tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-45963547193525035632011-12-15T19:39:11.048ZChriscohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11724092391390838428noreply@blogger.comBlogger171100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4596354719352503563.post-58878127648671604332007-06-04T00:20:00.000Z2007-06-05T10:15:55.792Z

Chrisco is back, after being rather busy travelling around Latin America and attempting to save the world (not at the same time).Readers of Liberal Review and Politicalbetting will know that I have in the past raised some questions about the practices of Frank Luntz (here) and here.It appears that we Irish seem to be much more skeptical about Dr. Luntz (anyone who saw the roasting he got from

Chriscohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11724092391390838428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4596354719352503563.post-7063865349320961982007-02-16T15:29:00.000Z2007-02-16T15:48:52.829Z

Not mine, though; those of Prof. Felipe Fernandez-Armesto, as published in The Independent. I have been writing about the U.S. rather a lot in the past week, but I was reminded of this thoughtful and insightful article by my reflections on the American South of the other day."No one truly knows a nation," said Nelson Mandela, "until one has been inside its gaols." Last week, after living in the

Chriscohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11724092391390838428noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4596354719352503563.post-9400573515874476242007-02-15T00:38:00.000Z2007-02-15T01:20:23.256Z

I have just watched this Top Gear clip courtesy of Duncan Borrowman*NBAs far as I can see, the whole piece at the petrol station was fabricated. Note that we never actually hear any threats, or see anyone acting in any sort of threatening manner. The pickup full of "red-necks" with a dog that arrived was actually a bunch of Mexicans.The woman at the petrol station was actually trying to help

Chriscohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11724092391390838428noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4596354719352503563.post-17343218942590638452007-02-13T01:09:00.000Z2007-02-13T18:36:17.818Z

Even if I do say so myself, it is nice to know that this blog is read in high places (by which I do not mean behind the bike sheds at Eton). No sooner do I make a point about the depiction of torture in 24, than The Independent reports that Brigadier General Patrick Finnegan of the United States Military Academy at West Point has hopped on a plane to Hollywood to complain to Fox about the effect

Chriscohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11724092391390838428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4596354719352503563.post-50849690881985500622007-02-08T15:12:00.000Z2007-02-08T16:01:50.675Z

Hat tip to Iain Sharpe over at Eaten by Missionaries for pointing me to this article by Ruth Dudley Edwards, contemplating the differences between Irish Catholics and Ulster Protestants.While I often find myself at odds with Dudley Edwards, this article is interesting and thought-provoking, (although I take odds with section IV, about Irish immigrants in Ireland; Ruth Dudley Edwards may have

Chriscohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11724092391390838428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4596354719352503563.post-10275879039950548782007-02-08T10:50:00.000Z2007-02-08T10:39:18.492Z

It took me a long time to get into Doonesbury. It was well worth the effort.

Chriscohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11724092391390838428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4596354719352503563.post-69541024646203285412007-02-08T02:08:00.000Z2007-02-08T02:32:28.687Z

As The Grauniad reports this morning, George Bush's Republican administration disembursed $12 billion in cash in Iraq in a period of less than 15-months. That's the kind of spending that even Victoria Beckham might be a little embarrassed over. What's more, the Coalition Provisional Authority appears to have learned its book-keeping practices from Colleen McLoughlin.To quote the C.P.A.

Chriscohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11724092391390838428noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4596354719352503563.post-86083052713787799262007-02-08T01:14:00.000Z2007-02-08T16:23:28.976Z

Well done to The Guardian. As I pointed out yesterday, between the 'staff and agencies' to whom the column was accredited (read 'wire-stories and someone on work experience'), they had managed to mislabel David Owen as a "party stalwart". I pointed this out to them, and was pleased to find an email this evening from the paper generously admitting that it was a "good point", and declaring that

Chriscohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11724092391390838428noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4596354719352503563.post-36547208881338195502007-02-07T22:32:00.000Z2007-02-08T16:25:57.024Z

In response to my post of yesterday, commenting on Nich Starling's comments on the death of Matty Hull (I cannot abide the phrase 'friendly fire', in much the same way as I hate 'joyriding'), Nich has got back to me to mention that:"I didn't mention in my posting that the US denied on several occasions that the video even existed. Liars as well as war criminals."And while I don't mean to single

Chriscohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11724092391390838428noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4596354719352503563.post-58920674105532052922007-02-07T03:34:00.000Z2007-02-07T03:34:47.885Z

There are a lot of very good reasons to question the value for the U.K. of having such a close relationship with the United States, but with all due respect to Nich Starling I am not sure that the matter of this video is one of them.The U.S., particularly the military, have become very sensitive, if you pardon the turn of phrase, to the declassification of information in the wake of 9/11. In

Chriscohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11724092391390838428noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4596354719352503563.post-69028486310448070942007-02-06T22:43:00.000Z2007-02-07T02:48:57.209Z

A report on tonight's Newsnight draws attention to certain Saudi Wahabi textbooks that are apparently used in the King Fahad Academy, a generally well-respected Islamic school in my manor of East Acton.There were truly objectionable references to Jews and Christians as "pigs and monkeys" in the books, but I am not sure whether I can agree with objections to the contention in one of them that

Chriscohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11724092391390838428noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4596354719352503563.post-34116999333841677702007-02-06T19:39:00.000Z2007-02-06T22:14:55.715Z

So, David Owen has been opining about how Ming Campbell should hand over the leadership of the Liberal Democrats to a "young Turk". O.K., so a man whose party (the S.D.P.) at its last electoral outing finished behind the Monster Raving Loony Party has given his opinion on the leadership of the Lib Dems. Fair enough. But rather more egregious is the coverage given to his remarks in The

Chriscohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11724092391390838428noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4596354719352503563.post-81918910238623796612007-02-02T15:40:00.000Z2007-02-02T16:04:16.482Z

At the risk of sounding a bit obsessive (which I am), I return to the topic of the TV show '24' and its depictions of torture. I really love the show, and have just been watching some more of series 4 on DVD (it's nowhere near as good as 1 and 2, but entertaining nonetheless).How the use of torture is portrayed on the show is interesting, though a little troubling (if you are opposed to the use

Chriscohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11724092391390838428noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4596354719352503563.post-26979214943925059482007-02-02T12:02:00.000Z2007-02-02T15:27:17.421Z

Senator Joe Biden launched his bid for the Democratic Presidential nomination on Wednesday. Unfortunately, it was accompanied by the most awful series of gaffes about his Democratic opponents, in particular a few very badly chosen words that were meant to compliment Barack Obama. You can see more below in what has now become the de rigeur 'Daily Show' interview that accompanies any figure in

Chriscohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11724092391390838428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4596354719352503563.post-88170082877086928012007-02-01T11:56:00.000Z2007-02-06T22:16:15.554Z

The shock news that Tony Blair was questioned again last Friday has just hit the airwaves.It seems that Yates of the Yard wanted Number 10 to keep schtum about the interview until Insp. Yates had another word in the ear of Lord Scooter Levy.It's clear that Blair himself is not going to face any charges over all this; it also looks like there are not going to be any charges under the 'cash for

Chriscohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11724092391390838428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4596354719352503563.post-7140115258132164322007-01-31T22:50:00.000Z2007-02-01T02:27:03.350Z

I first heard about what we now know is euphemistically called 'extraordinary rendition' about three or four years ago in the T.V. show '24'; I presumed it was an example of creative license, just like the C.T.U. (Counter Terrorist Unit) for whom Jack Bauer worked. I was very disturbed to discover I was wrong.In the past week, this practice has hit the headlines again, with a Canadian man

Chriscohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11724092391390838428noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4596354719352503563.post-33795993999577743772007-01-31T14:31:00.000Z2007-01-31T23:46:07.935Z

As Peter at Liberal Review has pointed out, over on Comment Is Free Martin Kettle has been questioning Ed Davey's assertion that the ongoing investigation into the 'Cash for Coronets' (© Andrew Rawnsley) affair has a "whiff of Watergate" about it. Martin Kettle asserts, rightly in my view, that one must be careful in making judgment before due process has been allowed to take its course. He is

Chriscohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11724092391390838428noreply@blogger.com0