I am sorry there have been so few posts lately. I am terrifically busy. Yesterday I was up before dawn and back after midnight, having spent the day in Wales. Regular readers will realise that I am working on something I shan’t be able to blog about until it has come to fruition. I was most amused recently by a commenter who called me an “armchair critic.” I shall be in Germany, Brazil, Afghanistan and Ghana in the next two months.
Also I continue to dig into the extraordinary case of Adam Werritty and just why he was holding all those meetings with Matthew Gould, while Gould was Private Secretary to Miliband and then while he was Private Secretary to Hague, and then while he was UK Ambassador to Israel. I have new information, but as I am working on it with someone else quasi-mainstream I shan’t break it before they do. It is a story that really ought to be a television documentary, but given the mainstream media blackout, I was considering whether a podcast format might be a good way to get it further out there. But I need someone who can film it in a reasonably professional way, cutting in pictures, document extracts and interviews in a manner that looks good.
Any ideas or volunteers out there?
“Louis Slotin:”
I suspect this is one of the most barbaric ways to die; worse than drawing/quartering or fire.
link…..for Clark….http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/israel-iran-still-mulling-whether-to-build-nuclear-bomb-1.407866
The bad intel is my speculation…
Mary,
These latest batch of sanctions were not secret, and were known about in advance. This line; Lenders suspended about $1 billion of uncommitted credit lines in December and denied access to a further $1.05 billion of committed loans this month. Is the tell all.
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The last three weeks have been spent in a holding pattern and the axe then falls with the allocated and cleared funds “committed loans” getting pulled, upon the policy announcement.
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The very public casualty of the wrong foreign policy and no one is hinting at it. The extent of the departure from sanity seems to be unbounded.
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However, do any of the sponsors of Fox Werrity Gould, have refinery interests? Ought to be the next question that is asked.
Ben, Iran is not a great threat to anyone; the US is a major threat to Iran. Yes, Iran’s internal power structures leave much to be desired. My personal belief is that Iran will continue to improve so long as no one interferes. It already has improved since the Ayatollahs; that’s pretty fast improvement in the time-scale of national development. The former, more functional Iranian democracy still exists in living memory; it would be a tragedy to eclipse that memory with a war.
Sorry, I should clarify. I wrote: “Iran is not a great threat to anyone; the US is a major threat to Iran”. My point is that it doesn’t matter much if Iran negotiates in poor faith because Iran is not hugely powerful. The worst outcomes of a breach of faith by Iran would be far less damaging than either a war or an oil embargo.
“Tony12 are you responsible for the noisy campaign of TonyOPMOC drunken spleen posts? – His help would likely not be free – of more creepily unrestrained woozey ramblings.”
No. Too busy working most of the time. I am a much more simple soul. We do classical music videos, documentaries and interviews – mainly for the internet so we have the right codecs for delivering content, not just for broadcasting or making DVDs.
” My personal belief is that Iran will continue to improve so long as no one interferes”
Is the opposition still functioning? I read reports that even amongst that group there is some Nationalism closing ranks behind the Ayatollahs as they grapple with the US.
House demolition (for the fifth time) has just taken place in north east Jerusalem along with virtual ethnic cleansing.
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http://www.icahd.org/?p=8107
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» News » ICAHD Peace Center ‘Beit Arabiya’ Demolished for the Fifth Time
January 24th, 2012
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Israeli authorities demolished Beit Arabiya (“Arabiya’s House”) last night (Monday, January 23rd) for the fifth time, along with structures in the East Anata Bedouin compound. Beit Arabiya, Located in the West Bank town of Anata (Area C) just to the northeast of Jerusalem, is a living symbol of resistance to Occupation and the desire for justice and peace.
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As its name suggests, Beit Arabiya is a home belonging to Arabiya Shawamreh, her husband Salim and their seven children, a Palestinian family whose home has been demolished four times by the Israeli authorities and rebuilt each time by ICAHD’s Palestinian, Israeli and international peace activists, before being demolished again last night.
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At around 11p.m. Monday, a bulldozer accompanied by a contingent of heavily armed Israeli soldiers appeared on the Anata hills, to promptly demolish Beit Arabiya, along with residential and agricultural structures in the nearby Arab al-Jahalin Bedouin compound. 3 family homes were demolished along with numerous animal pans, and 20 people including young children were displaced, left exposed to the harsh desert environment. While standing in solidarity with Palestinians, ICAHD staff and activists were repeatedly threatened by Israeli soldieries. ICAHD Co-Director Itay Epshtain was beaten and sustained minor injuries.
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“My point is that it doesn’t matter much if Iran negotiates in poor faith because Iran is not hugely powerful. ”
That’s is not the perception, and as you know, perception is everything. My point is; if they want pressure off, there are steps they can take to defuse criticism.
Ben wrote: “there is some Nationalism closing ranks behind the Ayatollahs as they grapple with the US”.
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This is exactly the point Azra made earlier, that the threats against Iran are rallying support for the current leadership, the exact opposite of declared intentions.
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“Is the opposition still functioning?”: Well, the individual opposition leaders are presumably being hindered and suppressed. However, such progressive opposition was far more brutally suppressed under the Ayatollahs, but it survived and reasserted itself. No one can eliminate the urge to freedom.
Ben, what steps? Doesn’t Iran have an energy shortage? If they give up enriching uranium they have no hope of energy security.
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As for perception, the West doesn’t have to tolerate corporate spin, misinformation and sensationalism in its media. Just publicising the CIA’s assessment of Iran’s nuclear programme would help to calm public opinion about Iran.
“if they want pressure off, there are steps they can take to defuse criticism.”
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Yeah bend over and open wide.
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This is the dialogue of the deaf, the dumb, and the mute.
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So far as your reference to “opposition” meaning bough and paid for foreign assets go, there is trouble at the mill and none of the so called “opposition” are in any position to deliver the goods that they promised these will to their foreign sponsors. Surely you ought to know about the conversation during which the illustrious member of the “opposition” declared; go for even more biting sanctions! alas the same guy, now is on the run, and his corrupt family members are getting tried for all manner of misappropriation of the public funds in their care.
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We all know that Iran does not have a military nuclear program, hence the pantomime cry; “oh, no Iran does have”. We also can recall the day after the DPRK detonating their first Nuke and the neoconservatives declaring in chorus: “on no they don’t”, “how can a device sitting in barn pose a threat?”, “how can DPRK get their device (not bombs) airborne”, “How can DPRK device be compared with our nuclear arsenal?”
“Ben, what steps?”
Unencumbered elections this March. (see comment above)
Ben Franklin,
No more, if you wan it you best pay for it properly mate!
Same goes for Russia and guess what Syria too. (how is it going there?)
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No more jean sharpery and invasions without occupation on the cheap.
“Unencumbered elections this March.”
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That’s no business of the United States.
As I posted on the Afghan Farce thread:
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“Panetta admits Iran not developing nukes”
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/01/09/panetta-admits-iran-not-developing-nukes/
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“Israel: No Iranian Nuclear Weapons Program. Barak: Any decision to Strike Iran ‘Far off’.”
{http://www.juancole.com/2012/01/israel-no-iranian-nuclear-weapons-program-barak-any-decision-to-strike-iran-far-off.html}
Quite ‘Anon’ – I have spent some time investigating Latakia and the city’s impoverished districts of al-Ramel, al-Shaab and Ein Tamra. Al-Ramel is home to a crowded Palestinian refugee camp where many low-income Syrians also live. Reports of shelling from government tanks, anti-aircraft fire against civilians and an off shore bombardment by naval guns was reported by Western media and some Arabic news agencies. Indeed the refugee camp in Al-Ramel was under fire from government forces having been infiltrated by armed terrorist gangs according to the SANA news agency. Does that tactic ring any bells with anyone?
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Sadly Western media has been playing games in its coverage about Syria. For the first few months, that same media insisted (against claims to the contrary by the repressive regime) that the Syrian uprising was peaceful: that is, it was part of the touted “Arab spring.”
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Western media insisted that all claims about armed elements of the opposition were mere fabrications by the regime. Yet, when an opposition “army” was announced, and when news of armed clashes in Homs and other places appeared, there were no explanations in the Western press. There was no attempt to reconcile the claims and the later reportage.
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But what is also curious is that Western media was desperate to deliver propaganda services to the cause of the Syrian National Council (there is opposition in Syria beyond the council, of course). Western media have been mere cheerleaders for the Syrian National Council. (This criticisms also applies to the news media of the Saudi and Qatari ruling dynasties).
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Anon – I agree some atrocities have occurred in Syria; urban warfare is very tricky and civilians are difficult to distinguish from combatants such as armed militia and gangs. Libya however has exposed the West’s modus operandi of divide and rule after NATO intervention ie sanctions, no-fly zones and air bombardment that murder thousands of civilians indescriminately.
“if they want pressure off, there are steps they can take to defuse criticism.”
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Perhaps Iran should start criticising the fake presidential elections in the United States? Americans don’t elect the president. He is bought and paid for.
Ben wrote: “Unencumbered elections this March”.
(1) If Ben and Azra are right, and sanctions have rallied support behind the current rulers, an election might not change the power balance much.
(2) If a new government got in, they’d most likely continue uranium enrichment, so the pressure from the US would continue.
(3) Iran has been changing pretty fast, but March is only two months away; this is expecting too much.
(4) A US attack because of Iran’s internal voting arrangements? Utterly disproportionate and unconscionable.
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Actually, I’ve thought of a step Iran could take myself: they could start developing LFTRs – Liquid Fluorine Thorium Reactors – which don’t have to produce plutonium in operation. Well, it’s not a very practical idea. Iran needs energy now; LFTR development wouldn’t solve that problem.
Perhaps I should also quote Ben Franklin from the Afghan Farce thread:
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“The public doesn’t understand about Petrodollars, and probably doesn’t care. Therefore, a cover story must be created. They DO understand fear of nukes, so there you have it.”
Clark,
Iran’s nuclear energy program is peaceful and the strict regime of IAEA inspections has verified thus. Fact that luminaries such as self promoting “David Albright”, cast doubts even on their own creature (IAEA) is an all too apparent push for aggression and war. This fact is glaringly set out in Gordon Prather the genuine nuclear physicist’s publications
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The issue of Iran’s nuclear program is a hook for the current wannabe Hegemons to hang their aggressive mitts on.
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The insanity of the all or bust theory of the US is akin to the Hitler WWII attitude, and as Chinese people daily (very orthodox communist party publication) declares is making Russia and China nervous.
Clark;
Fair elections don’t have certain outcomes. If the electorate ‘chooses’ to keep the power structure intact, and it is through a viable electoral process, then it is good faith. Let the chips fall where they may…
“4) A US attack because of Iran’s internal voting arrangements? Utterly disproportionate and unconscionable.”
This is a stupid conclusion to make in light of this current discussion. I suggested ‘good faith’ by Iran might include fair elections allowing the opposition to freely participate. You have completely
fucked that idea up by suggesting I would support an attack if such elections were not forthcoming. Or did you just go ‘barmy’ again? Need to clarify?
Fedup; Iran Proxy? Hezbollah is calling on line 3…
So, Benny, what do you want Iran to negotiate in good faith ABOUT?
Hezbollah is calling on line 3,
yeah they kicked the ziofuckwits butt to kingdom come, you still soar aren’t you?
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You really have no fucking Idea that people of the world cannot be pushed around for ever, do you?
Hello? Ben?
Read my comments from 11:14 pm onwards, and then tell me what you want Iran to negotiate in good faith ABOUT.
I’d really like to know.
“yeah they kicked the ziofuckwits butt to kingdom come, you still soar aren’t you?”
You sound anti-semitic.
You sound anti-semitic.
Who the fuck are you to say that, and why the fuck do you say it, and what fucking relevance does it have with the price of eggs in the farm yard, and who are Semites again?
Ben: “by suggesting I would support an attack if such elections were not forthcoming”… sorry, I saw that such an interpretation was possible, but ignored it in interest of brevity.
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Fedup, NO conventional nuclear power programme can safely be regarded as entirely for peaceful purposes, as conventional reactors inevitably produce plutonium. This fact illustrates the lie that pressure on Iran is to halt its uranium enrichment programme, and if they just get their enriched uranium from another country the pressure will stop. Well, it might stop for three years or so, until Iran removes its first “spent fuel” from its reactors, but that spent fuel will contain plutonium, which is a bigger proliferation problem than enriched uranium.
NO more jean sharpery, end of. Now piss off.
Goodness, you do run fast, Ben.