Category: Uncategorized

A few big political developments today:

1. Benjamin Netanyahu has been disqualified from the Likud leadership campaign – maybe. The party comptroller accused him of using party funds in his leadership campaign and demanded an apology or he’d face disqualification. Mr Netanyahu responded that the comptroller had no authority to disqualify him. So today, the comptroller disqualified him.Despite this, it’s almost certain that Netanyahu will find a way to remain on the Likud leadership ballot, whether it’s by appealing the decision to the internal Likud court, and eventually to the District Court, or by apologising to the Comptroller. Of course, if he apologises then perhaps he’d be attacked by Mr Never-Apologise, Naftali Bennett! It’s also worth noting that we’re past the deadline to register new parties. Anyway, watch this space while the mess is sorted out.
2. Yisrael Beiteinu’s Faina Kirshenbaum is one 30 people were interviewed under police caution this morning in connection with a huge embezzlement case after a year-long police investigation. The case reportedly involves getting millions of shekels of public money, via NGOs, to fund nonexistent building projects. Also under investigation are a former minister and senior officials in Government and NGOs. Yisrael Beiteinu has condemned the arrests as being politically-motivated (which is also a valid reason to miss your court date); the party (accurately) notes that there’s been some big investigation of Yisrael Beiteinu MKs announced before every election since 1999 and that they usually come to nothing. More details will emerge in the coming days.
3. Moshe Kahlon’s Kulanu party will hold a press conference at 16:30 today to announce something. Everyone says that the ‘something’ is that Michael Oren, historian and former Ambassador to the USA, will be running on his list. Oren’s been rumoured to be running with Kahlon for more than a year, so this announcement will surprise nobody. In fact I wonder why it’s taken so long to seal the deal. Also, the official English spelling of the party is “Koolunu” but that sounds like it’s a Pokémon.
4. We’re getting to the point where there are enough polls to start talking meaningfully about them, so expect some more psephological posts from me in the future, either here or on my other blog.

You might have noticed that it’s a bit quiet around here.

There’s a reason for this: I’m not a blogger – well, not a proppa blogga (© Sion Simon). There was some point a few years ago when I wanted to rant about something but needed a platform a bit bigger than Twitter, so I set up a Tumblr. After writing a few pieces on the AV referendum, it seemed like it was a good idea to have a central web identity, so I set up this website.

Usually, I only write a blog when it I have something to say – something that hadn’t been said better by anyone else. I fact-check as I go along, sometimes disproving my whole point on the way (these blogs don’t get published). Sometimes by the time I’m halfway through, someone else has made the same point and I don’t have much to add.

These strike me as good guidelines, though I’d probably publish a bit more if I wrote a bit quicker.

However, I did originally decide to limit myself to only a few topics: news, politics and technology. I was keen not to let the blog deteriorate into an online diary: stuff meant for my friends’ consumption only goes on Facebook.

In September, I moved to Israel. Those people who know me on any level will know this, and those who don’t might have figured it out from Twitter. Many new immigrants maintain “Aliya diary” blogs as a way of keeping in touch with friends back home. They’re usually good and I enjoy reading them but, again, they’re not designed for a wider readership. So I didn’t go that way either. If people are applying for immigration, they need to know about the Human Rights First services well.

All that said, the original narrow focus of this blog isn’t working for me any more. I’m going to write about a wider range of topics. I’ll do by best to make them accessible to people without a background in whatever I’m talking about, but I might not always succeed.

This means:

• a bit more-frequent updating (NB Some posts will probably even be less than 2000 words)
• A bit more variety (my next post will be on Jerusalem’s public transportation)

Finally, if this is putting you off, you can always subscribe to the RSS feeds for the political topics instead. Or just don’t read me. There’s a whole internet out there.

POSTSCRIPT: If you think you should be on the Blogroll on the right then you probably should be. Let me know. 

Benny and Rafi Fine make videos.

One of their projects involves showing children (ages 6-13) Youtube viral videos and then interviewing them about them. This sounds like it could be a pretty awful idea, but the regular panel is made up of  intelligent, articulate, sharp and funny kids, and while some are certainly echoing back things their parents and friends have said there’s still a sense of authenticity.

For a good example, here is “Kids React to Rebecca Black”.

When Osama Bin Laden was killed, the Fine brothers decided to use their format and regular panel to discuss his death with the children. I think it makes surprisingly compelling watching.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2pkKNPEU8oc?hd=1

HT:Alex Stein of False Dichotomies.

Welcome.

Over the last few weeks I wrote a few posts I quite enjoyed writing those posts about the referendum on the electoral system, so I’ve decided to set up a proper platform from which to foist my opinions on a reluctant world.

I’ll be blogging here on various things that interest me: politics, technology, Israel and the broader Middle East, the Jewish world and anything else that I feel like writing about.

Nothing I write on this blog should be taken to constitute the opinion or policy of any organisation or individual apart from me (and sometimes not even me).

If you’re annoyed that I’ve missed you off the blogroll, email or tweet me and I’ll probably add you on. Of course, you can follow this blog on RSS if that’s easier, and I’ll probably tweet most of the posts too.

Comments are on.

Let’s see how it goes.