BBC Blog Network

User Profile

philzep

Listed below are comments made by philzep between Friday, 3rd April 2009 and Thursday, 26th November 2009.

«Newer
Older»

Getting to grips with Thanksgiving Day 1:17pm on 26 Nov 2009 3. At 12:46pm on 26 Nov 2009, RomeStu wrote: 'It sounds great - can we have it in Europe too'

Being married to a lovely American lady who made her home with me in the UK I'm fortunate in that I get to celebrate Thanksgiving over here! My wife cooks up a fabulous turkey dinner using a mixture of traditional American trimmings and just like Mark, has adopted the quintessential English trimming of the Yorkshire Pud. A match made in heaven.

Happy Thanksgiving to all our American friends, not forgetting the fabulous Canadian contributors who celebrated their Thanksgiving in October
Sensible caution or more dithering? 1:11pm on 12 Nov 2009 Until Afghanistan has a leadership and government that can work effectively within its own borders, the decision on additional troop deployment seems almost moot.

Any deployment is going to be open ended as there seems to be no likelyhood of a minimally corrupt functional Afghan government that has the trust of regional tribal leaders and can deploy an effective security force.

Can Karzai achieve this? unlikely

Is there an alternative to Karzai? unlikely

Can Afganistan ever be completely governable? unlikely

Under the current aspirations of what success in Afghanistan should look like, I can't see a viable exit strategy being in place for many years with the exception of cutting and running and unfortunately, cutting and running may well be only exit strategy unless the US public (and to a lesser extent the UK public and other allies) are willing to see their armed forces continue to take casulties ad infinum.

Rather than ill thought out, costly and protracted millitary campaigns, perhaps the only real answer is to secure our own borders from terrorists as much as we can and try to prevent homegrown extremism.

Either way is very difficult
Monkey business 10:57am on 23 Oct 2009 It looks like you're damned if you do, damned if you don't Mark

The occasional 'light' story can be a welcome relief from the heavyweight issues often discussed on this blogg.

I very rarely post here but read it every day and enjoy the diverse opinion and argument mostly good natured, intelligent and respectful, from the active members of this blogg.

Mark is never going to please all the members all of the time, just like Justin couldn't before him. But he is getting the content of his blogg mostly right and stimulating writen opinion even from the detracters.

Good job Mark and keep it up
Obama's Iran dilemma 10:40pm on 15 Jun 2009 The first demostrator death has just been announced. Is this the start of another Tianamen Square style crackdown and will the Iranians fair any better?

Dangerous times
A quieter voice on the Obama speech 3:17pm on 05 Jun 2009 61. At 1:08pm on 05 Jun 2009, MarcusAureliusII wrote:
The United States is more than exceptional, it is a civilization that is without equal and unique in all the world and in all of the world's history. There isn't now and never was anything like it and there may never be anywhere else. It is unlikely any other nation could copy it except in its most superficial aspects. Despite its setbacks, it blunders, seemingly impossible odds that threatened its very existance, it has perservered every time and grown stronger both absolutely and by comparison to other countries. It will again. It's unique construction and its history that lead the smartest and wisest men who ever conceived a government and a society in the way that they did is all it needed. 175 years of geographic remoteness from its adversaries and and a continent large territory of limitless bounty only put the icing on the cake. No other place on earth remains or has been so desirable a destination for people to relocate to and live their lives. It isn't utopia but it's the closest thing ever created on earth to it. That's what makes Europeans so jealous. They who thought they were everything turned out by comparison to be and have nothing. I've been there, seen it, breathed it, lived it, and grew to detest it. How nice it was to finally come home for good.
Are you a speech writer for every tinpot dictator thats ever been? Adolf would have been proud to have borrowed that rant and used it about Germany during the Munich rallies.
I'm all for patriotism but accuracy and humility is also a value
A quieter voice on the Obama speech 10:30pm on 04 Jun 2009 It was a good speech but will mean nothing unless it is backed up with deeds.

US foreign policy must deliver the aspirations of Obama's address or risk closing the slightly open fist of those it was aimed at.

Bin Laden's diatribe was nothing that wasn't expected and contained the usual nonsense although I agree with Justin that he may be rather vulnerable over changes in public opinion and the potential for change that the US now offers
More thoughts on my Obama interview 10:35pm on 03 Jun 2009 Despite all its faults, the BBC is still quite wonderful.

With regards to Justin's question, I think Obama is already learning that many in world do not hold dear the what he feels is sense, and that learning may well be rammed home completely by the end of his visit to the Middle East.

Perhaps the answer is to skip the current generation and concentrate on trying to encourage moderate thinking to next.
Obama in Iraq 8:43pm on 07 Apr 2009 #4

Loved the link although coming from the land that invented cheese in a can, biscuits and gravy, and grits......I'm taking the artical as firmly tongue in cheek :-)
Seducer-in-chief 8:41pm on 05 Apr 2009 I'm not seduced by him yet and I wasn't that impressed about the content of his Prague speech despite its fabulous delivery. There is not doubt he can work an audience. Don't get me wrong, Obama appears to be the best hope for America right now. Even in these early few days of his presidency, America's standing in world has dramtically risen. On face value he is a likable, intelligent and articulate man with good intentions for the future of America, and for the rest of the world. But right now these are just intentions. Lets see two to three years down the road whether his intentions have materialised into profound actions that benefit us all.

With regards to missile shield, I think he may be talking a little too soon as some acute diplomatic work needs to be conducted with Russia, who have threatened to massively re-arm and modernise their millitary if the shield starts being deployed.

After all this recent rhetoric about the fall of the wall and winning the cold war, is the Obama legacy going to be the president who put the wall back up, figuratively speeking.
Obama impresses at the press conference 08:15am on 03 Apr 2009 I saw him in his unfeasibly long motorcade on his way to Downing Street on Wednesday morning for breakfast. I read that he enjoyed the cullinary topical feast of the 'full english' breakfast although I wonder if he was tempted to leave the slice of black pudding. I also managed to glimpse the Mexican president later in the day whilst having a quick ciggy outside work. Strange that his motorcade was only three cars compared to Obama's dozen or so. I wonder if length of motorcade carries the same analagy as the size of your feet?

I also got called a fascist by a random protester as I happened to walk out of a government building. I had to smile.

«Newer
Older»

^ Back to top

BBC MMVI

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites

BBC.co.uk

BBC Blog Network

Find and talk to the BBC's bloggers.

User Profile

philzep