Henry Porter
Henry Porter is a man whose views I respect. His Vanity Fair article, reprinted in yesterday's
Indy, made many salient points.
'In the guise of fighting terrorism', he argues, Blair's government has 'taken power from Parliament and the British people'.
The Serious Organised Crime and Police Act is perhaps the most obvious example of Blair's authoritarian style. We continue to see people arrested as if they pose some deadly threat by peacefully protesting in Westminster.
Certain aspects of ASBOs (the so-called presumption of guilt) are also a worrying development, although I think the basic idea of looking at an individual's persistent misbehaviour, rather than pinpointing single, minor offences, makes a lot of sense. The fact 'hearsay' is admissable as evidence in ASBO cases is of course unnerving; neighbours are able to police each other. Pat next door can get the state on you for any number of trivial reasons, if she takes a dislike to you.
Coupled with ASBO TV we can perhaps understand why the government is so sensitive about people quoting George Orwell in public.
Porter includes some pertinent quotes in his article, which I shall reproduce here (stay with me):
If you will not fight for the right, when you can easily win without bloodshed, if you will not fight when your victory will be sure and not so costly, you may come to the moment when you have to fight with all the odds against you and only a precarious chance for survival. There may be a worse case. You may have to fight when there is no chance of victory, becasue it is better to perish than live as slaves.- Winston Churchill.
If you throw live frogs into a pan of boiling water, they will sensibly jump out and save themselves. If you put them in a pan of cold water and gently apply the heat until the water boils they will lie in the pan and boil to death.-Shami Chakrabarti.
Homosexual practices are not acceptable.-Iqbal Sacranie.
The first quote would serve to warn us against the dangers to established civillian liberties posed by Blair and the Labour Party.
Make no mistake about it: Blair's threat is as tangible as Chakrabarti describes.
The third quote is representative of an increasingly significant section of British society. A basic goal for many Muslims is to make England an Islamic state. I'm not being sensationalist here. I know Muslim men who are the nicest people you could meet, my next door neighbour for one, who would never ally themselves with those who kill in the name of Islam. But for a Muslim to want to establish an Islamic state in Britain is as natural as a Born Again Christian knocking on your front door with a bible in hand. That's what religions do.
While Porter seeks to defend civil liberties he needs to remember the rights of
everybody, including those who would suffer if responsible attitudes to free speech were not maintained. In fact, the best example of the value of this responsible attitude was the refusal of the British press to publish the infamous cartoon depicting Mohammad.
Sacranie would do well to observe this code of responsibility himself (and free himself from the chains of hypocrisy).
And well meaning libertarians would do well to observe the faults of our "external" enemies as well as those of our "internal" ones. I cannot fall in line with those people who honestly believe Bush and Blair are simply protecting the people of the world from evil. But neither can I defend the actions of one type of tyrant simply to attack another.
Sven Goran Eriksson
SGE really is talking shit. What's he on about, we'll "win it playing badly"?
"To win the World Cup I'm prepared to do whatever it takes."
Well, here's a clue, you wanker: it takes the opposite of playing bad.
Inheritance tax.
Heard about the law stating that if a property is left uninhabited for six months, the local council can rent it out to whoever they please?
As legal owner of the property, you get to keep the rent from the house your dear old parents brought you up in.
Such generosity.
Still, it has to be said, you might not like the idea of having no say over what sort of person is moved into the gaff.
Wait, that sounds silly.
You're far more likely to be extremely pissed off at the fact that somebody is being moved in in the first place.
I tried to imagine myself in this same situation. If my parents had passed away and left me a house they'd bought with a life time's worth of hard work, how would I feel if the government moved a bunch of homeless crackheads in six months and two days later?
It's not hard to argue against keeping a property standing unused while many in the community wait in queue for a roof. But six months is surely not long enough to have decided on what is to be done with a house and sold it, moved into it, rented it, or whatever after the death of a loved one. I would have thought a period of two years more suitable to be honest.
Particularly when there are so many examples of local councils leaving properties empty for years with no effort towards renovating them and filling them with the needy.
The thing is, from a personal point of view, I would like to be able to provide those who need it with a roof over their heads. But is a lifetime of your benefactor's hard work yours to give?
Instead of this law, I would propose a situation similar to the organ donor system, where we could decide before our deaths whether our properties could be appropriated by the local council after a fixed period, so long as our relatives retained ownership. The stipulation: this system be introduced in exchange for the abolition of the inheritance tax.
Brazil.
Is Graham Poll going senile?
How could you forget you'd
already booked a player and should have sent him off the second time?
To be honest, you've got to congratulate the Ozzies, even if they are something of an old enemy. They might be a bunch of arrogant tossers in most sport, but when it comes to football they're the underdogs. Everyone loves an underdog, right?
Well, no, not if they're playing Brazil. Why so many Brazil fans in England, I wonder. When Japan scored the first goal I thought, good for them, nice one. But everybody else couldn't wait for the Brazillians to crush them. When Ronaldo scored, people were cheering as if Rooney had just netted the winner in the final against Argentina. One poor confused soul even told me he'd be in a dilemma if England come up against them, because he wouldn't want either side to lose.
And no, he hasn't got any ancestral Brazillian lineage or any other bond to the country.
I know Brazil are a delight to watch but it doesn't mean I want them to do well. Personally I'd love to see them beaten 3-0 by Ghana. Fat chance.
Or that's what I think Ronaldo said.
By the way, didn't they look dodgy with the white shorts?
Beware of UK, Nigeria tells citizens.
Oddest story from Reuters today:
LAGOS (Reuters) - Crime-infested Nigeria, famed for its email scams, has warned citizens travelling to Britain to watch out for conmen who use tricks to rob or rip off visitors.
Fraudsters in Britain might pour tomato juice or other substances on your dress and then offer to help remove it, robbing you in the process, the information ministry warned in its first-ever travel advisory obtained by Reuters on Thursday.
The conmen, who are mainly white, but also include east Europeans and north Africans, might also pretend to pick up an object from under a potential victim's seat to distract his attention while he robs him, it added.
"Nigerian travellers are hereby warned not to carry large amount of money on their body and ensure that their air tickets, passports, expensive wrist-watches as well as trinkets are securely hidden," the advisory said.
Nigeria itself has seen a sharp rise in violent crime since President Olusegun Obasanjo was elected in 1999, ending 15 years of military rule.
Africa's top oil producer, ranked by Berlin-based sleaze watchdog Transparency International as the world's seventh most corrupt country, is also famous for junk mail scams.
The advisory said favourite British blackspots include airports, high streets, markets, hotels and restaurants, shopping centres, tube stations, bus stops and buses.
It said the Nigerian High Commission in the United Kingdom had reported an upsurge in crime and assault against Nigerians visiting London in the recent past.
There is no evidence that Nigerians are being specially targeted, "but ostentatious dressing, spending and ancillary actions may identify a target," the advisory said.
Nigeria's so-called 419 email scam, named after an article in Nigeria's criminal code, was so successful that campaigners said it became the country's main foreign exchange earner after oil.
The fraud swindled hundreds of millions of dollars every year from people across the globe, who respond to emails promising them a share of non-existent fortunes in return for an advance fee.
Hats, books, paints, and balls.
-BBC Breakfast - Royal Ascot 'ladies day' - excuse me while I puke all over your preposterous hats and dresses.
-Also on BBC Breakfast - Will Self's new book, The Book of Dave, sounds great. I wanted to hate it because I've been reading loads of his stuff recently but I've got to admit the plot sounded interesting. Basically a London cabbie is cuckolded and goes on a bit of a rampage. Oddly enough he fashions some sort of makeshift version of the Ten Commandments on some sheets of metal and buries them in his wife's garden (presumably our disbelief is suspended, it does sound a bit dodgy there...)
Anyway, in London's flooded future only the tops of the hilliest areas are still above water, and on them live a group of people who discover Dave's templates, and subscribe to them devotedly. These people view Dave as a god, and their greeting for each other is "where to guv?"
-I really can't get my head round those who want to cover up
Banksy's artwork as if it is an ugly blemish on the bland walls of our cities. His murals are stunning, highly original, and should be revered, not slated.
(Although the statue he vandalised - in the 'outdoors' section of his site - does nothing to help his cause)
-One more football bit, people keep asking when Sven will play Walcott. He'll only feel safe bringing him on if England have a comfortable lead and look to have bagged the match. He might have talked a big game, saying he's ready to take a gamble, but will he really want to bring Walcott on against the goliaths we have in front of us?
If we beat Ecuador, the quarters will bring either Holland or Portugal, the semis either Brazil or Spain, and the final either Germany or Argentina. Something like that anyway.
Can't help thinking Defoe should have been there.
Blair Force 1
Sod it. Might as well make a prediction for tomorrow night. 1-0 to England.I know, I know. I really should stop.
Frank Lampard is exposing himself as a bit of a luxury player in this World Cup. Bolstered by players like Essien he has put many into the back of the net for Cheslki. But at the moment, he seems pretty incapable of similar performances for England. Even his usually excellent shots on goal have been rubbish.
Now, I know that if I'm going to comment on
Blair Force One I should start by saying something about what a scandalous expenditure on behalf of the taxpayer it is. Possibly next I should jump in with the Green argument and lambast this prime minister who supposedly cares so much for the environment.
In truth, I'm not sure what difference to the environment these two planes are actually going to make.
Anyway, stuff all that. What strikes me most is just how pathetic Blair's presidential style appears when contrasted with the real thing. So he wants to play at being like his mate George, that's nice. But how silly does he look, emulating the state of the art, missile repelling flying palace Bush uses with a couple of second hand commercial airliners?
Kidnap.
London can be a strange place. Last night I witnessed a kidnapping. I don't hesitate to use the word, because that's certainly what it was.
After a brief argument, a girl was bundled into the back of a car, clearly against her will. A few of the men gathered around seemed to know what was going on and who was involved. My friend and I questioned some of them, and I began to argue with a guy who tried to pacify me and pretend nothing out of the ordinary had happened. At the bus stop nearby loomed an imposing figure, who dwarfed my 6'2 frame. He intruded on the conversation, telling me it was none of my business, I should keep out of it. His tall, shadowy presence only compounded the sinister aura of the scene.
Warned off by the giant, my friend and I crossed the road, sat in the green, and called the police. The police ignored the first call. When I rang again after it became apparent no attention had been paid, they asked me why I had left it so long before calling. Anyway, finally they turned up and we detailed what we had seen.
Not long after the police had gone an American bloke came along preaching the word of God. My Irish death metal head friend tested the American's patience, proclaiming himself a Satanist. Fair play to the zealot though, he strived to maintain relations and spread the love. A couple of other guys came along and decided to 'protect' the preacher man from us, simply because we were white and he was black. The newcomers were Somalian. More argument ensued, with the preacher trying to quash it all. The bizzare debate died down but the Oregon toned DV went on.
Meanwhile, across the road, elements of the sinister kidnap crowd still lingered around. I was pretty lucky they didn't come over after they'd seen the old bill leave. I don't know, am I a 'normal' guy, observing the oddities of my south London environment, or am I just another clown in the circus?
DNA tests.
As I was brought up within the mental confines of Catholic inertia, I have always struggled to fashion a solid opinion on the issue of abortion. Although religious overtones may have been purged from my logic long ago (or perhaps they haven't), I can never forget reading a midwife's account of the true nature of abortion. Explaining her conversion from pro-choice to pro-life, she recalled a baby that continued to gasp for breath minutes after being "aborted". In reality I didn't need to hear this horror story to believe that not long after conception a baby with a right to live exists whether we like it or not. Add to it all the fact I myself was adopted and am eternally indebted to the lady I will never meet, who went through the physical and emotional hurricane of child birth in order to gift me life, and my liberal instincts find themselves out-boxed by heavyweight morality.
However, this brand of moral righteousness must sometimes be met by another type of moral thinking. To argue against abortion where a young couple have been careless and would rather deny their child life then let them have it with another family is one thing, to knowingly bring a child into a short, painful, restrictive, and emotionally traumatic life due to serious illness is something quite different altogether. Still, even in this situation, abortion remains quite correctly a hotly contested issue.
That scientists claim to have found a way to detect any potentially serious diseases in embryos, and then work towards preventing these diseases,
not simply aborting the child, should surely be seen as a miraculous breakthrough to be applauded and celebrated. Critics deplore the idea of helping these unborn babies, disgusted at the concept of "designer" births.
Obviously, it would be ethically repugnant if we were able to craft our babies according to our whims and fancies. Generations of British girls would grow up to look like clones of Christina Aguilera or Beyonce (now I come to think about it...)
But seriously, the argument is fundamentally flawed. In fact, it seems no more rational than arguing against the existence of a police force to protect society, lest they abuse their powers. Millions of children could live happy and fulfilling lives, looking forward and planning for the future, just like their friends. To deprive them of that in case we are not able to resist turning humanity into one giant Vogue photoshoot is what is truely morally repulsive.
Australia dumped in the WC.
Ahem... well, I knew I shouldn't put my head on the block like that. Still, I was only one goal out. Trinidad did to us what Australia have done to Brazil, Poland to Germany, and Paraguay to Sweden. They made us wait, and even deserved a goal. Tough.
After the match with Ghana everyone was saying Italy looked good, but what was that all about with the USA? My Italian housemate (and football coach) was seriously pissed off, he had a face like a wasp chewing a bulldog the next day. He even said if they are going to play like that he wants them to go home now. Bit harsh, they'll beat the Czechs, I reckon (out on a limb again). Was fun when Ghana beat the Czechs on Saturday, the carhorns and cheers in the street lasted all night.
When South Korea equalised last night, the cheers could be heard again, everyone was an SK supporter for the evening. Can't think why. They're real support was phenomenal, the Korean fans know how to represent.
Sod it. Might as well make a prediction for tomorrow night. 1-0 to England.
Out on a limb.
Even though I had imagined finishing my studies would have freed up my time for blogging as usual, I didn't foresee the difficulties a lack of free internet access would bring. Getting to a net cafe is a pain in the arse and not frequently possible when you're trying to have a life. Going to save up for a computer of my own as soon as I get the chance.
Everyone's saying it's a good thing we probably won't meet Germany in the next round of the WC, but I hardly think beating Costa Rica and struggling for 91 minutes to score against Poland is a sign of any threat. Yeah, England had a shit second half against Paraguay, granted, but I don't think that would happen against Germany. England generally play less good football against rubbish teams, they'll still come good in the next round though, mind you, even then it'll be Ecuador or Costa Rica. Tonight should be a laugh, watching them smash Jamaica was just boring, it was meaningless, but if they do something similar in the WC I'll be glued to the screen, even if it is against Trinidad and Tobago. Probably best not to go out on a limb like this, but I reckon England will win with three goals, in the conservative estimate, four if someone like Lampard sticks one in for good measure. Got to keep serving beer to a bunch of pissheads while I'm trying to watch the match though unfortunately.
PMQ's was great yesterday, Blair was in danger of losing out to Cameron just because he got so visibly agitated, while Dave kept it cool and tried to laugh off any blame Blair attributed to the Tories for the state of the criminal justice system. Blair was the real winner though, he out-argued Cameron and generally made a little bit more sense/packed a bit of a harder punch.
Almost easy to forget you were watching politics really, the issues debated seemed less important than the entertainment factor.
Anyway, back to the job hunt...
He's a ladeez man.
Was meant to post this yesterday, but other engagements interfered with my plans. On the Daily Politics show, they were discussing David Cameron's 50/50 gender quota and 10% ethnic minority stipulations. Several Tory members were far from happy with the idea. James Wharton, Team Tory representative in Stockport, is displeased with it all. He argues that such quota filling will mean worthy contenders will be overlooked in favour of employing the right amount of women, blacks, iguanas, etc.
Not an unheard of line of thinking, this.
But the trap Wharton and the rest of the quota sceptics are in danger of falling into is the basic assumption that women or ethnic minority members will essentially represent a drop in quality. The automatic response in situations like this implies that yes, we're all equal, but let's face it, some are more equal than others, aren't they?
In terms of ability, in any case.
Accusations of political correctness abound (which, stripped of it's Daily Mail tarnish, is a grimly ironic insult) but this is surely an issue of fair representation for all.
Not that we should wholly buy into it, of course. While recognising the noble cause, it's worth remembering it comes as part of the glossy new package Dave is wrapping the party in. Fairness for all doesn't sit so easily alongside pledges to abandon the Human Rights Act A.S.A.P.
Bloody Mondays.
Official confirmation dropped through the letterbox this morning:
Dear Mr Phu, we regret we will not be able to determine the overall results of your studies. We shall, however, provide you with a letter to any prospective employer, explaining that you do not have a degree.Well, as helpful as that might prove, I can't help but feel a little pissed off at the fact I've spent the last four years pouring thousands of pounds into your institution, money not gifted me by super-rich parents but earned bit by bit, five nights a week, behind bars, in pub kitchens, and on building sites. That you are so gracefully prepared to write me a pretty letter for any prospective employer is all very well, but not exactly what I had envisioned as the fruit of my endeavours four years ago. Don't worry though, it's not like I can sue you or anything. Let's face it, you made sure I couldn't afford that when you siphoned the five grand tuition fees you've charged me from my bank account.
Stroll in the pub for a couple of late night drinks with the better half. Tired, not feeling very well really. Shake hands with the guv'nor, acknowledge the pair he's talking to. Stand at the bar, say hello to the girls working and order the beers. Shake hands with the fellas, there's only two about, one visibly drunk. This one enthusiatically engineers a conversation regarding the potential for me to work in politics. I'm not in the mood to be honest, but your man perserveres with me. A close friend of some influential politicians, he introduced me to the idea of becoming a political assistant a week or so ago. But now he wants convincing of my passion. The thing is, he hasn't actually explained much of what the role consists of. He asks me what my favourite television programme is, but warns me not to tell him just what I think he wants to hear. I haven't really got one, but I do watch Have I Got News For You, which he advises me to watch excitedly. I don't think he even believes I watch it. Can't see why, it's not likely to turn up on the application form is it?
I can see the interviewer now:
"So, as I can see from this pretty letter, you don't actually have a degree, nor any experience which could have been gained in the last four years if you weren't wasting your time with university. But you watch Have I Got News For You? Splendid. When can you start?"
RIP is resurrected.
Resistance is Phutile is back, like a phoenix from the ashes, or a re-lit dog end from the ash tray.
Back to further pollute cyberspace with the daily garbage spilling out of the current affairs landfill that is my brain. The reason for the hiatus: finally finishing university, tonnes of work consuming my time and passion for writing. Well, not strictly true, I continued to scribble scraps of scrutiny in my little black notebook, all far too absurd or pointless to sully the public sphere with (rich, maybe).
Just because I feel like it, here's a quick list of the books I've managed to read in between endless reams of socio-cultural theory. Without the respite afforded me by these treasures, I'd have sunk into an impenetrable coma long ago.
Grey Area - Will Self
Cock and Bull - Will Self
Papillon - Henri Charriere
The Time Traveller's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
How the Dead Live - Will Self
A bit too much of the same author maybe, but an enjoyable selection nonetheless.
Now I'm faced with the task of securing a job I actually want, and an escape from working in the boozer. Mind you, the pub's just a thirty second walk from my front door; maybe I'll miss the proximity when I'm crammed into the 159, ploughing it's way through the Brixton traffic on it's way to the West End every morning.
Anyway, good to be back.
