The Labour party risks getting stuck in an "electoral cul-de-sac" if it takes a "pre-New Labour" direction under its new leader, Lord Mandelson warned today.His comments were seen as a warning against the election of Ed Miliband, who has positioned himself to the left of his brother David as the pair have emerged as frontrunners to succeed Gordon Brown.The former business secretary - and architect of New Labour - warned that the party risked a long period in opposition if it swung to the left and failed to recreate the wide-ranging coalition that took Tony Blair to power in 1997.Mandelson's intervention could give a boost to David Miliband's campaign at the start of the week in which MPs, MEPs, party activists and members of affiliated organisations will start voting in the postal ballot to elect a new leader on 25 September.
The Labour party risks getting stuck in an "electoral cul-de-sac" if it takes a "pre-New Labour" direction under its new leader, Lord Mandelson warned today.
His comments were seen as a warning against the election of Ed Miliband, who has positioned himself to the left of his brother David as the pair have emerged as frontrunners to succeed Gordon Brown.
The former business secretary - and architect of New Labour - warned that the party risked a long period in opposition if it swung to the left and failed to recreate the wide-ranging coalition that took Tony Blair to power in 1997.
Mandelson's intervention could give a boost to David Miliband's campaign at the start of the week in which MPs, MEPs, party activists and members of affiliated organisations will start voting in the postal ballot to elect a new leader on 25 September.
... under its new leader, Lord Mandelson ...
Guess which 2 words don't fit well together for me?
My Lord and Master! In the end, might makes right. Nothing has changed since the caveman.
oh and:
The hatred of Blair is over the top High-profile book launches are meant to be a bit of a circus. But it is hard to find a parallel for the mixture of hype and hatred that will attend the publication of Tony Blair's memoirs on Wednesday. (...) For many of the most ardent Blair-haters in Britain, however, a discussion of political style is beside the point. Their indictment comes down to a single word: Iraq. And yet, for all the horrors that flowed from the 2003 invasion, the hatred and contempt that is directed at Mr Blair is way over the top. He probably made the wrong call in backing the American-led campaign. Even by the most cautious estimates, about 100,000 civilians have died in Iraq since the invasion. Millions have been turned into refugees. And as American troops withdraw, there is a significant chance that the country will slide back into civil war. But Mr Blair made his fateful decision on Iraq for reasons that were both honourable and understandable. Most of the leading figures in British politics - in both main parties - agreed with him. Robin Cook, the former Labour foreign secretary, was unusual in speaking out against the plans for war. So the decision to back the invasion was not an isolated act of Blair-inspired lunacy. It reflected the conventional wisdom of the British political establishment. It is clear, in retrospect, that, after easy military victories in Kosovo and Bosnia, Mr Blair became dangerously complacent about the risks of military action in Iraq. But he was hardly alone in his misjudgment. The years after the Kosovo war were the heyday of liberal interventionism on both sides of the Atlantic and on both sides of the political spectrum - fed by guilt at the west's reluctance to intervene in Rwanda and the Balkans.
High-profile book launches are meant to be a bit of a circus. But it is hard to find a parallel for the mixture of hype and hatred that will attend the publication of Tony Blair's memoirs on Wednesday.
(...)
For many of the most ardent Blair-haters in Britain, however, a discussion of political style is beside the point. Their indictment comes down to a single word: Iraq.
And yet, for all the horrors that flowed from the 2003 invasion, the hatred and contempt that is directed at Mr Blair is way over the top. He probably made the wrong call in backing the American-led campaign. Even by the most cautious estimates, about 100,000 civilians have died in Iraq since the invasion. Millions have been turned into refugees. And as American troops withdraw, there is a significant chance that the country will slide back into civil war.
But Mr Blair made his fateful decision on Iraq for reasons that were both honourable and understandable. Most of the leading figures in British politics - in both main parties - agreed with him. Robin Cook, the former Labour foreign secretary, was unusual in speaking out against the plans for war. So the decision to back the invasion was not an isolated act of Blair-inspired lunacy. It reflected the conventional wisdom of the British political establishment.
It is clear, in retrospect, that, after easy military victories in Kosovo and Bosnia, Mr Blair became dangerously complacent about the risks of military action in Iraq. But he was hardly alone in his misjudgment. The years after the Kosovo war were the heyday of liberal interventionism on both sides of the Atlantic and on both sides of the political spectrum - fed by guilt at the west's reluctance to intervene in Rwanda and the Balkans.
Shorter Rachman: Serious People are Serious People.
and the cherry on top:
My guess is that, in a few years' time, the Blair years will be remembered for a lot more than Iraq. They will be seen as a period of prosperity and optimism in Britain - certainly compared with what was to come. In 20 years' time many Britons may look back on the Blair era with considerable nostalgia.
Maybe you remember the party rather than the hangover; but do you remember the party over the ethylic coma? Wind power
So the decision to back the invasion was not an isolated act of Blair-inspired lunacy. It reflected the conventional wisdom of the British political establishment.
Unintentional irony - always the best kind.
"we are intensely relaxed about people getting filthy rich"
Guardian - Ha-Joon chang - We lost sight of fairness in the false promise of wealth
We have to question an assumption that has dominated economic thinking over the last three decades - namely, the belief that maximising market freedom is the best way to generate wealth. From this assumption came the argument that even committed egalitarians should let markets rip, because that would give them the maximum wealth to redistribute. In Britain, the natural "progressive" conclusion was the New Labour strategy that you regulate the City as little as possible because that will maximise the wealth it generates, which means more money for equality-enhancing programmes like Sure Start. Sadly that assumption has been proved wrong. After three decades of deregulation and tax cuts for the rich, growth has slowed down, rather than accelerated, in almost all countries.
From this assumption came the argument that even committed egalitarians should let markets rip, because that would give them the maximum wealth to redistribute. In Britain, the natural "progressive" conclusion was the New Labour strategy that you regulate the City as little as possible because that will maximise the wealth it generates, which means more money for equality-enhancing programmes like Sure Start.
Sadly that assumption has been proved wrong. After three decades of deregulation and tax cuts for the rich, growth has slowed down, rather than accelerated, in almost all countries.
Mandelson, Blair, Brown; they and the whole NuLab Thatcherite neocon triangulation fantasy was wrong and has broken on the rocks of its contradictions. Yet, despite the ruins that lay all around, they insist their blasted path of good intentions will not lead to the ruin it signposts. If Labour is to ever win again, it needs to avoid listening to the siren voices of the ghosts of NuLab luring them to their doom.
Right now, the dream team that is emerging is that of the two Eds, MiliBalls you mights say. Milib-Ed is making the best noises about turning his face against the past, but Balls is certainly talking a good progressive game. keep to the Fen Causeway
A gunman killed six members of a single family, wounded 14 others, and then shot himself after being cornered by police in the Slovak capital Bratislava on Monday. Neither the motive nor the identity of the man is clear. The man who went on the shooting spree was said to be in his fifties and used an illegally obtained submachine gun and two shotguns, said Bratislava Police Commissioner Jaroslav Spisiak. Witnesses said the incident occurred in broad daylight at around 10 a.m. in the captial's Devinska Nova Ves residential neighborhood. Among the victims were four women and two men who died of gunshot wound
The man who went on the shooting spree was said to be in his fifties and used an illegally obtained submachine gun and two shotguns, said Bratislava Police Commissioner Jaroslav Spisiak.
Witnesses said the incident occurred in broad daylight at around 10 a.m. in the captial's Devinska Nova Ves residential neighborhood.
Among the victims were four women and two men who died of gunshot wound
Leaked tapes of Belgium's Cardinal Godfried Danneels urging a victim not to reveal he was sexually abused by a bishop are some of the most damaging documents to emerge in the scandal rocking the Roman Catholic Church. Skip related contentThe tapes, made secretly by the victim and published in two Belgian newspapers on Saturday, show the former primate of Belgium exhorting him to accept a private apology or wait one year until the bishop retired before making his case public.Their meeting took place on April 8, at a time when the Vatican was under fire for allegedly covering up similar abuse cases by priests in other countries and shocking abuse claims dominated the news in several European states.
Leaked tapes of Belgium's Cardinal Godfried Danneels urging a victim not to reveal he was sexually abused by a bishop are some of the most damaging documents to emerge in the scandal rocking the Roman Catholic Church. Skip related content
The tapes, made secretly by the victim and published in two Belgian newspapers on Saturday, show the former primate of Belgium exhorting him to accept a private apology or wait one year until the bishop retired before making his case public.
Their meeting took place on April 8, at a time when the Vatican was under fire for allegedly covering up similar abuse cases by priests in other countries and shocking abuse claims dominated the news in several European states.
Libya's Muammar Gaddafi is likely to arouse the usual mixture of curiosity and controversy on his latest trip to Italy. But behind the theatrics, the colonel's lucrative investments underscore Tripoli's growing influence on the Italian economy.
After years of bitter squabbling and three successive defeats in presidential elections, French Socialists wrapped up their summer conference with a united front and a defiant challenge to President Nicolas Sarkozy.
Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said Monday that he plans to maintain an active role in Russian politics for years to come, but would not reveal whether he will stand in 2012 presidential elections. Russia's political strongman, who was president from 2000 to 2008, also bluntly defended police action against banned anti-government protests, saying in an interview published in the Russian daily Kommersant that such protestors deserved to be pummelled. Putin said he was not obsessed with the upcoming elections and had no "narcotic dependence" on political ratings.
Russia's political strongman, who was president from 2000 to 2008, also bluntly defended police action against banned anti-government protests, saying in an interview published in the Russian daily Kommersant that such protestors deserved to be pummelled.
Putin said he was not obsessed with the upcoming elections and had no "narcotic dependence" on political ratings.
macro:
((predict))
The German government has condemned an official with the country's central bank on the publication of his book on immigration issues. Bundesbank member Thilo Sarrazin's book, Germany Abolishes Itself, states that Muslim immigrants refuse to integrate and are a drain on society. In a newspaper interview about the book, he said that "all Jews share a particular gene". The Bundesbank board was to make a decision on his future later on Monday.
The German government has condemned an official with the country's central bank on the publication of his book on immigration issues.
Bundesbank member Thilo Sarrazin's book, Germany Abolishes Itself, states that Muslim immigrants refuse to integrate and are a drain on society.
In a newspaper interview about the book, he said that "all Jews share a particular gene".
The Bundesbank board was to make a decision on his future later on Monday.
* UPI German banker blasted for remarks on Jews 1 hr ago * Guardian.co.uk Bundesbank executive provokes race outcry with book 1 hr ago * Miami Herald Germany's central bank rejects racist comments 4 hrs ago * The Independent German banker's 'Jew' remark draws outrage 5 hrs ago * Sky News Top German Banker's Jew Jibe Sparks Fury 5 hrs ago
This is snark, right? Maybe we can eventually make language a complete impediment to understanding. -Hobbes
Fun fact of the day: pretty much all reporting is based on the Jewish, not Muslim angle.
He took a lot of heat for his anti-Muslim statements last week. I guess Sarrazin feels he needs to raise the ante. The fact is that what we're experiencing right now is a top-down disaster. -Paul Krugman
He then chose to cite unspecified academic research into the issue of "Jewish" genes, and asserted - curiously - that "a convert, if he converts through the Orthodox, he has the Jewish gene. If he doesn't convert through the Orthodox, he doesn't have the Jewish gene. As simple as that."
Germany's Bundesbank has warned that its image has been damaged by provocative comments on immigration by a member of its board but it stopped short of demanding his immediate departure.In a strongly worded statement, Germany's central bank sought to distance itself from views aired by Thilo Sarrazin, a former finance minister of the city of Berlin. Although they were Mr Sarrazin's personal views, they were reflecting increasingly on the Bundesbank, it said.The Bundesbank said it would seek talks with Mr Sarrazin, who launched his book Deutschland schafft sich ab, roughly translated Germany Eliminates Itself, in Berlin on Monday, before deciding on "further steps" - a signal that the central bank could yet try to unseat a board member for the first time.
In a strongly worded statement, Germany's central bank sought to distance itself from views aired by Thilo Sarrazin, a former finance minister of the city of Berlin. Although they were Mr Sarrazin's personal views, they were reflecting increasingly on the Bundesbank, it said.
The Bundesbank said it would seek talks with Mr Sarrazin, who launched his book Deutschland schafft sich ab, roughly translated Germany Eliminates Itself, in Berlin on Monday, before deciding on "further steps" - a signal that the central bank could yet try to unseat a board member for the first time.
Chancellor Angela Merkel has weighed in on Germany's ongoing nuclear energy debate, saying the country needs to run its nuclear energy plants for at least 10 more years to keep energy costs down and ensure demand is met. German Chancellor Angela Merkel foresees keeping Germany's nuclear power plants running for at least another decade past their current phase out date. In 2002, the then-ruling SPD-Greens coalition passed a law that said all of Germany's nuclear power plants were due to go off line by 2022. But Merkel, coming off a recent tour of energy facilities around Germany, said in an interview with public broadcaster ARD that "on technical grounds, [an additional] 10 to 15 years is reasonable."
German Chancellor Angela Merkel foresees keeping Germany's nuclear power plants running for at least another decade past their current phase out date.
In 2002, the then-ruling SPD-Greens coalition passed a law that said all of Germany's nuclear power plants were due to go off line by 2022.
But Merkel, coming off a recent tour of energy facilities around Germany, said in an interview with public broadcaster ARD that "on technical grounds, [an additional] 10 to 15 years is reasonable."
Image: We vote nuclear power. CDU.
The fact is that what we're experiencing right now is a top-down disaster. -Paul Krugman
BUCHAREST, Aug 26, 2010 (IPS) - Five newborns died last week in a fire caused by an airconditioning fault at a Bucharest maternity. Insufficient, overworked staff and deficient maintenance -- results of inadequate funding of the health system - -were listed among the causes."I'm surprised such tragedies don't happen more often, given the conditions we work in," said resident doctor Raluca Grumazescu from the Brasov Children's Hospital. The sole nurse attending the newborns at the Giulesti maternity in Bucharest had stepped out of the ward when the fire broke out. Three babies in incubators died instantly and two others did not survive severe burns. "In Romanian hospitals, it is common that only one doctor and one nurse supervise up to 100 patients during nightshifts, and they have to deal with emergencies on top of that," Grumazescu says. "The night duty can come in the middle of a 36-hour shift during which, if the hospital takes emergencies, there is no time to rest. "We would need double the number of staff we have now," Grumazescu told IPS. "At the moment, nurses also do the job of orderlies, carrying patients and even cleaning the floors."
Bucharest court will decide on Monday, whether nurse Florentina Cirstea from the Giulesti maternity will remain under arrest in the file regarding the Giulesti maternity ward fire, Romanian news agency Agerpres informs. The medical nurse was arrested earlier last week for 29 days after a decision of the Bucharest district 6 court. UPDATE 14:50PM Bucharest court rejected on Monday the recourse of nurse Florentina Cirstea, from the Giulesti maternity, who was temporary arrested after the tragedy at the Giulesti maternity ward fire which caused the death of 5 new borns and the injury of another 6.
Britain and France could share their aircraft carrier capability in a dramatic co-operation pact designed to maintain military power while cutting costs, it has been reported. The Ministry of Defence described the report in The Times as "speculation" ahead of the outcome of the Strategic Defence and Security Review, expected next month. But a source said that ideas for all sorts of co-operation would be "on the table" when Defence Secretary Liam Fox visited Paris for talks with his French counterparts on Friday, and did not exclude the possibility of the aircraft carriers being discussed.
Britain and France could share their aircraft carrier capability in a dramatic co-operation pact designed to maintain military power while cutting costs, it has been reported.
The Ministry of Defence described the report in The Times as "speculation" ahead of the outcome of the Strategic Defence and Security Review, expected next month.
But a source said that ideas for all sorts of co-operation would be "on the table" when Defence Secretary Liam Fox visited Paris for talks with his French counterparts on Friday, and did not exclude the possibility of the aircraft carriers being discussed.
Britain, France 'plan defence pact'
Against whom ... Berlu ? ... the US ? In the end, might makes right. Nothing has changed since the caveman.
:-)
I have seen a pink cotton jacket combined with 'tartan' trousers of yellow and lime-green. Watching TV in Sweden is sometimes like entering the world of a music video for Buck's Fizz on prozac. Degendered hallucinogenic pastels. You can't be me, I'm taken
so many germans wearing beige polyester, the british proclivity for muddy (i don't exist) or overbright, ( i'm lurid, so i must exist) being prime examples.
by not seeing how nature combines raw, sunlit, extreme colours daily, one's eyes become attuned to the bland, and the lurches to compensate achieve the level of truly grotesque.
africans love to combine madly, patterns and colours cheerfully colliding in merry lowbrow chaos, but there's a loose coherence, same as their musics' polyrhythms.
india already more formalised, refined...
small rainy islands like japan and england have the most rigid dress codes...weird!
riddle me that ;) ~"When an inner situation is not made conscious, it appears outside as fate." Karl Jung~
While dress codes in Japan may be strict, historically, Japanese woven textiles are the most striking beautiful on the planet, imo.
And let us not forget that the wonderful classic Hawaiian shirt was originally made from cottons imported to the islands from Japan. You can't be me, I'm taken
Japanese woven textiles are the most striking beautiful on the planet, imo.
ever felt tibetan silk? i thought the original hawaaian shirts were in (sustainable!) rayon, from tree fibres, iirc. and yes they were/are wonderfully classic. i used to comb the sally ally shops on the big island in the 70's/80's and found some beauties, which have lasted amazingly, some of extremely fine cotton, which probably did come from japan. those blue and white japanese bathrobes are made of similarly soft, fine cotton too.
egyptian cotton is very highly rated, i had a shirt of it once and it was special... ~"When an inner situation is not made conscious, it appears outside as fate." Karl Jung~
The Jokapoika shirt (in grey or black) is de rigeur for Leftish Finnish intellectuals and patriotic architects.
In the early days the textiles were hand screen-printed, cut and sewn in Finland from imported Egyptian cotton. You can't be me, I'm taken
At least, in the explanation of it, one could perhaps proselytize some waverers. And it would suit the limeys too.
Imagine an ET meet in Paris, with Our Dear Kermit. You can't be me, I'm taken
Hi-class.
There is only one single question: does the method of getting attention in any way dilute the message to which attention is being drawn, when compared to inattention?
In the advanced media 'game' there are typically 3 vectors that have to coincide: 1) the message is difficult, but useful (beneficial if understood). 2) The testimonials of supporters must be clear cut, and 3) It would be fun to join.
Number 3 is vital, although fun can be understood in many different ways - of which the most important is "if I join in, will I be happier at some point in the future".
Facts are not enough - though they help ;-) You can't be me, I'm taken
is there rehab for that? so bad it's great dept... that green...rancidly present, like having unripe grapefruit peel rubbed into your eyeballs!
ow ow ow make it stop
must go out and watch a sunset after that, staggers away blinded and streaming lymph from every orifice... ~"When an inner situation is not made conscious, it appears outside as fate." Karl Jung~
As you are well aware first impressions are very difficult to change and, concurrently, establish the basis of future interactions and the psychological assessment of how "serious" a person is. How one dresses is the single most important social signal.
Proper attire
would, I think, go some way to establishing Eurotrib's bona fides to the Serious People™.
I think that would be entirely appropriate.
What Pekka did not understand is that Lordi existed only the interstices between audience, media, patriotism and national self-consciousness, and that upsetting THAT fragile ecosystem was doomed to failure. You can't be me, I'm taken
The only question is: can fashion paradigm shifts precipitate? You can't be me, I'm taken
as the old adage noted, "Red sky at morning, tailors take warning."
George Osborne is planning to cut staff numbers at the Treasury by about one-quarter and scale back his department's role as he attempts to lead by example in the search for sweeping spending cuts across Whitehall. The chancellor will reconvene the public spending "star chamber" this week and hopes to settle a number of departmental budgets - including justice, transport, environment and culture - by mid-September.Mr Osborne wants his own department to lead the way and has made plans to reduce Treasury staff numbers from 1,350 to 1,000 by natural attrition over the next four years, drawing a line under what he regards as the empire-building of the Gordon Brown era.
The chancellor will reconvene the public spending "star chamber" this week and hopes to settle a number of departmental budgets - including justice, transport, environment and culture - by mid-September.
Mr Osborne wants his own department to lead the way and has made plans to reduce Treasury staff numbers from 1,350 to 1,000 by natural attrition over the next four years, drawing a line under what he regards as the empire-building of the Gordon Brown era.
The Treasury is also going to shrink its financial services function, a move which reflects Mr Osborne's belief that the crisis management phase of the banking crisis is over.
