Author: Oliver Nott
Presidential review: George Washington, John Adams
| July 23, 2011 | Posted by Oliver Nott under presidential reviews, reviews |
George Washington, 1789 – 1797 VP: John Adams, First Lady: Martha Dandridge Custis George Washington is often cited as one of the greatest men to ever grace the presidency of the United States of America and despite an absence of complete domestic or international victory, this remains absolutely true. Washington’s presidency was a minor part of the farmer-turned-soldier’s life, with his military and revolutionary career somewhat overshadowing his achievements in office, demonstrating the sheer volume of his life. When the United States needed a leader in its democratic experiment, although Washington was not the most talented politician, he was the obvious choice. His résumé was impressive and his patriotism was undeniable. He was the Commander-in-chief of the American armies, he helped… more
The Republican presidential primaries 2012: Candidate gallery
| July 14, 2011 | Posted by Oliver Nott under international |
The Republican invisible primary is well underway and already pollsters and commentators are assessing the GOP’s mix of talent, trying to find that one candidate who might just be able to take on Obama in the November of 2012. The race is starting to get very interesting and with the prospect of Sarah Palin in the Oval Office, I think even those uninterested by politics are starting to turn their heads. Although the Republicans do not have the most exhilarating pool of politicians from which to pick at the moment, there are a number of candidates who show a bit of the flair needed to run a successful presidential bid. Moreover, there are several impressive Republicans who have turned down… more
Barack Obama makes history: the United States presidential election, 2008
| July 10, 2011 | Posted by Oliver Nott under international |
On 5th November 2008, at around 3.30am (GMT), the Democratic Party’s nominee for President, Barack Obama, stood at a podium in Grant Park, Chicago, and made his victory speech as the next President of the United States of America. His journey, which had taken the former-Senator from an almost non-existent public profile to the most famous politician in the world in under two years, had finally ended; and his next one was just about to start. The presidential election of Barack Hussein Obama II was unique. The number of presidential election records broken, both trivial and otherwise, and the sheer exhilaration of the campaigns meant that this election exceeded even the thrill of Johnson’s landslide in 1964 and Truman’s upset in… more
Why capital punishment is dead wrong!
| March 16, 2011 | Posted by Oliver Nott under international, national |
Although there has been no specific incident, event or situation in the news recently to stimulate the grand old debate over capital punishment, fairly recent polls have suggested that for the first time since 1965 – when capital punishment was suspended – a majority of the population do not support this cruel penalty (YouGov, 2006). Unexpectedly however, this poll did not evoke any form of relief within me, but instead just made me question in exasperation why and how someone could possibly advocate the death penalty. It is one of many ethical areas where I cannot even begin to comprehend how someone can actually support such a brutal and disgusting idea and thus am almost intolerent of those who, for… more
International news review
| February 17, 2011 | Posted by Oliver Nott under international |
North America (USA) The US ambassador to Luxembourg, Cynthia Stroum, resigned from her post last week after accusations from her staff about her approach being “aggressive, bullying, hostile and intimidating.” Reports have claimed that her management style was so corrosive that not only had senior staff volunteered themselves to be transferred to Iraq, but the US had to send medics to assess the mental health of those who had stayed behind. There were also various accounts of corruption, but it was the bullying that really pushed the issue. Former president George W Bush was forced to pull out of a trip to Switzerland last week because of planned protests by human rights activists over his disgusting treatment of detainees in… more
International news review
| February 9, 2011 | Posted by Oliver Nott under international |
North America (USA) Fox were once again up to their necks in it last week, after more than 400 hundred rabbis wrote in to the broadcasting network urging Rupert Murdoch to take action against the chief executive of Fox News and the station’s crazy, right-wing, illiterate pundit, Glenn Beck. Republicans in Utah’s House of Representatives managed to piss off most of the US last week, when they voted to make the Browning M1911 handgun an official symbol of the state. Supporters of this proposal claim it is designed to honour the Utah gun-maker, John M Browning. Arizona was also once again in the centre of a nationwide row, this time over immigration after the introduction of a bill in its… more
Cameron’s cultural contradictions
| February 7, 2011 | Posted by Oliver Nott under national |
Cameron has once again shifted “what Britain needs” further to the right by denouncing “State Multiculturalism,” claiming the ethos has failed to tackle the “problems” of separatism within the UK and has led to Islamic groups and communities doing “less to tackle extremism.” But don’t skip past this article just yet; you’ll be relieved to read that I am not going to write an eloquent, socialist rant about Cameron’s ideological leadership, but I instead merely wish to outline the numerous contradictions within Cameron’s speech at the 47th Munich Security Council. First, I want to take you back to October 2010, when Germany’s chancellor, Angela Merkel, announced that multiculturalism had failed in her nation and that the country’s attempts since the 1960s… more
