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One of his proudest achievements was in bringing Norwegian students in large numbers to Heriot-Watt

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One of his proudest achievements was in bringing Norwegian students in large numbers to Heriot-Watt. For this he was honoured by the King of Norway with the Order of St Olaf.Tam Dalyell. The smooth landing of the A380 super-jumbo Airbus at Heathrow airport yesterday brought a double dose of cheer in two areas - manufacturing and Europe - where much of the news this season has been gloomy. The world's largest passenger plane, with 555 seats, made a detour to fly over the two British plants that designed and made its wings. The British contribution to this aircraft is proof that manufacturing in this country lives on, even if car-making is contracting. The completion of the A380 also gainsays the pervasive doom-mongering about the European Union Airbus is one of the EU's great successes.

That the consortium has brought this ambitious project to fruition shows that the sometimes quarrelsome Europeans are capable of impressive co-operation when they put their minds to it. For all the logistical problems of assembling components in so many countries so far apart, Airbus has also proved itself competitive. So far, 16 firms have placed orders, including Virgin Atlantic.. If we are to believe our most senior politicians, ours is a country shackled by its international commitments on human rights, a nation now incapable of conducting the daily fight against terrorism and organised crime. Afghan hijackers, released foreign offenders, illegal migrants have all fuelled high-level calls for the amendment of the Human Rights Act, or even its repeal.

Yet, as a report from the European Parliament shows, the Government is far from being a stickler for international conventions. Three important international agreements guaranteeing basic human rights still have to be implemented by the UK. Worse, the Government's cowardly and shortsighted refusal to take a stand on basic rights is undermining both its position abroad and the fight against organised crime at home.. Some suggestion, I understand, after Arsenal's defeat by Barcelona in the Champions' League final, that Thierry Henry and his team-mates are bad losers. But is this necessarily a bad thing? Is being unsporting really unsporting? Consider, for instance, these two cherished American quotations: "Good losers get used to losing," and, "We didn't lose, we just ran out of time." There was also, of course, Vietnam, and there is Iraq, where we await the final whistle Don't think, either, that bad losing is somehow un-British.

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