Comment Central - Times Online - WBLG

Today's Web Grab

You might enjoy:

• Chris Dillow in Stumbling and mumbling: Idiosyncrasy in house prices
• James Forsyth in The Coffee House: Was the Chinese army responsible for the 2003 New York blackout?
• Sam Coates in The Red Box: Patricia Hewitt and the mystery of the tattoo questions
• Brendan O'Neill in Spiked: A great day for democracy
• Michael Dobbs in The Fact Checker: The pot and the kettle

When cronyism actually works

Iain reports on Chris Smith's appointment to head the Environment Agency. He is not impressed and his instinct is correct.

But oddly, I am rather in favour of such cosy political appointments.

There are too many quangos. They are accountable to no one, with so called independent heads, established on the entirely bogus idea that they will not be taking political decisions.

If the Government appoints one of its own former ministers to head up the agency it will be more difficult for them to escape some of the political consequences of the decisions.

In this mad world, absent of long overdue proper reform, such cronyism actually increases accountability.

The loss of Purnell's talent

Fabulous little story for Guido, the tale of Phil Collins's arrival in the Brown Government in his departure. James Purnell's appointment of Collins demonstrated just how ambitious Purnell is. But also just how ideological a Blairite, because outside Lord Adonis there is no more resolute Blairite in the party than Collins.

It is fascinating that he appears to have been pushed out. They have lost a big talent. But perhaps, since that talent was going to aid Purnell, losing it was the objective.

Did Obama really say this?

Did Barack Obama really say this at the Wesleyan commencement:

You can take your diploma, walk off this stage, and chase only after the big house and the nice suits and all the other things that our money culture says you should buy.

Doesn't he have a rather big house himself? Aren't his suits really, well, pretty nice?

You can just hear one of his advisers suggesting he add that face saving word "only" can't you?

Magazine Rack - Issue 234

You might enjoy:

• Stephen Mihm in Boston Globe Ideas: Everyone's a historian now
• Daniel Bergner in The New York Times Magazine: The Sergeant lost within
• Elizabeth Pisani in Prospect: The plague is over, let's party
• Bruce Hoffman in Foreign Affairs: The myth of grass-roots terrorism

It's never going to end...

Some thought that tomorrow's DNC meeting might spell the end for Hillary Clinton. Others have offered up the final primaries on Tuesday as the moment for her to bow out.

But it seems her campaign has other plans.

Political Radar reports that:

The press traveling with Sen. Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign received an email Thursday afternoon informing reporters they could sign up for travel through June 6 on the campaign website. 

Her spokesman Jay Carson goes on to say:

"There are a lot of places for us to go between June 4 and November"

Surely somewhere he can hear an echo of 'home'?

Alice Fishburn

The politics of doughnuts

Homer Simpson would approve. The Lede has an excellent post up today about all things doughnut-related.

We've already looked at the nomination race to lay on the most baked goods. Now a scandal has broken out about the keffiyeh-like scarf worn by Rachel Ray, the celebrity chef advertising Dunkin' Donuts. Left and right are up in arms. Why so much passion about pastry?

Here's the Lede's explanation:

America’s love for doughnuts is hard to overestimate, having originated in North America at least as far back as the mid-19th century. Artifacts from one chain, Krispy Kreme, sit in the Smithsonian.

And why shouldn't they? It's good to know that doughnuts have found their place in US history - somewhere just between the Smithsonian's anthem-inspiring Stars and Stripes and Judy Garland's ruby slippers.

Alice Fishburn

Friday's comment from the papers in...

Today in Times Comment

• Gerard Baker: Britain, the new banana republic
• Ben Macintyre: Russians bring home the Bacon
• Theodore Dalrymple: We must kick our methadone habit
• Mick Hume: The wrong handle on knife crime
• Alice Fishburn: The Oxford endowment - just pay up
• Bronwen Maddox: Iran’s nuclear threat will be first test for new president
• Hugo Rifkind: Grosser Bruder is watching you, little worker

And from the rest of the papers...

• Jeff Randall: (The Telegraph) - How I long for the early departure of fat, lazy and incompetent BAA
• John Kampfner: (The Telegraph) - Does Gordon Brown steady the ship - or set a more radical course?
• Con Coughlin: (The Telegraph) - War is hell, it is never going to be a politically correct pastime
• Simon Jenkins: (The Guardian) - Once, 'international' sounded saintly. Now it means bureaucracy and waste
• Phillip Blond: (The Guardian) - The true Tory progressives
• Jonathan Steele: (The Guardian) - The road to peace in Iraq runs directly through Tehran
• Dominic Lawson: (The Independent) - We all want to protect children from sexual abuse – but this is an intrusion too far
• Simon Carr: (The Independent) - Why knock something that gives us comfort?
• Clive Stafford Smith: (The Independent) - Why has the Government forsaken Binyam Mohamed?
• Edward Heathcoat Amory: (The Daily Mail) - Do these BBC trustees deserve our trust?
• Philip Stephens: (The Financial Times) - Uncomfortable truths for a new world of them and us

And from around the world...

• David Brooks: (The New York Times) - The reality situation
• E.J.Dionne Jr.: (The Washington Post) - 'Look what they've done to her'
• Ruth Marcus: (The Washington Post) - Tales from the President's (Ex) best friend
• Peggy Noonan: (The Wall Street Journal) - But is it true?
• Henry A. Kissinger: (International Herald Tribune) - Globalization and its discontents
• Peter Hartcher: (The Sydney Morning Herald) - Rudd, the lion who squeaked

Today's Web Grab

You might enjoy:

• Britt Peterson in Environment & Energy: Speaking of robots...
• Sholto Byrnes in Comment is free: Voices from the right
• Hendrik Hertzberg in Notes on politics, mostly: A teachable moment
• Mike Nizza in The Lede: Thoughts on tweaking the 'War on Terror' message
• Libby Purves in Faith Central: Religious theme park saves trouble of thinking

An Inconvenient Truth, in song

La Scala's audience has seen it all. The premiere of Puccini's Madame Butterfly, of Verdi's Otello and now...of Gore's An Inconvenient Truth.

Arias about melting icecaps and growing carbon footprints will soon ring around the hallowed halls of Italy's famous opera house.

The AP reports that Italian Giorgio Battistelli will compose the score for the 2011 season. No word yet on whether Gore will fit the accolade of chief soloist between his Oscar and Nobel prize.

Alice Fishburn