What comes out to me from the “Black Spider letter” correspondence of Prince Charles published today is how utterly obsequious Tony Blair and New Labour ministers were to him. No sign whatsoever of radicalism from the former “People’s Party” as they fell over to ingratiate themselves with the heir to the throne. I rather enjoyed Charles quite sharp tone to Blair.
I am fundamentally opposed to the existence of the monarchy. It will hopefully be replaced by a better system, but no human system is perfect. Given that we have a monarchy at present, you will perhaps be surprised to learn that I do not see anything wrong in Charles’ letters, which put forward views which are much what we would have expected him to hold. Of course there is interaction between the monarchy and government, and of course we should get rid of this hereditary element. But Charles’ lobbying is hugely less damaging and pernicious than the corporate lobbying I witnessed throughout my Whitehall career. At least Charles is not lobbying them for corporate advantage and giving large political donations at the same time.
While in my view he did nothing wrong in writing the letters, he and government are both very wrong in arguing they should be private. It is when it is secret that such attempts to wield influence between two branches of government – and monarchy is a branch of government – can be most simply perverted to ill ends. That such publication will not occur again because government has legislated to keep it secret, is an example of the privileged arrogance that prevents this from being a genuine democracy.
Altogether not that big a story and it gives Rusbridger and the Guardian the chance to pose as radical. I find the fact that what is published is so anodyne and unobjectionable rather suspicious – what has not been published? Rusbridger is of course the editor who complied enthusiastically with a GCHQ instruction to smash the Snowden hard drives. The existence of other copies does not justify this any more than it justifies book-burning.
By coincidence, a very worthwhile article by Michael Gillard that had been excised from the net has recently been republished, setting out how Rusbridger in 2002 conspired with Andy Hayman of the Met to bury an investigation into police corruption, including the burglary of the Stephen Lawrence inquiry. By a further coincidence I was having a pint with Laurie Flynn in Sandy Bell’s four days ago.
Hayman went on to be the promoter of the stream of lies about the murder of Jean Charles De Menezes and the publicist of numerous fake terrorist plots, before having to resign in a scandal involving nubile police officers at public expense in tropical islands.
Rusbridger and his extraordinary wig go on and on as a pretend opposition outlet, their reputation much dented by recent hysterical unionist output which exceeds the Daily Express. But Rusbridger’s continued usefulness to the establishment is not in doubt. The pose of publishing the most harmless of Prince Charles’ letters does little to help a threadbare disguise.
“The memo was real but the contents were untrue!”
I have still not seen any evidence that the contents of the memo were falsified. What makes you so certain of the contrary view given that the investigation that we spent £1.4 million on concluded that it had not been falsified?
“The memo was real but the contents were untrue!”
The memo was genuine then, not false.
Fred
May, 2015 – 9:15 pm
“The inquiry found that the memo was genuine therefore the memo was genuine.”
………………………………………………………………………………………
Yes Fred, the memo was genuine but the contents were a FALSE ACCOUNT of what had been said.
Whether the account that was written in the memo was a result of a “mishearing” or “misunderstanding” is irrelevant. The account was not true!
“Yes Fred, the memo was genuine but the contents were a FALSE ACCOUNT of what had been said.”
That isn’t what the inquiry found.
“That isn’t what the inquiry found.”
Indeed. It’s either us who are mad or Doug and ROS.
Daniel
24 May, 2015 – 12:09 am
“I have still not seen any evidence that the contents of the memo were falsified.”
…………………………………………………………………..
It was an official memo written by an experienced civil servant that just happened to put pen to paper an account of what he “thought” was said which turned out to be untrue.
The memo was genuine but the content turned out to be not what was actually said; i.e. a false account, albeit in all ”innocence.”
Sorry, did Nicola Sturgeon say she’d prefer a Tory government or not? For me, that’s the salient point.
2) Is anyone putting any pressure on the SNP to vote against the repeal of the anti-hunting Bill? Judging by Nicola Sturgeon’s general populist demeanour (more Conservatives are against hunting than for it too) I am surprised anyone would have to.
It was an official memo written by an experienced civil servant that just happened to put pen to paper an account of what he “thought” was said which turned out to be untrue.
The memo was genuine but the content turned out to be not what was actually said; i.e. a false account, albeit in all ”innocence.”
But as that account is not what the inquiry concluded, I can only assume in absence of evidence to the contrary, you are projecting.
Daniel: Did Nicola Sturgeon say she’d prefer a Tory government or not?
Loved your “Eichmann, excellent post” comment, by the way. Very post-modernistically brutalist. Did it cause you a moment of reflection, even?
“Sorry, did Nicola Sturgeon say she’d prefer a Tory government or not? For me, that’s the salient point.”
We don’t know, the French statement left room for doubt, a denial that didn’t completely deny anything.
“While the ambassador and the first minister, some time ago, have discussed the political situation, Ms Sturgeon did not touch on her personal political preferences with regards the future prime minister,”
So she didn’t say her personal preferences but did she say her party’s preferences? The inquiry found the memo to be substantially correct but points out that some details, as was stated in the memo, may have been inaccurate.
I don’t believe there would have been a meeting between the Scottish FM and the French Ambassador at that time which didn’t touch on the outcome of the election at all.
“Daniel: Did Nicola Sturgeon say she’d prefer a Tory government or not?”
A memo stating that Nicola Sturgeon told the French Ambassador that she would “rather see” David Cameron win the election was “recorded accurately” and not politically motivated, an official inquiry has found.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/nicola-sturgeon/11624267/Nicola-Sturgeon-memo-recorded-accurately-official-inquiry-finds.html
Look at Technicolor at 11:53, straining to find antisemitism behind every tree. As a fully-brainwashed Zionazi, Technicolor pretends to be unaware that Eichmann’s list was vastly longer than Schindler’s list. Eichmann was the poor earnest sap who wanted to send the Jews off to their proper homeland, Zion. He burned with remorse over slapping a Jew in his youth. Eichmann helped funnel refugees into Palestine while Zionazis did all they could to keep them from going anywhere else. The tide of desperate Flüchtlinge was most helpful in the forcible criminal transfer of Palestine’s indigenous population. Poor dumb kraut played right into the hands of the Zionazis, who tried him and hanged him for everything the Nazis did.
Remember, Nazis were enthusiastic Zionists:
http://p7.storage.canalblog.com/79/16/1111121/94493151_o.jpg
That’s why Zionists were enthused about the Nazis. Look up ‘moral argument’ and Ben-Gurion’s ‘fertile force.’ We’ll wait.
The only difference is, Zionist antisemitism is directed against Moslem semites.
Technicolor, read all about it, if you’re not a lying weasel,
http://ifamericaknew.org/history/
It all sounds very simple to me. The ex Sec. of State has issued an apology admitting that the account given in the memo that HE published is false.
This means that he held up the First Minister, the French Ambassador and the French Consul General as all being liars when they ALL said exactly what he is saying now.
It means that he fought an election and retained his seat while knowingly holding false witness against these others so that he could make political capital out of his dishonesty. We should be hearing the jangling of keys.
Whereas I was out last evening, Villager was ‘out of it’. What substance is he on and what would Krishnamurti make of such a complete phony as his disciple?
Have you noticed how these trolls take turns on here? No sign of Habbabkuk.
Villager uses the word ‘bitch’ as an insult frequently. Wonder why? Some other hang up? God help his pupils if he really is a teacher. No child should be subjected to the views of someone like him.
I love my bitch. She is loyal and amusing. She is black with a touch of white on her chest and is nearly 10. I took her in when she was rejected by her family.
She is a dog of course :), a collie x flat coat retriever.
What is this Moshiach shit all about. Can somebody further elucidate my limited understanding below?
A not inconsiderable 70m evangelicals in the US are currently rooting for the zio state in order to hasten the arrival of this Moshiach, only for Jesus to then make his long heralded return and slay the Moshiach at the gate of Lod nr Tel Aviv in a final confrontation. On the other hand we have Rabbi Schneerson and the jews (see video) who see Christ only as a fake harloteer, and Moshiach as the genuine article, their long awaited Messiah! Bibi Netanyahu has now spent 25 YEARS heeding the good Rabbi’s call to hasten the coming of this Moshioch,
All the usurers are expected to be wiped out in this battle, so we have a nonsensical situation where Hagee & 70m US evanjellos are rooting for israel only for all its jews to be wiped in the confrontation between Christ and the Anti-Christ ie Moshiach?!
Can somebody kindly unravel this biblical conundrum as we try to understand this baffling alliance between these two unlikely bedfellows?! Might save quite a few Palestinian lives if this mythology is busted.
Doug Scorgie
23/05/2015 11:09pm
Why have you placed the word “evidence” in inverted commas?
J
Remember Agent Cameron boasting about the number of apprenticeships created in his tenure?
The facts:
‘Apprenticeship system ‘failing to help Britain’s young”
‘The study, commissioned by the Local Government Association, found 42% of all apprenticeships created in the last five years went to people aged over 25.’
‘The report, by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) and the Local Government Association (LGA), found 67% of intermediate-skilled apprentices were already employed by their company when they were given their apprenticeships.’
‘In 2013-14 under-19s applied for 57% of the advertised apprenticeships but were given 27% of them, whereas over-25s made up 7% of applications but filled 37% of the vacancies.’
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-32844164
The Cons are well named.
As per usual.
‘Netanyahu thanks US for blocking push for Middle East nuclear arms ban
US, UK and Canada opposed Egyptian plan for nuclear-free region
Israel is believed to be Middle East’s only nuclear-armed power’
How about the phrase ‘believed to be Middle East’s only nuclear-armed power’?
‘Netanyahu spoke with Kerry “to convey his appreciation to President Obama and to the secretary”, a senior Israeli official said on condition of anonymity.
“The United States kept its commitment to Israel by preventing a Middle East resolution that would single out Israel and ignore its security interests and the threats posed to it by an increasingly turbulent Middle East,” the official added.
Israel also thanked Britain and Canada for joining the US in blocking consensus at the conference, the official said.
Last month, Egypt, backed by other Arab and non-aligned states, proposed that the UN secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, convene within 180 days a regional conference on banning weapons of mass destruction (WMD) as called for at the 2010 NPT review meeting.’
Interesting that Eqypt, who collude with Israel in the imprisonment of the Palestinians in Gaza**, made the proposal.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/may/23/netanyahu-thanks-us-blocking-middle-east-nuclear-arms-ban
.
**
Mohammed Omer
@Mogaza Rafah Crossing has been open 9 days in the past 196 days. Imagine 1.8 mil ppl stuck in tiny piece of land. You know what I’m talking about?
The anamorphic frames of time can be straightened by repetition to unmask truth; much like the song-birds daily conversations, this is the human anthem:
Sami Hadawi, Bitter Harvest, p. 37: “Commenting, author Erskine H. Childers, wrote, “one of the most massively important features of the entire Palestine struggle was that Zionism deliberately arranged that the plight of the wretched survivors of Hitlerism should be a ‘moral argument’ which the West had to accept. This was done by seeing to it that Western countries did not open their doors, widely and immediately, to the inmates of the DP (displaced persons) camps. It is incredible, that so grave and grim a campaign has received so little attention in accounts of the Palestine struggle – it was a campaign that literally shaped all subsequent history. It was done by sabotaging specific Western schemes to admit Jewish DPs.”
Auschwitz showed us a human species that perceives trivial life, They remain today.
Lyrics of Swedish Eurovision song. No thoughts of Julian Assange.
Don’t tell the gods I left a mess
I can’t undo what has been done
Let’s run for cover
What if I’m the only hero left
You better fire off your gun
Once and forever
He said go dry your eyes
And live your life like there is no tomorrow, son
And tell the others
To go sing it like a hummingbird
The greatest anthem ever heard:
We are the heroes of our time
But we’re dancing with the demons in our minds…
We are the heroes of our time
Hero-uh-o-o-oes
O-uh-o-o-oh
We’re dancing with the demons in our minds
Hero-uh-o-o-oes O-uh-o-o-oh
The crickets sing a song for you
Don’t say a word, don’t make a sound
It’s life’s creation
I make worms turn into butterflies
Wake up and turn this world around
In appreciation
He said I never left your side
When you were lost I followed right behind
Was your foundation
Now go sing it like a hummingbird
The greatest anthem ever heard:
We are the heroes of our time
Hero-uh-o-o-oes
O-uh-o-o-oh
We’re dancing with the demons in our minds
Hero-uh-o-o-oes O-uh-o-o-oh
(We keep dancing with the demons
You could be a hero)
Go sing it like a hummingbird
The greatest anthem ever heard
Now sing together….
We are the heroes of our time
Hero-uh-o-o-oes
O-uh-o-o-oh
But we’re dancing with the demons in our minds
Hero-uh-o-o-oes O-uh-o-o-oh
We are the heroes of our time
Hero-uh-o-o-oes
O-uh-o-o-oh
But we’re dancing with the demons in our minds
Hero-uh-o-o-oes O-uh-o-o-oh
We are the heroes.
~~~
Mindless crap.
@Mary: I definitely thought the Russian entry should have won and it was the song that most clearly had the crowd behind it. It’s fairly clear it didn’t do so for entirely political reasons – particularly relevant with Eurovision’s massive following from us LGBT folk and considering the Putin regime’s anti-gay laws and Eurovision happened to fall on the very day that the Moscow LGBT pride march was banned for yet another year once again. I felt sorry for that Russian girl though as it’s not necessarily her fault that the country she comes from happens to be in the grip of a bunch of homophobic asshats. To a heavily LGBT fan-based event like Eurovision the prospect of holding next year’s contest in Russia and thus giving Putin a chance to showcase his regime was undoubtedly anathema to its whole ethos. However, I have a sneaking suspicion that if she’d unveiled a rainbow flag as a blatant act of defiance at some stage during her performance last night then her entry would have flown spectacularly to the top! Trouble is, had she done that she’d be in BIG trouble with Putin once she got home – that’s if she and her team were ever allowed home, that is!!! Putin’s adversaries have a curious habit of disappearing or dying in violent circumstances – so there’s also that to consider, not to mention the welfare of the Russian team’s family and friends back home….
Ps…she really did put everything into that performance as she was crying at the end. I think that’s because she was pleasantly surprised at how much the crowd were behind her despite Russia being a symbol of the big homophobic ogre at the moment. Yet I think it was also because she knew deep down inside that she didn’t have a chance of winning no matter how good or superior her song and performance was. She basically found herself in a Catch 22, no-win situation. Which is sad:(
…Fecking brilliant news from Ireland though re equal marriage:))))!!!!
Yes a bolt out of the blue the referendum result in Ireland – I would never have predicted that.
As for the ESC, it seems many of the big countries that pay the lion’s share of the European Broadcasting Union and the ESC don’t get a look in now. Bizare that a slip of a country if you could call San Marino that, gets the same voting power as the big countries. I want Proportional Representation in this contest and I want it now ! Or we will leave and you small “countries” can do what you want. Good to see Australia in the contest and I would welcome all the Commonwealth countries are allowed to enter in future years. This is the only way the UK would have the slightest chance of coming in the top 5.
I see Labour have said they welcome a vote on the continuing membership of the EU. Well well well, such a cynical and opportunist move.
Dr. Fox now on Murnaghan on Sky, so he’s back in the frame once more (btw this isnt the Fox who’s up on child abuse charges)
‘A full one-third of Syrian territory is now in the hands of these Islamicists.’
These are criminals who use and pervert Islam and this labeling with religious connotations is what the western idiosyncrasies offer us for fodder. To further religious reasoning is flaming, it will not reform the schism that exists between Shia and Sunni nor will it help to find peace.
To hear this from a so called supporter of a peace guru is quiet ironic, a top down perpetuation of a fundamentalist western notion which has caused nothing but strife and war.
thanks for showing what your made off Villager.
How easy it is to diffuse the ambiguous Becky Cohen, leaving the scales of integrity biased towards indifferent iniquity.
Perhaps some balance is needed here:
http://rt.com/shows/documentary/258341-nazi-concentration-camps-victims/
@Moshiach “Can somebody kindly unravel this biblical conundrum”
The Jewish leaders at the time of Jesus didn’t accept him as the Messiah, nor have the majority since, though there exists a minority called “Messianic Jews”. One autobiography that I can recommend is Arthur Katz’ “Ben Israel”.
The official Jewish line, if my gentile understanding is correct, is to wait for the Messiah’s coming, much the same as Christians might officially be waiting for his second coming.
From time to time some might ask things to be speeded, and the Hassidic rabbi Schneerson who asked Netanyahu for “Action this day, if possible” 25 years ago is an example. Here’s a wiki article on him: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Menachem_Mendel_Schneerson#Messianism
One my favourite films that I saw in the 80s, but is now rare and not easy to get hold of shows the conflict between such unusual ultra-orthodox communities who were initially *against* the formation of the secular state of Israel, and the more secularised (but still Orthodox) mainstream, based on the novel by Chaim pOtok, “The Chosen”.
Happy viewing 🙂
@Fred, thank you for your link to the torygraph, unfortunately I do not click on links to newspapers which enable liars like Carmichael to spread their filth.