[diana] butler-sloss well out of order on this one

As Ian Hislop once said: "If this is justice, then I'm a banana."

Elizabeth Butler-Sloss, pre-empting the jury inquiry, said on Monday she had not seen "a shred of evidence" to back up claims she had been murdered.

Now I'm no lawyer, unlike some of my learned fellow bloggers but this seems to me to be well out of order, offering an opinion before an investigation she'll be co-heading even gets underway.

Appeal court judge Janet Smith, on the other hand, said: "Mr Al Fayed has alleged that the Duke of Edinburgh and the security services conspired to kill the princess and Dodi Al Fayed. The allegation must be inquired into."

Damned right. Fayed knows exactly what went on in the emergency room and who was in there when Diana was taken in there. He knows why the delay in getting her to emergency, so that certain persons could be present and he probably knows why they had to be there in a non-medical capacity. And why they departed soon after.

It will be interesting to see if this comes out or not.

[russian president] ivanov and medvedev firm favourites

The biggest question in Russia just now is what Putin is up to, vis a vis the presidential election.

He certainly doesn't seem to be running, himself, as he announced "a reshuffle on Thursday, appointing defence minister Sergei Ivanov as first deputy prime minister, equal to Dmitry Medvedev, who already holds that position, and who has been widely tipped as Ivanov’s main rival in the 2008 presidential election."

“Thus begins the unfolding of Putin’s answer to the 2008 problem,” the daily Izvestia wrote. “There will be no 'successor' to the post of president, the voters will have to chose between absolutely equal candidates.”

The speculation can now begin as to Putin's broader game. If the two deputies will have to fight it out and if both are now being given a free rein to boost themselves before the poll and if there is no clearcut winner at the poll, would that mean Putin would be waiting in the wings to take over again in 2012?

Or is it Putin's way of observing which one to throw his weight behind, thus truly ending his era and ushering in a new? Surely Putin will be very much in the background, perhaps as some sort of elder statesman. And what of Khodorkovsky? When he comes out, won't revenging himself be very much on his mind?

Either Vladimir Putin is playing his cards close to his chest or else he's simply playing according to the rules, thereby enhancing the chances for genuine democracy in Russia, despite what his fiercest critics say.

Or perhaps he has a third motivation - to leave office a Russian statesman who put a divided country back together and back on the world map. His legacy may be very close to his heart, more so than continuing in power.

Or else he knows of the coming world disaster the Finance is planning and doesn't want to be at the helm at that time.

Intriguing.

[britblog 107] from the keyboard of mr eugenides

Get thee over to Mr Eugenides henceforth, for the first non-Tim Worstall Britblog Roundup and a humdinger it is too.

[sunday quiz] is your history hazy or honed

Sorry it's a bit late:

1 The ancient region of Nubia is in which two modern countries?

2 Eboracum is the roman name for which city?

3 In which country is Waterloo, where the battle took place?

4 The Condor Legion was the name of the German air force flying for Franco's nationalist side in the Spanish Civil War. What was the name of the Irish volunteers on Franco's side?

5 The War of Jenkin's Ear (1739) was waged between which two countries?

6 Was Operation Sea Lion in the Second World War the invasion of Britain or the evacuation at Dunkirk ?

7 What was the name of Haile Selassie before he was crowned in 1930?

8 What was the name of the cult that Charles Manson led which killed at least seven people and what was the similar sounding name the British Royal family gave itself, particular in the days of the last Georges?

9 Which Republic has existed in France since 1958? [1st, 7th, 14th or which?]

10 Which other country joined the EEC at the same time as Ireland and Denmark?

Answers here. How did you do?

[iceland news] no fatal traffic accidents this year

This blog adores Icelandic news. As Euroserf once commented, "In the middle of a hectic day of a hectic life, Iceland seems somehow peacefully inviting doesn't it?" Now here's their latest classic:

No one has been killed in traffic in Iceland in the first two months of 2007. In January and February last year four people lost their lives in traffic accidents, and on average in 2006, one person died in traffic every 12 days. “The goal of the road safety plan of the government is that there will be no more fatal traffic accidents in Iceland than in countries where the situation is best,” stated an announcement from the Road Traffic Directorate.

“It is important to continue this development by respecting speed limits, using safety equipment in cars and using it right, and do everything we can to prevent driving under the influence of alcohol and other euphoric substances,” the announcement continued. Furthermore, it was stated: “2006 was the second worst year regarding fatal accidents in Iceland in 25 years. A civilized nation cannot accept that.”

I don't know what it is about Iceland - is it the provincial nature of their largely non-news, presented seriously and fully attributed, even down to "Morganbladdid said this"? Or is it the quaint English, such as 'euphoric substances' in the above post? Or is it the amazing Icelandic names such as Bjorgolfur Gudmansson and Vilhjalmur Th. Vilhjamsson?

Or the quaint thinking processes? I once wrote to Iceland Review, asking if they were serious and had a very prim and proper reply but the niceness of the lady made me feel a cynical, curmudgenonly heel and I vowed never to take the p--s again. And yet here are some classics which can bring tears to the eyes:

Icelandic bitch has record number of puppies;

German author publishes fantasy novel about Iceland;

… and these stories demanded their own posts:

[icelandic pervert] window peeper busted in akureyri

[bloody vikings] no spam for these boys

My favourite though was a two paragaph post trying to beat up the fact that it was + 17 degrees at the start of summer. It concluded:

Many people have taken the day off. This explains why not much is happening in the country, as you can see from the lack of news.

[flawed hero] the tragedy of gary ablett

Nobody's interested in someone else's sport. The Americans skip over English football, the English ignore New Zealand club rugby. Goals, points, handpasses - when they're not your local heroes, they're simply a yawn.

Just occasionally, sportsmen like Beckam, Bradman, Alabama Pitts, Truman, Jordan, Shaq, Babe Ruth, Jona Lomu, Tyson, George Best, Shane Warne and Popov come along and their ability is inconceivable. Transcending the field of sport, soon to be cultural icons, more often than not their off field antics, their inability to simply live as human beings, makes them the stuff of legends and of course, of tragedy. Everyone is fascinated by a tragedy.

Such a man was Gary Ablett, of the AFL team Geelong, at a time when I was living in Australia in the 80s. He ended up, like Eric Clapton, being called G-d in the graffiti and in the flow of adulation which engulfed him everywhere he tried to turn. Everyone wanted a piece of him.

And on Saturdays, they'd flock to see the goliath perform his superhuman antics, often seeming to suspend the laws of physics as he quite legally, under the laws of the Australian game, bestrode other men's shoulders in his climb to the stratosphere to take in a high grab. Once asked about a particular spectacular he'd taken, he replied: "It was a good mark but wasn't such a good landing."

Therein lies the story of Gary Ablett. Not the most articulate of men, his tale is one of soaring for the stars then crashing heavily to earth and he rarely let you down on the field. When opposition fans saw him take a grab or whip up the ball from the turf, shoulders sagged all round and they'd mutter: "Bloody Ablett," with a touch of awe. The goal was usually a foregone conclusion.

He came from the right side of the tracks for a footballer - a street fighting, bar brawling country boy, with massive shoulders and an athlete's body; he'd been on the shady side of the law more than a few times, he'd once hospitalized a man. When he hit the big smoke, he was no immediate hit, joining his brothers' club and stifling in its atmosphere. Then he went to the flashy, lightning quick Geelong, of the western district 'old money', a one town club who knew how to worship a hero. Ablett was on clover but even here lay the seeds of the later tragedy.

Gary Ablett's story concludes here.