I was invited to be on the Murnaghan programme on Sky News this morning – which I always find a great deal more intelligent than the Andrew Marr alternative on the BBC. I declined because I did not want to get up and get a 7.30am train from Ramsgate on a Sunday morning. I had a meeting until 11.30pm last night planning a conference on human rights in Balochistan [I still tend to say Baluchistan], and I have a newly crowned tooth that seems not to want to settle down. But I am still worried by my own lack of energy, which is uncharacteristic. Is this old age?
I also have some serious work to do on my Burnes book, and next week I shall be staying in London to be in the British Library reading room for every second of its opening hours. So there may be a bit of a posting hiatus. I have in mind a short post on an important subject on which I suspect that 99% of my readership – including the regular dissident commenters – will strongly disagree with me.
This is a peculiarly introspective post, perhaps because my tooth is hurting, but I seem to have this curmudgeonly spirit which wishes to react to the huge popularity of this blog by posting something genuinely held but unpopular; a genuine view but one I don’t normally trumpet. The base thought seems to be “You wouldn’t like me if you really knew me”.
Similarly when I wrote Murder in Samarkand I was being hailed as a hero by quite a lot of people for my refusal to go along with the whole neo-con disaster of illegal wars, extraordinary rendition and severe attacks on civil liberties, sacrificing my fast track diplomatic career as a result. My reaction to putative hero worship was to publish in Murder in Samarkand not just the political facts, but an exposure of my own worst and most unpleasant behaviour in my private life.
I am in a very poor position to judge, but I believe the result rather by accident turned out artistically compelling, if you don’t want to read the book you can get a good idea of that by clicking on David Tennant in the top right of this blog and listening to him playing me in David Hare’s radio adaptation.
Anyway, that’s enough musing. You won’t like my next post, whenever it comes. Promise.
John, at 12.04pm
Indeed I did, and indeed I have š
Pro-democracy campaigner to receive the US Congressional Gold Medalā¦square those two propositions if you can! šÆ
Eh, easily as long as your not infused with a myopic hatred of every thing American. Pro democracy campaigner accepting award from democracy shock. How hideous to call her a ‘sell out’ for merely not acting in the exact way you deem to be ‘acceptable’. Laughable doesn’t do it justice.
Craig is about to tell us he has a secret crush on Anne Widdecombe. Come on, let it out, we’re all friends here.
Well said Arbed and John Goss, Ideally she should resign/be resigned first, because she is unfit to judge or sit on this case she handled so miserably.
She should be interviewed as to her deliberations, who she had contact with, in Sweden as well as her British contacts, what was talked about and what influences these talks had on her deliberations,etc.
Her failure has left three people in legal limbo and the case should/will be dismissed outright. But is that what we want? will dismissal not wipe everything under the carpet? One would want the socialist party’s evil manipulation of the judiciary and its crappy system exposed, as well as their connections to Rove and what was planned for Julian. Who knows what Wikileaks has on his case….;)
Thanks Arbed and all others.
There is a separate thread for all Karl Rove and ‘evil manipulation of judiciary’ nonsense. Good golly, the Cult of Assange are on form today.
Ah yes Nevermind – this 1% government is ‘banking’ on most folk being forced to choose the exception, a ‘budgeting portal’ – a nice little top-up for the handshakers expenses pot – on top of travelling, food, entertainment expenses and lost income from the revised ‘upkeep’ second property rules.
Anyone here has any views on the Bank of International Settlements?
Are you aware that BIS representatives are subject to a comprehensive immunity that is above and beyond that of diplomatic immunity?
In your views;
What is role of this organisation in pushing the QE (printing money like it is going out of fashion) across the globe that further impoverishes the developing countries, by effectively transferring their wealth into US and satellite countries?
Some of the UK’s and Amerika’s ‘democracy’ here. They can liberate you from your arms.
Warning. http://www.uruknet.info/?p=44102
Anthony Charles Lynton Blair due on trial in the Hague
The young man is getting married soon. Best wishes to him and his wife to be. Bush and Blair (winner of the Congressional Medal) are not invited.
{http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2203977/Joy-Iraq-war-orphan-lost-arms-bombing-raid-plans-wedding-childhood-friend.html}
Attempts to comments have been frustrated. A fix. Read some of the hateful ones, i.e. full of hate.
Best wishes too – wonderful report Mary thank-you.
I know you very well, even then, I still like you LOL…
Mary
This image haunts me to date
Note, the little boy taking his shoes off and setting them in order, as a mark of respect to his father, and the ground that he is sitting on; shackled and hooded. The is the fucking liberation and democracy the neocon way. How can their God ever forgive them?
Democracy has an inherent problem. Even a dysfunctional democracy like that of the UK applies some feedback internally, ie. within the UK. But the effects of foreign policy fall upon people who are outside the feedback loop.
Passerby – some light reading wrt BIS here:
https://s2-eu3.startpage.com/do/search?cmd=process_search&pid=b9638ea555df0e8d35949db3bc01f0ea
Hi Mary,
You seem to labouring under a misapprehension that a nations involvement in conflicts and wars are directly related to that nations democratic credentials. Thankfully the people of the US, UK, and other functioning democracies can remove their leaders if they are unhappy with their decisions, a luxury not afforded to residents of Syria, Iran, and many other truly undemocratic states around the world.
If anything US history teaches us the folly of adopting the ‘my enemies enemy is my friend’ approach, and it is something those of us on the left should be extremely wary of.
In the wake of the recent Hillsborough case I’ve decided to blog on Judge John Deed and other retiring judges, about how a judge is used to chair an inquiry or pass judgement in contentious cases, just before that judge retires.
http://johngossip.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/judge-john-deed-and-other-old-retiring.html
Hi Clark,
I’m slightly confused by your last post. Are you claiming all UK voters are ignorant of our foreign policy or just that they don’t care enough to apply any ‘feedback’?
Democracy has many inherent problems, but it still remains the least worst method of governing a country.
” You wonāt like my next post, whenever it comes. Promise.”
He’s ‘coming out’.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_9w8JougLQ
“Thankfully the people of the US, UK, and other functioning democracies can remove their leaders if they are unhappy with their decisions”
In the UK we can when said leaders deign to call an election. It appears to have escaped you that when it comes to matters of defence and foreign affairs all the main parties have virtually identical policies and, as a consequence, these matters are no longer under effective demcratic control.
In Iran people can remove/elect their president and parliament every 4 years but defence and foreign affairs are under the control of the Supreme Guide and his advisers. You call this “truly undemocratic” yet it is not dissimilar to the situation here.
Scouse Billy
The private search engine has swallowed the search term, can you write out the search term for me to search it independently?
MJ you are so brave, he’s been clambering for someone to talk to.
The attack on the German embassy in the Sudanese capital Khartoum is most likely the response to demonstrations in Berlin in front of a mosque. A new outfit calling themselves Pro Deutschland. They want to screen the film under the expression of art and freedom of opinion and they have powerful friends in high positions, still.
http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/berlin-worried-anti-islam-protest-may-have-provoked-embassy-attack-a-856211.html
Hi Passerby try “Bank of Int…”
here:
http://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/search.htm
“I had a meeting until 11.30pm last night planning a conference on human rights in Balochistan”
.
interestingly the USA is also upping the anti and continues to fund/arm and protect the likes of the BLA (also Indian and UK involvement)against the Pakistan government.
.
these ISAF/India backed terrorists have been reactivated in 2006 (a lot of things happened from that date in Afghanistan and Mid East – some of the outcomes we see today)and with the USA seeking a bill through congress to authorise support and intervention from earlier this year very much like the Ssyria Act that has facilitated the current terrorist actions in Syria.
.
thats of course to say that there arent human rights issues, but then we have human rights issues in the UK too ..
CE You seem to labouring under a misapprehension that we have such a thing as a democracy. One gangster-in-charge is replaced by another every five years or less.
PS I knew that my posting that link would produce that sort of response. Do you have a heart? What do you actually think when you see a photograph of Ali Abbas or one of the other hundreds of thousands similarly wounded?
At the moment Hammond is on his feet attenpting to defend our presence in Afghanistan and blaming all the recent deaths of British military on the ‘insurgents’, aka militants. We are there to make ‘our country safe and secure’. Where have we heard that before?
On the BBC we have Paul Wood (with a tragic voice) producing the blackest propaganda ‘in’ Aleppo. 7.35 am on Radio 4 Today, complete with a sound track of all possible explosive material. The ‘Rebels’ are even rescuing the little ones according to him. He finished with a story of a shabiha (thug) who confessed to being instructed to abduct and rape.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/b006qj9z/console
They have done Afghanistan, they have done Iraq, they have done Libya and now they are doing Syria.
To finish, they even had the man himself on.
Tony Blair: Middle East film protests ‘dangerous and wrong’
Protests have gripped the Middle East and the wider Muslim world in response to a film deemed insulting to Islam.
Tony Blair, the former prime minister and currently Middle East “quartet” representative, dismissed the film as a “laughable piece of filmmaking” but said the reaction is “very dangerous and very wrong”.
He told the Today programme that there is a struggle in the region between the forces of modernisation “and these very powerful forces of reaction based on a perverted view of religion”.
“The great debate in the world at the moment is between the open-minded and the close-minded,” he said, and believed that the open-minded will win the debate.
On Syria, Mr Blair said it “would be very tragic if we lost sight of what is happening” and called for a “ramping up” of the effort in the country.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_9752000/9752364.stm
13 mins. I couldn’t and didn’t listen. I see he wants some ‘ramping up’ in Syria. A bastard with bloody hands.
Mary
Tony Blair, the former prime minister and currently Middle East āquartetā representative, dismissed the film as a ālaughable piece of filmmakingā but said the reaction is āvery dangerous and very wrongā.
He told the Today programme that there is a struggle in the region between the forces of modernisation āand these very powerful forces of reaction based on a perverted view of religionā.
That slimy little wanker has proved his loyalty to ziofuckwits time and again, on one hand he is dismissing a blatant attempt of the lunatics in the shitty strip of land (the film) who are plotting to change the “electoral” outcomes in US, ie get more concessions out of Obama. On the the other he is pontificating that the natural angry reaction of Muslims is “wrong and very dangerous”.
He then reverts back to type pontificating about the powerful forces of reaction, this bit is his favourite sound bite, he used to say this in his party conformances (some mistakenly call these conferences) too!
Fact that citizen Blair, as he is now, is no longer of any consequence and he has no “electoral” or “governmental” mandate/appointment (his appointment by the EU is to oversee the distribution of the Palestinians funds) of any sorts, somehow does not get in the way of his pontifications. The sense of entitlement he is so displaying is the result of him getting a ride on the coat tails of the plutocrats and feel as though he is still of any relevance.
That bastard should be in Hague answering questions as the rest of the rouge bastards whom have committed war crimes and crimes against peace, and not be given a platform to spew his same old same old crap.
“by posting something genuinely held but unpopular; a genuine view but one I donāt normally trumpet. The base thought seems to be āYou wouldnāt like me if you really knew meā.”
Sounds like Craig is going to post about an opinion he holds, rather than something to do with his behaviour?
Meanwhile, here’s Glenn Greenwald on the subject of:
“Conservatives, Democrats and the convenience of denouncing free speech”
‘Westerners love to decry censorship aimed at them by Muslims while ignoring the extreme censorship they impose on them’
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/sep/16/conservatives-democrats-free-speech-muslims
Anyone know anything about ‘Somali-born Dutch AEI scholar’ Ayaan Hirsi Ali?
thinkprogress.org/security/2012/09/17/857611/newsweek-muslim-rage-islamophobic
“In a speech back in May, Hirsi Ali expressed sympathy for one of the justifications for Norwegian anti-Muslim terrorist Anders Breivikās attacks, explaining that Breivik said āhe had no other choice but to use violenceā because his fringe views were ācensored.ā Breivik was convicted of mass murder last month, which he admitted to perpetuating in order to save Europe from a āMuslim takeover.ā
“Hirsi Ali has previously said that ‘Islam is a cult’, ‘there is no moderate Islam’, and that ‘we are at war with Islam’.ā
Some people here have mentioned the Qur’an as if its contents define what it means to be a true Muslim.
English translation of the Qur’an –Ā
http://www.dar-us-salam.com/TheNobleQuran/index.html
It has a lot to say about Jews, Christians and Disbelievers (me).
O/T – The facts – not controlled propaganda…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXoLqOrGgAM