The Bewilderness

Labour Doners are men of civic virtue

Jack Straw, Leader of the House, is right to defend the role of the rich to provide funding for political parties. You should be free to donate as much or as little as you like. But the wealth of his doners does not compare to the riches that hypocrisy attaches to these statements.

Labour said parties should be allowed to draw up their own rules on donations - including whether to impose caps - and backed more state funding, as well as strict limits on campaign spending.

In his speech to the conference, Mr Straw argued that "giving money to those parties is not dodgy but honourable". He said Labour should be "grateful to the so-called 'high value' donors - people who have made money but instead of spending it all on themselves give some of it, often in large amounts, to our party.

"They've done it to put something back, to fulfil their sense of civic duty," he said. "We are not defensive at all about this issue of funding. We have a very good story to tell. We have been at the forefront of ensuring complete transparency on this issue."

This is not the case, because you are under investigation from the police for promising peerages in return for funds. Instead of promoting a governance structure that allowed the party to monitor donations, Labour relied on Lord Levy and informal channels.

It can be embarrassing, especially if you accept money from unknown sources:

A financier who donated £2.4 million to the Liberal Democrats was jailed for two years yesterday for perjury and deception.

Michael Brown, 40, the Liberal Democrats' biggest donor who helped bankroll the party's last election campaign, gave false information in an affidavit and then tricked the authorities into giving him a new passport.

Will they hand the money back?

Cherie Blair's Gaffe: Farewell to Bootle

There is always plenty of froth at party conferences. Whilst Gordon Brown's speech was billed as his 'application form', the reception in the general media was ruined by an alleged indiscretion from Cherie Blair. She stated' "That's a lie", whilst departing from the speech. But we do not know which part of the speech she was referring to. Was it a reference to the relationship between Gordon Brown and her husband? Was it one of Gordon's "broad themes and hints, and short on specifics"? Or was she misheard, and perhaps actually said, "That's why"? Who knows? Who cares?

The reception of Brown's speech depends upon whether he persuaded the membership and the unions that he was the right leader for them. Early conclusions are that it was a reasonable stab at the title, but that it did little to overwhelm his potential followers. Without imposing dominance at the start, Brown has opened himself up to a potential leadership contest. The written constitution  shows his potential for vandalism beyong any yet attempted.

Meanwhile, Cherie Blair is reported to have angled for a safe seat at Bootle Liverpool. You can say farewell to Bootle, Cherie

Afghanistan: Rumbles and Expressions of Dissatisfaction

The Globe and Mail discussed the recent deaths of Canadian soldiers at the hands of a suicide bomber in the region of Panjwai, south-east of Kandahar. The deaths came as a shock due to the surprising profile of the bomber, an elderly cyclist. Moreover, the suicide bomber represented a departure from the geurilla tactics of the Taliban, demonstrating that the movement will turn to terrorist tactics once it loses the ability to  command territory.

The article gives some insights into the strategy that the Canadians and the British intend to deploy within the south of the country:

Military officials say they're hoping to maintain control of the restive district by establishing a new base in Panjwai and flooding the area with assistance from the local government, the PRT and other foreign donors. It's an example of "ink-spot theory," the idea that local people won't tolerate insurgents when they're living in a zone that enjoys development and security.

"We've never done this in practice, although we've talked a lot about it," Lieutenant-Colonel Simon Hetherington, PRT commander, said.

The lack of practice in applying reconstruction and pacification strategies to the Pashtun areas is daunting. Especially as the campaign against the Taliban can be reinterpreted as a tribal uprising against a rival militia force that used its official police status to loot and target rival Pashtun tribes.

Meanwhile, the disillusionment with the British campaign has increased. The Times reports that the concerns of officers over the lack of air support and ineptitude of the supply chain has resulted in a string of leaked emails. The impression of a political campaign sacrificing soldiers' lives for the grinning resident of 10 Downing Street whilst starving the frontline of the necessary funds is leading to a crisis in the armed services.

The "high-ranking officers" are finding that modern communications prevent their control of information from the battlefield, a greater concern under the Blair regime. After the embarrassment of leaked emails, can it be too long before blogs start to provide regular updates on the experiences and plight of our armed forces.  It will not be as long as the time  it takes for a Labour MP to stand up for the British army.

Kyoto: Hitler`s Knife, Hitler`s Fate

Kyoto is a quietly frustrating city. In one sense, it follows a similar pattern to London. The river is discarded as a center of commercial and urban life, becoming a small sancturary within the wider raucousness of the city.

I am staying at the Kyoto Royal Spa, a stone`s throw away from Panchoco (?), the tourist center. Here, the bars advertise on the streets and are often located on any floor up to the 8th. Most of them are empty, leading to a merry chase from building to building in pursuit of a decent public house.

The local ex-pats, predominantly Americans, have their own watering holes. We found the preferred British/Commonwealth place, a unassuming room with Yebisu (once drunk, never touched!), so malty it is maltless, backlit by candles in a homely way. I was astonished by an Australian from Perth who proudly announced "I am a doer, not a watcher" on the grounds that he didn`t watch sports. And only because I raised the Ashes. I was slightly unnerved by this Australian pomposity, as they are one of the few nations who have the records to back up their boasts.

Japan is so different it is enjoyable. Yet, sometimes one can be taken aback by finds. Buying some gifts in a shop that sold everything from fans to samurai swords, presumably fakes, my eye caught an intricate letter opener with a handle carved with a 1928 Ford in relief. All well and good. Then my eyes strayed to its neighbours: Adolf Hitler and the Waffen SS. From my perspective, they were probably collector`s items for the Japanese, all political connotations submerged by distance, language and time.

Give it another century, and that will be his fate in Europe: a chequered memory decorating militaria and bookshelves, as history erodes his reach and carves out his figure in neutered bas-relief, as distant as Napoleon or Louis Quatorze.

That is the end of my ruminations for now.

Japan: Acclimatising

What can one say about Kyoto?　It is a currency of surprise. Since this is my first time in East Asia, and without wishing to lump all the respective cultures together (like confusing Russians and Poles), there is little to say about Japan.

Roppongi in Tokyo was more of a longtime love than I expected. You do not have to go to hostess bars to encounter the ladies of the night. No, they just happen to target you as soon as you walk into some establishments, the more musical noise there is, the likelier the encounter. I soon learned very early on that my favourite word is iie.

It is also difficult to fathom the different uses to which space is put. Alongside traditional western shops, with their window frontispiece, you can get pubs, bars and shops all crowded into the second and third floors or buildings. Take a lift to the bar!

This place takes a little getting used to, and I have not managed that yet.   Still, the cleanliness is worth emulating in Britain and the politeness is also a favoured aspect. People know how easy it comes to me to show consideration for others.

My most bizarre sight so far was a Japanese group practising reels in an Irish pub. No matter where you go in the world, you cannot escape Ireland or its fans.

If My Blog Offend Thee, Go and Sin No More

I am out of the country for a week or more enjoying the sights and surprises of Nippon. Normal service will be resumed when I return.

Afghanistan: Operation Medusa: The Battle For Panjwai

The Globe and Mail has a very good chronology of the Battle for Panjwai, where the Canadians prove once again that they are a formidable force to be reckoned with, clearing the area of insurgents.

About 10 days earlier, the commander of Canada's battle group was staring down hundreds of Taliban fighters in those fields. His command post was filled with urgent bursts of radio traffic.

But the Taliban appear to have run away, after enduring heavy attacks from the air and a steady Canadian advance on the ground, and the operation has slowed into a methodical mop-up. One officer compared yesterday's mood around the command post to a schoolyard in June.

Even though they have achieved victory in this area, the Canadians are taking action in light of the strong resistance they faced:

While still unwilling to declare victory, the Canadian commander [Lieutenant-Colonel Omer Lavoie] was already musing about the lessons of the battle.

"If you'd asked me five months ago, 'Do you need tanks to fight insurgents?' I would have said, 'No, you're nuts,' " he said. "But . . . the tactics they've now transitioned to, very seldom do insurgents mass and concentrate the way they've done here and dig their feet into a stronghold. From my perspective, they're acting more like a conventional enemy."...

"Because they're acting conventionally, then conventional assets like tanks, armoured engineering vehicles, and armoured bridge-laying vehicles certainly have their place here," he said. "The lesson learned is that you need to maintain those capabilities."

He continued: "If you're truly going to operate on the full spectrum of conflict, you've got to put your money where your mouth is. You need things that can operate on the far end, which are combat enablers like tanks, artillery and close-air support."

MOD: take note.

Peacekeepers Turned War Officers

Armies are there to fight. Alliances are there to defend and support each other, especially if founded on a mutual support basis like NATO. Despite appearances of obsolescence, NATO wished to fight off this image through peacekeeping exercises and security work in places like Afghanistan. Better to hand over such matters to the private sector as most European nations now view their armies as statebacked NGOS that should not get their hands dirty:

Nato member states have refused to send any reinforcements for the mission in Afghanistan despite appeals from the organisation's leaders for 2,500 extra troops to fight Taliban insurgents.

The delay will be seen as a further sign that most countries are reluctant to commit troops to the south of Afghanistan, where pitched battles between militants and British and Canadian forces have resulted in the deaths of more than 30 British troops.

Their refusal to send troops must send a clear signal that Britain cannot rely on NATO in times of war and peace. Commitment must sometimes be paid in blood, and if you shirk that, then Britain and Canada should withdraw any duties to these NATO Members.

This is an occasion where a small exertion now could avert a heavier price down the road. We have seen the consequences of surrendering Afghanistan to the Taliban.

Who Will Join The Arab League?

Whilst travelling down towards the station in Brussels with some friends, one could not help noticing one street full of coffee bars, frequented solely by the male of the species, replicating a corner of Algiers or Tunis. Whilst new to me, this is not an infrequent encounter for the traveller in the Low Countries or France. 

As vast portions of the urban geography continue to be recast in the Maghreb mould,  and the demographics  of immigration and  indigenous wind down play out, I asked myself: which European Union Member State is most likely to join the Arab League (perhaps the Maghreb subset) or Organisation of Islamic Conferences in the next few years? Albania, Uganda and Guyana are members of the latter. This would be the predictable 'next step' for democratic structures with a large minority Arab electorate. 

Post-Blair Foreign Policy II: Cameronism

When I talked about post-Blair foreign policy and the need to detach the Atlantic Alliance from the intimate strengths of Blair and Bush, little did I realise that Cameron's foreign policy speech would include similar points, with a greater emphasis upon the word "slavish".

Mr Cameron, addressing a British-American audience in London, said he wanted to revive the "best traditions" of the so-called special relationship, in which Britain would be a "long-standing friend", prepared to tell the truth to its leading ally.

"We will serve neither our own, nor America's, nor the world's interests if we are seen as America's unconditional associate in every endeavour," he said.

Britain should be "solid but not slavish" in its friendship with America. However, since Mr Blair had been in No 10, Britain had combined "the maximum of exposure with the minimum of real influence over decisions".

As the current approach has tanked badly in the polls, Cameron's "rebalancing act" nevertheless took courage: contrasting Tory difference with Thatcher's presence at the commemoration of 9/11.  Indeed, if the special relationship required survival, it needed rebalancing after Blair's close shadowing of Bush's policy in particular areas.

Cameron attacks anti-Americanism:

"Anti-Americanism represents an intellectual and moral surrender. It is a complacent cowardice born of resentment of success and a desire for the world's problems simply to go away."

He said Tories were "instinctive friends of America and passionate supporters of the Atlantic Alliance".

George Jones in the Daily Telegraph argued that this represented a breach between the Tory party and US neo-conservatism. Guido Fawkes plays up the parallels with Fukuyama as the main focus is still on the war on terror.

Cameron has read the polls: fight terror but avoid the failures of the Bush-Blair special relationship.