Fistful of Euros is holding a Blog Awards competition. Categories are Best UK Blog, Best Political Blog, and the Satin Pyjamas Best European Blog. Don’t just stand there – nominate me, your first choice for unmarked jets, Black Sheep Bitter, war fever, sliding dollars and ranting. Or you’ll have me on your hands.
Read More Vote for ME.The new US Secretary of Homeland Security, former New York cop on duty at ground zero on the day, and Saudi royal bodyguard, Bernard Kerik, has been encountering a certain amount of blogosphere criticism since his appointment. Amongst other things, he’s been accused of partisanship (he was the chap who said during the election campaign…
Read More Bernard Kerik, and the South Yorkshire PoliceWashington Post story It is reported that a lawsuit has begun involving a CIA man who was allegedly run out of the services because he didn’t agree with the official version. Key: ” Those investigations, the lawsuit asserts, were “initiated for the sole purpose of discrediting him and retaliating against him for questioning the integrity…
Read More CIA Officer “forced to change WMD report”Unless I’m very much mistaken, The Markets now consider Italian short-term government debt less risky than US Treasury Bills. Maturity Coupon Price Yield Change Italy 09/06 2.75 100.7700 2.30 -0.01 04/09 3.00 100.5400 2.89 -0.02 02/15 4.25 103.9400 3.81 -0.03 08/34 5.00 108.8080 4.51 -0.01 US 11/06 2.88 99.8750 2.94 +0.02 11/09 3.50 99.5859 3.59…
Read More Strange TimesKevin Drum has this impressive piece of insight: “Boys these days are obsessed with videogames because boys throughout history have had a remarkable ability to obsess about things for uncounted hours: video games, computer programming, throwing balls around, practicing their swordfighting, whatever. The ability of young men to lose themselves to obsession is probably responsible…
Read More Wisdom from the blogosphere!It’s just been put to me that Vladimir Putin’s recent speech about Russia supporting the Iraqi elections is an indicator of important political events. Specifically, that the next president of Iraq will be – Viktor Yanukovich by a landslide! Thanks, Dad.
Read More Vladimir Putin and Iraqi ElectionsThe Boston Globe reports on the frankly sinister plan for the inhabitants of Fallujah now that “it’s over”. The US Marine Corps is apparently going to bring back the 300,000 or so people who fled the city in time for the elections. So they can fully enjoy the benefits of democracy, certain special arrangements have…
Read More ID Cards: You Too Can Have the Fallujah ExperienceCabalamat Journal has an interesting post on the European Union and its influence in the world under the amusing title The European Union is the Borg. They’ve also started blogrolling us, so have a link! They refer to this article in the Washington Post by Robert “Paradise and Power” Kagan. Some points – I think…
Read More You will be assimilated! (Warning – long post)If the current Identity Cards Bill is passed, remember that appealing against decisions involved is a crime. Well, not quite. Even though most of the monster fines – up to £2,500 a time if your card fails to swipe properly and is considered “damaged” – will be treated as a “civil penalty” rather like an…
Read More Reject ID Cards: Scare TacticsAmong the portfolio of accusations against David Blunkett, there is one I suspect is the most significant of the lot but hasn’t got the ink it deserves. In accordance with the best Labour traditions, of course, it’s also one of the matters that the Home Office’s self-investigation doesn’t cover. Mind you, the Sunday Torygraph did…
Read More Blunkett in love: the bit they’ve missed