One of the best things about the Internet is the way it lets ideas be hammered out, if only for the benefit of the people who follow the hammering. (Note: the fact that insane Internet conspiracy theories seem to do rather better than hard facts is of course a problem.) […]
The Presidential drama (or not) in Honduras drags on despite my own best attempts to end it by going on holiday. I see that Hillary Clinton is more nuanced about a possible return by ex-President Zelaya, now a ‘reckless’ move. What happens if a demonstration in favour of the new situation is […]
Did PM Putin deliberately sit President Obama in a chair way too low, to make him look and feel awkward for the TV cameras? The great debate unfolds. The point of such sly diplomatic insults is that the victim dare not show that s/he is aware of them, even if […]
When does guilt stop being passed on – indeed just stop? If you are someone who has led a blameless life but happen to be the grandchild of some monstrous villian from history, is it fair that you and your name be reviled? Should you be directly punished for the […]
As our friend Ivor wrote: On one side, the United Nations, the OAS, the United States government and, apparently, most informed opinion worldwide. Lined up against them, someone who spent 12 months as Honduran Minister of Culture – a political big-hitter, quite clearly – and your good self. It promises to […]
Is here. It is better than his Cairo speech which had rather too many philosophically incoherent passages. This one is easier to make, of course, as he is aiming it at one country in particular and not at an amorphous ‘Muslim world’. So the key messages can be more finely […]
Knowing next to nothing about Honduras I am forced to rely on perusing the world’s media. Ousted President Zelaya is cranking up a lot of international pressure in his favour: The Organization of American States has suspended Honduras in protest at the ousting of President Manuel Zelaya. The rare decision was […]
Witty Ivor (sneaking past my comment box defences without leaving an email address) piles on the pressure: This is splendidly comical. On one side, the United Nations, the OAS, the United States government and, apparently, most informed opinion worldwide. Lined up against them, someone who spent 12 months as Honduran Minister […]
Have we just had a vast new shift in the way the European Union is to be run, with we dopey Wimbledon- and Michael Jackson-obsessed Brits utterly missing the story? Germany’s top Constitutional Court has taken a view on the Lisbon Treaty and come up with some far-reaching conclusions. Which […]
What’s happening in the world? In my part of the UK, nothing much. It’s too hot. But in a more general sense we are seeing something Important. The end of an Idea. Namely that government can grow indefinitely without consequences. California has been trying to achieve this for years and […]
