Perhaps this helps to
explain the rise in UK lawyers I mentioned yesterday:- Another reason for this shambles is the army of lawyers, who then use the Council of Europe’s Convention on Human Rights to make confusion worse confounded. . . . The total
failure of the EU’s “common asylum policy” puts into the shade
even the mess it has made of its other “common European policies”,
on agriculture, fisheries or the euro. More here.
Charlie Hebdo
1. Dominic Lawson in the
Sunday Times: Nous sommes tous Charlie? Tu me fais rire! Of course
it’s not a laughing matter when a roomful of French cartoonists is
murdered for mocking the prophet Muhammad. But permit me a mirthless
cackle at the sight of all those newspapers that printed leader
columns with the defiant headline “Nous sommes tous Charlie” —
“We are all Charlie” — but decided not to show the cartoons
that brought about the slaughter of the staff of the satirical
magazine Charlie Hebdo. I felt much the same about all the luvvies on this morning's news programmes gushing obligatory solidarity with France. From Hollywood.
2. A Muslim
commentator: The Prophet didn't killed anyone who hurts him. So how
can we? we followers of Muhamad must learn to show mercy to mentally
disorder people.
The saying used to be
'Don't mock the afflicted.' Now it seems to be, for this person at
least, 'Don't kill the afflicted'. But, if this is a Muslim
sentiment that stops the killing, let's go with it. "Anyone who
criticises Islam is mad. So can't help it. Show mercy for their
condition and don't kill them." If only all Christians could be
so understanding with doctors who perform abortions.
Some of the doubtless many ironies.
1. Before the
killings, hardly anyone in the world knew of Charlie Hebdo and even
fewer had seen any offensive cartoons. Now
millions have.
2. Muslims have more
freedoms (eg to give up their religion and to attack other religions)
in western states than in Muslim states.
3. Some of the heads of
state in Paris yesterday preside over countries which ban Charlie
Hebdo.
4. In the 'united' and 'free' France
everyone was eulogising yesterday, antisemitism is rising and support
for Marie Le Penn's far right National Front is growing. They must have been laughing with despair in the synagogues and in the appalling ghettoes of the banlieues. Or leaving the wonderful country.
The internet
1. So-called social
media, is in fact an intolerant and largely brainless electronic mob.
Peter Hitchins.
2. Snarling or not, the
mob often seems to have problems spelling the words it uses:-
- And it's about time
our royal family stopped sucking up to there's.
- In the absence of
hard facts this is nothing more than here say.
- The TV presenter
sends a flurry of tweets about waxworks includeing The Queen, Kate
Middleton and Hitler. (Sunday Telegraph headline!)
Finally . . . Waiting
for my daughter at the train station last night, I was able to watch
a bit of the match between Atlético Madrid and Barcelona. And to
note that the latest advertising irritation is the showing of some
company's logo just before each replay. Atlético's sponsor is
Azerbaijan, whose shirt slogan is The Land of Fire. I thought this
was a reference to Zaroastrianism but apparently not.
It's many years since
British Rail stopped calling their passengers 'passengers' and
started calling them 'customers'. Not everyone was happy with this
but one positive result was that the company - and its successors -
got a lot better at communicating with its customers. Not so, Spain's
Renfe, it seems. It was me who told my daughter that she was going to
arrive an hour late, since nothing at all had been said on the train.
Customer orientation is still an asignatura pendiente here in Spain.
Though some companies are better than they were 10 years ago. Give me
a minute and I'll remember who they are. Definitely not the ones
which take money out of your account before you get their bills.
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