Beirut Calling..
Is an excellent blog. Welcome to my Blogs of Distinction.
Read More Beirut Calling..July 2003
Picture of the day
“There goes another pesky journalist!”
Read More Picture of the dayWhich “-Gate” will this one get?
As is well known, all scandals are given a designation ending in -GATE in much the same way as tropical cyclones are given names and US invasions are given codenames according to where they occur. (Ops. DESERT SHIELD, DESERT STORM, DESERT FOX – all Iraq, Ops. INFINITE REACH and INFINITE JUSTICE were both Afghanistan. In…
Read More Which “-Gate” will this one get?That pensions thing
The NEF’s basic idea is that when a public authority of any kind has a capital project on, they could form a mutual pension fund to finance it. The members would sign up and pay in their pension contributions + employer contributions and the like, and the fund would build the project and lease it…
Read More That pensions thingThat 727 story – update
Well, it would appear there are two B727s making the news…PPRuNe link…..but it appears from the next page of the thread that it’s all over. The aircraft was apparently sold to a new owner after its repossession – who knew nothing of its dodgy and dramatic past. Haven’t we all met people like that! It…
Read More That 727 story – updateSorry
I’d composed a long post on the New Economics Foundation’s proposals on a form of mutual finance scheme for public construction as a pensions solution, but it’s mysteriously disappeared. You can still get the document under “Downloads” below.
Read More SorryUK/Colombia – a curious connection…
If you have been paying attention, you might remember that a while back, several IRA Volunteers were arrested in Colombia of all places, where they were alleged to have been engaged in co-operation with the FARC. (Supposedly, the men had been testing weapons and equipment. At the time, the news aroused indignant denials from all…
Read More UK/Colombia – a curious connection…This is all they – or we – need….
The BBC reports that the Pakistani embassy in Kabul has been sacked by a mob protesting about supposed Pakistani interference in Afghanistan. Worse, there have apparently been several frontier incidents between Pak and Afghan troops, including exchanges of fire. The Afghans have every reason to suspect and fear Pakistani machinations in their country – the…
Read More This is all they – or we – need….But what was it all for?
Memory, Forgetting, Alistair Campbell and Iraq
It would appear that the Foreign Affairs Select Committee report has let the Downing St Director of Strategic Communications, Alistair Campbell, aka Consultant Spin Doctor, “Riviera Gigolo”, hate figure of the Right, the Left, the Media and probably the church too, wannabe Scotsman, reformed alkie and all-round political thug off the charge of interfering with…
Read More Memory, Forgetting, Alistair Campbell and Iraq