US Secretary of State and former first lady Hillary Clinton returned to Northern Ireland to address our folks on the hill, a speech that kept well away from the current "crisis". To be perfectly honest I couldn't care less about Mrs Clintons visit, shes a compulsive liar, fantasist and wife of a serial cheater and fellow liar former President Bill Clinton.
According to Hillarys campaign manager "We would not have peace today had it not been for Hillary’s hard work in Northern Ireland"? Really?
Of course Hillarys no stranger to conflict zones:
Showing newest posts with label politics. Show older posts
Showing newest posts with label politics. Show older posts
Wednesday, 14 October 2009
Thursday, 4 June 2009
Wednesday, 3 June 2009
My Choosiest Choice of all
Jim Allister is a strong minded, articulate and able politician, a good MEP for Northern Ireland. On domestic (Northern Irish) issues he stuck in a "NO"-unionist time warp, which may be a principled stand on his part, but for the stability and security of Northern Ireland his principles lead to a dead end. If it was his European record alone he'd get my number 1.
Jim Nicholson seems unable to articulate his Ulster Unionist/Conservative agenda, perhaps because of certain media distractions; Lady Hermon, party defections, David Cameron and unionist in-fighting. However he does have a good record as an MEP, his party has put more emphasis on European issues and an alliance with the Tories opens up the possibility of putting Northern Ireland at the centre of mainstream UK politics. It’s the wider European and UK issues, not Jim Nicholson’s charismatic personality that gets the UCUNF my first preference.
Diane Dodd’s is clearly out of her depth, without the aid of her handlers Nigel and Peter, Diane clearly cannot cope especially when surrounded by opponents or sat next to Jim Allister. Her attack dog style of debating and her fantasist anti-Sinn Fein rhetoric are off putting, she's third on my list behind Jim Allister as usual. Peter & Iris certainly don't help the DUP cause (whatever that is). Diane Dodd’s gets my number 3 simply because she's a "unionist".
Sinn Fein won't get any votes from me, much to their disappointment I’m sure, but they're a not trying to build an "Ireland of equals" not with their sectarian reactionary anti-Britishness, or while Bairbre de Brún stands up in the European Parliament to rail against "Unionist death squads". Not to mention the shinners have the worst attendance records in Brussels compared to their opponents. Also de Brun seems to lose all knowledge of English when asking even basic questions, nothing wrong with Gaelic, but using it as a cultural weapon is clearly objectionable.
Jim Nicholson seems unable to articulate his Ulster Unionist/Conservative agenda, perhaps because of certain media distractions; Lady Hermon, party defections, David Cameron and unionist in-fighting. However he does have a good record as an MEP, his party has put more emphasis on European issues and an alliance with the Tories opens up the possibility of putting Northern Ireland at the centre of mainstream UK politics. It’s the wider European and UK issues, not Jim Nicholson’s charismatic personality that gets the UCUNF my first preference.
Diane Dodd’s is clearly out of her depth, without the aid of her handlers Nigel and Peter, Diane clearly cannot cope especially when surrounded by opponents or sat next to Jim Allister. Her attack dog style of debating and her fantasist anti-Sinn Fein rhetoric are off putting, she's third on my list behind Jim Allister as usual. Peter & Iris certainly don't help the DUP cause (whatever that is). Diane Dodd’s gets my number 3 simply because she's a "unionist".
Sinn Fein won't get any votes from me, much to their disappointment I’m sure, but they're a not trying to build an "Ireland of equals" not with their sectarian reactionary anti-Britishness, or while Bairbre de Brún stands up in the European Parliament to rail against "Unionist death squads". Not to mention the shinners have the worst attendance records in Brussels compared to their opponents. Also de Brun seems to lose all knowledge of English when asking even basic questions, nothing wrong with Gaelic, but using it as a cultural weapon is clearly objectionable.
Sunday, 31 May 2009
Hate, Murder & Politics
Northern Ireland is associated by many people around the world with sectarian hatred, murder and politics, and not necessarily in that order. Loyalism and Republicanism have become philosophies connected with bigotry, political murder and thuggery, whether it’s shooting or bombing, knee capping children or beating someone to death.
It’s sad that people are filled with so much hate that they think kicking someone to death is not only justified, but a political necessity! Loyalism has no value to anyone, least of all to unionism or even to its own "community".
But as usual the brutal murder of an innocent man is used to score political points
"Unionist" mob murder man"
It’s sad that people are filled with so much hate that they think kicking someone to death is not only justified, but a political necessity! Loyalism has no value to anyone, least of all to unionism or even to its own "community".
But as usual the brutal murder of an innocent man is used to score political points
"Unionist" mob murder man"
Monday, 25 May 2009
Vote DUP: Smash Sinn Féin! Really?
Think DUP topping the Poll will "smash" Sinn Féin
Doesn't look like it, does it?Saturday, 23 May 2009
Expenses: Just a Friendly Reminder
Tony McNulty: the employment minister claimed £14,000 per year on his parents’ house in his constituency in Harrow. He insists he acted within the rules.
Jacqui Smith: the home secretary is facing an inquiry after claiming £20,000 per year on her home in her constituency in Redditch, saying that her sister's home in London was her main residence. She denies any wrong doing.
Caroline Spelman: The Meriden MP was told to pay back £9,600 after the parliamentary standards commissioner found that she had unintentionally breached Commons rules by paying her children's nanny through Parliamentary allowances, saying that the nanny was working as a constituency secretary.
Nicholas and Ann Winterton: the husband and wife who are both MPs in Cheshire were found to have breached the expenses rule when they claimed £21,600 per year in rent on their London flat after paying off the mortgage and transferring the ownership of the £700,000 property into a family trust.
Derek Conway: the MP for Old Bexley and Sidcup was suspended from the Commons and ordered to return £13,161 in January 2008 for paying more than £200,000 to his family, including to his youngest son, Freddie, who was a full time student in Newcastle at the time.
Tory Anthony Steen, who become embroiled in the expenses controversy for spending £90,000 on his second home over four years, launched an astonishing defence of his spending yesterday.
He said: "I've done nothing criminal, that's the most awful thing, and do you know what it's about? Jealousy. I've got a very, very large house. Some people say it looks like Balmoral. It's a merchant's house of the 19th century. It's not particularly attractive, it just does me nicely.”
MPs stepping down?
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/mps-expenses/
http://www.northernexposureni.com/2009/05/sinn-feins-expensive-principles.html
http://www.theyworkforyou.com/mps/
Jacqui Smith: the home secretary is facing an inquiry after claiming £20,000 per year on her home in her constituency in Redditch, saying that her sister's home in London was her main residence. She denies any wrong doing.
Caroline Spelman: The Meriden MP was told to pay back £9,600 after the parliamentary standards commissioner found that she had unintentionally breached Commons rules by paying her children's nanny through Parliamentary allowances, saying that the nanny was working as a constituency secretary.
Nicholas and Ann Winterton: the husband and wife who are both MPs in Cheshire were found to have breached the expenses rule when they claimed £21,600 per year in rent on their London flat after paying off the mortgage and transferring the ownership of the £700,000 property into a family trust.
Derek Conway: the MP for Old Bexley and Sidcup was suspended from the Commons and ordered to return £13,161 in January 2008 for paying more than £200,000 to his family, including to his youngest son, Freddie, who was a full time student in Newcastle at the time.
Tory Anthony Steen, who become embroiled in the expenses controversy for spending £90,000 on his second home over four years, launched an astonishing defence of his spending yesterday.
He said: "I've done nothing criminal, that's the most awful thing, and do you know what it's about? Jealousy. I've got a very, very large house. Some people say it looks like Balmoral. It's a merchant's house of the 19th century. It's not particularly attractive, it just does me nicely.”
MPs stepping down?
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/mps-expenses/
http://www.northernexposureni.com/2009/05/sinn-feins-expensive-principles.html
http://www.theyworkforyou.com/mps/
Wednesday, 20 May 2009
A Tangled Position
Andrew McCann over on A Tangled Web has endorsed Jim Allister for the June 4 Euro elections, not because he believes he can retain his seat, but to simply knock Diane Dodd’s off of topping the polls. Well I'm no DUP fan so Mrs Dodd's top-dog hopes don't much matter to me.
What Andrew McCann, David Vance and Jim Allister really want is to "wreck it" as Ian Paisley once said of the GFA, or at least to get a majority of unionists rejecting the St. Andrews agreement with an unofficial referendum by voting TUV.
"Like David and I, Allister is not interested in reconciliation with physical-force Irish republicanism, only is total and comprehensive defeat."
I'm not sure what point there is to be made from such an outcome, yes I know that they believe getting rid of the Provo’s is an end in its self, but it’s hardly going to render much of a defeat to republicans.
Making them work within partitionist institutions, militarily withering down the PIRA, their lack of support down south and attacks by dissidents; those to me are the only defeat - outside of a bloody and costly military operation Sri Lanka style - that the republicans are going to suffer.
Say confidence is shot and the assembly collapses, yet again. If the Provisional’s retreat back to their shadowy ghettos and their "old ways", blaming rejectionist unionists as they go, what will be the end result? Allister represents the old reactionary unionism, like Paisley of old, yet their reactions are always too late to do much but hope to reverse time to when things were easy to understand.
Now the RIRA are back in town the dismantling of the assembly simply adds Provo fuel to a dissident fire, hardly a great alternative. I'm no great admirer of the executive or Sinn Fein but the alternative is much worse and quite frankly unneeded. Wrecking the relative peace and stability of Northern Ireland for your so-called "principles" is a job better suited to republican hardliners and loyalist terrorists, not Jim Allister.
What Andrew McCann, David Vance and Jim Allister really want is to "wreck it" as Ian Paisley once said of the GFA, or at least to get a majority of unionists rejecting the St. Andrews agreement with an unofficial referendum by voting TUV.
"Like David and I, Allister is not interested in reconciliation with physical-force Irish republicanism, only is total and comprehensive defeat."
I'm not sure what point there is to be made from such an outcome, yes I know that they believe getting rid of the Provo’s is an end in its self, but it’s hardly going to render much of a defeat to republicans.
Making them work within partitionist institutions, militarily withering down the PIRA, their lack of support down south and attacks by dissidents; those to me are the only defeat - outside of a bloody and costly military operation Sri Lanka style - that the republicans are going to suffer.
Say confidence is shot and the assembly collapses, yet again. If the Provisional’s retreat back to their shadowy ghettos and their "old ways", blaming rejectionist unionists as they go, what will be the end result? Allister represents the old reactionary unionism, like Paisley of old, yet their reactions are always too late to do much but hope to reverse time to when things were easy to understand.
Now the RIRA are back in town the dismantling of the assembly simply adds Provo fuel to a dissident fire, hardly a great alternative. I'm no great admirer of the executive or Sinn Fein but the alternative is much worse and quite frankly unneeded. Wrecking the relative peace and stability of Northern Ireland for your so-called "principles" is a job better suited to republican hardliners and loyalist terrorists, not Jim Allister.
Tuesday, 19 May 2009
Parliamentary Reform
Now that Michael Martin has more or less jumped ship from Westminster a radical reformation of the entire parliamentary system is drastically needed;
1) First of all the speaker of the house should either be directly elected by the people or should be an independent figure of no party political background.
2) MPs salaries should be taken into account when claiming for further expenses, how many houses they own, cars, staff etc.
3) An online database of expenses claims should be made available for the public to view.
4) A Parliamentary Covenant should be drawn up and MPs made to sign it, if they fail to abide by it they'll automatically be deselected for running for further election.
5) Those seeking election should be forced to make personal projections, based on their individual circumstances, of what essential expenses they might likely need to claim for.
6) A points system based on MPs performances during the year should be made available.
Basically any abuse of office that brings parliament into disrepute should be met with swift action.
1) First of all the speaker of the house should either be directly elected by the people or should be an independent figure of no party political background.
2) MPs salaries should be taken into account when claiming for further expenses, how many houses they own, cars, staff etc.
3) An online database of expenses claims should be made available for the public to view.
4) A Parliamentary Covenant should be drawn up and MPs made to sign it, if they fail to abide by it they'll automatically be deselected for running for further election.
5) Those seeking election should be forced to make personal projections, based on their individual circumstances, of what essential expenses they might likely need to claim for.
6) A points system based on MPs performances during the year should be made available.
Basically any abuse of office that brings parliament into disrepute should be met with swift action.
Sunday, 17 May 2009
Sectarian Songs Racist?
“A Rangers fan, who was convicted of breach of the peace after singing part of the 'Famine Song' at an away game, has appealed against his conviction.
William Walls, 20, was found guilty of the offence, aggravated by religious and racial prejudice, at Kilmarnock District Court in December last year.”
I'm not a Rangers fan or a singer of bigoted songs, which the ridiculous 'Famine Song' clearly is, but what I find highly dubious is labelling the incident 'racial prejudice'. It seems to be a recent trend, an Englishman saying a bad thing about Scotland is a racist, vice versa a Scotsman, Irishmen or Ulster Protestant.
If someone could show me scientifically the overwhelming racial differences between the native peoples of the British Isles, then I might agree, but considering there is no momentous racial difference even between blacks and whites, how likely is there to be a racial difference between WASPs and Irish/Scottish Catholics?
Labelling sectarianism as racist simply fuels the idea of there being a bigger difference between our two main communities than there actually is. Yes sectarianism, religious bigotry and xenophobia are wrong, but stop mislabelling it as racial prejudice.
William Walls, 20, was found guilty of the offence, aggravated by religious and racial prejudice, at Kilmarnock District Court in December last year.”
I'm not a Rangers fan or a singer of bigoted songs, which the ridiculous 'Famine Song' clearly is, but what I find highly dubious is labelling the incident 'racial prejudice'. It seems to be a recent trend, an Englishman saying a bad thing about Scotland is a racist, vice versa a Scotsman, Irishmen or Ulster Protestant.
If someone could show me scientifically the overwhelming racial differences between the native peoples of the British Isles, then I might agree, but considering there is no momentous racial difference even between blacks and whites, how likely is there to be a racial difference between WASPs and Irish/Scottish Catholics?
Labelling sectarianism as racist simply fuels the idea of there being a bigger difference between our two main communities than there actually is. Yes sectarianism, religious bigotry and xenophobia are wrong, but stop mislabelling it as racial prejudice.
Friday, 15 May 2009
Question Time Performance
Last night’s Question Time performance by housing minister Margaret Beckett and ex-LibDem leader Sir Ming Campbell was nothing less than disgraceful. Mrs Beckett was clearly in over her head when the just anger of the audience greeted her pathetic excuses and attempts to squirm away from her own and her colleagues lack of moral judgement. It was clear she held the electorate in complete contempt for daring to question MP’s morals.
She tried everything she could to deflect the annoying questions; denial, feigning anger, attacking the Daily Telegraph by vaguely threatening fellow panellist Benedict Brogan. She tried every political trick in the book to try and deflect the awkward truth that she and her fellow MPs had disgraced themselves and the country. But it didn’t work; her face was red with embarrassment and underlying anger, not directed towards the trougher's in parliament, but at us the people.
Ming Campbell’s performance wasn’t much better than Mrs Beckett’s, his attempts at deflection were just as hard and as futile as Beckett, his worst excuse was simply “they were guidelines”. But Ming the Merciless went even lower in attempting to insinuate that the expenses row was deflecting attention from the plight of our troops in Afghanistan, i.e. if you’re angry about the MPs thievery you’re not remembering the soldiers; don’t our armed forces personnel pay taxes? Should they not be upset that their MPs were stealing their money while they are fighting for their country? Mr Campbell is a disgrace.
But at least they’re sorry, eh? Sorry they were caught! These people don’t deserve our trust and respect until they have taken radical actions that completely alter the system and rules they created.
Until then the facts are clear
She tried everything she could to deflect the annoying questions; denial, feigning anger, attacking the Daily Telegraph by vaguely threatening fellow panellist Benedict Brogan. She tried every political trick in the book to try and deflect the awkward truth that she and her fellow MPs had disgraced themselves and the country. But it didn’t work; her face was red with embarrassment and underlying anger, not directed towards the trougher's in parliament, but at us the people.
Ming Campbell’s performance wasn’t much better than Mrs Beckett’s, his attempts at deflection were just as hard and as futile as Beckett, his worst excuse was simply “they were guidelines”. But Ming the Merciless went even lower in attempting to insinuate that the expenses row was deflecting attention from the plight of our troops in Afghanistan, i.e. if you’re angry about the MPs thievery you’re not remembering the soldiers; don’t our armed forces personnel pay taxes? Should they not be upset that their MPs were stealing their money while they are fighting for their country? Mr Campbell is a disgrace.
But at least they’re sorry, eh? Sorry they were caught! These people don’t deserve our trust and respect until they have taken radical actions that completely alter the system and rules they created.
Until then the facts are clear
Thursday, 14 May 2009
The Jim Allister Show
I'm not sure if the TUV is a political party or the lone voice of Jim Allister, I haven't seen his team nor any colleagues, all I've seen is the Jim Allister Show
Allister is good on traditional unionist sabre rattling and moralising, but offers no real alternative, his "plans" appear to be taken from Ian Paisley circa 1999 and offers nothing constructive or any viable alternative, just vague notions of principled "traditional unionism".
As an MEP he has a sound grasp of the issues, on his European record he might win alone but in turning it into a referendum on the assembly he has perhaps set himself up for a fall.
It would be a breath of fresh air for one MEP from our wee country to tackle the issue of freedom and sovereignty in Europe, the rights of small nations, democracy and independence. Jim appears to be distracted:
"This will be the first time that right across this Province people have the opportunity to give a verdict on terrorist-inclusive government."
That's good, but 10 years out of date. What principle is there in opposing the assembly and creating an excuse for Sinn Fein to blame unionists for "wrecking the peace process", how many would die if the Provo's went back to their old tricks? Do the 32CSM need more pissed off ex-Provo recruits?
Its time to keep your friends close and enemies closer.
Wednesday, 13 May 2009
Politician Expenses Solution
Sack all the abusers and every shadow cabinet MP, labour minister or backbencher, who acted like a moral vacuum hovering up taxpayers money for horse manure, porno’s or whatever!
Oh wait...we can’t! If we did that the sky would fall down, volcanoes would erupt, meteorites would fall from space and the terrorists would destroy us.
Oh wait...we can’t! If we did that the sky would fall down, volcanoes would erupt, meteorites would fall from space and the terrorists would destroy us.
Tuesday, 12 May 2009
Party Website Homepages Rated
Being slightly bored I decided to rate the local party websites purely in terms of their aesthetic appeal, use of colour, design and functionality. I numbered them 1 to 7; 1 being the best, 7 the worst.
1 Green Party (NI) - Is the most visually attractive site with the use of flash as the header, changing colourful photographic backgrounds, with the party’s slogans and views highlighted - although "Change we can believe in" is an annoyingly unimaginative Obama-ism. Also their leader Steven Agnew looks like an out of shape Ronan Keating.
2 Sinn Fein - Comes in second for visual with their cloudy pastel blue header background set off by their new logo, a damn site better than the ghastly old logo. Information is easy to locate and they have the modern sign ups, YouTube, face book & Bebo etc.
3 TUV - Jim Allisters party site is very much red, white & blue, but the royal blue and white mix well together. The header features the party logo to the left on white with a sky blue cloud and faded union flag to the right. Twitter is the only sign up available. On bad thing is Jim Allisters mug plastered over the page three times, makes it look like a one man outfit.
4 Ulster Unionist - Fourth behind Sinn Fein the UUP header is a dark sky blue, with the party logo on the left and small version of the Euro election poster on the right; Jim Nicholson has a fixed Botox smile. It also has sign ups to twitter and face book. UUP get extra points for humour with a "dup pants on fire" link site.
5 SDLP - With a good use of their colours and logo is visually appealing without being OTT. Mark Durkan however looks like Harry Enfield's "Tory Boy" character. Info on policies is quick to locate, but they have no sign ups available.
6 DUP - Update: Damn DUP, they've gone all Diane Dodds crazy and set up a Euro elections site, ruining my rating. They've lost my vote anyway!
One of the plainest sites, but with good simple graphics & logo placement. The main header picture features all the DUP gang in what looks like a wedding photo. They have a YouTube sign up.
7 Alliance - Unimaginative and dull sums up the site and the party. Blue, yellow and white, it’s more of an early 90's site than 21st century....boring!
1 Green Party (NI) - Is the most visually attractive site with the use of flash as the header, changing colourful photographic backgrounds, with the party’s slogans and views highlighted - although "Change we can believe in" is an annoyingly unimaginative Obama-ism. Also their leader Steven Agnew looks like an out of shape Ronan Keating.
2 Sinn Fein - Comes in second for visual with their cloudy pastel blue header background set off by their new logo, a damn site better than the ghastly old logo. Information is easy to locate and they have the modern sign ups, YouTube, face book & Bebo etc.
3 TUV - Jim Allisters party site is very much red, white & blue, but the royal blue and white mix well together. The header features the party logo to the left on white with a sky blue cloud and faded union flag to the right. Twitter is the only sign up available. On bad thing is Jim Allisters mug plastered over the page three times, makes it look like a one man outfit.
4 Ulster Unionist - Fourth behind Sinn Fein the UUP header is a dark sky blue, with the party logo on the left and small version of the Euro election poster on the right; Jim Nicholson has a fixed Botox smile. It also has sign ups to twitter and face book. UUP get extra points for humour with a "dup pants on fire" link site.
5 SDLP - With a good use of their colours and logo is visually appealing without being OTT. Mark Durkan however looks like Harry Enfield's "Tory Boy" character. Info on policies is quick to locate, but they have no sign ups available.
6 DUP - Update: Damn DUP, they've gone all Diane Dodds crazy and set up a Euro elections site, ruining my rating. They've lost my vote anyway!
One of the plainest sites, but with good simple graphics & logo placement. The main header picture features all the DUP gang in what looks like a wedding photo. They have a YouTube sign up.
7 Alliance - Unimaginative and dull sums up the site and the party. Blue, yellow and white, it’s more of an early 90's site than 21st century....boring!
Sunday, 3 May 2009
Obama: Just Another Politician
President Obama despite all the praise, deification and outlandish claims of his cult-like followers, is nothing more than a typical politician.
All of the talk of his first 100 days as President was the usual media hype and OTT reporting. Of course beyond the hype and media coverage Obama was faffing around with his cabinet appointments, engaging in corporatist takeovers, increasing un-necessary spending and relocating US troops from Iraq to Afghanistan.
As a foreign Obama supporter my reasons for supporting his campaign was, like many Americans, I was unimpressed with the nutty John McCain and his supposedly "folksy hockey mom" running mate Sarah Palin. Perhaps I'm too cynical but I didn't buy her routine as an "average Jane", she is as power hungry and manipulative as any Hillary Clinton or John McCain.
Joe Biden on the other hand has nothing to learn from George W Bush when it comes to bumbling about and gaffe making. Then again "The One" himself isn't immune from gaffes; is their only 50 states? And his malfunctioning teleprompter of course.
Obama is not the saviour of America or a superman president, perhaps he’s more articulate and media savvy, although it wouldn't be hard considering the last guy who was in the White House or with a media still besotted with their great black hope. Indeed the honeymoon isn't over and 100 days is nothing out of 4 years.
That said President Obama has already broken many of his election pledges and his, to be fair rather unachievable promises; indeed his ultra-liberal supporters will have a lot of overlooking to do if they want to still believe in "Yes We Can".
He promised to shut down Guantanamo because of its "inhumane treatment" of enemy-combatants.
"The Obama administration is moving toward reviving the military commission system for prosecuting Guantánamo detainees, which was a target of critics during the Bush administration, including Mr. Obama himself."
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/02/us/politics/02gitmo.html?_r=2&partner=rss&emc=rss
His agenda for a fiscal stimulus descended into 'earmarks' and corporate takeovers resulting in a tightening of free enterprise.
"Obama criticized pork barrel spending in the form of 'earmarks,' urging changes in the way that Congress adopts the spending proposals. Then he signed a spending bill that contains nearly 9,000 of them, some that members of his own staff shoved in last year when they were still members of Congress. 'Let there be no doubt, this piece of legislation must mark an end to the old way of doing business, and the beginning of a new era of responsibility and accountability,' Obama said." http://www.nypost.com/seven/04252009/postopinion/opedcolumnists/100_days__100_mistakes_166177.htm?page=0
"In this NPR interview, Lisa Jackson, head of the EPA, gives her perspective (and her boss's) on the auto industry (HT: TJ Goss). In the second quote from her, I have tried to reproduce the sounds she makes in trying to avoid telling a ridiculous lie. She tells it anyway. From the 3:35 mark of the interview:
Jackson: The President has said—and I couldn’t agree more—that what this country needs is one single national road map that tells auto makers who are trying to become solvent again, what kind of car it is they need to be designing and building for the American people.
NPR reporter (interrupting): Is that the role of the government. though? I mean that doesn’t sound like free enterprise.
Jackson: Well, ih it , it is free enterprise in a way. Umm uhh you know, first and foremost the free enterprise system has us where we are right this second (laughs) and so some would argue that the government already has a much larger role than we might have when Henry Ford rolled the first cars off the assembly line."
http://www.cafehayek.com/hayek/2009/04/the-woman-and-man-of-system.html
The old saying "be careful what you wish for" sums up Obama’s first 100 days as President. Not exactly "The One" or "like a messiah", just a regular politician in a fancy house.
All of the talk of his first 100 days as President was the usual media hype and OTT reporting. Of course beyond the hype and media coverage Obama was faffing around with his cabinet appointments, engaging in corporatist takeovers, increasing un-necessary spending and relocating US troops from Iraq to Afghanistan.
As a foreign Obama supporter my reasons for supporting his campaign was, like many Americans, I was unimpressed with the nutty John McCain and his supposedly "folksy hockey mom" running mate Sarah Palin. Perhaps I'm too cynical but I didn't buy her routine as an "average Jane", she is as power hungry and manipulative as any Hillary Clinton or John McCain.
Joe Biden on the other hand has nothing to learn from George W Bush when it comes to bumbling about and gaffe making. Then again "The One" himself isn't immune from gaffes; is their only 50 states? And his malfunctioning teleprompter of course.
Obama is not the saviour of America or a superman president, perhaps he’s more articulate and media savvy, although it wouldn't be hard considering the last guy who was in the White House or with a media still besotted with their great black hope. Indeed the honeymoon isn't over and 100 days is nothing out of 4 years.
That said President Obama has already broken many of his election pledges and his, to be fair rather unachievable promises; indeed his ultra-liberal supporters will have a lot of overlooking to do if they want to still believe in "Yes We Can".
He promised to shut down Guantanamo because of its "inhumane treatment" of enemy-combatants.
"The Obama administration is moving toward reviving the military commission system for prosecuting Guantánamo detainees, which was a target of critics during the Bush administration, including Mr. Obama himself."
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/02/us/politics/02gitmo.html?_r=2&partner=rss&emc=rss
His agenda for a fiscal stimulus descended into 'earmarks' and corporate takeovers resulting in a tightening of free enterprise.
"Obama criticized pork barrel spending in the form of 'earmarks,' urging changes in the way that Congress adopts the spending proposals. Then he signed a spending bill that contains nearly 9,000 of them, some that members of his own staff shoved in last year when they were still members of Congress. 'Let there be no doubt, this piece of legislation must mark an end to the old way of doing business, and the beginning of a new era of responsibility and accountability,' Obama said." http://www.nypost.com/seven/04252009/postopinion/opedcolumnists/100_days__100_mistakes_166177.htm?page=0
"In this NPR interview, Lisa Jackson, head of the EPA, gives her perspective (and her boss's) on the auto industry (HT: TJ Goss). In the second quote from her, I have tried to reproduce the sounds she makes in trying to avoid telling a ridiculous lie. She tells it anyway. From the 3:35 mark of the interview:
Jackson: The President has said—and I couldn’t agree more—that what this country needs is one single national road map that tells auto makers who are trying to become solvent again, what kind of car it is they need to be designing and building for the American people.
NPR reporter (interrupting): Is that the role of the government. though? I mean that doesn’t sound like free enterprise.
Jackson: Well, ih it , it is free enterprise in a way. Umm uhh you know, first and foremost the free enterprise system has us where we are right this second (laughs) and so some would argue that the government already has a much larger role than we might have when Henry Ford rolled the first cars off the assembly line."
http://www.cafehayek.com/hayek/2009/04/the-woman-and-man-of-system.html
The old saying "be careful what you wish for" sums up Obama’s first 100 days as President. Not exactly "The One" or "like a messiah", just a regular politician in a fancy house.
Monday, 27 April 2009
The Disappeared: PIRAs Inhumanity
A new site is to be examined in the hunt for one of the Disappeared of
Northern Ireland's Troubles.
The site is in County Louth in the Republic of Ireland, where the
remains of the Crossmaglen man Gerry Evans are said to be buried.
It has been claimed he was shot 30 years ago by the IRA as a suspected
informer.
It comes as the assembly passed a new bill to help the relatives
of the Disappeared and other missing persons.
Q: What separates the dissidents from the Provisionals? A: Time!
The PIRAs depravity is once again highlighted by their on going mental torture of those related to the so-called "disappeared" ie those murdered in cold blood, buried in bogs and fields all over Ireland. The victims of these continuing crimes against humanity, the relatives, are often traumatised and too tired to call the PIRA on their heartless campaign of cowardly human rights abuses.
But then the republican movement doesn't believe that any of its actions were wrong.
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