The Nats are biting

The Scottish Government faced the British Government and won - when the SNP candidate, John Mason, emerged victorious in the Glasgow East by-election, early in the hours of Friday morning. But while nationalists got some hard-earned sleep, Not a Sheep complained bitterly that the BBC’s coverage of the by-election was seen “through a Labour prism”.

Seeing it through a Labour prism, On Liberty Now asked:

“Is it now time for Gordon Brown to call a general election, lose, have the Tories get tainted with the economic downturn and then David Milliband can walk into Downing Street in 2013?”

As dawn broke over Glasgow, Tartan Hero was off to the victory photo-call…

Serbs him right

The arrest of Bosnian Serb sociopath Radovan Karadzic, who had been posing as a cross between Rowan Williams and Gillian McKeith, has brought a sliver of light into our dark world.

Harry’s Place carried an interesting profile of the man, by former New York Times Balkans reporter, Daniel Simpson. He touched upon some of the circumstances that allowed the former Republika Srpska president to lie low for some 13 years:

“The weather-beaten folk he went to ground amongst had been reared on tales of centuries of relentless oppression. Even if they loathed the man they loved his cause: the avenging of bygone misfortunes, by wanton aggression if needs be.”

While Sarajevo celebrated, Euro-collaborative blog Kosmopolit wondered what the future held for Serbia. Setting out a ‘to do’ list for its pro-western government, the blog pointed to progress in the Stabilisation and Association Process, recognition of Kosovo, acquisition of status as a an EU candidate state - and the arrest of Karadzic’s charming former associate Ratko Mladic, as well as the ex-president of the breakaway Republic of Serbian Krajina, Goran Hadzic.

A blog entitled Finding Karadzic had been tracking news coverage of the hunt for Karadzic online the past four years, and reflected:

“The world is a better place today than it was yesterday. Those of us interested in international criminal justice sometimes grow weary at the unfairness and impunity that are often the end results of the worst misconduct in the world by some of the worst people in the world.”

The blog also helpfully provided a link to PSY Help Energy - Karadzic’s Uri Gelleresque cashcow of a site flogging daft notions to credulous Belgraders.

Fascinatingly, TechCrunchIT touched on the role that the web may have played in Karadzic’s capture, speculating that: “a technology trail was traced either through a cell phone or an IP address,” and wondered whether an online email account had given the big-haired bastard away.

What have we learned this Week?

Cycling is a hot-button issue. Ed Vaizey opined that cycling was a conservative mode of transport (“utter bollocks” according to liberal Wit and Wisdom) while some unhuggable hoodie nicked Dave Cameron’s cycle from outside Tesco.

Strolling through Westminster on Thursday morning, a straw-mopped cyclist flashed recklessly past me. The workmen digging up the road cheerfully cried “hello Boris!” – but the demon blond cyclist might just as easily have been newstatesman.com’s peddle-driven editor.

Across the Pond

Moses Obama took his mighty staff on a tour of the Holy Land before addressing a million backpack-wearing Germans, while back on the home front McCain was whinging about the media. Fred Stopsky advised him to can it and quit while he’s ahead.

Videos of the Week

To celebrate the absolute and final conclusion of the wearisome Thatcher state funeral debate (“only if she’s still alive!” “Only if it’s subject to compulsory competitive tendering!” “Only if I can wear my Red Wedge t-shirt!”) – here’s a round-up of the best pop videos which are lyrically disrespectful to Thatch.

Elvis Costello was keen to Tramp the Dirt Down, while the Beat similarly demanded that she Stand Down. Angelic Upstarts shouted for an answer, The Style Council shouted to the top, and said ”thank you Maggie Thatcher”, (but very sarcastically), while Tears for Fears damned that “politician granny with her high ideals” and the Specials got ”left on the shelf”.

Quote of the Week

“Was there Kool Aid in the water which created this monster? No there was a cultural meme, a blindfold if you will, which occluded not only his sight but that of the greater Butcher of Belgrade, Milosevic.”

Canadian Catholic blogger, Theology in the Vineyard.