Simon mentions the general election in Spain and the reaction to the results. It was certainly a surprise, and the right-wing bloggers are horrified that the terrorist bombings in Madrid may have influenced the result and could do so again. As Simon says, one of the features of democracy is that it sometimes throws up…

Democracy is a good thing, and free markets are a good thing, so it stands to reason that every country should be moving as quickly as possible towards full democracy and a free market system. Obvious really? This is a very interesting piece, arguing against the conventional wisdom, and suggesting that we shouldn’t be in…

[I know this has got absolutely nothing to do with the purported subject matter of this blog, but I think I can permit myself this indulgence.] Last night I watched Lord Hutton presenting the conclusions of his inquiry, shown on BBC World (and CNN). I was expecting a fairly brief summary, but he actually read…

Via Simon, a bit of a diatribe about Emirates not offering a kosher menu. They don’t seem to make any secret of this fact, listing the various special meals that are available. So travel agents and anyone else should easily be able to find out what is available. Bruce is indignant that his request for…

A revealing view of the world from Hemlock in the Gweilo Diaries I’m happy with the Neocons’ broad analysis: the superiority of anglo-saxon political and economic philosophies is self-evident. Simple anglo-saxon (as it happens) empiricism suggests the whole world would be a better and safer place if it shared the values of the US, the…

After my rather pessimistic piece about the prospects for peace in Northern Ireland after the electorate expressed a preference for Sinn Fein and the Democratic Unionists, a rather more positive view from The Guardian. It seems that although Ian Paisley’s DUP make a very public show of refusing to even acknowledge Sinn Fein, behind the…

I’ve never actually been to Northern Ireland, though people I know who’ve visited or lived there say it’s a fine place as long as you keep out of the areas where the terrorists (of either hue) are in control. It’s easy to believe that the whole place is in a mess because of what we…

An inauspicious 44% of those eligible to vote in yesterday’s elections for the District Council did so, and the big losers were the DAB, whose leader Tsang Yok-sing said a lot of stupid things about the 1 July march against the anti-subversion laws (which arise from Article 23 of the Basic Law). The BBC website…

It’s election day in Hong Kong. Never mind that the District Councils have been stripped of most of their power, or that Mr Tung will appoint his own representatives to supplement the elected councillors, the excitement is palpable. Well, no it’s not, actually. Last time less than 40% of the electorate bothered to turn out.…