Monday, December 31, 2007
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari assumes leadership of PPP-Can the party remain united?
The Pakistan People's Party (PPP) has named Benazir Bhutto's son Bilawal, an Oxford University student, as its chairman.
Asif Zardari Benazir’s husband will act as co-chairman. PPP vice president Makhdoom Amin Fahim and the party's Punjab province president Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi will serve on an 'advisory council' for the new leader.
This decision is fraught with difficulties. Bilawal is only 19 years old and lacks maturity and political experience for such an onerous task. To all intents and purposes it appears that Zardari is the new de facto leader until such time as Bilawal is groomed to assume the leadership. Zardari has numerous critics in Pakistan. He is unpopular amongst large sections of the electorate and probably lacks the magnetism necessary to woo sceptical voters. Can he work with the advisory council? It is doubtful if the party can remain united in the long term.
51 years old Sanam (Benazir’s) sister is popular amongst PPP members but is unwilling to take over the leadership. She is probably best equipped to maintain party unity.
Asif Zardari Benazir’s husband will act as co-chairman. PPP vice president Makhdoom Amin Fahim and the party's Punjab province president Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi will serve on an 'advisory council' for the new leader.
This decision is fraught with difficulties. Bilawal is only 19 years old and lacks maturity and political experience for such an onerous task. To all intents and purposes it appears that Zardari is the new de facto leader until such time as Bilawal is groomed to assume the leadership. Zardari has numerous critics in Pakistan. He is unpopular amongst large sections of the electorate and probably lacks the magnetism necessary to woo sceptical voters. Can he work with the advisory council? It is doubtful if the party can remain united in the long term.
51 years old Sanam (Benazir’s) sister is popular amongst PPP members but is unwilling to take over the leadership. She is probably best equipped to maintain party unity.
Ireland-Willie O'Dea TD suffers from amnesia in his diatribe on virtual/ "Sat Nav" politics
Willie O'Dea in an article in to days Sunday Independent savages blogs and discussion forums. He conveniently forgets -that through the medium of his regular Sunday Independent column- he gets priceless publicity to vent political spleen on the opposition. Kilnascully in print. His columns are biased and skewed. Today -as usual- he lambasts the FG party. I see no right of reply in the Sunday Independent for FG . Whether Willie O'Dea likes it or not Blogs and Bloggers are here to stay. They play a major role in US politics and have brought to international prominence atrocities in Burma and elsewhere. Their influence will continue to grow.
Blogs and discussion forums are essential to ensure the maintenance of a healthy democracy. They provide alternative view points especially if these are excluded by the regular media. Politicians such as Mr O'Dea cannot muzzle them-once they adhere to the laws of libel. Hence the hysteria.
This is the politician who claimed that he was concerned at the loss of the Shannon to Heathrow service. In a Dáil debate on the issue O'Dea remained silent despite his continuous criticism of the Government decision in newspapers and on TV. He voted with the Government in the Dail to consign the service to oblivion. He forgot to include this in his opinion piece. He is obviously suffering from a loss of memory. Me thinks he doth protest too much.
Blogs and discussion forums are essential to ensure the maintenance of a healthy democracy. They provide alternative view points especially if these are excluded by the regular media. Politicians such as Mr O'Dea cannot muzzle them-once they adhere to the laws of libel. Hence the hysteria.
This is the politician who claimed that he was concerned at the loss of the Shannon to Heathrow service. In a Dáil debate on the issue O'Dea remained silent despite his continuous criticism of the Government decision in newspapers and on TV. He voted with the Government in the Dail to consign the service to oblivion. He forgot to include this in his opinion piece. He is obviously suffering from a loss of memory. Me thinks he doth protest too much.
Saturday, December 29, 2007
Huckabee is a progressive conservative who looks to the future
Mike Huckabee supports the Fair Tax. A President Huckabee would be a tax cutter. The Fair Tax will instantly make American products 12 to 25% more competitive because the cost of those goods will no longer be inflated by corporate taxes, costs of tax compliance, and Social Security matching payments. The alternative is the status quo, which will ensure Chinese dominance within 20 years.
Huckabee faced a $200 million shortfall in 2002 in Arkansas. He left a surplus of nearly $850 million, which he urged should go back to the people in the form of tax cuts. Students made real achievement gains - not just on state tests but also the more challenging National Assessment of Educational Progress - during his term as governor. He worked hard to secure badly needed improvements to the state's highway and road infrastructure. Mike Huckabee was a Republican governor in a Democratic state, with a constitution that restricted the power he could wield on his own. He did exceptionally well.
Bob Novak criticized Mike Huckabee for a “47 percent increase in state tax burden.” But during Huckabee’s years in office, total state tax burden — all 50 states combined — rose by twice as much: 98 percent, increasing from $743 billion in 1993 to $1.47 trillion in 2005.[Source for this statistic –Dick Morris]
Read article titled Mike Huckabee is a fiscal conservative by Dick Morris at:
http://www.dickmorris.com/blog/?p=203
Huckabee faced a $200 million shortfall in 2002 in Arkansas. He left a surplus of nearly $850 million, which he urged should go back to the people in the form of tax cuts. Students made real achievement gains - not just on state tests but also the more challenging National Assessment of Educational Progress - during his term as governor. He worked hard to secure badly needed improvements to the state's highway and road infrastructure. Mike Huckabee was a Republican governor in a Democratic state, with a constitution that restricted the power he could wield on his own. He did exceptionally well.
Bob Novak criticized Mike Huckabee for a “47 percent increase in state tax burden.” But during Huckabee’s years in office, total state tax burden — all 50 states combined — rose by twice as much: 98 percent, increasing from $743 billion in 1993 to $1.47 trillion in 2005.[Source for this statistic –Dick Morris]
Read article titled Mike Huckabee is a fiscal conservative by Dick Morris at:
http://www.dickmorris.com/blog/?p=203
Friday, December 28, 2007
The Bhutto family -a family accursed?
Benazir Bhuttos mother, Nusrat-now 78 years old - has lost her husband, elder daughter and two sons in tragic circumstances. Just one daughter, Sanam, survives.
Benazir Bhutto was the eldest child of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Begum Nusrat Bhutto . She had two brothers and one sister. Her father Zulfikar was prime minister of Pakistan in the early 1970s
Mr Bhutto was imprisoned by Gen Zia ul-Haq in 1977 following a military coup and charged with conspiracy to murder. Bhutto argued that the army had fabricated the evidence. Two years later he was executed.
His son Murtaza Bhutto fled to Afghanistan after his father's fall.
From exile in 1993 he won a seat in the assembly governing Sindh province. He returned home soon afterwards. On 20 September 1996 in Karachi, he was shot and killed along with six supporters during a clash with the police. Benazir Bhutto rushed to the city when told about the encouner. Begum Nusrat, mother of Murtaza, was in London.
Benazir Bhutto was the prime minister of Pakistan at the time of Murtaza Bhutto's killing. The brother and sister were political rivals at the time.
Ms Bhutto's husband, Asif Zardari has spent a total of 11 years in prison on various charges without ever being convicted.
The youngest of the four Bhutto children, Shahnawaz, was also politically active.
He was found dead in his apartment in southern France in 1985. He died in mysterious circumstances.
Benazir, the eldest Bhutto child, had already survived an attempt on her life when she returned to Pakistan after eight years of self-imposed exile in October.
c 130 people died in the twin suicide bombings targeting her homecoming rally in Karachi. Finally the assassin murdered Benazir in Rawalpindi on December 27th and succeeded in destroying the Bhutto political dynasty . It is difficult not to argue that a curse has befallen the family.
Benazir Bhutto was the eldest child of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Begum Nusrat Bhutto . She had two brothers and one sister. Her father Zulfikar was prime minister of Pakistan in the early 1970s
Mr Bhutto was imprisoned by Gen Zia ul-Haq in 1977 following a military coup and charged with conspiracy to murder. Bhutto argued that the army had fabricated the evidence. Two years later he was executed.
His son Murtaza Bhutto fled to Afghanistan after his father's fall.
From exile in 1993 he won a seat in the assembly governing Sindh province. He returned home soon afterwards. On 20 September 1996 in Karachi, he was shot and killed along with six supporters during a clash with the police. Benazir Bhutto rushed to the city when told about the encouner. Begum Nusrat, mother of Murtaza, was in London.
Benazir Bhutto was the prime minister of Pakistan at the time of Murtaza Bhutto's killing. The brother and sister were political rivals at the time.
Ms Bhutto's husband, Asif Zardari has spent a total of 11 years in prison on various charges without ever being convicted.
The youngest of the four Bhutto children, Shahnawaz, was also politically active.
He was found dead in his apartment in southern France in 1985. He died in mysterious circumstances.
Benazir, the eldest Bhutto child, had already survived an attempt on her life when she returned to Pakistan after eight years of self-imposed exile in October.
c 130 people died in the twin suicide bombings targeting her homecoming rally in Karachi. Finally the assassin murdered Benazir in Rawalpindi on December 27th and succeeded in destroying the Bhutto political dynasty . It is difficult not to argue that a curse has befallen the family.
Thursday, December 27, 2007
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