SpankyMcFarland

Were Khomeini’s poems any good in Farsi? Although allegorical, his topics are still surprising to a foreign eye: The Wine of Love I am a hunter of taverns, don't ask me about the Beloved. I am dumb, so from the dumb, and distracted don't ask for an oration. I'm preoccupied with my own blindness and wretchedness, So from the blind don't ask for sight and vision. Your languid eyes have brought on my own languor, So don't ask from one so smitten for aught but delirious ravings. Don't consort with a wandering dervish, but if ever you do, Never ask him about wisdom, philosophy, scripture, or of the sayings of the Prophet. I am drunk with the wine of Thy love, so from such a drunkard Don't ask for the sober counsel of a man of the world. The Consolation of the Pir Kiss the hand of the shaykh who has pronounced me a disbeliever. Congratulate the guard who has led me away in chains. I'm going into a solitary retreat from noon by the door of the Magus, So that in one gulp I may be filled with the wine of both worlds. I will not drink the water of Kawthar; I will not take this heavenly favor. The beam which shines on your face, oh Friend, has made me a conqueror of the world. Console the heart of the dervish from whom the eternal secret Has been disclosed; who has made me aware of my destiny. I congratulate the Pir of the tavern who has himself grasped My annihilation, my nothingness, and who has captivated me, A servant of my Pir, who comforts the heart himself, Of one who has forgotten himself and whom he has turned upside down. https://www.al-islam.org/wine-love-mystical-poetry-imam-khomeini/ghazal-poetry#releasing-goblet

Khomeini was fully aware that his ultimate revolutionary goals would not be popular in Iran. Initial alliances with the left and middle class would be necessary until full control of the state had been established, after which terror could be used to eliminate former friends and consolidate his position. The parallels with the Soviet Union, a godless regime that he so hated and despised, are striking.

Our government has recently criticized the human rights record of KSA and became embroiled in a serious diplomatic spat over it.

The US shows less concern for those seeking freedom in Egypt and Saudi Arabia and has the effrontery to criticize Iranian support for the people of Bahrain.

Is this praise (of a sort) for the Trudeau government I see before my eyes?

America’s system looks sclerotic now. The rise of alternative parties is inhibited by the rules, particularly those around the ballot: https://newrepublic.com/article/146884/america-stuck-two-parties The presidential election can be complicated by multiple candidates siphoning off the vote from the two leading ones, leading to a candidate winning who would not have won in a run-off. The run-off system, practised in many countries, is a better alternative. In the absence of one candidate securing a majority of the vote, the top two candidates progress to a second round or the candidates are ranked by preferential ballot in the first round.

‘What is left’ is 27 countries - most of Europe west of Russia. Brexiters needs to get a sense of perspective here. The UK was a valuable member but Tory negotiators swallowed their own blarney and thought Germany would put car exports to Blighty above all other considerations, forcing other members to toe this line. The European super-state is a long way off. Just look at the protests in France and the Five Star movement in Italy to say nothing of events in Hungary and Poland. The setbacks of the euro, eastern expansion and immigration from Africa and Asia will slow moves to deeper integration.

The whole Brexit mess is bizarre and should have been sorted out long ago. Even the Germans are getting tired of it: http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/brexit-it-s-time-to-let-the-uk-go-a-1248721.html

I just don’t believe the benefit of Brexit was worth the cost, e.g. the time and effort put into it and the loss of EU membership. Britain is going to find out what the world is like these days for a country of middling economic size outside a major bloc. It won’t be all wonderful trade deals and sparkling opportunities; there will also be disputes with bad hombres like the Saudis and Chinese.

So, in future, you would advocate 'creative incompetence' when the US puts in an extradition request with Canada for a top Chinese person?

So what would he have done in the Meng situation?

Gove would be a better candidate than either BoJo or Moggie, more credible.

Johnson is an unserious chancer who wasn't even trusted by the Leave crowd when Cameron resigned. May was also opposed by the Brexiteer wing of her own party who want a hard Brexit. Corbyn is a complete mess, a Leaver in charge of a pro-Remain caucus who offered no leadership. May should still have reached out to him much sooner to try and get cross-party support for her deal. Brexit divides both parties so any deal should be supported across party lines. Now we know what MPs are against but we still don't know what they want. If a hard Brexit is to be avoided, they may have to ask Brussels for more time (after two and a half years already!) to get their collective act together.

The Brexiteers don’t understand how the world has changed. There’ll be no plain sailing when deals have to be done:

I should clarify that fentanyl is ideal for smuggling, but was not synthesized with that in mind.

More legal trouble for the opioid industry in the US:

There will always be individual examples like that but what one can’t tolerate is politicisation of the legal process in such cases. If that becomes accepted we’re going down the Chinese route.

Extradition requests like this are complied with in good faith. If the US undermines trust by politicizing extradition as Trump has done here then the process will break down.

These stupid remarks by Trump make our arrest of Meng look like a political move orchestrated by the president and further endanger Canadians in China. Although it’s heartening to see pushback from Freeland and US politicians the damage has been done.

I see the family have two houses in Vancouver, together worth 20 million, which they use in the summer and that Meng let her permanent residence lapse 9 years ago.

Chinese retaliation may have begun:

What about the drastic decline of insect populations? Is that a makey-up story too? https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/27/magazine/insect-apocalypse.html I wish it was.

FPTP only works tolerably well with two parties. Beyond that weird results start happening. Conservatives are a minority in Canada and a new party that draws primarily from their ranks will keep them on the Opposition benches.

I can’t see our current Huawei problem helping us on this file.

Here’s a parliamentary debate where Mrs. Thatcher voiced her scepticism of referendums (or plebiscites). https://www.margaretthatcher.org/document/102649 In a country without a codified constitution it’s difficult to know what to do with the result.