David Miliband: “Iran has responsibilities in being part of the international community and needs to live by its responsibilities if it wants to enjoy the rights of the international community.”
He really is a shameless little bastard, isn’t he? In fact, he deserves to be kidnapped in the dead of night, taken to a secret location, and spanked on live television.
UPDATE – For those with concerns that I mean this as a threat and may actually carry it out; don’t worry… I’ll tape it for you.
Now EDM 2057 is back online, perhaps it might be an idea to keeping a running tally of those MPs who actually give a damn, as this is a unique issue where both supporters and opponents of the war in Iraq are forced to face up to a moral and practical imperative.
By late yesterday, only 35 MPs had signed it.
Today, Charles Kennedy adds his name to the list, bringing us to a grand total of 36 MPs who give a damn about human beings that our government has knowingly abandoned to the mercy of roaming death squads.
These people live daily with the risk of assassination. When they cannot be found, members of their family are targeted (and you can read more about this kind of thing at weoweittothem.com).
And yet, despite the high stakes and the really quite urgent urgency, it’s been over a week since Anne Milton, my (Tory) MP expressed her concern and promised to raise the issue with other MPs, and:
a) There are still only 3 Conservative MPs listed as signatories.
b) She hasn’t yet signed it herself.
Very few MPs should have good reason to refuse signing this EDM. But it’s up to us to put them on the spot about it so they can’t later claim that they were unaware of it or (as many former supporters of the war are fond of doing) pretend that they were unaware of certain pertinent facts at the time.
Write to your MP about this today. Make sure that they’re aware of Early Day Motion 2057.
Paul Linford – The Top 10 Political Misjudgements (via)
NOTE – I had some problems getting this post to build properly last night. It’s almost as if my database has been infected with that link-refusal virus that’s been going around….
Here, Garry raises a very good point:
Ah, the famous ban.
It’s not consistent though, is it? Tim Ireland wasn’t banned the other day. The conversation between the two of you was deleted only after you’d had second thoughts about leaving it in place for all to see.
It’s a good point, and based entirely on documented fact.
Now watch Iain Dale coast right past it:
Garry, Tim Ireland has been banned from leaving comments here for several weeks if not months.
And yet Iain Dale has never seen fit to explain why or spell out the terms of that ban. Even now he appears to be uncertain about its length.
Sometimes he leaves comments when I don’t have moderation on.
And often I leave comments when he does have moderation on. But Iain doesn’t mention that part. Possibly because he has difficulty understanding why I don’t simply give up or bypass his ban by pretending to be someone else. These difficulties do arise when you judge others by your own values.
[And before you start… Iain claims to hold the same values that I do regarding this particular practice.]
When I notice them I delete them.
This is a lie. A big, fat lie.
Look, here’s Iain not only noticing me, but replying to me… until he comes off second best and decides to retro-moderate the exchange as if it never happened.
The rest is below the fold for those with the patience to sift through Iain’s multiple layers of bullshit…
This is an appalling state of affairs. Simply appalling.
Further, via comments over at Justin’s, we find that Early Day Motion 2057 has been taken offline!
Google has a cache of the removed page here. Please note that – despite her lip-flapping – my MP did NOT sign it (at least, not before 19 Oct).
In fact, it appears that only 31 MPs have agreed to the following:
EDM 2057: That this House recognises the courage of Iraqis who have worked alongside British troops and diplomats in Southern Iraq, often saving British lives; notes that many such Iraqis have been targeted for murder by Iraqi militias in Basra, and that an unknown number have already been killed, whilst many others are in hiding; further recognises that many Iraqis who have worked for fewer than 12 months for the UK are threatened by death squads; and therefore calls upon the Prime Minister to meet the UK’s moral obligations by offering resettlement to all Iraqis who are threatened with death for the ‘crime’ of helping British troops and diplomats.
[That list of signatories for your reference: Lynne Featherstone, Peter Bottomley, David Drew, Andrew George, Stephen Williams, John McDonnell, John Pugh, Robert Smith, Paul Holmes, Jeremy Corbyn, David Taylor, David Anderson, Dai Davies, Elfyn Llwyd, Mark Oaten, Derek Conway, Bill Etherington, Hywel Francis, Edward Vaizey, Greg Mulholland, Nick Harvey, Alistair Carmichael, Katy Clark, Angus MacNeil, Paul Rowen, Dr William McCrea, Paul Flynn, John Austin, AJ Beith, Lorely Burt, Jenny Willott.]
Meanwhile, Miliboy revels in his family’s ‘refugees from the Nazis’ status in one breath and totally disregards it in another.
Just what does it take?!
UPDATE – Read this comment over at Miliboy’s weblog. It’ll breaking your fucking heart… if you have one.
UPDATE – For those who came in late… Bloggerheads – Brown’s government delivers the bare minimum at the last minute
UPDATE – I brought this to Lynne Featherstone’s attention and have been informed by her office (following an inquiry to the Table Office) that the EDM’s removal is “a technical problem that is in the process of being fixed.” So I would hope that from tomorrow at least I can at least take a fresh look at the list and see who gives a damn.
UPDATE (3:52pm) – Early Day Motion 2057 is back online. No, my MP still hasn’t signed it. It would appear that I failed in my mission to convey a sense of urgency.
Quentin Tarantino explains the true significance of ‘Top Gun’ (via)
–
UPDATE (24 Nov 2011) – Copyright monkeys have been busy. Link updated to only remaining clip on YouTube. This one includes bromance clips from the movie.
–
Dr. Crabblesnitch is a primary character in the video game Bully (originally titled ‘Canis Canem Edit’). IGN describes him as; “a devout authoritarian with a pompous outlook and a self-righteous moral code.”
So far, so blah… but there’s something about this fictional school Principal that really is quite amazing, IMO.
The game’s been out for a year now and I can’t find a single reference to this, never mind any question(s) about it being intentional:
Take a look at the guy. Notice the resemblance?
Flying Rodent, Garry and Justin already have this well-covered.
All I wish to add is; “I told you so!”
Oh, and this from Pandora:
Tony Blair, return to sender
Best to take a few precautions if you are a Prime Minister who has invaded Iraq and is now an envoy to the Middle East. Horrible, after all, to think about the sort of extremists and unwashed crazies who’d turn up on your doorstep if you told them where you worked, and the security “ishoos” this could throw up.
Since demitting Downing Street, Our Tone has set up The Office of Tony Blair. It wisely hides behind a Post Office Box Number. (60519 London, W2 7JU, since you ask.) MI5 should be happy. But say you really did want to find Our Dear Departed Leader, you could send him fan mail. Then, when you get a reply, you check out the franking on the envelope containing his letter: “If undelivered, return to [address in St James’s]”. Over to Inspector Knacker!
There have been many rip-offs of the original Flash video on YouTube (the most impressive one is here), but this is the first appearance of an official export to video. (Sorry about the hold-up, but I wanted to clear a few pretenders out of the way first, and it’s only now that I’m really in the mood for a fresh round of abuse from working class heroes.)
The London Underground Song: Amateur Transplants
Iain Dale removed Bloggerheads and Chicken Yoghurt from his blogroll on the evening of the 18th of October.
The reason? Some comments (since deleted) from me and this single comment from Justin.
He is a sensitive flower, isn’t he?
NEW! You can now support Bloggerheads by buying handmade firelighters for camping and utility or deluxe firelighters for your home fireplace. Visit fireburngood.com to see my products.
