Here it is , actually, it isn't here at the moment. We've altered the link pending discussion.

Bonus points for spotting the Rangers players!

Hazel Blears has been applying her first rate mind to the question of why electoral turnout in Britain is falling.

Have a guess who's responsible.

No, not the corrupt, spin obsessed New Labour. Not a party full of its own hubris. Not a cloying dash to the undefined centre.

No. Its us. Political bloggers.

Bless.

Here is an excellent summing up of why Obama should win from Rachel from North London:

 In the meantime, here's a banned interview with the arrogant and hubristic Bush, recorded in advance of his trip to Ireland in 2004.

 After Mad Mel Phillips, we've found yet another McCain supporter - Legendary batshit net-loon, supporter of the Nazi apologist Nicholas Kollerstrom and thrice convicted stalker Felicity Jane Lowde!

She thinks Obama is the Antichrist...

Typical of her record, last time she popped over here she said Blairwatch were Nazi agents of Mossad.

In common with the rest of the civilised world, Blairwatch is hoping to see President Obama in the coming days. Not that we expect much from him, he'll be another centrist, nor will he be able to carry out a radical agenda with the very pressing problems he's got ahead of him.

However, it will be a pleasant change to have a president who is fluent in English.

Most Obama supporters know little of his policies and are atracted by his message of hope, of trying to be a better people, a better nation. The best example of this is his speech addressing the issue of the Rev Wright, described by the Daily' Show's Jon Stewart as "And so, at 11 o'clock AM on a Tuesday, a prominent politician spoke to Americans about race as though they were adults." Indeed. Read and watch the speech here.

Against this, we have John McCain's descent into the gutter.

It is, as our friends over the pond say, a no brainer. This election is, if you pardon the terminology, black and white. Hope vs Fear.

If McCain wins, then God help all of us.

As life gets more surreal, we find that Endemol, purveyors of Big Brother were thinking of inviting David Irving into the New Year's Celebrity Big Brother. Of course they're now claiming that it wasn't a serious idea, but it was serious enough for them to meet him for an hour and a half.

We await Irving's learned tome on how Big Brother is a hoax and never happened.

However, it could easily be that he was turned down because they couldn't find anyone who would want to be in the same house as him, apart from Jade Goody and Danielle Lloyd of course.

But then it would be Huis Clos

Speaking at an event organised by a French speakers association, Forum 311, David Rennie, the Economist's Europe Correspondent explained the newspapers recent endorsement of the Democrat candidate.

“Dont' imagine that people in America care what Europeans think about this election”, he warned, “Don't imagine that America is fundamentally changing. It remains an extremely conservative country, completely different to anywhere else.. If we hadn't had Iraq and the current economic crisis, if John McCain was younger Obama could be struggling”.

Pointing out that President Bush's personal ratings are lower than Nixon's on the day he resigned, “He's now down there with mass murderers and Hitler, so the fact that a 72 year old grumpy man from the same party is polling in the high 40's is a sign that this is not a very different America”.

“The Economist backed McCain in 2000 over Bush and has a long appreciation of his free trade stance, his resistance to protectionism and his campaigns against pork barrels and some brave stands against corruption”.

Their endorsement would normally have gone to Senator McCain, on his record as a Senator but for what Rennie calls “The almost Shakesperian tragedy of the election where, for the last six months, Senator McCain has been replaced, almost like the invasion of the body snatchers, by someone who has reversed his most impressive positions.” One of which is on the religious right, once described by McCain as “agents of intolerance” and now has chosen Sarah Palin.

McCain's response to the current economic crisis also counted heavily against him, described by Rennie as “Panicky, ill advised, ill considered, essentially very slow and he doesn't make sense, he looks like a man who is being overtaken by events”.

By contrast, Obama has excellent advisors and looks to been calm and assured and the Economist feels he would be a better president “in these terrible times”, but he warns that an Obama victory is not a done deal.

However, it's time for a reality check, “Senator Obama is not Martin Luther King, Obama is not Bobby Kennedy. He is not an idealistic romantic dreamer. Barack Obama is an extremely effective, extremely charismatic machine politician. He came through the Chicago political machine, one of the dirtiest, most corrupt, most nepotistic political machines. He never fell out with the machine, he never challenged the corruption; he does what it takes to get by.”

Highly placed sources in the Obama camp had intimated that an early trip to Brussels was probable, seeing fixing relations with Europe to be a priority and vital for other strategic goals, such as relations with Russia, NATO enlargement etc.

The President's in-tray will have one important issue that few will have heard of, the matter of providing new Air Force Tankers a contract worth $40 Billion, originally the contract was awarded to Boeing in a process Rennie describes as “basically corrupt” and McCain protested, eventually seeing Boeing executives imprisoned. Since then, the contract underwent a fairer process and a European firm, EADS, won the bid to supply 179 tankers, based on the Airbus.

Congress managed to raise protectionism and the enfeebled Bush presidency passed the buck, leaving the issue at the top of the new president's in-tray. Will the new president choose the better bid or an American firm? This will be a key decision for America and Europe..

How will Europe's ambition to be a global player be affected by an Obama presidency? Rennie feels Obama will call Europe's bluff. He imagines a meeting with Chancellor Merkel where he will ask for 25,000 troops for Afghanistan with no caveats such as not allowing Belgian troops out of Bagram or German soldiers not being allowed to patrol at night or in the South. He will also ask for tough economic sanctions on Iran and dismantling of the CAP. All politically unacceptable to the EU at the moment.

A very uncomfortable moment as Europe wants to have a loud voice in the world, to be taken seriously, but cannot decide what it wants to say. How long does Europe have before the new president decides that Europe is not serious? “About twelve months and then we're going to be back with a president who doesn't think Europe is serious.”.

“On balance, If we're not going to be as crap as we usually are, then Obama is definitely the president we should elect.”

The Economist's David Rennie explained how the endorsement came about. Every Monday there would be a debate amongst the management team, with people selected to represent both parties. After several sessions the senior managers came to a decision.

Speaking at a debate on the US election, hosted by the 311 forum at Brussels' think tank, The Centre Rennie elaborated on the thinking behind the decision and also discussed some of the issues awating the new president and how his first European visit is going to cause problems... for the Europeans.

Following him, Gerald Loftus, Democrat Abroad Belgium gave insights into the campaign and the issues surrounding it and what's Obama going to do in office.

Listen to the debate:

David Rennie (mp3 6.35MB 13:52)

Gerald Loftus (mp3 5.91MB 12:55)

You should enjoy Gerald's aptly named blog: The Avuncular American

Who else but Mad Mel Phillips...

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
Genesis 1 v27

The problem is that man makes God in his own image.

Nowhere is this more apparant than in the US evangelical churches. For many of them, their religion is only there to validate their way of life, their views, their prejudices. Their belief is quite simple:

We're rich. This is proof that we're blessed by God. If we're blessed by God then we must be right. If we're right, then you are wrong.

This means that their theology has to be quite contorted at times, which is one reason that they spend so much time on creationism, homosexuality etc and less on such pesky verses like;

Luke 12:15 — “Then he said to them, ‘Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.’ ”

Mark 10:21 — “Jesus looked at him and loved him. ‘One thing you lack,’ he said. ‘Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.’ ”

When was the last time you heard a fundamentalist preach on this verse:

Luke 3:11 - "He who has two coats let him share with him who has none."

As the fundamentalists build their own larger churches and a self-enclosed society they just become more inward looking and further and further away from the teachings they profess to follow. Indeed their belief that the almighty is like them, only more so is positively blasphemous.

God Bless America, they chant over and over again. Shouldn't that be God Bless Everyone? Of course not, they've decided that they alone are God's chosen people - sorry Hebrews, but you've been replaced - and only they are fit to receive the holy thumbs up.

The Republican right has managed to tie in these voters to bring them electoral success, but is all this about to change? Palin has been playing up to the religious right, including their Godly racism and divine hatred of people who are different. Remember, God is like them so anything different is sinful and satanic.

In truth, whatever God may be, I can't see him being like them; ignorant, narcissistic and just plain wrong.

Seven years ago, I watched Anne Widdecombe give her notorious, and final, speech to the Conservative Party Conference. Hitting every populist note, she brought the tepid conference to a fervour that verged on a desperate type of hysteria.

As the applause rang out amongst the geriatric activiste the BBC had a long, low tracking shot from the stage to the back of the hall. As it swung through the cheap seats it was spotted by an elderly man wearing that combination of beige and pale blue socks that marks a dedicated Daily Mail reader.

He spotted the camera and turned round, muscles tense, his jugular vein standing proud and with tears in his eyes he shook his fist at the camera and cried "At last! We've got a leader!"

Actually no. The next day the shadow cabinet has a suspiciously orderly series of leaks and off the cuff remarks that sank dear old Doris Karloff's ambitions.

What's this got to do with anything? Well it struck me that Sarah Palin is really Widdecombe-lite. She can stiffen the sinews of the real hardcore but just fails completely in a wider political arena. Her political 'philosophy' is to support anything that would give Charlton Heston an erection.

When she was picked, I said that this was the day McCain lost the election and it seems like it was. Mainstream Republicans and Conservatives have come out for Obama and all of them have cited Palin as a reason for ditching the GOP faster than McCain ditched his plane.

for good reasom. We now hear that McCain wanted the less divisive figure of Lieberman. What serious Presidential candidate doesn't pick their number two? So it seems that the shadowy neo-cons are just hiding behind the curtains and calling McCain's shots. No wonder his campaign is in tailspin.

The aspirant VP has been kept away from the press, apart from a few lackeys as even the simplest appearance ends in embarrassment. Now this hocky mom turns pout to have a compulsive spending disorder that would have Cleopatra envious.

At least they will win the American vote. They'll lose the election, but as they now define America as the more inbred parts of the rural South and an auto-repair shop in Denver, they will win big in Real America.

Liar crook and cheat

ATTILA THE STOCKBROKER CLEANS UP THE CITY

I was a clerk there: I’ve seen the greed

How wealth and power eat hope and need

Now they’re eating each other but they’re still screaming

‘No interference’ – I start dreaming…

‘Self regulation?’ OK, I say

‘I’m a stockbroker – let’s do it my way’

And that’s the beginning of this little ditty:

Attila the Stockbroker cleans up the City!

Each gets a red nose so everybody knows

Just who they are and where all our money goes

No more speculate, no more accumulate -

This is a lifestyle we’re going to eradicate

Dealers on the floor meet squads of the poor saying

‘Here’s the twist, Oliver – we want more

Work for us or we take the whole kitty’

Attila the Stockbroker cleans up the City!

‘Hello Mr. Hedge Fund, have a cup of tea.

Financial Services Authority? Me.

You’re a parasite on the population

Convicted of criminal speculation

Time to atone for a life so greedy -

Twenty years working for the poor and needy.

Want to appeal? Try the Central Committee…’

Attila the Stockbroker cleans up the City!

Morning Mr Banker, you’re in for a shock.

We’re taking much more than just Northern Rock!

All the banks nationalised – Stock Exchange too.

Utilities, railways, grabbed from the few.

Mr Billionaire? You just lost your money.

(Hey there, Chelsea fan, isn’t that funny!)

The future’s brown. The future’s shitty.

So Attila the Stockbroker cleans up the City!

Capitalism is a John Cleese parrot.

Let’s give it stick and not a single carrot!

Bollocks to the dealer, the broker, the lender -

Social justice back on the agenda

Radical stylin’ going on here

Smoked Mammon sarnies and really good beer

For the poor no fear, for the rich no pity

When Attila the Stockbroker cleans up the City!

Demonstrators gather as MEP's back caps on carbon emissions from power stations

As MEPs met to decide on a range of climate change issues in Brussels, protestors campaigning against the construction of 50 coal fired power plants held a lively demonstration outside the parliament under the slogan, No More Coal.

Stefan Singer, Director Global Energy Policy, World Wildlife Fund explained what they were asking for, “We want the policymakers, especially in the Parliament to address the emerging threat of coal. Coal is coming back in a big way, it is cheap and abundantly available, but it is the biggest offender to the climate system. It has the highest emissions and it is dirty. We need to do something this if we want to take climate change seriously.”

He denied that he was anti-coal, but suggested that putting a cap on emissions would force power generators to look for ways of using cleaner coal in a more efficient way and developing renewable energy sources. MEPs were also asked to look into co-ordinating the European power grid to make it more responsive and efficient.

The European Parliament's environment committee voted to supply billions of euros to help test carbon capture and storage technology (CCS), something Stefan backs, saying if CCS works then there is a future for coal.

Interview with Stefan Singer (mp3 4.02mb 8:47)

Photos of the demonstration

From left to right: Mrs Gordon Brown, Mrs Sarah Palin, Mrs Rupert Murdoch