A Bloody Shambles

It's hard to believe that this government could get any more shambolic, but it has. From a satirist's point of view it's the gift that keeps on giving. That said, I don't actually see many satirists or comics really taking advantage of the government's combination of incompetence, incoherence and sheer ideological lunacy. Then again, I can't say that I watch much of what passes for satire or comedy on TV these days. Mainly because it always seems to shy away from real satire or political critiques. At this point, You're probably expecting me to jump on the bandwagon and lay into Channel Four's Ten O'Clock Live. As I've never actually seen a complete episode, I feel that would be a little unfair. All I can say is that, based on the few bits I've seen, it does seem rather weak and predictable, and seems unlikely to do anything to enhance the careers of those involved.

Getting back to my original point - the coalition government's shambolic performance - the crisis in Libya really has highlighted its inadequacies and the shortcomings of its ministers. I was frankly appalled to see William 'Ten Pints a Night' Hague on the news trying to make excuses for failing to provide charter flights to get UK citizens out of Libya. Apparently some of the firms they tried to use refused to fly to Libya, presumably for reasons of safety and/or insurance. For God's sake man, I wanted to shout at the TV, you are Her Majesty's Government! You can bloody requisition aircraft if necessary, or guarantee compensation for damages incurred. Even better, of course, you should be able to provide your own aircraft for emergency evacuations such as this. Except, of course, that thanks to your spending cuts, the armed forces no longer have this capability. But worse was to come - today I read that Nick Clegg apparently admitted that he had forgotten that he was meant to be in charge whilst the prime Minister was away - so he went on a skiing holiday whilst the Middle East burned.

Where was Cameron, though? Actually, he was in the Middle East - trying to sell British arms to various dubious regimes. Now, if I subscribed those 'convenient conspiracies' which always seem to crop up to explain events in irrational terms, I might suspect that it was Cameron and his death-dealing friends who were orchestrating all of these Middle Eastern uprisings in order to drum up business. I mean, it all makes sense - all the remaining despots, seeing what's happened in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya, are undoubtedly getting worried, and will be looking to beef up their internal security to suppress any unrest in their own countries. As for Tunisia and Egypt, well in the former, the 'new' regime seems to consist of a reshuffle of the old one, and will be keen to consolidate their position by military force. As for Egypt, well the military are now in charge, and no matter how many guns, tanks and war planes they already have, soldiers unfettered by political control will always buy more. So, whatever happens, the only people to profit will be the arms dealers.