Good question. I read and re-read the entire thread of comments, and still can’t figure out what:

GIGANTIC OCEAN-GOING HOVER-VESSEL FULL OF FORMER ISRAELIS BRANDED “APARTHEID ARK” BY UK ACADEMIC.

has to do with opposing the Iraq War.

As TomP has noted - they have nothing to do with each other.

I wonder what a psycho-analyst would make of Alex’s bizarre series of responses on this thread?

GIGANTIC OCEAN-GOING HOVER-VESSEL FULL OF FORMER ISRAELIS BRANDED “APARTHEID ARK” BY UK ACADEMIC.

I laughed at that, and was against the Iraq war. This can only mean:

a) it was genuinely funny
b) I am more open-minded and have a better sense of humour than both of you.

surely you must agree?

It’s obviously meant to characterise “all those people, you know, the ones who disagree with me about Iraq”.

Obviously. Like the two UK academics who disagreed with me about Iraq whom Norm and I wrote the Euston Manifesto with, for example. I’m sure they’ll be on the phone in a minute, in tears.

By the way, I honestly couldn’t give a shitty fuck what Norman Geras says.

But you seem to be quite upset by something written by a clown like me.

Norm’s a full professor of politics with several relevant interests, but I linked to him because what he wrote was true, not because he wrote it. Regulars here know that there’s a mountain range of difference between my political outlook and his, but he’s worth taking seriously. If you choose to dismiss everything he says then that’s your loss—and illuminating for the rest of us.

Further, the set of people who *do* make comparisons etc etc etc currently includes Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, so you might consider updating your priors.

By the way, I honestly couldn’t give a shitty fuck what Norman Geras says. Except possibly “sorry for helping get us into the worst total-strategic fuckup since 1066”. But there’s no way that’ll happen.

b) “Insulting” to whom? To people who make grossly inaccurate comparisons between Israel and apartheid South Africa?

Well, boo hoo for them. I’m sure the millions on the Left in Israel (and the Right come to think of it) who daily read ignorant slurs against their hard-won and universal democracy are feeling their pain too.

GIGANTIC OCEAN-GOING HOVER-VESSEL FULL OF FORMER ISRAELIS BRANDED “APARTHEID ARK” BY UK ACADEMIC.

Jesus wept, you couldn’t even get a bit of whimsy like this away without at least one honking great offensive strawman.