Archive for the ‘Politics’ Category
Russia Invades Georgia
So just as they chose to invade Afghanistan on Christmas Day, the Russians have chosen to invade Georgia on the day the China Olympics open.
It is by no means certain why they choose such an occasion. Perhaps it is to draw attention to the event while the world has an international focus. It may actually serve to emphasise the message they are sending by this action. On the other hand, it may be that Moscow hopes our attentions are distracted by the Olympics and it will
be better able to get away with this sort of conduct now than at any other time.
Russia is asserting its might for its strategic interests in the same way as the USA does. There will be many innocent lives lost. There will be massively increased profits for Russian and Western arms manufacturers.
Ultimately Georgia’s destiny must be to be truly independent so Russia’s action can only fail and should be abandoned immediately. On the other hand there is much talk of agitation in the area by the USA, possibly CIA warmongering.
I fear the die is cast – thousands are going to die. Perhaps it will continue until November when Barrack Obama becomes President-elect and insists on peace.
The worry is that we are all playing with high stakes. Last year Georgia openly cooperated with the CIA to arrest a Russian trying to sell bomb-grade uranium…
Karadzic Faces The Music
It was heartwarming to see Karadzic looking frightened and vulnerable before the very dignified Judge Alphons Orie at the war crimes tribunal. We must now grant him undeserved due process before he is sentenced, undoubtedly to life imprisonment.
I am deeply and fundamentally opposed to the death penalty but I will glady make exceptions for subhuman monsters like Karadzic and Mladic as the Iraqis did for Saddam Hussein. It would be good to see Karadzic twitching and jerking at the end of a rope. In fact, why not spare him the drop and let him strangle slowly.
Birds Of Prey And the RSPB
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7527359.stm
I was horrified to see a spokesman from the RSPB on BBC Breakfast this morning make
Kestrel over Nore Barn Wood 8th June 2008
outrageous and disgraceful accusations against the “shooting community”. He laid the responsibility for all attacks on birds of prey entirely on those who shoot.
Of course, the shooting community has done more to protect and conserve the UK environment and wildlife than any other group over hundreds of years. The RSPB, which has become an undignified, over-commercialised hotbed of “loonies” becomes more power hungry and sensationalist every day trying to over extend itself into a general environmental organization. It pontificates about everything from packaging to helping grannies cross the road and, occasionally, birds. Its primary interest is commercial and it promotes this by such nonsensical, attention grabbing nonsense.
It is appalling that the BBC should allow such blatant lies to be broadcast and without offering those accused the opportunity to respond.
It is also time that someone, and I am setting myself up here, took a long and careful look at the RSPB. Its chief oddity, Bill Oddie, was recently involved in a verbal punch up over the rights and wrongs of eating game. No doubt he is more the battery chicken and Tesco sponsored enthusiast.
The Disappearing Canoeist
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/tees/7520803.stm
What utterly absurd sentences for Mr and Mrs Darwin! When there are violent thugs loose on the streets, this is the sort of idiocy that brings the law into disrepute. The judge has made himself look an utter fool and has done nothing at all in the cause of justice. Clearly these two people were dishonest but the greatest harm they perpetrated was on their sons. I have no sympathy for the insurance company at all because, by definition, it is engaged in a process of long term, calculated but legalised fraud. How many years are the directors and regulators of Equitable Life looking at?
Prison is a place for those convicted of violence, not for sad people like the Darwins. How can the judge live with himself? What rationale can there be for this? I hope he has no connection with the insurance industry. He should have no further role in the judicial system.
Radovan, Robert and Omar
If they really have got Karadzic then tyrants and war criminals the world over should be shaking in their boots because we’re coming to get you all. There is no escape. Despite the evil and corruption that still exists in the world, is this not a breath of fresh and sweet air? Perhaps there is hope for mankind? Perhaps this does show that we are making progress.
The Banks, The OFT, Avarice and Evil
At last, some straight talking from the OFT about the way the Banks treat consumers. As if we didn’t know it already but there is no excuse for the way these evil institutions have been allowed to operate and there can be no more compromise or filibuster about the consequences for them. They behave as if they are above the law. They conduct themselves in ways which in any other context would be defined as theft and fraud. Whilst they throw people out of their homes, deny legitimate business the means to operate, they let their cocaine-fuelled gamblers take ludicrous risks on ridiculous schemes and all the time present themselves as the backbone of our financial system.
Christ’s rage in the temple is the precise analogy. It is time that we saw some of these silver haired, grey suited monsters in jail. Their depth of corruption and manipulation and creation of misery has no comparison. Right now the financial squeeze we are all suffering is entirely down to the incompetence of the banks in making lending decisions based only on the greed of individuals conspiring to create multi-million pound bonuses for themselves. They deny honest, hard-working people the means to progress or recover but there is no consequence for themselves when things go wrong.
Let us pray that the OFT follows through on this properly and brings to heel these out of control, rabid dogs.
Plod – the truth about our wonderful police force
I admit, I am not a 100% law abiding citizen. I park on yellow lines. I exceed the speed limit. I smoke weed. BUT I would describe myself as a strong supporter of the police. Any society has to have rules and that means there has to be someone to enforce them. I don’t envy the police in their responsibilities and I admire the way that many of them are fulfilled. If you’ve ever been in a traffic accident and seen the way they deal with such chaos amidst the confusion, fear and danger, you have to admire their training and focus. If you’ve ever lived in central London and experienced the little shits, wasters and a***holes who plague the streets then you have to admire their patience and persistence.
I think “institutional racism” was probably a fair criticism but then it was born out of the fact that the majority of street violence and crime was carried out by young black men – and still is. If I was a policeman I’d probably be “stopping and searching” more blacks than whites. It wouldn’t be my job to worry about the causes and the social whys and wherefores. My job would be to protect the public.
There is another institution in the police though and its been there for years. You can call it cynicism. You can understand it by realising that they see themselves, inevitably, as separated from the rest of us – on another side. You can appreciate how the ridiculous administrative load they are placed under grinds them down. BUT they can be their own worst enemies when they deal with people in a way that alienates and antagonises those that want to support them.
I had an experience with my local police in Havant recently that, at the end of the day, just makes me sad. It’s a leadership issue really and whilst I feel pretty sore at the rather stupid young policewoman who tried to stitch me up, I don’t really blame her. She’s a foot soldier, not gifted with huge intelligence and steeped in this destructive culture of “us and them”.
I had some property stolen from me in what you might call a “domestic” context. In fact it wasn’t mine. If it was I’d probably have let it go but I had to get it back and I had no option but to look to the police to do their job and enforce the law.
So, knowing all too well that if I telephoned it in or even went to the police station to report it, I’d just be brushed aside, I made a written complaint.
After two weeks I’d had no response at all so I managed (with extreme difficulty) to find an email address and sent a reminder. It took several further emails and a number of telephone calls before, nearly six weeks after my initial complaint, a crime reference number was allocated.
Another week later I attended at Havant police station to make a statement. I very much had the impression that the policewoman was just going through the motions and she was much more interested in any detail that would enable her to write the matter off as a “domestic” rather than deal with the real issue. I did say to her that I felt I was entitled to rely on the police to take action but I didn’t think that was unreasonable.
Nevertheless, she took my statement and was pleasant enough. She made some small talk and casually enquired how I had travelled to the police station and where I was parked.
As she showed me out of the police station we met two of her colleagues in the corridor who I held the door open for. I returned to my car, drove less than 25 yards from my parking space and was suddenly and violently intercepted by a police van driving across in front of me.
The two colleagues I had met in the police station emerged from the van and told me that they proposed to breathalyse me. They called another car in and I found myself on the pavement surrounded by four police officers being made to take a breath test – which I passed.
Draw your own conclusions. Mine are that I have no confidence in Havant police at all, in their bona fides, good intentions, integrity, intelligence or even common sense. I don’t blame the policewoman involved because she’s just a victim of the police culture that creates this sort of stupid, dumb, “us and them” culture.
In the higher echelons of the police force there are clearly some very clever people doing fantastic work on matters such as anti-terrorism and thank God they are. Amongst the footsoldiers, as well as the heroes and those who understand their role as a public servants, there are undoubtedly inadequate individuals who choose a uniform to bolster their own self image and who enjoy wielding authority that is beyond their ability.
It is a leadership issue. If you antagonise, offend, upset and deal shabbily with those you are supposed to “protect and serve” then where do you expect your support to come from?
The Africa Union and Mugabe
He should certainly have been arrested on sight and I could probably have been persuaded that he was shot while trying to escape. Nevertheless, The AU must condemn him in the strongest possible terms. Every step they take back from immediate arrest is a betrayal of their people. At least be clear in your judgement even if you have no courage for action.
The World Waits For Mandela
If Nelson Mandela cannot bring himself to condemn Mugabe this weekend at his birthday celebrations then he will have let us all down.
Although this is a heavy burden to place on any individual, Mandela has established himself as a moral authority and the moral authority in Africa.
We look to you as a hero and one of the few world leaders with inarguable integrity to bring down judgement on the head of this evil man. State the truth and the world will follow your lead
Assassination – a legitimate political tool?
If our actions in Afghanistan and Iraq are morally justified then now we should be mounting a special forces operation to assassinate Robert Mugabe
This man is evil to the core and is beyond any redemption or pardon. The people of Zimbabwe are relying on the international community to liberate them and surely this is the most effective way to do so with the least collateral damage.
Peter Reynolds 