3 funniest things from that Guardian gordon Brown interview

3. His professed ignorance of what McBride did when he was employed, such as send abusive texts to journalists. "I didn't know that. I didn't know that." 'Course mate. So what did you think he spent his time in the office doing, exactly?

2. The whole "I could go into teaching" thing. God, can you imagine?

1. His denial that public spending will have to be cut after the next election. "It's a myth. Public spending will continue to rise. It's in our figures. We've costed it, and you're paying more in top rate tax to pay for it." That's so delusional, it's not even all that funny, actually. 

Khamenei channels Brecht

The Solution

After the uprising of the 17th of June
The Secretary of the Writers Union
Had leaflets distributed in the Stalinallee
Stating that the people
Had forfeited the confidence of the government
And could win it back only
By redoubled efforts. Would it not be easier
In that case for the government
To dissolve the people
And elect another?

Bertolt Brecht

Khamenei's threats

made at Friday prayers:

Wrestling in the street must stop. I want everyone to put an end to this. If they don't stop this … they will be held accountable for all of this.

This is the voice of Islamism, the voice of fascism, and, via Press TV, the voice of Galloway's paymasters.

Just hope it it doesn't win over democracy.

Shrew apocalypse

Right, this is getting silly now.

Margot and Barbara have murdered three shrews today. So far. Last night, coming home late on the trusty bike, I turned the corner into our lane to have the bike light pick up Margot torturing another shrew in the middle of the road. Squeak...squeak...KABOOM...squeak...THWACK. That finished, delightfully, with her bringing it in, and me finishing it off with a file of bank statements. Our bin is knee-deep in deceased shrewage. Our conservatory is a charnel house, a rodent Dachau.

No wonder I have weird dreams.

Cri de coeur

Quote of the Day (Britney Special)

- "What's up, London?"

On stage last night at the MEN Arena. In Manchester.

Galloway on events in Iran

In the Daily Record on 15 June.

"Highlights" (though do read the whole thing):

You can count on the fact election was fair

I present two weekly shows for Iranian-owned Press TV.

This massive exercise took place without trouble of any kind [...]

The counting, too, was awesome.

[the disturbances] will soon fizzle out.

There's no other word for it. Galloway, who is still shilling for the Iranian regime even as it mounts a fascist coup against its own people, is scum.

Richard Rogers, architect and arrogant fool

"Lord Rogers is in a sweat, sweat, SWEAT!" Thus are chanting architects at the red-faced and angry peer, who is swinging round in a playground in west London, trying to find the heir to the throne to knee him in the balls.

Christ but little Richard's in a tizzy over Charles' alleged intervention over his typically modernist mess of a scheme for the Chelsea Barracks site. And while he's banging on about whether Charles' intervention was constitutionally proper or not, you can see that what really winds him up is that Charles has the temerity to have an opinion while not being an expert. He hasn't had any training, he doesn't understand you see; he's not one of us. (His wife is Ruth Rogers of the oh so Fulham River Cafe; I have no doubt that she thinks Charles and Camilla really rather vulgar.) The arrogance (and rudeness) in his comments is breathtaking. "Charles knows little about architecture...I think he pursues these topics because he is looking for a job..." And so on.

The bottom line is that Charles has every right to have a view about architecture and to share it with the Qatar Royal family if he wishes, and they in turn have every right to sack Rogers if they want to. And what makes reading Rogers' whining against the Prince even more irksome is the fact that he happily accepted a peerage and all that comes with it, which seems to me to add a tad of hypocrisy to his already manifold failings.

So Dick, shuddup, there's a dear. 

Brown leadership crisis: latest

A letter signed by every backbench Labour MP headed 'Oh for God's sake, Gordon, can you not take a hint?' is published; a mob of over a million people is descending on Downing Street wielding pitchforks and burning torches, chanting 'Burn him! Burn him!'; and James Purnell has just described the Prime Minister on Today as 'an utter, blethering cretinous twat, with the social skills of a whelk and the political nous of an amoeba'. Hazel Blears called him 'a spakker' on Newsnight last night. 

Meanwhile, sources near to the Prime Minister have said that he is 'disappointed, but focussed on getting on with the job', and David Miliband's bottom lip has started wobbling dangerously.

Tiananmen: Kate Adie takes on the CCCP

Excellent programme on the 20th anniversary of the 4 June mssacre last night on the BBC, presented by Katie Adie. iPlayer link here. Some observations:

1. It was a reminder how good a presenter and reporter Adie is. So why is she never allowed on our screens any more? Is she too posh? Too morally serious?

2. Re her moral seriousness: it was a jolt how Adie un-relativist Adie was. There was no attempt to show 'balance' - save an honest account of a soldier being beaten by an angry crowd (hardly surprising behaviour). On the contrary, Adie told us - showed us - what a barbarity this was, and importantly, how effectively nothing in the security system has changed in China. People are still being harrassed, followed, kept under house arrest, kept in prison, twenty years on. And admirably, Adie made no effort to hide her disgust.

3. The extent of the massacre, as explained by Adie, was deeply shocking. People inside their houses were killed by the Army's high velocity bullets. Firing was indiscriminate. Tanks crushed people's skulls. Adie told how she followed some people to a local children's hospital, where there was not only blood on the floor - there was so much that she and the crew were literally wading in it.

4. The bravery of ordinary Beijingers was incredible. People who had seen the Army mow people down with submachine guns took their place - 'eyeballing' the soldiers as Adie reported.

5. One of the theories of the neo-cons, as I understood it, was that a pluralist democracy would follow the stablishment of market capitalism as night follows day. China shows this to be wrong. It is, to pretty much all extents and purposes, a capitalist, market-driven economy now. But the party shows absolutely no sign of loosening its iron grip on power.

Nothing substantive has changed in the mindset of China's elite since Tiananmen. It's a vile regime. And those in the West who proffer support to that leadership, such as the useful idiots in the Hands off China campaign, or Seamus Milne, are wankers.

...and contentment

Disappointment

So the first Jonny Mac homegrown, organic carrots were harvested today. Huge bushy green stuff on top, so I thought these things would be at least a foot long. How wrong I was.

Blunkett, Shipman, and why he should never be allowed back

Amidst all the vastly entertaining political fun and games, there is the question of who - assuming Brown can cling on to the premiership for the next few weeks - he will make Home Secretary.

There has been much talk of him moving Darling there, of course, but it is now being suggested that the Boring Badger has said he would refuse to take the post - which would be a further huge blow to Brown if true. But there has also been gossip in the last week or so that Brown could 'pull a Mandy' and invite Blunkett back to his old job. Makes sense in one way - Blunkett is one of the few well-known politicians whose ego and desire to be in the limelight again could lead him to slurp deeply from a very poisoned chalice.

But for me, he should never, ever be allowed to hold office again after his disgraceful comment on the suicide of Harold Shipman when he was Home Secretary, and so responsible both for Shipman's welfare and delivering justice to the families of his victims:

'You wake up and you receive a phone call - Shipman's topped himself. You have just got to think for a minute: is it too early to open a bottle?'

Prisoner suicide has long been a massive problem. Joking about it when you're Home Secretary: I don't care how despicable Shipman's crimes were, that's absolutely grotesque.

Update: yup, DB's definitely on manoeuvres: from the BBC site today -

1255 The latest Labour "big beast" to take to the airwaves to defend the prime minister is David Blunkett. He says the government reshuffle will "re-energise" the government. He warns Westminster against getting "out of touch" with people's real concerns. Asked about a return to government he says he is not seeking a return to cabinet but says he wants to help Gordon Brown however he can.

Young Gun Ronaldo Goes For It

Over the years your humble blogger has heard several stories about the sexual proclivities of Cristiano Ronaldo, his snouts suggesting that the young Mr R is an enthusiastic batter for both sides. I have, naturally, never taken such allegations seriously. No, really I haven't. But when he dresses up like this -

- you really do have to pause and scratch your chin for a short while.

Here's another shot of Mr R, in just those little white shorts.

And now - on a completely unrelated topic - here's a small picture of George Michael, with little Andrew Ridgley.

Ho hum.

The victims come into the light

This is one of the little blokes and blokettes that Margot the cat is slaughtering on a one or two a day basis. Can anybody tell what it is? I don't think it's a mouse because of the pointy nose.

I found four of these - dead - under our freezer last week after a 'hmm, what is that smell' moment. 

Two under the car yesterday.

She's a murderous bitch, she really is.