December 23, 2004
by Nosemonkey
4 Comments
Following the confirmation that Russia is not a free country after ongoing rumours of dodgy dealings in the run-up to the Russian presidential election, allegations of cover-ups to prevent knowledge of the true nature of the Beslan tragedy spreading, and … Continue reading
December 21, 2004
by Nosemonkey
3 Comments
Everyone I’ve spoken to recently has been doing the same old “if you’ve done nothing wrong…” arguments, usually followed by the “so what’s the big deal?” line. Normally, after a five minute rant, I manage to convince them that this … Continue reading
December 21, 2004
by Nosemonkey
Comments Off on Oooh, those Russians
Russia reaches lowest state of ‘freedom’ since collapse of USSR. This is according to Freedom House – a non-profit, non-partisan body which has monitored global democracy for some sixty years. Their accompanying press release marks Russia as the only country … Continue reading
December 17, 2004
by Nosemonkey
9 Comments
Hey, it was predictable, right? The Lords is only the highest court in the land – why the hell should the government listen to them when they vote 8 to 1 that the detention without charge of terror suspects is … Continue reading
December 15, 2004
by Nosemonkey
Comments Off on “Politically incorrect, xenophobic, racist and who knows what else”
Nope, not the usual UKIP suspects, but – supposedly – European politicians’ real reactions to the proposed Turkish accession to the EU: Even after 40 years of attempts to get closer, Brussels and Ankara are still strangers. That could be … Continue reading
December 1, 2004
by Nosemonkey
Comments Off on Nations Reunited?
The invasion of Iraq saw the UN in both good and bad lights. Kofi Annan doggedly trod a middle path in an attempt to appease the American desire for conflict, so the eventual condemnation he dished out had real moral … Continue reading
November 1, 2004
by Nosemonkey
Comments Off on US elections – EU implications
No matter which way you look at it, the result of tomorrow’s election will have knock-on effects around the world. It’s easy to paint Bush as a wannabe unilateralist, avoiding the traditional channels of the UN, NATO etc. in his … Continue reading
October 31, 2004
by Nosemonkey
Comments Off on Will the US be like Spain?
As we all know, after the Madrid bombs, the sitting Spanish government was voted out of office. There was a chorus of disapproval from the States, accusing the people of Spain of giving into terrorists thanks to the assumption that … Continue reading
October 4, 2004
by Nosemonkey
Comments Off on The EU and the Bear
So, Russia’s decided to ratify the Kyoto Protocol on greenhouse gas emissions – a move which the entire world should welcome. The UN Climate Change Convention’s superbly-named executive secretary, Joke Waller-Hunter, has done, and without that I’d never have heard … Continue reading
September 24, 2004
by Nosemonkey
Comments Off on UN-decisive
Even people like me who think the UN is a superb institution agree that it needs to be reformed. I agree that it failed in the Balkans, and I’d suggest it’s currently failing in the Sudan. Expanding the Security Council … Continue reading
September 9, 2004
by Nosemonkey
Comments Off on The World vs. Bush
One in five non-Americans want Bush out. Hardly a surprise, I know… “The only countries where Bush was preferred in the poll of 34,330 people that was conducted mainly in July and August were the Philippines, Nigeria and Poland. India … Continue reading
September 7, 2004
by Nosemonkey
Comments Off on Russia: land of the free!
There’s the vague coverage, claiming it all to be rumour and that it was a resignation: “An editor of a Russian newspaper has resigned… Some journalists say Russian authorities prevented them from going to southern Russia to cover the crisis.” … Continue reading
September 4, 2004
by Nosemonkey
Comments Off on Russian aftermath
Saturday update – it gets worse… 322 bodies confirmed so far, including 155 children. That synonym for the free press, Pravda, responds to the crisis in a typically Cold War manner, with headlines like: School Stormed, Hostages Released and supposed … Continue reading
September 3, 2004
by Nosemonkey
Comments Off on Russia does it again
There are not words to describe how stupid this is. Nice to see that Putin’s KGB past isn’t influencing his counter-terrorism tactics at all… 100 dead, 400 wounded, yet they still let 13 of the hostage takers get away. Is … Continue reading