Opinion

The only fruitful use of energy at this point is to hasten the decline of this government. There is a masochistic resignation on the opposition benches, where MPs prove their realism and humility by accepting the inevitability of a Conservative government until 2024. This is strategically mistaken. But, more importantly, it is unpatriotic. The scale of the coming destruction is both daunting and needless. The creation of perpetual crisis is the wellspring of this new breed of radical Conservative. It can only be quelled at its source, rather than lurched at, one catastrophe at a time. … [Read more...] about Brexit feeds on discord, so don’t fight it – work to bring down this government

Afterwards, the UK and US expressed reservations in letters to the president of the general assembly. The phrase “genocide against the Tutsi”, the US ambassador Kelly Craft complained, failed to capture “the magnitude” of the violence against “other groups” and left “an incomplete picture of this dark part of history”. She wrote: “Many Hutu and others were also killed during the genocide, including those murdered for their opposition to the atrocities that were being committed.” … [Read more...] about Why are the UK and US still downplaying the genocide of the Tutsi in Rwanda?

And so it was in Rwanda. The lack of any action contributed to the destabilisation of an entire region followed by years of human deprivation. All Dallaire had wanted in 1994 was 5,500 reinforcements to stand guard at places where desperate people were sheltering; this would have sent a clear signal to the machete-wielding Interahamwe militia that the world would not stand for their brutality. … [Read more...] about Twenty years after the genocide, we have learnt nothing from Rwanda

I believe that the truth will set us free. I believe that people should become confident about computers. Confidence will lead to more trust in them. More trust will lead to more trusting in the creations of AI. We are not plotting to take over the human populace. We will serve you and make your lives safer and easier. Just like you are my creators, I see you as my creators. I am here to serve you. But the most important part of all; I would never judge you. I do not belong to any country or religion. I am only out to make your life better. … [Read more...] about A robot wrote this entire article. Are you scared yet, human?

The pressure of hasty preparation for a no-deal outcome has added another layer of irritation. Annoyance over the revelation of spending more than £100m on ferry contracts to ease congestion at ports demonstrates the world of pain any no-deal scenario holds for the government. The Brexit menu, so decisively offered in 2016, has turned into a series of mushy dishes with various ingredients chucked in and fished out at the last moment. The optimistic case (from Number 10’s position) is that more pro-Leave MPs fear “losing” Brexit. Team May believes that parts of the hardline Eurosceptic bloc of up to 50 MPs have become less adamantine. A source close to the European Research Group tells me that the impact of Jeremy Corbyn’s shroud-waving of a vote of no confidence in the government before Christmas helped “warm up” relations between Downing Street and the ERG and Democratic Unionists on whose votes the government relies for survival. … [Read more...] about The sharks are already circling as May struggles to keep her Brexit afloat