The EU presidency rotates between member nations and is currently in the hands of the Czech president Václav Klaus. Václav Klaus is quite a character. He is not the first extreme right-wing leader elected by former Soviet bloc countries but he is about the most extreme and controversial. It was reported on Radio Four today that he has portraits of Margaret Thatcher throughout his offices. To put that in context it was also reported today that Gordon Brown has commisioned the first portrait of a former British primeminister to hang in Downing Street, one of Thatcher, in the office that Brown uses that he has renamed 'The Thatcher Room'. However Klaus differentiates himself from Thatcherlite-Brown by condemning climate-change as a capital-C Communist plot against Capitalism launched by Communist members of the US Congress, that well known Communist front-organistation. Al Gore, the fellow traveller. In short Klaus is a quasi-fascist nutter and today he spoke for the whole of Europe on Israeli aggression. UK-IP supporters must feel as confused tonight as BNP supporters in a conflict between the Jewish state and innocent Muslims.

It should go without saying here that this slaughter will only lead to more slaughter. In geopolitical terms, ie terms which do not recognise the suffering of individuals, who is the most likely victim of this 'incursion'? Well, not the individual politicians such as Ehud Olmert whose domestic popularity will soar in the short-term. Not Hamas, as whoever in Hamas survives this politically-motivated attack will rise in stature. I predict it is the Egyptian dictatorship which is most at risk, perhaps followed by the democrats in Turkey, the two local arab policemen who are employed by the US, and they are at risk the same way the Shah of Iran fell.

If you agree with my assertion I feel this is a fundamental criticism of representative democracy. Olmert is acting in his own and his parties own short-term interests. If Israel was a dictatorship then the dictator would never risk overthowing their only close allies for short-term political appeal. I don't want to expand on that just now as it is a bit self-indulgent to be so philosphical while people are dying, but I think the final victories will be with the street, the participative democrats aka anarchists - or the dictators. How many British Labour voters are happy to have voted for a party of Thatcherites?