10:44 pm
I just happened to spot Saturday's Financial Times in a newstand. Not my normal reading. There was an interesting front page story on Rupert Murdoch's view of David Cameron. Previously, the spin was that Murdoch thought Cameron was the best thing since sliced bread. Now, when asked what he thinks of Cameron, Murdoch says "Not much". He adds: "He's totally inexperienced. He's going around the
10:30 pm
It is a sin to fly says the church. "Making selfish choices such as flying on holiday or buying a large car are a symptom of sin. Sin is not just a restricted list of moral mistakes. It is living a life turned in on itself where people ignore the consequences of their actions." This has attracted a lot of ridicule from people who'd rather not know. Iain Dale, and some of the responses pile on the
10:19 pm
I won't even begin to talk about the rights and wrongs of the actions of Israel, the ground is too complex. What is angering me however is Tony Blair's attitude. It seems to be follow whatever the US says which is currently bomb the hell out of Hizbullah and to hell with the consequences. This, like the invasion of Iraq (especially without any sort of post invasion plan) is not in the interests
8:50 pm
I think by now, most of you will have grown utterly bored with my obsession with “Shelley The Republican”, however I cannot resist the notion that the current crop of “Anti-Blogs” which both sprang up at almost exactly the same time are front organisations for the STR crew. Both blogs are written in the same inept [...]
8:13 pm
The usual recommendations: Tim Worstall's BritBlog Roundup; The First Post's digest of the Sunday papers.
7:49 pm
When Norman Baker left the Lib Dem front bench he announced that he would be investigating the death of Dr David Kelly. Today's Mail on Sunday reports the progress he has made: The dossier compiled by the Liberal Democrat MP for Lewes shows that the method of suicide said to have been chosen by Dr Kelly, far from being common as was claimed at the time, was in fact unique. Dr Kelly was the only person in the United Kingdom that year deemed to have died from severing the ulnar artery in his wrist, a particularly difficult and painful process ...
6:46 pm
There are some good points in this article, particularly this one: 'It’s just a little ironic to see the Torygraph instantly blame schools (and, by extension, the state) for this failure, and implicitly argue for greater state intervention to boost standards.' Perhaps children would learn better reading habits if their parents didn't expose them to such reactionary rubbish in The Telegraph. 66% of
6:26 pm
According to the Independent, the latest revelation that Labour have yet to pay a penny of the £436,000 interest technically owed on the Cash for Gongs loans means that Blair will be questioned when he comes back from holiday. The police have shown themselves surprisingly eager to follow leads thus far; it's astonishing to think that the Prime Minister could well be helping them with their
5:51 pm
I've not managed to blog much this week, so rather than go back over the details retrospectively, it seems better to simply write about the issues that spring to mind. Very interesting meeting on Tuesday - at a numberless and nameless building with the chief of the new Serious Organised Crime Agency. This new agency is there to get a serious grip on serious crime - trafficking and drugs and major
5:43 pm
To Westminster for the evening reception of Caroline and Paul following their afternoon wedding. As usual, I ran late, on an evening not really designed for dressing up - hot, humid but at least sunny. The room was filled with the elite of Southwark Liberal Democrat circles which, given Caroline's position as Executive Member for Education, should have come as no surprise. I had never really
5:21 pm
Tony Blair may be leaving sooner than we think. That is if the cheap leaflets Labour delivered today around parts of South Bermondsey are anything to go by, it would seem "Editor Kirsty McNeill Labour's Parliamentary Spokesperson" is starting her next General Election campaign. If she is, she's setting the tone for a Labour campaign filled with lies and spin nice and early. For a small A4 leaflet, the latest South Bermondsey Labour Rose sure packs them in. Spin: Labour are 'campaigning' for CCTV in South Bermondsey station. This is CCTV for which the money is already there ...
5:04 pm
One word for this show - awesome Avenue Q is the story of Princeton, a recent college graduate (and puppet), out in the big, wide world fro the first time, trying to find his purpose. Along the way he learns some valuable life lessons - including everyone's a little bit racist and the internet is for porn. Featuring a cast of puppets and humans, the show is a kind of Sesame Street meets South
2:42 pm
Left is a bombed out building, under construction on Redcar Promenade, in preparation for the Dunkirk scenes for the new blockbuster film Atonement which starts in early August. A bandstand shelter is also being built, just to the right, out of shot, painted in nice French style, pastel, blues and greens, with a hole in the roof, clearly where a shell went through. The fitness centre, positioned where the photograph was taken from, next to the Regency Mansions, has had an extra storey built on, that makes it look like a blown up building with peeling wallpaper. Some of the ...
2:36 pm
Never attend an Annual General Meeting unless you want to be on the committee! That happened to me over 20 years ago when I attended the AGM of Kingston WelCare as a church representative. I offered some suggestions, and immediately found myself co-opted on to the executive. Thus began a long association with this voluntary organisation that offers support to families. Ian made...
2:33 pm
When I went into Coombe Hill Juniors recently I asked the children what a Mayor does, and the immediate reply was 'Open shops and cut ribbons'. I told them that it was quite rare to be asked to do that. But I did get a chance to open a shop on Wednesday afternoon. The new MFI store in Kingston Road, New Malden (near Homebase) is one of three stores in the...
2:25 pm
Without anyone telling me, I know that this webcam is looking south. And that this webcam is looking north. (It's not going to be very interesting for a month or two)
2:08 pm
A friend of mine rang last night to tell me, among other things, that he’s adressing an ALDC conference session for council leaders today, on maintaining a work-life balance. I couldn’t help pointing out that anyone attending or speaking at such a conference on a Sunday clearly has no sense of work-life balance. aldc, libdems
1:07 pm
The new tender pre-qualification questionnaire has now been released. It includes the following areas of tendering for Primary Care Trusts. Assessment and Planning 1. Assessment of health needs 2. Reviewing Service Provision (jointly with Local Authority) 3. Deciding Priorities 4. Designing Services 5. Shaping the Structure of supply 6. Managing Demand [X] Contracting and Procurement
12:15 pm
The Telegraph today carries one of those traditional whither-Britain-we’re-all-doomed, Sunday state-of-the-nation stories: Reading is a closed book to today's children: Children spend less than an hour a day reading at school and many do not pick up a book at all during lessons, a study of reading habits has found. I doff my cap to no-one in my desire for every single kid to discover, as I
11:51 am
The Sunday Telegraph reports that this week could be a crunch time for Britain's network of rural Post Offices, with the meeting of a Cabinet committee, under the chairmanship of John Prescott, the Deputy Prime Minister, to discuss the size of the rural operation. Britain's smallest rural post offices are visited so infrequently that they lose money on every transaction. In a recent Westminster debate Jim -Fitzpatrick, the employment relations minister, told MPs: "Fewer than 16 people a week use the 800 smallest rural post offices, at a loss of £17 per visit." Last week Mr ...
11:03 am
{MI5 Ad} I've just spotted a Google Ad on LibDemBlogs advertising jobs for MI5. It's only for admin staff, but I'm sure that the job could leave to other more exciting roles.
8:34 am
The library in the middle of a multi-million pound redevelopment on a Redcar estate is stressing to borrowers that it is still open for business - and looking forward to a new home. Redcar and Cleveland Council's staff in the Roseberry Square branch, which usually caters for over 1,100 borrowers, calculates that dozens have stopped visiting the library, sited in the middle of the massive rebuilding. The redevelopment of The Courts and Roseberry Square shopping centre is being created through the Council's Development Agreement with a private consortium of developers - Bellway Homes, Persimmon Homes and Sterling Capitol - and ...
8:17 am
Foreign office minister Will Howells has said about the attacks on Lebanon: "The destruction of the infrastructure, the death of so many children and so many people: these have not been surgical strikes. If they are chasing Hizbollah, then go for Hizbollah. You don't go for the entire Lebanese nation...I very much hope that the Americans understand what's happening to Lebanon." I could not agree more. I cannot understand why viaducts, mobile phone masts and roads need to be blasted, and children and innocent civilians need to be ...
2:56 am
What a bugger. San Pellegrino belongs to Nestle. Did you know that? Are they proud enough to put their logo on the bottle? Are they bollox. Indeed even their original bottled water, Vittel, is only discoverable as a Nestle product by the tiniest of tiny small print on the bottle. But San Pellegrino drinkers do not even get that warning. Now, this is not a Nestle rant. There are lots of reasons why I try not to consume Nestle products as is my right as a consumer. And I'm not trying to ...
12:23 am
These are by no means the worst films ever made. They are the films that disappointed me because they failed to live up to their publicity or where I find myself not agreeing with the consensus view. This list probably says more about me than it does about the films. When you feel you have been taken in by the hype about a film, it is hard to take a fair view of it. Gone with the Wind When I was young there were two Hollywood films that I felt guilty I had never seen: Casablanca and Gone ...
12:13 am
The Guardian yesterday had more on our potential new national hero: His first two overs had been nervous, a mixture of long-hops and full tosses. His third and fourth were better, and the batsmen became watchful. Four balls into his fifth over, the last before lunch, a beautifully flighted delivery saw Jonathan Trott play too soon and drive a firm return catch which Rashid took two-handed low to his right. Thereafter he bowled perhaps three deliveries which could be called loose. Ian Westwood was trapped in front by a top-spinner that hurried on to him, Luke Parker was beaten ...
Saturday 22nd July 2006,
Friday 21st July 2006,
Thursday 20th July 2006,
Wednesday 19th July 2006,
Tuesday 18th July 2006,
Monday 17th July 2006
