Our Man in Washington sent me a typically thoughtful email about the differences between US and UK attitudes to party politics the other day. I want to write about what he said in it at some length—with my “serious” hat on—but that requires concentration and some work-free time. Right now, I need to consult you […]
Read MoreJuly 2004
21Jul04 — 0
Quadrophenia
This reminds me of those long-gone days when Michael Jackson was blacker than me and his fans were madder than both of us. Jackson wrote the song Billie Jean about a stalker of his who clambered over a wall, chased him round his swimming pool, and claimed that she was carrying twins—only one of which […]
Read More20Jul04 — 1
International Law
A sovereign state holds undivided jurisdiction over all persons and property within its territory. No other nation may rightfully interfere in its domestic affairs. More: What would you do? Cut a great road through the law to get after the Devil? Roper: I'd cut down every law in England to do that! More: Oh? And […]
Read More20Jul04 — 2
Monarchies Rule!
Both normblog and The Daily Ablution currently have posts up about the United Nations Development Programme's chart of “most developed” countries. A commenter at The Ablution points out that all six of the top six most developed countries are constitutional monarchies. Stephen K will be pleased.
Read More20Jul04 — 0
Them That's Got Shall Get
Research brings us more evidence that healthy people are healthier and that the rich are getting richer.
Read More20Jul04 — 0
The Ultimate In Retro
Some of my earliest memories are of watching Apollo missions on television. I used to collect PG Tips picture cards of the space race. At infants school, every day that I could, I wore a blue cardigan with an embroidered lapel badge saying “Junior Astronaut”. Even grotty little jpeg pictures like this still make me […]
Read More20Jul04 — 2
The Future's Purple
In an effort to keep PooterGeek ahead of the rest of the 'Blogging competition I bring you a new feature: “Pooter's Futures”—stories obtained anything up to twelve months in advance using tachyon-based Web time-travel technology. Arafat Kidnapped By Arafat Following his refusal to accept his own resignation as Palestinian leader, Yasser Arafat today took himself […]
Read More19Jul04 — 2
Socialists, Eh?
Trust me, I didn't set this up as some kind of parody. The Kerry and Kamm question here seems to have settled down into a reasonably good natured discussion about my being an irritated fan and the difficulty of inferring foreign policy intentions from campaign rhetoric. Over on the corresponding entry at Harry's Place, posters […]
Read More18Jul04 — 2
PooterGeek Welcomes The Harry-lanche
A popular, pro-war, Left-wing 'Blog called “Harry's Place” linked to PooterGeek this morning and the number of hits I'm getting is scary. It's lucky you're not here to download images or I'd be afraid of exceeding my bandwidth limit. Here is the follow-up to the 'Blog entry Harry pointed at (posted before Harry linked to […]
Read More18Jul04 — 0
Credit Where Due
I've both praised and mocked Tom Watson MP in my time, but he deserves recognition for his part in Labour's holding off half of the entire Liberal Democrat party machine in a by-election on the day after the Butler report, and he deserves congratulations for earning his spangly new award. Nice work.
Read More18Jul04 — 0
Friends, Eh?
Thanks to Nicholas and Hind for listening to my woes and cheering me up Friday evening at Nick's impressively well-attended party. Hind told me that one of her friends had come along to my last gig in Brighton and liked it so much he bought the CD. Nicholas told me, to my surprise, that I […]
Read More18Jul04 — 6
Godzilla Versus Moth-Ra
So far, I've had five pieces of non-comment-box correspondence about the “Oliver Kamm Is Getting Sloppy” post. One, from a non-partisan US voter, might best be summed up as “ouch”. To which my answer is: if Oliver Kamm wants to go around beating up the idiots in school, he'll have to deal with it when […]
Read More17Jul04 — 3
Beyond A Joke
Palestinian militants launch kidnappings to protest UN Envoy's accusations that Palestinian leadership has failed to establish law and order in Palestinian areas. Satirist surrenders.
Read More17Jul04 — 1
Metapost
Up late looking at a pending PooterGeek entry called “Should You Use Your Last Bullet To Puncture The Vat Containing The Cloned Brain Of Adolf Hitler's Mother?” and I just cannot bring myself to finish it. As my friend Bill didn't exactly point out, I've been 'Blogging rather too much lately. I am willing to […]
Read More17Jul04 — 0
The Benefits Of Bloggocks
One of the advantages of the general frivolous scoffing around here is that I tend not to read whole trends into a single news story. Instead I use them as a jump-off point for a daft tangent of my own or further material for one of my running “jokes”. When such a story turns out […]
Read More17Jul04 — 1
Mr Angry
Backword Dave has been annoyed about lots of things this week. And I think he may have been justified more than once. From a quick browse I noted: thing one: Tom Watson MP's lack of interest in politics thing two: human rights hypocrites thing three: The Sun newspaper, for which the adjective “hypocritical” is implied
Read More17Jul04 — 1
An Unpaid For Plug
As The Fast Show would put it, The Economist is bloody brilliant! This week's edition, delivered promptly to my door this morning, contains a gripping investigation into the man who is pulling at De Beers's ever more gobsmacking grip on the diamond “market”, a fascinating survey of the rising costs of healthcare around the world, […]
Read More17Jul04 — 1
Separate Questions
There's a difference between approving fully of Sharon's policies in dealing with the threat of Palestinian terrorism—I don't—and acknowledging seriously that they are working—they are. This is a difference too subtle for Barbara Plett of the BBC. In saying this, I am assuming that her disapproval of Sharon's approach is the reason she chooses to […]
Read More16Jul04 — 18
Oliver Kamm Is Getting Sloppy
Yesterday, while snuffling through her head cold, my friend Judith was complaining on the phone about the depressing choice facing her in the upcoming US presidential elections, even (especially) as an ex-pat American. We know that every last vote counts. Like a lot of us 'Bloggish types, she wants a leader who will push for […]
Read More15Jul04 — 4
Win A Spouse In PooterGeek's Exciting BBC Online Challenge!
About half of the visitors to this site hand over a significant wedge of money annually to pay for their access to the marvellous products of the BBC. I don't because I don't have a television. If I did, however, I'd like to know where to write to complain about, say, my getting poor value […]
Read More14Jul04 — 0
And For My Next Trick
Now, in a dazzling demonstration of ninja 'Bloggology, I am going to link all three of my preceding posts with a single weird image. [Drumroll] I took this screen grab of an ad' that appeared while I was browsing the Washington political gossp 'Blog Wonkette a week or so back, but for technical reasons I've […]
Read More14Jul04 — 0
An Odd Confession
I don't know if it's because half of my best friends are Jewish, but every single time I see the cover of Bill Clinton's autobiography I imagine him shrugging his shoulders and delivering the title in a north London accent. For example: “My life! The girl has this einredenish that I loved her! And that […]
Read More14Jul04 — 1
Road Traffic Accidents And Sex
I was once witness to a spectacular but non-fatal and non-crippling crash. The sequence of events was shockingly clear in my mind. A careless driver was turning right into the road where I lived. He drove straight across the path of an oncoming motorcyclist who was certainly not speeding. I know he wasn't speeding because […]
Read More14Jul04 — 0
Technical Improvements?
You should now be able to preview your comments before you submit them to PooterGeek and this 'Blog should now be compatible with the nifty Bloglines system for keeping track of new postings to Weblogs. Please tell me if you have any problems with any of PooterGeek's features. If I don't know about them I […]
Read More13Jul04 — 0
Live And Let Die
Ah, we've been expecting you, Commander Blair. Do please sit down. Thank you, schir. I and my fellow members of this inquiry are fully aware of the sensitivity of your role. Rest assured that no information about you nor any specifics of your professional activities will leave this room and that the transcript of our […]
Read More12Jul04 — 1
Hidden Among Us
At least coloured people have the community-spiritedness to make their status as such more-or-less obvious, thereby sparing innocent bystanders unnecessary unpleasantness and their enemies the inconvenience of having to mark them out with little stars—or bigger swastikas. (The photo accompanying that article reminds me that it would have been helpful to all the budding neo-Nazis […]
Read More11Jul04 — 2
What Part of “No” Did I Misunderstand?
“Hello.” “Hello. Damian?” “That's right.” “Hi, Damian. It's Ollie.” “Oh. Hello, Olivia. Goodness. It's been a long time. I haven't seen you since… since that night you threw my Palm Pilot in the Thames.” “Did I do that? Are you sure? I think I knocked you and it slipped out of your hand.” “Yeah. Maybe. […]
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