Ken Livingstone
Ken Livingstone is an arse of the first water, and it makes me grimace to have to stand in solidarity with him, but I have no choice. He's right; the British "code" is wrong.
And the fact that our Muslim friends won't distinguish Britain from America from Denmark (we don't extend the same courtesies to them, either), but will lump all this under the "hypocrisy of the West," means that somewhere, somehow, George W. Bush is going to be burned in effigy for this.
Here's the transcript of Livingstone's offense, courtesy of the AP:
Partial transcript of encounter between London Mayor Ken Livingstone and newspaper reporter Oliver Finegold after city hall reception, as taped by the journalist:
Finegold: "Mr. Livingstone, Evening Standard. How did it ..."
Livingstone: "Oh, how awful for you."
Finegold: "How did tonight go?"
Livingstone: "Have you thought of having treatment?"
Finegold: "How did tonight go?"
Livingstone: "Have you thought of having treatment?"
Finegold: "Was it a good party? What does it mean for you?"
Livingstone: "What did you do before? Were you a German war criminal?"
Finegold: "No, I'm Jewish. I wasn't a German war criminal."
Livingstone: "Ah, right."
Finegold: "I'm actually quite offended by that. So, how did tonight go?"
Livingstone: "Well you might be, but actually you are just like a concentration camp guard. You're just doing it 'cause you're paid to, aren't you?"
Finegold: "Great. I've got you on record for that. So how did tonight go?"
Livingstone: "It's nothing to do with you because your paper is a load of scumbags."
Finegold: "How did tonight go?"
Livingstone: "It's reactionary bigots ..."
Finegold: "I'm a journalist. I'm doing my job."
Livingstone: "... and who supported fascism."
Finegold: "I'm only asking for a simple comment. I'm only asking for a comment."
Livingstone: "Well, work for a paper that isn't ..."
Finegold: "I'm only asking for a comment."
Livingstone: "... that had a record of supporting fascism."
And the fact that our Muslim friends won't distinguish Britain from America from Denmark (we don't extend the same courtesies to them, either), but will lump all this under the "hypocrisy of the West," means that somewhere, somehow, George W. Bush is going to be burned in effigy for this.
Here's the transcript of Livingstone's offense, courtesy of the AP:
Partial transcript of encounter between London Mayor Ken Livingstone and newspaper reporter Oliver Finegold after city hall reception, as taped by the journalist:
Finegold: "Mr. Livingstone, Evening Standard. How did it ..."
Livingstone: "Oh, how awful for you."
Finegold: "How did tonight go?"
Livingstone: "Have you thought of having treatment?"
Finegold: "How did tonight go?"
Livingstone: "Have you thought of having treatment?"
Finegold: "Was it a good party? What does it mean for you?"
Livingstone: "What did you do before? Were you a German war criminal?"
Finegold: "No, I'm Jewish. I wasn't a German war criminal."
Livingstone: "Ah, right."
Finegold: "I'm actually quite offended by that. So, how did tonight go?"
Livingstone: "Well you might be, but actually you are just like a concentration camp guard. You're just doing it 'cause you're paid to, aren't you?"
Finegold: "Great. I've got you on record for that. So how did tonight go?"
Livingstone: "It's nothing to do with you because your paper is a load of scumbags."
Finegold: "How did tonight go?"
Livingstone: "It's reactionary bigots ..."
Finegold: "I'm a journalist. I'm doing my job."
Livingstone: "... and who supported fascism."
Finegold: "I'm only asking for a simple comment. I'm only asking for a comment."
Livingstone: "Well, work for a paper that isn't ..."
Finegold: "I'm only asking for a comment."
Livingstone: "... that had a record of supporting fascism."
