Category Archives: politics

What I really think about the student fees controversy

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“In the temple of science are many mansions, and various indeed are they that dwell therein and the motives that have led them thither. Many take to science out of a joyful sense of superior intellectual power; science is their own special sport to which they look for vivid experience and the satisfaction of ambition; many others are to be found in the temple who have offered the products of their brains on this altar for purely utilitarian purposes. Were an angel of the Lord to come and drive all the people belonging to these two categories out of the temple, the assemblage would be seriously depleted, but there would still be some men, of both present and past times, left inside…

I am quite aware that we have just now lightheartedly expelled in imagination many excellent men who are largely, perhaps chiefly, responsible for the buildings of the temple of science; and in many cases our angel would find it a pretty ticklish job to decide. But of one thing I feel sure: if the types we have just expelled were the only types there were, the temple would never have come to be, any more than a forest can grow which consists of nothing but creepers. For these people any sphere of human activity will do, if it comes to a point; whether they become engineers, officers, tradesmen, or scientists depends on circumstances. Now let us have another look at those who have found favor with the angel. Most of them are somewhat odd, uncommunicative, solitary fellows, really less like each other, in spite of these common characteristics, than the hosts of the rejected. What has brought them to the temple? That is a difficult question and no single answer will cover it. To begin with, I believe with Schopenhauer that one of the strongest motives that leads men to art and science is escape from everyday life with its painful crudity and hopeless dreariness, from the fetters of one’s own ever shifting desires. A finely tempered nature longs to escape from personal life into the world of objective perception and thought; this desire may be compared with the townsman’s irresistible longing to escape from his noisy, cramped surroundings into the silence of high mountains, where the eye ranges freely through the still, pure air and fondly traces out the restful contours apparently built for eternity…

The state of mind which enables a man to do work of this kind is akin to that of the religious worshiper or the lover; the daily effort comes from no deliberate intention or program, but straight from the heart….”

(Albert Einstein, here)

Gandalf’s Hope

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I’m setting up another new blog, called ‘Gandalf’s Hope’; I want a place to park my more political rantings, and I think there is an argument for specialising. As with my other blogs, there will normally be a link here to what is posted there (it’ll begin simply with transferring some old political posts to that venue).

Short thoughts 1 – on the Tea Party

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Partly by way of a response to Graham

So far as I can tell, whilst it has its fair share of nutters and cranks, the Tea Party is motivated by fiscal conservatism & a desire for small government – which is pretty mainstream in US politics (some 17% of tea partiers are registered Democrats; only 57% are registered Republicans). They can be as antagonistic to establishment Republicanism (eg the CBC) as to Obama, and seem to mainly want to get the US government to rein back on spending. Which is also pretty reasonable.

The only question might be a prudential one – is now the right time to cut back on state spending, in the midst of recession etc (same question as in UK politics)? My perspective is that this question assumes that the recession is temporary, and relies on the return of growth to escape the consequences of more indebtedness. If you don’t believe that we will ever go back to having growth in the same way again – as I don’t – then continuing to build up huge debt is a really really bad idea. We can still debate about where and how to cut the spending, but that spending does need to be cut, and cut significantly, that seems straightforward to me.

I do like it when…

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… I read an article that I really agree with 🙂

“Perhaps the problem isn’t the lack of a narrative, but that the public has formed one already, and it seems to go something like this: A young community-organizer-cum-seminar-leader, having led a sheltered political life in deep blue America, is swept into office on the strength of a financial collapse weeks before the election plus the emotional need for a biracial redeemer. He misreads the country, the times, and his mandate, pushes through plans to turn the country into a social democracy at the exact moment that model is proving unworkable, governs in every way against the will of the people, and proves himself to be a bad politician, a coalition-destroyer, a fish out of water, and over his head.”

Some brief thoughts about that ‘mosque’

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It is proposed to build an Islamic centre, including a mosque, at a site in close proximity to ‘Ground Zero’ in New York.

– All sides agree that this is perfectly legal; that’s not really the issue.
– The issue is whether it is morally right or sensible for this to take place.
– Much fuss about ‘causing offence’ – I tend to think that being offended is a sin and this isn’t a solid ground for anything righteous.
– IF (and it’s a big IF) there is a desire for triumphalism behind the establishment of this centre then it should be opposed, not on grounds of it being offensive, but on the grounds that the war against the khawarij continues, and it makes no sense to gift a propaganda victory to the enemy.
– If, however, the development of the centre is straightforward and above board then I see no reason to oppose it.

My two pennies, for what they’re worth.
BTW I enjoy political cartoons – here’s some that I thought were ‘on point’:

Some books relating to the war against the khawarij

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I first started to become interested in Islam whilst at theological college, when I did a term’s course on it. That was then seasoned and enhanced whilst working in the East End, in a Muslim-majority area, particularly from taking sixth-form general studies lessons for the local youth. These are books that I have either read (linked through to a review where applicable) or that are on my bookshelf awaiting the right moment to be read. If I could only recommend one title for this area it would be the Habeck book, from whence comes my title. My longest discussion of these issues can be found here.

The Koran, Penguin Classics (not an easy read)
I also have a translation and commentary on the Koran by A. Yusuf Ali brought back to me from Saudi Arabia by a friend.

Muhammad, by Maxine Rodinson Standard, ‘vintage’ biography of Muhammad.
The Truth about Muhammad, Robert Spencer – up to date and very critical biography.

Historical
Islam, a short history, Karen Armstrong Basic, standard work.
The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam (and the Crusades), Robert Spencer. Robert Spencer giving his take (hostile).
Islam and the West, Norman Daniel Haven’t read this one yet, but it seems mainstream.
The Decline of Eastern Christianity under Islam, Bat Ye’or – another one still to be read, but highly regarded.
The legacy of Jihad, ed. Andrew Bostom – another still to be read, academic, thorough.

Some philosophical ones:
Al Qaeda and what it means to be Modern, John Gray – short, readable and very stimulating contrarian view.
The West and the Rest, Roger Scruton – argues that the West is distinctive and worth defending.
The Crisis of Islam, Bernard Lewis – one of the foremost commentators of Islam from a Western perspective. I need to read more of Lewis’ work.
The Rage and the Pride, and, The Force of Reason, Oriana Fallaci. Fallaci is a bit bonkers, but she makes many telling points and deserves to be read more widely. I haven’t read the second one yet.

On Jihad and our present war
Knowing the Enemy, Mary Habeck – I have just finished this one, and I would highly recommend it as the first one to read on this area. Measured and clear-eyed.
Celsius 7/7, Michael Gove – quite good for a politician.
Londonistan, Melanie Phillips – haven’t read beyond chapter one yet, but I can guess what to expect!
Militant Islam reaches America, Daniel Pipes – one of the best books I’ve read; Pipes’ blog is worth following.
While Europe Slept, Bruce Bawer – stimulating and outlines what is at stake.

Some terms that I think are worth understanding:
Dhimmitude
Jizya
The House of War (dar al-Harb) and the House of Peace (dar al-Islam)
Jahiliya
Khawarij
Taqiyya
and of course
Jihad, but see here

I’ll try and keep this post up to date.

Three factors

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A bit of a riff on my ‘hate it here’ post (NB newish readers should probably see this post for a bit more on the ‘hate’ part).

I’m not very good at discerning the timing of events – that is, I underestimate the amount of inertia in the system, and things happen much more slowly than might be expected on abstract logical grounds. That said, these are things that I see being important over the next fifteen years or so:

– first, the whole question of Islam/terrorism, and the likely political and strategic conflicts and realignments that might come about in the Middle East;
– second, the ongoing financial crisis and deflation, leading to (probably) a shift in economic power to the East;
– thirdly, crashing into resource limits, especially the peaking of the oil supply.

Now all of these three are going to interact in multiple and unpredictable ways. What I’m pretty sure about, however, is that coming out on the other side, we will be in a very different place. Which is why a lot of the prognostications that depend upon more or less ‘business as usual’ seem rather unreal to me.

A different sort of bubble

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Consensus – received opinion – accepted wisdom. Different expressions for a similar sort of thing, a framework for understanding the world. We can’t do without them, they are the ‘inherited background against which we judge between true and false’ (Mr Ludwig).

That does not mean, however, that they are not open to investigation and discussion, and that they can be quite shockingly disconnected from reality. (Mr MacIntyre has a good discussion on how to go about it in this book).

I’ve often in my own mind thought of the secular mind-set which is dominant in Western society as a ‘bubble’. Within the bubble it all makes sense; the assumptions are reinforced by the conversations taking place with other people within the bubble; those with assumptions outside the bubble are generally denigrated for being more or less mad or stupid. Those criticised tend to be conservatives, but there is an equally cogent left-wing critique of the bubble, so it isn’t just a left-wing/right-wing divide.

I was put in mind of this by reading these two articles, which each touch on the fact that the establishment bubble is becoming more and more disconnected from reality – and, I would argue, is about to burst. That bursting will lead to us living through some very interesting times.

Victor Davis Hanson: Pity the post-modern cultural elite
American Spectator: The American Ruling Class