Tuesday 6th November 2007

11:32 pm

Nick Clegg on Affordable Housing and LVT

Gravatar I got an email late today from an LVT supporter saying that Nick Clegg had spoken about the role of LVT/SVR in enabling more affordable housing in a BBC panel discussion after the Queen's Speech today. I've not been able to find it via the BBC website (it doesn't help not actually knowing what the program might have been - I'm guessing it was Daily Politics). So did anyone happen to see it and either point me to a "watch again" URL or explain what he said, specifically about LVT and housing. Because it would be quite significant since even ...
11:31 pm

Liberal Conspiracy: differential diagnosis

Gravatar It’s been like a pacily-scripted US medical drama round here today. I wake up not knowing a thing about the new Liberal Conspiracy website, all seems normal, opening credits, la-la-la, I turn on my computer, have a cup of coffee, frown a bit, look briefly worried, then clutch my throat and bam! I fall to the floor [...]
11:21 pm

Centenary of political milestone for women

Gravatar In this year of anniversaries, it is easy to overlook a 1907 Act of Parliament which enabled women to stand for election to local councils for the first time. More details on the Chipping Sodbury, Yate and Dodington blog.
11:13 pm

That Chis Huhne.............luv 'im!

Gravatar Paul Walter has had such a good day. I am sure his eyelashes are still involuntarily fluttering........that Chris Huhne, right on politics on stix and no mistake!
11:07 pm

Huhne: UK must have referendum on whether to use the new right of countries to leave the EU

Gravatar Chris Huhne reiterated this evening that he will vote for a referendum on EU membership but against a referendum on the Reform Treaty. However, he fascinatingly reminded us that the Reform Treaty includes, for the first time in Europe's history, a measure which allows countries to leave the union: Secession: Just like the rejected Constitutional Treaty, the Reform Treaty will include a
11:05 pm

Huhne - the tax debate

Gravatar Chris Huhne made an interesting point on tax this evening when interviewed by some LibDem bloggers. He pointed out that the tax take of the governmenthas hovered more or less at 40% over the years. So, it is pointless arguing over whether taxes should be higher or lower. Instead we should be getting to the argument about getting a real sense of accountability into how the money is used.
11:02 pm

Huhne: We need to be the little boy who points at the Emperor with no clothes

Gravatar I thought Chris Huhne wonderfully summed up what our approach should be this evening. He said that we must be anti-establishment and appeal to the anti-establishment tendency of journalists and people. Our approach, he said, should be like the little boy who pointed out that the Emperor had no clothes - we should be saying "This (government) system is bust - this system is nude and that it needs
10:53 pm

Voters don't want just a pretty boy - they want someone who will deliver

Gravatar James Graham bluntly put to Chris Huhne this evening the scenario whereby the LibDems elect Chris as leader and the subsequent press narrative is: "Those silly LibDems reject the Great Messiah who we (the press) told them to elect and preversely chose the greying, economist who can't communicate". Chris responded by pointing out that journalism has built-in balancing. Someone will write a story
10:49 pm

It's the economy stupid - Huhne quotes Clinton

Gravatar When asked what leadership is, Chris Huhne this evening outlined the need for a leader honestly assess their own strengths and weaknesses and then build a team which delivers. The leader also needs, he said, to represent the party at the highest level with weight and gravitas - proving that they are someone people think can be trusted to run the country. He said that, to get up to 25%+ in the
10:45 pm

Huhne: Centralised power is the way to a nationwide "BALLS UP"

Gravatar A great quote from Chris Huhne speaking earlier this evening. When asked about the government decentralisation that Labour are planning, Chris emphasised that true decentralisation must truly give real discretion to local communities. Labour's instinct is keep key decisions and targets controlled in London. Chris said that people are very suspicious of imposed solutions from London because then
YouGov
10:39 pm

Huhne: Empowering local communities

Gravatar Mary Reid asked Chris Huhne about local government this evening. I was very impressed by Chris' answers. I became a councillor in 2000 simply because I wanted people to feel more connected to the local government process. Chris emphasised that councillors should have more power so that people see them as their connection to the government process - someone who can explain how to contact their MP
10:28 pm

Connecting with Jo Public

Gravatar I put it to Chris Huhne this evening that someone like him, who drops words like "gaderene" and "amanuensis" into his sentences, needs to outline precisely how they will connect with Jo Public. In answer, Chris pointed to the great strides ahead the Liberal Democrats have made on green issues since he has been environment spokesman. We have undermined Cameron on green issues through things like
10:18 pm

The constitutional role of Michael Fabricant's hair

Gravatar The last time I visited the public gallery of the House of Commons was about eight years ago. The first thing I noticed in the chamber was Michael Fabricant's resplendent hair. It stood out like a beacon. I visited the public gallery again this evening. Lo and behold, the first thing that shone into my irises was, yes, Michael Fabricant's hair again. It's still there shining out after all these
10:16 pm

Clunking fist becomes the trembling hand

Gravatar As Nick Robinson pointed out this evening, Gordon Brown's right hand was visibly trembling as he answered David Cameron today. He really needs to step back from these encounters, learn a bit of style and bring a bit of humour into them. I can't imagine the late John Smith answering David Cameron with such bruising obviousness. He would have injected a little light humour into the scenario.
10:10 pm

Vince responds to the Queen’s Speech

Gravatar The Lib Dems’ acting leader, Vince Cable, has earned excellent coverage for the party in his response to Gordon Brown’s first, and Labour’s 11th, Queens Speech: On BBC.co.uk: ‘Brown lacks vision, say Lib Dems’ On Politics.co.uk: ‘Cable attacks ‘coalition of ideas’ In The Guardian: ‘Cable brands Brown’s plans as ‘deafening anticlimax’’ However, I imagine there are [...]
10:01 pm

Win a copy of the Taking Liberties DVD

Gravatar A few weeks ago I reviewed Taking Liberties, the book of the film, in Liberal Democrat News. Thanks to the kind people at Revolver Entertainment, I can now offer you a chance to win a copy of the Taking Liberties DVD. And it's well worth winning. Reviewing the film in the Guardian, Peter Bradshaw said: It may not tell us much that's new, but there's something exhilarating about this thoroughly enjoyable and worthwhile docu-blast against Tony Blair's insidious diminution of native British liberties.Simply e-mail me the answers to the following 10 questions by 11.59 p.m. on Friday 16 November. The ...
9:42 pm

Cherries picked as Leeds get back to winning ways

Gravatar Another season's best crowd for a Leeds United away game saw the whites get back to winning ways and put three past lowly Bournemouth. Tresor Kandol opened the scoring in the 4th minute as Leeds dominated the early stages but the Cherries got a grip of the game as Leeds faded a bit and they pulled one back through Jern Karacan on 37 minutes. Dennis Wise must have worked his magic during the break because United came out a much better side and took control of the second half. Goals from Seb Carole on 54 minutes and a second for ...
8:59 pm

Britain's 10 most ludicrous laws

Gravatar The BBC has list of Britain's 10 most ludicrous pieces of legislation, as voted for in a poll run by UKTV Gold. It may soon need revising, because there were 29 new bills promised in the Queen's Speech today. But for the time being here is the Top 10 (with the percentage voting for each law): It is illegal to die in the Houses of Parliament (27%)It is an act of treason to place a postage stamp bearing the British king or queen's image upside-down (7%)It is illegal for a woman to be topless in Liverpool except as a clerk ...
8:55 pm

When Fair trade is not always best

Gravatar Norwich city football club have decide to get rid of PG Tips tea and replace it with fair trade tea instead. The only shame is that everyone I know who has tried the tea thinks it tastes like shit ! Okay, so its powdered tea. But does it have to curdle and taste so bad ? Sent from my mobile from Carrow Road.
8:45 pm

False Economics

Gravatar I know some people have difficulty understanding economics but it is really very simple.  The more money you have the more choice you can exercise.  So ensuring money doesn't leave the bay a...
8:27 pm

Things I’m sick of

Gravatar 1.  Us being so nice to the other parties - let’s be smart but angrier 2. Us just talking to other Liberal Democrats - I remember a time during the Kennedy era when there seemed to be a Lib Dem inspired news story every week. Our poll ratings shot up! Let’s get back to those days. [...]
7:04 pm

Climbie Foundation Head Speaks out

Gravatar The link is to an article in Community Care which essentially argues the same case about failures that I am arguing. Interestingly there was also this snippet: An independent social worker, who wished to remain anonymous, agreed with Dioum but said that the system has deteriorated since Laming’s inquiry. She claimed that decisions about cases were being made higher up in the system while the
7:01 pm

Court of Appeal on urgent appeals for children

Gravatar The link is to an appeal about an ICO. The ICO actually expired before the hearing into the appeal. The answer from the Lord Justices was this. In office hours, a potential appellant who wishes to apply for an immediate stay should contact the Court of Appeal office at the Royal Courts of Justice on the conventional telephone number, 0207 947 6000; out of hours, such an appellant should
6:40 pm

German confirmed as Welsh leader (for next six months)

Gravatar This from the BBC: Mike German has been confirmed as the new leader of the Liberal Democrats in Wales. The South Wales East AM replaces Montgomeryshire MP Lembit Opik, who had announced his decision to stand down. Mr German has also retained his position as leader of the six Lib Dems in the Welsh assembly. He [...]
6:32 pm

On hearing Cameron and Brown, I actually believed Brown more !

Gravatar I watched the Queen's speech debate (or most of it) down the gym after work today and heard some on the radio, and For me, I felt Brown was more believable. It does seem funny that for all Cameron's accusations about brown having no substance, that Brown was then able to give example after example of the Tories and the Tory leader contradicting themselves (sometimes within days of each other) and very much telling one thing to one audience and another to a different audience. I have no love for Gordon Brown, and although I will admit to loathing "Blair ...
5:59 pm

Stupid Laws

Gravatar Back from holiday - here’s a nonsense article to kick things off. Yes most laws are stupid but the BBC has listed the ten most stupid laws on the British statute books - although I am tempted to try some of them - just for a laught. I have already blogged this - when the Times did the same story, or a very similar one a while ago but the BBC story has an actual list and as a geek with mild OCD I have to admit to being a big fan of links. The UK’s top 10 most ridiculous ...
5:55 pm

Questions for the government about the UK's preparedness for an H5N1 pandemic

Gravatar The UK is, according to the UN and other health sources, one of the best prepared for such an outbreak, but compared to the very best we still could be doing more. For example, how come we have ordered 14.3 million doses of the antiviral drug "Tamiflu", despite the H5N1 virus already showing some resistance to this, but Relenza, another drug with known abilities to fighting viral infections has not been ordered (despite the American government going ahead and ordering several million doses for use in the US). Why have the government only ordered an immediate 3.5 million doses of ...
5:36 pm

Greenbank Place Lighting Concern

Gravatar Residents in Greenbank Place off Tullideph Road have expressed concern to me that some of the lights on the side of one of the blocks of housing are not working. These are the responsibility of the Housing Department and I'm pleased to say that, following my request for repair, I have had back from the City Council the following positive response : "The pathway lights serving the access to 1-23 Greenbank Place has been issued for repair."
5:29 pm

Fire at Springrice Rice, Hither Green

Gravatar Was told today that a fire occured today in Springrice Road - at the rear of 220 Hither Green Lane. A garage/workshop was involved. 2 propane cylinders exploded. 7 people were affected by the incident and they were evacuated. As far as I know, nobody was injured. This incident emphasises the risk that the proliferation of small garages can pose when they operate cheek by jowl with people's homes, which happens throughout Lewisham Central ward.  In addition to the other day to day nuisances they can cause.
4:42 pm

Tea to the people

Gravatar I have been working out of a large office near Winchester for a couple of months now. This particular office has negotiated a catering contract with a national organisation. They operate the canteen, vending machines and small retail outlets around the site. As we are situated in the middle of nowhere, with no nearby retail alternatives the catering company is effectively operating a cartel. Although the building I work in has a rest area, it seems none of us can be trusted with a kettle. It is not as if the people working on this site lack the necessary intellect ...
DataFlame
3:54 pm

Who makes policy - the Leader or the members?

Gravatar Interesting little spat on Peter Black's blog between him and Matthew Huntbach which touches on a curious little nub. The issue of who determines the party policy... I find myself on the side of Peter - that leadership should be about articulation and verve and less about decisions. We are a federal party and the Leader should lead and the members (through Conference) set the policy. It's certainly how I want it and I'm sure many others too...
3:29 pm

Noah Maxfield launches leadership video

Gravatar The Lib Dem leadership campaign of contender Noah Maxfield was already propelled into the 21st century with the Noah Maxfield for Lib Dem Leader Facebook group. Now Noah's campaign team have launched his first campaign video:
3:02 pm

A budget for bonfires

Gravatar The One Wales Government yesterday launched its first budget by announcing that it was going to ignite a bonfire of inefficiency so as to achieve savings of £600m. When a government takes this tack what it normally means is that it has short-changed one particular sector, in this case local government, and it is casting around for a means of passing the blame onto them for the consequent impact on services. In fact local government has struggled for the past four years under a Welsh Government requirement to make annual efficiency savings of one per cent. As a consequence most ...
2:49 pm

Parliament Needs to Become More Pro-Active on Europe

Gravatar The problem over the democratic deficit in Brussels is as much to do with Parliament’s lack of scrutiny as it is with anything else. The public should understand that Parliament has the opportunity to scrutinize all EU legislation, something it simply isn’t doing right now.
2:40 pm

More on leadership

Gravatar I am sad that in response to my earlier post on his leadership, Mike German has chosen to mislead the media over the nomination process. Mike told them that I had been unable to receive the support of my colleagues for the leadership nominations. He knows that I had the agreement of one AM to sign my nomination but that following the events I describe in that earlier entry I chose not to pursue the matter. It is a fact that Mike does not enjoy the support of a majority of the group. They may all have signed his nomination ...
2:03 pm

Good anti-trident turnout on Saturday

Gravatar I would reckon a good 2-3000 people turned out on Saturday in Edinburgh to protest against trident. It was particularly interesting to see such a broad cross-section of Scottish Society in attendance. I certainly don't hold much in common with the Communist Party or any Churches bar being anti trident. It was no surprise that Labour & the Tories were the only political parties missing. The photo of some of the Scottish Lib Dem contingent was taken by my pal Caron Lindsay. a rare treat for me to be in a photo rather than behind the camera.
2:01 pm

The proof of the Climate Change policy pudding will be in Milton Keynes

Gravatar If the UK is to get anywhere near cutting CO2 emissions to the levels outlined in the Queen’s Speech the rest of the UK will need to follow the lead of Milton Keynes. We will know if the Brown Government is serious on this if it stops the introduction of new planning regulations that would gut the local MK initiative. What Liberal Democrat controlled MK has done since 2005 is to require that all new developments in the New City meet carbon-neutral standards. The MK policy covers all sizes of developments both commercial and housing, and covers energy efficiency and ...
2:00 pm

Queen’s Speech shows up Centre-Right Conspiracy

Gravatar This was Labour’s 11th consecutive Queen’s Speech. And it showed. Is this list of 29 new bills really what Gordon Brown has been plotting and dreaming of delivering for the past 15 years? Even had Mr Brown not decided to pre-announce the measures back in July (ah, the new ‘no spin’ era - remember that?) [...]
1:50 pm

One of the Greatest Speeches

Gravatar Martin Tod reminds us that RFK 'references to Aeschylus' in this speech. The reason why it was effective was that RFK read the poem itself, which contained beautiful words that all could understand. That is why, as the clip makes clear, there were no riots in Indianapolis that night. I was talking to one of Joe Biden's speechwriters last year at Brown, and he blamed the decline in rhetoric on the rise of 'The Information Age'. I referenced this speech and mentioned that RFK could quote Aeschylus by heart, and that the problem wasn't the rise in policy wonkery, but ...
1:40 pm

Sods law…

Gravatar (or Mills’s Law of Sheer Bloody Awkwardness as it is known in my family…) A load of interesting things start getting thrown up across the blogs when I don’t have much time… You’d better not get all interesting when I’m on holiday for Thanksgiving…
1:05 pm

Ron Paul shocks the establishment

Gravatar Ron Paul, radical, anti-war liberal (or in US parlance libertarian) libertarian has shocked the US political establishment by raising a record (for a Republican) $4 million in one day (the biggest amount raised in one day was Kerry with $5.7 million the day after he accepted the Democrat nomination). What’s even more astonishing is he’s done [...]
12:51 pm

Liberal Conspiracy: A conspiracy against Liberals?

Gravatar A new website called Liberal Conspiracy has been launched. Its self-declared aim is to be the hub of something called "the liberal-left". And the site claims: You’ll notice most of the well-known political left-of-centre bloggers are here.What I notice reading Liberal Conspiracy's list of contributors is that there is not a single well-known Liberal Democrat blogger amongst them. James Graham attended the launch of the site yesterday and found himself the only Lib Dem in the room. This reinforces the idea that Liberal Voice is an initiative for discontented socialists, not Liberals. It seems that the site is using the ...
12:34 pm

More of the Same

Gravatar Well that was a big disappointment.  What a boring Queen's Speech.  I said the same last year and put it down to the Blair Government running out of ideas.  But the new Brown revolution...
12:32 pm

Found It

Gravatar Peter Brookes of The Times has found that elusive joke:
12:26 pm

Corby featured in the Grauniad

Gravatar There is an interesting piece in yesterday's G2 section of the Guardian that profiles the marginal seat of Corby & East Northants. The angle the story takes is more about how Ashcroft is possibly distorting the electoral playing field with his personal targeting strategy, backed up by his wealth. This is played off against the use of the parliamentary communications allowance of £10k by the sitting MP. The story doesn't mention how the LibDem vote actually increased in 2005, rather than being squeezed in this marginal constituency. I'd like to take some personal credit for that, but it should all ...
12:14 pm

Liberal Conspiracy: Divide and Conquer Reprised

Gravatar This is my second stab that this subject. Once again I find myself falling foul of posting anything just before I go to bed going off my gut instead of my head. I’m not going to try defending dodgy posts, I’ll just delete them and try again - one of the luxuries of not being a politician. Anyway, the topic is Liberal Conspiracy, a new collaborative blog that has the aim of being a ‘hub’ for ‘liberal left.’ People insist that this site will not be biased in favour of Labour however I am extremely skeptical about this - the road to hell ...
12:07 pm

Emma has been hit by a car outside school

Gravatar Posted by Glynis: Our 12 years old granddaughter Emma has been hit by a car close to her School, St Peter's, at South Bank this morning. We don't have much detail at present but she has head injuries and a broken kneecap. UPDATE 2.30pm: Emma has had a catscan and they are awaiting results. Her leg isn't broken but the bones are chipped. UPDATE 8.55pm: I have seen Emma at James Cook Hospital. She has a huge bruise on her head and a great big scrape down her back. They may keep her in a couple more days when they ...
12:03 pm

Hiding bad news?

Gravatar I'm told that there's an announcement due today re more post office closures, includine here on Merseyside Today is also the Queen's Speech, with all the political attention that involves Burying bad news perhaps?
11:49 am

First reaction

Gravatar I have just listened to the Queen's Speech. First thoughts -Climate change - we will have to see what detail is provided in this but I hope they are going to take this seriously as so far the Governm...
11:22 am

Not liveblogging the State Opening of Parliament…

Gravatar …but Huw Edwards just noted that “As you know, there are many state coaches.” “Today the Queen will be travelling in state coach Guinevere and will be wearing crown number 3, both of which were chosen at random earlier today by Mrs Ella Jones of Chiswick.” In the future, the new legislative session will be launched by Billie Piper pressing a big red button. That’s progress for you.
11:14 am

Who’s the real threat?

Gravatar I notice that the security restrictions around Parliament have been dramatically changed for the State Opening. If the Queen doesn’t have a parliamentary pass, no doubt someone can sign her in. Should they though? Number of Speakers of the House of Commons killed by monarchs: 1. Number of Speakers of the House of Commons killed by terrorists: 0. So who’s the real threat? OK, it’s the terrorists.
11:05 am

State Opening of Parliament

Gravatar I am watching the State Opening of Parliament by the Queen. BBC news have done a vox pox asking people how relevant they saw this to them. The majority clearly felt it had no relevance at all. I love...
11:03 am

Metrolink fare changes won’t get people out of their cars

Gravatar Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive (GMPTE) has announced plans to introduce changes to Metrolink fares from Sunday 18 November.   Single and return fares will rise by an average of 5.7%, but season tickets will be frozen at their current prices until 1 February 2008. There will be no increase in child fares and some family tickets will be reduced.   The increases will do little to tempt people out of their cars. On the odd journeys where there might be a choice between the car and the tram, the tram will now be more expensive than it was.  GMPTE claim ...
10:25 am

The Power of the Internet, Egyptian-style

Gravatar Yesterday a court in Cairo passed a landmark judgement, sending two policemen to jail for torturing a bus driver who had intervened in an altercation between his cousin and a policeman. What made this case special was that the evidence against the two men — who sodomised the young detainee with a stick and beat him [...]
10:12 am

Online hustings begin

Gravatar Chris is taking part in the Party’s online hustings for the leadership election, which are taking place here (the same location as the online hustings for the European and London Mayoral elections). If you’re a member of the party and not yet registered for the forum (or any of the party’s other online tools) then you can do so here.
10:12 am

So, what am I really like?

Gravatar Let me know here..... It is what's called a 'Johari window' and it's about comparing the attributes I think I've got wih the ones you think I've got. If you know me (as opposed to just reading my blog) please do click the link. It's your chance to have your say and I'm hoping for a massive response (OK, end of Lib Dem jokes). Of course, the whole thing's totally unsecure... but a bit more scientific than "Which Hogwarts house am I in?" (Slytherin, before you ask). There is of course a Facebook version... which you can find on Facebook! ...
9:19 am

There is a Spectre Haunting the world- the spectre of the 'Clegg-heads'

Gravatar It seems that I have caused James Graham to have a minor hissy-fit. Apparently I should have refrained from critiquing Huhne's communication skills because I support Nick Clegg. And apparently because I am an 'Oxbridge-educated public schoolboy, for fuck's sake!', I should have not have criticised Huhne for simply being one too. We must, it seems, speak in iambic pentameter in order to be true to ourselves. And, in order to demonstrate that we've 'read more than Janet and John', we must also fail miserably to communicate to our desired audience. Newspapers have a 'Fog Index' which measures the readability ...
8:39 am

David Laws spots the Gordon Brown speech that wasn’t

Gravatar 1. Gordon Brown is scheduled to make a big eduction speech. 2. His spin doctors approach journalists in five difference areas around the country giving them quotes from the speech which praise by name a local school. 3. Local newspapers around the country run positive stories (positive for both Gordon Brown and the local school). 4. Gordon gives [...]
8:09 am

Pakistan - time to shed the Uniform and have proper elections

Gravatar President Pervez Musharraf has over the weekend declared Martial Law and many opposition politicians have been arrested. It is now time for Musharraf to decide if he wants to be a democrat or a dictator, the next few days will tell us - put quite simply he needs to shed the Uniform and have proper elections.
12:27 am

If the left wants to rediscover their liberal roots, we should welcome them back!

Gravatar Something potentially quite significant saw the light of day today. The launch of the "Liberal Conspiracy" website/blog seeks to provide a forum (network hub as they call it) for those in the "broad left" to coalesce and celebrate and promote their liberal similarities rather than their leftist sectarianism. It is the sort of thing that I would have thought a few years ago would have fitted my political outlook like a glove. I worry slightly though, from their launch document, that they might well be more "American liberal" than "British liberal", so will watch with interest for now to see ...
12:15 am

Clegg’s Academy - credit where it’s due

Gravatar I’ve been hard on Nick Clegg on this blog, mainly because I’ve struggled to find anything of substance that he has said or written during this campaign. Thankfully, I now find myself in the position of endorsing something he has called for. To wit: ‘My approach isn’t about women-only shortlists or about A-lists. It isn’t about imposing candidates on local parties or picking winners. My approach is about nurturing talent. I will set up a Liberal Democrat academy to support, train and encourage candidates and aspiring candidates at all levels. ‘I will personally devote my time and energy to raising ...
12:11 am

Bonfire of the Liberties - and the European referendum

Gravatar Liberty put on a one-night fundraising show tonight at the Hackney Empire (a grand old Victorian theatre now well restored) under the title ‘Bonfire of the Liberties’. Performers included Rory Bremner and Marcus Brigstocke, and several other stand-up acts, introduced by Shami Chakrabarti, and we went along. I was surprised not to see more Liberal Democrats I recognised there - there were a few but not many. But seeing several Labour people made me realise that there are many Labour members who still see civil liberties are a Labour issue - for much as we Liberal Democrats see the Government ...
12:09 am

Campaigning in the South East

Gravatar In the next couple of weeks, I have been asked to visit or campaign in Ashford, Tunbridge Wells, Sevenoaks, Thanet South, and Dover. If you would like me to visit your constituency, especially if I can lend a practical hand with some campaigning, please email me on antony@antonyhook.com As far as I am concerned, this is regardless of whether I [...]
12:03 am

Day 2500: DOCTOR WHO: Forever Autumn

Gravatar Monday: With a bit of LUCK my NEXT diary might be a bit SPECIAL. But first, what with it being Bonfire Night, and with Halloween last week, what better time for a SPOOKY Ghost Story? Instead, Daddy Richard has been reading more Doctor Who. There really is no telling some people, you know. Here's his review. Trick or Treaters beware: some of the sweeties may contain spoilers… Mark Morris has written a Halloween story for Doctor Who. It begins with three local boys in witch-haunted New England digging up a book of spells and foolishly reading out the incantation. A ...
12:02 am

Day 2499: The Dark is Rising

Gravatar Sunday: This film is SO POPULAR that EVERYONE in Great Britain has already seen it. Surely that is the ONLY explanation for me and my daddies being the only ones in Cinema One at our local multiplex for today's matinee! [R: whispers] Daddy tells me that it was at number SIX in the UK movie charts last week. So there must have been SOME cinemas even EMPTIER! Here is Daddy Richard's review – since the book has been out since 1973, expect spoilers. Not that the plot has much to do with the book… It ought to go without saying ...
12:02 am

United Nations Association Birmingham - United Nations Refugee Agency talk

Gravatar On 6 December, United Nations Association Birmingham will be hosting a talk by Peter Kessler of UNHCR on 'The work of the UNHCR'.
12:01 am

Day 2498: Tricky Times for Foreign Relations

Gravatar Saturday: President Pervez Must-be-having-a-laugh of Pakistan has declared a STATE OF EMERGENCY. People trying to explode Ms Benazir Bhutto on her return from exile and people trying to explode President Must-be-having-a-laugh have given him the excuse he needs to suspend the Constitution and move against the JUDGES. Even with the news that the elections set for January are STILL ON, this is very bad news. Former Liberal Democrat leader, King Paddy of Bosnia, has always said that the most important first step to Liberty is always the RULE of LAW, whether in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Russia or Afghanistan and Iraq. Without LAWS ...

Previous days:

Monday 5th November 2007, Sunday 4th November 2007, Saturday 3rd November 2007, Friday 2nd November 2007, Thursday 1st November 2007, Wednesday 31st October 2007