Ban him? No, we need more of David Starkey’s idiocy on TV
Oh my, the horror! A man who is notorious for making idiotic statements on television has made some more idiotic statements on television.
Specifically, he’s saying that white people are turning into criminals because they have been in some way Blackified by malignant osmosis with some black people, who aren’t themselves criminals due to biological or racial characteristics – oh, heaven forfend that anyone should take it that way! – but because of “cultural factors”.
Seasoned idiot-watchers will notice that Cultural Factors are the new Biological or Racial Characteristics that are okay to cite in the press.
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‘Propaganda’ has become an excuse for our failure in Libya
Deborah Haynes, defence editor at the Times, writes these strange words in a piece bemoaning the snafu that is our latest war.
In a war of information and perception, the truth no longer matters. It is all about the message and in Libya, the regime is coming out on top.
(Times, 11th August)
It’s an odd column, listing the following points as presentational problems for Nato and the Libyan rebels:
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Confused on libertarians and hanging? You shouldn’t be
Chris Dillow finds the internet libertarians’ campaign to bring back hanging surprising.
Guido Fawkes is confusing me. He’s campaigning for the death penalty on the grounds that the public want it… And here’s my confusion. Guido has also long claimed to be a libertarian. But libertarianism and democracy conflict, simply because public opinion is on many issues very illiberal.
Luckily, I’m on hand to clear up any doubts and set the story straight.
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What are people like Melanie Phillips calling for then?
Melanie Phillips and the gaggle of paranoids that make up the internet’s nutty ‘Counter-Jihad’ movement are loudly insisting that they don’t advocate acts of violence or terrorism.
For now, let’s assume that’s true and move on from there.
What, exactly, do they imagine it is that they are advocating?
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Should lefties like Tescos?
Middle class lefties should pipe down when it comes to supermarkets. Decent, affordable food is an old socialist goal to be applauded, not opposed.
Thus starts New Labour pressure group Progress’ article on the joys of Tesco. And it continues in the same Guardian-baiting vein: Tiffany Rose designer wear… Sabatier carving knives… vegetarian restaurants… Hampstead liberals… chi-chi delicatessens… organic butchers… and so on and so forth, reminding us all that only the Hoorayest of Henries would harbour suspicions of Tesco’s benevolent schemes for the enrichment of humanity.
As I’ve noted before, arguments that come this heavily-larded with pre-emptive insults are usually attempting to smuggle some form of horseshit or other past the reader.
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Isn’t it time to re-think our (lack of) strategy in Libya?
I’ve been putting off revisiting the points I made before we started bombing Libya, for two reasons – first, the situation there is so murky and indecipherable that it’s difficult to assess, and second… Well, I don’t feel very good about saying some of this stuff while people are fighting and dying for their families and homes.
Nonetheless, I think it’s worth looking at this again.
Recall the atmosphere at the time, which was thick with the implication that opposition to a fresh bombing campaign was a ridiculous, childish concept, far outside the boundaries of political acceptability, and quite possibly tantamount to de facto support for Gaddafi’s goons.
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But who will think about the kids?
What’s not to love about this story?
A Toronto couple are defending their decision to keep their infant’s sex a secret in order to allow the child to develop his or her own gender identity… The boys are encouraged to choose their own clothing and hairstyles – even if that means wearing girls’ clothes – and to challenge gender norms.
Now, the caveat – people are free to raise their rugrats as they see fit. If Mum and Dad want to encourage junior to develop his or her own gender identity, it’s certainly not for me to interfere. That said, why not go the whole hog and name the poor kid Gaylord MacWoofter, then spend the next eighteen years flushing its head in the toilet themselves?
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There’s a reason why we keep selling weapons to dictators…
“That’s not an excuse, as some would argue, to claim that Arabs or Muslims can’t do democracy – the so-called Arab exception… For me, that’s a prejudice that borders on racism. It’s offensive and wrong and it’s simply not true,” said David Cameron yesterday, in answer to a question that nobody asked.
There’s been plenty of fun at Cameron’s expense, as yer internet critters gleefully pointed to Britain’s record of flogging weapons of mayhem and destruction to numerous enemies of the people, and why not do so?
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Is there any point complaining about a sensationalist media?
Let me get this out of the way before I start – I’m not an activist or a campaigner. For various reasons, I’m not a great joiner of campaigns or parties or a signer of petitions.
I’m more than happy to bump my gums about issue x, y or z online, but my net contribution to the UK’s political scene is zero. Thus, I try not to instruct people who actually get off their backsides and do things.
That said, I think we need to have a chat about strategy here. It seems to me that a lot of time is being wasted complaining about things that simply can’t be altered.
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A short guide to the financial crisis
In the aftermath of the financial crisis, it’d be difficult to find a finer example of modern democracy’s total inability to control the monster it’s created.
The US journalist MattTaibbi has another installment on how the major US banks’ rip-off is now crushing homeowners with the club of the state.
On the micro level, here’s how the scam worked:
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» We’re turning The Spirit Level into a film: help us in that goal
» I love the counter-productive attitude of right-wing commentators
» Watch out for the TPA’s report arguing for more cuts tomorrow
» The resurgence of bigoted conservatism in Ireland
» What’s the point of being ‘British’?
» The tragedy behind the Sam Hallam case
» Will JP Morgan be able to walk away from billion dollar losses?
» Labour is now even more reliant on left-wing voters
» We need the minimum wage for under-21s to be raised
» Has Liam Byrne discovered his conscience over disability benefits?
» Why the jobs crisis is far worse than headline figures
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