WHAT IS THE LESSON

from Wolfie's departure?

Well, as my good wife said, every man thinks with his dick, and the more powerful and exalted the man, to the greater extent his thoughts are thus preoccupied.

Getting another job and a pay rise for his 'girl friend'? Was this actually necessary? Doesn't Wolfie have a good enough salary so that his better half could give up work, if there is a conflict of interest, and they would still be able to afford a little place in down-town Washington somewhere - maybe not in the best area but... (Or I hasten to add, for fear of being thought sexist, the other way round).

No, good riddance again, not just because of dick-related problems, but this was a shameless political post, as the cartoonist above acidly noted, whereby Dubya abused the control that the US administration has over WB presidential appointments. This to ensure neocon influence over the Bank, at a time when the position of deputy Defence Secretary was looking a little shaky. Killing two birds, in other words. It was difficult to understand what commitment Wolfie might have to impoverished 3rd world development (the third of a trillion dollars so far spent on Iraq might have gone a long way...)

Anyway, it's Wolfie's girl friend's job now to find him a job...

Meanwhile, what of a successor? Remember, the post of president of the World Bank is traditionally given to someone with extremely close links to and sympathies with the US administration, an American citizen, and someone who is finishing one illustrious job and at a turning point in his career. Yes, of course, ta-rah, ta-rah : Tony Blair. As we speak, Blair is spending a good part of his final month in office on a sunset tour of Africa (mightn't be an idea to spend this time at home?) burnishing his development credentials and impressing the interview panel. You have been warned. At least there'll be no sex scandals - will there ?

BBC international news,

for the past several days, in the morning, afternoon and evening bulletins, has prominently featured. among reports of more US deaths in Iraq, more bloody fighting in Gaza and Lebanon, even EU-Russia summits, one news item.

It is the fact that, in the face of strong protests, the makers of Mars Bars have dropped the ingredient of animal derived enzyme rennet from their product. This outraged Britain’s vegetarians when the inclusion of the material was made known. A Mars bar, incidentally, is a product largely comprised of sugar and empty calories, a chocolate covered toffee confection more usually known as a Bar One in this part of the world.

The prominence of this item puzzles me. Is the Mars Bar the snack of choice of BBC journos? Are many of them vegetarian? What about the milk in the milk chocolate anyway? Isn’t that an animal product? If you don’t like them, don’t eat them.

As for me, I’d rather continue with a boycott of the product, and not jeopardise my already dodgy dental bridgework, or promote a bulging waistline, premature diabetes or hyperglycemia. An apple a day sounds a much better proposition.

Why is Eurovision sneered at?

I actually think it's brilliant - the colours, the nations cheek by jowl, and so many more of them, since the disintegration of the Soviet block and the enlargement of the EU. And behaving, performers and spectators alike, in a cheerful, not too serious, slightly self-satirical context, much better than a political or sports-oriented gathering. The moans about the biased voting, and 'blocks' of next door neigbours voting for each other - well, in what other situation would you find Armenia enthusiastically supporting Turkey, or Georgia Russia? Yes, it's true that nobody votes for the UK, thus nearly always ending up with 'nul points', but that is the fault of the crap performances they offer up.

It's also not true that the music is always 60's bubblegum - many of the acts, at least from Eastern Europe, seemed serious attempts to convey the culture of their country, albeit in a rock music form. In fact, one might detect an air of determination to be taken seriously, and to claim recognition as a part of the New Europe. The Western contributions by contrast seemed plastic, flaccid and vaccid, and were rewarded accordingly.

I was especially pleased to get to see Eurovision at all - our satellite TV in the wilds of Africa usually offers only 15 year old movies, miscellaneous sports event and Big Brother. They will no doubt say the rights are too expensive - luckily we found Portuguese TV which was carrying the event, and it was fine, given that the presenters were not to be compared to Terry Wogan. The live Finnish presenters really did look like Ken and Barbie, as they should, and everything was perfect.

The winner was also richly deserved - the intense little lady from Serbia rendering a haunting ballad darkly redolent of the Balkans - backed by strange tall blonde-wigged ladies - an act mysteriously described by an over-excited BBC journo as lesbian soft-porn - some symbolism definitely but I'm not sure what. It was also great that the song was sung in the proper language and not in Barbie English. The act was certain to win from the moment it rolled.

There are of course political overtones to Eurovision - for instance the UK group tends to do worse than usual since the Iraq war - but in this case I especially hope that the event,, to be held in Belgrade next year thanks to Maria Serifovic, will mark Serbia's final emergence from the Milosevic era and into the family of Europe.

If so, Eurovision will have achieved more than politicians have been able to do for the past 10 years. Go for it.

and good riddance.

In what has been called the world's worst kept secret, Mr. B-liar announced his decision to step down today. As one of his fellow spinnakers, the equally unctuous Mr. Peter Mandelstam, the former Minister of the Dome, rhetorically asked in a TV docu-appreciation: "Why has Mr. Blair become so unpopular?"

Why? Let's see now. How about leading his country into an unnecessary war, under cover of deliberate lies and false pretences, in which hundreds of thousands, the vast majority of them innocent, have died? For what reason is still uncertain. It is difficult to believe he gave a tinkers for the welfare of the people of Iraq. To make his mark on history? To look Churchillian? To affirm his loyalty to the US special relationship? If the latter, he was reminded in no uncertain terms by President Bush as to who was the junior partnership in the relationship, whenever he looked like stepping out of line. As for the theory that he exerted a moderating effect on US policy, the idea is risible.

In what way then, should his deserved fate be different from that of Saddam Hussain?

Anyway, in the next few days his 'legacy' is going to be commentated and picked over in paralysing detail. Leave your radio and TV off for a week and get a life.

Regarding his 'legacy', as far as the transformation of the image of Britain, the country does not seem, on my occasional visits, to be all that different from the 90's. There are differences, in that it is virtually impossible now for a young person ever to afford to buy a house. The standard of the National Health service is as dire as ever. Yes, Britain won the Olympics, but with costs now ascending to truly galactic proportions. Britain's expanding economy and industry? In what area, apart from that of on-line gambling and super-casinos?

Did anyone notice the vehicle parked outside the hall where Mr. Blair was making his farewells? Yes, a nice white BMW. There was no remaining British-made car in which he could make his getaway. Enough said.

It's very good news


that Nicholas Sarkozy won the French presidential election. Even though I would normally support the candidate of the Left, Soggy-lene Royal was not what France needed, any more than a diabetic needs to be given a bag of bons-bons or more accurately, a slumbering patient needs another dose of morphine or a shopaholic a new credit card.
No, Ms. Royal is a disturbingly intact 1940's socialist, somehow teleported into the 21st century. A commentator said of her, that when asked any question, her Google-like brain picked up a keyword, then regurgitated a programmed paragraph containing that keyword but which in no way answered the question. Sarkozy said of her that she had the classic socialist assumption that Work was like a cake, a fixed yummy entity to be divided into peices and shared equitably, whereas of course employment is an infinitely extensible process - the more people in work, the more work opportunities there will be.
France needs a strong dose of 'tough love' - I hope the 2nd generation Hungarian provides it, and returns France to her greatness - and role of counterbalance to the US in Europe - we need her.