I was invited to be on the Murnaghan programme on Sky News this morning – which I always find a great deal more intelligent than the Andrew Marr alternative on the BBC. I declined because I did not want to get up and get a 7.30am train from Ramsgate on a Sunday morning. I had a meeting until 11.30pm last night planning a conference on human rights in Balochistan [I still tend to say Baluchistan], and I have a newly crowned tooth that seems not to want to settle down. But I am still worried by my own lack of energy, which is uncharacteristic. Is this old age?
I also have some serious work to do on my Burnes book, and next week I shall be staying in London to be in the British Library reading room for every second of its opening hours. So there may be a bit of a posting hiatus. I have in mind a short post on an important subject on which I suspect that 99% of my readership – including the regular dissident commenters – will strongly disagree with me.
This is a peculiarly introspective post, perhaps because my tooth is hurting, but I seem to have this curmudgeonly spirit which wishes to react to the huge popularity of this blog by posting something genuinely held but unpopular; a genuine view but one I don’t normally trumpet. The base thought seems to be “You wouldn’t like me if you really knew me”.
Similarly when I wrote Murder in Samarkand I was being hailed as a hero by quite a lot of people for my refusal to go along with the whole neo-con disaster of illegal wars, extraordinary rendition and severe attacks on civil liberties, sacrificing my fast track diplomatic career as a result. My reaction to putative hero worship was to publish in Murder in Samarkand not just the political facts, but an exposure of my own worst and most unpleasant behaviour in my private life.
I am in a very poor position to judge, but I believe the result rather by accident turned out artistically compelling, if you don’t want to read the book you can get a good idea of that by clicking on David Tennant in the top right of this blog and listening to him playing me in David Hare’s radio adaptation.
Anyway, that’s enough musing. You won’t like my next post, whenever it comes. Promise.
Yes, I said here that a comment Jemand made about the Nazis was an approving one. I addressed the comment directly on the thread itself at the time. It was in the context of a discussion about holocausts. Are you and he politely and belatedly pointing out that it was simply a poorly phrased and misleading comment?
So, Technicolour, can I assume that you intend to refer to this comment whenever you wish to discredit Jemand rather than engage with the relevant argument?
“Until the matter of Technicolour’s argument technique is addressed, it will merely result in an ugly row”
Yeah, right, whatever. You carry on with those coded insults and direct personal accusations Clark, why don’t you? I am now going to have dinner.
I think I’ll leave it this point. Yes, Technicolour, you are on my shit-list. I’ll be watching for ad-hominen from you, and other inflammatory argument techniques. They are divisive, and they degrade the quality of debate.
Holding left-wing views does not excuse you from the duties of honesty and responsibility in my book.
@Clark
I’ve never made an approving comment about the Nazis. Any claim to the contrary is a politically motivated lie to brand me as an extremist to undermine whatever support I might otherwise receive for other views I express here.
Now Duggan suddenly has a gun, it’s loaded and he looked like he was about to shoot…
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ukpress/article/ALeqM5jBunChnaqciH4gJkFDgZ1-H4rtYA?docId=N0238161347965421349A
Total fabrication and light years from the truth.
And the next Police whitewash please.
Yes Donny Darko I was reading it this morning but the day has been domimated by the murders of the two policewomen in Manchester. Sky News raked up the shooting of PC Yvonne Fletcher, ‘killed by a member of Gaddafi’s government’, as they put it, as if there is some connection of that sad case to today’s events.
Have you noticed that all mention of the Al Hilli murders have disappeared from the corpotate media? It’s all the tripe from the Solomon Islands and the toyals’ lawyers in Paris.
What happened to the IPCC investigation into the killing of Mark Duggan?
Mary,
Daily Mail ran a story a couple of days ago that drew attention to the French nuclear connection, curiously enough.
http://www.nbpa.co.uk/home/ipcc-report-mark-duggan/
Fount it – Full story at link http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2204165/French-Alps-massacre-Could-Sylvain-Mollier-main-target.html
Could this couple who were arrested and released from bail today claim against the Hampshire police for defamation and blackening of their characters? They are on benefits and were neighbours of a murdered elderly lady so they became suspects. A man has just been arrested for the murder which took place a month ago.
Couple ‘singled out’ over Delia Hughes murder
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-19415686#
PS Sky News have Aaronovitch on to review the papers with someone who was the chair of OFSTED and who is now the CEO of Wey Education. It has shareholders and investors and one of its provisions is:
SCHOOL MANAGEMENT
Building on our experience in the education sector, Wey will be developing a school operating business which will become the UK leader.
This will offer full operational services to schools and in addition assist:-
•New Academies to establish collective governance structures.
•Currently operating schools in need of interim turn around services
{http://www.weyeducation.com/}
Re. PC Yvonne Fletcher – the forensics clearly showed that she was not shot from the Libyan Embassy.
Dispatches: Murder In St James’
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0l1J11WNQAs&feature=related
Michael Mansfield QC, representing Mark Duggan’s family, said the IPCC’s position was “utterly unacceptable”, warning the organisation it would be in contempt if it refused the coroner’s instructions.
He suggested the reason the IPCC did not want to pass on the information was its own “mal-management” of the investigation.
“That’s the explanation they don’t want to give you,” he said.
A review is scheduled to take place in October to determine if an inquest can be held or if an inquiry will take place instead.
The coroner has said previously it might not be possible to hold an inquest because of the existence of sensitive evidence.
IPCC defies coroner over Duggan statements
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-18625344
~~~~
What! No inquest? Let’s have an inquiry. Shades of Dr Kelly there!
I’m no expert and I appreciate your thesis Scouse Billy but I believe heart-burn is caused by acid from the stomach splashing upwards. I have to say my friend took bicarb. most days for heartburn over a long period. My father took effervescent or soluble co-codamol every day for a number of years. His blood pressure became high and I advised him to take normal co-codamol which he did and after some months his blood pressure returned to within the normal range for his age.
Salt is a killer and cutting daily intake by 5g will reduce cardiovascular disease and stroke substantially. There is enough sodium in our normal diets to create a balance and excessive salt in processed foods.
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn18835-theres-no-doubt-about-the-health-dangers-of-salt.html
Thanks Anon. I do not see the Mail and missed that. Seems very convenient to place the cyclist as the real target and the Al Hilli as unfortunate bystanders so to speak.
Scouse Billy. Agree with you.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-09-16/ban-says-israel-attack-against-iran-unacceptable-afp-reports.html
Let me get this straight – If Israel attacks that is wrong but if they do it anyway it will be unacceptable for Iran to retaliate? Obviously feeling the strain is Secretary-General Ban Ki-moonBan Ki-moon
Mary, My extract of the article is stuck in mod queue. Link http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2204165/French-Alps-massacre-Could-Sylvain-Mollier-main-target.html – which I hope appears.
Re. PC Yvonne Fletcher – the forensics clearly showed that she was not shot from the Libyan Embassy.
Dispatches: Murder In St James’
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0l1J11WNQAs&feature=related
even today mad dog gadaffi is blamed for the police officers death.
20 years of libyan racism and abuse bombings of his country and this old c4 film.
channel 4 of old made great documentaries.
if that film was made today for the internet it would be accused of lies and conspiracy.
bbc and channel 4 are departments of government ministry of news and information.
taking the scripts from chatham house like good little stooges.
the old film above was shocking and the cover up or should i say the fact nobody is aware of it is terrible.
thanks Scouse Billy and for the great Webster Griffin Tarpley film clip.
using bicarbonate of soda is also great for mouth wash and cleaning teeth.
i do oil pulling for 10 mins then rinse with bicarb.
since with all these depleted uranium missile wars and fukishima zeolite made into a drink is good..i put a spoon in a glass of water and drink after 5mins just drinking the milky liquid not the bottom gritty liquid.
Tony – yes, Webster’s talk is superb. He is my kind of historian, identifying precedent, pattern and signature and applying these lessons from history to his analysis of current and recnt affairs.
The Abeldanger/HawksCafe/Captain Sherlock “network” offers a video version that runs on similar lines:
911 Is It Live Or is it livery – “the real enemy is the one you least expect, the one that hits you on the head with a baseball bat, then hands the bat to a guy standing near by, then when you turn, points at the guy holding the bat….”:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bS0LQedWGb8
I’m thinking of getting 25kg of micronised zeolite – the chemtrail/geo-engineering is pretty constant overhead…
Mark – first that was the thesis of a naturopathic doctor and second I take bicarb every day. But then again I don’t take any pharmaceuticals nor do I eat processed foods and stick to a more or less vegan diet excepting occasional fish n chips 😉
I also consider New Scientist part of the MSM.
“I also consider New Scientist part of the MSM.”
I totally agree with that. Gatekeepers extraordinaire!
Thanks Scouse Billy; point taken on New Scientist – I’ll sit down.
I agree Mary with your response to Donny Darko and Scouse Billy’s link to Yvonne Fletcher and ‘Dispatches’ that clearly tells us that American and British intelligence are quite willing to sacrifice a British citizen for some higher aim. Such plans always (past decades)assign an emissary, hired gun or patsy. A fact I have known for some time.
These same hard facts also apply to the London bombings.
Thanks, Mark – no offence intended. The naturopath I mentioned is interesting – I came acros him via spectrum radio network where he is interviewed regarding:
The Myth of MD Directed Medicine
Worthwhile listen if you have the time:
http://www.spectrumradionetwork.com/Archive/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=191:dr-peter-glidden-the-myth-of-md-directed-medicine&catid=41&Itemid=211
Great link Scouse Billy and you have helped me much more than you can imagine.
I am in the process of starting a regular podcast at spreaker.com
In short I will be talking about extraterrestrial infiltration, some amazing straight stuff that will present itself in December this year. This telling oracle I believe, will be the catalyst or life changing event for a step change in human consciousness, an awareness that may indeed produce a different world.
From your link to spectrumradionetwork I have grabbed some good podcast techniques and also more importantly found William Bramley and his The Gods of Eden, an excellent primer to progress my thoughts on alien presence.
How all the nonsense necon zionism is paid for, listen to Edward Griffin’s The Creature of Jekyll Island: http://www.apfn.org/audio/Jekyll.mp3 There are some more fed-related links here: http://www.apfn.org/apfn/reserve.htm
Mark, I’m very pleased to have been of help – late now but would like to know more.
The extraterrestrial dimension is not really my field though I do watch richplanet.tv and am intrigued by Rendlesham, Rauni Kilde, the “Bases” series and so on. Consciousness is more my area (McKenna, Sheldrake, Lipton et al.)
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/19/opinion/friedman-look-in-your-mirror.html?ref=opinion
“On Monday, David D. Kirkpatrick, the Cairo bureau chief for The Times, quoted one of the Egyptian demonstrators outside the American Embassy, Khaled Ali, as justifying last week’s violent protests by declaring: “We never insult any prophet — not Moses, not Jesus — so why can’t we demand that Muhammad be respected?” Mr. Ali, a 39-year-old textile worker, was holding up a handwritten sign in English that read: “Shut Up America.” “Obama is the president, so he should have to apologize!”
I read several such comments from the rioters in the press last week, and I have a big problem with them. I don’t like to see anyone’s faith insulted, but we need to make two things very clear — more clear than President Obama’s team has made them. One is that an insult — even one as stupid and ugly as the anti-Islam video on YouTube that started all of this — does not entitle people to go out and attack embassies and kill innocent diplomats. That is not how a proper self-governing people behave. There is no excuse for it. It is shameful. And, second, before demanding an apology from our president, Mr. Ali and the young Egyptians, Tunisians, Libyans, Yemenis, Pakistanis, Afghans and Sudanese who have been taking to the streets might want to look in the mirror — or just turn on their own televisions. They might want to look at the chauvinistic bile that is pumped out by some of their own media — on satellite television stations and Web sites or sold in sidewalk bookstores outside of mosques — insulting Shiites, Jews, Christians, Sufis and anyone else who is not a Sunni, or fundamentalist, Muslim. There are people in their countries for whom hating “the other” has become a source of identity and a collective excuse for failing to realize their own potential….”
Look into your mirror and what do you see? The people of these nations, unlike us, have been at the sharp end of Hellfire missiles and weapons sent down from drones and helicopter gunships. Why do they hate us?
~~~
Romney in full flow. You can hear the cutlery scraping on the plates in the background as these $50,000 a go types lap up the vitriol and bile coming out of Romney’s gob.
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2012/09/romney-secret-video-israeli-palestinian-middle-east-peace
Someone here (sorry I can’t remember who it was) was suggesting that a national police force was the desired aim of the government. This CC is advocating ‘mergers’. Surrey and West Midlands police have already wasted over £1m on a now abandoned scheme to privatise some of their functions. Perhaps Ms Owens should stick to the job in hand.
Surrey chief constable calls for force mergers
Related Stories
Surrey Police scrap privatisation
Surrey Police shelve G4S plans
Fears over forensic merger plans
The chief constable of Surrey has called for the merger of some forces in order to protect frontline services and make savings
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-surrey-19641173
No doubt Craig is cooking up something so contraversial that it will cause a storm , Can’t wait for this one !
Could this new thread have to do with advertising on this site? Craig has lamented that other sites operate with paid staff and are allowing adverts.
Maybe he would like to cut down on overseas travel and rather make some money from those who purport to serve us quality open source software, quality food and drink etc.
My opinion on such issue is split between companies that practise social responsibility as best as they know and those who talk about it make small self gratifying changes and nothing more.
But lest assume this is the case, just to get away from this eyescratching.
I have been called Nazi many times, my boys were called Nazi’s at school despite having been born in England. Once it is known that you’re a furrinner, a Kraut to boot, the little snippy comments start.
Most people who use this insult mostly haven’t a clue about me or my sons, or of what I did. It does not matter to them that I have been born after the war, that I was engaged in fighting fascists from the age of 14 and that this is an ongoing problem throughout Europe, including in this country.
But we don’t want to talk about immigrants or expats.