D'oh!
Texan attempts to cash cheque for $360 billion.
Boris Johnson wins London Mayoral election.
Share ThisFeliç Sant Jordi!
Today's Saint George's (or Sant Jordi's) day. I'm not the biggest fan of celebrating saints' days, but as George most likely didn't exist, I generally go along with this one. The fact that George is the patron saint of my former home and my adopted home makes it easy to remember.
As you may well know, there is no tradition in England for celebrating St. George, at least nothing more than having an extra pint of Stella at the Rose and Crown. Some English nationalist parties (the BNP, the English Democrats) bemoan the fact that the English celebrate numerous other festivals (St. Patrick's day, Eid) but not the day of their own patron saint. The truth is that the English seem to have lost touch with their 'national' traditions around the 18th century… which coincides with the time we started conquering new lands and discovering new cultures*.
Interestingly, I received a text message from Vodafone two days ago which suggested that 'On the national day of the UK, sign up for our My Country service and save on calls home'. Huh. At first I thought that Vodafone were talking about St. George's day, which is in no way 'the national day of the UK', though I don't doubt that the BNP would make it so. Actually, April 21st is the Queen's birthday… so maybe that's what they were getting at. Not her official birthday, mind, her real one.
In Catalonia, Sant Jordi is celebrated with a rather sweet version of the English St. Valentine's traditions. Called 'the day of the rose' and 'the day of the book', Catalan men traditionally give their sweetheart a rose, while Catalan women are supposed to give their fella a book. The tradition has now become more egalitarian (and profitable, mark you), as both genders now expect to receive a book and a rose. So those of you with Catalan girlfriends or wives: don't forget to buy them a nice cookery book, or even better a book about roses - kill two birds with one stone. You, meanwhile, should expect a manly tome on Catalan history, tax law or Barça.
Speaking of which, the footage of large, pale men beating the shit out of eachother on Les Rambles can mean only one thing: English football fans are in town again. Yes, the savages from the north are hear to support their team of nobodies 'Manchester Foot Ball United' or something. They're playing Barça in the first leg of the semi-final of the Champions' League. Given that Manchester will probably win, Catalan women should prepare themselves for a miserable supper starting at about half-past ten tonight.
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*By 'discovering new cultures', I of course mean 'eradicating newly discovered cultures'.
Share ThisPlease don't tell me where or when I may protest
The Olympic torch made a pretty pathetic tour through London today, beset at first by snow and wind, and later by numerous pro-Tibet campaigners intent on bringing their independentist protest to the fore again.
I was hoping that the torch would be fucked with at some point, because the relay is just another side of Britain's craven pursuit of China's acceptance. Because of 2012 the torch had to visit London, but at no point has the UK government spoken out about the violent crackdown taking place in what should be a free Tibet.
The most striking quote of the day for me came from the Chinese Olympic Committee representative, who said something along the lines of "It's sad that people have to hijack the Olympics as a legitimate space for protest". He went on to explain that while protest should be allowed (yeah, right!), the Olympics are a sporting event, not a political one.
Sorry but that just doesn't wash. If there is any 'non-political' event as political as the Olympic Games, I'd like to know. I'm sick of committee organisers, politicians and police 'advising' on the best way to protest. Their suggestions inevitably involve meeting in some park, well away from TV cameras. Yeah, perhaps we could just do it in a labour camp. Actually, the torch relay is about the most suitable target for protest that I can think about at the moment.
Despite all the talk about Islamist terrorism, I'm still convinced that the number one threat that worries governments everywhere is organisation of labour and mass protest. We should continue our protests, illegal if need be, so that governments can't sit pretty and pretend there is no opposition.
Share ThisCouldn't have said it better myself
The comments on this post at Lenin's Tomb are excellent.
Share ThisCastro out, Castro in!
So Fidel Castro is finally stepping down this Sunday as president of the council of state, and commander in chief, of Cuba. It now looks pretty much certain that his brother, Raúl will be invited by the council of state to become president.
This move could well lead to a wide range of economic changes in Cuba, though we'll have to wait to see how far they'll go. They can't exactly adopt the China model but I reckon that Cuba can find a way to renew the revolution while improving the living conditions of its citizens. A more even-handed approach from the United States would help them with this.
In other news of Marxist-Leninist insurgency, the Northern Rock bank will finally be nationalised at some point this week. Seeing as British tax payers were guaranteeing the bank, it's pretty sad that it has taken months for Alistair Darling to follow my (well, Lenin's) advice. I remember that Iberian Notes used to use 'nationalising the banks' as an emblem of the terrible things socialist governments can do. One presumes that New Labour's nationalisation of a bank that nearly collapsed because of the instablity inherent in the capitalist system is acceptable. Business in neo-liberal societies traditionally condemns state involvement in the market, unless it's to pick up the pieces after the whole mess falls apart. And it happens again and again and again.
Share ThisAnother bishop says something silly
The archbishop of Canterbury's support for introducing elements of sharia law into the British legal system shouldn't come as much of a surprise. While many are deceived by his gentle voice and fluffy beard, Rowan Williams is no secularist. As the spiritual leader of the established English church, he is already part of a bizarre political-religious state infrastructure which exists nowhere else in Europe (except perhaps Andorra where the French head of state and the bishop of Urgell hold the presidency).
One thing that I hoped Gordon Brown might get around to during his four years in power is the disestablishment of the church. Perhaps this is now more likely. It'll be the first step towards a republic too.
Share This"Strong men also cry"
Some choice stories which I have failed to comment on over recent days:
Tomas Delgado - this is the man who killed a 17 year-old cyclist by running him over, and then attempted to sue the dead boy's family for €20,000 in order to pay for repairs to his car. Hundreds of people descended on the court in Haro, northern Spain, to show their utter contempt for this heartless bastard. He then withdrew the lawsuit, but not because he felt guilty or had had some sort of 'Road to Damascus' moment. No, he was just pissed off with the negative attention his family were receiving from the press. I have the feeling that if Ron Paul ever got anywhere near power, he'd probably pass a law approving such damages. Perhaps even kick the parents out of their home. I mean, it's an Audi.
Rudy Giuliani - this is the man who was incapable of opening his mouth without reminding people about September 11th, 2001. He has just retired from the race to become Republican nominee for US president after what might have been the most spectacularly poorly thought-out campaign in electoral history. At his last few speeches, he barely got 100 supporters showing up and you could almost feel sorry for him if he didn't constantly debase himself and his country by doing everything he could to cash in on the deaths of the victims in the Twin Towers.
John Edwards - this is the man who was never really going to make it. Nice but a bit dull, he could probably have been a decent president. As someone else put it, he failed because his two rivals have stories which are much easier packaged. Ah well, it'll probably make little difference anyway.
Martin Amis - this is the man who appeared on Start The Week on Monday criticising multiculturalism. He didn't really say much except that Muslims are inherently backward and that he "invented" multiculturalism. Actually, it's interesting that those who have abandoned the left to become neo-conservatives are now becoming quite fierce proponents of ethic nationalism (which is the only logical alternative to multiculturalism). It's really not that surprising, though, as these fellows all refer to 'the Enlightenment' (which created, among other things, nationalism) as the high point of human reason. They're all cribbing from the (interestingly named) Paul Cliteur anyway.
Share ThisBNP 'in meltdown' as numerous officials are purged
Those of us on the left who've ever had any interest in party organisation will be all too aware how often splits can occur. The recent wrecking behaviour of Galloway supporters in Respect is a classic example. So it is great to see that a potentially much more serious split is taking place in Britain's main fascist party, the BNP.
Two key activists in the party, Kenny Smith and Sadie Graham were purged from the party after they attempted to maneuver against Mark Collett, the party's publicity officer. Collett seems quite unpopular and general opinion among many activists appears to be that he is being protected by leader Nick Griffin. I remember Collett's appearance in a couple of TV documentaries which showed him to be a particularly unpleasant neo-Nazi.
Now, many organisers and party officials seem to be resigning in protest at Griffin's betrayal of the party for personal reasons. This is great news, of course, because a party in disarray is an unsuccessful party. Griffin's authority is now being directly challenged and it looks like he'll either have to get rid of his chum Collett or face more resignations. It all stems from various dark accusations of nefarious acts connected with Collett, as well as a claim that the BNP's 'intelligence team' have hacked into blog sites and deleted posts.
Read the Lancaster Unite Against Fascism post for a more coherent explanation of what has gone down, and how grave the BNP's problems appear to be. I'm going to have a celebratory cigarette.
Share ThisThe Canoeist and other matters
The story of a man who went missing after a solo canoe trip five years ago has become a fascinating tabloid story. John Darwin turned up alive a few days ago, presenting himself as a missing person at a London police station and claiming amnesia. My interest was first piqued by the revelation that his wife, Anne, had recently sold their two homes in the UK and had moved to Panama. She had also claimed John's life insurance, 'in good faith'.
Next came a photograph which purported to show John and Anne in Panama, a year ago. Shortly afterwards, John Darwin was arrested for fraud. Anne has since admitted that the photo of them is genuine.
So it seems that this guy feigned death, and lived it up in Panama, all the while leaving his sons, father and other relatives believing he was dead (unless they were in on it: the sons have now said that they don't want to speak to their parents, claiming that they knew nothing… it could be an elaborate new side to the scam but it sounds genuine).What kind of person can do something like that? Can money really be enough of a motivator to make you convince your own sons that you're dead?
The BBC had some scum sucker of an extradition lawyer who defended Pinochet during his tea parties with Thatcher, and he said that if she wanted to, she could delay the extradition by 14 months (Anne Darwin, that is, not Margaret Thatcher). I kind of think that if they can give the money back they should just be let off. They've pulled an incredible scam and the loss of their family should be enough punishment.
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In other news, there was yet another mass shooting in the United States. Robert Hawkins shot 13 people with an AK-47 in an Omaha shopping mall, killing 8 (and then himself). Apparently, he split up with his girlfriend, lost his job and then just went berserk. I expect John at Iberian Notes to link back to his previous post about how these things happen elsewhere too. He does that whenever there's a mass shooting in the United States.
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On a happier note, we had a great day in Premià de Mar today (it's a public holiday today as well as Monday: most Spaniards have a productivity-destroying week off, just 3 weeks before Christmas!). We're thinking of relocating there as we're not massive fans of the Vallès Occidental comarca where we currently live in a small flat. Gemma also grew up around here and I think that she'd actually rather move to Thailand or something. Premià might just be enough of a compromise. It's a nice town, with a pretty 'village' feel to it, probably because it's one of the few costal towns with almost no tourist accommodation. The flat we looked at had spectacular views of the Mediterranean (it was 'primera linea' - the first row of construction from the coast), and I could easily picture myself sitting out on the balcony as the sun sets, watching the boats come and go from the little marina. Well, we'll see: at any rate, we're in the market for a beach-front house. Any kind donors, please feel free to contact me.
Share This'Catastrophic' incident at Revenue & Customs
Apparently, every single child in Britain had their data lost on two password-protected (but not encrypted) CD-ROMs which were sent to the National Accounting Office but never turned up. After the Northern Rock incident, Alistair Darling should now resign. He probably won't yet, but I bet he'll be gone soon.
The Tories have suggested that this is proof enough that the National ID Card project is a risk to far, and dead in the water. They're probably right about that too.
Share ThisDoes it suddenly turn into Tolstoy?
LITTLEJOHN: But you haven't read the book in its totality and you have to read the book in its totality.
SELF: Why?
LITTLEJOHN: In order to understand it.
SELF: Does it turn into Tolstoy at page 205?
LITTLEJOHN: No it doesn't turn into Tolstoy. I don't set out to be Tolstoy. It is a much more complex book than that.
SELF: Than Tolstoy?
OK, so it's from a few years back, but I still find this 'clash' between pernicious right-wing cock, Dick Littlejohn, and actual writer, Will Self, makes for genuinely uplifting reading. Littlejohn is so markedly out of his depth when met with a truly intelligent man that he looks utterly absurd.
Also, have a look at the reviews for his books on Amazon. Some of them (particularly the one comparing Dick to Plato) are more than a little tongue-in-cheek.
Share ThisNorthern Rock shares plummit
Shares in bank plunge nearly 13% after it confirms several expressions of interest
…Yet another example of what really happens when the market is left to regulate itself. This disaster, caused by risky mortgage sales in the US, will end up being sorted out by British taxpayers. And if they're going to pay the bill, they should own the bank.
Share ThisBut what about Azelle?
The Metropolitan Police was recently found guilty on health and safety charges after the unlawful killing of Jean Charles de Menezes. This would be a welcome verdict if it had sent to jail those responsible for killing an innocent man. But I'm not surprised: the Met has a record for getting away scot free after killing innocent men. That such a high-profile police killing should end up being investigated by just the Health & Safety Executive says a lot about the current state of governance in England.
I've written before about Azelle Rodney, the innocent man shot dead by the Met in 2005. But sadly, the campaign to restore his name seems to have foundered. Azelle is now forgotten by pretty much everyone but his family. No protest marches for him anymore. But his family are still fighting for his name. A release of 'secret' intelligence could finally allow an inquest in to his death to take place.
Ian Blair was Met Commissioner when Azelle was shot, too. What will it take to make this man resign?
Share ThisDeclining oil production threatens war & unrest
An interesting article from The Guardian, this. It seems that oil production did peak in 2006 after all, just as 'loony' George Monbiot predicted two years ago. As I noted previously, this isn't the first time that peak oil has been reported. But either way, it certainly looks like it has happened.
This is one of those things that probably will happen and probably will have a major effect on all our lives. By 2030, I'll be 50 and probably looking forward to several more decades of life. It's difficult to imagine a world where everything isn't made from, or transported with, oil. How will they manufacture plastics? I guess they'll have to replace them, and in the meantime, things will cost more. Is there some kind of secret vehicle propulsion technique which will be unveiled as the gas pumps get shut down? Almost certainly not. Will we be forced to reconsider nuclear power (claims about the abundance of fuel for which, I find distinctly suspicious)?
Along with climate change, peak oil and the ways in which it could affect all our lives is an issue looking large. Unlike climate change, it hasn't been addressed publicly by many people. Naturally, the two issues are inherently linked, but this doesn't mean that we can just sit around waiting for the oil to run out, and the environment will be fine. Both issues need to be tackled now, primarily with a switch to alternative energy forms and a marked improvement in energy efficiency. And as governments seem uninterested in doing much for either, we'll have to trust industry and business to solve these problems for us. Great.
Share ThisThe Conservatives' disastrous London campaign
In what was meant to be a plea to fans of democracy and a rallying call to London's Tories, a Conservative member of the London Assembly has brought into sharp focus her party's links with known terrorists who threaten the violent overthrow of Hugo Chavez's legitimate government. Writing in The Guardian, Angie Bray related meeting with 'Venezuelan dissidents' whom the Mayor, Ken Livingstone, had barred from entry to the GLA building. Comments on her article, most notably from Calvin Tucker of 21st Century Socialism, drew attention to the fact that the so-called 'dissidents' were none other than Aleksander Boyd of the website VCrisis.
On a number of occasions, Boyd has publicly called for the violent overthrow of Venezuela's government (which has won 8 democratic votes, all scrutinised by international authorities). He has also written that he wished he was Genghis Khan so that he could conquer Venezuela and pour molten silver into the eyes of his enemies. Don't we all?
Angie Bray's column was in response to the GLA's decision to buy oil for London Transport from Venezuela in exchange for below-market prices and some knowledge transfer from London to Caracas. Her aim was to paint Livinstone as recklessly doing business with Chavez (a figure hated among right-wing political groups the world over), just in order to offer Londoners 'an election bribe' prior to forthcoming mayoral elections. As some commenters on the Guardian website pointed out: this woman is trying to convince Londoners to vote Conservative by telling a sob story about a violent, self-obsessed terrorist who has also, interestingly enough, referred to writer Tariq Ali as 'that Paki journalist'.
But that's not all! As part of her article, Bray makes claims about ballot papers and the electoral roll in Venezuela which are simply untrue:
Have you ever seen the Venezuelan electoral register? It looks innocent enough at first, with columns for your name, address and polling number. But then it suddenly turns slightly menacing: a long line of columns records every ballot you have ever cast.
This is a fantasy. One can only assume it was fed to her by that ass Boyd as an attempt to get her to see him as the one true Genghis.
In one short blog post, Angie Bray has done more to help Labour's mayoral campaign than Hugo Chavez. Naturally, she should resign for consorting with (and taking mendacious stories from) known terrorists and racists. Also, David Cameron must be asked about his knowledge of Angie Bray's contact with Aleksander Boyd, and whether he agrees that Chavez should be violently overthrown.
Also, just what is considered to be 'an electoral bribe' these days? A proposed Tory tax cut which would hurt the poor by cutting services but benefit the wealthy is somehow passed off as economics whereas a deal with Caracas to source cheap fuel for Transport for London, to the benefit of the poorest, is smeared as a cheap 'electoral bribe'.
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a blog by Tom Clarke in Barcelona, Catalonia, covering politics, culture and society
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