As US Troops Are Preparing To Cut And Run, We Ask: Will Democracy Triumph In Iraq?
March 15, 2010
Adam Lovejoy writes: As the US troops are preparing to cut and run from Iraq, having been mostly hiding in their fortified bases for the last 6 months or so, we pose a question that is bothering all Iraqis: will democracy triumph in their country? The latest parliamentary elections that have not yet produced any results, due to complicated rigging procedures, have proven once again that Iraq has stepped on the path of democracy and is not going to be deterred from it by anything. According to Iraqi government officials, the green shoots of freedom can now be seen practically everywhere in the country. ‘Even when American troops run off,’ one official said, ‘the people would still prefer to live in the chaos and uncertainty of democracy, rather than have an orderly dictatorship, with its...
Stupidity Watch: The Triumph Of ‘Democracy’ In Afghanistan
November 3, 2009
R.F.Wilson writes: The farce that is called the ‘building of democracy in Afghanistan’ continues: President Hamid Karzai has been declared a winner in the presidential election after his only opponent, Dr Abdullah Abdulla, pulled out from the second round of voting, saying that he saw no point in taking part in the process that was deeply flawed and corrupt. Once Mr Abdullah disappeared from the scene, the Independent Election Commission, which is a hundred percent pro-Karzai, hastily proclaimed him the winner and all the Western nations, headed by the US and Britain, rushed to congratulate him. It all looked very, very odd. The whole point of the presidential election, especially its second round that was supposed to take place on November 7, was intended to show to the whole world...
A Cynical Glance At Events Around The World
October 21, 2009
Well, there you have it: there’ll be a second round of presidential elections in Afghanistan on November 7, with the incumbent President, Hamid Karzai, standing against his main rival, a man with a strange name of Abdullah Abdullah, who probably lost in the first round because most people thought that there were two people named Abdullah running as a tandem, and did not want to vote for them. In the previous round, if you care to know, Mr Karzai had received 55 per cent of the votes and the Abdullah ‘duo’ got a very respectable 28 per cent. As the Afghan constitution, a document that no one has ever seen, specifies that anyone, who gets over 50 per cent of the votes in presidential elections, should be declared the winner, President Karzai did just that: declared himself the...
On Building ‘Democracy’ In Afghanistan. And The Hypocrisy That Surrounds It
October 11, 2009
Thomas Mathew writes: Do you not sometimes wonder whether politicians actually understand that what they are saying makes no sense at all? None at all. Or do they simply lie to us and hope that no one will notice? Let me give you an example. Last August ‘democratic’ presidential elections took place in Afghanistan, under the watchful eye of 100,000 occupying NATO troops. You may even remember that the West sent additional thousands of troops into the southern Helmand province to provide conditions for the Afghan voters to exercise their democratic right without fearing for their lives. The operation codenamed Panther Claw was supposedly a huge success and helped to pacify the resistance in Helmand. Around 100 American and British soldiers died during that operation, but as a result...
A Cynical Look At Outpourings Of Jubilation. What’s The Point?
October 5, 2009
In the past week we have witnessed huge numbers of people rejoicing on the streets of their respective cities, in their respective nations, due to different reasons. Scenes of jubilation broadcast across the world included loud laughter, screaming, tears of joy and even hysterical shaking and hugging of random people. Happiness radiated on the faces of men, women and children. Now let us get all these outpourings of joy in some sort of order. First came the scenes of jubilation on the streets and beaches of Rio de Janeiro and other Brazilian metropolises, as the country celebrated winning the right to host the 2016 Summer Olympic Games. Then came the scenes of joy from Ireland where supporters of the Lisbon treaty were celebrating the victory for the ‘yes’ vote. Later massive outpouring...
Stupidity Watch: Politicians Play Games Around Afghanistan
August 20, 2009
R.F.Wilson writes: Absolutely meaningless presidential elections take place in Afghanistan, under the supposedly watchful eye of the occupying NATO forces. No one needs these elections, apart from the politicians in America, Britain and some other NATO countries, who are pretending that they are busy installing democracy in a country that is still living in the rubble of the Middle Ages. The Afghan people do not need these elections, because they know the winners in advance and because they are too frightened to get killed outside the polling stations by the resistance fighters.The Western commanders on the ground in Afghanistan bang on how important it is for the democratic process to run smoothly. They have learnt their prepared texts well. They pretend not to notice that things are not exactly...
We Remind Our Readers How We Tried To Avert A Disaster Happening In London. And Failed
July 19, 2009
In March last year I posted an article on this website warning our London readers that it was not a good idea to elect Boris Johnson as their Mayor in the May 2008 election. How right I was then and how wrong our readers turned out to be. The voted Boris in. Now they have only themselves to blame. Johnson proved to be a total disaster. Even worse than his predecessor, Labour’s Ken Livingstone.Today I post that article again, just to show how alert I was to the dangers of picking the wrong man for the job of London Mayor. Vote For Red Ken. Boris Will Prove To Be A Disaster I never thought I would say this but it would probably be better for everyone if Ken Livingstone stayed on as London’s Mayor after the election on May 1. This is very hard for me to admit because I have always...
Jacob Zuma Is Zooming Into The Presidency of South Africa. Is This A Good Thing?
April 22, 2009
Martin McCauley writes: Nelson Mandela can walk on water. He has just given his imprimatur to Jacob Zuma, the African National Congress (ANC) candidate for President of South Africa. Will Zuma win? Of course he will. But will this be a good thing for South Africa? Zuma will be the fourth black President since nationwide democratic elections were introduced. The first black President was Nelson Mandela. The ideology of the ANC had been communism. But when the Berlin Wall came down so did the ANC’s commitment to Marxism. Mandela installed Trevor Manuel as Minister of Finance and the ANC declared that it was business friendly. It would welcome foreign direct investment. The other part of the deal was that companies owned by white businessmen and multinationals were pressurised into handing...
Is India A Democracy? No, Not Really
April 16, 2009
Martin McCauley writes: India is preparing to go to the polls. But will the general election change anything for the vast majority of voters? India is billed as the world’s largest democracy, with over 700 million eligible to vote. It outstrips China which has local and municipal elections but nothing like India on a national scale. On the surface, Indian elections do change things. There have been 14 general elections and seven changes of government since 1977. Remarkably, rural dwellers turn out in vast numbers while urban folk often do not bother to show up at the polling stations. Has changes of government improved living standards in the countryside? No. More people go hungry in India than in any other country. In four of its largest states the situation is ‘serious’; in...
Riots In Moldova: Could Political Violence Spread Throughout Eastern Europe?
April 11, 2009
Martin McCauley writes: Moldova is in turmoil: political violence has erupted in the poorest country in Europe, a former republic of the Soviet Union.After the communists won the parliamentary election on April 5 the three opposition liberal parties stated they would not recognise the results. They offered no concrete evidence of ballot rigging or fraud but claimed that the communists have won exactly the right number of seats – 61 – to keep them in power. International observers, though, have said that the elections were conducted fairly. The goal of the liberal opposition parties was to force a rerun of the elections. The called for demonstrations on April 6 but quickly lost control of the crowds. Their incendiary rhetoric quickly led to an assault on the presidential palace and...
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- As US Troops Are Preparing To Cut And Run, We Ask: Will Democracy Triumph In Iraq?
- As ‘Dwarfgate’ Hits Britain, We Ask: Is The World Run By Shorties?
- Pearls Of Wisdom. From The Stirring Trouble Team
- Samantha Cameron Talks Candidly About Her Hubby. And Blows The Lid, Sort Of
- LibDems Pick A Porn Chick As Their Candidate. We Look At Other Options
- Israeli-Palestinian Peace Process? Now What Process Would That Be?
- The Cold War Is Back. But It’s Not As We Knew It
- More Breaking News. From The Stirring Trouble Team.
- Is There Any Point In Dieting? Nope, None At All
- Winning Hearts And Minds In Afghanistan. Even When They’re Detached From The Bodies
- President Ahmadinejad Reveals Iran’s Official Policy
- A Cynical Look At Life In Britain. And The Stiff Upper Lip
- As The British Press Sells Its Soul To The Devil, We Go Behind The Scenes Of One Newspaper
- From Now On The Met Office Will Express Doubt About Its Own Forecasts
- Pearls Of Wisdom. From The Stirring Trouble Team
- Live Coverage Of The Oscars Proves A Huge Hit. With Dozens Of People
- More Breaking News. From The Stirring Trouble Team
- Mossad Is Thinking Of Going Public. As A Plc
- Who Cares About Elvis Or Who Killed John Kennedy? Aliens Are Running Things Here
- TV Debates Between Party Leaders Will Include Product Placements
- Band Aid: Sir Bob And Friends Do Some Soul Searching
- More Breaking News. From The StirringTrouble Team
- President Zuma: The Man With The Plan
- The New Rich Have No Style, No Class, No Taste. No Anything
- Pearls Of Wisdom: From The Sirring Trouble Team
- About One Pine Tree. And Global Warming Written All Over It
- More Breaking News Items. From The Stirring Trouble Team
- BBC Cuts Costs: It’s Taking The Piss, But Not As We Know It
- A Case Of One Madman Blowing All The Money
- More Breaking News. From The Stirring Trouble Team
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