Narrow margins

Came across a letter in M'kini which which a response to a line in my previous letter. I had written something along the lines of 'I've heard lots of ceramahs in mosques that had PAS' ideology written all over them', and the writer stated that that's not possible 'cause the gov has ruthlessly clamped down on PAS sympathisers, and that the reason I think this way is 'cause PAS' ideology is Islamic ideology and vice versa.

Unsurprisingly, I found myself shaking my head and wanting to reply but I figured that I might as well spend some time writing in my blog instead of writing more letters to M'kini. (I can imagine Sweetie almost nodding her head in approval). With respect to that reply,

1. I have a huge problem with folks who write letters/give comments and hide behind pseudonyms. Pantang datuk nenek etc.

2. PAS is not Islam and Islam is not PAS. It's a pity that the whole point of my letter (i.e. there are many interpretations of Islam and that we shouldn't be shackled by dogma) seems to have been missed.

3. And belief you me, there certainly are mosques which are quite blatant with respect to their political leanings. Which brings me to the point of having separate mosques for UMNO and PAS supporters - in which planet is that supposed to be Islamic?

Anyway,

Liverpool defeated Chealsea to reach the finals of the Champions' League for the first time in 14 years (I think). Just goes to show that a lot of passion and self-belief can go a long way in countering a team which has been flushed with a lot of money. Oh, and having a controversial decision to award you a goal helps as well. Last night though, Milan went over to Holland to play PSV, with a 2-0 lead at hand. And what happened?

'We are very lucky to be in the finals'.

Those were the words of Carlos Ancelotti, AC Milan's coach, after Ambrosini's stoppage-time goal allowed them to draw with PSV on aggregate, but it was enough to help them get through to the finals on the 'away-goal' rule.

Unfortunately, I missed the match (M'brough doesn't provide Sky Sports 1), but manage to catch the highlights and I must admit, my fears of Milan repeating their lackadaisical display (and subsequent defeat) against Deportivo last season almost came into fruition. PSV made Milan look pretty ordinary, and the fact that they scored 3 goals against the best defence in Europe is more than merely impressive. Hiddink's team played at a high tempo, closed down quickly and denied their opponents the space in which to hit comfortable passes or control the game, and this will be delightful news to Liverpool. After all, prior to this match, the myth of Milan's invulnerability was reaching new heights.

Naturally, I'm more than delighted that two of my favourite teams are in the finals. It also takes the pain away of watching Newcastle self-destruct this season, but that's a different story altogether. Part of me wouldn't mind if Liverpool wins in Istanbul (I've got a soft spot for underdogs, plus they've been a totally different team when playing in Europe - if they can handle Juve, they should be able to handle Milan as well) but as usual, I'm hoping for a Milan victory. Hopefully this near-defeat to PSV will jolt them out of any slumbering over-confidence, and bring out the best in the team come May 25th.

Speaking of narrow margins of victory, the electorate has been out to the polls today and early indicators reveal a nod towards Labour winning the election for a historic 3rd time in a row. Although every single poll has pointed towards this trend, we won't actually know for certain until tonight. After all, the attitudes and apathy of the electorate isn't something that can be predicted with a huge amount of certainty prior to election day itself.

I'm expecting Labour to repeat its victory, but with a smaller majority. At least I hope that that will be the case. Right up 'till last night, I wasn't sure if I was going to vote for them or the Lib Dems, with the Tories having been left out of the picture a long time ago (who did I vote for in the end? Adela...).

Watching 'Question Time' last Thursday (which featured all 3 party leaders answering questions from the public), it was easy to see the difference between the 3 individuals. Kennedy's passionate, but he lacks a flair for words and isn't as charismatic as Blair or Howard. For all his party's fault, Howard's a delight to listen to and his confidence (?denial) tends to be infectious at times. Blair on the other hand, seems harrassed and fed-up with having to defend his actions all the time, despite the fact that he's probably the best public-speaker among the lot.

At the end of the day, I think most people will think that Kennedy's the most trustworthy and principled of the lot, but they won't vote for him 'cause a) he lacks charisma and b) they haven't gotten it in their head that there really is a viable alternative to the status quo of either the Tories and Labour being in charge. And it's a pity, since although the brain might say one thing, the heart might say another and human beings at the end of the day are emotional creatures. Explains the popularity of charismatic if faulty leaders such as Anwar and Mat Sabu back home.

So, the best Kennedy can hope for is that his party will have its best showing ever, and I'm hoping that that will be the case as well, especially if it's at the expense of the Tories. I'm a Labour supporter at heart despite my misgivings about Blair being Bush's little poodle, and I won't be too disappointed if they win their 3rd term. After all, except for the whole Iraq fiasco, they've done a relatively good job of managing the country's economy and public services. One bright spot would be the fact that Blair has reiterated that he will not be serving the whole of his term if elected, and that could mean that another PM (?Brown) might step in and prove to be a character with sufficient balls to stand up to the States. This is assuming that Blair isn't lying again, of course.