KOBA THE DREAD.
Just finished re-reading the excellent "Koba the dread" by Martin Amis - it gives terrific insight into that monster, Stalin. Stalin set that the death of one person was tragic, the death of a million a mere "statistic." Amis rebutts this whilst addressing the indulgence of communism by intellectuals in the West. Well worth a read!
Essential Stats
Today's Newsletter doesn't pussyfoot around with cheap optimism and gut-wrenching spin. It gives an accurate portrayal of the darker side of Northern Ireland since the 'ceasefires'. The paper reports that there have been 179 people murdered by terrorists since 1994. What's more, there were over 11,000 terrorist-related incidents.
The Newsletter is right to point out that both loyalist and republican terrorists are responsible for such outrages. In most respects, loyalist paramilitaries have been even more proficient in the criminality and murder leagues than their republican counterparts. There is, however, one massive difference which cannot be overlooked. Parties fronting the UVF and UDA have virtually no support among the pro-Union populace. The UDA's political wing, the Ulster Democratic Party, did not even win a seat in the 1998 Assembly elections, notwithstanding the implementation of electoral rules designed to maximise their chances of success. Likewise, the PUP lost one of their two seats in last November's election. Contrast that with the meteoric rise of republican fascism in the form of Sinn Fein/IRA.
Nationalists like to pretend that the genesis of the Provisionals lay in the Civil Rights marches of the late Sixties. Originally the context of the problem lay in the refusal of the nationalist community to give even the most basic undertakings of support to the Union, thus precipitating areas of discrimination (though nothing like to the extent that nationalist legend depicts) from successive Stormont governments. We Unionists have always argued that any 'rights' over and above the commonly implemented liberties (which existed in the main in Northern Ireland society long before the Civil Rights movement became popular) should only have come with some reciprocation from nationalists on practical allegiance to the UK state. What we have seen, contrarily, is a nationalist community showered with rights and privileges unknown to any comparable minority in the Western world, without any indication that they wish Northern Ireland to be stable and enduring as a part of the UK.
This peace process, like all others before it, is predicated on nationalist appeasement without anything in return. For so long as that mindset endures, no process will bring stability in Ulster's wider society. This will be the case even if the DUP swallows principle and engages in a governmental two-step with the IRA's proxies.
COMFORTING THE MAD MULLAHS...
I always enjoy reading Frank Gaffney- his Centre for Security Policy - is always worth a visit. He has been consistently flagging up the menace posed by Iran and in his latest article he spells out why Israel may, once more, have to take unilateral action to stop the mad mullahs going nuclear.
BILLIONS GONE MISSING.....
A disturbing report from EUFunding.org shows that billions of euros are being diverted from the Palestinian people towards corruption and violence.
The key points are;
1. European aid has NOT reached the intended target population but has been diverted towards graft, terrorism and incitement.
2. Terrorists such as the Al Aksa Brigade are financed from these budgets.
3. There is a worrying lack of transparency in where the billions go.
Read details here and then when you next Chris Patten blandly DENY the shameful use of Euro-funds to aid Palestinian murderers, you'll realise why the UK should pull out of the rotten EU.
WHY THE PROFIT MOTIVE IS GOOD FOR YOUR HEALTH....
"People in the education and political establishments pretend they're not motivated by such 'callous' motives as greed and profits. These people 'care' about us, but from which areas of our lives do we derive the greatest pleasures and have the fewest complaints, and from which areas do we have the greatest headaches and complaints? We tend to have high satisfaction with goods and services like computers, cell phones, movies, clothing and supermarkets. These are areas where the motivations are greed and profits. Our greatest dissatisfaction is in areas of caring and no profit motive such as public education, postal services and politics. Give me greed and profits, and you can keep the caring." --Walter Williams
HOWARD'S WAY IS NO WAY.
Mark Steyn had an excellent take on the woes of the Conservative Party the other day in the DT. It grieves me that the Conservatives, under pressure from the leftist media and the grotesque lies of shape changing Labour, have forgotten why they are Conservatives. As a result they are being filleted by right and left....and have failed to establish a proper identity with the electorate. The consequences for Michael Howard at the next GE are ominous.
I happen to believe that there are many good staunch Conservatives within the party - but are these the people now whispering in the Leader's shell-like?
At one level of course I want to see Michael Howard perform well but much more than that I want a vigorous populist British right restored. The "bunch of wankers" (source:The Sun) advising Michael Howard are letting Blair off the hook. Trying to be some pale blue shade of Conservatism is pointless, Britain needs real leadership and that means facing down the all-pervasive leftism that dominates the chattering classes. It's right to be from the Right.
RELIGION OF PEACE OPENS MOSCOW BRANCH.
I see that one of the more enthusiastic followers of the religion of peace has detonated herself in Moscow killing ten people. I also note that Kofi Annan has condemned it. How odd then that Kofi had NOTHING to say about the death of 16 Israeli citizens at the hands of Hamas killers yesterday. Pesky Jews, eh?
A BEGINNERS GUIDE TO THE PEACE PROCESS........
Today marks a fresh attempt by the British and Irish Government to restore devolution in Northern Ireland. Here is your own ATW cut out and keep guide to the planned appeasement.
Question: How can devolution in Northern Ireland be restored?
Answer: By Government managing the negotiation process to ensure that the IRA's proxies in Sinn Fein, and the largest unionist party, the DUP, arrive at a deal.
Question: Is this acheivable?
Answer: Yes. It happened before back in the late 1990's when the Ulster Unionist Party was encouraged to trust the IRA and subsequently "took a leap" of faith. They are now a ruined political force but who can say that the DUP will also not be tempted and encouraged to go in a similar direction.
Question: Surely the DUP and Sinn Fein/IRA are diametrically opposed?
Answer: Ideologically yes. But they both share one interest - a lust for power.
Question:Will a deal be cut?
Answer: Maybe, but not in one fell swoop. The Government will use graduation as its preferred method for gaining consensus. Thus we will see announcements of further "de-militarisation" (running down of security) we will see announcements concerning "equality" legislation (making terrorists more equal), and we will see announcements concerning the Full time police reserve. To balance this, Gerry Adams and the IRA will make more "seismic" announcements, more phony "putting weapons beyond use" will occur, and the media will be used relentlessly to assure us that all our problems will be solved IF ONLY we accept the return of devolution.
Question: Isn't this just unprincipled bartering between a sovereign Government and a terrorist mafia, using the tenets of democracy as disposal assets?
Anwer: No. It's called the "peace process" and it is VERY RUDE to point out how intrinsically corrupt it actually is.
Now then, having established the ground rules, sit back and watch the show.
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