Fatuous Suck-Upping and exploding feet

Noonan
by burghnews

Columnist Noonan Blasts MSNBC for ‘Fatuous Suck-Upping’ and has the brilliantly funny line

"Everybody is sick in their world.... everyone is unhappy, unwed, single mother, whose feet are exploding"

The BBC - who are they really?

The BBC - aka The Barack Broadcasting Corporation
Recently - aka The Brown Broadcasting Corporation
Previously - aka The Blair Broadcasting Corporation

Does this mean that Ed Balls and Hazel Blears should be favourites to succeed Gordon Brown? And does that help to explain Barack Obama's pick of Joe Biden?

Googling (update 19)

The topic of BBC bias re the US Presidential election coverage seems a live one. It has been commented on by many and the hits on my blog have been coming thick and fast from such Google searches.

Google Japan - bbc bias in us election - has this blog at position three, behind two biased-bbc entries

Google.com - bbc barack obama - has this blog at position eight, behind may much bigger sites.

Oh Darling (update)

Further to my blog about the splits appearing between Gordon Brown and Alistair Darling does need updating. Now Jack Straw has appeared on the BBC's Andrew Marr Show and the interview is reported by the BBC thus:

"Justice Secretary Jack Straw has said Labour is best placed to see Britain through the current economic downturn.

He told BBC One's Andrew Marr Show that economic management under Labour would help the UK to "weather these storms".

He said Chancellor Alistair Darling did not speak out of turn saying economic conditions were the worst for 60 years."

As usual Jack Straw says nothing concrete here, but he does say it with great confidence, tinged with slight menace.

The article continues :

"Mr Straw likened Britain's current economic situation to an airliner passing through turbulence.

"The question for the country is who is better to take us through this turbulent period?" he said.

"Is it an experienced pilot and co-pilot in Gordon Brown and Alistair Darling, who have had the experience… or is it two people in David Cameron and George Osborne, who have had no experience of flying a large plane whatsoever.""

Maybe we would be better off with a pilot and co-pilot who wouldn't have steered a course straight to the heart of a storm in the first place. Maybe we would be better off with a pilot and co-pilot who aren't currently arguing over how bad the storm is and whether we should steer under or over the storm. Maybe we would be better off with a pilot and co-pilot who give some indication of competence rather than total ineptitude.

Jack Straw is then reported to have said:

""We talk to each other all the time, each of us talks for the other. I'm sorry about this, but we're not clones of each other, and we sometimes use different adverbs and adjectives.

"The message from Gordon, from Alistair, from colleagues like myself, has been the same: we've had a very good period of economic management and economic success which has, for sure, provided us with a really serious platform to weather these storms.""

Jack Straw then went on to say that black was white, light was dark etc.

Sarah Palin - can she do more than just worry the Democrats

I have watched Barack Obama's speeches and most impressive they are too. However when he speaks without a script he is dire, truly dreadful. Take a look at his off the cuff speaking, there are plenty of examples on the internet and some on this site. Now take a look at Sarah Palin's acceptance speech, no notes just belief, fluency and passion. You can see an excerpt from this speech in the following piece of video from PUMA




There is an interesting thread on Hillary Clinton Forum entitled:

"(August 29, 2008) - Action Items: 1) Donate to McCain to affirm Palin pick; 2) Stay vigilant for all sexism against Palin"

Paul F. Villarreal, a big poster on the Hillary Clinton Forum goes on to say:

"Donate to John McCain and Sarah Palin, and let them know you love this pick and are thrilled that McCain showed Palin the respect that Democrats, and Barack "You're likable enough" Obama in particular, NEVER showed Hillary Clinton:

https://secure.johnmccain.com/Contri...ntributeE.aspx

Show McCain, Palin and America that you support women in the executive branch!

*

There are already stunning, sexist attacks against Palin all over the kook blogosphere. Daily Kos is comparing her with Dan Quayle, implying that she is mere eye candy, likely kind of dim-witted, and totally disrespecting her and all women.

Palin was both a mayor and a governor of the largest state in America. And these pigs are just dismissing her as though she were some joke in glasses.

The only party that's dissed a high-profile woman recently is the Democratic Party. What they did both in rigging the system so Hillary could not win the nomination and what Obama did in utterly disrespecting Hillary by not even vetting her for the VP was unconscionable. A disgrace.

*

Today, we have a ticket that respects women as equals and recognizing their full worth.

Please, donate to that ticket today and show America that you appreciate this historical McCain/Palin combination, and that you want to help bring America its first-ever female Vice President.

The glass ceiling is cracking. Let's shatter it!"

Oh Darling

Alistair Darling's admission that the UK economy was well and truly fucked, I paraphrase slightly, seems to have been an attempt to get his attack in whilst he still can. Rumours abound today that the "plan" for the government to encourage and fund local councils to buy houses that were to be repossessed via a joint-ownership scheme was a Gordon Brown "devised" scheme and opposed by Alistair Darling.

There appear to be severe differences of opinion as to the state of the UK economy, or more accurately differences of opinion over what the poor public should be told about the state of the UK economy; I think Number 10 and Number 11 realise the UK economy is well and truly screwed but whilst Alistair Darling wants to be "straight" with the public, Gordon Brown it seems does not. The Gordon Brown non-straight team seem to include Yvette Cooper, ostensibly Alistair Darling's Number Two, but don't forget married to Gordon Brown's real Number Two, Ed "So what" Balls. The Gordon Brown team are moving further and further into the bunker mentality and the results of this are unlikely to be pretty.

Another caring Democrat politician

"Former DNC Chairman Don Fowler laughs at New Orleans while talking to Congressman John Spratt of SC. You can't hear Spratt but he chuckles along with."

A hurricane heads towards New Orleans and may disrupt the Republican Party Convention as well as kill and make homeless many people on the Gulf coast but "that's cool"... Lovely people, really lovely.

Do Labour care about individual freedom any more?

The news earlier in the week that this most illiberal Labour government's current Home Secretary, the latest in a long line of authoritarian Labour Home Secretaries, was planning to grant police powers to some council staff and private security guards allowing them to hand out on-the-spot fines and demand personal information, set me thinking. Was this just another sign that our Labour government just doesn't care about civil liberties any more but wants to "look tough", I wondered. Was it worth blogging about yet another move to the type of surveillance society that the Communist East German regime implemented? Then I read today that they wanted to go further, our Labour rulers have encouraged local councils to recruit residents to report anyone who drops litter, fails to recycle adequately etc.

The government will argue that these two innovations will make the streets safer, of course that is complete rubbish. The areas that will implement this system are the middle class areas where one busybody neighbour will delight in denouncing their neighbour for putting out three bin bags rather than the maximum two allowed, just because the neighbours' park their car in front of the wrong house. I predict any number of neighbour disputes escalating as neighbours take the opportunity to settle scores by reporting ever more minor infractions of the "law".

So whilst the middle classes will inform on each other, be fined and pay the fines; the muggers, the burglars and the other "proles" will continue untroubled by the "authorities". Does this remind anyone of a 1948 novel?


In an associated story; I have blogged before about the way that governments are trying to use children to police the habits of their parents, one recent example that I have not commented upon is that of NPower's Climate Cops which really needs a proper fisking but I just don't have the energy. It's a lovely piece of propaganda which for the sake of "climate change" encourages children to "police" the behaviour of their parents re leaving televisions on standby and so on. As the teachers notes section explains:

"the programme aims to engage and excite children and show them how they can be heroes in tackling the causes of climate change, both in their homes and in their schools.

The children’s section of this site introduces them to the important concept of saving energy through three exciting, interactive games that are designed to teach: 1. What is energy waste? 2. How can you prevent energy waste? 3. Why are we saving energy?

In addition, there are lots of fun downloads that the children can access to engage them further in the Climate Cop programme and which can also be used as part of homework exercises."

Children are given diaries in which they can note domestic infractions, such as leaving a mobile phone charging for too long or a Nintendo game left flickering in the dark, as well as Post-It notes, which can be left at the crime scene as a warning to the offenders. The Climate Cops website encourages children to monitor and report on their domestic energy crimes to their classrooms.

I think it's called brainwashing, but it is also another way that this Labour government is taking control of the nation's children and using them to implement the policies of the government rather than follow the authority of their parents.

Am I alone in finding this reminiscent of an organisation for children set-up by a former "socialist" government, now what was it called? Oh yes, the Hitler Youth. A spy in every home, whose first loyalty was to the State and not to the family.


Taking the two of these examples together, is it hyperbole to foresee that this Labour government is implementing a system where children are used to enforce the introduction of government policies in the home, where "difficult" parents may not be ready to swallow the government's own propaganda, and a network of neighbourhood informers are used to keep the troublesome unbelievers in check? Is it really that far fetched to imagine a future Labour Home Secretary announcing the purging of reactionaries, the rounding up of undesirable elements and the introduction of re-education camps?

How many goats am I worh

I, NotaSheepMaybeaGoat, have just taken the How many goats test and the result:

"9. You're almost the coolest guy around!"

C'est vrai...

He hasn't gone away

I haven't blogged about Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for a while, mainly because I find reporting his antics boring and depressing, however this report of his recent visit to Turkey caught my eye:

"Ahmadinejad's visit produced little in terms of substantive policy; the signing of a multibillion-dollar natural gas pipeline deal was put off. But Ahmadinejad got something just as valuable: a chance to spin his own image, court popularity and bash the United States and Israel.... Departing from established practice of having visiting Muslim heads of state pray in a smaller mosque in Istanbul, the government allowed Ahmadinejad to pray in the Blue Mosque, Turkey's symbol of tolerant Ottoman Islam. With permission from Turkish authorities, he also allowed Iranian television to videotape him during the entire prayer, in violation of Islamic tradition, which requires quiet and intimate communion between God and the faithful. There was so much commotion around Ahmadinejad that the imam had to chide the congregants. Then, as he left the mosque, Ahmadinejad got out of his car to encourage a crowd of about 300 to chant, "Death to Israel! Death to America!""

He really is a little charmer, isn't he?

Anyone who thought that electing the AKP, under Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Abdullah Gül, into power in Turkey was a good and sensible idea may want to think again, and maybe should read my linked articles...

And they want to run a National ID Register

The Telegraph reports that

"Thousands of Cambridgeshire residents have had their nationality changed to Guyanese, after a computer glitch at their local council.

Around 3,000 people were sent documents to say they had been listed as originally from Guyana, in South America, on the electoral roll.

The mistake, which happened as the files were being updated, affected people whose nationality had previously been listed as "unknown" on the records.

When new computer software was brought in to help modernise the system, it refused to acknowledge the word "unknown" and automatically changed it to "Guyanese"."

And yet this most discredited Government still think they can implement a National Identity Register, the words piss-up in a brewery come to mind. Most governments, whether national or local, are incompetent - it's just the degree of incompetence that needs deciding.

The Douchebag Delta Force

Iowahawk has excelled with this piece of satire, or is it factual reporting? The premise -

"With new polls showing Barack Obama's once-commanding lead over John McCain all but evaporated, the Obama campaign announced today it has begun deploying its vast volunteer army of downtown hipster douchebags to help reconnect the presumptive Democratic candidate with middle-American voters."

The force -

"Highly motivated, and with skills ranging from post-modern gender theory to espresso cafe blackboard chalk art, the volunteers were eager to get to work on the campaign trail. But before deployment Obama officials insisted that all recruits undergo an intensive training regimen to prepare them for the rigors of life in Red Country... "We tell them straight up: we aren't your mommy or daddy or your au pair. There aren't any independent lesbian film festivals in Youngstown, and just because Iowa has a lot of farmers it doesn't mean they are going to see a lot of Sunday chill-out farmers' markets," says Voorhees. "After that shock wears off, we tell them about how the natives drink Pabst unironically.""

Some of the tactics -

"According to Lorenz, winning back fence sitters to the Obama column takes a disciplined three-pronged attack of sarcasm, irony and condescension, which he demonstrates on a diner at a Fond du Lac IHOP.

"Excuse me, who are you voting for?" Lorenz asks the elderly man.

"Oh, I don't know, McCain I suppose," the man answers.

"Yeah, I guess you senile old fucks need to stick together," says Lorenz. "That way you can stay safe from those scary Muslim nee-groos."

"See?" observes Lorenz. "Now that he's been properly shamed out of his racism, he'll think twice before pulling any lever for McBush.""

...

"Occasionally I will run into a McBush supporter, and I will pull out two campaign posters and let them compare," she explains. "Obama: Shepard Fairey. McCain: Copperplate Gothic. Then I ask them - are you really going to vote for someone that out of touch with graphic design trends?""

Will it work? -

"Whether Obama's douchebag heartland surge will ultimately succeed remains to be determined, but longtime political analyst and What's the Matter With Kansas? author Thomas Frank thinks the basic strategy is sound.

"Unfortunately this election comes down to winning the hearts and minds of whitebread, middlebrow, middle-class, middle-Americans," says Frank."This effort shows that Obama troops are willing to reach out and condescend to them, one-on-one, no matter how pathetic and stupid they are." "

Genius, sheer genius.

"between his buttocks"

Eh? The BBC report that:

"A man who stole cash and belongings from train passengers has been banned from entering London for two years.

Peter Abbott, 46, repeatedly boarded trains to take items from overhead racks, Southwark Crown Court was told.

When he was arrested in April, police discovered £280 in cash hidden between his buttocks.

...

He was stopped by police... when he was found with a wallet and credit cards taken from a man at Euston station, as well as the cash secreted in his pants."

Alaska some facts - interesting or not

With John McCain's appointment of Sarah Palin as his Vice Presidential running mate, the spotlight has been shone on Alaska, so I thought the time right to bring up one of my favourite quiz questions.

A great quiz question is to ask:
1) which American State is the most Northern
2) which American State is the most Eastern
3) which American State is the most Southern
4) which American State is the most Western

Virtually everyone plumps for Alaska as the most northern, California or Florida as the most Southern, Maine as the most Eastern and California or Hawaii (if being smart) as the most Western.

In fact the answer to Northern, Eastern and Western is the same - Alaska. Northern and Western, people will normally believe, but Eastern? It's all due to Alaska's Aleutian Islands which stretch right up to the edge of the Western Hemisphere at the 180º line of Longitude, thus making Alaska the most western state in the country; but they also stretch across the 180º line of Longitude, into the Eastern Hemisphere, and up the edge of the Russian Federation, making it the most Eastern state as well. The most Southern US State is Hawaii.

Just as interesting is if you just count the contiguous American States; then:
The most Northern State is Minnesota
The most Eastern State is Maine
The most Southern State is Florida
The most Western State is Washington State


Tomorrow I may blog about where the geographic centre of America is, or I may not...

A prediction for Monday morning

The £ and the FTSE will drop like stones on Monday morning, following Alistair Darling's belated admission that the UK economy is is serious trouble. I predict that the FTSE will open down over a hundred points and fall further. I also predict that Sterling will fall below 1.75 against the US Dollar and 1.20 against the Euro on Monday. The UK economy is well and truly fucked, thanks to Gordon Brown's economic ineptitude, and it is going to be a very nasty, painful and long journey back from this.

Alistair Darling's economic prowess

Finally Alistair Darling has recognised what many of us in the blogosphere have been saying for months. In an interview in The Guardian he has admitted that The UK is facing its worst economic crisis in 60 years and that the economic downturn would be more "profound and long-lasting" than most people had feared. Do read the whole sorry article and note that Alistair Darling's main concern appears to be that Labour isn't getting its message across rather than the fact that his boss has destroyed the UK economy. I was interested to read that

"The chancellor, who says that Labour faces its toughest challenge in a generation, admits that Brown and the cabinet are partly to blame for Labour's woes because they have "patently" failed to explain the party's central mission to the country, leaving voters "pissed off"."

And equally interested to rad that he

"says some people want his job and have been trying to undermine him. Many in the Treasury believe that Ed Balls, the schools secretary, has been less than supportive. "There's lots of people who'd like to do my job. And no doubt," he adds, half under his breath, "actively trying to do it."

I note that despite evidence to the contrary those great brains at the Treasury have said the Chancellor's comments were "entirely consistent" with his previous statements -

"These are the same difficult economic circumstances that every other country in the world is having to deal with... But with employment levels near record highs, interest rates that are historically low and the past decade of rising incomes and job creation, the UK is well placed to deal with this."

The level of delusion within the Treasury is truly mind-bending.


Back in April Alistair Darling was still claiming, despite the strong evidence to the contrary, that "there were grounds for optimism" despite the "unprecedented shock to the economy." He also said that the UK still had a "strong economy that had proved remarkably resilient" in the slowdown. "The IMF has down-rated every country's growth forecast in the light of what's been happening in the world economy. However, they have lowered their expectations in relation to us by less than other countries," Alistair Darling said he was sticking by his forecast made in the Budget that the UK economy would grow by between 1.75% and 2.25% in 2008 and by 2.25% to 2.75% in 2009, substantially above IMF projections. "I do remain optimistic that provided we can take action, not just in this country but.. with other countries,...provided we can take the right action,.. then we can ensure that the economy stays growing as it has done for the last few years." "I do remain optimistic that provided we can take action, not just in this country but.. with other countries,...provided we can take the right action,.. then we can ensure that the economy stays growing as it has done for the last few years."





For some good coverage of our out of his depth Chancellor, I recommend a look at Letters From a Tory.

Googling (update 18) and more

Last night the number of people trying to find out more about the "unknown" Sarah Palin meant a large number of Google searches for her name. This blog laso received several from people searching for "Sarah Balen", presumably linking two types of BBC bias into one search. It is gratifying that when searching in Google for BBC reaction to Sarah Palin, this blog appears 6th in the results; only headed by Technorati, the BBC, Breitbart and YouTube and just ahead of Iain Dale and The Examiner.

The obvious shock at the BBC at the appointment of Sarah Palin was quite interesting. If the blogosphere had picked her as a possibility some months ago, how come the over-funded BBC were so surprised?

The BBC have formally recognised Abkhazia and South Ossetia

The BBC really miss the old Soviet Union, they long for a country to stop the evil world domination by the USA. So when I saw this page I was not too surprised to see that the BBC are now happy to show Abkhazia and South Ossetia as separate countries with their capital and the name of their Presidents listed.

Well done BBC, the Russians were provoked into invading, not that it was an invasion and anyway it's all over and all countries deserve to be allowed to breakaway. Shhh, don't mention Chechnya.

Any Questions tonight - 29 August 2008

Ken Livingstone continues his role as an all but permanent commentator on the BBC. He is joined by Jenny Tonge the woman who once said that she would consider becoming a suicide bomber if she were Palestinian. Peter Hitchens is also on the programme, he is introduced as being anti all the current political parties but just an anti-Cameron quote is used to introduce him - a nice touch. The fourth member of the panel is unknown to me.

I cannot listen to the whole programme but will listen to the first question and answer on Barack Obama. Ken has called Republicans mad and Jenny Tonge says "please God let him win" but worries that he may be assassinated and that middle-America might be too racist to elect him. I am off...

Do you stand by this statement Hillary?

"Senator McCain will bring a lifetime of experience to the campaign, I will bring a lifetime of experience, and Seanator Obama will bring a speech that he gave in 2002."

BBC - US Election issues guide

Take a look at the BBC's US election issues guide. Take a read of the issue by issue comments but the real bias is at the top of the article, under the heading of issues. Here Barack Obama is described thus:

"The Illinois senator says he can "break partisan logjams" and unite the country."

A couple of nice positive campaign slogans for Barack Obama.

Whereas John McCain is described thus:

"Arizona senator and Vietnam war hero would be oldest man to become president."

No nice slogans and a dig at his age.


You almost have to admire the shamelessness of the BBC when it comes to political bias. Mind you if you think this is biased political coverage, just wait for the next UK General Election.

Sarah Palin and the BBC's bias

When Barack Obama announced Joe Biden as his choice as VP, did the BBC follow this article with anything positive about the Republicans? I only ask because this is the current layout of the Sarah Palin story (my emphasis):

"McCain picks female running mate - US Republican presidential hopeful John McCain picks Alaska's governor Sarah Palin, 44, as his surprise running mate.
Profile: Sarah Palin
Obama's convention success
US Election issues guide"

The BBC cannot help themselves, there must be a positive Obama story linked to almost every US politics story.

Also I seem to remember that the Democrat announcements were all the one size up in space terms from this story, but then what the Democrats do or say is a story as they will be the winners of the upcoming Presidential election.

The BBC - VOTE OBAMA - it's what we want.


Meanwhile, here is a Sarah Palin fan.

The BBC are confused

The BBC really wanted a woman US President hence their long-time support for Hillary Clinton. Then along comes Barack Obama and in leftist politics a black man still just trumps a white woman. Now John McCain announces that Sarah Palin, the female governor of Alaska, as his running mate. The BBC have to attack but she is a woman so the BBC are feeling conflicted. Don't worry this will pass; the BBC were after all able to attack Condi Rice and she was a black woman - mind you she was a Republican and working for George W. Bush - the great Satan to the BBC.

The BBC's coverage has some interesting angles:

Apparently she is his "surprise running mate"; that's odd I picked her as one of my two tips back in June and I am not a highly paid commentator on American politics like Justin Webb.

"At 44, she is younger than Barack Obama and is credited with reforms during her first term, but she is relatively unknown in US politics."

It would seem that the maximum youth allowed is whatever age Barack Obama is, any younger is too young. I am also interested by the "relatively unknown" tag, relative to what? To Barack Obama, probably but then that could be because the US and UK media have been promoting him ever since he became a Senator. To those of us with an interest in politics, her role as Governor of Alaska with her comments on expanding the drilling for oil and exploiting the oil-shale reserves are well known.

"Mr McCain is due to present her on stage at a rally in Dayton, Ohio, as he celebrates his 72nd birthday."

He's old, so old; don't forget how old he is...

"Analysts say the Republican is keen to wrest back headlines from Mr Obama."

"No shit, Sherlock" really, do ya think? Which analysts think this? Mind you the BBC will do their best to make sure that either John McCain doesn't wrest back the headlines from the Messiah and that any headlines he gets are negative.

"Ms Palin is perhaps the most daring vice-presidential choice for Mr McCain, the BBC's Kim Ghattas reports from Dayton."

Ah it's Kim Ghattas reporting. Now I wonder from what angle she will report upon Republican politics? That would be Kim Ghattas the Lebanese born BBC reporter who was allowed to broadcast her "unbiased" thoughts on the Israeli - Hezbollah conflict without having to declare her interest in the subject. That would be Kim Ghattas about you can read more here . That would be the Kim Ghattas who wrote for Asia Times that

"And the Al Jazeera attitude continues to be that if it's getting so many complaints from all sides, it must be getting it right."

Showing the same BBC assumption of moral equivalence that we so admire. That would be the Kim Ghattas who's blinkered anti-Bushism lead her to reportedly describe the sentencing of Osama bin Laden's chauffeur thus:

"The BBC's Kim Ghattas at the trial says the sentence is a dramatic snub to the Bush administration and came after just one-and-a-half hours of deliberation."

Not sure how that was a snub to the administration, maybe Kim Ghattas could explain when she has finished attacking Republicans this week and next.

The unnamed analysts return...

"Analysts say she may have been chosen by the McCain campaign as a tactic to win over Democratic women voters, disappointed by the defeat of Hillary Clinton to Barack Obama."

How evil of John McCain to pick as Vice President someone who might help him garner votes. How underhand of him to pick a woman. Why couldn't he do the BBC's analysts a favour and pick a member of the KKK as they just know he really wants to.

"Her relative youth and reforms as governor may also go some way to match Mr Obama's appeal, and boost Mr McCain's chances."

Don't worry he's not as appealing as Barack Obama - black still outranks female - and anyway John McCain doesn't really want her as his VP, it's just a campaigning tool.

""She will be his partner in reforming Washington," a senior McCain official told Reuters news agency, speaking on condition of anonymity."

I have never seen that phrase before, why not just report this as "She will be his partner in reforming Washington," an unnamed senior McCain official told Reuters news agency"? Because this way sound underhand and secretive, how unlike the way that barack Obama operates...

"But Ms Palin lacks foreign policy experience and while being a Washington outsider can be an asset for the McCain ticket, it also means she has not been tested on the national stage, our correspondent says."

As always with the BBC what is good for Obama does not have to be good for McCain; the rules are different because the BBC want, need, Obama to win - he must win to HEAL the wounds of 2000 and 2004.

It took the BBC about half an hour to add a piece to the end of their article referring to unproven allegations that have been made against Sarah Palin:

"She sacked a public safety commissioner and the allegation is that she sacked him because he had not fired a state trooper who is Ms Palin’s former brother-in-law, and who is in a custody battle with her sister.

She says she has "nothing to hide" and is "cool" about the investigation."

Presumably it took that long for the BBC's top American politics team to call the Obama camp for "the dirt".

Of course the BBC will not even mention Barack Obama's links to Antoin ("Tony") Rezko and the possible real-estate scandal that may link them. The BBC have not covered Barack Obama's treatment of his half-brother in Kenya or the claims about his upbringing or ......


The BBC - we want Barack Obama as US President and will do all that we can to assist.


You can hear Kim Ghattas's words of wisdon here being interviewed by the towering intellect that is Sarah Montague.

Justin Webb

I have found myself getting more and more irritated by the pro-Obama "news" pieces on the Today programme this week by both James Naughtie and Justin Webb. So when I found Justin Webb's BBC blog I knew I was in for a treat and when I found that he had live-blogged Barack Obama's speech I knew that I would find comedy gold.

Now this is a blog by the BBC's North America editor, not a member of Barack Obama's campaign team so let's look at some of the live-blog - my comments in italics.

"20:12: He strides out very purposefully, dressed very formally - presidentially, wearing a white shirt and a restrained red tie. The look is sober and that's important."
Line 1 and Justin Webb has associated Barack Obama with the word presidential.

"20:29 By the way - it's a stunning evening here in Denver. I mention this because some fundamentalist Christians of a right-wing persuasion prayed for rain - proof that God is a Democrat?"
Well done, Justin, managed to associate right-wingers (and so Republicans) as being fundamentalists and to get God onto the side of the Democrats.

"20:35: Quite a brave line there on oil drilling. John McCain is proposing to open up America's coast for drilling, which has proved popular. Obama is sticking to his line that it's not a solution."
Even Barack Obama has to suffer for the BBC's environmentalist agenda.

"20.38: A good line on health. About how he watched his mother arguing on the phone with insurance companies as she lay in bed dying of cancer - an experience familiar to many Americans."
I presume Justin Webb still believes that there is no free health care in the USA, or maybe it's just a line he chooses to push.

"20:41: A very interesting choice of word there - on who would make the better Commander-in-Chief, he asked who had the better temperament. What could he mean?"
Ooh, a little slur throwing at John McCain - nicely done.


"20:43: Great Bin Laden line - "John McCain says he'd follow Osama Bin Laden to the gates of hell, but he won't even follow him to the cave where he lives.""
I have read that line a few times and it doesn't really make sense.

"Conclusion: This needed to be a serious speech and it was. I'm still not sure about the Doric columns, but he's managed to be convincing despite the overbearing backdrop. One of the features of the speech was the frequent reference to the future. He's not saying McCain's too old for the job - at least not in so many words. But the Obama camp know that Americans are worried about McCain's age and ever so subtly they are making an allusion to it."
Barack Obama's not saying John McCain's too old, but why should he when unbiased reporters like you will?

I look forward to Justin Webb's equally fulsome appraisal of John McCain's speech next week.

Strange John McCain campaign advert

BBC radio played this without comment on the lunchtime news and I was a little confused as to why. Maybe the BBC are so pro-Obama that they think that this is actually another vote for him. It's called politeness and class, the BBC won't understand that.

"It is requested that Members do not partake of any refreshments until after the Iftar refreshments are served."

"It is requested that Members do not partake of any refreshments until after the Iftar refreshments are served."

That is the last line of an email sent by the Council to to all members of London's Tower Hamlets Council. The whole email according to Tower Hamlets Liberal Democrats reads thus:

"Iftar refreshments (a balance of the chicken, lamb and vegetarian-based Iftar packs, together with fruit, water and orange juice) will be provided in cases where it is not reasonable to expect Members observing Ramadan, and who are required to attend a formal committee or other meeting, to travel home in time for sundown in order to break fast and undertake prayers. Where other refreshments would normally be provided at these meetings, the level of these will be reduced accordingly. Water will be provided in the meeting room as normal.

It is requested that Members do not partake of any refreshments until after the Iftar refreshments are served."

It would seem as though the Tower Hamlets Council were trying to enforce a Muslim Festival on non-Muslims. I rarely agree with the Liberal Democrats but this this line on the same page had me nodding in agreement:

"...we fervently believe that the rules of any one religion should not be imposed upon others. This sends out the wrong message to our community. Our community consists of a number of different religions, all of which should be valued, and no one religion should be accorded more status or influence than others. Freedom of belief is an important human right, and we Liberal Democrat Councillors, Muslim and non-Muslim, agree that this request is inappropriate."

I heard a Councillor being interviewed last night and was disappointed to hear her refer to the "holy month of Ramadan". Ramadan may be holy to Muslims but it is not to Christians, Jews, Hindus, Sikhs, etc. etc. etc. The denoting of Muslim festivals and tenets in this manner is one that the BBC follow, often referring to "the prophet Muhammed" rather than "the Muslim prophet Muhammed".

The Telegraph like many news sources report the same story but they have the additional information that

"the town hall's business agenda will be reduced throughout Ramadan to accommodate Muslims, with only seven committee meetings scheduled and special prayer breaks included in the evening events."

Of course it was Tower Hamlets council that were reported to have renamed their Christmas lunch to "festive lunch". As is often the case, the respecting of religious groups seems to be a one-way street, in favour of Islam.

I have stated previously that Sharia law will be the norm in several British Cities by 2020, I am still of this opinion but fear that it may more extensively practised than anyone currently believes possible. The "dhimmi" attitude of Tower Hamlets Council over this matter and the similar behaviour of many other Councils and authorities in this Country will accelerate what Dr Rowan Williams described as "unavoidable" - the introduction of Sharia law into the UK. The diference is that whilst I believe that Dr Williams thought Sharia law would be a parallel system applying just to Muslims who chose to be dealt with under this legal code, I believe that it will apply to non-Muslims living in largely Muslim areas (bear in mind that Tower Hamlets is reported as being only 36% Muslim).

The adulation continues

For yet another day, the promoting of Barack Obama's campaign is continuing on the BBC' news website. The headline story today is once again Obama related, this time it is the definitely not straight news reporting of his speech last night:

"Obama launches historic campaign - Barack Obama promises to keep the American dream alive as he accepts his historic Democratic nomination for the White House.
Obama: US can be better
Justin Webb: Clever stuff
In pictures: Democrats in Denver
Obama speech - full text
Denver diary: Primetime policies
US election at-a-glance: 28 Aug"

With Justin Webb and James Naughtie giving their regular adulatory pieces on the Today programme this week, the campaigning has been incessant. I wonder how the BBC will report the Republican convention next week. Somehow I doubt it will be reported as extensively or as positively as the Democrat convention. Somehow I doubt that John McCain will receive coverage even 10% as positive as that accorded Barack Obama. Rather than unquestioningly supportive coverage of the various party figures such as Bill Clinton and Edward Kennedy, however questionable their past behaviour, as has been the case this week; next week I predict that the coverage will be carping and cynical.

Muslims are the new Jews?

It has become a truism amongst many that "Muslims are the new Jews".

These are just two examples: India Knight wrote in The Times that

"It’s open season on Islam — Muslims are the new Jews."

the MP Shaid Malik was quoted as saying that

"In the way that it was and still is in some parts, almost legitimate to target Jews, many Muslims would say we feel the exact same way - that somehow there is a message out there that it is OK to target people as long as they are Muslims."

I watched Jerry Springer on the BBC's "Who do you think you are" last night and I think that the above comparisons are thus shown to be vacuous and possibly dangerous.

Watch the programme here and then tell me where in the UK Muslims are being banned from working as doctors, lawyers or accountants.

Watch the programme and tell me where in the UK Muslim shops are being made to identify themselves as Muslim owned.

Watch the programme and tell me where in the UK Muslims are banned from using public transport.

Watch the programme and then tell me where in the UK Muslims are banned from public parks and libraries.

Watch the programme and then tell me where in the UK Muslims are banned from owning bicycles, cars and telephones.

Watch the programme and tell me where in the UK Muslims are banned from owning pets.

Watch the programme and tell me where in the UK Muslims are having all of their possessions taken by the State.

Watch the programme and tell me where in the UK Muslims are being put into cattle wagons and sent to ghettos to work under forced labour.

Watch the programme and tell me where in the UK Muslims are being stripped, herded into vans and gassed by the exhaust fumes to die in agony over 15-20 minutes.

Watch the programme and tell me where in the UK Muslims are being taken into concentration camps and there gassed to death by the thousand in an industrial killing system before having their gold fillings removed for re-use, their hair removed for use in mattresses and their bodies melted down for the fat.

Watch this programme and then tell me where in the UK 6,000,000 Muslims have been killed by the State or indeed anyone.



Watch this programme and tell me how the Muslims are the new Jews.

The Jews were innocents targeted by the State as part of a concerted attempt to destroy a race. To compare what happened to the Jews during World War 2 to the conditions of the Muslims in the UK today is an insult to both Jews and Muslims.


If anyone are the new Jews in 21st Century Europe, it is the Jews.

It is the Jews who are facing increased violence against them.

It is Jews who are the victims of the anti-Semitic violence that has become endemic in Britain, both on the streets and university campuses - according to an all-party parliamentary inquiry in 2006.

It is the Jews that once again are having to guard their places of worship and schools from attack.

It is the Jews that are regularly having their graveyards desecrated.

It is the Jews that fear wearing identifiable symbols of their religion lest they be attacked for being Jewish.

It is in the somewhat Jewish area of London, Hampstead Garden Suburb, that swastikas and the words "Kill all Jews" and "Allah" were daubed on the house and car of Dr. Justin Stebbing.

It is in the UK that the BBC portray Israel as evil and the cause of most, if not all, of the troubles in the Middle East and thus of the problems between Islam and the West.


Are Muslims the new Jews? No the Jews are now, as they have been for many years, the Jews.

A 13.6% devaluation

Let's please recognise that under the economic stewardship of Gordon Brown and his puppet Chancellor, Alstair Darling, the pound has suffered a fall against the dollar of 13.6% over the last nine months. Against the Euro the picture is 16.8% over the last 12 months.

Well done Gordon for masterminding the economic collapse of the UK, well done Alistair for being one of the most ineffectual Chancellors of the Exchequer in living memory and well done Labour for "electing" such a fool as your party leader and thus our Prime Minister.

Well done BBC for not allowing such economic news to be reported too loudly, shhhh.

A third of the way there..

UK house prices have fallen by 10.5% over the last 12 months according to the Nationwide's latest house price survey. This means that the UK has seen an annual double-digit fall for the first time since 1990. This is not the end of falling house prices, another 20% or so to go according to my long-standing predictions.

You scratch my back...

I read on the BBC that

"Former London mayor Ken Livingstone is to work as a consultant for Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.

Mr Livingstone, who has long been a supporter of Mr Chavez, will advise pro-government mayors in the capital Caracas on urban planning."

Ken Livingstone is to work as a consultant to someone who tried to change the electoral system to his advantage. Ken Livingstone is to work as a consultant to a tyrant who supports terrorism in neighbouring states via groups such as FARC and who proclaimed his "brotherhood" with Saddam Hussein and bestowed kind words on the Taliban. Ken Livingstone is to work as a consultant to a man who maintains close economic and diplomatic ties with the leaders of Iran and Libya.

How do you sleep at night, Ken Livingstone?

The BBC's ever continuing campaign for Barack Obama

Yet again the morning's leading items on the BBC news website are related to Barack Obama's coronation. This time the lead story is

"Bill Clinton vows to back Obama -
Bill Clinton resoundingly endorses Barack Obama who is formally nominated by US Democrats as their presidential candidate."

The following stories are:

"Obama makes appearance
Clinton: Obama is man for job
Running mate shows his mettle
Key excerpts: Joe Biden
Diary: Laughs aplenty
In pictures: Democrats in Denver"

The adulation, nay LOVE, of the BBC towards to Barack Obama comes shining through.

The Toady programme did manage to mention that Barack Obama and John McCain were neck and neck in the opinion polls, news that was meant to provoke a "but how" from listeners spoon-fed a diet of pro-Obama stories ever since he took over from Hillary Clinton as the BBC's anointed one.

I am readying myself for reading similarly positive daily headlines and almost uniformly fawning articles about John McCain and the Republican party next week. I am also looking forward to reading glowing reports of the nominating of John McCain by ex-Republican Presidents, some of whom may not be renowned philanderers, liars and or abandoners of drowning women.

Does anyone seriously believe that the tone of the BBC's coverage will be as positive? Of course not; any disagreements amongst Republican delegates will be talked up, John McCain's links with the BBC's great hate figure George Bush will be explained, the usual sneering at a Republican politician will be evident and the "race card" may well be played.

The BBC like most of the US media is in the bag for Obama, they are not reporting the election they are campaigning for Barack Obama.

The US media is biased in favour of Barack Obama - surely not!

Thanks to News Busters we in the UK can know that

"on CNN Sunday evening: Lou Dobbs told his guests, "My colleagues in the national media are absolutely biased, in the tank supporting the Obama candidacy while claiming the mantle of objectivity," and they agreed."

News Busters have the audio and the transcript but here are some extracts:

"LOU DOBBS, HOST: You know, it's really not working because the fact is we have a tied race here. You know, with all the national media, as I've been saying here for months, in the tanks. My colleagues in the national media are absolutely biased, in the tank supporting the Obama candidacy while claiming the mantle of objectivity. Whether they're in the front page of "The Washington Post," "The New York Times," whether it's any one of the news casts, I mean, it's ridiculous....

...

PEREZ: Look, what the media has failed at here is putting pressure on Obama, especially, because McCain wanted to do those meetings together with Obama, those public forums.

DOBBS: The town hall meetings.

PEREZ: Yes, and Obama has really evaded the issue and the media has not been after him for it. And I think that's disgraceful.

...

DOBBS: Well, I think the way the national media in this country right is performing, is disgraceful. And I mean, when we - "The Washington Post" had the courage to admit that it - Deborah Howell, the public editor, the ombudsman for the "Washington Post" ran a piece this past Sunday acknowledging that "The Washington Post" has put Barack Obama on the front pages of the Washington Post three times as many times as Senator McCain. "Time" magazine has run seven covers with Obama. McCain two. I mean, this is not close, folks. And it is ugly. It is nasty. And I guarantee you, we are watching a shift in the way in which the media in this country, which is already reviled by the public, I believe it's going to be even worse....

...

HANK SHEINKOPF, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Good for democrats, not so good for the nation in the long term. Barack Obama is interesting, he's new, therefore he is news. OK. The fact that a black man can reach that pinnacle of success, raise the amount of money, run this kind of organization, beat Hillary Clinton is big news. At some point there has to be some fairness in the discussion. The problem here from the beginning is from day Obama showed up, I was wondering when the reporters will start chiseling his face on to Mt. Rushmore and the guy hadn't even won the nomination yet. That's the danger here, Lou. And people know it and they're not stupid. Average guy says wait a second, I want news and he isn't getting it.

...

DIANA WEST, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: ...I think it will eventually ricochet on Obama. I think that people are getting very distressed and irritated about it. But the bias continues and, you know, it even came out with the coverage of these back and forth on gas this week in terms of the Ayers connection, because most of the papers was reading, "USA Today," "The Associated Press," they were not covering the challenge that the..."

I wonder if any UK news broadcaster would have the guts to point out this bias?

NIMBYism, not in this case

Protesters against wind farms are often described as NIMBYs (not in my back yard) and derided by the BBC and its fellow travellers in the eco-mentalist lobby. However the news that the

"Rush for oil reaches Britain's fields"

has to include a warning that

"Environmental groups have been angered by West Sussex County Council's decision to give permission to Northern Petroleum to drill an exploration well near Chichester.

The site in Markwells Wood is part of the South Downs and a designated area of outstanding natural beauty.

Jacquetta Fewster, director of the South Downs Society, says the drilling would lead to the destruction of trees and hedgerows and the visual impact of the drilling tower and its lighting would be "inappropriate".

"It's very quiet, full of wildlife when you walk along the footpaths, you'll often come a across a deer," she says.

"Drilling for oil isn't compatible with a place that should be for quiet contemplation and getting away from urban life.""

In the "minds" of the eco-warriors, wind power is good and anyone against it is a NIMBY whereas oil is bad and anyone in favour of it is a selfish vandal.

A strange turn of phrase

The BBC's article about the UK's ever increasing population has a rather odd title:

"UK population 'will be top in EU'"

"top"? The reality is in the next line

"The UK population is set to become the largest in the European Union, according to a report."

"Largest" makes sense, "top" does not; I wasn't aware that this was a competition and if it is, is it one the UK wants to be "top" of?


Even more bizarrely, the BBC are linking to the above article from the Politics home page with this wording

"How is the UK set to outdo every other nation in the EU?"

"Outdo", maybe the BBC still think it is the Olympics and biggest is best, or maybe this is just another part of their pattern of pushing the multicultural agenda whatever the cost.

Everybody needs a bosom for a pillow, everybody needs a bosom.

I just heard "Brimful of Asha" by Cornershop, I never realised that the repeated chorus was

"Everybody needs a bosom for a pillow, everybody needs a bosom."

A sentiment that I can agree with but was that always the lyric?

100,000,000 hits - who will be first

The race to be the first You Tube video to get to 100 million viewings is hotting up. There seem to be two contestants, the first is a video that I blogged about in February there is Judson Laipply's incredible "Evolution of Dance" now with 96,908,330 views and there is Avril Lavigne's teeny "Girlfriend" video now with 98,501,857 views.

Judson Laipply's video can be seen here:



But for Avril Lavigne's you will need to visit You Tube.

100 million - puts us bloggers in our place, doesn't it.

The North Pole's ice cap is melting?

Various sources including The Independent were predicting

"Exclusive: Scientists warn that there may be no ice at North Pole this summer"

Apparently

"It seems unthinkable, but for the first time in human history, ice is on course to disappear entirely from the North Pole this year."

I wonder if Steve Connor, Science Editor of The Independent will retract his wild story following the news that

"The summer meltback in the Arctic has ended and the ice is on the march, confounding the alarmists who were predicting in June that the Pole would be ice-free this year. Currently, the ice area is some 600,000 square kilometres greater than it was at its minimum extent last year."

Read the rest at EU Referendum.

So come on Steve Connor, will you update your article or write a new one?

Consistency Brown

The Daily Record is reporting that

"Exclusive: Gordon Brown to take charge of Labour's fight for Glenrothes

Aug 27 2008 By Kevin Schofield

GORDON Brown has stepped in to help mastermind Labour's bid to beat the odds and win the Glenrothes by-election.

The Prime Minister is spending the week in his Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath constituency, which borders the vacant seat.

A Downing Street spokesman would only say Brown was "working in his constituency".

But the Record has learned that he will hold meetings with local Labour officials to discuss the party's election campaign. He will also have a major say on the choice of candidate to take on the SNP, who have been installed as odds-on favourites to snatch the seat."

Is this the same Gordon Brown who put out the line that parliamentary tradition holds that prime ministers do not campaign in by-elections when asked why he was not campaigning in Crewe and Nantwich. Maybe Tom Harris will update his blog entry "Gordon was right to stay away" that starts

"PRIME Ministers don’t visit by-elections, and the David Camerons of this world are being dishonest by constantly referring to GB’s absence from the Glasgow East campaign."

Is Gordon going to mastermind....., sorry the thought of Gordon Brown masterminding anything has given me the best laugh of the week so far,... the by-election but not campaign thus avoiding having to listen to the public or will he be campaigning as well thus breaking the really important convention of PMs not campaigning in by-elections?

Does anyone believe that if by some miracle there was a turnaround in fortunes and Labour were riding high in the polls that Gordon Brown would not be seeking out the adulation of his adoring public?

The BBC's continuing campaigning for Barack Obama

Further to this yesterday, I note that the BBC headlines are still centred around the Democratic convention.

"Clinton urges party to back Obama - Hillary Clinton calls on the Democrats to back her former rival Barack Obama for president, at the party's convention in Denver."

I think the BBC are nervous about the reports that many Hillary Clinton supporting Democrats are going to vote McCain in 2008 so as to give Hillary another chance in 2012.

"Clinton on 'fight for the future'
Key excerpts: Hillary Clinton
'Hero' Clinton plays killer scene
Diary: Time for red meat
In pictures: Denver convention
'No evidence' of threat to Obam"

Do remember these headlines and the amount of coverage. Take screen dumps of the news headlines because the contrast with the coverage of McCain's choice of running mate and the Republican convention will be stark. The BBC consider Democratic party intrigue and gossip to be more newsworthy than the annexation of territory in Europe by Russia. A story of a snail farting on the Isle of Wight would knock McCain off of the top story. Also expect much coverage of sceptical Democrats and non-McCain supporting Republicans during the Republican convention, in contrast with the almost wall to wall approval Obama is credited with.

"When does life begin?"

Nancy Pelosi the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives is apparently an "ardent practising Catholic". I am not a Catholic and I am very pro-choice but even I can spot a lie when I hear one.

"What does it mean to be British?"

The BBC just don't learn do they? Today they have had another try at this subject on their Have Your Say website and the top "Readers Recommended" comments are not exactly in-line with BBC group-thought. The BBC question is followed by this

""Britishness" should be celebrated with a special day, according to the government. What does being British mean and should it be commemorated on an annual basis?

The August Bank Holiday has been suggested as a possible "Britishness" day by the Home Office minister Liam Byrne.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown - who revealed this month that he is preparing to write a book on what it means to be British - says it is all about shared values.

Panorama explored Britishness in a programme that was shown at 8.30pm on BBC1, speaking to a range of people including fashion designer Vivienne Westwood and BNP leader Nick Griffin.

What does being British really mean? Have you recently become a British citizen? What are the best aspects of being British? What is the worst thing about being British?"

Here are the top few "Readers Recommended" comments:

""BRITAIN" a dumping ground for every sponger, lowlife and foreign terrorist avoiding deportation because their rights might be violated.

A once great nation decimated by political correctness, controlled by misguided and treasonous politicians more interested in their own financial wellbeing.

A once mighty empire is now a joke on the world stage and controlled by a bunch of eurocrats who cannot wait to rip this county apart further.

Yes, Britishness is great!!!

Mark Roberts, United Kingdom


Being British means getting ripped of by an incompetent government, who tax you to the hilt in order to try and cover the colossal amount of money they waste on a daily basis.

Being British means being the dumping ground for people who are cannot live in their own country, and having to pay to support these people whether we want to or not.

Being British means being told we have the right to free speech, so long as the words are government approved.

Being British sucks.

Bigotry is also a diversity, Multicultural Hellhole, United Kingdom


Celebrate "Britishness"?

You can bet that NuLabour will not be celebrating our history, our culture and our traditions! They have been doing their best to destroy all that.

Instead they will want to turn it into some politically correct / multi-cultural celebration of "diversity", "inclusiveness", and "gayness"...

The worst aspect of being British is having to put up with NuLabour, NuLabour politicians, and everything they stand for. They are the ruin of this country and our heritage.

[BROWNED_OFF], London, United Kingdom


The last people I want telling me to celebrate my "Britishness" is this Labour government.

The worse thing about Britishness is that we are being had for mugs by our own government, the EU, immigrants and our own underclass.

Tommy Ruffe

...


Once more the supporters of diversity and multi culturalism are trying to push the agenda of Britain ( and often the EU) when most people are determined to remain English, Irish, Scotish or Welsh. Being British is meaningless its only a convenient political designation used to describe four individual nations sharing the same land. We find these same people who encourage migrant groups to remain proud to be African or Asian, while condemning us for wanting to be English, Irish, Scots or Welsh.

Steve Day"

And here is the current latest comment:

"............the question should be who are the British? They are the English, Scots, Welsh and Irish races who have gradually built a Christian based democracy which thrives on tolerance and freedom of the individual .. A model for many other nation The British people have accepted refugees from other countries who have happily absorbed life here. Britain is blighted by mass immigration of people who have no affinity with the British way of life & loyal to their own customs & religion.

R. Stubbings, Le Beny Bocage "

The BBC as often is the case discovering that their view of Britishness is at odds with that of many Brits. It must be confusing for the BBC that despite all of their propaganda to the contrary many people know what has happened to this Country and don't like it.

More on this subject tomorrow...

Photography in public - more news (update)

Further to my piece about one PCSO and his power problems, I see that the blogosphere is awash with comments about this case, including some police and PCSO blogs; here's a couple:

200 weeks
Police Community Support Officer

Not the most surprising news of the day

The BBC are reporting that

"President Dmitry Medvedev has declared that Russia formally recognises the independence of the breakaway Georgian regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

Mr Medvedev told the BBC Russia had tried to preserve Georgian unity for 17 years, but that the situation had changed after this month's violence.

He said Moscow now felt obliged to recognise South Ossetia and Abkhazia as other countries had done with Kosovo.

The decree, in defiance of a plea from the US, has provoked a wave of protest.

Georgia accused Russia of an unconcealed annexation of its territory, and said the decrees had no legal force."

So Russia started a war in Georgia but blamed it on the Georgians, and now having invaded and agreed to pull-out they have "recognized the independence of the breakaway Georgian regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia". The line in the BBC report that

"the US state department had warned that recognition of the two provinces' independence would be "a violation of Georgian territorial integrity" and "inconsistent with international law"."

does not inspire me with much confidence.

Does anyone else have a feeling of dread about this? Where next for Putin? Ukraine, the Baltic states, Kazakhstan?

Poland in 1939, Eastern Germany in 1945, Hungary in 1956, Czechoslovakia in 1968, parts of Georgia in 2008. It's a long established pattern of behaviour, we just had a longer pause than normal recently.

Boris speaks

Boris on the Olympics, ping-pong versus whiff-waff and the differing attitudes to dining tables in England and France.

Unboxing the Samsumg Omnia (i900)

If you have seen some of the 26,000+ unboxing videos on You Tube then you will "totally get this video".

Deluded

The Telegraph report that "disposable income falls for the first time since 1997" but it is a line near the end of the article that made me do a double-take:

"Gordon Brown has privately predicted that it (the economy) could soon turn a corner and start to recover."

"Could"? If he changes his thinking from "could" to "will" then we should really start worrying.

The BBC campaigning for Barack Obama continues apace

I see that the BBC news front page is devoted (in more ways than one) to praising Barack Obama. The headline article with links is entitled

"Democrats praise 'new hope' Obama"

with the amazing news that

"The wife of Barack Obama joins Democratic leaders in praising his values, ahead of his nomination as presidential candidate."

We then get links to:

"Obama values praised by wife"
"Excerpts: Michelle Obama"
"Justin Webb's blog"
"Kennedy: 'The dream lives on'"
"In pictures: Democrats in Denver"
"Convention diary: Day One"

This follows the BBC leading with the Joe Biden appointment story since the news broke.

One question: does anyone believe that similar coverage either in volume or adulatory tone will be given to John McCain's appointment of a Vice Presidential running mate or to any comments by his wife about him?

The BBC want Barack Obama to be elected so badly that they will, as they also did in 2000 and 2004, in all but name campaign for the Democratic party candidate. The bias in the BBC's coverage is beyond parody and this will intensify in the run-up to the actual election day. The BBC have not forgotten or forgiven the American electorate for electing George W. Bush twice. If you thought the BBC's righteous anger was over the top when they decried George W. Bush's electoral wins then just wait and see what happens if/when John McCain wins. One problem that the BBC's partisan position brings them is that it assumes a Barack Obama win and by painting themselves into this particular corner it gives them nowhere to go if/when their desired result does not transpire. In addition, the BBC's coverage assuming a Barack Obama win leads the consumer of BBC coverage to assume the same and so if/when the "unexpected" happens, the consumer is confused - how could Obama lose when almost everyone interviewed by the BBC said he would win?

The BBC - hoping and working for an Obama victory

50,000

Sometime later today or in the early hours of tomorrow morning my counter will hit 50,000 visits. I installed the counter some weeks after I started the blog so maybe I have already had that number of visitors, who knows...

I started this blog as a way of "sounding off" that was more productive than annoying Mrs NotaSheep by arguing with the radio or reading out endless articles from the newspapers. Now I find myself listening to the news or reading the papers with a metaphorical highlighter pen at the ready so I can have another story for the blog.

Has it been worth it so far? That is a hard question to answer; my work productivity has suffered but I have relished the challenge of researching and writing. Above all my interest in politics and the news has found a creative outlet and that has to be good.


My proudest moment so far was when I appeared at Number 90 in Iain Dale's "Guide to Blogging 2007: Top 100 Right of Centre Blogs". I found that incredibly encouraging for a newcomer with just over four months of blogging under my belt at that point to get such recognition.

Thus, my worst blogging moment will probably be if I drop out of this year's top 100 when it is announced in the next few weeks. The very thought of it has me shivering with fear...

Odd music video of the year so far...

Samwell - "What What (In the Butt)"

Edgy advert or urban terrorism

http://view.break.com/559309 - Watch more free videos

You decide...

Tax, tax, tax, tax the motorist

I read today that our wonderful Labour government are planning to sell the idea of road charging by persuading the gullible that we will be getting a congestion free drive. Yes, the government are planning on charging motorists £5 a trip to avoid congestion by driving in segregated lanes. Now the fact that this scheme is planned to start on the M25 amongst other motorways leads me to believe that the segregated lanes will not be new lanes (as for the M6 toll road) but will be lanes taken from the existing road. In other word motorists will be made to pay again to use a road they are already using and indeed paying to use via the myriad of taxes levied on the motorist.

Gordon Brown's Labour government, broke and needing to raise taxes wherever they can.

Michael Phelps splashes out...

Michael Phelps spends some of his millions before they roll in.

Can you believe the packaging?

It would appear that the answer is maybe not, at least not when it comes to red snapper.

The Police State

"I'm just doing my job, sir." Now where have I heard that phrase before?


Further to my recent blogging about the Police and PCSOs taking a dislike to photography in public places, I thought this piece of video as seen at Samizdata needed spreading.

The UK is being turned into a totalitarian state by this old-fashioned authoritarian-left government. The police are increasingly there to control the generally law-abiding whilst letting the "scrotes" do as they please. We the taxpayers must fight back, but how?

Indoctrination of the children

The indoctrination of the Country's children and the attempts to use them as little spies for, and agents of, the State continues apace and nowhere more than in the realm of "Green politics". There are plenty of articles about this issue the latest is by Resistance is Useless, I commend it to you.

The totalitarian forces in the West want control of us; our children are easier to manipulate than us so they will be used to enforce the chosen policies.

"Sex and the Olympic city"

A great article by Matthew Syed in yesterday's Times. Matthew Syed proves that he is at least as good a journalist as he was a table-tennis player. Here's a brief extract:

"But let us get back to all the sex going down in the village. One possible explanation centres on the fact that Olympic athletes have to display an unnatural (and, it has to be said, wholly unhealthy) level of self-discipline in the build-up to big competitions. How else is this going to manifest itself than with a volcanic release of pent-up hedonism? It is a common sight to see recently knocked-out athletes gorging on Magnums and McDonald's, swilling alcohol and, of course, shagging like crazy. Sometimes all three at the same time. Yet this can be only a part of the explanation because most of the athletes I know are as up for it before and during competition as they are in the immediate aftermath. It is as if sportsmen and women have a higher base level of sexual energy. But why? Can it be that one of the underlying drivers of sporting greatness is also the very thing that produces an overactive sex drive?"

"There is no hope with Gordon"

LabourHome "debate" the issue. Can you feel their pain? Do you care?

Summer Camp - Gaza style

Mike McNally has the the story.

"more than 15 years of consecutive growth"

The BBC report that

"UK economic growth ground to a halt between April and June, according to the latest official figures.

The Office for National Statistics said the economy stalled, showing no growth from the first quarter of 2008.

It ends a run of more than 15 years of consecutive growth in the UK..."

I don't understand, the BBC have always lead me to believe that Labour were elected in 1997 to replace an incompetent Tory government that had presided over economic disaster. Now I learn that the economy was growing before the coming to power of the blessed Tony & Gordon - I need a lie down...

Biden on Obama

Great move Barack Obama? And well played John McCain's team

The Olympics when did it all go wrong?

The Olympics were all going so well for "Team GB": medals being won by the unexpected such as Tasha Danvers, Christine Ohuruogu and Germaine Mason and everyone performing above what was expected. Suddenly "Team GB" start failing: Phillips Idowu misses out on a gold, Shanaze Reade crashes out of the BMX, the mens 4 x 100 metre relay team mess up a baton change; what could the reason be? Could it be connected with the arrival of that well known little black cloud, Gordon "Jonah" Brown, in Beijing? Could his personal zone of incompetence and disaster that has destroyed so many sporting hopes over the last year have affected our Olympians? I think we all know the answer.

So don't forget if you happen to see Gordon Brown heading your way at any time: run or hide - your health, your wealth and your happiness could depend upon you avoiding his baleful influence. And if you open your door to the following sight, then may the Lord have mercy on your soul...

Torn again

The questionable scoring of the Olympic boxing is back in the news as

"Boxing officials were battling to contain major scandal as serious claims of bribery and the manipulation of Olympic judging panels emerged after a series of disputed bouts.

The International Boxing Association (AIBA) suspended Romanian technical delegate Rudel Obreja after he held an impromptu and rowdy press conference and made lurid allegations against senior officials.

AIBA also revealed that it had been tracking "possible attempts of manipulation" for more than two months and had brought in an International Olympic Committee (IOC) observer "when the situation became more serious".

At a testy media conference late on Friday, AIBA technical delegate Terry Smith was grilled by journalists who questioned a series of Olympic results.

Smith insisted none of the fights was fixed although he said the scoring system, where three out of five judges need to press a button simultaneously for a point to be awarded, was under review."

One of the examples given is that of the bout between Pady Barnes and the Chinese boxer, Zou Shiming. Zou Shiming won that bout 15-0 and Paddy Barnes was most upset. I might have more sympathy for Paddy Barnes had he not chosen to compete for a foreign country rather than the country of his birth.

He picked Biden!

Barack Obama has picked Joe Biden as his running-mate. That's Joe Biden the renowned speech plagiarist, and what's worse a plagiarist of Neil "Welsh windbag" Kinnock. Here are some on the record opinions of Joe Biden:

"The more people learn about them (Obama and Hillary) and how they handle the pressure, the more their support will evaporate."

"When this campaign is over, political slogans like ‘experience’ and ‘change’ will mean absolutely nothing. The next president has to act."

"John McCain is a personal friend, a great friend, and I would be honored to run with or against John McCain, because I think the country would be better off, be well off no matter who..."

"My impression is [Obama] thinks that if we leave, somehow the Iraqis are going to have an epiphany” of peaceful coexistence among warring sects. “I’ve seen zero evidence of that."

"I am not running for vice president, I would not accept it if anyone offered it to me. The fact of the matter is I'd rather stay as chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee than be vice president."


Good choice Barack Obama, good for John MCCain anyway.


Quotations lifted from National Review apart from the last which is courtesy of Guido Fawkes.

The Large Hadron Rap

CERN's Large Hadron Collider "explained" via the medium of rap, hmmmm... Catchy?

If the LHC works we may discover more about the fundamentals of everything and the earliest moments after the big-bang. If the LHC goes wrong then the whole universe could disappear... The 10th of September could be a memorable day, one way or the other.

An American Carol

The Michael Moore spoof is coming.

The Chinese caught out?

Read the story of Sarah Stevenson and the dodgy Chinese scoring in the Taekwondo. Nothing surprising, all as expected, with regard to the dodgy scoring, I am surprised that any action was taking - it must have been really blatant.

Usain Bolt (update)

3 events, 3 gold medals, 3 world records - He is "da man"

100 metres - 9.69
200 metres - 19.30
4 x 100 metres - 37.10


Usain Bolt perhaps the best, certainly the most relaxed sprinter I have ever seen.

Photography in public - more news

Further to my previous posts on the way photographers are being targeted by the police and government, I see that Devils Kitchen has a piece of video that I have missed from previous articles, although I have seen it before. It shows a PCSO acting rather outside of his powers when faced with someone filming in a public place.



"Can you tell me why you are filming, can you give me a good reason?"
"Show me your ID"
"Shut up"
All said with a lovely sneer.

last Ditch and Obnoxio the Clown have their own thoughts.

Face transplant 'double success'

The BBC are reporting that

"Successful results from two more face transplants will speed progress towards similar operations in other countries, say experts."

Hold on, do you mean that this......



... wasn't a documentary?


John Travolta and Nicolas Cage overacting to an incredible degree in "Face/Off".

Are the Chinese at it again (update)

Earlier this week I blogged about the questions being asked about the true age of He Kexin. Now Fox News report that:

"A determined U.S. computer expert has delved into cached pages on the Internet to unearth Chinese official documents showing a gymnast who took gold in the uneven bars competition, edging the U.S.'s Nastia Liukin, may indeed be underage."

Read the whole article and ask yourself if you really believe that the Chinese authorities would have produced a fake passport just so gold medals could be won...Hmmm, that was an easy one wasn't it? Now ask yourself if the IOC will take action or roll over and have its collective tummy tickled.... Hmmm, that was also pretty easy wasn't it?

A scroungers charter

The Sun are shocked to report that

"A SECRET dossier on how to cheat your way through Britain has been published for Poles heading to the UK.

The spongers’ guide shows how to dodge electricity bills, rent flats for free, pay no tax and swindle insurance companies because British laws are “too soft”.

The cheats’ charter – published in the Polish media this week – was compiled after researching the most successful scams with Poles already living in Britain.

The scams include:

- Not paying rent once they move in as tenancy laws mean it will be months before they’re evicted. In the meantime the property is sublet to more Poles.

- Opening electricity and gas accounts with bogus personal details.

- Claiming your mobile phone has been stolen. Once the insurers pay out, the cheats pocket the cash and sell the phone back home in Poland for a £100 profit."

How despicable, producing a guide as to how to cheat the system. What sort of person would do that? Gordon Brown for one, as I blogged last year

"Gordon Brown published a scrounger’s charter while at university, offering students tips on how to freeload and claim benefits. His 200-page survival guide, Alternative Edinburgh, openly encouraged students to “use and abuse” the Welfare State.

“If you’re British and can give an address, free money is available from social security, basic £5.80 per week,” he wrote.

Social and medical benefits are your right, not charity hand-outs, so never be reticent about claiming them.” Mr Brown, who wrote the guide when he was 22 and a student leader at Edinburgh University, also tells students how to obtain a free meal at a hotel: “Con your way to asking for a glass of water or sit beside drinkers and they will feed you for nothing.”"

A question for Gordon Brown's next press conference?

Hamid Karzai made an attempt to empathise with Gordon Brown

The Rosa Prince Telegraph blog reports that "Hamid Karzai made an attempt to empathise with Gordon Brown" on Brown's latest trip to Afghanistan to see the troops that he has failed to adequately equip. Apparently:

"As Brown dodged yet another question about Miliband with his stock response - "I'm getting on with the job." - Mr Karzai clearly decided the PM needed a little help.

"Cabinet ministers plotting is nothing new," he declared airily. "We have it in Afghanistan."

There was a squawk from an appalled-looking Afghan politician sitting beside the platform, and the president hastily added to laughter: "Not my foreign minister, though."

Brown turned a shade greener than he had when we finally got off that lurching Herc an hour earlier."

Gordon Brown discomforted, good, it should happen more and more until he realises quite how much he is hated by that part of the UK population that works and pays taxes (and is not employed in a public sector sinecure).

Team GB?

The BBC have a helpful map showing where Team GB's gold medal-winning athletes hail from. So Team GB's gold medals (so far) are sourced as follows:
Northern Ireland - 0
Scotland - 1 (Chris Hoy)
Wales - 3
England - 21

Yes this is skewed by the rowing fours and yachting crews but by the same token one of the Welsh gold medals was part of the coxless four.


Strange the BBC coverage seems to identify Scots, Welsh and British athletes, never English. England the unmentionable nation.



Update - 31.08.08
The Quiet Man has had similar thoughts.

Obama is the one, maybe the only one

Barack Obama's Choice For Veep Is Barack Obama. Satire or would he if he could?

Hezbo-Laa-Laa

I find that the Children in Need had given money to the 7/7 bombers was all but foreseen by The Peoples Cube in their piece entitled "Hezbo-Laa-Laa: Cute Little Terrortubby"

The latest breakdown in government data security

Reports of the latest breakdown in governmental data security, the loss of a memory stick containing personal details about tens of thousands of criminals has been making the news this morning. The memory stick was lost by PA Consulting and apparently the lost data includes details of around 10,000 prolific offenders as well as information on all 84,000 prisoners in England and Wales.

One remark caught my eye and that is that Dominic Grieve, the shadow Home Secretary, said

"The British taxpayer will be absolutely outraged if they are made to pick up the bill for compensation to serious criminals."

Why is there any chance of having to pay compensation to any of these prisoners? Were the parents whose details were compromised last year ever thought to be due compensation?

Interesting outlook the BBC have

The BBC "report" that

"Hamas has managed to reduce the number of attacks dramatically, but some rockets are still being fired."

Apparently the BBC still believe that Hamas want to be a "partner for peace" with Israel. That's the same Hamas one of whose senior leaders, Ismail Haneya said on Thursday that:

"The Liberation of Jerusalem and al-Aqsa Mosque can be achieved only through Jihad, blood, resistance and martyrdom and not through absurd peace talks,"

. That would be the same Hamas whose Charter contains the following:

"Israel will exist and will continue to exist until Islam will obliterate it, just as it obliterated others before it."

"The Islamic Resistance Movement believes that the land of Palestine is an Islamic Waqf consecrated for future Moslem generations until Judgement Day. It, or any part of it, should not be squandered: it, or any part of it, should not be given up. "

"There is no solution for the Palestinian question except through Jihad. Initiatives, proposals and international conferences are all a waste of time and vain endeavors."

"After Palestine, the Zionists aspire to expand from the Nile to the Euphrates. When they will have digested the region they overtook, they will aspire to further expansion, and so on. Their plan is embodied in the "Protocols of the Elders of Zion", and their present conduct is the best proof of what we are saying.""

The BBC always willing to believe their friends in Hamas. Maybe Alan Johnston helped make some more good contacts for them, maybe the increase in positive publicity for Hamas was part of the deal for his release; who knows.