I've never shunned the ballot box in my life, ever. I voted for the Italian and EU Parliaments, all Italian referendums, my Italian local elections if I was in the country, the Greater London Assembly, Camden Council, the UK Conservative leadership and the London Mayor Conservative primary. So it really irks me to hear several parties calling upon the Italian citizenry not to vote in the upcoming electoral law referendums.
Independently of the merits and demerits of the propositions, in Italy any referendum has to have a turnout of 50%+1 to be valid. When special interest groups know they are a minority but hate the proposed change, a "stay at home" campaign is mounted. This is political mediocrity at its finest.
It may sound obvious, but a vote is a duty. Try to come up with a reasoned opinion on an issue you are indifferent to. If you firmly believe you have no opinion, leave the ballot blank. If everyone disgusts you, spoil it. If you sit on your bum, don't complain when things don't go your way or nutcases win seats in your country. The end.
Tuesday, 9 June 2009
Friday, 5 June 2009
An announced and expected wipeout
Labour is toast. They have been wiped off the county council map and so far (with many wards still to declare) it has lost 200 of the 450 council seats it was defending.
In Bristol, the minority Labour administration was kicked out earlier, and the city now obtained a Liberal-Democrat majority, with Labour holding on only to two of the ten seats it was defending in this round. The fortresses of Nottinghamshire, Lancashire and Staffordshire have fallen. With 11 wards to declare at the time of writing, the Tories needed only one win to secure a majority on the county council. In Cumbria, usually very Labourite, the Conservatives are the largest party in the council without holding an outright majority.
The Tories also snatched Devon and Somerset from the Liberal Democrats.
Combined with the wave of resignations by junior and senior ministers, Brown's position is rocky indeed. When even the Guardian says there's a problem with Labour and it's time to cut Gordon loose, you know things are bad. The Times also had a series of scathing comments, including "Vote Labour, vote mayhem". Although I cannot retrieve the article, The Sun strongly endorsed the Tories in this round of local and European elections as well.
On Monday the Labour Party caucus will meet after taking the European ballot drubbing. If Gordon Brown is Prime Minister on Tuesday, we will have to conclude that either he is the most tenacious political survivor or the party he leads is spinelessly accepting its fate and delaying the inevitable wipeout. This wouldn't be a problem if a leader with a vision was at the helm. Instead, Britain has a discredited Prime Minister who can't even keep his Cabinet in order. Not good.
In Bristol, the minority Labour administration was kicked out earlier, and the city now obtained a Liberal-Democrat majority, with Labour holding on only to two of the ten seats it was defending in this round. The fortresses of Nottinghamshire, Lancashire and Staffordshire have fallen. With 11 wards to declare at the time of writing, the Tories needed only one win to secure a majority on the county council. In Cumbria, usually very Labourite, the Conservatives are the largest party in the council without holding an outright majority.
The Tories also snatched Devon and Somerset from the Liberal Democrats.
Combined with the wave of resignations by junior and senior ministers, Brown's position is rocky indeed. When even the Guardian says there's a problem with Labour and it's time to cut Gordon loose, you know things are bad. The Times also had a series of scathing comments, including "Vote Labour, vote mayhem". Although I cannot retrieve the article, The Sun strongly endorsed the Tories in this round of local and European elections as well.
On Monday the Labour Party caucus will meet after taking the European ballot drubbing. If Gordon Brown is Prime Minister on Tuesday, we will have to conclude that either he is the most tenacious political survivor or the party he leads is spinelessly accepting its fate and delaying the inevitable wipeout. This wouldn't be a problem if a leader with a vision was at the helm. Instead, Britain has a discredited Prime Minister who can't even keep his Cabinet in order. Not good.
Sunday, 31 May 2009
This is why, despite all, I am pro choice
George Tiller, a Kansas doctor who provided abortion services that included potentially illegal late-term abortions, has been gunned down in a drive-by shooting this morning. The police issued a description of the suspect:
If what Tiller did was illegal, justice should have caught up with him and shoved him in jail. Shooting from a car is typical of gangsters and terrorists, not civilized human beings. I understand the motivations and reasoning of both camps, and I see both extremes which I equally despise.
As I haven't heard of pro-choicers firebombing churches or murdering ardent pro-lifers, count me in the choice camp until further notice. No further correspondence will be entered into. Suck it up.
Update 1: despicable stumentalization of this tragedy for cheap political points by the Daily Kos.
Update 2: Too little, too late, too obvious. Condemn and discipline those who mislead women, lie, intimidate and cry "holocaust", then I'll believe you have the backbone to face the issue as mature and respectful beings. The ultra-liberals lie and mislead too, that's why I don't buy their rhetoric either.
a white male in his 50's, balding with gray hair last seen traveling west bound on 13th in a 1993 powder blue Ford Taurus, with tag 2-2-5-B-A-B and possibly a K-State vanity plate.
If what Tiller did was illegal, justice should have caught up with him and shoved him in jail. Shooting from a car is typical of gangsters and terrorists, not civilized human beings. I understand the motivations and reasoning of both camps, and I see both extremes which I equally despise.
As I haven't heard of pro-choicers firebombing churches or murdering ardent pro-lifers, count me in the choice camp until further notice. No further correspondence will be entered into. Suck it up.
Update 1: despicable stumentalization of this tragedy for cheap political points by the Daily Kos.
Update 2: Too little, too late, too obvious. Condemn and discipline those who mislead women, lie, intimidate and cry "holocaust", then I'll believe you have the backbone to face the issue as mature and respectful beings. The ultra-liberals lie and mislead too, that's why I don't buy their rhetoric either.
Saturday, 30 May 2009
When they came for the stupid, I said nothing.
There is nothing scarier than a paternalistic government system that believes it knows best. Case-in-point: British social services shattering a family with the complicity of the court system, simply because the mother is deemed literally too stupid to bring the baby up.
The same system that failed Baby P scores of times, the same system whose mention chills law-abiding parents' spines, this system today deprives Rachel of her child and forbids all further contact. Adding insult to injury, she was denied the right to have a lawyer of her choosing represent her during the court hearings. No surprise, then, when the court agreed it was in everyone's interest for the baby to be placed for adoption.
In all honesty, I respect and admire social workers and family courts, most of them at least. Those who do their job properly rescue children from harm and ensure their welfare. What makes me boil is the top-down, box-ticking and target-peddling system they are forced to work in, the assumption of infallibility the government fosters in its employees and the defencelessness of the common man against this onslaught. Every government office in Britain should hang a plaque bearing the inscription "You are the government. F**k off and die."
The family is sacred. Every social worker (however professional), every self-righteous judge, every unelected civil servant must get it into their thick skulls that if there is any way to keep the family whole, government must back out and die. Rachel's family seem perfectly capable of helping out, additional tutoring for the baby could be arranged at the council's expense. Instead we are left with a humiliated mother, a distraught baby, the right to a fair hearing buried and the bitter aftertaste of knowing the mediocrity we've slipped into.
The same system that failed Baby P scores of times, the same system whose mention chills law-abiding parents' spines, this system today deprives Rachel of her child and forbids all further contact. Adding insult to injury, she was denied the right to have a lawyer of her choosing represent her during the court hearings. No surprise, then, when the court agreed it was in everyone's interest for the baby to be placed for adoption.
In all honesty, I respect and admire social workers and family courts, most of them at least. Those who do their job properly rescue children from harm and ensure their welfare. What makes me boil is the top-down, box-ticking and target-peddling system they are forced to work in, the assumption of infallibility the government fosters in its employees and the defencelessness of the common man against this onslaught. Every government office in Britain should hang a plaque bearing the inscription "You are the government. F**k off and die."
The family is sacred. Every social worker (however professional), every self-righteous judge, every unelected civil servant must get it into their thick skulls that if there is any way to keep the family whole, government must back out and die. Rachel's family seem perfectly capable of helping out, additional tutoring for the baby could be arranged at the council's expense. Instead we are left with a humiliated mother, a distraught baby, the right to a fair hearing buried and the bitter aftertaste of knowing the mediocrity we've slipped into.
Wednesday, 27 May 2009
Where's your peace now?
Posturing without any real need to do so can mean only one thing: North Korea is serious about holding the western world to ransom. This outcome has been wholly predicted as far back as 1953 by the leaders of the western intervention force, so we are witnessing yet again a "told you so" moment which history offers us a wide selection of.
The frustration one should legitimately feel is compounded by the obvious misery of knowing we've consistently worked toward this outcome. With our short-sighted policies, naivety and fear of being judged disguised as pragmatism we weaved a chaotic web characterized by giant gaping holes. A temptation hard to resist for many a populist leader, let alone a maniac well past his sell-by date.
Unlike 1953, however, we are faced with an entirely different East Asia. Former nuclear superpower Russia abandoned communism and world domination through brute force. China, at the time atomically unarmed, dictates local geopolitics from the economic and military bully pulpits. Our close allies in the region look to us for help instead of arming themselves in turn. This is a duty the United States cannot afford to dodge.
North Korea's lesson to the world is that multilateralism rarely works. The unpalatable alternative is a world policeman who can wield a whip, crack it and inflict pain if necessary. In the age of globalization, peacekeeping and "Hope and Change" we will be crudely reminded time and time again of the inherent imperfection of human nature. North Korea, Iran, Somalia, Sudan, Burma: diplomacy won't work forever on them, if at all. The rule of force, realization of one's own vulnerability and the fear of pain are among the basic instincts we inherited from our common simian ancestor. Today, those instincts are all that stands between us and a potential nuclear attack from North Korea.
What's to be done? Cuetting aid and imposing sanctions will achieve nothing. The country is starved to death anyway and the leadership is uncaring. Kim Jong Il needs to be told in no ambiguous terms that his life is dispensable, the US will have no hesitation in nuking the country to hell and that he has blown his chances. The diplomatic table must be closed, nuclear subs sent to the Korean Sea and Yongbyon blasted to kingdom come without warning or regret. If Mr Kim were to carry out his threat of renouncing the armistice, we need to finish the business started in 1950 and take no prisoners.
Pyongyang is not worth trading for Tianjing or Khabarovsk. Mr Obama, for the good of us all please crack that whip.
The frustration one should legitimately feel is compounded by the obvious misery of knowing we've consistently worked toward this outcome. With our short-sighted policies, naivety and fear of being judged disguised as pragmatism we weaved a chaotic web characterized by giant gaping holes. A temptation hard to resist for many a populist leader, let alone a maniac well past his sell-by date.
Unlike 1953, however, we are faced with an entirely different East Asia. Former nuclear superpower Russia abandoned communism and world domination through brute force. China, at the time atomically unarmed, dictates local geopolitics from the economic and military bully pulpits. Our close allies in the region look to us for help instead of arming themselves in turn. This is a duty the United States cannot afford to dodge.
North Korea's lesson to the world is that multilateralism rarely works. The unpalatable alternative is a world policeman who can wield a whip, crack it and inflict pain if necessary. In the age of globalization, peacekeeping and "Hope and Change" we will be crudely reminded time and time again of the inherent imperfection of human nature. North Korea, Iran, Somalia, Sudan, Burma: diplomacy won't work forever on them, if at all. The rule of force, realization of one's own vulnerability and the fear of pain are among the basic instincts we inherited from our common simian ancestor. Today, those instincts are all that stands between us and a potential nuclear attack from North Korea.
What's to be done? Cuetting aid and imposing sanctions will achieve nothing. The country is starved to death anyway and the leadership is uncaring. Kim Jong Il needs to be told in no ambiguous terms that his life is dispensable, the US will have no hesitation in nuking the country to hell and that he has blown his chances. The diplomatic table must be closed, nuclear subs sent to the Korean Sea and Yongbyon blasted to kingdom come without warning or regret. If Mr Kim were to carry out his threat of renouncing the armistice, we need to finish the business started in 1950 and take no prisoners.
Pyongyang is not worth trading for Tianjing or Khabarovsk. Mr Obama, for the good of us all please crack that whip.
Friday, 15 May 2009
Russia postures on the Arctic
Russia beats the war drum over the Arctic, and hardly anyone, me included, can be bothered. First and foremost all the Arctic countries that are not Russia are under the US nuclear umbrella. Ergo, unlike environmentalist nuts like David Suzuki and despite Medvedev's name meaning "bear man", the Russians will never exchange the population of a middle-sized city for a piece of land that's under ice, water, polar bears and a logistical nightmare.
Furthermore, Canada has nothing to fear as Russia will find its friendship convenient for international shipping negotiations in the Northeast and Northwest passages. Sometimes it does pay to have a possessive superpower on your borders, provided you are ready to wave your weapons in return if the neighbor gets a little too friendly and enters your airspace.
There are also rumors of a joint continental shelf submission by Canada, Russia and Denmark. That would save everyone a lot of hassle, but clearly the battle for the Arctic has begun. The damn thing needs to be carved up and stewarded as national territory and property, otherwise it'll be the tragedy of the commons all over again. Russia encircles half of the Arctic already and nothing can stop it destroying the wilderness if it so wished.
So if we want to save the polar bear we have to agree who owns what, and that is better done between five foreign ministers in a room than at the UN. And don't worry about the Russians. When their army isn't made of 18-year-old conscripts, it's underfunded, under-equipped volunteers and rusting nuclear warheads.
Furthermore, Canada has nothing to fear as Russia will find its friendship convenient for international shipping negotiations in the Northeast and Northwest passages. Sometimes it does pay to have a possessive superpower on your borders, provided you are ready to wave your weapons in return if the neighbor gets a little too friendly and enters your airspace.
There are also rumors of a joint continental shelf submission by Canada, Russia and Denmark. That would save everyone a lot of hassle, but clearly the battle for the Arctic has begun. The damn thing needs to be carved up and stewarded as national territory and property, otherwise it'll be the tragedy of the commons all over again. Russia encircles half of the Arctic already and nothing can stop it destroying the wilderness if it so wished.
So if we want to save the polar bear we have to agree who owns what, and that is better done between five foreign ministers in a room than at the UN. And don't worry about the Russians. When their army isn't made of 18-year-old conscripts, it's underfunded, under-equipped volunteers and rusting nuclear warheads.
Wednesday, 13 May 2009
Conservative attack ads review
So the Conservative Party has unleashed the campaigning machine on Michael Ignatieff, who is supposed to be the Liberal Party's messiah. The attack ads in English and French (which can be viewed here) are aimed mostly at his absence from Canada, his unflattering quotes about Canada and Quebec and his lack of policy on the economy.
I think Ignatieff's previous disdainful writings should come back and bite him, as what goes around comes around. Some of the ads definitely rock, but I'd like to offer some constructive criticism. I take the "What makes us Canadian" ad as the gold standard, because it is great!
Exhibit A: Country (EN). Efficient in portraying flipping loyalties, though as an immigrant myself I think it is good practice to be loyal to the country that hosts you. Should have focused more on the quotes about how Quebec is no different from Minnesota except for signage, or how of Canada he only missed Algonquin park.
Exhibit B: Arrogance (EN). The Algonquin quote is out of context here, being cosmopolitan isn't a sin and sometimes people can be derogatory to themselves for fun. Ignatieff is elitist, and that would have worked much better.
Exhibit C: Economy (EN). Good attack ad, but the "invisible man" quote should have been voiced and prominent. The French version is absolutely fantastic: no policy and lots of taxes, clear and snippy.
Exhibit D: Hypocrisy (EN) (FR). Just! Plain! Useless! An attack ad against attack ads, and the French version is mute. Give me a break! At least three other Tories are incensed: Raphael Alexander, Hugh MacIntyre and Gerry Nicholls, while Darryl Wolk is of the contrary opinion.
Exhibit E: Quad (FR). An attack ad on Ignatieff's policy and sayings on Quebec. You know what? It's a good one!
Exhibit F: Photo (FR). Rubbish. One good jab and three random swing-and-amiss that do more damage than good. Leaving Canada for 34 years is no sin per se, attachment to the country where you live is expected by Conservatives of new immigrants, while ridiculing someone for speaking Parisian instead of Quebec French paints you both as a redneck and an anathema to Acadians. Attack ad FAIL.
All in all a fairly average array of attack multimedia. Some of it "ouch", however I expect more. The "What makes us Canadian" ad is fantastic because it appeals to Canadians' pride in their history and country, shattering that with Ignatieff's name. We need to tap into this pride and this joy of being Canadian, and that's the kind of message that will take us to a majority government.
I think Ignatieff's previous disdainful writings should come back and bite him, as what goes around comes around. Some of the ads definitely rock, but I'd like to offer some constructive criticism. I take the "What makes us Canadian" ad as the gold standard, because it is great!
Exhibit A: Country (EN). Efficient in portraying flipping loyalties, though as an immigrant myself I think it is good practice to be loyal to the country that hosts you. Should have focused more on the quotes about how Quebec is no different from Minnesota except for signage, or how of Canada he only missed Algonquin park.
Exhibit B: Arrogance (EN). The Algonquin quote is out of context here, being cosmopolitan isn't a sin and sometimes people can be derogatory to themselves for fun. Ignatieff is elitist, and that would have worked much better.
Exhibit C: Economy (EN). Good attack ad, but the "invisible man" quote should have been voiced and prominent. The French version is absolutely fantastic: no policy and lots of taxes, clear and snippy.
Exhibit D: Hypocrisy (EN) (FR). Just! Plain! Useless! An attack ad against attack ads, and the French version is mute. Give me a break! At least three other Tories are incensed: Raphael Alexander, Hugh MacIntyre and Gerry Nicholls, while Darryl Wolk is of the contrary opinion.
Exhibit E: Quad (FR). An attack ad on Ignatieff's policy and sayings on Quebec. You know what? It's a good one!
Exhibit F: Photo (FR). Rubbish. One good jab and three random swing-and-amiss that do more damage than good. Leaving Canada for 34 years is no sin per se, attachment to the country where you live is expected by Conservatives of new immigrants, while ridiculing someone for speaking Parisian instead of Quebec French paints you both as a redneck and an anathema to Acadians. Attack ad FAIL.
All in all a fairly average array of attack multimedia. Some of it "ouch", however I expect more. The "What makes us Canadian" ad is fantastic because it appeals to Canadians' pride in their history and country, shattering that with Ignatieff's name. We need to tap into this pride and this joy of being Canadian, and that's the kind of message that will take us to a majority government.
Friday, 8 May 2009
Luca has landed
I will probably get accused of obnoxious bragging, but I landed as a Permanent Resident at 8.30 PM today (Friday). Which not only makes me a new immigrant, but also the happiest person on this planet right now.
Big thanks are in order to all those who helped me put together the application, wrote recommendation letters, proofread my french and endured months of stressed pacing around the office or the apartment.
And absolutely monumental thanks go to Immigration-Quebec and Citizenship and Immigration Canada. They are living proof (in my case) that government agencies can provide an absolutely spotless, responsive, predictably reliable service. My case was finalized in a flash, and I'm grateful for all the dedication that those people show for their jobs.
Big thanks are in order to all those who helped me put together the application, wrote recommendation letters, proofread my french and endured months of stressed pacing around the office or the apartment.
And absolutely monumental thanks go to Immigration-Quebec and Citizenship and Immigration Canada. They are living proof (in my case) that government agencies can provide an absolutely spotless, responsive, predictably reliable service. My case was finalized in a flash, and I'm grateful for all the dedication that those people show for their jobs.
Thursday, 7 May 2009
Who needs the Olympic Committee's blessing?
First the EU bans seal products, then the House of Commons proposes that seal pelts be incorporated into the Canadian Olympic uniform. Today we hear from the head of the Canadian Olympic Committee that the uniforms aren't changing and the event won't be used for any political purpose. What's more, we saw even more reasons to have an elected Senate and throw out the encroached Liberals:
I have a solution. We needn't use the official Olympic event when we have all of Vancouver vying for business. Let's have a massive multi-culturalist-ultra-PC celebration of everything Inuit (as I assume seal products and meat are a constituent part of their heritage). Fashion showcases by Inuit designers, Inuit crafts including sealskin boots and coats, street selling of yummy seal-based food out of giant smoking cauldrons, Newfoundlanders selling seal-hunting tours (strictly shooting only). What a party!
According to the Parliament's record, South Shore-St. Margaret MP Gerald Keddy charged that Liberal Senator Mac Harb even wrote a letter to all members of the European Parliament to vote against the Canadian seal hunting industry. Keddy said Harb called Canadians barbaric because of their support for the seal hunt and advised Canada against pursuing international action at the World Trade Organization.
I have a solution. We needn't use the official Olympic event when we have all of Vancouver vying for business. Let's have a massive multi-culturalist-ultra-PC celebration of everything Inuit (as I assume seal products and meat are a constituent part of their heritage). Fashion showcases by Inuit designers, Inuit crafts including sealskin boots and coats, street selling of yummy seal-based food out of giant smoking cauldrons, Newfoundlanders selling seal-hunting tours (strictly shooting only). What a party!
Wednesday, 6 May 2009
Got seal?
I endorse the principle of seal hunting. The means can and should be improved, but banning the product in the EU will do no good to improve hunting methods. Actually, faced with decreasing revenue it will be more economically sound for hunters to cut even more corners.
The CBC reports some fears that are easily assuaged:
The beauty of free globalized trade is our ability to sell the skins elsewhere, like countries where tigers are hunted for their penis. In addition, the Italian and French fashion shops can open up showrooms and production lines in countries which can appreciate the amazing comfort, warmth and durability of sealskin products. As everything else coming out of Brussels lately it's a feeble, useless and embarrassing policy.
Long live globalization, free trade, capitalism and the WTO!
Update: Dr Roy reminds how pathetic the EU's excuses are.
The CBC reports some fears that are easily assuaged:
While it allows for the continued shipment of seal products through Europe, promotion of those same products would be prohibited. Sealing industry experts fear that would shut off access to the runways of Italy and France, countries that are highly influential in determining global fashion trends in the larger markets of Russia and China.
The beauty of free globalized trade is our ability to sell the skins elsewhere, like countries where tigers are hunted for their penis. In addition, the Italian and French fashion shops can open up showrooms and production lines in countries which can appreciate the amazing comfort, warmth and durability of sealskin products. As everything else coming out of Brussels lately it's a feeble, useless and embarrassing policy.
Long live globalization, free trade, capitalism and the WTO!
Update: Dr Roy reminds how pathetic the EU's excuses are.
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