Alex Massie

Alex Massie

Thursday

Alex Massie

Al-Qaeda Meets John Landis

From our UK edition

According to the US military, sporting a Casio F-91W wristwatch* is a telling sign that you may be up to no good. Indeed, you may well be a member of al-Qaeda or one of its affiliates. Other things that raise suspicions: satellite phones, bundles of cash, military transceivers and, um, "secret notes". Naturally, this recalls one of the great moments in cinematic history: Now they know we're on to this trick, of course, al-Qaeda will need to find a new supplier. *Surely a word that no longer requires the "wrist" bit?

Alex Massie

Economists vs Politicians

From our UK edition

Tyler Cowen has a fairly downbeat assessment of the UK economy's likely future performance (manufacturing base eroded, tourism not enough, too dependent on finance etc) but he makes a pair of characteristically good points about trimming public spending: 1. The case for the cuts is not that they will spur growth, but rather forestall a future disaster.  That’s hard to test.  A second part of the case is that not many political windows for the cuts will be available; that’s hard to test too.  On that basis, it’s fine to call the case for the cuts underestablished, but that’s distinct from claiming that poor gdp performance shows the cuts to be a mistake. 2.

Alex Massie

Cameron’s Rope-A-Dope Strategy

From our UK edition

Granted, Dave is no Muhammad Ali* and the idea of comparing Ed Miliband to George Foreman is one of the more preposterous notions ever conceived by man. Nevertheless, I wonder if Cameron, backed by his cornermen George and Nick, are playing rope-a-dope with Labour. This may not have been what they envisaged when they took office last year and it may be a strategy developed in extremis and one forced upon them by a suddenly developed appraisal of their own weakness. Nevertheless, if it is a plan it is one that might work. This thought was sparked by Fraser's excellent post on the signs that the government has taken the first steps towards reframing the argument about cuts. This is the latest move in a long game.

Alex Massie

Alex Salmond and Donald Trump

From our UK edition

Since Donald Trump and the Birthers are everywhere today, I wonder if Alex Salmond winces at the memory of being described by Trump as "an amazing man"? I hope so. For Salmond's role in the saga of Trump's plans to build a golf course and, just as importantly, hundreds of "villas" on one of the more spectacular pieces of Aberdeenshire coastline was not one of the SNP ministry's finer moments. To recap, Aberdeenshire council rejected Trump's application to build two golf courses, a hotel and his houses on the Menie Estate (pictured above). The Scottish government, as it is wont* to do, called in the application and to precisely no-one's surprise over-ruled the council and gave Trump permission to build the "greatest golf course in the world".

Wednesday

Alex Massie

Obama Feeds the Birthers

From our UK edition

What's this? Oh, look, it's President Obama's "long-form" birth certificate and you can see it in all its fraudulent glory here. Will this put an end to "birtherism"? How can it since birtherism is impervious to reality? Dan Pfeiffer, White House Communications Director, argues: At a time of great consequence for this country – when we should be debating how we win the future, reduce our deficit, deal with high gas prices, and bring stability to the Middle East, Washington, DC, was once again distracted by a fake issue.  The President’s hope is that with this step, we can move on to debating the bigger issues that matter to the American people and the future of the country. Pull the other one. Who benefits from the latest Trump-fed outbreak of birtherism?

Alex Massie

Petraeus to CIA; Panetta to the Pentagon

From our UK edition

Robert Gates, the US Secretary of Defense, is stepping down and will be replaced, it is reported today, by Leon Panetta. Panetta, currently head of the CIA will in turn be succeeded by General David Petraeus. Gates of course is an ex-CIA guy himself but these latest appointments make it clearer than ever that CIA is all but an adjunct to DoD. That may not be a bad thing (and most of the intelligence budget is already spent by DoD anyway) but it does make one wonder about CIA's future. Politically speaking, both men will be easily confirmed and that's no small consideration for the administration but it also suggests, I suspect, that the forthcoming National Security Council review of Afghan and Pakistan-related policy won't recommend much more than "More of the Same.

Alex Massie

The Wedding Dog That Barked

From our UK edition

That, Watson, was the remarkable thing about the Royal Wedding: the dog barked and still no-one heard it. You can scarcely open a paper this week without encountering yet another thumbsucker on the future of the monarchy. Most of these, such as this New York Times effort from John Burns, suggest the old ship needs urgent repairs. Frequently this will be accompanied by yet another piece complaining that the press is devoting far too much attention to the whole anachronistic palaver. Someone, somewhere will complain this week that they've yet to meet anyone at all interested in Prince William's marriage. This will echo Pauline Kael's complaint that she'd never encountered a Nixon voter.

Tuesday

Alex Massie

Obama’s Love of Cake

From our UK edition

Ryan Lizza's New Yorker article on the development of Barack Obama's approach to foreign policy is, as always, full of interestig stuff even if, perhaps unavoidably, I suspect it depends a little too heavily upon the Slaughter-Power approach. Nevertheless, Ryan gets to the heart of Obama's presidency - or at least the style of it - here: Obama’s instinct was to try to have it both ways. He wanted to position the United States on the side of the protesters: it’s always a good idea, politically, to support brave young men and women risking their lives for freedom, especially when their opponent is an eighty-two-year-old dictator with Swiss bank accounts.

Alex Massie

Labour’s Secret Weapon: Stupidity

From our UK edition

I don't think this is a very good idea: Senior staffers in Ed Miliband’s office started briefing Scottish hacks last night that Miliband is now going to take a much more "hands on" approach to the campaign. Miliband has only made one, brief appearance in the campaign so far. But he and Ed Balls are due to be in Scotland this week to push a more strident "anti-independence" message. I suppose it's possible that this might resurrect Labour's fortunes but it seems unlikely. And that's partly because Labour have run such a drab, dreary, depressing campaign. Their principle approach to policy has been to thieve stuff from the SNP and rewrap it in Labour cloth, trusting that voters will think it belonged to Labour all along.

Alex Massie

Worthwhile Canadian Attack

From our UK edition

I agree with Matt Yglesias: this Canadian Conservative hit on Michael Ignatieff is great*: *I mean great as in thoroughly, entertainingly, usefully reprehensible...

Saturday

Alex Massie

Saturday Morning Country: Flatt and Scruggs

From our UK edition

Here are Lester and Earl with the boys and, bless 'em, a lovely little sales pitch to put everyone in the mood for some old time harmony. Since it's Easter this seems like a good time to sing I'm On My Way to Canaan's Land...

Friday

Alex Massie

The Small State Penalty

From our UK edition

Low name-recognition and his dangerously sensible opinions hamper Gary Johnson's bid for the Presidency but so, alas, does his background. New Mexico, delightful though it is, just isn't a good place from which to run for national office. Small states do not produce many presidential contenders and Bill Clinton is, once again, the exception to that general rule. The last 13 Presidents have come from Illinois*, Texas, Arkansas, Texas, California, Georgia, Michigan, California, Texas, Massachusetts. Kansas, Missouri, New York. Clinton is exceptional and Eisenhower's base was the mighty US Army rather than sparsely-populated Kansas. All the others come from one of the 20 most-populous states. So too do most defeated Presidential nominees.

Alex Massie

There’ll always be a France

From our UK edition

The sensitive chaps at the CRS are always up for a fight. This time it's their turn to battle the French government: The notorious Compagnies Républicaines de Sécurité, or CRS, are outraged at an official decree stating they can no longer drink wine or beer with their meals. Until now, a civilised tipple was part of the daily lunch menu of the controversial force, lauded by Nicolas Sarkozy, whose trademark black body armour and riot shields are a regular feature on French streets. A glass of wine, beer or cider – but not spirits – was always permitted with lunch, including while on duty. Even packed lunches provided out of riot vans while they were patrolling demonstrations came with a can of beer or glass of wine.

Thursday

Alex Massie

The Man Who Should Be President

From our UK edition

It's not at all fair to call Gary Johnson the pot-candidate but that's how the former governor of New Mexico is going to be known, to the extent he is known at all, in this depressing, currently-witless, Republican primary. From a personal point of view I give not even half a hoot about marijuana or other currently-prohibited drugs. I don't favour 'em. But so what? The Drug War must end sometime and sooner seems a better notion than later. If President Johnson were to end the Drug War* and that were his sole achievement in office he'd have done more good than any President in 40 years. Not since Milton Friedman helped end the draft has there been a better cause.

Alex Massie

The AV Game is Lost

From our UK edition

I despair. Or, if it makes any of us happier, I give up. When even a chap as intelligent as my friend Daniel Korski completely misunderstands everything about the Alternative Vote I can only conclude that the game's a bogey. It's done and First Past the Post will be with us for at least another generation. That's fine. Elections have consequences and all that. Nor is AV especially brilliant. Then again, nor is FPTP or any other system. They each have their strengths and weaknesses. I take a fairly disinterested view of it all. The Yes campaign, however, has been utterly inept. All that need be said in favour of AV (perhaps all that can be said) is that it ensures all MPs attract at least grudging acceptance from a majority of those constituents prepared to vote.

Alex Massie

In Praise of Alastair Sim

From our UK edition

There is, I confess, little pressing need to post this clip from The Happiest Days of Your Life beyond the fact that a) it is always good to see Alastair Sim in action and b) this thought was triggered by this, entirely unrelated, story* in the Scotsman which quotes the head of Universities Scotland - a chap named Alastair Sim. The Happiest Days of Your Life, you will recall, is a splendid caper during which the exigencies of wartime demand a girls' school be sequestered at a boys' boarding school. Alastair Sim is the much put-upon headmaster and Margaret Rutherford the splendid headmistress. As always, Sim is the real star however.

Wednesday

Alex Massie

The Billy Boys are Back in Town

From our UK edition

Neil Lennon, the Celtic manager, is not normally an especially sympathetic figure. But so what? Here's the big news from Scotland today: Three prominent figures associated with Celtic Football Club have been sent potentially lethal home-made letter bombs. Celtic manager Neil Lennon, his QC Paul McBride and the politician Trish Godman, a Celtic supporter, were each sent a package containing improvised explosives with the power to kill or severely wound the recipient. Can we agree that this is getting out of hand? Assassination attempts - which is what this is - open a new front in football's most depressing rivalry. At this point it's customary to blame both sides and appear above the fray. But no-one's sending bullets and parcel bombs to Walter Smith are they?

Tuesday

Alex Massie

We’re Gonna Need A Bigger Mini-Van

From our UK edition

Sure, the Scottish edition of the Sun splashes with Play It Again Salm as it endorses the SNP but its Irish sibling has a much better story:   River Beast's Rampage and Farmer Attacked by Furbag are just extra, glorious, titillating teasers. But this is what happens when you forsake the Horse Outside for a van...

Monday

Alex Massie

The Sun Shines on Salmond

From our UK edition

Severin Carrell reports that tomorrow's edition of the Sun will endorse Alex Salmond and the SNP. This should not surprise anyone. I suspect most of the Scottish press will support, albeit with significant qualifications, the Nationalists. The most significant of those qualifications is that this is a Holyrood election, not a Westminster one. Endorsing the SNP does not require anyone to support independence it's merely making the best of a poor job and recognising that the Nats are a more attractive choice than Labour. The press is prepared to back Salmond but only because independence is not on the immediate or even medium-term agenda. If it were the Nats would find themselves defriended by many of their erstwhile backers in the press.

Alex Massie

The AV Referendum Discredits Referendums

From our UK edition

The only thing that has been proved by this referendum on changing the electoral system used for Westminster elections is that referendums are a hopeless way of deciding these matters. Neither the politicians nor the press have distinguished themselves during an affair that's been distinguished by the mendacity of almost all the protagonists, the hysteria of partisans on both sides and the sheer quantity of lumpen stupidity on display. It has not been an edifying or comforting process. Today alone has seen a spectacular amount of hyperbollocks. Andrew Sparrow's Guardian live-blog is grim reading. As ever the Yes campaign's sanctimonious suggestion that AV will cleanse all that's supposed to be wrong with British politics is on full display.