Not a good story for Ed Mili: the Spectator puts it well: they ask why exactly Labour are paying Obama’s former campaign wizard David Axelrod a comfortable six figure sum. His work doesn’t seem to be paying off at home, and it’s clearly not paying off in terms of influence across the pond.
Full story here:
http://blogs.spectator.co.uk/coffeehouse/2014/07/ed-milibands-road-to-nowhere/
Showing posts with label Obama. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Obama. Show all posts
Saturday, 12 July 2014
Monday, 9 June 2014
Better Together - dozens of Scots I spoke to last week agree but only 100 days to go
Both sides in the Scottish independence debate are marking the milestone of 100 days to go until the referendum. It is increasingly clear that Salmond and the nationalists are running out of time. The voters I met last week agreed we are better together - about which I will blog in detail over the next few days.
The referendum will be held on 18 September, with voters asked the Yes/No question: "Should Scotland be an independent country?"
Opinion polls show a decent majority favour the Better Together pro union campaign but we still have many people still to make up their minds either way. Last week it was clear that neither America nor Europe want Scotland to go independent. More details here: http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/tomgallagher/100275242/why-europe-and-america-dont-want-an-independent-scotland-run-by-shape-shifting-alex-salmond/
Friday, 22 November 2013
JFK - 50 years on - still missed and still a legend
No American President has ever led a country like Kennedy did, or inspired them by word and deed, as he did in the early 1960's. He died 50 years ago today. If you doubt this have a look at some of the great things that he said:
At his inauguration:
“My fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.”
On finding solutions to problems:
“Let us not seek the Republican answer or the Democratic answer, but the right answer. Let us not seek to fix the blame for the past. Let us accept our own responsibility for the future.”
On those who resist change:
“Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.”
On handling tough times and a crisis:
“When written in Chinese, the word 'crisis' is composed of two characters. One represents danger and the other represents opportunity.”
Yesterday, another iconic President in Barack Obama honoured JFK as America mourned the loss of this great war hero, statesman and catalyst for so much change in the world.
http://tvnz.co.nz/world-news/barack-obama-marks-anniversary-jfk-assassination-5721040
Kennedy would be a very old man now in his 90's. But America and the world lost a lot when it lost him, and his equally able brother Bobby, a few years later.
At his inauguration:
“My fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.”
On finding solutions to problems:
“Let us not seek the Republican answer or the Democratic answer, but the right answer. Let us not seek to fix the blame for the past. Let us accept our own responsibility for the future.”
On those who resist change:
“Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.”
On handling tough times and a crisis:
“When written in Chinese, the word 'crisis' is composed of two characters. One represents danger and the other represents opportunity.”
Yesterday, another iconic President in Barack Obama honoured JFK as America mourned the loss of this great war hero, statesman and catalyst for so much change in the world.
http://tvnz.co.nz/world-news/barack-obama-marks-anniversary-jfk-assassination-5721040
Kennedy would be a very old man now in his 90's. But America and the world lost a lot when it lost him, and his equally able brother Bobby, a few years later.
Friday, 22 March 2013
Obama is a critical friend in Israel with great speech
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-21886557 is the report of the President's very powerful appeal to a group of local Israeli students. Obama was clearly preaching to the congregation not the choir.
The only good future for both peoples, President Obama said, had to include an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel. His young Israeli audience clapped enthusiastically. The continued expansion of Jewish settlements in the occupied territories that the Palestinians want for their state was, he said, counterproductive to the cause of peace, and Israelis had to realise that. An independent Palestine would, the President said, have to be "viable". That word rules out the limited autonomy suggested by some members of Mr Netanyahu's government, enclaves that Palestinians refer to as "bantustans".
He asked his audience to put themselves in the shoes of a Palestinian child, growing up without a state, living in the presence of a foreign army controlling the movements of their parents.
It is not fair, he said, when violence by Jewish settlers against Palestinians goes unpunished, when Palestinian farmers cannot work their lands, when Palestinians are displaced from their homes.
Jeremy Bowen reports it well when he added:
"Extraordinarily for an American head of state in his second term, he presented himself almost as a political insurgent, telling them that politicians would only take risks if the people pressure them to do so. He told them they had to create the change.
The implication was that it would not come from Israel's leaders on their own. Mr Netanyahu's government depends on the votes of the Jewish Home party, led by Naftali BennetWt, who has said allowing a Palestinian state would be national suicide for Israel.
The truth is that the way things are now, neither Israelis or Palestinians could deliver the necessary compromises for a peace deal, even if they could agree a form of words. Both sets of leaders face too many internal political problems."
I should make it clear that I am a huge supporter of the state of Israel, and visited the country and toured many sites, meeting lots of locals last October. The people are brave, warm, intelligent and highly motivated to live and thrive in their wonderful country. But, I find it hard to disagree with much of what the President said. There has to be a Palestinian state. No change is not an option.
The only good future for both peoples, President Obama said, had to include an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel. His young Israeli audience clapped enthusiastically. The continued expansion of Jewish settlements in the occupied territories that the Palestinians want for their state was, he said, counterproductive to the cause of peace, and Israelis had to realise that. An independent Palestine would, the President said, have to be "viable". That word rules out the limited autonomy suggested by some members of Mr Netanyahu's government, enclaves that Palestinians refer to as "bantustans".
He asked his audience to put themselves in the shoes of a Palestinian child, growing up without a state, living in the presence of a foreign army controlling the movements of their parents.
It is not fair, he said, when violence by Jewish settlers against Palestinians goes unpunished, when Palestinian farmers cannot work their lands, when Palestinians are displaced from their homes.
And the Israeli audience, not all of them but very many, applauded loudly
again.
Jeremy Bowen reports it well when he added:
"Extraordinarily for an American head of state in his second term, he presented himself almost as a political insurgent, telling them that politicians would only take risks if the people pressure them to do so. He told them they had to create the change.
The implication was that it would not come from Israel's leaders on their own. Mr Netanyahu's government depends on the votes of the Jewish Home party, led by Naftali BennetWt, who has said allowing a Palestinian state would be national suicide for Israel.
The truth is that the way things are now, neither Israelis or Palestinians could deliver the necessary compromises for a peace deal, even if they could agree a form of words. Both sets of leaders face too many internal political problems."
I should make it clear that I am a huge supporter of the state of Israel, and visited the country and toured many sites, meeting lots of locals last October. The people are brave, warm, intelligent and highly motivated to live and thrive in their wonderful country. But, I find it hard to disagree with much of what the President said. There has to be a Palestinian state. No change is not an option.
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