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musicandchips
Thoughts from 30-Something London
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Monday, December 15, 2003 :::
Lost & Found
Ahh, internet cafe's, those bastions of the modern communication age. Having failed to retain my sanity in the characterless click-clack-cacophany that is EasyNet (basically warehouses with hundreds upon hundreds of broadband-connected machines in neat orange rows), I have found a nice one 10 minutes walk from my place with local art on the walls, music on the stereo, a comfy sofa area for taking breaks and a nice little cafe selling lovely cakes. It's still pricey to spend more than a couple of hours here, but at least it's access!
And the yanks have found Saddam at last. Cue huge quantities of back-slapping and self-aggrandisement, and surprising as it may seem, a big 'Well Done' from yours truly. Even with the huge number of troops and informants searching, and the frankly mind-boggling sums of money being offered for leads, to find one man in a 5 ft square room buried underground in the middle of nowhere is a pretty amazing feat. And the early noises from Washington seem to indicate that he will be processed by whatever court the international community decides has the greatest claim to jurisdiction, a small and welcome step back towards multi-lateralism from the Bush administration.
My only worry is that this sudden burst of good news is being blatantly used to cover up a whole raft of negative issues whilst at the same time re-inforcing the old doctrines. The perceived logic seems to be, "We said we'd find Saddam, we did, and therefore everything else we've said is also beyond question". Little details slipped into broader statements concerning the state of play abound. I heard a classic yesterday, it was from some military adviser to the president, and it went something along the lines of "It's great that we've captured Saddam, the world is now a safer place. Of course we know all about the biological and chemical weapons programmes that were fully functional under his regime, but now under questioning we can find out the true extent of Iraq's pre-war nuclear programme." Note the assumptions here, all highly dubious: i) That Saddam's capture will demoralise rather than inspire the insurrectionists / terrorists; ii) Despite the lack of even the tiniest shred of any supporting evidence (and huge and mounting evidence to the contrary), it is now a given that the coalition claims regarding the extent, combat-readiness and iminent deployment of WMDs were true; iii) Despite evidence that it never in fact existed, the idea that Iraq had a nuclear programme is now a priori true, we just don't know the extent of it. In addition, as media fascination with the capture, interrogation and trial of Saddam intensifies, so the interest in the actual on-the-ground situation in Iraq wanes. Obviously as far as the Bush camp are concerned this is a 'Very Very Good Thing', what with the election 'n' all. And of course Tony gets another chance to grin lots in front of foreign diplomats and dignitaries in that self-satisfied smug manner that he has. I just hope it doesn't slip off the radar entirely, as Afghanistan did the minute Iraq became the new focus. There are large numbers of heroin addicts all across Europe still suffering the aftermath of that action; there are always repercussions. It's great that Saddam is in custody and that the international community wil be able to bring this criminal to justice in the eyes of all, but we must be careful not to think of this as the end of the battle. Indeed, it may well be just the beginning.
On a more personal note, I think good karma is coming my way; I have a job interview tomorrow for the job of my dreams; an A&R position within a company that has a phenomenal roster of catalogue and current artists. Wish me luck!
Today I have been listening to the complete works of Joy Division, and mighty fine they are too!!
Oh, and if you're looking for a good book to while away those quiet Christmas hours when everyone is napping following tremendous over-indulgence in roast turkey, mince pies and mulled wine, you could do far worse than 'The Reality Dysfunction' by Peter F Hamilton. An awesome mix of Star Wars, Aliens, Invasion of the Body Snatchers and The Exorcist all rolled into one.
::: posted by Andy at 12/15/2003 05:58:00 PM
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