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Happy Christmas to Newsnight staff and presenters, and thanks for another year of info-edu-tainment.

It is a pity however that Newsnight disappears from the schedule during the Christmas holidays. News still occurs during this time of year, for example the Tsunami occured on Boxing Day, and Caucescu was executed on Christmas Day.

Newsnight is observing a certain political correctness by wishing people "happy holidays", but if this holiday was no different to Ramadan or other religous festivals, why drop Newsnight for some and not all?

Whilst the production, reporting and presenting staff deserve holidays, surely there are some that prefer to take holidays at other times of year, and there are trainees who would relish the opportunity to create and front the end-December Newsnight programmes?

Who will hold the monopoly BAA to account, or BA for their stunning failures that have left tens of thousands of passengers stranded in the UK? Heathrow has become a byword for misery when the weather is good, but now with fog, it is a nightmare. Many of the passengers were passing through the UK, and have ended up in freezing tents in the car park of Terminal 4. On days like today, the public would appreciate a Newsnight special addressing the disastrous UK transport planning policy, and unravelling the reasons for this week's travel chaos.

To those not celebrating Christmas, and are thus enoying an involuntary break from work and routine, I join Newsnight in wishing a happy holiday, though I hate this particular Americanism that has crept into our language.

You think it's bad now with gas? A little known fact about climate change is that the 'breadbasket of the world' the midwest USA, which produces half of all wheat and other cereal crops, along with rice from the SE corner of the U.S. is going to dry up and become a dust bowl in the next 50 years or so. And guess where the weather is going to change to allow those crop amounts to be grown elsewhere? Siberia.

So in 50-60 years, when the world's cereal and rice crop and gas come from the Soviet Union then you'll realise the power they will have and the problems we will have in the West.

Wars in the future will not be based around politics or geography. They will be about being in control of where the last vestiges of chemical (oil, gas, etc) mineral and food growing land are.

The war in Iraq could have been the first shot of these future 'chemical' wars, the Soviet Union fired the 2nd shot when it flexed it's gas muscles.

Expect more, much more of the same, unless we really get a handle on self sufficiency with regard both energy and foodstuffs in the next 50 years. I see no sign we will do this, so am glad I have no children.

What an awful bit of reporting on Russia tonight. To start with you play creepy music and show a still picture of Vladimir Putin, grimacing, in black and white. The opening comment is along the lines of Russia not relaxing into the festive season (well it wouldn't, given that Russia's Christmas is a good couple of weeks away and 25 December is a normal working day there).

Then you try and make out that it's terrible that Shell should happily sell off its Sakhalin interests at a very good price, having been found guilty of gross environmental negligence. Oh, and that Georgia should actually begin to pay something near global market prices for Russian gas at last, having enjoyed subsidies for many years because it was part of the Soviet Union, which is now 15 years in the past. Just what is so terrible about all this?

You really don't like Russia, do you?

First cousin marraiges in the Pakistani community is a genetic nightmare. But the stubborn imams will not not listen to the overwhelming evidence that these marraiges are fundamentaly wrong. No matter what, this foolish practise will carry on. What about the cost to the NHS?

Would it be possible to get a list of the music used in the newsnight review programme Friday Dec 22nd. Some top tunes!

Cheers.

Ed

Tonight's 'Oh My Newsnight' presenter is delightfully sweet, well-natured and young. Sadly, his compelling story is wrong. Africa needs the same conditions that first engendered wealth creation in Europe and America and which more recently have created the flourishing prosperity in Asia.
Firstly, sound money. People need to know their investment is safe before they can invest in their futures.
Secondly, rule of law. People need to be confident that they can rely on the law as written, and the (incorruptibility of the) institutions which support it, to safeguard their rights.
Thirdly, economic freedom. People need to be free to change their spending and investment plans so resources can be switched from wasteful enterprises to productive ones. This necessarily means small government.
Without all these three criteria, Africa will continue needing chairty in perpetuity. Only by ensuring these criteria are met can Africa become as prosperous and dignified as it truly ought to be.

A very Merry Christmas & Happy New Year to all & every one.
And I agree with Liam (Post 1) ..just why does the 成人论坛's Flagship... informative/debatable/political programme shut down until the New Year +?

@Anil(4):

"First cousin marraiges in the Pakistani community is a genetic nightmare. But the stubborn imams will not not listen to the..."

Bro, this has something to do with Pakistani culture but less to do with Islam.

There is no edict in Islamic law that requires or forces Muslims to marry very close relatives.

Perhaps, it says alot about some of the Pakistani Imams' knowledge of Islam!