I don't understand European countries. I don't know how they work. I don't understand their cultures. I can't say I entirely understand how the US works, but I have a far better understanding of American political culture than I do of European political cultures.
And this is not because I am some sort of Little Englander. I have worked in both Spain and Italy and, despite making attempts to learn the language and understand the political culture, I failed abysmally. For instance, I still have no idea if Basques or Catalans have the right of self-determination, or why Italians have such a profusion of right-wing parties.
How can you have a Union with people you don't understand?
:: Patrick Crozier 3/23/2002 07:07:00 PM [+] ::
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BBC prejudice against the Tories continues apace. I just watched an interview with two younger members of the party, and they were labelled "Young Conservatives." The YCs have not existed since 99; they were wound up during the Hague tenure. There is a reason for continuing to refer to any young Tory as a Young Conservative. The BBC wish to perpetuate the image of young Tories as "Tory Boys", despite the fact that this depiction is woefully inaccurate in 2002. For those who don't know, the name of the organisation for younger Tories is Conservative Future.
To add insult to injury, BBC's Parliament channel is showing the Irish Parliament instead of the Tory Spring Conference.
:: Andrew Ian Dodge 3/23/2002 02:04:00 PM [+] ::
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:: 3/22/2002 ::
Michael Moore has been displaying new levels of excrement-based thinking. James Lileks has written a counter to this moron. A new googlebomb has begun to make sure that anyone searching for Michael Moore gets the screed instead. I encourage all my fellow bloogers to do the same on their blog and make sure Michael Moore is shown to be a moron. Michael Moore will live to regret his words, one can only hope.
:: Andrew Ian Dodge 3/22/2002 06:01:00 PM [+] ::
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It is very sad to hear that Lady Thatcher is now too ill to make public appearances anymore. I wish her all the best and hope she is around for a long time to come.
:: Andrew Ian Dodge 3/22/2002 05:19:00 PM [+] ::
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After recovering from the disappointment that the world did not end at the new millenium, the happy-clappy brigade are chasing "Satanists" again. It seems their lastest quest for attention is by trying to spread panic about so-called "satanic abuse" and baby sacrificing. Today's DT takes this farcical attempted witch-hunt to task. If it weren't for the poor parents who have been made to suffer by these paranoid idiots, it would be very funny indeed.
:: Andrew Ian Dodge 3/22/2002 04:56:00 PM [+] ::
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:: 3/21/2002 ::
Yesterday, whilst on a long and unsuccessful shopping trip, I nipped into Oxford Street's HMV for some light relief. A display caught my eye. Apparently NME (that's New Musical Express - in my day a truly awful rock rag) has brought out a book of cuttings about the Beatles culled from its own fine pages. The display included some examples. For instance, there was the very first cutting mentioning the Beatles by name. It was a series of news items. The Beatles were about the third on the list. First on the list? The story of a fifteen-year old who had recorded a record.
But what really caught my eye about this display was the style of English. It was normal. That is, my normal (I hope) your normal. It was that sort of relaxed, in-jokey, not entirely serious style that nowadays is all around us. It was definitely not the slightly pompous, condescending, clumsy, public school-accented style we are used to from newsreels. It was all quite a shock. And a disappointment. I had at least thought that our generation had a post-modern irony all of our own. But nope, it was in full circulation before I was even born.
:: Patrick Crozier 3/21/2002 06:45:00 PM [+] ::
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Adil has posted a long critical analysis of a refutation by various groups of a Channel 4 (UK) program on Muslim opinion in the UK. Once again, Adil has written a long worthwhile article that needs to be read by all. Why isn't Adil writing for the mainstream media, the Telegraph or the Times would be a good venue for him.
:: Andrew Ian Dodge 3/21/2002 04:43:00 PM [+] ::
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John "Akatsukami" Braue has responded to thoughts on his post on Jews in the UK as opposed to Europe. Perry weighed in on the discussion as well.
In his reply Braue responds well to our concerns and makes some good points. He does, however, give credit to Perry for the mention of Disraeli, not to me [ed. - picky, picky ], but I digress. The worrying point that is well made in the post is that he believes the chatterati in London is trying to drag Britain out of the Anglosphere towards a more continental view of things. A good Anglosphere argument would be to suggest that Britian needs to strengthen its links with the Anglosphere to avoid some of the major negatives of the continental mindset, including tribalism and anti-semitism. It seems to be there has been a distinct rise in media anti-semitism since the more pro-European Labour government came to power.
I do disagree with Braue on his agreement with the movement towards regionalism in the UK. I think seperate parliaments and assemblies encourage tribalism in the UK. It is all part of the EU scheme to divide & conquer, making it easier for EU imposed "regions" to function. The aim, as far as I can tell, is to reduce Europe to a collection of small ethnic/regional areas. There is constant talk of an independent Scotland, Wales, or even Cornwall within the EU. There are many in Brussels who believe that the "nationstate has served its time" and believe in supra-national entities, with smaller component parts. Europe will be reduced to a tribal status where each group (Celts, Basques, Bretons etc) will live in their own little ethnic area. This sort of segregation will lead to strife, conflict and eventual civil war.
I was hoping that Howard would lend his wise words to the cause. He was kind of enough to mention my thoughts but said little else. Let us hope he engages in this discussion.
:: Andrew Ian Dodge 3/21/2002 03:57:00 PM [+] ::
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Just in case anyone was under the impression that terrorists and their sympathisers were not allowed to operate in the US, they need to see this. It seems that the NJ school system is now teaching the lies and inaccuracies peddled by Irish Republican extremists. Muslim extremists in NJ would have an argument if they accused the school system of racism. If Irish Americans in NJ can poison children's minds with this sort of hatred, then why can't Al Queda?
And I wonder if these pro-IRA/INLA/CIRA sympathisers admit that their buddies in the IRA were doing for Germany during WWII? Or the fact that members of the IRA provided intelligence and tracking for German bombers. As long as he is an anti-British genocidal maniac, it is fine. They are buddies with that nice man Kaddafi as well.
Thanks to the ever vigilant Emmanuel Goldstein for spotting this piece of filth.
:: Andrew Ian Dodge 3/21/2002 03:13:00 PM [+] ::
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From The WebMistress........
If anyone out in the Blogdom knows of a working eMail address for Pyra.com [ the .blogspot host ], would you please send it to The WebMistress, care of the comment tag just below, as all eMails sent to various mailboxes @pyra.com are bouncing back as undeliverable.
The WebMistress would be most grateful, as there is a need to contact them to remove the adspot from the new blog next door, which has been paid for but not taken down.
U P D A T E
The adspot is gone, thanks to a friend, Kathy, who figured out a good address to use!
About all that will be heard emanating from The Den for the next few days will be words not fit for human consumption! MommaBear is deep in the annual battle with the dreaded 1040 and appended nonsense. Even with the help of her wonderful companion, PoppaBear, it is a conflict of major proportions, threatening to spill out into adjacent territories. Please bear [ed. - sorry about that] with her and understand.
Front Page has a whole load of interesting new articles including a great anti-Arafat screed from Horowitz himself. I recommend their email service, saves having to hit the site every day.
:: Andrew Ian Dodge 3/20/2002 05:07:00 PM [+] ::
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My condolences go to my Italian EYC friends on the loss of a senior labour advisor in their government. It shows how much Berlusconi is accomplishing if the far left feels it must asassinate members of his government. It seems that the Euro-socialists don't take kindly to losing the argument and the government of Italy. I hope Berlusconi does not lose his nerve and keeps taking Italy on its current course.
:: Andrew Ian Dodge 3/20/2002 05:01:00 PM [+] ::
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Over at the excellent Rat's Nest John demonstrates his profound and understandable ignorance of the Jewish experience in the UK. It was obvious that he knew little of this subject when he mentioned France and England in the same sentence about Jews in Europe. The 'Jewish Experience' in France and in England are not in the slightest way similar. For instance the English were not known for handing over Jews enthusiastically to the Germans, knowing full well where they were the headed, as did the French. Never mind the fact the British took in many Jews fleeing persecution on the continent, with one tragic exception when a boatload was turned away.
A few points, John, with the greatest respect.
UK/England is not Europe, and never will be, due partly to the fact it is an island. England, unlike the rest of the continent, has not been invaded for almost 1000 years and thus has a different attitude towards all aspects of life, law, and culture. For more on this I refer you to the writings on the Anglosphere by James Bennett.
Jews in this country are very well integrated, unlike on the continent.
I once had a conversation with one on the left who accused the Conservatives of being anti-semitic. I pointed out that several members of the cabinet at the time where Jewish. To wit he replied: "I never knew Michael Howard was a Jew!" My response was, "My point exactly." I would also remind John that the first (1874!) Jewish prime minster in the UK was Disraeli, a Conservative.
There are many senior Jewish in all areas of politics, business, and the arts in the UK. Jews are most definetely assimilated into British culture, and have been for a long time. The Labour Party/Government has many prominent Jewish members.
Just because some on the far-left (mostly writing for the Guardian) are anti-Zionist/Israel/Jew does not mean it is a national belief. If Jews were so badly integrated into British society, why then would there being point in writing articles about how they run things, a la the New Statesman?
:: Andrew Ian Dodge 3/20/2002 02:36:00 PM [+] ::
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Ideofact has a very interesting long deconstruction of some of the writing in Kalifah magazine, a favourite of Muslim extremists in the UK. No regular to this site will be surprised that I got this link from Adil's great site. The recomendation for the Ideofact piece is well warranted, a definite worthwhile read.
:: Andrew Ian Dodge 3/20/2002 01:09:00 PM [+] ::
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One of the DT leaders declares The moral of Taxation. Far from making yet another case for raising taxes again, it warns its readers that Chancellor Gordon Brown and his cronies are about to begin a campaign of moral blackmail to justify even higher taxes. Brown and his ilk believe it is morally correct to rob hard-working people of their income in order to support his view of government. This is no more moral that a highwayman robbing to feed his family. Theft is wrong whether it is done by the government or an individual. Taxation is theft; acceptable though it may be, it is still theft by another name. There are no moral grounds for it, in fact, taxation (more so if it is high), is amoral.
Like war, it is a necessary evil of running a government. But also, like war, there are limits to how far taxation should be taken. High taxation should be no more acceptable to decent people than state sposored ethnic cleansing.
:: Andrew Ian Dodge 3/20/2002 12:17:00 PM [+] ::
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Over at the Daily Telegraph they have a curious column by one Andrew Marr, in which he compares the fuss over cannabis in the UK to that over gin in the 18th Century. He ponders if there might be a time when cannabis will be seen as being as boring as gin, a country-club drug that hipsters would never touch.
Cannabis will be legalised in the UK; it is just a matter of time. The only question is, will it be a Labour or Tory government to finally do the right thing and legalise it. The young are overwhelmingly for its legalisation, the medical community thinks it is beneficial, police think prosecuting for it is a waste of time, and libertarians see it as a right. As with gin, the only people getting any benefit out of its ban are the drug dealers. Why do we keep making the same mistakes over and over again?
:: Andrew Ian Dodge 3/20/2002 12:10:00 PM [+] ::
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:: 3/19/2002 ::
Enjoying the joys of dealing with former state-owned monopolies versus private companies! It is an amazing experience trying to pay bils via a credit card. The former state companies (British Telecom, British Gas & London Electricity) have a coronary and get shirty. On the other hand, the private companies have managed to set up a myriad of ways of their getting paid. It is interesting to note the standards of operators is different between private and former state. Any guess who is more polite and helpful? It is all well and good to privitise these companies; what is heck of a lot harder to do is privitise the brains of those who work there.
:: Andrew Ian Dodge 3/19/2002 03:41:00 PM [+] ::
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Sorry for the dearth of posts in the recent days. Yesterday I spent the afternoon on Parliament Square and on the street outside Parliament protesting about the hunt-ban bill. I was inspired to stay out in the rain by two lovely ladies (mother & daughter) from the Isle of Wight. They were both as pretty as they were dedicated to their (lost, alas) cause. In the evening I attended a book launch for Sir John Nott. It was a champagne fuelled evening; a good time was had by all including Michael Heseltine MP, Bill Cash MP, and many of Sir John's former colleagues. There was an impressive press rabble there, with the usual political hacks, as well as including diary columnists from the Telegraph, TImes, Evening Standard, and the Express.
Rounding off the evening I repaid a rather tardy debt and took a friend of mine who works for Ted Heath PM to Claridges for a wonderful dinner with wine, a cigar, and port.
I trust Mommabear has been taking good care of you all. Expect normal posting this afternoon after I get some food in me.
:: Andrew Ian Dodge 3/19/2002 01:31:00 PM [+] ::
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For those who wonder what I am going on about when I mention the Anglosphere, then follow the link and get "with it". Jim Bennett's writing can be found at UPI.
:: Andrew Ian Dodge 3/19/2002 12:56:00 AM [+] ::
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:: 3/18/2002 ::
A Snarl From The Den........
From now on, MommaBear will be referring to Them as H. Sapiens[?]. What were They thinking[?] on this one??
From Drudge, this link to a news item from Yahoo about some new "security-checking" equipment.
MommaBear's conclusion: might as well show up at the gate already starkers and go from there!
As you all know by now, MommaBear has always thought that Homo Sapiens is a rather sad and pathetic specie because it generally misuses its talents and capabilities, but now someone has gathered evidence to confirm her worst suspicions. This tidbit from Ananova has a few of the details.
:: MommaBear 3/18/2002 01:57:00 AM [+] ::
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:: 3/17/2002 ::
From The Den........
It's not every bear that has the luxury of two dens...some have a winter den and a summer den, but MommaBear now has two! She loves the idea of having a den of her own where her black moods will be right at home. Most times she is content to offer her tidbits and nuggets from this lovely perch, but on occasion she will ramble to the Black Den at Darker than Dark to ponder and provide her own dark commentary.
Sorry for lack of posting today. I have busy working on Darker than Dark, the dark side of the Dodgeblog. Marty has been evicted to DtD, so you can find his music reviews there from now on. All his reviews from here are now posted there. We felt the need not to move any of the existing ones as it might upset anyone who has linked to any of them. (Reviewers hate to annoy record companies, not a good way to get the flow of free stuff coming!) The next reviews to be posted on DtD will be of gigs by Iron Maiden and Company of Snakes.
:: Andrew Ian Dodge 3/17/2002 05:55:00 PM [+] ::
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Dream Theater
Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence
Elektra
What the hell? Two CDs and one track that takes a whole CD! Are DT being a bunch of pretentious arses or arrogant musos, or both? Normally, this sort of self-gratification would be reviled by the critics and only attractive to only the most dedicated of fans. But for this. This IS Dream Theater and they have the chops to pull it off...and pull it off well. Six Degrees takes a lot to get into and is not for the neophyte to prog rock or the band. In a bright move, the first CD is the more accessible of the two, with 5 more normal tracks.The second CD is divided into 8 parts, listed separately on the CD so you can come back to where you left off in this 42 minute song. This whole album is definitely a grower and needs a few listens to get going even for the most dedicated and tolerant prog fan. It is a work of genius or pants? Well, it is certainly not the best thing DT has ever done, but since their last studio album ranks up there with Operation: Mindcrime & Dark Side of the Moon, it would be pretty hard not to be less than perfection. Saying that, I do hope that DT have fullfilled their need to produce an epic and will now return to writing music just a tad more accesible.
Marty: 7.5
:: Andrew Ian Dodge 3/17/2002 01:55:00 AM [+] ::
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