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Showing posts from March, 2009

The mote in Jacqui Smith's eye

Stop your foolish baying! In response to Polly Toynbee's article in the Guardian. These personal attacks are just laying the scent for a massive Tory fox hunt. The Jacqui Smith scandal is designed to make subsequent attacks on the public sector acceptable. The orchestrated Tory attack is nasty and vicious attack aimed at preparing us for a massive campaign of cuts. This is how it works. Shadowy Tory groups with the help of friendly newspapers, spindoctors and top flight PR companies, look for the weakest links: the weak sisters, of the public sector and then attack them. First they attack social services for making mistakes and play on the salary of the person forced to resign, then they look for a poorly performing hospital and attack it, then they look for at MPs expenses and attack them. Freindly newspapers start publishing planted articles about over paid public sector bosses and then, it never fails, they find a juicy little sex tidbit and link it to their attack on the public

Antonello Proto, To & Eve Hall

Antonello: African baptisms 1971 - 72 I met Tony and Eve at the end of 1971 when I arrived in Nairobi, sent by Philip Jackson, director of OXFAM’s media department, to cover Tony’s articles with my photos. I had already been in East Africa in ’69 as (terrible) personal assistant of Leslie Kirkley OXFAM’s Director, but that journey was just like throwing a quick glance. The mission very short and all the travelling done by plane. The plan for my second journey instead was completely different. I had proved to be a good photographer, so Philip decided it was worth trying me with that task. I was asked to stay for about two or three months, travel around East Africa and take as many pictures as I could. I actually met Tony on an evening of mid December and the next morning we were already heading towards Garissa and the North East of Kenya, to reach MadoGashi and Wajir. Maybe for this reason I don’t have a strong memory of Eve from that first quick encounter, preparing to leav

Guardian, Comment is Free, Mexico

A Mexican muddle The US has no choice but to develop a constructive and supportive relationship with southern neighbour Phil Hall Mexico and the United States share the problems of violence and drug trafficking just as they share the other problems and benefits of such a close relationship . Understanding of the issues involved in bilateral Mexican–US relations can boost a politician's career. In 1997, William Weld even gave up the governership of Massachusetts for the chance to be appointed ambassador to Mexico. John Negroponte was ambassador to Mexico and subsequently rose to become the first Director of