London, UK
Martin Luther-King's "I have a dream" speech was shown at the end of the ITN news earlier this evening. A political commentator recently said that Luther-King walked so Obama can run. Whatever your views, just how inspiring do you find the speech from 40 years ago:
London, UK
Nigel Farage, UKIP leader spoke to a fringe meeting of the Bruges Group at the Conservative Party conference. What do you like about his delivery?
London, UK
Remember this post from a couple of weeks ago? You may have thought he didn't stand a chance but we'll be hearing more political speeches from Boris from now on.
London, UK
Boris Johnson, the Conservative Party candidate in the London Mayoral Election on May 1st, made a surprise visit to St John's Wood yesterday afternoon. After alighting from the Boris Bus he made a bee-line towards the gathering crowds outside a well-known tea room/restauarant. After shaking hands with a few hardy souls, including mine, he started making a speech "on-the-hoof".
In broad terms, I think he held the audiences attention, seemed to have good eye contact and re-emphasised a couple of points in his short speech of around five minutes and all without much "Ken bashing" too.
Yes, that's me at the back on the right, checking a text message!
This morning on BBC Radio 4, I heard a snippet from Paul Dacre's speech at the London College of Communication which he delivered last night. His comments, and apparently most of his speech content, really struck a nerve. I'm sure I speak for many people in this country who are fed to the back teeth with the left-wing, liberal, PC attitude of our national broadcaster. The behemoth, as Dacre described the BBC, has always, in my opinion, supported the left but I feel that nowadays it comes across as the "Party broadcaster" and wo betide those who dare to criticize it.
Paul Dacre may have slightly off beam as Roy Greenslade points out in his article but I agree with the Dacre's general gist. He expressed concern for smaller broadcasters and their independent voice and coined the term "subsidiarat". This term is reserved for media giants, the BBC just being one, who by definition, are unable to survive in a free-market" as Dacre suggested.
Subsidiarat is a word we'll hear more of in the future.
How do you fell about Dacre's remarks?
Do you share his concern?
Is the BBC the behemoth hbe descibes them as?
From Melanie Phillips site. Some of these MP's appear to be so thick, they probably can't touch their bums with both hands. Sarah Teather has no excuses, there's plenty of Jewish and Muslim people in her constituency who could explain to her about Israel and the terrorists of Hezbollah.
Perhaps she should consider becoming a shelf-stacker at Tesco's.
First we learned that Americans on the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee didn’t know their Sunni from their Shia. Then we learned from the Sunday Times that British politicians who claimed some expertise in the Middle East were no better:
Both Sarah Teather, the Liberal Democrat MP for Brent East, and Sally Keeble, Labour member for Northampton North, thought Hezbollah was an organisation based in Palestine. Anne Milton, the Tory MP for Guildford, wears the dunce’s cap after getting 13 out of 14 questions wrong. It even slipped her mind that she was a member of the Friends of Islam group. ‘Ooh, am I?’ she said. ‘Oh yes, I suppose so. I forgot. I don’t think I’ve sat on it yet.’ Gordon Marsden, the Labour MP for Blackpool South and treasurer for the British Lebanon all-party parliamentary group, did not know who the leader of Hezbollah was. Asked if Al-Qaeda was Sunni or Sh’ite, Brian Iddon, Labour MP for Bolton South East and secretary of the Britain-Palestine parliamentary group, said: ‘Well, it attracts all sorts.’
Oh dear.
They should read this article in the Wall Street Journal by Peter Wehner, deputy assistant to the President and Director of the White House’s Office of Strategic Initiatives, who explains the differences between Sunni and Shia. In particular, he sets out how the Shi’ite Ayatollah Khomeini subscribed to the cult of apocalyptic messianism of which Ahmadinejad is also an apostle, and which makes the Iranian regime totally impervious to the theory of mutually assured destruction which has kept the nuclear peace until now. By contrast, Sunni al Qaeda does not believe in the imminent end of days but sees its war upon the infidels as very much part of this earthly life. Both agendas, in their different ways, are totally non-negotiable. Wehner goes on:
Since the attacks of September 11, we have learned important things about al Qaeda and its allies. Their movement is fueled by hatred and deep resentments against the West, America, and the course of history. In Islam’s first few centuries of existence, it was a dominant and expanding force in the world, sweeping across lands in the modern-day Middle East, North Africa, Spain, and elsewhere. During its Golden Age — which spanned from the eighth to the 13th century — Islam was the philosophical, educational, and scientific center of the world. The Ottoman Empire reached the peak of its power in the 16th century. Islam then began to recede as a political force. In the 17th century, for example, advancing Muslims were defeated at the gates of Vienna, the last time an Islamic army threatened the heart of Europe. And for radicals like bin Laden, a milestone event and historic humiliation came when the Ottoman Empire crumbled at the end of World War I.
This is significant because for many Muslims, the proper order of life in this world is for them to rule and for the ‘infidels’ to be ruled over. The end of the Ottoman Empire was deeply disorienting. Then, in 1923-24 came the establishment of modern, secular Turkey under Kemal Ataturk–and the abolishment of the caliphate. Osama bin Laden and his militant Sunni followers seek to reverse all that. Bin Laden sees himself as the new caliph; he has referred to himself as the ‘commander of the faithful.’ He is seeking to unify all of Islam–and resume a jihad against the unbelievers.
According to Mary Habeck of the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University: ‘Jihadis thus neither recognize national boundaries within the Islamic lands nor do they believe that the coming Islamic state, when it is created, should have permanent borders with the unbelievers. The recognition of such boundaries would end the expansion of Islam and stop offensive jihad, both of which are transgressions against the laws of God that command jihad to last until Judgment Day or until the entire earth is under the rule of Islamic law.’
Al Qaeda and its terrorist allies are waging their war on several continents. They have killed innocent people in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia, the Far East, and the United States. They will try to overthrow governments and seize power where they can–and where they cannot, they will attempt to inflict fear and destruction by disrupting settled ways of life. They will employ every weapon they can: assassinations, car bombs, airplanes, and, if they can secure them, biological, chemical, and nuclear weapons. The theocratic and totalitarian ideology that characterizes al Qaeda makes typical negotiations impossible. ‘Anyone who stands in the way of our struggle is our enemy and target of the swords,’ said Abu Musab al Zarqawi, the late leader of al Qaeda in Iraq. Osama bin Laden put it this way: ‘Death is better than living on this Earth with the unbelievers among us.’
…The war against global jihadism will be long, and we will experience success and setbacks along the way. The temptation of the West will be to grow impatient and, in the face of this long struggle, to grow weary. Some will demand a quick victory and, absent that, they will want to withdraw from the battle. But this is a war from which we cannot withdraw. As we saw on September 11th, there are no safe harbors in which to hide. Our enemies have declared war on us, and their hatreds cannot be sated. We will either defeat them, or they will come after us with the unsheathed sword.
Maybe someone should send this to all our members of Parliament and Congress. If they read it aloud very slowly and trace each word with their fingers, they might just get it.
I doubt it Melanie!
New EU constitution "without public poll"
Nicholas Cecil in today's Evening Standard reports that Wolfgang Ischinger, the German Ambassador to Britain, said Berlin would "love" to get through a new treaty containing the key parts of the EU constitution rejected by French and Dutch voters. He suggested this could be done by scrapping the pledge made in countries such as Britain and France........Mr Ischinger told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "We would love to preserve to the maximum extent possible the substance of that draft".
........and what is the substance of the draft?
A total loss of sovereignty, our way of life and our laws and customs which have served Britain well for centuries. As I said at the General Election in May 2005, the undemocratic, evil EU is succeeding where the Luftwaffe failed in 1940.
Taken from the UKIP website
Lost in the post?
14-12-2006
The government was accused today of covering up the true reason why thousands of British post offices have been, or will be, closed.
In spite of all their explanations, they have not revealed the true reason behind the closures.
"The plain truth is that the scandal of these closures is directly because of a ruling from the European Commission.
UK Independence Party leader Nigel Farage added, "Three years ago, this government signed away the Royal Mail's ability to conduct its own financial affairs."
The deal struck in 2003 allowed the government to provide £150 million a year to the post office, which has been extended by another three years. However, the costs of subsidising the service cost £4 million a week, which means a £58 million deficit every year.
"The three years is up and now we are having to live with the consequences. Yet the government still refuses to admit this is the real reason. Perhaps their explanation got lost in the post?"
Nigel Farage, leader of the UK Independence Party said, "Why should we have to go to Brussels to beg permission to fund a service which is important to so many local communities; especially in rural areas? In spite of Alastair Darling declaring investment of £1.7 billion, he will still have to ask permission from the EU to do this.
"Thanks to the EU, the profitable services have been 'cherry-picked' whilst the small and rural post offices will get cut or axed.
"It's about time we stamped on the power of the European Union if we are going to address the problems facing postal services: they have consistently failed to deliver."
Treaty of Amsterdam , Article 88 demands that a national government seeks permission from the Commission to grant state aid.
EU Directive 2002/39/EC requires permission before any state aid can be granted.
The Postal Services Directive 2002/39/EC reduced the part of the postal market which could be reserved for the national monopoly
UK Independence Party: The only Party telling you the truth about the European Union
Privacy Statement and Terms of use (including use of content) All work © 2006 UKIP and other contributors
Pity this isn't aired in the media.........................
Peace Oil is produced in Israel by Jews, Arabs, Druze and Bedouin working together. Grown in the foothills of the Carmel Mountains, the olives are pressed within hours of picking, to produce this prize winning extra virgin olive oil.
An initiative of registered UK charity The Charities Advisory Trust, Peace Oil encourages co-operation between communities. By helping to market their produce it hopes to bring economic prosperity to such enterprises, encouraging others to follow their example.
Profits from Peace Oil are used to support peace and reconciliation work in the Middle East.
Peace Oil
Radius Works
Back Lane
London
NW3 1HL
0207 435 6500
On Desert Island Discs this morning, music impressario Raymond Gubbay recounted his first ever job interview. It was with the great Victor Hochhauser
There were just three questions, said Gubbay
"What school did you go to?"
"Are you Jewish?"
"Can you start Monday?"
Brilliant. None of the Health & Safety/ID check/UK citizenship/inside leg measurement/form filling rubbish today's job seekers now endure.
There's so much bureaucracy today isn't there. Do you blame the Government, or should ordinary citizens take some responsibility for allowing the "paperwork culture" to overload us all?
What's your opinion?
Thinks he's done well for the country under his economic stewardship. Guido doesn't think so. See here.
And neither do I.
Rachel Fletcher in Friday's Jewish Chronicle has updated a worried world.
Ziggy, the "container cat" (and subject of an earlier post here) is still trying to get back to Israel.
Fletcher writes, "The Cat Welfare Society of Israel, a registered branch of the RSPCA, is among Israeli charities making enquiries to see if the cat, now known as Ziggy - who travelled from Israel to Lancashire after being sealed in a cargo container - has owners in Israel".
There's also the The Cat Lovers Society of Israel.
"Lancashire County Council has started an emergency fund to raise the necessary £1700.00 for Ziggy's six-month quarantine. If owners are not found in Israel, efforts will be made to rehome him here".
Jewish Chronicle - December 1st.
I hope that those listed below can assist with Ziggy's repatriation to the Holy Land -
Iain Dale
Eastcliffe Richard
Franorama
Melanie Phillips
Shasinka
"Yid with Lid" outlines the situation well in his Blog. (well it's not going to make the BBC news is it after todays events in the Lebanon)
Well, did you see the Devil himself on 18Doughty Street last night?
Marvellous stuff.
Interesting article from Alan Caruba: By Alan Caruba When America hit the 300 million mark in October the U.S. Census Bureau held a press conference and their electronic display was on the evening news shows ticking off the numbers of new citizens until it showed…what? It showed there are just way too many people in America if you worry about things like the provision of sufficient energy, dependency on unfriendly nations for our oil imports, overcrowding of cities, uncontrolled immigration, unfunded entitlements, and a whole list of other problems. Hard core ecologists—environmentalists is another name for them—if you get a few drinks in them will tell you we will just have to get rid of a couple of million people every month or so if the Earth is to sustain the six billion taking up space, expecting to be fed every day, driving around in cars or on motorcycles, and making more people. Mark Steyn has written one of the most important books published this year. It’s America Alone: The End of the World As We Know It (27.95, Regnery Publishing). Steyn deals with demographics, a topic most people in that particular field of scholarly endeavor manage to make so dull you just want to run screaming from the room. It is the study of human population trends. Steyn, however, is a talented writer and therefore knows how to turn statistics into a lively discourse. Demographics have a way of sneaking up on you unnoticed. It’s all those cars and trucks on the road, seemingly driven by maniacs who have no regard for their own lives or yours. I’ll bet you didn’t know that in 2005, traffic deaths reached an all-time high. While the headlines scream about each new U.S. casualty in Iraq, 43,443 people were killed last year, up 1.4 percent from the 42,836 the year before. It was the highest number in any single year since 1990. The ecologists have a virtually unbroken record of getting demographics wrong. As Steyn notes, in 1968 Paul Ehrlich declared in his bestselling book, The Population Bomb, that “In the 1970s the world will undergo famines—hundreds of millions of people are going to starve to death.” Wrong. In 1973, a landmark study by the Club of Rome, The Limits to Growth, announced that the world would run out of gold by 1981, of mercury by 1985, tin by 1987, zinc by 1990, and petroleum by 1992. Wrong. The dumbest man Americans ever elected President, Jimmy Carter, predicted in 1977 that, “we could use up all of the proven reserves of oil in the entire world by the end of next decade.” It is a tribute to the Constitutional system that America actually is able to survive the occasionally stupid or venial man we put in the Oval Office. Former President Clinton is showing up everywhere these days telling anyone who will listen that global warming is going to end life as we know it if we don’t give the United Nations the opportunity to run everything everywhere. Wrong. Meanwhile, most of us toiling away at our daily lives need to focus in on “what really did happen between 1970 and 2000”, says Steyn. “In that period, the developed world declined from just under 30 percent of the global population to just over 20 percent, and the Muslim nations increased from about 15 percent to 20 percent.” Ask the French what that means. They are now into their second year of an all-out Intifada being fought by young Muslims (the press always calls them “youths”) who are burning cars and now buses with people still in them. There are areas in cities throughout Europe where no non-Muslim dares to go these days. “The salient feature of Europe, Canada, Japan, and Russia,” says Steyn, “is that they are running out of babies.” It’s all about fertility rates and, in one developed nation after another the native-born population is not replacing itself as they continue to age and retire, living off the largess of the few young people left to do the work. This is what happens when you create a socialist system that pays for just about everything and promises to take care of you in your old age in case your kids will not. When a nation loses its survival instinct, releasing its native population from the responsibilities of adulthood, someone is going to have to pick up the tab and do the work. Europe imported Muslims. America is ignoring a wholesale invasion of Mexicans. It’s all about the tyranny of numbers. America, we’re told, is the lone superpower in the world. Lord knows we have a mighty military machine. We need it because our major export to the rest of the world is defense or, to put it another way, protection. We’re protecting the Saudi oil fields. We’re protecting the Japanese and South Koreans against a crazy man with nukes. We protect the world’s sea lanes to keep oil and products of every description moving around. We have been protecting Europe since the end of World War II against the Red Menace despite the fact that they have embraced socialism. And do we get any thanks for this? Hell no! That’s because we have lost our talent for waging a really nasty war to reduce our enemy’s cities to rubble and destroy their armies in the field. That’s how wars have always been won in the past. But World War II was a different kind of war you say. You’re right. However, the stakes of the war in which we now find ourselves are no less critical. Thousands of young Muslims led by a fanatical core and funded by those afloat in oil money and religious passion have decided that America does not have the stomach for war. “Our enemies,” Steyn says, “have made a bet—that the West in general and the United States in particular are soft and decadent, and have no attention span.” If your attention span to this brief polemic on demographics and the guts to defend America has begun to wander, Steyn is right. Alan Caruba writes a weekly column, “Warning Signs”, posted on the Internet site of The National Anxiety Center, www.anxietycenter.com. His new book is “Right Answers: Separating Fact from Fantasy”, from Merril Press.
The Tyranny of Numbers
Iran Bans Da Vinci Code
Bestsellers and literary classics on Iran's Index Librorum Prohibitorum
Iran's extremist cultural ministry has announced a crackdown on publishing, banning a list of classic works as well as modern foreign and Iranian novels in an attempt to end what it describes as a "poisoned dish to the young generation."
Along with Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code, Tracy Chevalier's best-seller Girl With a Pearl Earring and books of lyrics by bands like The Beatles, Queen and The Rolling Stones will be prohibited. Contemporary Iranian writers, some of whom are feted outside Iran, will no longer be published in their home country, while pre-revolutionary novels will also be banned.
The Guardian quotes the culture minister Mohammed Hossein Saffar Harandi - a close ally of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad:
"We have complaints against those who see books as only a market and are acting as assistants for evil... Sometimes the humiliation of Iranian youth is implied or suggested in the books. Sometimes the media transmits the concept that we Muslims and easterners lack proper means and, therefore, we should stretch our hands towards others."
Culture ministry spokesmen complain that under the rule of Ahmadinejad's reforming predecessor Mohammed Khatami, the Islamist regime relaxed its grip too much, creating "a climate encouraging immoral behaviour, sex before marriage, mockery of religious traditions and secularism."
Lovely article by Kevin Myers of the Irish Independent. Taken from "Israpundit"
Kevin Myers, Irish Independent
HOW does Israel choose its ambassador to Ireland? If he was struck by lightning two minutes after he was born; if his mother had inverted nipples so he could suck no milk; if the rabbi’s scalpel was rusty and blunt, leading to full amputation of the organ in question; if his school was infected by scabies and he spent his childhood scratching himself almost to death; if he went bald at the age of 14, and lost his teeth at the age of 18 - well, then clearly he is a chap who is used to misfortune, and is thoroughly qualified to be Israeli ambassador to Ireland.
For this appointment would wipe the smile off the face of the happiest Jew in the world. Indeed, when Danny Kaye was offered the job, he promptly became a Mormon, and grew a foreskin. Because, there is in this country almost no popular sympathy whatever for the plight of the Israeli people, and wherever the wretched Israeli ambassador goes, he’ll be met by renta-mobs of ignorant hullabalooing know-alls, howling their anthems of hatred.
The apex of this anti-Israeli pathology is in the Seanad - surely the most redundant, conceited and dim-witted upper chamber of any state in Europe. This is the home of that grisly and self-congratulatory Michael D Norris-tendency, with their regular, shrill peacock-screeches of denunciations of anything to do with Israel (usually after some disingenuous declarations about
their love of Jews). University campuses, in their more modest undergraduate way, tend to follow senatorial example, typically with their banners proclaiming, “Lesbians, Gays & Trans-Sexuals Against Israel”.
What welcome would the Seanad or our university campuses extend to Hizbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, whose forces have ruthlessly showered Israeli civilian areas with rockets? What greeting would they give the Hamas prime minister Ismail Haniyeh, or the Hamas political leader, Khalid Misshal? These fine fellows want to introduce full-blown Islamic law to the entire area of Palestine, including Israel. Would they howl these creatures down, as they do the Israeli ambassador every time that gallant tries to speak in public? Do you know, I rather doubt it.
The truth is that any anti-Zionist Arab who comes to Ireland, regardless of the vileness of his general opinions, will be greeted as if he were the recently discovered love-child of Albert Schweitzer and Mother Teresa. No inconvenient questions for him about by which manner he
prefers to execute homosexuals - by pushing walls on them with bulldozers, as Taliban did, or the rather more existentially satisfying one of the crowd being allowed to stone them to death, as in Iran and Saudi. Ditto harlots. Ditto women who have been raped and can’t prove they didn’t
give assent.
It is not merely the sheer stupidity of the reflexive anti-Israeli attitude in Ireland, but its
counter-emotionalism which is so stunning. If most people judge an issue by consulting their feelings - which, regretably, is usually the case in this country - then surely some hearts, if only out of sentiment alone, should be moved by Israel’s dilemma. After all, the Jewish state is
smaller in area than Munster, and is surrounded by a hostile Arab landmass the size of the continental United States. It has not known general peace in 60 years.
Instead, almost all traditions of supporting the underdog, of siding with the weakest, of sympathising with those who have been oppressed for hundreds of years, vanish completely when the weak, oppressed underdog is Jewish and Israeli. And please, please spare me talk about the powerlessness of the Palestinians compared to the military might of Israel.
Both are meaningless illusions when confronted by the demographics of the region and the cult of the suicide bomber. Laser-guided missiles can do nothing to prevent the Arabs of the region dramatically out-breeding Jews in the next half a century: smart technology cannot thwart the smarter suicide-bomber, who in a heterogeneous and open society like Israel will sooner or later blow apart the school bus or the bar-mitzvah.
The generalised Arab intifada against Israel took a new shape earlier this year, with the ceaseless rocket bombardment of Israeli cities - usually from the very areas which the Israelis had, under international pressure, obligingly just vacated. The Israeli response was exactly in
line with the expectations of Hizbollah. The latter’s men used civilian areas to attack Israeli towns, largely inaccurately, and imbecilic; but largely accurate Israeli counter-fire then killed sleeping civilians, as intended. Both sides were obediently following some abominable
master-plan in which Hizbollah behaved with diabolical cunning, and the Israelis with abysmal stupidity. The result? Thousands dead, and Israel’s international reputation even lower then before. Hizbollah is now the great political and military force of Lebanon, just as Hamas
is amongst Palestinians.
I write this today because I have just read - with weary predictability: and I say that with some justification, because I did, with great weariness, predict it - that Hizbollah are back in business on the Israeli border. Armed militants are re-establishing themselves in bunkers there, and Israeli intelligence reports they have 20,000 rockets. Their leader, Sheikh Nasrallah, disagrees. He says they actually have 30,000.
No doubt we’ll see who’s right over the coming months.
was one of the panelists at a JCC do the other evening. Very erudite, intelligent and charming.
I'm sure the House of Commons is missing her.
Mihir Bose, writing in the Daily Telegraph, did this piece about Amercan businessman, Jack Lemley, ODA Chairman.
"Lemley quits through ill health" By Mihir Bose
Sources close to the organisers of the 2012 London Olympic Games have told the Daily Telegraph that the reason for the resignation of Jack Lemley, chairman of the Olympic Development Authority — the body responsible for venues and infrastructure — was due to ill health and problems created by having to commute between America and Britain.
Lemley, who was responsible for the Channel Tunnel project, had been appointed last year and at his press conference promised that he would set up home in London. Although he rented a flat there he still travelled back to the United States where he has extensive business interests.
Lemley has also recently had some heart trouble and the strain of constantly jetting back and forth across the Atlantic took its toll.
I'm told matters came to a head quite quickly about 10 days ago when it was decided that it would be best if he resigned.
One source told me: "It is now widely recognised that Jack Lemley was not the right choice and we will have to make sure that the next chairman of the ODA is the right one."
It is not unusual for cities that stage Olympic Games to change the top personnel. The London 2012 bid for the Games also saw a major change of personnel when, a year after the bid was launched — and with London ranked a poor third to Paris and Madrid — Barbara Cassani, the bid leader, resigned and was replaced by Seb Coe, who took London to victory.
One source said: "The difference is Barbara's resignation was well flagged inside London 2012 whereas Lemley's has come up very suddenly and caught many people by surprise."
Late last night, television news suggested that Lemley had resigned and returned to Idaho for quite different reasons. One was to do with the compulsory purchase of land and property in East London. Apparently Jack couldn't cope ( and I'm paraphrasing here) with the internecine wars going on between local politicians.
This is so typical of our country isn't it. Petty-minded individuals trying to put their "inconsequential two-bobsworth in". But of course there will be consequences. Inevitable delays to the construction of the 2012 site, budget goes through the roof, blah, blah, blah - and who'll pick up the tab - you've guessed it.
In one of his tamer interviews this evening on BBC's Newsnight, top TV presenter, Jeremy Paxman asked Sir Chris Fox (former very important person at ACPO) about controlling criminals from EUssr's two "new" states. Bulgaria & Romania.
Both parties, in an awful exchange, just couldn't bring themselves to say that the way to stop the next wave of gangsters is to have proper border controls (which of course this country hasn't had for some time). Our borders at one time were Dover, Ramsgate, Heathrow et al, now they're Minsk, Omsk, Tomsk parts of Poland, Moldova and other lands that God forgot.
The subject of restricting immigration through "controls" was mentioned, or rather, waffled through. The truth is of course, this country can't do diddly-squat about immigration from any EUssr state.
