Reactionary Snob has an interesting post: “Tintin’s Travels”. Apparently, Foreign Secretary David Milliband was allowed to visit Afghanistan and Pakistan but WebCameron’s planned visit to Pakistan, after visiting troops in Afghanistan, was cancelled on security grounds.
The Sunday Mirror reports that he was not able to meet the Commander, Brigadier John Lorrimer, because the Brigadier had already made plans to fly back for a break “shooting in Scotland”. Although “senior Whitehall sources” are reported as saying that this was ‘utterly humiliating’ for WebCameron, he was able to listen to troops complaining about the fact (quite rightly) that they had to pay council tax in the UK while fighting in Afghanistan.
Meanwhile we learn that Gordon Brown has returned to London to take personal charge of the foot and mouth crisis, which appears to have originated from a private pharamaceutical laboratory at Pirbright, a government research establishment.
Our innate prejudice against Spain with the casting of FI world champion, Alonso, as a pantomime villain, continues in the press. To be sure, the Spaniard does seem to drone on about not getting the treatment he deserves and that team-mate, Hamilton, is getting all the PR. His latest stunt was to delay Hamilton, thereby preventing Hamilton from completing a final qualifying lap. MacLaren, already up to their ears in drama with Ferrari, have been penalised by the ‘stewards’ and cannot win any constructor points this weekend in Hungary. Hamilton has been promoted to pole on the grid (Alonso demoted to sixth). Cry God for Hammy, St George and England…. is all I can bring myself to say.
Mind you… I am drinking some good Bourbon wine… a delicious Rioja… so Viva Espana on that score.
It was bad enough learning, some time ago, that Fisher Waterhouse had set up a law office on Second Life. Now, it appears, a ‘virtual jihad hits second life website’. (Sunday Times 4th August) Islamic militants are suspected of using Second Life to hunt for recruits and mimic real-life terrorism.
For my part, I may join Second Life to get ‘virtually over-refreshed’ and then I won’t have to bother with the real thing. I could live until I am 150, like Keith Richards plans to, if I do that. I am on Facebook if you wish to come and ‘write on my wall’ or send me a fish for my garden. You will find that there are a few UK Blawgers wasting time there as well.
The Sunday Times headline on p5 took me by surprise: “Queen stopped Margaret being regent”. The reports states that The Queen ‘personally intervened’ to ensure that well known internationalist and comedian, Prince Philip, would rule in the event that she died without an adult heir. Does Prince Charles know about this?
Gordon Brown, having failed to persuade Paddy Pantsdown to join the ‘government of all the talents’ as Northern Ireland Secretary, has now come up with a plan to make Ashdown an Afghan Overlord. Well… we have Quartet Envoy, Tony Blair, wandering about the Middle East solving the problems out there… so why not have yet another British politican wandering around trying to solve problems in Afghanistan. The Army reckons that we’ll be in Afghanistan for another forty odd years so why not? Interestingly, the Sunday Times report states that Hamid Karzai, the current Afghan overlord, has gone to the US to seek advice from George W Bush to ‘discuss how best to consolidate his leadership and confirm the support of international agencies.”
As Dubya appears not to have any idea on how to consolidate his own position for his remaining term of office, and is not exactly popular with international agencies at the moment, it is a rather curious choice of adviser or mentor for Karzai to choose. But there we are. Perhaps Karzai just wanted one of those US Bomber jackets with his name on it given to visiting heads of state when they go to Camp David ?
I very nearly lost the will to live, and do a bit of running amok, when I read in The Sunday Times that “Council officials are mounting surveillance operations for the first time to catch householders who put out rubbish on the wrong day.”
This is the brainchild of Southend Council in Essex. What is happening to our once proud, ‘Armada defeating’, Regicidal (Charles 1), country? We are already spied on by all and sundry. The police want to stop speeders and take saliva samples for their DNA database, and the government, already enlisting unfit people to be community support plod, wants all of us to watch each other and report infringements to the appropriate authorities.
“Britain never never shall be slaves” as Rule Brittania goes. Do me a ‘por favor’…. are we not becoming just that with all these attacks on freeedom, liberty, civil liberties.?
Well… the sun is shining… and the ‘ living is easy’ now the Rioja is weaving through my blood. Time for another… and you will never hear me say “Pimms o’clock”.
An excellent post!
As insane as it may sound, I actually might be persuaded that Prince Philip would make a better ruler than Charles…I think the sun must be getting to me!
Ah, if only I were a council official. I go for those b******s that clutter up our streets with their nasty rubbish.
Okay, am going in now…
I don’t understand the title of this post.What does ‘wherefore’ mean? Is it a legal reference?
It is a bit of Shakespeare…. except it was Romeo in the original. I think Juliet was calling for Romeo… not a play I enjoyed… prefer the history plays myself – particularly Richard III
Oh dear, I think you misunderstand the meaning of ‘wherefore’ and Juliet’s speech*. I had expected more of a wig-wearer.
Quite… was not being entirely serious… 🙂
but here you are:
Juliet’s plaintive “O Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo?” had nothing to do with her lover’s location. “Wherefore” means “why” (in both senses — “how come?” and “for that reason.”) Juliet was asking why the fates had made Romeo part of the Montague family, with which her Capulets were locked in a virulent feud. “ ’Tis but thy name that is my enemy,” she sighs; if his name had been the Veronese equivalent of Joe Smith, the two of them could have lived happily ever after.