* Themes
Today's thought
|
All mouth and trousers
That withering Northern put down ‘He’s all mouth and trousers’ has come to mind repeatedly over recent weeks as the government has relentlessly cranked up the rhetoric to convince us that it will belatedly get tough with Islamic extremists.
The saying is usually delivered as a scornful expression of contempt against a blustering loudmouth who never tires of boasting of the fantastic feats he will perform - but who never gets around to actually doing anything.
Was there ever a better description of Messrs Tony Blair and Charles Clarke? They have spent much of the summer (when not sunning themselves on foreign beaches), issuing bloodcurdling declarations of intent.
This time – oh yes you’d better believe it – they are determined to take decisive action, right this very minute. “The rules of the game have changed” the Prime Minister thundered several weeks ago.
And what has happened since then? Not a lot is the answer. One foreign jihadi, Omar Bakri Mohammed, even managed to go on holiday to Lebanon without the authorities knowing. He should have been under intense surveillance because of the danger he poses to British civilians.
Then last week Hammersmith and Fulham council announced it was spending £25,000 renovating the kitchen and bathroom at the £500,000 council home of the hook-handed extremist Abu Hamza. That’ll teach him!
As for the rest of the jihadis they’ve been allowed to get on with what they do best – claiming benefits and spreading their hate-filled message of violence to impressionable young Muslims in places like Beeston.
The contrast with our friends in France, Germany, Spain, Italy and even ultra liberal Holland, couldn’t be sharper. There dozens of foreign-born hate preachers have been kicked out, with not a peep from the ‘human rights’ lobby.
The trouble with talking tough, and then failing to act, is that it destroys your credibility – not that Blair and Clarke had much of that in the first place.
The Islamofascists are laughing at us. Meanwhile, activist judges are squaring up for a fight with the government and ‘human rights’ lawyers are rubbing their hands with glee at the truckloads of legal aid cash heading their way. Many a Chiantishire holiday villa will be purchased with the proceeds of the next few months.
It is still not too late for the government to do something. But I for one have heard enough fine speeches. A little less talk and a lot more action is only thing that will convince me the government is serious in confronting the Islamist threat.
|
1.9.05 18:30
|
|
Bra Wars - the solution
There’s an easy and quick way that the British government can end the so-called ‘Bra Wars’ stand off between Chinese textile manufacturers and the European Union, a dispute that is likely to result in higher prices and less choice for British shoppers.
The Prime Minister can simply order all clothing currently impounded in British warehouses on the orders of EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson to be released to retailers immediately.
Rather than being furious to see his authority challenged, I reckon Mandelson would be privately relieved. He has got himself into a terrible mess over textile quotas and unilateral action by the British government may just be the lever he needs to persuade France, Italy and Spain to end their futile and damaging protectionism.
And if Tony Blair did take such a course of action what would the EU do about it? This, after all, is a thoroughly discredited organisation that has been comprehensively rejected even by the most pro-European electorates on the Continent. A sovereign British government carrying out the wishes of its people can safely ignore the fulminations of unelected and unaccountable bureaucrats in Brussels.
If fact such action could set the pattern for all our future dealings with the EU – we should co-operate with our neighbours when it is in the UK’s national interest, but go our own way when it is not.
That, after all, is precisely what the French have been doing for the last 50 years.
|
4.9.05 20:00
|
|
Brussels, al Qaida....whatever!
I’m sure Ken Clarke’s sudden cooling on all things European has absolutely nothing to do with his desire to lead the largely Euro-sceptic Conservative Party.
He simply underwent a Damascene conversion to rival St Paul. One minute he was a supremely confident Europhile who would have scrapped the pound and joined the Euro if given the chance. The next he decided the Euro was a miserable failure and we won’t join for at least ten years. Just like that!
Now he says the liberation of Iraq was a disaster and we must distance ourselves from our American allies – just at a time when they need us most.
At least no one could accuse Clarke of anything approaching consistency. He used to believe Brussels should dictate British foreign policy. Now he thinks Al Qaida should do that job.
|
8.9.05 19:35
|
|
Deafening chorus of spite drowns out compassion
There have been some terrible scenes coming out of New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, but none have been more ugly than the lip smacking relish with which some on this side of the Atlantic have greeted the catastrophe in the USA.
A deafening chorus of “They Had It Coming” and “It Serves Them Right” has drowned out small voices of compassion and sympathy.
Americans, we have been told, are paying the price for electing George Bush, liberating Iraq and failing to sign the Kyoto agreement.
Jurgen Trittin, Germany’s environment minister, set the tone when he gloated that America had been punished for failing to cut emissions.
Every event – even an unavoidable natural disaster – is viewed through the distorting prism of Europe’s pathological anti-Americanism. In place of any trace of humanity, we get virulent Bush bashing and hateful Yankee baiting, particularly from the reactionary Left and sanctimonious greens. A more disgusting spectacle it is hard to imagine.
It is all utter nonsense of course. It is ridiculous that we have to spell it out, but George Bush is not responsible for Hurricane Katrina.
The notion that New Orleans would have been spared if the US electorate had voted for Al Gore or John Kerry is not even worth serious consideration.
Neither would signing the Kyoto agreement have helped. Let me put this simply, just in case any green activist has managed to read this far – there is no scientific evidence that global warming has increased the frequency or ferocity of hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico.
Some of the more hysterical voices on the Angry Left have even decided that the swamping of New Orleans marks the end of the ‘Bush era’ and that the US will move towards a more ‘progressive’ future.
It is little more than wishful thinking. The US people, often derided as stupid and ignorant by European commentators, offer a more sober and rational view of the events of the last few weeks. A CNN poll this week showed only 13% blamed Bush, while 25% blamed the state and city authorities (who actually have responsibility for emergency planning and disaster recovery). But the biggest group of those questioned – 38% - blamed no one at all.
While this sniping has been going on the American people have been busy doing what they can to help the victims of the storm. Individuals, churches and companies have rushed to offer shelter, food and clean water. More than $500m dollars has been raised – twice that pledged in the ten days after 9/11.
As so often with the United States it is an inspiring story of self-reliance and the ‘can-do’ spirit. But, given the sour and spiteful response of much of the rest of the world, it is probably just as well that they don’t really need any outside help.
|
10.9.05 20:51
|
|
Oh alright you want more...
The government’s policy towards alcohol looks like it was dreamt up after a few beers as an aperitif, a bottle of wine or two over dinner followed by a couple of whisky chasers.ffice ffice" />
One the one hand ministers are desperate to cut down on binge drinking, while on the other they want to liberalise licensing laws to allow a 24-hour, continental-style café culture.
Now Professor Wayne Hall has declared that this strategy will do little to tackle problem drinking in the ffice:smarttags" />UK.
One solution, favoured by some in the medical profession, is a big increase in alcohol taxes to push up the price. But this would simply punish innocent drinkers, boost booze smuggling from the Continent and damage the pub trade.
Instead Prof Hall points to Australia where consumption has dropped by 24% compared to a 31% rise in the UK. How? Simply by lowering taxes on low alcohol beer.
Reducing taxes? Now there’s something I can drink to.
|
12.9.05 18:14
|
|
Why oh why...
From: B Hardy, All Hallowes Drive, Tickhill, Doncaster.
IF Bill Carmichael is so besotted with America, its President and its people, why oh why does he not do everyone a big favour and go and live there?
It would certainly spare us the nauseatingly simplistic clap-trap that constitutes his weekly column.
|
16.9.05 13:46
|
|
[next page]
|
* Home
* About
* Archives
* Guestbook
* Contacts
* Subscribe