Honoured to give the keynote speech at Amnesty’s conference on torture in London yesterday. Then dashed back to Edinburgh for a very romantic evening with Nadira – and Cameron!
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You still buy into crap like valentines day?
Women demand it Phil…..How much work is a bunch of flowers and a little romance?
Donny Darko @12:45pm
“women demand it”;
You must know some stupid women.
Why do we need a special day to be romantic, or just mutually acceptive of/to each other?
Just as Habbabkuk, the smooth talking saint of St. Windup, Valentinus origins are clouded and interfered with by many editors wanting to have a go at writing about a popular subject, ending up in a hotch potch of all sorts, pick and choose as you fancy explanation.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valentine%27s_Day
Great to hear you spoke in front of amnesty’s conference, Craig, how many people attended? was there a video made, or was it mostly old grounds you covered?
Don’t blame Craig for mentioning Valentine’s Day as most critics expect it if you make any comments today about crap going on daily, like man-made provocations, earthquakes and weather modification.
Sill like to know what Craig did with Cameron!
Trowbridge, I think Cameron is one of Craig’s unfortunately-named relatives not the prime minister. 🙂
Aw, shucks, John.
Thought it might be hearing out the PM on any provocative use of free speech, like shouting out fire in a theater, or hearing out any religious loony in a crowded cafe.
“You still buy into crap like valentines day?”
You have obviously never seen International Womens Day (March 8th) a day that Homo soveticus would ignore at his peril.
“You still buy into crap like valentines day?”
You have obviously never seen International Womens Day (March 8th) in Russia a day that Homo soveticus would ignore at his peril.
“Honoured to give the keynote speech at Amnesty’s conference on torture in London”
————————
Is there a lot of torturing going on in London? says I tongue in cheek.
Mind you Craig reading a recent article about the Mayor of London Boris Johnson, I was squirming in torture like state, when he said, he’d remain mayor until 2016, then possibly seek a cabinet position as a minister without portfolio.
Speaking of useless lazy minsters without portfolio, Ken Clarke has been very quiet recently.
I’m pretty sure Craig there’s an Amnesty International office in Edinburgh somewhere near or on St Andrews Square, handy for you to pop in if you want to, and with 7 million members worldwide, you’ll always have someone to blether to.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amnesty_International
There’s a surprise!
Israeli court absolves army over Corrie death
February 13, 2015
http://www.thejc.com/news/world-news/129939/israeli-court-absolves-army-over-corrie-death
‘Rachel Corrie, 23, was from Washington in the US
Israel’s Supreme Court has ruled the army was not responsible for the death of American activist Rachel Corrie, who was killed in Gaza by a military bulldozer in 2003.
The court upheld the ruling of the lower Haifa District Court three years ago that the Israeli Defence Forces were not liable for the victim while she was in a war zone.
Ms Corrie was in Rafah with the pro-Palestinian group International Solidarity Movement, protesting at the destruction of houses when she was run over by a bulldozer. The driver said he did not seen her.’
Yet the Americans allow their tax dollars to go to Israel in billions.
I had a US/French girlfriend for a short while. In the US, or at least in New Orleans or San Francisco, Valentines gifts are exchanged between friends; it’s not a sex-partner thing, just friendly.
DoNNyDaRKo
“Women demand it”
I thought that was the vendors of fine chocolate and red roses.
Anyway as an experiment I just wished me missus a belated happy valentines day. She immediately replied “f*** off”. Which is considerably more restrained than I anticipated. Up the Irish!
“How much work is a bunch of flowers and a little romance?”
Well it depends what costs you look at. Here’s one way: valentines day is just another shitfest of mindless consumerism, a celebration of meaningless relations and our slow demise under a pile of plastic wrapping paper. A sip from the all consuming allegedly endless glass of fizzy pop that dulls our wits, shapes our obedience, makes us ill, ravages our planet, pollutes our everything. It seeks to control relations by only anointing meaning to expression purchased from the high street. It is a mug’s game.
Just seen a man toss a single red rose into a bin on the street. Don’t think he’s had a happy valentines day. Rejection from ridiculous expectation. Increased pressure on those without a “valentine”. More cost.
I’m no unloving scrooge. I am currently exerting great effort organising a week long celebration of my love’s birthday between London and Connemara. I do this without expensive gifts (the gift I have is friggin fantastic and made by hand) and without the guidance of a restauranters umbrella group.
One quick unscientific correlation to offer from my observations during short time on this planet: those who celebrate valentines day are those most likely to cheat on their partner. You know it’s true.
Nevermind, would you do me a favour please?
https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2015/01/todays-independence-rally/comment-page-3/#comment-509274
This is hilarious, watch a send up of Jihadi Johnny, which in my opinion, isn’t a million miles from the truth.
https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=697948250325075&id=153828944737011
Love thy neighbour as thyself. A good motto for clergyman Stephen Green. You scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours.
Craig, back in the 1930s my great uncle Dickie was a communist who used to stand up on pub tables and preach to the masses.
Although many on this blog might have noticed what a bigmouth I am, I’m usually quite bad at public speaking.
Any tips?
“Any tips”.
Leave it to those who can is my best advice.
I am like you. I still get asked to perform, even asked to do television, and though as a novice I won the principal speaker award for Young Socialists in Blackpool, today I always refuse. I refused last year and this year. Unless it’s the odd poem, and then only occasionally. Confidence is the key, and belief, not just belief in your own ability, but belief in your message.
Make sure any figures you use have a source. Speak from the heart. Stay young in your mind. Don’t deliberately try to make people laugh. (They might laugh anyway). Keep it light but make sure the serious messages get through. Sometimes speakers are better writing, and writers may make better speakers. You can be both. Make sure public-speaking is a priority. As you can see, for me it is not.
In truth I forget things, people’s names, like the recent well- publicised Ed Balls gaff. You can smile these things off. But it is better not to have to do. Use anecdotes. A friend of mine recently put a photograph of some snowdrops in a wood on a social network site and said it was “Balls Wood” (not the real name) and his good female friend said it was “Grants Wood, (not the real name) and we’re going for a walk there together tomorrow. It doesn’t have to have any great meaning as long as you can keep the interest of your audience.
If you can’t entertain as an orator, try singing. but get a good songwriter.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YuQ1dhLdzww
RobG
Well, my advice is never to read your speech. I never write mine, but have a little crib note with a few memory jogging keywords in case I dry. Don’t tell prepared jokes. Speak from the heart, and reach out emotionally to your audience.
John, many thanks for your excellent advice.
I tried clicking on your YouTube link, but I’m afraid it caused my ancient laptop to have a nervous breakdown (it’s taken me 10 minutes to restart the bloody thing).
Thanks, Craig, for more excellent advice; although I’m not sure if you and John will make me a public speaker yet.
And can I ask both John and Craig what their worst public speaking moment was?
Mine was at the usual thing: a wedding, but I won’t bore you with that (as well as the usual punch-up, and A&E, it also involved a long, protracted legal case).
Cameron is Nadira’s son and maybe Craigs…LOL, sorry craig just joking
I hear Boris is renouncing his dual USA-citizenship, so disgusted is he at the behaviour of the US Government in Guatanamo and their various “coms”.
Amnesty are wasting their time writing letters to Smoothface.
‘New letter to David Cameron seeks answers over ‘why Shaker Aamer is still in Guantánamo’
Shaker Aamer was taken to Guantánamo on 14 February 2002 © US DoD
‘Shaker has been shoved down one of Guantánamo’s rabbit holes’ – Kate Allen
Amnesty International has written to the Prime Minister David Cameron seeking answers over why the former UK resident Shaker Aamer is still being held at the US detention centre at Guantánamo Bay in Cuba.’
http://www.amnesty.org.uk/press-releases/new-letter-david-cameron-seeks-answers-over-why-shaker-aamer-still-guant%C3%A1namo
Mary, did you ever think you’d find yourself living in a country where torture is acceptable?
Welcome to Britain in the 21st century – aka the 51st state of America.
RobG
Too much Burgundy I’m afraid.
“And can I ask both John and Craig what their worst public speaking moment was?”
It’s a bad question. Think positively. I could tell you mine, but I won’t. I’m in a positive frame of mind. Nobody wants bad memories. They certainly don’t want to share them on a blog where certain individuals would want to discredit them, with endless ad nauseam repeats.
Well, my advice is never to read your speech.
Or if you do, write it out in blank verse format, as Winston Churchill did, in order to establish the rhythm and emphasis.
Better yet, having written it out, learn it by heart, as Churchill did.