Due to unremitting work commitments, I've decided to call it a day. This will, hopefully, allow me a little more time to follow my other interests which I've neglected for a while.
Anyway, goodbye!
Sunday 16 March 2008
Thursday 13 March 2008
Archbishop Paulos Faraj Rahho
The persecution of Christian and Jewish communities in the Islamic world reached a new level of hatred with the murder of Archbishop Paulos Faraj Rahho.
Archbishop Rahho was a Chaldean Christian; kidnapped after delivering mass in Mosul on 29th February 2008.
Silence, on this subject, is deafening from the British and American media outlets. One wonders why the media shies away from such acts of barbarity, when we are quick to hear about four "innocent civilians" killed by British forces when being ambushed by the Taliban in Helmand Province yesterday.
Archbishop Rahho was a Chaldean Christian; kidnapped after delivering mass in Mosul on 29th February 2008.
Silence, on this subject, is deafening from the British and American media outlets. One wonders why the media shies away from such acts of barbarity, when we are quick to hear about four "innocent civilians" killed by British forces when being ambushed by the Taliban in Helmand Province yesterday.
Wednesday 12 March 2008
Cameron 'Steps Up to the Plate' - At Last!
At last, Tory leader David Cameron stood up for Conservative principles and destroyed Darling's Labour budget in 15 minutes of well directed salvos.
Lady Thatcher must have laughed when Cameron, who has done so much to distance himself from her policies, explained to the Labour MPs that expenditure should not be in excess of income. The fact that government borrowing is nearing £200 billion should ram this home to every sane minded person. Of course, this approach, espoused by Senator McCain, was ridiculed by many Republicans. He, of course, was right; as was lady Thatcher in the 70s and 80s, and as was Senator McCain.
Secretary of State for Children, Ed Balls, thinks of himself as a bit of an economist and a key Gordon Brown advisor. He shouted out in the middle of Cameron's response to the Budget that who cares if Britain is in debt and increasingly so. With an approach to economics like this, it demonstrates that Labour policy has not directed the UK economy, but has only spent the profits and the overdraft over the last 10+ years.
So, as the world economy hits bumpy seas, the US is able to reduce interest rates and levels of taxation, European and Oceanic countries are able to invest previous FY surpluses, etc. we have nothing in reserve. The cupboard is well and truly bare!
So, as I think of a glass of wine to soothe the bad mood, I realise that Labour have put an extra 14p of duty on a bottle of wine. Okay, a glass of whisky might be appealing. Then I think of the 55p of additional duty. Oh well, a litre bottle of cider, the favourite tipple of binge drinkers, under-age drinkers and alcoholics is only going up by 1p. Anybody for a glass of scrumpy?
Lady Thatcher must have laughed when Cameron, who has done so much to distance himself from her policies, explained to the Labour MPs that expenditure should not be in excess of income. The fact that government borrowing is nearing £200 billion should ram this home to every sane minded person. Of course, this approach, espoused by Senator McCain, was ridiculed by many Republicans. He, of course, was right; as was lady Thatcher in the 70s and 80s, and as was Senator McCain.
Secretary of State for Children, Ed Balls, thinks of himself as a bit of an economist and a key Gordon Brown advisor. He shouted out in the middle of Cameron's response to the Budget that who cares if Britain is in debt and increasingly so. With an approach to economics like this, it demonstrates that Labour policy has not directed the UK economy, but has only spent the profits and the overdraft over the last 10+ years.
So, as the world economy hits bumpy seas, the US is able to reduce interest rates and levels of taxation, European and Oceanic countries are able to invest previous FY surpluses, etc. we have nothing in reserve. The cupboard is well and truly bare!
So, as I think of a glass of wine to soothe the bad mood, I realise that Labour have put an extra 14p of duty on a bottle of wine. Okay, a glass of whisky might be appealing. Then I think of the 55p of additional duty. Oh well, a litre bottle of cider, the favourite tipple of binge drinkers, under-age drinkers and alcoholics is only going up by 1p. Anybody for a glass of scrumpy?
Monday 10 March 2008
I Will "Change the Ethics of Albany"!
Princeton and Harvard University 'old boy' Eliot Spitzer has once again shown how politicians exercise hypocrisy and hubris.
However, the extreme arrogance, as shown by Spitzer, demonstrates that it is always the most self-righteous that exercise the worst judgement.
So, if he has changed the ethics of Albany, then it was not for the better. Certainly, the $4,300 spent in his Mayflower romp now seems a particularly poor investment when having promised to wipeout crime and corruption in New York and exercising vindictiveness against Joe Bruno in 'Troopergate'.
Spitzer has well and truly been hoisted upon his own petard!
However, the extreme arrogance, as shown by Spitzer, demonstrates that it is always the most self-righteous that exercise the worst judgement.
So, if he has changed the ethics of Albany, then it was not for the better. Certainly, the $4,300 spent in his Mayflower romp now seems a particularly poor investment when having promised to wipeout crime and corruption in New York and exercising vindictiveness against Joe Bruno in 'Troopergate'.
Spitzer has well and truly been hoisted upon his own petard!
Monday 3 March 2008
Una Quinta Columna
"Una quinta columna" was a phrase first 'coined' by General Emilio Mola in 1936 when describing fascist sympathisers in Madrid.
The subversive group worked against Republican authorities from within, and then joined the four columns of besieging Franco forces when Madrid came under attack.
Whilst Franco understood the importance of a fifth column when attempting to subvert, and then overthrow, the democratically elected government, it would appear that western leadership has failed to learn from history.
Today, saw Austrian authorities put a married couple on trial for having links to al Qaeda and posting a video on the internet threatening Austria and Germany with attacks. The couple, who are Austrian citizens, had been arrested in September with the video claiming that the two countries would be targeted if they did not withdraw military personnel from Afghanistan. The fact that neither country is contributing in a material way, to the War on Terror, seemed more than a little ironic.
Returning to una quinta columna. Sun Tzu had written in The Art of War that "... the enlightened ruler and the wise general who will use the highest intelligence of the army for purposes of spying and thereby they achieve great results. Spies are a most important element in water, because on them depends an army's ability to move."
The subversive group worked against Republican authorities from within, and then joined the four columns of besieging Franco forces when Madrid came under attack.
Whilst Franco understood the importance of a fifth column when attempting to subvert, and then overthrow, the democratically elected government, it would appear that western leadership has failed to learn from history.
Today, saw Austrian authorities put a married couple on trial for having links to al Qaeda and posting a video on the internet threatening Austria and Germany with attacks. The couple, who are Austrian citizens, had been arrested in September with the video claiming that the two countries would be targeted if they did not withdraw military personnel from Afghanistan. The fact that neither country is contributing in a material way, to the War on Terror, seemed more than a little ironic.
Returning to una quinta columna. Sun Tzu had written in The Art of War that "... the enlightened ruler and the wise general who will use the highest intelligence of the army for purposes of spying and thereby they achieve great results. Spies are a most important element in water, because on them depends an army's ability to move."
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