by Boudicca
Thu Jan 5th, 2006 at 06:29:20 PM EST
from the front page, after an edit by whataboutbob. -- Jérôme
Following the open thread and poll - just thought I would post a snippet, as there were requests for some :)
I live in Gloucestershire, which is in the part of England that borders Wales: the area is known (in england) as 'The Welsh Marches'. Gloucestershire is a largely rural county and very varied; it also has rich folklore traditions and customs. One of these customs is for Mummers and Morris to perform in front of the cathedral of the county city on Boxing day(pictures after the cut):
by Boudicca
Sun Sep 18th, 2005 at 03:59:14 PM EST
Does anyone remember this? It was a speech by british commander to his troops as they moved into Iraq at the beginning, sharply contrasted at the time with the US commanders gung-ho 'kill em all' attitude:
We go to liberate, not to conquer.
We will not fly our flags in their country
We are entering Iraq to free a people and the only flag which will be flown in that ancient land is their own.
Show respect for them.
There are some who are alive at this moment who will not be alive shortly.
Those who do not wish to go on that journey, we will not send.
As for the others, I expect you to rock their world.
Wipe them out if that is what they choose.
But if you are ferocious in battle remember to be magnanimous in victory.
Iraq is steeped in history.
It is the site of the Garden of Eden, of the Great Flood and the birthplace of Abraham.
Tread lightly there.
by Boudicca
Wed Sep 7th, 2005 at 12:58:50 PM EST
This is one huge decision, and one I wish/hope the US sometime decides to follow - from the diaries (with edits) ~ whataboutbob
There are not many things that Blair's government changes its mind about - but I am delighted that they have on this one. Back in early 2003 the government unveiled plans for online voting, sneering at the paper ballots as an 'anachronism'. They intended that general elections could be fully electronically enabled from 2006.
Many concerns were raised about security at the time, as in this Guardian story:
Now, however, there has been an unusual, and welcome, turn-around from the government:
The constitutional affairs minister, Harriet Harman, used a written parliamentary answer to announce the change of heart, after trials of e-voting in local council elections showed systems were expensive, unreliable and open to abuse.
by Boudicca
Thu Sep 1st, 2005 at 03:14:20 PM EST
promoted by the site gnomes. Use as an open thread to bring news, links and rant. This is fucking unbelievable - and yet all too believeable
Forgive a short diary please. My daugher and her boyfriend are in touch with someone who runs a large server in NO: he has stayed in their tower block - on floor 12 - and kept going with a generator.
He has just posted on his LJ that the FEMA/national guard are being replaced by regular military. I don't know what this means, whether it is good or bad, but have a horrid feeling that desperate people who have been left to drown/starve/dehydrate will end up being shot as looters.
The LJ is here: http://www.livejournal.com/users/interdictor/
by Boudicca
Sun Aug 28th, 2005 at 04:03:09 PM EST
I remember when we marched in the 'don't attack iraq' protests, we all kept on saying that this would make more terrorists. we were, of course, dismissed and mocked. Now a leaked document shows that Blair was warned last year that Iraq was fuelling islamic anger:
The letter, dated 18 May 2004, says British foreign policy was a 'recurring theme' in the Muslim community, 'especially in the context of the Middle East peace process and Iraq'.
'Colleagues have flagged up some of the potential underlying causes of extremism that can affect the Muslim community, such as discrimination, disadvantage and exclusion,' the letter says. 'But another recurring theme is the issue of British foreign policy, especially in the context of the Middle East peace process and Iraq.
'Experience of both ministers and officials ... suggests that ... British foreign policy and the perception of its negative effect on Muslims globally plays a significant role in creating a feeling of anger and impotence among especially the younger generation of British Muslims.'
by Boudicca
Sun Jun 19th, 2005 at 02:44:04 PM EST
Blair surely can't still believe in the 'special relationship' after this: leaked documents that form part of the US submission to the G8 action plan demonstrate that Bush is cynically and deliberately undermining the efforts to tackle climate change (no surprise there then!)
more...
