The Libyan leader was accompanied by his all-female, 40-strong bodyguard squad, its members dressed in khaki uniforms and red berets. And the schedule for his controversial first visit to Italy included, at his own request, a meeting tomorrow with large numbers of Italian women. Very large numbers.
The plan was for “only” 700. But officials said yesterday that such was the colonel’s drawing power the event had had to be moved to a concert hall with a capacity for 1,000.
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The photograph Gaddafi wore to several of the ceremonies on the opening day of his visit … showed the Libyan resistance leader, Omar Mukhtar, the “Lion of the Desert”, on the day before he was hanged by Italian colonialists in 1931.
That kind of flair just doesnt come democratically 🙂
There’s nobody to touch dictators when it comes to this level of flamboyance. In one of his books a few years back, A Mad World: My Masters (or something along those lines), John Simpson wrote excellently about this kind of egotism that dictators have in abundance. IIRC, there was a chapter or part of, about a meeting he had with Gaddafi in a big old tent in the desert. It was bizarre. I’ll have to go back and dig it out now you’ve reminded me.
nick > “The photograph Gaddafi wore to several of the ceremonies on the opening day of his visit … showed the Libyan resistance leader, Omar Mukhtar, the “Lion of the Desert”, on the day before he was hanged by Italian colonialists in 1931.”
DD, that reminds me of a book launch/lecture I went to a last year given by David Owen:
For many politicians, power seems to go to their head, and becomes a heady drug affecting every action they take. The Greeks called it hubris, where the hero wins glory, acclaim and success – but it is often followed by nemesis
When I am elevated to my rightful position as global overlord I shall introduce:
Compulsory DNA testing for dogs. Find a dog egg, test for ID, make the dog owner eat said egg, in public.
Introduce the death penalty for:
1. People who put their feet on train seats.
2. Dom Joly.
3. Anyone who gives away the plot to a TV programme/film/book you haven’t seen or read.
4. People who talk at the cinema/in a quiet gig.
5. Range Rover Sport owners.
6. Beautiful women who ruin themselves with unnecessary plastic surgery.
7. Joey Barton.
8. People who refuse to read instruction manuals, then spend the rest of their lives asking how something works.
9. Non disabled people who park in disabled parking spaces.
10. Bicycle thieves.
Joly dies. One mildly amusing idea, streched beyond belief.
His column in the Independent on Sunday makes me want to commit mass murder.
Almost redeemed by his Cooper Brown fake persona, but on balance, I’d be doing the world a favour.
Back to the colonel…I love it when he goes native – but spices it up with metallics à la:
And here are some of those female guards…right, that’s it, I’m off back to Ireland. It’s in a bit of a state at the moment. pretty ripe for a dictatorship methinks…
Or how about a new TV show: Qaddafi Eye for the Straight Guy
Rusty – Who let you into my head, and why couldn’t I vote for you last week!
Just please add people who keep their engines running at level crossings to the death list and I’ll happily hold up a picture of you for the TV cameras.