Another rancid dropping from the British camel corps

Jenny

And in the bin with Hastings must also go Andrew Alexander, Peter McKay and Peter Oborne.

There's a long history of the British establishment worshipping at the feet of Middle East petrodollars for arms deals and such.

Remember Jonathan Aitken and Inglenookie?

People sometimes say in the comments section on this blog 'the Right lost the culture war'. No, it didn't. There is, as Douglas Murray points out in Standpoint magazine this month, no real meaning in the terms Left and Right any more, and even if you do use that shorthand, when have the Right ever fought a culture war?

Thatchersim was focused around money, money, money - never culture. Saudi Arabia's Wahhabi faction don't like Israel? Many on the British Right take that as cue enough to beat up on Israel. Must keep those Saudi arms deals sweet.

There is a complete and utter failure to understand culture, let alone defend us from cultural attack on the Right.

The result is that Wahhabism and similar initiatives use business to bamboozle the Right and exploit multiculturalism when dealing with the Left. Either way, they win.

The Americans get it, which is why they wanted that Saudi arms deal set up by the Tories investigated so much. But then the Americans understand culture (they have refused to destroy theirs) and they also understand capitalism (that is, profit making has limits - and selling out your country isn't allowed). Separately, the Americans also understand that if you are corrupt in business, you must go to prison, otherwise you undermine capitalism (just look at our pitful record on white collar fraud) and that if you fail, you should not be bailed out (look at the opposition to the bank bailouts over there - we never saw such outrage over here).

What a pathetic little island we are.

Bill Markley

Max Hastings--another great example of the perils of nepotism. I've noticed that he sometimes likes to rant against the USA also. In ways similar to his anti-Israel diatribes, he will describe some flawed individual American and use that to make a ridiculous leap, condemning an entire country because he disagrees or disapproves of an individual or small group.

study in abbystan

memorable lines from the film Elizabeth (1998) Director Shekhar Kapur

Sir Francis Walsingham, whilst torturing the assassin sent by the pope to kill the Queen:
----

You were carrying letters from the pope
To whom were you told to give them
Tell me
What is god to you
Has he abandonned you
Is he such a worldy god that he must play at politics in the filth of conspiracy
Is he not divine
Tell me the truth
As if you were face to face with him now
I am a patient man father

Sir Francis Walsingham, On apprehending the beneficiary of that assassination, the Duke of Norfolk:
----

Your grace is arrested.
You must go with these men to the tower.

I must do nothing by your orders.
I am Norfolk.

You were norfolk.
The dead have no titles.
You were the most powerful man in England.
You could have been greater still. but you had not the courage to be loyal, only the conviction of your own vanity.

----

Sounds like labour to me, and has done for over a year...British(English) Law subjugated to european Law, Banks part owned by saudi arabia, G-d the subject of intrigue and lies, Israel betrayed, Serbia humiliated, the English Church more unhinged than the non aligned movement, the islamist enemy given power in almost every institution.

George

The 2nd sentence of the 2nd paragraph of Hasting's article begins with such a glaring and elementary mistake, that I didn't even bother reading the rest of it. Talking of visiting Israel in 1969 he says, "We watched Jews from all over the world gathering to pray at the Wailing Wall for the first time in almost 2,000 years..." Totally wrong, by a mere 1,980 years.

J. Isaacs

Great post by Ms. Phillips and great pointer to what looks to be a fascinating new blog and forthcoming book from Mr. Shepherd.

Sir Max is, of course, not alone in his membership of the camel corps. A personal favourite is Sir Andrew Green, an Arabist who, upon his retirement from the FCO, started talking for the establishment on the haulage industry (a move from camels to HGVs so-to-speak) and then migrated to the mysteriously financed "Immigration Watch." There are other camel corps old boys, of course; Sir Christopher Meyer, the hugely entertaining buffoon Craig Murray and, most recently, shouter-at-televisions Rowan Laxton (not yet an old boy,) to name only three.

Ian Parker

Robin Shepherd may be right.

His argument is somewhat weakened, though, as he dismisses the whole of Europe with one sweep of his pen, just as he claims Hastings does Israel.

Vision Aforethought

@Jenny: Incredibly spot on.

Geoffrey Bernstein

About two years ago, on the BBC Radio 4 programme, Any Questions, when responding to a question, rather than answering it Hastings launched into a diatribe against the State of Israel that had no bearing upon the question. He is a self-publicist always out for the main chance to promote himself. A very little man with a loud voice, like so many in UK public life today

Gil

Max Hastings wilfully ignores uncomfortable (for him) facts that would put a different complexion on his narrative. He writes: 'Whatever government is in power in Jerusalem, there is a belief that peace with the Muslim world is unattainable; and thus that Israel must resign itself to a future dependent on its military capability rather than on negotiation.'

This is false. Israel negotiated with Egypt and returned every inch of Sinai back to Egypt. This was done by Prime Minister Begin. It was Ariel Sharon who assisted Begin with the evacuation of settlers from the Sinai in 1981-2. It was (the same) Sharon who unilaterally evacuated the Gaza Strip a few years ago. The likes of Hastings hopes the world will forget this. Before his assasination Rabin (with Peres) were preparing for negotiations with Syria. Who knows what would have happened.

While Hastings is right in condemning some of the excesses of Israeli policy, I will add my own: The settler movement and it's lunatic manifestations; Begin's demagoguery and pathetic foreign policy (Peace treaty with Egypt aside); Shamir's do-nothing approach, his (Hastings) view is nothing short of blinkered.

And this rubbish from Hastings:

'The Palestinians, together with the Muslim world and many in the west, no longer believe that Israel will grant justice to their people by negotiation; '

Since when has the 'Muslim world' ever wished Israel well? They wanted to strangle Israel at birth in 1947-8, rejected the UN partition plan of 1947, the proclaimed the infamous 3 noes (no peace, no recognition, no negotiation) of Khartoum in 1967. Hastings airbrushes this out of history.

I agree that Hastings has some underlying motive for writing this and it appears to be psychological. As to what it is, one can only speculate but I think it is clear.

Augustus

I suspect that Si Max Hastings' morally incontinent falsehoods, as depicted by Robin Shepherd, are probably due to the more remunerative rewards that this type of copy produces. It would be far more enlightening if more Western journalists could analyze the continued rationale for the Arabs' continued resistance to further steps of peace with Israel.

As long as the Arabs continue to cling to their fanaticism and negativism, and continue to relish a culture of war, there will never be a Palestinian State. Must the world wait another 61 years before a handful of charlatan political leaders, who keep calling for armed resistance against Israel, finally cease to dominate the discourse of the Arab world?

Ganpat Ram

Relax, all.

The situation is quite good.

Israelis, a sensible, liberal, democratic, free, reasonably rich, highly intelligent people, very flexible and enlightened, have over the decades negotiated stable peace deals with three very important Arab neighbours: Egypt, Lebanon and Jordan.

In course of time, the clever Israelis will certainly calm down the other Arabs, too.

So fear not. Things are on course.

Relax, British ! Your consternation is unnecessary.

Ganpat Ram

Max Hastings is a Carmen Jones liberal. His song is:

"If you're nice, I'm taboo
If you're nasty, I go for you!"

Israel would have to get very nasty indeed - become just another Middle Eastern state - before his sympathies come its way.

Ganpat Ram

May I just point out that Max Hastings, with his soft-hearted, trembly, ultra-progressive, dear-oh-dear Euroliberal ideals, so horrified even to think of "rightwing" Israelis, is.......ex-editor of the viciously right-wing, Thatcherite Daily Telegraph.

When Thatcher was devastating working class communities in Britain, Max shed not a tear but cheered her on in her far-right savagery.

Who the heck is he to talk of Israel failing by progressive standards?

Max reserves his treacly progressivism for non-Muslim lands abroad. Not at home !!! Oh no !!!

Incidentally, why does Max take it for granted here is a "Muslim world" but not a Christian one or a Hindu one?

Alex Bensky

This is really quite a shame. I've read a number of Hastings's books; as it happened I just finished "Retribution," which is about the end of World War II in the Pacific, and they are usually very informative and measured in judgment.

No doubt there's some reason beyond the obvious one why Hastings has a bee in his bonnet about Israel, but I wonder what it might be. It's not just him. Christopher Hitchens, another Brit, had a genuine change of heart after 9/11, but still dislikes Israel intensely. It's the one country facing terrorism with which he does not sympathize. Again, I'm sure there's a reason other than the obvious, and I wish I knew what it was.

And as pointed out, Hastings is wrong about Jews spraying at what is now properly called the Western Wall. Although Jews were forbidden for a period by the Romans to do so, they have prayed there for centuries.

There was one gap of about two decades, after Jordan annexed the Old City and forbade Jews from praying there. Oddly enough, both that and the failure to establish a Palestinian state did not seem to disturb anyone's sleep.

In other situations I might welcome the world's extreme moral delicacy regarding the sins of Jews but not right now, thanks.

David

Hastings supported Israel in the Six Day War, the Yom Kippur War etc.

Does it cross your mind that he hasn't changed but Israel has?

John Edwards

The speech by Max Hastings which I am grateful to Melanie for bringing to my attention is actually well worth reading. And quite an interesting account of how a naive fellow traveller gradually became aware of some of the realities of the Israel\Palestine conflict.

It is ridiculous to describe it as a "rant".

It is rather more pertinent to consider whether Netanyahu's views (as reported by Hastings)on driving all the Palestinians out of the West Bank have undergone a similar evolution over the years. Sadly I fear not.

nosmo29

To David

....Hastings supported Israel in the Six Day War, the Yom Kippur War etc.

Does it cross your mind that he hasn't changed but Israel has?...

The only thing that has changed is that Israel is now no longer the underdog. But has it crossed your mind that the underdog is not necessarily right?

sebastian

I've just read this - checked the blog. Wise words. Look forward to the book. Europe seems unable to grasp the true nature of the Palestine issue as a proxy religous war waged against the region's only functional democracy by muslims still smarting from the loss of territory they would yet have occupied (Gaza and the West Bank) had they not tried, repeatedly, to destroy the Jewish State. One with the temerity to prevail (militarily; morally; politically; educationally; and culturally) over their encircling mainly Muslim Arab enemies. Due to the alleged prophet Mohammed's declaration of Arabia as a totalitarian muslim region, the Arabs have felt it their duty to snatch back those small parts they lost through their own incompetent belligerence. So this is no mere "territorial" squabble in the conventional sense. It goes deeper.
And all the "human rights" or other ludicrous pretexts the muslims - Sunni or Shi'ia - blandish as justification for Israel's piecemeal destruction are so much hot air. Since when have these States been concerned with "human rights" anyway? Or with anything else we'd recognise as familiar?
It's time we lost patience with them.
Perhaps only when parts of islamised Europe declare themselves as waqf and therefore beyond the realm of the democratic/secular powers, will the nature of all this dawn on them.
Too late.

Merlyn

J. Isaacs, Yes, whatever happened to Rowan Laxton?
I wrote to my M.P. and was told he was being investigated, but nothing further has emerged.

David

"But has it crossed your mind that the underdog is not necessarily right?"

Who has said it is? Not a terribly good strawman.

Emmet Sweeney

I no longer read the Daily Mail thanks to the contributions of Sir Max, Andrew Alexander, Peter McKay, Peter Oborne, and other upper class useful idiots who write for that paper. I hear they've lost about sixty thousand readers in the last few months. Wonder why.

J. Isaacs

Merlyn; like any troops, the camel corps closes ranks when under fire.

Thus, upon publication of his retirement treatise on the suitability of Tony Blair's tailoring to his private parts, Sir Christopher Meyer was reprimanded by an appointment to run the paper tiger Press Complaints Commission.

Doubtless, the investigation into Rowan's public speaking skills involved a series of evening deliberations in the bar of the Athenaeum or Whites and a decision to adjourn indefinitely.

The camel corps are old Etonians, Wykehamists or Carthusians to the public, and when a camel dies in the desert it would be infra dig to think of eating it to survive themselves. They are camel corers to the core.

Derek Wicks

Another antidote to the poison can be found in Caroline Glick's blog. Presently she focuses the spotlight on the Obama adninistrations's deplorable Middle East policy at http://www.carolineglick.com/e/2009/05/obamas_green_light_to_attack_i.asp#comments

peter

Golda Meir once said:

"This country exists as the fulfilment of a promise made by God Himself. It would be ridiculous to ask it to account for its legitimacy."

Shepherd once said;

"The frenzied, rhetorical
onslaught against the Jewish state is at best intellectually lazy. At worst it forms part of a hateful agenda that shames those who indulge in it".

Meir was paid to speak for Israel. Who does Shepherd act for, and on whose account?

Augustus

To understand Israel's situation, it is necessary to understand That:
1. Jews had lived there since the days of Moses.
2. The early Zionist movement members that moved there purchased their land on which to farm and live.
3. The land which was captured in successive wars had always been part of Israel.
4. Both the UK and America, for their own reasons, have not always been honest brokers, especially in their demand that Israel should be the one to negotiate with belligerents who never intended to negotiate a peace.

The Israelis did not steal their own land, nor are they illegitimate 'occupiers' of land they regained as a result of having been attacked. Whatever they gained in wars historically was always theirs, and had always been denied to them by Arab claimants.

Conservative Cabbie

To anyone interested, I've had a few days off and have decided to have a go at this blogging lark. If you feel so inclined, feel free to take a look. Comments are most definitely welcomed and if you do choose to comment, please try to use your speccie names so that I recognise you.

www.conservativecabbie.com

Louise K

Oborne's brazen drivel truly is something to behold. His two favourite subjects are morality in Parliament and how people are too fearful of Islamism (oh, how Channel 4 love him for the latter!).

Yet last week we got a little mea culpa from this man whose pathetic, pompous lectures make him only fit to be a headmaster in a crummy prep school straight out of a PG Wodehouse story.

Having spent years lecturing us on morality in Parliament and telling us that we should look to Gordon Brown for moral authority, Mr Oborne admitted he was wrong about Brown.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-1173348/PETER-OBORNE-Thieving-MPs-I-wrong--Brown-NEVER-stop-culture-corruption.html

Given that morality among MPs is his pet subject (he’s written a whole book on it - The Rise of The Political Class), this blows Oborne’s credibility to bits. Will we have to wake up in a Caliphate before he tells us he's wrong his second forte?

What, other than his contact book, does Peter Oborne have going for him? It certainly can't be his insight into anything.

There are legions of these pompous scribes who've all grovelled at the feet of Brown and despite their proven stupidity, they still lecture us.

Oh, how they all look down their noses at Richard Littlejohn for being a song and dance man. Well, Uncle Rich knew what Brown was from the off. Never mind what makes for polite conversation in Whitehall bars. How about recognising what’s right and wrong when you see it?

What will all these people do now they're done telling us how ethical Gordon Brown is? Lecture us on the ethics of the Americans trying to protect us from people like Binyam Mohamed roaming around the Middle East on false passports?

We've got the measure of your understanding of ethics, Oborne - you're no good at it. Someone tell the American secret service before we're all blown to bits by someone who uses a false passport. I don't want to read more mea culpa from Oborne in a hospital ward.

John Birch

Cabbie: I had a look at your blog. I disagree with much of it but it is impressive in terms of its thoughtfulness and measured tone. Well done.

Robin

Conservative Cabbie - nice one. I like that Caroline Glick and Jenny - top post.

hadrian

No wonder New Labour and her fellow ignoramuses dragged us into a futile, illegal war when we have such abounding ignorance about the nature of Islam and its innate oppressiveness and persecutive tendencies. Hastings thinks Israel can do business with folk avowed to be satisfied only when she is wiped off the map?! Hastings under the illusion that there exists a worldwide Moslem brotherhood that ensures peace amongst all who belong thereto?! What planet does the man live on? Perhaps he'll enjoy one day being of kafir status..though of course being a 'grandee' he may expect special treatment and a little rule bending..
Truly disgusting!

Owen Morgan

Jenny says, "The Americans get it, which is why they wanted that Saudi arms deal set up by the Tories investigated so much."

Absolute piffle. The Yanks wanted to win that deal and they lost out. Don't bother trying to reconcile that difficult fact with your ridiculous argument, because it can't be done. Many years on from the deal, BAE is now a fairly big player in the US defence industry. Its competitors, in some cases, are very keen to use any means to exclude BAE, including ancient history.

Jenny also comes up with this gem: "Separately, the Americans also understand that if you are corrupt in business, you must go to prison, otherwise you undermine capitalism."

If the American business ethics are so admirable, shouldn't corrupt businessmen be jailed for being corrupt, rather than for giving an unfortunate impression of capitalism to the wider world? Come to that, if Americans are so damned ethical, why do so many of their businessmen end up doing time?

Original Tony

My three attempts to say something have been blocked and they weren't even rude....what's going on Mr/mrs moderator?

Louise K

Owen,

Some business people in America may have wanted that deal but there is no way their government would have let them.

Yes, we can all see that BAE is a big arms dealer, but why have they armed a country which has so many people who hate us and hate our values. The argument was not about profit, but about culture. We understand there are many people in Britain who would sell us all out for a few quid but that doesn't make it right.

American business ethics are admirable because wrongdoers go to jail. Can you imagine the Serious Farce Office ever getting Bernard Madoff behind bars? It would have been like the Maxwell trial all over again. The Americans had Madoff in the clink in a jiffy.

The reason why so many American businessmen do time is because they don't put up corruption over there. The system is clearly tilted toward ethics even if the individuals aren't.

Pete Hoskin

Original Tony: sometimes comments don't appear for technical reasons as well as moderation.

You can always email me on phoskin @ spectator.co.uk and I'll happily look into it.

J. Isaacs

Merlyn; it appears from The Telegraph yesterday (12 May) that the boys in blue have beaten the camel corps to the draw in dealing with Rowan. The paper says,
"Foreign Office diplomat Rowan Laxton has been charged with racially aggravated harassment after allegations that he launched a foul-mouthed anti-Jew tirade at a gym, it has been confirmed."

Rowan is still in post in London since his outburst last January. Could the camel corps commander be cautiously considering the consequences of commissioning Rowan to be sent abroad to lie for his country once more?