Browsing all posts in Affairs.
Mrs Robinson, are you trying to buy me a restaurant?
The problem with politicians lecturing us on our personal lives - whether it’s Mrs Robinson’s views on homosexuality, or Mr Cameron’s obsession with marriage - is that they seem not only bigots when making policy, but hypocrites when they’re publicly hoist by their own petard.
Criminalising Dissent
The Tomlinson case is a symptom of a wider malaise in British society that I find deeply troubling. Protest is not a crime. Thinking about protesting is not a crime. I THOUGHT about attending the protest at Scotland Yard this week. Does that mean I should have expected Tom Cruise to come crashing through my window in a Minority Report style pre-cog bust?
I’m not the one wearing a frock, your Holiness
The spiritual leader of a fifth of the world’s population is at it again, spreading seasonal tidings of hatred and fear. Pope Benedict, showing as much compassion as during his Hitler Youth days, took the opportunity for a spot of gay-bashing in his annual address to the Curia this year. We may be neck-deep in [...]
Gordon’s alive!
Wow. We now have a nationalised banking sector in the UK. And Europe. And now America. Who’dathoughtit?
Didn’t I say that the Brown Plan was better than the Paulson Plan? It’s now been copied around the world, and our Dear Leader has been feted by no less than Paul Krugman in every TV interview going, following [...]
I want that one
Did you see the 2nd Presidential debate? McCain was as condescending as ever; and did he really call Obama ‘that one‘? Astonishing. Fortunately, his poll ratings continue to decline. I can’t imagine such rudeness will reverse that. I nervously await 4th November. Who knows what America will decide. But, like Lou Little Britain, I want [...]
A crisis of two halves
As the mist cleared from Canary Wharf this morning, it almost felt like we were waking up in the People’s Republic of Britain. We now have a nationalised banking sector. OK, partly nationalised. But who could have imagined such a thing even last month?
Hot on the heels of the Paulson Plan (aka the Bush Bank [...]
The collapse of capitalism
Here are a couple of my recent Facebook status updates:
Sep 02: Jon thinks rumours of recession are crazily exaggerated. Worst times for 60 years? What, since the War?? Calm down, Darling…
Sep 15: Jon wishes newsreaders wouldn’t use hyperbole like “global financial meldown”. It makes him nervous.
That now seems like ancient history. I was wrong. “Global [...]
Anyone can be President
Anyone. Anyone.
My insomnia recently afforded me the opportunity to watch most of the Democratic and Republican National Conventions. I was going to write some turgid political analysis - but words fail me.
You’ll just have to follow my Facebook feed for my relentless rant against Republicans, and Sarah Palin in particular. Meanwhile, I can’t sum it [...]
Political Celebrity Deathmatch
Well, not quite a deathmatch. A very civilized discussion on democracy between national treasure Tony Benn and his political opposite, David Davis. It’s amazing what strange bedfellows are created by opposition to 42 days without charge. They were having an on-stage chat as part of the London Literature Festival, which I attended on Monday with [...]
Beanz Meanz Bigotz
Unlike Gene Hunt, I’m not ‘avin ‘oops. Or ketchup. Or salad cream. Or any of the other 57 Varieties produced by Mr Heinz. Why? Because they’d rather offend a massive 10% of their market than offend 200 phone-in homophobes. What’s it all about? This ad, which was pulled in the UK after a week:
It’s all [...]
