It used to be difficult to shut Tony Blair up, especially on the subject of Iraq. Remember his epic war speech to Parliament, when the phrase ‘weapons of mass destruction’ was repeated more than 15 times? Now he only speaks for $400,000 a pop to neocons or lectures the Pope on theology. He might yet [...]
Category Archives: Insurgency
What Michael Portillo saw in Basra
March 27, 2009 – 12:25 pm
. . . highlights the tragedy of a wasteful adventure which cost the lives of soldiers, civilians and insurgents, and ended in unnecessary and undeserved ignominy for the British Army “Our departure from Iraq ends a dismal period in our military history” writes Michael Portillo, former (Conservative) UK Defence Secretary, in this week’s excellent edition [...]
Iraq is a failed state. Here's why . . .
March 25, 2009 – 9:57 pm
“You guys want to be men? Why don’t you go down there and beat some people’s asses. You’re supposed to be Iraqi police but you’re too scared to do your jobs” . . . . . ”Get into a gunfight, and I guarantee you’ll fuck some people up . . . . . Having returned from [...]
Torture is naughty, barbaric and illegal – except when we do it
March 18, 2009 – 4:09 pm
This week, Britain’s foreign minister will present the Foreign Office’s annual report on human rights violations around the world. For anyone who cares about Britain and human rights, it will feel difficult to ask about anything except the British government’s own entanglement in a case of torture. By Timothy Garton Ash The evidence, so far [...]
Yes, the middle classes are revolting, but I don't predict a riot
February 25, 2009 – 4:50 pm
Riot shields ready to dodge the flying quiches. Set tasers to stun those unemployed analysts. Truncheon the bourgeois materialists. They no longer matter. We’ve bled them dry. By John J Kelly. Recently, The Guardian reported police warnings of a ‘summer of hate.’ Sources of Intelligence (in short supply in the police) ‘indicate’ that middle class [...]
I know nothing at first hand about Gaza so I should stop commenting . . . . . . .
January 8, 2009 – 9:56 am
. . .and it would be a good idea if other people did the same. However, I do know a bit about media. It is pointless of Israel to complain about the possible bias of quoted ‘sources in Gaza’ from the world’s news gatherers if they employ totalitarian tactics (selectively used by the US in [...]
Iraqi civilian daily death toll returns to pre-surge levels
January 4, 2009 – 9:59 pm
“We don’t do body counts” – General Tommy Franks Apart from the grim news of 23 people dead at a Sunni meeting four days ago, followed by over 40 deaths at a Shia shrine on 4 January, there are ominous signs that rumours of a peaceful withdrawal from Iraq are sadly exaggerated. Iraq Bodycount, the [...]
Once in Royal David's City
January 1, 2009 – 3:55 pm
By Daniel Taghioff In the season of goodwill, I am reminded of the story of Jesus’s birth by the nativity plays in my daughter’s deeply Christian School. He was born in a stable because all of those that would now be termed “Palestinian” were called home to be counted. So the ironies, as ever, pile [...]