Israel at Sixty

Something I have wanted to blog on for about a week, but not sure how to approach this, so will play it by ear.
I think it is fair to say that I am unashamedly pro-Israeli, in so far as I agree with their desire for a homeland and for that homeland to be in the Holy Land. A lot of the conflicts involving Israel should also be looked at with the questions; "Does Israel have a right to exist?" and "Does Israel have a right to defend itself". With those two questions I would personally answer yes, however there is a fine line sometimes between defence and persecution. The treatment of the Palestinian people is disgusting, not to put to fine a point, and the blindness of the Israeli government to the Biblical charge to look after ones neighbour is ignored (and I am not referring to the New Testament, it's mentioned in the Old Testament as well).
So I hope that, as a nation, Israel grows and prospers and I wish them well on their anniversary, but I also hope and pray that they will listen to the pain of the Palestinian people, that they would break down that wall around Bethlehem, that they respect the right of self-determination of the Palestinian people, and that that peace, real peace comes to this troubled land.

Drving Lessons Part IV

And yesterday was the first time I did roundabouts.
Which actually was not quite as scary as I first thought, although the first time I went around one I was a bit too fast and asked if I was on a mission. After that my nerves were under control.
I also learned to change into third gear while driving and generally I seem to have managed okay.
Generally my main problem is coordinating everything, so if I do well with the clutch (a fairly consistent weak point), I fail somewhere else etc.. so it's just a question at the moment of learning to get into a rhythm and not worrying too much.

Disloyalty

I do hope that those who have been busy digging the knife into the PM this weekend bear in mind (when they are not feeling self-indulgent) that we not only have a general election in about two years time, we have a by-election later this month, and that right now we need to pull together and offer constructive criticism and work out how to bring forward a non-left, post-project, Labour government.
Unless of course they think a Conservative government is more preferable.

The Doctor's Daughter (Warning Spoilers!)

Definetly one of the stories I wanted to see.
Well it was interesting, but almost predictable. I hoped against hope that Jenny would be a bona fide biological daughter, but no she was a clone, thus the debate between fans as to whether Time-Lords are loomed, or whether they sexually reproduce was avoided. And for some reason fans hate the idea of the Doctor being seen in the latter light (in spite of The Girl in the Fireplace), as if they have some horrible image in their heads of an empty TARDIS console room, an assortment of Edwardian clothing on the floor, the distant sounds of happy squeals of delight from a companion and the sounds of Marvin Gaye's Let's Get It on reverberating around the place.
But it was a very, very good story on a no of levels. From just how much Jenny is a Time-Lord, or Time-Lady, to the battle between the Colonists and the Hath, to the Paradox as to why the TARDIS went to Messaline in the first place.
Plus the end was good in that, it would have been a shame if that was the last we saw of Jenny. I have a suspicion she will come back at the end of the series.

Karaoke at St Stephen's

Will have to be quick with this blog entry as I am v.busy. But Alex of Labourhome and Recess Monkey fame organised a Karaoke evening at St.Stephen's Tavern on Wednesday. Great fun and worth it if only to see David Rowntree successfully wiggle out of singing, one backbench-Labour MP give his, ahem, take on a Frank Sinatra song and one well-known Lib Dem MP dash off when the division bell rang, never to return.
And me! Well I cheerfully managed to butcher Franz Ferdinand's Take Me Out (don't ask me how, it's a favourite song of mine and I thought it would suit my vocals, but apparently I sounded like David Byrne). Plus Alex did such a brilliant rendition of Me and Mrs Jones that I wonder if he is in the wrong profession ;)

Boris and the Tube

I agree with Kerron on this one. Boris is right on the Tube drinking issue, but please don't put it about that we agree with him ;)
It's not Puritanism, or nanny state thinking. In fact it's a view I have tended towards holding for a while. Put simply, there is a lot of aggression and anti-social behaviour around some drinkers and it is ill-liberal and unfair to subject other people to that kind of situation in an area which they cannot readily escape from.

Burmese Reluctance

Doesn't it say something about a regime that, as well as having no respect for human rights, the democratic wishes of it's people and a contempt for international opinion, it is reluctant to receive unconditional help and support when it's people are suffering from the result of a cyclone hitting the country.

Sailing Ahead

I will be honest I was worried about Indiana, but last nights result was fantastic. I think the way things are going Hillary Clinton will be out of the race some while before the Democratic Convention and so she should if the Democrats are going to clinch the White House in Nov. Esp as Senator John McCain is making the running on the Republicans side.

Driving Lessons Part III

Well admittedly I was a bit nervous this morning before I embarked on my first driving lesson. I got up slightly earlier than usual and felt like one of my favourite fictional heroes in this scene (although I can see better than Harry Palmer, sans glasses, and I am not interested in horse racing)*

(Universal)


So 9am I am all ready and my instructor takes me to a small suburban area of Letchworth where I can drive safely around some streets without causing any harm and mayhem.
Now the good news is that apparently I am good with the steering wheel and keeping to the road and manovering the car (i.e. I don't shoot out of streets and parking areas), although I do have problems coordinating the clutch and and accelerator. That said, for a first timer behind a wheel I seem to have done rather well.
So heres to the next few lessons and some prepping up on the theory.

*Feeble I know, but have been itching for an excuse to put in a scene from this film