Censorship on the ticket of "Don't offend"

[The BBC will use delay to cut distressing live images]

In the name of Truth I ask of the BBC: What do you think are you doing? Now the BBC do not want to offend the viewer. Do not show the truth, if the truth offends. Show not reality in its often gruesome brashness. No, keep them comfy in their armchairs. Let them idle over the perils of mankind; the crimes committed against humanity by brutal dictators; the vile actions of ruthless criminals and sly manipulators. Do not disturb with the cruel reality of the Third World, the illusion of peace and tranquility of the living room in up-market London and New York. Show not the abuse of leaders in the name of freedom. Keep them calm and happy: One could just as well serve viewers a palate of Prozac.

Confirming the validity of news feed is one thing. Parading censorship on the ticket of "Don't offend" is quite another. The BBC has been a notably acclaimed bastion of independent and neutral reportage of the highest standards. I am afraid the age of information control has caught up with the BBC: The hero of news casting has feet of clay after all. The recent heavy-handedness of the British government over the David Kelly affair has scared the pigeons, it would seem.

Woe on you, governors of the BBC. I expected more backbone form you than this pitiful whimper.

What goes in and what comes out

The ages-old quibbling between France and the UK is again at a boil. These days the two protagonists appear to have exchanged their guns for verbal daggers. And it is all about money - or so it would appear. In the past it was about many things, but mostly about pride and property - more particularly, about territory. [1]

This time, the territory is the EU budget. France is allergic to the UK rebate of 4.6 billion Euro and the UK gets a fever over the EU subsidies for France's agriculture. Now, if you study the net benefit from the EU budget of major countries in the EU, it becomes very clear that the UK and Germany are getting milked.

Were it not for the rebate, the UK would have been milked at the rate that Germany is. Spain on the other hand, seems to be having a ball. That country gains 8.8 billion Euros per year from the EU budget, mostly to benefit its agricultural sector. The UK and Germany are practically keeping the shoestrings on the Spanish budget. I do not understand how Germany can quietly tolerate such abuse of its immense economical power. Don't throw me the WW II bone. It is 60 years on. That bone is dry and chewed bare. Time to walk on.

More crucially, France keeps their agricultural industry alive at the cost of the German and UK public. Yet, Jacques Chirac has the audacity to insist that under no circumstances should the agricultural subsidies to France, or anywhere else in the EU, he adds politely, be tied to the argument over the UK budget rebate. Mr Chirac requests a "gesture of goodwill" from the UK.

Says Tony Blair: "First of all, Britain has been making a gesture, because over the past 10 years, even with the British rebate, we have been making a contribution to Europe two-and-a-half times that of France," he said. "Without the rebate it would have been 15 times as much as France." [2]

The reason for the rebate at stake comes from arguments forwarded by Prime Minister Thatcher during 1984. Basically, the UK used to have a much smaller economy than France and Germany and therefore won the rebate from the EU. Now, things go better for the UK. However, the BBC reports: "[If] the UK did not get a rebate, then France's contribution to the EU would be just 100 million euros while the UK's contribution would be 9 billion euros." [2]

Another view on the contributions is to express these contributions as a percentage of GDP. In this case, France made a net contribution of 0.12% of GDP in 2003, and the UK 0.16% of GDP, a difference of about 33%. [2]

The above was about what goes into the EU budget. Looking at what comes out of the EU budget, the picture appears like a page out of a Communist manifesto - well, at least as far as agriculture goes. The EU appears artificially to keep its farmers in business and a good life alike. [3]

According to British assessment of the EU budget, what comes out of that budget for research, science, technology and education is one seventh of what is spent on agricultural subsidies. It is one thing to sustain a traditional way of life for a large portion of the EU population, but times move on and the EU should look forward. It is quite another thing to ensure staying abreast and ahead of times in education and research. The EU should reassess how and where it spends its money. Britain is correct on this point and France knows it.

What appears as a turf war over the budget is at a deeper level a turf war over the basic role of the EU and who steers the EU to that role. In the recent referenda on the EU constitution, the populations of France and The Netherlands have spoken on the hopes and fears for and over the EU. It is time the EC listens.

I support the UK on the point of right now reviewing the role and long terms goals of the EU, reconnecting the EC with the EU population. Starting with the EU budget is as good a place as any. After all, money makes the world go round - or so some claim.

[1][Last effort to break EU impasse]
[2] [Fact check: Britain's EU rebate]
[3][How the money is spent]

They need your help

Imagine these children on the streets of Boston, like we see them on the streets of Cape Town and Pretoria and Johannesburg and Durban and my hometown, Stellenbosch. Imagine thousands of children everyday without a home, food, care and love. Can you? Here, where we live in abundance, can we imagine those children? I cannot forget them.

In South Africa, I tried to steer around them and out of the stare of their pleading eyes. I tried to avoid the outstretched hands, the asking in a mumbling, soft and subservient voice, "A few cents, please, melani". Inside, it often tore at the seems of my emotions, wrestling with my resistance to give in and ... What, start to care? Start to cry? Because, it gets to one, seeing them every day on the sidewalks and in the park yards: The bands of homeless children tirelessly swarming to the next man or woman on his or her way from the car to the shop, with money to pay for things needed and things nice to have alike. Yet, we have so little time for them, if any at all. They become to us like the African flies in summer that we just wave off.

But, come winter, they are still on the sidewalks and in park yards.

In Africa we have a culture called Ubuntu, which means to share with one another. It means those who have are obliged to share with those who don't. Far it is from me to impose one culture upon another and demand that the rich of the West help the poor of Africa. To do so would be arrogance. Still, I can only beseech the rich of this world: The children of Africa need your help.

Today.

[ Appeal to help Africa's orphans]

For democracy

The Financial Times has some praise to lavish on the South African President, Thabo Mbeki, for his firm stand and sacking of Deputy President Zuma, who finds himself in the middle of a fraud scandal.

I am waiting with bated breath for the next move of Mbeki.

His courage may come at a price. The political scene around Mbeki is rather fraud with pitfalls and undercurrents. He might just have pried open a fissure through which he himself very soon could be tumbling into oblivion. Ambition runs high in the new black South African political stratosphere. As of yet, there is no clear successor to Dr Zuma in the wings. The tension between the common expectation of the masses and the opportunistic ambitions of some leaders-in-waiting might prove a rather rambunctious genie let out of the bottle by this sacking of Zuma.

Interesting times ahead Down Under.

[Mbeki's Stand]

Principle over Politics

So, off he went - Jacob Zuma, Deputy President of South Africa; sacked by President Mbeki. For once, my president has done the right thing at the right time: Place principle above politics.

Jacob Zuma landed himself in an intolerable situation with his financial advisor having been found guilty of fraud in his line of duty. Zuma even had the flagrant audacity to claim a clear conscience based on ignorance in the whole affair, which involved his advisor receiving substantial bribes for deals on military equipment. Out with him, I say.

If Africa is to progress along the road out of accute corruption, then the above present the kinds of integrity and courage that are required of all the leaders of Africa. Well done, Mbeki. Let's hope continued wisdom prevails at the appointment of the next Deputy President of SA.

[ Press backs Zuma sacking]
[Shock at Zuma's sacking]
[ Zuma: Mbeki's toughest decision]
[ South African leader sacks deputy]
[Jacob Zuma]

The pot and the kettle

'In a keynote address at an Asian security conference here, Mr. Rumsfeld argued that China's investment in missiles and up-to-date military technology posed a risk not only to Taiwan and to American interests, but also to nations across Asia that view themselves as China's trading partners, not rivals.

'Mr. Rumsfeld previewed findings of the Pentagon's annual report to Congress on the Chinese military, saying: "China's defence expenditures are much higher than Chinese officials have publicly admitted. It is estimated that China's is the third-largest military budget in the world, and now the largest in Asia."'

<http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/04/international/asia/04rumsfeld.html?th&emc=th>

I would like Mr Rumsfeld to inform the world which nations in his opinion take first and second spot in military spending.

The pot can hardly accuse the kettle.

Such blatant hypocrisy has not been heard in this world since the fall of the Third Reich.

I think I am going to grow dreadlocks, join Green Peace and start smoking pot. But then I'll have to learn to tolerate Reggae. Darn! There goes my new career.

Turning point: G8 approves real aid for Africa

Friends, lend me your ears

As you may be aware by now, the plight of Africa lies close to my heart. Therefore, I am rather delighted as you can imagine, to read this morning about the real deal struct by the G8 nations on aid to Africa. The first part of this deal is to clear the debt of 18 poor countries, removing a major obstacle for these countries to get on with development as these countries get theirrespective houses in order.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/4083676.stm

I am also particularly encouraged to see agreement between the US and the rest of the G8 on this matter. It would seem that I had no need to put on my picket outfit after all. Darn! Oh well, we'll find another reason for a day of fun in the sun.

You may have them back now. Your ears, I mean.