LibDem Blogs - Archived! - Saturday 18th August 2007

Now that's what I call a protest!

Nearly 600 men and women volunteers have stripped naked to pose for US photographer Spencer Tunick on the slope of a melting Swiss glacier. The photo shoot on the Aletsch glacier was commissioned by Greenpeace as part of a campaign to raise awareness about global warming. Despite the Alpine setting 2,300m (7545 feet) up, the temperature was well above freezing, at between 10 and 15C. Tunick specialises in such scenes, which he calls "body landscapes". His previous backdrops have ranged from Caracas to New York. The Aletsch glacier is a protected Unesco World Heritage site. (BBC News Online)

Trivial Connection of the Day

This is a good one. Malcolm Redfellow Revivus writes: There is a bizarre link between "Biggles" and "Just William". The model for "Captain" (in reality, never more than a Flying Officer, with some six weeks of combat experience) W.E. Johns' character derived from Air Commodore Cecil George Wigglesworth. Meanwhile Richmal Crompton was mudding up her brother, John Lamburn. Lamburn was first with the Rhodesian police, worked in China, and did war service with the RAF in Iceland under ... Wigglesworth.Note too the gratuitous photograph of the genitals of Michelangelo's David.

Back from the hills...

... of Northumberland. Some of which were very steep indeed. I did manage to ride a horse, without falling off, or even looking silly!

Google Calendar sync’d to your mobile

Last year I started using Google Calendar to manage my few events which I had. The only problem was that it was almost impossible to update whilst on the move. However Google XHTML’d the site and shrank it down a bit and allowed you to view it on you’re phone’s browser. But I was still missing the key bit. The entries weren’t appearing in my in-built calendar. I started to look into the Google Calendar API, and found it a nightmare. There were so many different methods depending if the event was all-day, just for an hour or repeating every ...

Listen carefully: I will say this only once. "Well done the Greens"

I don't really have a lot of time for the Greens in Oxford - their politics that is - as individuals I get on well I think with all of those I know. They go their own way and do their own thing and are rarely to be relied on, as our joint administration in the run up to 2002 on the City Council proved. But they have a one party crypto-communist state in East Oxford, so there's no meaningful opposition to them on the East Area Committee, at the moment at least. But it is unusually refreshing to see ...

Whatsoever thing from without entereth into the man...

Maybe it's just the ethos of the new era in Britain under the Son of the Manse, and the Tories running hard to keep up with what is being seen as a neo-puritanism stalking the country, but there's been a lot of talk of new or increased restrictions on things like drugs and drink. Most recently of course we've had the outbursts by Chief Constable Peter Fahy of the Cheshire Constabulary wanting to prevent "lesser adults", prospective alcohoodies, whose misfortune is merely to be older than we allow them to vote, to fight for Queen and country (or at least ...

-9, -9, -9

I feel a new chant coming on -9, -9, -9 -9, -9, -9 -9, -9, -9 -9, -9. So having started the season on -15 points we have managed three straight wins (including two in the league) and now stand on the grand total of -9 points and only a mere 10 points from 20th and safety. Whatever the ins and the outs of the legal ownership shenanigans that have been going on the team are giving it their all on the pitch and long may it continue! Meanwhile Ken Bates has sent me a letter (text below) - how ...

Bureaucrat in love: now the story can be told...

Regular readers will have noted that Radio Bureaucrat has been an infrequent broadcaster of late, and the occasional cryptic reference will not have done anything to help explain it. So it is about time that I explained. Put simply, I fell in love. I fell absolutely, completely and utterly head over heels in love when I least expected it, with someone I could not have possibly envisaged

Another angle of parents and childrens social services

The link is to this story: A girl yob aged 14 who started a £1million blaze was locked up yesterday - to save her from her parents' bad influence. Although I am unsure how prison will be any better than living at home it was probably the right thing for the judge to do, much that this was more for punitive reasons than anything else. However, we do really need to identify what we are asking

The EU and China

{benita-ferrera-waldner-and-li-zhaoxing.jpg} When I opted to read Chinese at university, most people thought I was crazy. How could I choose something so esoteric, so marginal? This was during the Cultural Revolution, of course, when China had shut itself off from the world and its share of international trade was tiny. When I graduated, I joined Reuters news agency and hoped that with my language skills, they would post me at least to Hong Kong or Singapore, if not Beijing. But typically, they sent me to Brussels. At the beginning I was peeved, and grabbed the chance offered by my first book contract (for ‘The ...

Penmaenmawr Quarry, North Wales

Another of the videos I shot whilst in North Wales. This is the quarry at Penmaenmawr and looks very much like a crater on the moon.

In search of wild horses

This is the 2nd video I shot whilst in North Wales earlier this month. We went up the mountains above Penmaenmawr to look for the wild horses living there. Eventually we did catch them on camera.

Caernarfon Castle

This was one of the videos I shot on my recent visit to North Wales. Views from around Caernarfon Castle. Watch out for the Lloyd George statue.

The Vulcan takes over the Tory party

Iain Dale asks "Where are the LibDems?" Putting aside the fact that some of our spokespeople have been pretty busy, e.g Vince Cable and Norman Lamb, this question would appear to assume that it is a good idea to hand over control of your party to someone like John Redwood for a month in the summer. Martin Kettle gives a fair summary of the Redwood Commission proposals. It is amazing that,

Government pays for mattresses for cows to have a good night's sleep

The Daily Mail seem to be sleeping on the job. They haven't picked up on this one yet. Incredible. The government has given £21,000 to provide mattresses for cows to sleep on in Northern Ireland. A spokeswoman said: "If you lie on a comfortable bed all night you'll be in good form all day. It's the same for cows". If all cows in the UK were given mattresses to lie on, I would have said that

More Atonement Pictures

We mentioned that the premier of Atonement is coming to the Regent Cinema, Redcar on 5th September, at the meeting of Newcomen Ward Community Forum, earlier this week. The Chairman, Ray Hall, has given us a disc of pictures from last summer's filming, when Redcar sea-front was transformed into Dunkirk during July and August. Here is a selection. Local stars - our boys Mark Abbott (left) and former Green Howard, Steven Abbott Movie Star - James McAvoy Local Star - Nick Murray Refugees A Platoon of French soldiers The former Olympia Fitness Gym transformed.Now waiting to be demolished and be ...

Tooth Review: 1550

Despite the name of this blog, I seldom blog much on 2000AD-related matters. I’m going to try to start reviewing each issue from now on. That said, the last time I attempted to do this I ended up finishing Quaequam Blog! 1.0 quite soon afterwards, so the omens are not good! {2000AD Prog 1550} The Cover: Cliff Robinson is always welcome. A refreshingly quirky retro cover which has precisely nothing to do with the contents. Judge Dredd: Cit Emp. This is a relaunch issue, and this is a very typical relaunch Dredd story. Gordon Rennie is regarded as the best ...

I won't be a winner!

The Liberal Democrats' "Blog of the Year" competition is back for its second (welcome!) year - and I'm one of the judges again - which also means I am ruled out of the running for the prize - again! Last year the much deserving winner was Stephen Tall - but as he's a judge too this year, it means someone new has to win! So get your nominations in - details are on the party website. You have until 31st August to get nominations in. As for why blogging is a good idea for politicians - the speech I gave ...

The FA Cup starts here

Unbelieveably, today sees the start of this season’s FA Cup, with 171 ties in the “Extra Preliminary Round” taking place. A quick scan of the fixture list shows several local teams in action, including Oldbury United, Dudley Town, Tividale, Gornal Athletic, Tipton Town, Cradley Town, Cadbury Athletic, Boldmere St Michaels and Castle Vale, amongst others! Best of luck to all the local teams involved. And a special good luck message to my old “friends” Long Buckby FC who take on Hoddesdon Town at home. There’s only 273 days until the final!

Geo Pressure continued

Got a prompt reply back from Stephen - many thanks - so I will have to gather some evidence to support my case. It would be a shame to loose this incredible opportunity to reduce pollution because of a dispute over the definition of what counts as renewable. It seems that this is perhaps caused by the a number of suppliers of renewable fighting over too small a cake. Stephen, the solution is...

A Note to Our American Friends

Just back from the beautiful (and beautifully cheap) European city of Prague* and I've got a pointer for our friends across the pond based on my experience with them over there. To start off with, let's take a look at this picture: Can you tell what all the people in this picture are doing? Yes, that's right, they are queuing. Queuing is something polite people doing when there are too many of

What is the best Liberal Democrat blog?

Last year, at a ceremony at party conference, Stephen Tall’s A Liberal Goes A Long Way was awarded the first Blog of the Year award for the best Liberal Democrat blog. This year, the Blog of the Year award returns, flanked by five additional categories. The full line-up of the awards, run by the party in conjunction with Liberal Democrat Voice, is: Liberal Democrat blog of the year Best blog from a Liberal Democrat elected to public office Best new Liberal Democrat blog (started since 1st October 2006) Best posting on a Liberal Democrat blog (since 1st October 2006) Most ...

Do I hear an apology from the Tory party?

The Conservative party are playing dirty around this part. They are frustrated. They have gradually and I mean gradually (taken a good 12 years) to gain one seat each year to take over control of the council. Last year they delivered a spoof 'FOCUS' newsletter in all the Lib Dem/ Tory marginals. In the leaflet they claimed we would scrap weekly summer collection when we voted for these, linked a

Councillor's Surgery until 12.30pm

Currently doing a councillor's surgery in Lewisham Library. Will be here until 12.30pm if anybody feels like calling in.

Will your health records be safe?

The Government’s plans to put everyone’s health records into a new single electronic system have come under fire in the British Medical Journal: It is envisaged that the system will be used to select and book hospital appointments, store and chart health indicators such as blood pressure readings, generate e-mail reminders about calendar appointments and include [...]

Phone Box vandalism reported ...

Residents have complained to me that the telephone box on Magdalen Yard Road opposite Step Row has graffiti on it and one of the glass panels has been broken. I have reported this to British Telecom, asking for repairs.Delighted to see Friends of Magdalen Green getting a mention in the Criagie column in today's "Courier."

Powers of prediction

Britain's new rising star, Lewis Hamilton, has taken a lot of people by surprise. Last year, he was just one of many talented, up-and-coming racing drivers who had yet to make it into the public eye; this year, he's a Formula 1 driver, and he's leading the world championship. With the sudden levels of massive hype in the British media, I suppose it's not very surprising that the young sportsman's biography is to be published in time for Christmas. But I was slightly shocked by the alleged contents, according to the book's synopsis on Amazon. In case it gets taken ...

Party Looks To New Community Canvass Week

Liberal Democrat Voice has learned that the Liberal Democrats are just kicking off plans for a new institution - the first-ever national Community Canvass Week - coming this September 22nd - 30th. The week after our Brighton conference will see MPs, parliamentary candidates and local parties over the country hitting the doorsteps, reminding Britons why [...]

Nostalgia is not what it used to be

Today's Guardian reports that the interweb has struck again, persuading Cadbury's to re-introduce the Wispa bar. They tell us that thousands of websites, blogs and internet discussion threads have persuaded Cadbury that Wispas can rediscover a market which seemed to have moved on. "The change of heart, backed by consumer research into younger, non-nostalgic tastes, follows a gentle lament for the chocolate which online networking has turned into an international campaign. There are 93 Bring Back Wispa groups on Facebook with approaching 14,000 members and the rival directories MySpace and Bebo are catching up." The downside is that this might ...

Rubik’s Cube – I was there

I see that aficionados are to celebrate the 25th birthday of Rubik’s Cube. I thought it was actually much older than that but it reminded me of an incident from my youth. I did my degree at the School of Slavonic and East European Studies in London in the mid-70s. I met a Hungarian girl there (her family lived in Birmingham and were expatriates from the 1956 revolution) and we travelled back beyond the Iron Curtain to see her uncles and aunts and so on who still lived there. One evening we went to see one of her cousins ...

Lock up your daughters tonight!

Just a reminder.

OPINION: Fib Dems? A compliment!

It was well over 10 days into the Sedgefield By-election. Things seemed to be going well and it was clear that the Conservatives were in 3rd place. Then again - Sedgefield is further North than Watford so it was no surprise! One thing was missing and the campaign team knew it. High quality literature was [...]

The Crackdown in China Begins

As I predicted when I reviewed the recent article written about China by Ming Campbell (but I suspect mainly ghost written) the widely expected crackdown before the 17th National Congress of the Communist Party of China has begun. Jonathan Watts has again written one of his great articles for the Guardian linked here. The core of the article is: "Chinese journalists privately say the current atmosphere is stifling. International civil rights groups say the rules are a new threat to press freedom. "This crackdown is a legal gun to the head to responsible journalists who want to report on the ...

Global finance crises for dummies!

I bought a book recently called 'investing for dummies!' to try and help me understand the world of finance and I have to say it is indeed very good for explaining how to invest, what to do, what not to do as well as giving a good deal of information about how the different investment markets work. I was paging through it earlier when I read this little snippet that reminded me a little of the current situation. 'borrowing more than you have in order to invest is the quickest route to the bankruptcy courts' Hmmm, indeed, sounds pretty obvious ...

Day 2421: Enemies of Reason, part deux

Friday: The The Today Programme appears to be experimenting with a new way to raise Daddies' blood pressures to EXPLODING point. On a day when the most important news OUGHT to have been that German physicists claim to have broken the SPEED OF LIGHT[*] – potentially the most significant breakthrough since Quantum Mechanics reduced to "but WHY can't we travel backwards in time?" – instead they devoted a large part of the show to ANOTHER form of Time Travel: Mr John Deadwood's re-issue of the Conservatories' 1987 manifesto: "Why we're right and staying that way". Having Mr Deadwood on at ...

Day 2420: Plot to Scupper Conservatory Mayoral Candidate

Thursday: Apparently Mr Bonkers Boris is standing…

Day 2419: Is Scottish Independence Any of Our Business?

Wednesday In Scotland, the Scottish Nasty Party (prop. Mr Alex Salmon) has plans for independence, or at least plans to ask the one-third of Scots who want independence and the two-thirds who don't to get out and vote in a referendum on the subject. Scottish Liberal Democrats have joined other opposition parties in saying that this would be a waste of time and money. In a further statement Mr Nicol “and dime” Stephen reminded people that the Liberal Democrats have invited the Scottish Nasties and everyone else to join in a new Constitutional Convention to work out together how to ...

Saturday 18th August 2007

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