Word: firebrands
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 2000-2009
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...because Labour had the discipline to pull together, unlike the Tories. Under Brown, that discipline has been restored, further bolstering Labour's dominance of British politics. Yet some party stalwarts yearn for the bad old days of red-faced brawls on the conference platform. Former Labour minister and veteran firebrand Tony Benn grimaced as his well-mannered colleagues dutifully filed in for a placid afternoon session. "It's been a lovely week, almost free from politics," he says. "This is really a pre-election rally. I should have brought balloons...
...Hitchens calls as his main corroborating witness a Canadian contemporary of Graham's, whom he misidentifies as "James Templeton." Hitchens explains that as a young firebrand preacher, Templeton (whose name was actually Charles), found his faith faltering; but when he challenged Graham, Hitchens claims, the evangelist told Templeton that it was too late to stop now - "We're in business" - and proceeded to spend the next 50 years as a kind of religious racketeer...
...move is a worrying sign that despite Paisley's credentials as the longtime firebrand militant leader of the most uncompromising wing of the pro-British loyalist community, his path of compromise has failed to convince large sections of the Protestant community. Mindful of concerns among his base, Paisley's party has suggested that public contact between him and McGuiness might be scaled back. But the settlement that brought them together remains sound. Paisley has been in politics almost as long as he's been in the pulpit: he ensured that his rivals for the unionist vote were beaten...
...wildest of wild cards is Moqtada al-Sadr. The firebrand Shi'ite cleric has no interest in holding office himself - he regards himself as being above politics - but he is the country's most powerful player, and will likely have a major say in who gets Maliki's job. None of the 30 members of parliament from Sadr's bloc seems to be of prime ministerial caliber, but then, neither did Maliki...
...Tehran, as many as 500 Hizballah operatives are at work training militiamen at the behest of Iran. The PMOI, which claims to have an extensive intelligence network, says most of the Hizballah operatives are serving as trainers or assistant trainers to the Mahdi Army, the Shi'ite militia of firebrand cleric Muqtada al-Sadr...