Some Tuesday thoughts about Tuesdays

Apologies for lack of blog action lately, readers. Mr B and I have been most busy of late. Normal service to resume soon.

But for now, some Tuesday thoughts about Tuesdays and some topical things in the press.

Is this just 'anti-Zionism', then, Mr Mayor?

The Telegraph has a piece out today about a rise in anti-Semitic attacks on Jews in Malmo, Sweden. These days, such worrying occurrences are increasingly common in Europe and they tend to bring with them a worrying taste of de ja vu. Particularly in the current climate of the day.

According to the piece:

"Malmo's Jews, however, do not just point the finger at bigoted Muslims and their fellow racists in the country's Neo-Nazi fringe. They also accuse Ilmar Reepalu, the Left-wing mayor who has been in power for 15 years, of failing to protect them.

Mr Reepalu, who is blamed for lax policing, is at the centre of a growing controversy for saying that what the Jews perceive as naked anti-Semitism is in fact just a sad, but understandable consequence of Israeli policy in the Middle East.

While his views are far from unusual on the European liberal-left, which is often accused of a pro-Palestinian bias, his Jewish critics say they encourage young Muslim hotheads to abuse and harass them."

Now, why does this fail to surprise me? This is precisely how the modern 'left' positions itself on such matters. You will handily find such bizarre logic in the warped minds of leftists in Britain, France, America, Australia and the world over. It seems that sickening hatred has been identified, contained and attacked when found on the right. But for years, no-one has sought to challenge left wing turf over modern 'acceptable hatreds'.

Nick Cohen's 'What's Left?' talks about these issues in a wider context. I recommend buying and reading this book.

Pushing the Belgrano # 2 out...

The last week or so has seen some very curious news coming out of the South Atlantic, namely Argentina and the Falklands. Argentina have decided to choose now as the best moment in history to, once again, stake an aggressive claim over the Falkland Islands.

There are various reasons for this, and as usual in politics, none of them are reasons which are espoused by politicians and propaganda organs. Firstly, Argentina is doing an Iran - it is using foreign policy as a tool to distract from serious domestic social and political problems. In other words, pick on someone in the playground so the attention is taken away from your big nose and bad breath.

Secondly, sabre rattling over this issue is a great vote chaser for the nationalist Argentinian government.

But thirdly, and most importantly, Argentina smells our weakness and they realise that it might be a bit of a 'now or never' moment in their sad, inadequate, ex-colonial history. We are militarily over-stretched. We are broke. We are run by a pathetic two-bob broken Labour government. We have shot our reputation to shreds, thanks to Blair, we are economically no longer in the top 10, and the conservative opposition astonishingly lacks any kind of Thatcher figure.

Shall we just hand over the deeds now, and save Fleet Street the bother of wasting acres of forest writing about it all?

"We want 'em back, we're takin' 'em back and what yer gonna do about it?" "Fuck all", is the answer.

Britain - the degenerate gamblers of the West

According to the hilariously pro-Labour Party supporting, biased, shit-rag known to some as the Guardian, the IMF (yeah, the dirty capitalist IMF!) has come out and said Labour are right to delay cuts in public spending and that their plan is necessary for proper recovery.

Lovely stuff. So, where state action causes a problem in the first instance (deliberate cultivation of a bloated public sector and loads of extra-non-jobs), the answer is...more state action and intervention. 'Oops, I just spent loads of money, the only way to solve the problem is to spend more money...'

In a perverse way, the IMF have some logic. They are saying this, because we are absolutely fucked and to withdraw spending now may well be like taking methadone from a junkie. And Labour and the left wing press somehow present Labour's strategy as a moral, good and sensible approach. The bare-faced cheek is so astonishing and brazen, I'm actually quite impressed. The electorate really are that fucking stupid. What with so many people warming to Labour after the whole 'Tears for Piers' business.

I liken the left's 'plan' for the economy (carry on borrowing, delay cuts and savings) and the IMF's endorsement of it to the logic of convincing a degenerate gambler that for him to recoup his losses, or to stave off disaster by winning some of it back, he has to double-down and carry on fighting the casino. As opposed to the alternative plan of walking out, signing a 'self-ban' form and going back to work.

"GOTCHA!"

The left's solution is nothing more than a stupid and hopeless plan. One that will ensnare us all and future generations in deep, painful penury. America has sold its guts to China, we're hot on their heels.

When you owe bucks, you don't keep spending. You look under the bonnet at the root cause of the whole sorry fuck-up, and you make changes accordingly.

At this rate, we'll be begging the Argentinians to take the Falklands off us to save a few quid. Hell, we might, if clever, negotiate a smart little back-hander sale and make some money on the deal. Enough to pay a few weeks worth of interest to the debt marketeers in the far East.

And then who'll be sneering 'GOTCHA!' at whom on the front pages of the nationals?

My, doesn't history have a funny way of turning everything on its head?