The Sunday Rumble: 2.10.16

The Sunday Rumble due at platform one is slightly late today because of interference on the line!  First of all, as I indicated yesterday, my sad life has been suddenly enlivened by the prospect of the Tory party conference - I know, I know, it says so much about me! - and that will take some of my afternoon.  Secondly, in a moment of madness this morning, I actually bought a copy of the newspaper produced by my ex-best friend, 'Rupe'.  Decades ago, only the threat of an imminent WWIII would have stopped me from reading The Sunday Times (ST) but when 'Rupe', no doubt under pressure to pay for all those ex-wives he has accumulated, began charging me to read his internet copy I switched to 'Her Maj's Daily Torygraph' which was free.  Anyway, this morning, at severe risk of a double hernia, I staggered home with The Sunday Times which must have taken half a Brazilian rain-forest to produce and I am still ploughing through it.  Anyway, all of that is just to assure my regular readers, both of you, that some rumbles will appear during the course of the day.  Whether they will be worth waiting for I leave you to judge!

'Israel, O, Israel':  One of the first things I read in the ST was an article by Ari Shavit (no, me neither!) who was mourning the death of Shimon Peres.  At this moment I will not attempt to paraphrase his views, suffice to say that he believes that "Today it is manifestly clear that if a profound change does not occur soon, Israel's democratic and moral identity will be in grave danger."  Even with my sketchy knowledge of all matters pertaining to the Middle East, I have sensed that all is not well in Israel.  I will leave it to my Jewish friends to comment.

'Gal done good'!  I crawl at the kitten-shoed feet of 'St. Theresa' salivating over the elegant leopard spots!  Yes, I actually watched her entire speech at the party conference, the first time I have ever watched more than 7 micro-seconds of any politician, er, except when the bloody-bloody 'do-flicker-thingie' goes missing and I can't hit the 'off' switch.  She was commanding but more than that she spoke good common-sense and in this she was fully supported by David Davis who will actually conduct the process of us departing from the EU - and we absolutely and definitely will be departing!  "Free again; happy, happy me again"!

The 'ST' was, well, alright, I suppose:  It was good to see that a couple of my favourite writers (David Smith and Irwin Stelzer) were still scribbling.  I don't always agree with them but they're worth reading.  I hadn't realised that the inimitable Rod Liddle wrote for 'Rupe', I thought he was the preserve of us posh 'Speccie' readers.  Typically, he found the amusing side of the current kerfuffle over the Women's International Chess tournament which is to be held in Iran.  Some of the western ladies are refusing to attend because the mad mullahs are insisting that they must wear head scarves.  Naughty Mr. Liddle wondered whether the four bishops on each board would have to be decapitated, and the knights might be banned for their past misdeeds during the Crusades.

 

No more rumbles today

 

Comments

[Loz]

Even the arch-B-worders know oblivion beckons: -

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/10/01/this-is-the-only-way-brexit-wont-plunge-us-over-the-cliff/

SoD

[whitewall]

Israel is under siege not only by Arabs, but by Jews world wide. This human refuse under the banner of the BDS movement is the very worst.

[mike fowle]

Dominic Lawson is usually worth reading, I think, and Rod Liddle but otherwise there is an awful lot of dross in the ST these days.

[Dom]

Didn't Khomeini ban chess from Iran, because of his (wrong) belief that it is an American game?

[mike fowle]

The ST sneaks in lots of anti-Brexit stories in their money and business pages and wherever else they can (Travel, Homes etc.). It's almost as irritating as SOD.

[TheBigHenry]

Apropos the beheading of chess bishops in Iran, I believe the kings will have to be circumcised if they hadn't been already. And then the queens will likely have to undergo Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). As for all the contestants in the Women's International Chess tournament ...

[AussieD]

There are no Kings, Knights or Bishops in Wymmins Chess as they represent the repressive male dominated heteronormative society the wymminses hate so much. Well there might be a couple of female Bishops I suppose given the tendency of the Anglican Church to be progressive.

Is male chess so physically taxing that there needs to be a wymminses tournament?

As for Israel I do not know any of my fellow Jews who are not fully supportive of Israel. I have never been there and do not intend to go for no other reason than it is not high on my list of things I must do before I have to explain all my past misdeeds to my Maker and I doubt I'll get down the list far enough to visit Israel. Then I might not be a good source as my Jewish [and non-Jewish] friends seem to be to the right of that notorious Socialist Wimp Ghengis Khan.

As a totally irrelevant comment one of my Uncles, a soldier in the 7th Division, 2nd AIF, visited Israel [then the British Mandated Territory of Palestine]on his way to punch up the Vichy French in Syria and then the Germans and Italians in North Africa. As this is a blog of genteel nature I will not repeat his opinion of Arabs.

[Andra]

Well, Aussie D, I have a pretty fair idea of what your good uncle's thoughts on Arabs may have been.
I have thoughts on Arabs and they're not pretty.
When I was living in St. Kilda many, many years ago I very nearly went, along with everybody else in my area, to Israel to fight in the 6 day war. As it happens, the war was over before any of us got organised.
But, I'm ready! Well, almost.

[AussieD]

G'day Andra,

June 1967 I was in uniform in HM's service and she takes a dim view of her personnel participating in "foreign wars" if we are not a belligerent party.

There was however a strong feeling and expression of support for Israel among my fellow officers.