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Bobsy26

Listed below are comments made by Bobsy26 between Tuesday, 10th March 2009 and Friday, 5th June 2009.

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Not a firewall 4:50pm on 05 Jun 2009 @ 42 Ian_the_chopper

"If todays results are anythng to go by Nick Clegg will be the leader of the opposition to the Tories after the next election."

We said the same thing about the Lib Dems back in 1997 after the fall of the Conservatives. I remain unconvinced they have the clout to ever become real contenders.
As if 1989 never happened 2:26pm on 02 Jun 2009 "When a colleague of mine mentioned Tiananmen Square during a mobile phone conversation, a Chinese voice interrupted his call for a few seconds."

Is... is that verifiable? I don't want to sound sceptical because to be honest I've no reason to doubt you, but... it just sounds so terrifyingly over-the-top even for a surveillance heavy government like the CCP that it becomes almost difficult to believe.

And of course, you've given it as an anecdote, which is hardly evidential, obviously. But the idea that the government might be trying to censor private conversation is really worrying.
Life in the slow lane 11:33am on 28 May 2009 Do I remember when web pages took 5 minutes to load?

Er, no. Because back in the days when I had dial-up, web pages were considerably simpler. There was no dearth of flash adverts, no RSS, XML, just plain HTML pages that would load up, with images taking a little longer to catch up.

Still, the no-phone-calls thing was annoying.
Jade Goody's death 12:33pm on 27 Mar 2009 #144

Wahey! Goodwin's law has been invoked, the discussion has officially run out of juice.
China welcomes Kim Yong-il 4:39pm on 20 Mar 2009 #22 shanshuiii

Actually there is plenty of doubt. Personally I think China sees NK as an unstable and potentially incendiary neighbour who could cause China/US tensions to go down a very bad route due to their connections. It would make sense that they keen to "manage" NK in this way.

#23 aeroarchie

Well, I didn't. But aside from China, and of course "the west", who else deals with North Korea? Very few nations, I think (but please enlighten me if I'm wrong). Venezuela? Chavez does love to take an opposite stance to America on principle. Cuba (quite likely)? Russia may do perhaps, but I wouldn't count on it being in any major way, or especially warmly. Kim Jong-Il's keeness to isolate NK from the international community at large doesn't need justifying or defending I think - it doesn't reflect on China.
China welcomes Kim Yong-il 4:05pm on 19 Mar 2009 #14 aeroarchie:

Playing Devil's Advocate a little here, but I think the point to take away from Heyone's comment is that China has a stronger track record of dealing with nations that others won't. Which is a) understandable and b) no bad thing. For a), China's a developing power, going through considerable changes in its role in the international community. For b), well, as myself and others have observed, it'd be far worse for nations like North Korea to face total isolation.

What's important to figure out is if China actually shows any real support for North Korea. While their actual governments are obviously quite different, they are still united in some ways, if only by the word "communist".
China welcomes Kim Yong-il 10:04am on 19 Mar 2009 Man, I wasn't even aware that Kim Yong Il and Kim Jong Il were seperate people! I'm sure many others around the world and especially here in the west, are the same.

As for the visit, well, for starters it doesn't exactly reassure that Kim Jong Il is alive or even in particularly good health (if reassurance is what you're after), does it?

What China is in a position to do here is act as a mediator between North Korea and the USA. Even if neither side is interested in a dialogue, only good can come of China acting as interpretor for the both of them. Wishful thinking perhaps, but it's a definate possibility. Anything that can help NK to become less isolationary and more willing to engage with the rest of the world would be a good start.
Whispers of the Dalai Lama 09:56am on 12 Mar 2009 Well, before the inevitable tide of pro- and anti-Tibet comments floods in, I will say that the knock-on effects of this conflict are at least rather distressing. The whole thing has turned apparently into a personal duel between the Dalai Lama and the CCP. From their respective bases they're shouting at each other about what they've suffered, and meanwhile the daily lives of ordinary Tibetans are being compromised by the harsh supressions that this has brought.

That the Dalai Lama's birthplace has become a place of secret pilgrimage and dedication could perhaps lead to further problems down the line if it escalates.
British Museum's tough message 1:05pm on 11 Mar 2009 Having (finally) gotten round to seeing the exhibition last week I came away feeling a little disappointed in it all. A small, crowded room with comparitively few actual contemporary artefacts. The majority of things on display were European post-renaissance prints and paintings showing later interpretations of the great culture. Actual Babylonian artefacts were predominantly clay tablets and little else. Important stuff, of course, but there are plenty of other (and more important) pieces upstairs in the museum proper.

On the other hand the Shah 'Abbas exhibition was utterly fascinating.
Pomp... and ceremony 2:25pm on 10 Mar 2009 Say what you like about Chinese politics, but those are some impressive curtains. I mean, just look at them. They're huge.

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