Tatchell speaks up for Northern Ireland

Peter Tatchell yesterday highlighted at Pride in London that the LGBT people in Northern Ireland are being denied the same rights and opportunities enjoyed elsewhere in the Union. He urged the people of the UK to stand in solidarity.

Here is him being interviewed about the issues.


President Obama on Friday also said that the US Supreme Court ruling ended the patchwork of equality for LGBT people in his great nation. Northern Ireland is now becoming that little patch that needs to be added to the quilt of Western equality.

Animation of a rousing Obama speech

I have been somewhat quiet this week because the power cable to my laptop failed in the earlt hours of Monday morning. A smartphone is only good for so much.

Plus I'm not feeling great these last few days so have spent much of it in bed.

However, this just needs sharing

Barack Obama comes out for Equal Marriage

Earlier this evening Barack Obama said:

"At a certain point I just concluded, for me personally, it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same-sex couples should be able to get married

"I had hesitated on gay marriage, in part because I thought civil unions would be sufficient … something that would give people hospital visitation rights and other elements we take for granted. And I was sensitive to the fact that for a lot of people the word marriage was something that evokes powerful traditions, religious beliefs, and so forth.

"I have to tell you that over the course of several years, as I talked to friends, and family and neighbours, when I think about members of my own staff who are incredibly committed, monogamous relations, same-sex relations, who are raising kids together, when I think of the soldiers, airmen, marines and sailors who out there fighting on my behalf and yet feel constrained even now though 'don't ask, don't tell' has gone, because they are not able to commit themselves in a marriage."

This is an historic day. This is the first time that a President and also a Presidential Candidate with a chance of winning election in the November elections has come out so emphatically in support of equal marriage.

What is stunning is that he said above that he came to realisation that merely given all the equal rights through a civil union wasn't enough. It was the fact that even in that they would been seen as equal but different. This is just the argument why equal marriage is needed here in the UK.

We tried the half way approach. Give the lesbians and gays something that is sort of equal but that we call something different. This approach allows discrimination to still continue through a subtle wording. It suggests that LGBT people cannot be monogamous that they only have to have a legal contract to secure certain things.

The word is important as it resonates equality. I'm glad that President Obama has said this so clearly this evening.

If you can't beat Obama subpoena him

Yeah the weirdest story of the week in the Presidential race comes from Georgia, home state of Newt Gingrich.. It is there that Californian attorney and "birther" Orly Taitz has managed to get one justice to actually look at her one of her various lawsuits trying to ban Obama from the State Primary on 9th March. Others have failed.

The court hearing is scheduled for today and Georgia Deputy Chief Justice Michael Malihi has subpoenaed the President to appear before him today n the grounds that his filings to Georgia's secretary of state fail to show why his attendance would be "unreasonable or oppressive," or why his testimony would be "irrelevant, immaterial or cumulative."

I'm sure one of the documents that were passed on to Georgia was the following, issued by the State of Hawaii on 8 August 1961.

Of course the guy who he beat in 2008 was John McCain, born 29th August 1936 at Coco Solo Naval Air Station in the Panama Canal Zone.

One wonders what would have happened had his non-American parent not been black and African.

The presumptive Democratic nominee for President is actively campaigning today, but no in the State of Georgia.

Looking at the text of the 14th Amendment it is clear that he qualifies, through section one from the place of his birth. His mother being a natural born American from the State of Kansas he was not the child of an illegal immigrant. His mother and her parents are American. He was raised by them.

14th Amendment to the US Constitution (adopted 9 July 1868)

Section 1. All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.Section 2. Representatives shall be apportioned among the several States according to their respective numbers, counting the whole number of persons in each State, excluding Indians not taxed. But when the right to vote at any election for the choice of electors for President and Vice President of the United States, Representatives in Congress, the Executive and Judicial officers of a State, or the members of the Legislature thereof, is denied to any of the male inhabitants of such State, being twenty-one years of age, and citizens of the United States, or in any way abridged, except for participation in rebellion, or other crime, the basis of representation therein shall be reduced in the proportion which the number of such male citizens shall bear to the whole number of male citizens twenty-one years of age in such State.
Section 3. No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. But Congress may, by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability.
Section 4. The validity of the public debt of the United States, authorized by law, including debts incurred for payment of pensions and bounties for services in suppressing insurrection or rebellion, shall not be questioned. But neither the United States nor any State shall assume or pay any debt or obligation incurred in aid of insurrection or rebellion against the United States, or any claim for the loss or emancipation of any slave; but all such debts, obligations and claims shall be held illegal and void.
Section 5. The Congress shall have power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article.

Even if both his parents had not been native born American's the fact that he was would make Barack Obama a Natual Born Citizen. This was tested in the Supreme Court in 1898 by by Wong Kim Ark who was born in San Francisco to Chinese parents. This ruled that Wong was a natural born citizen of the USA.

The birthers really do not have a legal leg to stand on in this case are are merely showing prejudice as well as being sore losers. But of course not being native born, McCain did qualify to run for President even though he wasn't born in the US because his parents were American. Strangely the birthers never challenged McCain's eligibility to run or serve as President.

Update: Reading the reports of what happened in court today it appears that the main thrust of the plaintiff's cliams are that because Obama's father is saying because he was not an American citizen, neither is the President. If that is the main thrust it is unconstitutional and should not be admissible in court, see the above.

Dixville Notch call it a tie

Picture from CBS

The first vote in the New Hapmshire Primary is in. The small villgae of Dixville Notch right up against the Canadian border traditionally votes at midnight. It's 9 voters have made it a tie in the Republican nomination between Mitt Romney and Jon Huntsman with 2 votes each. Ron Paul and Newt Gingrich picked up a vote each. The other three votes went to President Obama.

The village has 2 registered Democrats and 3 registered Republics with 4 who do not declare a party.

Obama gets a taste of Ireland which the Queen didn't

Last week the Queen was actually at St. James Gate brewery home of the most famous stout of the world. She was poured a pint of the black stuff but didn't even touch the glass, now did HRH the Duke of Edinbuirgh.

However, in a small pub in County Offaly earlier the following conversation took place.

Leader of the free world "I have been told that is makes a difference, who the person behind the bar is. I mean, that people are very particular about who is pouring your Guinnesss. Am I right about that?

His many cousins in the bar "Yeah"

The Leader of the free world "The Perfect pint. So can people vouch for this guy?"

Cousins Yeahs and laughter

One of the counsins "He's the Greatest, the best just

Leader Just like Mohammed Ali, he's the greated. Well we like that. It is quite an honour for me. You think it's ready?

Fiddlers Start playing in the background

Leader Now I want to get it perfect now. What do you think? Alright. Sláinte.

He then tips the pints of the men behind the bar, before putting the pint of Guinness to his lips and supping his pint. To cheers all around.

He promises to buy one of the ambassador and then jokes that "The President always pays his bar tab."

The first lady asks how many of the staff were in here. To which the President joked "How much advance work did they do?"

You can view Barack Obama enjoying the hospitality of the Irish in his Great-Great-Great-Grandfather's village of Moneygall here on the BBC Website. I expect there will be plague outside the door very soon honouring the place where the USA's first black president drank his first pint of the black stuff.

So yet again the Daily Fail has failed.

Update Later at College Green in Dublin he greeted the crowd with the words. "I'm Barack Obama, of the Monegall O'Bamas. I've come to look for the aportrophe that we lost somewhere along the way."

Next!...Another week another head of state visits Ireland

It doesn't seem that long ago that Ireland rolled up the red capret as a head of state left Irish soil. That is because it was only Friday. But today it has been rolled out again.

President Obama has arrived today ahead of a three day State Visit to last week's visitor the Queen and the UK. He will meet with President Mary McAleese and then hold talks with Taoiseach Enda Kenny. But the highlight of his visit to Ireland will be the trip to Moneygall, Co Offaly.

"Where?" you may ask.

Well here.

So yeah it is a little off the beaten track. But if Falmouth Kearney the President's Grear-Great-Grandfather came from there, it does mean that yet another American President with Irish blood in his veins. He joins the line of Andrew Jackson, James K Polk, James Buchanan, Andrew Johnson, Chester Arthur, William McKinley, Woodrow Wilson, Harry S Truman, John F Kennedy, Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton.

Fáilte abhaile Uachtaráin. Welcome home Mr President.

Guest Post: Andy Williamson: Mid-Terms of Engagement

There is nothing that a blogger more that somebody giving them stuff to put on their blog. Yes, even if that blogger is as prolific as I can be. Therefore earlier today I received an email from one of my Edinburgh friends and fellow campaigners containing his overview of the American mid-term elections and how it relates to us in the coalition. I am therefore of course happy to share it with you all.

The US midterm results are in, and the results seem bad for Obama. Even though the Democrats held the Senate, many of the Senators who survived the Republican onslaught did so only by standing as anti-Obama Democrats. Joe Manchin, elected Democratic Senator for West Virginia, produced a campaign ad showing him shooting the President’s ‘Cap and Trade’ legislation. But whilst partisans in the US are spinning the results faster than an Ann Widdecombe polka, it remains to be seen what the impact will be for UK politics. However, the lessons that can be learned by the UK coalition government must not be ignored.

Firstly, however, we must put the result into context. Yes, it was a clear bloody nose for Barack Obama, as a galvanised Republican party led a vociferous, and successful grass-roots campaign against him. However, government split between president and Congress is extremely common in US politics. In the last twelve years, Republican and Democrat presidents have had both hostile and friendly Congresses to work with. Indeed, the US public seem to regard a partisan division between President and Congress as a strengthening of the separation of powers.

Although the success of the ‘Tea Party’ should not be downplayed, we should also not read too much in the resurgence of the right in the US, particularly given the relative nadir they reached in 2008. Global trends do not seem to suggest a rise of the right. The French regional elections this year saw a victory of the Parti Socialiste (the Socialist Party), and despite the victories of the right in Hungary and mixed messages in Italy, there does not seem to be an overarching global trend towards the right as there was in the 1980s. In Britain, the inability of the Conservatives to gain a clear majority is indicative of an absence of a rise of right-wing vote.

What must be understood is that many Democrats and swing voters who backed Obama in 2008 feel disillusioned with the President’s consensus-based approach. Despite the passage of health care reform, the President has not used his Congress majority to his full advantage, even before Scott Brown and the Republicans ended the filibuster-proof Democrat majority.

Obama, more than any world leader in recent history was given a personal mandate for boldness. In this he has failed, or at least is perceived to have failed. (In politics perception is nine tenths of the law). As Machiavelli wrote:

"it is better to be bold than too circumspect"

Obama is guilty of giving the people consensus, when they wanted audacity. He has managed, not led.

The lesson of last night for David Cameron and Nick Clegg is simple: play to your mandate. Cameron and Clegg have exactly the reverse mandate to Obama – in Britain, consensus reigns. The mandate of consensus is a difficult one, although it suggests that policy should be aimed at the middle ground, rather than the core voters. Obama has paid the price for ignoring his core supporters. It is the dilemma which faces every executive upon gaining power – whether to govern for your supporters, or for the country. Ultimately, this is the decision which must be made. Machiavelli again provides the words, “it is better to be feared than to be loved, if you cannot be both”. Obama is neither.

Time will tell for Cameron and Clegg, although the nature of the coalition suggests that they should strive to be ‘loved’. They will underestimate the mandate at their peril.

Does Barack Obama Read My Blog?

I'm not sure if PoTUS* reads my humble little blog. I did get a number of hits from Washington yesterday so you never know. However, I do know we are on the same wavelength over what I posted yesterday.

Speaking after a Muslim Iftar dinner, breaking the daily Ramadan fast, last night at the White House he said:

"We must all recognise and respect the sensitivities surrounding the development of lower Manhattan, Ground Zero is, indeed, hallowed ground. But let me be clear, as a citizen, and as president, I believe that Muslims have the same right to practice their religion as anyone else in this country.

"That includes the right to build a place of worship and a community centre on private property in lower Manhattan, in accordance with local laws and ordinances. This is America, and our commitment to religious freedom must be unshakeable. The principle that people of all faiths are welcome in this country, and will not be treated differently by their government, is essential to who we are."

Well done to President Obama for taking a stance for what is right and enshrined in the constitution against the upsurge of of Islamaphobia. Separating out the rights of ordinary law abiding Muslims from the responsibility to deal with Al-Queda and other terrorist groups who are not a true representation of their faith. Showing respect for the victims, all victims, of Al-Queda including those on 9-11 and the many Muslim victims too.

A President who is calm enough to get the facts straight, to keep the Constitution in mind and show balance in his comments is someone worthy of the job. If you are reading this Mr President keep up the rational thought patterns even it all around you seem to be losing theirs.



* President of the US for all non-West Wing fan readers.

Copenhagen in Sporting Imagery

Cartoon by Martin Rowson
in the Guardian 19 December 2009

Well the world came, they talked, they didn't really agree anything.

The sportsman in me knows that you have to set a goal a target to aim for. Sometimes you end up reaching that goal, I have won two Irish Junior cups at bowls as well as several other titles. Sometimes you miss, I didn't make the 1992 Olympics for example. But they were both goals that were set and they were both something that I strived for.

What has come out of Copenhagen is a non-binding accord to limit temperature increases to no more than 2C, but has not set any targets on how to do so. For me as a athlete that would be like saying I'm going to run a sub 4 minute mile (which I have done in the past) but have no clear way of how I'm going to train to do so, nor any idea of how I'm going to run the race to do so.

So how would I go about running that race to get to sub four without a plan. I could set off as fast as I could. Yeah I could run the first 100m in about 11 seconds. If I do that 16 and a little bit more times I'd run a mile in under three minutes. Easy. Err no.

Ok I'd set off then at a gentle jog and start to really run after the first three minutes are up. Only after the first three minutes I have only run a quarter mile, and I have to run the other three quarters of a mile in one minute. Something not even Usain could run at that required pace for.

After two years of planning to get to this summit in the final hours the issues of emissions cuts, monitoring of emissions and the legal nature of the deal all re-emerged in the final hours of negotiations. Taking a different sporting metaphor this is like getting to the final minutes of a game of football only to realise that the size of the net, selection of a referee and the rules of the game are contended by each of the players on the park and several of the fans. We wouldn't stand that in our sports following, how come we are to accept it for something as important as the future of our planet.

Yesterday there were rumours that the worlds leaders were going to be asked to stay in Copenhagen until they came to a substantive and target based agreement. It would be better than the hogswash of a document that they did.

Barack Obama says:

"This progress is not enough. We have come a long way, but we have much further to go."

Gordon Brown says:

"This is the first step we are taking towards a green and low-carbon future for the world, steps we are taking together. But like all first steps, the steps are difficult and they are hard.

"I know what we really need is a legally binding treaty as quickly as possible."

Only thing is Prime Minister this isn't the first step, this is a vital step along the way. This step may well have been like one an Olympic diver takes on the platform before the dive. The end result is either to soar to success or miss the end of the board and fall to a horrible mess. Sadly the second is a lot closer to the step that has been taken.

As Martin Rowson illustrates above it is like the World Leaders have washed their hands of their responsibility like Pontius Pilate. They should have been kept at the negotiations until they really did have a deal to help the world.

World Leaders to Pull an All Nighter in Copenhagen

Recently reading my student friend's updates on Facebook or Twitter I've seen numerous of them stating that they were pulling "all-nighters" to get the end of term essays finished. The latest news from Copenhagen is that the Danes are telling the world leaders not to go anywhere just yet on what is meant to be the last day of the Climate Change Summit.

Of course all nighters at the end of a period of discussion can get a result. The Northern Irish Agreement was meant to have been concluded on Maundy Thursday, it was only as a result of an all-nighter that the Agreement was made and the far more friendly Good Friday Agreement came into being.

President Obama sat down for an hour with the Chinese leader Wen Jiabao for an hour earlier in a head to head of what many correspondents see as the two key players in getting a global agreement settled. However, BBC News has just stated that President Obama is on his way to the airport and Air Force One to head to his Christmas vacation on Hawaii. He had earlier said he had come "not to talk, but to act". Whereas the Chinese Premier said:

"To meet the climate change challenge, the international community must strengthen confidence, build consensus, make vigorous efforts and enhance co-operation."

Apparently the major stumbling block at the moment is the American $100bn a year fund to help the developing countries business to develop in a green way. The Americans are wanting assurances that this is what the money will be going towards, the Chinese who are heading up the G77 of the developing nations is urging the USA to trust them to make sure this is what happens.

There are still poles of difference between these two major players, but it may be down to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to move the issue onwards if an agreement is to be made before the world heads away from Copenhagen. President Sarkozy of France however is saying that the Chinese are the ones currently holding up the talks.

UPDATE: Within half an hour of me first hearing this the BBC are now stating that the UN Secretary General's office is denying that such an edict to world leaders has been issued. However, I'm saying why not?

What Bank Ki Moon's office is saying is that they are still hoping to reach an agreement in a few hours, without the need for overnight discussions. Although it may no longer be a Treaty but an Accord that is signed and that a deadline (2010) to sign up for a legally binding agreement may be omitted from the final text.

FURTHER UPDATE: Latest Facebook update at 16:15 from Lib Dem MEP for Scotland George Lyon does not make for good reading.

Four Who Should Face Investigation over Torture

Maybe the choice of the first family's dog having the word 'water' was more than a coincidence as Peter Brookes suggests above from today's Times. Of course the alternative did have the word 'poodle' in it so no matter what he'd gone for the half hearted use of the memos he has released would probably have led to a dog themed cartoon.

What is startling as the details of the legal positions on those memos is investigated is the detailed lengths to which the 'victims' can or cannot be exposed to these measures without it constituting torture. By the way the level before torture happens is defined in the memos as the 'interrogation' not causing intense, severe or lasting physical pain or psychological damage.

Issues such as:

• the water should not be colder that 41F
• exposure to water should not exceed 20 minutes "without drying and rewarming"
• exposure to waterboarding should not be greater than 40 seconds at a time

It is the precision of these memos penned by Jay Bybee (Assistant Attorney General 2001-2003 now judge on the 9th Circuit), John Yoo (a colleague from the Justice Department now professor at Berkeley School of Law) and Stephen Bradbury (Head of the Justice Dept. Office of Legal Counsel now an attorney in Washington) that raises concern. These men knew that they were running right up next to the letter of the law, right up to the envelope of what actually would be entailed and correctly branded as torture. They were working on the margins, indeed defining the margins of what is legal.

How carefully did those carrying out the actually know the detail in those 100 plus pages of legal advise? Did the water temperature drop? Where the time limits exceeded? If by trying to hedge people in from something that is on the cusp of being legal with so much detail surely some of that was from time to time overlooked. In the heat of everyone's day to day job some small detail is almost certainly neglected, not intentionally, but in error on a regular basis.

Why did Bybee, Yoo and Bradbury not give advise to steer well clear of anything that could even be conceived as torture? Because they were acting under orders? Whose orders? George W. Bush that's who. Bradbury was the chief legal counsel for all of the Bush second term. If there are arguments for letting the agents executing the orders off then surely these are the names of the four men who set the definitions, limits and legal parlance of when a torture technique is or isn't actually torture. They were aware of the thin line to the extent that they were so meticulous is trying to prevent it being crossed knowing that what they were planning or setting down the precedents for was very close to the quick.

These four surely have questions to answer and should not be allowed to get of.

The Good, The Bad and the Ugly of the Torture Memorandae

Barack Obama has released the memos that shows the US Justice Department and the CIA arguing around the legality of torture. Good.

Barack Obama is going to spare every official complicit in preparing this position and carrying it through. Bad.

Of course the fact that one of his first executive acts was to end these practises was praised the fact that nobody is going to be held to account for them is a poor show. Yes if somebody was merely following orders at the low end there is a possible case for leniency but what about those who were issuing those orders.

The fact is that once you let torture be used by your own forces what happens when you send your own into combat situations? What happens should they be captured? Somebody somewhere in the USA has not only realised that certain International Treaties do no apply to them as they are not signatories but also that they can circumvent the laws of human decency for the excuse of expediency.

It's a shame that Obama is not going to take this further merely exposing the wart is not enough in the eyes of most of the world on this issue.

Boris Helios Johnson Sun God to the Powerful

Yes you've heard it all now. Boris Johnson claims to be the Sun God when the twit* Tweeted this.

Whether Boris aims to emulate Ra, Helios, Apollo or maybe even Louis XIV of France. Just don't let Boris try and take credit for the GB Cycling Team's recent successes as well.

Personally I hope if rains before the end of the G20 conference so Boris will have to find a head to roll.

*Derogatory not Twitter use of the word.

My Cousin is in London

Just received this on Facebook from We're Related.




Sadly I have got a lot of reseach on my family tree and none of Barack Obama's parents or Grandparents or Great Grandparents feature in the fourth, third or second cousins to make him have a chance of being my 4th cousin once removed. Good April Fool though.

Real Lemon Lyman Really is More Bitter

Wow. Fans of the West Wing will know that the ficticious website lemonlyman.com was set up to follow the activities of ficticious Deputy Chief of staff Josh Lyman. The political geeks will also know that Josh was based on Rahm Emanuel from his days in the Clinton West Wing.

Well Bradley Whitford who played Josh Lyman has this to say about the real thing:

"I think that if you played Rahm Emanuel like Rahm Emanuel actually is, I don't think people would believe it. I think people would think, "Wow, I can't believe somebody is actually like that."

There is a full interview with Whitford in the NY Times Magazine.

He was also asked had he recieved his invitation to the real White House, and replied that at the inauguration Obama had said to him:

"You have to come to the White House! But not for a while. We're a little busy."

Wonder if the tour will feature the equivalent office. Once Team Obama get through the top of their to do list of course.

*Hat tip to Daniel Finklestein.

You can tell I'm bored waiting to actually work can't you? Best thing I have Roll Call Officer Refresher Training in an hour and then a conference call at 2 heaven knows when the reports will get done.

Barack the Jugdes Have Spoken

No, not the Chief Justice making the 44th President retake the oath. Although that was one judge who did have to speak to rectify the misspeak he may have inadvertantly caused.

However, these judges will please Caron and Will for The Times has asked Craig Revel Horwood and Bruno Tonioli to comment on the First Couple's efforts on the dancefloor at the Inaugural Balls.

Mind you there isn't much surprise from either. Craig condemns them for being over simplistic and marks low 3s and 4 while Bruno is gushing about the story and the romance and gives the President an 8 and the First Lady sev-EN but an overall 10.

Footnote: You have to love Twitterfeed. There was me in my haste at the end of lunch must have saved a blank version of this. But it was already backed up as a Facebook note.

It's Inauguration Day

Today the 43rd man*, but 44th President will be sworn in as President of the USA. If you have been asleep it is the first non-Caucasion to be sworn in on a bible in front to the Capitol. So have a good day Barack Obama.

However, Peter Brookes is probably hoping that the 43rd President George W. Bush may well have learnt from history when he drew this:

*Grover Cleveland counts as 22 and 24.

Israel Nuclear Plant Under Threat! What Plant?

Now who on earth in one of the almost most continuous war zones of the last 60 years would put a "top secret" nuclear plant within missile range of your most volatile neighbours. Israel that's who.

The fact that the Times has got hold of the information of this top secret facility is one thing. That Israel has one is another and that it is within range of the rockets, which have shocked Israeli intelligence as to their sophistication and range is another.

The problem is that Israel despite ceding land to the Palestinians have tried to maintain a tight grip on things. The repressive border controls, including the wall and preparedness for war with their nearest neighbours does not make for good international relations. When Robert Frost wrote that "Good wall make for good neighbours" he was being somewhat ironic. While they are essential in the countryside they lead to all sorts of disputes in urban or international settings.

How many of us know of some dispute over boundaries in a urban setting near us? Which have arisen as land has been sub-divided into smaller and smaller clumps. Internationally the Iron Curtain epitomised by the Berlin Wall has been down these last 20 years. We've been relying on communist China for financial assistance in the West over recent years. Even the wall between the USA and Cuba (who celebrate 50 years of the revolution) may be on the verge of being broken down.

Yet the siege mentality that the Israeli state have been in since their inception 60 years ago is not doing them many favours. It brings us to the point that Israel had a top secret nuclear plant. The USA most have known about this yet in North Korea or Iran they come down hard on such things. Yet in the volatile Middle East, their good friends the Israelis appear to have developed one. Top secret nuclear facilities generally mean one thing armaments. If we don't want Iran to have nuclear weapons to be able to launch on Israel why have we been allowing Israel to work on the same it just doesn't make sense.

But then when over recent years has US foreign policy made sense? Step up to the plate Barack and give us a change.

That Was the Year that Was 2008

Well I'm not posting this live, I'm future time stamping it to come up just before the end of the year. So what was 2008.

The Economy: A credit squeeze, became a crunch, became a full blown recession. Banks floudered in Ireland, Iceland, USA and then in Scotland both HBoS and the RBS hit trouble. The goverment bailed the UK banks out. The Americans did the same, then did it for car industry as well. Here the High Street will never be the same again with the closure of Woolworths and in what is almost a daily round of the latest chain to go into administration who know where we'll be buying our Christmas presents in a little under 12 months time.

Yes He Did: Of course the big political news globally was that America elected its first African American president in 3 weeks time the inauguration of Barack Obama will be a landmark event in a country still fighting segregationists, racism and outright hatred in the decade of my birth.

On the Subject of Presidents: As well as the American's electing a new President the Lib Dems also voted on their federal president. The media darling was Lembit Opik. If you believed the media and the hype from Team Opik he was the shoe-in. Of course we all know that take you eye of the ball and that skillful player will round you and head for the goal before you realise what is happening. And that is what happened to the Primary Coloured Campaign. A good and strong candidate was out there meeting the electorate rather than working out how next to get papped. So tomorrow after securing over 70% of the all party vote Ros Scott takes up the role that she was made for.

The Leader is Gone Long Live the Leader: A little over a year ago the UK wide Liberal Democrats Elected there new leader in Nick Clegg. These year saw the election of Tavish Scott in Scotland and Kirsty Williams in Wales succeeded Nicol Stephen and Mike German as the party leaders in those two countries.

Going for Gold: The GB & NI Olympic and Paralympic teams did better than even they might have hoped for 19 Gold, 13 Silver and 15 Bronze medals propelled the Olympic team into 4th in the medal table their goal for 2012. The Paralympians were second in their table with 42 Gold 29 Silver and 31 Bronze.

The Blogger is Back: To be perfectly honest I returned to blogging at the tale end of 2007. But 2008 saw the return really take off the comments in the sidebar indicate this blog has made a dramatic impact back to the Scottish Blogosphere. Indeed in the Total Politics lists for 2008 I was the 11th most popular Scottish Blog and 15th most popular Lib Dem blog, therefore as someone said in the year this has become the go to blog for Lib Dem takes on the Scottish Issues. And that dear reader is what I shall continue to do into 2009, whether there is a general election or not.