Best of the blogs: Benazir Bhutto assassination

Posted by Alan Tyers

The assassination of Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto in Rawalpindi has sent shockwaves around the world, with political commentators and bloggers speculating on what the implications might be for Pakistan and elsewhere.

“I've read that this is a 'victory for the hard liners', but in fact it is the opposite, for it proves they are truly insane” said BBC online reader Steven Brown from New Jersey.

Another reader was at pains to distance Islam from the murder.

"This act is not supported by any Muslim who is the follower of the Holly Quran" – wrote Zelalem Mengistu of Addis Ababa on the BBC.

“She represents everything the Islamists don’t like” – argued The Observer’s chief foreign correspondent Jason Bourke.

But a Guardian online reader, ishouldapologise, disagreed: “She represented what most thinking people in the world didn't like: A neocon toady.”

The corruptpakistan blog hoped that some good might come out of her death, writing: “I hope that the killing of Benazir Bhutto will open the eyes of the US and UK administrations.”

Many expressed fears that this tragedy could precipitate a state collapse.

“Any conflict will be fanned by Islamist extremists,” warned Munaeem. And Terry on the Sydney Daily Telegraph site took it several stages further, saying: “another step towards World War Three.”

But some others just didn’t want to think about it.

"Let's just stay out of other countries' affairs, please," wrote Mikeybaby on The Sun online.

Best of the Blogs: Are the McCanns close to breaking point?

As a poll reveals that 70% of people thought that Kate and Gerry McCann were not telling the truth after seeing their recent tearful TV interview, we look around blogland to give you a snapshot of the public mood about the ongoing case…

On the subject of the effect all the media coverage may be having on the McCanns... “One thing that made me curious, why is Kate reading the tabloids? As Gerry said, all that is written is ‘ludicrous’ speculation. Surely she ought to be researching child welfare for her new job with the NSPCC?” said Sun online reader Grahamxyz.

Some feel that there is a conspiracy of silence at work... “If they are all telling lies, as many posters believe they are, I'm surprised that after five months no one has cracked,” says Muddywaters on the Daily Mirror forum.

But some people are more sympathetic... “I am not surprised she is near breaking point. The strain of the last six months must be almost intolerable. It is tragic to lose a child in any circumstances, but not knowing what has happened and if Madeleine is dead or alive, plus the intense pressure of the world's press constantly making allegations, is enough to destroy anyone,” reckoned KP Nuts on the Daily Mail website.

Some feel that the media are deliberately turning the public against the couple... “Everything this couple say and do is taken completely out of context, twisted and used to humiliate and ridicule them,” says Rosiepops on the Daily Express website.

While some are growing tired of the whole affair... “I feel very sorry for the McCanns, but my patience is fast running out, as it is becoming more like a soap opera every day,” said Sarah on The Times online.

What do you think about the media coverage of the case?

Blogs round-up: McCanns under scrutiny

Posted by Greg McDonald

Four months on from Madeleine McCann’s disappearance, the Portuguese police investigation continues to provoke headlines, with parents Gerry and Kate being made formal suspects. We round up what online bloggers, commentators, and the people involved are saying following the latest dramatic twist.

“The last few days have been incredibly busy and of course, unbelievably stressful and emotionally draining. On Friday Kate and I were made ‘arguido’- official suspects in Madeleine’s disappearance. Despite the anguish and extreme distress this has caused all of our family, long-term no one will be able to doubt how intensely Kate and I have been scrutinised. We have absolute confidence that, when all of the facts are presented together, we will be able to demonstrate that we played absolutely no part in Madeleine’s abduction.”
From Gerry McCann on Find Madeleine

“The McCanns started their media-celebrity campaign within days of their daughter’s disappearance. They can't now turn it off like a tap, despite the hilarious appeal by a relative for them to be left alone by the press! They will find that because they lived by the media they will assuredly "die" of it. The press will start to report more of the hostile criticism as their editors realise that, like the Pope, other "celebrities" who initially backed them are quietly distancing themselves.”
From ManchesterMike on Comment Is Free

“Is this case going to get decided one way or the other on the strength of forensic evidence or are we going to be bringing in Kate’s “stony” face into it as a deciding factor? The temptation to put two and two together and make five is great but one should let the courts decide the case and not try the parents in the court of public opinion.”
From The India Times Blog

“A similar question, I think, applies to the McCanns: how exactly should one behave when one's child simply disappears? Pray to God, if you like, that none of Kate McCann's critics are ever compelled to find out.”
From Jenny McCartney on Telegraph Comment

“The McCanns are white middle class doctors, from a professional background in the UK, so no one has challenged them on their decision to leave three toddlers under four years old alone to fend for themselves as they ate Tapas with friends. It’s a class issue through and through.”
From Janey Godley’s blog

“I wonder how the Portuguese police are going to explain how this couple managed to hide their daughter’s body, in a country they are not familiar with, outwitting them for more than three weeks – then, under the scrutiny of the world's media, move the body whilst their every move is being documented. I'm not saying a parent would never harm their child but this just does not make sense.”
From Marie on Times Online

Blogs round-up: foot-and-mouth returns

Posted by Dom Passantino

With a second bout of foot-and-mouth disease confirmed at a farm in Surrey, the bloggers have had plenty to say about the countryside outbreak. Here’s our pick of the blogosphere’s best comments on the topic.

“If farmers wish to continue in this way, with F&M an ever ticking time- bomb that can wipe out millions of animals at a stroke, and make huge dents in the nation's GDP, then why are we, the taxpayer, expected to underwrite this mad exercise in national chauvinism? Let the farmers arrange private insurance if they wish to play Russian roulette with microbiology.”
From Dreams and Daemons

“The current outbreak of foot-and-mouth represents another blow to British farming which has been in decline for many years, but it cannot be allowed to reduce farming to just a means of keeping the countryside pretty. Instead, in this uncertain world, what we need is to reinvigorate British farmers. After years of emphasis on reducing production to tackle the EU’s milk mountains and the current focus on set aside land we should encourage a return to traditional farming before it is too late.”
From The Regalis Blog

“In pretending to be clever and intelligent about foot-and-mouth, it seems that those instructed to kill the animals were more likely escapees from the local abattoir than veterinary officers. But regardless of that, either of these must be informed about animal protection and welfare legislation and guidelines. No emergency justifies behaviour that disregards a humane way of action, even in killing. Animals are not tools, or things. It seems however that very little regard has been given to that fact.”
From Daniels Counter

“Living inside the protection zone of the recent outbreak has brought into sharp focus that Lou and I are very much recent ex-townies that are now living in a rural area. With the previous outbreak 6 years back the stark images on the TV didn't really mean that much, they were happening to someone else and meant little to me in the middle of my Woking housing-estate. Here and now, I couldn't give a monkey’s about the price of meat, that's a consequence. The reality is that cattle have sadly been put down and a farmer, a neighbour, doesn't have his main source of income.”
From Dave Oliver's Blog

“Will it have a political impact? Almost certainly yes. What will that impact be? That’s hard to say but it could be the making of the Brown premiership for this is one of those things where only government can sort it out. It could also work the other way round. The Tories and Lib Dems have to be very careful how they play it for the last thing they want is to be seen to be trying to make political capital out of the crisis.”
From Political Betting

“What is interesting - actually make that infuriating - about this new foot-and-mouth outbreak is how a procession of 'experts' are being wheeled out to claim that it wouldn't have happened if it wasn't for intensive farming. This makes me angry for a number of reasons. For a start, these people seem to tar the whole UK industry with a brush that frankly I don't think exists. OK, I admit the poultry industry can get pretty 'intensive' but how do you apply that description to a field full of suckler cows or even a spacious shed full of beef cattle?”
From Food For Thought

“My first thought last night after hearing the news about the foot & mouth outbreak:

A little scenario where Gordon Brown picks up the phone and simply answers....
"Oh, what the f*** is it now?
From Fictions

Blogs round-up: UK flood chaos

Posted by Greg McDonald

As flooding continues to bring chaos to the Midlands and beyond and parts of Britain remain underwater, there remains considerable dispute about whether global warming, government incompetence or mother nature herself should shoulder the blame.

We round up some of the liveliest comments and reaction from the blogosphere.

"Here is the brutal truth: however good our flood defences, transport planning, emergency relief and so forth, it is all inadequate if we don't face up to the primary question. Not 'Why hasn't the government been better prepared?' but 'Isn't our failure to respond to climate change by changing our economy and lifestyles simply idiotic?'"
From Jackie Ashley, Comment is Free

"Without sounding too fatalistic it does make me think about how ready any of us really are for large natural, man-made or terrorist incidents, and whether many of us actively and practically like to make preparations for the worst unless we are pessimists by nature. If there was a power cut in the next hour that lasted for days, do we have any backup contingency?"
From Stuffem-up the hill backwards

"I must admit I get angry when people try to blame others for not stopping it happen. It’s freak weather for goodness’ sake. It happens every so often. The Government can't stop it happening. We just have to get on with life. Removing "Road Closed" Barriers to drive where you want to and then having to have the rescue services diverted to rescue you - what are some people like?"
From Forever Autumn

"The Government seem to have been at a loss. Lessons will have to be learnt by the Government, and acted upon, if we are to prevent scenes like this in the future."
From Richard Spring MP

"It is a very human tendency to blame someone for the vagaries of the weather. But climate change was supposed to be making our summers drier, not wetter. Leaving that aside, even if we accept that the recent downpours are a sign of global warming, then a single wet summer hardly adds up to any particular trend."
From Paul Simons, Timesonline

“Alas, in this brave new world it is forbidden to refer to accidents or natural disasters. Anything unpleasant has to be the fault of someone, preferably someone with a lot of money. In the case of the heavy rain and floods perhaps King Canute should go back onto school syllabuses.”
From Asmodeus

“What annoys me is the coverage. The Hull floods affected thousands (tens of thousands of people) but when it happens in the South and pretty places are affected it causes hysteria.”
From Dark Lord Sunderland

Blogs round-up: Madeleine McCann

Posted by Will Parkhouse

As the search for missing four-year-old Madeleine continues over in Portugal, we round up the comments from the blogosphere.

“Mums I know fall into two camps. The judgmental "I would never leave my kids" and the sheepish - and I think more honest - "It could have been me." But whether they point the finger of blame or feel that luck was on their side, this case has touched many mothers in a way no other story has.”
from Shannon Kyle

“I think Madeleine McCann’s parents were too careless. And nobody is really saying much about that fact - but it’s true. They’re educated grown-ups for heaven’s sake. It really is no longer safe, no matter where you are in the world to leave your toddler children alone for a few hours.”
from Mrs M

“Thousands of children face similar tragic outcomes all the time, yet this particular case has transfixed the nation and beyond. Reason? It involves a photogenic child with successful, good looking parents, in a dream location…”
from Skipper

“I can’t help but think that if Maddy had gone missing in this country, the media, the police and local authorities would be working in tandem in their bid to find her.”
from The boy with a pipe

“What purpose is served by this vampiric intrusion into other people's pain? 'We share your pain' was yesterday's headline in The Sun: but you don't really, do you?”
from Static Squid

“Are people so desperate to latch onto such stories (Madeleine McCann, the Ken Bigley kidnapping, the death of Diana) to feel part of something bigger, to "feel" by proxy, in a bid to address personal dislocation within their own locale, where people barely know their neighbours but 'know' those that appear on the telly far better.”
from Love and Garbage

“Why has precedence been given to one child and her family over the countless others in this world who are locked in endless slavery, abuse, torture and poverty?”
from AVIF Volunteers in Kenya

“Maddy’s parents still believe that their daughter is still alive and I'm hoping their faith will be answered. She is a beautiful and precious person (they all are at that age) and deserves to have her natural life back - now.”
From Mark’s World

Blogs round-up: Virginia campus shootings

Posted by Will Parkhouse

Today, America wakes to both mourn those who were killed in last night’s horrific university shooting and to ask why the tragedy happened.

We round up the comments on the tragedy from the blogosphere, including some from individuals with personal connections to the University.

“Not more than two seconds later, a gunman entered [my girlfriend’s] room, to which the class responded by getting underneath the desks and basically hiding as well as possible from this guy. He then shot at the class somewhere between 8 to 12 times…”
from …paul…

“Every gun owner in America, every member of the NRA, every defendant of the the so-called second amendment "right" to carry an instrument of murder ought to be ashamed of themselves today.”
from Lacey’s London Blog

“If you're committed to gun control, the tragedy probably proves to you that there are too many guns; if you're against gun control, the tragedy probably proves the exact opposite.”
from The Volokh Conspiracy

“The 24-hour news cycle will shove Virginia Tech down our throats for at least a week now because it guarantees high ratings as the corporate media exploit the raw emotions of the event, and allow voyeuristic viewers to experience vicariously the seven stages of grief along with the victims.”
from The Huffington Post

“It didn't take long until people started to blame video games for the shooting at the Virginia Tech-university… I wonder what video games Stalin and Hitler played that made them so insane. I'll bet it was Grand Theft Auto and Manhunt.”
from Draug

“The reason that 32 Virginia Tech students are dead is because a f*****-up man decided to shoot them. They are not dead because the college president decided they should die. They are not dead because the police thought their day would be more exciting with a massacre on their hands. They are not dead because of the Second Amendment.”
from Cold-blooded Compassion

“The only thing I do know is that a list awaits. A list in which may include a friend or several. A list of passion, dreams, aspirations, of life and hope - suddenly gone. Time has suspended.”
from Bryce's Journal

best of the blogs: UK sailors released

Posted by Chris Smith

Tony Blair, speaking after the 15 British sailors were released by Iran yesterday, said the UK had taken a "measured approach" towards the crisis, "firm but calm," he intoned, gravely.

The same could certainly not be said about the reaction of the UK press or bloggers today, who fall broadly into two camps: either calling for wild celebrations or noisily bemoaning the UK's "humiliation" at the hands of President Ahmadinejad. We rounded up the views of bloggers and online newspaper opinion in the wake of the release:

"The capturing of the British sailors showed once again that Iran is not afraid of the West, and that they consider themselves a military force to be reckoned with. I don’t believe for one second that Iran released the British sailors out of the kindness of their hearts, and I don’t think President Ahmadinejad feared American or British retribution."
from Perspectives of a Nomad

"I hope that the world would also please stop evil-izing Iran. So we have a naughty government...you do not have to tell us over and over, we already know it :) and this playground is so full of such problem children. We – Iranians – do not have to be punched just because we go to the same school as this naughty boy."
from Adventures of Mr.Behi

"For months the world has feared a military clash with Iran over its nuclear ambitions. Both the US and Israel have let their fingers hover near their triggers and hinted at pre-emptive air strikes. The 13-day crisis over the 15 sailors and marines has shown that there is another way. Patience, international support, firmness and dialogue can produce dramatic results. The world must learn this lesson."
from Daily Mirror

"In recent days, some commentators believe Iran will emerge from this situation as the winner. How can that be? They precipitated the crisis. The immediate reaction to the “pardon” and release is that the Iranians are the good guys in this. I hope not. Ahmadinejad found a face-saving way out of a mess he created – nothing more."
from Middle East Perspectives

"The sight of the illegally-detained British forces thanking Iranian tyrants for their freedom will sicken the nation. Smirking President Ahmadinejad milked the humiliating moment for all it was worth. But nobody emerges from this crisis with credit. Britain’s official response was at times uncertain and, in the case of Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett, downright embarrassing."
from The Sun

"It is clear now that the world community has neither the willingness nor the ability to check Iran, an Axis of Evil nation with a stated objective of destroying the United States as they work furiously on developing the weapons necessary to try it."
from RightPundits

"After initially using threatening language and seeking to add an unnecessary international dimension to the dispute, [the British Government] eventually opted for direct negotiations with Iran based on mutual respect. This outcome offers a compelling lesson on how to deal with the wider international standoff between the US and Iran."
from The Guardian

best of the blogs: Iranian hostage drama

Posted by Christopher Smith

Disquiet in the Middle East is always a tinderbox for opinion among bloggers – and the Iranian imprisonment of 15 British sailors is no different.

Topics for fierce disagreement include the Iranians' motives, parallels with the US-Iranian hostage crisis which contributed to Jimmy Carter's fall from power, uncertainty on whose line to believe – the UK Government or Iran – and even calls for the return of Margaret Thatcher (honestly!). Here's the digested view from blogland of the current Iranian hostage crisis.

"The advice given is to behave quietly when captured, act unobtrusively, no gung-ho heroics, husband health and strength as best one can, ready for future stress and action as required. [...] I don’t read Ldg Smn Turney’s demeanour to mean that the British Navy in general, or women in the services in particular, are ’too soft‘ for the job."
From: The Iconoclast

"All the racist, jingoist and imperialist idiocy coming from the Blair regime and the British media over the 15 sailors and marines caught red-handed in Iranian territorial waters, makes Britain look stupid and justifies the Iran's detention of these criminals! [...] For once, the Blair regime should just admit that it was in the wrong, get off its high horse and show Iran some respect. Then they can explain what the Royal Navy is really doing in the Arvand river, because it sure isn't there to collect tax for Iraq."
From: Steph's Blog

"Ok so old Iron Knickers was never the most popular Prime Minister the UK has seen but by gum was she tough when it came to the security of the nation and the safety of her forces. [...] Maggie would have put a shot across the bows of the Iranian vessels engaged in an act of piracy against Her Majesty’s Forces. I have no doubt she would have acted in a tough way and ensured that the Matelows never became potential hostages in Iran."
From: Dr Proles Social Sciences

I’m beginning to see this incident as an opportunity to damage Ahmedinejad’s nice-guy image to the world and make him look weak at home. I hope the Brits play it for everything it’s worth."
From: Verum Serum

"I don't know which side is telling the truth really, but quite frankly I'm amazed at how eager the British media have been to whip the nation up into a big frenzy over this issue. Case in point: a few days ago I heard British Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett demanding evidence that the sailors were being treated OK. The Iranians said they were being treated fine but the British demanded evidence of this. So, the Iranians have now released footage of the sailors proving they are indeed doing alright and, suddenly, according to the British media they have been "paraded" before the world and this is deemed "unacceptable".
From: United Irelander

"I don’t blame Seaman Turney for her pathetic and illogical murmurings.  I would do the same if I were in her shoes. She is either scared to death, or maybe suffering from Stockholm Syndrome. If the kidnappers are so thoughtful and compassionate, why don’t they release all of the captives?"
From: A Tangled Web

It is almost impossible to not be reminded of the 1979 Tehran hostage crisis, which all-but brought down Jimmy Carter's hope of being re-elected for the presidency. That was a national humiliation suffered against a country that simply doesn't play by any rules. Britain is angry, but is effectively short of options for now."
From: Secular Blasphemy

Budget special: best of the Budget blogs

Posted by Christopher Smith

He's the longest-serving Chancellor in British history, so it's no surprise Gordon Brown's final Budget is drawing extreme reactions from across the political spectrum: on the left, fear that he won't go far enough; on the right, outright hostility.

Ahead of Brown the Chancellor's last stand, we've rounded up some of the greatest glee and most bilious venom in blogland...

"Today, we learn that inflation has risen to 2.8% - well above the target rate of 2%. Higher inflation will mean higher interest rates and more misery for homeowners and those millions of us with credit cards, loans and other forms of debt. It’s just as well for all of us that tomorrow is Brown’s last budget as Chancellor. Hopefully his successor in a few months’ time will get a firmer grip on the economy before we sink into a disastrous recession."
from: Enough is Enough

"Brown has to decide where to go from here. At the moment, the Labour Party is being slowly bled to death by a thousand Home Seller Packs, wheel clamp charges, council tax hikes, tuition fee ramps and increased passport fees, to name but a few. Another two years of the same will see outright Tory victory at the next election."
from: Inner West

"Pre-New Labour, budget secrecy used to be so important that Chancellors have been known to resign over leaks. Not a bit of it now. It is all over the press. I am not going to comment on the policies themselves at this stage, but I find it remarkable that they have been leaked ahead of the budget, in essence to try to steal David Cameron's green clothes."
from: A Conservative's blog

"This is certainly the time for a powerful Labour blogging community to emerge.  On The Guardian’s Comment Is Free blog yesterday, Mike Ion argued that left-of-centre blogging was on the rise and could be a big factor in the deputy leadership race. My advice is this: the most powerful Labour blog will be the one that begins a Stop Brown campaign, and now. Perhaps we Tories should be mounting a Save Brown campaign?"
from: Tory Diary, Conservative Home

“According to most of today's papers, he is going to announce an extra £1 billion to tackle child poverty in the Budget today. The Guardian says this will lift 200,000 children out of poverty. I have a great deal of difficulty understanding people allegedly on the "left" who can't summon up enthusiasm - or in some cases are actively hostile to - a government which is taking this kind of action on child poverty and education.”
from: Luke's Blog

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