Right! I simply have to start writing. I am on my own in a hotel room in a quiet resort in Italy, no friends or Sallie with me, and harshest of all, no internet. My goodness, I am not paying for Wi-Fi, only in an absolute emergency at an airport have I once had to do so, for an emergency online check-in of a connecting flight. So my only friends away from the deafening silence in a small village are my ipod, my laptop and the telly. So when good old BBC News 24 presents me with bad old Senator John McCain’s Republican address, the noggin starts-a ticking. I happened to catch some of Barrack Obama’s speech on the radio on the way to the airport at four in the morning, and noted the recurring themes of commentary on his address. Words like “rhetoric” and “charismatic” being banded about freely, and upon listening to segments of his speech I was drawn in instantly by both. I know you probably don’t want or need political commentary from a fairly unknown underground beat maker, but having now had a chance to compare some of the quintessential elements of both candidates, some important questions from deep within my consciousness have been raised.

        So Obama is a Liberal. Ok, it is fairly easy to understand that a Democrat would be liberal, or on the middle to left of the political spectrum, and a Republican a Fascist. Sorry that’s a little harsh, middle to right wing. Obama is a middle-aged mixed race man, McCain is a late sixties white man. Now you can obviously tell my political bias, but from what I have seen and heard, McCain looks and sounds weak, yet he is bound to win. His newly appointed Vice President, Sarah Palin, who has whipped up the crowd up with a mixture of youthful enthusiasm and blatant over patriotism, presents herself as a ‘hockey mom’ and continually references how honourable and middle class she and her family are, backed by a love for the good old, honest, hard working American, and that one of her sons had just joined the forces. I am yet to hear McCain say anything other than ‘Thank You’, and even that didn’t seem convincing. He seems as charismatic as a referee at a nuns verses librarians knitting competition. My God, they are chanting ‘USA, USA’. Sorry, I am just going to the toilet for a minute.

     But anyway, what I have been thinking is this. Or thus. Obama has apparently had three or four foiled assassination plots. How many has McCain had? Does that paint a faint yet visible picture of the type of person that follows the Republicans? Extremists? Those with a closed-minded fear of cultures they don’t know or want to get to know? Resorting to violence or war at any opportunity? Conserving wealth for the wealthy? Anti abortion and staunchly religious? I am aware that there are forward thinking Conservatives. But would a liberal minded person plan to assassinate the Republican candidate? I doubt it, but I am staying tuned anyway, just in case.

           My point is, how can anyone argue down someone who is saying “I am willing to listen to every ones opinion, regardless of their creed, sex or age, and make a considered decision and do the fairest thing for everybody.” If you are liberal, your nature is to be considerate, but that isn’t necessarily weak or fence sitting. A true liberal knows all sides of the story. I can’t think of any problem in the world that is solved by rash, immediate action, apart from maybe racing driving, or catching a falling tortoise from a burning tree. Please feel free to argue. I admit my philosophies are half-baked and completely made of cod, but it is from the heart. I still think you could solve all the world’s problems by getting any two feuding leaders in a room with a nine-year old child, and explain the problem to the little tyke. I imagine in most cases where the problem is either Religion or eye-for-eye, tit-for-tat attacks over land (which to be honest is nearly all world conflicts), the child would laugh and tell them to stop being so silly, or share it equally and make friends. I sometimes like to imagine Saddam Hussein or Osama Bin Laden as children, sometimes playing with Lego. 

    Lets lighten the mood a little before we close. I have some news on the craze that isn’t spreading the world, doing the conga to “Don’t Leave Me This Way”. I tried it in Italy and it didn’t work. Maybe it was because it was only 3.30am. Maybe it was because the Italians are too cool for school, or maybe it was because the bar had been shut for an hour and a half and everyone had sobered up. Anyway myself and Volcov kept them entertained and I have recorded it, so I may stick that up too. Oo-er missus! Volcov played some blinding soul, house and boogie I had never heard, so with everybody’s kind permission I will share with you all what was a really pleasant 4 or 5 hour set with a great DJ and friend of mine. Viva la Boca Barranca and Franco Fusari!

        Well that’s it for another week, except for one last thought. I find that beaches are really boring when you are on your own, and as a male walking alone across one, I feel strangely predatory. Bums and boobs catch my eye frequently, and I have no idea what to do with myself other than to stride purposefully to one end and then back again. How on earth am I going to pass the time?

             Ah! Anyone for beach volley ball? I make it Pimms O’clock!