October 14, 2008
In 1972, Iceland was the stage for one of the more dramatic encounters of the Cold War.
This time it was over a chessboard.
The tempermental American genius Bobby Fischer was up against the reigning World Chess Champion Boris Spassky, a Russian.
Both players felt the pressure and accusations flowed from Russia to America and back again that the other side were trying to subvert their opposing player.
Finally, once Fischer settled his fee and actually made his mind up to play chess, the American triumphed over the Russian.
Then the reclusive American declined to defend his trophy and the Russians under Anatoly Karpov once again assumed the title in 1975.
Fischer, once the beloved darling of America, was a troubled soul. He praised the September 11th attacks on America saying the U.S. should be ‘wiped out’. Apart from a 1992 rematch against Spassky – which he won, although both players were well past their best – he had retired from Chess. He died early this year.
Iceland, situated at the edge of Europe, has often been the site of such American – Russian meetings. It has often acted as a bridge between the two nations.
It is, however, a founder member of NATO.
So it must cause America some alarm when Iceland has now turned to Russia for a 4 billion euro loan.
It cites lack of help from its NATO allies when dealing with its banking problems in the global credit crunch. I have cited before the help that Norway gave Iceland; it seems its other NATO allies weren’t quite as generous.
“We have not received the kind of support that we were requesting from our friends,” said prime minister Geir Haarde. “So in a situation like that, one has to look for new friends.”
Although Iceland has said that they have not made any military concessions yet to the Russians, it must be a concern to NATO. Iceland’s position in the North Atlantic is vital for allowing movement between the U.S. and Europe, the so-called GIUK gap (Greenland-Iceland-UK). If Iceland was to allow any Russian bases on its soil, that would seriously compromise NATO.
Its the makings of another political chess match.
Coincidentally, today was the start of the 2008 World Chess Championship between Viswanathan Anand, the current World Champion from India, and Vladimir Kramnik, the previous champion from Russia and the man who took the title from Garry Kasparov. (Kramnik had also beaten Bulgarian Veselin Topalov, the FIDE champion and his win unified the chess crown and brought FIDE to prominence again.)
Today’s game was drawn, something that favours Anand as Black.
Kramnik,V (2772) – Anand,V (2783) [D14]
WCh Bonn GER (1), 14.10.2008
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.cxd5 cxd5 5.Bf4 Nc6 6.e3 Bf5 7.Nf3 e6 8.Qb3 Bb4 9.Bb5 0-0 10.Bxc6 Bxc3+ 11.Qxc3 Rc8 12.Ne5 Ng4 13.Nxg4 Bxg4 14.Qb4 Rxc6 15.Qxb7 Qc8 16.Qxc8 Rfxc8 17.0-0 a5 18.f3 Bf5 19.Rfe1 Bg6 20.b3 f6 21.e4 dxe4 22.fxe4 Rd8 23.Rad1 Rc2 24.e5 fxe5 25.Bxe5 Rxa2 26.Ra1 Rxa1 27.Rxa1 Rd5 28.Rc1 Rd7 29.Rc5 Ra7 30.Rc7 Rxc7 31.Bxc7 Bc2 32.Bxa5 Bxb3 draw.
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Leave a Comment » | Bulgaria, Chess, Germany, Greenland, Iceland, India, Norway, Politics, Russia, Sport, United States | Tagged: 1972, 1975, 1992, 2008, Anatoly Karpov, Bobby Fischer, Bonn, Boris Spassky, FIDE, Garry Kasparov, Geir Haarde, NATO, rematch, Slav Exchange, Veslin Topalov, Viswanathan Anand, Vladimir Kramnik, World Chess Championship | Permalink
Posted by clinoch
October 12, 2008
Newspapers have been quoting the survey by the World Economic Forum in which business leaders have been rating the solvency of world banks.
The rankings however were compiled just before the recent £50 billion bail-out by the UK, the nationalisation of the Icelandic banks and the larger US bail-out.
The website has the co-authors interviewed from the 3rd to the 7th of October. The report itself was published on the 8th October.
RANKINGS
1. Canada
2. Sweden
3. Luxembourg
4. Australia
5. Denmark
6. Netherlands
7. Belgium
8. New Zealand
9. Ireland
10. Malta
11. Hong Kong
12. Finland
13. Singapore
14. Norway
15. South Africa
16. Switzerland
17. Namibia
18. Chile
19. France
20. Spain
21. Barbados
22. Bahrain
23. Slovak Republic
24. Brazil
25. Estonia
26. Austria
27. Panama
28. Mauritius
29. Kuwait
30. Qatar
31. United Arab Emirates
32. Trinidad and Tobago
33. Senegal
34. Israel
35. Portugal
36. Iceland
37. Cyprus
38. Botswana
39. Germany
40. United States
41. Lithuania
42. Peru
43. El Salvador
44. United Kingdom
45. Greece
46. Benin
47. Costa Rica
48. Malawi
49. Guyana
50. Malaysia
51. India
52. Puerto Rico
53. The Gambia
54. Montenegro
55. Mexico
56. Croatia
57. Czech Republic
58. Jordan
59. Ghana
60. Suriname
61. Brunei Darussalam
62. Latvia
63. Saudi Arabia
64. Kenya
65. Jamaica
66. Honduras
67. Zambia
68. Burkina Faso
69. Slovenia
70. Sri Lanka
71. Pakistan
72. Philippines
73. Republic of Korea
74. Romania
75. Thailand
76. Madagascar
77. Colombia
78. Cote d’Ivoire
79. Italy
80. Bulgaria
81. Hungary
82. Cameroon
83. Georgia
84. Oman
85. Tunisia
86. Paraguay
87. Nigeria
88. Armenia
89. Morocco
90. Dominican Republic
91. Bolivia
92. Malia
93. Japan
94. Tanzania
95. Moldova
96. Bosnia and Herzegovina
97. Poland
98. Nicaragua
99. Venezuela
100. Uruguay
101. Guatemala
102. FYR Macedonia
103. Syria
104. Albania
105. Nepal
106. Mozambique
107. Russian Federation
108. China
109. Uganda
110. Serbia
111. Egypt
112. Ukraine
113. Vietnam
114. Turkey
115. Bangladesh
116. Azerbaijan
117. Taiwan, China
118. Ecuador
119. Mauritania
120. Mongolia
121. Indonesia
122. Zimbabwe
123. Tajikistan
124. Kazakhstan
125. Cambodia
126. Burundi
127. Chad
128. Ethiopia
129. Argentina
130. East Timor
131. Kyrgyz Republic
132. Lesotho
133. Libya
134. Algeria
Yes. That’s right.
The UK lies behind Peru and El Salvador.
Now given this report was a survey of the world’s economists whose advice our banks were no doubt taking; should we believe it?
Are the UK’s banks really behind Peru, El Salvador and Senegal?
Or is it an accurate representation that is slightly out of date, compiled as it was slightly before the bail-outs?
That must depend on whether you believe the bail-outs will work.
If reports are to be believed the Royal Bank of Scotland is next in line to be nationalised tomorrow. If that happens then there will be further pressure on the remaining UK bank’s to be nationalised too. The banking sector could be picked off one by one by the market and the taxpayer forced to pick up the tab.
On that Iain Dale post there have already been comments about the English taxpayer bailing out the Scottish bank.
It must be a pity, to all those who carp, that Scotland is not already independent.
An independent Scotland with a similar oil fund like our neighbour Norway could be similarly insulated from these turbulent times.
It would also have the economic levers to maintain its economy best, not just for the South-East of England as remains the case today. Remember Eddie George, the former Governor of the Bank of England: Unemployment in the north is a price worth paying for affluence in the South!
Although the credit crunch is global, take a look back at those rankings.
Sweden, Luxembourg, Denmark, Belgium, Netherlands. All small countries lying in the top 10.
Even Ireland, who have recently guaranteed all deposits in their banks, are sitting 9th.
The argument that Scotland is too small to be financially unstable is farcical! I don’t hear anyone saying that Denmark is too small and should be run from Berlin. (Not since the days of Adolf Hitler and the Second World War anyway!)
As countries large and small struggle with the credit credit crunch from the U.S. and Russia down to Iceland with its 300 000 population, this population argument of independence must be seen to be invalid. Iceland, with a population slightly smaller than North Lanarkshire, isn’t exactly Miramont Gardens in Pimlico!
What matters now is that we take the right decisions to get out this mess.
Those decisions may be different for each country. They may even be different for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
That’s why its important key economic levers are devolved away from Westminster.
Otherwise the Eddie George syndrome will hamper ‘the North’ recovering for years.
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Leave a Comment » | Albania, Algeria, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Banking, Barbados, Belgium, Benin, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Business and industry, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, East Timor, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, England, Estonia, Ethiopia, Films, Finland, France, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lesotho, Libya, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Media, Mexico, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Northern Ireland, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Politics, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Republic of Ireland, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Scotland, Senegal, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Surinam, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United States, Uruguay, Venezuela, Vietnam, Wales, Zambia, Zimbabwe | Tagged: Bank of England, credit crunch, Eddie George, Passport to Pimlico, Royal Bank of Scotland, World Economic Forum | Permalink
Posted by clinoch
July 25, 2008
Yes. The SNP have won Glasgow East.
It might be a shock result but is anyone surprised?
I’m not going to go into Labour’s terminal decline in Scotland today.
I’ve already posted quite a bit on Labour’s slapstick election campaign too.
No. Today should be about celebrating the SNP’s magnificient win.
A justified result for the SNP’s brilliant campaign team and candidate John Mason.
A win that delivered the promised ‘political earthquake’. (Yet another SNP promise delivered!)
An earthquake with tremors felt around the world:-
The USA: New York Times and Time magazine
Canada: The National Post
India : Top News
South Africa : News 24
Australia : Sydney Morning Herald
France: France 24
Spain: EITB 24
to name but a few countries coverage.
Now thats what I call putting Scotland on the world stage!
To do it permanently, independence is the next step.
Bring it on!
1 Comment | Australia, Canada, France, India, Labour, Politics, Scotland, SNP, South Africa, Spain, United States | Tagged: Glasgow East, John Mason | Permalink
Posted by clinoch