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.
“Now if you’d said ‘professional politicians’ instead of ‘Yanks’, I’d have had to agree with you. Include ‘Russian professional politicians’ and we’re cooking with gas…”
Fair enough Ba’al. I know there are many good Americans and I don’t include them in my derogatory comments. You may have noticed I use Yanks and Yankie Doodle Dandies as a term of endearment. 🙂 I am happy to include certain Russian politicians and oligarchs in the mix. However, I have not seen the warmongering from Russia that I have from the west.
“I have not seen the warmongering from Russia that I have from the west”
That may only be because the West doesn’t have much that Russia actually wants.
So what was wrong with mentioning Bercow’s Romanian ancestry?
No doubt someone who works at GCHQ has to read a lot of NSA documents that use American spelling.
And what may those “unfortunate traits” of Irish-Americans be? Could they be rooting for the underdog and rooting against the top dog?
“That’s as may be. But – some people would see this as a moral issue transcending national boundaries and therefore relevant to the whole UK. If the SNP thought like this then surely it would take part in any parliamentary vote on the question ans not simply abstain? After all, it claims the right to take part in deliberations affecting the entire UK, doesn’t it?
It may of course be that it doesn’t think it’s a moral issue.
BTW, RoS, do you think it’s a moral issue?”
__________________________________
Habb.
For onced I’m completely dumbstruck,the likes of you waxing on about morality,it really does beggar belief.
When you support Chancellor George Osborne,and ergo his protracted assault on thd poor,sick and disabled,which will drive hard up families deeper into destitution.
“Morality is simply the attitude we adopt towards people we personally dislike.”
― Oscar Wilde, An Ideal Husband
Who’d have thought Sinn Fein’s Gerry Adams would be having tea with Prince Dobby aka Charles in Eire.
I suppose it’s not that different from Martin McGuiness meeting HRH in recent years.
I wonder if Mountbatten crept into conversation.
“Rose – glad someone savvy saw it! There’s a lot more on the site, and he’s both entertaining and clever.”
I read it too. It was a very insightful piece, if in parts a little hyperbolic, for my taste. It should be read in conjunction with this:
http://www.monbiot.com/2015/05/13/ground-control/
“dream more and remember less. ”
Sounds like sensible advice to me, all round. No?”
I’m sure Zionists and the various Friends Of Israel like Peres and their ilk would prefer to selectively see it this way:
The Holocaust: “Remember more and dream less.”
The Nakba: “Dream more and remember less.”
“The struggle of people against power,” wrote Milan Kundera, “is the struggle of memory against forgetting.”
Please sign. 221,574 signatures so far in a very short time.
Save our Human Rights
To:The Prime Minister, David Cameron, and Justice Secretary, Michael Gove
Please save the Human Rights Act. We rely on this law to protect us. To take it away is simply inhumane. This is not what Great Britain stands for.
Why is this important?
The act covers everyone living in the UK. The policies have been created for no reason other than to protect us as human beings. Without it any one of us could be wrongly accused of a crime, the government will be allowed to breach our privacy, and anyone could fall victim to careless decisions made by authorities. What happens to innocent until proven guilty and dignity in dying? We will ALL be affected.
How can anyone oppose any of the following:
Right to life
Freedom from torture and inhuman or degrading treatment
Right to liberty and security
Freedom from slavery and forced labour
Right to a fair trial
No punishment without law
Respect for your private and family life, home and correspondence
Freedom of thought, belief and religion
Freedom of expression
Freedom of assembly and association
Right to marry and start a family
Protection from discrimination in respect of these rights and freedoms
Right to peaceful enjoyment of your property
Right to education
Right to participate in free elections
https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/save-our-human-rights?bucket=blast2#
Habbabkuk – “In English translation, I think that means “there are too many Jews in positions of prominence”. Can any linguists here (Lysias, perhaps?) confirm?”
Yes, it simply means we are really the chosen – now get over it.
“Yes, it simply means we are really the chosen – now get over it.”
____________________________
A Chosen,answering in a Habb-esque manner,from his comment at 2.40pm.
Not very sporting I might add,though,a touch of leitmotif,about the whole episode.
This is the latest list of Israeli atrocities.
IOP newsletter headlines – 13 May 2015
Israeli Navy opens fire twice on fishing boats off Northern Gaza
Israeli Army opens fire on farms on 6 occasions in 4 Gaza districts
Israeli Army opens fire in West Bank village and forces shops to close
Israeli soldiers terrorise 10-year-old child for 2 hours
Israeli Army plunders West Bank village water reticulation pipelines
Israeli troops occupy West Bank family’s home and set up sniper post on roof
Night peace disruption and/or home invasions in 2 refugee camps and 11 towns and villages
9 attacks (8 Israeli ceasefire violations)
21 raids including home invasions – 1 wounded
9 acts of agricultural/economic sabotage
16 taken prisoner – 10 detained – 90 restrictions of movement
http://palestine.org.nz/phrc/index.php
Nearly a week Craig, since you wrote ‘Born Kneeling’. Hope you can now rise!
And hope all is well with you! All the best to you and your family.
Danirl – thanks for Monbiot – I’d read it and it fits with the piece I linked. The lesson of the SNP is there for Labour, as he suggests:
Labour’s problem is not that the people who run the party have spent their entire careers in politics. It’s that they have spent their entire careers in the kind of politics that washes its hands if ever it has the misfortune of touching a voter. A lifetime’s study of tactics and manouevres within the Westminster bubble might work for a party supported by the corporate media, and that can mobilise fear to push people to the right; it does not work for a party that requires genuine public enthusiasm to succeed. It’s not people with experience in banking or business that Labour desperately needs, but people who know how to build a political movement from the bottom up.
I’d only quibble that the knowledge of building a movement from the bottom up can probably only be acquired by actually doing it. And, sadly, once the movement’s objectives are met, that knowledge is lost again. Is there anything left in Labour that might serve, given a miraculous surge of goodwill, as the foundation for a socially and environmentally sane political movement?
Was talking to a Unite shop steward today. He’s still blaming the Tories’ fearmongering narrative for Labour’s defeat. Sure, that was a factor. One which should have been obvious in advance and pre-empted by anyone familiar with our rightwing press. But if his union, instead of pretending to be the exclusive champion of only its paying members’interests, had freely contributed, say, to social housing movements and food banks outside its self-assessed remit…then it could have mobilised a lot more votes.
Nuland & Co caught the Bear unaware and carried out the coup/sniping whilst it was busy on Sochi. But what was it that Putin/Lavrov said to Kerry at Sochi this time that got him admonishing porky publicly. There is a lot more than meets the eye, anyone venture a guess?
“And what may those “unfortunate traits” of Irish-Americans be? Could they be rooting for the underdog and rooting against the top dog?”
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No, I was thinking more of the financial and moral support given by some sections of the Irish-American community to IRA terrorism during the troubles, Lysias.
There are probably more Irish-Americans hostile to Britain and what they call the “British establishment” than there are Irish so hostile.
You – as revealed through your posts – appear to be in that category.
“So what was wrong with mentioning Bercow’s Romanian ancestry?”
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Nothing, if it wasn’t a sly and cowardly way of saying Bercow’s a Jew.
But I do realise that you’re not too keen on Jews either (various posts refer).
And someone has, I think, just admitted he is not too keen on Irish-Americans.
But somehow fails to see any inconsistency.
Daniel
“I’m sure Zionists and the various Friends Of Israel like Peres….”
________________________
Are “John Goss moments” contagious?
It would be slightly surprising if Peres – an Israeli politican and former minister and President – did not have friendly feelings towards Israel.
Don’t forget that “Tony” Benn was unique! 🙂
By those “various posts”, I wonder if what is meant is criticism of pedophiles (murderous pedophiles, it is alleged) and expenses irregularities.
“And someone has, I think, just admitted he is not too keen on Irish-Americans.”
_________________________
Not keen at all on those Irish-Americans who provided financial and moral support to the IRA terrorists, no.
Didn’t they teach you to read before you studied for all your “higher degrees”, Lysias? My post at 19h01 refers.
And is it not equally justifiable to criticize Jewish pedophiles and crooks?
” But I do realise that you’re not too keen on Jews either (various posts refer).
By those “various posts”, I wonder if what is meant is criticism of pedophiles (murderous pedophiles, it is alleged) and expenses irregularities.”
__________________
As often, Lysias, you wonder wrongly. Just various expressions of anti-Jewishness!
As often, our troll makes an accusation without being able to back it up by citing the “various posts” to which he refers.
Lysias
You’re protesting a little too much, I fear.
Have I touched on a sensituve spot there?
I wonder…. 🙂
Anyway, just in case our Transatlantic Irish-American friend has succeeded in his intention to divert attention from my main post, I’ll repeat it.
++++++++++++++++++
“And what may those “unfortunate traits” of Irish-Americans be? Could they be rooting for the underdog and rooting against the top dog?”
___________________
No, I was thinking more of the financial and moral support given by some sections of the Irish-American community to IRA terrorism during the troubles, Lysias.
There are probably more Irish-Americans hostile to Britain and what they call the “British establishment” than there are Irish so hostile.
You – as revealed through your posts – appear to be in that category.
Once Steve Hilton realises that financial systems have to be sustainable for his capitalists dreams to deliver, he’ll make a damn good Green.
@ our resident shit rakers, why don’t you fuck off Habbakuk, you apologist for mass murder.
@Macky
18 May, 2015 – 11:31 pm
A very good link, and if you don’t mind I’ll repeat it for anyone who might have missed it first time round…
https://firstlook.org/theintercept/2015/05/13/greatest-threat-free-speech-comes-terrorism-claiming-fight/
@Habbabkuk (la vita è bella)
19 May, 2015 – 11:18 am
If you don’t believe that the MSM is totally controlled and is a propaganda machine then you are either very, very stupid or else you are part of the propaganda.
I’m sure readers will make up their own minds about that.
I don’t pretend to know this Steve Hilton guy but heard him on Channel 4’s news. He appears to have something to say and seems very self-aware, including his limitations. The guy however seems to have a vision, which is a lot more than can be said about a failed petty politician called Ingo.
——-
PS Did someone link an article by Hilton upstream? If so, can they please link it again. Thanks