Wednesday 17 February 2016

Taharrush jamai


Scene in front of Cologne Cathedral on New Year's Eve, when over a hundred women were assaulted allegedly by "immigrants".


From an article in Wikipedia:

The mass sexual assault of women in public has been documented in Egypt since 2005. Egyptian security forces and their agents were blamed for using it during political demonstrations in Tahrir Square, Cairo, as a weapon against female protesters. The behavior spread, and by 2012 sexual assault by crowds of young men was regularly seen at protests and religious festivals in Egypt.
Typically acting under the protective cover of large gatherings, assailants encircle a woman while outer rings of men deter rescuers. The attackers may pretend to be there to help, adding to the confusion. Activists have called this "circle of hell," in which women have reported being groped, stripped, beaten, bitten, penetrated with fingers and raped.

Commentators say the attacks reflect a misogynist ideology that blames women for leaving the house, seeks to terrorize them out of public life, and views sexual violence as a source of shame for the victim, not the attacker.

Difficult to believe that this practice is condoned by the imams, but you never know these days. At least one imam is reported as saying that he was not surprised that women were assaulted in Cologne. He used the "they were asking for it" argument.

Sunday 14 February 2016

Brexit? You'll regret it!

It's very difficult to be sure which way the Great British Public are swinging, but the indications are that there are more saying GET OUT than saying STAY IN.

The result is predictable: all the people and institutions that have a vested interest in continuing membership, from the Prime Minister down, are producing horror stories every day. It's "You mark my words!" time. I have lost count of the disasters promised us if we get out, but here are a few:

- the other members of the EU will turn their backs on us, stop trading with us;
- EU firms with branches in the UK  will pull out;
- the UK will still be bound by treaties and regulations even outside the EU;
- prices will go up (vague this, so supply the details yourself);
- foreign holidays will cost a lot more;
- there will be no more cheap air flights;
- dire financial consequences (not sure what);
- it will adversely affect our relationship with the USA;
- refugees currently being held in Calais will pour into the UK;


The idea is that all this scaremongering will send Joe Public scurrying to press the STAY IN button, even though his euroscepticism will remain (dislike of bureaucracy, red tape, loss of sovereignty. Most of all, he doesn't like being told to do by bloody FOREIGNERS).

But will it work? If I were D Cameron, who is clearly orchestrating this scaremongering behind the scenes, I would pause, take a deep breath and consider this: Joe Public doesn't like being manipulated by the powers-that-be, foreign or domestic. He knows when he's being bullshitted, so he's more likely to vote GET OUT just out of a sort of perverseness. Bloody-mindedness is something we ordinary Brits do well.

My penn'orth? My guess is that the EU is structurally unsound and is
doomed to disintegrate anyway, so I'd rather jump ship before it hits the fucking iceberg and takes us down with it.