Wikileaks

Thus far there's been nothing in the Wikileaks revelations that comes as a huge surprise. The Saudis hate the Iranians, the US State department spies on the UN, Russia is a kleptocracy, China mounts attacks on the Web, most of the aid that enters Afghanistan goes straight into Swiss bank accounts, Netanyahu is slippery, Merkel is dull, Sarkozy a blowhard, Karzai weak and paranoid, Prince Andrew obnoxious . These aren't secrets that are being disclosed. At most they confirm our best guesses. As someone on a Guardian thread put it, "Diplomats say in private what Joe Public thinks!"

is it right that this material should have been leaked? Oh yes. People have a right to know what the governments that represent them are doing in their name. That's why democracies allow a free press. It's part of the contract between ruler and ruled. Most of the time government manages to hornswoggle and subvert the press. Once in a while the press manages to hit government where it hurts. 

Government says lives have been endangered by the leaks. That's an example of hornswoggle. These revelations are embarrassing and inconvenient to government- that's all. 

Bits And Pieces

 We had a dusting of snow first thing. The workmen say it's worse in Burnley.

The hospital wanted to send my father-in-law to a rehabilitation unit in the hills and he said "no"- so they sent him home instead.  I wonder how long it'll be before the next emergency.

The outcome of the Third Test makes me very happy. Records went down like skittles. Never before has an England Test side posted a score of  500-1. 

At The End Of The Day

The joiner is a gruff bloke who works very, very slowly. He's been laying the laminate floor in the front room for a day and a half and there's a quarter of it still to do. Mohammed says the new kitchen units will be delivered tomorrow. I don't know where they're going to store them. The only room that isn't either stripped bare for the workmen or piled high with stuff is the bathroom.   I'm wearing an undershirt, a padded shirt and a body warmer and I'm dreading having to take them off to go to bed. Every part of me is cold except my ears- which are burning.