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Category Archives: taking the piss
World Political Propaganda TODAY: Revelation vs Deception at the Heights
Matt Gable, in an email communication ….where The Editor has taken the liberty of inserting his own highlights
It is worth watching the first 16 minutes of a presentation by Rick Sanchez – a Cuban-born US citizen currently living in Moscow and hosting a TV show for RT. He is a good journalist. Here, Rick looks briefly at common elements in three recent protests in different regions of the world – Indonesia, Nepal and the Philippines.
We are told all three protests involved students, Gen Z, were social media driven, and used the same manga pirate flag depicting the Jolly Roger wearing Luffy’s straw hat.Filed under accountability, Americna imperialism, atrocities, australian media, British imperialism, centre-periphery relations, disparagement, doctoring evidence, ethnicity, Fascism, foreign policy, historical interpretation, law of armed conflict, legal issues, life stories, news fabrication, Palestine, performance, politIcal discourse, power politics, propaganda, taking the piss, truth as casualty of war, unusual people, world events & processes
London’s “Aragalaya”? A Populist Revolt ….. From the Right!
A NOTE from AVI YEMENI to BERTRAM DANIEL, September 2025
Hey Bertram,
Finally, the world is uniting against the Cabal and the control
I’ve covered a lot of rallies in my time, but I’ve never seen anything like what unfolded in London on September 13. An enormous number of people flooded the streets for Tommy Robinson’s Unite the Kingdom rally. The atmosphere was electric. It wasn’t just another protest; it felt like a cultural revolution in motion.
Filed under accountability, Britain's politics, centre-periphery relations, citizen journalism, democratic measures, disparagement, governance, landscape wondrous, life stories, patriotism, performance, political demonstrations, politIcal discourse, power politics, press freedom, propaganda, self-reflexivity, taking the piss, trauma, unusual people, world events & processes
Sri Lanka ‘Besieged’ by Foreign ‘Settler Tourism’
Dr Asoka Bandarage, in The Island, 5 September 2025 where the title reeads, “Sri Lanka: The beautiful, besieged island”
“Israelis are coming to Sri Lanka, and they’ve done what they do best — taking over the place. They’ve occupied it and made it feel like Tel Aviv. They host parties advertised as ‘no locals allowed.’ The Israelis have come to Arugam Bay, throwing raves and refusing to let Sri Lankan people attend.”
In July 2025, the influential global travel website Big 7 named Sri Lanka the “most beautiful island in the world,” stating that the “teardrop-shaped island off the southern coast of India has it all—golden beaches, terraced tea plantations, timeworn temples, colonial towns, misty mountains, and wildlife safaris … elephants and leopards.”
Filed under accountability, centre-periphery relations, discrimination, disparagement, economic processes, ethnicity, governance, heritage, historical interpretation, island economy, landscape wondrous, legal issues, life stories, politIcal discourse, racism, self-reflexivity, sri lankan society, taking the piss, tourism, travelogue, Ukraine & Its Ramifications, world events & processes
Public or Private Health Care? The Dilemma Sri Lankans Face
Fazli Sameer, at Those Fuzzy Days where the title of the article runs thus: “Ethics of Health Care: Waiting, Paying and Weeping,” … with highlighting here imposed by The Editor, Thuppahi
When my sister, Kumari, went for her annual cardiac check-up to the elite Makalanka hospital, we expected the usual strain, long hours of waiting, some tests, and maybe a bit of worry. What we didn’t expect was to be caught between two worlds: one where care came with a steep price and hidden payments, and another where care seemed trapped in endless waiting and fading patience.
Waiting. It’s the first and most universal experience patients face when seeking medical care in today’s clinics and hospitals. Whether public or private, the hours-long wait, without explanation or apology, has become the norm.
Reflections on the Test Scenario from A Lankan Cricket Aficianados
Errol Fernando’s Email Note to Lorenz Pereira
Dear Lorenz,
As someone who claims to always support the underdog I was delighted that India won the final Test by 6 runs and made it 2 – 2. Perfect result. India was playing against a team that has the best ‘first five’ batsmen in the world – Duckett, Crawley, Pope, Root and Brook. No one better. By contrast Australia probably has the WORST first five – Khawaja, Konstas and three other jokers. However , the Aussies have the best quartet of bowlers in the world – Starc, Hazlewood, Cummins and Lyon with Boland in the wings. No one better.
The 5 India-England Tests were totally riveting, and I couldn’t take my eyes off. High quality stuff. Captain Gill made 754 glorious runs for the series and Rahul and Pant were also glorious. England’s top 5 were good too.
The Kremlin’s Chef ….. Anti-Russian Western Parody
A Pix from Alan Benson received via Keith Bennett, 10 March 2025 …. maybe indicative of hardline Anti-Russian political fervour? …. what what!
Filed under accountability, authoritarian regimes, centre-periphery relations, disparagement, ethnicity, governance, historical interpretation, landscape wondrous, life stories, patriotism, performance, politIcal discourse, power politics, propaganda, self-reflexivity, slanted reportage, taking the piss, the imaginary and the real, truth as casualty of war, unusual people, world events & processes, zealotry
A Searching Dissection of Ranil Wickremasinghe’s Political Career & Its Times
Avishka Mario Senewiratne, reviewing the book by Rajiva Wijesinghe that assesses Ranil Wickremasinghe’s recent political career
Last December, Prof. Rajiva Wijesinha released a new book titled Ranil Wickremesinghe and the Emasculation of the United National Party. As the title suggests, the book tackles a contentious and provocative topic and may not be an easy read for everyone. Nevertheless, it presents a highly engaging and insightful narrative that warrants close attention.
Filed under accountability, centre-periphery relations, economic processes, electoral structures, governance, historical interpretation, Indian Ocean politics, island economy, language policies, Left politics, legal issues, life stories, modernity & modernization, nationalism, performance, politIcal discourse, power politics, Presidential elections, self-reflexivity, Sinhala-Tamil Relations, sri lankan society, taking the piss, war reportage, welfare & philanthophy, working class conditions
Sri Lanka’s Precarious Political Economy ….. Yesterday & Today
Mick Moore, whose chosen title is “It’s the Party, Stupid: Sri Lanka’s Political Turnaround – Part 1” ….. while the highlighting in this version with a different title has been imposed by The Editor, Thuppahi
Photo courtesy of BBC
It is not quite a miracle. But it is certainly a very impressive turnaround. From around 1970 until 2021, Sri Lanka seemed to be on an irreversible track toward steadily worsening governance: grand corruption, disregard of the law, ethnic and religious conflict, state violence and (non-military) government incapacity and incompetence. Today, by contrast, following the September 2024 presidential and the November 2024 parliamentary elections, the prospects for more substantive democracy and better governance seem bright. The old political elite and the broader politician class have been replaced almost completely through the most peaceful and fair elections that the country has seen for a long time. The prospect of military intervention in politics has entirely faded. The female proportion of MPs doubled from a very low 5 percent in a year when the global trend was in the other direction.
Filed under accountability, authoritarian regimes, centre-periphery relations, democratic measures, disparagement, economic processes, ethnicity, governance, historical interpretation, human rights, IMF, Indian Ocean politics, island economy, Left politics, legal issues, life stories, modernity & modernization, parliamentary elections, performance, politIcal discourse, power politics, self-reflexivity, Sinhala-Tamil Relations, sri lankan society, taking the piss, working class conditions, world events & processes
