Why Has The British Press Taken Its Eye Off The Ball?
May 31, 2009
Thomas Mathew writes: What is wrong with British newspapers? I ask this because after more than three weeks of continuous reporting about the expenses scandal involving members of parliament surely the matter should now be left to the tax and legal authorities.And why is it that all the newspapers obsessively reproduce the facts that are published by the Daily Telegraph? They must realise that we, the readers, are aware that they are simply copying the Telegraph. It is a well known fact that DT paid money for the documents so everything others report is simply a rewrite. Not to mention that the novelty of the revelations has gone a bit thin by now. Gone completely, I would even say. Get a grip on things, dear editors and deputy editors. The world does not rotate around parliamentary expenses. But...
A Nation Gets The Parliament It Deserves. But Enough Is Enough
May 30, 2009
Thomas Mathew writes: Were British politicians to have morals, integrity and dignity, then they and the whole country would not be in such an appalling state. Many politicians are, in fact, failed lawyers and some have never had a proper job in their whole lives. And there is not one member of the cabinet who has served in the armed forces. The fact of the matter is that people no longer go into politics in order to give their time to the nation to try and make a positive contribution with a view to improving the quality of life of people. Sadly, politicians now see it as a means to try and have a similar lifestyle as members of the aristocracy used to have many years ago, without having to do an honest days work for an honest days pay. Our politicians seem to have learnt nothing about human...
China’s Arms Sales Rise While Those of Russia Fall
May 30, 2009
Martin McCauley writes: Despite the world economic downturn one industry keeps on expanding: the arms industry. The world leader is, of course, the United States followed by Great Britain, France and other developed economies. But now a new competitor has entered the race: China. Its expanding economy has a voracious appetite for raw materials and hydrocarbons and its state owned companies have been planting themselves round the globe.When it comes to arms sales, China has a great advantage over its rivals. It can accept payment in kind. For instance, Zambia can exchange copper for weapons. Kenya is even negotiating with China over fishing rights to pay for more guns and bullets. One would not, of course, expect China to publish accurate statistics about its arms sales. Information has to be...
Muqtada Al Sadr Wants To Become The Next Ayatollah
May 28, 2009
Martin McCauley writes: Remember Muqtada al Sadr? The Shia cleric commanded of the Mahdi army in Basra and al-Sadr City who made life hell for British troops in the south. They were even confined to barracks in an attempt to save themselves. The days of winning hearts and minds by patrolling without heavy armour and equipment were long past. The British found that the local police were unreliable and had no intention of taking on the Mahdi army. Since Britain was not willing to take the army on, Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, a fellow Shia, decided he would. The Iraqi army launched an attack, with some help from the Americans, and blew the Mahdi army away in the spring of 2008.Muqtada al-Sadr had already moved to the Iranian city of Qom in 2007 to pursue theological studies which would eventually...
A Cynical Look At Politics. And At Geography
May 27, 2009
Adam Lovejoy writes: So, North Korea is at it again: testing the world’s patience with its nuclear tests. That madman Kim thinks that he can starve his nation while blowing money on nuclear bombs and missiles. Why on earth do we tolerate that scumbag? Why don’t we send our crack troops to Pyongyang and whack the bastard? It would be a lot cheaper than introducing sanctions and monitoring them. And the people of North Korea would be eternally grateful to us. If President Obama has any metal in him this is the time to prove it. And speaking of President Obama: don’t you get a feeling that he is not doing very much? How, for example, is he tackling the economic crisis in the U.S.? All that stimulus money seems to be wasted on silly things. The bankers are playing games and not...
Turkey And Brazil To Search For Oil and Gas In The Black Sea
May 27, 2009
Martin McCauley writes: Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has recently visited Turkey. Before that he had visited China and Saudi Arabia as part of his world tour. His main aim was to expand bilateral trade. President Lula da Silva told Turkish businessmen that the two countries had so far failed to realise their full potential for cooperation. Brazil, he said, would welcome increased Turkish investment. Trade turnover this year will be about $1.5 billion. Areas in which there was great scope for cooperation included energy, construction, the automobile industry, production of household appliances and tourism. The Brazilian President also stressed that the multibillion stimulus package which is underway in Brazil at present would ensure continued rapid growth and ensure its recovery...
The Parliamentary Expenses Scandal: It Is Just The Tip Of The Iceberg
May 26, 2009
Thomas Mathew writes from France: As I watch, from a chateau in France, how the scandal surrounding the expenses of British members of parliament continues to unravel – with more revelations of MP’s expensive habits surfacing every day – I start to wonder whether anyone in Britain actually believes that their elected representatives are only guilty of bending the rules and abusing the system but not of committing any serious misdemeanours. Let me clarify this: does anyone really believe that a member of parliament who can easily put in a claim for interest on a non-existent mortgage or for furniture that went someplace else would not be involved in other forms of corruption? The expenses scandal is probably just the tip of the iceberg. It is hard to accept that anyone who...
We Present Another Instalment Of The Thriller The Debt Collector.
May 26, 2009
Today we present the fourth instalment of the futuristic political thriller The Debt Collector st in post-Putin Russia. To read the first three instalments please go to the box wuth the book’s cover on the right hand side of the home page and click on it. The ‘plan’ that General Komarov mentioned in his conversation with President Abramov was something the two had first started to discuss while they were still stationed in Chechnya. Together they pondered the future of Russia, imagining what they would do if, by some strange twist of fate, they were propelled to power. They could never have imagined then, even in their wildest dreams, that one day they’d actually find themselves in a position to implement their ideas. Both men were convinced that Russia could not...
China’s Coal Industry: Production Or Safety First?
May 25, 2009
Martin McCauley writes: China mines more coal than any other leading economy. It also is more dependent on the fossil fuel for energy than anyone else. Unfortunately it also has the worst safety record among leading coal producers. This was underlined in February at the Tunlan coal mine in Shanxi province when a methane blast killed 78 miners. Official figures state that since the founding of the People’s Republic, in October 1949, over 250,000 miners have lost their lives. Unofficial sources put the figure much higher. The fatality rate in 2008 was 1.2 deaths per million tonnes of coal mined. The economic downturn now means that there is a coal surplus in China. This may provide an opportunity to review safety procedures and save lives in the future. The coal industry is divided into...
Silvio Berlusconi Has Decided To Launch A Revolution. Or Is It A One Man Coup?
May 23, 2009
Adam Lovejoy writes from Rome: Say what you will about Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi but he is a man who enjoys the trappings of power and is not afraid to show it. He is probably one of the few leaders in Europe who manages to combine his busy official schedule with a colourful private life. One of the young women that he has been linked with, 18-year old Noemi Letizia who calls him ‘Papi’, has landed him in trouble after his wife, Veronica Lario, announced that she was tired of his womanising and was getting a divorce. Although it is quite understandable that young women must be attracted to Mr Berlusconi, what with his rugged good looks, shiny new hair that has settled in perfectly and, most importantly, with all that power that he oozes and the billions that he posses....
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