Like many political anoraks out there in cyberspace, I’ve been aware of the Bush AWOL allegation for years. The wider public though have not. The average citizen was probably unaware until the last week or so that there was any controversy about Bush’s military “service”. Now the story is part of the 24 hour news cycle and millions of Americans have learnt of their president’s possible criminal past. This turnaround shows two things: the incredible laziness of the mainstream US media and the con...

Around this time last year the United Nations was very much in vogue. So long ignored and sidelined, the UN was, for a brief period at least, at the centre of global politics as the Security Council debated the pros and cons of war with Iraq. The anti-war lobby argued that UN support for any conflict was essential and, since this was not forthcoming, war was illegitimate. The pro-war camp said it already had UN backing. When it became clear that this was untrue they argued that they had never ne...

Molly Ivins’ new book subtitled: “Life in George W. Bush’s America” is a welcome edition to the veritable pantheon of literature exposing the lies and criminality of the current American president. Ivins pitches her work to the averagely intelligent Bush-hater. She avoids the pitfalls of the likes of Chomsky whose overly academic style prevents them from reaching out to a wider audience. She also manages not to dumb down to the sort of Michael Moore comic book level. The politically-aware and we...

I’m not the sort of person who would ordinarily read a book about ecclesiastical history. In fact I’m quite happy to admit that I know very little about religion – except that I don’t like it. Nevertheless I found myself engrossed by William Dalrymple’s 1998 book “From the Holy Mountain”, an account of his travels around the ancient Christian sites of the Middle East. Dalrymple sets out in the footsteps of another author, the sixth century monk John Moschos, who travelled through modern day T...

Let me start by saying that this will not be a puritan rant from some fully-paid up total abstainer, nor an invitation to join the wonderful world of sobriety. I like alcohol. I have done for years. Nothing quite relaxes me like a nice gin and tonic. I’ve found nothing invigorates a conversation more than a few pints. Furthermore, I must confess that on many occasions, as recently as last Friday night, I have been somewhat the worse for drink. In short, I’m no tee-totalitarian . Nevertheless...

The memory's not what it used to be but here are some of the excuses that Blair/Bush have come up with to explain their inability to find WMD in Iraq: > Saddam destroyed them just before the war (the fiend). > He moved them to Syria (the cheat). > Iraqi generals destroyed the WMD but were too scared to tell Saddam (the cowards). > Iraqi POWs won't tell us where they are (the spoilsports). > Iraq's a big country you know. None of these spins has held any more water than a particularly ...

Watching Lord Hutton read the summary of his report last week, I couldn’t help but groan. I make no apology for saying that I was one of many who had hoped that the report into the death of weapons inspector David Kelly would bring about Blair’s downfall. But, as the law lord droned on and on last Wednesday, it became clearer and clearer that the British Prime Minister would live to fight another day. The report exonerated Blair and lambasted the BBC to an extent which no-one had expected. The r...

Schools in Ireland have always been used to enforce religious belief. For far too long teachers and administrators have been concerned to turn out “good Catholics” or “good Protestants” to the detriment of children’s education. Religion is a private matter. If parents wish to teach their children about their faith they are free to do so. Teaching religion at school is not only a waste of time and money, it is also an insidious way to impose the majority religion on those who don’t share it. ...

Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, leader of Malaysia from 1981 until last year is a hard man for us western liberals to admire. Just as you start to respect him for his country’s ethnic harmony or economic progress he goes and sends his deputy to jail for homosexuality or claims that Jews run the world. For all his many achievements in office, his legacy will always be tainted by his bigotry. The man himself would often boast that Malaysia was the only Muslim country in the world which lived at peace wit...

It was with disgust, though not surprise, that I noticed the red carpet being rolled out for Chinese president Hu Jintao in yet another western capital this week. Not London or Washington this time but Paris, birthplace of democracy and the site of the revolution whose timeless slogan is quoted above. As on previous trips abroad Mr. Hu was given the mildest of rebukes by his host for his country’s APPALLING human rights record. As on previous occasions this “polite” diplomacy will bring no relie...

There is one part of the world where a small democracy is routinely threatened and harassed by a dictatorship fifty times its size. I’m speaking of the situation on the Taiwan Strait where an island of 23 million is confronted by a country of 1.3 billion. Taiwan has all the trappings of a state; a flag, an anthemn, an army, a president and a parliament. Yet, thanks to Beijing’s “one China” dogma, the rest of the world refuses to accept that Taiwan exists. China cuts ties with any country whi...

If we are to believe Senator John Kerry’s version of events, he was duped into voting for the Iraq war by nefarious White House lies about Saddam’s WMD capability. The 61 year old veteran politician was led a merry dance with tales of mushroom clouds and nerve gas. Now, like a freshly deflowered teenager, he’s discovered that his suitor lied to get him into bed. There weren’t any WMD after all! Oh, George, how could you?! John Kerry claims that he was one of the people who actually believed t...

The resilience of homophobia is striking, particularly in “traditional” societies like Northern Ireland. Many people here who would never dream of uttering a bad word about those of another race or religion gladly bandy around words like “poof” and “fag”. These terms are still considered acceptable insults for someone whose behaviour fails to live up to some standard of “masculinity”. Homophobia is considered a harmless prejudice, just a bit of banter. It’s obvious that anti-semitism, bigot...

Dr. Rev. Ian Paisley: MLA, MP, leader of the DUP, founder of the Free Presbyterian Church and, come May, ex-MEP. Today the seventy-seven year old announced that he will not seek re-election to the Strasbourg parliament. It is the first indication that he has accepted he can’t go on forever. For the rest of us, this fact has been obvious for some time. The great frame slumps ever forward and the once booming voice is now reedy and weak. Where once he relished confrontation now he avoids it, leavi...

Are the new top dogs of Northern Ireland politics really so different? On the surface the answer is: “yes, of course”. Sinn Fein stands for a united Ireland while the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) believes in the maintenance of the Union at all costs. Ideologically they are as different as chalk and cheese but, on other levels, they look like two peas in a pod. The first striking similarity is the discipline which both parties display. Both the DUP and Sinn Fein brook no dissent in a way un...