11:59 pm
I’m afraid I was somewhat underwhelmed by Superman Returns, which I saw on Saturday evening. In part, this may be because I built it up too much, being a fan of both the Richard Donner film and Bryan Singer. However, there are a number of ways in which I think the film took [...]
11:53 pm
Tabman talked of the Heffer response the other day - here is the latest installment Dodgy Dave simply can't be trusted The only thing that surprises me about Dave's failure to honour his promise to take his MEPs out of the European People's Party is that so many of my friends in his party were taken in by it. The idea of a naked careerist such as Dave, with his long and distinguished record as a PR spiv behind him, doing anything that might upset the progressives in his party was simply preposterous from the start. I am grateful ...
10:30 pm
It has been a week of meetings, meetings and more meetings. And with that comes paper, reports, accounts, briefing notes, minutes, all of which really ought to be read, digested and responded to. There are never enough minutes in the day to do so and you end up skimming through them in the naive hope that you've gleaned enough detail to be able to comment intelligently if called upon to do so. And yet, this is better than the alternative, turning up at a meeting where you are inundated with verbal reports which, for the most part, ...
10:01 pm
This exciting food product has got me all weepy and nostalgic for Diana, the princess of hearts. They say her tears could cure cancer and her memory, her dreams live on… I’m sure the people at Bernard Mathews meat products feel the same way…
8:00 pm
The July issue of Liberator is now with subscribers, so it is time to post Lord Bonkers' latest diary. You can find an archive of them on his own website. Monday To London for the launch of my new book The Bonkers Code. I had the idea for it when I was told that an American chap was making a fortune out of the tale of a sinister conspiracy. I took a particular interest in this as I understood my interlocutor to be saying that the conspiracy was conducted by the SDP – I posted sentries and ...
7:52 pm
tOne of the ironies of the Nat West Three affair is that one of the accused springs from the heart of the Scottish Labour establishment. Gary Mulgrew is the stepson* of Dr Norman Godman who was MP for Greenock and Inverclyde (and its earlier incarnations) between 1983 and 2001. His mother is Trish Godman, MSP for West Renfrewhire since 1999 and a deputy presiding officer at Holyrood. She is quoted by the BBC as saying: "The treaty under which my son was extradited is one-sided, unjust, ignores the principles of due process and is a licence to breach the ...
5:46 pm
Coombe Hill Infants has achieved Healthy School status, and here are some of the children celebrating the award very cheerfully at an event yesterday. On the right is the colourful display from St Luke's Primary. These two schools were joined by Our Lady Immaculate Primary, St Mary's Primary, King Athelstan Primary and Dysart School. Lovelace Primary was also rewarded but...
3:51 pm
A few bits of local news: Phone Boxes Following reports from a resident, I investigated the state of the PayPhone in Meadow Way. It was not operational, due to vandalism, and I have reported this to BT and requested action. I also reported that the other local PayPhone (outside Olivers Battery shops) was not accepting cash. BT have got back to me and confirmed that the OllieB phone box has now
1:34 pm
The Maritime and Coastguard Agency have approved ship to ship oil transfers in the Firth of Forth. In a rare display of political unity, Fife Council, Edinburgh Council and East Lothian Council all campaigned against this dangerous idea. Not to mention the RSPB, The Scottish Green Party and Friends of the Earth also against the idea. Local MP Willie Rennie has issed a statement as a result of the
12:53 pm
Like another Lib Dem blog-geek, I’ve had been having fun getting to grips with Google video clips. I’ve posted the first one at my main gaff, www.stephentall.org.uk, where you can scoff at my floundering attempts simultaneously to operate a camera while ad libbing my support for Nick Clegg’s Extradition (United States of America) Bill. This aims to repeal parts of the lopsided Extradition Act
12:51 pm
North Southwark and Bermondsey Labour party has a rather Stalinist website that looks as if it's run on a decommissioned Soviet military computer somewhere in Rotherhithe. http://www.btinternet.com/~se16/labour/dwardmap.htm It is however admirably honest... Clicking on the link "What Labour has done in North Southwark and Bermondsey", brings up a completely blank page, as do links on the NHS and crime. And has done for several weeks. NS&B Labour party, we salute you. What Labour has done for North Southwark and Bermondsey
12:18 pm
The Guardian’s New Labour apologist-in-chief, Martin Kettle, is in sprightly form today, vigorously defending Tony Blair’s Government from all-comers. It’s worth reading in full, if only to get annoyed with; but for those who, quite reasonably, would rather be sunning themselves today than spend their time with Mr Kettle up the Prime Ministerial posterior, here’s my condensed version:
11:46 am
It's been a hectic few weeks, so here's the rundown... Bromley by-election I went down to Bromley to campaign over the course of the election, and spent the polling day knocking up. It's an excellent result, and it has well and truly shattered David Caneron's illusion of success. Previously the 17th safest Conservative seat, now a marginal with a mere 633 vote majority. Well done to all those who campaigned, and I was glad to be part of it. Hate crime Since my letter was posted in the Surrey Ad, I have been contacted by ...
11:03 am
Thai Rak Thai and the Democrats will face court in the fraud trila relating to Aprils elections. However, according to this piece from the BBC it is thought unlikely that Thailands main parties will be dissolved. These issues clearly need to be resolved a.s.a.p so that there is some certainty in the run up to the new elections in October
10:54 am
We have just done our Sports Relief mile at St Bartholomew's school Luker athletics field, Newbury. It was great fun. Very well organised. We had to do our warm ups (which were more aggressive than I am used to!) under the direction of Mike Hart, the PE teacher. It was wonderful to see people there of all ages. There were lots of costumes including some lads going round dressed for golf with
10:50 am
The NHS privatisation tender reported here and on 24dash has now been reported by PA as you can see also on 24dash 24dash is an interesting media organisation as it is a pure internet media organisation without any dead tree editions. I found they did quite well at reporting the job cuts in hospitals first. The reality of such an organisation is that the stories are continually published and
10:13 am
Of course all parties have tensions, especially between elected politicians in different legislatures, but this little spat between the Labour MP, Don Touhig and Welsh Education Minister, Jane Davidson is one of the most entertaining ones. At the heart of the disagreement is a long-running dispute over who exactly is responsible for the way that our schools are funded. The simple answer of course is that it is local Councils. They are the ones who manage education in their area, they distribute the resources and they set the organisational context in which headteachers and governors operate. They are also ...
10:08 am
The Electoral Administration Act (2006) passed into law this week, the Act tidies up a number of issues including improving access and engagement, improving confidence, extends openness and transparency in party financing (very apt this week!)
9:53 am
This morning's Western Mail poses the question 'What happened to the great debater?' In doing so they draw an unfavourable analogy between the quality of debate in the Welsh Assembly chamber and the World Schools Debating Championships. They also refer to the quality of speeches delivered by Aneurin Bevan, Neil Kinnock and David Lloyd George. My instincts of course are to defend the National Assembly but like any institution the level of debate there is variable. The Western Mail itself quotes some examples of members interacting that do not give a good impression but like any snapshot that ...
8:32 am
There seems to be quite a bit of light-headed euphoria in the Tory blogosphere over an "A lister" being chosen for Folkestone and Hythe and other winnable seats. The sub-text is: "The media said that the A list system wouldn't work and local associations would choose their own candidates in defiance of D.Cameron....but they've been proved wrong....look at all these thrusting new A listers who
Friday 14th July 2006,
Thursday 13th July 2006,
Wednesday 12th July 2006,
Tuesday 11th July 2006,
Monday 10th July 2006,
Sunday 9th July 2006
