My chronicle

There is much translation going on in a world where "everyone speaks English"! This is right and proper; and also expensive.

However, there is always a danger of serious mistranslation with negative consequences.

Recently Iran's President Ahmadinejad has been widely quoted as having said that he wished to "wipe Israel off the map". There is clear evidence that this is a dangerously inaccurate translation; and that the enraged reactions to the phrase have been based upon this mistranslation.

Virginia Tilley has written a detailed analysis of what the President really said.

John Betjeman was born 100 years ago today; his writings and broadcasts stimulatrd my growing passion for architecture, especially the architecture of churches.

I wrote to him once, and received a charming and humorous reply.

John still influences all those who love historic architecture; and who, like him, are prepared to fight for its survival!

UK airports have not returned to normal. Passengers must arrive 3 hours before the flights. They are only permitted to take laptop-sized baggage through security; they must not take liquids, gels or lipstick through security. They are still being body searched: in some cases bras with gel fillings are not permitted!

Once they are through security they can buy anything they like, unless the flight is to America.

Who profits from this charade? The so-called duty free shops which are not really duty free but still use the old terminology.

Airlines may be losing millions, but these rapacious retailers are still coining it in.

All is still well: commerce is still king!

2 passengers were ejected fom Monarch plane after other passengers accused them of speaking a language other than English. Was it Welsh, Gaelic, Irish, Scots or - God forbid - Arabic?

English triumphs once again!

My opinion is that Israel should pay for the damage which it has inflicted on Lebanon.

This is not very likely, especially as the Security Council has failed to censure them. I wonder which country waved their veto if censure was mentioned?

Aid agencies are doing their best; here is a list of appeals:


The following major agencies have launched appeals to help those affected by the fighting:

Unicef Donations can also be made by calling 08457 312312.

UN World Food Programme Ways to donate.

British Red Cross Middle East crisis appeal.

Oxfam Middle East crisis appeal.

Save the Children Middle East appeal.

Christian Aid Middle East crisis appeal.

Care International Crisis appeal.

CAFOD Middle East emergency appeal.

World Vision Middle East appeal.

Islamic Relief Emergency appeal.

A quote from the Home Office:

This morning at 00.01 August 14th the Joint Terrorism and Analysis Centre (JTAC) has changed the UK's threat level from international terrorism from Critical to Severe. This means that a terrorist attack is still highly likely. But the intelligence assessment suggests that an attack is no longer imminent.

Some comments:

Threat level changed at 1 minute after midnight: why then?

An attack is likely: ok.

It is no longer imminent: so it could happen at 2 minutes after midnight, the next day, week, month: whatever. Not very informative; not very reassuring.

The last comment: JTAC = Joint Terrorism and Analysis Centre.

If words have any meaning, this body specialises in terrorism and subsequent analysis: hope that their ability to protect us is better than their English!

Today John Reid says "about" four terrorist plots have been foiled. If he had said "about twenty* the lack of absolute precision would be understandable. But "about" four indicates either culpable vagueness or deplorable arithmetic.

I also note that the official threat level in the UK was declared to be "critical" immediately after "about" twenty arrests were made; there does not seem to be a logical correlation between the arrests and threat level. How strange!

It is also very evident that in Blair's Britain "guilt" is declared before anyone is charged and subsequently convicted. Was the Prime Minister taught this at Law School?

If you have a president as bad as Bush, the only consolation is that he was elected; and that there are some mechanisms in place to control him.

Blair is a prime minister; but he acts as a president, and his cabinet do not have the guts to collectively indicate their disapproval.

Prime ministerial presidents seem to thrive upon illusions of divinity: nor is the pope in the same league as Blair concerning infallibility.

Blair is out on a limb once more concerning Israel's crazed aggression and insane rhetoric concerning Lebanon: he will not criticise them in any way, and thrives in thinking that he possesses all wisdom.

If the union with England, means putting up with this megalomania, Scotland (and there are elections in 2007) must consider whether enough is enough.

I have had enough of the Blair doctrine; his arrogance infuriates me.

We need a tartan line on the map which Blair or his cronies can never cross over!

Blair's speech in Los Angeles was a farango of rubbish: the oftener one reads it the more grandiloquently nonsensical it seems.

He said that he had begun preparing it several months ago, but that it was now even more apposite because of the situation in Lebanon.

One might have expected some critique of Israel because of the Lebanese catastrophe. Not a word. Yet is not Israel engaging now in extremism of the most flagrant kind?

I have once met Malcolm Rifkind, a former Foreign Secretary. What struck me about him was his razor-sharp mind.

This Tory of the Old School describes Blair's diatribe as: "foolish" and "naive". The words are well chosen!

Just imagine the situation.

You stroll into your garden. There is a scrap of paper. You pick it up. Looks like Hebrew text, but there is a translation in small print.

The messages: Leave now or you will be killed.

You consider the request unreasonable. The bombs fall. Your town is devastated; there are many casualties.

Miraculously you still have electricity. You switch on the TV. A thug in a uniform informs the world that Israel has bombed terrorist strongholds.

A journalist enquires about civilians. A non-military thug says that warning papers were dropped just prior to the attack. He then extols the ethical standards of the IDF. "We are unlike any other army in the world", he adds.

You agree with the last comment as you go out to join the resistance, passing by the flattened houses of friends and neighbours who did not read - or even see - every scrap of paper which was floating about in the breeze.