Category: Current Affairs

Condi Rice, America’s Secretary of State, delivered a stern dressing down to us pansy Europeans today, and we feel much bucked up for it. Stern words from Nanny never go amiss, particularly here in Britain.

If you missed it, here are the key points (in track changes):

• Our nationally shaming and probably illegal treatment of prisoners has saved European lives. Probably.
• The US doesn’t officially torture and when it does, it’s just over-eager lieutenants
• They are almost all guilty, anyway
• Obey.

The New York Times has the full details of the spanking.

Update: While the Administration has been trashing the US’s reputation around the world, it turns out they’ve also been falling down on prevention measures at home. A proud record, indeed.

PledgeBank is an excellent site, part of the MySociety network, where you can make a public pledge to do something if a certain number of other people will pledge to do the same.

That’s not to say there aren’t some strange pledges. Take this one, a natty fascist number, in which people are proposing the slaughter of the elderly, the forcible sterilisation of poor people and restricting the right to vote to (and I paraphrase) pointlessly angry ill-educated bigots like me.

So far, so FreeRepublic, you might think. But what is the ‘people who signed this pledge also signed…’ pledge? Lobbying their employers for fair trade coffee! Welfare: It’s OK for coffee-growers, but not for anyone else.

An interesting episode in the French Assemblée Nationale, not a place prone to interesting episodes. The UMP – Chirac’s party – have blocked an attempt by the left to repeal a provision in a proposed law that requires schools to put a positive spin on the French empire, particularly in North Africa.

The provision, which will now stand, stipulates:

“Les programmes scolaires reconnaissent en particulier le rôle positif de la présence française outre-mer, notamment en Afrique du Nord, et accordent à l’histoire et aux sacrifices des combattants de l’armée française issus de ces territoires la place éminente à laquelle ils ont droit.”

Compare Niall Ferguson’s series on the British Empire. Le Figaro discusses.

The BBC website discusses an intriguing idea – personal tradeable carbon allowances. The principle is the same as that used for large companies – you have an allowance, and if you exceed it you have to buy more, if you stay within it you can sell your surplus.

I think it’s a fascinating idea, myself – strong resemblance to rationing during the war, and might produce a similar community cohesion (though doubtless also a similar black market).

The Argus reports that Conservative clubs in Sussex (not part of the Tory party officially, but a related organisation) have been revelling in longer opening hours, despite the party’s threats of death, destruction and mayhem.

The member of the House of Representative for the San Diego area has resigned, after admitting to taking almost $2.5m in bribes from defence contractors. Brown envelopes were not for Randy Cunningham – they don’t come that big – rather, he just let defence contractors buy him a house, pay for his daughter’s graduation, and, oh yes, buy him a Roller.

Reports in the San Diego Union Tribune, and on The Fix at the Washington Post.

A harrowing site for a Friday evening, this is a Texas state government site, listing the offences and last statements of executed prisoners.

Reading through them, two things occurred to me. First, while most last statements are thanks, a few statements are strong declarations of a perceived injustice, as pithy or as elegant in their way as “to the health of fair Kritias” (example). Second, the original offences leading to the murders which the state is killing these people are often tiny, trivial things – theft, mostly (of $5,000, a car, $220 etc.). So much for the deterrent effect of the death penalty.

Slate reports on one American’s attempt to swap a car for a bicycle.

Sir Christopher Meyer continues to try and have his cake and eat it. In response to a letter from John Prescott calling for his resignation, (reported here), Meyer responds:

I am confident I can continue to do this job independently and impartially and effectively.

Well, that’s not quite the point, is it? There are several roles in life. One is a pull-no-punches whistleblower, revealing the foibles of the powerful from inside and damn the consequences. One is an impartial and fair-minded Establishment figure, leading a quasi-judicial organisation for the benefit of principled public debate.

You can be one, or the other, but you can’t be both. Meyer should go.

A disagreeable debate has flared up at the normally excellent Obsidian Wings. A contributor, Charles, sparked it off by blasting a Congressman who called for US withdrawal from Iraq, a ‘loser’ and a ‘defeatist’, and – essentially – blaming anyone on the left of the political spectrum for not having the balls to go through with the war.

There are two things that make me sad about this. The first is that anything even slightly tending to withdrawal (such as in-due-course replacement of US troops by a Muslim-led UN contingent) is shouted from the rooftops as sedition, treason, and possibly also a sin against the Holy Ghost.

Even more worrying is that the name-calling level of debate which is increasingly familiar in the US is contaminating even self-proclaimed moderate sites like OW. It’s a great shame – not just for politics, but even politeness – when we can’t hold ourselves to the same standard as a bunch of rowdy 17th-century barons:

Standing Order of the House of Lords 33 (1632): To prevent misunderstanding, and for avoiding of offensive speeches, when matters are debating, either in the House or at Committees, it is for honour sake thought fit, and so ordered, That all personal, sharp, or taxing speeches be forborn, and whosoever answereth another man’s speech shall apply his answer to the matter without wrong to the person.

Wouldn’t that be nice?