Flibbertigibbet?

And on the day I learn that Bill Safire died.

"Flibbertigibbet"?

Here:

Lord Mandelson accused "extreme right-wing" figures on the Internet for spreading rumours about Mr Brown's health, adding it was "absolutely ridiculous" to suggest the PM had a problem with pill use, and blamed politically motivated bloggers for raising the possibility.

"We have seen out there on the Internet, the blogosphere, all these extreme right-wing people trying to put these smears and rumours about, all completely groundless," he said.

...He suggested that the PM's often tired appearance might be an advantage compared to Conservative leader David Cameron, who he dismissed as a "flibbertigibbet" on Sunday night.

Goodness, even Shakespeare used it:

Flibbertigibbet is a Middle English word referring to a flighty or whimsical person, usually a young female. In modern use, it is used as a slang term, especially in Yorkshire, for a gossipy or overly talkative person. Its origin is in a meaningless representation of chattering.

This word also has a historical use as a name for a fiend, devil or sprite. In Shakespeare's King Lear...

But what exactly were those pills to do?

The Man Does Protest Too Much, Methinks

Britain steps up fight against West Bank settlements

The British government is stepping up measures against settlements in the West Bank in an effort to stop their further expansion.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown recently instructed the Foreign Office to issue a warning to British citizens against the purchase of houses and real estate in the settlements.

Other measures recently imposed by London on West Bank settlements include tying the upgrade of relations between the European Union and Israel to the cessation of construction in the settlements in the West Bank and putting special labels on products denoting that they were made in West Bank settlements.

As The Bard has it, this Arab-Israel (Jewish-Muslim, Palestinianism-Zionism) conflict is a lasting strife, that has made too many Jews a widow, a widower and an orphan.

And Mr. Brown's spirits grow dull,



while his thinking becomes tedious and, it would appear, sleep rocks his brain which brings us all to mischance.

This is a play I like not at all.

(see Hamlet Act III, Scene 2)

Well, We're To Be Tackled

To tackle:

1. The act of stopping an opposing player carrying the ball, especially by forcing the opponent to the ground, as in football or Rugby.
2. The act of obstructing a player in order to cause loss of possession of the ball, as in soccer.
1. To grab hold of and wrestle with (an opponent).
2. Sports.
1. To stop (an opponent carrying the ball), especially by forcing the opponent to the ground.
2. To obstruct (a player with the ball) in order to cause loss of possession of the ball.

We all know that, right?

Read on:

Gordon Brown tells Ehud Olmert to tackle Israeli settlements - Israel must tackle illegal settlements in the West Bank in order to achieve a durable Middle East peace settlement, Gordon Brown has said.

Mr. Brown, let me assure you, we will score. The ball will be carried over in to the endzone, will be placed into the net, will be kicked through the goalposts.

Rest assured.

Oh, did you wish Ehud Olmert well in his criminal investigations, future trials and possible jail time?

VOA has it a bit more moderate:

Britain's Prime Minister Gordon Brown has held talks with outgoing Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on the issue of Jewish settlements in the West Bank.

Mr. Brown said Monday the settlement issue must be resolved if there is to be lasting peace in the Middle East.

Int'l Herald Tribune:

Brown also raised the issue of tensions over Israeli settlement activity. Fayyad has asked European leaders to support his call on Israel not to expand West Bank settlements..."The prime ministers discussed the issue of Israeli settlements and the importance of the Palestinian economy and measures that can be taken to reduce the constraints on the Palestinian economy," Brown's spokesman said.

And The Guardian gets us back to sports lingo:

Gordon Brown has called for an end to the "blockage" caused by Israeli settlements on occupied Palestinian land to make 2009 the "year of peace" in the Middle East.

Brown's His Name, As Well as His Tongue

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown demanded Sunday that Israel cease settlement construction and promised more money to jump-start the battered Palestinian economy.

In his first trip to Israel...his strongest comments were reserved for the settlements: "I think the whole European Union is very clear on this matter: We want to see a freeze on settlements."

"Settlement expansion has made peace harder to achieve. It erodes trust, it heightens Palestinian suffering, it makes the compromises Israel needs to make for peace more difficult," Brown said at a news conference with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank town of Bethlehem...

Abbas went further in his criticism of Israel's construction in disputed east Jerusalem and the adjacent West Bank, telling Brown that Israel lacks commitment to the "principles and spirit" of Mideast peace efforts. He singled out stepped-up construction of homes for Jews in areas of Jerusalem the Palestinians claim for their capital.

Israel and the Palestinians...have backed away from that goal somewhat because of arguments over settlements and whether the Palestinians are capable of enforcing security in areas they control. Under the first phase of the internationally backed "road map" peace plan, which forms the basis of the negotiations, Israel was to freeze all settlement construction and the Palestinians were to crack down on militant groups.

Ahem. Did Brown criticize Arab terror?

------------------

Follow-up

More of his words:-

Brown said: "As a child I learned about Bethlehem from the Bible as a symbol of peace and a symbol of hope. But today the wall here is graphic evidence of the urgent need for justice for the Palestinian people, the end to the occupation and the need for a viable Palestinian state ... There are undoubted problems, the freezing of settlements, stopping of the violence."

Which Bible portion was that?

The one that describes the place where the matriarch Rachel died and was buried "by the wayside" (Gen. 48:7). Where Rachel's Tomb is? East of which where Ruth gleaned the fields? The birthplace of David, the second king of Israel, and the place where he was anointed king by Samuel?

16 4 And Samuel did that which the LORD spoke, and came to Beth-lehem. And the elders of the city came to meet him trembling, and said: 'Comest thou peaceably?' 5 And he said: 'Peaceably; I am come to sacrifice unto the LORD; sanctify yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice.' And he sanctified Jesse and his sons, and called them to the sacrifice. 6 And it came to pass, when they were come, that he beheld Eliab, and said: 'Surely the LORD'S anointed is before Him.' {S} 7 But the LORD said unto Samuel: 'Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have rejected him; for it is not as man seeth: for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.' 8 Then Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. And he said: 'Neither hath the LORD chosen this.' 9 Then Jesse made Shammah to pass by. And he said: 'Neither hath the LORD chosen this.' 10 And Jesse made seven of his sons to pass before Samuel. And Samuel said unto Jesse: 'The LORD hath not chosen these.' 11 And Samuel said unto Jesse: 'Are here all thy children?' And he said: 'There remaineth yet the youngest, and, behold, he keepeth the sheep.' And Samuel said unto Jesse: 'Send and fetch him; for we will not sit down till he come hither.' 12 And he sent, and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and withal of beautiful eyes, and goodly to look upon. And the LORD said: 'Arise, anoint him; for this is he.' 13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren; and the spirit of the LORD came mightily upon David from that day forward.

The Jewish city of Bethlehem.