The Sunday Rumble: 8.5.16

Khan can:   Can - what? you might well ask, no doubt irritated by yet another of my cryptic headings.  Let me explain.   Mr. Sadiq Khan, a Muslim, has just been elected mayor of 'Londonistan', as one of the American papers put it.  As usual, this blog attempts to peer through its usual fog of ignorance and try to assess Mr. Khan and what effect he will have.  Alas, I know next to nothing of the man so any views expressed here need to be taken with even more scepticism than usual.  However, one fact appears to be established and that is his inherent dislike of 'Jezza' who failed to turn up for Mr. Khan's investiture.  Already there is journalistic talk of Mr. Khan challenging 'Jezza' for the leadership of the Labour party - splendid!  Personally, I was not too surprised at his success in the London mayor election.  The dimwits who appear to run the Tory party chose an utterly pathetic candidate in the form of the multi-zillionaire, Mr. Zac Goldsmith, and he received the thrashing he deserved.  Given the fact that London is now, to all intents and purposes, a foreign city inside England, then Mr. Khan is not an unreasonable choice to be its mayor.  From the very little I know of him I think he is a good choice although, no doubt, he will make his mistakes.  But more important, I think he stands as a symbol for moderate Muslims in this country who can see that one of their own can rise to high office.  And there are, indeed, a great many moderate Muslims in this land.  There are constant 'SHLOCK-HORROR' stories concerning the 600-odd Muslim youths who have gone to Syria to fight for ISIS but my reaction is to ask, 'is that all?'  Young men always want to pick up a gun and go to war and Muslim young men are no exception.  Most of those that don't get killed will eventually come back older and wiser!  Anyway, good luck to Mr. Khan.  I hope he can keep clear of the graft and bribery that is endemic amongst so many of his fellow Muslim politicians - and occasionally their Christian counterparts.  We shall see what we shall see!

 

My American affairs correspondent, JK, turns up Trumps:   He pointed me towards an article by Glenn Greenwald at The Intercept in which Mr. Greenwald, who is a very naughty boy, reprinted links to all those distinguished media commentators, including 'The Kraut' (such lèse-majesté!), who snorted their derision at the possibility of Trump winning anything other than a booby prize.  "Oh dear, what a falling off was there"!  You have been warned, do not, under any circs, assume that 'The Donald' will fail against 'HillBilly'!

 

Time to dance a jig on the political body of George Galloway:   Some of my regular commenters are doing their impersonations of Pte. Fraser from Dad's Army as they insist that following the election of Sadiq Khan, "We're all doomed!"  However, such is their anguish that they have missed the really great, heart-warming news from the London mayoral election which Robert Colville at The Coffee House has much pleasure in rubbing in - the fact that George Galloway has been totally and utterly humiliated by finishing bottom of the candidates having gained only a miserly 1.4% of the vote.

Will that be the last we see of this dreadful old chancer?  Probably not because Ken Livingstone and Seumas Milne of the (so-called) Labour party would like him back in the fold.  Incidentally, Milne, that ex-public schoolboy and virulent Marxist is claimed by Galloway to be his best friend.  With friends like that who needs enemies? 

 

Will she or won't she?   This is the predominant question of the day.  I refer to Ms. Katie Hopkins who, to my surprise, writes for The Daily Mail which the 'Memsahib' insists that I buy everyday.  I do read it, or at least, skim it, but Ms. Hopkins has eluded my scrutiny - until now!  Apparently, she vowed that if Sadiq Khan beat her favourite, Zac Goldsmith, she would run naked up Regent Street with a sausage up her bum!  I assume that out of religious discretion it would not be a pork sausage!

I am also hoping that this is not a picture of her practicing to insert the sausage!  You may remember that Mr. Dan Hodges once promised to streak down Whitehall in a Nigel Farage mask if UKIP exceeded a certain percentage of the vote.  Eventually he kept his promise although to avoid the attention of 'the plod' he did wear his underpants.  Apropos these two similar promises, it is interesting to note that Mr. Hodges, a proper political commentator, chose Whitehall as his venue where-as Ms. Hopkins prefers Regent Street.  See, you just can't stop these ladies from window shopping at the best fashion houses whatever the circs!

 

And talking of the estimable Mr. Hodges:   I am missing him at my usual first stop at The Telegraph each morning.  However, all is not lost because he now seems to be writing a weekly column for The Mail on Sunday.  His reports on the civil war now raging inside the Labour (non)party are illuminating.  Today he points at 'the bleedin' obvious' that the only way forward for Labour is to split and the sooner it happens the better for what I might call 'the normals':

It is a fantasy. A fantasy that Jeremy Corbyn, John McDonnell and Diane Abbott can happily – or even grudgingly – exist alongside Chuka Umunna, Dan Jarvis and Liz Kendall. Pick any issue of import. Defence. Foreign policy. Law and order. Immigration. Welfare. Economic policy. The two Labour parties do not just hold different opinions, they sit on opposite sides of diametrically opposed ideological battle lines.

The Lib-Dem rump should pay close attention because it's not the US cavalry that potentially is riding to their rescue but the 'normals' from the Labour party who constitute the second coming of the SDP who rescued them back in the '80s.  Proof, perhaps, that what goes around, comes around.

 

Is this really JK's house?   As you all know, 'JK' is a regular contributor to this distinguished blog and his home state is Arkansas.  The Mail is running a story today illustrating the most expensive houses for sale in the USA, state by state, and this is the winner in 'Arkieland':

I can believe it might be JK's place because it obviously has large storage facilities at ground level which JK's business partner, Mr. Barney Magroo, 'Purveyor of Fine Wines to the Arkansas Gentry', could store his, er, product pending distribution!  All yours for a mere $5 mil! 

 

No more rumbles today

 

Comments

[AussieD]

will eventually come back older and wiser

If you pick up a gun and go and fight in some foreign religious war, particularly if the forces of your own country are involved, then there should be no return to where ever you came from.

No ifs, no buts, just goodbye Sunshine and give my regards to the virgins.

[backofanenvelope]

Mr Khan is supposedly one of those "cuddly" moderate Muslims. We are asked to believe that he both believes and doesn't believe in the holy instructions given to him by the Koran. We are also asked to believe that he is a socialist who doesn't really believe in socialism. I wonder what he really believes?

As to the muslims who go to fight in Syria, they are there to commit murder. If they come back, they should be treated accordingly. Or are you saying that murdering foreigners is OK?

[David Duff]

I agree, AussieD, that if a citizen goes off to fight against the forces of their own country they deserve severe punishment. However, 18-year old young men going off to fight in another country against this, that or the other *internal* groups within that country is none of my business!

"I wonder what he really believes?" BOE, you could ask that question of just about any politician in this country! As to your second point, I assume that we were exceedingly lax in not hanging those British subjects, like George Orwell, who went off to fight in the Spanish civil war!

[Antisthenes]

A lot is known about Mr Khan and there are assumptions to be made that can be pretty accurate. For one he describes moderate Muslims as uncle Toms. Nice chap. He shares platforms with hard line Muslims who are homophobic misogynist anti-semetics. He is for everything that the left say they are not but in truth are.

Left wing he probable is by inclination but will be anything you want if it is to secure your vote. No doubt he will be a bad mayor as he will impose left wing policies and practices on London. When he declarers a caliphate changes over to Sharia law is anybody's guess. Probably not in first term in office but you never know the rate that Islam is taking over our culture it could happen any time.

[AussieD]

"the rate that Islam is taking over our culture it could happen any time".

In reading a wide range of sources from the UK I sense there is a growing anger in the "ordinary" Anglo/Celtic citizens of the UK that may eventually see the words in Kipling's "The Wrath of the Awakened Saxon" prove to be prophetic.

You can only push a people so far before they react and the further and harder you push them the more violent the reaction. Not a pretty thought but history is full of examples of such occurrences.

[David Duff]

You may be right, Antis, but his wife appears to be thoroughly 'westernised' and Khan himself is described by Nick Cohen as "a centre-left social democrat". He held ministerial office under Gordon Brown but refused to take his ministerial salary. 'The Speccie' voted him 'Newcomer of the Year' in their parliamentary round-up. Of course, he's a soppy socialist but, on the face of it, a very decent one.

[David Duff]

Sorry, AussieD, we crossed over. Yes, too much immigration will cause tensions, so all the more reason to support people like Sadiq Khan who have been Anglicised, so to speak, and who will provide a useful example to his fellow Muslims. And yes, some of them will never learn but we must just deal with them as and when they erupt.

[Antisthenes]

Duffers you are not paying attention. If the company he keeps and the things he says makes him a moderate Muslim then ISIS are a bunch of angels. He reminds me of lefties who wish to create their lefty Utopia through social democracy the means may be different but the aims are the same as and old Trot. My perception is he would like to create a socialist Islamic state. That is where we are headed with or without his participation and as far as I can see the progressives and Islamists have got that pretty much sewn up.

[David Duff]

Read his Wiki entry, Antis, and do calm down!

[Backofanenvelope]

If too much immigration causes tensions, then the solution is obvious!

[David Duff]

I look forward, BOE, to your definition of "too much immigration"!

[Whitewall]

AussieD, "The Wrath of the Awakened Saxon" had better hurry up. When a culture is being eaten away of its muscle and tendon from the inside, time is short.

There is no such thing as moderate Islam. There is only Islam. When a religion and the people who hold it are in crisis, they can resort to the original writings of that religion for comfort and guidance. For Christians that would be the Gospels of the New Testament. For Muslims, the Koran and all its descriptive violence which hasn't changed.

[Whitewall]

David, according to that photo of Ms. Hopkins, she has not only located the sausage necessary for the job but has successfully installed it where promised. I wonder if the police will clear a path for her as I don't think she will run that far? I'm betting about three shops distance. Film at eleven.

[JK]

Check the spam box David!

[JK]

"Check his Wiki entry Antis, and calm down!"

Yep. Wikipedia is always ...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hillary_Clinton

[backofanenvelope]

"I look forward, BOE, to your definition of "too much immigration"!"

I start from the position that we are full up. Ideally we would export some of the recent arrivals. Being English (well - Anglo-Irish), I am too tolerant and nice to start deporting people willy-nilly. However, there would seem some scope to start doing that. I noticed that Mrs May just failed to deport 6 Algerians. I would fix the laws so that she could do that. Once we have got a system established, we could operate one out/one in. With the Algerians gone, we could admit half a dozen brain surgeons.

[JK]

Just pay attention to the link's first sentence:

http://thefederalist.com/2016/05/06/6-best-things-about-paul-ryan-being-not-ready-to-support-trump/

"Paul Ryan says he wants to support Donald Trump but will need assurances that the standard bearer for the Republican Party will uphold its principles."

***

Now, who said, "Madame Speaker, I break my principles in order to keep my principles" (at 2:14)? And who may've inadvertently given a truthful statement which was immediately "evolved" (at 3:01)?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RyJBZYz858M

[Cuffleyburgers]

For what it's worth I totally support Duffer's position on this issue. The problem with Khan is not that he's a muslim it's that he's a socialist, but that is relatively normal for big cities.

More to the point, wtf was Cameron thinking to put up that hopeless f@cker, Goldsmith.

[Whitewall]

Can't be JKs place...no trailer hitch and no wheels left showing under the house. Also, horror of horrors, no cars in the yard perched on blocks. I think I know NCs home and it ain't mine.

[JK]

Nope Whitewall, not mine (but very nearby, matter of fact its my former State Representative's).

Mine was built strictly according to the codes as formulated and required by the ATF. For instance, every single receptacle (electrical power outlets) and every single lighting fixture was specced to be "explosion proof."

My "first means of disconnect" (from the electrical grid) is precisely fifteen feet from a fire-hydrant and there's a rotating strobe in place of the usual "Arkie-hood" weather vane.

The firetrucks that serve my Arkiehood are foam-sprayers only.

[john malpas]

Does any of this matter?
You are all becoming foreigners in your own country.
If Churchill had been so 'tolerant' you would now all be speaking German.

[backofanenvelope]

Interesting point. We have a short holiday in Germany most years. The biggest change I notice is the use of English. They all speak it well enough to get by. Shops have names in English. Many lorries have English on their sides, including company names. I wonder what effect this will have.

[David Duff]

Blimey, Whiters, I just checked out the NC house. I'm surprised you haven't put in a bid. Just think, you could go fishin' every day without getting out of bed!

[Whitewall]

David, don't I know it!