So, Clare Short and a supposed host of other Labour cabinet ministers will quit if Britain goes to war without a new (and I deliberately don't say "second") resolution specifically authorising armed action.
Problem is, though, the eventual outcome of the resolution currently in front of the security council has nothing whatsoever to do with the rightness or wrongness of action against Iraq. It's about who can bribe the Angolans, Mexicans, Chileans and the other "undecideds" enough to weigh in on their side.
Clare Short, as International Development secretary, should know that more than most people. If it's that big an issue of conscience for her, she should quit now.
The next few days will inevitably be cheap and nasty, and a pathetic advertisement for the United Nations. Just what the Bush administration wants. If, as they want, they can go to war - they'll say the French and Russian vetoes are "impeding the will of the security council" - and, as a bonus, demonstrate the complete irrelevance of that institution, it'll be a good day at the office for them.
If any proof were needed that Fox News was a willing accomplice in the administration's mission to confuse Bin Laden and Saddam in the mind of the public, the "Fair and Balanced" channel now just has one. terrifying "War on Terror!" teaser graphic when intro-ing anything to do with Iraq or al-Qaeda.
I mentioned Bruce Springsteen and his views on the war a few days ago - the excellent fan site Backstreets has an item today about the Boss's concert in Atlantic City, where he talked about the line in the post-Sept 11 song "Empty Sky" which reads: "I want a kiss from your lips; I want an eye for an eye".
I remember when he played the song at Madison Square Garden, that line got a huge cheer (in fact, just as loud as the jeers later in the show when he played the song "41 Shots", critical of the NYPD).
Anyway - here's an extract from Backstreets:
He also had plenty to say tonight, particularly after "Empty Sky:" "One thing that bothers me, as a songwriter you always write to be understood." He discussed the "I want an eye for an eye" line, contending that "I wrote that as an expression of the character's confusion and grief, never as a call for blind revenge or bloodlust....we can't be too careful about these things these days....We're living in a time when there are real lives on the line...had to make sure that line was clearly understood."
Finally, farewell to Roger Needham, a man truly ahead of his time. I had the pleasure of meeting him a couple of times at Wolfson receptions and he came across as a delightful, brilliant, gentle man; who always left you wondering why more people in the world can't be this way.
Problem is, though, the eventual outcome of the resolution currently in front of the security council has nothing whatsoever to do with the rightness or wrongness of action against Iraq. It's about who can bribe the Angolans, Mexicans, Chileans and the other "undecideds" enough to weigh in on their side.
Clare Short, as International Development secretary, should know that more than most people. If it's that big an issue of conscience for her, she should quit now.
The next few days will inevitably be cheap and nasty, and a pathetic advertisement for the United Nations. Just what the Bush administration wants. If, as they want, they can go to war - they'll say the French and Russian vetoes are "impeding the will of the security council" - and, as a bonus, demonstrate the complete irrelevance of that institution, it'll be a good day at the office for them.
If any proof were needed that Fox News was a willing accomplice in the administration's mission to confuse Bin Laden and Saddam in the mind of the public, the "Fair and Balanced" channel now just has one. terrifying "War on Terror!" teaser graphic when intro-ing anything to do with Iraq or al-Qaeda.
I mentioned Bruce Springsteen and his views on the war a few days ago - the excellent fan site Backstreets has an item today about the Boss's concert in Atlantic City, where he talked about the line in the post-Sept 11 song "Empty Sky" which reads: "I want a kiss from your lips; I want an eye for an eye".
I remember when he played the song at Madison Square Garden, that line got a huge cheer (in fact, just as loud as the jeers later in the show when he played the song "41 Shots", critical of the NYPD).
Anyway - here's an extract from Backstreets:
He also had plenty to say tonight, particularly after "Empty Sky:" "One thing that bothers me, as a songwriter you always write to be understood." He discussed the "I want an eye for an eye" line, contending that "I wrote that as an expression of the character's confusion and grief, never as a call for blind revenge or bloodlust....we can't be too careful about these things these days....We're living in a time when there are real lives on the line...had to make sure that line was clearly understood."
Finally, farewell to Roger Needham, a man truly ahead of his time. I had the pleasure of meeting him a couple of times at Wolfson receptions and he came across as a delightful, brilliant, gentle man; who always left you wondering why more people in the world can't be this way.
posted by Steve at 5:51 PM
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