6 bombs explode in Bangkok
A series of 'small explosions' has killed two and injured twenty in the Thai capital. The bombs exploded in every corner of the city as well as a central point - the Victory Monument. The police, who are considering cancelling all New Years Eve celebrations in the city, have said that they don't believe that the attacks were carried out by foreign groups or by Islamist rebels from the south. To me, this suggests a possibility that the bombs were planted by opponents of the country's current military regime, which came to power after a coup in September.
I'm very sad about this. After spending just a week or so in Bangkok, I found it to be a wonderful, charming city full of friendly, polite people.
Share ThisSaddam: we created him
A good article in the Independent On Sunday here detailing the level of support that the US and UK offered to the dead dictator.
It is a matter of debate whether Iraqis are now worse off than under Saddam's dictatorship. The chaos in their country, however, has produced one undisputed winner: an unchecked Iran, more menacing today than in Ayatollah Khomeini's time
Madrid bomb: likely ETA involvement
I've just read that a car bomb injured six people at Barajas airport in Madrid. It seems likely that ETA - or elements from within ETA - are responsible. If so, this will gravely threaten the fragile peace process which doesn't seem to have achieved anything so far. Very disappointing.
Share ThisSaddam Hussein executed
Saddam Hussein was a very nasty piece of work who deserved to spend the rest of his life in jail. However bad he was, though, the death penalty is still wrong for a number of reasons:
- Death penalties are always inherently wrong. They mark the failure of civil society to deal with criminals in a humane way. Even the man who killed has human rights.
- By killing Saddam now, the Iraqi government is seeking to draw a line under the whole Hussein story. It would have been better if he could have faced trial for other crimes such as Halabja.
- It is expected that the execution will somehow be a turning point for Iraq. I'm not convinced that it will be. If anything, it marks that Iraq as a country has not moved on from execution as a tool of the state. It also marks the completion of the process of Islamicisation in Iraq's government. This will not lead to a stable or democratic civil society.
- Typically, the entire process has been mishandled by the US government and their allies in Baghdad*. The trial was carried out on a very shaky legal basis (but then the US doesn't subscribe to international law, so that's no surprise). The execution will be seen by many in Iraq as something pursued and argued for by the Americans. What could have been a uniting moment for Iraqis will much more likely prove divisive.
Christmas in Devon
We're having a very enjoyable - if somewhat stressful - time with the combined families here in Devon. Yesterday, we saw the sun briefly while having a look at the beautiful Burgh Island with its Inn built in 1366 and its art-deco hotel popular with such luminaries as Agatha Christie.
Last night, the wind got up… I had to remind my mother in law that we're only two miles from the Atlantic ocean here and that when the weather turns, it can get nasty. This is the view of the 12th century St. George's church from our sitting room's garden door.
Bones festes!
We're off to England for the traditional country Christmas! I'll try to post some updates while back home, in between eating mince pies and drinking mulled wine.
Bon nadal i bon any!
Share ThisWell *I* liked it
I've got to admit that the best film I saw this year was the new Bond film, Casino Royale. I'm not saying that it was the best executed, acted, written or produced… probably it wasn't. But it was by far the most enjoyable and quite frankly, I've kind of given up on watching films which are supposed to trigger some sort of emotional or intellectual response.
This process began with Donnie Darko, a movie which was made for people like me (drop-out, pot-smoking philosophy students who listen to independent record labels). Anyway, lots of people I knew loved it and eagerly recommended it to me so I watched it and thought it was completely abysmal. It just seemed so pointless that I didn't care enough to 'unravel' the 'secrets' of the film. Ooh the old lady and the tunnels and the rabbit… it's all so cryptic and yet full of imagery!
I felt sorry for George Clooney when the press started going on about Syriana and saying it was an indictment of US petro-policy and so on. Well, I didn't exactly feel sorry for him: he's an incredibly wealthy movie star who can do whatever he likes. But I did think 'Oh no, poor old George is going to have a lot to live up to after all this attention'. And I was right: Syriana, whatever it was intended to do or say, did and said nothing to me. It was a jumbled, waffly, trite, emotive work in mental masturbation. It said "See, we've made the world shit" in the way that only a $50 million movie can.
I'm afraid that I was also singularly underwhelmed by this year's smash hit, Pan's Labyrinth (El Labarinto del Fauno). This film was made half to appeal to me and half to appeal to mental people like Gemma's cousin in C.R. who believe in pixies and fairies (which they insist on spelling 'faeries') and other such nonsense. The half that was supposed to appeal to me was the fact that it was set in post Civil War Spain and there were nasty Franquistas running about everywhere.
The thing is: this is one of the least talked about periods of recent history here. After the Civil War which you can argue about for decades and never agree, Franco formed a dictatorship and set about rebuilding a heavily traumatised Spain in his own image. I've never seen a film which dealt with this subject matter and was interested to see Pan's Labyrinth and how it treated this delicate, fascinating subject matter. Thing is, the film is set then but doesn't really say anything about it. The setting is pretty much irrelevant to the plot - and as such doesn't interfere with the delicate, magical story surrounding the little girl who's the main character. The problem is that I can't abide mythical beasts or any of that stuff and so even though I got what was going on, I couldn't stand it.
Bond, on the other hand, was great. Simple, manly action; beautiful, exotic women in low-cut dresses; a dab of betrayal and lost love. It's not a film which will change the world but by heck, it was thrilling and that's what it set out to be.
I used to love the more avant-garde, emotional, witty and moving films made by directors like Godard. Actually, I still do… thing is that no one's making films like that these days and the closest alternative is the pseudo-art-movie. I'd rather eat fresh bangers and home made mash than a pre-cooked fancy ready-meal from Sainsbury.
Share This2006 in review
Two thousand and six has been a pretty eventful year, politically and personally. While for me, the most important event was my wedding to Gemma at the end of September, numerous moments featuring Lt Gen Aguado, Spain Herald, Reial Madrid, FC Barcelona and Solidaridad Española Con Cuba have added spice, and traffic, to the site.
This has also been a year during which Catalan and Spanish nationalism have been among the top issues discussed on blogs, including thebadrash.com. Much has been written in these pages about how I am not a nationalist, nor a supporter of Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya - the left-wing Catalan nationalist party. I have, however, spoken out several times against a series of myths and falsehoods which are circulated and often repeated by their critics. Beyond a broadly leftist outlook, I have no party loyalty here or in the UK. I'm most interested by the ways people use language when engaging in political debate - and this includes popular misconceptions about ERC as well as the PP.
This year's FIFA World Cup wasn't the most awe-inspiring tournament in history and I reckon it'll be remembered as something of a low point for international football. But that doesn't really matter because Barça won la Liga and the Champions League. I predict another league title for them but the Champions League is going to be much tougher. A final against Chelsea is possible but I don't think that Barça would beat them. But they will have Eto'o and Messi back, so you never know. Anyway, they've got some hard work to put in before we need to start thinking about that.
I've spent a lot of time this year delving into the back catalogues of various artists on the roster of Drag City Inc., the Chicago based record label. While my obvious link with them is my passion for Royal Trux (I recently purchased "Hero / Zero" with the prestigious release code DC1), I've built a strong affinity for Silver Jews, Bonnie 'Prince' Billy and Neil Hamburger - who has left a comment on this very blog. We were also lucky enough to see Silver Jews in June on what was their first proper international tour despite a career of more than 10 years. They rocked.
As I said before, the highlight of my year was undoubtedly my wedding with Gemma. We had a fantastic weekend in Tarragona and then a splendid honeymoon in post-coup Thailand. We both fell in love with Bangkok and we're looking forward to a trip to India next Christmas. Meanwhile, we're passing this year's holidays in Modbury, my home town in Devon, England.
It's been a good year: let's hope that we can say the same for 2007. Though I should mention that I'm not planning to marry again, just to boost ratings.
Share ThisIt's Barça - Liverpool!
Funnily enough, I predicted this a week or two ago. Just like I was convinced that Barça would get Chelsea again this year, which, of course, they did. I'm not saying it's rigged or anything….. Anyway, it makes for a big match as nearly all my English friends here are Liverpool fans.
Share ThisOld Chestnuts: Criticism and 'anti-Americanism'
One of the most irritating elements on the Guardian's Comment Is Free discussion boards is the American troll. Typically, the troll has little or nothing to add to the debate: he simply lurks, waiting for the moment he can cry foul and bemoan a perceived 'anti-American' attitude or argument. This, in itself, is not wrong. It's good to be on the lookout for prejudice all the time, let alone during political debates.
The problem is that the accusation of 'anti-Americanism' is usually made incorrectly as a method with which the troll dismisses a perfectly sound and logical argument on the grounds that it's tainted by anti-American prejudice.
It's not difficult to predict when the troll will come out of his hole. Look for an article which is critical of United States foreign policy, human rights abuses, warmongering or callousness: the accusation will be made almost immediately. If a writer even thinks of analysing president Bush's disastrous time in office, this too is seen as 'anti-American'. I've even seen someone write that because half of Americans voted for Bush, any criticism of him is an insult to millions of people. Huh? Needless to say, this argument is completely fallacious and is employed more to stifle debate than to protect the American voter.
Prejudice must certainly be stamped out by all right-minded citizens in pursual of a better society. However, mindless accusations and trolling only make the problem worse: much like mis-naming people 'fascists', bandying about false accusations of 'anti-Americanism' is obtrusive and unhelpful. In the end, it's usually nothing more than a fallacy, employed to prevent the debate from getting off the ground.
Share ThisApologists and fantasists
As the obituaries of Augusto Pinochet rolled in over the last couple of days, several claims were made repeatedly as an attempt to mitigate what was almost universal condemnation of the murderous dictator. It is understandable that those who have benefited from the rule of a brutal despot will seek to describe him as in some way necessary, excused or even good. Pinochet is no exception: even supposedly neutral news agencies have been busily repeating the myths that the General either solved Chile's economic problems or saved the country from communism.
The economic myth is the most convincing to those not versed in rudimental economics: things didn't seem to be going very well at all when he took over but when he eventually lost power, Chile's economy was a model for Latin America. In fact, this myth is easily debunked on various grounds: (i) there's no telling how the economy would have fared had democracy been allowed to flourish; (ii) Chile's economy only really picked up in around 1982 when the Chicago Boys policies of prior years were abandoned; (iii) the real upturn in the economy coincides perfectly with a sharp increase in the value of copper, the country's prime metal resource.
That Pinochet prevented communists from taking over Chile is a slightly more slippery myth. Of course, it is true that during Pinochet's rule, communists were interned, tortured and murdered - ensuring, along with the proscription of left-wing parties, that communists couldn't take over the country. However, the country had not undergone a communist revolution and while many critics of President Allende argued that his election opened the door to a revolutionary state, it cannot be said for sure if this would have ever happened. What Pinochet did rid Chile of was the chance for its citizens to decide how they wanted to be governed… which, presumably could have included 'soviet republic' as a possible result.
What's really important about Pinochet is that he never faced justice for his many crimes against humanity. This is greatly unfortunate and the UK's 'Labour' government helped him smiling on his way to freedom, despite attempts by the judiciary and even the Lords(!) to extradite him to Spain. Is it right that former heads of state had a supposed immunity to prosecution? No. Is it right that the House of Lords passed a landmark ruling in this regard? Yes. Is it sickening that Labour ended up letting him go home (he looked very sprightly walking down the runway in Santiago)? Yes.
The brief time I've spent with victims of Pinochet's rule has had a massive effect on me. These weren't communist revolutionaries, Stalinist stooges or, for that matter, liars. They were idealists who elected a left-wing government in Chile with the hope of a new age of progressive, socialist government which defended the poor and stood up to big business. I know it's not always a case of either/or but the Chilean refugees I met helped me to realise that sometimes, it's better to be on the losing side. Call us fantasists, fools and losers… we don't care: we know that it's right to stand up for what we know to be right. There's nothing wrong with wanting the world to be a better place.
Share ThisPinochet avoids justice forever
Yeah I was right that the old fucker would die soon enough. Gone forever to the big torture chamber under the ground, Augusto Pinochet has died aged 91. He never met with justice for the innumerable crimes he committed.
Actually, I lied about having Cava on ice. I shall have to buy some tomorrow.
Share ThisPinochet
Just thought I'd note, at this early hour in the day of our holy, imperfect Spanish constitution, how happy I am that General Augusto Pinochet, friend of General Franco and General Thatcher, is still alive and well. The longer he lives, the more pathetic seems the ever-shrinking handful of sycophants gathered outside the military hospital he's holed up in.
While some would call for the ex-dictator to be punished in the same way he dealt with pro-democracy protesters: electrodes to the genitals, midnight drops out of naval planes over the Atlantic, etc etc, et cetera… I simply wish that he face justice. That's never going to happen, of course. But neither is the sudden dip in the black, black sea.
Still, keep the Cava on ice, eh? The old fucker will be dead soon.
Share ThisThree top BCN gigs for December
As the winter rolls in, so does what seems to be the best season to catch live music in Barcelona. Don't get me wrong: the summer and spring festivals are awesome… but I've seen some pretty spectacular performances over the last few years during the colder months (such as the Flaming Lips, the White Stripes, the Kills, the Strokes, RTX).
This month, Gemma and I will be rocking out at concerts by Lambchop (cool funk-country with a million-piece band and loads of Curtis Mayfield: Thursday 7th at the Casino d'Alliança de Poble Nou); Albert Hammond Jr. (the guitarist from, and coolest member of, the Strokes: Wednesday 13th at Sala Apolo); and Jarvis Cocker (wise-mouthed northern lanky man off of Pulp: Friday 22nd at Razzmatazz).
If anyone's planning to go to any of these fine concerts, let me know and we'll share a beer and a Ducado (if you're lucky!). Oh… plus, two bank holidays this week and a massive Barça game tomorrow… what a month!
The spooky life of a senior editor on a software website
I have been saddened to read that James Kim, a senior editor at CNET.com, is still missing with his family after several days. As a senior editor on another, more Spanish, shareware and technology site, this case has put into perspective just what sort of a risky business we're involved in. I'm not saying that anything bad has definitely happened to the Kims but let's face it: it doesn't look good.
Share This-
-
Blogroll
Barcelona, Catalonia and Spain
- Barcelona Reporter
- Catalon-Ian Politic-Ian
- Catalonia & Supply Chain
- Catavino
- Drink Barcelona
- El Siglo de las Luces
- España Profunda
- Eusko blog
- From Catalonia to Caledonia
- Gemma’s blog
- George from Barcelona
- Guirilandia
- Johnny Tastavins
- Kalebeul
- La Liga Loca
- Leftbanker
- Life in Catalonia
- Manuel Estimulo
- Marmelade
- Nick Mead’s blog
- Notes From Spain
- Parlem Català
- Planet Churro
- Playing Chess With The Dead
- Probably Madrid
- Simbolos y Senyals
- South of Watford
- Spanish Civil War History
- The Big Chorizo
- The Dog’s Bloggers
- The Guiri Dispatches
- The Rose of Blood
- ThreeTree photos
- We got married!
TheBadLinks
- A bon entendeur…
- Advanced Theory blog
- Arkopolo
- Bart’s blog
- Counago and Spaves
- Drag City, Inc.
- El País in English
- Guardian Abroad blog
- Gwenu dan Fysiau
- Headphobe
- InsideTonic
- Internationalism
- INTERNATIONALISM = KOKUSAISYUGI
- John Bell Digital Influence
- Le Flâneur
- Lenin’s Tomb
- Neil Hamburger
- New Internationalist
- Popbitch!
- Prole Art Threat
- Rent motorbikes in Barcelona
- RTX Archive
- Searchlight - Stop the BNP!
- Socialist Worker
- Sophie’s Maze
- The Howling Hex
- The Immoral Minority
- The Wesley Show
- thebadrash.com gallery - photos of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain and more
- Urban Feminist
thebadrash.com is
a blog by Tom Clarke in Barcelona, Catalonia, covering politics, culture and society
Subscribe to thebadrash.com
