 This lunchtime, I was the guest speaker at the Politics Society at Kingston Grammar School (mercifully not stymied by the teachers’ strike). My brief was to put a pro-European case (something I am always happy to do), so I talked about the things that the EU has achieved over the past half century, what its [...] 
The Chelmsford Community Plan to 2021 fails to put protecting the environment at the absolute heart of local strategy. It opens by saying: Our Vision Our long term vision is for Chelmsford to become the economic, cultural, leisure and retail heart of Essex and a leading regional centre in the East of England. It is a vision for the future of the Borough and its people - for Chelmsford Tomorrow.
News reaches me via the News Shopper website of a motion by Bromley Tory councillor and wannabee Nicholas Bennett giving the council's support for Boris Johnson. So the Tories used council time, with council staff present, council heat and light, all for a publicity stunt to support mad Boris. If this had happened in a Lib Dem or Labour council the Tories would be up in arms at the political use
**STOP PRESS** The US President we always wanted, Martin Sheen has confirmed that he is supporting Barack Obama to be the Democratic candidate. How can anyone vote for Hillary now?
Executive Member for Health, Cllr Martin Davies, recently wrote to the Camden New Journal berating me for trying to convert everyone into vegetarians. He clearly hasn't read the Camden Sustainability Task Force's draft Report on Food. The Task Force is recommending a reduction in the amount of meat and dairy available on sites controlled directly or indirectly by Camden Council. If you read my quotes in the press, or listen to my TV and radio interviews, none of which Cllr Davies appears to have done, you will see that we are not advocating vegetarianism; we are arguing for less meat ...
Liberal Democrat candidate for Mayor of London Brian Paddick is one of the three panellists on tonight's Question Time (broadcast on BBC1 and online from 10.35 pm GMT). The panel will also include (you may have guessed) Labour incumbent Ken Livingstone, and Tory hopeful Boris Johnson. So, if you're watching, and want to sound-off, please feel free [...]
I was one of thousands of lucky residents that celebrated the second birthday of the Swiss Cottage Leisure Centre with a free swim last weekend. The whole centre was packed and buzzing which was a joy to see So thanks for that and happy birthday. I just have two gripes: 1) The outdoor football pitch is too expensive for local kids which is a real shame. 2) Instead of selling bottled water, which has travelled thousands of miles and is no beter than tap water, could we please have some water fountains? Perhaps we could have some movement on these ...
Episode 19 and a thunderstorm breaks over the White House. CJ's romantic feelings for journo Danny cause a major conflict of interest as erm, well, she's the president's press secretary. As Danny erects the professional barriers by typing furiously on his laptop (which sounds more like an electronic typewriter strangely enough) to finish the story before arguing with her, CJ is shown in an inferior position to Danny both professionally and personally. Stupid woman one... The document Danny has stumbled across is a strategy memo written by Mandy when she 'worked for Russell' outlining the weaknesses of the president. Presumably ...
I couldn't make it back to Torbay for a public meeting last night about the controversial elected Mayor's vision for the future of the area as the House was sitting. A constituent had advised me...
Well once again Cameron is jumping onto a new idea, without possibly concidering the views common people may have (he of course is supposingly common - a family man - someone just like me and you). If you live in an estate with high crime and the maps just shows your neighbourhood with a load of red marks - how would that make you feel? To a certain extend knowing these things is important. But I could see that people would be made to fear. Certain areas would be even more deserted, and that wouldn't help combat crime! People who ... 
So will Hillary now be promising to obliterate Israel? Of course not. And nor should she. But in the field of international relations you should never back yourself into a corner. She did so with her stupid comments over Iran and now it emerges that Israel bombed a nuclear plant in Syria - presumably spreading radioactive material far and wide and killing many innocent people for years to come. Yet to promise to obliterate a country for an unprovoked attack leads you into very dark and dangerous territory.
Feminism: {[info]} innerbrat has posted about feminism. That's the word, feminism and the concept of feminism. It's a brilliant post, and I urge you all to go and read it. It's times like this that I wish I could write like Debi. Religion: Apparently, nobody actually believes in God. I suspect that various people on my f-list who profess belief in one or other deity/ies will have opinions on this. Death: Colourful Coffins! I want one! Actually, when the terrible day comes, assuming it comes for him before me, I want to put {[info]} matgb in one! There's something amusing ...
I was pleased to hear that the Scottish Executive has refused planning permission for an enormous wind farm on Lewis in the Outer Hebrides. As Mark Lynas writes in today's Guardian: The Lewis wind farm's impact on the landscape would have been substantial - with 181 turbines each standing 140 metres tall, erected on massive concrete bases drilled into the fragile peat surface and connected by dozens of miles of new stone roads, this was unavoidable.Once upon a time this insustrialisation of a remote and beautiful landscape was just the sort of thing the green movement existed to prevent. But ...
I received my leaflet for the election of the Mayor of London this morning. The pages from the BNP made me nervous. Apparently, they want to London to be for ‘real Londoners’ so it can go back to the joyous place it ‘used to be’ (presumably in the days when even the criminals were ‘decent’ folks like the Krays). Where would that leave me as a recent arrival from Sheffield? Would the BNP put me in second place behind the Afro-Caribbeans in my area who are real Londoners having been born and brought up here? Perhaps not. Their advert also ...
Apparently a new YouGov poll shows the following results: Tory: 44% Labour: 26% Lib Dem: 17% It is the first poll conducted since the 10p palaver. More here and here.
This is the original debate. Click on the link for it.
Well done to the Littlehampton Gazette for: Row erupts over Bognor regeneration poll
With my environment hat on I've been given a Honda Civic Hybrid to test drive, which has been an interesting experience so far. It's the first time I've ever driven a brand new car, and it's also the first time I've ever driven an automatic, so it's a bit hard not to be distracted by all of that. But as regards the 'hybrid' bit, the idea is that it has both a petrol engine and a battery, so that when it is more economical (eg in stop-start urban settings) to do so it automatically switches over to the battery. I ...
During yesterday’s Prime Minister’s Questions, Tory Party leader, and mascot for chinless people the world over, David Cameron said this: "The Labour peer, Lord Desai, said that the Prime Minister’s leadership style is like porridge. Another week like this and it will be Cheerios." Am I the only one who can’t get this joke? Now, I quite [...]
Following yesterday’s double reports of Conservatives in trouble with the police (in Slough and Swansea) today brings news of a third legal incident involving the Conservative Party. This time, it’s Sutton. (What is it about places starting with an S?) The time: Wednesday 16 April, approximately 3pm The place: near a front door in the London Borough [...]
If you want to use your ballot paper specifically to stop Boris If you want to use your ballot paper specifically to stop Boris, and... 1. ...you think Ken's the best choice for Mayor: Put Ken as your first choice. Put Brian as your second choice. It's unlikely your second choice will be counted, so it almost certainly doesn't matter who you put; but if it does get counted, it being for Brian would
Usually when there is a disruption to the UK's fuel supplies the first priority is to distribute petrol to the emergency services and to public transport. The theory being that by using the buses you can transport around more people for less petrol. Simple enough isn't it? Apparently not. Lothian Buses have just announced that due to the fuel shortages caused by the Grangemouth strike their buses will have run out of fuel on Sunday evening meaning they will have no bus service at all from Monday onwards!! They were expecting a fuel delivery today, but have been told by ...
Over the years debating fair trade versus free trade, I have come to the slightly woolly conclusion that they don't have to be opposed to each other. But that does mean making a clear distinction between Liberal free trade (the right of free people and communities to do business with each other, or not) and Conservative free trade (the right of the rich and powerful to ride roughshod over anyone). What makes the difference between the two, and guarantees some chance for Liberal free trade to flourish, is being vigilant against the abuse of monopoly power. This used to be ...
Tsk, tsk. Boris looks to have broken Parliamentary rules by failing to declare all his shareholdings. Ken seems to have been keeping secret plans to raise transport fares in London. Meanwhile, Stop Boris has a tactical voting guide on, er…, how to stop Boris.
Read between the lines and its easy to argue that the coverage courted by Policy Exchange's new report by Dr Pinto-Duschinsky is overblown at best. Firstly, judging by Policy Exchange's statement, the quantification of the taxpayers' alleged contribution to political campaign activity is over-egged. Pinto-Duschinsky estimates £1.75bn is paid from the taxpayer and is received by 'parties'. He goes on to contest that, "There is a variety of evidence that a chunk of all this money and of other forms of political subsidy found its way into party coffers or was used for partisan political purposes" This is a serious ... 
You may have misssed a choice exchange in the comments on an entry I wrote a couple of weeks ago. I was writing about the current Conservative London Assembly member for South West London: "In the 8 years since he was elected to this seat, Tony Arbour has never once contacted me, as a local councillor, about the local issues which he should be championing. In fact, the only time he...
The anniversary of the Bronze Soldier Night in Tallinn is coming up. Worth reminding oneself about what really happened. The disgraceful way that the Kremlin directly interfered in the issue has ended up backfiring very badly on Russia. The cyber-attacks that were launched from Russia, indeed from the very servers of the Russian Government will be remembered as the first war fought in cyberspace- and one that is still continuing. Tallinn is now to be the centre for the co-ordination of NATO defence against such attacks, and of course the way the attacks were launched, though they broke the Estonian ...
Commenting on Des Browne's announcement today that British troop numbers in Iraq will only be reduced 'if conditions allow', Liberal Democrat Shadow Defence Secretary, Nick Harvey said: This statement fails to provide any certainty for the future of our hard-pressed forces in Iraq. Â Why did the Prime Minister rush to announce troop withdrawals last year if the situation in southern Iraq is so unpredictable? (more…)
It would seem that Edinburgh's public transport could almost grind to a halt on Sunday after the Scottish Government has prioritsed the supply at Grangemouth for petrol station forecourts rather than public transport. Lothian Buses Today as Alex Salmond pormised the people of Scotland at First Minister's questions that there was "ample and substantial" fuel to cope with the shut down of the
They say Ross Finnie has more than a passing resemblance to Captain Mainwaring from Dad's Army. Today we saw Eck Salmond taking on the Corporal Jones role of running around in turmoil shouting "Don't panic!" to the people of Scotland. When Eck tells me not to panic and not to panic buy fuel, my initial response is to panic, but not to panic buy fuel 'cos I don't have a car and can't drive. Seriously though, this dispute at Grangemouth is getting very, very worrysome. We now have the company, Ineos, suing the union, Unite, over claims that the pension ...
Is Team Brown even better at spin? Did they mastermind the entire 10p debacle? The government's sustainable investment rule states that borrowing should only be equal to or less than 40% of national income every year, for the 2008 budget the level was 39.8% (opens in Power Point see pages 36 onwards). Let's approach this figure with as little cynicism as possible (after all there was no statement on statistical errors provided by the Treasury). The Institute of Fiscal Studies has stated that with the inclusion of Northern Rock in next year's budget this 40% rule will be breached. Why ...
It always gives me pleasure to see an arsehole get his come-uppance and millionaire Euan Snowie got his yesterday when he lost his legal bid to keep us, the great unwashed, from rambling across his estate. He had gone to law to challenge the "Right to Roam" legislation which was enacted by the previous Lib Dem & Labour Executive. He was attempting to stop public access to his 70 acre Boquhan House estate which is near Kippen. he had closed and padlocked the western gates to the estate in 2005. After receiveing numerous complaints Stirling Council raised the case in ...
It's been a while since I blogged on ye olde history of Kilburn and have been meaning for follow up this particular thread - the outdoor preaching of Kilburn Vale and links to religious fervour down the years. This site has talked about the development of the priory and it's subsequent demolition during the disolution of the monasteries. Well I wondered about how these 'locations' remained religious over the years? The same principle/approach applies for post pagan England - there is considerable evidence that generally celtic religious sites became Roman ones and they in turn became Christian and so ...
Ha! The thieving gits that are our country's banks have deservedly had their arses kicked in court today. The BBC News Website has the full story. This means that the OFT can tell the shower of bankers (yes, you can do the rhyming slang) to cut their charges and it also means that thousands of people ripped off by them have a chance of getting their dosh back. Of course the banks will appeal to the highest level possible rather than admit they were overcharging us.
I have had a fair bit of contact in recent months with some allotment holders in three allotments in or around the West End area over a number of issues, so I am pleased to see the launch of a new booklet aimed at helping allotment gardeners improve the mix of wildlife and plants in their plots. Created by the Tayside Bio Diversity Partnership, the free publication will be distributed to every allotment holder in the city as well as all community garden committees. You can read a PDF of it by clicking on the headline above.
I was slightly surprised but also rather impressed by the very grown up and wise words by Iain Dale on the subject of today's strikes. Well done Iain. Sadly I cannot say the same for David Laws, the Lib Dems education spokesman, who has made some rather less educated comments about the teaching strike. "I understand the NUT's view that the pay award is low in relation to inflation, but it is the outcome of an independent pay review process and it has been accepted by the other teaching unions. " Yes David. It has been accepted by the NAS/UWT, ...
There's a cracking thunderstorm over London at the moment. Which explains something about last night. Around 5pm I started to feel quite headachey and became increasingly nauseous and light-headed. I sent my apologies to canvassing for once, took Syndol, sipped tea on the sofa, tried to watch the news but couldn't - and ended up going [...]
Google’s coming under criticism for how it names different seas in Google Earth as this petition highlights. Google’s policy is explained here.
Given the strident battle between Clinton and Obama it is good to see the DNC launching the first campaign video of the US General Election, turning the gunfire from the internal contest and outwards at John McCain.
Five 'designated terror suspects' whose assets were frozen under Treasury-imposed powers have been successful in getting that decision over-turned in the high court today. When will this government learn - they can't go around doing whatever they feel like doing whenevr they feel like doing it? There are laws that even they must obey. And this is one of them! For the full story click here
I am reminded that the responsibility for the Eastern Transport Corridor was once in the hands of fellow blogger and Cabinet member, Councillor Nick Wallis. I'm sure Nick won't mind if I remind him of his boyish enthusiasm for his role here. But he might not be so overjoyed when I remind him that he expressly stated that responsibility for ensuring the project came in on budget lay with him.
Kelvin MacKenzie, erstwhile Sun editor (Freddie Starr ate my hamster) is standing as a candidate for his local council in Weybridge, Surrey. He was spurred into action by a 43% increase in his daily parking rate at the local station. I am not a fan of Mr MacKenzie, who puts the "loud" into "loudmouth". But I have come across lots of people who have sounded off about the local council in their
Today the test case to decide whether or not the OFT can investigate whether or not bank charges are excessive, based on contract law was decided. The judge ruled in favour of the OFT, thus allowing an investigation to go ahead on bank charges based on the above contract law description, it does however say nothing about fines. As the moneysavingexpert states, Banks should only impose charges which are in proportion to their costs. This is because under 'breach of contract' laws, the charge should not exceed the cost of the breach. Yet go beyond your overdraft limit or have ...
Politics can be pretty unpleasant sometimes - no time more so than at elections. I've been reminded of this a few times recently. Yesterday the first batch of postal ballots was opened at the council and I bumped into the Conservative candidate for Kersal. No sooner had I wished him a good afternoon, shook [...]
Congratulations to Gavin Whenman for having exposed a small (well, really quite generously proportioned) problem with the Labour Government's latest piece of self-gratification in creating another new logo for Members to ogle. I wonder how much was expended on the Office of Government Commerce's exciting new branding? I imagine there must have been stiff competition. Warning: this Government logo may not be considered work-safe. This may beat "Bird's Eye Frozen Cod Pieces" as one of the most memorable - and perhaps short-lived - marketing devices in history. I choked on my Lemsip.
The discovery of Nick Clegg’s name on a list of Cambridge University Conservative Association members in 1986 intrigued many, including myself. The Telegraph’s Three Line Whip has the latest from our lothario leader on the reason it might appear he was a student Tory: "I joined a whole range of associations like another other, er, student [...]
North East Fife MP, Sir Menzies Campbell has called on the Scottish Government to state its intentions with regard to the re-introduction of the Levenmouth rail link. In a letter to the Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change Sir Menzies, whose constituency includes Leven East, has asked for clarification on what plans, if any, the Scottish government has for the re-introduction of the Leven to Thornton line. Sir Menzies remarked on the "vital importance" of the regeneration of the Levenmouth area and that the re-introduction of the line would be "hugely beneficial" to this end and noted that "The ...
The election is a week today. In St Mary's it is a two horse race between local Lib Dem candidate Mary D'Albert, and Gordon Brown's Labour Party candidate. The Conservatives can't win here. The results last time show them way off the pace. This year, canvass returns are showing that people sick of Labour lies know that the best candidate for Prestwich is the Lib Dems' Mary D'Albert. There are seven days to go, and here are seven reasons why Mary D'Albert is the only choice for St Mary's: Only Mary D'Albert has lived in the ward for years. ...
Well done to Bob Shaw (though goodness knows what his blog is called this week) for nailing down the reason for the Gavin Webb suspension to the issue of hand guns where Gavin was advocating the opposite of party policy in his local press. In one sense, I am utterly amazed that someone has been suspended for letting slip that they disagree with one element of party policy. I would be staggered
This morning I sent the following email to Michael Connarty, MP for Linlithgow and Falkirk East, regarding the compromise reached on the 10p tax rate debacle, started and ended by Brown. Michael, Firstly I want to thank you for being one of the Labour MPs who stood up to the proposal which effectively cut the wages of so many lower paid workers myself included, if only marginally, at this
Blogger Chick Yog believed that the Lib Dems are staffed by robots. This proved not to be the case. Although some believe our fearsome leafleting capability is due to an army of robotic leafleters, the sad truth is in most cases it’s a handful of overworked activists punching way above their weight. And so it is in [...]
When Gordon Brown's made such an almightily stupid mess of his tax 'triumph', it doesn't say much for the nous of his backbenchers that even he can hoodwink them. Again. Last year they cheered him when he announced a middle-income tax cut that was going to win them the Election That Never Was. The Liberal Democrats immediately noticed this was paid for by doubling tax on the lowest earners, but Labour MPs took 379 days to spot the problem and mount a very late rebellion when it became obvious it would lose them the Election That Actually Is Next Week. ...
It was such a wonderful day in Suffolk yesterday, with bright sunshine over Otley Hall, the sound of lute music accompanied by the call of peacocks and some of Mark and Ros's dearest friends and family there to witness their marriage. Naturally, I was there to represent the family. After all, we've been watching over Mark for some time now. Mark was first to arrive in his sage green and cream
I have been watching the shambles over the abolition of the 10p tax rate over the past couple of weeks and am unconvinced by the compromise that has been hacked together in order to save further government embarrassment days before the local elections. The winter fuel payment is not the appropriate method of reimbursing pensioners, some pensioners are very wealthy and are not hit by the 10p tax issue. How are poorer elderly people going to cope until the Government sort this all out? Increasing the minimum wage to help younger people will mean that industry and commerce will foot ...
Brian Paddick and Nick Clegg are holding a Q&A at London Metropolitan University next Tuesday, 29th April. Anyone can attend, ask any question, on any topic. This is a direct conversation with people - no spin, no hand-picked audiences, and no planted questions. Further details - and an option to RSVP - can be found over on [...]
I've got a feeling that the NUT strike today will stay as a grievance in the memories of many voters, long after they have forgotten about the chicanery of the 10p tax rate compensation, which was the talk of the Westminister Village, via PMQs, yesterday. It is a sharp example of the contrast of the real world v the Westminster Bubble. In the real world, parents have had to rush round to make
The headline in the Echo says it all: "£1.9m road overspend blamed on Council." After listing the appalling details of the independent report into the overspend on the Eastern Transport Corridor, the Echo reports that the Council has shrugged aside criticism, saying that recent structural changes have been designed to ensure that these mistakes don't happen again. "There were no surprises in the
They really cannot shut him up can they? Plaid Cymru's economic adviser and Lords wannabe, Eurfyl ap Gwilym is in the Western Mail again, this time criticising the priorities of the One Wales Government. Dr ap Gwilym is disappointed at the relatively low spends in Wales on transport and scientific research: "These are policy areas where extra spending could have a significant impact on our prosperity. Our spending on research and development is very low in comparison with England and Scot- land, and transport is also under- funded in comparison with elsewhere in the UK. Improving the transport infrastructure is ...
The link is to the debate I initiated yesterday. The song's artwork is as follows:
I had the pleasure of being involved in a new initiative in my ward yesterday evening: Low-Carbon Headington. There is already one low-carbon community group up-and-running in Oxford. With its launch yesterday, Headington is the second, with another hot on its tail. Sceptics might ask: can a groups like this do anything? It's too early to promise success from Low-Carbon Headington, but there are positive signs. There was a real buzz in the room. We had Mark Lynas, author of Six Degrees, present to frighten us all with predictions of the catastrophes which might follow if we do nothing -- ...
I have searched long and hard through the now-abandoned Rainbow Coalition document for any mention of the scrapping of ministerial cars. In the light of this article you might have thought that the Tories would have insisted on it. Alas it is not there. It is a fact that chauffeur-driven cars were available to Conservative Ministers when they were in power. I can well-remember scenes of protesters banging on the roof and shouting abuse as Tory Ministers were driven to safety (and often back to England) at Eisteddfods and many other events. Darren Millar describes the current administration as "champagne ...
There was a 'toxic chicken' alert on Radio 4 this morning. Bird flu? An environmental disaster? No, it's the striking phrase chosen by Robert Peston to describe the state of the economy; toxic chickens coming home to roost...
Tip for design types: When putting together a new logo, like say this for the Office of Government Commerce … … Always check how it will look side on, especially if the logo is going to appear on mousemats and pens: Hat-tip: Dizzy, Comment Central and The Register, where you can find out more about [...]
Violence against children aged 0-10 more than doubled in 2007, according to a study based on data from A&E departments. Apparently it is unclear whether parents and carers are responsible for this increase, and there is a suggestion that violence between children is becoming more common. This could have implications for the question of attribution when deciding whether to make a care or supervision order.
There appears to have been much speculation of late, surrounding the fate of Gavin Webb (Liberal Democrat (Libertarian) for Stoke & Trent Vale). Has he, or hasn't he, been suspended from the Lib Dem's? Being interested, I thought, rather than simply writing a post that would envitably lead to more speculation, I'd contact Gavin direct and get the facts 'straight from the horses mouth' so to speak. Here's what I asked: "Gavin, there is alot of talk on Lib Dem blogs about whether you have or haven't been suspended from the Lib Dems. Can you clear this up for me?". ...
The talks at Acas between the Unite union representing 1200 workers at the Grangemouth petrochemical plant and Ineos the owners broke down last night. The dispute was over the removal the final pension scheme from new employees and to seek contribution from those already in the scheme. Now seeing the number of other employees across the country who have faced these sort of chances hardly the
My daily digest of texts, tweets and status updates.13:28 is laughing. So very very funny: tyrell.livejournal.com/520107.html does anyone actually /like/ Boll's stuff? # 13:50 is pondering the politics of science journalism, and glad to know people that can write this: innerbrat.livejournal.com/522269.html # 23:16 is playing around with Twit Earth in bemusement. twittearth.com/ #Microblogging using LoudTwitter and Twitter. {[info]} matgb_twitter is there if you're mad enough.
Read his email attack on this anti-Obama advert (watch below). You can say a lot about McCain, and I do, but moves like this add a lot to the idea of his integrity. This comes following his dignified response to the Obama - Jeremiah Wright scandal. Moves like this deserve respect in today's often repugnant and valueless desire to get elected by "any means necessary". McCain wants to win, badly. He wants to win the right way, not the Wright way. I take my Fedora off to him.
If you haven't already check out Prospect's character piece on Christopher Hitchens. I have to admit that this is the first good piece I've read in the "Hampstead Liberal" for a while and I guilty find Hitchens incredibly exciting.
I watched the film Constantine last night despite having avoided it for three years. It was three quid at Madame Zaza’s or whatever the Virgin Megastore is called these days, and I was at a loose end. For those who don’t know, Constantine is based on the DC/Vertigo comic Hellblazer although the main character first appeared during Alan Moore’s iconic run on Swamp Thing. I’ve only recently started reading it again (I gave up when it was written by Americans and they used Manga-esque artists to draw it; I intended to pick it up when Mike Carey started scripting chores ...
Speaking ahead of a debate in the House of Lords on the future of the Post Office network later today, Liberal Democrat Small Business Spokesperson, Lord (Brian) Cotter said, "The Conservatives' hypocrisy over the Government's post office closures is astounding. "Over 3,500 post offices closed under the Conservatives' watch. "They had their chance to save the post office network and they blew it. "The Conservatives' can huff and puff all they want about post offices, but until they actually come up with a plan to save the post office network and halt the Government's closures they might as well just ...
Since I’ve been blogging light in recent weeks, I’ve not commented on the ongoing mess that Labour have got themselves into over the scrapping of the 10p rate of income tax. There isn’t much I can add that hasn’t been said a thousand times before. It is of course ludicrous that the Labour backbenchers have suddenly woken from their slumber on this issue, a year after we warned them what the implications of this reform would be. That the BBC have given the rebels such an easy ride for their johnny-come-lately rebellion is just par for the course. But they ...
Wednesday: Faced with Mr Clogg at Prime Monster's Questionable Time (and thank you to Mr Alisdair for reminding me to watch!) Mr Frown replied with the accusation that "the Liberal Party's" policies would result in lower employment and higher poverty. That would be Liberal Policies like, oh, Independence for the Bank of England, which Mr Frown campaigned against before implementing it; Nationalising the Northern Rock to protect investors, which Mr Frown argued against before implementing it; reducing basic rate income tax, which Mr Frown spoke against before implementing it; or switching to green taxation, which Mr Frown just plain stole. ...
Monday: Mr Frown called upon the Labour to UNITE and for a moment there it looked like he'd succeeded... in uniting them against him. In fact, I DID wonder if saying that the vote on the Budget was a vote of confidence in the Prime Monster wasn't going to be COUNTER-PRODUCTIVE as it might have given the revolting backbenchers the notion that they had a chance to get rid of him! But Mr Frank "Potter's" Field's revolt has collapsed, and he has withdrawn his motion. He promised a "double lock" to ensure compensation and has got... a review by Sooty. ...
Sunday: Seriously. After all, they'd never get away with granting themselves OBSCENE and INTRUSIVE powers of snooping and detaining if they admitted it was NOTHING to do with fighting MAD BOMBERS and EVERYTHING to do with POKING and PRYING into your - yes YOUR - personal and private life. Everyone remembers Walter Wolfgang and you'll have heard how Poole Borough Council were spying on a family suspected of living outside the catchment area for the school to which they applied. Now Staffordshire County Council are using the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act to snoop on kids suspected of buying alcohol. ... | < | April 2008 | > | ||||
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