Carpetbagger comments on Mike Huckabee’s claims that there just ISN’T ENOUGH GOD in the US Constitution. This man is scary, scary, scary.

In January next year, or thereabouts, the European heads of Government will choose a permanent President of Europe, who will serve for two years.

In today’s Le Monde, former French Prime Minister Edouard Balladur explains why he thinks that, although Tony Blair is a good candidate, he can’t be appointed. The main reasons: Britain is so eurosceptic, and Blair is too close to the US.

David Cameron has promised a referendum in the highly unlikely event that the EU Reform Treaty is not ratified by the time he takes office. More generally, he has shown that his attitude to Europe would be just as constructive as Margaret Thatcher’s.

He added: “I think Margaret Thatcher showed in recovering the British rebate that if you have a very clear, very straightforward approach in Europe and say look, we want to be in the European Union … but we’re not happy with the status quo and there are some things we want to change, if you’re single minded about that then there’s no reason you cannot achieve your objectives.”

Of course, given that Margaret Thatcher gave us the Single European Act, and her successor, via the Maastricht Treaty, gave us the Euro, there could be a case for saying that they both made strong advances in European unity. But I don’t think that’s what Mr Cameron means.

After the Ron Paul scandal, the Paulista forums run red with the blood of traitors. They have shown themselves unworthy of your leadership, o Fuhrer!

This, right here, is why shareholders in banks should lose control when they take Government support :

SRM, a hedge fund that controls 9.9% of Northern Rock, has warned Alistair Darling not to consider nationalising the bank for less than a fair price. … SRM said it has been advised that otherwise there would be a breach of the Human Rights Act.

The value of shares can go down as well as up, guys – read the small print.

See also: whining Railtrack losers.

Great story about a great initiative. (source)

The three-fingered [“A-salute”] celebration is part of an initiative started by a group of players, called A-Star. It aims to open up pathways into employment for youngsters through sport and other creative activities. The “A” salute is visual shorthand for the initiative’s motto: “every child is a star”.

The Bishop of Rochester, cabbie no. 1867 Dr Nazir-Ali, has caused a row by claiming that unspecified areas of Britain are no-go areas for people of different faiths.

Speaking as someone who lived in Bethnal Green for three years, in the most Muslim bit of the third most Muslim constituency in the UK, I can report that I was able to be a white Christian, and indeed get married in a Christian church, without being physically attacked or racially abused at any stage. This is not something that all Muslims can say. You were saying something about no-go areas, your Grace?

Nazir-Ali’s real complaint, as his interview in the Telegraph makes clear, is that the state is not privileging the established church enough. So, to be clear, religious extremism is wrong but imposing the beliefs of imams church leaders on an unwilling population is the only solution. Glad we’ve got that sorted.

Didn’t watch it myself, but the bloggertarians are going to hate the Queen’s Christmas message, in which she said “people should share responsibility to help those less fortunate than themselves.”

The Conservatives are complaining that Whitehall departments spend too much money at Christmas. The total five-year spend of Whitehall departments on Christmas parties, decorations and cards was £461,000, which works out at a

shocking

twenty pence per civil servant per year. This

extravagance

– almost enough for one bite of a Marks and Spencer Mince Pie – will doubtless

outrage hard-working families

, at least those who aren’t repelled by the unseasonal stench of cant and hypocrisy.

It’s a great day today, as the borders between even more European countries evaporate. I wonder how long it will be before we Brits (and Irish) see sense?