Opinion

A Page From The Mid-Nineties

I have just found this glowing compliment over at politics.co.uk. Glowing, but with a sting: There’s a lot to be said for this blog from former diplomat Charles Crawford. For those with an interest in international affairs and diplomacy this site is an absolute must. The look of the site could certainly […]

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The Limits Of Power (Torture Again)

A reader points me to this purposeful article on the philosophical limits on Power by a former Director of Public Prosecutions, Ken Macdonald: The difference is that when you find yourself possessed of power, accountability quite suddenly broadens in the most alarming ways. This is very disturbing. Opinions are easy […]

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More On Vampyres

A few days ago I recommended The Historian, a long and elegantly intelligent modern reworking of the Dracula story with lots of well-tuned Balkan detail:  Here for those who want More is a gripping look by Andrew Stuttaford at one of my favourite films, Werner Herzog’s Nosferatu the Vampyre:  Stuttaford describes how Herzog develops […]

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Who Won In Honduras?

Honduras itself, according to Ed Morrissey: Zelaya had attempted to use the army to promulgate his illegal referendum on allowing presidents to seek more than one term, with ballots stashed for the purpose.  Now he won’t have any authority over the army at all, which will temporarily take its orders […]

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More On UN-Style Freedom Of Speech

Remember this move by the so-called UN Human Rights Council to get global action against ‘negative stereotyping of religions’? The only question is, what does it mean in practice? As far as I know, a Resolution by the Human Rights Council means nothing at all in itself in formal legal […]

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Apartheid – Still Alive?

On a previous posting of mine about the BNP, one Chris made this comment: After the brouhaha of the BNP Question Time this interview https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00nh6w4 with Kwame Kwei-Armah went unnoticed on Radio 7 (as most things do) and yet (some 26 minutes in) we hear strikingly similar concerns voiced about multiculturalism […]

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Charles Crawford, Candidate (Or Not)

The Comment function is playing up. Here is a good one from Victor Meldrew:  Judging from this blog, I think you should be cloned and stand in every available seat. Your use of the phrase "the operational management of complexity" strikes a particular chord. This is a lost art in […]

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Coming Out: Charles Crawford, Conservative Party

My various blog posts on the Kaminski story have caught a wider audience. So I have decided today to come out. Back in May this year I, like everyone else, was revolted by the goings-on in Parliament and Government over expenses and other abuses. What especially annoyed me was the […]

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Michal Kaminski, Jerzy Buzek

Welcome Iain Dale readers. * * * * * One of the points made by Labour against Kaminski is that he was in effect playing an anti-semitic card by arguing against the apology by then President Kwasniewski for the Jedwabne massacre. It’s obvious! Any Pole arguing against the form or […]

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Parting Shots

The BBC is putting out a deft series of short radio programmes about FCO Valedictory Despatches: Parting Shots. Here is Part Two. Featuring various former Excellencies. Myself included, recalling on radio my magnificent suppression of Freedom of the Press.

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