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Sunday 27 May 2012

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Monday, 21st May 2012

One man's terrorist...

8:03pm

I wonder if our government will demand more information and threaten reprisals over the case of the two ‘British citizens’ killed by the Syrian Army? Or if, instead, it won’t say very much at all and just deny they are British? This was a story which emerged over the weekend but has not gained very much traction. Easy to see why this would be the case.

Hassan Blidi and Walid Hassan were on a list of names of ‘foreigners’ who the Syrians say were engaged in terrorist activities in the country....

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Sunday, 20th May 2012

Standing up to banks

3:27pm

For all their cosmetic bluster about bonuses, our national politicians have never really stood up to the banks: it takes a bloody minded local politician to do that — and win. So some sort of award is surely due to Nader Fekri, the mayor of Calderdale. He attempted to withdraw cash from a NatWest ATM in Hebden Bridge and the machine swallowed his card. When this happens to me I usually just start crying: I know it will take the bank weeks to send out a new one (or “five working days” as...

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Saturday, 19th May 2012

Sex and the Emirati

10:41am

A young British lady called Rebecca Black is facing charges in Dubai of having ‘naked sex’ in the back of a local taxi cab, with some Irish bloke. Rebecca, for her part, vehemently denies the charges.

It’s a tough one to call: on the one hand, this is Dubai, so ‘naked sex’ may well mean smiling politely at the Irish man while being fully dressed. Or even catching sight of him out of the corner of one eye. The Emiratis are strangely swift to take moral offence, for a...

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Thursday, 17th May 2012

Free speech and satsumas

12:15pm

The government is being petitioned to get rid of Section Five of the 1986 Public Order Act, which effectively makes it a crime to be rude to anyone. David Davis is one of the MPs who is fighting for a repeal; so too, from other quarters, the Peter Tatchell Foundation, the National Secular Society and the Christian Institute. Some of you may disagree with this, but I find that Tatchell is usually on the side of the morally just.

It is very hard to find people who think the law IS...

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Tuesday, 15th May 2012

What words really mean

11:31am

I met a very interesting chap while doing my weekly video film for the Sunday Times. This was Dr Peter Mullen, Rector of St Michael, Cornhill. He hove into view like a disreputable clergyman from a lateish Graham Greene story, dog collar, strange hat, impish grin. He has just written a book — The Politically Incorrect Lexicon — which is very funny; intemperate, intolerant, astute and great fun. There’s a forword to it by Quentin Letts, but you can skip that.

Here are some of my favourite definitions from the...

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Sunday, 13th May 2012

A guide for girls?

7:11pm

Is the reality television programme The Only Way Is Essex turning British girls into an army of feckless, drunken, sluts who are perpetually up the duff and care about nothing more than alcohol, drugs and money? Or were they of that disposition anyway? The Girl Guides blame the repulsive TOWIE, having commissioned a survey that showed young girls were more admiring of the lifestyle of the venal air-headed bints on the show than they were of more improving pursuits.

I’m not so sure. It is a nice thought that, without...

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Rod Liddle
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Britain's overseas aid budget is rising by 36% to £12.6 billion over this parliament. Is this a good use of taxpayers' money?

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