Current News: Fracking and Zimbabwe

I see that the nimbies are hard at it at Balcombe: "Frack off" says one deathlessly witty poster.

Yawn.

I swear that if I lived in Balcombe, the protesters would have an uphill job to persuade me to join them.  I am wholly in favour of exploration; the right-on protesters would do well to reflect that natural gas in vast quantities will be required to fill the gaps whilst their useless wind turbines are, as usual doing sod-all.

Just see what happens when the power is cut off and they are unable to whine on Twitter or Facebook! They would have been better advised to picket the court and boo and jeer at the two monsters who were sentenced to life imprisonment for the brutal and horrible murder of a little boy.  What a pity we are not allowed to hang them.

As for Zimbabwe, the black Stalin is claiming victory in this week's election. No doubt the "happy" citizens of his ruined country have provided a majority of 98.9% to keep this corrupt mass-murderer in his destructive role.  The useless African Union has declared the elections to have been fair; in a pig's eye - after all there is none so blind as he who will not see.

Tragic.

Until the next time.

The Elgin Marbles

It is not really a very good time for prime minister Mr David Cameron, with the embarrassment at Eastleigh on Thursday with the burgeoning UK Independence Party beating the Conservatives into third place.

How anyone in Eastleigh could have voted for the useless, corrupt and pathetic Liberal Democrats is beyond my imagination, but that as they say is democracy - i.e. what we have to put up with from our brilliant fellow-subjects.

Anyway Cameron has redeemed himself a little in my eyes upon my discovering that he does not intend that the Elgin Marbles (now known by the politically-correct as "The Parthenon Marbles") be returned.  Good.

Does it annoy any of you that names and pronunciations are constantly changed?

So to make myself clear:

"Mumbai" is Bombay

"Myanmar" is Burma

"Innuits" are Eskimos - or more properly Esquimaux

"Romania" is Roumania - that's how my Roumanian ex-girlfriend spelled it.

And Kenya is pronounced "Keenya" as I was taught

I can just about stand "Tanzania" and Zimbabwe, but they are horrible names.

Until the next time

Catalogue of Scum

The Telegraph today provides a list of possible successors to arsehole-in-chief "Dr" Robert Mugabe.

As the title reads: A catalogue of scum, with the exception perhaps of Mrs Mujuru, who appears to be the wife of a major arsehole.

How sorry I am for the people of Zimbabwe.

Until the next time.

A Good Fit

Today it has been announced that China, interested in Zimbabwe's platinum, is planning a substantial investment in the country (or perhaps into the pockets of Mugabe and his fellow thugs).

Meanwhile we have a report about how the Chinese handle criticism.

Overall, there appears to be plenty of common ground for the burgeoning relationship.

Sadly.

Until the next time

Dead and Alive

Zimbabwe once again is in the news, this time concerning a report from an independent electoral commission.

According to this report, more than a quarter of those on the Zimbabwean electoral roll are dead... The Telegraph article includes the following:

"It also revealed nine people born between 1890 and 1900 aged between 111 and 120 years old. There were 93 children below one year old,"

I suppose that only the dead (and of course the children less than one year old) could possibly be so ill-informed as to vote for "Dr" Mugabe and his bunch of murderers and thugs.

Until the next time.

End on a High

Well we can't have too many depressive posts - er can we?

Anyway my bouquet goes to ANONYMOUS who have launched a DDOS attack on Zimbabwe government websites according to The Register

The organisation states:

"We are targeting Mugabe and his regime in the ZanuPF who have outlawed the free press and threaten to sue anyone publishing Wikileaks."

Good luck to them! Anything that interferes with the appalling Mugabe and his bunch of thugs gets a hearty cheer from me.

Until the next time

Another Awful African Dictator

It was only yesterday when I wrote here about Laurent Gbago, the man who has decided that he is still president of Côte d'Ivoire despite the outcome of a "run-off" election for the presidency.

Quite obviously, I mentioned that African "Presidents" (i.e. in many cases dictators) must be able to rely on their armies, and today we have news of the repellent "Dr" Robert Gabriel Mugabe; I have written numerous times on the subject of this extraordinary survivor, for example in my "Bandits" series a couple of years ago.

The Daily Telegraph reports that he is to impose an election on an unwilling populace and to ensure a proper democratic outcome, has sent forces out over the country to "persuade" the electorate that their best interests lie in supporting Zanu PF, "best interests" in this case meaning such as staying alive or retaining one's legs. He says he is ready to "bury the opposition." How reassuring; is he referring perhaps to the free graves that the Zimbabwean government offered to the thousands of cholera victims?

I do desperately hope that Mugabe's army proves to be unreliable, but I fear that my hopes are likely to be unfulfilled.

Meanwhile, today the New York Times has a piece showing some Zimbabwean reality - health-care for peanuts or other barter items:

Image source: New York Times

Never forget that under Ian Smith's government, the country, then called Rhodesia, was arguably one of the most prosperous on the continent.

Until the next time

Bullets & Zimbabwe

Once again more depressing news from Zimbabwe which appears more or less to be in its death throes. The "power-sharing" agreement appears to have done nothing to change the plight of the people there.

We are informed that this year, the nations of the world have spent about $1.7 trillion on armaments. The lion's share of this vast amount belongs of course to the USA ($604bn) unsurprising considering that rightly or wrongly, the USA wishes to do its best in trying to address international problems a policy I find infinitely preferable to that say of Russia that appears only to wish to defend its paranoia, both externally and internally.

Included in the enormous total mentioned above are the UK and France ( around $60bn each), Russia ($55bn), Italy ($40bn) and so on.

A common item in defence purchasing is the 7.65mm rifle round. A quick search found this site which is offering 7.65mm ammunition in boxes of 20 rounds - with "full metal jacket" at $60, $3 per round.

Can no one find $3.00 to extinguish the disgusting and excessively long life of "Dr" Robert Mugabe?

Until the next time

How to make your country a laughing-stock - or perhaps not...

The easiest way to make a country a laughing stock is to practise some sort of stupid ideology. Good examples of this would be Kim Jong-Il's ludicrous Stalinist state of North Korea, a country which cannot feed itself yet produces missiles and Albania under the rule of the pathetic Enver Hoxha - and of course Pol Pot's Cambodia.

Another state that should be a laughing stock is Saudi Arabia, with its Islamo-Facistic religious régime complete with its own Mohammedan Gestapo, the so-called "religious police" praise its bloody holy name... Of course when you have the world's largest proven oil reserves and stupendous quantities of money, others tend not to laugh so much, but condemning a 75-year-old widow to a whipping? Barbarians for all their revolting holiness.

The tragedy of course is that these perverted states and in the case of Tibet regions, are a nighmare for the persecuted innocents who are not allowed freedom of expression - no laughing matter for those poor souls.

Zimbabwe, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Belarus, Chechenya, Tibet, Russia, China etc. etc. etc.

Until the next time

The Pariah

I wish that I could find the words to express my disgust and loathing in connexion with the repulsive individual pictured below.

His well documented behaviour indicates that he is quite clearly mentally deranged - either that or he is not human.

"Dr" Robert Mugabe, the black Stalin (though not as bright) with another nasty-looking bum behind him
Picture: Daily Telegraph

Will no-one rid the world of this pustule? I am no hero, just a blogger, but if the USAF would care to lend me a "Predator" drone, I would cheerfully press the "button." even at the risk of "offending" his Chinese friends.

Until the next time.

Now He's Really Lost It

Whilst it has been obvious for a long time - to me at least - that "Doctor" Mugabe is more than a sandwich short of a picnic, now he's really out of control.

His latest wheeze is that the cholera that he said yesterday has been " arrested" was introduced, together with anthrax by the naughty British colonialists, helped by the USA.  The link includes a video which is informative.

The end of this tragicomical farce is long overdue.

Until the next time

"Trust me, I'm a Doctor"

"Doctor" Mugabe has spoken.

There is no more cholera in Zimbabwe, he says.  In fact in this video you can hear the old tyrant say that "cholera has been arrested..."  So that's all right then.

Presumably his police have now beaten it to death.

Reminds me of the joke about the three teams, from England, France and Soviet Russia, who were called in following the discovery of a splendid mummy in a pyramid in Eygpt.

The English went in first and reported back that whilst it was obvious that the person was a senior personage, they were unable to add anything.  The French went further saying that they were certain that the person was a king but could not work out his name.

The Russian team, conspicuous for their long black leather overcoats, were in the burial chamber for two hours; "It is Tutenkamun" they said.  The other experts were amazed: "How do you know?"  they asked. "Easy" came the reply, "We have confession."

It was astounding that out of the brutal Soviet system there came such a rich tradition of black humour.

Sadly I doubt that there is much humour in Zimbabwe today.

Until the next time

Defending the Indefensible: Africa Shows the Way

Zimbabwe; the African Union speaks:

"We have a serious humanitarian crisis in Zimbabwe. We have cholera. Do they think that we can eradicate cholera with guns?"

No dear boy, but they could eliminate the cause couldn't they, you stupid twerp!  I mean by "cause", "Doctor" Robert Gabriel Mugabe, pariah, tyrant and I assume, deranged dictator and megalomaniac.

It's very simple, as Archbishop Desmond Tutu and President George W. Bush have said, it's time for him to go - it's amazing that he is still there.

Hasn't he caused enough misery and suffering?

Come on, let's get rid of this bastard and his atrocious hangers-on.  Shoot them like the vermin they are.

Until the next time

Bandits IV Revisted

"The black Stalin/Hitler"** with some of his gilded  popinjays †:

Nyezhov, Ngoebbels, Nhimmler etc.

Source: here

Well, as has been widely reported, "Doctor" Robert Gabriel Mugabe's Rhodesia is going from bad to worse; the poor people having now to endure a cholera epidemic to add to the sum of absurd inflation plus famine, ballot-rigging and brutality.

Now the mass-murderer, marxist, tyrant and all-round verminous Stalin-impersonator has a new problem that no doubt, he will blame on the "British imperialists": his soldiers are unable to withdraw more than the equivalent of 50 pence per day (the price of a single banana apparently***) from the banks; unsurprisingly, to take a leaf from P.G.Wodehouse, they are not exactly gruntled about this development and have chosen to express their displeasure.  With his great political judgement and wisdom, Mugabe, he of the many degrees - presumably beaten out of the examiners - has started to have his repellent police imprison the soldiers.

Smart move (ironically speaking), but the police will have to work even harder now with all their oppression duties to see to.

It is my wish that finally Mugabe will receive the beatings that he is so happy to dispense elsewhere, resulting in his deserved death, an occurrence unlikely to be mourned by anyone, with the exception of his few favourites who will no doubt escape to enjoy their ill-gotten wealth in some other appalling country willing to accept these scum - who would be most unlikely to want to stay at home where the oppressed population would probably want a "word" with them.

Soon, I may write a short piece about Mugabe's predecessor: war hero, sane and utterly incorruptible: Mr Ian Douglas Smith.  In the early '80s I met a chap and his wife who had arrived in England from Zimbabwe - they had wisely got out.  They told me that already the black people they knew were saying that they wished that Smith was back in charge.  I wonder what they would say now?

Until the next time

**No description is sufficiently offensive for this bastard

† Thanks to the late Lord Hives for this expression

*** Here in France I can buy six bananas for a  little more than a euro.

UPDATE!

In a radical move, Harare City Council is now offering free graves - for cholera victims.

Well, I admit it: I was wrong.  Mugabe has achieved something: free graves.  Well done Robert.

$7,000,000,000

I have been following with great interest the ups and downs of the world economic situation since the trouble began a few months ago. This has introduced me, as no doubt it has many, many others, to enormous numbers, by which I mean brobdignagian sums of money.

The seven billion dollars in my title seems almost pathetically small in comparison to some of the trillions that are reported almost daily in the financial and business pages of the media.

Well, this "pathetically small" sum has been called for by the United Nations, as aid to four African countries. Readers of this blog will know that I have written in connexion with three of these so-called states; the fourth, which ludicrously includes the word "democratic" in its official name, today makes its debut in these pages.

First we have Sudan, whose president, one Omar al-Bashir is wanted for trial on genocide charges. Basher's régime has been very busy over the last few years, raping and murdering the people of the Darfur region. Curiously the African forces sent there to prevent this have been very ineffective.

Next up, and also in East Africa, we have the shambles of Somalia, in the news headlines as home to large number of pirates who are very busy off the coast hijacking vessels for ransom. Somalia is also notable for its cretinous islamic fundamentalists, mentioned here just a few days ago.

Unlike the two above, this one is not islamic, but given the disgraceful governance and brutality that prevails there, the proverbial visitor from Mars might be inclined to think the reverse. Yes, it's "Doctor" Robert Mugabe's Zimbabwe, a particularly disgraceful case, for whilst the two above have never achieved much, Zimbabwe (or really Rhodesia) was the most successful economy in Africa. Thanks to the inspired leadership the country is now an economic ruin.  The Zimbabwe government's website is still available.  A visit to the section  of the Ministry of Finance offers inflation statistics; unfortunately the last entry was for April 2005, at which point inflation was running at 129.1%...  The Finance Ministry offers an informative mission statement: "To effectively facilitate sustainable, socio-economic development, in consultation with stakeholders, through efficient mobilisation and allocation of resources to achieve macro-economic stability in Zimbabwe." So much for that.

And finally to the newcomer, which calls itself "The Democratic Republic of Congo." I suppose that if the population actually voted for a government whose troops instead of defending the people, rape, murder and pîllage the citizens, then I suppose it is democratic. Henceforth I shall refer to the country as Congo. It is there that enormous misery has been caused by the rebellious activities of one "General Laurent Nkunda" who appears to be at least as brutal as the government troops. To me, for whom Africa is nearly always very depressing, it appears that as usual, this war's causes are tribal in origin. 3000 additional UN Peacekeepers are to be sent. I should like such international forces to be given proper rules of engagement, so that when the opportunity arises they can blow away these scum.

So: four countries, all a complete mess. To me the time is long past when "colonial guilt" should apply (despite Mugabe's rantings) but once again the rest of the world must take care of the innocent. After all, contrast these sorry tales with say India; Africa, so rich in natural resources has had many chances and stupendous sums of aid, much of which has ended up in the numbered offshore bank accounts of the pirates who run many of the countries in the continent. 

I find it difficult to hope for much improvement whilst belief in witchdoctors is widespread together with all kinds of other barbaric superstitions - which merely serve to enable the bandits to stay in power to the great disadvantage of the people.

Until the next time

**Source of flag images: Flags.com