After such an extended break from blogging, you will be deeply disappointed that I restart with something as mundane and trivial as Jeremy Clarkson. I have defended the man in the past, because I much enjoy Top Gear and consider that much of what he has been criticised for in the past had been an amusing winding-up of the po-faced of the kind I employ myself. But nasty, indeed vicious bullying of a subordinate should always be a sacking offence.
That did not ought to be the question, though. He hit someone and they had to go to hospital. Where are the police? They are incredibly fond of sweeping up scores of teenagers for thought crime, but here we have an actual violent assault that spills blood, and it seems completely out of the question the perpetrator is brought to account. Why is that? I had a personal experience a couple of years ago when I was very mildly hurt – less than young Oisin – in an assault, and the police insisted on arresting the perpetrator despite my repeated requests to them not to do so. They told me rather firmly that the idea that it is the victim who has a say in pressing charges, is a myth. Why was Clarkson not arrested?
I cannot in my mind dissociate this from the non-arrest of Jimmy Savile for his crimes, despite their being well-known and reported at the time. That seems to link in to the wider paedophilia scandal, and the question of why no action was taken even in the most blatant of cases when there was compelling evidence, such as that of the extremely nasty Greville Janner MP.
But then I think still more widely as to why, for example, Jack Straw has not been charged with the crime of misfeasance in public office after boasting of using his position to obtain “under the radar” changes in regulations to benefit commercial clients, in exchange for cash. I wonder why a large number of people did not go to jail for the HSBC tax avoidance schemes or the LIBOR rigging scandal, which involved long term dishonest manipulation by hundreds of very highly paid bankers.
At the top of the tree is of course the question of why Blair has not been charged for the crime of waging illegal war. The Chilcot Inquiry heard evidence that every single one of the FCO’s elite team of Legal Advisers believed that the invasion of Iraq was an illegal war of aggression. Yet now the media disparage as nutters those who say Blair should be charged.
Then I think of all the poor and desperate people who get jailed for stealing comparatively miniscule amounts in benefit fraud, or the boy who was jailed for stealing a bottle of water in the London riots.
The conclusion is that we do not have a system of justice in this country at all. We have a system where the wealthy and governing classes and those associated with them enjoy almost absolute impunity, broken in only the rarest of cases. At the same time those at the bottom of the pile are kicked hard to keep them there. There is no more chance of justice against those in power in the UK than there is of the killers of Nemtsov being brought to book in Russia.
But what has really scared me is this thought. This situation has been like this my entire life: and I have reached the age of 56 before I realised it. A very great many people have still not realised it at all.
What does not scare me is this. I realise that if the system of justice is completely corrupted, then there is no obligation on me to follow the laws of the state. In fact it would be wrong of me to do so. I must seek my ethical compass elsewhere than in the corrupt power structure which weighs so hard upon the people.
“I’m fed-up with this GCHQ jolly on here that purports to be genuine comments.
You lot are total vermin, and believe me, you are going to get what’s coming to you.”
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You’re not fed up at all, Rob, it’s Sunday evening, you’re a little bored and you just want to have a bit of fun.
And since Resident Dissident and I are kind people, we don’t mind giving you a little attention and keeping you company for a post or two.
Mr Goss
“RobG, RD does not want to talk about Fukushima probably because he knows nothing about it.”
____________________
If that’s the case then he should be praised.
This blog is awash with people who post away while knowing nothing about what they’re talking about except what they have picked up from dubious websites.
And, by God, it shows.
RD, the difficulty with Fukushima and other nuclear pollution is the degree of cover-up. Most people don’t even know that three meltdowns are still in progress at Fukushima. The plant authorities don’t know if the melted cores are still within the reaction vessels or if they’ve melted their way out of the bottom. Neither people nor robots can survive the radiation to get close enough to make an inspection.
Certain sailors are reporting that an enormous die-off has occurred in the Pacific ocean.
Laws have apparently been changed in Japan to restrict reporting. Bloggers have been suppressed with legal threats. Homeless and mentally ill people have reportedly been manipulated into the decontamination programme.
Like Ukraine, biased or missing news reporting greatly hampers understanding.
“I take the piss out of these trolls,”
______________
Phew, that’s a relief! I sometimes almost thought you were being serious. But then I remember that you’re just having a bit of fun to ward off the boredom.
Have you tried masturbation, Rob? I’m told it’s quite good against boredom.
RobG, it is not nice to imply that people who comment and stick rigidly to establishment dogma work for the intelligence services. I made that mistake myself.
I once asked Resident Dissident if he was a spook. He told me no he was not. So I have to accept what he says. I know indeed if he was a spook he would have said so. 🙂
“Where does Fukushima stand in the all time list of disasters in terms of deaths – strangely enough I could not find it on any of these lists”
Maybe they’re just over reacting.
“Have you tried masturbation, Rob? I’m told it’s quite good against boredom.”
Noddy, Noddy, how can you? I’ve walked past the dorms at Blyton and heard the little bell on your blue hat going twenty to the dozen. Don’t pretend you’re the only one in the world who doesn’t masturbate. Tinkle, tinkle. Ring any bells Nodddy? 🙂
Goss
I am happy to listen and learn from anything sensible about Fukushima – and I find most of the conversations here about nuclear power some of the most informative on this blog. And yes if I need to know about something T will research it beforehand – you should try it sometimes.
Clark
There is a distinction between attacks on a religion and on those who belong to a religion – although I appreciate that sometimes it is difficult for followers to distinguish the nature of the target. I would hope normal rules of decency would apply with regard to speaking to anyone with deeply held beliefs that fall within the normal confines of acceptable behaviour that do no harm.
On Israel I find it rather more common for those opposed to Israel’s existence to refer to claims of anti-Semitism being used as defence – in my experience most British Jews that I know are capable of defending Israel without resorting to such a defence, and are more than capable of doing so. They would also probably not accept your view that their is a pro Jewish bias – anti-Semitism still exists although it is clearly not as bad as anti Muslim bias.
“Maybe they’re just over reacting.”
Core Blimey! Sharp tonight Fred.
Boom boom
Fred
“ridiculous hyperbole”
RD, there are three nuclear reactors in complete meltdown in Japan?!
I must confess that I can no longer contain my temper about this: if you don’t understand nuclear energy, go fecking learn about it. If you don’t understand that the Pacific Ocean is now on its last legs, go fecking learn about it.
I no longer have neither the time nor patience for egits.
The vermin that have caused the ongoing Fukushima disaster will all be put on trial for crimes against humanity, this includes the scum who are the present American government, the British government and the Japanese government, amongst others.
“Which “brand” of nationalism am I looking for? If I support Tibetan independence from China as well as Scottish independence, am I suffering from nationalism, or two distinct nationalisms?”
In his last article for Scottish Left Review in November 2007, Jimmy Reid wrote:
“An old Welsh miner told me that a man who cannot love all that’s good in the culture of his own nation is incapable of respect for all that’s good in the cultures of other nations. In other words a healthy nationalism spawns a healthy internationalism. This truth seems to evade many on the British Left who tend to equate nationalism with chauvinism and to pose nationalists against internationalists. This is nonsense. “Inter” means between and “nationalist” a sense of your own national identity. Internationalism can therefore only exist as a kind of solidarity or a coming togetherness of peoples from different nations. If there were no nationalist there could be no internationalist”.
Fred’s implied notion that all nationalism’s are “bad” is frankly absurd.
“Must we infer that proponents of a multi-polar world look back to the geo-political reality of the decades up to 1990 with nostalgia? The Cold War and the balance of terror (including an unending series of dirty proxy wars)?” — Habba
What we have to today is between 900 and 1000 US military bases around the world. Plus Special Operations (dirty) forces in countries all over the world, reportedly between 70 and 120 countries at any one time. And that’s not counting drone strikes – several times a week, killing chosen targets plus who knows how many innocent people – none of whom have never been charged with a crime, let alone seen the inside of a court room.
You think that’s preferable? I don’t. I don’t see why we have to have either situation.
And there appears to be nobody to call a halt to it. The American people themselves don’t seem to care. They’re so busy with their childish Repugs v Democrats (which is all a farce anyway) that they don’t give a sh*t what happens outside their own borders.
RD talks about Putin’s centralisation of power, restriction of freedom of speech and abuse of human rights. Those are matters for the Russian people to deal with. Just as the fake system of “democracy” in the United States is for the population of the US to deal with. But somebody needs to push back against US foreign policy (such as it is) – and if Putin can’t do it, I don’t know who will. He may be a cruel man, an unprincipled man, I wouldn’t know. But he seems to have the nerve to tell the Yanks where to go, he seems pretty unflappable, he doesn’t rush out statements about red lines (although one would think Russia was entitled to) or make silly threats. I think he has a cool head on his shoulders. Given the provocation, I certainly hope so.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“BTW Dreoilin, I feel you were rather harsh with Clark yesterday. It is not he, after all, who takes the initiative of diverting every single fucking thread into a argument about Ukraine and Russia. It is Macky, backed up by Mr Goss.”
I wasn’t aware that I was harsh with Clark. And I didn’t mean to be. So if that’s what he understood, then I’m sorry. I just don’t see any point in this argument that has taken up almost two whole threads. I don’t see it achieving anything. And I’ll now withdraw.
My father was from Doncaster and my mother is from Glasgow. Should I regard myself as English, Scottish, or British?
Kind regards,
John
But RobG, from what I’ve seen YOU don’t understand much nuclear physics. How can you criticise others when you have the same failing yourself?
Worse, you got upset at me for even attempting to understand. The only thing you’ll accept is unthinking condemnation. Sorry Rob, that’s not the way to be effective.
“Fred’s implied notion that all nationalism’s are “bad” is frankly absurd.”
Internationalism is bad as well, whether Capitalist globalization or Marxist proletarian I’m against it.
RobG
Still rather short on facts and long on hyperbole – I have never doubted that there is a problem – lets have some facts or even links to reasonably balanced posts that provide us with the details rather than push a narrow political viewpoint such as your own. In my youth I read Hersey’s Hiroshima and much of EP Thompsons work, and I even had one of those German Atomkraft Nein Danke tee shirts – and I have always been one of those who have veered between being pro and anti nuclear power – so I am prepare to listen and be convinced, its just like most people political rhetoric doesn’t really do it for me.
John, most of ’em are spooks.
We live in a North Korea.
Look at the reaction to what I said about Fukushima (and everything I say about Fukushima is factual); and of course there’s the love that dare not speak its name: high profile paedos. Look at how this is clamped down on this blog.
Britain has become a society where the most vile of criminals seem to think that they can get away with whatever they want.
People might call me a socialist, or communist, or any other ‘ist’. I really don’t give a toss. Fact is, my country has been taken over by total vermin and I see it as my patriotic duty to try and reclaim it.
Yup, I will probably die in a hail of machine gun bullets.
It probably beats the NHS in the 21st century.
Daniel
You should read Orwell’s Lion and the Unicorn – I can see Jimmy Reid did – and look how he distinguishes between nationalism and patriotism – his essay on the various types of Nationalism and how they migrate over time is also worth reading.
@Dreolin
“Those are matters for the Russian people to deal with.”
Yes they ultimately are – but why not extend this concept to Ukraine and all the other former states where Putin has meddled for years? And what happened to those fine left wing concepts such as internationalism and solidarity – on your reasoning those who went to war against Hitler for Poland and fought against Franco would just be meddling in matters that shouldn’t concern them.
According to the 1939 Soviet census, the total population of the Crimea was 1,126,385, including: 218,179 Crimean Tatars, 558,481 Russians, and 154,120 Ukrainians. So, no, before the 1944 deportation the Crimean Tatars were nowhere near a majority of the population, and the Russians were very close to a majority, well over 49%.
Sorry about this..but I just wrote it (and yes I nearly did snow on a boat on The Norfolk Broads at Easter..but I thought it might kill my Mum)
I seriously do not understand why it is now so cold..in England..I reckon these Global Warming cnts have seriously F.cked Up..
Look I actually want a bit of Global Warming..I want the seas to rise..so I can’t get my boat through Potter Heigham Bridge..and I Know some of these cn’ts working at The University of East Anglia..in Norwich..and even their own data (do not hide the decline)…how can this be happening..cos you are fkin liars..you are not scientists..you are religious lunatics..on the edge of becoming politicians..
Yes. I know..we are on the same side really..but don’t fkin Fake It…
Their Girlfriends are Really Nice Too..not hard Tory B1tches..more like Sunflowers..really sweet and nice.
But I want The Truth
If You Can’t Do 9/11 Then Fck Off Moron
You ain’t doing science and your politics is shiit.
Tony
“We live in a North Korea.”
No we don’t
“and everything I say about Fukushima is factual”
No it clearly isn’t – there is just a bit of opinion in their I’m afraid
“there’s the love that dare not speak its name: high profile paedos”
Probably because of the libel laws and the tendency of some here to abuse any politicians they disagree with. And BTW as I have mentioned before the evidence is there that I was on Cyril Smith’s case well before anyone here.
“People might call me a socialist, or communist, or any other ‘ist’.”
You are not coherent enough to be an ‘ist’
I do hope the French Police have been informed.
@Resident Dissident
22 Mar, 2015 – 10:42 pm
I don’t come on comment threads like this to try and promote my own blog, because as you well know I am opinionated and am not afraid of an arguement. However, I do get fed-up with all the tired old stuff about Fukushima (which is why I didn’t want to debate with Clark about it). If you have the inclination, do pop over to my place and check out the latest post about Mermaids and Muons.
And once you’ve read it – and all the links – feel free to call me a fool.
RD, sorry about Rob.
We don’t know how bad Fukushima is. The Pacific die-off seems real; there’s eye-witness testimony from more several sources, photographs of mutated sea life. But little is getting into the mass media.
My estimation is that the initial Pacific die-off was caused by iodine 131 which starts off highly radioactive but decays away in less than half a year. Other isotopes last much longer but are far less radioactive. But we don’t know whether more I-131 is still being produced in the meltdowns.
RD, this is why I get so upset about the Ukraine argument here. We know that RT doesn’t report the Russian transgressions, and the “Western” mass media spent months pretending Ukraine didn’t have any fascists. All the denial wastes time; one can’t even find out what’s really going on, let alone form a valid opinion about it.
Well with nuclear power its even worse, because ALL the major governments are dependent on nuclear reactors for electricity. No one wants to tell the people about nuclear problems.
The three Fukushima cores need to be dug out and all the pressurised reactors (PWR and BWR) need to be shut down. The former will kill the workers who attempt it, and the latter is political suicide.
RD
I repeat
“I just don’t see any point in this argument that has taken up almost two whole threads. I don’t see it achieving anything. And I’ll now withdraw.”
Lysias
The fact is in the 1991 referendum a majority of Crimeans voted to belong to an Independent Ukraine. That referendum was not held under Anschluss conditions like the most recent one.
“You should read Orwell’s Lion and the Unicorn – I can see Jimmy Reid did – and look how he distinguishes between nationalism and patriotism – his essay on the various types of Nationalism and how they migrate over time is also worth reading.”
Or his “Notes on Nationalism”:
“The nationalist not only does not disapprove of atrocities committed by his
own side, but he has a remarkable capacity for not even hearing about them.”
Nothing like the word “masturbation” to wake old Mr Goss up!
Mr Goss
“I’ve walked past the dorms at Blyton….”
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Were you with Jimmy Savile, John, or by yourself?
And did you enter?