Politicians Category
Politicans and world leaders making news and in the news, and spouting hot air
Barack Obama In Traditional Kenyan Dress
THIS picture was sent to the Drudge Report. It shows Barack Obama wearing traditional African dress during a visit to Kenya in 2006.
The Obama camp says it was circulated by Hillary Clinton’s staff as a smear. Mrs Clinton’s team deny the accusation.
Obama’s campaign manager, David Plouffe, accuses Clinton’s aides of “the most shameful, offensive fear-mongering we’ve seen from either party in this election”.
Says Clinton’s campaign manager Maggie Williams: “If Barack Obama’s campaign wants to suggest that a photo of him wearing traditional Somali clothing is divisive, they should be ashamed. Hillary Clinton has worn the traditional clothing of countries she has visited and had those photos published widely.”
The contest is now who can be the most offended, and take offence. It’s a competition to see which of Obama and Clinton can be the most insensitivite and outraged. It;s Big Brother does the White House.
And the media drools over the whole thing, shocked, appalled and above all titilated by it all…
Posted: 25th, February 2008 | In: Politicians | Comments (7)
The Political Anorak Links
Phil Taylor has yet another example of Ken Livingstone’s mendacity.
Capitalism wins
Liberal Burblings on Ming
Biassed BBC on Marr
Chicken Run EU
The McCain campaign
Tracey Crouch’s day in the life of a parliamentary candidate
Hopi Sen
Posted: 25th, February 2008 | In: Politicians | Comment
Time to Foreclose On Hillary Clinton
HILLARY Clinton wants to be the head of a country with the biggest economy on the planet. Hillary Clinton says:
It’s imperative that we approach this mortgage crisis with the seriousness that it is presenting. There are 95,000 homes in foreclosure in California right now. I want a moratorium on foreclosures for 90 days so we can try to work out keeping people in their homes instead of having them lose their homes, and I want to freeze interest rates for five years.
Freeze interest rates for five years. Anyone want to explain to her how the economy works..?
Posted: 25th, February 2008 | In: Money, Politicians | Comments (3)
Sun Readers Are Given The Death Penalty
GRIM news for Sun readers.
In place of the usual reports on The Wheelbarrow being this year’s Missionary and the Great British Chip, a death sentence.
Black Cap on. And the sentence: “You will be taken hence to a place of lawful execution and there hanged by the neck until you are dead.”
The likelihood of this decimating the paper’s readership is high, but it is what “99%” of “YOU WANT” and must be made so. The Sun was ever the populist newspaper.
Before you go, Amy D, from Widnes, would like to remove her bra and tell you that: “There are so many terrible people walking the street (see here), that there has to be a stronger deterrent. They should be locked away forever.”
Amy appeals for clemency. And she makes a convincing argument. And if she can dress as a 1950s Sunday School teacher, the judge may yet be swayed.
But death it is. If the UK is to be made clean 99% of Sun readers will have to die. It is the only way. It is what YOU want.
It is what Helen Newlove wants. She’s the widow of Garry Newlove who was murdered by “swaggering killers”.
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted: 25th, February 2008 | In: Politicians, Tabloids | Comments (3)
Smoking And The State
THE Dude asks: “Why does the Government have a target to cut the smoking rate to 21% by 2010? What possible business is it of the state’s what legal products people buy and use?”
Posted: 24th, February 2008 | In: Politicians | Comment
Nicolas Sarkozy Swears By Trou Du Cul A La Mode
NICOLAS Sarkozy is at the Paris Agriculture Show. Says he: “We want it to be recognised among world heritage.” He wants French food to be listed by Unesco as part of the world’s heritage.
Old Mr Anorak pints out that dining with separate courses, rather than with all presented at once as in a buffet (service à la française) was brought to France from Russia (service à la Russe), which, being partly Asian, was no doubt influenced by China.
Anorak recalls how is was Mr Sarkozy’s predecessor, minute-man M. Chirac, who opined of British cuisine: “One cannot trust people whose cuisine is so bad” and “The only thing they have ever done for European agriculture is mad cow disease.”
Old Mr Anorak has been eating the great British faggot for 35 years and has only needed three courses of emetic and five stomach pumpings. Whereas he is certain remnants of Tripes à la mode de Caen will never fully leave him. As for the sheep flambé dans la rue, he can never forget.
But the event was overshadowed by Sarkozy swearing at a man, possibly a French farmer, as many Brtions have done through the ages:.
When Sarko approaches while shaking hands with the crowd, the man on the left says: “Don’t touch me”.
Sarko replies: “Then get lost”.
The man: “You dirty me when you touch me”.
Sarko: “Then get lost, pauvre con.” This translates as “stupid a-hole”.
Or trou du cul a la mode…
Posted: 24th, February 2008 | In: Politicians | Comments (5)
Raul Castro Wins Vote More Loaded Than A Student George Bush
IN a vote more loaded than George Bush at a frat house paarty – and a Daily Express phone poll – Raul Castro has been unanimously selected to succeed his brother Fidel as leader by Cuba’s National Assembly.
Anorak understands Raul was the only nominee in a vote.
Says Raul: “The commander in chief of the Cuban revolution is unique, Fidel is Fidel, as we all know well, he is irreplaceable.”
Raul, 76, and his vice president, 78-year-old Machado Ventura, will breathe new live and vigour into the Cuban Government after Fidel Castro, 81, stood down…
Posted: 24th, February 2008 | In: Politicians | Comment
Saturday Night Live Frets Over Barack Obama
TONY Blair leaves office and no impersonator can do Gordon Brown. And in American, there is debate over how Barack Obama should be parodied.
Tabloid Baby, Anorak’s man in LA, takes a look:
Lorne Michaels’ Saturday Night Live has never displayed much worry about white castmembers playing “blackface” (think Darrell Hammond as Jesse Jackson). But in the case of Barack Obama, who made a cameo appearance in the last episode before the WGA strike, there was some hand-wringing in the media about the need for a regular, politically-correct Obama character, and, with young Kenan Thompson too fat for the role, rumours that a tall, lanky African-American Obama player was about to join the cast (a chubby white girl as added to replace Maya Rudolph instead).
In the end, they used Fred Armisen. Any controversy was immediately deflected because the makeup was laugh-out-loud good. And they sidestepped the “blackface issue” on a couple of counts: Armisen didn’t need more than a light bronzing, as both he and Obama are of mixed race heritage (Obama with a white mother and Kenyan father; Armisen is Venezuelan on his mother’s side and part Japanese).
By the way, last night’s SNL episode was one for the time capsule: the first consistently- funny show since the fifth episode of the second season (and as a reminder, Steve Martin made an appearance). The sketches were tight and actually laugh-inducing, and with the exception of Carrie Underwood’s subpar performance (why do the musical acts always sound so bad on this show while there’s never a problem on Conan?) and Tina Fey’s desperate Hillary-flogging during the news segment, the show held up to the end! As it was the first fresh SNL since the start of the Writers Guild Strike, the solution to SNL’s quality control problem is obvious (Ben Silverman take note): cut back Saturday Night Live to once every 16 weeks.
Can anyone do Gordon Brown? And has Janet Brown ever worked since Maggie was gotten Out! Out! Out!
Posted: 24th, February 2008 | In: Politicians | Comments (3)
Pakistan Bans YouTube, And Britons Should Be Jealous
YOU can’t watch YouTube in Pakistan.
You can’t watch Anorak TV, on-demand clips of Are You Being Served? or Barack Obama channeling Bob the Builder.
Pakistan has blocked access to YouTube because of content deemed offensive to Islam, like Danish cartoons, Benazir Bhutto speeches and, as reported, a soon-to-be-released film by Dutch lawmaker Geert Wilders, which portrays Islam in a negative light.
“They asked us to ban it immediately… and the order says the ban will continue until further notice,” says Wahaj-us-Siraj, convener of the Association of Pakistan Internet Service Providers.
“Users are quite upset. They’re screaming at ISPs which can’t do anything. The government has valid reason for that, but they have to find a better way of doing it. If we continue blocking popular websites, people will stop using the internet.”
“Quite upset” and “screaming”. What happens when they get upset, angry even?
Touchy Thais & Turks
Pakistan is not alone. Thailand and Turkey have temporarily blocked access to YouTube.
Thailand became upset with clips deemed insulting to Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej. These clips are now edited out.
In Turkey, clips insulting former Turkish leader Mustafa Kemal Ataturk were ill met by the authorities. Insulting Ataturk, the founding father of modern Turkey, or “Turkishness” is an offence which can result in a prison sentence.
In Morocco Fouad Mortada was jailed and fined after he insulted the King of Morocco’s brother on the web. No video appeared on YouTube, Mortada’s words alone being enough.
We should debate whether the internet should be completely free of restrictions? The Anorak says it should be. In any case, it’s hard to be secretive on the web and if you do anything truly appalling Goldberg and McCann can come round and get you.
Better, perhaps, to argue as to what constitutes an insult and why royals and presidents are so easily offended. And what it says of the media in those countries?
Is Pakistani, Thai and Turkish TV so much Watercolour Challenge and Countdown weekenders? And if it is, are the over-sensitive foreigners getting a better deal than us?
Posted: 24th, February 2008 | In: Politicians | Comments (3)
The Speakers’ Spokesman
MICHAEL Martin is in the mire trough: “Commons aide quits after admitting he lied about Speaker’s wife’s expenses | the Mail on Sunday“
Pressure on Mr Martin to step down grew following the sudden resignation yesterday of his £2,000-a-day official spokesman, respected former Whitehall mandarin Mike Granatt.
He says: “A speaker needs to pay a spokesman £2000 a day? Hang’em All.”
Posted: 24th, February 2008 | In: Politicians | Comment
Ralph Nader Will Run For President
RALPH Nader has announced plans to run again for the US presidency.
“Dissent is the mother of assent, and in that context I have decided to run for president,” Nader, who turns 74 on Wednesday, said on the NBC program Meet the Press.
Posted: 24th, February 2008 | In: Politicians | Comment
Apartheid For Middle-Class People
POOTER Geek spots “Apartheid For Nice Middle-Class People”
If Harriet Harman has her way and we start legislating so that UK political parties can run racist lists of prospective parliamentary candidates then I’ll be looking for a seat to stand in as an independent against one of the token blacks.
Posted: 24th, February 2008 | In: Politicians | Comment (1)
Suspected Drugs Dealers Premused Guilty
ARE you innocent until proven guilty?
Police will be able to seize high-value assets from suspected drug dealers as soon as they are arrested under plans to be unveiled this week by Jacqui Smith, the Home Secretary.
If you are suspected of a crime the [police can seize your assets.
Law-enforcement agencies will be able to take cars, televisions, laptops and expensive jewellery belonging to big-time offenders. Such assets can currently only be seized at the end of a criminal process, by which time drug dealers have often disposed of them.
Perhaps the goods are sold to pay for a decent defence lawyer to escape a wrongful arrest? Perhaps Jacqui Smith, who admits to having smoked cannabis, thinks seizing dugs is better than walking the dangerous streets looking to buy them illegally?
A Home Office spokesman said last night: “Our starting point will be that all criminal gains should be removed from offenders. For example those criminals buying commodities to avoid the circulation of cash could have their assets seized before they have chance to disperse them. Seizing ill-gotten gains is critical to reducing the incentives for crime.”
Great plan. Only, how do the police know which is an–ill-gotten gain and which is not? And if the suspect is found not guilty can they sue the police for depreciation of their assets?
Posted: 24th, February 2008 | In: Broadsheets, Money, Politicians | Comments (2)
Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton And John McCain Are The Candidate
IT really is this easy to parody the Race for the Whitehouse:
Posted: 24th, February 2008 | In: Politicians | Comments (5)
Get Your Wikileaks Here
THE Beaks has ordered the web police to remove the Wikileaks website URL address from the internet. You can find the site here:
>> We protect your identity while maximizing political impact <<
Back our defense fund by emailing supporters@sunshinepress.org with your pledge!
For press reportage of the case, see Google news
Posted: 24th, February 2008 | In: Politicians | Comment
Michael Martin’s Second-Home Allowance For Home With No Mortgage
MICHAEL Martin is in the trough:
The pressure was heaped on Mr Martin as it emerged that he claimed a second-homes allowance on his constituency house in Glasgow – even though he has no mortgage on it.
It was reported the Speaker, whose London home is his lavish grace-and-favour apartment in the Commons, has claimed more than £75,000 from the Additional Costs Allowance over the past six years.
This usually goes towards mortgages or rent, but can be used for other expenses such as maintenance.
Anti-sleaze campaigner Martin Bell said: “If you live free in a grace-and-favour home, you shouldn’t need public help to run your second home. The Speaker should announce his retirement.”
Oink. Oink
Posted: 24th, February 2008 | In: Politicians | Comments (6)
Trips to Auschwitz And Other Political Gimmicks
THE CCHQ has put out a press relaese listing Gordon Brown’s 26 gimmicks. Number four was headlined: “Trips to Auschwitz”
The release: “Two pupils from every sixth form and college in the country will be able to visit Auschwitz and learn about the Holocaust thanks to £4.65 million of funding’ (DCSF press release, 4 February 2008)
As the Sun reports: “Mr Cameron complained yesterday that despite a £4.7million boost for trips, schools still had to fork out £100 per pupil.”
Says a Tory spokesman: “School trips to Auschwitz are a brilliant idea. However, by announcing these trips without providing the necessary funding the government has – in classic fashion – hidden the detail in the small print. Under a Conservative government these trips would be funded in full and schools would not have to find £100 per pupil from their budgets.”
Ed Balls, Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, issued his won press release:
“This is a truly disgraceful remark by David Cameron and he should apologise immediately for the offence he has caused. Anyone who has seen the horrors of Auschwitz at first hand knows what a life-changing experience it is. To call the announcement I made of £4.65 million to fund visits by school children over the next three years a ‘gimmick’ just beggars belief. In trying to make this issue into a matter of party politics, David Cameron has shown once again that he not only lacks judgement but also a basic sense of decency.”
It’s not about party politics, says Ed Balls in a, er, Labour Party press release.
Arbeit Macht Frei. Even the Germans can do irony…
Reactions
Guido Fawkes: “The Tories now say that they support the educational Auschwitz trips and that they would fully fund them via the Lottery fund. Whatever the substance of the matter, somebody is going to get a bollocking for the original press release…”
RedBox: “Almost unbelievably, as at 2.40pm, the Tories are trying to defend its inclusion. They say the funding annoucement doesn’t add up and they weren’t trying to say the trips themselves were gimmicks, just the government spin. Doesn’t matter: they put “Visits to Auschwitz” under a list of “gimmicks” (itself a gimmick). They should have seen the politics of this
The ‘Gimmicks’
Earlier today CCHQ emailed out a list of “gimmicks” associated with Gordon Brown’s time as PM:
Community kitty for every neighbourhood
Funding for flooding
Honours for sportsmen
Trips to Auschwitz
New Border Police
Reversing 24-hour drinking policy
Police to confiscate alcohol from teens
Titan prisons
Prison ships
Engaging the public in policy making
1,300 new train carriages
Protecting Public Spaces against terrorist attacks
British jobs for British workers
Deep Cleaning of hospitals
NHS constitution
Screening tests: cervical cancer
Screening tests: C.difficile
1,000 troops home before Christmas
Deportation of foreign nationals
Inheritance Tax
Tenants forced to work
Five hours of culture a week
Netball to be introduced for the 2012 Olympics
Migrant Charges
Knife Scanners
Petition plans.
Posted: 23rd, February 2008 | In: Broadsheets, Politicians, Tabloids | Comments (3)
Obama And Hillary’s Mistake
Obama and Hillary’s Mistake – The critical point is: what you say about your opponent mainly reflects upon you rather than upon them.
Posted: 23rd, February 2008 | In: Politicians | Comment
That Boris Johnson Sex Tape
BORIS Johnson video. Some say he’s ‘sexy’:
Posted: 23rd, February 2008 | In: Politicians | Comments (6)
Hillary Clinton On Plagiarism
Barack Obama and now Hillary:
Clinton, 92: “The hits that I took in this election are nothing compared to the hits the people of this state and this country have been taking for a long time.”
Hillary Clinton, tonight: “You know, the hits I’ve taken in life are nothing compared to what goes on every single day in the lives of people across our country.”
And this:
Posted: 23rd, February 2008 | In: Politicians | Comments (2)
Political Anorak Links
Dizzy looks at LibDem MPs’ expenses
Inspector Gadget is the new wasting police time
Bill Blanko in the Commons
Posted: 22nd, February 2008 | In: Politicians | Comment
Fifty Cent Gets The Barack Obama Assassination Blug
FIFTY Cent, a rapper, joins the call for Barack Obama to be assassinated:
Posted: 22nd, February 2008 | In: Celebrities, Politicians | Comments (4)
Barack Obama Is Not Assassinated By Dallas’s Friendly Crowd
YOU can stop fantasising about Barack Obama’s assassination.
At the Barack Obama rally in Dallas, Texas, the secret service has stopped screening people for weapons at the front gates.
An hour before the presidential candidate takes to the stage at Reunion Arena, orders are being issued.
Metal detectors are turned off. Purses and laptop bags are unrifled.
Dallas Deputy Police Chief T.W. Lawrence, head of the Police Department’s homeland security and special operations divisions, says the order – apparently made by the U.S. Secret Service – was meant to speed up the long lines outside and fill the arena’s vacant seats before Obama came on.
Good idea. No problem. This is Dallas, no place for a popular Democratic leader to be shot. Lawrence can see the faces of the 17,000 people. It is, as she says, a “friendly crowd.”
No problem. This one’s by the book depository. Sorry, by the book…
Posted: 22nd, February 2008 | In: Politicians | Comments (2)
President Hillary
David Bossie’s new book, Hillary: The Politics of Personal Destruction (Thomas Nelson, March 2008) lays out a compelling case, questioning whether Hillary tells the truth about herself, her past, and her agenda. Bossie, the former Chief Investigator for the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Government Reform and Oversight during the Bill Clinton presidency and current president of Citizens United, sheds new light on the woman who boldly declares she’s “in it to win it.”
Posted: 22nd, February 2008 | In: Politicians | Comment
Not The John McCain Affair
JOHN McCain is embroiled in controversy. The allegation is that McCain had a more than business-like relationship with an lobbyist. McCain will ‘go to war’ against the New York Times. A round-up here. Across the Pond.
In the New Republic:
Beyond its revelations, however, what’s most remarkable about the article is that it appeared in the paper at all: The new information it reveals focuses on the private matters of the candidate, and relies entirely on the anecdotal evidence of McCain’s former staffers to justify the piece–both personal and anecdotal elements unusual in the Gray Lady. The story is filled with awkward journalistic moves–the piece contains a collection of decade-old stories about McCain and Iseman appearing at functions together and concerns voiced by McCain’s aides that the Senator shouldn’t be seen in public with Iseman–and departs from the Times’ usual authoritative voice. At one point, the piece suggestively states: “In 1999 she began showing up so frequently in his offices and at campaign events that staff members took notice. One recalled asking, ‘Why is she always around?'” In the absence of concrete, printable proof that McCain and Iseman were an item, the piece delicately steps around purported romance and instead reports on the debate within the McCain campaign about the alleged affair.
File under: life in the old dog yet…
Posted: 22nd, February 2008 | In: Politicians | Comment
