Turkish Pianist Fazil Say Convicted of Insulting Islam
BBC: World-renowned Turkish pianist Fazil Say has been given a suspended 10-month jail sentence for insulting Muslim values.

An Istanbul court found Say guilty over a series of posts on the social networking site Twitter.

Say was not in court for the sentencing. But he denied the charges, saying they were politically motivated.

The case renewed concern about the influence of religion on politics in Turkey.

Pointing to the prosecution of several artists and intellectuals for voicing their views, critics have accused the governing AK Party of undermining Turkey's secular values and pandering to Islamists. » | Monday, April 15, 2013

Francis Maude Appeals to Thatcher Protesters to Show 'Respect'
THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: A senior Cabinet minister has appealed to people planning to protest at Baroness Thatcher’s funeral to allow the ceremony to take place in a “dignified” way.


Francis Maude, the Cabinet Office minister, has urged protesters to be “respectful” of the mourners attending Lady Thatcher’s funeral.

There are fears that protesters could attempt to disrupt Wednesday’s funeral ceremony in central London.

On Saturday night police were putting on a show of force in an attempt to discourage violent protests by groups who were gathering in Trafalgar Square to “re-enact” the Poll Tax riots of 1990.

Among those massing in the capital were anarchist and far-Left groups which have been planning for years to stage disruptions on the first Saturday following Lady Thatcher’s death. » | Peter Dominiczak, Political Correspondent | Sunday, April 14, 2013

Espagne : des milliers de manifestants demandent une république
LE POINT: Selon un récent sondage, 53 % des Espagnols désapprouvent la façon dont le roi Juan Carlos exerce ses fonctions.


Plus de 8 000 manifestants ont défilé dimanche dans le centre de Madrid pour dénoncer une monarchie à l'image ternie par plus d'un an de scandales dans un pays en crise et réclamer l'avènement d'une IIIe République en Espagne. Agitant des milliers de drapeaux républicains rouge, or et violet, les manifestants, la plupart des républicains convaincus de longue date, criaient "L'Espagne, demain, sera républicaine" et "Le Bourbon, au travail", en direction du roi d'Espagne Juan Carlos.

Comme tous les ans, ils avaient été convoqués, sous le slogan "À bas le régime monarchique, pour la III République", pour marquer la date anniversaire de la IIe République, proclamée le 14 avril 1931 et suivie par près de 40 ans de dictature franquiste après la guerre civile (1936-1939). "Personne n'a élu le roi", lançait Verónica Ruiz, militante du parti écolo-communiste Izquierda Unida (IU). "Nous voulons un référendum : ça serait la manière juste et démocratique de savoir ce que veut le peuple." » | Source AFP | dimanche 14 avril 2013

Quadruple Whisky Shots and Maggie's War with 'That Silly Little Man' Major: The Man Who Knew Thatcher Best Reveals the True Depth of Her Torment - and the Rage at the Folly of Her 'Stupid' Successor

MAIL ONLINE: Anyone who can yield great power easily and painlessly is probably ill suited to exercise it. So it was with Margaret Thatcher. Leaving Downing Street in 1990, ousted by her own colleagues, was more than a wrench for her. It was a personal catastrophe.

She had driven herself so hard and excluded so much else from her life that by then all she was made for was to lead. Suddenly she found herself on the political scrap-heap — and irreversibly so.

Some around her thought of a possible return to power. But she never did, and, contrary to whispered allegations, she always discouraged such imaginings. She knew she was out for good.

The transition to private life was stressful for her, and immediately after her departure from No. 10, her mood was black. She was prone to tears, she was difficult and ill-tempered, sometimes she seemed unhinged. She was almost certainly clinically depressed. Perhaps she should have taken some medication, but she did not.

It was a condition not helped by her belief that her successor, John Major, was betraying everything she stood for. She disliked what she perceived as his lack of principle, his pursuit of consensus, his wooing of interest groups and his chippiness. She was tortured by his constant attempts to distance himself from her.

Suddenly deprived of staff, she had to make her own phone calls, and it emerged that she had no idea how to use a push-button telephone. She had to get advice from her police minders to do so.

More difficulties arose with finding somewhere suitable to live. The new house she had bought in Dulwich, South-East London, was too far out of town, and so the Thatchers borrowed a flat in Eaton Square, Belgravia.

It was suitably grand and central but dark, and her husband Denis in particular disliked its gloom. Mrs Thatcher, sitting beneath a painting of Queen Isabella of Spain, hosted sometimes lachrymose and slightly mad lunches there, while her friends and advisers around the table lamented bitterly the turn of events.

It is to this time in her life that can be traced another problem — her drinking. Contrary to legend, Mrs Thatcher never drank heavily in office.

She enjoyed relaxing with a whisky and soda (no ice), her favourite drink because it was less fattening than gin and tonic. But she was never tempted to over-indulge because she always had a low threshold for alcohol, and even the mildest inebriation would have dulled her mind during the long hours she worked on her papers.

But, out of office, the demands on her were far less — and, like many unhappy people, she hoped a drink would make life bearable. Read on and comment » | Robin Harris | Friday, April 12, 2013

China and US Make North Korea Nuclear Pledge
BBC: China and the US have vowed to work together to persuade North Korea to give up its nuclear programme and to settle tensions through dialogue.

A Chinese statement issued during a visit by US Secretary of State John Kerry said the nuclear issue was the "shared responsibility of all parties".

Mr Kerry said the two sides must decide "very quickly" how to proceed.

North Korea has recently threatened nuclear attacks, and is feared to be preparing a missile launch.

A flurry of warlike statements from Pyongyang has prompted speculation that a launch could happen on 15 April, when the country marks the 101st birthday of the nation's founder and former leader, Kim Il-sung. (+ BBC video) » | Saturday, April 13, 2013

Could Nicolas Sarkozy Return to France's Presidency?

BBC: After a 30-year career in public life Nicolas Sarkozy left the Elysee [sic] Palace pledging "never to return".

But barely a year on the polls would suggest that if an election was held today, the former president would trounce the incumbent Francois Hollande and on the right, he remains the preferred candidate to stand in 2017.

Since May his appearances have been few and far between. These days, the ex-president sports a light designer stubble. Its a more relaxed, care-free image. Perhaps all part of the bigger plan.

"The game is to entertain the thought of a comeback," said Pierre Rousselin, commentator for the right wing newspaper Le Figaro. "He won't come back unless people ask for him to come back. And in French politics, the presidency is won over the heads of the parties - what really matters is the relationship between the candidate and the public opinion at large."

Asked about Mr Sarkozy's possible return the former interior minister Claude Guéant said: "When I see what's going on, when I look at what was achieved in his presidency, I think France should turn to him." (+ BBC video) » | Christian Fraser | BBC News, Paris | Saturday, April 13, 2013

Carol Thatcher: 'My Mother's Place in History Is Assured'

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Baroness's Thatcher daughter has spoken of "tough and tearful week" ahead and thanked those who paid tributes to her mother.

In her first public statement since the former Prime Minister's death five days ago, Carol Thatcher also said that her mother had told her daughter that she was confident her place in history was "assured".

"I feel like anyone else who has just lost a second parent," Thatcher's daughter said. "It's a deeply sad and rather thought-provoking landmark in life. » | Robert Watts | Saturday, April 13, 2013

Margaret Thatcher: I Vow to Thee, My Country
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Lady Thatcher planned her own funeral, right down to the hymns, writes Michael Deacon .

In death as in life, Margaret Thatcher remains firmly in charge. The woman whose premiership was marked by ramrod certainty and whipcrack decision-making had, it turns out, a characteristically needle-sharp idea about how her funeral must proceed. Today, the details of that idea emerge.

From the singing of I Vow to Thee, My Country to the choice of readings, every aspect of the occasion will reflect some part of Baroness Thatcher’s character: her love of Britain, her Christian faith, her belief in tradition.

One of her chief orders was that David Cameron give a reading. This is not, it seems, because he is David Cameron, or because he is the leader of Lady Thatcher’s party, but simply because he is Prime Minister: her instructions were that there should be a reading by whoever was the prime minister at the time of her death, regardless of political affiliation. It could have been Ed Miliband. (Mr Miliband, and indeed Mr Cameron, will no doubt be grateful that it isn’t.) » | Michael Deacon | Friday, April 12, 2013

BBC Radio 1 Controller Explains Thatcher Row Song Decision
BBC: BBC Radio 1 controller Ben Cooper has said that a "four or five" second clip of the Wizard of Oz song at the centre of an anti-Margaret Thatcher campaign will be played on the Official Chart Show.

Sales of Ding Dong! The Witch is Dead have soared since the former Prime Minister's death on Monday, aged 87.

Mr Cooper called the decision "a difficult compromise" and said he was "stuck between a rock and a hard-place". Watch BBC video » | Friday, April 12, 2013

My comment:

The BBC loses all sense of credibility playing this clip. Even if it is only “four or five” seconds. The song, which I have reluctantly just listened to on YouTube, is in incredibly bad taste. Only a person without any sense of propriety, decency, taste, refinement, or civility would rejoice in the death of another human being.

Mrs. Thatcher, as she was then, was an extremely dedicated leader. She did some great things for this country. Anyone who is old enough will be able to remember the parlous state this country was in when she came to office. Mrs. Thatcher, love her or hate her, turned this country around. And one should respect her for that. You don’t have to agree with all she did, but she should be respected for her efforts to pull the country up by the bootstraps.

Baroness Thatcher was a human being. To be human is to err. So although she did some wonderful things for this country, she also made some mistakes. As we all would.

But I believe that history will be kind to her. She was a lady who rose through the ranks through sheer guts and determination. She had pluck, determination, ‘stickability’, vision, and conviction aplenty. Everything was set against her. In fact, it is quite remarkable that she was able not only to become Britain’s first woman prime minister, but that she was able to become its first Conservative woman prime minister. Give credit where credit is due!

Many of those demonstrating are too young to remember what Britain was like in the pre-Thatcher era. So in many ways it can be said that they don’t even know what they are demonstrating against. They are basing their demos on hearsay and emotion.

Regardless of all this, it is in very bad taste to speak ill of the dead. These people should also remember that there are members of Mrs. Thatcher’s family who are still grieving her death. They should bear this in mind when they demonstrate in the coming days. It would be far better for them to go home in peace and hang their heads in shame, for no-one deserves to be treated like this. Neither in life nor death, but especially in death. – © Mark

Football Fans Vow to Confront Anti-Thatcher Demonstrators
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Police are preparing for violent scenes tomorrow after football fans vowed to confront anti-Thatcher protesters during a day of protest across the capital.

Officers will have to deal with three protests by left-wing groups, including an event to "celebrate" the death of Baroness Thatcher in Trafalgar Square, as 50,000 football fans head into central London following the FA Cup semi-final between Millwall and Wigan.

Some fans from Millwall have threatened to confront the anti-Thatcher protesters. The public have been warned to avoid central London.

Tomorrow night thousands have vowed to hold a party to celebrate the death of Baroness Thatcher in Trafalgar Square.

On the same day, UK Uncut, the anti-austerity protest group, have promised to hold a day of "civil disobedience" in protest to reforms to welfare, in which they will "evict" the "architects of austerity". It could mean the homes of Cabinet ministers are targeted.

And separately, the TUC is leading a march from 11am of "one thousand mothers" against benefit cuts in Tottenham - the scene of the worst disorder in London eighteen months ago. » | Hayley Dixon | Friday, April 12, 2013

It's 2013. Abolish the Dutch Monarchy.
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL – OP ED: In a nation of equals, I shudder to hear fellow citizens addressed as 'your royal highness.'

In my country, one family has a monopoly on the position of head of state. No, I'm not from North Korea, but from the Netherlands, where after 30 years on the throne, Queen Beatrix of Orange will abdicate at the end of this month to her son Willem-Alexander.

The ceremony will receive world-wide attention—and since this is royalty we're talking about, expect it to be fawning. Television will present the fairy tale of a happy nation united under its new king.

Well, count me out. I am one of many Dutch citizens who think it is time for us to do what America and most other countries did long ago: take leave of our monarchs.

The United States made me a republican. (With a small R, that is.) Having lived there for 30 years, I can no longer tolerate a system that has just one requirement for the top job: being from the right family. Most republics select their heads of state based on merit, but in Holland no special talents are needed to become king.

Indeed, even monarchists have questioned whether Willem-Alexander is up to the job that he will inherit and from which he cannot be fired. They console themselves with the thought that Maxima, his Argentine wife and our future queen, is smart enough to pick up the slack if needed.

How is it possible that the Dutch continue to set such a low bar for their democracy? I don't want to call my countrymen brainwashed, but I have noticed that geographic distance has given me and many other Dutch émigrés a different perspective on the monarchy. As Americans living abroad know, it becomes easier to question one's national values when you are not constantly exposed to messages reinforcing them. In Holland the queen's face is on euro coins and on postage stamps, the national anthem is an ode to her family, and the Dutch observe the Queen's birthday in the way Americans celebrate Independence Day. Media coverage is by and large reverential if not unctuous. Scandals are quickly forgotten.

In a country known for its outspokenness, the monarchy may well be the last taboo. Unlike the U.K., Holland has no politicians publicly making a case against the monarchy. Ever since the queen announced her decision to abdicate, many aspects of the succession have been debated: May fur be used in the royal robe? Should parliamentarians pledge loyalty to the king? But almost no one has raised the most fundamental and obvious question: Should we call it quits? » | Max Westerman * | Wednesday, April 03, 2013

* Mr. Westerman, a former Newsweek reporter, covered the U.S. for 15 years as a correspondent for Dutch television.

The Toffs Who Hated Thatcher

Listen to the Telegraph audio here | Friday, April 12, 2013

Islamo-Nonsense
Al-Jazeera, Salon and The Guardian have launched scathing attacks on the New Atheists because of their criticisms of Islam. Are Sam Harris and Richard Dawkins being unfairly labeled as bigots?

RC Church & Gay Marriage: Shift in Tone
THE TABLET: Straws in the wind they may be, but signs are that the election of Pope Francis may have freed some Catholic prelates to depart from the party line on the issue of same-sex relationships. The line was established by Pope Emeritus Benedict when he was head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. With the approval of Pope John Paul II, he had declared that “legal recognition of homosexual unions or placing them on the same level as marriage would mean ... the approval of deviant behaviour”.

Speaking in London this week, Cardinal Christoph Schönborn of Vienna urged that same-sex relationships should be respected and recognised in law. Meanwhile in Colombia, Cardinal Rubén Salazar said in the context of the gay-marriage debate in that country, “Other unions have the right to exist – no one can ask them not to.” Both cardinals were clear they oppose same-sex marriage, on the grounds that marriage can only exist between a man and a woman. As Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Pope Francis is reported to have expressed similar views to those of Cardinal Salazar. » | Editor | Saturday, April 13, 2013

Boris Johnson: Police in London Are Prepared for a Riot over Baroness Thatcher
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The authorities in London are prepared for rioting as people “celebrate” the death of Margaret Thatcher, Boris Johnson has warned.

The authorities in London are prepared for rioting as people “celebrate” the death of Margaret Thatcher, Boris Johnson has warned.

Mr Johnson, the Mayor of London, said that that protesters who break the law during the street parties will be “properly dealt with”.

Anarchist groups have warned of more mass protests on Saturday, with 2,000 to 3,000 people expected to attend.

The events, at 25 locations across the country, are being organised by a group called Class War, with the help of other organisations such as the All London Anarchist Revolutionary Mob, which says it is “committed to radical action to undermine the state”.

One of the “parties” is being planned for Trafalgar Square in central London on Saturday, the scene of the poll tax riots in 1990. » | Peter Dominiczak, Political Correspondent | Friday, April 12, 2013

Protesters without Any Sense of Propriety, Civility, or Decency: Margaret Thatcher Funeral: Protesters Plan to Line Streets and 'Turn Their Backs' on Casket
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Protesters plan to line the streets by St Paul's Cathedral on Wednesday so they can "turn their backs" on Baroness Thatcher's casket, it has emerged.

Nearly 3,000 people have joined Facebook group "Maggie's Good Riddance Party", which claims it will hold a "right jolly knees up" outside St Paul's on the day of Baroness Thatcher's funeral.

The protesters wish to "get their money's worth" from the funeral, which will be paid for in part by the state.

Those attending include a civil servant at the Department of Work and Pensions, a carer and a branch leader of the National Union of Students. Some warned of "civil unrest".

Police have said anyone wanting to hold peaceful demonstrations in London on the day of the funeral will not be prevented from doing so, but urged organisers to contact the Metropolitan Police in advance.

The protesters plan to line the streets where Baroness Thatcher's funeral carriage will pass, particularly outside the cathedral, so they can turn their backs on the coffin as it goes by.

Any protest, and ensuing confrontation with the police, will be watched by millions of television viewers around the world. » | Amy Willis | Friday, April 12, 2013

G8 Warns Syria of 'Serious International Response' Over Chemical Weapons
G8 foreign ministers warned Syria that using chemical weapons would trigger a global response and declared they were appalled by the humanitarian toll of the conflict.

Frankreich: Survive la France!

DIE ZEIT: Frankreichs Präsident ist schwach. Doch er ist weiß Gott nicht das größte Problem: Das Land braucht nicht weniger als eine Revolution.

Im Elysée, dem Palast des französischen Präsidenten, schleicht die Angst um. Ebenso im Hôtel de Matignon, dem Amtssitz des Premierministers, sowie in den Ministerien und in der Nationalversammlung. Angst – und Misstrauen: Wer ist als Nächster dran? Wer stürzt über den morgigen Skandal? Wer hat etwas in der Hand und gegen wen? Schweizer Bankiers beginnen zu reden; Enthüllungsjournalisten nennen Namen; und dann wäre da noch dieser prominente Anwalt, der sich kürzlich umgebracht hat. Der hatte auch Klienten von anrüchigem Reichtum. Einige Leute dürften jetzt brennendes Interesse an den Dossiers haben, die in seinen Aktenschränken schlummern.

Die Mehrheit der Franzosen freilich teilt ein anderes Gefühl: Scham. » | Von Gero von Randow | Donnerstag, 11. April 2013

CrossTalk: Unimarriage?
Should same-sex marriages be accepted? What's driving the change in the institution of marriage? Are equal marriage rights democratic? Why aren't civil unions enough for gay couples? And if marriage is about love and the emotional needs of adults, then what about their children? CrossTalking with Peter Tatchell, Godfrey Bloom and Thomas Peters.

Saudis Slammed for Usual Rights Abuses, Never for Exporting Revolution (March 2012)