All Change

    Mark Mardell has had a sudden change of mind.   Obama’s decision to have a vote on Syria was a ‘canny, democratic move’ at one time quite recently.   Now…not so much: If Congress doesn’t back him, it will be disastrous for the president. His decision to call for a vote will look foolish and he would be left with an appalling choice. Ignore the vote and enrage … Continue reading

Faith School Arson

  This report today reminded me of something similar: Five boys have been arrested after fire destroyed a school in Lancashire   Way back in June 5 boys were arrested suspected of committing arson at the Muslim Darul Uloom school. They were supposed to reappear at the police station in August. So far I haven’t seen anything about that…maybe I’ve missed it.  No doubt someone can enlighten me. Considering the … Continue reading

Comical Alibis

    ‘At first it seemed like Armistice Day…..The resemblance soon passed, but it is peace, however high the price and whoever has had to pay it’    It might seem churlish to express any doubts about the Munich agreement, given this tremendous outpouring of gratitude and relief. But doubts there are. Of course, having accepted, under enormous pressure, the terms of an agreement dismembering their country that they were not … Continue reading

SEAMUS HEANEY

I was sorry to read of the death of Seamus Heaney but am no fan of his work. The BBC went into a paroxysm of activity, with Andrew Marr telling us this morning Heaney had been our greatest living writer! Talk about hyperbole. I have endured a stream of abuse from alleged Heaney fans for simply suggesting that IN MY OPINION, Heaney was dire. But that’s beside the point. What … Continue reading

MARK MARDELL – CHEERLEADER IN CHIEF…

It’s funny, really. Obama is looking so far out of his depth on Syria that it is posing a problem for some of his BBC fan club. So, cue the bugle and send for Mark Mardell. Here’s Mark with the entirely neutral headline “Obama’s canny, democratic move”.  Canny in the sense that Obama is desperate to ensure he doesn’t take sole responsibility for doing that which he has argued for. When … Continue reading

Gilligan’s Island

  Was just about to fold up the tent and steal away for a beer by the riverside but I couldn’t let this lie:   Syria crisis: ‘Blair to blame for Cameron downfall’ From the journalist who exposed the Iraq War deceits, a searing indictment of MPs’ failure to act against Assad’s brutal regime from Andrew Gilligan ‘Scarred by the hubris and lies of their predecessors, the British and American … Continue reading

Intervention Can Be Good And Necessary

  Listening to Nicky Campbell’s ‘Your Call’ (09:40)on Friday and was amused to hear Nicky leap to the defence of a beleaguered minority. You can have a long diatribe about Obama and his red lines being to blame for violence in Syria, you can say the Rebels used the chemical weapons, you can say Rebels are creating martyrs, and Nicky won’t say a word, but when you say  Muslims are … Continue reading

Miliband, Stand Up Guy Walking Tall

  The BBC is having to play catch up as their initial assessment of Miliband’s performance in regard to the vote over Syria was that he was the ‘architect of Camerons’ defeat’ and that he could now ‘walk tall’.….as Assad supporters fly the Union Jack in Damascus in celebration.  The BBC’s two senior and important political reporters, Nick Robinson and John Humphrys,  got it wrong.   Apparently even the Labour … Continue reading

Old Pals Act…Together

  The Sunday Times (paywalled) says that the BBC has hired yet another Labour man…Godric Smith, Blair’s official spokesman between 2001 and 2004 and head of strategic communications until 2006. (mentioned in the Guardian in July) His PR firm, Incorporated London, has been hired by the BBC, without tender, to ‘help rebuild its  reputation in the wake of the Savile scandal’. One of his jobs might be….explain how he was … Continue reading