Alex Massie

Alex Massie

Monday

Alex Massie

Bait & Switch in Persia

From our UK edition

Iranian riot policemen stand guard outside the British embassy in Tehran on June 15, 2009 during a protest by supporters of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad against European interference in the Islamic Republic's latest election results. EU foreign ministers expressed 'serious concern' at Tehran's crackdown on opposition protesters and called for a probe into the conduct of the June 12 presidential election. Photo: Atta Kenare/AFP/Getty Images. This is, I think, a telling protest. While the opposition is rallying in central Tehran, the regime retreats to the time-honoured tradition of rallying the masses against perfidious foreign interference.

Sunday

Alex Massie

Caption Contest: Ahmadinejad Edition

From our UK edition

TEHRAN, IRAN - JUNE 14: Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad holds a press conference on June 14, 2009 in Tehran, Iran. Photo: Majid/Getty Images. Well, you'd be chuckling if you'd stolen an election too, wouldn't you? Suggestions for what Ahmadinejad is saying here are, of course, encouraged...

Alex Massie

The Case for Independence

From our UK edition

After the jump, the best case for Scottish independence. Oh yes. I especially like Big Jock's assertion that anyone living south of Edinburgh is, whether they ken it or no', actually English. That's a sentiment he might think about keeping to himself, should he ever find himself in these parts. Granted, all political parties attract unwelcome support from loonies such as this but, though exaggerated, there are a good number of nationalist politicians at Holyrood who'd agree, in broad terms, with Big Jock's list of grievances even if, one trusts, they wouldn't endorse his claim that the English are just waiting for an opportunity to commit genocide in Scotland... Anyhoo, this is great stuff.

Alex Massie

What Should Obama Say About the Iranian Elections?

From our UK edition

Since I've been sceptical about some of Barack Obama's rhetoric on democracy promotion and human rights, Stephen Hayes's comments at the Weekly Standard merit some attention: Obama could tap into the enthusiasm and frustration of the protesters with a few well-chosen words about democracy, the rule of law, the will of the people, consent of the governed and legitimacy. He could choose a compelling story or two from inside Iran to make his points most dramatically, perhaps an anecdote about sacrifices some Iranians made to vote or an example of post-election intimidation.

Saturday

Alex Massie

Ahmadinejad’s American Supporters

From our UK edition

I don't pretend to have a sophisticated grasp on the complexities of Iranian politics and society, but it's worth noting that Ahmadinejad had support outside Iran too. To wit, Daniel Pipes: while my heart goes out to the many Iranians who desperately want the vile Ahmadinejad out of power, my head tells me it's best that he remain in office. When Mohammed Khatami was president, his sweet words lulled many people into complacency, even as the nuclear weapons program developed on his watch. If the patterns remain unchanged, better to have a bellicose, apocalyptic, in-your-face Ahmadinejad who scares the world than a sweet-talking Mousavi who again lulls it to sleep, even as thousands of centrifuges whir away. And there you have it: the holy warriors on both sides need one another.

Alex Massie

Saturday Morning Country: Steve Earle Edition

From our UK edition

Steve Earle belongs in the first rank of the great tradition of Texas singer-songwriters and he's been in great form since his two-year "vacation" in the early 1990s. The good news is that he shows no signs of slackening off: his new album, Townes, is a loving15-track tribute to his friend and mentor Townes van Zandt. And the even better news is that Earle is touring Britain (and Ireland) later this year. Hurrah! Anyway, here's a clip from way back in the day when the Hardcore Troubadour was earning his nickname The Hard Way.

Friday

Alex Massie

Paul Krugman’s Rather Odd Love Affair With Gordon Brown

From our UK edition

I wouldn't ever dream of debating economics with Paul Krugman*. Politics, however? Well that's a horse of a different colour. The Nobel laureate is, it seems, in Britain and he has this to say: Weird politics here in London, with Gordon Brown desperately unpopular even (or maybe especially) among those who surely share his general ideological outlook. And yet … ...It’s not far-fetched to imagine that Britain will soon be experiencing at least a modest recovery, even as its neighbors languish. Yet that possibility doesn’t seem to factor into any of the political discussion. Even if one grants that is true - and, who knows, perhaps it is! Let's hope so!

Thursday

Alex Massie

Hey, pilgrim! You forgot your pop-gun!

From our UK edition

A tip of the stetson to Radley Balko for reminding (that is, telling) me that today is the thirtieth anniversary of John Wayne's death. It's tough to pick one's favourites from a great career that spanned 171 movies but, though I know that in many ways The Searchers and Stagecoach are the greatest of the Duke's movies, my five favourites are: Red River She Wore a Yellow Ribbon The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence Rio Bravo The Horse Soldiers What are yours? Below the jump, some clips! UPDATE: James Joyner joins the party. I second his endorsement of Rooster Cogburn.

Alex Massie

Godwin’s Law: The Persian Variation

From our UK edition

For real: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Wednesday accused his election rivals of adopting smear tactics used by Germany's dictator Adolf Hitler and said they could face jail for insulting him. Ahmadinejad was speaking at a rally in Tehran on the final day of an increasingly bitter and hard-fought election campaign, in which he faces a growing challenge from moderate former prime minister Mirhossein Mousavi. Mousavi and the two other candidates say Ahmadinejad has lied about the state of the economy which is suffering from high inflation and a fall in oil revenues from last year's record levels. Ahmadinejad said his rivals had broken laws against insulting the president. "No one has the right to insult the president, and they did it. And this is a crime.

Alex Massie

The Pleasures of Moral Panic

From our UK edition

Like Julian Sanchez, I consider Reason's compilation of 40 years of Time magazine's addiction to hysteria a real treat. This 1972 effort - warning, as you can see, of the inexorable rise of Satanism in the United States - is just the beginning of it. From there it's but a hop, skip and jump to scaremongering about cocaine use, rap music, population growth, "crack kids" and, best of all, Pokemon. Yes, Pokemon. I suspect that Reason could have gone much further: surely Time must have warned us that we're all going to die of swine flu? Or was that bird flu? Pretty much each and every one of these issues are classic examples of moral panic.

Tuesday

Alex Massie

Teaching Ten Year Olds To Find Terrorists

From our UK edition

From the Departments of a) Modern Britain and b) Modern Childhood. The Lancashire Telegraph reports: Primary school pupils are to be shown a film about the dangers of terrorists as part of an organised safety day. More than 2,000 10 and 11-year-olds will see a short film, which urges them to tell the police, their parents or a teacher if they hear anyone expressing extremist views. The film has been made by school liaison officers and Eastern Division’s new Preventing Violent Extremism team, based at Blackburn. It uses cartoon animals to get across safety messages. A lion explains that terrorists can look like anyone, while a cat tells pupils that should get help if they are being bullied and a toad tells them how to cross the road.

Alex Massie

Angelina Jolie is the World’s Best Woman, Right?

From our UK edition

Angelina Jolie attends Belstaff's 'The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button' Premiere & After Party on December 8, 2008 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Alexandra Wyman/Getty Images for Belstaff. Some of you will doubtless have your own sordid little reasons for thinking, yes she is. Here's the good news: Naomi Wolf agrees with you! Ms Wolf has written what may be the most amusing piece I've read all year. The Lovely Angelina, you see, "has it all". The whole thing is priceless but, as Double X's Willa Paskin explains, this may be the most deliciously off-the-wall part of the whole extravagant mess: Then there is the plane. Women are so used to being dependent on others (certainly on men) for where they go, metaphorically, and how they get there.

Alex Massie

The True Nature of Twenty20 Cricket is Revealed

From our UK edition

First things first: congratulations to Ireland and the Netherlands for enlivening the World Twenty20 Cup. Secondly, well-done Australia who now have an extra couple of weeks to prepare for the Ashes. Typically, England flattered us with their cunning in their opening fixture only to let us down in their second.

Alex Massie

Tory Foreign Policy: Where’s the Beef?

From our UK edition

ConservativeHome interview William Hague and it's all very jocular and genial. Except for when it's being a little bit troubling and alarming. To wit: ConservativeHome: Name three specific things you would change about British foreign policy. William Hague: First, we would create a fully fledged National Security Council, comprising all relevant senior ministers and chaired by the Prime Minister. This would be a decisive break from the sofa style decision making of the last twelve years, which has often led to decisions being made without all the necessary information being considered or understood. Second, we would be firmly opposed to the greater centralisation of power in EU institutions, which reduces democratic accountability in Britain.

Alex Massie

The View from the North

From our UK edition

Away from the BNP and the Woes of Brown (which sounds like an Aberfeldy tea-room or something) the other notable european result came in Scotland where the SNP's handsome victory (29-21 over Labour) confirmed that Labour can no longer automatically consider itself the natural governing party in Scotland. Given that the 2007 Holyrood election was essentially a tie (the SNP winning on away goals), this was the first time the SNP had ever routed Labour in a national election. Sure, Labour's difficulties at Westminster played a large part in this, but only a part. Their inability to counter Alex Salmond's merry band at Holyrood was also a factor. This, even though the nationalists, having enjoyed their first 12 months in power,  endured a more difficult second year in office.

Monday

Alex Massie

So what would you do if you were a Labour minister?

From our UK edition

Boss Man d'Ancona asks us to consider what we would think and what we would do were we Labour MPs. A scary thought, I know but that's the point of the exercise. For myself, I like to think I'd agree with Tom Harris. That is, if I were a Labour backbencher I'd be very concerned about my employment prospects and would welcome pretty much Anyone But Gordon as leader. How much worse could any alternative leader be? But if I were a member of the cabinet and someone who had leadership ambitions myself, I might see matters rather differently and conclude that while Labour would certainly be well-served by a change in leadership the times are sufficiently inauspicious to justify sitting still and keeping very, very quiet for a little longer yet.

Alex Massie

Guilty Until Proven Innocent: The New British Way of Justice

From our UK edition

Meanwhile, though the BNP might be receiving all the attention, this sort of thing strikes me as being a mightily more grievous threat to society. It's like something from a Philip K Dick story: Officers are targeting children as young as 10 with the aim of placing their DNA profiles on the national database to improve their chances of solving crimes, it is claimed. The alleged practice is also described as part of a "long-term crime prevention strategy" to dissuade youths from committing offences in the future. The claim comes amid widespread criticism of government proposals to store DNA profiles of innocent people, including some children, on the database for up to 12 years.

Alex Massie

What to make of the BNP’s success?

From our UK edition

What to make of the BNP's success in Northern England last night? Regrettable, even infuriating for sure. A consequence of this government's failure and, it might as well be said, proportional representation? Absolutely. The beginning of the end of British democracy, now liable to be swamped by a wave of neo-national socialists? Hardly. I'm with Chris Dillow on this: paying so much attention to the BNP is unfair on the 98% of the electorate who didn't vote for the BNP. (Or, if you prefer, the 94% of those who did vote and refused to back the BNP). It's interesting to observe that when the English electorate had the chance to vote in elections that actually matter to the fabled "ordinary, hard-working families" they declined to let the BNP anywhere near power.

Sunday

Alex Massie

Surviving

From our UK edition

As any fool knows the freedom of the press is, in the end, the freedom of the chap who owns the press. Much the same may be said of blogs. Which is why I won't waste time by recommending that you could buy my father's latest novel and skip straight to suggesting that you damn well should. This novel* - Surviving - obviously deseverves more than your indifference. Do you love Italy? Do you love booze? Do you love life? Do you feel you deserve a second chance? If you could credibly answer yes to a couple of those questions then you should buy this book. And if you can't say yes then this is the only novel you have to buy this year. Them's the breaks and there's consolation in other people's broken lives. Buy the book on Amazon or, better, direct from the publisher, here.