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Listed below are comments made by TheBlameGame between Sunday, 29th November 2009 and Monday, 30th November 2009 (17 Hours Ago) .

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Climate change debate: 'calm, civilised, informative' 12:19pm on 30 Nov 2009 Iran is upping the ante again, declaring its intentions to build 10 more nuclear plants.
Why, oh why, was Israel allowed to go nuclear? You cannot deny Iran or its neighbours the capability while Israel has nuclear weapons.

History has shown that Israel is quite capable of defending itself without them, plus it has the support of its nuclear allies the US.
Climate change debate: 'calm, civilised, informative' 09:16am on 30 Nov 2009 296. sagamix

The history of architecture was a one of my subjects at uni but I never came across the term "Muslimy looking roof"!
Climate change debate: 'calm, civilised, informative' 9:02pm on 29 Nov 2009 271. sagamix

"Turning our cities into Jeddah" (261) type thing? Mmm.

No, don't go in for that kind of rhetoric. Probably more to do with common sense planning issues, as GP mentions... would apply to most cities/towns.

I'll wait to see what Prince Charles makes of this issue. :-)
Climate change debate: 'calm, civilised, informative' 5:07pm on 29 Nov 2009 245. sagamix:

I see the Swiss have just voted (in one of those wonderful "Let's all have our say!" Referendum things) to place a complete ban on the building of minarets - they have a total of 4 at the moment and apparently that's enough; any more would be an unacceptable sign of "Creeping Islamisation". No mention (yet) of the follow up Referendum on whether the existing structures should be pulled down. Or perhaps just altered slightly so they look a little bit less "Muslimy".

=

Try looking at it more from an architectural or 'heritage' POV...
I do not know all the details but changing a city's horizon with a specific style of architecture is not something to be taken lightly.
However it does sound like they are being a tad over-reactionary.
Climate change debate: 'calm, civilised, informative' 5:00pm on 29 Nov 2009 259. anthony piepe:

"The huge achievement of Mr.Brown has been to take appropriate measures nationally to prevent a downward economic spiral of the kind seen in the great depression,and to mobilize international action to this end.His achievement is recognized in every other country but this."

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I think some of us are waiting until the dust has well and truly settled before giving credit where credit is due. I gave credit to Brown on these blogs months ago for his leadership and energy in driving the international response to the credit crunch. I'm less enthusiastic over his management of our economy in the years leading up to the implosion and will wait to see how the UK fares in relation to the other major European economies before reaching any final conclusions.

These comments lifted from The First Post are pertinent.
"The great weakness of New Labour in economics was not its appreciation of the liberating power of globalisation. It was instead a failure to recognise that commerce is an interest group like any other. That misconception caused New Labour to be unaccountably docile before the City."
"The British economy is skewed to the financial services sector. There is nothing inherently wrong with this: it is snobbery to suppose that manufacturing matters whereas services do not. But the unspoken assumption that it is the responsibility of government to promote the interests of a particular commercial sector has had a terrible outcome. Financial regulation was patently inadequate. Banking supervisors had no conception of the systemic risks posed by the development of complex financial products."

I also seem to remember there were (and still are) international commentators and finance ministers who were not entirely in agreement with Brown over his measures to limit the damage to the international economy.
Climate change debate: 'calm, civilised, informative' 3:23pm on 29 Nov 2009 256.

OK, agreed on point 1., but fortunately he's not giving a keynote speech or suchlike.
Don't entirely agree with point 2; enough of the electorate thought him worthy of their vote and that reflects on them.
Climate change debate: 'calm, civilised, informative' 2:22pm on 29 Nov 2009 252. superAngry

sA, he is just one member of a delegation... nothing to get vexed about.

The fact he's going says more about Britain than it does about the EU.
Hostile environment 1:25pm on 29 Nov 2009 652.

That's what you get for watching Fox news, saga!
Climate change debate: 'calm, civilised, informative' 1:19pm on 29 Nov 2009 212. 235. anthony piepe

Interesting comments, ap. Particularly the 'king's advisors losing their heads' line (in the context of politics today).

Firstly, before looking for scapegoats and apportioning blame, there is the need to correctly identify and analyse the situation or 'problem', making sure it's not over- or understated. Example - immigration. Exactly how big is the 'problem'? Is it being exaggerated? Obviously only once we know the extent of the 'problem' can the causes and those responsible be properly examined.
An issue directly relating to that is the tendency of governments to 'hide' inconvenient information. Something which was and is becoming even more apparent with the decision to invade Iraq.. for example.

Putting the economy aside, if that's possible, if we take services like the NHS/trust hospitals, child welfare, education, policing, to name a few, it is clear that there are serious failings in some of the systems in place. As described by those in the front line not just by the popular press.

In a nutshell, IMO, if failures are due to policies which are unsound, unachievable or impractical, then it is the relevant minister and ultimately the PM who carries the can. If the problems or failure is administrative then it is management who must take the blame.

If, as is the trend, ministers are loathe to take any personal responsibility for policy failure, the ultimate arbiter has to be the electorate.
I would not expect a Prime Minister to resign if one of his cabinet ministers is failing at his/her job, just replace the minister. Which happens, cabinet reshuffles occur are commonplace. However if there evidence that a more widespread malaise in present in a government, that does raise the question of a PM's competence to lead. Which gets back to my first point of evidence.. is the gravity of these various situations being correctly reported and analysed?

A check list before 'apportioning' blame:
Listen to factual evidence, to what is being said by those who have no political bias and who are directly involved...
Read a cross-section of opinion, left, right and centre...
Avoid sloganeering, it doesn't help with any debate and undermines credibility...
Be critical of those seeking to discredit or deflect responsibility on to others...
And, hard as it may be, put personal prejudices aside.

I include both myself and your good self, ap (Introducing green cuts @187) in taking that last piece of advice. No shortage of pots and kettles on these boards!
Hostile environment 11:54am on 29 Nov 2009 Still not convinced the Fed would have beaten Pistol Pete in his prime.

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