A Brief History of Corporate Whining

Via Alas, a blog.

It’s funny ’cause it’s true.

Naughty little peers, they are

I’m only really posting this because it makes me laugh. Not because I care enormously about it one way or t’other.

Peers respond to cash allegations

Two of the Labour peers at the centre of claims they were ready to take cash to change legislation have responded to the allegations in the House of Lords.

If there was ever a reason to reconsider the effectiveness of the structure of Parliament in this country, then surely this is it. You don’t need a moral conscience when you’ve got vaguely royal blood, it seems.

On the way home this evening, I heard Radio 4 play a recording of Lord Taylor’s conversation with the Times in which he discussed a bribe, followed by Lord Taylor telling the House of Lords that he doesn’t think he’s done anything wrong. The juxtaposition was priceless.

In his defence, he did sound a bit dottery. Well, when he was addressing the Lords anyway. Less so when he was talking cold hard cash. Frankly, I feel he was selling himself cheap for a grand. Apparently, he often gets offered £25,000 to pull a few strings. Marvellous!

Who wants to bet me 20p that the Lords in question get away with it? That’s how it rolls here, no?

If you don’t fancy that game, play this one instead. Get more metaphors into one paragraph than Lord Strathclyde does here. I don’t think it’s possible, myself.

“This House has been mired in a grim torrent of criticism about a culture of sleaze,” he told peers. “If these allegations are true those involved have shamed this House,” he said, adding there were no “grey areas in the paid advocacy rules”.

I love politics.

Oh…

… President Obama, I do love you. I don’t care that you noticeably paused for applause and greatly overdid the rhetoric in places; that’s how you Americans do things, and we’re all used to it by now.

You’re still my new hero.

Full text if you missed it.

[Lazy blogging] McCain

From popbitch:

For anyone that didn’t know. John McCain was at the bottom of his military class at Annapolis, but still got to pilot a fighter plane due to his father’s connections. He is the son and the grandson of admirals. He finished 894 [out] of 899 in his graduating class. Despite crashing five aircraft, John McCain was never disciplined. And son-of-single-mother Obama is, of course, the privileged elitist.

Well of course. *rolls eyes*

Who cares what you think?

No shocks to hear of this sort of thing from the world’s favourite mass murderer, George W Bush.

From: “Bill Hangley, Jr.”
Subject: His Gift To Us
Date: Mon, 9 Jul 2001 19:05:38 -0400

So when the President was here on July 4, I had the opportunity to shake his hand. I wasn’t sure if that was a good idea or not but I did it anyway, and said to him, “Mr President, I hope you only serve four years. I’m very disappointed in your work so far.”

He kept smiling and shaking my hand but answered, “who cares what you think?” His face stayed photo-op perfect but his eyes gave me a look that said, if we’d been drinking in some frathouse in Texas, he’d've happily answered, “let’s take it outside.” A nasty little gleam. But he was (fortunately) constrained by Presidential propriety.

But that was the end of it, until I turned away and started scribbling the quote down in my notepad, so as to remember The Gift forever. When he saw me do that he got excited and craned his neck over the rubberneckers to shout at me, “who are you with? Who are you with?” People started looking so he made a joke: “make sure you get it right.” But he kept at it: “Who do you write for?” I told him I wasn’t “with” anybody and pointed to one of his staff people, who knows me a little, and said, “ask him, he’ll tell you.” Then I split.

Half an hour later, my boss (who had helped organize the event we were at) came up to me and said, “did you really tell the President that he was doing a ‘lousy fucking job’?” No way, I said, I was very polite, I just told him what I thought. Fortunately, he believed me. He wasn’t happy with me, but he believed me.

But anyway, if you ever wondered if the Prez really was kind of a jerk, I’m here to tell you, he is, and I got The Gift to prove it. I’m thinking of making up t-shirts so we can share The Gift with everyone:

“Who cares what you think?”

- President George W. Bush, July 4, 2001

Link (via Graham Linehan).

DNA. It could happen to you.

Now, I enjoy Stephen Colbert as much as the next person, but I do find him very inappropriate at times. Yes, I understand that it’s satire – and I do love me some satire – but there are some issues around us today which are not to be laughed at.

This week, one of the shows on The Colbert Report was called: “DNA. It could happen to you.” That’s not an offensive title by any means, and he was humourous about the science of DNA etc., but I object to the segment he did with a former prisoner who had recently been released when contrary DNA evidence was presented in his case. Colbert’s interview with the man – who was by no means as articulate or quick as Colbert – was based on the assertion that Colbert, as a ‘law and order man’, believed this chap’s conviction should not be overturned with DNA evidence.

It was all said in jest of course, and we weren’t supposed to be taking Colbert seriously, but I find making fun of such a serious issue objectionable. Innocent people have been executed because there’s been a lack of DNA evidence to clear their names; and now that such evidence is obtainable, I think it’s irresponsible to mock its use.

I’ll always laugh at Colbert’s reports on trivial matters, but when he starts to get derisory about crime and justice issues in a prison- and death-penalty-friendly country like America, it becomes unacceptable.

Mass hysterica and our culture of fear

My friend writes in another friend’s livejournal today:

None of us are safe you know. I’ve been to two school fetes this weekend and I wasn’t searched at either of them. If that isn’t just asking for trouble I don’t know what is…

I reply:

You are joking?! If I’m not stopped and frisked at least three times on the way home from work today, I’m going to phone the FBI!*

I can’t help but think that there’s a terrible lot of fussing going on about nothing here, and I’m not saying that just because I’m a Child of the Troubles. For starters, I would be a lot more convinced of the validity of the Critical Terror Threat if the cars in London had been loaded with Semtex, for example. I can’t see how gas (particularly that amount) could have blown up half the city; and I’m pretty sure the handful of nails found at the scene couldn’t have done too much damage either. Of course, I could be wrong.

In any case, I think that everyone should just calm down, and save their energy for when Al Queda really threaten to strike. Because byjaysus, you can be sure that they will.

That’s all I have to say on the matter. Thank you.

– –

* To which my friend replies:

We were talking about national security, not your sexual deviances…

Yes, but that’s a whole other matter entirely!

Abortion case in Ireland

There’s a very serious and interesting appeal case going on in Ireland at the moment. A girl, Miss D, who is age 17, wants to travel to England for an abortion, but is being prohibited from doing so by the courts. Abortion is still illegal in the Republic of Ireland unless there is a risk to the life of the mother, but many women travel to England or Wales each year to have terminations, and they do so legally.

The current case involves a a young girl who is in the care of the Health Service Executive, and who is carrying a foetus which, apparently, will not be able to survive outside the womb. Logic would suggest that this is an open and shut case – what is the point, after all, in continuing with the pregnancy? – but not so in Catholic Ireland. The elements of her case are threefold:

1. She is challenging the court order placing her in care, because it restricts her leaving the country.
2. She is challenging the Health Service Executive’s decision instructing the gardaí (police) to stop her leaving the country.
3. She is challenging the Health Service Executive’s decision to refuse to let her travel to terminate the pregnancy unless there’s a risk she’ll commit suicide.

I understand that the main impediment to her termination is simply that she’s in care and that the Health Service Executive has been granted a court order against her travelling for an abortion. In any other circumstances, she would have been allowed to go without question; it seems that the Health Service Executive is really just trying to protect itself by stopping her. As if she doesn’t have enough to contend with…

The case has gripped all of Ireland, unsurprisingly, and could have many political ramifications because the Taoiseach (prime minister) recently called for a general election. I’m not sure that the abortion laws will ever change in Ireland, but it’s high time they were revisited. Perhaps now they will be.

In any case, the appeal is being heard tomorrow, and I’ll be keeping a keen eye. And, as it happens, I’m going to be in Ireland so I’ll be able to hear a lot more about it than I would here. Naturally, Irish pro-lifers are protesting the appeal with all their might, but I’m hopeful they’ll make little difference. And, unless I just haven’t noticed, the Church is being suspiciously quiet on this.

I’m vehemently pro-choice in case you hadn’t noticed. In fact, I don’t even stop at ‘pro-choice’: I’m say I’m pro-abortion and be done with it. Because I am.

Fingers crossed.

– –

[Edit: Thankfully, it seems that she’ll win her appeal. I hope so]

Northern Ireland devolution

Sweet mother Mary and the orphans: NI peace deal.

NI deal struck in historic talks

Ian Paisley and Gerry Adams, sitting side by side for their first news conference in Stormont, confirmed that power-sharing would begin on 8 May.

Mr Paisley said the DUP was committed to full participation in government and Mr Adams said it was a “new era”.

Tony Blair said it was a very important day for the people of Northern Ireland.

I never thought I would see this day. Not only are Gerry Adams and Ian Paisley in the same room, but they’re at the same table agreeing to the same principles about what is best for our beautiful home.

This news makes me so very happy I could cry.

Giuliani and Reid

Today is one fucking appointment and arrangment after another (with the last one at 8.30 tonight), and I’m going to get no writing done at all. I haven’t got any writing done in too long, but I suppose I was in Ireland for a while.

I need to drink more coffee, very quickly, or I’ll never get through it all.

And why the hell is it so cold in our house in the mornings? My feet and hands are surely about to fall off.

The BBC website is my favourite place in the world, and I spend way too much time there. That would be another reason for the non-writing sometimes, I suppose.

But look: Giuliani joins race for president.

Former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani has officially joined the running for the Republican nomination for the 2008 US presidential election. The Federal Election Commission said Mr Giuliani had filed a “statement of candidacy” – a one-page form outlining a candidate’s wish to seek office.

Does this make anyone else giggle? Not only is it the the 40th (approx.) person running for the White House but it’s Giuliani! That just doesn’t fit or something. It’s just stooopid. Mind you, I’ll cut my arm off if he gets in.

Oh and this: Sex register to include email.

Sex offenders could be forced to register their e-mail addresses to prevent them approaching children on the internet, the government says. Home Secretary John Reid said he was also considering making paedophiles add their chatroom names to their other details on the Sex Offenders Register.

If there are any more temporary things in the world than email addresses and online IDs, I would like you to tell me. Sex offenders put their handles on the sex offender register and turn around and make new ones the next day. He’s forgotten that a sex offender is generally much, much smarter than your average offender. Job’s a good ‘un. John Reid has, once again, conjured up a totalitarian idea which can only serve to increase bureaucracy ten-fold with little positive effect. Of course, it’s only a gesture to placate the proletariat because Reid, like Blair, never fails to assume that we can’t see through these sorts of policies. Were it not for the fact that Blair has hair and Reid doesn’t, I would think that they were clones. Maybe he and Giuliani are clones…

Man, I’m running late already.