most powerful man in the world" is not just a figure of speech.

Such an intellectual posture is typical of a classic American conservative attempting to come to grips with this strange phenomenon who holds the keys and the go-codes to the armed might of the United States of America. It is an attitude that worships the lie that a person occupying the role of the president of the United States must, he simply must, have the best interests of the nation, as he has come to understand them, at heart. It’s a bright and shiny concept and has a lot of innate attractiveness to the American conservative mindset. But like many contemporary conservative concepts it has little to say to the darker reality we face; a reality in which the chief executive of the nation is hell-bent on a malicious program whose intent is permanent harm to the nation he has perversely sworn to serve and protect. To a man who has no other gods before him the phrase "So help me God" means nothing.

This dark reality that confronts us is prefigured in our Declaration of Independence which alludes to the causes of the first American Revolution when it notes, in passing, “when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design.”

To break this down I note that the recent abuses of power and the usurpations of governing traditions must now be seen as a “long train.” Surely in the last two years we have seen many such abuses and usurpations from the appointment of czars and the subsequent stacking of the employee decks at all government departments, the endless acts of stealth reparations, the budgeting and legislation that continually increases indebtedness and hence the bonded servitude of present and future generations of productive citizens, the twisted department of selective justice that is wholly devoted to the protection and enhancement of the rights of the “government-driven classes” at the expense of a color-blind enforcement of the law. All of these, and many others, can be seen to pursue “invariably the same Object;” the wholesale destruction of the United States to such a degree that a few more years of the same will make a recovery exceedingly difficult even as it it opens the country to further attacks from within and without. Taken all in all, it amounts to something that, arising not from an “administration” but from the ego of one man, “evinces a design.”

The recent adventure into Libya, or shall I say ‘above Libya,’ is the first time in living memory we’ve seen the will of one man, even an American president, order and carry out an American military mission without even bothering to ask the American congress if it minds his messing about in a foreign country. In essence, one man in one day set in motion the power of the American military without any of the barest of rituals that normally come before. For conservatives to say that he is unfit to be Commander-in-Chief is to miss the point that he is much more a commander now than he was a week ago.

Rituals are important in government as are precedents. In bypassing the rituals, Obama has set a precedent, one that will be repeated next time under an even flimsier pretext. One of the goals in bombing Libya was not just to use military power against some unpopular dictator, but to test if he could use military power -- on a weekend and while out of town -- at will. Conservatives might ask if the Congress will ignore and the military will obey un-Constitutional orders while missing the fact that they just did.

The wise Caroline Glick hints at this brave new exercise of the divine right of kings and its malicious motivation in "America’s descent into strategic dementia:"

“The first side in the debate is the anti-imperialist camp, represented by President Barack Obama himself. Since taking office, Obama has made clear that he views the US as an imperialist power on the world stage. As a result, the overarching goal of Obama’s foreign policy has been to end US global hegemony.”
Richard Fernandez alludes to other anti-American benefits that accrue to the malefactor of such a malevolent power play in Belmont Club’s "Suez II:"

“President Obama publicly expressed hope for regime change in Libya while accepting that the military mission will fall short of it.... By weirdly going along with the Paris and London only to leave them in the lurch Washington will humiliate its strongest allies in Europe. The damage to NATO and the Western alliance will be considerable, even leaving aside Turkey’s feelings. It will call into question whether America can still be relied on to be the regional hegemon, a question that is being asked all over the world.... The goal of aspiring regional powers is simple: to scatter US alliances in the area, either with a view to Finlandizing them or getting them to switch allegiances. And here is Barack Obama, handing it to them on a silver platter. By letting France and Britain get on the carpet then yanking it out from under them, Barack and Hillary are doing a phenomenally effective job of destroying the faith their predecessors sought to build.”
By instigating a military operation at his whim, Obama has created a situation at home where many conservatives are spending their time either applauding him-- "Bad dictator, must go" -- or bathing in the warm soup that Obama’s over-reached and will be, somehow, undone and hoist by his own petard. With their conservative blinders on they overlook the many months between now and the possible inauguration of some candidate acceptable to them in late January of 2013, some 21 months in the future.

A man with a much more reactionary bent to his thinking, such as myself, would note that 21 months is an extremely long time to have a rogue ego and malicious mind actively guiding and making the day-to-day, life and death, decisions of the nation. Twenty-one months of appointments, foreign policy, executive orders, and the odd military adventure here or there, can add up to a lot of problems unless your goal is the weakening of the United States. In that case, it might just be enough time after all.

Even Obama's most rabid supporters outside of his army of apparatchiks must surely sense that there is something “off” in the psychic structure of the current president. Most attribute it to his “yearning” to make the country ‘worthy’ of it’s place at the head of the nations. I suggest that it is something alarmingly dark and destructive. I suggest it comes from a psyche that, for many, many reasons stretching back to infancy, is so structured that it loathes the country down to its marrow, much as the psyche must loathe itself, and that is working, daily, on dismantling the nation with nothing except pure malicious intent. Why? Because it can.

Do I know this for a certainty? I cannot say, but “when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design.”

Posted by Vanderleun at March 23, 2011 4:06 PM <

Excellent essay, inmho, with immense implications for UK/European politics.

yank

Well, speaking of our friend Barry's cultural deficiencies, there was the story of him giving recognition to a US Navy sailor a year or so ago, a Navy corpsman. Now as some of you may know, a Navy corpsman is a combat medical technician, a "medic", operating ashore with the US Marines, and corpsmen are legendary in their dedication. People aspire to this job, however bent we might think it. They face the bullets, but fire back with medicine. It ain't Marine... and it sure ain't Navy. It's something even more, and everybody knows it... especially the young boys who get home due to their efforts.

Well, except young Barry, that is. It seems Barry was speaking publicly of this young corpsman, but he pronounced it "corpse-man", multiple times. It was absolutely jarring, and an unforgivable sin. It said so much, and little of it good.

The commander in chief, completely ignorant of this most heralded role in the military's framework? Unforgivable.

Andy Carpark

Derek - Probably posted this onr before but always worth another outing.

Ying Chao rings in sick. Boss not pleased.

'Ying Chao, you good for nothing dog. I need you here. We busy as f---. Tell you what. When I feel sick, I go to my wife. Tell her to give me sex. Then I feel right as rain.' (Call ends)

Two hours later, Ying Chao rings up.

'Hey, Boss! I took your advice. I feel great now. I come work. (Pause) Hey Boss! You got nice house!'

jon dee

Patricia Shaw, your response was entirely predictable and answers my questions - thank you.

You seem unable to control yourself. Whether this is the result of brainwashing, possibly self-inflicted, or an intellectual inability to consider wider arguments, you clearly get your kicks through hate.

Your chippy charlatan style does you few favours. The message gets lost in the juvenile ladette sarcasm and superciliousness, you appear to enjoy.

And by the way, I'm not a Jew. I admit however,to finding you both offensive and repugnant.

Verity

Frank P - Thank you so much for posting the whole thing. It's chilling. But it also endorses what we both -- and many tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands - of others intuited about this malign piece of work from Day One.

What is astonishing is that no one in the Senate was strong enough to be able to effectively call him to account. Mark Steyn got it, of course, and John O'Sullivan but Obama had the best weapon of the time: "Racist!"

Anyone who saw through to the malice centre of Obama could be easily dismissed as prejudiced against a black man who had been deserted by his own father yet grew up to run for President of the United States anyway, overcoming all obstacles.

What I would add to this article, although these peripheries aren't really within the remit of the article is, Obama tried to get a scholarship into an Ivy League as a Third Worlder on his Indonesian passport. (And what was an American doing with an Indonesian passport?) So a dismissive term was invented for those who noticed these inconvenient facts: Birthers.

The entire saga of Obama has got to be the most extraordinary in the history of the United States. I hope the damage he has done to this great country can be remedied once he is gone.

Thank you again, Frank!

Verity

Further to Frank P's kindly posting of the American Digest blog, about five minutes after reading it, the following forwarded email from an American friend plopped into my mailbox:

If any other of our presidents had doubled the National debt, which had taken more than two centuries to accumulate, in one year, would you have approved?

If any other of our presidents had then proposed to double the debt again within 10 years,would you have approved?

If any other of our presidents had criticized a state law that he admitted he never even read, would you think that he is just an ignorant hot head?

If any other of our presidents joined the country of Mexico and sued a state in the United States to force that state to continue to allow illegal immigration, would you question his patriotism and wonder who's side he was on?

If any other of our presidents had pronounced the Marine Corps like Marine Corpse, would you think him an idiot?

If any other of our presidents had put 87,000 workers out of work by arbitrarily placing a moratorium on offshore oil drilling on companies that have one of the best safety records of any industry because one company had an accident, would you have agreed?

If any other of our presidents had used a forged document as the basis of the moratorium that would render 87000 American workers unemployed would you support him?

If any other of our presidents had been the first President to need a teleprompter installed to be able to get through a press conference, would you have laughed and said this is more proof of how inept he is on his own and is really controlled by smarter men behind the scenes?

If any other of our presidents had spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to take his First Lady to a play in NYC, would you have approved?

If any other of our presidents had reduced your retirement plan holdings of GM stock by 90% and given the unions a majority stake in GM, would you have approved?

If any other of our presidents had made a joke at the expense of the Special Olympics, would you have approved?

If any other of our presidents had given Gordon Brown a set of inexpensive and incorrectly formatted DVDs, when Gordon Brown had given him a thoughtful and historically significant gift, would you have approved?

If any other of our presidents had given the Queen of England an IPod containing videos of his speeches, would you have thought it a proud Moment for America?

If any other of our presidents had bowed to the King of Saudi Arabia, would you have approved?

If any other of our presidents had visited Austria and made reference to the nonexistent "Austrian language," would you have brushed it off as a minor slip?

If any other of our presidents had filled his cabinet and circle of Advisers with people who cannot seem to keep current in their income taxes, would you have approved?

If any other of our presidents had stated that there were 57 states in the United States, wouldn't you have had second thoughts about his capabilities?

If any other of our presidents would have flown all the way to Denmark to make a five minute speech about how the Olympics would benefit him walking out his front door in his home town, would you not have thought he was a self important, conceited, egotistical jerk.

If any other of our presidents had been so Spanish illiterate as to refer to "Cinco de Cuatro" in front of the Mexican ambassador when it was the 5th of May (Cinco de Mayo), and continued to flub it when he tried again, wouldn't you have winced in embarrassment?

If any other of our presidents had burned 9,000 gallons of jet fuel to go plant a single tree on Earth Day, would you have concluded he's a Hypocrite?

If any other of our presidents' administrations had okayed Air Force One flying low over millions of people followed by a jet fighter in downtown Manhattan causing widespread panic, would you have wondered whether they actually get what happened on 9-11?

If any other of our presidents had failed to send relief aid to flood victims throughout the Midwest with more people killed or made homeless than in New Orleans, would you want it made into a major ongoing political issue with claims of racism and incompetence?

If any other of our presidents had created the position of 32 Czars who report directly to him, bypassing the House and Senate on much of what is happening in America , would you have ever approved.

If any other of our presidents had ordered the firing of the CEO of a major corporation, even though he had no constitutional authority to do so, would you have approved?

So, tell me again, what is it about Obama that makes him so brilliant and impressive?

Can't think of anything? Don't worry. He's done all this in 24 months -- so you have that much time to come up with an answer.

Every statement and action in this email is factual and directly attributable to Barrack Hussein Obama. Every bumble is a matter of record and completely verifiable.

=

Augustus

Patricia Shaw - Whatever you try to say, and in whatever garbled way you express it,
you can't get away from the truth. Zionist pioneers, from the 19th Century onward, joined the local Jewish communities in rebuilding a Jewish homeland in what was then part of the Turkish Empire by purchasing land from the Turkish Crown and from Arab landowners (known as effendi). There was no invasion, no conquest or theft of Arab Muslim land, and certainly not of a
land of Palestine, because the Arabs who were living in the region had been Turkish subjects for 400 years. As time went on it became evident that an increasing Jewish presence was offensive to some Arabs (not all btw), and that's really how the whole
conflict started. People like you may like to display childish hatred towards Jews in the Middle East for some reason, but they did not come to destroy anything, steal anything, or ruin anybody's livelihood,
they came to build, modernise, plant, sow and harvest, helping very many Arabs prosper in the process. Your hatred is ridiculous, uncalled for, and totally without reason. Nobody in this world is perfect by a long chalk, but the Zionist pioneers and their descendants and fellow
settlers have proved an industrious and virtuous people. They have not deserved the
fevered and twisted ideological hatred heaped upon them.

Anne Wotana Kaye 1

Still upset at the witch hunt against an innocent man accused ofg murder. Remember the man who 'had to be guilty' because he looked weird. Seems another man, a Dutch guy is locked up until he goes to trial in October. Another police balls-up with the Night Stalker. Apologies, etc. from the police, and no doubt lessons will be learned. Watching and listening to world and domestic news, I have come to the conclusion that the wars embarked upon here in various way out places, of no concern to us, are orchestrated by the same twots who run the police service. Keystone Kops has nothing on it, and Haigh the Vague is a blithering idiot.

EC

Frank P,

Many thanks for the excellent Rabbie Burns joke. I particularly enjoyed the second extract.

Also, very many thanks for posting that stunning piece of analysis by Gerard Vanderleun. I have forwarded the AD link to many.

On a lighter note, I can report that I reported myself to the Speccie thought police this morning. I thought my bit of fun, yesterday, at the expense of Trebor (MIA) had a whiff of 'beige-ism' about it. Since they have, apparently, refused to take the comment down I can only conclude that they enjoyed it.

EC

Augustus, March 24th, 2011 6:17pm

Fully agree, and I would further suggest that Ms. Shaw read, if possible, 'Orientations' (1937) by Sir Ronald Storrs which is a fair account and sets history of the region and events post WW1 in context.

Anne Wotana Kaye 1

Frank P., Andy Carpark and Derek,

Thank you gentlemen, laughed and got over a foul mood! :=) xxx

Frank P

EC

Heh, heh, heh. Never apologise, never explain. The moving finger writes ...

Anne (8.26pm)

Indeed, what they do wrong is bad enough; what they fail to do right is egregious!

Verity

Thanks for the print-out of Obama's rap-sheet. Very useful. But then again, WTF can we do about it, other than disseminating the griff? After almost 60 years of blowing the whistle, I've got cheeks like Dizzy Gillespie.

Augustus

Nice post, but the oldest hatred is impervious to logic.

Frank P

Author, Adam Garfinkle, muses on Libya. Somebody from Old Queen Street must make sure that his article is drawn to the attention of Cameron and Haigh.

http://blogs.the-american-interest.com/middleeast/2011/03/22/down-the-rabbit-hole/

h/t Gerard Vanderleun.

Nicholas

Livingstone's communism grinned out at us last night as he attempted to re-write the history of the war in Vietnam and subvert the Armed Forces. What is this tired old relic from 1968 still doing peddling his nonsense as The Mayor Who Never Was? What is it with the BBC continuing to sustain the public profiles of assorted spittle-spuming lefties, new labourites and thinly cloaked commies that the public has already rejected and kicked into touch?

And then This Week. Oh, dear, a louche apology for conservatism rapidly turning into the pub bore and another New Labour has-been in a fright wig. This, coupled with the rolling, speech-slurring Oor Wullie wisdoms of a failed Lib Dem leader gave the whole thing the air of an unwanted school reunion still grinding axes over yesterday's petty jealousies when the rest of the world has already moved on.

What would be good to see is a BBC documentary with Niall Ferguson, Rory Stewart and David Starkey spending a couple of hours putting the boot into the collective Left and relating How The Left (And Its Allies) Ruined Britain. That would be good watching instead of the dreary, constant leftist propaganda being churned out by the BBC. Or maybe, in the interests of balance, we should insist on a right-wing alternative to Channel 4.

In2minds

Anne Wotana Kaye 1 - March 24th, 2011 8:26pm -

"the wars embarked upon here in various way out places, of no concern to us, are orchestrated by the same twots who run the police service".

Indeed, put on a uniform gain power and go mad! And it will get worse too, sadly.

John Richardson

Nicholas.@ 8:48am.

I wonder how people could 'insist' upon any particular political bias in the television that they are served.

Given the fact that, these same people; decide to pay their own money to the BBC regardless of the dangerous lies the BBC promulgates.

Why should the BBC ever listen to any such requests?
Given that some will hand over their money to the BBC, regardless of what the BBC then decides to do with it?

I am not attacking, you but I ask you sincerly.

If you were in the present financial/social/political
position that the BBC occupies; would you ever change,listen or respond?

Honestly?

I wouldn't.

Instead I'd say.....

"Screw you you stupid bastards you're financing 1000s of non-jobs, £millions in expenses, huge wages and a politician's class Pension Scheme.
We enjoy destroying your world and it's delicious that you comply by funding your own destruction."

I can't help but worry that you will take this personally, please don't, but I'd value your thoughts.

You see, I regard the BBC as utterly malign.
Funding it will not help decent people.

Reg.

Anne Wotana Kaye 1

John Richardson
March 25th, 2011 10:24am
John, I wish I could say you are wrong. Unfortunately, you are correct. Even more unfortunately, none of the brain-dead followers of the so-called reality shows and 'auctions' of tat and junk, will refuse to pay their tithes to their lords and masters at the BBC.

Frank P

Nicholas

You're a brave man. A great summation of two wasted hours. After watching QT and This Week, I skulked into my den intending to express (but not as eloquently of course) similar thoughts to those expressed in your excellent critique. However, consumed by a backwash of despair after watching both debacles, words failed me and I went to bed. The miasma generated by the ugliness of the people you describe still pervades this morning, despite the Spring sunshine.

Here's hoping that my niece will dispense some whimsy via the intertubes ere long to lift me from the slough of despond.

Failing that, perhaps Andy Car Park has merry quip up his sleeve to dispel the foul aftermath of Red Ken's baleful presence?

Peter From Maidstone

Helen Grant, MP, writes to me saying that she thinks that the Government has made the right decision in prevnting Christians from being foster parents and that it is a matter of protecting minority rights.

Well I really shall not be voting for her again, so who to vote for? Will UKIP get its act together? Is it really a true Conservative Party or just a one issue lobby group?

Advice please.

John Richardson

Frank P.

Keep 'em coming.

You 'de man.

With reference to the American blog you kindly posted I would suggest there is one seeming contradiction.
Though I am relieved to know sensible thinkers are beginning to see the vast horrific conspiracy that is enveloping the West; they still hesitate to really join the dots.

For example. Yes, it is sensible to recognise that huge numbers of people could not keep 'the 911 conspiracy' secret. The awful truth is that 'they' did not keep it a secret.
From USAF Colonels to NSA employees, 'they' have stepped forward to whistle blow. They have just been totally ignored by the MSM. Simple. I can provide ref.s if anyone's interested.

Further, I'd suggest that Obama (or whatever his real name is) could not be 'working alone'. He's not a 'lone gunman' taking aim at the Republic.

I mean just where did he come from?

How come he had more corporate money than any other candidate had ever had before?

How come he had total MSM backing during the election despite his total lack of experience?

Isn't it obvious that the MSM have been cheerleading for this Libyan war all along?

Why is no-one wondering if the (obviously Western inspired) removal of Mubarak is not connected to a coming war next door? After all, there are two US Marine troop/assault carriers awaiting orders just off the Libyan coast. What a coincidence. Lucky that.

All the Western Powers that matter, have had their democratic structures poisoned from within.
Also their Courts, Police Forces,National Treasuries, Universities etc etc.

The real power is now behind the democratic thrones.
If it wasn't Obama it would be someone else.

New World Order.

Frank Sutton

An acquaintance of mine was urging everyone to join him on the anti-"cuts" demo tomorrow.
In the next breath, he was boasting that he didn't declare his his cash-in-hand earnings to the taxman.
Is there a certain "disconnect" in his thinking?

John Richardson

Frank P.

Two quick points.
My above 2nd post was re-submitted from last night, in response to your Burns/Obama efforts. It did not appear at first when it might have been more pertinent.

The BBC.
It is enemy propaganda. The television has been weaponised against decent people. You are not feeling down by accident after submitting to their broadcasts. The whole point of the operation is to provoke dismay, despair and despondency.It works.
Converseley, choosing not to take the poison, or fund the poisoner, feels good.
It's up to us.

Regs.

Oh...any more jokes?

John Richardson

P. from M.

The whole point of UKIP is that a vote for them demonstrates that we are unwilling to be enslaved.
That's it.

After all, exactly what 'issues' are represented by the other parasitic,corrupt politicians.
Thy not one 'issue'?
Home rule for the UK.
As you have pointed out in your recent posts, voting Lab/Con is morally impossible for (us) Christians anyway.

UKIP represents a two fingered salute to those who would enslave us. Anything else is compliance I.

Regards.

Andy Carpark

Sorry, Frank. I have the greatest respect for your background as an expert in criminal psychology but I thought much of the article you posted read like sub-Korskian gibberish. By way of a sample and freely admitting my ignorance of how this idiom is supposed to work:

“The damage to NATO and the Western alliance will be considerable, even leaving aside Turkey’s feelings. It will call into question whether America can still be relied on to be the regional hegemon, a question that is being asked all over the world.... The goal of aspiring regional powers is simple: to scatter US alliances in the area, either with a view to Finlandizing them or getting them to switch allegiances. And here is Barack Obama, handing it to them on a silver platter. By letting France and Britain get on the carpet then yanking it out from under them, Barack and Hillary are doing a phenomenally effective job of destroying the faith their predecessors sought to build.”

1. Damage flowing from what – what has already been done, what will possibly follow, what will inevitably follow, or other?

2. How is the ‘Western alliance’, as distinct from NATO, defined?

3. How can feelings, if States can be said to have feelings, mitigate or exaggerate damage?

4. What will cause whom to question?

5. Relied upon by whom?

6. ‘Regional hegemon’. As opposed to global hegemon? Define.

7. The question is being asked all over the world? Oh yeah, really? And so what if it is?

8. Aspiring regional powers. Names? How many are we talking about?

9. Do you mean ‘to fragment alliances which include the US’? Maybe. So what?

10. An ‘alliance’ is an object of the verb to Finlandize? Since when?

11. Getting whom to switch allegiances? Regional powers? Aspiring regional powers? Regional non-powers? Non-aspirational regional powers?

12. Switch allegiances to whom? See (11) for choices. Add some of your own.

13. Handing what to whom on a silver platter? Alliances? Regional powers? Finland?

14. Carpets. I’ll give you carpets but only out of sheer fatigue.

15. Immediate predecessors or sequence of predecessors?

16. Whose faith in what?

Thucydides

Peter from Maidstone,

My advice to you would be to get your facts straight. Christians have not been prevented from being foster parents.

Actually I'm surprised that you used to vote Tory. There's often some sort of crazy, extremist Christian political party on the ballot paper, and I assumed that it was people like you who got their vote up into the 30s.

Nicholas

John Richardson - my use of "insist" was not to be taken literally. I was just juxtapositioning the reality with the possibility - however unlikely - to highlight the bias of the reality. But it does perhaps highlight the fact that the right and its standard bearers are not organised - and certainly not organised to propaganda. Having just read Hitchens 'The Cameron Delusion' I am infused with renewed detestation for all things Left and just wish there was a formed body, a front, a movement to represent it more effectively rather than the odd Mountain Men and token TV appearance. People write and rant but they don't organise.

As to "deciding" to pay, come on. It is coerced. If you choose to watch TV either you pay or you break the law. I choose to watch TV but I am coerced to pay for the dubious privilege of hurling abuse and the occasional carpet slipper at the BBC's blatent propaganda. So far, no-one apart from Louise Bagshawe MP seems to want to confront this snow-booted, red flag waving mammoth from the Cold War which squats obscenely in every living room with a TV. So we are back to organisation - or lack of it. Yes, I could make a gesture and refuse to pay, probably to get hauled into court and ground under as an individual against a bureaucracy - but without any solidarity it would just be a gesture, easily swatted by the Leftist machinery that runs things in Britain.

I'm sure the BBC do think that. Such is the nature of tyranny. But until there is organised resistance, a denouncement by a formed body with a cohesive narrative, I fear we are stuck with it. As Hitchens so admirably relates, those who are supposed to provide the conservative argument don't; they are far too busy trying to outleft the Left and I guess Cameron can endure the obnoxious stench of hypocrisy, bigotry and plain old-fashioned communism wrapped up in nouveau fascism emanating from Broadcast House because his urban, metrosexual sensibilities identify more with that than with us, the English of fifty years past - the ground roots.

Rhoda Klapp

Can anyone suggest to me a legitimate reason wht the government wants to know my ethnic category? What good can they do with it? How can they use it in a way that is not discriminating against somebody in my or some other category?

I am not inclined to answer that question in the census.

Frank P

Andy Car Park.

Whoops - sub-Korskian gibberish - eh? Rather than attempting to reassess my own favourable impression of Gerard's attempt to plumb the depths of Obama's malign motivations and the inappropriate machinations of the West's reaction to the Middle East eruptions, I've passed on your interesting questions to Gerard and asked him to respond. Actually the passage you cited came from Richard Fernandez on the Belmont Club, so two frames of context would have to be aligned, I guess, to answer your queries.

My general approach to 'the idiom' as you describe it is "I like, therefore I link." Not as profound as Descartes one liner, but probably - er - linked.

If Gerard decides not to address your questions then, as I had the temerity to quote his essay at such length, I'll have a crack at it myself. However, in the meantime, I strongly repudiate any Korskian, let alone sub-Korskian influence in the American Digest set-up. Chalk and cheese, imho. But thanks for your interest anyway. So far, I haven't seen your take on Libya and the Soros influenced 'R2P' doctrine which would appear to be driving it. Did I miss it, or are you keeping your powder dry?

http://www.wopular.com/soros-heavily-involved-responsibility-protect-movement

Soros it all about, A(lfie)ndy?

yank

Answer nothing in the census. Give them a body count in your household, which is all the king has ever required, to know the count of his subjects. That's exactly how it got written into law by a bunch of unwashed colonists here, and when the troughers send their minions out to collect extraneous information, many of us send them off brusquely.

They don't need it, and they need not collect it.

Anne Wotana Kaye 1

Rhoda Klapp
March 25th, 2011 3:11pm
Good question, Rhoda. The Stasi say they need to know so that they can provide funding for all ethnic groups. Believe that, and you will believe anything.
Solution: Invent a fake ethnic origin. I have done this in the past on job applications and it works. Or my good old response, "I'm Spartacus"!

Rhoda Klapp

How can they legally fund ethnic goups? Are we not all equal? Is not any group which is intrinsically ethnic, ie does not admit non-members of its category, also intrinsically illegal? Perhaps I need diversity training.

Anne Wotana Kaye 1

Rhoda Klapp
March 25th, 2011 4:21pm

Report this comment

How can they legally fund ethnic goups? Are we not all equal? ===========================================
We are all equal in our inequality. Do two minuses equal a plus? If it's Cameron and Clegg, we await the verdict!

Frank P

John Richardson

"Converseley, choosing not to take the poison, or fund the poisoner, feels good.
It's up to us."

Well, I agree with Nicholas about the extortionate nature of the BBC licence fee; the fact that I no longer have to pay it (not directly anyway) is no comfort, because in the words of an apparatchik from the Licence Fee Collection quango (Capita) when he recently harassed me about not renewing my TV licence and I told him that I no longer need a licence because I have reached that age when I am not obliged to have one:

"You still have to have a licence, but we issue you with a free one, provided (heavily accented) that you supply us with your National Insurance number!"

This is yet another example of the State refusing to get its hooks out of your flesh from cradle to grave. Perhaps George Soros can fund an R2P doctrine for the benefit of English Citizens anxious to the remove the jackboot of the State off their necks?

Or perhaps I should pop over to Marham (20 minutes from here) and borrow one of their Tornados and remove my records from the depository of records at Capita Secret Police (BBC Division) HQ Bristol, by means of a sortie of clinically targeted bombing. Any 'collateral damage' under the circumstances would not be regarded as 'civilian' casualties, surely? Anyone working within the mercenary State Police complex must be classified as government agents and therefore have no claim to 'civilian' status.

If only George Orwell were still around to address the post 1984 developments in Britain. Where are the young satirical novelists who can address this totalitarian barbarism?

Btw - just to give you a flavour of what we're up against:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2006/mar/24/uk.partyfunding

Wonder who the Coalition man is in Capita, now - or perhaps vice versa? When is this 'bonfire of the quangos' going to be ignited. Has the coalition run out of matches, already?

Frank P

Andy Car Park

Gerard Vanderleun has addressed your concerns over on his turf:

http://www.americandigest.org/mt/mt-comments.cgi?entry_id=14180

(see commentary)

Don't think I can add much to it, except to pose another question:

"What's buggery got to do with it?" :-)

Verity

Rhoda K's last point was excellent and unaswerable.

How Obama got elected has fascinated me from Day One. Even how he got forward enough, given his - to put it generously - murky background since early childhood and perhaps birth, to be a contender for the nomination. And then got the nomination. Then won, in a manner of speaking - time will tell - the election.

So he did not have proof of the No 1 qualification to run for the Presidency, proof of birth on the soil of the United States.

That was the start of the big lie. As they say, if you're going to tell a lie, make it a big, unbelievable one as everyone will think nothing that crazy could be true and will credit it.

Obama does not appear to have Qualification Number One - an American birth certficate.

Why did no one - as in,out of the whole Republican Party machine - absolutely insist that proof of this primary qualification be produced?

Why, because he's an "ethnic minority" and to insist on the legal qualifications - thereby implicity doubting his word - would be "prejudice". (Plus they got someone ... can't remember who, to say he had seen it and it was OK.)

All Obama's mother appears to have had is a "certificate of live birth", which is not the same thing.

Obviously, they couldn't have run a white person in these conditions. It had to be a minority who had untouchable status.

Again, back to his passport. He lived with his mother and her second "husband" (if she'd been married to Obama's travelling father) in Jakarta, the capital city of Indonesia. When her kid got too old to legally travel on his mother's passport, all she had to do was go down to the US Embassy, right there in the middle of the city, and apply for a passport for him in his own right, PRODUCING HIS AMERICAN BIRTH CERTIFICATE.

Hmmmmmm .... seems to have failed that one, too.

So she got him an Indonesian passport instead. Now, if you were a parent and had a choice of getting the world's most powerful passport for your child, or what was, back then, a third world, powerless passport, what would you have done?

Verity

Frank P - Oh, yes ... the bonfire of the quangoes ... has one quango been singed? And it gets Warsi. Ethnic minorities with no Conservative qualifications in politics being glued in slapstick fashion into positions of power.

Indeed the vile Cameron has followed the Blair template down to the smallest detail. Putting Warsi, who is unqualified to have a senior position in British politics was a studied insult to the British.

Verity

But Obama, a born opportunist, did, apparently, try to use his Indonesian passport to prove his Indonesian citizenship to get a Third World student grant from an Ivy League. Can't rememeber which one. Anyway, he wasn't successful. But his failed application is lying in some file of some American university somewhere and there will be a photocopy of the Indonesian passport in it.

Rhoda Klapp

I don't wanna be a birther, it's all water under the bridge, he got elected. I do wonder whether there is now a procedure whereby candidates would be checked for qualification before their names got on the ticket. For write-ins, there would have to be a post-qualification procedure too. (How wonderful if a write-in could win..)

Oh, the natural born thing is a stupid rule anyway. Remember how even McCain's status was in doubt, and how as a navy brat he might have been born anywhere in the world, wouldn't make him less American. So on second thought, never mind the qualification procedure, change the rule, amend the constitution, anyone who can vote can run.

Verity

Except that's not the point, R Klapp.

Whether you, a presumably non-US citizen, approve of the law that says that one of the qualifications for candidacy for the presidency is birth in the United States or a territory, isn't germane. You have no vote.

That was and is the law. (Calling people who worry about this primary law having been breached "birthers" is too transparent a essay at superiority. It is the law.

And it appears to have been maliciously breached in order to get Obama into the White House. Why? There were plenty of other contenders. This would involve a conspiracy. And given the breathtaking indadequacy of this presidency ... an inadquacy that makes Jimmy Carter look like a combination of Richlieu, Machievelli, Talleyrand and Bismark... one must ask why this situation was manufactured.

L Jubbly

re. Anne Applebaum's article, pointing out that the UK and France are out on a limb regards Libya: Obama is calling our bluff. We probably don't have the defence resources to actually enforce anything much. Could be embarrassing. More for the defence budget anyone?

Derek

The Frank P and Andy Car Park exchange.

I did pop over to the American Digest site to see what response would be offered to Andy Car Park's questions. No response was given except to suggest that Andy Car Park thinks like a stalinist. The flavour was of a sophist commenting on Sophocles.

daniel maris

Verity -

Given you are spectacularly wrong on most things, I think you must be wrong on this issue as well.

Article 2 has the subsidiary clause:

" or a Citizen of the United States, "

I don't think there has ever been any doubt that Obama is a citizen of the USA.

The purpose of the clause was to prevent foreigners getting elected as President. Obama is not a foreigner.

However I don't believe for one moment that his father was that Kenyan guy. He looks nothing like him.

Things Can Only Get Warsi

Whenever one feels impelled to draw attention away from events at home, one starts a pointless war.

Is that not right, Dave? What are you hiding?

michael crockett

I simply cannot believe the lack of press outrage at the disgraceful behaviour of Catholic priests in the USA and elsewhere in molesting children.How can the church simply pay out monstrous sums of money to bury these crimes, when normally the offenders would be pursued by the law and imprisoned. And why doesn't anyone in the press scream their horror at this outrage. I presumethat they are too PC and frightened to offend the Catholic lobby!

Peter From Maidstone

John Richardson, thank you. Yes, I think you may be right. It is not possible to expect any present group of politicians to grant us freedom and democracy. We do need to just say No! to them, and that may be why I should vote UKIP and campaign for UKIP here in Maidstone.

There seems to be no other option.

Anne Wotana Kaye 1

However I don't believe for one moment that his father was that Kenyan guy. He looks nothing like him.
=========================
Dear Daniel:
You are naughty! This guy can hardly appear in the Oval Room wearing native dress, bearing tribal scars and waving a fly swat! (This is a joke, so the PC Police can rest easy)

Sam Armstrong

London Buses Route 10, now operated by RATP (the Paris transport corporation).

Why does this aggravate me? I don't dislike the French, not that much anyway apart from the usual irritations, but I do really resent red London buses bearing the RATP name and logo. I seriously doubt the Frogs would ever let their Metro carriages bear the London Transport roundel.

I suppose that the problem I have with this is that RATP is operated at least in part by the French state, which in effect means that France is running some London bus services.

And Deutsche Bahn is running some of our rail services. I wonder how long this can go on for?

David Ossitt

Peter From Maidstone

“We do need to just say No! to them, and that may be why I should vote UKIP and campaign for UKIP here in Maidstone.

There seems to be no other option.”

Hello Peter; there is another option that might well make your point with more vigour.

You could stand for office yourself as ‘The Real Conservative’ candidate, your manifesto should include all of those thoughts, opinions and values that you believe are those of all true conservatives and that the party has either set to the margins or even worse totally ignored.

I do urge you to have a go.

Sam Armstrong

BBC reporter gets slapped down by German politician.

An arrogant BBC reporter asks a question in English at a German press conference, to the annoyance of the German finance minister, who slaps him down.

Nationhood: 1
Supra-nationhood: 0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5zqt0Jr-Gg&playnext=1&list=PL389765D7D547A0AF

yank

In you all's system, one is pretty much forced to abandon a political party, if it fails one.

Over here, where the system drives everything to consensus, change must occur through insurgency, as the Tea Party. There, exsurgency seems to be mandated, as UKIP, as party candidates are selected by insiders and thus exsurgency is necessary to confront them.

But in either case, I'd say the blade is the most important part of it all. Whether the Tea Party in party primary elections here, or UKIP in general elections there, the object of both is to target and put to the blade the champagne socialists and troughers... those quislings who would claim to be our conservative "allies". The ongoing slaughter of these quislings here has been the real story of the Tea Party, in contrast to the idiot media's formulaic "Left/Right" myopia.

You know that "ethnic cleansing" business we hear so much about? Remove the "ethnic", and you'll understand what's occurring here... a cleansing... of those who claim to be conservative, but aren't.

And you all need to get out your power washers, from the looks of things.

Frank Sutton

michael crockett 7:54am
I simply cannot believe the lack of press outrage at the disgraceful behaviour of Catholic priests...

Where have you been for the past few months?

Frank P

Mark Steyn has weighed in on Libya again, this time with his dancing pen:

http://www.ocregister.com/opinion/military-293677-gadhafi-way.html

small extract to whet your appetite:

"The Arab League, for reasons best known to itself, decided that Col. Gadhafi had outlived his sell-by date. Granted that the region's squalid polities haven't had a decent military commander since King Hussein fired General Sir John Glubb half-a-century back, how difficult could it be even for Arab armies to knock off a psychotic transvestite guarded by Austin Powers fembots? But no: Instead, the Arab League decided to volunteer the U.S. military."

Read it all, though. As usual Steyn's grasp of things is vice like.

Things Can Only Get Warsi

Daniel Maris writes: "he purpose of the clause was to prevent foreigners getting elected as President."

I'm in awe at your all-embracing perspicacity. This comes under the NSS category.

If he is a citizen of the US, by the way, why was he travelling on an Indonesian passport? Do you think they just hand out their passports like trays of sweeties in Indonesia? You have to be A CITIZEN to qualify for one. And he was further using his Indonesian passport as proof of citizenship of Indonesia when he for an Ivy League grant AS A FOREIGN STUDENT.

Nicholas

Ed Milliband, communist, told the Great Communist Rally Last Gasp:

"Our struggle is to fight to preserve, protect and defend the things we value."

Tax and spend. Public Sector non-jobs. Bureaucracy. Over Regulation. 'Elf'n'Safety Madness. Thought crime. Speech Crime. Political Correctness. Hypocrisy. Politicised Police. Politicised Civil Service. Climate Change Scam. Uncontrolled Immigration To Rub The Right's Nose In Diversity. Cash For Lobbying in the House of Lords. Millionaire Council CEO's. Celebrity Czars. Policy By Hysteria. Illegal Wars. Cool Britannia. Common Purpose.

Thanks, Ed, you snivelling commie creep, we've got the message.

Cutting too deep and too fast. That's a good one. You managed to deceive 500,000 idiots.

Verity

Nicholas, well said!

Frank P

Nicholas

By God! You're a dedicated commie watcher. I can longer watch or listen to more than two seconds of his ugly mouth and thick tongue lisping and spewing agitprop in that adolescent timbre, before zapping him with my remote control. Your wonderful list of counts for which he and his co-conspirators should be indicted is spot on; thanks for keeping tabs on him for us. My apologies for having to surcease that particular surveillance task; my constitution can no longer withstand such punishment. However, as you report it with such panache, it is comforting to know that he hasn't added any new phrases to his spiel; just parroting his father's and grandfather's hackneyed Marxist script. Snake eyed bastard! Not surprising his paramour didn't want his name on their kid's birth certificate.

Peter From Maidstone

David Ossitt, an interesting idea, although I think that there are aspects of my life which prevent me standing for office in such a way.

Nevertheless, looking at the results from 2010 for my constituency, I see that they are as follows:

Helen Grant Conservative 23,491 48.0 -3.8
Peter Carroll Liberal Democrat 17,602 36.0 +13.2
Rav Seeruthun Labour 4,769 9.7 -12.6
Gareth Kendall UK Independence Party 1,637 3.3 +0.3
Stuart Jeffery Green 655 1.3 +1.3
Gary Butler National Front 643 1.3 +1.3
Heidi Simmonds Christian Party 131 0.3 +0.3
Majority 5,889 12.0
Turnout 48,928 68.9 +3.7

I wonder how to overcome that default Conservative lead, (even though it shrank) and it would need to be overcome otherwise a Liberal Democrat is let in.

I do sense a growing local resentment at the EU, Islam, Immigration and those on Benefits. And our MP seems to be strongly in favour of all of those.

I do think your idea is interesting because UKIP does come across as a one issue party. I might think about writing something called 'The Real Conservative Party', it would at least help me understand what I might think is really wrong with the country and our political system.

Noa.

Rhoda Klapp -March 25th, 2011 3:11pm

Can anyone suggest to me a legitimate reason why the government wants to know my ethnic category?

Statistically it will be helpful for HMG to know; because, when it completes its calculations, the ONS will be able to tell the indigenous Anglo Saxon majority at what point in the 21st century it moves into the minority.
This will be a eureka moment, as we will then obtain the full benefits of the comprehensive suite of race, equality and diversity legislation that a prescient series of governments has developed for us.

Anne Wotana Kaye 1

Frank P
March 26th, 2011 5:04pm
=====================
Dear Frank,
Mother Nature may have done us all a favour. I think Ed and his sickly brother will be the last of their blood line to preach marxist garbage. David, his brother adopted his children, and Ed is probably not named as the father on the birth certificate for obvious reasons. Both brothers appear to have undescended testicles.

Verity

My computer has changed my home page all by itself. Maybe it's a lefti. Can someone please tell me how to get The Speccie back as my home page?

Thank you for any assistance.

TrevorsDen

How come a racist like you is living in mexico of all places Verity - drug cartel lawless riddled poverty stricken Mexico.

In what way was U Thant not qualified to be secretary genera as opposed to say his predecessor?
You are just throwing ignorant remarks around wantonly as usual.

Frank P

AnneWK1

Ahhhhh... a touch of the old cryptorchidism, eh?

Shrewd diagnosis, gal. Well spotted! Certainly would account for the castrato vocal delivery. See:
http://www.urologychannel.com/pediatric/udt.shtml

and

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

Perhaps that's why he had to hire a spare set of Balls for the cabinet?

Heh, heh, heh .... all's fair in love and lampooning!

Frank P

btw Anne, though our generation are muted and quiescent in our politics, I fear that future generations may well have to substitute the lampoon with the lamp-post to rid itself of neo-Marxism in cahoots with radical Islam - that is if it's not too late already!

Anne Wotana Kaye 1

Frank P
March 26th, 2011 6:42pm
============================
Frank. that's brilliant!!!!!!!

Verity

Frank P - There's a lot to be said for lamp posts. If you happen to be carrying a heavy stick, for example, you can thwack the hangee with vigour as you pass. I see that as a bonus.

David Ossitt

Peter From Maidstone

“I do think your idea is interesting because UKIP does come across as a one issue party. I might think about writing something called 'The Real Conservative Party', it would at least help me understand what I might think is really wrong with the country and our political system.”

You can see the problem, UKIP need to broaden their appeal; they and those who support them are undoubtedly conservatives, in spirit if not in name.

You’re thought of writing on ‘The Real Conservative Party’ is interesting, by writing down and recording that which we stand for and believe, will emphasise what is now missing in today’s party.

Please keep us updated on your efforts.

Anne Wotana Kaye 1

Frank P
March 26th, 2011 6:53pm

Report this comment

btw Anne, though our generation are muted and quiescent in our politics, I fear that future generations may well have to substitute the lampoon with the lamp-post to rid itself of neo-Marxism in cahoots with radical Islam - that is if it's not too late already!

===================
Unfortunately you are quite correct. Don't despair though, I was a rebel in my youth, and am not yet ready to be apathetic and helpless. At our age we have far less to lose than when we were younger; so let's mark out suitable lamp posts and let the games start!

Noa.

Frank P

"...future generations may well have to substitute the lampoon with the lamp-post to rid itself of neo-Marxism in cahoots with radical Islam..."

Have you noticed how difficult it is to get a good (hemp) rope these days? It's all nylon, (blue though, I'll grant you) And the height of lamp posts! No longer can one loop the rope handily over that horizontal bar that the council workman placed his ladder against when the bulb needed changing. Nowadays they're 20 ft in the air and specialist mountain gear is needed to suspend your local Town Clerk or (CEO) as he/she/it now prefers to be known, with their diversity officers.

You'd almost think they'd done it deliberately, with the express idea of avoiding the fate due 'em; these communisti and fascisti.

The ultimate letdown (ha!) will be when the bloody things collapse as their podgy bodies are hoisted into the air; due to them being the new bendy, model models.
At which point the only thing left to do will be to build trebuchets and fire the barstewards at some of MR Maris' 40,000 windmills.
This kills two birds with one stone (yes, fat Jackie will be there); by re-developing sustainable joinery skills and also encouraging a developing high tech betting industry, (left hand down a bit, up a bit fire!

Herbert Thornton

Verity -

I think the way to set your computer's Home Page will depend on what Internet browser you're using - e.g. Windows Explorer, Firefox, Safari or one of the many others.

In Firefox, just click on "Tools" at the top of the page & then click on "Options" - and proceed from there. My guess is that in the others you probably do something similar, but instead of "Tools" you may have to begin by clicking on some word like "Preferences".

Verity

´Trevorsden - I await your personal definition of "racist" with an anticipation of a hearty laugh.

You do understand that a religion, freely adhered to, is not a genetic condition?

Frank P

Anne/Verity/Noa

Whoops! I seem to have incited summat there. As my old colleague Inspector Knacker might be monitoring this - and now that he's in charge of the thought police - I'd like to hereby give notice that lampooning remains my m.o. - pro tem!! But I give due warning, that if Anne, Verity and Noa feel obliged to roll the tumbrels, acquire some rope and head towards Whitehall with malice aforethought, I may have to quit the sick-bay and weigh in with my Toyota Pick-up truck with an improvised howitzer of some sort mounted on the back (pro bono publico of course), in order to effect 'humanitarian ends'. R2P they call it now, I understand - when citizens get pissed of with their tyrants and wish to reclaim their 'ooman rights'.

Mind you, after today's showing in the West End and Hyde Park, seems there would be little resistance from the fuzz anyway.

As I warned Fuck-Me-Shoes just after I returned to this parish from my sickie last week, it is not good policy to cut Old Bill's overtime; his wee perks (minimal beside the cost of MPs boondoggles); police manpower and conditions of service. It does have an effect when he's confronted with raving Trots and anarchists in Jermyn Street of a Saturday night.

"Why the fuck should I put my ass on the line for this bunch of ingrates in Downing Street and Whitehall" is probably what they were thinking. "And why wasn't SB intel on the ball and Ops Room up to speed?" probably
also crossed their mind, I'm sure, as the scaffolding came down and the fires started.

I'm also sure they were keeping one eye open, just in case the US Air force weighed in with a couple of F16s to give the "freedom fighters" an evens chance against the coalition government. That's the ROE these days, ennit?

It's a funny old world, as the sainted Maggie once said just after they shafted her. Watch out, Home Sec. It is a VERY funny old world at the moment and it's your ass in the hot seat. I suppose you could always beguile them with your footwear if they get leary.

Verity

Herbert Thornton, thank you. I will try. I had had The Speccie as my home page for over two years and suddenly Firefox intervened and turn my home page into itself. I went to all the Firefox help pages and was startled by the level of virulence of posters who had, presumably, previously been fans of Firefox.

I will try and I'll post the result. Thank you.

Verity

I've just seen the headline in The Mail:

"After blitz of the Ritz, it's the siege of Fortnum & Mason: Anarchists hijack 500,000 strong anti-cuts demo and go on rampage in London"

Will Jordan or Bahrain be sending troops over?

Firepox

Herbert Thornton - It worked! Thank you! Thank you! I don't know what happened. One day The Speccie was my home page (for two years), the next day Firefox had turned itself into my home page and I couldn't peel it away.

I went to all the help pages and was surprised, I must confess, at the level of virulence from users. It used to be that Firefox could do no wrong.

Anyway, nothing worked. It kept putting Firefox up as my home page.

Thank you, Herbert T, and fingers crossed.

Anne Wotana Kaye 1

Verity
March 26th, 2011 10:38pm

Report this comment

I've just seen the headline in The Mail:

"After blitz of the Ritz, it's the siege of Fortnum & Mason: Anarchists hijack 500,000 strong anti-cuts demo and go on rampage in London"

Will Jordan or Bahrain be sending troops over?

=======================
Hi Verity,
At least it's a livlier headline than "Crowds attacked Argos and then broke windows at Primark and ASDA".

Herbert Thornton

The Islamic world is such a seething cauldron of political and religious turmoil at present that I suppose we should not raise our eyebrows at anything.

Nonetheless my eyebrows did, a couple of minutes ago, go up by a couple of millimeters when I looked at the Times of India site.

Apparently a Pakistani court wants Musharraf to be arrested, and now Interpol is involved. Something to do with the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, I think.

It makes me wonder what David Cameron will do if Mush (as the Times of India calls him) shows up in Britain.....

Verity

Thanks, AWK, but I want to see Jordanian and Baharaini military on the streets of London to control our anti-government demonstrations, as Tony Blair ----OOOOPS! David Cameron! I meant David Cameron! - sent British troops to quell domestic demonstrations in Tripoli.

Fair's fair. (I don't mean "fair" in a skin tone sense.)

telemachus

Thucydides
Patricia Shaw

Just back from Rome and glad to see you carrying the voice of reason

Italy is full of gung-ho Berlusconi -Mussolini worshipping cowards loving every minute of the Naples led terrorist alliance bombing their muslim ex-colony to glory. George Bush and Dick Cheney remain the heroes and they are all afraid Obama will fold. They say Sarkozi was right to demand a Euro led campaign. We should hope Sarkozy and his poodle Cameron get their way.

Anne Wotana Kaye 1

Verity
March 27th, 2011 2:25am
Fair enough, Verity, but let's go the whole hog (Whoops!) and have Taliban and Iraqi troops on guard outside No.10.

Vulture

@Herbert Thornton: Mush is already living in London where he was interviewed by the BBC a couple of weeks ago.

Nicholas

Oh God, the third of the three communist stooges is back.

The voice of reason? Ha! The voice of the swivel-eyed nutters more like.

Hexhamgeezer

A short note from Mark Steyn who was witnessing the police sanctioned riots in London yesterday (look guys - we're against 'the cuts' as well).

http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/263167/earth-hour-london-mark-steyn

Interesting that the Met invited concerned folk into their control room to demonstrate how seriously they held their duty of care to the protesters.

Anne Wotana Kaye 1

Nicholas
March 27th, 2011 3:23pm
=====================
Rome? Has someone had a Road to Damascus revelation?

Verity

AWK - Why not indeed? Why be dog in the manager -ooops! -about this?

Verity

Nicholas - depressing, isn't it? And I thought we'd seen them off. And then, over my first cup of tea on a late Sunday morning, they got their mojos back.

Sigh.

Warsi Over Bits

Hexhamgeezer - Did they say why they have a duty to care for the protester who intentionally put themselves into a confrontational situation with the police?

It seems the police would have a duty to the protect the taxpayer (I'm guessing that none of the "protesters" is a taxpayer) who pays their wages? Or is that not Brave New World and upside down enough for the perverted British government?

Verity

Hexamgeezer - Thanks for the link to Mark - stellar as always.

Also thanks and congratulations to the photo editor and the lamp post chosen to illustrate the story.

telemachus

Not depressing.Uplifting

I have been sad to see the dismissal as Communist all that the less discerning members of the wall fraternity find distasteful.

Who of you have done the Moscow to St Petersberg rail journey since the Russian mafia expropriated all the money and left the poor to beg and starve? What price the delapidation you see round the line of housing and industry alike? Who of you can tell me that the average Russian was not better off in 1981 than 2011.He could feed his family, treat his illnesses, aspire to erudition and above all have pride. Thatcher,Reagan and their cronies have condemned millions to decay of body and mind. There is such a thing as society and in our selfish pursuit of profit evidence from above posts shows many have lost the ability to care

telemachus

Warsi OB

You know why they put themselves in a confrontational situation with the police

It is because that communist Ed Miliband(sic) told them to.

Really! What next!

Nicholas

telemachus I suggest you read 'Gulag Voices: An Anthology' by Anne Applebaum if you think life in Soviet Russia was so wonderful. At least 25 million people went through those horrific camps, starving and wracked with disease, brutalised, raped, but no doubt aspiring to erudition and pride as good Soviet citizens.

Last time I looked Thatcher and Reagan had no such equivalent establishments and yet you dare to say they "condemned" millions.

We'll take no lectures from you or your commie friends about caring. It's all about deceit, lies and propaganda with you people.

Verity

Nicholas writes to one of the trolls redux, "We'll take no lectures from you or your commie friends about caring. It's all about deceit, lies and propaganda with you people."

Agreed, but would add that the deceit, lies and propaganda are in the cause of getting power over the lives of others.

We see the same lies and deceit reflected in Blair and Brown, directed at the same ends. Power. We are seeing the timid little germinations of the same from David Cameron, another one very, very hungry for power over others and for advancing himself at all costs.

Anne Wotana Kaye 1

Nicholas
March 27th, 2011 11:15pm
Nicholas, I heartily second your sentiments.

yank

Hey tele, maybe the Rooooskies are barefoot today, but they won't be in 20-30 years time, and from the looks of this chart here, you better start brushing up on your Roooooshian:

World Fossil Fuel Resources

Oh, and judging from that chart, I might suggest you start brushing up on your American, as well. What was it Bismarck said, about God protecting fools, drunkards, children and the United States of America? ;-)

Maybe someday we'll actually start using those resources, too. If we were as smart as Putin's bunch, and threw out our commies, we would.

This all puts the foolish pursuit of the ME goons in perspective, doesn't it? Here we are, scuffling over a few vats of oil with shitkicking islamofascist goons in Libya, and meanwhile there's a wealth of same available elsewhere. Utter madness. You all need to throw those shitkicking Cameroonian commie goons out too... they're the idiots leading you to this madness.