As long term readers know, I love the Eurovision Song Contest. It is just so much fun and so resoundingly daft. Graham Norton’s comment last night, “it’s like the gay wedding I’ll never have”, summed it up rather well. We also learnt that Danish humour is impenetrable. Having once spent a week there living with Danish friends, I guess a country that seems to live on raw fish and raw eggs will forever shimmer beyond my comprehension. Like Hamlet’s mind – impossible to understand completely, but marvelous.
I was however saddened by the audience booing of the two young Russian girls. That was really nasty and unfair. They were scarcely more than children, for goodness sake. Putin is not their fault. That booing was an exhibition of racism; nothing else you can call it. If people wanted to make a point, they could have screamed for the Ukrainian girl – they didn’t have to boo the young Russians.
People always complain about political voting, but I think that’s half the fun. I always enjoy the voting far more than most of the singing. Last night, I think, was political voting in a wonderful way. It was a joyful expression of approval for the idea that human beings can and should be what they want to be. It wasn’t the first time either – I remember a similarly gender challenging singer from Israel winning some years ago. What was even better this year, was that another stereotype was also challenged, in that Conchita swept up much support from Eastern as well as Western Europe. Let it be said that she had a damn good song too.
We voted for the Polish girls. I thought the honesty of their approach was brilliant, and reminded me of so many happy days in Warsaw in my youth. Good to see women doing the washing too.*
All in all, great fun and a life-affirming evening. Now to clear away all the mess – why did I stick all those empty Prosecco bottles on the front garden railings?
*Private joke for my friends at Russia Today media (formerly trading as Indymedia).
Kelly,
I’m happy to take you at face value, i.e. you love Israel and are taking the opportunity provided by Craig’s blog to support it. If only all of Israel’s supporters were so straightforward. I hope my fellow Palestine supporters won’t waste this opportunity by bombarding you with gratuitous insults and accusations. Much better that you spend your time on this blog defending Israel’s actions than defending yourself.
Let me repeat Ba’al’s first question:
Do you think there is any kind of genuine desire on Israel’s part to achieve a fair settlement with the Palestinians?
John
I should have thought it went without saying that I am against gay-bashers of any sort, thuggish or not, wherever they may be carrying out their gay bashing.
You and your fellow Eminences have not been slow in condemning the fascists in Kiev: why do you get upset when others condemn the fascists in Moscow?
John Goss wrote…
“I’ve been looking into the ethical side of Russian banking and there does seem to be one, unlike the west.
http://psrcentre.org/images/extraimages/1412018.pdf”
Well you might want to look a little more carefully and elsewhere and not at the notorious PSR site which is nothing but a scam. Great if you want to send them your bank details in return for $10 billion dollars but not so good if you’re looking for valid academic research…
“You and your fellow Eminences have not been slow in condemning the fascists in Kiev: why do you get upset when others condemn the fascists in Moscow?”
I have made my views quite plain on this H.
http://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2014/05/world-domination/comment-page-3/#comment-456613
“Well you might want to look a little more carefully and elsewhere and not at the notorious PSR site which is nothing but a scam.”
A link or two might help. 🙂
This quote should be cut into a granite edifice;
“The scale of our indoctrination, wrote Harold Pinter, is a “brilliant, even witty, highly successful act of hypnosis”, as if the truth “never happened even while it was happening”.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article38498.htm
Could be interesting
Edward Snowden’s has almost completed the preparation of documents which are said to reveal Arab dictators’ “secrets” and their backdoor deals with the US administration.
Mr Scorgie
1/. “Habbabkuk (La vita è bella) !
14 May, 2014 – 1:27 pm
“It removes the power to cause the issuance of arrest warrants from the man in the street and puts it in the hands of the DPP.”
Wrong again Habbabkuk; it removes the issuance of arrest warrants from Judges and puts it in the hands of a politician appointed by the Prime Minister.
Habbabkuk, as I’m sure you know, the DPP (currently Alison Saunders, honoured for her role in bringing London rioters to “justice”) is appointed by the Attorney General (currently Dominic Grieve; a Tory MP) who in turn is appointed by the Prime Minister David Cameron (a Tory Zionist).
So Habbabkuk it is not the DPP that has the say in the matter of Tzipi Livni, but Dominic Grieve (her Tory boss).”
________________________
I’m afraid it is the Director of Public Prosecutions, Doug. You could try reading the new law itself, but it might be easier on you if you read the press release I reproduce below.
“The United Kingdom has ‘universal jurisdiction’ over a small number of serious offences, which means a person accused of committing these crimes in another country can be brought to justice in our courts.
Offences covered by universal jurisdiction include certain war crimes, torture and hostage-taking and, under UK law, anyone can apply to the courts for an arrest warrant to ensure those guilty of these crimes abroad face justice here.
New changes to the law in the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act will not affect this right and those accused of these grave crimes will still be brought to justice if there is sufficient evidence against them. However, as of today, the consent of the Director of Public Prosecutions will now be required before an arrest warrant is issued in universal jurisdiction cases brought by individuals.
This change to the law will ensure that the system is no longer open to abuse by people seeking warrants for grave crimes on the basis of scant evidence to make a political statement or to cause embarrassment.
Justice Secretary Kenneth Clarke said:
‘We are clear about our international obligations and these new changes to existing law will ensure the balance is struck between ensuring those who are accused of such heinous crimes do not escape justice and that universal jurisdiction cases are only proceeded with on the basis of solid evidence that is likely to lead to a successful prosecution.
‘These changes are essential to ensure we do not risk damaging our ability to help in conflict resolution or to pursue a coherent foreign policy.’
In the past, attempts have been made to obtain warrants to arrest visiting foreign dignitaries such as Henry Kissinger, Chinese Trade Minister Bo Xilai and Tzipi Livni, former Foreign Minister and now leader of the Opposition in Israel.
Notes to Editors
War crimes under the Geneva Conventions Act 1957, and a small number of other grave offences, are subject to universal jurisdiction. This enables prosecution to take place here even though the offence was committed outside the United Kingdom, and irrespective of nationality.
A private prosecution can be brought in universal jurisdiction cases. It is open to any individual to initiate criminal proceedings by applying to Westminster Magistrates Court for a summons or an arrest warrant.
The evidence required for the issue of a summons or warrant is far less onerous than that required by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) in determining whether a prosecution should go ahead. The court must simply be shown some information that an offence has been committed by the accused, and it does not need to decide that there is a realistic prospect of conviction.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
2/. “Habbabkuk (La vita è bella) !
14 May, 2014 – 1:23 pm
“…the issuance of arrest warrants for the alleged offences is a matter for the Director of Public Proecutions. The aim is to prevent trivial and/or vexatious action…”
Working with the Gaza-based Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR), the law firm [Hickman and Rose] requested the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to advise police to arrest Livni for suspected war crimes, and to liaise with the attorney general to approve criminal charges.
Raji Sourani, PCHR director, said he was very disappointed at the government’s decision given that a British judge decided in December 2009 that there WAS SUFFICIENT EVIDENCE to justify Livni’s arrest over the three-week Israeli military assault on Gaza.
So this case is in no way trivial and/or vexatious is it Habbabkuk?
_____________________
Firstly, I’d like a link to that British judge you mention. Can you supply?
Secondly, please refer to the press release from the Ministry of Justice I supplied and having done so, tell us more about the status of the “Gaza-based Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR)” which attempted to initiate proceedings, explaining at the same time why its status is more convincing than, for example, yours and why its attempt was not simply the kind of political stunt which the new law is designed to prevent.
3/. “Anyway Habbabkuk why should Livni not face a trial like anyone else accused of crime?”
_________________________
No reason at all, provided that – as in most other areas of criminal law (I say “most of” because there may be a few exceptions) – it is the the public authorities which have brought the charges and are thus doing the accusing.
To take the example from “domestic” law I’ve already given: should you – Mr Doug Scorgie, a private citizen – be able to bring a criminal charge of dangerous driving against someone who nearly ran you off the road?
*********************
But why am I taking so much time to educate someone who believes that Israel “has no right to exist”? Answers on a postcard, please. 🙂
Two good writers on Dissident Voice
On Nakba Day, Israelis Forced to Guiltily Confront a Secret
by Jonathan Cook / May 15th, 2014
For 66 years Israel’s founding generation has lived with the guilt of a secret, one it successfully concealed from the generations that followed. Forests were planted to hide war crimes. School textbooks mythologised the events surrounding Israel’s creation. The army was blindly venerated as the most moral in the world.
Once, “Nakba” – Arabic for “Catastrophe”, referring to the dispossession of the Palestinian homeland in 1948 – would have failed to register with any but a small number of Israeli Jews. Today, only those who never watch television or read a newspaper can plead ignorance.
As marches and festivals are held today by Palestinians across the region to mark Nakba Day – commemorating the expulsion of 750,000 Palestinians from their homes and the erasure of more than 500 villages – Israelis will be watching.
/..
http://dissidentvoice.org/2014/05/on-nakba-day-israelis-forced-to-guiltily-confront-a-secret/
~~~~
On Kosher Statistics
by Gilad Atzmon / May 14th, 2014
The Jewish ADL (Anti Defamation League) revealed this week that more than ‘one in four adults are ‘anti-Semitic.’
Of some 53,100 adults in 102 countries and territories around the world surveyed for the ADL Global 100: An Index of Anti-Semitism, 26% were found to be ‘deeply infected’ with ‘anti-Semitic attitudes.’
I find both the ADL and its polls quite amusing. Can you think of another people on this planet who so spend so much time and energy measuring how much they are loved or hated? Do the Brits measure how despised they are in Moldovia? Do the Palestinians question people all over the world to see how much they love those indigenous people of Palestine? Well, the Jews do and it’s for a reason. Abe Foxman, ADL’s National Director, must by now have grasped the immense destructive global power of Jewish politics, so naturally he wants to measure the reaction. But rather than reflecting on the results and then turning to his own people in the hope of re-educating them, Foxman always blames the rest of humanity. And why? Because in the Judeo-centric cosmos, the Jew is always innocent and the Goy is always to blame.
/..
http://dissidentvoice.org/2014/05/on-kosher-statistics/
FieldingGray 15 May, 2014 – 2:48 pm
OK, forget the research, I’ll settle for the $10 billion dollars. Where do I send my bank details?
Let me repeat Ba’al’s first question: Well, thanks for trying, A Node.
In that context, Poju Zabludowicz, Cameron’s financial backer for the Tory leadership in 2005, major funder of BICOM and general all-round Israeli good egg*, remarked:
We have learnt over the last 10 years… that the key to creating a more supportive environment for Israel in Britain is convincing people in this country that Israel seeks a lasting peace… As long as this argument remains credible then people will generally forgive mistakes and difficulties even if peace continues to be elusive’,
Mind you, as this line becomes more widely recognised, the best bet is to shut up completely. And pile on the emotion as a “regular guy” instead.
*Not to mention being Liam Fox’s fairy godfather –
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/defence/8826133/Adam-Werritty-Liam-Foxs-friend-bankrolled-by-corporate-intelligence-firm-and-Israel-lobbyist.html
Memories.
Pro-Israel activists can use the ‘plain folks’ technique by speaking as a ‘person from the street’ whilst supporting Israel. The ‘average guy in the street’ would happily condemn terrorism in all its forms and support ‘Western ideals’. In the context of a debate on the Middle East, this can easily be equated with support for Israel.
(The Hasbara Handbook – here: http://www.middle-east-info.org/take/wujshasbara.pdf -Page25)
Honorary Patrons
Professor David Bellamy OBE
The Rt Hon Tony Blair
The Rt Hon Gordon Brown MP
The Rt Hon Lady Cosgrove CBE
Rabbi Dr Abraham Levy OBE
The Prime Minister of Israel
The President of Israel
Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis
Rabbi Lord Sacks
Lord Weidenfeld
Rev Malcolm Weisman OBE
The Rt Hon Lord Howard QC
HE The Ambassador of Israel Daniel Taub
General The Lord Guthrie of Craigiebank GCB LVO OBE
Will they all be there tonight for the £50 a head Livni bash?
http://www.jnf.co.uk/about-the-jnf/executive-board/
http://www.palestinecampaign.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/livni-graphic.jpg
Mary (16h12)
I thought that Craig recently invited contributors to give links ONLY in support of arguments and comments (I think he said something along the lines of not wanting to see his blog become a rubbish tip for links)?
Where, then, is your argument/comment, Mary?
I feel you should respect our host’s requests, lest you too become a mere Insolent Squatter….
From Squonk’s blog
“Yes Macky I have. Brilliant man.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Rovics
I will listen later as I have to go out. Have been dealing with a new wind up merchant on CM. Remember her coming on to CM all sweetness and light? How she loved CM’s blog or somesuch. I would love to know who employs her. Habbabkuk will carry this back to CM no doubt. All there for a purpose and Livni’s visit has brought Hasbara into action..”
_____________________
Happy to follow your advice, Mary.
I think you should accuse Kelly ben Maimom to her face, don’t you?
For the attention of the lady who ‘loves Israel’.
Q If she loves it so much, a suggestion. How about making aliyah to one of the settlements built on stolen Palestinian land?
Last December, the advocacy group the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel (PCATI) revealed that Israeli authorities had locked Palestinian children in outdoor cages during a severe winter storm.
Children describe torture in Israeli solitary confinement.
Israeli occupation forces try to arrest a Palestinian during a demonstration against the separation wall built in the West Bank village of al-Maasara, 9 November 2012. (Oren Ziv / ActiveStills)
A rising proportion of Palestinian children arrested by Israeli occupation forces are subjected to solitary confinement, harsh interrogations and ill-treatment amounting to torture, according to a report published today by Defence for Children International-Palestine Section (DCI-Palestine).
“In 21.4 percent of cases recorded by DCI-Palestine in 2013, children detained in the Israeli military detention system reported undergoing solitary confinement as part of the interrogation process. This represents an increase of two percent from 2012,” a press release accompanying the report states.
DCI-Palestine collected 98 sworn affidavits from Palestinian children aged 12 to 17 in 2013. The disturbing findings in the report are based on 40 solitary confinement cases documented in 2013.
/..
http://desertpeace.wordpress.com/2014/05/13/israel-wins-the-torture-the-children-award/
Sadly there are two fewer Palestinians in the world. Killed by the IDF’s live fire.
Two Palestinians shot dead by Israeli troops in West Bank
Clashes erupted near army checkpoint after youths threw stones at Israeli forces on Nakba anniversary
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/may/15/palestinians-shot-dead-israel-west-bank
Not only the Palestinians. The Bedouin people are getting the same treatment or worse.
‘Since July 2010 the Bedouin village of Al Araqib in the Negev desert has been demolished 68 times, writes Silvia Boarini. Many have fled but those that remain are determined to stand their ground: ‘They can demolish us 100 times, but we’re not going anywhere.”
http://www.theecologist.org/News/news_analysis/2393602/israels_bedouin_citizens_unrecognized_in_the_negev.html
Kelly, you’re standing in elections is far more than the majority here ever has done, so good on you whatever party political club you prosrtated yourself for.
I see nothing has happened in the world since the big gay wedding, maybe pop by in two weeks see whether that cheese has rolled down the hill, finally
Mary
No one on this blog – I hope, at least – enjoys hearing of the mistreatment of children, whether in the West Bank, Nigeria, Pakistan, even in the UK.
And a question in that context : is it compulsory for Palestinian children/youths (knowing the risks by now) to engage in stone throwing?
Habbabkuk (La vita è bella) !
15 May, 2014 – 4:36 pm
“I thought that Craig recently invited contributors to give links ONLY in support of arguments and comments (I think he said something along the lines of not wanting to see his blog become a rubbish tip for links)?”
I don’t think Craig said that Habbabkuk, have you got a link?
Habbabkuk (La vita è bella) !
15 May, 2014 – 6:36 pm
“…is it compulsory for Palestinian children/youths (knowing the risks by now) to engage in stone throwing?”
So, as expected, no sympathy from you Habbabkuk for the deaths of two Palestinian teenagers
I wonder what you (and the MSM) would say if two Jewish teenagers were shot dead while throwing stones at Palestinian police officers for example.
Watching the IDF thugs in action and reading that heartless remark make my blood run cold.
http://bcove.me/foyr2wcq
Two Palestinians killed at Nakba Day protest in West Bank
Two youth killed in violent clashes as thousands mark Nakba Day, 11 injured; Palestinian sources say they were shot by Border Police.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/1.590861
Russia dong it’s best to destroy Petrodollar. This is the 2nd ‘dump’ of treasuries picked up by a strange entity in Belgium…Poirot?
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-05-15/russia-dumps-20-its-treasury-holdings-mystery-belgium-buyer-adds-another-whopping-40
S/be Watching the IDF thugs in action and reading that heartless remark makes my blood run cold.
~~~~
Doug I think they are all listening to Ms Livni so silence reigns.
$200 Billion is nearly half of Belgium’s GDP. I smell a dirty rat.
http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=Belgium+GDP&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8
Russia ‘dong’ (Freudian slip) should be ‘doing’.
Ben at 9:01 pm. My guess would be that the US is buying petrodollars itself by proxy through Belgium. Who else would buy dead dollars to prop up a bust economy, except perhaps the bust economy to keep confidence in the market. Russia dumping makes it look pretty certain that following the meeting in China next week Russia will announce all petroleum trade in Roubles, as was hinted at yesterday in TASS. Another initiative, which was probably learnt through the Illegal government banks not allowing people in the independent east of Ukraine to withdraw money through cashpoints, is that Russia is developing its own technology in case Visa and Delta stop operating. Everybody should prepare for bad times ahead. It is why, in my opinion, NATO is prosecuting its wars all over the world.
Apologies for not having much interest in this website anymore. And is not because of you Mary, whether you are a computer generated blurb, or multipule personality of another human being. Also, please don’t credit yourself with getting my name, I was open amd honest about who I was from the start. So, this will be my final post. Would have responded back to every question, knowing the kind of person I am.
A childhood friend of over forty years died unexpectently this evening. Have fond memories of our first encounter fighting in nursery, which pretty much carried on through primary and secondary school. He was a brilliant mathematician, whereas I was thick as two planks, to the extent of getting unclassified! Remember his frustration at trying to get me to imagine numbers, but I just didn’t see it, much to his frustration. At least we watched A Beautiful Mind together and laughed at the memories we shared. One included, a crowd of us going camping in Wales and they sent me to milk the cow. Little did I know it was a bull. They soon heard when I came screaming down the hill with the angry beast in toe. Thankfully, we managed to escape by jumping in a tree. We all sat there for hours, petrified as the car was on the other side of the field.
On speaking to his wonderful wife, earlier came to the conclusion, that life/time was previous and to use it wisely. Thst is whst he eould want us to do. Made me think about that wonderful young soul who died of bowel cancer, had a bucket list and wanted to raise 10k. His mother posted an inspiring message.
What I will take from here is comments made by John Goss, Mark Golding and Ian McComb and a few others, who come over as sensible, fair and had the uncanny ability of making me think, to the extent that I will change. And that is because of the clever way they argue their points of view.
Will follow comments you make on your website John and will get others to take a look. So if you get an influx, it is because some of the good people in London are taking a look. Will ask each person to recommend 10 further individuals. That is one way of growing and engaging. Thanks for your advice.
Goodnight,
Kelly Rebekah ben Maimon