Sunday, November 30, 2008

Mumbai bombings

India and Pakistan know their abilities to uplift their poor would be hurt by another distracting confrontation. And with so many recent terrorist attacks within each country by a range of groups with grievances, the two nations need to find common ground. India now sees that a majority of Pakistanis are against global jihadists. And after this latest attack, it has every right to ask for information from Pakistan's military about likely groups behind the Mumbai assault, which may include Lashkar-i Tayyaba. If Pakistan's military does not cooperate with their civilian leaders, the US needs to use its leverage over that military and help India gain the reassurance that all Pakistani forces will not condone any sort of terrorism.

A unilateral attack of any magnitude by India on suspected terrorists inside Pakistani-held territory seems unlikely, and it is the popular press who seek to make such ideas flourish. While such an attack may seem morally similar to US attacks against Al Qaeda and the Taliban inside Pakistan, the history of war between the two neighbors (three since 1947) would argue against such provocative action that could lead to nuclear war. Certainly on the Indian side there is everything to lose if such a war is needed and it is likely that it would put an end to Pakistan's existence. It is hard to see any worth in the idea, even to the Paki warlords. If I was running such a nuclear war, I would try to nuke Murdoch and his family as well, just so some good was done.

From Afghanistan to Sri Lanka (now engulfed in a horrific civil war), the region needs a broad response that rises above ethnic or religious nationalism to face the common enemy of terrorism. Often, that means not reacting in ways that terrorists would like.

IMO: After the Marriott incident Asif Ali Zardari said, "We should not fall into the trap of the militants." I hope he sticks to this, as his position is as difficult as India's. As for Singh, if he gets out of bed in the morning, that is maybe the best we can hope for so I am hoping the Indian side is safe enough. A lot of this conflict stuff on the Indian side is overhyped by the Press, including China-based Rupert Murdoch's very partial and hardly accurate London Times and the BBC, but the Paks are the ones waiting with their ISI all ready for action for pleasure and profit, and are ready to cause conflict, although perhaps obviously, they do not want trouble there either. Zardari has to watch his back on his own side, and good luck to him, hopefully.

Saturday, November 29, 2008

TV coverage of Mumbai raid


The Western cable channel we get here is mainly CNN, and I find it both out of date, often by at least 6 or 7 hours without admitting this, often factually wrong in quite important details, and very pro-Pakistan and pro-Moslem biassed. Also, whilst CNN does tend to favor the Democrats, it tends to leave the impression "USA is always right, right or wrong". This is quite annoying and some of the pictures on most channels look faked up.

The Indians tried really hard and unlike the British desk-wallahs, led from the front not the rear, with significant and brave deaths.

The BBC seems to have a lot of Paki staff who you would think would act in the long term interests of both India and Pakistan, but my experience to date is that they do not. By the way, at least some of the Paki terrorists seem to have come from Bradford and Leeds in England, and doubtless had their friends collect their DSS money for them when they went out bombing all and sundry, particularly Jews and US citizens. One of the Pakis even swindled us on the way to Oman.

IMO: I'm hoping that, in the long term at least, there will be co-operation with Pakistan and I certainly hope for more sense from the USA when Obama becomes President. I am safe here in Mumbai. I think I am getting hardened to all this, having been (innocently) nearly blown up by Sikhs in Delhi and Catholics in Hammersmith (very close to the latter, and yet some of the mugs in Hammersmith, rather than getting out quick, went back to have another look).

Friday, November 28, 2008

Mayor Boris Johnson orders Met chief Sir Paul Stephenson to justify raid

Having rid himself of one troublesome police chief, Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London, raged yesterday at another. He spoke “in trenchant terms” to Sir Paul Stephenson, the Acting Metropolitan Police Commissioner, after being told on Thursday that Tory spokesman Damian Green was to be arrested.

Sir Paul was seen as the Mayor’s preferred choice to succeed Sir Ian Blair, but the Green affair may well dent his chances. Mr Johnson said he found it “hard to believe” that anti-terrorism police had been used to “target an elected representative of Parliament for no greater crime than allegedly receiving leaked documents”.

IMO: I find it hard to believe that Boris Johnson has any right to tell the police what to do. It does not fall under his remit in the council and he has no experience in police work, being simply a journalist who has succeeded by pandering to the prejudices of ignorant members of the public. Technically there may even be a case for jailing Johnson himself on the basis of his behaviour. The Tories really seem to be demanding lack of respect nowadays.

New, horrific milestone

Obama's advisor says of the recent Mumbai bombings (which,by the way, are even now in progress) “This is a new, horrific milestone in the global jihad. No indigenous Indian group has this level of capability. The goal is to damage the symbol of India’s economic renaissance, undermine investor confidence and provoke an India-Pakistani crisis.”

IMO: It is clearly ISI, hence US, inspired.

Singh has now demanded that Islamabad despatch the chief of its military intelligence wing, the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI), to share information on the killers. The sharp demand made by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh signals, at least in theory, a shift of gear in a traditional rivalry with Pakistan from a “defensive defence” to an “offensive defence”.

IMO: At last Singh acts, if feebly ! About time the politicians did something, and it is to be hoped that genuinely fruitful talks ensure. But the last thing India needs is more US imperialists over here. The US two-party system is hardly a democracy anyway, as surely even Obama knows. And the US and the Saudis have already ruined Pakistan. India has enough problems without more Enrons or Union Carbides coming over here.

Thursday, November 27, 2008

Bank Nationalisation again

The UK Financial Times says: Early socialists must be chuckling in their graves. But this worldwide government control of the commanding heights does not represent the triumph of socialism over capitalism, but the necessity of pragmatism in the face of failures of capitalism. Governments do not want to own these stakes, and are not quite sure what to do with them.

THe British government has perhaps the clearest strategy. It has set up an organisation called UK Financial Investments. The intention is that UKFI should act as a relatively passive shareholder in these businesses with a view to a quick realisation. UKFI is modelled on the Shareholder Executive established five years ago to hold government stakes in other companies.

We taxpayers have rescued these financial institutions for a specific purpose, and we should use our stakes in them to insist that this purpose is fulfilled.

IMO: I agree - and something more like full nationalisation is required. We need a detailed report on how to achieve this, without the Scylla of "Yes, Minister" types running the show, or the Charybdis of the usual bunch of Tory wimps and pimps getting hold of power and handing it all back again to the scoundrels who caused the mess in the first place. Not an easy problem, BUT ONE THAT CAN AND SHOULD BE SOLVED by the (hopefully) courageous Gordon Brown and his decent enough Government.

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Mumbai hotel killings - further news

It is now claimed that the emails from the so-called 'Deccan Mujahideen' actually orginated from Russia, and were bogus. The villains apparently are actually Pakistanis etc (Lashkar or what have you) who came in from Karachi to Mumbai on a very fast boat.

IMO: India should help Pakistan to get rid of this menace. The current Pak regime might well co-operate with reasonable measures. Already many innocent Pakistanis have been killed by these people and the lack of effective law and order in Pakistan makes it easier for them to operate there.

Obscene payment to English lesbian

A lesbian soldier has won nearly £200,000 damages from the Ministry of Defence for campaign of sexual harassment against her by a boss who claimed he could "convert" her to heterosexuality. Seemingly she worked in the Royal Artillery stables at RAF Topcliffe.

The sum exceeds the £161,000 given to 21-year-old Marine Ben McBean who lost a leg and an arm in Afghanistan and the £152,150 received by Lance Bombardier Ben Parkinson, 24, after losing both legs and suffering 14 life-threatening injuries, including brain damage.

The National Gulf Veterans' and Families' Association said the level of Miss Fletcher's award was "obscene". Spokesman Shaun Rusling said: "We don't agree with anyone being picked on but it is just Miss Fletcher's feelings that have been hurt. She will get better. You do not get better when your arms and legs have been blown off. It seems that there is one law in peacetime and another law when you are at war, fighting for Queen and country."

IMO: I certainly don't approve of some poor woman being harassed, especially at her place of work, but some of the Brits seem to have lost all sense of reality by now. I'm sure that must be bad for all concerned.

Mumbai hotel killings

At least 80 people were killed in attacks apparently aimed at tourists in India's financial capital Mumbai, and television channels said Westerners were being held hostage on Thursday at two five-star hotels.

Troops began moving into one of the hotels, the Oberoi, local television said. Large plumes of smoke were seen rising from the top of the landmark Taj Hotel in Mumbai on Thursday and heavy firing could be heard, a Reuters witness said.

"I guess they were after foreigners, because they were asking for British or American passports," said Rakesh Patel, a British witness who lives in Hong Kong and was staying at the Taj Mahal hotel on business. "They had bombs."

IMO: The blogosphere is already full of posts and photos. Moderately well informed sources say that it seems to have been done by the Deccan Mujahideen.

London Mayor's sister wins Bad Sex Award

Rachel Johnson, the sister of London Mayor Boris Johnson, is this year's winner of the coveted plaster foot instituted by Literary Review to draw attention to "crude, tasteless, often perfunctory use of redundant passages of sexual description"

"All the passages this year are equally awful, but Rachel Johnson's struck us because of the mixture of cliche and euphemism," Literary Review's deputy editor, Tom Fleming said. "There were a couple of really bad animal metaphors in there."

IMO: I suppose that this is typical of the Thatcherite Victorian values of Boris Johnson's new London. Doubtless the sex tourists to the so-called "London Olympics" will be delighted but IMO it seems to fit with the low public moral standards we already have to put up with in London. Are they now to be the "London Sex Olympics" as such events often really are in the West ?

Friday, November 21, 2008

Nationalisation threat to banks

According to the Independent , the Government is using the threat of a wholesale nationalisation of banks in an attempt to force institutions to lend billions to small companies struggling to survive as Britain slips into recession. Downing Street yesterday made plain its fury over high street banks which refuse to use the massive injection of taxpayers' money they have received to come to the rescue of businesses hit by the credit crisis. Lenders have also faced criticism over interest rates charged to homeowners and for stepping up repossessions.

Gordon Brown dismissed suggestions that he should take advantage of his reviving popularity by calling a June general election, insisting he was fully focused on steering Britain out of the downturn, starting with Monday's pre-Budget report.

IMO: I would have thought that, with the proposed considerable equity investment by the Government, we should be well on the way to an effective public-private partnership - which should not be a 'gimme' operation by the pirates who call themselves capitalists, but a return to the chance to effective return of the sensible use of public and private resources in a way which would have been approved of by such as Beveridge. This could allow the Govt enough say to prevent a lot of money being wasted, as the large investments to be made in banking must require that we can rely on. But a healthy private sector could still be allowed to flourish, without paying sums to the business thugees or the fat cats in local government. So hopefully, Gordon Brown is going to do what any decent person would want to do - and even full bank nationalisation may be needed to overcome intransigence.

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Tamil Tigers building up capacity for arms shipments

LTTE had constructed two one-kilometre (0.6-mile) paved runways between 2002 and 2007. Jane's said that one of those runways was being extended to two kilometres. LTTE has developed facilities that can serve air logistics. One shipment, at least, of military rounds remains stranded in an unidentified Central Asian country because Russia had intervened to prevent its delivery.

Rajapaksa and Singh seem to be in agreement that the war must go on, as long as due regard is given to the safety of innocent Tamils. Expect little Indian government interference as long as New Delhi remains satisfied that is the case, which a lot of people aren't satisfied about.

Vicious circle of China's economic slowdown

The fact that the US meltdown has now flowed into China is potentially disastrous for this most populous nation, but as its exports shrink and its factories shut, the meltdown is starting to flow back to America again, making an ugly situation even worse. This vicious cycle is playing out in interconnected ways. Reduced Chinese exports to the US mean that the Chinese have less foreign currency to lend back to America, which further exacerbates the credit crisis and tends to tighten the money supply, making it more difficult for Americans to buy Chinese exports (or anything else).

Ramstad for US drug czar ?

Obama is considering Rep. Jim Ramstad (R, Minnesota) as head of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy. Ramstad (a recovering addict) opposes medical marijuana.

IMO: US drug control policies are very difficult. Obama has a tough task. A version of a (slightly earlier) UK drugs policy may be the best answer, however, possibly leading to less crime and addiction and less black people in jail. There seems a very poor case for simple legalisation, the health problems and treatment for drug abuse do need consideration especially in the US, also the Afghan situation.

Sunday, November 16, 2008

New Counter-Intelligence Reader

Counter-Intelligence Reader here.

From: National Counterintelligence Executive, Room 300, Washington, DC 20505

IMO: This is probably pretty good.

Saturday, November 15, 2008

Dengue and Malaria epidemic in Bengal due to Kolkata Municipal Council

On November 7th Mamata Banerjee of the Trinamool Congress pointed out “The state health department has asked state-run hospitals and the civic body to suppress data to cover up its failure. Several people are dying of unknown fevers but the department has not taken any initiative to find the cause”.

This seems to be the case, as since then the malaria death toll in Kolkata has risen to 33. The total number of malaria cases in the city has crossed 35,000 and malignant malaria has affected more than 6,000.

IMO: The Communist Party of India (Marxist) should be voted out altogether in Kolkata as kids and the elderly are dying because of CPI(M). Now it is not just CPI(M) taking cash from industrialists at the worker's expense but out and out social disruption because of their laissez-faire Thatcherite policies. There are, of course, problems all over India and I mosquito proofed our premises here in beautiful downtown Vasai, Maharashtra only last week because of the number of mosquitoes. But in Bengal the situation is now serious, and the Bengalis are still coming down to Maharashtra despite polemics by Bal Thackeray that he will have them all cut to pieces and sent back in coffins. But few people have suffered here as the Govt. put germicide down frequently etc. What's more even the Russians are not proper Marxists now, in fact their Thatcherite capitalist regime has, it seems, tried to breach contract and bilk India of 2 billion US$ over a rather inferior aircraft carrier. That is not international socialism helping the common people!

Interesting thought about Iran


" For Iran's leaders, the only state of affairs worse than poor relations with the United States may be improved relations."

If you growl at your enemies, you might be helping them.

If you say "Okay let's talk," all of a sudden it's hard for them to get the support of their people.

IMO: Just like WW1 could have ended at a Christmas armistice.

Friday, November 14, 2008

Switzerland could go the same way as Iceland

Switzerland is likely to come under further pressure from the United States over its prized system of banking secrecy after the election last week of Barack Obama, key sector players predicted. At the end of 2007, UBS (McCain's chum) was levered by more than 64 times.

A 16% fall in UBS’s assets would wipe out not only all of its equity but 100% of Swiss Gross Domestic Product on top. Switzerland is not in the EU.

IMO: As Pancho Vila might have said to the newsreel companies "don't let them know it ended like this".


Obama likely to allow US torture to continue

Obama recently voted for a White House-backed law to expand eavesdropping powers for the National Security Agency. Mr. Obama said he opposed providing legal immunity to telecommunications companies that aided warrantless surveillance, but ultimately voted for the bill, which included an immunity provision. He could take a similar approach to revising the rules for CIA interrogations, said one current government official familiar with the transition. Upon review, Mr. Obama may decide he wants to keep the road open in certain cases for the CIA to use techniques not approved by the military, but with much greater oversight.

IMO: Excessive liberalism aside, torture techniques often do not work, with difficult consequences. Any motives are possibly political rather than common sense.

Thursday, November 13, 2008

Changing religion is a vital right: Bush

Bush praised his close ally, Saudi King Abdullah, who sponsored the UN interfaith conference, but effectively challenged the strict Islamic kingdom's outlawing of apostasy, or change of religion.

King Abdullah, who initiated the special session, is quietly enlisting the leaders' support for a global law to punish blasphemy a campaign championed by the 56-member Organization of Islamic Conference that puts the rights of religions ahead of individual liberties.

Many European leaders are staying away from the conference, and human rights groups complain the event gives undue credibility to Abdullah even as his country enforces some of world's harshest restrictions on religious practices. Home to Mecca and many holy Muslim sites, Saudi Arabia bans public displays of other religions and enforces sharp restrictions on women as part of its adherence to the strict Wahabi form of Islam.

IMO: Clearly there are problems on all sides. Law and order considerations, and the supposedly 'religous' protests (in fact about civil rights) in Saudi Arabia exist on the one hand, US and other attempts at infiltration are perhaps on the other. Then at the lowest level there are cases like the UK grockles who try to have sex on the beach in Dubai.

Unconventional Warfare

Unconventional warfare (UW) is defined by the US Army as “Operations conducted by, with, or through irregular forces in support of a resistance movement, an insurgency, or conventional military operations… This definition reflects two essential criteria: UW must be conducted by, with, or through surrogates; and such surrogates must be irregular forces.”

Examples include Guatemala (1950), Cuba (1960-61), North Vietnam (1964-72), South Vietnam (1967-72), Iraq (1991-96), Operation Enduring Freedom (2001-02), and Operation Iraqi Freedom (2002-03).

New US Army manual ( to 14/11/2008) not approved for public release available here, however.

Sunday, November 09, 2008

Asperger's syndrome case may get US prison sentence

Gary McKinnon has suffered another legal setback in his fight against extradition to the US on hacking charges. The accused hacker has been refused a written judicial review of the Home Secretary's decision not to suspend extradition proceedings in light of his recent diagnosis with Asperger's Syndrome. McKinnon's lawyer, Karen Todner, has been given until 5 December to apply for an oral judicial review (ie a hearing in chambers).

IMO: This is yet more Blairite kowtowing to a ruthlessly corrupt Thatcherite US regime. Obama should remember that the Thatcherite policy towards South African apartheid - ie Thatcher and other politicians, and countries like Israel, favored apartheid morally and practically. Those stupid judges should probably be in jail themselves, not their victims and others of value to the community. The present depression is a chance to put an end to global capitalism, but will the Dinkinses of this world see that ?

Saturday, November 08, 2008

Banks defy Gordon Brown over new interest rate cut

At an emergency meeting, bankers warned the chancellor that they were “not charities”.

I think we could have guessed that.

High Street banks have told Alistair Darling that they will not pass on any further interest rate cuts to consumers and businesses. They said they could not afford further to reduce mortgage payments and interest rates to businesses if, as expected, the Bank of England continued to cut rates as the economy fell deeper into recession.

IMO: But this depression, and a new US President, could be a new era for 'post newLabor'. Come on Gordon, put heavy pressure on the banks and businesses !

Nandigram becomes focal point in Kolkata politics again


Not only Nandigram, the CPM and its allies also lost the East Midnapore zilla parishad seat to the Trinamool in the May panchayat elections. According to sources in both the parties, Banerjee will try to convince the Nandigram electorate about her party’s success in preventing the state government from acquiring land for the proposed SEZ. The CPM, meanwhile, will try to highlight Banerjee’s agitation at Singur, which compelled Ratan Tata to shift the Nano factory to Gujarat. Tata has now had to close plant at Pimpri/Cinchwad for at least a week and IMO may have medium term financial problems - which may not affect Corus as such but could be more than a sign of the times. The CPM is determined to keep Nandigram constituency under the Left Front’s control in the Assembly by-elections to be held in December, the Trinamool Congress is also eyeing the seat.

IMO: On November 6th, the Calcutta Telegraph had an article entitled "A great leap into the unknown, or a false step?" which compared the situation currently in Nandigram with rural reform in China. The December by-election may be of significance as to whether "it may end up being China’s very own Great October Counter-Revolution. Or the Great Leap Backward."

Thursday, November 06, 2008

President Obama

CNN today said Obama was recently seen reading a copy of "Ghost Wars" by Steve Coll. This book apparently "offers revealing details of the CIA's involvement in the evolution of the Taliban and Al Qaeda in the years before the September 11 attacks. From the beginning, Coll shows how the CIA's on-again, off-again engagement with Afghanistan after the end of the Soviet war left officials at Langley with inadequate resources and intelligence to appreciate the emerging power of the Taliban. He also demonstrates how Afghanistan became a deadly playing field for international politics where Soviet, Pakistani, and U.S. agents armed and trained a succession of warring factions."

IMO: Now Obama was apparently registered at school as a Muslim, according to the "Arab News" of November 6th, so it could probably be said that since he was once a Muslim, he still is in the same position - though he would probably claim within USA to be a Christian. The subtleties here are great, but the probability is that he will want to help Islam.

Pakistan for example, is in a horrible state. There is no proper law and order and a Peshawar citizen I spoke to in Oman the other day had serious worries about his families' safety there. What was present prior to partition was a true element of syncretism and mutual understanding between Hindu and Muslim, which I have even experienced nowadays, for example my wife's excellent cobbler here in Vasai is a devout Muslim. Even Christians were and are often treated fairly in India today. My idea would be to plan to some day extend the India Free Trade Area to include Pakistan, and for an independent Kashmir to be a state within something like that. Kashmir is actually three states at the moment. This is not a quick or an easy matter - but Northern Ireland and the rebel Irish Republic may come to terms in the EU, without too much more in the way of problems. I repeat, it is not an easy matter. Indian Kashmir is ALREADY largely independent within India and India has spent a lot of money in helping all Kashmiris. The Hindu Kashmiris who survived after the Muslim massacres often live as far away as Maharashtra. India should not lose or make any further compromise on Kashmir whatsoever. But it is all possible. The EU has made a lot of steps forward, and so can the subcontinent.

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