NASA ASTRONAUTS ARRIVE ON CENTAURI IV AND ENCOUNTER POPULATION OF HUMANOIDS SO PRIMITIVE THAT THEY STILL HAVE FACEBOOK ACCOUNTS.
PANEL OF HISTORIANS VOTES ON MOST HATED FIGURES OF 21ST CENTURY. SADDAM HUSSEIN, CLONED HITLER, HEATHER MILLS-MCCARTNEY TOP POLL.
HUMPHREY LYTTELTON FORCED TO STAND DOWN AS PRESENTER OF I’M SORRY I HAVEN’T A CLUE AFTER EXPOSURE TO SUNLIGHT LEAVES HIM SEVERELY BURNED.
HAVING DRIVEN JEWS INTO SEA, MIDDLE EASTERN GOVERNMENTS NOW TURN TO TASK OF BUILDING THEIR DEMOCRACIES. GIGANTIC OCEAN-GOING HOVER-VESSEL FULL OF FORMER ISRAELIS BRANDED “APARTHEID ARK” BY UK ACADEMIC.
ENTIRE CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENT OF NANOTECHNOLOGY SWALLOWED BY YORKSHIRE TERRIER IN HORRIFIC BISCUIT MIX-UP. GRATUITOUS IMAGE OF RACQUEL WELCH IN WHITE JUMPSUIT ON PAGE FIVE.
PRESIDENT TUPAC OBAMA PROMISES U.S. WITHDRAWAL FROM IRAQ BY SUMMER 2109 “FO’ SHIZZLE”.
What no extra surnames for Heather by then? How about HEATHER MILLS-MCCARTNEY-TRUMP-AHMADINEJAD-RATZINGER?
TOM HICKS RESUMES TALKS WITH DUBAI INTERNATIONAL CAPITAL OVER LIVERPOOL BUY-OUT.
Mystery cult members found dead around giant Oliver Kamm statue; experts say the “Decents” apparently thought their mass suicide would “lead to their vindication over Iraq”.
GIGANTIC OCEAN-GOING HOVER-VESSEL FULL OF FORMER ISRAELIS BRANDED “APARTHEID ARK” BY UK ACADEMIC.
Jesus wept, you couldn’t even get a bit of whimsy like this away without at least one honking great offensive strawman.
Why should anyone be “offended” by a “strawman”? If the cap doesn’t fit, no need to wear it.
Because it’s a) dishonest and b) insulting.
a) “Dishonest”? Are you saying there aren’t UK academics who make grossly inaccurate comparisons between Israel and apartheid South Africa?
b) “Insulting” to whom? To people who make grossly inaccurate comparisons between Israel and apartheid South Africa?
Well, boo hoo for them. I’m sure the millions on the Left in Israel (and the Right come to think of it) who daily read ignorant slurs against their hard-won and universal democracy are feeling their pain too.
It’s obviously meant to characterise “all those people, you know, the ones who disagree with me about Iraq”. Hence, strawman; hence, dishonest; hence, insulting to the entire set of people who disagree with you without making grossly inaccurate blah blah blah.
Further, the set of people who *do* make comparisons etc etc etc currently includes Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, so you might consider updating your priors.
By the way, I honestly couldn’t give a shitty fuck what Norman Geras says. Except possibly “sorry for helping get us into the worst total-strategic fuckup since 1066”. But there’s no way that’ll happen.
BTW, if you’d used Olmert’s words in the post, it would have been about 60 times funnier.
Obviously. Like the two UK academics who disagreed with me about Iraq whom Norm and I wrote the Euston Manifesto with, for example. I’m sure they’ll be on the phone in a minute, in tears.
But you seem to be quite upset by something written by a clown like me.
Norm’s a full professor of politics with several relevant interests, but I linked to him because what he wrote was true, not because he wrote it. Regulars here know that there’s a mountain range of difference between my political outlook and his, but he’s worth taking seriously. If you choose to dismiss everything he says then that’s your loss—and illuminating for the rest of us.
Shorter PG: Some of my best friends are…
Alex’s mask slips.
I clearly haven’t been sniffing enough glue.
Just wandered in here via Stumbling And Mumbling and thouight I would chuck in my 2p.
GIGANTIC OCEAN-GOING HOVER-VESSEL FULL OF FORMER ISRAELIS BRANDED “APARTHEID ARK” BY UK ACADEMIC.
I laughed at that, and was against the Iraq war. This can only mean:
a) it was genuinely funny
b) I am more open-minded and have a better sense of humour than both of you.
surely you must agree?
What on earth does the issue of UK academic boycotts of “Apartheid Israel” have to do with the Iraq war?
As TomP has noted – they have nothing to do with each other.
I wonder what a psycho-analyst would make of Alex’s bizarre series of responses on this thread?
What on earth does the issue of UK academic boycotts of “Apartheid Israel” have to do with the Iraq war?
Good question. I read and re-read the entire thread of comments, and still can’t figure out what:
GIGANTIC OCEAN-GOING HOVER-VESSEL FULL OF FORMER ISRAELIS BRANDED “APARTHEID ARK” BY UK ACADEMIC.
has to do with opposing the Iraq War.