The Appeal Court has upheld the decision of the High Court that those families forcibly removed from all but one of the Chagos Islands, by the British Government in the 1960s and 1970s, should be allowed to return.
The Chagos Islands are situated in the Indian Ocean, with the population being removed to site the Diego Garcia US airbase. The Government had claimed that the removal of the islanders had been for "peace, order and good government".
The Appeal Court dismissed the government action, ruling that it was using a method both unlawful and an abuse of power. Lord Justice Waller attacked Foreign Secretary, Margaret Beckett, personally by stating that she "was acting without any constraint". Lord Justice Hooper and Mr Justice Cresswell ruled that the islander's interest had been ignored and that government actions had been "irrational and unlawful".
Thursday 24 May 2007
Wednesday 23 May 2007
Corporal Jeremy Brookes, 4th Battalion The Rifles
Sympathy should be extended to the family of Corporal Jeremy Brookes, of the 4th Battalion The Rifles. He became the latest British serviceman, on Monday, to die in Iraq.
He was killed following an attack on his convoy in al Tuwaysa, a district in central Basra.
The 4th Battalion The Rifles were formerly known as the Royal Green Jacket Regiment, before the latest re-organisation in February 2007.
Tuesday 22 May 2007
Guangzhou Artillery Pieces (Part 1)
On a recent trip to China, I visited part of the old walled city. Recent government work has seen a reversal of the destruction of 'all things old' that happened under the Cultural Revolution.
My wife remembered the old guns being scattered over the hillside, in the 70s, where children used to play on them.
Fortunately, a bit more respect is being shown to Chinese history nowadays. As such, a number of artillery pieces have been displayed in the area where they would have been sited. The best surviving example is this piece, which I have taken at a couple of angles. I know it was German manufactured, and rifled. I estimate that it is probably from around the 1870s. The site was one of the highest points in Guangzhou, and would have overlooked the inland harbour. I therefore believe it would have been for intended use against ships, although the depth of the Pearl River would have dictated that these would have been of gun boat proportions. Any information, or thoughts, on this artillery piece would be greatly appreciated.
Thursday 17 May 2007
Russians Launch Attacks Against Estonia
It has probably passed most of us by that Russia and Estonia have been locked in their worst dispute since the former Soviet Union's occupation of the Baltic State. The dispute has been over the removal of a Soviet war memorial in Tallinn, which a senior Kremlin official yesterday described as "barbaric".
Since the dispute began last month, Estonia has been subject to a series of prolonged attacks on national websites. Merit Kopli, editor of Postimees has been quoted as saying that "the cyber-attacks are from Russia. There is no question. It's political." Of course, Russia has tried to ridicule the assertion with Ambassador Vladimir Chizhov, in Brussels, saying that any such claims were a "serious allegation that has to be substantiated". This, of course, falls well short of a denial.
Concerns are now being expressed by Nato, who have recently sent internet experts to Estonia to investigate the attacks. Russian actions are seen as an "operational security issue" that goes "to the heart of the alliance's modus operandi."
Since the dispute began last month, Estonia has been subject to a series of prolonged attacks on national websites. Merit Kopli, editor of Postimees has been quoted as saying that "the cyber-attacks are from Russia. There is no question. It's political." Of course, Russia has tried to ridicule the assertion with Ambassador Vladimir Chizhov, in Brussels, saying that any such claims were a "serious allegation that has to be substantiated". This, of course, falls well short of a denial.
Concerns are now being expressed by Nato, who have recently sent internet experts to Estonia to investigate the attacks. Russian actions are seen as an "operational security issue" that goes "to the heart of the alliance's modus operandi."
Wednesday 16 May 2007
Abu Mujtaba Calls the Shots
In a previous post, in February, I wrote that it "now looks like that Prince Harry will be accompanying his cavalry Regiment to Basra. If Prince Harry does accompany "A" Squadron, with the Blues and Royals, then he'll be closely following in his Uncle's footsteps who served in the Falklands."
Today, the overall British army commander, Sir Richard Dannatt, issued a statement stating that Prince Harry will not be deployed to Iraq. This was due to concern about the number of "specific threats" made against his life.
So, Abu Mujtaba and his Mahdi army unit appear to dictate British army policy. It also shows that whilst threats are made against all allied serviceman; only Prince Harry is inexpendable. This is in stark contrast to the recent case of the planned kidnap of a Muslim soldier who had served in Afghanistan. The group responsible had intended an "Iraqi-style" conspiracy, whereby they planned to film the beheading of the soldier, and post it on the internet as a warning to Muslims not to help the Armed Forces. So, with this same logic, would it not prove right that the 300+ Muslim servicemen should also not be expected to serve in the Middle East?
This is a bad decision taken by the British Army and the Ministry of Defence. As such, it will just add to accusations that the modern Royal family has nothing to do with public service, but is all about the cult of celebrity.
Today, the overall British army commander, Sir Richard Dannatt, issued a statement stating that Prince Harry will not be deployed to Iraq. This was due to concern about the number of "specific threats" made against his life.
So, Abu Mujtaba and his Mahdi army unit appear to dictate British army policy. It also shows that whilst threats are made against all allied serviceman; only Prince Harry is inexpendable. This is in stark contrast to the recent case of the planned kidnap of a Muslim soldier who had served in Afghanistan. The group responsible had intended an "Iraqi-style" conspiracy, whereby they planned to film the beheading of the soldier, and post it on the internet as a warning to Muslims not to help the Armed Forces. So, with this same logic, would it not prove right that the 300+ Muslim servicemen should also not be expected to serve in the Middle East?
This is a bad decision taken by the British Army and the Ministry of Defence. As such, it will just add to accusations that the modern Royal family has nothing to do with public service, but is all about the cult of celebrity.
Monday 14 May 2007
Colonel H. Jones VC
John Geddes, author of new release 'Spearhead Assault: Our Fight to Save the Falklands', is a former para who served with Colonel Jones during the Falklands War in 1982. His new book, on the conflict, is sure to cause controversy as he has put into print what many have suspected for some time.
He states that it was "madness" and "suicidal" for Jones to charge enemy positions during the battle, and claims that his decisions resulted in the death of his own best friend. Indeed, he believes that Jones's actions were motivated by "... anger, passion and regret at the loss of his friend, Dave Wood. His judgement was unbalanced and what he did was lionhearted but ill-conceived and futile." As such, John Geddes believes that Colonel H. Jones was undeserving of his VC.
What is certain, in my opinion, is that the only ones who truly know what happened are the British para survivors of the attack on Goose Green. Their opinions are valid, despite the likes of General Sir John Wilsey who find it "offensive" that John Geddes should question the validity of Colonel Jones getting the VC.
He states that it was "madness" and "suicidal" for Jones to charge enemy positions during the battle, and claims that his decisions resulted in the death of his own best friend. Indeed, he believes that Jones's actions were motivated by "... anger, passion and regret at the loss of his friend, Dave Wood. His judgement was unbalanced and what he did was lionhearted but ill-conceived and futile." As such, John Geddes believes that Colonel H. Jones was undeserving of his VC.
What is certain, in my opinion, is that the only ones who truly know what happened are the British para survivors of the attack on Goose Green. Their opinions are valid, despite the likes of General Sir John Wilsey who find it "offensive" that John Geddes should question the validity of Colonel Jones getting the VC.
Saturday 12 May 2007
Napoleon Always Lived Like An Emperor
The following is a reproduced article by Malcom Moore, for the Daily Telegraph on 12th May 2007 . In my opinion, this was a particularly interesting piece on the restoration of Napoleon's restored villa on the island of Elba.
"Napoleon's will to succeed even in exile and defeat has been revealed with the first full restoration with the first full restoration of his two villas on the island of Elba.
'The bedroom of one of Napoleon's restored villas'
Copy. 'Daily Telegpraph' 12.5.07 The French despot was banished to the island, 12 miles off the Italian coast, in 1814 after abdicating following his defeat by Britain and her continental allies.
Lord Liverpool, the prime minister, said Napoleon's exile had hit the Corsican "as hard as one can, and in the most vulnerable place". He tried committing suicide but failed, while one witness described him as a "wild animal in a cell" in his first months on Elba.
However, his delusions of glory and grandeur were swiftly recreated. During his nine-month stay he declared himself emperor of the island and set about building roads, passing laws and redesigning his residences.
Now, a £1 million restoration project on his two villas has stripped back layers of paint to reveal astonishing frescoes hailing Napoleon's victories at the head of the French armies.
Although his private home was a humble two-storey affair, he hired the court painter at Turin, Vincenzo Antonio Revelli, for a lavish decoration of the interior. In one room, Napoleon could remember his victories in Egypt 13 years earlier amid paintings of sphinxes and hieroglyphics.
In his bedroom, he could stare at a ceiling entirely covered in his personal symbol of the bee, alternating with the cross of the legion d'honneur. A list of furniture found in archives showed that the room was bare, except for a bed and an enormous free-standing mirror.
Although Napoleon at that stage was too poor to afford drapes and tapestries, Revelli simply painted the walls to look as if they were covered in expensive material.
Ever the soldier, Napoleon brought with him a canvas camp bed, which he set up in the garden to sleep on, and plotted over maps at his desk. It is said he forced his young son, Napoleon II, to sleep on the camp bed to instil soldierly grit at an early age.
Dr Roberta Martinelli researched and oversaw the renovation work after discovering the inventory of all the furniture in the two villas during Napoleon's stay. "It was sitting in the archive at Portoferraio [Elba's capital] but no one had ever bothered to look at it," she said. "When I first arrived, there was some distance between how the villas looked and how they would have looked in Napoleon's day," she said. "They were full of furniture and paintings from the century after, because they had been used as private houses." The residences have only been public museums since 1938.
Dr Martinelli wants the buildings to be perfectly restored by 2014, in time for the 200th anniversary of Napoleon's arrival. She was the driving force behind a pact signed between Romano Prodi, Italy's prime minister, and Jacques Chirac, the departing French president, which will see several pieces of furniture return from France to Elba.
She has also discovered a trove of letters written by Napoleon while he was on the island at the French national archives in Paris. The letters reveal his desire to control the island, as well as his softer side; some nights he would wander through the candlelit garden and sing.
Locals are enthusiastic about the project, which will hopefully swell the number of tourists who visit Elba. At present, around 200,000 visitors arrive each year.
"Napoleon was fundamental to this island, he created everything here," said Clyde Schiavo, a guide at the museum. "We still refer to him as our emperor."
Napoleon escaped from Elba in 1815, slipping past the British fleet and landing in France. However, after defeat at Waterloo he was exiled again, this time to St Helena in the south Atlantic, where he died."
"Napoleon's will to succeed even in exile and defeat has been revealed with the first full restoration with the first full restoration of his two villas on the island of Elba.
'The bedroom of one of Napoleon's restored villas'Copy. 'Daily Telegpraph' 12.5.07
Lord Liverpool, the prime minister, said Napoleon's exile had hit the Corsican "as hard as one can, and in the most vulnerable place". He tried committing suicide but failed, while one witness described him as a "wild animal in a cell" in his first months on Elba.
However, his delusions of glory and grandeur were swiftly recreated. During his nine-month stay he declared himself emperor of the island and set about building roads, passing laws and redesigning his residences.
Now, a £1 million restoration project on his two villas has stripped back layers of paint to reveal astonishing frescoes hailing Napoleon's victories at the head of the French armies.
Although his private home was a humble two-storey affair, he hired the court painter at Turin, Vincenzo Antonio Revelli, for a lavish decoration of the interior. In one room, Napoleon could remember his victories in Egypt 13 years earlier amid paintings of sphinxes and hieroglyphics.
In his bedroom, he could stare at a ceiling entirely covered in his personal symbol of the bee, alternating with the cross of the legion d'honneur. A list of furniture found in archives showed that the room was bare, except for a bed and an enormous free-standing mirror.
Although Napoleon at that stage was too poor to afford drapes and tapestries, Revelli simply painted the walls to look as if they were covered in expensive material.
Ever the soldier, Napoleon brought with him a canvas camp bed, which he set up in the garden to sleep on, and plotted over maps at his desk. It is said he forced his young son, Napoleon II, to sleep on the camp bed to instil soldierly grit at an early age.
Dr Roberta Martinelli researched and oversaw the renovation work after discovering the inventory of all the furniture in the two villas during Napoleon's stay. "It was sitting in the archive at Portoferraio [Elba's capital] but no one had ever bothered to look at it," she said. "When I first arrived, there was some distance between how the villas looked and how they would have looked in Napoleon's day," she said. "They were full of furniture and paintings from the century after, because they had been used as private houses." The residences have only been public museums since 1938.
Dr Martinelli wants the buildings to be perfectly restored by 2014, in time for the 200th anniversary of Napoleon's arrival. She was the driving force behind a pact signed between Romano Prodi, Italy's prime minister, and Jacques Chirac, the departing French president, which will see several pieces of furniture return from France to Elba.
She has also discovered a trove of letters written by Napoleon while he was on the island at the French national archives in Paris. The letters reveal his desire to control the island, as well as his softer side; some nights he would wander through the candlelit garden and sing.
Locals are enthusiastic about the project, which will hopefully swell the number of tourists who visit Elba. At present, around 200,000 visitors arrive each year.
"Napoleon was fundamental to this island, he created everything here," said Clyde Schiavo, a guide at the museum. "We still refer to him as our emperor."
Napoleon escaped from Elba in 1815, slipping past the British fleet and landing in France. However, after defeat at Waterloo he was exiled again, this time to St Helena in the south Atlantic, where he died."
Thursday 10 May 2007
The Blair Witch Project Over After 10 Years of New Labour 'Spin'
So, Tony Blair finally calls it a day after 10 years as Prime Minister. A Nation heaves a heavy sigh of relief, after reducing New Labour to just 27% of the the national vote in the local elections. The Conservatives, despite continuing weakness in Scotland and, to a lesser extent, in Wales managed 41%.
The ironic thing about Blair's resignation was that it was induced by his own party. Blair continues to be far more popular than the Labour Party, and certainly more appealing than PM elect; Gordon Brown.
In a country that leans to the centre-right, it was Blair's achievement to win three elections. This, despite the rabid left-wing that he had managed to marginalise. Having lost four consecutive elections to the Conservatives, Blair was tolerated by the left; in order to gain power. The Labour Party has never had such success, and it seems inconceivable that Gordon Brown can carry that legacy on.
So, the labour Party will, no doubt, lurch to the left and Cameron, as Conservative leader, will continue to emulate Blair by saying nothing of substance and managing to annoy less voters than the opposition.
That will be, perhaps, Blair's true legacy. The politics of conviction will gradually disappear, as voters become even more intolerant of views that they do not themselves hold. Pretty much what has been seen in France with the election of Sarkozy, where an unholy alliance of the militant left and disaffected Islamic youth have continued to riot since last Sunday. The tragedy is that Nations develop when their leaders have a vision for the future, rather than having an eye on the latest opinion poll or focus group.
The ironic thing about Blair's resignation was that it was induced by his own party. Blair continues to be far more popular than the Labour Party, and certainly more appealing than PM elect; Gordon Brown.
In a country that leans to the centre-right, it was Blair's achievement to win three elections. This, despite the rabid left-wing that he had managed to marginalise. Having lost four consecutive elections to the Conservatives, Blair was tolerated by the left; in order to gain power. The Labour Party has never had such success, and it seems inconceivable that Gordon Brown can carry that legacy on.
So, the labour Party will, no doubt, lurch to the left and Cameron, as Conservative leader, will continue to emulate Blair by saying nothing of substance and managing to annoy less voters than the opposition.
That will be, perhaps, Blair's true legacy. The politics of conviction will gradually disappear, as voters become even more intolerant of views that they do not themselves hold. Pretty much what has been seen in France with the election of Sarkozy, where an unholy alliance of the militant left and disaffected Islamic youth have continued to riot since last Sunday. The tragedy is that Nations develop when their leaders have a vision for the future, rather than having an eye on the latest opinion poll or focus group.
Tuesday 8 May 2007
Grecians Win Through to Wembley
Congratulations to Paul Tisdale and Exeter City, after beating the 'big boys' of Oxford United in the Conference Play-Offs.
Despite an appalling decision, disallowing an Exeter City goal in the first half, the Grecians won through to a victory after penalties.
Good luck to Exeter City for the 20th May, where a Wembley final against Morecambe may may well see the Grecians make a welcome return to the Football League.
Despite an appalling decision, disallowing an Exeter City goal in the first half, the Grecians won through to a victory after penalties.
Good luck to Exeter City for the 20th May, where a Wembley final against Morecambe may may well see the Grecians make a welcome return to the Football League.
Wolfowitz Breaches World Banking Code
Officials from the World Bank officials have concluded that their boss Paul Wolfowitz breached the bank’s code of ethics when he arranged a 2005 pay package, and promotion, for girlfriend Shaha Riza. Wolfowitz has maintained, somewhat laughingly, that he "acted in good faith in arranging Miss Riza's pay package."
However, the bank’s full 24-member board, which has the authority to dismiss or reprimand him, has so far failed to reach a decision on what to do. How come?
Yesterday, Kevin Kellems quit his position as a top advisor, reportedly saying that the controversy surrounding Mr Wolfowitz made it “very difficult” for him to do his £100,000-a-year job. Kellem's appointment led to criticism, at the time, as he was hand-picked by Wolfowitz from amongst his cronies at the White House.
Of course, Wolfowitz himself was a somewhat 'surprising' choice as World Bank Chief Executive; considering that he had no relevant experience. The fact that he was the stated choice of President Bush was obviously the deciding factor. Of course, the cynical might think that this is why he has yet to be censured by the World Bank's board. It would be particularly embarrassing for President Bush to have another of his acolytes dismissed for less than honest behaviour in public service.
There are many places where political patronage should prove unwelcome. World finance is one such area. One wonders how long the World Bank will tolerate Wolfowitz; with Bush's Presidency coming to an end, and his resultant decline in personal influence over the next 12 months.
However, the bank’s full 24-member board, which has the authority to dismiss or reprimand him, has so far failed to reach a decision on what to do. How come?
Yesterday, Kevin Kellems quit his position as a top advisor, reportedly saying that the controversy surrounding Mr Wolfowitz made it “very difficult” for him to do his £100,000-a-year job. Kellem's appointment led to criticism, at the time, as he was hand-picked by Wolfowitz from amongst his cronies at the White House.
Of course, Wolfowitz himself was a somewhat 'surprising' choice as World Bank Chief Executive; considering that he had no relevant experience. The fact that he was the stated choice of President Bush was obviously the deciding factor. Of course, the cynical might think that this is why he has yet to be censured by the World Bank's board. It would be particularly embarrassing for President Bush to have another of his acolytes dismissed for less than honest behaviour in public service.
There are many places where political patronage should prove unwelcome. World finance is one such area. One wonders how long the World Bank will tolerate Wolfowitz; with Bush's Presidency coming to an end, and his resultant decline in personal influence over the next 12 months.
A Return to the Blog
The blog will be up and running again this evening; as long as Exeter City don't disgrace themselves, against Oxford United, in the National Conference Play-Offs this evening.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)