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What's on tonight

Sarah McDermott | 14:46 UK time, Friday, 1 May 2009

From Kirsty Wark

Hello,

I am just back from Manchester (don't you love the train?) where for tonight's Review I interviewed Carol Ann Duffy, the first female Poet Laureate in the 341 year history of the role. I feel I should compose a sonnet for this email - but it would be too painful a read.

However, Carol Ann is a joy - forthright and charming. She talks about why she accepted the role, how she regards the monarchy, what she thinks about our attitude to sexuality and the poetry that moves her.

Before that though we'll be entering the argument inter and intra party about where the cuts, caused by our economic mismanagement, will fall. We'll deal specifically with defence and the debate over Trident which is in danger of dividing the Conservatives and Labour.

David Cameron conceded yesterday there would have to be a review of defence spending. David Davis, the former shadow home secretary, believes the Trident upgrade should be scrapped altogether. Our Diplomatic Editor Mark Urban and Political Editor Michael Crick will be giving us their latest intelligence.

And thank you to those of you who have responded to our invitation to say where you think the cuts should fall - overwhelmingly your view so far is Trident too. Please keep the e-mails coming - it may be an unscientific exercise but it is very illuminating.

Confidential UN satellite images leaked yesterday appear to show that the Sri Lankan Air Force bombed a safe haven of up to 150,000 civilians fleeing the Tamil Tigers. If the images are accurate and if the bombers are the national airforce, it would constitute a violation of international humanitarian law according to human rights activists. Tim Whewell investigates.

Then for Review I'll be joined by the outgoing Poet Laureate Andrew Motion, Paul Morley, Miranda Sawyer and Diane Wei Liang to talk about the power of the written word. We'll be discussing Carol Ann Duffy's appointment, and she reads one of her favourite poems of her own. She talks eloquently about poetry as faith and why poetry is often the form that people turn to in times of turmoil.

We'll also be discussing what is probably the most read book in the world - although I bet you've never heard of it. It's the new Chinese publishing sensation, Confucius From the Heart, a modern interpretation of the Analects by Beijing media professor Yu Dan. The book - which has sold more than ten million copies in China - and, it's reckoned, another five million pirated copies, has been described as "Chinese chicken soup for the soul".

It's published here this week and I talk to Yu Dan about the phenomenon in China, and why, at this point, the Chinese are desperately seeking solace and guidance in Confucius. She talks about the economic crisis, and where she disagrees with the man who has knocked Mao off his pedestal at Tsinghua University in the capital.

And blogging as literature. This week, for the first time, the Orwell Prize for Literature gave a special award for blogging. It was won by Night Jack, an anonymous serving police officer whose blogs reveal the extraordinary and mundane life of a policeman dealing with violence, rape, drugs, and what he calls the "evil poor" with their "devil dogs." He has created a wonderful compelling narrative with a cast of real life characters, some sympathetic, and others you wouldn't want to meet in your worst nightmare.

He asks questions of the force he serves - for instance, why have essentially friendly approachable police officers turned themselves into " imperial stormtroopers"? To me it reads like a cross between Dickens and Melvin Burgess.

Please join us at 10.30pm.

Comments

  • Comment number 1.

    Spending cuts on mind is a very good step! It'll substantially cut down what you have to produce for Newsnight Review and might enable you to dispense with 'The Panel' altogether.

  • Comment number 2.

    Cuts? Depends where you work and how you are affected. Judging by many of the anti-war/services death roll blogs on this site over the years perhaps Trident could get the chop as we have precious little Navy left and that will take care of the employment at Faslane or other Naval dockyards.
    As the army is coming home from Iraq, perhaps to avoid any other deaths if those could be demobbed and when we get our back-side kicked out of Afghanistan the rest of our army could be stood down. The Historians amongst you may recall the end of the Napoleonic wars when the country was flooded with out of work soldiers versed in the art of killing. Just what we need in these days of increasing unemployment but what is a few more thousand on the dole? The over-staffed departments full of Admirals, Colonels, and Air Marshalls would do wonders for the closure of yet another Governmnet department.
    Cutting our forces would of course save the need for thousands of jobs in the aircraft, armanants and shipbuilding industry plus a myriad of other suppliers.
    Those opposed to the expensiver nuclear industry could learn to return to basic heating and lighting when the power runs out or we could put men back down holes in the ground called Mining, but then what of the polution?
    Then there are thousands of Civil Servants and Hospital adminstrators on which we could make savings.

    The ´óÏó´«Ã½ News machine with all its presenters and "Flash" sets and expensive celebrities is anoother consideration for cuts. Good-bye Kirsty!!!
    Building on this "castle in the air" massive savings if we could get rid of our MP's??
    By now the more astute of our regular "bloggers" may be realising that someone may be not too serious but you did ask for suggestions?
    I think the honest answer is that so long as they don't affect me (us) then it is always someone else's job that is worth sacrificing.
    Oh I forgot the Bankers and City of London workers but we shoiuld have brought back hanging by then?!! The list is endless.

    See you all on the dole.

  • Comment number 3.

    Sri Lanka crisis
    Looking at new attack claim
    Did troops bomb haven?

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Sri Lankan citizens held at gunpoint by Tamil terrorists are hardly in a 'haven', the ´óÏó´«Ã½ needs to get a grip with its reporting, the Sri Lanka army apppear to have behaved disgustingly with their alleged bombing of this area, however, the Tamil terrorists have behaved much, much worse.

    Balance in this blog would have been useful, however, when it comes to the left-wing ´óÏó´«Ã½ we can only expect a pro-terrorist storyline to be developed.

    I have a question for the ´óÏó´«Ã½: Why have you not reported on the atrocities commited by the Tamil tigers on their own people?, does this somehow impact the incorrect narrative that you seem to be setting (i.e Tamil Tigers good, Sri Lanka government bad)?.

  • Comment number 4.

    Kirsty wark you are in poetry
    how delicious and appropriate

    The cut plan is almost in motion
    let's wait for the commotion

    It will have its epicentrum
    in the edges of the tridentum

    Heaven already was bomb
    and Lucifer did fall

    What the fallen Angels are doing?
    The brownish is overdoit and the
    darkest floating on golden fluid

    Really i am a Klone,
    going back on my own.

  • Comment number 5.

    Public Spending

    So Charles Clarke has said that he is ashamed to be Labour, the skeleton in his closet that he last month appeared on the ´óÏó´«Ã½ and suggested Toll Roads would be a good way of increasing tax revenue to cover public borrowing. Obviously the man is a dangerous Corporate Nazi with an agenda to curtail if not remove the basic freedoms we have fought for over the centuries. Toll Roads were voted on in Manchester fairly recently where 79% of the electorate rejected them despite a significant bribe from the government.

  • Comment number 6.

    Charles Clarke is ashamed to be Labour? That's rich coming from a politician that brought in tuition fees in the teeth of massive opposition from education groups and grass roots Labour. I hope he is proud of the thousands of kids saddled with massive debts just for a university education, an education that he received courtesy of the taxpayer. He should hang his head in shame and pray for forgiveness as the architect of Labour's woes are people like himself, Byers, Jowell and all the other Blairite types who put the City before it's own people...

  • Comment number 7.

    leftieoddbod (#6) Like Blair and all too many others, he's an entryist.

  • Comment number 8.

    NEVER MIND THE POLICIES - FEEL THE PSYCHE

    Clarke, is just another example of the strange creatures of the Westminster swamp. To focus on what he has or hasn't done or said is to miss the point. Would anyone in their right mind watch Brown on YouTube and not realise the important message is in HIS behaviour?
    Next time Clarke speaks, ask yourself why he sounds like someone reading a document simply to impart the content. Few can now observe Blair floating, Jehovah-like, on a cloud, round the world, saying 'come unto me'.

    This is a Westminster problem. It attracts the poor in spirit and degrades them to its terrible purpose. ONLY a serious shake-up will end Britain's shameful mismanagement and decline.

    That abstention box on the voting slip (implying NO CONFIDENCE in Westminster) is long overdue.

  • Comment number 9.

    ´óÏó´«Ã½ 10pm News tonight reports on the first human-to-human transmission of 'swine flu' (even the WHO said stop calling it that!) in Britain. Did the Scots couple catch theirs from pigs then?

    Yet, earlier in the day, a couple of authorities from the NIMR were painfully busy giving smiles and reassuring nods and winks that this is not something to get too concerned about. In other words, ´óÏó´«Ã½... you are making yourselves look more than a bit silly. It's not the first time.

    Seriously.

  • Comment number 10.

    barrie (#8) Now the curtains have well and truly been opened on the multiple wizards in our anarchistic land of Oz, with their City backers no longer able to magically stimulate GDP, what are they to do?

  • Comment number 11.

    Trident is of course a nonsense that we can well do without ..... and I also think that Scotland's environment agency should close down Faslane!

    I would also scrap The British Council - which has become an expensive
    deeply politicised foreign policy liability:



    Money saved could then be redirected to direct international promotion of the arts and education by devolved administrations - separating the
    cultural and educational agenda from British foreign policy disasters.

  • Comment number 12.

    Surely any suggestions of cutting defence spending are premature when we have thousands of our ill-equipped servicemen in action against known threats. At the same time there are unknown threats poised to cause harm and damage to our country and its people. Piracy is flourishing in the Indian Ocean and our much reduced Royal Navy has insufficient warships to protect those cargo vessels which bring much needed imports of food, raw materials and manufactured goods. The security of our country is the first responsibility of government of whatever colour.

  • Comment number 13.

    MANY A TRUE WORD SPOKEN IN BLOG (#12)

    "cargo vessels which bring MUCH NEEDED imports of food, raw materials and manufactured goods."

    When world trade doubles, as we are told it will - as soon as we can crank up the old, dumb ways - presumably piracy will double too, and there will be jobs for all. Perhaps the EU will have its own navy by then? (Hannan has pointed out there is not much they haven't now got.)

    Or do we need to re-think the "much needed" part of the above quote or, better still, the whole global myth? A return to wisdom over applied cleverness (doing things because we can) is sorely needed. And I really don't think Shiny Boy Dave or Clean Cut Clegg is fuelled by wisdom - ambition maybe.

  • Comment number 14.

    This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.

  • Comment number 15.

    On defence Lord Gilbert is respected and did make good points but the programme did not take in two key factors it seemed to me.

    One is will we have Scottish bases for long after 2010 if the SNP win - a Scottish matter and I am English and I respect their decision either way. But we really don't want a bun fight over who owns Trident.

    Two is in this day and age will we be attacked by missile or by a suitcase bomb. Theoretically I suppose al Qaeda could end up with Pakistani missiles but I doubt it. But sooner or later they will get nuclear material and can you guarantee that it would be appropriate or proportionate to launch a missile against an attack from a third country?

    We do need greater flexibility but we do also need to pay attention to what Russia and China do. I personally think the missile defence system is tosh and that the Obama approach is measured for what is admittedly a volatile environment that could change fast.

    There is a third factor that the programme did identify that we do need other systems and it did kind of identify we do need to keep European expertise rather than be dependent on the US. So cutting back on planes does seem sensible and spending more on the Army also seems sound.

    Why not tie up with the French to either buy their land based missiles or to cut a deal where we compliment - say build our own cruise and we swap some for land based missiles? Also the scale and penetration of the systems might be considered - Tora Bora type busters?

  • Comment number 16.

    #13 barrie singelton

    "And I really don't think Shiny Boy Dave or Clean Cut Clegg is fuelled by wisdom - ambition maybe"

    Yes well you and some other regular posters seem to favour Nick Griffin (the leader of the BNP) and policies such as those proposed by one Adolf Hitler.

    In keeping with the times and having communicated with you I am now going to wash my hands with gel to avoid contamination.

  • Comment number 17.

    We could also save a bob or two by closing down The House of Lords - and getting rid of all Scottish MPs from 2010 (Scotland would of course get
    its independence ... but would probably lend you some of our oil money!)

    Gordon Brown could go off to The Falklands as Governor .... on a Ghurka pension pending its privatisation ......

  • Comment number 18.

    I have just watched the Newsnight Review of NightJack and with every day I despise more the creed I come from - the educated middle classes who tune in to listen to this twaddle.

    Nightjack, a person who has arrived in the nick of time (excuse the pun) to explain to the comfortable classes in language they can relate to what is actually going on in the real world and what happens? Rather than trying to relate to and understand the causes of the society that Nightjack tries to police we are treated to a load of twaddle about literary style.

    Who cares? We have been fortunate to be presented with something much more important, and nothing new unless you live your life with your head in your arse. The welfare system was set up after WWII by ex soldiers sickened by the inequalities and abuses they had witnessed. It helped Britain get back on it's feet.

    However, it has had an unforeseen impact, small to start with and now increasing exponentially of generations of families who have had the basic principles of child rearing and social responsibility eroded as their conditioning and expectation of society and family is handed to them from a office clerk behind a glass booth. Responsibility for the self has been removed.

    The story that Nightjack tells is nothing new to those with some life experience it seems to be a revelation to these pretentious literary twitters, but because they can't in any way relate to it, they devalue the important insight it gives us by wrapping it in pretentious chat about literary style.

    The evil poor are not the ones that have created and support the welfare system that has created this new class of people who are detached from themselves and society.

    It has been created by the kind of people who sit on the panel at Newsnight, but are too gutless to push for the kind of change our society needs to make the individual a more responsible human being. All they care about is ratings (generated by other media organisations).

    I am no Tory and am happy to pay taxes to make sure those less fortunate get a chance, but the way the we treat the police, the NHS etc (and significantly exaggerated by the media to fulfill their agenda) is disgraceful and has to stop if we are to keep living in a society with decent values.

  • Comment number 19.

    Return the Elgin Marbles ..... but on condition that Greece also takes The London Olympics as part of the package deal ...... after all they
    do have all the infrastructure in place already .. we can't afford it!

  • Comment number 20.

    We can save a fortune by leaving the European Union. The gross amount is £14 billion a year, far in excess of the money we get back from the EU. The excess is spent on subsidising other European countries and pointless projects like the Galileo satellite system which simply duplicates the American one. Further savings are then possible by abolishing quangos like regional development agencies, and getting rid of stupid regulations which are so damaging to business, e.g. compulsory ear tags for sheep.

    This far exceeeds the modest annual savings by abolishing Trident.

  • Comment number 21.

    MEA CULPA

    #1 ('Spending cuts on mind' was a gently critical direct quote from the blog as first posted entitled what's on tonight in haku'). So, why the revisionism Newsnight? That's the sort of behaviour one expects from Guardian CiF neo-liberal anarchists who brought about our current woes, not the ´óÏó´«Ã½, which still, I suggest, has the option of remaining 'transparent' and objective ......... please.

  • Comment number 22.

    Sell The Channel Islands to France .......?

  • Comment number 23.

    given defence OF THE UK is the first duty of a govt why has defence been hijacked by the liberal interventionists and designed to fit their whims and political agendas?

    defence is not just military but infrastructure. we only have 13 days gas supply and about 60 of oil. Most EU countries have at least 100-120 days [ie a winter's worth]. Is energy blackmail by foreign states not a defence issue?

    people say we need to spend our money on a force that can fight wars like iraq. No we do not. Iraq should never have happened. Create a peace corps [to build things] for those hand wringing good doers who want to 'right the world'. That is enough for the liberal interventionists.

    I would also weed out all those in the civil service with the 'managing decline' mindset. people who are already psychologically defeated are unable and will even resist making the good choices. So they pose a threat to the UK.

  • Comment number 24.

    ID cards and Trident for the chop...official

  • Comment number 25.

    ´óÏó´«Ã½ must be commercial/subscription (why don't you mention many want to see back of being forced to pay for Aunty Beeb?) get rid of Arts Council and all other *art* type councils who fund insane projects. Keep Trident. Take all money back from banks, quarantine all bankers on sight, make sure all swap kits are available to test them for genuine banker infectious status, any *bonus* mutation must be reported immediately. Bring in legislation to stamp out all financial viral infections and the institutions that harbour and incubate them. Anyone that mentions words and terms such as Bonds, Gilts, Credit Default Swaps, Sub Prime Markets, Quantitative Easing and such needs to be treated with up most caution and suspicion of infection.

    Trains - I stopped using them when it took 5 hours from Birmingham to London 02 (malfunction Watford junction) ruined a photo commission and an important client. But the women opposite got a little fruity for my fuji 670.

    Sorry Paul but Gordon is getting on with the job of toasting himself nicely.

    Right I'm off to play Extreme Tiddley-Winks.

  • Comment number 26.

    Scrap The Scotland Office - totally useless organ of central government which Brown has built up as a political campaign tool in Scotland trying
    to sell us nuclear power and to score points against our own devolved
    administration in Edinburgh ..... they maintain offices and residences
    in London, Edinburgh and Glasgow to help the Secretary of State for Scotland and his Deputy 'oil' the wheels of devolution (sic) ......

    Blair wanted rid of it - and it was only kept on after a botched reshuffle. Nowadays Brown uses it to bolster his political base -
    but at taxpayers' expense. This is both wrong and now unaffordable.

    [Unsuitable/Broken URL removed by Moderator]

  • Comment number 27.

    This may be a rich seam for cuts: I see that Labour also has a Wales Office which seems ripe for plucking?



    The Northern Ireland office could also no doubt be slimmed down as well -open Hillsborough Castle to tourists all year round and do cream teas?!




  • Comment number 28.

    Reading all your comments-I give up!!As a Labour party member I too am disgusted with my leader and my party but what the answer is certainly isn't new Tory. Prescott today thinks the answer is to bluster and forget all the mistakes of the past and hopr youy will too. He is a "here today and gone tomorrow minister" to quote the Jonhn Nott episode.
    When the electorate has its say it will be for US left in the party to determine its future and the Left wing answer-it is not!!
    We cannot fight 21st.Century problems with 20th.Century slogans. Our politicians have not recognised that the world has moved on and by the turn of this century, who knows, Africa may be the dominant force in the world? Ignore it at your peril.
    I can't wait for the Euro and local elections and next years general election.
    Cameron will have a clear 5 years of blaming the tax regime he will impose upon us, upon Labour. He will start with the abolishion of final salary settlements and national pay scales in the public sector, what I call the "equality of misery" theory. i.e. if we can't have neither can anyone else especially those who work in the public sector.

    Just think without Brown or Labour most of you would have nothing to moan about??!! I can't wait to raed these blogs in 2 years time.

  • Comment number 29.

    Can NN kick up a stink on this one please, it sounds horrendous :

  • Comment number 30.

    And why do we need a 'Scotland Office' to 'oil the wheels of devolution'
    when we have a Scottish Government and both a Scottish PM & Chancellor?

  • Comment number 31.

    Is it possible for Newsnight to look into this as well please.....

  • Comment number 32.

    "...don't you love the train?"
    Eh?

    Sri Lanka:

    The media concentrates on the evident plight of the Sri Lankan people, to the detriment of a rational analysis of the situation. Lacking from any of the coverage I have seen is any understanding of the futility of attempting to halt the Sri Lankan govt's actions. Do the lefties believe we should allow the LTTE to regroup and regain their strength? Maybe the govt. actions are disproportionate, but no other nation is ever going to view that as of greater importance than a sovereign nation's desire to crush a militant insurgency. However, because the Sri Lankan govt rarely appears to defend its actions and the media (chiefly C4 and ´óÏó´«Ã½) won't seek an opposing point of view to this effect, the media has convinced itself it has the support of the majority of the British public. Ed Milliband has, naturally, felt compelled to spend tax-payers' money on a pointless trip, effectively doing C4's and the ´óÏó´«Ã½'s bidding. Labour could, of course, show some courage and explain the importance of supporting the Sri Lankan govt. Most people don't need any encouragement to dislike terrorists.

    Maybe the media believes its remit is to protect the world's vulnerable people and not simply report, in an impartial manner, what they see. Note to the media: you're delusional if you think you speak for the British people. Maybe one day, the media will find the professionalism evident in America's CBS News or ABC News. Whilst you can often see the pain in the faces of the U.S. journalists, having to report something that goes against the grain of their leftism, they report it, all the same, because it is their job.

    Tuition Fees:

    Tuition fees should remain and be increased. The problems of student debt (chiefly, SOME students not being able to repay the debt) arise from cramming universities with people who shouldn't be there, earning degrees which don't guarantee employment sufficient to pay off the loans. The British govt couldn't and cannot continue to pay for ever-more-expensive facilities and equipment to create the greatly-skilled workforce the country needs. Graduates have to give something back.

  • Comment number 33.

    HATTON: FAILURE IN TRAINING

    At least we now know Ricky Hatton didn't watch Gordon Brown's You Tube 'a bobbin' an' a weavin' an' a duckin' training video. With some of those tips the Pacman wouldn't have got a glove near him.

    Celtic Lion

  • Comment number 34.

    Alan Johnston sounded quietly effective on this morning's Andrew Marr Show and Ken Clarke was as ever talking sense. There are alternatives
    and Labour Ministers and backbenchers will probably also be noticing?

  • Comment number 35.

    Ken Clarke's main point - as a former Chancellor - was to draw attention to the Government's cancellation of the normal 3-yearly "comprehensive"
    spending review which was due this summer as being highly significant -
    and pointing out that Labour's decision to delay that until after the next election cast doubt on all Labour's spending plans in the recent
    Budget? He also cautioned against anything less than a comprehensive
    spending review (pace Newsnight!)

  • Comment number 36.

    De Fence Cuts eezzy peezy Burn Down/Fry parliment

    lock the doors 1st

    Can Eye watch/light the blue touch paper In retire

  • Comment number 37.

    If bombing the Tamil Tigers, when they are using civilians as human shields howcum the ´óÏó´«Ã½ didn't do a vast number of programmes saying that Blair & co were engaged in war crimes when they chose to bomb civilian Yugoslav cities in preference to military targets. Howcum they still don't mention it. Seems like one rule for other countries 7 aniother for NATO.

    As regards cuts there has been no dispute that we can not only get out of recession but into strong growth any time the government is willing to make the decisions.

    Granted nobody in government or media has discussed this at all - whether this makes it more or less credible is a matter of opinion.

  • Comment number 38.

    'Communities Secretary Hazel Blears earlier told the Observer ministers had been "lamentable" at communicating.'

    Prescott voiced an opinion that they should stop sniping and get back to campaigning.

    The problem is its the policies and failures that the public are angry about - Iraq, bank regulation to unemployment, expenses etc - and not how the message was communicated.

    As for campaigning what are they going to campaign about? What is the good news and inspiration that they are going to offer on the doorstep?

    They are democrats, they aren't the BNP and things can only get better?

    Speaking of the BNP Labour look as though they may not even get 2nd place soon as their vote collapses and the Lib Dems could move a step closer to proportional representation. But I was appalled to hear Ashdown saying that there would quite likely be defections from Labour to the Lib Dems on current trends. That would be like welcoming in swine flu if its New Labour MPs and would betray the voters.

  • Comment number 39.

    Now that Djemjanjuk will go to trial in Germany I assume the Haw Haws that often post on this page will be offering their profound historical analysis based on the ridiculous statistics (no reliable census base) of 1930's Jewish survival rates to the defence?

    The Holocaust "Agnostics" who see Hitler as somebody who was really seeking peace now have a world stage.

    Of course if the court were to hear their "evidence" that there were no death camps and reject it in favour of thousands of testimonies from victims, perpetrators, Allied soldiers that found the sites, the sites themselves and so then they might go to prison.

    But I assume that there is real loyalty amongst the far right and they will travel to Germany?

    Probably the defence will dismiss them as cranks though.

  • Comment number 40.

    #21 Jaded_Jean

    I hear in the past some on the far right have been described as chewing carpet and frothing at the mouth. Do you ever try that?

  • Comment number 41.

    #39 & 40 thegangofone

    Im surprised youre still entering into correspondence with JadedJean about whose behaviour I have a theory. Now, at some stage in the past, I think, as part of some game or other, he identified himself with Hitler. (I wonder whether he wears a moustache too?) He has since realised that it might eventually get him into big, big trouble and by blogging on Newsnight is desperately trying to get out of his perfidious game, in a schizophrenic kind of way, in order to prove that he, JadedJean is not deep down a bad man, that he has never meant to harm anybody and that he has only been trying to make an impression on his surroundings as an agent provocateur. Ive recently come across a male psychiatrist and am considering referring JadedJeans case to him. He, too, seems a frustrated and unhappy kind of human being. Methinks theyd get on together splendidly.

  • Comment number 42.

    EIGHT OUT OF ......

    thegangofone (#39;#40) "...their profound historical analysis based on the ridiculous statistics (no reliable census base) of 1930's Jewish survival rates to the defence?"

    Analysis is just analysis. Just remmeber, world pop 15.3m in the 1930s, 14m pop. today. A below replacement level TFR, like most European countries.

    I for one await your statistical evidence upon which you base what you say, The figures I refer to are from this group. It appears to me that you are prone to believe all manner of nonsense for want of good evidence. Like marketing/PR/advertising that's how propaganda in Liberal-Democracies 'works' to the economic advantage of those who hope to, and demonstrably do, profit from such propaganda.

  • Comment number 43.

    THE BELLYLAAV PRIZE (Named after Fritz Bellylaav: Joker to an obscure mid-European king in the 13th century.)

    Winner - King Celtic Lion (#33) for the one about the Jimmie Brown training video.
    Runner up - Madam Mim, for the analysis (advisedly) of Jaded Jean.

    Keep taking the tablets - Moses went to a lot of trouble on our behalf . . .

  • Comment number 44.

    PERISH THE THOUGHT

    mimpromptu (#41) "Ive recently come across a male psychiatrist and am considering referring JadedJeans case to him. He, too, seems a frustrated and unhappy kind of human being. Methinks theyd get on together splendidly."

    Food for thought... for some? ;-)

  • Comment number 45.

    METHINKS HE MIGHT PROTEST TOO MUCH

    Andrew Marr's Start the Week just alerted me to Aaronovitches book on 'conspiracy theories' that just happens to have a chapter on the anomalous 'cluster' of THREE falling towers termed 9/11. This follows hard on the heels of the latest bit of the puzzle falling into place, and into the public domain.

    And there was me struggling to avoid the import JJ's well presented hypothesis! Nice one Mr A!

    I wonder if it is possible to shoot oneself in the foot and then fall STRAIGHT DOWN IN A NEAT HEAP at close to 'free fall' speed?

  • Comment number 46.

    This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.

  • Comment number 47.

    People who like Hitler's policies trying to exploit 9/11?

    Despite the theories having been thoroughly debunked as to get the third tower demolition you would have needed tons of explosives and dozens of men to lay it at key points that were inaccessible over a period of weeks - and there were no such workers. All of the intelligence officers in the building might just have thought "thats odd" as they went about their work otherwise.

    Still you have a bit of "R&D" and that allows you to see where thousands of years of accumulated research on climate change may be incorrect "as they can get it wrong".

    People on the far right also are agnostic on the Holocaust.

    The International Jewish Conspiracy becomes "aliens ate might eat your hamster".

    By the way in the last year we have had the Nazi enthusiast Baby P batterer and now paedophile convicted as well as that wannabe Nazi nail bomber who was convicted as a paedophile.

    What is it with the far right?

    The latter didn't like "bar stool nationalists" who just blabbered on a lot.

    But does anybody?

  • Comment number 48.

    DON'T QUESTION - JUST BELIEVE! (i.e. BUY OUR STUFF!!)

    barrie (#45) Sadly, the term 'conspiracy theory' is now abused by all sorts of scientifically/inetllectually ignorant/incompetent people in order to deter rational questioning itself! Taken to its logical conclusion, if these 'critics' of 'conspiracy theories' had there way, there would be no questioning of anything, no investigative journalism, no science, no foensic analysis etc, instead, we'd all just accept any old spin/dogma we're fed. I can name as I'm sure many can ;-)

    Now, who might that benefit? Conspiracies clearly do occur, as that's why the legal term exsists. Those who allegedly flew planes into the Twin Towers must have conspired. However, when govenments do this, they are not so much conspiracies as such covert acts are authorised by government agencies, but are classified as state secrets, which of course it's the job of Civil/Military Servants not to make public - so how would the public know that they have not happened?

    Anyone who believes otherwise knows nothing about governments and how they behave, even in our anarchistic times.

  • Comment number 49.

    errata (#48) apologies for the typos, probably the evil-doings of cerebral gremlins/conspirators!

  • Comment number 50.

    #43 Does anyone know who Mr Singleton is referring to in the last sentence? And which Moses? And who is the implied us in on our behalf. Ah, the mysterious ways the author of the Of beds expresses himself!!?

  • Comment number 51.

    Referring to last Friday, I thought the Newsnight Review was one of the best I have seen, with Kirsty on top form both while interviewing Carol Ann Duffy and with the Panel whose thoughts and reflections on the subjects discussed seemed to struck just the right cords, as far as I am concerned. By the way, because of the above, I have requested a copy of Raptures and am looking forward to reading the poems.

  • Comment number 52.

    #51 pardon, line 4 - 3rd word should've been 'strike' not 'struck'

  • Comment number 53.

    I'M SORRY - I 'AVE A COLD. (#50)

    "Ah, the mysterious ways the author of the Of beds expresses himself!!?"

    Clearly mysterious - well, not clearly - Madame Mim. But then: in a confused world the unclear man is king; move over Celtic Lion.


  • Comment number 54.

    You just wonder whether Gordon Brown's antipathy to the Ghurka campaign might just have had a little to do with the high profile involvement of
    the wife of Tony Blair in fighting for justice for Ghurkas over pensions?

  • Comment number 55.

    The Uni-trade (Uni-trade shorthand : they sell to us but we don't sell to them) we have had with China since the 1970's has wrecked our manufacturing base better than the Chinese air force could ever have done.
    Once you understand that Uni-trade longhand is: they sell stuff to us and buy our mortgages, stocks & shares and government bonds in return.
    And you add that to we have financial crisis caused by the Mortgage market in which the Chinese have been heavily involved in buying 'ask no questions' mortgages and due to the problems caused by this... we should get rid of Trident ! - something the Chinese Navy could never have done ! Then you have to start be a bit suspicious - why don't we a) 'cut back' by cancelling our EU grant payments $6 billion /year net - we pay French and Spanish teachers to lie on a beach for 13 weeks a year ! b) Use NEFS Net Export Financial Simulation

  • Comment number 56.

    #53 forget it then

  • Comment number 57.

    #53 again
    you've served your purpose, thank you, no further correspondence please

  • Comment number 58.

    i have once mistakenly used the wrong name on these pages
    instead of David Hoare i should have put dickie arbiter for which i unreservedly apologise

  • Comment number 59.

    LIVING ONLY TO SERVE

    Roger wilco Madame Mim. Message ends.

  • Comment number 60.

    59 Eye am Only 52/3

    2 Serve 2 LIVE

    I have the T shirt/Sark
    IN2 the correct Mode

    Aye LOVE IT

    OOT

  • Comment number 61.

    INSCRUTABLE AS EVER

    GlenisDevereux (#55) Well said. But how many will take it in? 10x the population of Russia, mean IQ of 105, and critical of Russia's 'revisionism' as far back as the mid 50s!

  • Comment number 62.

    #61 Jaded_Jean

    So far as I know the Russians were distinctly critical of Hitler due to a spat in WWII - but your version of history probably has a boisterous snowball fight, as you also believe Hitler only sought peace and you are agnostic on the Holocaust. You would need to have a very low IQ to believe that you believe what you say.

    China would describe itself as socialist today and does not fit the model of Stalinism. I doubt whether they would have applauded fascists like Hitler in the 50s or today.

    Hopefully in June the UK will also demonstrate it rejects those hideous policies in the June elections and will annihilate the BNP at the polls.



  • Comment number 63.

    #48 Jaded_Jean

    "Anyone who believes otherwise knows nothing about governments and how they behave, even in our anarchistic times"

    People might consider that somebody like yourself who advocated the policies of Hitler was using conspiracy theory to try and destabilize the democratic system and hoodwink the unsuspecting voters.

    Inspired by your agnosticism on the Holocaust people may consider writing to their MPs and making Holocaust Denial a criminal offence as in Germany and Austria.

    I also hope that in the Euro elections people will remember that the whole European concept is to prevent another Hitler destroying the peaceful stability of the region and will reject the BNP.

  • Comment number 64.

    #42 Jaded_Jean

    Ludicrous. I have stated many times that I accept the Holocaust completely as I have distant family members who were in the camps, found the camps, there are thousands of cases of Nazis confessing and many more testimonies from inmates. Soldiers with no axe to grind found the camps. There was the structure of the camps, Nazi documents and so on.

    Also how can you have reliable statistics when there are no sound census figures from the period?

    If you believe what you say and there is loyalty and honour within the far right then go the Djemjanjuk trial and offer the defence your statistics.

    He can't have been a guard at a death camp if there were no death camps.

    If Germany would prosecute you for Holocaust Denial, I assume, then you simply produce your statistics.

    But you aren't going to do that are you.

  • Comment number 65.

    thegangofone (#62)

  • Comment number 66.

    THERE'S NOWT AS QUEEER AS FOLK

    thegangofone (#63) "Inspired by your agnosticism on the Holocaust people may consider writing to their MPs and making Holocaust Denial a criminal offence as in Germany and Austria."

    No doubt some of the same 'free-thinking' people will unwittingly be demanding yet more deregulation, predatory lending, higher levels of immigration, crime, further lowering of educational standards, disintegration of the nuclear family, erosion of the welfare state and higher unemployment.

  • Comment number 67.

    'Mr Cameron said they had won in new areas, "proving that for the modern Conservative Party there are no, no-go areas".'

    But there is still a desert in Wales and Scotland. Labour are likely to take heavy losses I would think.

    The Lib Dems still have a foothold and are a Unionist party.

    Cameron should consider an electoral deal for Proportional Representation (that would invigorate cynical voters as all the votes count) to annihilate Labour and stand a credible chance of keeping the UK together?

    Also ALL of the democratic parties should cooperate to crush the BNP wherever they are.

  • Comment number 68.

    #66 Jaded_Jean

    You create the most open of goals as usual.

    Take crime - in the last year or so the far right has produced:

    the Hitler loving Baby P batterer and now convicted paedophile

    The Twickenham Green murderer (also a Satanist)

    the wannabe paedophile nail bomber who hated "bar stool nationalists"

    the wannabe Lowestoft train station bomber caught with an SS manual and IED.

    The latter didn't have any predatory sexual background so far as I know.

  • Comment number 69.

    thegangofone (#68) What an uninviting bunch of people. They clearly fascinate you.

    Do you happen to know if there any Liberal-Democrats have a 'Hitler loving Baby batterering', 'convicted paedophile', 'satanist', 'wannabe train station bomber', or 'sexual predator' background? If so, don't tell Mr McBride or Draper.

  • Comment number 70.

    I'm not sure that being a satanist is "right wing". How do you feel about Wicca?

    How about all these people demonstrating for Hamas, an organisation which embraces the Protocols of the Elders of Zion & has been engaged in the genocide of Jews? Does that make Livingston & Clare Short extreme right wingers then or are "left" & "right" meaningless terms now? No 3rd option.

  • Comment number 71.

    "How about all these people demonstrating for Hamas, an organisation which embraces the Protocols of the Elders of Zion & has been engaged in the genocide of Jews?"

    When was that then? They've managed to keep that very quiet! Does Israel/NYC know?

  • Comment number 72.

    For the last 9 years Hamas has been firing rockets at Jewish settlements. The targets were were in no way military. They were civilians killed purely because of their nationality. Hamas may not have the military capability of the SS but but such acts are, by any normal definition of the term, genocide.



  • Comment number 73.

    neilninepercent (#72) "For the last 9 years Hamas has been firing rockets at Jewish settlements. The targets were were in no way military. They were civilians killed purely because of their nationality. Hamas may not have the military capability of the SS but but such acts are, by any normal definition of the term, genocide."

    15, I repeat, fifteen people (some Arabs) have been killed as a consequence of rocket/motar attacks . More people die in Israel through Road Traffic Accidents each year. More people were killed in the single attack on the Turkish wedding than in the entire period you refer to. How many palestinians were killed in teh Gaza assault early this year? Was that 'genocide'?

    By any normal definition of the term, what you have posted is just ridiculous.

    Perhaps you should look up the term 'genocide', and whilst you're at it, look into why there are still 14m Jews in the world today and about 15.3m in the 1930s, given Jews have below replacement level fertility like all of European origin....

  • Comment number 74.

    #58
    What was meant was that mimpromptu would not be engaging any further in correspondence with Mr Singleton. As for Madam Mim I cannot say, as I have never met her. With regard to general comments or engaging with other bloggers, it's entirely up to Mr Singleton.

  • Comment number 75.

    mimpromptu (#74) Learn to take benevolent, constructive, criticism. It's one of the few things in life which is really worth seeking out i.e. valuing.

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