Egypt (Call me a cynic)

I have just been listening to President Obama celebrating the astonishing achievement of the Egyptian people in ridding themselves of their president. As is typical of American politicians, he has praised "democracy", "freedom", etc., etc.

So, if my experience of the myth of "democracy" is anything to go by, there should soon be a smoking ban in Egypt; and if the Islamists take over, there will be nothing that could be called "life" at all.

Thinking of Sherlock Holmes, I have always had a secret longing to visit "Ionides of Alexandria" to purchase a thousand of those "excellent cigarettes"; I suppose that even were I to find the money my wish, like so many in my life, would be bound to remain unfulfilled.

Until the next time.

"There's Many a Slip"

Probably like many people, I have been following the BBC's live feeds about the on-going protests in Cairo with great interest.

Now as is well-known, the BBC tends to side with the anti-tobacco lobby just as it does with the "warmists"

And today the BBC made a little slip:-

· 0922: Despite its gas reserves, Egypt is not a rich country - the protests have paralysed the economy. Tourists, a major source of income, have been frightened away, the financial system is shut and prices of basics like cigarettes and bread have been soaring. The BBC's Kevin Connolly in Cairo says many Egyptians are beginning to wonder aloud how quickly daily life will return to normal regardless of the outcome of the struggle for power.

Nice to see that the BBC has finally been able to admit that cigarettes are "basics" eh?

Until the next time.

Distressing

Those who were pleased that the police had apparently vanished from Tahrir Square, the centre of the protests in Egypt, must think again.

In view of the distressing content of this article from the New York Times, I am fully convinced that the Egyptian State in its present form is rotten and deserves to fall; and no, I am not convinced by the lies I have been hearing from the leader of the ruling party and from the newly appointed vice-president General Suleiman.

I wish the protesters well in their brave efforts, but equally hope that they are not unwittingly building another Iran. The Iranians are no strangers to repression and cruelty; unlike the Egyptians, they practise these things though in the name of their "god" and their interpretation of their holy book...

Until the next time