Wednesday 9 March 2011

No fly over Libya - a potentially embarrassing precedent

I suppose we should not be surprised at the USA being opposed to a 'No-Fly' zone over Libya in the absence of a highly improbable UN Resolution. After all when the Israel Air Force was bombing & shooting up civilians in GAZA there was a minimal amount of ritual hand wringing by the US but nothing effective, let alone a 'no fly' zone, was ever proposed. Suppose Israel wants to do it again with impunity - a fairly probable scenario? A 'no fly' sanction on their Libyan copyist would be deeply embarrassing.

Sunday 6 March 2011

To offend or not to offend

On BBC Breakfast this morning [6th March] there was a piece about an advertisement from the British Humanist Association in relation to the forthcoming Census.Then there was the story of the ice cream made from breast milk that has bee banned from sale.Some people might be offended. These, and other things might be in poor taste, but I'm offended by the extent to which we must apparently pander to every hypersensitive soul of any race,colour,creed or opinion who gets offended instead of getting a life.

Saturday 5 March 2011

Objective reporting

"Don't write us off pleads Clegg". No, not a plead. Just a statement. "Liberal Democrats worst ever humiliation". No it wasn't - see Hamilton 1999. " [Clegg] looks set to lose his flagship referendum on AV". Well of course the Daily Express from where these quotes come would fervently wish this were true. " A downcast Mr Clegg --". Realistic & resiliant are alternative & more accurate words. I won't go on. My wife buys this "newspaper" on a Sat because of the puzzles not for its reporting.

More grief thanks to the Good Citizens of Barnsley

This weekend is UKIPs spring conference and we now have to put up with Nigel Farage crowing like a demented cockerel all over the TV. Asked on the news whether the economy was the biggest problem facing Britain he oh so predictably replied that it was not. Who governs Britain was the issue. What breathtaking originality. News Corporation; the President of the United States; and our beloved Banks - to say nothing of the fact that we have flogged off most of the Country's assets to those domiciled outside Europe - have much more influence over our daily lives than the EU. As a passionate pro-European I sometimes wish we would pullout of the EU. The rest of Europe would be so much better off without us & it would shut Mr Farage up.

Friday 4 March 2011

The Barnsley Central tragedy

No, not the collapse of the Lib Dem vote. It is the fact that whereas Libyans are being killed because they want the right to elect their politicians approximately two thirds of the good people of Barnsley couldn't be bothered to get off their backsides and go to the poll. They should hang their heads in shame.