I’ve been thinking of this lately. You know it from the West Wing: man hears news the town will flood – “God will save me”. Waters rise, someone rows past in a boat and offers help – “No thank you, God will save me”. House is flooded, helicopter drops a ladder to him on the …
Author archives: Scotsman
Hello Again
Sorry for the radio silence. Maintaining a consistent observation of policy stupidity in this part of the world couldn’t be called a hard task. But trying to write something interesting when our elected goons keep coming at us with the same idiocy day in day out is. In general the great and the good continue …
Tories Rebel Against Johnson – Who’s the Good Guy?
Last night Honest Boris Johnson scraped a parliamentary victory only with Opposition Support. The most incompetent and corrupt UK Prime Minister of the modern era was opposed by 100 Conservative MPs voting against measures to protect people from infection and death from a pandemic. I’m not quite sure where you begin with that.
More Dead People Looking for a Better Life
An estimated 27 people died trying to cross the English Channel in a rubber dinghy yesterday. Who’s fault is it? Theirs, for being so stupid? The evil people smugglers, for taking their money and giving them a high-probability death sentence? The French government’s, for allowing them to go to a beach and get in a …
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COP-OUT26 – Git Yer Fingers Oot
Before the leaders of the world descended on Glasgow to discuss saving the world in the 26th COP Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II of All Bits of the UK and Some Former Colonies was overheard saying “It’s really irritating when they talk, but they don’t do.” Her Majesty’s irritation was justified. The largest delegation was …
Parliamentary Standards – and Government – Remain
This November morning was looking to hint at the first signs of spring for UK politics. It all came to naught. That might sound counter-intuitive to anyone reading the chaos of UK news, but here’s the logic… Conservative MP Owen Paterson broke some clear rules. The House of Commons Standards committee – which polices these …
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Frost, EU and Tactics
Order of events: December 2020: (Honest Boris’) UK Government signs a deal with the EU over trade and Northern Ireland Every minute since: Same government jumps up and down about the deal being unfair and threatens to walk away 08/10/2021: EU announces that on 13/10/2021 it’ll offer ways to make the deal work easier 12/10/2021: …
The Muppet Show
Nadhim Zahawi, UK Minister of Vaccines, was interviewed on BBC Radio 4 this morning about Honest Boris’ two-year delayed promise-breaking promise to bodge together some supposed fix for elderly care. Immediately after him Kermit the Frog was interviewed about Jim Henson. One of them made sense and answered his questions.
Teamwork – UK Foreign Policy
Tobias Ellwood, Conservative chair of the Commons defence committee said after the Afghan debacle “We should be clear that Britain’s leverage is negligible as an individual country”…”The only means of influence we now have is if we pool efforts together with the international community” Quite right. Perhaps he should let his boss know that right …
Observations On An Afghantastrophe – We Don’t Learn Very Much
Yesterday was a day for collecting quotes. John Bolton, one of George Bush Junior’s crew, a neoconservative icon who was there at the start of this Afghan adventure, was interviewed on Radio 4. There was much truth in what he said, such as Trump and Biden being equally to blame for the current palaver. Can’t …
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