Sim-O

Electronic Intifada:

The blockade has been pursued relentlessly since, even if the desired outcome has been no more achieved in Gaza than it was in Iraq. Instead, Hamas entrenched its control and cemented the Strip’s physical separation from the Fatah-dominated West Bank.

Far from reconsidering its policy, Israel’s leadership has responded by turning the screw ever tighter — to the point where Gazan society is now on the verge of collapse.

In truth, however, the growing catastrophe being unleashed on Gaza is only indirectly related to Hamas’s rise to power and the rocket attacks.

Of more concern to Israel is what each of these developments represents: a refusal on the part of Gazans to abandon their resistance to Israel’s continuing occupation. Both provide Israel with a pretext for casting aside the protections offered to Gaza’s civilians under international law to make them submit.

With embarrassing timing, the Israeli media revealed at the weekend that one of the first acts of Ismail Haniyeh, the Hamas prime minister elected in 2006, was to send a message to the Bush White House offering a long-term truce in return for an end to Israeli occupation. His offer was not even acknowledged.

Instead, according to the daily Jerusalem Post, Israeli policy-makers have sought to reinforce the impression that “it would be pointless for Israel to topple Hamas because the population [of Gaza] is Hamas.” On this thinking, collective punishment is warranted because there are no true civilians in Gaza. Israel is at war with every single man, woman and child.

And while I was writing the previous post, Iain Dale has posted the full list of winners* in the Spectators’ parliamentarian of the year Awards.

I have just this to say about it:

The readers of The Spectator are twats**.

*Same as be fore applies. Might not be correct. Or scientific.
**At least the ones that bothered to voted for Nadine Dorries.

The results are out for the Spectators’ Parliamentarian of the Year Awards.
Iain Dale:

who should win the first award, Newcomer of the Year? Yup, Peter Mandelson

What. The. Fuck?

how the fuck can that slimey shister Mandelson be called a new-comer? I don’t know how long Peter has been in politics but he was one of the architecs of New Labour so that’s got to be at least 15 years.
It probably only count’s for his latest venture into power, but even so, hat the fuck has he done in his two months of unelected cabineting (I just made that word up, if you couldn’t tell) to deserve a fucking award?

Surely if the award meant anything it should’ve gone to a true n00b, not some disgraced politician returning from a busmans holiday.

*The info came from Iain Dale, so it may not be correct. Or scientific.

Guardian:

Just how low will your mortgage payments fall if, as predicted, the Bank of England slashes interest rates over the next few years towards 3% or even lower? If you have a fixed rate, then there’s no joy for you.

But before holders of “tracker” mortgages look forward to steep cuts in monthly costs, be prepared for a nasty shock.

Some of the biggest lenders have small print terms which allow them not to pass on rate cuts, even if the contract says the loan is tied to the Bank of England base rate.

And households whose mortgages track the “standard variable rate” may also see little benefit from cuts in base rate.

So far, mortgage lenders haven’t exactly been rushing to pass on the most recent base rate cuts. It emerged this week that half haven’t cut standard variable rates following the emergency rate cut of 0.5% last month.

Fucks sake. The banks and shit take all this money that the government suddenly found (can’t find a bloody penny when a hospital or school need it) cos they’ve got a ‘fluidity problem’, The Bank of England cut the interest rates so the punters have more chance of actually repaying the fucking loans and and the cunting fucks in the city don’t pass on the rate cut.

Fuck ’em. Let em go. Bring on the bloody revolution.

*And yes that is a euphemism. It’s a euphemism for greedy money grabbing whinging cunts.

Paul Dacre:

Now some revile a moralising media. Others, such as myself, believe it is the duty of the media to take an ethical stand

Ethics and morals are subjective.

As far as I’m aware, Justice Eady is applying the law as it is written. As it has been debated and voted upon by democratically elected leaders. That is his authority. Justice Eadys’ decision can be appealed. It is expensive and time consuming, but that is a different argument.

What authority has Paul Dacre got? Was he elected? Was he even appointed by anyone who has been elected? Has Mr Dacres ethics and morals been debated and voted on? Does his industry take the time to listen to all sides without exaggerating or scaremongering? Why the fuck should I listen to Paul and his gangs moralising?

There isn’t a plethora of websites dedicated to watching the right wing press for no reason, and just because a lot of people read your paper, doesn’t make your opinions and views right or any less disgusting.

Update:
Just spotted this Dave Osler/LC:

Few would argue that adultery is commendable in any positive sense. But it remains a popular pastime. It happens in life. On some estimates, a full one-third of over fifties are having affairs.

What’s more, two-thirds of unfaithful over 55s reportedly do not feel ‘any regret about straying’; I read that fact in the Mail of Sunday, the Daily Mail’s sister paper. That alone would seem to indicate that Dacre is seriously out of touch with his readership base.

Compare these two:

1. A couple of mountian bikes get knicked from the garden of a family who were killed in a road accident. Although it could be called callous, it is a non-violent, non-confrontational crime. There is no little boy coming out of his house in the morning expecting to get on his bike and being disappointed. It is effectively a victimless crime.*

2. A couple of blokes knocking on doors in the evening pretending to be from an energy company that does not operate in the area, so has no sales people or customers in the location, trying to work there way into peoples houses, for what, I don’t know. It could be a distraction robbery it could be for some sort of assault. Either way there will be a victim that will feel violated, intimidated, or at worst physically abused and will be feeling the consequences of this for a very long time.

Put the following Police response to the correct scenario (they are not exact quotes as that would give the game away):

a. They’re [the Police] are keeping an eye out
b. I am disgusted that this has happened and promise to bring the persons responsible to justice

How did you do?

I wish the police round here had as much enthusiam

*I realise that this sound cold and unfeeling, I do not mean it in a ‘so what’ kind of way. But what is felt is disgust that someone would try to benefit from this families awful situation, not because some horrible person has taken a little boys’ bike.

A comment in The Devils Kitchen:

The libertarian position, as per bloody usual, is to swear a lot on the internet.

heh.

No other argument against Obama can fundamentally change the way people feel about him deep down inside, EXCEPT, proof that precisely the way they feel about him deep down inside is because of Obama’s own deception and use of hidden hypnosis.

source

Laugh? I nearly shat!

Via

Reposted from Mike Power:

Norml:

Millions of Americans nationwide cast votes Tuesday in favor of marijuana law reform, approving nine out of ten ballot measures seeking to liberalize penalties on cannabis use and possession.

In Massachusetts, 65 percent of voters approved Question 2, which replaces criminal penalties for the possession of up to one ounce of marijuana (punishable by up to six-months in jail and a $500 fine) with a civil fine of no more than $100. More than 1.9 million Massachusetts voters (and all but three cities) backed the measure – a greater total than the number of voters who endorsed President Elect Barack Obama (1.88 million)…

In Michigan, 63 percent of voters approved Proposal 1, which legalizes the physician-supervised use and cultivation of medicinal cannabis by state-authorized patients. More than 3 million voters endorsed the measure, which received approximately 150,000 more votes in Michigan than did Obama. Proposal 1 goes into effect on December 4th, at which time nearly one-quarter of the US population will live in a state that authorizes the legal use of medical cannabis.

Some news from Dungeekin:

Overnight in the United States we saw rapturous scenes of celebration in cities across the country, and replicated across the world, as the election of a new President promised change, hope and a return to true democratic principles.

Less than 12 hours later, I’m plunged back into despair, because I truly believe that we’ve reached the point where all hope of freedom is lost in once-Great Britain.

I was, sadly, unable to go for a walk today due to illness. The ten people that did, however, were arrested, searched and fined.

Their crime?

They walked from Trafalgar Square to Parliament Square wearing Guy Fawkes masks.