Give Iran the bomb: it might make the regime more pliable
You see, if I were an Iranian politician, my mind would be made up. If we were all sitting in Teheran and puffing our post-breakfast pipes and pondering the question of Iranian nukes, I am afraid that we might come to a very different answer.
Wednesday 4th October 2006
Conference choice debate.
Chaired by Theresa Villiers MP, Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury.
Panel:
Anna Soubry, + Gedling PPC in 2005, Conservative PPC for Broxtowe
Matthew Parris, Journalist
Boris Johnson MP, Shadow Higher Education Minister.
The debate choice was:
1. Road pricing is the future
2. Is Jamie Oliver a national hero?
3. Supermarkets have too much power.
4. We like the new look conference.
The choice made by the audience was #2: Is Jamie Oliver a national hero?
The panel was introduced and the Chair focused immediately on Boris Johnson in the light of the furore surrounding his alleged comments regarding Jamie Oliver at the conference. Johnson embraced this opportunity with gusto and declared himself to be not only in support of the motion but, in response to a muttered comment from the panel, that he is a determined member of the pie-eating liberation front. Also that the BBC had told him they were at a loss as to how his comments had been reported upside down.
Boris had pointed out that while schools are going to the often unfunded expense of ‘providing alfalfa or what have you’, as long as the children have the choice of crisps and junk food then it will be ‘difficult’ to persuade them to chose the healthy option and what is needed is a completely paternalistic approach. With not enough funding from central government, Boris simply voiced that he didn’t know how the initiative would work without parents’ support and an ‘eat what you’re given approach’.
Matthew Parris then told us he had bumped into William Hague and, as a short notice replacement, had asked him for advice on this issue. “Support the issue” was apparently Hague’s advice, “and if Boris was suggesting otherwise..”, “I wasn’t” added Boris. “But on personalities” continued Matthew Parris, ” support Boris” to loud agreement from the audience. Parris then made a serious point: In politics we want politicians to speak their minds and when they do we shoot them down in flames. Parris then recounted the press feeding frenzy over Boris and that Boris had been subjected to a circle of ‘about 200 photographers’ whilst he wrote an article.
Comments in favour or against the motion were then invited from the floor.
Continue reading Party Conference Choice Debate 06 – Jamie Oliver
I shouldn’t be pelted with pies for asking difficult questions
‘But what was it all about?” said a kindly woman on my left as I arrived late for dinner last night in Bournemouth. “I mean, what did you actually say?” she asked, as I slumped into my chair.
I felt like a wrung-out dish cloth. It was like being a survivor of the Jalalabad gulch. For a whole 10 minutes I had been dandled before the maniac eyes of the media King Kong. This way and that it had prodded me as it roared its incomprehensible roar and bathed me in the terrifying afflatus of its nostrils, and at the end of the experience, frankly, I was just as baffled as my friend.
Of course, Saddam should be tried, but it makes no sense to do it against a background of a civil war in which he is, alas, still a figurehead
Saddam is being tried when the war to remove him is increasingly recognised as a disaster
Saddam’s trial wouldn’t pass for justice in a dictatorship
There is one last excuse for those of us who were so trusting as to support the war in Iraq — and that excuse is disintegrating before our eyes.
We were soon proved wrong in our assumption that the Pentagon had serious plans for post-war reconstruction: the Americans hadn’t a clue. We were hopelessly wrong in imagining that the Iraqis would somehow work together to build a brighter tomorrow: they are engaged in a civil war of ever mounting savagery.
Continue reading Saddam’s Trial – Iraq and post-war reconstruction
Nick Clarke chaired this week’s Any Questions from Hanbury, Worcestershire
The panel:
JACQUI SMITH MP, Chief whip
BORIS JOHNSON MP, Shadow Higher Education Minister
CHRIS HUHNE MP, Lib Dem Environment & Rural Affairs spokesman
QUENTIN LETTS, Daily Mail parliamentary sketch-writer
Question 1
Does the panel think that the United States needs to bring its diplomacy out of the stoneage?
The Chair clarified the question as referring to Richard Armitage from the State Dept., quoted by the President of Pakistan that Pakistan would be bombed into the stoneage if they didn’t co-operate after the 9/11 attacks.
CH thought that US diplomatic outfit “extremely good” but there was a question as to the leadership from The White House. He thought the current US policy extremely anti-diluvian towards the freedom of manoeuvre that countries can have. He wished we’d been more independent in drawing to the attention of the White House the long term damage US foreign policy on Iraq and, more recently, the Lebanon, had caused.
Boris thought that, as far as he knew, the quote by Mr Armitage had been denied. He stated that the fact is, it’s the kind of thing you can imagine someone from the Bush administration saying and that “that is the terrible truth”. This does feed into the kind of anti-Americanism which is sadly on the rise. Boris thought it a “great shame” that the Bush administration, by the use of that “cowboy language” at the beginning of the War on Terror did provoke international disquiet, and in the minds of a lot of sensible people in this country is starting to feed suspicions and anxiety about America. Boris thought that would be “tragic”. But there’s no doubt that things that do come out of the Bush administration do feed into that caricature. “If they want our support and they deserve our support” said Boris, “they have to be a little bit more diplomatic in the way they engage the rest of the world’s sympathy.”
JS agreed with Boris and reminded everyone that Bush wouldn’t always be President.
QL thought Richard Armitage looked like a wrestler and that his diplomacy seemed to match his appearance.
It is .. utterly incredible that the state should now be trying to prolong our national car seat agony
individual choice .. or .. international coercion
Has Labour gone finally potty in asking the cops to spend their time poking their noses into the back seats of our cars…
We need proper standing committees with the power to mandate ministers, and to refuse to accept directives even if they are decided at a majority vote
Brussels is taking a big liberty with children’s booster seats
Of all the sensations of joy and release that Nature in her kindness has bestowed on the human race, there is little or nothing to beat the moment when you get rid of the baby’s car seat.
It beats getting off a long-haul flight. It beats taking off a pair of ill-fitting ski-boots after a hard day on the slopes. It verges, frankly, on the orgasmic. As you take the wretched thing to Oxfam, you thank your stars that never again will you have to grapple with that incomprehensible buckle.
Never again will you stand sweating over your baby as it screams and writhes and sticks yoghurt in your ear. Never again will you have that struggle of wills, as the child’s efforts to escape become ever more desperate and violent, and you grow later and later in setting off on your journey.
For children and parents alike that precious moment – when it is deemed that the offspring are capable of sitting on their own in the back with only a seat belt – is one of the pleasures of growing up. It is a rite of passage, a moment of pride and childish prestige.
If you want to know at what age boys start talking then go here and find the best information. Language milestones are successes that mark various stages of language development. They are both receptive and expressive (speech).
Continue reading Children’s Car Booster Seats and EC Directive
The best thing Yvette can do is stop forcing houses on the South and let the market work, so that people seek cheaper accommodation in places like West Yorkshire
Head oop North and save the golden couple’s marriage
It is a tough time for Ed and Yvette, the nearest thing the Government has to a golden couple. You remember who I mean. He is Ed Balls, the Chancellor’s jut-chinned henchman; she is Yvette Cooper, the elfin housing minister who reduces the Tories opposite to pathetic simpering croons.
They are the kind of dynastic union that Hollywood used to produce – the closest the Yorkshire Parliamentary Labour Party has yet come to Bogart and Bacall. Apart from the ghastly, bossy, high-taxing politics they both espouse, they are as charming and fortunate a pair as you could hope to meet in Westminster. But now their union – this marriage of minds and hearts – has been struck by tragedy.
Continue reading Ed Balls and Yvette Cooper – Boundary Commission
Blair has nothing more to say to us: he should go at once
Whom the gods wish to destroy, they first make mad. You have only to read the latest memo from Downing Street to see that something in the bunker has finally snapped. Maybe they are putting Orozac in the water cooler. Maybe they’ve disconnected the television. Maybe they have special dummy editions of the papers, produced by Alastair Campbell’s gnomes in the dungeons and then brought up on silver salvers to where Tony and Cherie recline on their couches and dangle grapes into their crazy mouths.
Here we are, with British soldiers being killed almost daily in Iraq and Afghanistan on missions that are growing in scale and horror. We have rises in gun crime, rises in unemployment, rises in interest rates — and these flaming lunatics in Downing Street seriously expect the nation to line the streets with bunting and shower Tony with confetti as he goes on a six-month lap of honour, a “farewell tour” in which he accepts the praises of a smiling people.
There’s no more NHS. There’s an EHS and an SHS
There’s nothing national about the National Health Service
As anyone will know who has witnessed the death of a relative from multiple myeloma, it can be a grim way to go. Your very marrow is in revolt, as the cancer takes over the blood-making processes.
Since it could happen to any of us, I hope you will concentrate for a second on the case of a constituent of mine, a distinguished and charming author. When I last met him, he was running the second-hand book stall at the fête, and seemed very cheerful. I did not know it, but he was already well down the track that begins with radiography and then goes on to chemotherapy and stem-cell transplants. You can hop over to these guys to learn more about stem cell therapy. When we talk about kratom, there is no doubt that there are different variants and strains available. We have green kratom, red kratom, yellow kratom, and white kratom. However, in this article, we will be spending some time getting to know more about Red Horn kratom. Strongest purple strains is considered to be one of the most popular, potent and effective strains that is available in the market today. There are many reasons as to why there is such a big demand and positive feedback about this strain. It also is referred to as an unpredictable strain by a few because it is known to work differently for different persons. However, there is no denying the fact that the effects can be quite strong when compared to other variants of kratom that is available in the market today. It would, therefore, be interesting to have a closer look at the same so that readers and end-users are able to have a better understanding of the same. why not check here for Red Horn kratom. Kratom is a Southeast Asian-grown herb that is increasing in popularity for what are the claims that it offers pain-relieving properties, mood enhancement, assists in opiate withdrawal, with other positive benefits being gradually recognized such as the idea that the plant has the potential to promote good sleep. Noon proposition having insomnia better than many medications on the market and, as it is all-natural, it is a preferred alternative. Those who suffer from insomnia know too well the effects that the condition has on their day-to-day lives including drops in energy levels, increased mood swings, and lack of productivity. The manufacturers of Kratom insist that this will no longer be an issue with the ideal dose of this compound for each individual specific for their needs. It is claimed that it will not only alleviate the lack of sleep but assist with pain, uplift bad moods, and reduce anxiety. This strain might not be the right variety for a sensitive user as it offers the best kratom for sleep which induces a sedative effect along with a white vein Kratom that provides energy boosts. This is something more experienced users would benefit from. The Ultra has a high alkaloid content. This product could be a blend of two different strains, two of the same strain, or there could be red and white Kratom. Other Ultra has the possibility of blending two types of red veins. It could result in two effects that are incompatible as we mentioned which is why it would not be suitable for the sensitive.
Now he has come to the last drug in humanity’s current pharmacopoeia. It is called Velcade, and it is a good drug, fully licensed in this country. His doctors have told him that it would improve the quality of his life, and perhaps prolong it by two to five years. The red thai kratom will prove very useful to all the people who have a tough time getting quality sleep. This strain can easily replace prescription drugs as it will induce high-quality sleep needless to say that you will also reap various other benefits from it. The ability of Red Thai Kratom to aid in sleeping comes from its relaxation properties. It helps to clear your brain and neural pathways, bringing you into a restful state that will give you high-quality sleep for a decent duration. With quality sleep comes improved productivity and a healthier life. Kratom is relatively new in the Western world, which means a lot regarding the herb is still unknown. In as much as this is a bad thing as it limits our knowledge on its long term effects, it does work in favor of some people in various ways. One of such is that not a lot of workspaces are interested in testing for Kratom since they don’t even know what it is and its effects. You should have a peek here for the best kratom drug test reviews. A majority of the standard drug tests that are done on employees and by law enforcement are not engineered to detect the presence of Kratom. Actually, Kratom will only show up in a drug test that is specially developed for just that purpose.
It is available free in the healthcare systems of virtually every other European country; and yet he cannot get it in Oxfordshire. It is not available to him, or anyone else, on the Oxfordshire NHS.
That’s It Uncle Sam
Right. That’s it. Entre nous c’est terminé. After 42 happy years I am getting a divorce from America. From the very emerging of my childhood consciousness I have been aware that in the eyes of billions of people around the world I have won first prize in the lottery of life. I possess it, the thing competed for by everyone from Rupert Murdoch to the most desperate Mexican wetback, and I have it by simple dint of my nativity, on the Puerto Rican Health Scheme, in New York General Hospital, NY, NY.
I am entitled to an American passport. I must confess that this knowledge used vaguely to tinge my sense of identity. My brothers and sisters are British, and so are my parents, and I would like you to know that I am a loyal subject of Her Majesty, speak in an English accent, and for years I have travelled exclusively on a British passport. But my first passport was green, and when we landed at Dover or Heathrow I felt secretly cool to be the one to present his document to be stamped.