Melting certainties

A very important piece on the geo-strategic implications of climate change in the far north. Certainties disappear with the ice.

A touch Mel-odramatic

I am reluctant to direct anyone to Melanie Philips' blog at The Spectator. Her long posts are full of hysteria and irrationality on many topics, especially Barack Obama. Most telling is the post entitled 'Is America really going to do this?' Have a read and see what you think but my main reaction is that she is placing onto Obama what she thinks he thinks about America and the security challenges the West faces (because, in her mind, that is what a black liberal of his generation would think) not what he actually does think.

I suspect expressing this view will put me into Melanie's 'ememy of civilisation' category. But that's life, I suppose...

Ossy, Ossy, Ossy... Oik, Oik, Oik

A week on and 'yacht-gate' rumbles on, though attention seems to have turned to Mandelson for now. George Osborne seems to have stabilised his position but last week's events highlighted a major problem for the Tories as they seek to win the next election.

The economy is the transcendent political issue of our time but Osborne is clearly not up to the job of shadow chancellor, and that does not bode well should he ever get into government.

No surprise really: the man has never had a real job (St Paul's, Oxford, working for the Tory Party, MP) or even lived in the real world (born into privilege, lived in privilege ever since). He has NO idea what it is like to struggle to get the money to feed the kids, pay the utility bills, etc. And neither does anyone he has ever been around.

Telling the difference

To my mind the most telling difference between Obama and McCain is the reaction of the crowds at their respective rallies. More often than not you heard resounding cheers whenever Obama speaks. By contrast you hear boos from the McCain people. Says a great deal about what they say and what they want to achieve.

The end is near...

This is John McCain's closing argument, apparently:

"At a time when America is facing historic crisis we can't put our fate in the hands of an untested, inexperienced candidate. John McCain has served his country all his life, and he is the most prepared to restore our economy, bring back fiscal discipline, manage the two wars, and keep Americans safe."

So several months after dropping the 'inexperience' card in favour of Gov Palin - it's back. Extraordinary.

By contrast this is Obama's positive closing argument:

"Senator Obama will tell voters that after twenty-one months and three debates, Senator McCain still has not been able to tell the American people a single major thing he'd do differently from George Bush when it comes to the economy. Obama will ask Americans to help him change this country, and say that in just one week, they can choose an economy that rewards work and creates new jobs and fuels prosperity from the bottom-up, they can choose to invest in health care for our families and education for our kids and renewable energy for our future, and they can choose hope over fear, unity over division and the promise of change over the power of the status quo."