We are developing the social individualist meta-context for the future. From the very serious to the extremely frivolous... lets see what is on the mind of the Samizdata people.

Samizdata, derived from Samizdat /n. - a system of clandestine publication of banned literature in the USSR [Russ.,= self-publishing house]

No sense of irony

Heh. Who was that speaker again?

From an email circular promoting think-tank events around Europe:

London

21/02/06 Policy Exchange “Why the Agenda of the Future cannot be delivered by a person stuck in the Past” – William Hague MP, Shadow Foreign Secretary

RSVP: info@policyexchange.org.uk

Dress up Jesus!

Lynn Sislo:

Some people might find this site disturbing but I trust that there will be no rioting.

Indeed.

Strange question of the day

So if hippophobia is a morbid fear of horses… what would a morbid fear of hippototamii be known as?

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CCTV nomination accepted for ‘icons of England’

I wrote to the Department of Culture, Media & Sport (!) back on 10th January to nominate the CCTV camera as an ‘icon of England’… and they have just written back accepting the nomination.

Interesting.

So they printed the cartoons in Egypt…

… in October of last year and nothing happened.

So obviously it took a while for the people who wanted to blow this up some time to get all those highly inflammable Danish flags made and organise the outrage. Maybe we are looking in all the wrong places for the people behind this. Radical Islamic clerics? Nah, it was all a conspiracy by Middle Eastern flag makers.

For when too much is not enough

Exhibit A from the United States. That 100 pattie burger looks tasty…

(Spotted on Marginal Revolution)

Exhibit B from the United Kingdom – wait a few seconds to be diverted.

Both sites for the epicureans amongst us, most certainly.

Samizdata’s Googlewhack

Fire up Google and type in “chav stakhanovites“… and you get us!

The Mandelson from the Ministry

As befits his role as grand pyjama person of external trade, Peter Mandelson has paid great attention to his image and position. There are a whole series of photographs of Peter meeting other responsible dignitaries as he promotes the European interest throughout the world. The jolly capers with the Chinese Minister of Commerce, Bo Xilai, are especially heartwarming.

Peter makes great play of his distinguished career at Westminster, detailing the achievements of his tenure at Trade and Industry and Northern Ireland. A mere snippet suffices…

In 1999 Peter Mandelson was appointed Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. Between 1999 and 2001 he negotiated the creation of Northern Ireland’s power sharing government and the IRA’s announcement that they planned to put their arms beyond use. He also introduced the radical overhaul of the police service in Northern Ireland.

A mere bagatelle of an omission and I am sure that it is unintentionally overlooked. But didn’t he resign a couple of times?

Whistleblower unjustly penalised for telling the truth

It would be fair to say that telling the truth often makes you no friends, and thus the need to protect ‘whistleblowers’ from being penalised for telling what they know is an issue that should be close to the heart of any who value truth above all else. It is often only people on the inside who can reveal the dirty deeds and malfeasance that would otherwise never come to light. Therefore when I read of a person losing their position because not only did they tell the truth, they refused to allow the truth to be forgotten, it just makes me sick as a parrot.

From where the trolls reside

I came across this “Oddly Enough” item over at Reuters this afternoon. It seems that the straight-laced culture of Norway is alive and kicking:

The Church of Norway forced a priest to resign on Friday from a panel set to judge bikini-clad women competing to be the country’s Miss Universe contestant.

Einar Gelius, an Oslo Lutheran vicar, has said it was his right to do as he wished during his spare time, but church members said that as a clergyman he always represented the Church and should not be seen to be judging other humans.

But the priest was not judging the moral worth of women, he was judging just how physically attractive they are, which is not the same thing at all. Dearie me, standards of logic in the churches these days seem to be on the skids.

Not that I am remotely interested in such shallow contests, you understand.

What on earth is Gorgeous George doing?

Since I live in Australia, I am not particularly up-to-date with the ins and outs of British reality television. Hell, I am woefully uninformed regarding television produced in my own country. So it came as a surprise to see Scott Burgess poking fun at George Galloway, who is appearing as a contestant on Celebrity Big Brother. What is Galloway playing at? I do not doubt that for washed up entertainers and discarded spouses of stars, something like Celebrity Big Brother is a potential second, third or fifteenth chance. However, I cannot understand the benefits for someone like Galloway (or anyone in a position requiring credibility) of becoming involved in such a tacky programme. Contrary to popular belief, not all publicity is good publicity – especially in regards to politicians. Surely this must be mightily unimpressive to Galloway’s constituents. Shouldn’t he be representing them rather than swanning around some birdcage with a microphone strapped to his belt, making a tit of himself? Admittedly, he probably does less damage surrounded by morons in “The House” than in the House of Commons. Three words spring to mind – why, why, why? The only answer I can think of is that the man’s a bloody fool and an egomaniac, to boot.

Strange how exactly?

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