He's gone and done it! Ming Campbell has done the honorable thing and realised that being an elder statesman doesn't make you a leader. Quick look at the runners and riders;
Nick Clegg - young, dashing home affairs spokesman and hot favourite. On the right of the party and was the subject of an attempt to lure him to the Tory party. One of the Orange book brigade and an early favourite
Chris Huhne - Showed an opportunistic streak when putting his name forward for leader after Charles Kennedy's resignation. Been lobbying hard behind the scenes, I'm told. Bit of a wet blanket, a charisma-free zone if ever there was one. Definite possible, but can't really see him restoring the poll rating
David Laws - Another thrusting young buck and another of the Orange book (eg on the right) tendency. Probably won't take on Clegg
Lembit Opik - no, seriously
Vince Cable - surely they couldn't be that stupid again?
Simon Hughes - Hughes is a grassroots favourite but can't seriously see the public going for him (as it where) after the truth about his sexuality was eeked out last time (was going to be much nastier, but in fact looking back at the revelations there's no suggestion he did anything a grown adult shouldn't be doing)
Probably many others. Icky about some of his views as I am, Clegg would get the Osato vote, where he a paid up party member
Monday, October 15, 2007
Sunday, October 07, 2007
Tuesday, May 01, 2007
War on terror going swimmingly
Apparently 40 per cent more people were killed by terrorism last year than the previous year. Hmm, it's finally making at war on drugs look good...
Monday, April 23, 2007
Bye bye Boris
Interesting to note the name of the Kremlin spokesman who announced the sad death of former Russian premier Boris Yeltson.
Alexander Smirnov
Let's drink to the great man tonight!
Alexander Smirnov
Let's drink to the great man tonight!
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Back again
Right, haven't posted in a while and I'm in a foul mood. Who's worth venting a bit of spleen on?
Let's start with Ian Dale. Nice contribution to the Tory bid to get rid of Blackpool's pair of useless Labour MPs with his unfunny, and slightly pointless jab at the resort I'm (un) lucky enough to call home in his post on Aaah-nuld's scheduled visit. The unbelievable snobbery of the Dales of this world really takes the piss. Do they just want us to collapse into the sea or something?
Speaking of the seaside town they forgot to burn down, the pointless campaign to get Parliament to-sort-of-but-not-quite overturn the Casino Advisory Panel's decision to put the UK's one supercasino in Manchester and not Blackpool enjoyed a pyrrhic victory the other week when a couple of peers were asleep, rat-arsed or passed out in a pool of their own piss when they were supposed to be voting in the House on a 'rebel amendment.'
And doesn't that just smack of rebellion to you? What do we want? A review of the panel's decision? When do we want it? Whenever you can manage it, ta.
Anyway, I digress. The truth is that between the Chancellor and the British casino industry any chance of meaningful regeneration anywhere via a casino was scuppered a long time ago. Are you going to spend £300 million on a swish hotel and conference hall when the exchequer's going to take half the profits from your as-addictive-as-crack slot machines? Obviously not. Even less so if the rat-infested fleapit down the road is also going to be offering £1m a go slots.
But it won't stop the flat earth brigade - at least until the local election (in which all but about two of the candidates seems to be backing the casino spin) is out of the way next month.
That's quite enough for now. Back soon.
Let's start with Ian Dale. Nice contribution to the Tory bid to get rid of Blackpool's pair of useless Labour MPs with his unfunny, and slightly pointless jab at the resort I'm (un) lucky enough to call home in his post on Aaah-nuld's scheduled visit. The unbelievable snobbery of the Dales of this world really takes the piss. Do they just want us to collapse into the sea or something?
Speaking of the seaside town they forgot to burn down, the pointless campaign to get Parliament to-sort-of-but-not-quite overturn the Casino Advisory Panel's decision to put the UK's one supercasino in Manchester and not Blackpool enjoyed a pyrrhic victory the other week when a couple of peers were asleep, rat-arsed or passed out in a pool of their own piss when they were supposed to be voting in the House on a 'rebel amendment.'
And doesn't that just smack of rebellion to you? What do we want? A review of the panel's decision? When do we want it? Whenever you can manage it, ta.
Anyway, I digress. The truth is that between the Chancellor and the British casino industry any chance of meaningful regeneration anywhere via a casino was scuppered a long time ago. Are you going to spend £300 million on a swish hotel and conference hall when the exchequer's going to take half the profits from your as-addictive-as-crack slot machines? Obviously not. Even less so if the rat-infested fleapit down the road is also going to be offering £1m a go slots.
But it won't stop the flat earth brigade - at least until the local election (in which all but about two of the candidates seems to be backing the casino spin) is out of the way next month.
That's quite enough for now. Back soon.
Sunday, March 04, 2007
Where's Guido?
Can't get into Guido Fawkes' site for love nore money tonight? Surely couldn't have anything to do with this, could it?
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Big Frei up
Apparently America is warming to Al Gore, according to the Beeb's man in Washington, Matt Frei.
Would this be the same Al Gore who won some 600,000 more votes than 'President' Bush in 2000? 51 million votes seems fairly warm. Perhaps if he hadn't had a VP candidate who was almost as right wing as Bush dragging him down or a Supreme Court not appointed largely by a senile Hollywood actor he'd be in the White House and the nightmare of the last seven years would never have happened.
You have to question what the point of Frei is. He might as well be in Washington, County Durham for all the insight he brings. In fact the BBC's website has been dire on US issues for years, with Newsround-like tone and a hazy grasp of foreign affairs - tipping (Canada-born) Jennifer Granholm as the next Democract US presidential candidate, for example. Only slightly less dumb than tipping A-nuld for the White House.
With the Washington Post (especially Chris Cillizza's unmissable The Fix), Meet the Press and, of course, the irrepressible Daily Show at our fingertips, do we really need a no-mark with a fat expenses account hob-nobbing across the Atlantic? Make 'em good or make 'em go away. Please.
Would this be the same Al Gore who won some 600,000 more votes than 'President' Bush in 2000? 51 million votes seems fairly warm. Perhaps if he hadn't had a VP candidate who was almost as right wing as Bush dragging him down or a Supreme Court not appointed largely by a senile Hollywood actor he'd be in the White House and the nightmare of the last seven years would never have happened.
You have to question what the point of Frei is. He might as well be in Washington, County Durham for all the insight he brings. In fact the BBC's website has been dire on US issues for years, with Newsround-like tone and a hazy grasp of foreign affairs - tipping (Canada-born) Jennifer Granholm as the next Democract US presidential candidate, for example. Only slightly less dumb than tipping A-nuld for the White House.
With the Washington Post (especially Chris Cillizza's unmissable The Fix), Meet the Press and, of course, the irrepressible Daily Show at our fingertips, do we really need a no-mark with a fat expenses account hob-nobbing across the Atlantic? Make 'em good or make 'em go away. Please.
Wednesday, February 07, 2007
Quick change of plan
Was going to blog tonight about the House of Lords reforms (snooze). Why can't we have real democracy rather than the ludicrous regional list system, under which you can choose any candidate you want, as long as it' the one the party machine favours?
Under Jack Straw's plans, half the upper house will be chosen by party leaders and the other half will be, well, chosen by party leaders - with only a handful of members (those the parties aren't too taken with anyway) at risk of lsing their seats.
But then Guido's blog led me to tipped me in the direction of some telling revelations about the sad death of former MP Fiona Jones.
Now I'd never taken to Mrs Jones, she seemed like a whinger with an air of sleaze hanging over her after her arrest and subsequent convicition for electoral expenses irregularities (a conviction that was rapidly overturned on appeal).
But, having read Jane Griffiths' blog, and an excellent piece by Patrick Barkham in The Guardian, it's clear there's more to this than a sad woman turning to drink as her career is thwarted. It's yet another incident in the life of this god-awful Labour government that should have them hanging their heads in shame. Particularly shocking is the accusation over a male cabinet minister's supposed 'sex for promotion' offer.
I was going to suggest anyone concerned about House of Lords reform could post on Jack Straw's own local newspaper blog. where, apparently, this week's most pressing issue is the managerial talent of Blackburn Rovers' Mark Hughes.
Come to think of it, you might want to ask him about the death of Fiona Jones as well...
Under Jack Straw's plans, half the upper house will be chosen by party leaders and the other half will be, well, chosen by party leaders - with only a handful of members (those the parties aren't too taken with anyway) at risk of lsing their seats.
But then Guido's blog led me to tipped me in the direction of some telling revelations about the sad death of former MP Fiona Jones.
Now I'd never taken to Mrs Jones, she seemed like a whinger with an air of sleaze hanging over her after her arrest and subsequent convicition for electoral expenses irregularities (a conviction that was rapidly overturned on appeal).
But, having read Jane Griffiths' blog, and an excellent piece by Patrick Barkham in The Guardian, it's clear there's more to this than a sad woman turning to drink as her career is thwarted. It's yet another incident in the life of this god-awful Labour government that should have them hanging their heads in shame. Particularly shocking is the accusation over a male cabinet minister's supposed 'sex for promotion' offer.
I was going to suggest anyone concerned about House of Lords reform could post on Jack Straw's own local newspaper blog. where, apparently, this week's most pressing issue is the managerial talent of Blackburn Rovers' Mark Hughes.
Come to think of it, you might want to ask him about the death of Fiona Jones as well...
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
Walker, (anything but a) Texas Ranger
The Oxfordshire assistant coroner's reward for peristence in demanding the truth from the MOD and the US junta after over the death of Cpl Matty Hull si a big fat P45. At least he didn't get the Dr David Kelly treatment....
Well done to Mr Walker and The Sun for exposing US and British hypocrisy over 'friendly fire' (or killing your own side due to your acknowledged gross incompetence and unsuitability for the role, which is what those of us who've watched the video prefer to call it).
No doubt, just like our Prime Minister's questioning in a corruption and cover-up probe, the majority of the UK population will be happier ignoring at and watching Corrie instead.
Well done to Mr Walker and The Sun for exposing US and British hypocrisy over 'friendly fire' (or killing your own side due to your acknowledged gross incompetence and unsuitability for the role, which is what those of us who've watched the video prefer to call it).
No doubt, just like our Prime Minister's questioning in a corruption and cover-up probe, the majority of the UK population will be happier ignoring at and watching Corrie instead.
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Are we missing something?
So we're threatening to ban size zero models at London fashion week because they might provide a bad role model for our young people, the next we're handing obese brats pedometers to check that they're walking from the pie shop to the coke machine instead of taking the bus
So what do we want, fat or thin? There's a happy medium to be found somewhere...
So what do we want, fat or thin? There's a happy medium to be found somewhere...
Monday, January 22, 2007
Tone answers his public
Just had an email in my inbox from '10 Downing Street' It reads as follows;
Sadly, the PM's response, when you get to it, is a less than sparkling
You recently signed a petition asking the Prime Minister to
"Resign immediately."
The Prime Minister's Office has responded to that petition and
you can view it here:
http://www.pm.gov.uk/output/Page10809.asp
Prime Minister's Office
Petition info: http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/Resign/
Sadly, the PM's response, when you get to it, is a less than sparkling
The PM has made clear that he will be leaving office before the next Labour party conferenceStill, at least he's done something - perhaps recent events have prompted him to give the issue some thought?
Cards on the table at last
Call me an old Northern cynic, but I've always felt that if something's worth having, London'll have it. How mant nuclear power stations are there in the capital? None, there's a token one in Kent but the rest are scattered around the Cumbria/Lancashire coastline and, of course, Scotland, which seems to be the victim of most of this country's wacky experiments (see the poll tax).
Conversely, the same thing happens in reverse. If something is worth fighting in London, surely it is worth fighting in the rest of the UK?
The citizens of Blackpool have had a six-year barrage of relentless pro-casino publicity, from the local authority, politicians of all parties and a variety of businesses, ranging from the respectable to those with a dubious history.
There was a degree of local opposition but, on the whole, the chattering classes didn't give a toss. After all, it's a long way away, a place they didn't have to visit (especially after Labour decided they didn't want to hold conferences there any more).
They don't care about soaring gambling addicition, the destruction of traditional local businesses, money laundering or any of the other side effects of casino led 'regeneration.'
But, last year, strange things started to happen around the 'other' main contender for the UK's first (and, hopefully, only) super casino, the Millennium Dome began to hit the headlines, thanks to Fatty Prescott's cowboy connections.
All of a sudden, with the casino heading for their own backyard, you see the London set falling over themselves to have a dig. The Observer, Channel 4's Dispatches and even Ian Dale is showing concern over the threat of gambling addication.
So where were you guys? What's good for the goose is good for the gander, after all?
Conversely, the same thing happens in reverse. If something is worth fighting in London, surely it is worth fighting in the rest of the UK?
The citizens of Blackpool have had a six-year barrage of relentless pro-casino publicity, from the local authority, politicians of all parties and a variety of businesses, ranging from the respectable to those with a dubious history.
There was a degree of local opposition but, on the whole, the chattering classes didn't give a toss. After all, it's a long way away, a place they didn't have to visit (especially after Labour decided they didn't want to hold conferences there any more).
They don't care about soaring gambling addicition, the destruction of traditional local businesses, money laundering or any of the other side effects of casino led 'regeneration.'
But, last year, strange things started to happen around the 'other' main contender for the UK's first (and, hopefully, only) super casino, the Millennium Dome began to hit the headlines, thanks to Fatty Prescott's cowboy connections.
All of a sudden, with the casino heading for their own backyard, you see the London set falling over themselves to have a dig. The Observer, Channel 4's Dispatches and even Ian Dale is showing concern over the threat of gambling addication.
So where were you guys? What's good for the goose is good for the gander, after all?
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