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.
BIG BANK’S ANALYST WORRIES THAT IRAN DEAL COULD DEPRESS WEAPONS SALES:
I always have an open mind about anything, as this thread illustrates.
I started with the possibility that ETA did it because of the PNV delegation on board, but have shifted more to NATO et al., given what Germany is attempting in Ukraine, Iran, and Greece.
And it is no longer important to kill a leading politician anywhere, just kill a lot of his constituents, as the sinking of the Kursk, shooting down MH17, making MH370 into a disappearing fireball, the 2004 earthquakes and tsunamis around the Indian Ocean, etc., demonstrated.
Man-made disasters have taken the place of selected assassinations as they are much more effective over the long run.
Mary
I am glad to see you back.
Kind regards,
John
” Putin wants peace ”
Which is why of course he’s spent billions of roubles developing all these fabulous weapons you believe they have.
Do you even know what Bastion is?
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Kempe, yes I do. Do you? Do you want to know?
In case you ever wondered why the noodges have remarkably correlated opinions about Zionist genocide and great-power confrontation with Russia.
http://www.veteranstoday.com/2015/03/18/neo-the-world-if-gore-had-won/
8 days ago we were talking about the racist Jeremy Clarkson, who has hardly had a mention recently. So I thought I’d mention him. I’ve just had a couple of contrasting and connected articles – both revealing in their own ways. I could picture Jeremy Clarkson speaking to and encouraging these Nazis who have apparently replaced the swastika with a St George Cross, which they might as well do since the latter is acquiring from Westminster most of the attributes of the former.
http://www.vice.com/en_uk/read/white-man-march-photos-193
The second link is important in that it aptly demonstrates the dual standards of the racist society we have become.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/03/24/surprise-another-christian-terrorist.html
Are we talking about Russia as the meeting place for the far right?
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/russian-european-far-right-parties-converge-in-st-petersburg/517839.html
Bastion. Mobile land based coast defence system using anti-ship missile which first entered service in 2002. Very unlikely to be invisible to radar. It’s presence in Crimea means the Russians can threaten shipping over a wide area of the Black Sea especially anything sailing in and out of Odessa. If the Americans or NATO had done anything similar you’d be expressing rightful outrage at the threat it posed but as it’s that nice Mr Putin it’s just another expression of his desire for peace.
One day reality is going to hit you and it won’t half hurt.
“Geidt‘s university degrees are in “War Studies” from King’s College London and in International Relations from Trinity Hall, Cambridge.”
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At least we know which college of London University and which Cambridge college he attended.
Unlike a certain poster from Oxford who is keeping mum about which college he was at.
@macky
Resident Dissident ; “That referendum was not held under Anschluss conditions like the most recent one.”
LOL !
Perhaps you should read further down the wiki page and then look up the word Plebiscite in a dictionary?
The wording of what Lavrov says is interesting – it really isn’t an outright denial – and I’m sure when Russian troops are conclusively demonstrated to be in Ukraine this will be pointed out by people like yourself – look at what happened when Putin admitted he had troops in the Crimea from the beginning.
“One day reality is going to hit you and it won’t half hurt.”
You’re talking about a different Bastion system, one without Monolith. One day reality is going to hit you and it won’t half hurt.
Thanks John Spencer-Davis, John Goss, Mark And Macky.
A chest infection laid me low (now on Amoxicillin – thanks Alexander Fleming) and the dog had to have a lump removed. She’s fine.
One step forward and two back lately!
Tim; “Are we talking about Russia as the meeting place for the far right?”
Here’s your answer Tim;
http://russia-insider.com/en/2015/03/23/4814
Mr Scorgie
“Clark
22 Mar, 2015 – 11:36 pm
“Even Habbabkuk has been seduced by the place.””
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Clark, I think you meant; Habbabkuk has been seduced by a plaice.
He spends a lot of time on the beach apparently.
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Darling, you remembered! I didn’t realise you cared…!
Actually, I’m on the beach at present, which will explain why I shan’t – unfortunately – be as active on here for the next few days as you and I would like.
But fear not, I’ll be back soon, fresh and invigorated, and Macky, Mr Goss, RobG, RoS etc, please see this as a window of opportunity to post as much tosh as you like without incurring the usual unfailing and immediate chastisement from your friend Habbabkuk.
@RD: weren’t there Russian forces in Crimea from the beginning because it contained a massive Naval base?
Having watched a bit of TV today, I can tell they are lusting for the cause of the crash to be terrorist related. They dare not voice it though.
“. . .look at what happened when Putin admitted he had troops in the Crimea from the beginning.”
Of course he did. There were 20,000 troops legally stationed there. And he could have had more according to the agreement. The way your lot presented it they had invaded.
Pleased to learn you and the dog are fine Mary after your various health problems.
Just look at the sabotaging of MH370.
It was intended by MI6 because of the Neil Haywood fiasco to make it look like the Iranians had done it – what would piss off Beijing, a chief trading partner, because the majority of passengers were Chinese, but when the NSA discovered what was afoot – what would stop any nuclear agreement with Tehran – Washington et al. manufactured a cover up to make sure it was never found, resulting in Beijing being pissed off with Malaysia, and Kuala Lumpur reciprocating in kind.
Not a good time to get on airplanes, if governments are going to be bringing them down.
I wonder when this will start affecting the bottom lines of the airlines.
A certain poster keeps insisting I should identify the Oxford college where I did Greats and the capacity in which I served in the U.S. garrison in Berlin. Why should I provide any such details when he doesn’t even reveal as much about himself as I have revealed about myself? It’s striking how he never says anything at all about his past.
Didn’t we have a stretch of several years where there was only something like one major airplane disaster per year? But now, for just a little more than the past year (since the disappearance of the first MH plane), we have had a whole series of them.
John Goss
24/03/2015 8:20 pm
“these Nazis who have apparently replaced the swastika with a St George Cross”
Actually, John, the true replacement for the swastika is plain to see in the first photograph in your link. It is a red cross in a red circle on a white background and it was the symbol of the British Movement, initiated by the neo-Nazi Colin Jordan. Its resemblance to the swastika is obvious.
I am chilled to see that this symbol has not gone away.
I think you should be careful about associating people with neo-Nazis without evidence.
Kind regards,
John
“I think you should be careful about associating people with neo-Nazis without evidence.”
Yes, it’s true John. But I see David Cameron supplying arms and personnel to inflame the ongoing civil-war in Ukraine without first putting it to a parliamentary vote (dictatorship) and Theresa May introducing act after act to make life as unbearable as possible (a kind of racism against Muslims) and the erosion of civil rights, I cannot think my country is a genuine democracy any more.
Mary
24 Mar, 2015 – 8:44 pm:
“Having watched a bit of TV today, I can tell they are lusting for the cause of the crash to be terrorist related. They dare not voice it though.”
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You are quite correct in that.
And good to see you posting again, and also sorry to hear that you’ve had more health problems.
I’ll repeat the old cliche: never let the bastards grind you down.
You are most welcome, Mary, and I am glad to hear that you and your doubtless adorable hound are restored to health.
I always love to hear that someone owns a dog – I think dogs are very healthy companions for humans. I’ve been unable to own one myself for nearly thirty years. 🙁
There’s only one problem with any pet except a parrot.
Kind regards,
John
@John Spencer-Davis
24 Mar, 2015 – 9:51 pm
I don’t know about neo Nazis, but Cameron & Co are complicit in the cover-up of sexual abuse and murder of young children.
Spin it any way you want, pal, but it’s a fact.
Cue the government agents, which once again everyone seems to accept as being quite normal…
What kind of fecking society have you scum created?
John Goss
24/03/15 10:01 pm
“I cannot think my country is a genuine democracy any more.”
In theory, of course, Parliament is fully accountable to the enfranchised population. Let’s try a thought experiment: what would happen if a Government was elected on such policies as redistribution of land without compensation, renationalisation of utilities without compensation, universal basic income, a maximum wage, a genuinely progressive income tax and an end to regressive taxation, the abolition of private healthcare and private education, and an end to landlordism and public ownership of social housing, to think of a few policies that would probably be enormously popular.
How long would this country retain its democratic institutions, do you think?
Kind regards,
John
Take the sabotaging of MH17.
Nato persuaded Ukraine to shoot down Putin’s plane returning to Moscow from a G20 summit in Switzerland, thinking that killing the Russian President would settle every problem with Russia because it might well fall apart without him.
The only trouble is that Putin’s plane crossed paths with MH17, and the Ukrainian Army shot down the Malaysia one when it appeared on Its BUk missile’s radar, pissing off the Dutch no end since most of its passengers were Dutch.
Little wonder that the Dutch were given the responsibility of investigating the tragedy.
@macky thanks but your link seems to be all about native Ukranian fascists. The question is why so many Western European far right parties should be so keen on Russia.