If you haven’t heard the Corrigan Brothers‘ excellent ‘No-one as Irish as Barak Obama‘ by now, you may be deaf or live in a Trappist monastery.

The Corrigan Brothers: three cheeky black boys from North Tipperary

Now the incorrigible Corrigans have come up with a gem about the British MPs expenses rorts scandal.

Outrageous revelations of absurd expenses claims have been crashing, like a giant steel wrecking-ball through the collective credibility of Britain’s political establishment for several months.

There’s more to the MPs’ expenses  scandal than meets the eye. Lots more.

The ‘rorts’ that scandalized the nation are ridiculous in many cases and perfect fodder for the press. But they amount to chicken-feed compared with the billions spent on Britain’s bloated military expenditure and massive investment in the machinery of an Orwellian police state.

It would be an interesting exercise to scrutinize the expenses claims of 600+ executives in any large modern corporate for comparison. How about the expenses claims of News Corp executives, for example? Can we see them? How about expenses claims by members of the so-called ‘Intelligence Services’? Who’s watching out for rorts there? (Answer: that’s an ‘Official Secret’)

Whistle-blower Craig Murray: His campaign in the forthcoming Norwich North by-election has been invisible to BBC viewers

Of course, people expect higher standards from elected politicians, who are paid taxpayers’ money and expected to act in the public interest. On the same basis, how about a trawl through the BBC’s executives expenses claims? After all, they’re paid taxpayers’ money too – and expected to act in the public interest.

Jim Morrison

Like everyone else around the world who left their satellite/cable TV on over the last 24+ hours, I’ve just absorbed over a day’s worth of wall-to-wall Michael Jackson mass media hysteria.

Much of it has been presented by lying shysters such as Larry King, who on my observation revelled in this tortured artist’s troubles while the poor man was still alive.

I think it’s time to post about something completely different.

This is about another ’star’ that I miss – although I was barely aware of his existence during his lifetime.

Larry King: loves Michael Jackson, especially now he's dead

This is about Jim Morrison, who in my opinion was THE outstanding rock and roll poet of his generation.

Jim Morrison died before he was 30.

The video below conveys the power of a revolutionary music. It’s mysteriously, yet powerfully motivating. ‘The Doors’ was named after Aldous Huxley’s ‘The Doors of Perception‘.

When I travelled from country to country in the 1970s, shared familiarity with this haunting music was a passport to friendship with so many people from very different cultures, whether Hindu or Buddhist, Muslim or something else.

I believe Riders on the Storm is the warning we’ve so far failed to heed  - and no, this is not a claim to superior insight into the ‘real meaning’ of the words of an artist I didn’t know.

Veteran rock poet Leonard Cohen has begun a major tour with an impressive troupe of fellow musicians. He’s singing in Canada at present.

Leonard Cohen: will he end his career as a toady for Jewish supremacists?

It’s a powerful show – perhaps the finale to a lifetime of live perfomances that have held a generation spellbound. Watch the Hamilton concert on U-Tube. If, like me, you enjoy Cohen’s music, it’s nectar.

The tour moves down to the USA, crossing the Atlantic in early June for a long summer meander through Europe. The penultimate concert is scheduled for Barcelona on September 21st.

At present, Cohen’s program includes a final concert in Jerusalem on September 24th.

Don't do it Leonard

Why a self-proclaimed Buddhist would even consider performing in an Apartheid State, singing about peace and love while the local indigenous people are excluded by a monstrous concrete wall, is a question Cohen should be asked, again and again – until he drops the disgusting idea.

In New York, some spirited activists and musicians have made a start…

More Links:

• Adalah-NY: The Coalition for Justice in the Middle East: Leonard Cohen: Don’t Play Israel
• US Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel): Songsters Call On Leonard Cohen and Fans to Honor Nakba, Boycott Israel
• Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel: Healing Israeli Apartheid, not its Victims?
• Leonardcohenforum.com: Should artists boycott Israel?

Phil Weiss at Mondoweiss featured the video below in Israeli Apartheid Week hits YouTube – and also shows the Zionist propaganda (Hasbara) response.

If you like rap, you’ll probably like this. I like the sub-titles.

A prosperous and effective ‘Israel Apartheid Week’ to all!

Hat-tip to Beyond the Fringe for this moving new song by Michael Heart.

It strikes exactly the right note as the one-sided slaughter continues, while corrupt western leaders echo Israeli demands that Gazans accept occupation on any terms.

Les Visible

Now for a brief musical interlude, courtesy of the amazing Les Visible.

Les is a socio-political analyst, cultural commentator, poet and metaphysician – but above all songwriter and musician extraordinaire.

A Woody Guthrie of the post 9-11 era, Mr Visible is one of the very few people around with the intelligence to grasp crucial harsh realities of our times, the guts to discuss them and the talent to make great music too. Who else is there? (Suggestions please)

My favourite track is first up:  Have I got it Right? Talking 9/11 Blues.

CLICK HERE for sound!

One day, let’s hope, we’ll sit back and chuckle about the time the world was hijacked by maniacs in Washington, Tel Aviv and elsewhere. The time before the Change We Could Believe In actually happened.

Nice one Les!

When’s the Australian tour?