The guest list for the royal wedding sparked controversy on Sunday after monarchs from countries with poor rights records were invited but two former prime ministers were not.
Rights groups criticised Prince William and Kate Middleton for inviting foreign royals from Bahrain, Swaziland and other nations where authorities have violently suppressed pro-democracy protests in recent weeks. (more)
From 1968 through 1992, we liberal Democrats had largely given up hope that we could maintain our liberal principles and still be competitive in presidential elections. It was the Democratic Leadership Council or DLC, created by a young congressional staffer from Indiana named Al From, who gave us hope of winning back the presidency. The result: two terms of Bill Clinton, and hopefully, two terms of Barack Obama. (more)
Literary Review recently gave its annual bad sex writing award to Rowan Somerville for The Shape of Her, which spread to the masses this magnificent image: “Like a lepidopterist mounting a tough-skinned insect with a too blunt pin he screwed himself into her.” But professional novelists aren’t the only ones guilty of bad sex writing, and it’s time to give others their due. Here, we’ve assembled TNR’s list of the worst sex scenes penned by prominent political figures, from Tony Blair to Newt Gingrich to Gary Hart. Click through to read them if you’re feeling brave. (more)
TORONTO (AP) — Former British prime minister Tony Blair said Friday his religious beliefs did not play a role in his decision to support the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq during a debate about the merits of religion in Toronto. (more)
When a government sells stock in a company, it is usually trying to maximize short-term revenue. Therefore, the share price is normally pegged at what the market will bear. If the valuation of the total stock offering is less than the value of the company (or a portion thereof) being sold, something is amiss. That is certainly the case with the initial public offering of GM stock sold to investors on November 17. The stock price is telling us something the federal government doesn’t want to admit, all the rhetoric about the supposed success of the GM bailout notwithstanding. (more)
Daniel Hannan is the author of the new book,”The New Road to Serfdom: A Letter of Warning to America.” The pro-American British politician is currently a Member of the European Parliament. (more)
A candid former British Prime Minister Tony Blair stands by his and the Bush administration’s decision to pursue the Iraq war, even as he expresses regret for the lives lost in the conflict. (more)
DUBLIN (AP) — Protesters hurled shoes and eggs Saturday at Tony Blair who held the first public signing of his memoir amid high security in Ireland’s capital. Hundreds more people lined up to have their books autographed — evidence that the divisions left by Blair’s decade as British leader have yet to heal. (more)
In his memoir ‘A Journey’ Mr Blair describes being at a friend’s house where the two had met to discuss who would take over as Labour leader following the sudden death of John Smith in 1994. (more)
Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will appear with President Obama and Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas at the White House and speak prior to a working dinner in the Old Family Dining Room which will include Jordanian King Abdullah II and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. Here is the full text of Netanyahu’s remarks as prepared for delivery:
“I am very pleased to be here today to begin our common effort to achieve a lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians. (more)
Tony Blair today lays the blame for Labour’s election ‘disaster’ with Gordon Brown and reveals he dealt with the’maddening’ pressure from his former chancellor to step aside by drinking to excess. (more)
Despite what you may think, Dhimmicrats are not Democrats. A dhimmicrat is a Western official who uses his position of power and influence to clear the pathway for the spread of shariah–the law they have in Saudi Arabia. Dhimmi is the Arabic word for the low status person–all non-Muslims–who live under sharia. (more)
LONDON (AP) — In just a few days, new Prime Minister David Cameron has openly declared Britain is no more than the “junior partner” of the U.S., irritated Israelis by calling Gaza a prison camp and enraged Pakistanis by suggesting their country exports terrorism. (more)
WASHINGTON (AP) — BP’s oil spill notoriety is reviving unwelcome attention from Congress on another issue: whether the oil company sought the release of convicted Lockerbie bomber Abdel Baset al-Megrahi to help get a $900 million exploration agreement with Libya off the ground. (more)
Since President Barack Obama took office, the U.S.-U.K. “special relationship” has been in free fall. The first manifestation of this decline, shortly after the President’s inauguration, was Obama’s sudden return of the Winston Churchill bust from the Oval Office, loaned to the U.S. by the British people as a gesture of solidarity after 9/11. A series of incidents followed. Now, the British even see the Obama administration’s treatment of BP in the wake of the Gulf oil spill in this light. Rough periods in the relationship are nothing new, but this one is different and likely will prove very difficult to undo, if it isn’t already too late. (more)
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel is likely to significantly ease the land blockade of Gaza in coming days in an effort to blunt the international outcry over its deadly raid on a blockade-busting flotilla, officials said Wednesday. (more)
LONDONDERRY, Northern Ireland (AP) — Relatives of 13 Catholic demonstrators shot to death by British troops on Northern Ireland’s Bloody Sunday cried tears of joy Tuesday as an epic fact-finding probe ruled that their loved ones were innocent and the soldiers entirely to blame for the 1972 slaughter. (more)
The famed ‘special relationship’ between the United States and the United Kingdom began on Sept. 11. (more)
LONDON (AP) — Britain ushered in its first coalition government since World War II on Wednesday as a pair of rivals-turned-partners pledged to set aside their deep policy differences and tackle the country’s disastrous budget deficit. (more)
LONDON (AP) — The two parties that could form Britain’s next government held hours of closed-door talks Sunday without reaching a power-sharing deal, and there are fears that the political uncertainty could stoke market jitters when trading reopens Monday. (more)
