She's been reading the Guardian again. Quick exit to Tal's blog, before it's too late.
George Monbiot outlines the planned action of opposers to the war with Iraq in Britain and makes an emotional plea for like-minded Brits to get up off their couches and from in front of their tellies and take part in the planned anti-war demonstrations. It will be interesting to see where this is going, if anywhere. I am told the Guardian has a rather small readership.
Mr. Monbiot is advocating quite vehement civil disturbances, albeit non-violent. He stresses that large-scale arrests, during these protest activities, can only serve to get the point across, but warns that calling for a general strike could be counterproductive.
”They all hate us. So where do I go on holiday?” wonders Rod Liddle, also in today's Guardian. He goes on to list the grievances of every last mountain village (okay, so I'm exaggerating) on Planet Earth against vacationing loyal subjects of the former British Empire. "So where can we go? Apart from good old Israel?" Har har. (Why did I get the feeling that was coming when I started reading this article?)
I've got news for you, pal. No one particularly likes you over here, either. I'll never forget the look of disdain I got as a very small child after an inquisitive kid, at the local bus stop on the way home from my very new school (I think it was on that first traumatic day), had ascertained that I wasn't from
* * A M E R I C A * * (eyes shining with excitement) but from England (ugh). Years later she was my leader at scouts but I never mentioned that we'd met before. By that time, I had enthusiastically cast off my inferior, unfashionable past forever, like the slough of a snake, but I still got a few accusing nudges, when we learnt about the British Mandate at school.
Join the club. We're very familiar with the feeling of being disliked everywhere (well, everywhere that requires less than a ten hour flight, that is). Aren't I lucky that I already live somewhere with "nice" weather, so I don't have to go searching for somewhere sunny to spend my hols? Good old Israel is good enough for me. Har har.
See? Bish's not being able to take time off work is in fact a blessing in disguise (and anyway, have I mentioned he hates flying?).