So not antisemitic

Daniel Finkelstein puts Iain Dale straight for asserting that Borat is somehow antisemitic:

There has been a debate about this among Jews, with the US anti-defamation league attacking Sacha Baron Cohen. But I think (admittedly unscientifically, I haven't got a poll to hand) that the vast majority share my view. Borat is a vicious satire on anti-semitism.

I think East Europeans might have cause to be upset, but most Jews are laughing. Admittedly a little uncomfortably, since Borat's views are too close to those truly held by others for complete comfort, but laughing nevertheless.

Daniel is completely right. But here's something you might not know. Whenever Borat is supposedly speaking Kazakh in the film, he is actually speaking Hebrew. Sacha Baron-Cohen's private joke with Jews, I think.

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Turkey

I've been to Turkey a few times, the last a couple of years ago to speak at a government conference on EU entry. I didn't make myself the most popular person in the room when I pointed out at the start that, however critical I thought it was that the EU brings Turkey into the fold, it wasn't going to happen. France and Germany will simply not let it happen. End of story.

(I especially enjoyed the trip because when, in typical Turkish fashion, the conference overran and I was still in the hall an hour before my plane was due to take off, and I was freaking out that I would miss it, the organisers - the health ministry - laid on an armed police guard of outriders to whisk me at speed through the traffic to the airport, and then to take me on a buggy at the airport through customs and on to the tarmac. It was huge fun!)

Daniel Pipes has excellent summary of the fraught situation in Turkey today. I won't extract it - do read the whole thing.

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Whodathunkit?

A truly bizarre story in the Telegraph:

Many families are experiencing inflation of more than twice the official rate published by the Government, according to figures produced for The Daily Telegraph by Capital Economics.

There is a massive disparity between the living costs experienced by different types of households, with pensioners and middle-class families facing price rises of more than 7pc, the figures show.

Er, yes.  As Tim Worstall points out:

Bit of a shocker, eh?...The average inflation rate across the economy is, ermm, an average?

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Brogan's blog

Benedict Brogan of the Daily Mail has an excellent political blog, always full of insight. But for sheer fun, do have a read of his account of the Alan Johnson campaign launch:

If good one-liners, an easy manner and self-deprecating humour were criteria, he would walk it. He's also a bit of a Mystic Meg: he has kept a diary since he was 25 - "film rights available, Johnny Depp should play me" - and claimed his entry for July 1, 1992, recorded a meeting with Gordon Brown thus: "could this be a future Prime Minister I asked myself?"

When his analogy about the party started to go wrong - "we're on a long-haul flight, and we're doing a bit of in-flight refuelling at the moment. Come to think of it, we're changing the pilot and the co-pilot" - he had the sense to admit it and laugh.

And when he was asked if the deputy job should go to a woman, he said: "For those who believe it ought to be a woman there's not much I can do. The operation is expensive and it takes too long. And I'm very much in touch with my feminine side." (Not that he doesn't get the image-maker point: posing for photographs later with his team, he turned to an aide and said: "we need some women.")

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Macavity Watch!

Yes, it's the exciting new game from the Spectator Blog. It's impossible to move at the moment without hearing the words 'Macavity' and 'Gordon Brown' next to each other. Today it's Rachel Sylvester in the Telegraph. Yesterday it was Peter Oborne on Disptaches. Last week it was Martin Kettle in the Gaurdian.

All sorts of people claim to have been first to use the description. But I think I know who first did - and it was a long, long time ago. In her Times column of 11th April, 2001, the ever perceptive Alice Miles referred to the Chancellor as Macavity.

So here's the competition - beat that! If you can find an earlier example of the description of Gordon Brown as Macavity, you will win a unique prize - the recognition of the millions of Spectator blog readers as an all-round political geek.

UPDATE: And what an exciting game it is turning out to be, with all sorts of unexpected twists and turns. Have a look at the comments below.

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A mild spat, contd.

Call the dogs off. 

The Lives of Others apart, I do agree with Clive's response to my post, not least about the preposterously over-hyped Quention Tarrantino. I found Pulp Fiction to be not just badly made as a piece of film craft, but really quite disgusting. And nothing he's made since has been other than embarrassing.

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Euston Manifesto

The Euston Manifesto, in case you haven't come across it before, was a statement signed last year by a group of sensible left wingers who believe, as their statement concluded:

It is vitally important for the future of progressive politics that people of liberal, egalitarian and internationalist outlook should now speak clearly. We must define ourselves against those for whom the entire progressive-democratic agenda has been subordinated to a blanket and simplistic "anti-imperialism" and/or hostility to the current US administration. The values and goals which properly make up that agenda — the values of democracy, human rights, the continuing battle against unjustified privilege and power, solidarity with peoples fighting against tyranny and oppression — are what most enduringly define the shape of any Left worth belonging to.

It has now grown into an organisation. In April they held an interesting seminar at the House of Commons on humanitarian intervention. You can watch it on this Youtube page. It's eight extracts, but as the press release puts it: "I realise it’s a long discussion, but no longer than a decent length documentary, and probably considerably more interesting than much on TV nowadays."

It's interesting, I think, that Labour ministers are happy to have public debates on this most critical issue. Yet - Michael Gove and a select band apart - there's a deafening silence from the Conservatives.

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South Park on Scientology

Further to my Scientology post below...here's the take of the wonderful Matt Stone and Trey Parker:

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The oldest hatred, alive and kicking

A new survey has been published of opinion about Jews in five European countries,  France, Italy, Germany, Spain, and Poland. It shows that antisemitism is still thriving:

 •  A majority of those surveyed across Europe, 51%, believe that Jews are more loyal to Israel than to their own country, with a majority of respondents in Spain, Poland and Germany saying they believe that this statement is "probably true."

•  High levels of those surveyed still believe in the traditional anti-Jewish canard that "Jews have too much power in the business world." Overall, nearly 39% of all respondents believe this stereotype to be true.

•  Similarly, respondents still adhere to the notion that "Jews have too much power in international financial markets." Overall, 44% cling to the traditional stereotype.

•  Large portions of the European public continue to believe that Jews still talk too much about what happened to them in the Holocaust. Overall, 47% of those surveyed believe it is "probably true." In fact, a plurality of respondents in France, Germany, Italy, Poland, and Spain believe this notion to be true.

•  Nearly half of all respondents agree with the notion that "American Jews control U.S. Middle Eastern policy;" in Spain - 53%; in Poland - 56%.

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McDonnell not even fit to take the Labour whip

Via Oliver Kamm, I am reminded of this appalling speech made by John McDonnell, a candidate for leadership of the Labour Party. Speaking at a meeting commemorating the hunger strike murderer, Bobby Sands, Mr McDonnell said: "It's about time we started honouring those people involved in the armed struggle. It was the bombs and bullets and sacrifice made by the likes of Bobby Sands that brought Britain to the negotiating table. "

Mr McDonnell should not have been allowed to remain a member of the Labour Party after such remarks, let alone to stand for its leadership. His words are as bad as anything George Galloway said about British troops in Iraq before being expelled from the party.

If his fellow MPs have any sense then this thoroughly disreputable man will be unable to garner the 44 votes he needs from them.

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