tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-105874802024-03-23T18:20:29.208+00:00An Ayrshire BlogAyrshire local,national and international news and opinion.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger392125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10587480.post-65551191046989843122011-09-16T22:32:00.000+00:002011-09-16T22:32:48.192+00:00A case for the UN : Peace for Palestine and IsraelThe United Nations is exactly the right body to lead the resolution of the Palestinian Israeli conflict. The UN was midwife at the birth of Israel and carries a responsibility to find a just end to a terrible conflict. The Palestinian move to seek UN recognition is a historic development and , like the Arab Spring, provides an opportunity for all sides to make moves that will heal long running sores.<br />
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When thinking about the potential for resolution of the Palestinian Iraeli conflict both in terms of those two entities and in terms of wider international relations it is important to understand what gave birth to the problem.<br />
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In essence it was collective international guilt about the Jewish Holocaust and the determination of Jews to have a safe historical homeland that drove the creation of Israel out of the land of Palestine. While the British and others were key players it was the UN through resolution 181(11) in 1947 that partitioned Palestine into an Israeli Jewish state and an Arab Palestinian state.<br />
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There is in fact a strong argument that the current Palestinian request that the UN recognise their statehood is merely asking the UN to acknowledge something it has already granted by way of <a href="http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/un/res181.htm">UN resolution 181</a>(11)<br />
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This is not a minor matter. In essence the UN general assembly through 181 has already in fact determined by international law the boundaries of Israel and Palestine. It is now time that the UN sought to find a way to have this will realised in a way that provides justice for all parties. Indeed the Palestinians have every right to call on the UN to help resolve a problem that it in part created.<br />
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One of the problems with the UN imposed partition of 181 was that Arab states rejected the partition. This was understandable at that time. Palestinians must no doubt have taken the view that they were not responsible for the Holocaust but were being told they must forfeit half their lands for a Jewish homeland - a hard and bitter pill to swallow.<br />
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The world has moved on though and Israel is a reality. It was right that the call for a homeland for the Jewish diaspora was heeded, but the international community has failed to live up to its responsibility to heal the damage that was caused , not least to the Palestinains, in the process.<br />
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Israel is now faced by acute challenges as a result of the Arab Spring. For a long time it has been able , with some justification, to point to its neighbours as violent repressive dictatorships and to highlight the miltary and terrorist threats against it. All of this was true, but it also provided cover for land grabs through the development of illegal settlements that attempted to change the reality on the ground.<br />
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There is much anger among Muslims in the Middle East about this behaviour but the Palestinian case was only ever damaged by its association with terror. I wrote a long time ago on this and suggested that when Muslims and Arabs moved from extremism to democracy they would find the cause of resolving the Palestinian injustice very greatly strengthened. So it comes to pass it seems.<br />
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The West has rightly thrown some weight behind demends for freedom in the Middle East and North Africa. Now the Palestinians ask for their own justice. How can that in conscience be rejected? It can't., but can resolution for Palestinians be achieved while not damaging Israel? I believe it can.<br />
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There are Arabs in Israel. Not, by some accounts, always viewed as equal citizens but nevertheless part of the state. There are of course Jewish settlers who are living in settlements in Palestine and protect themselves with guns. Finally, there are generations of Palestinians who like the Jewish Diaspora yearn for their homeland even as Israel resists the inclusion of this diaspora in a settlement.<br />
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So here is a thought. Imagine with me if you will that the parties can be brought to agree ( by some divine intervention perhaps?) that they will return to the 1947 partition as the basis for their settlement and that the refugee diaspora issue is to also be addressed.<br />
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Now here is the crunch. Each of the peoples here wants its own religiouslyt informed state but also has people of its own who feel that their home or place is in the other state. Now imagine that both states guarantee to all parties the fair and equal treatment of both peoples in both states.<br />
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The next step in a resolution would be for Isreal to give up an agreed portion of its settlements. Importanly the villages and homes would be left intact. These villages should then house some of the Palestinian diaspora as part of the solution to that problem. Israel might be seen as paying a price in agreeing this but she would of course be reminded that those settlements were in any event illegal.<br />
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The remaining Jewsish settlers in their settlements would then become citizens of the Palestinian state. A state which would legally and in practice guarantee the rights of all citizens of whatever religion. The same rights and guarantees would apply to Arab citizens and returnees in Israel. To work this would need both states to develop a good framework for bi-partite relations based on their mutual self interest in good inter-community relations. ( Jerusalem is of course a particular but solvable issue)<br />
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It goes almost ( but not quite) without saying that any settlement constructed on this kind of approach would be impossible without the clearest possible acceptance both by the Palestinians and other Muslim states of Israel's right to exist without rancour or conflict. This would be the ultimate payoff for Israel and worth, what for them will seem like sacrifices. Israel will finally be a safe Jewish homeland and have neighbours with whihc it builds productive realtions.<br />
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Pie in the sky? Perhaps; but major changes are abroad in the Middle East and in such times major opportunities arise and must be grasped by statesemen who desire to be the agents of resolution and peace.<br />
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The Palestinians have made an astute move going to the UN to highlight the issue of their status even as other Muslims demand their freedom and democracy. The UN has the responsibility to treat their demands with great consideration and not to lightly dismiss them. At the same time the UN also has a responsibility to safeguard the Israeli state. The Arab Spring and the Palestinian UN move has shaken the dice and its now game on for change. The important question is wether politicians who represent the Palestinian and Israel peoples can be astute enough to grab the chance of just resolution and be bold and imaginative enough in finding solutions, with the help of the UN.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10587480.post-58346403711539843882011-08-25T20:59:00.000+00:002011-08-25T20:59:13.256+00:00Libya and the prospect of post-Islamist reform and renaissanceIf the events over the last months in the Middle East have been an Arab Spring then the final days of the revolution in Libya may prove to be a period of April thunderstorms and showers - something you wouldn't want to be caught up in but a sign , nevertheless, that summer is on its way.<br />
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As popular revolutions have rolled through Arab countries, some in the West have been doom-sayers; urging us to stick with the devils we know, those crazed dictators who murdered their own people, rather than embracing the people who were rising to throw of the yoke of tin-pot tyrants.<br />
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Some of this anxiety was understandable. Extremist Islamism has been a destructive force around the world inspiring terrorism that has casued death and destruction to Muslim and non-Muslim alike.<br />
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But one thing became clear as these revolutions sputtered into life - while people were drawing inspiration and identity from their Islamic religion they were not rising up in order to demand Islamist solutions. They have on the contrary raised calls for political freedoms that have great resonance in the democratic world.<br />
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Suddenly the old argument that Arab populations are unsuited to democratic governance started to seem a little hollow. These people were now demanding a say in running their countries and they werent it seemed demanding to be ruled by Mullahs.<br />
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The Libyan revolution has been the most bloody and posed a challenge to players on the world stage. There seems little doubt that the US led Nato intervention prevented a massacre of the rebellious east of Libya but it has come at a cost - and not just in money.<br />
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Only a minority of NATO countries actually put their shoulder to the wheel and participated in the action in Libya and NATO as a result will soon need to be re-thought. Is there a point in having members of a military alliance who stand on the sidelines when things get tough?<br />
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The more important issue though is the revolutionary upsurge among Arab peoples across North Africa and the Middle East that has bubbled up in recent months like champagne from an uncorked bottle. The pent up frustrations of people living under dictatorial regimes finally burst out in revolutionary mass demonstrations that have profoundly shaken the former status quo. In Arab countries and in North Africa people now know that they have the potential through mass action to assert their right to democracy and freedom in the face of autocratic regimes.<br />
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This is all still a strange experience for many in the West, not least those who viewed Islam and Arab nations in particular as being culturally incompatible with notions of democracy and freedom. They observed Islamism in action and it was almost invariably hostile, violent, intolerant and anti-democratic.<br />
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But there is now another possibility - that we are seeing the emergence of something we might call post-Islamism were people want islamically informed states but states which are not Theocracies and which are more pluralistic and tolerant than we have come to expect from many Islamic countries in that part of the world.<br />
They may of course emerge with more restricted freedoms than we now associate with democracy but that doesnt mean that such countries could not be decent neighbours and essentially controlled by their peoples.. Many European countries have been religiously informed democracies in their past..<br />
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Equally significant changes may also take place in the way that we in the West view the Israeli Palestinian conflict. If Islamic nations in the Middle east and North Africa show themselves capable of taking a democratic path then Israel will find less excuse for its policy of suppressing the Palestinians by controlling and annexing their land.<br />
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These recent and ongoing revolutions have shown that there is a real appetite for freedom and democracy on the arab "street" and oppressive Islamist theocracies now seem by no means the only or even the most likely alternative to oppressive dictatorships.<br />
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On that view it is possible, just possible, that we might be seeing the first twinkling of a sort of combined Arab reformation and enlightenment - a time when democracy and rationality flower , a time of renaiscance, albeit in countries which are fundamentally Islamic.<br />
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That would be a huge step forward , not only for the people in those countries but for all of us.<br />
Much depends on Libya and the Libyan people now. If the Libyan people can overcome these final bloody days and hold their untiy through what will no doubt be very difficult months ahead then the prospects for such a benign Islamic renaissance seem good.<br />
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<span><iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=ayrshi-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B005AQ484I&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="align: left; height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10587480.post-87137098123413541812011-02-25T21:33:00.001+00:002011-02-25T21:36:31.545+00:00Libya - send in the dronesThere was never much doubt that Muammar Qaddafi of Libya was a deluded narcissist but the incredible violence he has unleashed on his own people this week has now established that the man is a raving lunatic who will happily see his country descend into complete chaos and destruction rather than release his group on power.<br />
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Qaddafi still has loyal armed forces at his disposal despite the rapidly growing defections from within the Army and Air force. These forces, some of whom are lead by one of his sons, are bolstered it appears by large numbers of African mercenaries and together they have been engaging in seemingly wanton killing of civilians.<br />
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Many countries had large numbers of their citizens working in Libya and there is a scramble to get the remainder of these people out of the country. Western leaders have been slow to take action against the Libyan regime and this might be seen as at least in part due to the fact that they are still playing catch-up with fast moving events in Mediterranean Africa and the Middle East. However it also seems likely that they are only just now beginning to take firm positions on such matters as sanctions because of a fear that their citizens in Libya might be taken hostage by the regime. That fear should now be rapidly passing though and the time has come to consider what further actions might be taken to support the Libyan peoples revolution.<br />
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Passing resolutions at the UN and throwing Libya out of international Human Rights organisations is all very symbolic but is likely to have little effect on the decisions taken by a madman. Neither is the imposition of sanctions likely to have any impact in the short term on the murderous behaviour of Gaddafi's regime. Threats that members of the regime will be taken to an international court might work for a sane leader but probably wont work with Qaddafi.<br />
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Qaddafi it seems has decided that if he cant rule Libya then he and his country have reached their Gotterdamerung. This man is mad enough to want to go out in an orgy of blood and destruction rather than step aside.<br />
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The only question then at this stage is whether a way can be found for Qaddafi to meet his fate without him taking the lives of many more thousands of Libyans with him.<br />
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A no fly zone wont really deal with this situation and there will be little appetite in the west for any intervention on the ground. Western armies do now though have access to remote technologies that could be used to target Qaddafi and either kill him or weaken him enough to allow the Libyan people to complete their revolution.<br />
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One solution to this present situation might be for the security council to recognise the madness of this dictator and to authorise the use of cruise missiles and /or drones to target Qaddafi's known centres of power and known loyal armed force bases.<br />
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It would not be wise for any group of nations to do this without UN backing of course but with UN security council support this would be a legitimate act. The problem is that the security council has on it nations who themselves are autocratic states such as Russia and China who will not wish to authorise actions against a tyrant - even a mad tyrant - when they themselves are little better and may now themselves be feeling vulnerable to this wave of people revolutions. So the cruise missiles and drones will probably stay in their bases. More the pity.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10587480.post-33291386908178185512011-02-23T18:22:00.002+00:002011-02-23T18:24:28.364+00:00Airgun shooting at Auchinleck AcademyThe Ayrshire village of Auchinleck was shocked today when a shooting incident at Auchinleck Academy resulted in injuries to nine pupils. The shooting took place at around 1:30 today in the Church Street area of Auchinleck and some reports suggested that two people were involved in shooting the young people. More recent reports have suggested that the police have now arested an 18 year old man in connection with the incident. The nine injured children were taken to Crosshouse Hospital in Kilmarnock were eight discharged quickly but one was kept in for further treatment.<br />
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Reports suggested that the pupils had been shot in the legs or the back. The school appeared to act quickly and called in the police.and notified parents. East Ayrshire Council has indicated that it is working with the school to arrange apropriate support for the pupils involved.<br />
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This incident comes hard on the heels of of a riot at a recent local football match between Auchinleck Talbot and Cumnock Juniors which made the national news and it does further serious harm to the reputation of the area.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10587480.post-13098779402706241182011-02-16T17:40:00.001+00:002011-02-16T17:43:39.074+00:00Iran regime seeks conflict as distraction from protestsReports suggesting that Iran may be about to try to send warships through the Suez Canal to Syria have produced a predictable angry and threatening response from Israel. This is entirely what the Iranian regime is looking for - conflict with Israel which will distract from the protests in Iran.<br />
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The Iranian regime tried to claim that the revolts in Tunisia and Egypt were Islamist revolutions inspired by Irans own Islamist revolution but nothing could be further from the truth. The revolts started as protests against economic and social conditions but quickly morphed into wider demands for an end to autocracy and demands for democratic freedoms. The revolts had an Islamic flavour of course - that is to be expected and is not an unreasonable thing in countries which are essentially Islamic. But the slogans of the revolutions were not Islamist - people were not on the streets demanding that the dictatorship of Mubarak be replaced by a dictatorship of the Mullahs.<br />
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In a dictatorship as tightly controlled as Iran though the religiously minded autocrats thought that they could fool their own people by claiming that the Pan Arab revolutionary atmosphere supported their own Shia Islamist world view. The Iranian regime immediately started a campaign of misinformation and intimidation intended to frighten the pro-democracy movement in Iran from attempting anything similar to what as happened in Egypt.<br />
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The Iranian thugocracy has perhaps even less scruples than the Mubarak regime. They are likely to be less troubled by firing on their own citizens given their shameful record of executing dissidents.<br />
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There is a wind blowing in the Middle East though that can't be stopped. People clearly are fed up with autocracies of any form and they want the freedom to express their views and choose their own rulers. They want freedom from the threat of secret police and religious police.<br />
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The regime is showing signs that it is worried by the protests and there are calls for the leaders of the opposition movements to be executed. Protesters are being decried as agents of foreign powers and the media is under tight control with little access for foreign journalists. The Iranian regime is wheeling out all the same tired tactics that dictatorships do when their people revolt and cry "enough" !<br />
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Not only should we expect the Iranian regime to be more violent in its response but we should not be surprised when we hear them take actions which provoke conflict with Israel and the West. The regime will be desperate to create headlines for its people which give them something to rally around other than calls for proper democracy. It's in that context that Iran is now perhaps about to send ships through the Suez Canal.<br />
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The regime will figure that whatever the outcome it will gain. If Israel responds firmly and harshly then the regime will have a cause to rally the Iranian people. If Israel does not respond then Iran has shown that it can exert naval; power and influence in the Mediterranean right next door to Israel.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10587480.post-85106529504310270372011-02-12T13:26:00.003+00:002011-02-18T09:45:35.188+00:00Egypt and Algeria : the same but different?After the successful overthrow of Mubarak in Egypt there are now signs that Algeria is going to be the next Arab country to see mass demonstrations for democratic reform. Algeria like Egypt is a police state, riddled with corruption and governed under ong standing state of emergency laws. Today there are reports of a large anti-government protest in the capital Algeria.<br />
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Chanting "no to the police state" and "Bouteflika out" thousands of demonstrators were initially outnumbered by riot police and struggles broke out.<br />
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Pro-democracy demonstrators in Algeria can look to their colleagues in Egypt for lessons on how to conduct an inclusive non-violent revolution of course but the conditions in each country are perhaps not identical.<br />
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Unlike Egypt, Algeria has a recent history of extensive political violence and has in the past been on the brink of having a democratic system. In 1991 an Islamist group won the first round of democratic elections but the military stepped in and cancelled the next stage of the elections. The ensuing Islamist insurgency and Algerian civil war saw the death of around 160,000 people over the next decade.<br />
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In the context of such recent large scale and deadly internal conflict a generally restrained response from the regime is much less certain than it was in Egypt. The pro-democracy movement in Algeria will know that they have a huge hill to climb if they are to persuade the Algerian people to set aside their real fear of widespread political violence.<br />
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It will be interesting to see in the coming days if the pro-democracy movement in Algeria can create the sort of momentum that ultimately toppled the Mubarak regime.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10587480.post-59072255832562695872011-02-11T21:26:00.004+00:002011-02-18T09:46:00.076+00:00The rebirth of EgyptTruly amazing scenes of joyous celebration are still going on in Egypt following the resignation of President Hosni Mubarak a few hours ago. The Egyptian people have every cause to celebrate the overthrow of a dictator through a revolution that they conducted with great dignity and unity. They were an inspiration to many people.<br />
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It is easy living in a western democracy to fail to understand what it must be like for people who have lived under the rule of dictators for generations. The fear of the secret police has evaporated now in Egypt as the people place their faith in a temporary army council which, it seems, will run the country on an interim basis.<br />
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Given the conduct of the army so far there is hope that the army will stay true to the clear expressed will of the people and that it will help guide the country to free elections and democracy. <br />
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The members of the regime may yet try more tricks though. There will be those in Egypt who feel their livelihoods or wealth threatened by the collapse of the regime and they will look for ways to retain influence. It may not be impossible for example that we will see characters like Suleiman backed by the former ruling NDP party re-emerge and contest elections. These natural right wingers may yet find a future accommodation with equally right wing conservative Muslim religious groups. That seems an unlikely pairing in the short to medium term but not so unlikely in the longer term.<br />
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The future political balance of the country is coming under the control of the Egyptian people now - which is where it should be. Their choices will have consequences for relations within the Middle East and beyond. Whatever those effects are though other countries will happily now at least need to deal with Egypt in future as a fellow democratic state - a nation reborn in a January revolution.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10587480.post-19749244198760536352011-02-10T21:25:00.003+00:002011-02-18T09:47:10.967+00:00Mubarak still in denialMassive crowds which had gathered in Tahir Square in Cairo had been celebrating wildly in anticipation that Hosni Mubarak was about to announce that he was stepping down. The crowds this evening were among the largest that have yet been seen during 17 days of historic protest. All the signs seemed to be pointing to a resignation and the probability that the army would take a temporary role during the transition.<br />
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Instead, as the crowds listened in anticipation,. Mubarak simply confirmed his previous statement that he would not stand in the future elections. In a patronising speech in which he called the people his "children" he threw sops to the Egyptian people. He said he would transfer some powers to the vice president Suleiman and that he would support the amendment of some parts of the constitution.<br />
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There was no mention of the role of the newly announced army council however so it remains uncertain what role this body will now play in the crisis. One possibility is that the army is preparing a clamp down of course but it is also possible that what we are seeing are cracks emerging among the power blocks in the country.<br />
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It was easy to foresee what the reaction of the crowds of Egyptians would be. What had been a scene of festivities and celebration turned within minutes to a scene of unbelievable disappointment and anger.<br />
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This revolution has reached a very critical point. It is becoming abundantly clear that Mubarak will only go if he is abandoned by the army and if they play a role in removing him in support of the peoples demands.<br />
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The protesters again face critical decisions - how can they wind up the pressure further on the regime without giving the regime cause to instigate suppressive actions against them. It is at such points in revolutions that people in their anger may decide for example to try to storm the presidential palace or to take over the state media. These actions remain open to the protesters but there is the risk of course that this type of strategy may merely set off another train of violence.<br />
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Mubarak proved one thing with his speech tonight though. There is no fool like an old fool.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10587480.post-64181944655815090342011-02-10T16:14:00.003+00:002011-02-18T09:46:33.061+00:00Egypt Mubarak regime crumblesThe Egyptian revolution now appears to have achieved an unstoppable momentum with breaking news that Mubarak may be about to announce today that he is stepping down. This will be a momentous step forward for the pro-democracy revolution if it is true - but the devil will be in the details of any announcement.<br />
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In my previous I wondered if the protesters had the fortitude and staying power to outlast Mubark in the staring contest that appeared to be developing. The pro-democracy protesters in Egypt have never failed to inspire us and the Egyptian people though.<br />
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Far from seeing the protests fade away in the face of superficial concessions by the regime it seems that the protests have if anything gained new momentum in recent days. The protesters have also shown some adaptability as they found new targets such as the parliament building. Other groups in Egyptian society are now coming out and making a stance in support of the protests. There are reports today of doctors and nurses joining the protests as well as strikes by various groups of transport and other workers. This is a peoples revolution which is increasingly drawing to itself all sectors of Egyptian society in a mighty roar for freedom.<br />
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The regime has given concession after concession in the face of this pro-democracy revolution but there had until now been little which concretely changed the fact that Egypt continues to be an undemocratic autocracy. Nevertheless, the fact that the regime has felt the need to be seen to make concessions is an indication that it has no real answer to this popular uprising.<br />
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Now it seems that the revolution may be about to wring real change out of the regime.<br />
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There remain grave dangers of course. Today's shifts appear to have coincided with the emergence of a military council which now seems likely to emerge as the interim source of authority in the country. The people have placed great faith in their army and the hope must be that the army will not betray that trust but will help guide the country towards a functioning democracy. The risk is that what will emerge is an army led regime - a sort of generals council which continues to hold the country in an autocratic rule.<br />
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There are hopeful signs though with announcements seemingly coming from the army that the people should expect announcements that the demands of the people will be met.<br />
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For Egyptians believe in freedom and democracy these are momentous times but they must remain watchful and ensure that this revolution is not hijacked by interest groups intent on replacing one authoritarian regime with another. At this stage though one must remain hopeful of a good outcome for this revolution as far as the Egyptian people are concerned.<br />
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Others will remain unsettled and deeply disturbed by these events. A democratic Egypt which challenges the status quo over Gaza and the Palestinians will be a real challenge for Israel. If it has sense it will seize the opportunity and try to ride the wave of democratic change in the Arab world.<br />
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These events also pose major challenges for other dictatorships and authoritarian regimes. The Iranian regime which at first tried to co-opt this revolution as some sort of Islamist revolution is now clearly worried. Not long ago it faced its own popular freedom movement and events in Egypt seem likely to give support and legitimacyacy to pro-democracy activists in Iran. China too faced its own pro-democracy challenges which it brutally suppressed and it too has clearly been worried as it has tried to suppress the flow of news about the Egyptian revolt within China.<br />
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We live, as the saying goes, in interesting times. Interesting but wonderful times - for those that hope that people around the world can secure their rights to freedom and democracy.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10587480.post-7645501933349341872011-02-08T11:10:00.003+00:002011-02-08T14:11:16.016+00:00Where now for the Egyptian revolution?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_r2FB_WZc348/TVEm7l1mYaI/AAAAAAAABOI/zXdF-Sa29EE/s1600/Egypt+Protests.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_r2FB_WZc348/TVEm7l1mYaI/AAAAAAAABOI/zXdF-Sa29EE/s320/Egypt+Protests.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>The ongoing struggle by the Egyptian people to assert their right to freedom has been a wonderful sight. Not only have the pro-democracy protesters taken on the might of the Egyptian state and its hired thugs but they have done so with a spirit of unity that has crossed religious and political differences.<br />
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Last week, after the heroic fight against Mubarak's violent thugs, it seemed that the peoples revolution might have gained an unstoppable momentum that would lead to his swift departure. This outcome appeared more likely as the US government appeared to be further nuancing it's earlier stance and appeared to be signaling a desire to see Mubarak's swift departure.<br />
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As a new week dawned things started to look a little less certain however. This is the nature of revolutions - their course is only predictable with hindsight. The Mubarak regime dug in and adopted what at first sight appear to be contradictory actions. These actions however bought it some breathing space.<br />
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In the face of intense international criticism they called back their violent thugs and their crude attempt to create chaos and violent instability. At the same time they had unleashed a major assault on the media in an attempt to control the flow of news about the revolution. This was coupled with a mixture of soothing noises about change, suggestions that the revolution was narrowly supported and a mixture of threats and appeasement via the state controlled media. The regime was in effect trying to buy itself time and this strategy appears to have worked for now.<br />
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It is a strategy that also wrong footed the US. Towards the end of last week the US assessment was, no doubt, that events were spiralling and that the quick departure of Mubarak would lead to a less not a more volatile situation. As the regime has dug in though, the US stance of last week perhaps began to look to the US government like it might leave them on the wrong side of events. What if Mubarak and the regime managed to hang on in a situation where the US had apparently been calling for him to go? What then for their relationship with this regime? Such calculations have no doubt fuelled the slight softening of the stance of the US in recent days.<br />
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Whatever the position of the US though this revolution still belongs to the Egyptian people. Taking their protests at face value it seems clear that the position of all the groups involved - including the Muslim Brotherhood - is that they want to see a change to a democratic state - one in which there is freedom of association, freedom of the press, free speech and a freedom to take part on political activity.<br />
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The big question now for the protesters must be how best to achieve this overall aim. Is it possible that the slogan "Mubarak must go now" might actually compromise this larger and more significant aim?<br />
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I am beginning to conclude that it might. Mubarak is a stubborn and proud man and it looks unlikely that he will step down unless there is a sea change in the way the protests are being conducted. That could only mean entering a new period of revolutionary activity - trying to take over state institutions for example such as the State TV or occupying the Presidential palace or an all out strike. The problem with that strategy would be that this would play into the regimes hands. It seems unlikely the army would stand by and do nothing faced with events escalating in that way. This approach is an option for the protesters but if they were to choose that course then the end of last week was probably the flood tide for that too happen. They may not now have sufficient momentum to adopt that kind of strategy.<br />
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So what would I do in their place? I think at this stage their best course is not to call for Mubarak to actually go but rather to present a series of demands that in practice prevent the regime from conducting itself as a dictatorship during the period leading to free elections.<br />
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I think the protesters should begin to focus on changes to the way the system works which ensure that Egyptians can exercise free speech, free assembly and political activity from here on in. If they can achieve significant interim changes then they can in effect make Mubarak and the regime irrelevant and incapable of stopping change. Such demands would be legitimate and it would be very difficult for the regime to justify refusing such demands.<br />
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There is no doubt that Mubarak is going to leave power one way or another. The protesters arguably would now be better raising their sights and focusing on the bigger and longer game here. Mubarak is perhaps now a distraction.<br />
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The real issue is that Egyptians need their freedoms guaranteed and protected by the state and it is changes in this area that should be the priority. This may not have the symbolic value that Mubarak's departure would have but these types of changes will in the long run do much more to ensure that the Egyptian people achieve their aim of a free democracy.<br />
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The difficulty with this strategy of course is that it is much easier to rally people around simple slogans such as "Mubark must go now" than it is around more complex messages. Therein lies the condundrum for this revolution. A simple slogan more easily mobilises the people but may well not achieve the real aims of the revolution.<br />
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Update: The Egyptian regime appears to have offered some further concessions and "sweeteners" - Some reports suggest that Suleiman has said that there will be no attempt to track down and persecute the pro-democracy protestors ( get it in writing guys !). The regime is also trying bribery by announcing significant wage rises for public sector workers. On the other side the protestors are maintaining more mementum than some had feared might be the case this week - another very large rally underway in Tahir square today. Can they keep it up and outlast the regime?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10587480.post-38327484191480386982011-02-03T20:33:00.004+00:002011-02-03T23:12:17.208+00:00Regime in Egypt claims black is white<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_r2FB_WZc348/TUseH9FR0cI/AAAAAAAABOE/WjWmVvcaHsE/s1600/Freedom+for+Egypt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_r2FB_WZc348/TUseH9FR0cI/AAAAAAAABOE/WjWmVvcaHsE/s320/Freedom+for+Egypt.jpg" width="207" /></a></div>The dreadful violence last night and today in Tahir Square, Cairo, showed clearly that the Mubarak regime are prepared to unleash total disorder on the streets of Egypt in order to ensure their own survival. The timing of the violence so soon after Mubaraks speech was no coincidence. It is clear that the regime organised the violent protests in an attempt to force the pro-democracy protesters from Tahir square, the place which has become so symbolic of the "Lotus Revolution".<br />
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In his speech, Mubarak tried to claim that his presence was necessary in order to ensure that Egypt didn't descend into chaos and then, as if to prove his point, his supporters unleashed an incredible assault on the democracy movement shortly afterwards. This was a blatant attempt to convince other citizens that the country was at risk of violent chaos because of the demonstrations.<br />
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Today the recently appointed puppet Suleiman gave a long interview on Egyptian TV and tried to suggest that he and the regime were shocked by the violence and that they would track down the instigators. If they wish to do this they might start by rounding up the Egyptian police who were clearly orchestrating much of the violence. The pro-democracy protesters managed to capture many of these thugs and were able to identify them by their ID cards.<br />
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Clearly aware that it was losing the public relations battle due to the presence of the worldwide media and the live streaming of TV images of the violence the regime has unleashed its thuggish followers against the media itself. ABC World news has compiled a <a href="http://abcworldnews.tumblr.com/post/3089328425/weve-compiled-a-list-of-all-the-journalist-who">list of reporters and journalists who have been subject to assaults in Egypt</a> and it is clear that these are not isolated incidents but part of an organised and systematic attempt to drive the media from the streets and prevent them reporting what is happening.<br />
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Suleiman today tried to claim that while the pro-democracy protesters had legitimate demands that were being listened to they were also being influenced by unnamed outside forces. This was a clear attempt to fire a shot across the bows of other governments who have demanded an end to the violent anti-revolutionary actions.<br />
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According to Mubarak and his regime only they can defend Egypt from the chaos that we have seen -despite the fact that they are the direct cause of this chaos. Clearly the Egyptian government wants the world and its own people to believe that black is white. We aren't fooled.<br />
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Update: Some interesting links about the Egypt revolution. I'll update this further as I spot good links this evening.<br />
<a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/gallery/2011/feb/03/egypt-protesters-head-protection-helmets">Pro-democracy headgear !</a><br />
<a href="http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/02/03/white-house-condemns-systematic-targeting-journalists-egypt/">White House now condems systematic assaults on journalists</a><br />
<a href="http://www.jta.org/news/article/2011/02/03/2742846/pro-mubarak-supporters-target-journos-as-jews?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter">Mubarak camp tries to associate journalists with Jews</a><br />
<a href="http://www.good.is/post/protesters-are-awesome-look-at-this-beautiful-photo-of-christians-protecting-praying-muslims-in-egypt/">Christians protect Muslims in prayer amid chaos </a><br />
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I must note that Aljazeera's coverage of the events in Egypt has been exemplary and it's no wonder that the Mubarak regime are singling Aljazeera out for particular attention.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10587480.post-5667842112432552572011-02-01T21:30:00.002+00:002011-02-01T22:04:01.134+00:00Too little too late from MubarakTonight President Mubarak of Egypt went on state TV to finally respond to the growing clamour from the Egyptian people demanding that he step down. If he thought that his statement that he would not stand at the next election would satisfy his people in the current revolutionary atmosphere then he has badly misjudged their mood. The risk now is that, while he clings to power using the need for "stability" as the excuse, his stance will merely fuel further instability in his country. It is a position which will almost certainly not defuse the current situation.<br />
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Egypt is now in the throws of a genuine peoples revolution and little but the actual departure of Mubarak will now satisfy his people as they continue to demand freedom. So far the US government has wished to be seen as not interfering in these developments in Egypt. While this position was to a degree understandable there is now a grave danger that the US stance is being rapidly overtaken by the momentum of history. The US government has so far confined its pressure on Mubarak to encouraging him to stand down from the future elections but this is a position that is no longer adequate to the situatiuon.<br />
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The time has now come for the US to be seen to clearly stand with the forces of democracy, freedom and change in Egypt. The only credible position now is for the US to make clear that it sees Mubarak as a leader withput legitimacy and for it to put its weight fully behind measures to create some form of interim national unity governement able to take Egypt forward to a new political settlement.<br />
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There are risks of course and the concern in the US will be the potential for a rising influence of Islamist groups in Egypt. But that risk is far outweighed by the risk that the US will be seen as betraying the Egyptian people if it fails to act to clearly to show support for their legitimate demands. The standing of the US could be significantly enhanced at this point if it was seen to throw it's full support behind the forces crying for real democracy. No observer of US foreign policy would bet on the US following this course of action sadly. It seems more likely that it will continue to try to hedge it's bets and that as a consequence it will further entrenche the view in the Middle East that the US has no real concern for the legitimate democractic demands of people in the Arab states.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10587480.post-87556674117419533962011-01-04T23:07:00.000+00:002011-01-04T23:07:47.308+00:00Tommy Sheridan Trial article listA wide range of opinions have been expressed following the verdict in the <a href="http://scotlandthedamp.blogspot.com/2011/01/tommy-sheridan-guilty-in-sheep-shafting.html">Tommy Sheridan tria</a>l. James Doleman who has been maintaining a detailed blog about the trial has posted a <a href="http://scotlandthedamp.blogspot.com/2011/01/tommy-sheridan-guilty-in-sheep-shafting.html">full list of articles and reactions to the Tommy Sheridan trial and the guilty verdict</a>. As James blog may not have a complete list I will add in any additional article and blog links here.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10587480.post-71788130474049106822010-12-23T16:34:00.002+00:002010-12-23T21:52:31.720+00:00Tommy Sheridan police interview tapeThe video tape of one of Tommy Sheridan's interviews by the police makes fascinating viewing. Excerpts from the videos have been <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-12057630">published by the BBC</a> and at the end of the excerpt there appears to be an admission by Sheridan that he had in fact participated in group sex. The admission does not appear to be a direct admission that he was involved in the Cupids visit which was at the centre of the recent trial but it is clear that the police could be certain even at that stage that the case they were pursuing was not completely without relevant background foundation. It will be fascinating to see what other revelations emerge now that the Jury have brought in a guilty verdict.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10587480.post-61538694806254643072010-12-23T16:07:00.001+00:002010-12-23T21:48:13.511+00:00Tommy Sheridan Guilty of PerjuryTommy Sheridan was today found Guilty of Perjury after a lengthy trial which saw him make an emotional plea to the Jury "for his life". The Jury of fourteen - two men and twelve women returned the verdict today after failing to reach a verdict in 90 mins of deliberations yesterday.<br />
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Sheridan in his 5 hour closing speech had been emotional and close to tears as he pleaded with the Jury not to find him guilty and see him parted form his wife and young child over Christmas.<br />
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In his summing up the Judge Lord Bracadale warned the Jury that they should pay no attention to the consequences of their verdict because that was a matter for him. He directed them to simply pay attention to whether they were satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that Sheridan had committed perjury.<br />
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The full trial started on 4 October 2010 with a jury of 13 women and 2 men, mostly younger women with one ethnic minority juror. However, on 15 December the judge excused one of the women jurors from serving further, the trial continued with 14 jurors. In Scotland a trial with 15 jurors requires a majority of 8 for a conviction. the trial is able to continue if there are fewer jurors but the requirement that 8 jurors must still vote for conviction remains even when there are fewer jurors.<br />
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Sheridan has initially hired Donald Findlay QC to defend him, but he later chose Margaret Scott QC, who had represented Abdelbaset al-Megrahi in the Lockerbie bombing trial. On 11 October Sheridan dismissed Margaret Scott QC and began to conduct his own defence. He retained his solicitor Aamer Anwar.<br />
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The prosecution was led by Alex Prentice and as the trail progressed on 25 November and again on 2 and 20 December the prosecution removed a number of items from the indictment.<br />
A considerable part of the prosecution case concerned a the crucial SSP executive meeting of 9 November 2004, when Sheridan resigned as convenor.<br />
16 witnesses present at the meeting claimed that Sheridan admitted to visiting Cupids sex club in Manchester at the meeting.<sup> </sup> Barbara Scott, the minute secretary, that she made notes at the meeting and produced minutes which supported this claim.<br />
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The crown evidence also included a video-tape which was claimed to have been secretly filmed by a friend of Sheridans a few days after this meeting. It purported to show Sheridan making a "foul-mouthed tirade" containing statements inconsistent with his evidence in the civil trial. <br />
Sheridan claimed in the trial that the voice on the tape was not his and suggested that it might have been a scripted piece using an actor or a mimic. Sheridan had in previous TV interviews appeared to concede that the voice might be his but suggested that the tape had possibly been "spliced" together. Bob Bird, Scottish editor of the <i>News of the World</i>, gave evidence about how the paper acquired the tape.<br />
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Katrine Trolle, a Danish woman and former SSP candidate in Aberdeen North in the Scottish Parliament election, 2003, claimed that she had had an affair with Sheridan and that she had visited Cupids sex club with him and others on 27th September 2002. This evidence was supported in testimony by Ruth Adamson, a former housemate of Trolle, and her ex-boyfriend Ralph Barnett, who claimed that Sheridan did spend the night with Trolle.<br />
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Gary Clark, a former professional footballer and childhood friend of Sheridan, claimed in his evidence to have visited a club in Manchester with Sheridan and the others.<br />
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Anvar Khan, a <i>News of the World</i> journalist, claimed that she had visited Cupids sex club as part of a group with Sheridan and that she had an affair with him. This was supported by Elizabeth Quinn, a former neighbour of Khan, who claimed to have seen Khan and Sheridan appear from the direction of a bedroom.<br />
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A former worker in Cupids. and another witness,<sup> </sup>claimed to have seen Sheridan in Cupids. A number of SSP activists also claimed that Sheridan had made admissions to them about his personal life inconsistent with his evidence in the civil trial.<br />
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The defence case began on 3 December. Neither Sheridan or his wife took the stand as witnesses themselves. Many of the witnesses called by Sheridan including Hugh Kerr aand Rosemary Byrne were members of Solidarity, his own party.<br />
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Sheridan also called Andy Coulson, Downing Street director of communications and former <i>News of the World</i> editor. In his examination of Coulson Sheridan attempted to paint a picture of a conspiracy by the News of the World to "do him in" because he was a leading socialist. Sheridan attempted to link his own case the investigations in England of illegal phone tapping by an investigator working for News of the World. <br />
Coulson denied any personal knowledge of illegal activity at the News of the World.<br />
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Four witnesses who were present at the crucial SSP executive meeting of 9 November 2004, John Penman, Rosemary Byrne, Patricia Smith and Graeme McIver supported Sheridan's claim that he did not admit to visiting a sex club at the meeting.<br />
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In regard to the video tape Sheridan produced witnesses at trial who knew him and who claimed that it was not his voice partly because of the swearing which they said was not Sheridan's normal mode of speech. On eof his witnesses claimed that the voice on the tape made him sound like Cartman the South Park character.<br />
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The defence case completed on 17th December and the prosecution and defence began their summations.<br />
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For the prosecution Alex Prentice pointed to the wide range of witnesses who had testified to matters that supported the perjury charges and he poured scorn on the notion that there had been some sort of conmspiracy involving SSP members and the News of the World.<br />
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In his speech to the Jury Sheridan claimed that the News of the World was at the centre of the case and he also clamed that he had been the subject of a vendetta campaign by Lothian and Borders Police force.<br />
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At the close of his final defence speech, Sheridan said he was not afraid of the News of the World newspaper but he then addressed the jury saying;<br />
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“I’m frightened of you … because you can do something that the News of the World will never be able to do.You could separate me from my wife, you could make me break my promise to my daughter that I’d spend Christmas with her. Given what you’ve heard I ask you to believe you’ve heard more than enough reasonable doubt to convince you that I’m innocent of the charges that remain.”<br />
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There was a round of aplause from Sheridan's supporters in the public gallery as he ended his speech.<br />
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Lord Bracadale in his charge to the jury told them to put aside such emotion, telling them "not to be swayed by the consequences of conviction". He told them to focus on the evidence that they had heard during the trial and not to to be influenced by views of the sexual mores or politics that had emerged during the case.<br />
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Tommy Sheridan has been a prominent Scottish socialist politician. He is the founder and currently one of two co-convenors of the left-wing Scottish political party Solidarity.<br />
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Sheridan has a degree in Economics from University of Stirling and later obtained a MSc in Social Research at the University of Strathclyde in 2008.<sup> </sup>He is currently studying law at Strathclyde Law School.<br />
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Sheridan was active in the Militant tendency an entryist organisation in the Labour Party. He was a prominent campaigner against the poll tax in Scotland, and was jailed for six months for peacefully attending a warrant sale after Glasgow Sheriff Court had served a court order on him banning his presence. <br />
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He became unpopular with some on the left though when he denounced those who fought the police in the large-scale anti poll tax riot in London on 31 March 1990 and when he publicly threatened to "name names". Some called him "Shop 'em Sheridan" as a result of this. Over 100 individuals were jailed.<br />
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Sheridan has himself twice been jailed in connection with the peaceful campaign against the nuclear fleet at Faslane Naval Base.<br />
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In 2006 Sheridan won an action for defamation against the <i>News of the World</i> and was awarded £200,000 damages. The judge in the case made remarks that indicated he felt that perjury had been committed. The following year Sheridan was charged with perjury and subsequently six of his relations and colleagues were also charged.<br />
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Sheridan has also culitivated a media career. He had a chat show on Talk 107, appeared at a show at the Edinburgh Fringe. Most famously he appeared on <i>Celebrity Big Brother</i> 2009 for a reported fee of £100,000. He defended this by saying that he needed the money and that it was "..an honest offer of employment. I'm not crossing a picket line. I'm not hurting anyone."Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10587480.post-82918089563679971452010-12-20T23:21:00.001+00:002010-12-20T23:44:43.775+00:00Wikileaks Assange is leaked againstHow ironic. Julian Assange, the Wikileaks head and erstwhile hero of free speech libertarians has found himself on the receiving end of leaking activity. Assange has been embroiled in strange case of alleged rape in Sweden that has been on again off again on again and which recently resulted in his appearance in a British court after Swedish attempts to have him arrested on the rape charges. The case has the wiff of expediency about it and of course many suspect that the Swedes are trying to get him to Sweden so that the US will find a way then to extradite him from there.<br />
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Assange of course has through Wikileaks been releasing swathes of secret and sensitive diplomatic which has stirred up various hornets nests among governments and rulers around the world. I have to admit that personally I have had very mixed feelings about Wikileaks recent activity.<br />
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On the one hand we all have a strong interest in knowing what our governments and leaders are really up to. On the other hand governments and their diplomatic staff need to be able to communicate and pass information securely. Speculating about the motives and actions of foreign governments and their agents is an important part of developing a governments position and influence in dilomatic affairs.<br />
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For free speech libertarians though the only thing that matters is that we the people should have access to any information that we want. All information is to this mind set fair game. Assange of course is a leading light of this way of thinking.<br />
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How ironic then that Assanges lawyers are now complaining that <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/dec/17/julian-assange-sweden">details of the police files in his case have been made public by the media</a>. As a staunch defender of our right to know one would think that Assange would be the first to say a big hoorah that secret Swedish police files have been exposed. But of course this time it concerns his own affairs - and that isn't so comfortable. This time the boot sits squarely on the other foot and he is the one who will now be arguing that this information has only been released to damage him. Pots and kettles spring to mind here.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10587480.post-20900115150530610562010-12-20T22:28:00.002+00:002010-12-20T22:48:26.822+00:00Tommy Sheridan Trial nears the endThe trial of Tommy Sheridan and his wife Gail on charges of perjury is now reaching the final stages as Alex Prentice today summed up the prosecution case for the jury. Over the course of this lengthy trial the Prosecution has brought forward a range of witnesses who have testified to the matters set out on the indictment.<br />
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One of the features of the case has been that the prosecution have, with the agreement of the court, amended and reduced the indictment from the one that Sheridan and his wife first faced. In a dramatic twist in the case on Friday the prosecution dropped all the remaining charges against Gail Sheridan.<br />
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The prosecution was careful to insist that the charges had been dropped due to her "personal circumstances" and despite there being a "sufficiency of evidence" against her - a position that was not disputed by her counsel.<br />
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While the trial has been reported widely in the media in the UK the media has tended, as it often does, to focus merely on headline issues and often at a fairly shallow level. However those interested in the full details of the workings of a major trial such as this in a Scottish court have had the benefit of <a href="http://sheridantrial.blogspot.com/">a blog which has published full details of each day of the trial in detail.</a> The blogger concerned Mr James Doleman has done a wonderful job in presenting a balanced and detailed report of the proceedings.<br />
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Mr Dolemans blog has been followed avidly by a large group of commenters ( including myself) who have , within the limits of contempt of court, debated and teased apart the evidence as it has emerged. Many of the commenters have some involvement in socialist politics and supporters and detractors of Sheridan have been there in equal measure engaging in what for the most part has been fairly rugged but generally civilised debate.<br />
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While there have been many complexities in the case at its core is a simple allegation - that Tommy Sheridan had visited a Swingers club and had certain extra marital liaisons. That the newspaper the News of the World found out about this and published certain stories. That Sheridan confessed to a small group within his party at a very stormy meeting but said that was going to sue the paper for defamation as he was convinced that they could not prove the truth of the story. That this split his party with many of the leading members being adamant that the defamation action would bring nothing but destruction on Sheridan and his party.<br />
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Sheridan did sue the paper and leading his own case in court he came away with a victory that astounded many. He was awarded £200k by the jury but the judge in the case reported that he had major concerns about perjury having been committed. A lengthy police investigation ensued and Sheridan, and his wife were then charged with perjury. The perjury allegations essentially centre around the fact that Sheridan is alleged to have lied about these events during the defamation case.<br />
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Neither Sheridan or his wife took the stand in the perjury trial, something which was their right of course in law but which perhaps still leaves certain matters unanswered - such as why he had the partial address , name and telephone of the swingers club in his diary.<br />
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Sheridan's overall version of events will be heard tomorrow when he sums up the defence case for the jury. So far his defence has appeared to be based on a similar approach to the one he used in the defamation case which was to claim that the whole affair involves a conspiracy by a group within his party to oust him and a conspiracy by Rupert Murdoch and his media empire to destroy Sheridan because he is supposedly a leading socialist. Essentially Sheridan appears to argue that the News of the World was engaging in conspiratorial class warfare.<br />
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One fascinating aspect of the case has been the production of a "video confession" allegedly recorded by an associate of Sheridan. Unfortunately Sheridan can't be seen clearly on the tape and Sheridan has tried to claim variously that the tape is a "concoction" or that an actor or mimic was used to impersonate him.<br />
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The jury will, within the next few days, be able to deliver their own verdict on this whole affair. Should they find Sheridan Not Guilty then the implication will of course be that a large number of prosecution witnesses came into court and perjured themselves in a perjury trial. What will follow from that is anyone's guess at this stage. If he is found guilty then his own supporters and Sheridan himself are unlikely to let the matter rest there and it is hard to imagine that having let matters develop this far that Sheridan would not then appeal. There is a third option in Scottish law - Not Proven and some have speculated that this trial may be headed in that less than conclusive direction.<br />
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It seems certain though that one way or another we have not heard the last of Tommy Sheridan in Scotland's courts.<br />
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And of course neither is that the last of Tommy Sheridan on this blog, because I will, of course, post further after the both the prosecution and defence have completed their summing up and give my own take on events once the verdict is in.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10587480.post-22656445429140380452010-11-21T18:10:00.001+00:002010-11-21T18:11:49.623+00:00Loans to Third world Entrepreneurs<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.kiva.org/" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="105" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_r2FB_WZc348/TOlfb3tHldI/AAAAAAAABNo/MpZAloTeT7o/s200/Kiva.gif" width="200" /></a></div>According to an old Chinese proverb "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime". Like many proverbs it sums up an essential truth but perhaps doesn't tell the whole story. What if that man has learned to fish but can't afford to buy or build a fishing boat and fishing nets?<br />
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This is the position of many people in the so called Third World. It's not that they always lack the skills or the willingness to improve their lives. Sometimes they simply lack the capital to develop a small business - either because they have no capital of their own or because the credit infrastucture that we all take for granted doesn't exist to the same extent in their countries.<br />
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A colleague of mine recently drew my attention to a site called <b><a href="http://www.kiva.org/">KIVA </a></b>which plugs this gap. Kiva acts as a sort of central clearing house for those who are interested in helping poorer people help themselves through loan giving.<br />
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The system works by allowing you to give small loans to individuals and groups who are looking for capital to expand small businesses or to invest in things that will improve their lives. While there is a charitable element to the process because these loans are on an interest free basis the recipients are expected to repay the loans.<br />
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KIVA handle the whole process of managing and disbursing the loans and as a loan donor you get feedback on the difference your loans are making to the lives of people who are keen to work hard and improve their own lives.<br />
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KIVA looks like an excellent system and I am intending to start this Christmas by lodging a starting $25 and selecting someone to give my loan to.<br />
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For any readers looking for a way to make a positive impact on someones life this Christmas I would encourage you to check out the KIVA website and consider making a small loan through that site. You might just find that fisherman who needs your loan to help him buy the fishing net that will help him feed his family or community for a lifetime.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10587480.post-47888133674728518912010-11-15T20:47:00.002+00:002010-11-20T00:19:33.776+00:00Edinburgh glorious and gruesomeEdinburgh, the capital city of Scotland has many claims to fame, a fascinating history, connections with many notable events and people and is host to probably the biggest cultural festival in the world - the Edinburgh Festival and the Festival Fringe. Edinburgh is a big draw for tourists from across the world who come to enjoy Edinburgh's fabulous culture and long history. City living is something I gladly left behind many years ago but one city I do enjoy spending time in is Edinburgh. It's a city with a rich and interesting history - some of it glorious and some of it gruesome.<br />
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I lived in Edinburgh near to the Meadows area while I was a student and I only recently discovered that Charles Darwin was actually a student in Edinburgh for a time, between 1825 and 1827. He was a medical student there and lived at <a href="http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en&q=11+Lothian+Street+Edinburgh&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hq=&hnear=35/11+Lothian+St,+Edinburgh+EH1+1HE&gl=uk&ei=D5vhTLOcK8eGhQfIw6HMDQ&sa=X&oi=geocode_result&ct=title&resnum=1&ved=0CBYQ8gEwAA">11 Lothian street, Edinburgh.</a> Darwin reportedly didn't have the stomach for what passed as medical practice in those days though and abandoned his medical studies after two years. Darwin was it seems there at the time that Sir Walter Scott publicly acknowledged that he was the author of the Waverly novels. (The novel Waverly is suggested as being the first work of historical fiction.)<br />
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Interestingly a notorious pair of Edinburgh residents, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burke_and_Hare_murders">Burke and Har</a>e, were plying a gruesome trade to the Edinburgh medical establishment sometime around the end of the period that Darwin was in Edinburgh. There were a number of schools of anatomy in Edinburgh at the time and Edinburgh itself was at the leading edge of medical education at that time. Providing bodies for the many medical students was no easy task for the Edinburgh medical schools. <br />
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The only legal supply of bodies for the schools were the bodies of condemned criminals but these were becoming increasingly in short supply as the execution rate fell. Into htis gap in the market stepped the body snatchers or resurrectionists. Families would find to their horror that the graves of their recently deceased loved ones had been dug up and the bodies stolen. These bodies were bought by the anatomists and used in the anatomy schools.<br />
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Burke and Hare became active in this murky world and soon realised that it was perhaps less trouble to arrange their own supply of fresh corpses rather than having the trouble of finding graves and digging bodies up. So began the murderous career of Burke and Hare as they began to sell their freshly killed victims to one particularly ambitious anatomist Dr Robert Knox. A total of 17 victims were sold to the anatomist before the pair were caught. Hare agreed to give evidence against his co-accused and Burke was hanged. There is still a<a href="http://archive.scotsman.com/article.cfm?id=TSC/1829/01/31/Ar00601"> notice of the execution of Burke in the Scotsman archive</a>.<br />
<br />
A current film about the pair called ( imaginatively ) Burke and Hare was directed by John Landis and stars Simon Pegg and Andy Serkis. It is being billed as a "Black Comedy" but I am at a loss to understand what level of comedy they can have found in a story based on so many gruesome murders. Indeed it seems in poor taste to even think about making a "comedy" about such a subject no matter how long ago these murders occurred.<br />
<br />
No doubt Darwin after he left Edinburgh would have heard of these events and he must have been confirmed in his view that he had made the right decision to leave his medical studies.<br />
<br />
These days Edinburgh is more glorious than gruesome and it's a mecca for tourists from all over the world. Most come during the Edinburgh festival season when artists from around the world perform in the city and during that time it can become very difficult to find accommodation either in Hotels or in an Edinburgh Bed and Breakfast establishment unless you have booked well in advance. It's also busy at other times throughout the year, particularly for Hogmanay when many tourists come for a real Scottish New Year.<br />
<br />
Hotels in Edinburgh range widely in both price and facilities. Personally I would always recommend Edinburgh Bed & Breakfast establishments for a visitor coming from outside Scotland. Although I use hotels myself mostly because I'm usually there on business, in an Edinburgh B&B you'll get a much more personal Scottish experience than you will in a hotel.<br />
<br />
I rate Edinburgh as one of the top ten cities I have visited. I'm going to do some further posts about Edinburgh and look at some more of the interesting history of the place.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10587480.post-28534557666173396052010-11-12T16:16:00.003+00:002010-12-21T12:53:26.970+00:00IAmSpartacus Twitter Judge to arrest Wiley CoyoteIn a significant further twist to the draconian anti free speech approach take by the judiciary in this country it seems that the Judge in the twitter bomb threat trial that I posted about previously has now issued an <a href="http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/society/twitter-trial-judge-issues-arrest-warrant-for-wile-e.-coyote-201011123246/">arrest warrant for Wiley Coyote.</a> It seems <strong>Wiley Coyote has been issuing threats of violence</strong> against the RoadRunner. Ever alert to threats of terrorism the British establishment is taking this latest threat of violence very seriously. The Judge Jacqueline Davies declared that Mr Coyote's remarks were a clear "indication of menace".<br />
<br />
British Police are currently believed to be hunting a number of other individuals who pose a known threat to public safety and disorder. <strong>Warrants are believed to have been issued for Monty Python, Mr Bean, Benny Hill and a number of others known to frequent so called "Comedy clubs".</strong><br />
<br />
Meanwhile a spokesman for the United Islamo-Fascist Organisation of Fiery Fundamentalists ( Ui F OFF ) stated that "the UK is full of Satanists and your women are all sluts. In the Jihad we will wipe you from the face of the earth". The Ui F OFF spokesman currently works with the London Metropolitan Police as a Community Liaison and Women's issues advisor.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10587480.post-42622224128561969872010-11-12T14:18:00.003+00:002010-11-12T14:23:34.023+00:00#IamSpartacus say thousands on Twittter<a href="http://search.twitter.com/search?had_popular=true&q=%23IAmSpartacus+&result_type=recent"><strong>#IAmSpartacus</strong> claim thousands of twitter users</a> now enraged by the treatment of Paul Chambers who just lost an appeal against a conviction and £1000 fine for posting a jokey message on Twitter. In January Paul Chambers had been trying to catch a flight, in bad weather, to Belfast Airport to see his girlfriend.<br />
Worried about missing his flight he tweeted ""Crap! Robin Hood airport is closed. You've got a week and a bit to get your shit together otherwise I'm blowing the airport sky high!!" That message is now being re-tweeted by thousands of Twitter users in defiance of the law.<br />
<br />
The tweet came to the attention of the authorities and the full force of the law came down on his head when he was prosecuted. A prosecution under terrorist legislation would of course have required that the prosecutors establish intent in his message and it was quite clear to the police and obviously to the prosecutors that he had no intent to blow anything up. If reports are to be believed the police who investigated accepted without question from the start that he had been joking.<br />
<br />
Instead prosecutors found an old telecommunications act originally designed to protect telephone operators from abuse and prosecuted him under that law. Talk about using a hammer to crack a nut!<br />
<br />
Many thousands of pounds will have been wasted on this ridiculous prosecution which has raised widespread concern, yet again, about the attitude of the courts to freedom of speech issues. For many Twitter users the last straw came when he lost his appeal and a campaign started with people re-tweeting his original message under the tag #IAmSpartacus in a massive campaign of defiance against the law.<br />
<br />
This is not the only case this week where someones use of Twitter has got them into hot water. Tory Councillor Gareth Thompson was arrested this week and charged under the Telecoms Act 20043 after making what was intended to be a jokey remark about Yasmin Alibhai-Brown.<br />
<br />
he had been reacting to her saying on Radio 5 Live that no politician had the right to comment on human rights abuses, even the stoning of women in Iran. In response Compton tweeted "Can someone please stone Alibhai-brown to death? I shan't tell Amnesty if you don't. It really would be a blessing". Alibhai-Brown is of course not stupid enough to think that this was a real call for her to be stoned but she nevertheless decided to take great offence and the matter has rolled on from there.<br />
<br />
While both these remarks may be tasteless it is debatable if the correct response to them is to bring down the full force of the law. There is a long tradition in this country of forceful and satirical debate about matters of public interest and people in the public eye. It is one of the things that helps to maintain a healthy democratic process and it''s very concerning to see this kind of knee jerk reaction by the state to debate which is clearly couched in tongue in cheek terms.<br />
<br />
Even more worrying are the double standards that are clearly evident. Yesterday <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/law-and-order/8126357/Muslims-clash-with-police-after-burning-poppy-in-anti-Armistice-Day-protest.html">a group of Muslims staged a poppy burning event</a> in a calculated insult to British servicemen and women everywhere. Hardly anything more clearly designed to spark a breach of the peace can be imagined on remembrance day. The police intervened to try to keep order and some arrests were made but nevertheless these idiot fanatics enjoyed their full and protected right to express their extremely offensive and threatening views - in public.<br />
<br />
Law and practice in the UK really is in a sorry state when it comes to freedom of speech and dealing with <u>real</u> threats to the public and public order.<br />
<br />
Really, if things don't improve I will have no choice but to arm the Dark Matter Bomb that I have been secretly building in my spare time in my basement and blow up the whole of the world including the British establishment to make my point.<br />
<br />
(FAO the authorities - there is of course no such thing as a "Dark Matter Bomb" - I was of course JOKING. That's joking as in not meant to be taken seriously. If you don't understand the meaning of that word I can lend you a dictionary.)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10587480.post-86639813406700095982010-11-10T21:18:00.006+00:002010-11-11T23:42:52.954+00:00Angry Student demo in London<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_r2FB_WZc348/TNsKmM1eFsI/AAAAAAAABNg/6Gj8van8mgk/s1600/IMG00124-20101110-1358.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_r2FB_WZc348/TNsKmM1eFsI/AAAAAAAABNg/6Gj8van8mgk/s320/IMG00124-20101110-1358.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Massive Student Protest In London</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Scottish students joined other students from across the UK today as they converged on London for a demonstration against a massive rise in student fees proposed by the ConDem coalition government. An estimated 50,000 students were determined to show their contempt for politicians from the parties in the government who, before the election , a few months ago, had signed pledges promising that if elected they would not raise student debt in this way.<br />
<br />
With anger growing across the UK at the way that deficit reducing cuts are being targeted at the most vulnerable in society it was always likely that a massive student demonstration would provide a lightning rod for the building anger.<br />
<br />
Student leaders and the police clearly worked together before this event to try to ensure a peaceful outcome but clearly both sides underestimated the potential for fringe anarchist groups and others to take advantage of the march. <br />
<br />
As some marchers reached Millbank House , the Tory party headquarters, fringe elements in the crowd stormed the building, smashing windows and wrecking the entrance area. The few police who were on duty in that area were powerless to stop them. The anger of a larger group of students who might not have otherwise joined in such activity was clear and a large group of thousands of students milled around the building harassing the police and contributing to a general sense of disorder.<br />
<br />
It was clear that for some students they had mixed feelings about the vandalism and damage. But as one student pointed out it was the media who had chosen to focus on the damage and not the larger peaceful element of the demonstration. Another student suggested that while they were not supportive of the action taken by a minority they realised that without such action there would have been nothing like the amount of media attention which the protests eventually received.<br />
<br />
The violence reached a peak in the afternoon after a group of students occupied the roof of the building and pictures were shown of one or two throwing concrete and in one case a fire extinguisher down towards the police who were lined up below trying to prevent more of the crowd entering the building.<br />
<br />
The students made their point loudly and clearly today. There is vast anger building at the way the ConDem government is targeting its program of cuts and students across the UK have laid down a marker that they are not going to take this without major protest. The violence and damage are unfortunate but have kept the student issue in the news the whole day. The present government would do well to think hard about the outcome of this protest because if they are not careful those who are being targeted by cuts will increasingly feel that their only resort is to engage in determined resistance and potentially damaging protest.<br />
<br />
The only sensible way forward for student funding is a properly progressive graduate tax alongside proper levels of funding for the tertiary education sector.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10587480.post-4048962687702290312010-11-04T23:36:00.002+00:002010-11-11T23:43:41.871+00:00Top Ten Points of WisdomNumber 10<br />
Life is sexually transmitted.<br />
<br />
Number 9<br />
Good health is merely the slowest possible rate at which one can die.<br />
<br />
Number 8<br />
Men have two emotions: Hungry and Horny.<br />
If you see him without an erection, make him a sandwich.<br />
<br />
Number 7<br />
Give a person a fish and you feed them for a day,<br />
Teach someone to use the Internet and they won't bother you for weeks.<br />
<br />
Number 6<br />
Some people are like a Slinky... not really good for anything, but you<br />
still can't help but smile when you shove them down the stairs.<br />
<br />
Number 5<br />
Health nuts are going to feel stupid someday,<br />
lying in hospitals, dying of nothing.<br />
<br />
Number 4<br />
All of us could take a lesson from the weather.<br />
It pays no attention to criticism.<br />
<br />
Number 3<br />
Why does a slight tax increase cost you $200.00,<br />
and a substantial tax cut saves you $30.00?<br />
<br />
Number 2<br />
In the 60's, people took acid to make the world weird.<br />
Now the world is weird and people take Prozac to make it normal.<br />
<br />
And The Number 1 Thought<br />
Life is like a jar of Jalapeno peppers;<br />
what you do today, might burn your ass tomorrow.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10587480.post-19553559277747828342010-10-30T12:00:00.023+00:002010-11-11T23:44:02.624+00:00A Halloween message from the cryptDown in a dark place<br />
deep and dank<br />
something stirred<br />
something rank<br />
it writhed and it twisted<br />
it slithered and it slimed<br />
and in its eye<br />
dread evil shined<br />
then up it crawled<br />
and with a shuddering scream<br />
it opened it's maw<br />
and said<br />
"Happy halloween !"<br />
<br />
Oh and before I forget - here are some <b>tips for a pleasant Halloween</b><br />
<br />
1. Be very careful when roasting your nuts by the fire - it's much safer just to dress warmly.<br />
<br />
2. The best pumpkins come in pairs and should be firm when squeezed.<br />
<br />
3. When ducking for apples remember to breathe in before you put your head under water - not after.<br />
<br />
4. If you find yourself getting chased by a horny devil don't run too fast or I'll never catch you.<br />
<br />
5. If you see a strangely dressed beast mimicking your every move then - before calling the exorcist - check for the possibility that you are drunk and looking at yourself in the mirror.<br />
<br />
6. Witches do not take kindly to being referred to as "ugly old hags" - the politically correct term these days is "aesthetically challenging older female". In fact the term Witch is better avoided - the modern pc job title equivalent is "Supernatural Process Operative" or "Prince and Toad exchange mechanic".<br />
<br />
Evil greets to all my readers <br />
from The BuncUnknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10587480.post-44456036478274003782010-10-28T12:50:00.000+00:002010-10-28T12:50:14.543+00:00£270k scammed from North Ayrshire Council<strong>North Ayrshire Council</strong> has fallen victim to a £270,000 scam when criminals falsely posing as a contractor used forged documents to instruct a change of bank details. North Ayrshire is not the first council to have fallen victim to this sting - South Lanarkshire fell victim to essentially the same type of scam earlier this year and lost around £102k followed shortly after by the <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-11596458">retiral of the councils Executive Director of finance</a>.<br />
<br />
Strathclyde Police say a 44 yr old man has been arrested in the west midlands in connection with the North Ayrshire fraud.<br />
<br />
North Ayrshire Council had been reviewing procedures for updating creditors' bank details after there had been nation-wide e-mail alerts about possible fraud. It was during this time in September that the fraud was discovered. North Ayrshire Council say they are confident of recovering at least £117,000 of the £270,000 which was fraudulently obtained and they have alerted other local authorities and local businesses to the methods used in the fraud.<br />
<br />
<script src="http://digg.com/tools/diggthis.js" type="text/javascript">
</script>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2