O G San

Reply to Britain Day in International JoeUser Forums

I dont think history will judge the drawing of a line across India in 1948 as a move which saved lives. Quite the opposite in fact.

Reply to Britain Day in International JoeUser Forums

I think you'll find that India only became a democracy after the British left. I don't recall British administrators in India being big fans of universal suffrage.

Reply to Britain Day in International JoeUser Forums

Yes, that's why, if you look around the world, you find that countries which used to be part of the British empire are always oases of peace

Britain Day in International JoeUser Forums

"We go around the world nicking other people’s stuff. What the fuck do we have to be proud of?" As a well-known up and coming journalist, I research these articles thoroughly before hitting the submit button. Rest assured, dear reader, that these blogs are the result of literally minutes of hard work. So when I read over the weekend that the British Ch

Meeting Change in International JoeUser Forums

Another night, another meeting. Chin propped on hand, I struggle to maintain a facade of interest. How many of these meetings have I been to in my life? Dozens now, first as participant, now as observer. Slithering down the meeting food-chain, I’ll be putting the chairs out next. All of us present know the routine from so many other meetings held in cold, da

Reply to Bye-bye, Bulldozer in International JoeUser Forums

So what exactly is your point? That Sharon is a murderer but that he's not responsible for Sabra and Chatila? BTW, to all the revisionist historians who are so keen to deny Sharon's "personal responsibility" for what happened in Beiruit in 1982, I would point out that this was only one of three examples which I mentioned (and I could have mentioned others). If you want to portray this man in a good light, you have an awful lo

Reply to Bye-bye, Bulldozer in International JoeUser Forums

Benuser: " How noble of you to write such an insulting column when the man is on his deathbed. Interesting you had to lie to make your point. I guess there weren't enough facts to make a persuasive argument so you had to fabricate some. Or maybe you simply got them from anti-Israel, antisemitic sources " Where exactly did I lie? You really only have two choices in this situation: produce evidence that I lied or withdraw the alleg

Reply to Bye-bye, Bulldozer in International JoeUser Forums

A few quick points of order here. I've (unfortunately) only been to Israel and the Occupied Territories once, not several times. Secondly, the person who made the Honecker remark was speaking slightly tongue in cheek. I just thought it was a great phrase.

Reply to Bye-bye, Bulldozer in International JoeUser Forums

Leauki, I am not happy that Sahron is dying. Firstly, I think it's wrong to take pleasure in another person's death, no matter how despicable that person is. Secondly, I would have liked Sharon live to answer for his crimes in a court of law. As regards Sabra and Chatila a number of points: 1. The Phalange were Sharon's allies. 2. Israel was occupying the area which includes Sabra and Chatila at the time of the massacre

Reply to Bye-bye, Bulldozer in International JoeUser Forums

Tony, "There is no crime in killing the enemy." So 9-11 was OK then? "He is a centre left politician." Please.

Bye-bye, Bulldozer in International JoeUser Forums

I happened to be in east Berlin in 1994 when the DDR’s long-time dictator Erich Honecker passed away in his South American exile. On hearing the news, my host reflected on his passing succinctly: "That’s one more for tea tonight, Satan." His words come to mind today as Ariel Sharon lies close to death in Jerusalem. It would be comforting to think that the Bu

Bordering On Madness in International JoeUser Forums

Some years ago, a British documentary crew followed a group of soldiers as they patrolled the border of Northern Ireland. A young officer, squatting in the Irish mud of a wet weekday, pointed to the farmhouse in the distance. "You see that farm over there?" he asked. "Half of i

Reply to Eamonn Puts It Best in Current Events JoeUser Forums

Thanks for that Meghan. On a similar theme here is a link about the connection between Van the Man and the Big Man. Link

Eamonn Puts It Best in Current Events JoeUser Forums

I had planned to pen an obituary to George Best, who died yesterday at the age of 59. It was my intention to focus on his Protestant awkwardness, a trait he shared with this humble author. However, having read Eamonn McCann's excellent tribute in today's Irish Times ,

Reply to Trust Tony in International JoeUser Forums

I'm quite capable of elucidating my own points, Zena.

Reply to Which side would you support? in Politics JoeUser Forums

Taiwan Tibet India Palestine To be honest, the middle two don't really agitate me as much as Taiwan and Palestine.

Reply to Trust Tony in International JoeUser Forums

Hooray indeed! I hope that Blair is on the way out.

Trust Tony in International JoeUser Forums

"Legislate in haste, repent at leisure" runs an old adage, the evident wisdom undiluted by the consistency with which it is ignored. Laws should not be written while the first flushes of anger redden the cheeks or the initial gasps of excitement fill the lungs. In particular, it is a poor idea to react to a terrorist attack by reaching for the statute book

In Notts in Misc JoeUser Forums

As some of you know, I've recently moved country for the second time in a matter of months. After several years trying to teach bemused Asian children the difference between "these" and "those", I decided that a career in education was not for me. Following a pleasant summer in Belfast doing nothing in particular, I am now ensonced in the English city of Nottingham st

Reply to Reid And Wrong in International JoeUser Forums

Thanks for the link, Russ. Good use of the term "self-deprecation" by Henry. To his credit.

Reid And Wrong in International JoeUser Forums

I have a rule of thumb that, in order to be hurt by someone's criticism of me, I have to first respect that person. If some half-wit wants to act like a six year old and fling insults around, it's of no concern to me. But if someone who I hold in high esteem criticises s

A Harrowing Spectacle in International JoeUser Forums

It is almost enough to make you feel sorry for him. In interview after interview, Tory leadership contender David Cameron is interogated about his gilded upbringing. How, he is asked repeatedly, can an old Etonian hope to become Prime Minister of 21st century Britain? Each time I witness this sad spectacle, I can't help feeling a deep sense of unease at the sheer unfa

Reply to Can Politics Remain Secular? in International JoeUser Forums

Thank you all for your comments. I'm sorry I haven't been able to join in with the debate in my normal way. I have been a little busy of late, as I will explain later.

Can Politics Remain Secular? in International JoeUser Forums

The question “Can politics remain secular” is rather like asking “Does my bum look big in this?” Whatever the answer, the anxiety of the enquiry is evident. The very asking of this question indicates an unease with the direction of politics; a feeling that a political system predicated on the equality of all, regardless of religion, may give way to a syste

Reply to That One Between Canada And Mexico in International JoeUser Forums

Annyeong, chingu. All is well here in Belfast thanks. In fact, it's riotous good fun around here at the minute