Little hope for Palestine
A recent visit to the Middle East did not inspire hope, says Dominic Lawson. The conservative Israelis have a point: every time Israel concedes territory, it makes life more dangerous - fatally so - for its own citizens. This makes it politically extremely difficult - impossible, in fact - for the already unpopular government of Ehud Olmert to meet the Palestinian demands for a complete withdrawal from the West Bank: to do so would guarantee that Tel Aviv itself would soon be within range of Iranian-supplied missiles. So the Palestinians are forced to endure this week's celebrations marking the 60th anniversary of the founding of the state of Israel, still with no tangible prospect of a state of their own. Bush's latest attempt at diplomacy seems hopeless. Perhaps progress is impossible until there is a change of government not in Washington DC, but in Tehran. Dominic Lawson The Independent
In pictures: Israel, birth of a nation 
The junta's conundrum
Dr Peter Carey
The Burmese junta hope that by having their so-called friends, like India, China, Indonesia and Thailand, involved in providing aid, they will be able to fiddle with the problem until it goes away, says Dr Peter Carey. In fact, this requires a major effort which they can’t come up with. If they admit this, however, they are signing their own death warrant. If the junta allow a full-scale foreign invasion into the Irrawaddy delta they won’t be able to close Pandora’s box. Aid workers will be there, demands for democratisation will grow and they will be marginalised.
The junta are damned if they do and damned if they don’t. If they don’t do anything they run the risk of creating anarchy. If they do allow a full spectrum of international aid effort then they have a situation where they will have members of the international community, many of whom have been critical of Burma, essentially running parts of their country. Peter Carey World at One - Radio 4
The Real Contest
With Clinton out of the way, things will get interesting again, says Gerard Baker. McCain and Obama are an interesting contrast – for one thing 25 years is the widest ever age difference between the two main parties' candidates. Will the race be dominated by politics or personality? The politics of 2008 clearly favour the Democratic nominee. The country is ready for change, unhappy with economic stagnation, desperate for an end to the war in Iraq. In the congressional elections that will accompany the presidential one, it is already clear that the Republicans could be headed for a defeat of historic proportions. But the presidential contest is as much about the characters of the candidates as it is about the politics, and that is why Mr McCain has a chance. Voters will have to weigh the general haziness of Mr Obama's background, his odd connections, perhaps for some his race, certainly his inexperience, against Mr McCain's heroic life story, his age and his famously short temper. Gerard Baker The Times
Alexander Cockburn: It's all but over for Hillary Clinton
Tories are new progressives
In its longest unbroken period in office, Labour has done little to advance progressive ideals, writes David Cameron. A government that promised social justice and economic efficiency has in fact delivered neither, to the dismay of the Labour Party. Instead, it is the Conservative Party that is the champion of progressive ideals in Britain today, because social, technological and economic change means that in the 21st century progressive ends can only be met through conservative means. No more thinking that the central state shifting money around can provide the long-term solution to poverty. It is now widely accepted that it is the cycle of family breakdown, worklessness, crime, drug and alcohol abuse that traps people in deprivation. When you consider the huge challenges our country faces, the Labour Party with its outdated approach is the road-block to progress. David Cameron The Independent
The Mole: Tories have 26 point lead
Private schools are best
Private school fees are huge, says Alice Thomson. Yet seven per cent of the country manages to pay, from left-wing newspaper columnists to Labour ministers such as Ruth Kelly, from doctors to dentists. Their reward is knowing that their child is five times more likely than the national average to be offered a place at one of the Russell Group of top 20 universities. The privately educated now dominate not only politics, but the Civil Service, the judiciary, the media and the arts. It is unfair, but it's not the fault of aspirational parents. Private schools expect parents to enter into a contract. If Archie and Anna don't behave, they are out. There is no such deal in the state sector. Nor can head teachers in the state system get rid of lacklustre staff. It is almost impossible to sack anyone - the only way is to allow them to retire early. Alice Thomson Daily Telegraph
Cannabis is for dullards
When Jacqui Smith, the Home Secretary, admitted that she had smoked cannabis at university, surprised Oxford contemporaries said they remembered her as "dull and boring", says Mick Hume. But there is no contradiction. Dope-smoking makes you dull. Perhaps we need a health warning on big cigarette papers: "Cannabis smoking will lead to a slow and painful conversation." From my days of university experimentation I recall that the worrying side-effect was not the distant risk of schizophrenia but the immediate prospect of intellectual sedation. But if there is anything duller than a dopehead, it is the endless debate about whether cannabis should be Class B or C. Frankly, who gives an F? Mick Hume The Times
