Keith Olbermann with another rousing piece of oratory – this time on the many lies of President Bush.
Category: News and politics
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One Down, Two To Go…
Life imitates artlessness… I read the extracts from the Downing Street memo on how Blair should bow out with a dizzy sense of losing my grip on reality. Quote:The retirement blueprint aims to promote the "triumph of Blairism" and allow the PM to quit on a wave of euphoria after 10 years in office. The secret strategy – drawn up by a small group of loyalists – is well under way. Mr Blair’s "farewell tour" includes plans to appear on Blue Peter, Songs of Praise and Chris Evans’ radio show.Now it appears that it wasn’t a figment of a crazed imagination. Some people actually think this way. Here’s one I made earlier. One down, two to go. Somehow, "euphoria" isn’t quite the word I’m searching for to describe my feelings about this. "Nausea" is probably closer. -
No Free Passes
This man Keith Olbermann is a magnificent orator speaking words of truth. Pity that his fellow countrymen seem incapable of waking up to it. -
Letter From Thailand
Doug Ireland, on his DIRELAND blog, has a report from Alan Platt on the coup in Thailand. It makes interesting reading. Perhaps it is indeed "a step back to make a step forward". -
Unworldly Or Just Stupid?
So the perpetrator of the bomb hoax who tried to stop Madonna’s concerts from going ahead this week turns out to be a Dutch priest. The astonishing thing was that he used his home phone to call in the threat. He’s either an idiot or perhaps he thought God would screen his number from the authorities. And it seems likely that he will get off lightly. If I were the judge, I’d throw the book at him. I have no problem in the priest saying that he disapproves of Madonna’s act, but trying to stop other people from seeing it by using a bomb threat is not right. -
Tone Deaf
The main event in British politics is, of course, the "will he, won’t he" stepping down of Tony Blair and the question of who will succeed him.
It’s a really unedifying spectacle watching the Blair and Brown camps plunging in the knives. Mind you, the key players don’t seem to be emerging with too much dignity either. And I confess I have a lot of sympathy for Rachel’s view that Blair is likely to be brought down in the end by people’s laughter rather than their anger at his misjudgements. Hopefully they’ll get rid of his coterie at the same time, particularly the idiots behind that fatuous memo. An appearance on Blue Peter? Beau Bo D’Or has the perfect comment on that idea…
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Cloud On The Horizon
According to this report in The Guardian today, President Ahmadinejad has called for a purge of liberal and secular academics in Iran’s universities. Terrific, just what we need, more evidence that life in Iran is becoming more theocratic than ever. However, according to Professor Sadegh Zibakalam, a political scientist at Tehran university: "Ahmadinejad is a populist trying to create a charismatic image for himself. These comments are aimed at those who voted for him and perhaps designed to divert attention from Iran’s economic problems. They don’t mean there is an orchestrated plot against more liberal lecturers."I sincerely hope those don’t turn out to be a case of famous last words. -
A Wake-Up Call
Being a simple Britisher, I don’t know who Keith Olbermann is. But I doff my cap to him. This coruscating comment on Donald Rumsfeld and all he stands for is simply stunning. I’m glad to see that some Americans, at least, realise that the current administration is a disaster of the first water. -
Oh Gawd…
So Angela met with Ratzinger and she thinks that the EU Constitution should enshrine "Christian values". Oh dear. She is reported as saying that: "We spoke about freedom of religion. We spoke about the role of Europe and I emphasised the need for a constitution and that it should refer to our Christian values."Look, Angela, what I’d really like is freedom from religion to be enshrined in the constitution if at all possible. If people want to believe in the sky fairy, then let them do it in the privacy of their own homes and preferably between consenting adults – no corruption of innocent children should be allowed. Just don’t make it part of the state, thank you very much. -
The Leader Of The Free World
I don’t know what effect he will have on our enemies, but by god, he terrifies me…**With acknowledgements to Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington. -
Hysteria At Large
Armando Iannucci, in today’s Observer, sums up my feelings about the hysteria that is washing over us at the moment. But he says it much better, and funnier, than I could. -
Wheels Turn Slowly on the IOM
Robert, over at his Links and Things blog, draws my attention to the fact that the government (Tynwald) of the land of my birth (the Isle Of Man) have at last equalised the age of consent at 16 for both heterosexuals and homosexuals. They have also at long last repealed section 38 – a nasty little piece of legislation – that was modelled on the UK’s section 28. -
Oh, Gawd, Not Premature Ejaculation Again…
So, we have the busting of the terror plot. And while I happily indulge in entertaining conspiracy theories now and then like any average person, I would like to think that this time (unlike, apparently, Forest Gate for example), we have the real deal. A fantastic coup by our hardworking intelligence services, who have fingered potential suicide bombers before they have been able to earn their stripes.But, we do seem to have the equivalent of a minority report in the offing.First, Justin, over at Chicken Yoghurt, quotes an NBC report that claims that US authorities pressured the British police into moving too quickly to making arrests since:[a British official] suggested an attack was not imminent, saying the suspects had not yet purchased any airline tickets. In fact, some did not even have passports.Second, Craig Murray weighs in with some rather telling points.When this whole affair does come before the attention of the courts, it would not unduly surprise me if we end up with another example of the Ricin Plot that never was… -
Changes
Last week, a new series started on BBC TV: Time Trumpet. The premise is interviewing people 25 years in the future about events happening now. It is superlatively bizarre (e.g. an old David Beckham talking about the vagina transplant on his arm). But for me, one of the most surreal moments came with a bravura piece of video editing. It cross-cut between Tony Blair and David Cameron talking exactly the same platitudes and then it segued into a rendering of Changes – the song by Bowie from 35 years before today. Go and watch it now. -
Gorgeous George
Like Leon, I’m not a fan of George Galloway, but I have to say that he has some skill as an orator. Watch the exchange on Sky News pointed to in Pickled Politics. -
Country Music Protest Song
And by way of light relief, here’s Eric Schwartz with a cheerful little ditty aimed at America’s religious right entitled: Keep Your Jesus Off My Penis. Don’t say I didn’t warn you if you click on the link, but it’s very good, albeit somewhat rude if you’re easily offended. -
The Silly Season Has Begun
Margot has discovered that the Silly Season has begun in the media. Sometimes I wonder whether it ever went away… -
Rita Gets Another Award…
I missed this when it was announced, but the latest issue of the Gay Krant (the Dutch gay magazine) draws my attention to the fact that the Lovely Rita Verdonk was awarded a place of honour in the Hall of Shame by the Human Rights Watch in May.Rita can now add this citation to the Big Brother award she picked up in January.Rita Verdonk was summarised well by Job Cohen, the mayor of Amsterdam, who said of Verdonk, “The position of Minister for Integration needs to be filled by someone with a cool head and a warm heart. Unfortunately Rita Verdonk has a hot head and a cold heart and has done nothing but exacerbate the growing divide between immigrants and the rest of the Dutch society.”(hat tip to Mike Tidmus for the Cohen quote) -
Bread and Circuses
I’m sorry, but I find this news story particularly depressing. Mbeki denies the impact of AIDS on his country, but he puffs up football? Sometimes I think we are all doomed. -
All the Ducks in a Row
Jasper Emmering, over at his Hollandaise blog, has an excellent summary of l’affaire Hirsi Ali. Well worth reading. I’ve never cared much for the attitudes of lovely Rita. I care for them even less now.
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