Islingword Street

Enjoy France!

The US Government have now nationalised three major institutions in the course of a fortnight, so what could be more pleasurable than going to FreeRepublic, home of right wing nutcases, to hear them wail about how they are now living in a socialist republic?

Still electioneering

I find it odd that most media sources said that Thursday's commemoration events for 9/11 were in some way a 'suspension of electioneering'. Sure, the speeches were by George Bush II rather than John McCain or Barack Obama, but this extract from the president's speech at the Pentagon sounds to me like pure propaganda for his 'war on terror' notion:

When our enemies attacked the Pentagon, they pierced the rings of this building. But they could not break the resolve of the United States Armed Forces. Since 9/11, our troops have taken the fight to the terrorists abroad so we do not have to face them here at home. Thanks to the brave men and women, and all those who work to keep us safe, there has not been another attack on our soil in 2,557 days. (Applause.)

For future generations, this memorial will be a place of learning. The day will come when most Americans have no living memory of the events of September the 11th. When they visit this memorial, they will learn that the 21st century began with a great struggle between the forces of freedom and the forces of terror. They will learn that this generation of Americans met its duty -- we did not tire, we did not falter, and we did not fail. They will learn that freedom prevailed because the desire for liberty lives in the heart of every man, woman, and child on Earth.

Class conflict on Today (no, not really)

I know that Today is produced by the middle classes for the middle classes but even so I was astonished that the 8.10 slot today was given over to a long grumble by the well-spoken white middle-class sister of an armed gunman who was  shot by the police.

I don't doubt that she's grieving, and looking for answers, but her complaints about the police could basically be summarised as "Why did they have to shoot him - it's not like he was black or poor".

I remember Today doing interviews on unarmed people shot by police (Menezes, Harry Stanley) but never when the victim was an armed gunman taking potshots out of his window.

Daily Mail admits it provoked anti-Polish tension

Hurrah! Some articles to be deleted, others amended after deal with venerable Polish lobbying organisation. 

Daily Mail agrees peace deal with Polish Federation of Great Britain | Media | guardian.co.uk .

Really ambitious environmental policies

At least the Spanish government aren't in a funk about upsetting the poor widdle motorists: Spain cuts speed limit and introduces energy-saving measures in bid to reduce oil imports | Environment | guardian.co.uk .

Carey: Damn you, justice!

George Carey, writing in the Church Times, sorry, in the News of the World, condemns the courts for their privacy ruling on Max Mosley. If the newspapers aren't allowed to pry into people's private lives, he asks, how on earth can we Church leaders find perfectly legal things to condemn?

Link: BBC NEWS | UK | Mosley win a 'dangerous ruling'.

All sorts of ironies

Immigrant runs anti-immigration terror campaign, sparked by concern for his girlfriend and is caught when arrested for beating her up. 

BBC NEWS | England | Hampshire | Terror campaign postman is jailed.

Democratic debate, nice while it lasted

I posted this over at Metafilter, but it's very much what I've been feeling today, so I thought I post it here too.

"What's depressed me about the whole Davis thing is realising how the blogs and comments on British media sites are starting to sound like Free Republic or Fox News. If I hear the words fascism, ZaNuLabour or Stalin again, I will scream. British political debate is being taken over by this angry self-righteous hate-filled tone and, as someone who believes in democracy, it's just killing me. 

Britain today is nothing like a fascist state, nothing like Zimbabwe and nothing like Stalinism. People are comparing the Government to real historical regimes that really killed millions of real people, and what are they talking about? Speed cameras! European treaties! Income tax rates! Petrol Prices! Get over yourselves, for God's sake. If you don't agree, vote Tory at the next election, don't pretend you're some sort of heroic fighter for freedom and democracy. 

I completely respect people who don't agree with 42 days, or speed cameras, or whatever. I stop respecting those people when they turn into tantruming six year olds and scream "I can do what I want! You're the worst Government ever and I hate you! Nazi!"

Worrying echoes of America

It feels disturbingly like the abortion debate is becoming party-politicised.

(link).

There was a free vote but Labour MPs mostly backed the status quo - leaving anti-abortion campaigners pinning their hopes on a change of government.

Everyone back to the 1870s!

Another day, another set of half-baked policy prescription from one of Gordon's imports. This time it's Quentin Davies, former Tory MP, who has produced an idea that will get the backing of peppery ex-colonels up and down the country: a bank holiday to celebrate the Armed Forces.

Personally, I'd quite like to honour the armed forces by having a sensible foreign policy that didn't say 'me too' to every American-led adventure, but I am sure that's a hopeless dream. Adding a new bank holiday to celebrate the forces seems like the sort of thing the Government would have done after the Indian Mutiny, not in the 21st century. It seems quite American too, as we might expect from this PM.

I don't want people to hate the military, or to beat up soldiers for wearing their uniforms (something that has a strong whiff of urban legend, to my mind). But I also don't want a contentious bank holiday full of tabloid masturbation about our grand imperial past and how we bashed the Hun back in the jolly old days. We get that every time we play Germany at football, anyway.