Excited by Condy
Dear Subcomandauntie, I have a confession to make. I'm fascinated by the possibility of Condoleezza Rice becoming the next US president. Surely in 2008, the Republicans will select a candidate from within the current administration. Given his age and health history, it won't be Cheney. And if the Democrats can't beat Bush, what chance would they have against someone with a brain? But I'm also thinking: how likely is ultra conservative America to elect a black woman as president? So surely, with the election four years away, you'd get some generous odds on Rice. But Auntie, would it be wrong to profit from the neo-cons' continued success? Would it make it any better if I gave a proportion of my winnings (say £1) to the Red Pepper supporters' fund? And do you know anywhere where I can get some decent odds? I've only seen 12/1 so far. A sportsman writes
Dear sports-"man",
I don't know which is more worrying: your gambling addiction, love of money or fetish for right-wing women. Don't you remember Margaret Thatcher? No, it wouldn't be wrong to profit from a neo-con world order. It might be the only silver lining of a very grey nuclear cloud hovering over Iran about that time. So, bet away. But instead of giving your guilt-edged cash to us, why not start your own ethical-ish betting company? I can see it now in neon lights: -Better world: you can bet on it'. Punters get the chance to bet on political and natural disasters, and plough their money into grass-roots gambling addiction clinics.
As for those odds, 12/1 is pretty good considering that Rudolph Giuliani (Mr 9/11 and cancer survivor) is 8/1. But I've got a tip: sniff out a bookmakers for "first female US president" and put your inheritance tax bill on it. With Hilary Clinton 5/4 to be the Democratic candidate and Rice 10/1 to get the Republican nomination, you could strike oil.
The crack pipe of peace Dear Auntie
_ War, famine, economic depression and global warming - the idea that 'another world is possible' seems remoter than ever. Will we ever have a just and peaceful world?
_ Desperate for peace, Preston
Learning by number Dear Auntie
_ At one of the Gaza protests in London, Stop the War put the number of protesters at around 100,000 but the police insisted it was only 20,000. Can Auntie reassure me that the Met has a scientific methodology for estimating crowd numbers?
_ Numberless in London
No hope Dear Auntie,
All my left-wing friends seem to be overjoyed about Obama winning the US election, holding real hope that he will bring change, that he'll stop the wars, and that he'll somehow make America all cuddly and nice. But haven't we been here before? I'm getting flashbacks to the expectations people had of politicians like Tony Blair and Bill Clinton, and how quickly they betrayed us. Is it terrible that I think Obama will be just more of the same?
Hopeless, London
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