±«Óãtv

On Kosovo: "a position supported by the US"
Stating the obvious but Kosovo is in Europe, so why not instead mention the attitude of governments here? Do you have a contractual undertaking to make America the centre of a story wherever possible? I will watch with intrigue in case I am missing something which explains why you should focus on the US in this case.

Dear Mr Kelly

re the story last nights arts v science in education -whatever the mix cannot paper over the malaise in our society -

re the Court of Appeal judgement- a good time to ask what has happened to the Natwest 3 and what happens if the Americans ask for the extradition of BAe officials? bet they wont be allowed to go because as part of a plea bargain they might perhaps point the finger to UK Ministers, the Americans might then ask for their extradition to stand trial over the Saudi deal, see where I'm going on this?

Mine's a double standard !!

re the space prog

our last endeavour showed the merit of unmanned missions,

so why the talk of manned mission?

more orders from Washington? more UK money to go there to pay for the technology needed,

best wishes and re the greeting at the top of the Prospects email today may I wish a very happy Singletine to all those out there who stand alone) some even happier for it!) could I suggest its a test and perhaps a sign of strength of character and indicator of personal development to be comfortable and at peace without a mate to hold your hand.

Bob

to the blogmeister, if you are unsure whether to post this please could you send to Peter Barron and ask him,

thanks and best wishes

I completely agree with Ian H. Though he should go further. Why is it that, whatever and wherever the crisis is happening, the ±«Óãtv almost always defer immediatly to "our Washington correspondent. "America" as morrissey wisely sang, "is not the world".

Post 1#, makes a very valid point: why is the ±«Óãtv fixated with making the US the central point of nearly every story?.

Anyone who has read Mark Mardell's Euro blog on this site would know that any article about Kosovo is fraught with emotion and some very strong rhetoric from most posters.

I would have liked to have someone from the EU be interviewed on why they have managed to screw up the whole discussion on Kosovo independence, ideally I would also liked to have a member of the Russian Parliment discuss why they are so against independence for Kosovo.

Newsnight should stop it's fixation with the US and start looking at what is happening in Europe, the ramifications of independence for Kosovo impacts the UK much more than a 'exclusive' interview with Geroge Bush a man that Matt Frei has spent the last year attacking.

I must also point out that I do pay a licence fee in the UK, last time I posted someone attacked me for having no right to comment on this blog.

Joe - I wouldn't worry about what people say. Plenty of people comment on Justin Webb's excellent US blog who don't pay a licence fee.

I echo the point that the US elections, whilst important, shouldn't be allowed to overshadow the kind of things which Mark Mardell is covering on Euroblog, for the whole of the period to November.

In fairness to Tessa Jowell, who I slated in an earlier post, I should acknowledge that since then, she did give a pretty strong criticism of China.

The ±«Óãtv Costume and Wig store a long held "jewel in the ±«Óãtv crown" for Drama and the film industry has ceased to trade as from today.

Notice no reporting of this no coverage of this disaster but we get lots of America and Paxman's complaint against Marks and Spencers lack of support !
How about supporting the licence fee and how the demise of the Costume dept happened ?

Damned if he does, damned if he doesn't. Bush sent in the troops to rid Iraq of an evil monster who was not only a danger to the outside world, but who was a murderous monster who gassed & tortured his own countrymen. Did Bush get applauded for this? Of course not, he has been consistently derided, mocked & abused by the 'humanitarians' who will forgive anything providing it doesn't originate from the USA or its allies, and is preferably from the 'Religion of Peace.'. Bush has been a good president, treading a path sometimes too twisted for a basically decent man. Perhaps his fatal flaw is that he is far from a foolish man, but is a simple man, seeing issues clearly defined as good or bad with no shades between. We live in a world filled with devious politicans, and to fight them a democratic leader needs a small measure of this deviousness.

It seems Richard Beckham of EADS Astrium, and the ±«Óãtv reporter interviewing him, have a little more studying to do. While they're correct in noting the relatively large contribution tiny Belgium makes on the European space scene, they're totally off on one tiny fact. There hasn't been a Belgian astronaut yet? How about two (and both under the ESA flag)?

Dirk Frimout, astronaut and first Belgian in space, was a Spacehab payload specialist on STS-42 (Space Shuttle Atlantis) in 1992.

Frank Dewinne, cosmonaut, was flight engineer on Soyuz TMA-1 and TM-34, and spent 9 days aboard the ISS in 2002. More importantly, he has been selected to complete a 6-month stay aboard the by-then much enlarged ISS in 2009.

Does our government have to put its hand - and money - to every project that comes up? Space exploration and the resources used up in preparations for same are the last thing he world needs right now but for the UK especially, in its dodgy financial state, it amazes me. Also, what happened to the reduction of carbon emissions, and being sparing with resources like energy and water, which the EU touts?

I'm glad so many people in the world don't like America, especially Europeans. It's been that way more or less just about since after the American revolution. Were it not so I'd wonder what America was suddenly doing wrong. As for President Bush, his policies are not radically different from what anyone in the White House would have done under the same circumstances. To imagine that given the information he'd gotten at the time and the events that occurred Al Gore would not have invaded Afghanistan or Iraq even unilaterally if necessary is utter delusion.

So what will the Russians do if America recognizes an independent Kosovo, threaten to target more European cities with nuclear weapons? They've already targeted every American city just as America targets all of theirs.

Should Britain hitch its wagon in hopes of exploring outer space to NASA? Hell no. Why break a perfect record and go with a winner? Who sent three successful manned missions to the moon? Who sent Voyager to the outer planets? Who put two rovers on Mars to send back postcards for years? Who put a space telescope into orbit? The Brits and the EU Space Agency really showed NASA how it should be done...with the Beagle II. Besides, should Britain even spend money exploring outer space? How about straightening out Northern Rock first?

Joe, Maastricht, The Netherlands wrote:
"Post 1#, makes a very valid point: why is the ±«Óãtv fixated with making the US the central point of nearly every story?."

I think it goes beyond fixation, it's an obsession. Why? Because it recognizes that with all its flaws, in every meaningful way America far outclasses every other civilization in history including the one it is
most familiar with. Jealousy equal to the French, it usually displays poor understanding of America as evidenced in its pathetic six part series "America, Age of Empire." It doesn't have a clue as to what makes America tick. As with Sir Chirstopher Meyers, they have not read much American history, at least they show no evidence of it AFAIAC.

BTW, I do subsidize ±«Óãtv but not through a license fee directly but through tax dollars which subsidize PBS and NPR which have contracts with ±«Óãtv. They get their money from Americans one way or another also.

Whilst watching the interview with George W Bush last night I saw something that shocked me. I had to check weather I saw it or just made it up so I watched it again, on line, this morning and there it was again. At the 14:08 of the interview Matt Frie asks the question "Can you honestly say, Mr. President, that today America still occupies the moral high ground?" The answer is clear. "Absolutely." But his head very clearly shakes from left to right a number of times. He says yes with his mouth but says no with his body.

UK Space Civil Space Strategy

It is good to see that the government now acknowledge that the UK should partisipate in human space projects and that space tourisim exists. It is a pity the ±«Óãtv could only find footage of Starchaser's only failed rocket and not the very succesful launch of the 11 metre Nova in 2001. A British success would have given a more positive and accurate view of our space industry. Which is what is required if we want children and the general public to take an interest in science and technology.

Another example of British inovation is the EmDrive. A propulsion system that requires no fuel, just sun light. Its only draw back is that it is limited to 0.7 light speed. Which means we could get to the neaest stars within a travel time of less than 10 years or to Mars in about 3 months.

Maybe Newsnight could instigate a public debate on the UK in space and its medium to long term beniffits?

Paul

President Bush asserted the fact that not only is America the world's economic and military super power, it is the world's moral super power. The invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq not only removed a military threat to their neighbors, respective regions, the world, and the US itself, they removed barbaric cruel dictatorships which committed mass murder of their own populations. If those efforts failed, it is due to lack of cooperation of much of the rest of the so called developed nations who cynically said the US was acting as the world's policeman. Not only did they not cooperate, they actively opposed it, in the case of Iraq because their governments immorally wanted to protect their own narrow interests by profiteers among their most powerful citizens. To do this, their leaders like Schroeder and Chirac whipped up anti-American sentiments among their populations even before the invasions. This is a mistake that will come back to haunt Europeans in particular in ways we can't even begin to imagine yet. Ironically, Europe enjoys its high standard of living today ONLY because the United States made exactly the same kind of sacrifices on their behalf three times in the 20th century. Once to end the cruel war of false nationalism early in the century when an entire generation of European young men was lost, again to end the bloodbath of the tyranny of race based National Socialism and Fascism in the middle of the century, and again to prevent a third bloodbath by the imposition of Communist tyranny. All three times those who advocated these disasterous policies which led to war met with weak or non existant opposition and each time they were proven tragically wrong. The unwillingness to stand up to the latest challenge of the threat of Islamofascism is equally flawed due to the same failure of strong moral conviction and the willingness to fight to maintain freedom and will have equally disasterous consequences if the current tide is not reversed.

Europeans talk a lot about helping Africa, tsunami victims, and attending to other major problems facing mankind but as President Bush pointed out tactfully by not explicitly saying it, only the United States truely acts in a meaningful way making the necessary sacrifices. What Europeans don't understand is that the US does not do this because the it is a superpower but that the US is a superpower because it does these kinds of things instinctively. If the US recedes as a world power, it is because it's people are tired of going it alone. For example, if the entire world does not share equally in the sacrifices to avert climate change as the Chinese, Indians, and Europeans would have it, the US will not do it unilaterally. It couldn't succeed if it tried. The course the world will follow is not up to the US, it knows where it wants to go but up to everyone else. The current signs are ominous.

"The judgement was very critical of the Crown Prosecution Service and the ±«Óãtv Office for granting an extradition request from the Americans" Will you be including information of the EU arrest warrant, where it is impossible to block extradition?

UK Civil Space Strategy

It is good to see that the government now acknowledge that the UK should partisipate in human space projects and that space tourisim exists. It is a pity the ±«Óãtv could only find footage of Starchaser's only failed rocket and not the very succesful launch of the 11 metre Nova in 2001. A British success would have given a more positive and accurate view of our space industry. Which is what is required if we want children and the general public to take an interest in science and technology.

Another example of British inovation is the EmDrive. A propulsion system that requires no fuel, just sun light. Its only draw back is that it is limited to 0.7 light speed. Which means we could get to the neaest stars within a travel time of less than 10 years or to Mars in about 3 months.

Maybe Newsnight could instigate a public debate on the UK in space and its medium to long term benifits?

Paul Director Starchaser Industies Ltd

I see Bush spotted the huge ego of Matt Frei a mile off and gave it a massage. On ±«Óãtv1 news Matt Frei said that he thought Bush was just happy to have a chat with a nice journalist and on Newsnight he told us the Bush thought Frei was the best!

It certainly put a spring in our correspondents step, but we don't pay our licence fee to hear a journalist purring like a cat, we want tough questions and incisive analysis.

Allan Little's report from Kosovo was, not surprisingly, informative and interesting. He draws attention to the new minority in this part of former Yugoslavia, who are ethnic Serb citizens. On a day when Russia and Serbia are threatening to destablize the current world order by recognizing such places as Abhazia, Kurdistan, Republika Srpska and a part of Moldova I had thought unpopulated, it would be timely for further reports on the awful treatment meted by Serbs under Milosevic on the ethnic Albanian population in Kosovo. This is a unique and special case, and the arguments in favour or Kosovo Independence are more moral than legal. The dignity, professionalism and calm manner in which Kosovo PM Thaci is dealing with events is admirable, given the near hysteria of the press pack at hotel Prishtina today, and Al Jazeera's success in finding a single Serb in North Mitrovica to repeat that neither NATO troops from countries that recognize Kosovo are welcome, or even Kosovo Albanians serving in the police service.

As the weekend unfolds, the massive contingent of press camped out throughout the city have a duty to report and not make news. Led by Britain, the western world put an end to ethnic cleansing of Albanians by Serb troops in 1999, and have effectivley secured the province since then. We can only hope that the media, the politicans and the security forces allow the weekend to play out to the backdrop of music, fireworks and celebration, and not fear, uncertainty and nerves. Kosovo deserves her place in Europe.

UK Civil Space Strategy

It is good to see that the government now acknowledge that the UK should partisipate in human space projects and that space tourisim exists. It is a pity the ±«Óãtv could only find footage of Starchaser's only failed rocket and not the very succesful launch of the 11 metre Nova in 2001. A British success would have given a more positive and accurate view of our space industry. Which is what is required if we want children and the general public to take an interest in science and technology.

Another example of British inovation is the EmDrive. A propulsion system that requires no fuel, just sun light. Its only draw back is that it is limited to 0.7 light speed. Which means we could get to the neaest stars within a travel time of less than 10 years or to Mars in about 3 months.

Maybe Newsnight could instigate a public debate on the UK in space and its medium to long term benifits?

Paul Director Starchaser Industies Ltd

The biggest mistake the USA ever made was saving ungrateful Europe in the First World War. If they hadn't intervened, Germany would have crushed Russia, controlled East Europe and prevented communism taking over. Hitler would never have had the chance to rule an embittered, broken country and the world would be a better place today. Keep out of Africa, and let them destroy themselves.