What comes out to me from the “Black Spider letter” correspondence of Prince Charles published today is how utterly obsequious Tony Blair and New Labour ministers were to him. No sign whatsoever of radicalism from the former “People’s Party” as they fell over to ingratiate themselves with the heir to the throne. I rather enjoyed Charles quite sharp tone to Blair.
I am fundamentally opposed to the existence of the monarchy. It will hopefully be replaced by a better system, but no human system is perfect. Given that we have a monarchy at present, you will perhaps be surprised to learn that I do not see anything wrong in Charles’ letters, which put forward views which are much what we would have expected him to hold. Of course there is interaction between the monarchy and government, and of course we should get rid of this hereditary element. But Charles’ lobbying is hugely less damaging and pernicious than the corporate lobbying I witnessed throughout my Whitehall career. At least Charles is not lobbying them for corporate advantage and giving large political donations at the same time.
While in my view he did nothing wrong in writing the letters, he and government are both very wrong in arguing they should be private. It is when it is secret that such attempts to wield influence between two branches of government – and monarchy is a branch of government – can be most simply perverted to ill ends. That such publication will not occur again because government has legislated to keep it secret, is an example of the privileged arrogance that prevents this from being a genuine democracy.
Altogether not that big a story and it gives Rusbridger and the Guardian the chance to pose as radical. I find the fact that what is published is so anodyne and unobjectionable rather suspicious – what has not been published? Rusbridger is of course the editor who complied enthusiastically with a GCHQ instruction to smash the Snowden hard drives. The existence of other copies does not justify this any more than it justifies book-burning.
By coincidence, a very worthwhile article by Michael Gillard that had been excised from the net has recently been republished, setting out how Rusbridger in 2002 conspired with Andy Hayman of the Met to bury an investigation into police corruption, including the burglary of the Stephen Lawrence inquiry. By a further coincidence I was having a pint with Laurie Flynn in Sandy Bell’s four days ago.
Hayman went on to be the promoter of the stream of lies about the murder of Jean Charles De Menezes and the publicist of numerous fake terrorist plots, before having to resign in a scandal involving nubile police officers at public expense in tropical islands.
Rusbridger and his extraordinary wig go on and on as a pretend opposition outlet, their reputation much dented by recent hysterical unionist output which exceeds the Daily Express. But Rusbridger’s continued usefulness to the establishment is not in doubt. The pose of publishing the most harmless of Prince Charles’ letters does little to help a threadbare disguise.
Maybe seeing this fox torn apart by so called “jolly huntsmen” and their hounds will prompt citizens south of the border to contact their MP to stop the Tory yahoo brigade reinstating fox hunting.
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=bKhG33KMWM8
Viewers discretion applies.
Node
You clearly did not read most of what the HRW report said or what I said – and are taking a single sentence in the summary in isolation – I am quite sure that the language of the 2013 Law will be suitably neutral, but it is how it is interpreted and the context in which the new law was promoted that is important (as is usually the case with most of Putin’s laws). The reality is that there has been a noticeable increase in homophobia (and other crimes of hatred such as racism and violent nationalism) in Putin’s Russia that is more than adequately demonstrated in the HRW report if you bother to read it – and it is only you sycophancy to Putin because of his anti-western stance that stops you denying the truth.
BTW just because I link to something it doesn’t mean I endorse every word of what it says – I usually make my views felt as well. I have made it clear that reading the text of Russian laws under Putin doesn’t usually tell you what they mean in practice – and that is something I know from a number of years personal experience. Do you know what the success rate is for convictions in the Russian courts?
“Maybe seeing this fox torn apart by so called “jolly huntsmen” and their hounds will prompt citizens south of the border to contact their MP to stop the Tory yahoo brigade reinstating fox hunting.”
Maybe their might be more chance in contacting the supposed radicals in the SNP to act according to common decency and not sit on their hands – or perhaps that is a more forlorn cause than getting Tory yahoos to change their minds.
The keyboard goons are back with their wisdom on demand in the 19th 20th cen…… clearly keeping up with the times, and remaining current, the have their finger on pulse, but which orifice, and whose pulse best not hazard a guess.
Resident Dissident
I don’t see much benefit for the SNP in taking up that battle, given the importance of field sports north of the border. The anti brigade want everything from deer stalking right down to salmon fishing banned so we’re looking at quite a major impact on the Scotch economy.
ROS
I am told that foxes see themselves as animals rather than English or Scottish – it is strange how the ingenuity of the SNP to find Scottish angles on other English matters cannot somehow be applied to animal welfare.
Who controlled the Scottish Parliament in 2002 – and I think you will find that there were not a few SNP MSPs in favour of murdering wild mammals.
“As for Goss repeating his slur against my family I think the following is probably a suitable riposte especially given his love of Korean monarchy.”
I have no love for the Korean monarchy.
I never made a slur against your family. If you read it again it is a condemnation of your pro-Fascist leanings in supporting Kiev and the Azov forces.
Anon1
I’m afraid we will have to agree to disagree on this one – you might also be keen to bring back cock fighting and bear baiting as well. When it comes to animal welfare I’m afraid my position is one of morality – as is the case with most of the British electorate. I have no problems with killing animals for food and clothing – but I draw the line at doing so for gratuitous pleasure.
How anybody could want to tear apart a beautiful intelligent animal like this, a close relative to domesticated dogs, is beyond me. Only people who are cruel in other ways, bombing civilians in Gaza and Eastern Ukraine, are likely to support such cruelty.
And the link.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/127161425@N07/16525529844/in/dateposted-public/
Goss/Roi des Connards
You have no idea as my wife’s grandfathers political views or to how he would view my opposition to Putin’s involvement in sovereign Ukraine – perhaps his sons would have a rather better idea and yet again you are very wrong. Perhaps I might start speculating on how your Quaker forebears might view your repeated calls to arms to claim the Russian “homeland” among other matters so that you can better understand what a slur against one’s family actually means and feels like. As for the 5th column crap.
“I am told that foxes see themselves as animals rather than English or Scottish”
_____________________
RD.
Who told you this? or do you profess to know fox language?
Are you Dr Dolittle in disguise,a title contender for Rex Harrisons crown.
You can’t truly expect the SNP to interfere in every aspect of English life with regards to politics.
Furthermore RD, I recall no noble outcry from you when badgers were culled in their thousands as recently as last year, south of the border.
Or is the case,you only speak fox and not badger.
“Perhaps I might start speculating on how your Quaker forebears might view your repeated calls to arms to claim the Russian “homeland” among other matters so that you can better understand what a slur against one’s family actually means and feels like.”
I don’t respond to this because it is another of your fabrications like the Theresa May quote you tried to label me with. Poroshenko and Yatsenyuk have both repeatedly called for further bombardment of Eastern Ukraine and disregard of Minsk 2. I said that being the case I hoped that Russia would intervene to protect the civilians as they did in Crimea – where there was no bloodshed.
As to “sovereign Ukraine” have they crowned the fat lump of chocolate lard who stole power from an elected government in a US-funded coup?
“I don’t respond to this because it is another of your fabrications like the Theresa May quote you tried to label me with.”
The one where you called her a fascist (actual quote provided at least twice – ticked the box with all the OTHER fascists or something similar)
As for calling for the disregard of Minsk 2 – you did just that yourself on at least two occasions and that is not even counting Debaltsevo.
“Who told you this?” A biology teacher in Year 7
“Furthermore RD, I recall no noble outcry from you when badgers were culled in their thousands as recently as last year, south of the border.”
Strangely enough unlike yourself I don’t feel it necessary to unload all my views on this blog. I am actually somewhat sceptical of the case being made by the farmers but I would actually want to look at the evidence rather closer before forming a definitive view – I am rather keen on culling rats!
For the hard of thinking
“Sovereignty is understood in jurisprudence as the full right and power of a governing body to govern itself without any interference from outside sources or bodies.”
Or perhaps you agree with the plan of yours and Mr Putin’s (surely you must be on first name and patronym terms by now) fascist (yes a real one) friend Zhirinovsky who believes that Ukraine should be divided up between Russia, Poland and Hungary – I got that from one of those rather bizarre websites that you link to so using Nodes rather perverse logic we could take it as your view – but perhaps you might wish to confirm and clear up that “homeland” question at the same time.
For those of us that do irony I got an advert for Malaysian Airlines when I looked at Mr Goss’s photo of a fox.
“As for calling for the disregard of Minsk 2 – you did just that yourself on at least two occasions and that is not even counting Debaltsevo.”
You’ve got a real nerve. Your Azov forces attacked Shirokino and you claimed it was the people’s army of Donbas. You said see who had control of Shirokino at the time Minsk 2 came into force and then you’ll know who the aggressors are. I did and it was your Azov forces. No apology or acknowledgement and every day they are shelling Shirokino and Donetsk even now.
Putin and Merkel both admitted that Debaltsevo was an exception. The town was surrounded by Donbas forces. They were not going to cede more territory to the Fascists who were on the verge of surrender. They allowed thousands to leave unharmed. This is what is happening now. You read Russian don’t you?
http://www.ridus.ru/news/185744#300
Correction:
I did and it was your Azov forces who were guilty since The people’s Republic was in control. No apology or acknowledgement and every day they are shelling Shirokino and Donetsk even now.
RD
“you might also be keen to bring back cock fighting and bear baiting as well”
Not at all.
But yes, we will have to disagree on this one, save to say that many minds have been turned by attending a hunt, not to throw a brick at a horse as some of the animal welfare campaigners like to do (£60 a day is the going rate for a hunt saboteur – it has its appeals, like football hooliganism), but to actually try and understand what it is all about. One of the country’s leading anti-hunt activists (whose name escapes me), was turned in just this way and is now a full supporter of hunting.
In any case this is all academic as hunting continues pretty much as it did before the ban. I would dearly like to see the return of hare coursing and that is my main interest in a repeal.
Resident Dissident
More excuses, more red herrings, more disavowals, but not a single word to back the claim that “The law effectively legalized discrimination against LGBT people and cast them as second-class citizens”.
I bet you have checked, hoping to prove me wrong. You haven’t because you can’t. I’ve proved my point.
“You’ve got a real nerve. Your Azov forces attacked Shirokino and you claimed it was the people’s army of Donbas. You said see who had control of Shirokino at the time Minsk 2 came into force and then you’ll know who the aggressors are. I did and it was your Azov forces. No apology or acknowledgement and every day they are shelling Shirokino and Donetsk even now. ”
More lies and distortion – the line at the time of Minsk 2 went through Shirokino and still does – the OSCE reports make it clear who from both sides was breaching the ceasefire at what times. Do you wish to apply the same logic to Debaltsevo – could you show where this exception was in the agreement beforehand – defacto acceptance after the event proves nothing whatsoever. Your quotes calling for a breach of the ceasefire and for Russia to claim more territory are a matter of historical fact.
IF you think that only the Ukraine has committed breaches of Minsk 2 this is just further evidence of your delusional behaviour.
Still no answer to the questions about what belongs to sovereign Ukraine and what belongs to the Russian homeland – avoiding the question was obviously one of the classes the Redgrave’s gave in the WRP.
Node
You obviously cannot read – I have nothing more to add about how Russian law actually works.
Republicofscotland: “Who told you this? or do you profess to know fox language?”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KdWOq408bs
“£60 a day is the going rate for a hunt saboteur – it has its appeals, like football hooliganism”
I have met hunt saboteurs (in fact ESLO was one in his youth) and I am sure they all did it through conviction. I have also attended a hunt meet (rather stupidly taking along a pet hound on a lead – so a drag hunt means something rather different to me). I’m afraid I am very utilitarian about these matters and wince at those who derive pleasure from cruelty. I come across such people in business life and that is bad enough.
Resident Dissident you are a born liar. You and your twin brother ESLO. Go and check the facts and stop trying to make decent people into obscenities like you.
I wonder who gave the denunciation classes?
” I’m afraid I am very utilitarian about these matters and wince at those who derive pleasure from cruelty.”
But you have no objection to your AZOV Nazis killing, torturing and crucifying people from Donbas. Your leaders, Porky Poroshenko, and Weasel-faced Yatsenyuk (you know the Kiev Monarchy), have already reneged on Kiev 2, calling it a pseudo-treaty. Porky signed it with no intention of abiding by it, like Neville Chamberlain’s signature from Herr Hitler. You have no shame supporting these fascists.
http://rt.com/news/258685-poroshenko-minsk-pseudo-peace/
Kim Gross
I’m surprised you haven’t learned that adopting full-scale support for whatever repressive regime is opposing the West is bound to get you into difficulty, intellectually speaking. Haven’t you noticed how careful Craig is to avoid this obvious pitfall?