Nicolas Sarkozy, President of France. Sun Aquaris/MoonPiscesLike so many nations, France is in a right mess. Unemployment, social unrest, shambolic finances, a failing education system – and perhaps worst of all, no clear vision for the future.And Fr…
Tag: politics
Syria: The Blood-Dimmed Tide
A member of the Free Syrian Army, an avatar of Pluto wearing his helmet of invisibility.This poem was written by the Irish poet William Butler Yeats in the 1919 in the aftermath of World War 1 and the Easter Rising in Ireland. As well as being a poet, …
Posts About Burma
To celebrate the sweeping victory of Aung San Suu Kyi and her party in yesterday’s election, I’m posting links to all the pieces I’ve written about her and her country over the past 18 months.Aung San Suu Kyi: Embodying the People’s DreamBurma: The Ugl…
A Weird Week in Politics
PM David Cameron was last spotted eating a Cornish pasty two years ago.Ooo – the spin doctors have been getting themselves in a twist this week here in Blighty.I’ll explain briefly for my non-UK readers.First, Chancellor George Osborne cut the t…
Liberté, Egalité, Identité
The 1998 World Cup winning French football team was an emblem of French diversity. The National Front said it wasn’t “French” enough.France is having a weird and unnerving time of it. Everything that seemed certain about the country is being shaken, qu…
Thatcher’s Legacy, Saturn and Iron
Thatcher: Saturn RisingRecently, I asked a businesswoman friend, who was complaining about bankers’ bonuses, when she thought the rot had set in.She answered with one word: “Thatcher.”And she’s right, what we are experiencing now, financially and socia…
Will 2012 See A Falklands Rematch?
Margaret Thatcher in her prime in 1983.I have a few thoughts on potentials in the UK chart for 2012. Here’s one of them.Back in 2010, I predicted riots and a royal wedding for 2011, since I thought we were likely to see some themes from 1981 repeat.* I…
North Korea: The Tyrant is Dead, Long Live the Tyrant
A stamp commemorates Kim Jong Il’smeeting with Hu Jintao.Well, it’s been quite a year for departures, has it not. Ben Ali, Mubarak Bin Laden. Berlusconi, Papandreou, Havel. Kim Jong Il, North Korea’s beloved, is just the latest leader to vacate his thr…
Merkozy: Valkyrie
Merkozy: Scorpio Rising, Taurus Sun – not to be messed with.In Europe, there is someone in charge now and her name is Merkozy. It’s taken her a while to sort herself out, but she’s really beginning to wield the whip now. It’s not going to be easy, but …
Revisiting Cameron
Back in October I wrote a piece about David Cameron, which I think is worth re-reading. Here is the link.I asked this question: “Will he choose class or country?I ended with this short paragraph which turns out to have been on the money.”His country ne…