"you should have had that checked before"

international | anti-war / imperialism | other press

Saturday August 13, 2005 13:51

by iosaf

(overview of europress editorials this last week on post July bombings, EU & the world)

George Clinton, ex president of the USA, usually publishes opinion pieces in the Italian daily "la reppublica", but this week he launched his European opinion from the French "Le Monde" whence it has now been translated to spanish and is exciting the comment of big newspapers across the continent as being a heavy weight support of a "new theory".

That theory to put it most basically, is "the US & UK have gone mad". Or to use Clinton's words "we can not hide behind a wall or kill all our enemies" [the implication being that is exactly the policy wish].

Or to use the phrase I used on imc uk after the july bombings, "they entered psychosis".

The French therefore this weekend in their newspaper supplements read of an "existential crises" in the british who at long last have realised that their multi-culturalism might not be tippy toppy after all, that despite so many ethnic novels, so many ethnic childrens' TV presenters and so much "tolerance and fair play" that possibly "Londonstan" will prove to be the neglected melanoma, and the favourite old healing cream of northern ireland style responses might just make things very much worse.

The British are now depicted as busy monitoring their public playgrounds where it is a known fact, Al Qaeda are using the climbing frames to train the would be terrorists of tomorrow.

There is behind all this a certain sense of superiority (which I doubt is justifiable) on behalf of continental europeans that their societies despite the accusations from the anglo-saxon (/celtic?) press of intolerance and thinly veiled racism, checked their melanomas thoroughly, and realised that any adventure in Iraq would seriously up the risk factor, whereas in contrast the British just thoughtlessly scratched their hairy moles till they bled, and are now powerless to stop the malaise or spread of the disease.

Beyond such opinion, vacuous in the main, perhaps only worthy of publication because of the Clinton "seal of approval", there is curiously now little attempt being made to "Dot-the-Dots", the columnists of europe's main stream press and thier editorial writers seem to have grown bored of a warning of the disastrous system wide consequences of the Bush & Blair foreign policy, this summer rather seems to have seen the "status quo" of a global descent into terror taken for granted, and a corresponding lack of faith in Blair or Bush (in that order) to stop it.

& the message is that this bodes ill for common European Union policies on policing, migration, civil rights, security, justice and if we consider for a moment the "wall", relations with north africa and the middle east. It is curious to see how Blair at least whom for english speaking readers was the poodle of Bush for years, did enjoy a certain status amongst continental europeans of being credited with the "wiley british survivor" instinct which saw the importance of a negotiated peace settlement for the Palestinians and for a while was almost credited with the ability to "bring Bush to sense".

Which is rather depressing when one considers that Blair will in December hand over the EU to Berlusconi and the italians, who of all "strong" Europe are the least capable of leading a collective defense policy.

The Watershed for such notions began on July 7th.

The awful biopsy of modern british geopolitics came as Blair hosted the G8 "africa & climate change", and celebrated his olympic games win.

The Clinton article appeared 10/august in Le
monde. Its pay for view now.
http://www.lemonde.fr/cgi-bin/ACHATS/acheter.cgi?offre=ARCHIVES&type_item=ART_ARCH_30J&objet_id=911531

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More continental media overview stuff. ahead of Sunday Papers tomorrow.

by iosaf - (catching up on a lot of neglected material)

Sat Aug 13, 2005 19:34

Interview with La Vanguardia (spain) and Mahmud El Zahar leader of Hamas published today, in which he outlines the strategy and wishes of what has now become the largest Palestinian militant force, he touches on suicide bombers and the question of martyrdom appearing to bring his organisation into line with Hizbollah in Lebanon which itself is experiencing a new "political phase" after having done quite well in the democratic process.

The publication of this interview which will bounce around Europe preceded the Hamas statement this afternoon ruling out any future cessation of hostilities against the Israel state and followed pictures broadcast yesterday of Hamas militants in complete and equiped military uniform pass a review stand, at the same time that the Palestinian authority celebrated its "imminent victory", the Sharon unilateral withdrawl from the Gaza strip.
http://www.lavanguardia.es/web/20050813/51190859968.html

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