tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34326573.post7649219813913324000..comments2024-03-11T08:28:30.817+00:00Comments on No Good Boyo: The Mark of MahmudNo Good Boyohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05859104068516964533noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34326573.post-13245987059000170602010-04-26T10:47:09.948+00:002010-04-26T10:47:09.948+00:00No one in Wales would consider that a life wasted....<i>No one in Wales would consider that a life wasted.</i><br /><br />Brilliant.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34326573.post-83892896464698649552010-04-09T15:10:24.055+00:002010-04-09T15:10:24.055+00:00He may even be a troofer.
Re style, I think you&#...He may even be a troofer.<br /><br />Re style, I think you're Eric Ambler in disguise. I believe all of it.Judithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01222238421273392904noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34326573.post-26847813062277770632010-03-23T21:51:51.303+00:002010-03-23T21:51:51.303+00:00'How Scotland Invented the Elephant and Then t...'How Scotland Invented the Elephant and Then the London Media Kept Saying the Inventor was Britain Until the Elephant Ran Amok, Then The Inventor Suddenly Became Scotland Again', to give its full title.<br /><br />I love Burgess's memoirs but find his novels only good in parts. I enjoy his style, though - it's everything you're told not to do.<br /><br />My favourite Burgess story has Graham Greene telling some crony in Nice <i>"I turned on the television, and there was Burgess being interviewed - in French!"</i> You can feel the shudder.<br /><br />I can't share your sympathy for Craig Murray, Daphne. Rather like the ex-head of MI5 who recently said she didn't know the Americans were rendering people in an extraordinary manner, I find it hard to believe that a British diplomat turned up in one of the most notoriously vicious states in Asia and was like all <i>"Omigod they're totally killing people!"</i><br /><br />He keeps very poor company these days and wears a kilt in public Pass.No Good Boyohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05859104068516964533noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34326573.post-46287531104007550422010-03-23T15:52:37.409+00:002010-03-23T15:52:37.409+00:00In my country the book would be called 'How Sc...In my country the book would be called 'How Scotland Invented the Elephant'Ian Plenderleithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08512357220650578961noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34326573.post-9340341841184779662010-03-21T07:26:42.751+00:002010-03-21T07:26:42.751+00:00I was going to compare your writing to Anthony Bur...I was going to compare your writing to Anthony Burgess too - in the sense that I had to stop every two lines to look up a word in the dictionary - but Gaw got there first.<br /><br />I have been in two postings where Craig Murray was before Tashkent, and he has certainly not been forgotten, although not always in a nice way. However, after listening to "Murder in Samarkand", David Hare's radio play on Radio 4, which exposes the aspect of his protests they wouldn't allow him to reveal at the time, I have a grudging respect for him. And deep sympathy for his English former wife.Daphne Wayne-Boughhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10581048408996935564noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34326573.post-71750971756401692882010-03-19T12:28:47.218+00:002010-03-19T12:28:47.218+00:00Not a bad idea, Gaw, rather like the Bible.
Good ...Not a bad idea, Gaw, rather like the Bible.<br /><br />Good luck, Andriy, a blog of articles about Ukraine in Portuguese is a joy to behold. I bumped into some of your compatriots in a fish restaurant in Silves some years ago. It was a convivial afternoon.No Good Boyohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05859104068516964533noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34326573.post-14205527030154200802010-03-18T22:09:32.006+00:002010-03-18T22:09:32.006+00:00hi! I am admin of blog "Ucrânia Online" ...hi! I am admin of blog "Ucrânia Online" http://ucraniaonline.blogspot.com and I'm interested in link exchange. please contact me andriy803@gmail.com<br /><br />best regardsAndriyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11079403507363698729noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34326573.post-76941127895606489082010-03-18T13:25:22.182+00:002010-03-18T13:25:22.182+00:00Why not start at the end this time?Why not start at the end this time?Gareth Williamshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05058241057385364459noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34326573.post-83741803468975888402010-03-17T21:58:25.277+00:002010-03-17T21:58:25.277+00:00Sir Watkin, Robertx2 would have suited my friend, ...Sir Watkin, Robertx2 would have suited my friend, a keen Churchman, down to the ground.<br /><br />Gaw, that's the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me that includes the word "clusterfuck", and I'm not forgetting that friendly Georgian border guard either I'll consider writing a third unfinished novel.<br /><br />David All, Slainte mhaith and iechyd da! I'll also suggest "The Flight of gthe Wild Pachiderms: Gaelic Ireland's Lost Bestiary, 1691".No Good Boyohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05859104068516964533noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34326573.post-76914330221936804182010-03-17T21:41:48.733+00:002010-03-17T21:41:48.733+00:00Okay, since this is Saint Patrick's Day, am go...Okay, since this is Saint Patrick's Day, am going to substitute the Irish for the Poles, circa 1900.<br /><br />The Irishman goes to his favorite pub and over a night of heavy drinking produces a phamplet entitled: "The role of the Elephant in the struggle for Irish Freedom".David Allnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34326573.post-43095782980118558572010-03-17T09:31:12.942+00:002010-03-17T09:31:12.942+00:00Interesting writing you're producing at the mo...Interesting writing you're producing at the moment, Boyo. I'd describe it as the bastard progeny of an Evelyn Waugh, Hunter S Thompson and Anthony Burgess clusterfuck (which, by the way, I take as a good thing). Ever thought of rustling up a plot which would extend these ruminative anecdotes somewhat?Gareth Williamshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05058241057385364459noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34326573.post-83763003067296976462010-03-16T12:05:29.798+00:002010-03-16T12:05:29.798+00:00Robert Roberts (Y Sgolor Mawr) would have been pro...Robert Roberts (Y Sgolor Mawr) would have been proud of him.Sir Watkinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02000106556898498656noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34326573.post-3214513955552856612010-03-16T11:48:03.772+00:002010-03-16T11:48:03.772+00:00Welcome, Sir Watkin. A Dolgellau bookseller called...Welcome, Sir Watkin. A Dolgellau bookseller called Williams-Jones buried himself in an upstairs room to compose a comparative grammar of Welsh and Persian in 1980. <br /><br />He set off on his linguistic odessey after I'd pointed out that the "banu" element in <i>"shahbanu"</i> (queen) might be cognate with the Welsh <i>"Benyw"</i> (female).<br /><br />He died in the effort, leaving a whiff of St Bruno and a brace of equally off relatives, whom I count among my closest friends.<br /><br />No one in Wales would consider that a life wasted.No Good Boyohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05859104068516964533noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34326573.post-43016943574097141522010-03-16T10:01:32.154+00:002010-03-16T10:01:32.154+00:00"The Pole sets out for the National Library i..."The Pole sets out for the National Library in Warsaw and dashes off a fiery tract entitled "The Elephant - and the Polish Question"."<br /><br />The Welshman immured himself in Aberystwyth for several years writing "On Wales and the Welsh" ... but never finished it.Sir Watkinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02000106556898498656noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34326573.post-22770559529775582762010-03-16T09:19:12.817+00:002010-03-16T09:19:12.817+00:00True, Inky. Where once beasts quaked at the Englis...True, Inky. Where once beasts quaked at the Englishman's approach, now they sigh at the prospect of a winking camera with an Attenborough hunched behind.<br /><br />Murray is a James Bond of the entitlement era - self-righteous and self-indulgent by turns. The mandarin who sent him to Tashkent must have had a wry sense of humour.<br /><br />Surely, Gadjo, the Norwegians have two words for elephant - <i>"elefant"</i> in Bokmål and something like <i>"Landwale"</i> in Nynorsk?<br /><br />One could extend the joke. The Finns would always see two elephants, and pink ones at that, the Icelanders would claim the elephant first roamed its lava fields before the Danes stole it, the Greenlanders would marry the elephant in a quaint ceremony, and the Faroese would haul it up onto a beach and teach their kids how to hack it to pieces with an axe.<br /><br />As for Mahmud, you're close to the truth. Some of his workers once went on strike, but not for long.No Good Boyohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05859104068516964533noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34326573.post-11734884821162173552010-03-16T08:04:25.714+00:002010-03-16T08:04:25.714+00:00In Denmark they extend it with a Dane writing a bo...In Denmark they extend it with a Dane writing a book called 50 Ways To Cook an Elephant, the Swede writing one called The Rights of the Elephant and the Norwegian saying "We have no word in Norwegian for 'elephant'". (No, it wasn't very funny when told in Scandinavia either).<br /><br />Mahmud sounds like one of those Turks who is very excellent company, as long as you're not working for his company.Gadjo Dilohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08998278830936531990noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34326573.post-72001607972435112482010-03-15T17:12:06.408+00:002010-03-15T17:12:06.408+00:00The Brits have gone from elephant-shooting to a cu...The Brits have gone from elephant-shooting to a curious mix of embarrassment and self-righteousness. Except for Craig Murray who should play James Bond. Sorry, is James Bond. Obviously.xerxeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03787696262480033808noreply@blogger.com