Even the Israeli army chief thinks Sharon is foolish.

I've not been very curmudgeonly recently. In fact I thought I was going soft, thought that my inexorable drift towards old gitdom was looking less inexorable by the day.

I am happy, in a misanthropic sort of way, to say that television came to my rescue last night and set me back on the right track.

There I was, brandy in one hand, clicker in the other with an hour or two to kill before bed. After Newsnight got too boring - there's only so much gloating over IDS's misfortune that you can do in one day - what did I find?

Sky 1 had The Villa, a bunch of kids trying to fuck each other. Channel 4, a programme about some kids trying to find a fuck buddy, which, apparently, is something between a boyfriend/girlfriend and a one night stand. BBC 3 had something with Denise Van Outen and Essex in the title, which I didn't even think of watching, but was probably about someone in white stilettoes trying to find someone to fuck. And i'm sure there was at least one other programme with sex in the title.

Now, I've never thought of myself as a prude, but what is this prurient shit all about? Your Villas and Real Sex and Ibiza Uncovereds and your documentaries about the sex industry which are just an excuse to show snatches of soft porn? I mean, who watches it? Isn't three quarters of the internet and about twenty pay per view sex channels enough for your average wanker?

Iraq work helps Halliburton.

Well, it would, wouldn't it?

Bit of a challenge to the supporters of the moral war.

Oh, hello again, by the way. Been away in Ibiza clubbing it large at Thomson Gold for a week. As for the rest of the time since October 9th, don't ask.

Lots of fun over at the stupidist blogger alive's place, with the coiner of the phrase, Oliver Kamm, AKA, the boringest blogger alive, getting into a tangle with the greatest blogger without a blog alive, Stephen Marks.

I warn you, if you get to the end of the comments, you may well lose the will to live.

Lots of people in blogoland seem to respect, nay admire, Mr Kamm, but I'm hoping they say this just to encourage him. He is a curious mixture: part intellectual, part bully, part pub bore. He appears to think of himself as a formidable adversary, but I get the impression that to be attacked by him is rather like being savaged by a dead accountant. Perhaps that's why Ryan embraced his soubriquet so enthusiastically.

Shameless Excuse to Recycle Old Joke 3

I've just seen in The Thinker that I missed the re-run of the 1970 election night special on BBC Parliament last week. I was thirteen at the time (the first time round that is, not last week) and not that interested in politics, although I do remember the '74 election.

Television election coverage was brilliantly and mercilessly sent up by Monty Python, of course. Most political saddoes my age can quote chunks of the Silly Party/ Sensible Party sketch verbatim, and given half a chance many of us will boringly point out that the famous Monster Raving Lonny candidate Tarquin Limbimbusstopfertangfurtangfurtangolebiscuitbarrel nicked the name from the skit.

But for me the funniest moment was when John Cleese said, "I've just heard that Arthur Neegus has held Bristols. That's not a result, it's just a bit of gossip."

I thang you.

They Give it a Word and the Word is, Moribund

Stop the War managed 10,000/100,000 (you pays your money you takes your choice)marchers at the weekend and Harry had a virtual counter demo.

There's no sense to be had at the moment on the left about Iraq. Stop the War have such shaky coalition of no marks like SWP and CND, backed up by some Moslems who may or may not share our ideals of secular democracy, that they can't offer anything more constructive than slogans and a clumsy attempt at linking Iraq and Palestine together. Go to their web site and there is not a shred of analysis or argument, not to mention the total lack of ideas as to what they would like to see if the scales suddenly fell from Bush's eyes and he said, "Okay guys, you were right all along, we are outa here."

And the pro war left are equally moribund. There's hardly one of them who doesn't sound disturbingly similar to the most rabid right winger . You can almost hear them say, "If you aren't with us you're against us."

Us being, of course, the angels. Those angels like Chalabi and friends - commanding such support and loyalty that some Iraqis believe he was behind the killing of Aqila Al-Hashimi. Or the corporate angels benefiting from the sale of the century and the squeaky clean politicians on both sides of the pond, spinning their ideas of WMDs and terrorist links and pushing their various agendas for all they were worth.

How they must laugh at the bleeding heart liberals and lefties who have joined with them in their common cause. Laugh at those who think for a second that this was a war of liberation.

What the pro war left, and maybe Tony Blair, too, have not grasped or choose to ignore, is that what is so dear to them: freedom, justice, the fight against tyranny, was never more than a sideshow.