Saturday, December 17, 2005
This am news. Sadly.
The British newspapers seem to be concentrating on the admission that Bush has been spying on the American people, well, they're easier to find than Osama Bin Laden. I was more interested in the fact that he was also defeated trying to change the law to make the PATRIOT Act permanent. When it was brought in, wasn't it supposed to be temporary and continually renewed, or am I getting it mixed up with British anti-terrorist legislation?
And what is it with leaders of countries that begin with 'Ira' that when faced with the only superpower in the world itching for an excuse to invade them they start playing 'chicken'? To be fair Bush would have demanded that Saddam Hussein castrate himself on national TV if that was needed to give the U.S. a pretext to invade, but for Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to continually spout deranged Anti-Semitic slurs and myths, well he probably wasn't about to go on any trips to Austria anyway. It's hard to be sure but it's not like a key part of the job of Iranian President is to fit in anti-Semitism between midday prayers and sorting out the Iranian economy, this is extra-curicular.
Was Special Branch trying to destroy the Northern Ireland Assembly? They do have their origins in fighting Irish terrorism, but this, if true, would seem to be an attempt to keep themselves in business.
I'm dubious about the mutterings in the press this week about Charles Kennedy's leadership of the Lib Dems. True, outside of election time they don't get much of a substantial appearance in the press, but it's the same with the Tories. If they hadn't cycled through four leaders in eight years and got rid of the third of those by a concentrated whispering campaign, how much would we have heard of them?
And who could replace him? One of these jokers? Lembit Opik? Who people only know because he's married to weathergirl Sian Lloyd and is worried about asteroids hitting the planet? Michael Moore, who would probably be more popular if people thought he was responsible for Bowling for Columbine or Fahrenheit 9-11? Mark Oaten? Don Foster? Simon Hughes? These three have an advantage that people that watch the news will recognise them, although for the Lib Dems this may be a disadvantage, what with Charles Kennedy's nickname being 'chatshow Charlie'. Heaven forbid that the British public should recognise the leader of the Liberal Democrats! He's also increased the Liberal Democrat share of the vote, for shame!
The only likely candidate is Ming the Merciless but he's old enough to be David Cameron's Dad. Still, if you look at his official photo he looks pre-prepared for Madam Tussauds when he dies an rigor mortis has set in.
Finally, for now, an interesting report from The Register which would suggest the Government is getting ready to tie the right to vote to having an ID Card.
And what is it with leaders of countries that begin with 'Ira' that when faced with the only superpower in the world itching for an excuse to invade them they start playing 'chicken'? To be fair Bush would have demanded that Saddam Hussein castrate himself on national TV if that was needed to give the U.S. a pretext to invade, but for Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to continually spout deranged Anti-Semitic slurs and myths, well he probably wasn't about to go on any trips to Austria anyway. It's hard to be sure but it's not like a key part of the job of Iranian President is to fit in anti-Semitism between midday prayers and sorting out the Iranian economy, this is extra-curicular.
Was Special Branch trying to destroy the Northern Ireland Assembly? They do have their origins in fighting Irish terrorism, but this, if true, would seem to be an attempt to keep themselves in business.
I'm dubious about the mutterings in the press this week about Charles Kennedy's leadership of the Lib Dems. True, outside of election time they don't get much of a substantial appearance in the press, but it's the same with the Tories. If they hadn't cycled through four leaders in eight years and got rid of the third of those by a concentrated whispering campaign, how much would we have heard of them?
And who could replace him? One of these jokers? Lembit Opik? Who people only know because he's married to weathergirl Sian Lloyd and is worried about asteroids hitting the planet? Michael Moore, who would probably be more popular if people thought he was responsible for Bowling for Columbine or Fahrenheit 9-11? Mark Oaten? Don Foster? Simon Hughes? These three have an advantage that people that watch the news will recognise them, although for the Lib Dems this may be a disadvantage, what with Charles Kennedy's nickname being 'chatshow Charlie'. Heaven forbid that the British public should recognise the leader of the Liberal Democrats! He's also increased the Liberal Democrat share of the vote, for shame!
The only likely candidate is Ming the Merciless but he's old enough to be David Cameron's Dad. Still, if you look at his official photo he looks pre-prepared for Madam Tussauds when he dies an rigor mortis has set in.
Finally, for now, an interesting report from The Register which would suggest the Government is getting ready to tie the right to vote to having an ID Card.
