Current Affairs

Even the New York Times, normally fairly broad in outlook, occasionally slips. In this article on the Mexican election, the issues are summed up as: At stake in the contest is whether the country remains on a conservative track and stays a firm United States ally or joins a trend

So the Conservatives’ Democracy Taskforce have come up with: banning Scottish MPs from voting on English issues. Two questions: * Aren’t the Tories meant to be the party of the Union? * Isn’t democracy about more than populism and partisan gerrymandering? Evidently not.

The Supreme Court have ruled that President Bush overstepped his authority in creating military war crimes trials for Guantanamo Bay detainees. The court found the “military commissions” illegal under both military justice law and the Geneva Convention. MetaFilter discusses, and their full ruling is here (pdf).

Ann Coulter or Adolf Hitler? Spot the quotes.

Rolling Stone investigates naughtiness in Ohio.

Kevin Drum in the Washington Monthly remembers the soon-to-be-ex Congressman Tom DeLay, specifically his reaction to the Columbine High School shootings. In a piece of coruscating analysis, DeLay said: Guns have little or nothing to do with juvenile violence. The causes of youth violence are working parents who put their

I notice from Cllr Bob Piper’s blog that one of his fellow councillors on Sandwell MBC has joined the blogosphere. Unremarkable in most cases, but this blog is by one of the four BNP councillors, one Cllr Simon Smith. In a “know thine enemy” sort of way, his one

A year after the French “no”, almost two thirds of French voters think their decision weakened France’s standing in Europe. Not so sure myself, but then it depends what happens to the constitutional treaty now the “period of reflection” is coming to an end. Le Monde canvasses views in

George Galloway (by claiming it’s OK to assassinate democratically elected leaders) shown his contempt for democracy. But, perhaps more importantly, he has surely jumped the shark.

I see that John Reid has a suitably sinister photograph on the BBC News website, to illustrate a story about victims being given more rights over what happens to offenders. Next up: Modern Lynchings.