Carnival of the Capitalists

Saddam: a tribute
Political parody par excellence. Or is it?

Technorati Tags: english+spelling, simon+jenkins, spelling+reform

Last Friday, in the Guardian, Simon Jenkins wrote that he welcomed the decision of the Scottish Qualifications Authority that they would accept text-message spellings in school examinations in “a direct challenge to the English at their most reactionary”. “The dark riders of archaism will protest and the backwoods will howl. No spell is cast as dire as spellcheck. But the champions of reason are massing north of the border and need our support,” he declares. This, he hopes, might set off some renewed interest in reforming spelling, the discussion of which “has become a no-go area, an intellectual tundra”.

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Melanie Phillips writes that Europe needs to become re-Christianised to resist the tide of Islamic extremism: Read More

Noone’s going to like me for saying this, but I’m going to say it anyway:

The Democrats will lose the midterms. And that’s probably all they deserve.

Don’t get me wrong – that’s not what I want to happen. What I want is for the Republicans to be thrown out on to the street, and for the Democrats to spend the next two years doing such a good impression of great government that, come 2008, the GOP are still consumed by recriminations and self-loathing and a Clinton-Obama dream ticket sweeps to victory. That’s what I want to happen.

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A fighting self-belief
Defending Europe without Christianity?

The lonely hour of the last instance
Influence and the Marxist intellectual

Reading Anna Kessel’s article on mixed-race footballers prompts a quick, Wednesday afternoon thought: I wonder if it would be possible for a mixed-race marriage to work in the Royal Family? What would be the reaction if Prince William, say, dumped that sweet Kate Thingy girl, and started courting a black or indian woman?
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Home Secretary John Reid has compared the need for innovative ways of unearthing terrorist plots to the fortuitous inventions that helped turn the tide in the Second World War. Once again the maxim that a little knowledge goes a long way is amply demonstrated by governmental short-sightedness.
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Career development the Bronstein way
Get ahead, get Trotsky, young man